The Company Show

If you’re struggling with getting podcast hosts to accept you as a guest, this is something that you wouldn’t want to miss!

On this episode of The Company Show, we’re joined by Kris Ward—a master in guest pitching (among other things). How is she a master, you ask?

Kris Ward is a systems person to her bones and has built a company around helping people build the teams and processes they need to make all areas of their business, including podcasting and podcast pitching, smoother and less time-consuming. She is the author of Win the Hour, Win the Day, and host of a podcast by the same name.

If you want to learn and use her strategies for yourself, listen to our conversation, or continue reading the blog post!

Tune in to the full episode to learn about:

• How to streamline and batch your podcast pitching
• Workflow tactics for effective relationship building
• The right way to grow your network through podcasting
• Pitching and relationship-building mistakes that podcasters make

Don’t forget to join us for our free monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month!

It’s no secret that one of the best ways to get listeners to your podcast is to be a guest on other people’s shows. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. If you’re a guest on someone’s podcast, they’ve already validated that what you have to say will be of interest to their audience.
2. It’s much easier to get a podcast listener to add a new show to their roster than to explain to someone how podcasts work and how to listen to them.

But pitching can be time-consuming and sometimes, fraught with rejection, awkwardness, and asks within the process that seem downright unreasonable.

Good systems and processes make everything in your business easier - podcasting is no exception, and neither is getting more traction and visibility by appearing on more shows.

If you’ve been podcasting for more than a minute, you’ve probably received plenty of pitches. I’d wager most of them have kind of sucked.

While there are excellent, high-quality podcast booking agencies (Like Angie Trueblood’s company, The Podwize Group, many PR and other promotional firms offer guest pitching services that amount to no more than a copy-and-paste message emailed to literally every podcast with the right category on Apple or Spotify. They suck, and they’re annoying, and the conversion rates can’t be that good.

With that said, here is how you can streamline and batch your podcast pitching process.

1. You or someone on your team researches complementary shows, either by Googling or by following the trail of other podcasts your own guests have been on.
2. You listen to the shows that are of the most interest - at least a couple of episodes, and determine what topic would be a great fit for each one.
3. Write an honest review on Apple or another platform about why you like the show.
4. Record a short video using Loom or your phone, depending on your setup, with the podcaster's name in the frame, and their show on a computer in the background. In the video be sincere about what you liked, why you think you’d be a good fit, and what you’d like to talk about.
5. Send the video to the podcaster via LinkedIn or email.

When I received Kris Ward’s video pitch, it immediately struck me as sincere. She had genuinely listened to at least an episode, which is a huge one, since a lot of people skip this step.

Kris’s videos are purposeful, well-crafted, and highly curated.

1. The first thing she does is hold up the host’s name on a tablet. She then goes: So you see, this is not a generic pitch. Here's your name. Obviously, I put effort into this.
2. She also has a computer behind showing their podcast. It implies she was in the middle of listening to it and turned around and did a pitch. The guest is going to be stimulated by the fact that there's your name and there's your picture.
3. Then when the host opens the video, she opens up with something like: What I'm about to say, I think, has a lot of weight to it because I would describe myself as a podcast junkie. And when I tripped across your show… and then she starts listing the things she like about the host’s show.

“If you can't find something to like about their show, then don't pitch them. But I believe you can always find something.”

She then goes: Listen, I think you and I could have a really meaty conversation that would be of great value to your audience. She then mentions her book, the backstory, and how it would really lean into the host’s bigger messaging.

An example is when she’s pitching somebody about a marketing show. The host might think systems and processes and building a team and getting 25 hours back a week aren't about branding or marketing. But Kris tells the host that she can help their people get time back so they can do the marketing that you want to talk to them about on the other shows.

In short, Kris leans into the host’s bigger message instead of saying all the things that she could talk about.

Kris Ward has a spreadsheet called Kris's Network. After the show, whether she’s hosted it or she’s been on it, the person will be added to the network.

Now, here are some things that are really important. Kris will put their name, and she’ll put an interesting or fun fact about the person. Her team will then take a picture of the guest/host and put that on the spreadsheet. Because we often forget names, but we remember faces.

(This was prompted when Kris had two marketers on her show. Both had red hair, both their names started with M and she got them mixed up.)

This spreadsheet has been a game changer for Kris Ward as it allowed her to maintain relationships in a more personal way because of the personalized notes that she has.

One way she utilizes the spreadsheet is by going through the whole list and sending the guests/hosts a personalized message about something she remembered about them, or a message of hope or luck for an endeavor that they talked about.

There's this whole thing where people refer you to a podcast, and then they ask you for four or five referrals before you even meet them, and then you start getting blitzed. It's insane, it's abusive, it's spammy. Definitely avoid this.

Referrals should be done in a very strategic and gentle way. Your awesome guest or host knows other awesome people but you shouldn’t force the connection. But if you do get it, that also strengthens your relationship with them.

After a new episode, we can become best friends with the host or guest for a week or two. But then another guest comes and we lose touch with the previous person because there was no reason to connect.

This is not the way to maintain relationships. You could be losing relationships just by being too busy or occupied. One way to battle this is by using a networking spreadsheet just like Kris’s.

People put a pitch out and it's so generic because they're trying to cover everything and they're listing all their accomplishments and all the things that they could talk about, which may not fit the show at all.

Your personality should always shine and you're not getting any of that from the written page from somebody else. No one wants to read long paragraphs filled with links. A solution to this is Kris’s video pitch method.

Don’t focus on how great you are and show all your accomplishments. Show the podcast host how your or your knowledge fit into their agenda. The less you say, the more powerful it is.

Kris believes that your business should support your life, not consume it—and it should be fun. Otherwise, you could have stayed at the job that had better hours or a higher hourly rate because you're not working as many hours you had no overhead.

She also talks about the 60-40 rule. We should be in 60% creative mode and 40% admin mode. And we always want to be compressing the work so we can move on to the next creation.

That's what an entrepreneur is all about—getting to the next idea and getting that idea into execution. Somebody doing better in business than you is just getting their idea to execution faster. They're not smarter than you, but they're not held up.

For me, my podcast is a funnel to grow my network, which grows my net worth and to be maintaining relationships and growing my community even if I got no business out of it, which has not been the case.

But even if I didn't, now I am connecting with more and more people who have had a significant interaction with me. And as long as I maintain those relationships, it really is unbelievably powerful.

I get free coaching from fascinating people on subjects that maybe I wouldn't even have known, never mind to ask. Like, sometimes I'll learn stuff that I didn't even know I didn't know, and I'm getting it for free. And I'm building a relationship with these people. So my network has grown considerably.

I wasn't going to make a podcast that would be about productivity or efficiencies or systems because the people who need that are not going to listen to that. Somebody who's in shape does not listen to fitness hacks and podcasts, and they're in shape.

So then we decided to make my podcast anything from sales to social media, that it was really just going to be me talking business. And frankly, what it's turned out to be is the biggest gift to my business ever because we set it up a couple of different ways.

The processes don’t stop at the pitch! If your main goal with your podcast is relationship building (as many are), then the pitch is only the first step of many when it comes to creating a strong foundation.

As we talk about within the Business Podcast Blueprints, a relationship-building podcast is primarily a vehicle to grow your professional network. Check out our previous episode Metrics that Matter for Company Podcasts, and my conversation with Jason Cercone, all about optimizing your workflows and relationships!

There is the invitation itself - and Kris’s strategy is a winner here, then the call, to which you should arrive on time, prepared and ready to promote if it’s relevant to your own audience, and the follow-up.

Following up is a place where we often fall down, which Kris points out - relationships take time and effort to become strong, and you should have a system to help keep you on track with them. Kris describes her networking spreadsheet, and Jenny Blake, author of Free Time and Pivot has a wonderful “Keep In Touch” Notion method.

After Kris and I recorded our conversation, she surprised and impressed me again with an immediate LinkedIn post announcing the call and that it would be coming out in the future. As a podcast host, the entire process was easy, pleasant, and resulted in the excellent information you’ve listened to today.

A++, 10/10 would recommend.

Key Quotes

“Somebody doing better in business than you is just getting their idea to execution faster. They're not smarter than you, but they're not held up.” - Kris Ward

Resources

One Stone Creative | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Make sure to check out our free Monthly Strategy Calls!

Podcasting for Business Conference 2023

Learn about what other business podcasters are doing

• State of Business Podcasting Report 2022

Kris Ward | Website | Podcast | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok

• Take the 30-second Power Entrepreneur Quiz Here!
• Free Audiobook: Win The Hour, Win The Day
• Kris Ward’s LinkedIn Announcement Strategy!

Related:

• Metrics that Matter for Company Podcasts
• Optimizing Your Workflows and Relationships with Jason Cercone
• How to Pitch Yourself as a Guest with Angie Trueblood
• Business Podcast Blueprint: Choosing the Right Podcast Format
• How to Create Your Own CRM with Alex Sherwood & Jenny Blake

About Kris Ward

Author - Podcaster - Coach - Speaker - Team Building And Systems Strategist

Kris Ward is creating a movement where your business supports your life instead of consuming it. Kris is the founder of the Win The Hour, Win the Day philosophy.

After the loss of her husband, Kris returned full-time to her work as a marketing strategist. She was relieved that her business had not only survived her absence but was growing. Now, Kris has completely changed the landscape for entrepreneurs by sharing the successful practices that allowed her absence.

Kris has shared the stage with Jack Canfield - Chicken Soup For The Soul, Kevin Harrington original Shark from Shark Tank, James Malinchak -ABC’s Secret Millionaire, Sharon Lechter - Rich Dad Poor Dad Co-Author, and Joe Theismann - NFL All-Star and commentator to name a few. Kris has also been featured on award-winning podcasts, radio, and TV shows.

Kris is an acclaimed podcaster. You can hear Kris on her own podcast - Win The Hour Win The Day, where she has engaging conversations with dynamic guests covering a variety of business topics so you can get to your next win now!

Early bird tickets are still available! Get access to the three-day Podcasting for Business Conference this November for only $147 (regular price: $247).

Visit this link to register: https://pfbcon.com/register/



The promo ends on September 15th.

There will be days that you have an episode due to meet your production deadlines, but no guest lined up and no real idea of what to talk about. This is an unenviable position to be in, but we’re all there from time to time.

In a perfect world, you’ll have plenty of runway for episodes going into the future by a couple of weeks, or evergreen shows ready to be inserted at the drop of a hat. But we don’t always have them, despite the best of intentions; and it happens to everyone.

Join me on The Company Show as we explore the different strategies you can use to make sure that you always have an episode ready to go. (Add this to your cheat sheets!)

Listen to the episode or continue reading the blog post.

Tune in to learn about:

• How to prepare for unexpected production woes
• Four strategies to help you generate an episode topic

Don’t forget to join us for our free monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month.

So what do you do when a deadline needs to be met and you’re staring at the proverbial blank page with your microphone starting accusingly at you from the boom arm? First, if you are currently a podcast producer who will lecture clients at length about the importance of runway and backup episodes you give yourself a bit of a stern talking to.

Here’s how that conversation might sound:

There are always going to be things that go catawampus. Guests can cancel last minute, you can lose power in a storm, and work emergencies can crop up. The list goes on and on, and eventually one or more of these things will happen, possibly all at the same time.

But if it is at all possible, you need to maintain your release schedule. As Tom Fox from the Compliance Podcast Network says:

The best way to be prepared for the unexpected is to prepare for the unexpected! You do this by creating a recording runway, where you’re recording episodes now that are going to be released a few weeks in the future and that gives your whole workflow wiggle room.

The next best thing to do - and ideally this is in addition to recording with a runway - is to have a couple of evergreen episodes you’ve recorded in advance that can be slotted into the calendar if you ever need a last-minute episode. You want to make sure they really are evergreen and don’t make reference to things that are happening in your business or the news that will be out of date if you end up using the episode 6 months from now.

Finally, you want to have a list of episode ideas, or really good friends that can be tapped if you ever find yourself on recording day without anything to say. You should keep a running list of episode possibilities in your episode guide that you can deploy as needed.

All sounds very simple and sensible, doesn’t it? It sure does, and it is—but it’s not always going to happen. Like it did to me on the date of recording of this podcast episode. I told you it happens to everyone.

Since the show must go on, here are ways to get out an episode even if you’re not sure exactly what to talk about.

If you have coworkers or a cohost, they’re your first and best bet. When I was thinking glumly about the big “record The Company Show episode” on my list of to-dos for the day, I was feeling utterly uninspired, and more than a little irritated with myself. So I sent a Slack message to my friend and business partner, the inimitable Audra Casino explaining my plight.

She hit back immediately with:

Do an episode on how to cheat an episode when you don’t have any ideas.

Your colleagues and partners will have the subject matter expertise to have topic ideas kicking around and can let you know what THEY would like to hear on the show. This can be a great way to jump-start your motivation.

If you don’t have someone on your team or in your network you can ask on zero notice, then you can ask Chat GPT! You might want to prompt it with something like: ”Can you suggest 15 episode ideas for a podcast about widget manufacturing?” or “What are 10 questions business owners might ask before starting a podcast.”

The AI can be a great assistant and get rid of that blank page paralysis that causes so much difficulty in creating content.

If you’ve been podcasting for a while, you’ve probably recorded a few that could use an update. I did this a few weeks ago with our episode Leveraging a Podcast in Your Business, which was an update to one of the very first episodes we’d ever released on the show.

I’d say it’s good practice to spend a little time with your episode archive every year to see what you’d like to update, expand on, or correct, if things have changed. A gap in the editorial calendar is a great time to do it.

You’re probably not the only company podcasting about what you’re podcasting about, so if you’re scrambling for an idea see what your fellows are talking about.

You don’t want to replicate their content by any means, but you might find topics you have your own opinion on, ideas you want to respond to, or just get inspired by the good work other people in your industry are doing. And it never hurts to give credit in these instances.

Look for questions that people in your industry are asking about your industry. If you’ve got a sales or customer support team, they can be great to tap into for this too.

If someone cares about an issue enough to make a post about it, they probably aren’t the only one, and it could become part of your own question-and-answer library that you can have on hand when it comes up again in the future.

Between these four ideas, you should be able to get an episode out the door in short order. And once you do, do what I’m about to do, and record an additional episode that you can pop into the bank and pull out next time the inevitable happens.

Key Quotes

"You’re probably not the only company podcasting about what you’re podcasting about, so if you’re scrambling for an idea see what your fellows are talking about.” - Megan Dougherty

Resources

One Stone Creative | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Make sure to check out our free Monthly Strategy Calls!

Megan Dougherty is the Co-Founder of One Stone Creative. She has been a digital marketer for over a decade, with a strong focus on digital course creation, content marketing, and multimedia content production. As the co-founder, she takes pride in high-quality, on-time work and helping people get their messages to the people who need to hear them.

She likes spreadsheets, deadlines, and creating online experiences that are good for both the creators and the end-users. She hates jumping out of airplanes, mushrooms, and hyperbolic language in messaging. When not helping to produce podcasts, courses, and videos, she bakes pies and watches Star Trek. (Janeway forever.)

Find her on LinkedIn!

Related Episodes and Media:

• Is My Podcast Topic Too Saturated?
• Will AI Replace Writers? with Karl Sona

We’re starting to get ready for this year’s Podcasting for Business Conference, and we’re currently looking for speakers! Go to PFBCon.com and click on “Become a Speaker” to share your idea! It’s happening this November, all online.

Something that we know from the State of Business Podcasting Report is that the vast majority of business podcasts post their episodes to YouTube, and most do live-action videos. One of the reasons?

YouTube has a powerful and effective discovery algorithm - something that no audio-based platform has been able to replicate.

Podcasts can now be found, in most countries, as a part of YouTube Music, and they are currently testing the ability to upload podcasts via RSS feed. Now that YouTube is starting to add real podcast muscle to its platform, as a company podcaster, you would be remiss not to use it.

Happily, there are many video experts who are extremely generous with their knowledge and insight. One of them, Angela Hollowell, is the creator of Honey and Hustle, a video-first podcast and founder of Rootful Media, a digital media production company focused on photography, video production, and digital content creation for purpose-driven visual storytelling.

In this episode, Angela gives a closer look into the preparation and workflow differences between an audio and video podcast. She also shares systems that you can apply to your own workflow and the different apps that you can use to streamline the process.

Aside from the potential increase in profits, video podcasting has other unique benefits that it can give you and your business. If you’re interested in that, definitely don’t miss this episode.

Listen to our conversation below, or continue reading the blog post!

Tune in to the full episode to learn about:

• Reasons why you might want to do a video podcast
• The differences in the preparation, production, and the recording process
• Systems and technology that you can use to streamline the process
• The ways your video podcast can support your business
• How your podcast can impact new shows or business ideas
• The hidden benefits and opportunities of video podcasting

Don’t forget to join us for our free monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month!

Doing a video podcast might mean more work and resources spent, but the potential benefits can make it a worthwhile endeavor. Not to say that audio is inferior, as always, it depends on your goals and current capacity.

Want to see if a YouTube podcast is for you? Continue reading!

YouTube has a powerful and effective discovery algorithm. This is something that no audio-based platform has been able to replicate or even really come close to yet. This, combined with its engaging nature, larger audience, and effective search engine makes Google’s video platform a podcasting powerhouse.

Another thing to keep in mind is the power of YouTube channels for organizing your content and creating a convenient experience for your viewers.

Their playlists are the mechanism. This is done on YouTube, and they are basically categories of content that creators can make on their channel. For example, organizing all of their episodes or all of their reviews, or all highlights into a single playlist. That can make it easy for people to navigate and consume a whole bunch of your content, one right after the other.

With YouTube podcasts, you get to know a person beyond their voice. You see their mannerisms, the way they present themselves, and how comfortable they are. You get to see what their face looks like when they're thinking, amused, or when they're being clever.

This is not to say the audio doesn't matter. It definitely does. If you're solely a person that likes to gain information, absolutely, audio podcasts are the way to go. But for people who like to gain information, but also like to gain inspiration and a deeper sense of engagement, video podcasts win.

People would think audio would be easier, but when Angela started podcasting, she was still a filmmaker and was already doing video professionally for clients. And so for her, doing a video podcast was just a natural extension of the work that I was already doing.

If you’re already in a visual field or comfortable with being on camera, always consider a video podcast!

According to Angela, not really. She’s pretty straight up in saying that it is a video podcast. When recording in person, she gives out tips like:

“I'll be giving you a lav mic. It's going to clip onto your clothes. So try not to wear anything that makes too much noise. So like really long dangly earrings, dangly necklaces.”

Try to prep people, have systems in place, and always send them reminders. It’s also your duty to help your guest make sure that they show up at their best on camera.

There are certain tasks in your business that you do repeatedly all the time. And if you're doing it repeatedly, there's a chance that you can automate those steps so that instead of you spending time writing the same email 20,000 times, you can be doing something else. Something else that makes you money.

1. SavvyCal - for automated scHere are some of the tools that Angela uses:
   heduling
2. Zapier - make your apps talk to each other and create a robust automated system
3. Airtable - for episode guides
4. Typefully - social media scheduling

You don't want guests to feel like they're regurgitating answers from previous interviews with other people. You want them to feel like this is something that is unique to them and that is unique to their story.

The best videos happen in pre-production. 90% of a good interview happens in the planning phase. So definitely allot time for good preparation and good research. Find out which questions have been asked before and .look for different angles The other half is knowing when and how to be vulnerable and how to share stories of your own that leave space for people to feel comfortable in whatever capacity, sharing stories that are similar.

For Angela, she always asks people a fact-based question first.

1. How did the business get started?
2. Why this business? Why this lane?
3. Why do you do this specifically?

When you start off asking someone you don't know that well, something that's a little more emotionally based might not get them to open up as much. They're probably not going to be as comfortable, and it's going to set the tone for the rest of the interview.

Angela noticed that linking her podcast to her email signature would make people reach out to her. They have seen an episode with someone they love, trust, or worked with in the past, which prompts them to engage.

Just by the power of positive association, she was getting this unofficial co-sign for people who are reaching out to her for work and inquiries, which helped the video and photography production side of her business.

Key Quotes

“You're going to have a different guest every episode, but you are the only constant. So the people that are listening to this also kind of want to feel like they know you as well, and they know certain parts of your story.” - Angela Hollowell

“A lot of friction comes from miscommunication or just a lack of communication. That comes from not treating podcasting like a business and not understanding that your guest experience if you are doing an interview-based podcast, is just as important as a listener experience.” - Angela Hollowell

Resources

One Stone Creative | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Make sure to check out our free Monthly Strategy Calls!

About Angela Hollowell

Angela is the founder of Rootful Media, a digital media production company focused on photography, video production, and digital content creation for purpose-driven visual storytelling. Rootful Media is driven to create and share stories with diversity, inclusion, compassion, and sustainability at their core. Angela is also the host of the video podcasts Honey & Hustle and Creative Architects by Castos. Through storytelling interviews, she talks with founders and creators about their personal journeys as entrepreneurs and experiences in the creator economy.

Through documentary photography and filmmaking, she works to create a digital space highlighting the unique lifestyle, challenges, and moments in the American South and beyond. From the food we eat to the land we live on, our culture is heavily intertwined with our history and our humanity. As a storyteller and human rights advocate, Angela weaves together the narratives of individuals, nonprofits, and organizations from script to screen to amplify the voices of people in our communities.

Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube

Related Episodes and Media:

• Video Podcasts: Reflections and Decisions
• The Video Advantage for SEO with Atiba De Souza
• Should Company Podcasts be Company Vlogs? An Audio vs. Video Showdown

We’re starting to get ready for this year’s Podcasting for Business Conference, and we’re currently looking for speakers! Go to PFBCon.com and click on “Become a Speaker” to share your idea! It’s happening this November, all online.

A really solid Search Engine Optimization strategy for podcast show notes can easily be pushed to the back burner within a marketing strategy. Sometimes they’re an afterthought, sometimes they’re on the perpetual to-do list, and sometimes they’re not really considered at all.

Personally, I’ll confess that my intentions around show notes optimization often exceeds the bandwidth we can devote to the project. But after today’s conversation on The Company Show, I am prepared to mend my ways.

Today’s guest, Danielle Desir Corbett is someone who does show notes really, really well. A podcaster, podcast marketing coach, and SEO Expert, she delivered one of the most popular presentations at last year’s Podcasting for Business Conference—optimizing your podcast show notes for maximum discoverability.

In this episode, Danielle talks about her strategies for optimization and the benefits that she and her clients have seen by making it a priority on websites. She shares how to balance creativity and technical accuracy, how to conduct and deploy your keyword research, and why it’s absolutely critical to have each episode on its own page within your website.

As always happens after a conversation with Danielle, I’m wild to get into my content archive and update it, and improve our workflows going forward—and I think you will be too.

Listen to our conversation below, or continue reading the blog post!

Tune in to the full episode to learn about:

• Why SEO is so important for podcasters
• Why so many people don't pay enough attention to search rankings
• How prioritizing SEO can impact your podcast
• Should you start with a topic or with a keyword when planning a new episode?
• An SEO workflow that you can use to optimize your episodes
• Low-hanging fruits of SEO show notes optimization
• SEO metrics that you should track

Don’t forget to join us for our free monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month!

Here are the best practices and tips from Danielle—now and add the most value to your show notes while spending the least amount of time and effort!

Ensure your titles are clear, compelling, and contain relevant keywords. If any of these elements are missing, consider revising them. Optimizing your episode titles is an effective way to boost downloads. Danielle recommends doing this annually by reviewing your archives and assessing whether each title still meets the mark.

When creating an episode, utilize keyword research and question analysis to develop your content. Copy and paste the questions you've identified into bullet points under the "In this episode, we discuss" section. These bullet points will serve as headers and paragraphs in your show notes, outlining the tips and topics covered. Proper preparation is crucial as it provides you with ready-made content for your show notes, making it easy to plug and play.

To enhance your search visibility, consider creating a video for each episode of your podcast and include the YouTube link in your show notes. Google prioritizes pages with videos, particularly those from YouTube. Adding a YouTube video, which can be automatically generated by your podcast hosting platform, to every show notes page is an effective way to improve search friendliness and increase your online presence.

Embed the podcast player in the second or third paragraph of your show notes. Search engines like Google prioritize understanding the page's content through the title and initial paragraph. If the first paragraph is filled with HTML code or unrelated text, you’re already losing the mark.

If you're ready to dive into SEO, you have two options: update your entire archive or focus on optimizing your top-performing episodes. It's not necessary to tackle everything at once, as it can be overwhelming.

Take notes on what you've learned today, identify your top five or ten episodes, optimize them, and then proceed with this strategy. Don't feel pressured to do it all at once. It's more approachable and understandable to take a gradual approach, especially for people who prefer not to complete everything at once.

A must-have for your website is a blog post or show notes page that includes links to all the episode-related content. As business owners, we aim to drive traffic to our website and cater to both Google searchers and our listeners seeking extra material. Therefore, it is essential to have the keyword in the title of the blog post, as well as sprinkled throughout the show notes, particularly in the first paragraph.

Her personal strategy involves embracing creativity and focusing on topics that resonate with her audience, then refining the SEO strategy afterward.

Here are the steps that you can emulate for your show!

1. Start by choosing a topic or finding interesting individuals with valuable stories to share.
2. Once you have a topic, create bullet points of questions or talking points.
3. While doing step #2, conduct soft keyword research, mainly focusing on incorporating relevant keywords into the episode.
4. After recording the episode, write the show notes and blog posts, and conduct more thorough keyword research to optimize the content.

While some bloggers prioritize keyword research first, Danielle believes that podcast listeners appreciate nuanced content that goes beyond simple how-tos. It can include different perspectives, explorations, and even lightheartedness.

In the annual State of Business Podcasting Report, we consistently discover that many of the top 100 business shows have minimal show notes, often just a sentence or two, or even no associated website. Considering the value that comes from investing time and effort into both written and audio content, it's surprising to see this trend.

According to Danielle, one possible reason behind this trend is that larger shows with a substantial following can afford to overlook detailed show notes. Meanwhile, smaller shows don't have that luxury.

Google receives millions of daily searches, making it a valuable source of traffic for our ecosystem. For small business owners with limited resources, there are methods available for long-term discovery and visibility.

Show notes have the advantage of being a one-time effort, although it can be time-consuming. Nonetheless, even show notes from years ago can continue driving daily traffic and affiliate sales. This long-lasting impact is undeniably powerful.

Key Quotes

“For the rest of us, it's really important for us to pull on levers that allow us to market our podcast for the long term so that people can find us and that we can achieve all the goals that we have related to our show.” - Danielle Desir Corbett

Resources

One Stone Creative | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Make sure to check out our free Monthly Strategy Calls!

About Danielle Desir Corbett

Podcasting since 2018, Danielle Desir Corbett is a podcast marketing coach and host of the top-rated 4x grant-funded affordable luxury travel and personal finance podcast and blog, The Thought Card. She has been a guest on nearly 200 podcasts and is a sought-after speaker at popular podcasting conferences such as Podcast Movement, She Podcasts LIVE, Podfest, and more.

As the founder of WOC Podcasters (Women of Color), Danielle is passionate about connecting Women of Color podcasting creatives and professionals to resources and opportunities that will empower their podcasting journey.

Podcast Coaching with Danielle Desir Corbett | Instagram | Twitter

Related Episodes and Media:

• The Video Advantage for SEO with Atiba De Souza
• Write Better Podcast Episode Titles Workshop

We’re starting to get ready for this year’s Podcasting for Business Conference, and we’re currently looking for speakers! Go to PFBCon.com and click on “Become a Speaker” to share your idea! It’s happening this November, all online.

In 2021, we developed the Business Podcast Blueprints: four high-level podcast archetypes that inform the different strategic decisions that need to be made about a new show.

• Thought Leadership
• Audience Engagement
• Relationship Building
• Content

In this episode, we’ll revisit the different blueprints and the ways you can leverage those types of podcasts in your company. We’re going deep into what metrics you can measure, how you can track them, and how you should optimize your show to reach your specific business goals.

Whether you’re starting a new show or you already have one, these blueprints will help your podcast become focused, highly trackable, and primed for success.

Tune in to learn about:

• The four Business Podcast Blueprints: The Benefits and the Metrics
• How to optimize your podcast content for specific objectives
• Tracking and measuring your podcast metrics
• Defining the key success metrics for your podcasts

Thank you for joining us on this episode of The Company Show. Stay tuned for the next one!

Don’t forget to join us for our free monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month.

Key Quotes

"It's important to think about your key success metrics now, so you can start refining your podcast content and promotional work to prioritize them.”

"Every episode can be a blog post with rich, optimized content on it—that’s giving you content on two channels for practically the price of one."

Resources

One Stone Creative | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Make sure to check out our free Monthly Strategy Calls!

Related Episodes:

• Why Even Podcast?
• Business Podcast Strategy
• Metrics that Matter for Company Podcasts
• How to Choose Your Podcast Content (And Format, Assets, and Marketing)

Podcasting for business involves a lot of tasks, information, and assets—requiring coordination with guests and team members. While it may be tempting to do everything on your own, it's not efficient or practical.

And when you find that existing team members can't handle certain tasks, outsourcing to third-party service providers, such as virtual assistants (VAs) or production houses, should be at the top of your list of things to consider.

To help you navigate the exciting world of outsourcing, Kristy Yoder, the founder, and CEO of Smart VAs and host of the Master Delegator Podcast, joins us for an episode! Get ready for an in-depth exploration of task delegation and learn when you should start delegating podcast elements, what you should probably hand over, and how to ensure you’re doing it as efficiently as possible.

Consider this episode your definitive guide!

Tune in to learn about:

• How to optimize and automate your internal podcast production processes
• Effective podcast planning and task delegation strategies
• How to outsource tasks for podcast creation and things to consider
• The different hiring options for podcast production
• How to maximize productivity through delegation
• The value of delegating email tasks for podcasters

Thank you for joining us on this episode of The Company Show. Stay tuned for the next one!

Don’t forget to join us for our free monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month.

Key Quotes

“If you want to save money and lower your overhead costs, I recommend that you hire a virtual assistant and try it first before considering hiring an in-house person.” - Kristy Yoder

“The better defined the task is and the better the steps you have for it, the easier it's going to be to outsource.” - Megan Dougherty

Resources

One Stone Creative | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Make sure to check out our free Monthly Strategy Calls!

Kristy Yoder | LinkedIn | Instagram | Website | Podcast

Related Video:

• Megan Dougherty's Proven Strategies for Building and Managing a Successful Team

Why You Should Consider Starting a Podcast Network

There are many strategies you can employ to increase the reach of your show—cross promotions, episode swaps, paid traffic and ads, guest posting, being a podcast guest etc. But if you’re serious about growth and up for the challenge, going from a single show to a network can dramatically expand your reach.

On this week’s episode, The Compliance Evangelist, Tom Fox returns to answer the question: 

“Should you start your own podcast network?”

We cover all the benefits, strategies, and technicalities you should know. As the founder of the Compliance Podcast Network and the Texas Hill Country Podcast Network, Tom brings exciting insights into the challenges he faced and the successes he achieved.

If you’re considering creating your own network (or joining one), this is an episode that you shouldn’t miss!

Tune in to learn about:

• The benefits of having a podcast network
• The strategy and considerations for topic-based and geographically-based networks
• The importance of choosing the right type of network based on the type of business the podcast supports
• Maximizing local business success through niche marketing
• The origin story and growth of the Compliance Podcast Network and the Rural Podcasters Network
• Challenges faced in the early days of starting the network
• Monetization methods for podcast networks

Thank you for joining us on this episode of The Company Show. Stay tuned for the next one with Kristy Yoder, the founder and CEO of Smart VAs. We’re talking about delegating to an external third-party service provider to help you grow your show.

Don’t forget to join us for our monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month at OneStoneCreative.net/strategy-calls.

There are a lot of really, really smart people in this industry and I rarely have an interview that I don’t learn something from. The single biggest benefit of having a podcast, in my opinion, is getting to know more of them.

Join me in the first official episode of the newly rebranded The Company Show (formerly The Business Podcast Blueprint Show), as I reflect on valuable lessons learned from industry experts from our  previous season and our monthly strategy and networking calls.

Tune in to hear insights on:

• The importance of having a process to connect and engage with guests between interviews.
• The power of video SEO and why it should be prioritized alongside on-page SEO.
• How social audio can have a significant impact on business.
• Planning and conceiving effective podcast ads before recording is crucial.
• The value of collaborating with others, and guesting on other shows within the podcasting community.
• The importance of investing in top-quality audio and sending guests gifts like headsets to help improve audio quality and build relationships.
• Creating a great podcast as a marketing activity, going beyond just getting the show out there.
• Tips on optimizing social media reach by mastering algorithms with consistency, engagement, and relevant keywords.
• Networking calls and one-on-one networking opportunities can provide valuable insights and connections in the podcasting industry.

Thank you for joining me on the very first episode of The Company Show. Stay tuned for the next episode with longtime friend, Tom Fox, where we’ll answer the question: should you have a podcast network?

Don’t forget to join us for our monthly strategy calls on the third Thursday of every month at OneStoneCreative.net/strategy-calls.

Welcome to a new phase in the life of this podcast. Up until now, we’ve been the "Business Podcast Blueprint Show." And the business podcast blueprints are an important part of how we think about and help people achieve, effective podcasting. They represent the key high level archetypes for company podcasts - the prime directives that inform all of the other strategic decisions: Thought Leadership, Audience Engagement, Relationship Building and Content.

Those are still very important, and we’re still going to be talking about them a lot.

What the business podcast blueprints lack in terms of a name is being sticky, and immediately comprehensible. Sticky, when it comes to podcast names, means easy to remember and to say. Immediately comprehensible, pretty obviously, means it doesn’t need to be explained. To try and bridge these gaps a little, I’m delighted to introduce our new name: "The Company Show".

The name, and the art, are changing, and we’re going to continue experimenting and exploring different formats - more case studies, more instruction, more commentary, and at least for the next season, more regular releases, with an every-other week schedule.

I welcome you to this new iteration of our podcast, and encourage you to listen and to share it!