In this quick episode, I provide an update on both this podcast and my business. I also explain the shady reason behind why I'm specifically posting this update when I am.   Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club for just $5/month! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit online coursePodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

"If you want your podcast and your business to work hand-in-hand, you have to start thinking about them as the same thing and not separate things." As you wrap up one year and plan your goals for the next one, don't forget about your podcast. I see far too many podcasters who aren't intentional with the content they're putting our and the products or services they're promoting on their show. In this episode, I'm explaining exactly how you can prep your podcast for new year so that you always know exactly what you're promoting and what your content should be centered around.   Note: This will be my final episode of 2020. I'll be returning with a new episode on February 2nd, 2022.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.   Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook and reach out! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit coursePodcast editing (let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show)

Margy Feldhuhn is a podcast host and the co-owner and CEO of Interview Connections, the first and leading podcast booking agency. She and her business partner lead an in-house staff of over 25 full-time employees in their (now virtual) Rhode Island office, and have successfully scaled the agency to multiple 7 figures. Since 2013, Interview Connections has been booking successful entrepreneurs as guests on podcasts and providing them strategy and coaching to monetize their guest appearances. They currently represent over 250 business owners. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Margy is also an animal rescue advocate and personal development enthusiast. With her podcast, “We Get It, Your Dad Died,” Margy uses her own experience of losing her dad to suicide to transform the conversation around grief and show the joy that is possible on the other side of loss. Her show won First Prize in the Best Podcast category of the 2021 Rhode Island International Film Festival. In this episode, we chat about how their clients utilize podcast guest appearances for their businesses and podcasts, how Interview Connections was created, how many shows they have to pitch to get four podcast guests appearances per month for their clients, why they typically target “mid-range” shows for their clients rather than shows with massive audiences, the criteria they look for when finding podcasts to pitch, why don’t ask podcasts hosts for their download numbers before deciding whether or not to pitch to them, and more.   IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Margy and her co-owner will be hosting a free podcast guesting masterclass December 13-17th. Click here to register with my special affiliate link.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club for just $5/month! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit online coursePodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Emily K Thomas is an energetic advisor and founder of Aligned Energetics. In her work, she advises high-performance entrepreneurs to lead with conviction & hire, launch, and scale with complete confidence. She’s passionate about helping her clients harness the power of their unique energetic framework to mitigate risk and achieve their financial intentions. She is the host of the Live Your Light Podcast and the founder and designer of Sundari Swim, an eco-conscious, body-love swimwear brand and her mission is to help entrepreneurs build a business that fuels their lifestyle. In this episode, we chat about what the term “aligned energetic” means, how being energetically aligned can help with making decisions for your podcast, how it’s okay to break from the typical format when it comes to your podcast, the changes she made to her own podcast once she started focusing on aligned energetics, the importance of being selective with your podcast guests, why she requires all of her guests to do a “connection call” with her before being on her show, how she handles it if the connection call makes it clear the guest isn’t energetically aligned with her podcast, her advice for energetically aligning with your podcast, and more.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club for just $5/month! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit online coursePodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Years Podcasting: Nearly six Total Podcasts Hosted: Four Total Episodes Released: Over 400 If you think in all that time I’ve never hit a content idea block, you’re very wrong. But one good thing to come from all that podcasting, and helping podcasters like you with their shows for the past 5+ years, is that I’ve picked up a trick or two to help get past those blocks. In this episode, I’m sharing some of my go-to podcast episode topics and ideas so you can have them ready the next time you’re feeling a little blocked when trying to plan out the content for your own podcast.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.   Want to make sure you don't miss out on future podcasting industry updates, new tools, or my recommendation changes? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club today!   Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram and Clubhouse!   Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Self-paced course for auditing your own podcastPodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Over the past several years of helping coaches and consultants just like you with their podcast launches, I've noticed some common blocks, anxieties, and fears that come up frequently during that process. It's those fears that I want to discuss today to hopefully help you overcome if you're experiencing any of them yourself. The fears/anxieties mentioned in this episode: Feeling overwhelmed or intimidated by the process and/or technology to the point where it stops you from getting startedThinking everything needs to be absolutely perfect before you can officially launch the show (sometimes presents itself as making constant changes/tweaks or not being able to commit to certain decisions)Worrying that no one will even listen to the showWorrying that it will be a waste of time and/or moneyBeing afraid of getting negative reviews or feedbackWorrying that you won't be able to find enough guests to keep the show going   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.   Want to make sure you don't miss out on future podcasting industry updates, new tools, or my recommendation changes? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club today!   Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram and Clubhouse!   Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Self-paced course for auditing your own podcastPodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Finka Jerkovic is an author, international speaker, workshop leader and coach. As President of FINKA Communications Inc., she consults with clients in areas of personal branding, leadership, sales, client experience and employee engagement. She brings over two decades of experience in corporate Canada in the financial services industry, with an expertise in sales, leadership, communication, and coaching. Finka believes when you bring authentic leadership and a mission-based mindset to business, you can achieve inner fulfillment, outer success and leave a transformational impact. Her book Sell From Love: Love Yourself, Love your Client, Love your Offer released November 2020, hit Amazon’s #1 Best Seller List and was listed as a Hot New Release. She lives in Canada with her husband and daughter on their 85-acre nature oasis, where you'll find them living a farm-to-table lifestyle, brewing up essential oil blends from their lavender field, riding horses, and beekeeping. In this episode, Finka shares why it took her three years to finally launch her podcast even though she knew how beneficial it would be for her business, how her fears around podcasting turned her into a perfectionist, why starting a podcast is an important task even if it may not seem like an urgent one, how her podcast helped her gain clarity of her voice and messaging, why she recommends going to the edge of your comfort zone when starting a podcast rather than outside of it, why she doesn’t want someone starting a podcast if they’re not committed to doing to it for at least a 12-18 months, and more.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit online coursePodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Special Note: Effectively immediately, new episodes of the podcast will be published every other Friday instead of every Friday.   Diann Wingert is a business mindset coach for female entrepreneurs. During her previous 20+ year career as a licensed psychotherapist, she worked with hundreds of ambitious women who struggled to achieve the success they desired. After realizing that psychotherapy was not the answer, Diann trained and certified as a coach to shift the conversation from problems to possibilities. Diann is an expert on the intersection between mindset, mental health, and entrepreneurship and is committed to helping others make an income while making an impact. When she is not coaching, Diann can be found exploring her newly adopted city of Portland, OR with rescue chihuahuas and her German-born husband. Diann is a coffee lover, Peloton enthusiast, and host of The Driven Woman Podcast. In this episode, Diann shares how she utilizes client success stories on her podcast, what she means when she uses the term “pod swaps”, how she determines which podcasters she wants to collaborate with, how she initiates the process of a pod swap; including a highly effective and vastly underutilized strategy, how long she nurtures a relationship before pitching a pod swap and how the length of time varies between Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, why she feels it’s worth it to spend a good amount of time researching potential guests before reaching out to them with the idea of a pod swap, what her follow-up process is like after she records the pod swaps so that she can continue fostering the relationship, the strategy of recording one interview and using it on both podcasters shows, her advice for streamlining the pod swap process so even a one-person team can do it, and more!   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit online coursePodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Jason Cercone is a podcast consultant, podcast communications pro, chicken wing connoisseur, and all-around well-adjusted bon vivant making his residence in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the Founder of Cercone Consulting, through which he helps brands and professionals leverage the authority-building power of podcasting. When he isn't glued to a mic or screen producing words to live by, you'll find him consuming a good beer, obsessing over his fantasy football lineups, and doing everything in his power to break 80 on the golf course. In this episode, Jason shares why he decided to start helping people with their podcast guest pitches, the guide he’s created that will help you build a pitch producers can’t say no to, why you should absolutely avoid the “spray and pray” method when sending out pitches to be a guest on podcasts, whether or not it’s necessary to actually listen to a podcast before pitching yourself as a guest, why you shouldn’t be too focused on pitching only to shows with large followings, how podcast guesting can help the SEO of your business, what the process looks like for someone who utilizes his podcast guest pitching services, the thing he does when it comes to podcast guest appearances that almost no one else does even though they should, the one thing he wants people to tweak about their pitches immediately, and more.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit online coursePodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

In this first episode back from my summer hiatus, I do a quick recap of the latest podcast industry updates from the past two months that you should be aware of to help stay on top of the podcasting game and help alleviate some potential frustrations; including the reason your podcast downloads may have dropped this summer, the extremely popular platform that’s finally giving podcasts the attention they deserve (and what you need to do to make sure you can take advantage of it), the easy way you can continue to stay informed about the industry news and tools, and more.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.   Want to make sure you don't miss out on future podcasting industry updates, new tools, or my recommendation changes? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club today!   Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram and Clubhouse!   Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Self-paced course for auditing your own podcastPodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

This brief bonus episode explains the exciting reason I'll be taking June and July off from the podcast.   Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

With both Apple and Spotify announcing private/paid podcast subscriptions on their platforms recently, you might be wondering if this is the right move for your podcast. In this quick episode, I answer that question, give multiple examples of how your business can utilize private podcasts, and announce a brand course I launched TODAY using a private podcast feed that will help you audit your own podcast.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.   Is your podcast not growing like you'd hoped? Not bring in as many leads as you would like? Or maybe you're just not quite sure you're using the podcast to its full potential.  If that's the case, definitely check out my podcast self-audit online course (that can be consumed just like a podcast)!   Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram and Clubhouse!   Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Dr. Lindsay Padilla is an ex-community college professor who accidentally started a business while on the tenure track. Now, as the CEO and co-founder of the Hello Audio software, which takes your content and creates private audio feeds to make learning on the go much easier for your people, Lindsay challenges online industry norms of unfinished courses and unconsumed content with her product. All of Lindsay’s business ideas were born out of her tenure-track years teaching adults online at a community college, the ridiculous amount of learning she's done in all things education, and the years spent growing her course creation business online. In this episode, Lindsay shares what Hello Audio is, how it was created with course creators and podcasters in mind, how she personally uses Hello Audio in her own business, unique ways Hello Audio users are utilizing the platform for both business and personal reasons, how it can completely replace course platforms like Kajabi and Thinkific if you wanted it to, why it creates a much easier (and better) experience for your course participants, and more!   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast self-audit online coursePodcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Elsie Escobar is a ten-year-plus veteran in the podcast industry and an inductee to the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame. She is also Libsyn’s Community Expert; running the community via social media and producing The Feed: The Official Libsyn podcast. She also co-founded She Podcasts, a podcast, a podcasting community for women and non-binary people that has over 20 thousand members, a woman-centered podcasting conference She Podcasts Live, and a membership community called The She Podcasts Super Squad. Her thing is driving dialogue in the podcasting industry focusing on podcasts’ impact on society, diversity, and culture as well as their power to drive social change. In this episode, Elsie shares what Libsyn 5 is, the difference between Libsyn as you’ve known it (Libsyn 4) and the new Libsyn 5, why it’s important to remember Libsyn 5 is still technically in Beta as of the release of this episode, what Glow.fm is, how it relates to Libsyn and could become a huge benefit for Libsyn users, what the She Podcasts Super Squad is, and more.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

I know the title and description for this special episode will likely seem a little clickbait-y but, unfortunately, they're not. Apple Podcasts announced some major changes this week and, unfortunately, they've done a terrible job at rolling them out. And, if you do what they advise you to do in order to take advantage of these new updates, your entire show could end being removed from their platform altogether thanks to some bugs with their new Podcasts Connect platform. And, that's not even the only issue some podcasters are experiencing. Take a listen to this quick episode before doing anything with the new Podcasts Connect platform or attempting to submit a new show to Apple Podcasts. There's also an additional mention of an announcement Facebook also made this week regarding podcasting.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Shelby Fowler is a Facebook and Instagram ads expert, creator of Fempire Ads Academy, lover of reality tv, and the founder and CEO of Fempire Media. She started Fempire Media, an ads agency, in 2019 after freelancing as a digital marketer for years. She has grown the company to multiple six figures in the first 2 years and is passionate about serving clients, teaching ads, and encouraging her team. In late 2020, Shelby launched Fempire Ads Academy to empower female entrepreneurs to run their own profitable Facebook and Instagram ads. Every month, members get all the tools and support they need to scale their business with ads. Outside of business, Shelby is a mom of 2 girls, a crazy-awesome cook, lover of real housewives (and all things Bravo), and true crime fan. In this episode, she shares whether or not it’s realistic for someone to successfully run their own Facebook and Instagram ads if they don’t have the money to outsource it, when you should definitely start outsourcing your Facebook and Instagram ads, why she equates Facebook and Instagram ads for a podcast to a billboard, how much you realistically need to spend to promote your podcast with a Facebook or Instagram ad, what type of content should be used in a Facebook or Instagram ad for your podcast, her advice for running Facebook and Instagram story ads, the pros and cons of both sending potential listeners to a specific podcast app and a landing page for your podcast on your own website, why you absolutely should verify your domain inside the Facebook Business Manager before running any ads, why you need to be super critical of the resources you’re using to learn how to run your own Facebook and Instagram ads, and more!   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Today's my birthday! For the past two years, I've done an Ask Me Anything (AMA)-style episode where you were able to ask me any question you wanted and I answered it in the episode. Well, it's that time of the year again.  In this AMA episode, I answer the following questions from listeners just like you: How do I grow my show? (Also phrased as how do I grow my audience, increase visibility, or increase my downloads)How do I record an interview with someone who's not there with me in person?Is it worth it to do transcriptions for each episode?What's a good editing program for beginners who can't outsource it yet?Do I really need show notes?   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Amy Dempster helps in understanding the healing power of the earth. What began as openly sharing her spiritual journey on her popular blog Following Hawks, has become a resource for others wanting to learn how to communicate with nature and share their own unique healing gifts with the earth. Together with the Spirits of the Land in the mountains of northwest Montana, she tends seven portals on the land where she lives, along with any grid keeping work she is assigned. She also leads the Earth Tenders Academy, an immersive online journey to help others re-establish their connection with their ancient ancestors, learn to communicate with the seen and unseen forces in their environment, and respectfully offer their healing energy to places in need. Amy and I worked together on the launch of her podcast, The Earth Keepers, and we’ve been working together ever since. In this episode, Amy shares why she decided to turn her blog into a podcast and what that process has looked like for her, why she feels the podcast has had more of an impact than her blog has, how the podcast leads people to join her Earth Tenders Academy, how her podcast has helped her become more comfortable being vocal in a field that faces a lot of stigmatism and mocking, how thinking she had to do interviews on her podcast prevented her from starting one sooner, and more.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

Jeremy Enns is the CEO & Storyteller In Chief of Counterweight Creative a podcast production and marketing agency helping optimistic rebels create podcasts that market & grow themselves. He loves all things outdoors, is borderline religious on walking 10,000 steps per day, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements. In this episode, he gives us a peek behind the curtain of a recent experience with a client of his who used her podcast to help sell-out a recent launch to the tune of $300,000!   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)

How many people are actually listening to podcasts? Is the number of podcast listeners still growing or has it finally leveled off? What's the gender breakdown of podcast listeners? What's the age breakdown of podcast listeners? Every year Edison Research and Triton Digital releases a report called The Infinite Dial where they breakdown the latest data on a variety of digital media and platforms; including podcasting. The Infinite Dial 2021 was released yesterday and now I'm breaking down the most applicable podcast data provided in the report; including the answers to the questions above. I also provide a follow-up on the 100 episode celebration giveaway.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. Want even more podcasting insights and updates? Join the Podcasting Insiders Club! Want to connect with me further? Follow me on Instagram! Want to work together? Here's how we can do that! One-on-one podcast launch packagesSelf-paced online course for launching your podcastPodcast auditing (Ideal if you're getting ready to launch and want an expert's eyes on everything first or if you've already launched and you want advice on how to improve your show.)Podcast editing (Let me take care of the time-consuming post-production aspects of your show.)