target audience

Joe Sanok – Being of Service to Your Audience – How to Create a Podcast for Your Target Audience (AoL 183)

When you’re starting anything in the business world, it’s a really good idea to know who your target audience (or avatar) is. Some businesses might have many options, while most actually have a handful or less.

Generally speaking, when you’re starting a podcast, it’s no different. Sure, there’s a few podcasts out there that practically anyone can listen to, but for the most part, shows need to be tailored to the audience. This is especially true if the host isn’t well known.

When this session’s guest, Joe Sanok, started his podcast, not many people knew who he was outside of his therapy work. However, with a podcast name of Practice of the Practice, it only makes sense that people who were looking to build their private practice would find his show.

In this session, Veronica and I chat with Joe about the importance of knowing your audience and successfully building a brand around their needs.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What lead Joe to realize he had to retire from his therapy practice to build his current business of Practice of the Practice? 9:49
  • How did he realize it was time to sell the therapy practice that he had been building for years? 13:44
  • What inspired Joe to start his podcast in the first place? 15:34
  • Is there anything in particular he’s learned by running a practice that he can apply to what he’s doing today? 17:16
  • What ideas does he think keep people back from creating something which has a high level of scale and influence? 18:56
  • When someone believes they have limits in their lives and business, what questions should they be asking themselves if they want to move forward? 20:47
  • How can someone make a podcast about an industry that might seem too limited in scope? 23:56
  • Are there key elements a new podcaster should consider if they’re starting a show in a particular niche? 26:25
  • Has Joe had to go through any particular pivots this year? 40:28
  • If he could add one song, one book, and one film to the national curriculum, what would they be? 42:35
  • What’s a message that’s out there which is a disservice to youth? 43:42
  • What’s something that costs less than $100 which has changed his life? 44:06
  • Is there something he’d like to do in his lifetime that no one knows about? 45:23
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 45:54

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Joe Online: Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
Cohost: Veronica Kirin
Powered By: Fizzle (Community for the Newpreneur!)
Kelly Higdon
Joe’s Course: Podcast Launch School
Fireball – Pit Bull
Michael Pollins – How to Change Your Mind
The Untold History of the United States
Griffin Wrap around microphone shield

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Fostering Aha Moments Through Slowing Down

Launching a Profitable Podcast

Tips on Building Your Business with Debbi Dachinger

How to Start a Million Dollar Practice with Kasey Compton on Practice of the Practice


Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on CastboxiTunesStitcherPodBean, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

interview preparation tips

4 Interview Preparation Tips for Your Podcast

Recently I had the opportunity to be a producer for a podcast which is in the beginning phase for Pass the Torch here in Indianapolis. I have to admit, it was a fun and rewarding experience. The host, Amna was super professional and she had some pretty qualified guests on to discuss the topics of office politics and professional development. During the break between the two episodes, she asked if I had any interview preparation tips for getting ready for the second show. Off the top of my head, I had a few things that I could share. 

But it got me thinking – what are certain things that podcasters need to think about as they’re starting their show; or for that matter, as they move up the mastery ladder?

The Magic Ingredients

As podcasters, we should always be trying to get better at our craft. Of course, this is true for every profession out there. And just like every other profession, there are certain skills that podcasters need to be aware of to get better at what they’re doing.

Audio

If you’ve been around the AoL Podcast over time, you might have realized that early on, my audio quality was much worse than it is now. It took me quite a while to even begin to understand the intricacies of good audio.

I started with a crisp impersonal sound which wasn’t very inviting to what it is today – a warmer personal quality which hopefully makes listeners feel like they’re in the same room as the conversation.

This process took quite a while – perhaps over the course of 6 months? And during that time, I was publishing weekly. Yikes!  Today, while I don’t feel it’s perfect, I do have a few folks in my network who call me a bit of an audiophile.

Show Prep and Questioning

When it comes to prepping for a show, there’s definitely two extremes. On one side you can be completely scripted out. This might include doing all kinds of research and having certain questions prepared for the chat. If you go this route, the plus is that you have the potential to have a conversation with your guest that they might not have had already. This will separate your show from those who ask the same questions. The more unique your questions, the more new information your audience might receive. An example of this kind of podcast host is Jordan Harbinger.

On the other hand, you can have minimal show prep. This approach might include going over a handful of the guest’s work, simply to get an idea of what they’re about, and ask discovery type questions during the actual interview. While you might not get unique questions, you will have a conversation which is much more natural and curiosity driven.

A few people who have used this approach in their interviewing over the years is Larry King and his long time friend Cal Fussman.

General Production and Publishing

Finally, when it comes to having a successful podcast, there’s something to be said about all the other aspects of getting the show to the audience. The raw audio itself might need to be edited. There might need to be a transcript of the show or a page of show notes made. Or perhaps, your show needs regular guests. Getting ahold of those guests and making arrangements for them to be on your show will take some effort as well.

These are things you’ll need to consider as you’re putting your show together as well.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

If you don’t have the skillset or time to do any one of these parts, then you might need to hire help to get it done. It really depends on what you want the final product to be and how much time you have to put into it.

If you need help doing any particular part (outside of the actual conversation!) shoot me an email. I’ll connect you to someone reputable in the business.

Action Steps

I’ve actually written about some of these topics in the past. So if you want to know more specific steps about what all goes into making a podcast, then you can check those pieces out:

I don’t pretend to be the best at interviewing guests by any means. However, what I do works well for me. Let’s just say that I’m on the side of overpreparation. 

So if the art of interviewing is something you want to know more about, there are a couple of current courses I’m aware of that can help you out. One is from Larry King himself and the other is by past guest Michael O’Neal.

Rumor also has it that Jordan Harbinger will be putting out his own interviewing course in the not too distant future. He’s looking to get other people on board with that, so stay tuned for more information on that front.

smart real estate

Chris Prefontaine – Smart Real Estate Investing: How It’s Possible to Build a Rental Property Business without Banks or Your Money (AoL 155)

If you’ve ever read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, you probably know that the author, Robert Kiyosaki gained his wealth in Real Estate Investing (REI). Since the release and rise of popularity of the book, there’s been all kinds of methods revealed to the general public about how to make passive income.

There are two passive income quadrants: Investing (I) and Business (B).

When it comes to passive income, we’re usually thinking of the B quadrant.

For example, most of us are familiar with the thought leader approach. They create content, develop a tribe, and provide services or products to that tribe to help them achieve more. The larger the tribe, the more potential one has of making a good income.

Yet others might be more familiar with drop shipping through eBay or Amazon. Pretty much the same idea, but instead of developing your own tribe, you sell to the customers on those sites. Because of that, you have to share a percentage of what you earn with the company.

A hybrid of both of these is using Facebook ads to get your name out there to Facebook users so that they can convert in your sales funnel.

As for the I quadrant, it tends to stay off limits to most people who are seeking passive income.

Mainly because most people think that to work in that quadrant, we have to have money available to invest.

Truth is, that’s not necessarily the case.

In fact, today’s guest, Chris Prefontaine, has one of the coolest systems I’ve seen to help people develop wealth in the I quadrant.

In this session of the AoL Podcast, Veronica and I learn how it’s indeed possible to build a passive income portfolio without using money from banks or our own pocket.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What did Chris learn from being around his dad’s business growing up? 9:06
  • What are some of the benefits in having a family owned business? 10:17
  • How does Chris enable those in his business to succeed? 11:30
  • What’s his perspective on helping charities with a new business? 12:44
  • How was getting started in Real Estate Investing (REI) different than it is today? 15:01
  • What are some strategies he recommends for people just entering the market or already have holdings and don’t know what to do next? 20:31
  • Is there a way to prep oneself for another recession? 22:37
  • What does it means to buy and sell on terms? 23:58
  • What’s Chris’ advice when it comes to working with agents as an Real Estate Investor? 30:49
  • Is there ever a good time to get into commercial real estate investing? 32:00
  • What’s the day to day operation look like when you have to hang onto an investment property for years? 34:03
  • Is there a good way in keeping up with all the laws, ordinances, and taxes? 35:32
  • What’s Chris looking forward to in the not too distant future? 37:21
  • What podcasts have influenced or inspired his own podcast? 38:33
  • What’s a book, film, and song he’d add to the national curriculum? 39:45
  • Is there something he’s learning about right now that he’s looking forward to implementing? 40:49
  • What’s one thing every high school student must know? 41:32
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 41:51

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

What does it take to Crush It in REI?:

How to Communicate with Buyers

Deal Structure Sunday: Part of the SREC Origin Story

SREC Podcast Episode 103 with Mike Makredes


Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on CastboxiTunesStitcherPodBean, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

interesting conversation

Engel Jones – Building Connections through Interesting Conversation and Touring the United States (AoL 139)

As creatives go, it’s always nice to meet other people who are on your wavelength. That’s one of the great things about doing interviews is that it gives you a reason to meet people.

Whether that’s in audio or video form, doing interviews not only gives you this opportunity, but it allows you to have a platform that you define while at the same time sharing it with someone else.

Through his efforts, Engel Jones, has become a master of making connections and sharing his platform. Through over 2000 conversations in the last couple of years, he’s connected with amazing people at all levels.

On top of this, last year he and his wife went on a tour of the United States to talk to many of these people (again) and have an in person conversation with them.

In this conversation, find out in his own words why he started his podcast and what he’s learned along the way.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What got Engel interested in podcasting and why did he aim to talk to as many people as he has? 13:23
  • How was he able to go on his 12 Minute Convo tour in 2018? 21:55
  • What did he get out of going on this tour? 24:47
  • How did Engel prepare for his fundraising campaign? 34:52
  • What would he recommend to someone doing their own fundraising round? 38:29
  • What’s it like for him to know someone through a conversation he’s had online and then meet them in person? 41:30
  • What are some examples of the questions he’s used in his interviews? 46:29
  • What is Engel looking forward to in 2019? 53:19
  • Who are his 3 most influential podcasters that he listens to? 55:21
  • What’s something more people should be talking about? 56:27
  • What is something that all high school students must know? 58:13
  • According to Engel, what is the secret to achieving personal freedom? 1:02:19

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Engel Online: Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
Cohost: Harrison Painter
Session Sponsor: Uncover Your Personal Mission
Dave Ramsey Show
Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Entrepreneur On Fire with JLD
High Performance Planner
5 Minute Journal App
Engel’s Journal Workbook “Your Own Unique Real Self”
EntreLeadership – Dave Ramsey

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Engel Interviews Laura Petersen (AoL Session 63)

Engel Sits Down with Stephanie Calahan (AoL Session 65)

Engel and Amanda Featured on International Podcast Day 2018

Engel Talks Finance with Beau Humphreys


Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on CastboxiTunesStitcherSoundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

quality content

Creating Effective Quality Content

When it comes to marketing today, there’s a certain idea all digital marketers have to follow. We have to add value before we get the sale.

What does that mean?

Well, for most, it means that we have to educate our potential clients or customers about what it is that we do or make.

In fact, it can take up to 6 to 8 touches before a prospect becomes a buyer.

Typically, those touches take the form of “content”.

Content can take the form of videos, audio, or even text – like this blog. And it’s usually in the form of an educational format.

In this post, we’re going to look at a few places that we can find ideas for good content in 2018 and beyond.

 

Natural Content vs SEO Driven Content

When we’re thinking about creating content that attracts potential customers, we might be tempted to do a number of things. Most of these fall into three types.

Natural Content Creation

The first type is one where the focus is mainly on what our own individual customers or clients want. As a creative entrepreneur, this is something that seems a bit more natural.

The goal of creating this content is usually to retain and educate the clients, audience, or customers you already have.

 

SEO Driven Content Creation

The second type of content is content that is created specifically for what Google (or other search engines) suggest people are searching for.

Knowing this information allows us to create content specifically based on these search terms or “keywords”.

The end goal of this type of content creation to bring in more people into your sphere of influence.

If you’re not familiar with the term SEO, it simply is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization. The idea behind it is that If a particular site has good SEO, the site will rank hire in Google’s search results.

The goal is to appear on the first page of results.

At one point, it was much simpler to understand what would rank a website higher than another in Google. So much so, that if you understood the fairly rudimentary rules, you could start your own solopreneur business or small agency offering it as a service.

In fact, I remember back in 2010, there were several people in my social circle that worked for a couple of startup SEO companies here in Indianapolis.

Today, while SEO still exists and is still useful, it’s getting harder and harder to predict how Google ranks websites. They’re constantly changing what variables make our sites rank higher.

Some of those variables even include traffic on the site, authority of the site, and how quickly the site loads for individuals browsing the site.

 

Hybrid Content Creation

Ideally, since the SEO world has become so hard to predict, the best thing we should do is create content that not only has keywords in it, but also is made to educate your currently existing audience.

The main way to do this is to simply to find out what your audience is asking about, find out what keywords in Google are related to those questions, and then build content based on the results you find.

Doing good SEO work on your site is not the scope of this particular post. However, I have two recommendations for you if you have a WordPress based site.

 

  1. Make sure you have the Yoast SEO Plugin. I personally recommend the premium version because it has some kick butt features (including multiple keywords) and you only have to pay for it once. 
  2. Secondly, when you’re searching for keywords, you can use a free tool within Google Adwords called the Keyword Finder. When you’re searching, there are two columns that everyone should consider. The average monthly volume, and the competition.


Ideally, you want an Average Monthly Volume of 1k – 10k (number of searches a month). If you try anything higher than that, there’s a much higher chance your site won’t be seen in the front of the results. If you use anything less than that, you might be targeting a smaller group of people.

Once you find a keyword that hits that 1k – 10k search sweet spot, then you’ll want to check it’s competition. Ideally, you want a keyword that has low competition. However, from time to time you might have to use a keyword that is marked as a medium. I rarely use those that have high competition.

Here’s a visual of what I’m talking about:

quality content

How to Find Your Audience’s Questions

If you choose to go the natural or hybrid route, you’re creating your content with your audience in mind.

If that’s the case, there are a few places where you can get topic ideas from your audience – directly and indirectly.

  1. Ask them! You can send out a survey to your followers (whether it’s through Messenger, email, or whatever you prefer).
  2. Check out what’s being asked and discussed in Facebook groups or other online forums that are related to your topic. If you think you can go into further detail than what’s covered in the post, go for it. 
  3. See what other thought leaders in your industry are talking about. What are your favorite blogs, podcasts, speakers, and/or authors discussing? They probably have already done the research to find a good topic to discuss. Feel free to add your voice to the conversation!

 

Action Steps

When we’re having to create content on a regular basis for our audiences, we might draw a blank when we’re looking. Once you have an idea of what kind of content type you’re going to be creating (whether it’s natural, SEO focused, or a hybrid of the two), then you just need a spark of inspiration. If anything, this gives you a good excuse to check in with leaders of your industry!

 

patrons only

Patrons Only! – Making Past Seasons of the AoL Podcast “Pay to Listen”

As I mentioned in the last podcast, I’m going to start putting past “seasons” of the podcast behind a Patreon paywall. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to flip the switch until late December… and I’ll only be asking $3/mo to have access. 🙂

It’s a result of a lot of strategic reorganizing I’ve been doing recently.

This week, I’ll be pushing out session 134 with Antonio Smith, and as I said in the last session with Dom Brightmon, it just feels with all that’s going on with New Inceptions and Amplify Indy – I feel like it’s time to actually get over the hurdle of going from strictly FREE to PAID content.

Personally, I feel that $3 is a good number for a monthly patron fee. It surely isn’t going to break the bank, and frankly, one typically can spend more on drive thru food. Since what the show has to offer is comparably more beneficial, I think it’s a fair starting price.

That said, you might be wondering what has taken me so long to pull the trigger on this decision.

Well, I’ve been struggling with what’s called the FREE to PAID hurdle.

This hurdle involves a few questions:

  • How do you make something that starts off free into something you pay for?
  • Will the audience still be there once it goes behind a paywall?
  • What’s the right price point?

In this post, I’ll give you a few of my thoughts after hearing a podcast over Fizzle awhile back.

 

Marketing Plays to Our Buying Habits

When it comes to what we think of the “traditional” offline world of business, NOTHING is free. However, since the mid to late 2000’s, the internet has revolutionized how marketing is done. No longer do we first hear something on a show or commercial on a major network or channel, then determine if we want to buy from there.

Instead, when we hear a name, product, or service we go look to see what’s on the web about said item or person. We look for reviews in Angie’s List. We look to see if they have any other content. Or we go to Amazon to see what others have thought about the item in question.

Usually, the more content this person has out there or the more good reviews they or the product have, the more we pay attention to it.

Eventually, there’s a good change we will buy whatever is being sold.

Podcasts in the past have been a part of this marketing. Inherently we think that most shows are free. But are they?

 

Monetization of Efforts

No content or work is free. It takes resources to produce a good or service. Shows that are on TV are powered by the sponsors of the network through commercials.

Big podcasts are typically sponsored by ads as well.

Heck, even when you look at big channels on YouTube, they’re doing some sort of monetization – even if you can’t tell up front how they’re making an income doing what they do.

When I thought about how I was going to monetize Angles of Lattitude, I originally thought that affiliate marketing was going to be the best way to do it. But as online streaming of podcasts has become more common, we’ve all grown accustomed to skipping past parts of interviews we don’t want to hear – including the pitch at the beginning and end. (For example, I know Lewis Howes and Tim Ferriss usually take 5 minutes to get into their conversations!).

Because I’m not a fan of midrolls, I’ve opted not to use them in the show. Yes, I know they’re the only marketing that people don’t always tune out during podcasts – I just personally don’t care for that jump in the conversation.

So trying to think of an alternative to doing midrolls, I thought about how people on Twitch make their income.

And what I found out is that it typically is done through two ways:

  • A handful of large sponsors or
  • many individuals supporting the show through donations. Many times those donations are through a Patreon or a similar service.

After checking with a sample of listeners, it sounded like that last one was something you guys would prefer. A show for the listener powered by the listeners.

 

Action Steps

So there’s my reasoning for getting my account started on Patreon. Again, when you go on there you’ll see that there’s actually 2 categories of support. The first one is for supporters of the show and the the second is more for partners.

Remember, that I’ll be implementing this change before 2019 rolls around. So make sure you binge on shows older than a year before Christmas. I’ll let everyone know through the show when the official landing page is up.

Also, be sure to check out the post from Fizzle called The Hurdle Between Free and Paid if you’re thinking about making something you now offer for free into something you collect money for.

business podcasts

Jessica Rhodes – Additional Fuel for Your Launch: Leveraging other’s Networks to Appear on Popular Business Podcasts (AoL 129)

Unfortunately, not all of us have gotten to the point where we can just reach out to 50 some podcasts and YouTube channels and have tons of interviews about our new warez.

However, there are folks out there that have a comparable network to those well known thought leaders. Many times they’re publicists, but in this session’s case, we’re talking specifically about being booked as a guest for podcasts!

Jessica Rhodes is the founder of Interview Connections and has been building her business by being the matchmaker for podcasters and expert guests.

In today’s conversation, we talk to Jessica about how this business of hers got off the ground and how she and her team can do the footwork for you in getting your message out.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How was Jessica first introduced to the thought leader industry? 9:26
  • When did she realize that she had a specific niche that she was suited for? 14:07
  • Why should people still consider to be on podcasts in 2018 and beyond? 19:12
  • What are some of the habits that Jessica practices that have helped her get to where she’s at today. 24:52
  • How did Jessica develop her team? 34:52
  • What should a thought leader do if they’re launching a new product but don’t have a lot of podcasting friends to help get the word out? 42:10
  • If someone wants to hire a booking agent or publicist, how much should they budget to start working with one? 46:38
  • Are there any milestones that people should have hit in their business before working with Jessica? 51:11
  • What’s going on for Jessica the rest of the year? 53:08
  • What’s a documentary that she recommends people check out? 55:59
  • If she could have dinner with anyone, who would she choose? 56:27
  • What would she do if she was recently told she’d be going back to January 1st, 1990. What would she do when she got there?? 57:44
  • What is one thing she believes all high school students must know? 58:31
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 59:33

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Jessica on how she Wrote her Book

Making a Press Page for Guest Appearances

Qualifying Podcasts Before Making an Appearance as a Guest

Jumping through Hoops, or Working Together?


Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on CastboxiTunesStitcherSoundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!