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Is it possible to make money from your podcast? Yes, absolutely. Right now tens of thousands of people all across the world are doing it. This show reveals how you can do it too!
Your host, Christy Haussler, has launched dozens of podcasts and works full time as a podcast strategist and producer. She geeks out on the marketing aspect of podcasting and will show you the exact framework to follow to get your podcast bringing in money rather than sucking it out of your bank account!
The podcast How Podcasts Make Money is created by Christy Haussler. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
A funnel without traffic is like…
a river with no bridge
a fire with no wood
a house with no walls
a car with no gas
You don’t create traffic.Traffic is already out there and you have nothing to do with that.
All you are trying to do is jump in front of enough traffic to get the attention of your target audience.
Your only goal with traffic is to get attention in the marketplace.The best writers aren’t the ones with bestselling books. The people with best selling books are just the people that keep showing up over and over and over again anytime there is an event for authors.
If you are already podcasting, you are building your largest traffic source that is free in exchange for creating great content.
So if you started your podcast and you have listeners, you have successfully jumped in front of traffic that would otherwise be listening to other content and they are now listening to your content.
What most podcasters miss is that the game is not over when you successfully pick up enough traffic for your podcast.
The traffic you pick up for your podcast is most valuable to you and only you.The traffic that you have is only valuable to other people at scale. So in other words, it’s only valuable to other companies, sponsors, authors, etc. in large volumes.
Since your traffic is most valuable to you from the moment you acquire it, you need to have a way to capture that traffic and KEEP it consuming your stuff.
This is why we recommend creating products and services to your audience so that you can teach them what you know and get paid for it.
I see over and over again that podcasters only ever gain enough traffic that is valuable to them, but yet they never monetize that traffic.
That’s like thinking that you won’t start a business unless you can just go straight to the franchise model.
Almost every franchise starts with a single location.
Before a podcast has enough traffic to become valuable to other companies, you already have enough traffic to make it valuable to your company.
So at the time when ONLY YOU qualify to benefit from your audience, you aren’t taking any steps to monetize that audience. That’s crazy!
I can tell you all day long how to get traffic, but if you don’t have any way to capitalize on that traffic, then there is no mechanism to convert your traffic into customers.
What have you created to ascend your traffic to the next level to convert them to customers?
You may be thinking that eventually, when you have enough traffic, you will create something to monetize. Create it now and then go capture more traffic!
Don’t get tons of traffic and have no way for them to become a customer.
You can pour jet fuel on your traffic by taking some very specific actions...
Once you have a funnel built, it’s time to ramp up your traffic acquisition methods.
Depending on whether you have more time or money, you will be taking completely different actions.
In fact, the larger you can build your organic traffic, the less money you will have to pay for traffic.
So where can you jump in front of traffic if you have more time than money?
If you have money for paid traffic, I have 2 recommendations:
Want to learn more? Join our private Facebook group here!
You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
Need help getting your podcast optimized and ready for monetization? Learn more about the Podcast Tune Up here.
Sometimes it seems like selling is easy for everyone else but us! If you're new to the online marketing world, you may be making offers that aren't converting very well.
There's a very logical reason that some offers convert better than others, and if you are making this mistake, it's because it's just a natural tendency when you are new to making offers.
The first type of offer that many people make is an improvement offer. It's a very safe offer to make and it feels better than just trying to stick our necks out with some other type of offer.
After all, you really are trying to improve the lives of your audience members!
You want to help them manage their money better...
You want to help them have better relationships...
You want to help them be better parents...
In any niche it makes sense to want to improve whatever situation your ideal clients are in right now.
However, if you make an improvement offer, in almost every situation you will have lower conversions than if you made a different kind of offer.
The problems with Improvement offers are:
1) They aren't compelling enough to prompt your audience to take action.
2) The improvements you are offering will be much harder to measure.
3) It's hard to develop raving fans by only marginally improving their lives.
So what's the alternative to improvement offers?
Offers that will convert much better than improvement offers are transformation offers.
I'm not suggesting that you go out and make all sorts of outlandish promises that you can't possibly deliver.
However, when you focus on the transformation that you can bring to others' lives, you can probably articulate very well what that looks like.
Going back to who you serve and how you serve them with give you the lens through which to view the transformative impacts of your offer.
When you highlight the transformation in your offers, it becomes all the more compelling.
The more compelling and irresistible that you can make your offers, the higher converting they can be.
There's so many ways you can make your offer compelling, but in order for them to be high converting, they have to be so irresistible that your audience is compelled to action.
Then, you can only hope that the irresistibility of the offer will also compel them to take action on all of the content in your offer.
Because when you can truly be the catalyst for a transformational change in your audience, then you will develop a loyal audience!
Want to learn more? Join our private Facebook group here!
You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
Need help getting your podcast optimized and ready for monetization? Learn more about the Podcast Tune Up here.
Today, I’m going to talk about the elephant in the room. So, you can have everything perfect on your podcast, but if you don’t get this one thing right, you will still struggle to have success. That’s right, today I’m getting all up in your business about your money mindset!
Hi there, welcome to Podcast Monetization Secrets, my name is Christy Haussler and I appreciate you joining me today.
In case you haven’t met me yet, I am the Founder and CEO of Team Podcast, a full service podcast production company. I’ve worked with over 250 podcasts and I’ve made more than a million dollars podcasting. I’m on a mission to help as many podcasters monetize as possible, and that’s why we are here today.
Today, I wanted to talk to you about something that I have struggled with over the years, and no matter how much I achieve, it always seems to come back at every level.
I’m referring to having money blocks!
My money blocks manifest through extreme anxiety.
I can hear my money blocks in my language.
When I tell myself “I can’t afford” something.
Then my thoughts are consumed with panic about things that aren’t even real.
This causes me to want to cheap out on things, and then it always derails me and sets me back from achieving my goals.
Does any of this ever happen to you?
If so, I’m going to tell you my 3 step framework to overcome my money blocks.
Listen to this episode as I share my personal journey with overcoming my money blocks.
Want to learn more? Join our private Facebook group here!
You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
Need help getting your podcast optimized and ready for monetization? Learn more about the Podcast Tune Up here.
You know, marketing a podcast isn’t easy. Some of the most basic things about marketing a podcast, like what link do you even share? - aren’t as cut and dried as it is for other industries. So today, I’m going to talk you through it all, so you’ll know what your next steps are.
Today, I want to address some of the common knowledge that we hear and have been given by many well meaning podcasters or gurus that may not be the best advice for you.
Beware of anyone who uses ALWAYS and NEVER when giving you advice. So many times the right answer depends on the situation.
Let’s zoom out and really face reality here.
Of course you need to always be looking to grow your audience.
But let me ask you this - if you haven’t monetized your podcast, what is the difference between getting 300 downloads per episode and 700 downloads per episode?
Sure, it’s an ego boost to know you have more listeners, but tangibly for you there is no difference. Has it put more money in your pocket? Has it grown your email list? Has it done anything for your business?
Let’s break this down in funnel speak.
Getting people to listen to your podcast is at the very top of your funnel. This is the wide part of the funnel.
So, the more people you put in at the top, ultimately the more people you will have that drop out the bottom end of your funnel as customers.
Many, many podcasters only have the top of a funnel in place and there is nothing else after listening to the show.
If this is you, then you have to put some other funnel steps into place. Don’t worry about marketing your podcast until you at least get a compelling lead magnet in place.
The second step of your funnel is to get listeners on your email list.
People may have to listen to your podcast 10, 15, 20 times before they follow your call to action. And even then, you have to give them a reason to visit your website.
Visiting the website to sign up for your newsletter is NOT a reason to visit your website. That’s you asking a favor of your audience.
Give them a compelling reason to visit your website. What do you have waiting there for them? Give them an irresistible reason and give them value from it.
So my recommendations are that you use social media to get as many LISTENERS to your podcast as possible.
That means putting out links that give people a way to listen to the podcast with the least amount of friction.
Why not put out just the link to your website?:
Do anything you can to keep people inside the SM platform and listening to the show.
Eventually, they will like the show well enough to move your show off social media and into their podcast listening app.
If they keep listening long enough and you make them a compelling enough offer, you can get them on your email list.
If they are on your email list, you can continue marketing to them and convert them to customers.
Need some help with your podcast? Christy has a special offer for a Podcast Tune Up that will help you:
1) Get more downloads to your podcast.
2) Get more opt ins to your email list.
3) Know your next monetization steps.
In today’s episode, I’ll address the issue of calls to action and ads in podcast episodes, something that a lot of podcasters don’t like because they feel like it may make them seem salesy, greedy, or money-hungry to their listeners. The fact is, producing a podcast is a costly affair. And so to avoid getting financially overwhelmed which may lead to podfading, a podcaster has to find ways to monetize their show. One way to achieve that is by having calls to action that direct listeners to products or services that you offer or to include sponsor ads at some points in your episodes.
Podcasters have been predominantly incorporating those calls to action and ads in their outros, but it has come to my attention that some podcasting apps are now cutting out the intros and outros on podcasts so that listeners are directly listening to the main episodes. That means if your call to action or ad is in your outro then your listeners may not even get to listen to them. Your call to action is meant to compel your audience to do something that can help you in your efforts to grow your show and make it profitable, and in this episode, I’ll teach you how to strategically place your call to action (Or ads) in your episodes so you can achieve just that. Stay tuned!
Show Highlights
Resources Mentioned
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’ll share my wisdom on the viability of numerous opportunities that are thrust at podcasters from new networks, distribution platforms, and monetization services. Podcasting can feel like a solitary medium at times. It often is. Most podcasters are alone when they get behind the mic, or plug in and listen to someone else's content. You can do a lot on your own in podcasting. But, one thing you can't do is grow your show to its fullest potential.
When it comes to podcast networks, there’s a lot to unpack there. Joining one isn’t all roses and sunshine so I’ll explain exactly how they work and tell you some of the pros and cons of joining one. I’ll also dive into the factors to consider before joining a network and the benefits and drawbacks you should expect. Then there’s social media and the question of just how effective it is in growing a podcast audience. Tune in to this episode to tap into my wisdom on all those areas and I know it will launch towards your podcast growth and monetization goals.
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’ll be sharing some of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen podcasters make when they’re trying to monetize their podcasts. Are you guilty of making one of the three mistakes? I see podcasters making these mistakes repeatedly, but you don’t have to be one of them. I’ve been in the industry long enough to witness some big monetization wins and losses so you can rest assured that my insights will help you monetize your podcast successfully. Many podcasters around the world are now making a living from their passion, and are encouraging others to follow in their footsteps.
It’s important to mention that commitment is very important for podcasts; it is dangerous to release episodes and see what happens. It’s better to commit to a well-crafted plan. Don’t just start a podcast to get rich in 2 months. If you would like to share your passion for a particular subject with a community of people who also want to improve themselves on that subject, then you have the right intentions. The goal is to bring value to your community while building your own reputation as a podcaster, and monetization will help you sustain that and generate revenue in the long term. And this episode will help you achieve exactly that. So don’t miss out.
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’m going to share one major thing that I have been doing that has enabled me to succeed in podcasting and make more than a million dollars from it. There’s a lot of factors a podcaster can’t control that influence the success of a podcast. But the one thing you can control is your intent. And you can learn to apply that intent with purpose across your podcasting efforts. If you ever feel like you’re just going through the flow, not knowing where your podcast is headed, or what you’re meant to do with it, then you need to start being intentional in everything you do to run it. The fact is, every rational podcaster intends on making a great podcast.
And that’s good because I can assure you that every rational listener intends to only listen to great podcasts. No one intends to listen to a podcast that's just “okay”. Every listener’s intent is to listen to shows they think are going to be great. Unfortunately, some of the shows they wind up listening to (that podcasters make) fall short of that goal. The idea of intent in podcasting is actually not new, but it was brought home to me when I was starting out in podcasting by one of my biggest inspirations, John Lee Dumas. Do it without intent and proper planning, and you’ll see no benefit. But with intent and the necessary effort, comes the benefits. It’s that simple.
You need to break out of your habit of going through the motions and really focus on what it is you’re doing when you’re doing podcast-y things and I guarantee you that you’ll thrive not only in sustaining it but also in monetizing it. For more on that, don’t miss out on this inspirational 29-minute episode. See you on the inside!
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’ll be talking about the fear of failure, how it keeps podcasters from achieving their monetization goals, what to do with it, and what you can learn from it. Podcasters often ask me, how can I grow my podcast? How can I monetize it? And the first thing that I want to establish is that growth takes time. Podcasting is a long-term play, specifically podcast marketing. Don’t release episodes and expect to be on the top charts with thousands of listeners flowing in and sales spiking the first week. Too often, when podcasters try out a marketing technique, they expect amazing results right away and when they don’t see it, the motivation to continue their podcast pours out of them.
This is actually so common that the industry has developed a term for it called “podfade” which is when podcasts start strong with releasing episodes and marketing efforts on a regular cadence, then subsequently realize the amount of effort and patience they need to get the results and fade away. When it comes to how to grow a podcast, it takes dedication, patience, and strategy. And when it comes to marketing your show it’s really no different. There are so many tactics you can explore to grow it and whichever one you try out, you have to rid yourself of the fear of failure and give it time to yield results. Join me as I share more from my knowledge and experience with that and I promise it will help you keep moving towards growing and monetizing your podcast.
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’m going to highlight the power of group coaching as a way of monetizing a podcast. Group coaching is a unique way to monetize a podcast because you get more value from it than just money. A small group of people dedicated to supporting one another toward the common goal that the podcast will offer education, brainstorming, and accountability to help you stay on track with whatever you’re trying to learn or accomplish. You as the host of the podcast will be a member of the group too, which means you have to limit it to a small group of people who can add value to your business as well.
You should not be a teacher, but you can still charge for slots because you’re the organizer. If you build your podcast around a niche topic, It’s likely that most of your listeners will be interested in similar types of growth opportunities and can learn a lot from each other which is what will enable you to charge them. How much you can charge will depend mostly on how niche of a topic it is and the number of people who will be interested, but either way group coaching will be a great way to start monetizing your podcast. Stay tuned and be keen as I share more.
Show Highlights
Resources Mentioned
Want to learn more? Join our private Facebook group here!
You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’ll be addressing something that comes up a lot when I’m coaching my clients about their podcast and how to monetize it. And it can all be summarized into one short question; Are your interviews robbing you of revenue? I know. You’re wondering how your interviews can rob you of revenue. Well, the episode format you apply first of all is critical. You can’t just focus on bringing on different guests who talk about their expertise and use your podcast to market what they do. You need to mix up those interviews with your own solo shows where you talk about what you’re an expert on in a way that creates value for your audience.
It’s also necessary to control the content that your guests share on your podcast. An episode shouldn’t be just about delivering content and going about the rest of your day. I mean, it could be just that, but don’t expect to see an audience growth with that strategy. Prepare your podcast script up ahead with the intention of quickly grabbing your listeners’ attention and delivering answers. Then come up with a production schedule that will enable you to release at least two episodes a week, one interview, and one solo, because multiple-episode releases are a sure bet towards growing your podcast in the direction of successful monetization. There’s so much more about podcast monetization strategy that I'll be sharing in this episode, and it’s all for you, so make sure you tune in and apply what you learn.
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’ll want you to have an open mind and look at what I’ll talk to you about from a business perspective. So far, I’ve taught you about a few ways that you can monetize your podcast, and today I want to highlight the fact that you can charge guests for their interviews. I know. It’s a controversial method, but remember, you’re spending time and money so your podcast can succeed. And it’s only right that you get a return on that investment, but only if charging your guests is a viable option for your show.
A lot of people in the industry are against charging guests. But if your audience is to the point where guests are willing to pay for the exposure, by all means, charge them for a spot on the show. People willing to pay to be on a podcast, or people who are trying to get their name out, likely already have a brand of their own to promote. Dive into this value-packed 23-minute episode and learn all about the strategies you can use to implement this monetization model in your podcast.
Show Highlights
Want to learn more? Join our private Facebook group here!
You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’m going to tell you how you can monetize your podcast so you can move away from offering free content and start making some money from it. For a lot of podcasters, podcasting is just something they do on the side and not a money-making endeavor. But there are several ways you can make money from your podcast. From asking your listeners for donations to getting sponsors or utilizing affiliate marketing, there are many viable options when it comes to podcast monetization.
And today, I’ll dive into another equally viable option of monetizing your podcast; selling your own products. Now, you may be thinking, “Wait a minute. I don’t have any products or services to sell” But I wanna tell you that indeed you do. And I’m not talking about merch (although that could be something to consider down the line!). I want to focus more on products that require minimal or one-time input and effort on your part with regards to time and money, but which can generate and yield continual income, essentially giving you more bucks for your bang. Listen in for more on that!
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about a little hack for how to grow your audience through your content that most podcasters don’t take advantage of or even don’t know about. How can I grow my podcast audience? That’s one of the most frequently asked questions in the space. A lot of podcasters ask me whether it’s worth it to invest in social media and other platforms to increase their number of listeners, but the truth is, those platforms don’t have much to do with it.
You love the thought of reaching more people with your podcast. Right? There's real satisfaction in seeing a steady increase in download numbers when you're checking your stats. But there's no one-size-fits-all answer here. It depends on a lot of different factors, and in this episode, I’ll tell you one of the things that you can do to grow your podcast in the most highly targeted way. So take your pen and paper, and stay tuned for more!
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about why monetizing your podcast is a great idea. I get it if the thought of it makes you uncomfortable because it makes you feel like you will be a sellout or inauthentic especially if your podcast is more purpose-driven. But one of the biggest problems that podcasters face is the high cost of sustaining their shows in the long term and monetizing not only creates revenue streams but also adds value to a show’s audience in different ways.
It enables a podcaster to consistently bring their A-game to their show every day and they can infuse the revenue streams back into the show’s production to create a better listening experience. Now, don’t get me wrong. Focusing too much on creating a monetary stream might cause you to make decisions that don’t serve your audience so you have to be careful how you go about it all. Tune in as I share some tricks, benefits, considerations and best practices that will help you monetize your podcast while still achieving your core mission.
Show Highlights
Want to learn more? Join our private Facebook group here!
You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
Want to learn more? Join our private Facebook group here!
You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about what funnels and how you can turn your podcast into one. Are you familiar with funnels? You’ve probably been funneled plenty of times online even without realizing it. Podcast marketing has really grown over the years and I wanna teach you how you can exploit that growth, attract more listeners, and generate revenue. A lot of podcasters launch their podcasts with tons of momentum at the beginning, but after months and months of putting out free content and spending a huge chunk of money keeping their podcasts afloat, they realize that they can’t keep going because they can’t afford it.
That’s because they don’t figure out one crucial thing before they launch their podcast. And that’s what I’m gonna share with you in this episode. So if you want to start a podcast, or you already have one and you’re trying to figure out how to increase your listeners, monetize, or drive revenue directly to your business, this episode is perfect for you. Stay tuned for more!
Show Highlights
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
In this episode, I’ll talk about why it’s so important for you to take action immediately in implementing that podcast idea that you’ve had for a while now. As I’m sure you know, podcast listenership keeps growing tremendously with roughly 90 million Americans listening to a podcast each month. This is really enticing for you as a business owner. Right? And you’ve been learning to start a podcast so you can reach this growing audience and expand your business through content marketing, but you just can’t seem to be able to do whatever’s necessary to launch that podcast.
Well, the problem is slowness in implementation because you’re stuck in analysis paralysis. One of the biggest hindrances to success in podcasting is the fact that some podcasts don’t even get to launch in the first place because the podcasting idea is stuck in someone’s mind. That’s a problem that so many potential podcasters fall prey to. They will have the idea and even seek help from an expert like me, but once they have the relevant information, they shelf the idea and take months or years before they start implementing things.
The problem with that is that the podcasting industry keeps evolving constantly and what works in the space today might be totally irrelevant tomorrow. One even ends up finding that someone else took action faster to launch a podcast in the niche that they were interested in. What a bummer! This is what I wanna address today so listen in to the episode to get the tips and tricks that will help you take the drastic and uncomfortable measures to kick yourself into the implementation mode that will launch you towards success in podcasting. Enjoy!
Show Highlights
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This is the second episode on podcast sponsorship. Everyone assumes that sponsorship is the default way to make money with a podcast, and the truth is that it's one of the hardest ways to monetize.
Podcasters who don't know any better start making mistakes with their sponsorships and I've made thousands of dollars fixing their mistakes. The alternative means that you give up the future value of your podcast.
I'd rather tell you about this mistake so you can avoid it now, rather than having to charge you a pile of money later to fix the mistakes!
You'll have to listen to the episode to get the full run down, but today I'm explaining why you need to use a podcast hosting company that has dynamic ad insertion technology before you ever begin to accept sponsors - even if you have a non-traditional podcast sponsor relationship.
Dynamic Ad Insertion technology can be an expensive option to get through your hosting company. I always recommend Captivate as a podcast host because I use it and love it, and they have the dynamic ad insertion technology in beta testing right now.
However, you can also use AdBarker with virtually any podcast hosting company and it will cost you around $50 to have access to this technology. Trust me, if you understand what this episode is about, paying $50 to preserve your future value is well worth it.
Listen to the full episode to understand exactly how you can squeeze the most value out of any sponsorship.
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
It seems like the first question any podcaster asks after they get started is "When can I get sponsors?" or "How many downloads do I need to approach sponsors?".
The answer really is "it depends..."
Before you even begin to think about sponsors, you need to understand the eco-system.
Like many other industries, there are plenty of people willing to take advantage of new podcasters and the game is already tilted in favor of the big money, so you need to know the field you are playing in first.
There are 3 Basic types of podcast sponsors:
1) Traditional Sponsors
2) Non-traditional Sponsors
3) Dynamically inserted ads
All of these are valid ways for podcasters to make money, but they key is to align the sponsorship models with the type of podcast that it best serves.
Listen to the episode as I break down the pros and cons of each type as well as who each model works best for.
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
Forget the traditional elevator pitch, we've moved on to something even more important!
If you can't boil who you serve and how you serve them to into one sentence, then you're always going to be missing the mark when it comes to landing clients from your podcast audience.
The framework I use for creating this statement is:
I help _________ (who), __________________ (do what) by using _________________(the vehicle), so they can ____________. (end result)
So, my mission statement is:
I help podcasters create multiple streams of income by using their podcast to create evergreen marketing funnels, so that they can enjoy lifestyle freedom.
It's so powerful when you can sum up everything you do for your ideal customer is one sentence that is easily understandable and that your ideal client will understand.
In this episode, I share a powerful example of how easy it is for podcasters to get out of alignment from their podcast avatar, to their value ladder mission statement, to their first offer.
Listen to the show to hear how I break it down and pass along tips that can help you get clear so that you aren't confusing your audience!
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You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com!
Most of the podcast gurus (I’m not one of them!) will tell you that if you want to have a successful podcast, you should just start. Just get yourself a mic and start recording.
It sounds so simple and to be honest, this kind of terrible advice is exactly why so many podcasts end up podfading.
One of the most basic frameworks for selling anything is:
When you just jump in and start creating a podcast without figuring out who you serve and how you serve them, before you’ve created an offer, this is what actually happens:
That is exactly how a podcaster gets stuck with the creator’s curse - free content creation mode!
A podcaster could take that framework and:
However, most podcasters never make it beyond step 1.
Picture this…
You see an ad in your local newspaper for a new restaurant.
You turn on the TV and you see a commercial for that same restaurant.
Then you pull up your social media accounts and everywhere you turn, you are seeing that local restaurant announcing their grand opening.
You and your friends decide to give it a try.
You go into the restaurant and all they are doing today is giving out samples.
So take a sample or 3 and see which one you like best.
In fact, they invite you to come back tomorrow for another sample.
There’s no menu.
There’s no cash register.
You can’t place an order.
All you can do is get a sample.
But why should anyone be mad about that because the samples are free?
How long will this restaurant stay in business?
This is exactly the model that most podcasts are built on.
They are perpetually creating samples and never going all the way to solve their audience’s problems.
If you are truly serious about monetizing your podcast, you have to begin selling something.
Before you bristle at the word sell, let me just remind you that nothing in this world happened today until somebody sold something.
Do you have a roof over your head? It’s because someone sold something.
Did you eat today? It happened because someone somewhere sold something.
Do you have a job? That is because someone sold something.
If no one sells anything, the world as we know it ceases to exist.
The economy crashes. Governments shut down. People starve.
I can surely say that selling can save the world!
Don’t be afraid to sell something. All commerce in the world starts and ends with a sale.
There’s no shame in it - especially if you are providing value.
There must be a value exchange in order for a podcast to survive.
No one wants to build a huge audience of people who only want free stuff.
Freebie seekers are never anyone’s ideal customer.
If you don’t already have an offer, put one together. Figure out how to serve your audience and charge for it.
You can learn more about monetizing your podcast by joining our private Facebook group called Podcast Monetization Secrets.
If you need help creating your offers, you can contact me at www.teampodcast.com.
In this episode, Christy deep dives with you into an amazing Avatar building exercise. This really gets inside your avatar's head and their thinking process.
Creating this avatar goes way deeper that most podcasting courses show you, but I'm giving away this information for free!
Here's the amazing thing - once you nail this critical part of creating your show, you basically have a road map to monetizing your podcast.
I've created this worksheet for you and you can download it here - no opt-in required!
I'm even going a step further. If you fill this out and email it back to me at [email protected], I'll send you a Concise Avatar for your show and I'll also send you your Avatar as a Story that has all the copy in it to create your first sales page for monetization!
So fill out your worksheet and do the work required to lay the foundation for your path to monetization!
You know the money is in the list, but did you also know that the real fortune is in the follow up?
Today, Christy breaks down a 6 step framework to get your new email list warmed up for you and ready to buy your next product.
This 6 step framework can be dripped out over a week, a month or longer, but it's important to begin implementing follow up funnels now, so that in the future, all you need to do is keep adding to them.
Join Christy to learn this sequence, and other aspects of keeping your list warmed up and ready to buy from you!
https://teampodcast.com
This is the second in a series of podcasts that I'm doing about what happens once you get people on your email list. And this is something that I think across the board universally we struggle with if we are podcasters and didn't come to this game from a marketing paradigm.
Marketers tend to have this stuff down pat, and podcasters, we tend to provide value value, value, value, value, value value value, wait for someone to tap us on the shoulder and say, “Oh, okay, you can monetize now. You're good enough or big enough or worthy enough.” And it's actually not how it works at all.
So you know, also, if you've listened to any of my podcasts that we are not focused on download numbers. We recognize that download numbers are largely a vanity metric.
Now, I don't mean that they're not important. They can be important in some situations if you're trying to monetize through sponsorships, which is probably one of the hardest ways to monetize if you ask me.
But you also have to realize that if a podcast has 40,000 downloads and they haven't monetized and they haven't collected email addresses, simply moving the bar from 40,000 downloads and now they have 60,000 downloads, but they're still not collecting email addresses. They're still not selling anything to that additional 20,000 people you gained on your platform got you nothing.
So that's what we're wanting to avoid. We're wanting to avoid building a big platform where we have lots of traffic. Those are listeners, those are downloads, those are email opt ins, and then having nowhere to send them means basically, you're not selling anything and you're not giving your listeners a way to follow up with you.
So when you start a podcast, the very first thing you want to do is focus on collecting those email addresses. That should be more important than “how many downloads I got today”.
How many email opt-ins did I get today? I'm averaging right now about one a day which is fairly slow growth. And there are days there, there might be days I get five or 10. But if you average it all out, I can count on at least one or two email opt-ins a day.
I know a lot of the podcasts that I've worked with, many times it takes them months to get their first email opt-in. And part of it's because the way they've set up their podcast and they don't really have a focus on collecting email addresses.
But the bigger issue becomes, what do you do once you get people on your email list? I talk to people all the time, who have hundreds or even thousands of people on their email list, and they don't really do anything with them. They don't know what to do with them.
So today, I am going to give you some ideas about how to begin talking to your email list - how to begin nurturing that email list. Different people call these types of funnels or these types of nurturing sequences - they call them different things. They accomplish different purposes.
When somebody first comes into your world, and gets on your email list, and because they've taken an opt-in, or they've taken a bribe, they've taken a gift that you've offered in exchange for their email.
Many times, what happens is they get a thank you email for subscribing, along with the delivery of whatever that lead magnet was. And then it's crickets.
They hear nothing from you. And then somehow, you know, maybe a year, maybe two years, maybe even further than that later, when you finally have your stuff together, and you finally have a product you finally have an offer, if you just go back to that email list and suddenly try to re-engage them around an offer, you're going to find that you really sort of wasted your time and didn't capitalize on the opportunity that that email is created.
Now, why are we creating an email list? We are creating an email list because it is the only thing you own out of your podcast. I mean, you own your content, but you don't own your Facebook group. You don't own your Twitter stream or whatever you want to call it - your Twitter feed. If you don't own your Instagram, any of those platforms can kick you off at any time. And in a lot of ways, you don't even own your website.
Sometimes if Google decides you're too spammy, or you're too suspicious, they shut you down. And they basically begin hiding you from all the search engines. And so in a lot of ways, the only thing you can have, the only way you can have as a lifeline to your actual customers is through that email list.
And the email list becomes sort of your most valuable asset. You hear people say “the money is in the list”. And the thing that's hot today is not going to be hot tomorrow. But if you have these people on your email list that begins to add value to your business assets, so you want to acquire an email list, it's the only way you can truly get in touch with your customers.
Listen to the full episode to learn what the first nurture sequence you should be planning is.
Resources:
Clickfunnels
You know I always say that email opt-ins are way more important than downloads in the podcast world, but what should you be doing once you get an email address? The answer to that question is a real problem for most podcasters.
Hey Everyone! This is Christy Haussler, CEO and owner of Team Podcast and I’m your host here at Podcast Monetization Secrets. I just want to welcome you to the podcast and let you know I’m glad you found your way here because this is exactly where you need to be to get access to all of the BEST ways YOU can monetize your podcast.
In case you don’t know me, I teach podcasters just like you to monetize their podcasts and how to break free from giving away their content or getting stuck in what I call “free content creation mode”.
So be sure to subscribe to the Monetization Secrets Podcast from on the platform from which you listen. AND be sure to join us at TEAMPODCAST.com to keep up with the latest podcast monetization secrets, trends, and to sign up for our superb podcast production and podcast monetization services. My team, hundreds of satisfied clients, and I guarantee you will be glad you did!
So whether you’re looking for podcast editing, show notes, marketing funnels for your podcast, or any other thing podcast-related, Team Podcast will meet your needs and EXCEED your expectations! So, once again, check us out at www.TEAMPODCAST.com.
Lately, as I’ve been pivoting Team Podcast more towards helping podcasters monetize through evergreen sales funnels, I’m coming across a glaring problem.
To be honest, I know exactly why it’s a problem, because I have also been plagued by this problem.
The problem is not knowing what to do with your email list once you begin building one.
Now, for the die-hard marketers, this is really an unbelievable problem, but to the average business owner, and the average podcaster, it’s a huge gaping hole in our strategy.
So first of all, let me tell you the things I think are the root causes of this problem.
#1 - First of all, it feels like it’s a place where you should be creating more content. In other words, we aren’t emailing our lists because we either don’t have the time to create more content to send out. I mean, you’re probably already behind on creating content for your podcast and adding something else is just not possible.
#2 - Many of us have a technology barrier to making this happen. So, either you’ve got your systems duct taped together trying to function as a cohesive machine and it just doesn’t work. You don’t know what to switch to that will solve this problem without creating a new learning curve for you.
#3 - Another reason we aren’t engaging with our email list is because we have a resource issue. Whether that resource is that we don’t have a team member to take over the tasks of email marketing for you, or maybe because you have not made the financial investment in the systems to help automate this process and make it easier.
Investing in keeping your email list engaged and ready to hear from you is one of the best investments you will make.
If you are subscribed to an email list, where the list owner is active and sending out interesting content and compelling offers regularly, I can guarantee you they have help in making this happen.
This is a problem that we all need to get a handle on asap because the more you grow your list, the bigger the problem becomes.
I’ve got several new clients that we are doing podcast production for and building marketing funnels for. In consulting with them to assess where they currently were in their marketing journey, they universally knew that their level of engagement with their lists was lacking.
They had no process in place to regularly email their list interesting content. And you know what? It didn’t matter the size of their list - some had lists of tens of thousands of people that had basically heard nothing from them since they signed up. Others had lists of thousands that were basically dormant.
If we want to be successful in marketing, we have to solve this problem. It will be worth it to throw whatever time or money you have at this problem to work it out now, before you focus on growing your email list any further.
So, in these next few episodes, I am going to work along with you to solve this problem. I’m going to solve the problem for myself and I will show you how you can solve it too!
So, just to make sure we start at square one, let me be very clear about it - you need to have multiple ways to capture email addresses of your ideal clients.
Do you realize that right now, all across the world, there are events - now mainly virtual events that are being planned and produced for the sole purpose of data acquisition? So, what I am saying to you is that companies are spending months of time and thousands of dollars to put on an event so that they can get email addresses from the attendees.
If you and I spent months of our lives and tens of thousands of dollars to put on these events just for the sake of growing our email lists, don’t you think we would also make sure we had an airtight plan for what happens once they get on the list?
We absolutely would. So this week, my plea to you is to figure out how you can get more people opting in to your email list. Create a juicer, sexier giveaway to get them there. What’s the biggest thing you can give away for free to get folks on your email list?
You want to have multiple ways people can get on your list. The more places you have to send this traffic to capture an email address, the more you can see which channels are the most effective.
So, this week’s framework for growing your email list is:
Next week, we will begin laying down a tried and true framework for establishing regular contact with your email list.
In the meantime, I’m happy to announce the first ever Podcast Monetization Summit will be held Oct. 15-17 - it’s an all virtual event, completely focused on monetization that will allow you to hear exactly how other successful podcasters are making a living from their podcast. It will be 3 days packed with monetization plans and ideas that you can implement for your own podcast. Most podcasting events focus on all aspects of podcasting, but this is one entire even focused specifically on the monetization aspect.
Let’s face it, if we as podcasters don’t get better at monetizing our shows, if we don’t turn monetization from an art into a science, then podcasting will be reduced to the status of the next get-rich-quick-scheme. So, that’s why we are creating this event, and I can’t wait to see how many podcasts we can get monetized after the summit.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we begin to announce speakers because it’s going to be amazing!
So, until then, if you want to connect with me, you can join our private Facebook Group called Podcast Monetization Secrets over on Facebook, and if you need help with the production or monetization of your podcast, go to Teampodcast.com and schedule some time to chat with me.
The podcasting model is broken...
There I said it. We've got everyone and their Mother thinking that starting a podcast is a great idea.
Everyone says just start...just do it...just put it out there.
I've seen the end result of just putting it out there and I'm here to tell you it isn't pretty. Podcasters come to me overwhelmed, exhausted, frazzled, out of money and completely battered and broken because their podcast has become their most expensive hobby and it's consumed their lives.
Their families are suffering. Their relationships are suffering. Their own mental health is suffering.
It doesn't have to be that way.
"If you build it, they will come" is one of the worst lies we have ever told ourselves.
No, they won't come.
I'm here to put a stake in the ground and say ENOUGH! We don't have to settle for this.
There is a better way!
Listen to this episode to find out what the better way is.
You can also join us in our private Facebook group at https://facebook.com/groups/PodcastMonetizationSecrets
Hindsight is 20/20 they always say. I've had a huge does of hindsight over the last month and I have realized that I made a fundamental mistake when I set up my podcast and my business.
The good news is that now I have the opportunity to fix my mistake and when I fix it, it will dramatically change the results that I am getting in my business.
The lessons I share today will also apply to your business.
Listen in today as Christy shares her fundamental mistake she made when she started her podcast and her business.
Join her in the Podcast Monetization Secrets Facebook Group tomorrow, where she will walk you through her Trello board to show you exactly how she's correcting her mistakes!
After you launch a podcast, the next question always becomes, "How can I grow my audience?" It seems like this question gets asked in a lot of Facebook groups and I get it weekly it seems from clients and others.
Most people start by trying to grow their audience on social media. The average podcaster comes into podcasting with only a small social media following. So, when we start ramping up promotional efforts on social media, our reach is limited by our following.
It should also be said that if you are getting zero traction on social media, the best thing to do is NOT to double down on the things that aren't working.
I mean, 2x0 is still 0, right? So, if everyone connected to you on social media are ignoring your podcast posts, doubling the amount of posts you make won't help the situation, it only makes it worse.
Join Christy today as she shares this little known tip about advertising your podcast in the one place where you already know everyone listens to podcasts!
If you'd like to discuss more about monetizing your podcast, please come join our private Facebook group at https://facebook.com/groups/PodcastMonetizationSecrets
"Ye have not because ye ask not!" This Bible verse was one I learned as a child. It relates to today's topic perfectly. The majority of podcasts in the Apple Podcast directory are NOT monetized.
Why are podcasters not monetizing their show? Well, to say it's complicated is an understatement, but the most glaring reason is that most podcasters aren't selling anything - not their services, not products, not their ideas, not their time, nothing. There is no opportunity for many podcast listeners to take the next step with the podcast host.
In order to monetize you MUST sell something. Figuring out what to sell is a matter of trying to productize as many offerings as you can to serve your audience.
Listen in to today's episode as Christy shares ideas to get your offerings productized and ready to sell to your audience.
If you'd like to join our private Facebook group, join us at https://facebook.com/group/PodcastMonetizationSecrets
Whether you have engineered your podcast for monetization or not, there are other factors that could sideline you from the monetization game.
Besides having a monetizable niche and podcast, you could the biggest factor holding back your revenue growth. How can you know?
In today's episode, Christy discusses the 4 Stages of Value and what the characteristics are for each stage. Only 2 of the 4 stages are perfect for monetizing a podcast.
Listen in today to find out where you are on the 4 Stages of Value and what you need to do to get to the next level and prepare your show for monetization!
You can always join our private Facebook group at https://facebook.com/group/PodcastMonetizationSecrets
By now, you should have realized that I live and die by frameworks! When you understand the power of frameworks, you can easily map out a course or develop a new product.
Developing your own frameworks is the key to establishing yourself as an expert in any niche.
Today, Christy gives you the framework for developing your own frameworks. This framework is one that I've learned from my mentor, Russell Brunson, and every time I implement it, it keeps me on track.
Tune in today to learn how to develop your own frameworks, which is the key to unlocking the monetization of your podcast!
If you'd like to learn more about monetizing your podcast, you can join our private Facebook group, Podcast Monetization Secrets.
If you want to monetize your podcast, it is important that you set it up to win from the beginning.
Many podcasters unknowingly sabotage their own efforts by making a simple mistake when they start their podcast.
Christy reveals this mistake and shows you how to avoid it by using her framework for creating your podcast.
Listen in today to learn more!
Traffic, traffic, traffic...the success of failure of any business really boils down to traffic. There are a lot of ways you can get traffic to your podcast and to your business.
Audience growth comes down to traffic, too. To increase your audience growth, you really have to know and understand the types of traffic you drive to your podcast.
There are 3 basic types of traffic for ANY business:
In this episode, Christy dives into the 3 traffic types and how they apply to your podcast.
If you want to drive deep into every aspect of traffic, the new book Traffic Secrets by Russell Brunson is the best evergreen traffic content anywhere. I'd highly recommend this book and you can get it here.
As a member of the online marketing world, you can spend tons of time and money creating digital products for your business that will NEVER sell!
Put you next product or idea through this litmus test to determine whether or not your audience will actually want to buy what you are selling.
A few things to remember:
Listen to the full episode to get the exact tip that will keep you from spending time, money and effort creating a dud of a product!
Also, if you'd like to join our private Facebook Group to talk more about monetizing your show, join us at https://Facebook.com/groups/podcastmonetizationsecrets
It's a rare event when someone actually monetizes something they are doing as a hobby or creative endeavor. The reality is that most successful efforts to monetize a podcast aren't a result of a huge lucky streak - it's the culmination of a lot of thought and planning. But thinking and planning don't get you there either.
Actually, the only thing that does get you closer to your goal is taking action - that's where the hard work starts. This implementation phase is where most people get stuck. There are so many ways to screw it up or to just blow it completely, so this episode gives you a framework to use to prepare your podcast to earn its first dollar!
And, don't forget, if you are wanting to dive deeper into the world of monetizing your podcast, join our private Facebook Group - Podcast Monetization Secrets!
There is nothing worse that realizing your podcast is stuck in "free content creation" mode with no foreseeable way out. You aren't greedy, but you thought by now you would have made at least some money with your show.
This episode teaches you the exact framework to implement to begin engineering your podcast to become your sales machine. Each episode gives you the opportunity to practice this framework of hook-story-offer!
Don't forget to join our private FB Group - Podcast Monetization Secrets!
In this episode, Christy shares her framework for creating better bait to attract opt-ins for your email list.
This framework is called the R.E.D.C.O. process, so listen to the episode to learn how to use it effectively!
If you want to dive deeper into all the strategies to monetize your podcast, join our free Facebook group!
The first metric any podcaster learns is downloads. Then the push is to get more and more downloads. But what do downloads really mean for monetization? Is this number what you should be looking at to determine whether your show is growing?
Today, we answer that question and tell you where to really focus if you are looking to monetize.
Also, if you want to dive deeper into the monetization strategies of podcasting, you can join our free Facebook group.
In my experience producing over 300 podcast episodes each month, people are either fleeing the space and shutting down because they are scare (these are the folks who haven’t monetized, or whose monetization was for a now virtually defunct industry) or they are doubling down and stepping up in a huge way to serve their audiences - so that means extra shows and bonus episodes.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room:
Should you really be selling things to people during a global pandemic when so many people are out of work?
Many podcasters have legitimate money blocks. This affected you before Coronavirus. It will affect you after corona virus. Now is the time to deal with it.
Yes, it’s ok to sell during this crisis. But, it’s also ok to provide unprecedented value!
Want to learn more about monetizing your podcast and following along as I show you how to do the same? Join our Facebook group - Podcast Monetization Secrets!
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.