Episode 15

Podcasting Can Start in the Closet with Laura Bauder

Welcome Laura Bauder, Podcast Expert to Saturday Soundbites. Laura is bringing her vast knowledge of the podcasting industry to the show and will discuss how you can leverage podcasting to GROW your visibility strategy and ultimately GROW your business. Laura is the founder of The Podcast Vault and works with podcasters at all levels and helps them grow their reach to ensure they have valuable content for listeners.

She brings years of experience and is ready to share gems!

Transcript

Veronica: [00:00:00] Hello. Hello and welcome to Saturday soundbites. I'm Veronica. So for I'm your host of Saturday soundbites, and every week we come to you and we talk about everything related to visibility, strategy, public relations, marketing, advertising, branding. Logging you name it. We really want to make sure that you are learning everything there is to know about how to increase your visibility strategy, how to make sure it's aligned to your values, to your goals and everything.

[00:00:28] You've already set out for yourself as you go from quarter to quarter in your business. So this podcast and show is. Perfect for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, brick, and mortar business owners, and anyone just really wanting to learn how to leverage visibility to grow their business and their brands. So we are here on Facebook.

[00:00:45] If you're watching, make sure you give us comments and let us know if you're watching on the replay by hitting hashtag replay. And if you're listening on the podcast, hit subscribe because we want to make sure that you get notified every time new episodes are available. So we're going to go ahead and get started today.

[00:01:00] I have got a phenomenal guest and we've, we've talked a little bit about how to connect with editors and writers and producers. We've talked about how to get placed with advertising and marketing, but we haven't really talked about the beauty of podcasting and that's what Laura batter is going to talk to us today about.

[00:01:17] So. Super excited to have her on. We're going to go ahead and bring her in and introduce Laura to Saturday. Soundbites. Welcome. 

[00:01:24] Laura: [00:01:24] Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here. 

[00:01:26] Veronica: [00:01:26] Great. So tell us a little bit about your area of expertise. Start with how you got into it because podcasts aren't, you know, it wasn't something we learned about in school or in college, in the eighties and nineties.

[00:01:38] So describe the evolution. 

[00:01:41] Laura: [00:01:41] Yes. So podcasting came into my world in, I want to say like 2014, like one of the big podcasts at that time was the serial podcast where you could actually like. Really dig into a story and listen week after week. And it was just something that was so fascinating to me. And of course that is a very like produced news type story.

[00:02:05] And it wasn't until many years after that, that I kind of got into listening to podcasts that were more personalized people in, um, different areas of business and entrepreneurship were starting podcasts. And, um, As I then took like moved into the next season of life and, you know, became a mother. I was like, Oh my gosh, look at all the things I can learn through podcasting.

[00:02:27] So I've always been like a lifelong learner. Um, I was a school psychologist in the world before the pandemic. So education is very important to me and. It's just been such a cool way to learn things and to make new connections. And so, um, to give a brief origin story of my podcasting journey, I listened to podcasts, you know, through my pregnancy preparing to be a mother at the same time, I was also trying to figure out was working full time.

[00:02:57] Something that I still wanted to do once my son was born and podcasting really showed me that there were other options out there. If I wanted to. You know, I thought about maybe going part-time with my job and doing something else on the side, or could I work from home and not have to go back into a nine to five type job at all.

[00:03:16] And listening to other people's podcasts really showed me that that was possible. And when my son was born, he's two now is a little toddler running around with all kinds of energy. And when my son was born, I actually, even though I'd done all that preparation still had a pretty difficult transition to motherhood.

[00:03:33] It was really hard for me. Uh, both physically and mentally, and I created a podcast. Well, I came up with the idea for the podcast. I created the podcast when he was almost 10 months old. So, but I had that idea, um, that I really wanted to create something that I didn't feel like I could turn to when I was going through that transition.

[00:03:53] So my first podcast is not business-related at all, purely a passion project, and that one was called postpartum perspectives. I created it right. For moms to listen to when they're going through a difficult time, because how else do you reach new moms? Like I listened to tons of podcasts on my maternity leave when my son was up at all hours of the night.

[00:04:15] And. Like unbeknownst to me, that was kind of my first business decision, I guess. Right. Because I knew my target audience and found where they were, um, and had a lot of success with that podcast just in terms of being able to connect with other women. Um, I really felt like that show was making a difference.

[00:04:34] And was that able to connect with other podcasters started reaching out in Facebook groups and all those kinds of things, realizing how supportive and amazing the podcasting community was. And from there made that jump to, Oh my goodness. This is something that other women are doing for their businesses.

[00:04:51] Um, for other passion projects are different. Whatever goals they have for their podcast. And it's something that I can help with. So I've made that jump from there into being a podcast manager. And I consider myself to be more on the strategy side now as well. Um, really supporting women who want to use their podcasts as lead generation and marketing strategies in their business.

[00:05:12] And so I pulled all of that together. I've been doing it for over a year now. And, um, that was the source of my new podcast, which is called profit from podcasting. 

[00:05:21] Veronica: [00:05:21] Love it. Love it, love it. And that's just fantastic. When you can think about what you, you had a need and you created a solution for it, and what I love most about podcasting, and I'm sure you've seen this with your clients.

[00:05:34] And with other shows you've worked on is if it really brings value, it makes it, it really makes it to the next level. So good job. And tell us what a podcast manager is for those listening. And aren't really sure. I mean, they maybe download a few on their phone or something like that, but they're not real sure how it's comprised in terms of the structure and strategy.

[00:05:56] What is a podcast manager? What does that mean? And do you need 

[00:06:00] Laura: [00:06:00] one? Yes, that's a great question. So a podcast manager can really take care of a range of different things. So if you either want to start a podcast or you have one, but maybe you're feeling a little overwhelmed with everything that goes into it.

[00:06:14] Um, a podcast manager can help you with sound and post-production, so they can edit the podcast together, you know, to add music in, to take out certain parts or mix things so that the episode flows better. They can create social media graphics and the different, uh, things that you might need to promote your show.

[00:06:33] They can repurpose content. So you could have them take your podcast episode and turn it into maybe a blog and turn it into, um, social media content, email for your email marketing strategy. So. There's a lot of different things that they could possibly do, depending on how you want to use your podcast in your business.

[00:06:52] But I like to think of them as being your podcast support. So anything that needs to be done with your podcast outside of you, the podcast, or sitting down and actually recording the episode, somebody else can take that off of your plate. So that podcasting doesn't become so overwhelming because there's so much value in it that I just, I hate to see women, you know, Take that option off the table for them because they're overwhelmed by the idea of podcasting or they decide that there's too much work for them to continue.

[00:07:20] Yeah. No, that makes complete 

[00:07:22] Veronica: [00:07:22] sense. And what, um, what are some of the values? If, if someone were to ask you some more to come to you and say, Hey, I have a brick and mortar business, or I'm an online, um, mindset coach. And I work with people all over the country and they said, how can you help me? What was, what would be the value.

[00:07:39] Uh, for them in, in launching a podcast. How do you explain that 

[00:07:43] Laura: [00:07:43] to people? Yeah. So having a podcast, when you own a business is such a huge lead generation strategy. So it's part. Just introducing yourself to people that may eventually be interested in purchasing from you or working with you, but it does it in a way that makes you feel kind of familiar at the same time.

[00:08:07] So oftentimes if we're scrolling through social media and we're looking at all the beautiful curated feeds, and we are looking and reading through what people have put together in writing. You can get to know a lot about somebody in terms of what they do in their business. Maybe a little bit about their values, the things that they like, and they don't like, but there's just a difference in the way you connect with somebody.

[00:08:29] When you can hear them, when you can actually hear the excitement in their voice about what they're talking about. Like, if you are a coach, someone is going to imagine themselves being on a call with you and having you speak to them in the same way that you're speaking to the podcast audience. Um, it just, it builds that know like, and trust that is so huge to business owners, especially in the world of social media where there's just so much noise.

[00:08:55] Everybody has a social media account. Everybody is getting bombarded with whatever they're scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, wherever you are, everyone is vying for your attention. And it's noisy. And when somebody chooses to tune into your podcast, you have them, like, there are so many statistics about podcasting that show that most podcast listeners, if they tune into your show, they're going to stay through most of the episode.

[00:09:20] That's so valuable to have somebody whose attention for 15, 20, 30 plus minutes. Um, and they feel like they know you and they can connect with you. And they also come to expect. To connect with you. So most people don't have like, okay, you know, every Tuesday I'm gonna release a Instagram post at 3:00 PM.

[00:09:40] Um, and you all need to be watching out for it, but. With your podcast, they know, you know, and you can set your own schedule as the podcaster, but your audience will begin to know and expect some content from you. So it's, I would say the values are our lead generation and just really being able to connect with your potential clients in a way that you don't really get to do through social media alone.

[00:10:04] Which makes it so much easier. You stay top of mind if someone decides down the road, Oh, I really do want to work with a business coach, a mindset coast coach, a visibility strategist, you know, any of those things. It really just. Keeps you top of their mind when they're looking for that in the future.

[00:10:20] Yeah, I definitely 

[00:10:21] Veronica: [00:10:21] agree. And I loved, I love what you said about establishing trust. Um, and we talk about that with branding. You know, I've done numerous presentations and talks about what branding really is. And at the end of the day, your brand is your promise. So if your branding is aligned and your podcast supports your branding and all the messages that you've curated.

[00:10:41] Then that trust is, is automatically built and yeah, they may not be in the market to your point, but they may know someone who's in the market for a service that you offer. And I've had, I love when people send me a link to a podcast and say, Hey, check this out. I'll you know, I'll star it. I'll ha I'll put a heart next to it and I'll come back to it.

[00:10:58] When I have a few minutes, especially if I'm on a plane for a couple hours, I'll just download some podcasts and just listen to them. Because I think it's a great way to know 

[00:11:06] Laura: [00:11:06] people. I love it. Right. And it just it's, you know, if you are familiar with like the sales funnel where there's a bunch of people at the top, and it just gets smaller and smaller as you get, as you work toward people who are really willing to work with you, you can bring a lot of people into your.

[00:11:22] Sphere of influence your circle, whatever you want to call it through your podcast. And then from there, you can start to use calls to action, to take them other places that will bring them closer and closer to being that ideal client or that paying customer that you're looking for. Yeah. 

[00:11:38] Veronica: [00:11:38] I just agree with you so much.

[00:11:40] And I'm so glad that you broke it down to the simplest terms. So if someone wants to get started and they're like, I understand that I'm growing my business, maybe I'm going to do my business. Part-time what kind of equipment, what kind of setup or investment do people need to be thinking about if it's for them?

[00:11:55] Because some people may just assume the costs are too outrageous and they're not ready for that. 

[00:12:01] Laura: [00:12:01] Yeah, there's a lot of overwhelm with the tech and the equipment when it comes to podcasting. And I think that is built up from, first of all, we do listen to a lot of very produced podcasts. There are a lot of people that love to listen to some of the big podcasts out there that are done in studios with all of the fancy equipment, but a lot of the business, the marketing, the entrepreneur podcasts.

[00:12:23] So you listened to are done in very similar situations to what we're doing right now. And you can make it sound pretty. Darn good. So equipment that I think is essential is some kind of microphone and some kind of headphones like you can see right now, like I'm using the earbuds from an old iPhone.

[00:12:42] Because of course you can't even use the ones from the new iPhone because they only have look into the iPhone. Um, and so, but they're just the wired earbuds. Uh, you could plug it right into your computer. I have mine plugged into a microphone that I got for less than a hundred dollars on Amazon in like November of 2019.

[00:13:00] So it's been going strong for a while now. Um, And then I also have something called a pop filter, which you can see a little bit in the corner of the screen here, but it's just like a little screen that goes over the microphone. That's not even necessary, but it's also like $8 from Amazon, but you really just need something to amplify your voice a little bit, keep it from sounding too muffled or echo-y if you just record right into most laptops, just the sound quality isn't there for people to really be able to understand you and.

[00:13:31] That's important in the podcasting space where they have literally nothing else to go on, except your voice and how you sound. And we've all had that experience where we've tuned into a podcast or a radio show or something audio that you're just like, I can't understand it. I'm not going to stick with it and you bounce off.

[00:13:47] So you do have to have some sound quality in mind, the earphones. We'll just help. Um, especially if you're talking with somebody else for your podcast to make sure that there's not a lot of echo or feedback going on between the two. Um, but everything else you can do for free to start with. And I still do for free with my podcast.

[00:14:07] I record interviews using zoom, which we all know and love have to hate maybe after a year of the pandemic. But I record with zoom. I edit using audacity, which is a free. A program that you can download. If you have a Mac GarageBand usually comes with your computer for free. So, and the only other thing that you might want to spend a little money on would be something to host the podcast.

[00:14:32] So just like you host a website somewhere, you also have to host your podcast somewhere so that it can then be distributed out to the platforms like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, all of those kinds of places. And, um, You certainly can do that for free with certain programs. Um, you can also choose to pay a little bit each month to host your podcast as well.

[00:14:53] Sure, 

[00:14:53] Veronica: [00:14:53] sure. Well, it sounds like, and just from my experience, you really don't need to invest a whole lot of money to start up. And if you want to upgrade and do more, you absolutely can, but you're talking minimal a hundred, a couple hundred dollars max, if you want to get 

[00:15:08] Laura: [00:15:08] started. Absolutely. Right. Like the things I paid for were the microphone and the pop filter and the hosting.

[00:15:16] So yeah, it was maybe a hundred dollars to get started. 

[00:15:20] Veronica: [00:15:20] Yeah, no, that's fantastic. I love that because a lot of people just assume when they see some fancy equipment or they see other people, um, that are recording, that they get this idea that it has to be in studio and it has to be produced in while. Yes, I love cereal too.

[00:15:35] And it was very well produced and I love the WestWingWeekly, which was very well produced. Some of my other favorites were not produced and I really got value from all of the above. I just went to them for different reasons. I mean, It didn't bother me one way or the other. I wanted the content. I wanted the value 

[00:15:52] Laura: [00:15:52] and that's such an important point because people are certainly willing to forgive less than perfect sound quality.

[00:15:58] You know, every once in a while, zoom does little blips in the audio or somebody's voice drops out because, because of zoom or just because of the internet connection, or there's a little background noise that you can't take out in post production, and people are willing to forgive that as long as the content is what they came for.

[00:16:14] And as long as your content is helping them, I mean, You can see I'm in an office in my home right now, but a lot of the times, because I have a toddler running around, I recorded my walk-in closet because it gets better sound quality. And I know that, you know, he's not going to come find me. Yeah, no, 

[00:16:31] Veronica: [00:16:31] I love it.

[00:16:31] Yeah. I'm, I've done the same thing. Luckily, my closet is big enough that I can get close enough to the dresses that, you know, the sound makes it sound really good. So that's, that's great. So tell us about what else you're doing, how you help them. People other than podcast management. Cause I know we actually, um, worked together on another product that you've got going, which is super exciting.

[00:16:53] Laura: [00:16:53] Yes. Thank you. So yes, I've been doing one-on-one client work for, like I said, a little bit over a year now. And as we were coming into 2021, I really wanted to focus on reaching more people for so many reasons, you know, and doing, um, the one-on-one work that I was doing over the last year. I talked to a lot of women that I think I mentioned this a little bit earlier, either just felt too overwhelmed and it didn't even want to start podcasting, or they would start and quickly realized that it was taking more time than they realized, or it was overwhelming to them and their schedules and they couldn't keep doing it.

[00:17:27] Um, and so I would have a lot of conversations with them about, well, should I outsource, I don't know if I have the money to outsource for podcast management and there was still, there's still this kind of mindset disconnect between. I want a podcast and I can make money from my podcast for my business.

[00:17:44] So I wanted to do something that would reach more people, whether they felt like they could outsource at the time or whether they needed a little more support with their podcast to get to the point where they can outsource, because I truly believe that. Podcasting is so powerful for the reasons that we talked about earlier, but it can take up a lot of time if you want to go through and make sure that you're editing your episodes and writing the show notes, maybe in blog form so that they, you know, can be found with Google and search engine optimization.

[00:18:16] And you, maybe you want to put that on Pinterest and you want to promote on social media. Like there's so many things that you can do and repurpose from your podcast, right? But it's also a lot to take on as a sole business owner. Who's also trying to run a business and do client work or coach or whatever.

[00:18:32] You're, whatever you're doing. Um, And so long way of saying that I wanted to do something that would reach people wherever they were at. And so I came up with the idea to do a membership style, um, program where I could help podcasters get to a point where they felt confident that podcasting was the right fit for them.

[00:18:54] They felt like they understood. How to use podcasting effectively in their businesses. And then on the other side of that, I want it to support podcast service providers, because we encounter that objections so frequently of just like, it sounds great, but I don't really know if I can afford it. Um, and so I wanted to kind of bridge them together to make this understanding clear between the two sides that podcasters.

[00:19:23] Would see value in podcast service providers, service providers would be able to then easily provide value to podcasters. And so I have both sides of this membership that are up and running. Now I've done founding launches for both of them. I'm super excited to be able to dig into them more as the year goes on, but it has been really great.

[00:19:43] The service provider side have been. Really supportive of each other and they're coming together and starting to, you know, refer off clients to one another. If they don't have the space or it's not the right fit. And so with the service providers, I CR I created. I, I came up with the idea that I had a web developer created.

[00:20:02] Yes, because it's not my area 

[00:20:03] Veronica: [00:20:03] of expertise, but 

[00:20:07] Laura: [00:20:07] we created a membership or a directory for the members of the service provider side that I've been able to just pass out. Whenever I see people popping up in Facebook groups or come talk to me personally about, okay, I think I'm ready now. I want to outsource something and we have a whole range of service providers, everything from editors.

[00:20:26] Two people who know about writing show notes and YouTube and visibility and getting people booked as guests on podcasts. And so it's been really fun. And then on the podcast or side, I'm really starting to build up providing resources so that podcasters of all experience levels will get what they need.

[00:20:43] So there's tech tutorials because it's, we talked about. Right is, is, can really stand in people's way. And then there's going to be a lot of resources on how to promote your podcast, because that's always most pod-casters. First question is, okay, I have this podcast, how do I get more listeners? So the goal of the podcast faults is really to support podcasters with how they can build up their shows so they can bring those dream clients into their businesses.

[00:21:08] So they then feel confident enough to be able to outsource that work. 

[00:21:12] Veronica: [00:21:12] Yeah. That's and I'm so excited to be a part of that because it's it's connections, right? It's all about relationships, networking connections. I tell my clients all the time. I have no problem calling a reporter. Or a producer with a great story idea.

[00:21:27] And I know they'll take my call because I've given them good content in the past. And so if you can build that same relationship, if you think about how we do it, you know, person to person with, you know, a handshake, it's the same concept. We're just doing it virtually sometimes internationally, even. And it's about building relationships.

[00:21:45] And so you've created a space for that, for those kinds of people to come in and share their resources. And I just think it's fantastic and we've put the website, um, there so people can, can check it out. I love it. 

[00:21:58] Laura: [00:21:58] Yes. Thank you so much. And I'm super happy that you're a part of it too. And I totally, I agree.

[00:22:05] And I think the networking piece is huge, whether you're a service provider or a podcast, or like if you have your own podcast or you're thinking about starting one. Think of the connections that you can make with people who you want to ask to be a guest on your podcast, or, um, That may ask you to be a guest.

[00:22:22] You know, we have this other, um, you know, we have our social media that we've always done a lot of networking on and we're starting to get new and exciting platforms that are probably especially interesting to podcasters like clubhouse because it's audio. Um, so I just think it's a really exciting time to kind of be in the audio space and all the connections that you can make are going to be so, so valuable for your business.

[00:22:45] Yeah, absolutely. 

[00:22:46] Veronica: [00:22:46] Well, this has been a fantastic conversation. I love that you gave real life tips, strategies, techniques, and just a little bit of insight into what it takes to run a podcast because so many people have talked about it. Have thought about it, maybe have been, um, you know, mulling around, but they're not quite sure, but I hope that once they heard all the things you had to say, they felt more confident that this could be the next step for them to really help them grow their business.

[00:23:14] So you have given us tons of great information and I greatly appreciate 

[00:23:17] Laura: [00:23:17] it. Well, thank you so much for having me. It was so fun to talk to you today. 

[00:23:21] Veronica: [00:23:21] Good. Good. All right, everybody make sure you check it out. It's the podcast. vault.com. We'll say bye to Laura. Thank you so much. See, we are going to give her one last shout out there and guys check it out.

[00:23:34] The podcast, vault.com. I am a member. I think it's a great way to connect with folks. You also get an opportunity to connect with people in a private Facebook group. So that's another great way to connect and share resources. Podcasting can be for anyone. It really can, whether you're a service provider, whether you've got a brick and mortar business and consulting opportunities.

[00:23:55] And if you really just want to give value with some passion projects, maybe you participate with a nonprofit and you feel very strongly about a cause. Podcasting is a great way to get the word out. So the podcast vault.com, make sure you check it out so excited to be a member of it. We wrapped up another episode of Saturday soundbites.

[00:24:14] Make sure you check me out on my website, Veronica V sofer.com. If you'd like to hear any of the other episodes that we have had, you can also download them on any of your favorite podcast platforms. Veronica V Sofer, and you just have to click in Saturday soundbites. So, thank you so much for joining us.

[00:24:31] It's been fantastic. Next week. We're going to provide you another great episode with some content. That's really going to help you with your visibility strategy so you can learn and grow because we talk all things, marketing, advertising, public relations, branding, and personal branding. So with that, I'm going to wish everyone a happy Saturday, and I'm sending you lots of positive energy and light.

[00:24:51] Have a good one.