Episode 7
Season 2
Podcast Like a Pro
Welcome Jenn Trepeck, Health Coach, Business Consultant, Host of Salad with a Side of Fries Podcast to Saturday Soundbites! She shares her expertise on how to podcast like a pro, regardless of your space.
Jenn is described as a “force of nature” in the wellness space. After graduating from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Jenn founded Better Life Now LLC while working full time in hedge funds. After over a decade of coaching clients, Jenn started Salad with a Side of Fries Podcast to help pay it forward and reach a larger audience to teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us.
On the subject of business, she helps clients by teaching her critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing their projects.
She and Veronica discuss all you need to know to podcast like a pro and start growing your business and brand. Be sure to be ready to learn!
[00:00:00] Veronica: Hello. Hello and welcome to Saturday soundbites. I'm your host, Veronica. So for, I am so excited to be here with you with another fantastic episode on Saturday soundbites, we talk about all things, visibility strategy, whether it's public relations, advertising, marketing, branding, all of those components are going to help you grow your business and get your visibility strategy.
[00:00:21] Exactly where it needs to be. And it takes a lot of, a lot of different modalities and a lot of different mediums to make that happen. And a lot of different places for you to show up, not just in print and in the written word, not just television interviews and radio interviews, but also non-traditional media, which is what I like to call it, which is podcasts.
[00:00:39] That's what we're gonna talk about today. We're going to talk about how to leverage podcasts and really make sure it is useful for your business and helps you grow in your visibility strategy. A little bit of housekeeping though. First, if you are listening on our podcast makes you hit subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
[00:00:56] We don't want you to miss any episodes of Saturday soundbites. And if you are watching on Facebook, make sure you give us some messages or maybe you're checking out our YouTube channel. Either way we want to connect with you. So make sure you let us know that you were watching. All right, let's dive into it.
[00:01:10] We're going to talk about podcasting today and how it can help you grow your brand and your business. I've got an awesome guest. I'm going to go ahead and bring her up right now. We've got Jen Tropic. Yes. Yeah. Awesome. Jen, thank you so much for joining us. Let's talk about podcasting.
[00:01:28] Jenn: Thanks for having me.
[00:01:29] I'm excited to
[00:01:29] Veronica: be here. Awesome. Awesome. So before we really dig into the topic, let's talk a little bit about how you got started and how you grew in this space to become such an.
[00:01:40] Jenn: Sure. So backing up. I, uh, I'm a wellness advisor. I started my business on the side in late 2007, before health coaching was even a thing.
[00:01:51] Um, but I built my business on the side then fast forward, 2019. Yes. 12 years later, I was leaving my full-time job and I've gotten into listening to podcasts and. I can do this, right. I could talk to a doorknob. So this is definitely something fun and new, and I don't know what to do with free time. So obviously I needed to start something new when I left my full-time job and I was out to dinner with a girlfriend.
[00:02:23] She and I were talking, she has two kids. And we were talking about a book that she was reading. I hadn't read that exact book, but some of the things that we were talking about, I knew from my trainings and things that I had researched, and we were really talking about the difference in how boys and girls brains develop.
[00:02:41] And she made a comment to me. That was, I feel like I should take your course. Like I've never had an issue. My specialty is wait, man. She said I've never had an issue, but I also don't really know what I'm doing with my kids. You know, like theoretically I know, but not necessarily in detail. And it really got me thinking we are all having these conversations.
[00:03:06] Some people aren't necessarily in a place of saying yes, let me pay you for a 12 week course to dive deep and really learn this. But we're going to the gym at the time. Right, right. Seeing people in the locker room and going, what are they doing? Should I do that? Right? And so that's really where the podcast was born.
[00:03:28] It was about furthering my mission to change the state of healthcare and help people help themselves with this information. So podcasting became just another medium for the mission and. In that. So my podcast salad with a side of fries launched August of 2019, uh, February, 2022, we pass over a hundred thousand downloads
[00:03:55] Veronica: and celebrate that's fantastic.
[00:04:01] Jenn: And you know, I mean, think about it like a hundred thousand people. That's I think it's like, Some university stadiums a couple times over, you know, which is amazing. So, um, it's interesting because in that time I've also been a guest on over 70 other podcasts. Plus being an interviewer on my own show, half of my episodes are interviews with other experts.
[00:04:28] So, um, I really dug deep into this space. Not just have a podcast, but be a podcaster.
[00:04:38] Veronica: Yeah, no, that's, there's definitely a distinction and I love that you've got so much, um, experience your seasons. Like how I did that. And, um, and for people who are just trying to figure out what that could look like for their business, there's a lot of different approaches.
[00:04:57] And so I definitely want to talk about what are some of the tips and strategies and things that you've seen have worked well, um, in podcasting because there's a lot of different ways to do it. There's a lot of formats, right? There's, you know, very, um, polished and professional shows. And then there's others that are much more organic that are just a success.
[00:05:17] Jenn: Sure. So I think, you know, if you're looking to be a guest on a podcast, right. Versus if you're looking to start a podcast, I think one of the things to say, if you're looking to start a podcast, recognize this is not easy, you know, it requires a lot. And so before taking something on, we want to make sure that it's something that we can fully activate.
[00:05:41] To make it, I think, worth the time, effort and energy. And having said that you don't have to start a podcast to be able to leverage the community of podcast listeners and showcase your expertise. And that's where being a guest on other podcasts becomes really helpful. And one of the things to think about, and you talk about this in so many of your episodes about honing your message and knowing who your audience is.
[00:06:07] And that's really the first place to start is to look at the podcast. You can search, um, podcasts in certain categories. And so I recommend there's a website called charitable. That has, you know, apple and Spotify and, you know, just global charts, not necessarily platform specific and you can search different categories of shows.
[00:06:32] So if you're talking in the personal development space, go look at the podcasts that label themselves as personal development, and you can dig deep and kind of hone in and they're showing you charts. I recommend you start with ones that are ranking in the hundreds. Right, right, because too big of a show, they're probably not necessarily open to your pitch.
[00:06:58] Sometimes. Sometimes they have a production companies behind them where it's actually really difficult to get their information, you know, or get to the right person to send your pitch. So looking at those that are more in the 50 to 75, to like 150, you know, in those rankings, And then start to listen. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is they start to pitch and it's clear that they either haven't really listened to the show, right.
[00:07:33] Or they're pitching what they think. I want them to say. Or what they think all of our episodes are about. And the truth is I'm personally looking for experts who are going to share something maybe a little bit different. Like what's your specialty with. What's your view on things that's different than everybody else.
[00:07:57] That's where I'd like to hone it. Right. So a lot of times it's really about honing that pitch, having a handful of topics that you feel really comfortable talking about. And then looking through listening to a few, right. And looking through their episodes to say, what have they already covered? Where can I potentially add onto something that they've already covered and really add value to their audience?
[00:08:22] Absolutely. Yeah. Then when you send the pitch, you want to make it clear that you have listened to their show. Tell them a little bit about who you are. Write a short bio and then. Pick your topic, give them the episode idea and a couple of bullet points to that. Now I do a pre, I call them discovery calls before I agreed to do an episode with people, not every podcast or does that, but so some people will take my pitch, email, and that's what they're using to guide the interview.
[00:08:56] So I want to make sure I'm giving them a couple of things. You know, depending on what their processes, but giving them in that pitch, email, they know exactly what they would say. It makes it a much easier. Yes. Then if I say something like, oh, I want to talk about willpower and they don't know what I mean by that.
[00:09:16] You know? And so, especially if you're an expert in something we can get caught up in, we know what we mean. And we think other people know. And they don't necessarily, right. So in that pitch, we want to spell it out. And then I also recommend having some sort of a one sheet that you can attach that has a headshot, a bio, some sample topics that are different than the one that you pitched in the past.
[00:09:41] Oh, and then your social media handles, because that way then maybe they don't like the one that I fleshed out for them, but they're going to pick something from my one sheet or some podcasters will then start to look up your social media. Or if you have a podcast, they'll look up any of the content that you're creating and potentially dig deep to find things to talk about.
[00:10:04] Veronica: Yeah, no, that's great. I love that. That's a key tip because oftentimes people get really stuck in, this is my strategy. This is my, these are my messages and I don't veer for them, but that doesn't mean you don't. Band on them a little bit. You just don't veer from them. And that's a distinction that often times people get a little stuck on.
[00:10:25] So it does require a little bit of creativity, but to your point, Jen, once you've listened to a couple of episodes of a show, you'll know how that host, um, The flow of the show. And so you can kind of adjust appropriately. So I think those are really great
[00:10:39] Jenn: tips. And you can think about to, you know, is this somebody I'm going to vibe with?
[00:10:42] Are we going to have a fun conversation? You know, does their energy match yours in a way that's going to allow you to thrive and show your best version of yourself for that 30, 45 minutes an hour, whatever it might be.
[00:10:58] Veronica: And what are you, what's your experience or how do you coach folks who maybe they get on a discovery call and maybe they haven't quite refined their pitch yet, or they're still maybe finding their voice, but they're taking your advice and they're targeting appropriate level podcasts just to get some experience.
[00:11:15] What happens when you get on a discovery call? And the energy is not there. The synergy isn't there, I guess I should say. And it's a no. How do you coach people through that?
[00:11:25] Jenn: So, so. First of all on that discovery call, I'm usually pulling it out of them. I'm essentially interviewing them in that discovery call to find their magic sauce, to find the thing that they're, they really light up talking about.
[00:11:43] And then right, if we really get to a point where in for me, tangible takeaways are really important. If they tend to talk around things, if they aren't. Great at answering the questions or they haven't quite honed their special sauce. Right. My line. And now I'm like, this is behind the curtain, right. Um, I'll say to them.
[00:12:10] Okay, awesome. Thank you so much. I have all my notes. I'm going to see where this fits into the arc of our content and I'll be in touch. Love it. That's and it may not fit into the arc of our. Yeah.
[00:12:24] Veronica: Or maybe not, or maybe not in the podcast sense, but maybe you've got a blog cause maybe the content was there, but their energy wasn't or the synergy wasn't there.
[00:12:34] And so maybe you could use them in a different way. I love the way you phrased it. I think that's really important for folks to know that and know isn't always necessarily a full note. It may just be a note for the
[00:12:43] Jenn: podcast, right. And recognized. Whatever your domain is, right? Whether it's a podcast as a host or, you know, coming on as a guest and you want to highlight it, it's really about how can you be of service?
[00:12:58] How can you serve those listeners? How can you serve the audience that you're looking to reach? And if you come from that place from both sides of the equation, it's all gonna work out. And everyone's going to find the right spot. Yeah,
[00:13:13] Veronica: no, definitely. I agree. A hundred percent. That's fantastic advice. So you're on your podcast journey.
[00:13:18] You've got a one pager. You've got your pitch down. You're landing a couple then how do you prepare to be on a podcast?
[00:13:26] Jenn: Right. So first of all, play the numbers. When you're pitching play the numbers, do it consistently send out, create the system for yourself that you could maintain so that you're pitching a couple every week.
[00:13:40] Right. And then you're going to land them, but you got to play the numbers game. There are millions of podcasts out there. You'll find out. So now go back to what you planned, what you would pitch to talk about, confirm with the podcaster, with the host, that this is in fact what we're talking about, you know, and there are times when.
[00:14:02] I am talking about, like, especially if I do topics that are a little more technical where I might need to reference some specific gene variations or right. I'm going to have notes up on my screen. Side-by-side with where you know, where I'm seeing them and we're recording. So there've been times where I have my notes pulled up.
[00:14:22] I'm ready to go. And then the topic is not at all what we talked about. It's going to be, and that's okay. Right. Part of that is knowing your space and your category and your topics. And also remember, I think this is such a media training thing. You answered the questions you want it, you want asked as opposed to sometimes the questions that are asked, right?
[00:14:45] And so that can be a skill and a practice. And I know Veronica you've interviewed other people who help us with those skills. Um, but it's really interesting to look at what are your key takeaways that you're offering the audience? What are those tangible things that they're going to implement after hearing.
[00:15:06] Your episode, what is the outcome you're looking for from that episode? What, what do you want from those listeners in this opportunity and your call to action? Know what you're asking them to do after the fact.
[00:15:23] Veronica: Absolutely a strong call to action is a mess. And that's true in any type of marketing PR or even average.
[00:15:29] Well, most especially advertising is a call to action and you need to approach your podcast appearance. Like all of those other mediums. It may not be traditional media, but it's still media and there still has to be a lead. You know, the, the story I loved how you talked about the arc of this. That's true with any story you're trying to convey or any message you're trying to convey.
[00:15:49] And then the strong call to action is what really solidifies your appearance on a podcast episode. I love how you articulated that.
[00:15:57] Jenn: Thank you. And I think one other thing that I didn't mention that I think is critically important is that not everyone's medium is audio only true. And I think with, um, You know, whether it's fireside or clubhouse or a lot of these apps that are out there.
[00:16:13] I think people realized, oh boy, audio only is harder than it looks. Right. So in preparing what you're going to share, are you clearly communicating? If somebody can't see. And they can't see your face if they can't see your hand motions, how do you explain something? You know, I did an episode where I was talking about digestion and walking through the gut and in my notes, I'm looking at a picture to remind me of what I want to talk about.
[00:16:41] But I have to convey in words, what I'm seeing as an image. And that's also a different skill set than a lot of us realize, you know, can you hold someone's energy if they're not seeing your face, how do you vary your voice? How do you communicate with just words? Yeah,
[00:17:03] Veronica: so, so powerful. I actually had, um, a voice coach on and we talked a lot about an NCAA session.
[00:17:10] We talked about emphasis and the most important takeaway that my audience got from her appearance was breathing, which was really interesting because we're breathing every second of our lives, but the thought of how it's coming in through our nose, through our mouth, all of that conveys a message. And when you're on a podcast, Without a video or a visual to compliment it, then you're, you could lose some of that.
[00:17:35] And I just was so appreciative that she gave our audience some of those tips, because I hadn't even thought about that. Especially being a trained journalist. It's not something that comes to mind unless you're in the radio
[00:17:45] Jenn: space. Sure. And you want to, um, you don't necessarily have to have, you know, a professional microphone to be a guest.
[00:17:54] You do want to make sure you have headphones that plug into the. More important, quiet space, a carpeted space, right? So then everything isn't reverberating, even if you just use your cell phone to practice recording and hearing what you sound like, you know, the voice notes on your phone or whatever it is is your breath audible.
[00:18:19] If you're listening for 30, 40 minutes and you hear someone going like. That's annoying to listen to. Right. It's creating an editing nightmare for the host. So some of those things, maybe it's just about pulling the microphone away from your mouth a little bit, or recognizing some little tweaks. The little things are detracting from your message.
[00:18:44] And when it's audio only, that can really happen in a different way than when there's videos. Well,
[00:18:51] Veronica: yeah, no, absolutely. Um, when do you recommend for folks who are just getting into it and they decided they want to start being guests and they've had a couple under their belt now, what, because that's oftentimes from the PR side, The conversation I ended up having to have with clients is like, great.
[00:19:11] Now we've got 10, 12 really solid podcasts that are connected to your target audience. You did everything you were supposed to do now. What, because I'm interested in seeing how you coach folks
[00:19:21] Jenn: through that. Yeah. So this is what we call repurposing content. Right. So, and what's amazing is that someone else has done most of the heavy lifting for us.
[00:19:32] So you can take that episode. Also kind of some shows some podcasts, we'll be very explicit about the expectations that they have for you to promote the show to all of your audiences. So that includes every social media platform, your email list, your website, you know, all of those places. So some are very clear about those expectations.
[00:19:54] Some are less clear generally. They will look the very least tag you in there, promoting it right, right on the platforms, take those images, save them, make sure your resharing and promoting and adding comments, right. Engaging with that content, engage with their listeners who comment on their posts about it.
[00:20:16] And then there are so many ways that we can use that content for ourselves. So one thing is called an audio. Which on social media tends to be a static image with a little bit of the sound of the interview behind it. So that's called an audiogram. You can post that all over your social media and by the way, you don't just have to post it the day.
[00:20:39] You know, that the episode comes out or the day after use it for any throwback Thursday. Use it any time you want to demonstrate your credibility, your leadership in the space. Somebody wanted to interview you on that, you know, so you can use that in all sorts of places, create a section of your website.
[00:21:00] That's showing your appearances. Podcasts are still appearances, even if it's audio only, right? So you can have a section of your website, that's all podcasts. And whether you have an image that links to where somebody can go, listen to that episode on one of the platforms, or you can also add. The host, if they're willing to share an embedded link with you, that allows you to put that episode right on your website and somebody can listen on your website.
[00:21:33] So there's a lot of tools. And then I'm also a big fan. I use a lot of my episodes and repurpose them into written articles. Whether you want to do that as a blog post, or a LinkedIn article or whatever it is, you can use your own interviews. Sure. You know, say to the host, Hey, I'd love to use this. I'm going to turn some of it into an article.
[00:21:56] I'll be sure to tag you in the show and make sure you get credit for the wonderful work you did to create this content that I'm loving sharing with my audience. And I think one of the things to remember is as much as it's about reaching the listeners of that podcast. There are so many people out there who are watching what you're doing, who maybe aren't quite ready to, you know, work with you, but they're looking at what you're doing, right?
[00:22:27] And this is a great place for them to see that content. That might be what they need to hear, to push them over the edge, to press the button, to reach out, to talk more about.
[00:22:39] Veronica: Yeah, absolutely. And your digital footprint, isn't just a website and it's not just your social media channels. It's also available on, you know, if you're listening to Spotify and you just happen to be scrolling, all of that is so important.
[00:22:53] And as a visibility strategy, I try to tell people that you have to diversify how it is you show up digitally and it can't just be all one platform. It can't all just be Facebook or all tech talk. If you're drawing from a different group of people and understanding your target audience, you need to know where they're consuming their information, but you also need to know how to connect with new leads.
[00:23:16] And that's a very important part, Jen, of what you talked about. And I love that tip and that strategy.
[00:23:21] Jenn: A big piece, by the way, for being searchable in the podcast apps or in Google, make sure that you are always using the same name. Yeah. So if you are Veronica V Sofer, make sure that, that you're not sometimes Veronica Sofer, because if we Google or search in a podcast app, Veronica Sofer, it may or may not show all of our appearances.
[00:23:43] If some of them have the V and some do not that's. Right. Right. So I have that challenge with Jen and Jennifer. Some people use Jennifer. I always use Jen in my own show. I tag both Jen and Jennifer. So if somebody searches either one, at least my show shows up. Right. Right. And then, you know, when Google yourself, see what's coming up.
[00:24:07] See if those other appearances are.
[00:24:10] Veronica: No, that's a great tip. And I'm so glad you said that because there's actually another Veronica Sofer, um, in the digital marketing space, she's in, on the west coast and the four, uh, far Northwest coast, um, and Asian and I am not I'm in the south, I'm Hispanic. And so we look completely different, but a lot of our content is similar in nature, but the distinction is the middle initial V.
[00:24:35] And so as part of my brain, I have been very intentional and purposeful and making sure it's noted that way, even in my hashtags, because that was the only way to really break that SEO. And in some of the challenges that come with a name like that.
[00:24:49] Jenn: Absolutely.
[00:24:51] Veronica: It's so interesting. You brought that up because I was very deliberate in doing that.
[00:24:55] And so I appreciate you acknowledging that you noticed. Yes, that's fantastic. So tell us a little bit about your show and then tell us a little bit about how you've melded. This passion and success in, in, in the wellness space, especially around nutrition and how it's kind of bridged into your expertise of podcasts, because that's a fascinating connection for me.
[00:25:20] Jenn: Yeah. Um, so salad with a side of fries, it is all about wellness, nutrition. Like I said, my specialty is weight management, so all of those categories, but for real. Right. Smiled with a side of fries. Uh, I sort of describe it as the nutrition education. We're all supposed to know and no one ever taught us.
[00:25:42] Right. And answering those questions. Like I said before, it's like those questions that come up at the gym. Right. Or when you're having a drink with friends. So it's interesting because the podcast. I mean, sort of started out as a passion project and has really turned into an incredible tool for the rest of my business.
[00:26:05] It's a visibility tool. It's a credibility tool. It's almost the top of the funnel, right? When we talk about funnels. And it's really interesting because I do a lot of networking and I would say a vast majority of my clients come from referrals. But I'm not the easiest person to refer to because you're not going to go up to somebody and be like, you know what?
[00:26:24] You need, you need to lose a few and I've got the person for you to talk to. Right. That's not how it works. Right? So the podcast becomes the easiest referral tool. Hey, saw this, you know, listen to this and thought of you. They send a link by the way. I know her. If you want to talk. Right. That becomes a much easier referral.
[00:26:45] And I also have a membership with the podcast, so there's ways for my audience to engage and for other people who maybe aren't quite ready for the bigger ticket items to start to engage on a smaller level and with the. And the podcast and the membership has certainly funneled clients to the rest of my business and vice versa.
[00:27:05] There are a lot of people who are referred to me and then they go, oh, you have a podcast. I'm like, yeah, listen, let me know what you think would love your feedback.
[00:27:13] Veronica: That's fantastic. Oh, I love that. You've melded all those things together. Cause that's very similar to, um, to the path I took and I love to see people in what I would consider non-traditional spaces using the same thing, because as a, as a journalist and as a PR professional, it made sense it was threaded together, but you did something so unique and so passionately and it's become so successful.
[00:27:35] And so I just applaud you for doing that. Thank you so much. Well, I got to tell you, you have been a joy to work with. I'm going to make sure that your website goes back up. If you're listening on the podcast podcast, it's a salad with a side of fries.com. It will definitely be in the show notes. I want you to connect with Jen.
[00:27:52] She's fantastic. She's got a phenomenal, uh, product and service that she's offering to people in the wellness space, but she's also sharing her expertise as a business professional and entrepreneur. So thank you so much.
[00:28:04] Jenn: Thank you guys. Please send me a message. I would love nothing more than to hear from you.
[00:28:08] That's my call to action. Send me a message through the website, through social media, any of the places I just want to hear from you love it.
[00:28:16] Veronica: Yeah, love it. She's a pro you guys. She's absolutely a pro connect with Jen a salad. Side of fries.com. And I just love the way that rolls off my tongue there. So connect with Jen.
[00:28:27] You definitely want to learn from her. She has put all the pieces together and is growing her business, and that is part of a strong visibility strategy. So I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. If you are listening on the podcast on your favorite. The podcast platform hit subscribe. We don't want you to miss any episodes of Saturday soundbites, where we talk about disability strategy and how to put all those pieces together.
[00:28:49] If you're watching on Facebook or YouTube and catching the replay, hashtag replace a Jen and I can go back and connect. And with that, I will wrap up this episode of Saturday soundbites by sending you lots of positive energy and light.