YOU are The Expert!
If you are a business owner who is considering starting a podcast or a YouTube channel, or you started a podcast years ago and you just kind of gave up on it because you didn't really have an intention for it. You didn't really know why you were doing it. I wanna encourage you that now is the time to jump in or jump back in. Welcome to The Message Connection, a podcast dedicated to exploring all the angles that it takes to get your message to the masses. I'm your host, Azurae Phelps, and with over twenty years of experience in the world of production, I've seen behind the scenes of everything from recording studios to the Super Bowl halftime show and everything in between.
Azurae:Week after week, we will dig into the medium of podcasting as well as host conversations with entrepreneurs, business owners, coaches, artists, creatives, educators, and more to see how they got to the heart of their message and what it took to get them to the place they were ready to share it. Let's get into it. What's up? Welcome back to The Message Connection. I'm Azure.
Azurae:I'm so glad you're here. So I just got off of a call with a friend who works in the solar industry and she is ready to take the dive and start a podcast to explain the benefits and the blessings of using solar energy. Now this might not be your thing, but let me tell you, it's a lot of people's thing. And they are going to help so many people by starting this conversation. And she is going to help so many people by leading with curiosity as she does.
Azurae:You might say, Azurae, wait a second. What does that have to do with anything? When you are hosting a podcast and you're having conversations with leaders in their field, with colleagues, with friends, one of the gifts that you can give your audience is to lead with curiosity. To essentially be the listener, be the person who's asking the questions that you anticipate your listener might have. Even if you're doing a solo podcast like I'm doing right now, I'm thinking about you.
Azurae:I'm thinking about you asking yourself, is the world I'm working in worth talking about in this medium? If someone who's operating in the world of solar might think that they have enough to have a YouTube channel or a podcast, then is what I'm doing in real estate worth talking about? Is what I'm doing in homemaking worth talking about? Is what I'm doing in education worth talking about? Is what I'm doing in auto sales worth talking about?
Azurae:My answer to all of these is yeah. Get out there. Let's start talking about it. Because here's the thing. The medium of podcasting isn't going anywhere.
Azurae:And yeah, you can go for it on YouTube and be on video. It's up. Or you can just have audio based conversations where people are listening to you while they're on the road. They're folding laundry, they're on a walk, they're on a drive. And you may be thinking to yourself, Azuray, I don't even know where to begin with this.
Azurae:Like, cool. I like this idea in theory. Or you may have already started your podcast and you just started it without much intention because you felt like you should, because everyone said you needed to have a podcast. Here's the deal. Many people start before they're ready.
Azurae:And let me tell you that there's a lot that can be learned from that. No one's running a marathon overnight. Okay. How many of you have ever trained for a marathon? Okay.
Azurae:I have not done that, but I'm married to someone who has. And let me tell you that for months, this man had a plan. He had a schedule. He was running certain amounts of miles each day and then each week. And as it was closer, he was doing longer distance runs and shorter distance runs and all these things.
Azurae:And then he was able to run 26.2 miles. Right? So there is absolutely a place for getting in those reps in the early stages of launching something like a podcast. But if you know that you have a specific audience you want to serve and you're ready to do that with a lot of intention, one, I applaud you. Let's go.
Azurae:And two, there is a way to do that that is wildly specific and can help your audience grow really quickly. Here's where I'm coming from. So if you've already started to show and you've been doing the reps and you're doing interviews and you're having conversations, but you're sensing that your audience wants more from you or you're feeling that you're ready to pivot with a bit more of an intention in your business. Let's talk about that. Let's think about that.
Azurae:The first thing I do anytime I'm working with a client is I really encourage them to do a brain dump. And what that is, is again, to write down everything that you believe would serve your audience when it comes to what you know. So let's say that you're starting a homemaking podcast and you're just going to write down every single tip and trick that you have when it comes to homemaking. This could be everything from how to get the laundry done in two days, how to can pickles, how to get your kids involved in cleaning, how to reset the house, how to get the house ready for the week in an hour on a Sunday. Maybe it's how to go back to school shopping and get your kids ready for the new school year without breaking the bank.
Azurae:Prove to yourself that you're an expert in your field. Let's do real estate agents. You're ready to start a podcast and you want to talk about all the different angles on how to get ready to sell a home. And really you want to think about who's going to be listening to this show. Are they potential sellers?
Azurae:Are they potential buyers? Who do you work with most? Who do you like working with most? Maybe both. If you're a real estate agent, you are likely building that relationship on both sides of the transaction.
Azurae:Right? So you want to think about having episodes where you're talking about different ways to get your house ready to sell. Where you're talking about different ways to get yourself ready to buy. If it's your next investment or your first investment, wherever people are at on their journey. And to be honest about who you really love to serve and who you want to talk to.
Azurae:Again, prove to yourself all the things that you have to say already and you'll just feel so inspired by what you already know and get over the hurdle of what would I even talk about. Then as you start to look at that list, you can remind yourself of how many people you know in your network who can talk to you about those different specific things on the list. So maybe you know a lot about this stuff, but you want to talk to people in the nuance of some of these topics. And they're an expert in how to stage a home. And they might have stories to share about how much it can transform the space and how much it can affect the sale.
Azurae:This is something that a listener who's considering selling their house or considering becoming a real estate agent might be super interested in hearing. In my case, I love to listen to people who are talking about creating content, who are talking about showing up as their full selves on the internet, who are talking about building businesses, who are talking about storytelling. For me, that's speaking to me as a consumer and it impacts my business and how I show up in the space where I serve people. So when I'm thinking about this first season of The Message Connection, I am certainly trying to make sure that for my listener, I am shaping different conversations and topics that are going to help them get over the idea that starting a podcast or expanding their podcast is hard or they don't have anything to say or they don't see the benefit of it. I want them to be inspired to take action and to dig in deeper and to show up in this space.
Azurae:And I want to answer whatever questions they might have that are keeping them from doing that. So my intention with the first season of this podcast is to bring those conversations to the table and to inspire you to take the leap, to expand your message, to connect with your audience. Hence the name of the show, the message Connection. Okay. So where do we go from here?
Azurae:If you are a business owner who is considering starting a podcast or a YouTube channel, or you started a podcast years ago and you just kind of gave up on it because you didn't really have an intention for it. You didn't really know why you were doing it. I want to encourage you that now is the time to jump in or jump back in. And I would love to support you in any way that I can. One of the biggest things again, is proving to yourself that you're an expert.
Azurae:And then from there, you can shape your first season. And this is something that came up in our conversation today that I want to leave you with. I think some people think, oh my gosh, I'm going to start a podcast and then I'm going to have to show up on that podcast for eight seventy two weeks of my life because consistency matters. And hear me when I say totally does matter. But operating with the season mentality in mind gives your listener the opportunity to engage with you over a quarter, over a few months.
Azurae:And then you get some feedback from them. You can kind of go back into your creative space for a little bit and then come back with a new season. And now, if you're committed to doing this week after week and you're ready to go for it, I applaud you and I'm cheering you on supporting you in every way. But please note, remember, we've talked about this before that most podcasts end up with only three episodes. They start with good intentions.
Azurae:They get those three in the can. They press publish and they're out there live for all the world to see. And then they completely drop off. Life gets to lifing and they're done. And they have every intention to come back to it.
Azurae:And if this is you, you're not alone. You totally are like, the fact that you even started is amazing. But pod fade, that three episode drop is real. And so even getting that those 12 to 13 episodes out into the world is exponentially more than most podcasters are doing. So reminding yourself of your expertise with that list and thinking through all the ways and then the people who you might bring on to speak to all those different topics with you if you want to.
Azurae:And then also recognize that you can do a season and then come back and do a new season of your podcast. You don't have to be out here in these streets doing every single week if you're not ready for that. But if you even have 12 episodes of your podcast and you are shaping the story of what your business is about and who you seek to serve, you're going to draw in your audience in such a way that they are going to want to hear more from you. And they'll be excited waiting for the next season to drop. So it will also give you an opportunity in that break to talk to those listeners, to hear from them, to take their feedback, to build out other aspects of your business, to turn up and serve in the offers that you're creating, to be out there.
Azurae:You know, I think we've talked about this before here on the Message Connection, but many times if you're just in that content creator churn, but then you're not living life and interacting with clients and being out in the world, you won't have much to say. You'll end up being a pretty dry well. So I encourage you, don't sleep on this idea of a season as a way to get a lot of what you want to share with the world out there and then deepen your reps in your podcasting play. This is an awesome opportunity to show up, to challenge yourself, and then to think with intention about how you might want to do the next season. Maybe you're the whole season is interviews.
Azurae:Maybe the whole season is deep dives on certain topics that really hit home for your audience. Maybe the next season is more of the same, but you'll give people an opportunity to engage with you over an arc of topics and then they can look forward to the next one. So get out there, get started and reach out to me if I can help you in any way. I am excited for you and your show. And I know that you're going to bless people with everything you have to offer the world.
Azurae:Go get them. Thanks so much for listening to the Message Connection with Azeri Phelps. If you found this episode valuable, I'd love to hear from you. Check out the show notes for details on how to stay in touch, and please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. These reviews help us reach more people who will enjoy and benefit from the show.
Azurae:Don't forget to subscribe to the Message Connection wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.
