Premium member Clare Wood recently launched her podcast aptly named The Clare Wood Podcast. Two days after its launch, it shot to the number two position on the Australian Apple Podcast Charts for Business. Damn impressive for someone whose first podcast experience was only one year earlier on someone else’s show.
We know there are many in our community who want to know more about starting a successful podcast, so we sat down with Clare and asked her for all the nitty gritty details…
Why did you start a podcast?
I started the podcast as a way of connecting with a new and wider audience of entrepreneurs. I wanted to be able to share business advice around marketing, mindset and managing finances in a small business. I was worried that the business podcast market was already saturated, but as this launch showed, audiences are always interested in learning a new perspective and new skills to help them level-up in business.
I am known for being positive but direct and “no fluff” so this podcast has a unique flavour! If anyone is contemplating starting their own podcast, I would say GO FOR IT (but make sure you do it with a plan of how you are going to attract an audience).
Speaking of plans, what was yours?
Full transparency? My “launch plan” was just a two-page Microsoft Word document that said “share here” and had a draft of some emails and posts. I didn’t need it to be polished, but having something to work through made sure it all went to plan.
How did you get your podcast out there?
In terms of marketing, I leveraged my existing network within the small business community. I shared it across all my social platforms and I reached out a few entrepreneurs I am friends with who have strong social followings and asked them to share it (and then many others just shared off their own backs!).
I also posted in Facebook groups and asked my personal network including family and friends to have a listen, review and subscribe. And I spent a lot of time throughout the launch period engaging, and re-sharing content to keep the message fresh on social platforms.
Did you do any online marketing or paid social activity?
I did no paid marketing or paid social for the launch, but now that the podcast is no longer at the top, I will be investing in paid advertising going forward to continue to raise awareness of the great content within the podcast!
What would be your number one tip?
Build relationships in the community of your target market. This didn’t happen overnight for me. I have been working on my relationships in the business community for years. However, the sooner you start, the better. I believe building a community involves regularly attending face-to-face networking events, engaging in a meaningful way online – both by commenting on social media posts of others, and adding value into industry Facebook groups.
I’m also happy to promote others in the industry – for example, if there is someone in a parallel business that I respect, my values are aligned with and I believe in their product or service, I refer work to them, and shout-out about them on social media. I believe this has been key for me, as others were happy to then “return the favour.” Side note: I did not do any of this with any expectations of it being returned, but quite often people are happy to!
Any advice for those about to launch their own podcast?
Learn from my mistake, and clear your calendar for launch day and a few days afterwards. I was juggling client work, social media madness and two children. Be smart. Launching takes a lot of time and energy!
Did you ever expect to get the response it has?
Absolutely not! I was blown away by the support the podcast received, including this fabulous community at Business Chicks. It just goes to show that the content resonates with our business community and that when women believe in something, they are happy to support each other and share with their followings.
Listen to Clare’s podcast here.
Clare Wood is a numbers geek, a travel lover, a reality TV addict and a passionate business coach who helps service-based businesses to grow with less stress.
PS. Clare has created a downloadable podcast launch strategy that shows step-by-step what marketing activities she undertook (including where she posted on social media, what she posted, who she contacted, and the exact emails that she sent). You can download it here.
