You did the work. You recorded some episodes and you got your podcast launched. Now what? Podcasting is a way to create connections, but often finding those connections can be frustrating for us.

Before I dive in to ways to form connections, I want to tackle downloads vs. connections. When I talk about connections, I’m talking about actually connecting with your listeners: talking to them, engaging with them, knowing who some of them are, etc. I’m talking about going beyond the numbers and well . . . connecting!

So what are some ways to start connecting with your listeners and others?

• Create a space to engage with listeners. This can be anywhere that suits you, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon, etc. You need to give your listeners a place to comment and be heard. Think about where your listeners hang out and start there. The key to this is you have to engage, so wherever you set up shop, be sure you are showing up there.
• Give your listeners more. Go beyond the episode. What can you offer your listeners? Maybe bonus content or some downloads that are related to your episode. By doing this, you are connecting beyond the audio and having them get more involved in your content.
• Cultivate related content with a newsletter. Dive deeper into topics and provide your listeners with more by creating an email newsletter. Think of it as a fan club. What do they want to know and what kinds of value can you give them? Best part, when your email pops in their inbox, it will remind them to listen to your episodes.
• Create a community. One of the best things we’ve done for our podcast is start a Facebook group. This group of listeners and like-minded individuals has become an amazing space. You don’t necessarily have to have a Facebook group but find a place where a community can thrive. Not only does this give you a venue to connect with your listeners but also allows them to connect with each other!
• Have guests on your podcast. Not all podcasts are intended for guests but having guests is a great way to network. We have met so many amazing people in our industry simply because we invited them onto our show. Now, we are at the point where people pitch us and we’ve connected with some awesome people.
• Cross promote with other podcasts. Get to know other podcasters and help promote each other’s podcasts. This can be in the form of an ad on their show and one on yours or simply promoting each other on social media. I’ve always been the believer that a rising tide lifts all ships. Don’t be afraid to promote other podcasts too.

These are just some ideas of ways to deepen your connections with your listeners. When you think about growth, keep these connections in mind. Sometimes, striving for numbers isn’t what you need to do, but creating thriving connections is. Our podcast may not have a million downloads, but it has a devoted group of engaged listeners that truly value what we do.

What do you think? What are some ways you create connections to your listeners? Let me know!

Do you set goals for your podcast? You are probably getting ready to make resolutions and plans for the new year, but what about your podcast? It is just as important as making your other goals, to sit down and think through your podcast in the new year.

Now look, I’m not a goal setting expert by any means but I’m going to share some ways I have learned to set meaningful goals as well as the kind of goals I’ve set that have made a difference in my business, life, and podcast. So, let’s get started!

First, get a planner. I don’t care if you are an electronic person or a paper planner person. Get a calendar and sit down and look at it. What major dates are there? What vacations are you thinking about? How do you want your holidays to look? Go ahead and write them down.

Now, start to think about what you want to accomplish in your life and business. If you are having trouble envisioning what these goals are or could be, I highly recommend finding a tool to walk you through this process. Personally, I love the Powersheets from Cultivate What Matters but there are lots of other options out there.

Ok, so let’s say you’ve done the work, you have some goals, you have a calendar. Now put the two together. How does your podcast schedule fit into all of this? Are you batching when you need to be and planning interviews in a time that works for your schedule? Need help getting your podcast organized? Check out my Free Trello Board.

Also, think about some specific goals you want to achieve with your podcast. What does this look like for you? Is it number of downloads or will you start reaching out to potential sponsors this year? Maybe your goals is simply to get to 50 episodes. Whatever you want to achieve, think about how you are going to measure that. Put a date on the calendar as a goal date and work towards it.

Want to watch my video on goal setting? Head here.

With a little bit of planning and reflection, you can really take your podcast and life where you want to go. Do the work and see what happens! If you want more info on goals, be sure to check out Season 8 of the Productivity Paradox Podcast. It’s one of my faves!

Happy goal setting!

I can’t believe the holidays are almost here! If you haven’t already, now is the time to figure out what to do with your podcast during the holidays. For me, the holidays are family time so we build our podcast’s schedule around being able to take time off. However, that may not be right for you or your audience. So let’s break it down.

• Does your audience take a break? Past stats show us that our listeners tend to drop off during the holiday season. Is this a busy time for your listeners or are they still engaged? If they are, consider batch recording and scheduling ahead so you can take a break. If not, maybe consider taking some time off.
• Can you work ahead?  Does your podcast content allow you the ability to plan ahead, batch record and schedule out episodes? If so, DO IT. This has been the biggest game changer is my podcast life. While I love recording and editing, doing it last minute is never fun. Plus, being able to get it done ahead of time affords me breathing room and we all need a little bit of that.
• What would a break look like for you? Do you need a few weeks completely off or do you want to passively publish episodes? Think about what would make the most sense for you.

Now, if you have decided that a break is the right way to go, there are a few options that I think work really well for podcasters.

• Rerun episodes! I like to call them throwbacks, but you can call them rewinds, reruns, or whatever works! Look at your stats and see what your most popular episodes were or think about your most impactful episodes. Maybe you have an episode that is holiday specific. Record an intro mentioning you are sharing a throwback with them and then play the full episode. We love these and so do our listeners.
• Record a sign off episode. Take a full break. We are! Record a short episode talking about your break before you sign off for the holidays and let it play. Your audience will appreciate the update and be excited for new episodes.

The key is to stay engaged with your listeners during your break. We will keep our Facebook group and social media running, but won’t be releasing new episodes. We will be teasing episodes coming up and when we will start re-airing episodes.

If you want to hear more about taking a break, listen to my podcast episode 005 – How to Take a Break?

I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing holiday season and happy podcasting!