Starting a podcast is one of the smartest ways to grow your small business and connect with your audience as Christian business coach or consultant. Podcast listeners are 4x more engaged than social media scrollers, making podcasting a great way to connect, build trust, and showcase your unique value proposition away from the noisy social streets —but where do you even begin? I certainly wouldn’t advise another shiny object that distracts small business owners from making real progress in their business.
So before we press record, these 4 steps focused on simple strategies will shorten your learning curve and get you to success ahead of schedule.
To ensure your podcast becomes a game-changing marketing asset for your business.
Slow down to speed up!
Analyze What's Working: Learn from the Best
Time to take notes. This is the hard work (which on a scale of hard work jobs, isn't hard at all.)
On Apple Podcasts look at these 3 categories: Top shows, Top subscribers, and Top episodes.
Use the perspective that you've never heard of any of these shows and are looking for something to listen to: What would you pick and why?
Put on your critical thinking hat and be that picky listener that nitpicks things before trying them.
Take Note Of The Podcast Artwork
What do you love from these 3 categories and what do you dislike? Be descriptive in your notes; for example, the black and white photo with a yellow background pops. The photo is too large etc.
The things we don't like may be precisely what's working.
Do you want to be right or do you want to be successful?!
Podcast artwork is your first impression to potential listeners. Be descriptive with your
designer so your cover pops! Find a Fiverr freelance designer for any budget to make this
happen.
Podcast Show Names & Descriptions
List the most popular show titles and niche descriptive words. Get insights into what people are generally interested in. Not to say you shouldn't at times be completely counter to this, but there's no need to reinvent the wheel.
Traffic is flowing to these topics. It’s easier to place yourself in the ‘stream’ than to redirect the stream to your ‘virtual home’.
● the focus of the show for example: true crime about mysteries that went unsolved.
● read the descriptions for the promise the show makes to listeners
● notice how and where they are driving the traffic from their show to, for example: another
social platform, a website, an affiliate link, a lead magnet etc.
● listen to a few top shows from different categories
○ what formats are being used, for example: guest interview, co-hosts panel etc.
○ what's the best things about the show, and what isn't working for you, for example: great interview style that allows the guest to answer without interruptions and feels very conversational, feels chaotic with too many random ads etc.
Identify Your Unique Positioning
Look for the gaps in the conversation. What immediately sticks out as being left uncovered in your niche?
This is my personal opinion: Don't listen to the show in your niche until you've created some of your episodes, look at the episode titles. Why? The brain is lazy; if you expose it to something, it will mimic the data you input.
By creating your episodes first, you don't confine your creativity and style to what others are doing.
Be unique!
Create something with a difference.
If you've done all the steps, there is enough market research and data from those exercises to bring your own twist while being consciously competitive.
Use your gut and the data to create magical marketing for your small business.
We Are In The Age Of Value-Based Marketing
For Christian coaches and consultants, your podcast isn’t just a marketing tool—it’s a way to
share your God-given talents and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Let your podcast become a ministry that serves your clients while glorifying God through
excellence and creativity.
Share your values and principles.
Remember: Stay away from the man or woman who stands for nothing.
Okay, phew! Market research done = notebook filled with ideas! #GoodbyePodcastersBlock
It's time to get started!
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About the Author: Priscilla Shumba, MBA, is a business communications strategist, author, and podcaster. Check out her free training: Elevate & Leverage Small Business Media
Learn more and connect with her on LinkedIn.
P.S. If you’re drowning in those business nuggets, I’d suggest you listen to this interview with tech & innovation expert on The Lessons of Entrepreneurship Podcast, West Stringfellow on the process of collecting ideas to ignite innovation.
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