Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> Kate: Hello everybody. Itís Kate Luella here and Iíve very excited to introduce this
next guest I did an interview with last night. Itís Kelly McCausey. She has been podcasting
an awful long time. She was a wonderful person to interview because she has such a wealth
of knowledge. Sheís also a very sweet natured person, which makes it really fun. From what
gauged, she actually started out when it wasnít podcasting, it was like an internet radio
show when she started out. Itís now known as podcasting.
Sheís coached people in podcasting over the years, so her main niche is work at home moms
ñ women who multitask and want to sort of earn an income from home online, and thatís
where she steps in. She has a lot of information products to help people learn that skill.
She runs workshops, sheís a mentor, and an awesome person to talk to.
Sheís obviously helped a lot of people over the years, and she attests a lot of her success
to her podcasting. She actually considers it an integral part of her business, kind
of like if she didnít podcast she wouldnít be where she is today. It sort of has opened
up a lot of opportunities for her. We also talk about a few things about podcasting
and where she believes podcasting has come from and where itís going, why podcasters
donít stick at it often and they drop away, or she calls it pod-fading, which I thought
was very funny. We talk about show formats, different types
of show formats. Sheís trying things like co-hosting and things like that. She talks
about monetizing your podcast, maybe by selling it on iTunes in other categories than a podcast
or getting sponsors for your show and different ways to network with sponsors to drive income.
She has a wealth of information based on her experience. Sheís a very easy person to talk
to. We started off by talking about her podcasting hosting arrangements. She stated that sheís
with PodPress and I noticed on her podcast that she only had 10 shows listed. Iím like,
ìWhere are the other 6,000 shows or however many youíve done?î
I think in the end she said she had 400. We talked about that throughout the interview,
but essentially she said that she programmed her PodPress to just release the last 10 shows
and the rest she keeps all on her blog. Kelly has books out, she has workshops going all
the time. We talk about her current workshop, which is a sales funnel plan which Iím going
to join anyway. I think that anything that Kelly brings out is going to add awesome value
to your repertoire. Without further ado, letís get started now.
Hereís Kelly. [pause]
>> Kate: So how are you doing? >> Kelly: Iím good, how are you?
>> Kate: Itís morning over there, isnít it?
>> Kelly: Yes. >> Kate: I wish it was morning here. Thank
you so much for talking to me. Iím so pleased. I just love what you do online. It makes me
feel easier to interview, because Iím new at this whereas youíve been doing this for
donkeyís years. How does that work with your files? Are you
taking them down after a while? How does that work?
>> Kelly: No, itís a setting in WordPress where you tell it how many items to keep in
your syndication. >> Kate: Right. Thatís my next question.
Are you using PowerPress? Is that what youíre doing?
Kelly: No, Iím using the PodPress plugin. >> Kate: Okay. How have you found podcasting
over the years? Have you found it getting better or do you find it different now? How
do you find it as a medium, not only for your business but just to even create new business
as well as look after and nurturing your existing business? How do you find that?
>> Kelly: If we go all the way back to 2003 when I started an internet radio show, I had
to convince people that they could really listen to a radio show on the internet. There
was so much education going on all the time. I had to teach them that they could, I had
to teach them how. Back then we still had people on slow internet connections. It was
an uphill battle. I would say itís so much better now because
you donít have to convince people that itís possible. They just know that itís possible.
Itís easier to reach new people than it has ever been before.
When podcasting came out in 2004, prior to podcasting you had to come to my website and
click play to listen. That was the only way, or come and download the MP3 intentionally.
When podcasting hit in 2004 and I released an RSS feed, it was like this amazing thing
where people automatically downloaded it. When I submitted my podcast to iTunes, my
audience immediately grew by about 250 people within a month. That just blew me away to
realize that there were people searching in iTunes for something to listen to. It was
tapping into a whole new audience. Thatís just only grown since then. My niche
up until this last year was moms. I was a work at home mom myself and I was working
with work at home moms, so I got a flood of new listeners every Motherís Day and every
Christmas because thatís when moms would get their iPhones and their iPods. They would
go to iTunes looking for new stuff to listen to.
>> Kate: Obviously youíre still doing it. Is it because itís getting better and better
or is it just because thatís what you do? Iím just trying to ascertain if podcasting
has been worthwhile to continue it anyway. >> Kelly: Definitely. I love audio as a venue
of sharing information. I love the interviews. When I create information products I usually
have a huge audio component to them. Itís just my preferred thing.
I also like to write. Iím pretty prolific with the text, and I do just a little video
at this point. Audio is just my favorite. Podcasting has always been a source of new
people for me. I know it because they tell me. They tell me, ìI found you through your
podcast. My husband found you in iTunes.î As long as people are telling you that thatís
where theyíve come from, you know that thereís way more that donít tell you.
>> Kate: Thatís what I was going to ask next, is how do you gauge that return on investment?
It doesnít have to be financial. Is that just youíre watching the subscribers and
downloads going up? Is there any other way besides people telling you?
>> Kelly: Iíve always expected to see growth from the beginning. I had an interesting conversation
with a lady when I had been doing internet radio for about a year. A gal from California,
I donít remember her name. She called me and she wanted me to help her understand podcasting.
She couldnít understand why I didnít have millions of downloads every week.
I explained to her, ìWell, for one thing, people donít know about it yet. For another
thing, my niche is work at home moms and Iíve only been around for a couple of years. Not
everyone knows about me.î She couldnít understand why everyone didnít know about me. She just
had this idea that if you built something on the internet, suddenly every mother in
the world knew about you. Itís not like that. >> Kate: No, itís not.
>> Kelly: She was kind of sad to know that I was happy with, I think I was running about
1,200 downloads at the time. I was like, ì1,200 downloads is awesome. I started with two.î
As long as Iíve seen growth, Iíve been happy. Iíve never cared about being monstrous.
>> Kate: Growth is growth. >> Kelly: Yes, growth in numbers and growth
in income. Thatís what Iíve always looked for and thatís what Iíve always seen.
>> Kate: Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you took podcasting out of the
equation? Do you think it would affect it adversely?
>> Kelly: Definitely. >> Kate: Right, okay. So this is definitely
part of your business model and thatís that. >> Kelly: Yes.
>> Kate: You obviously love it, too. I get that.
>> Kelly: Yes. >> Kate: I can tell.
>> Kelly: If it were not for podcasting, I would know about a tenth of the people that
I do. >> Kate: It is good networking, isnít it?
>> Kelly: Yes, from the point of view of meeting cool people and interviewing them and giving
them buzz. It gives you an opportunity to treat somebody well and they remember that.
>> Kate: Itís kind of unique almost, isnít it? Itís very hard to explain, but I know
what youíre saying. Iím hoping more bloggers do it.
Do you find bloggers developing their podcasting skills after they see what youíre doing or
just other bloggers that you know, or do you find that youíre one of the very few?
>> Kelly: I know quite a few people who are podcasting. Almost from the beginning people
were asking me to show them how to do it. Iíve mentored a lot of people in launching
podcasts, that we call it pod-fading. They pod-faded away in a year because they didnít
personally have a great vision for what to do week after week or month after month, whatever
their frequency was going to be. That kind of breaks my heart. When someone
starts a podcast and it fades away, I feel really sad like they didnít give it a chance.
I had to come to understand that audio isnít everyoneís favorite genre. I hold on to some
of my favorite success stories of people who started podcasts that do continue to do it
today and what itís done for their business. I always hold them up to people as an example
of, ìLook what can happen if you start it and stick to it.î
>> Kate: I guess itís like everything in life where you can lead a horse to water,
but itís up to them. They have to then run with that. I understand that.
Did you have any podcasting mentors, or you really just found your own way?
>> Kelly: I didnít have any mentors, no. I fell in love with an internet radio show
that occasionally featured a work at home mom, and I was devouring their complete archive.
About the time that I finished it, the show went off the air and there was no one else
doing it. Itís so interesting today. If you say, ìI
think I would like to start a podcast,î you can Google how to start a podcast and you
can find out how to do it, the basics, within minutes. Back then, you could not Google how
to start an internet radio show. There were no tutorials.
The people who were doing it were typically those hobbyists who were running an Elvis
station or something. They were not real interested in answering questions because I wasnít doing
a music station. It was hard to figure things out. I wasted so much time, and I wasted a
lot of money. It was very, very expensive in the beginning. Iím glad that changed.
Iím so glad for Adam from MTV because he changed everything when podcasting came out.
All of a sudden things got easier. Iím going to say the wrong last name. Heís the guy
who invented podcasting. Heís the famous guy.
>> Kate: I donít know who that is, though. I thought it was Apple that brought it out
because podcasting is a name between iPodÖ >> Kelly: Adam Curry, sorry.
>> Kate: Okay. Iíve never heard of him, but thatís alright.
>> Kelly: Okay so no, Apple did not invent podcasting. This is interesting. Podcasting,
you think of iPod and you think of podcasting, right?
>> Kate: No, but Iíve read that somewhere, that the term podcasting came from that. I
didnít necessarily think that they actually created it.
>> Kelly: P-O-D stands for portable on demand. >> Kate: Right.
>> Kelly: And Adam Curry is the famous face of it, but Iím sure it was a geek friend
of his who figured it out. We just donít know that personís name. Obviously Apple
with their iTunes and their iPod is responsible for the huge growth of it because they had
the tool that everyone could use. >> Kate: And what about iTunes being free?
Do you think thatís a bad thing or you donít mind that?
>> Kelly: You can sell your podcasts if you want to.
>> Kate: Not on iTunes, thatís what I mean. >> Kelly: There are all kinds of ways that
you could sell your podcast on iTunes, just not in the podcast place. You could have an
app. >> Kate: Oh, okay. And you can have it in
the music, I think Iíve seen. >> Kelly: Yes. The premium podcasting model
never really took off. People tried really hard, and I know there are a few people who
do that. If it had taken off I bet iTunes would have figured out a way to do it.
>> Kate: I always thought that was a bit odd that they didnít sell them on iTunes because
you can buy everything else on iTunes except the podcasts. Itís like an insult. I think
itís an insult, but anyway. Your hosting ñ you said you use PodPress,
but who actually hosts it? Is that Libsyn? >> Kelly: No, I have my own dedicated server
and host my own files. >> Kate: Right, okay. I guess you have your
whole back catalogue, but you only have through PodPress the last 10 shows on iTunes. The
rest, you have all on your website? Would that be right?
>> Kelly: Yes. >> Kate: Wow. That must cost you a bit of
money, hosting all that. >> Kelly: Not really.
>> Kate: It doesnít? How do you do it so cheap? Well, itís not video, itís only audio
I suppose, isnít it? >> Kelly: Itís audio and I own the hosting
company. Thatís part of my overall funnel. >> Kate: That kind of helps.
>> Kelly: Itís not that expensive and honestly, I have over 400 episodes total between all
the podcasts Iíve done. I donít keep all of those old podcasts up there because frankly
Iím embarrassed by them. I donít maintain my entire catalogue, but several hundred.
>> Kate: Oh, thatís excellent. That is amazing because several hundred is a lot. Do you do
any video or you only do audio? >> Kelly: I do just a little.
>> Kate: Okay, so it depends what youíre doing.
>> Kelly: Yes. >> Kate: I understand that. Where are you
now with all your online business? >> Kelly: I have a website called Use Your
PLR where I help people put their PLR into action.
>> Kate: So they produce the PLR and then you help them sell it? Is that right?
>> Kelly: No. They have bought PLR from people like Nicole and Alice and Melissa and Ronnie,
and they have thousands and thousands of dollars of PLR on their computer that they havenít
used. They come to Use Your PLR for help in getting it out there.
>> Kate: Right, okay. So, helping them syndicateÖ >> Kelly: Using it, yes, deploying their PLR,
releasing the products, publishing the content. >> Kate: Through auto responders and things
like that? >> Kelly: Yes.
>> Kate: I understand. With your products, I do like the sales funnel.
I wanted to talk to you briefly about this. You said before there are a lot of ways you
can monetize the podcast. What do you find to be the most successful ways in your experience?
>> Kelly: When I first started my show back in 2003 I had a sponsor. They paid me a monthly
advertisement fee, and they had branding on my website. I mentioned them in every episode,
and I had other advertisers, as well. When I was in the work at home mom niche,
theyíre a very advertising hungry group. There were always lots of advertisers and
that was my whole profit plan from the beginning because back then I didnít have information
products or membership sites. I was just a work at home mom doing web design and graphics
and things like that. Over the years, as I had my own things to
promote, I started to trim out the advertising that I would accept. A couple years ago I
finally let my founding sponsor go. I kept my founding sponsor longer than many would
because they are my friends, but there came a point where there was just a natural moment
to split. I donít have sponsors anymore. I promote
my own self through the podcast and bringing people back to my website and getting them
onto my mailing list. The profit comes through just bringing them into my funnel and getting
them interested in what I can help them do. >> Kate: Do you ever add a recording to a
product youíre selling or have it as an incentive to sign to a list? Is there any way you ever
get around that, or is it just not how you deal with your podcasts?
>> Kelly: I do. You donít have to be on my list to listen to my podcasts, but I have
transcribed some favorite interviews, and those are only available to list members.
>> Kate: Right. >> Kelly: I have in the past used really good
podcast interview transcripts to make something else look good, to use it as a bonus. Iím
not currently using anything that way, but it is a really good idea.
>> Kate: What types would you use as a bonus? >> Kelly: If I choose to transcribe something
itís because I felt like there was just something really meaty in that podcast. For example,
when I interviewed Carrie Wilkerson I definitely transcribed Carrie and kept that around because
I know she shared good, meaty information. Of course, every episode I want there to be
great information, but not everything is something that Iím going to know that Iím going to
want to promote again. >> Kate: Is she from NAMS?
>> Kelly: Carrie did speak at the NAMS this past winter.
>> Kate: Right, I knew because I heard her name in your podcast I was listening to before.
I have noticed that people tend to do a podcast show in a certain format and thatís it, whereas
with yours you often do like three different parts. You have a 10-15 minute chat, introduction
where youíre talking about whatever is on your mind. Then, youíll have your interview,
and then even after that youíll still have more discussion about maybe a new product
or something. Is that pretty much a format youíve had throughout?
>> Kelly: Right, and it changes. Itís changed over time. Sometimes I have had a co-host
join me for a few episodes. Sometimes itís just me. If thereís no guest, we call it
Coffee with Kelly. I pretty much resist any effort to define
exactly what I have to do every week. I like to kind of fly by the seat of my pants.
>> Kate: Itís kind of the one advantage of working for yourself.
That and eating lunch whenever you want. Otherwise, everything else is harder, I know. I thought
thatís really interesting, the way youíve done that. I quite liked it because it made
people listen throughout the show because they think, ìWhatís coming up next?î
This is a good question. Do you edit your audios or do you just interview and run it?
>> Kelly: I pretty much interview and run it unless something would embarrass my guest.
Iím not looking for perfection from myself or my guests, but if the dogs barked significantly
or one of the kids cried or they got confused and fumbled. It doesnít happen often, but
Iíll always protect my guest. As Iím recording the podcast, Iím making notes and Iíll quickly
jot down the minute mark where the problem occurred, that way I can just run back and
edit that out. >> Kate: Thatís a good idea. Do you edit
that in Audacity or Garage Band? >> Kelly: I use Adobe Audition.
>> Kate: Okay. >> Kelly: Iím on a PC, not a Mac, or I would
use Garage Band. >> Kate: Okay. I have Audition but I try to
stay away from the hard ones that need training, so I just use Audacity and itís pretty quick.
>> Kelly: In my Smart Podcasting Skills course I teach people on Audacity and itís what
I used for a really long time. If you have any kind of issues with audio, Audacity canít
handle it. If you have problems with a hum on the line or a big difference in volumes
youíre going to quickly get tired of Audacity. I highly emphasize free tools whenever possible
with my people, too. There are a few things like this, Adobe Audition is an expensive
thing, but I do highly recommend it if someone is going to work with audio for quite a while.
>> Kate: Well, youíve convinced me! >> Kelly: There are no affiliate programs,
so you know itís because I mean it. >> Kate: Yes, I know. I own it, itís sitting
on my desktop. I just donít want to learn another one. I have to go back on Lynda.com
and learn it again, but thatís what itís like with an online career, isnít it? You
have to multitask. You said youíd been selling some coaching
recently and that theyíd sort of asked you to step and pushed your to try to take it
to the next level. Have you done anything drastic to do that?
>> Kelly: Youíre probably referring to after the winter NAMS back in February, 2012. I
really enjoyed Paul Evans and Carrie Wilkerson. I signed up for one of their coaching programs.
It was a group program, but I had some one on one time from Paul at NAMS and there was
a bonus, I got one-on-one time with Carrie. The big thing was raise your prices. They
wanted me to raise my prices, and I did. I did what they told me to do and I raised my
coaching prices and implemented and all that. Iím glad I did. I donít really have an issue
with believing that my time is valuable, but my concern is always that the person who needs
it be able to access it. They really kind of beat that one out of me.
>> Kate: Right. >> Kelly: My prices are higher, but I still
have avenues for helping people who really want it and canít afford it. Itís just not
on my sales page. >> Kate: I guess even pricing your info products
when you create them is tricky. Itís easy for you to come in and say, ìI can charge
this.î >> Kelly: I have a workshop that I teach a
few times a year called Plan Your Offer Funnel. >> Kate: I noticed this. It said there were
three sessions. Theyíre recorded, is that right?
>> Kelly: Iíve been doing it live. Iím going to do it live about once a quarter. When you
sign up for the Plan Your Offer Funnel workshop, you get access to the session recordings of
previous workshops, but then you get to attend future ones live. Itís a onetime price access,
but itís almost like a membership because you can come back to future workshops anytime
you want to. When youíre brand new and nobody knows your
name and you want to start selling information products, it can be difficult. It can be hard
to decide how to price yourself and market yourself. In the workshop I really go into
teaching how to do that. How do you begin selling yourself, your knowledge, your expertise
in a way that thereís no huge disconnect. Youíre saying because Iíve been in business
for as long as I have and I have a history where people are aware of me and what Iíve
done and things like that, so I can make an information product, price it, and start selling
it. >> Kate: And youíre saying itís not that
easy. Itís still tough. >> Kelly: Itís not. I still have to be addressing
a felt need. The Offer Funnel teaches you how to go from scratch to begin promoting
your information products, and the key is always to start with something at a no brainer
price. You donít generally, unless your market is a attorneys and doctors and high end people,
you donít come out of the gate and sell something for $500 or even $100. You donít do that.
Instead, you start with something small at a no brainer price and you get people to turn
over small amounts of money and feel like they get value.
>> Kate: Whatís a small price? >> Kelly: It depends on your target market.
For example, if your market is frugal, if youíre selling cookbooks and home guides
and parenting things and youíre working with a frugal market, then a no brainer price is
probably $5.00, $7.00. If youíre working with someone whoís not quite so frugal, the
no brainer price might be $25. It has to be absolute no brainer. There really
is no such thing as too low of a price when it comes to those first little bits and pieces
that you sell because you just need to get people to try you in a way that they donít
perceive thereís a bunch of risk. >> Kate: Itís funny that you say that because
I was talking on a forum the other day about this. They sort of said if you go too low,
like your price is too low, first of all affiliates wonít promote it. Thatís your first problem.
The second was they said sometimes itís too cheap and people donít think itís of any
value. I guess you have to get that balance right.
>> Kelly: Yes, itís about the target market. If youíre trying to reach a market of business
owners who are currently making $25,000 to $30,000 a year, their no brainer price is
probably closer to $27 to $49. Theyíre not going to feel too much pain about it because
theyíre making some money. If theyíre brand new and theyíre not making
any money, then $27 is a huge thing. I was there. I remember biting my nails over a $49
ebook. >> Kate: When was that?
>> Kelly: It was Rosalind Gardnerís Super Affiliate Handbook. I wanted that thing so
damned bad, but I was a single mom and every penny I made, I needed. That $50 was so painful.
I thought about it, I anguished over that decision. I did finally buy it, but it was
a hard decision. My no brainer price was much closer to $10 at that time.
>> Kate: That book that youíre talking about is about helping you create wealth, so perhaps
thatís why you did sacrifice something else because you saw it as an investment. Thatís
also looking at what exactly you are selling. >> Kelly: The key to getting people to begin
spending money with you is to be answering a real felt need. Thatís why I teach in the
workshop how to identify those real felt needs. You start with something a no brainer price
to win those first customers, to get those first testimonials, to experience the results
of your work. You donít continue to release nothing but cheap products. You move on to
mid range and ultimately high range products. What they were talking about on the forum
is very true, but those first few products that you sell at a no brainer price are not
about affiliate. You do have an affiliate program, but youíre not going to appeal to
super affiliates when youíre brand new anyway. >> Kate: Exactly, thatís right. Like you
say, it really does depend on what exactly youíre creating, as in the product, what
it is. Second of all, what is it going to do, whoís your target demographic, and what
are you going to do? What is it youíre selling, and who are you selling it to?
Only then can you really work out those things that you said, which is the no brainer price
or what is a mid tier price. I guess it sort of varies a little bit anyway. I guess a workshop
like yours would be great. Do you get to talk to the other people in the course?
>> Kelly: The workshops are in a live webinar room so you can interact during the live workshops,
yes. >> Kate: That would be fantastic. Iím going
to join it. >> Kelly: The next workshop isnít until October,
so itís really inexpensive. >> Kate: It was under $30 or something. It
was like nothing. It was the no brainer price. >> Kelly: Yes.
>> Kate: Iím not complaining at all. It sounds fantastic, so Iíll definitely do it. I think
thatís another thing too, isnít it really? We have to work harder to get subscribers
on our blogs. >> Kelly: Yes. You have to have your list.
>> Kate: Do you encourage people from your podcast to go to your blog?
>> Kelly: Yes. I tell them come back to the website for show notes, for links to get on
my list, and to not miss anything. >> Kate: So youíre always seeing that growth
then, from that? >> Kelly: Yes. My mailing list grows organically
from the website, but I do other specific things to grow my list through the year.
>> Kate: Podcasting is one of them, obviously. I understand.
You do this podcasting course, too. Tell me more about that in case anyone in my workshop
wants to network with you on that basis. Kelly: My course is SmartPodcastingSkills.com.
Itís a six week course that walks you through brainstorming what your podcast would be about
to getting it ready to launch. Everything my students ask for is in there. Quick tutorials
on Audacity and iTunes and writing good show notes and press release templates. Itís turned
into a really nice little package of resources there.
Iíve been teaching podcasting since Iíve started doing it, but things change. My original
course before podcasting erupted was Shoestring Radio. I was going to teach a course on how
to do an internet radio show. Podcasting came out and broke everything,
so I gave that course away for free for a long time, and then it got out of date. I
wasnít teaching a podcasting class for quite a while, but people were asking for it this
year so I went ahead. This is all brand new, fresh this summer.
>> Kate: The course thatís there now, is that what you mean?
>> Kelly: Yes. >> Kate: Fantastic, so youíre finding people
still wanting to do podcasting, Iím assuming? Kelly: Oh, yes. When my niche was work at
home moms I used to go around saying why moms should be podcasters. Moms make great podcasters.
Now solopreneurs is my niche and I still think everyone should be podcasting.
Iíve said youíll be podcasting sooner or later, and I think itís true. I think everyone
should be doing it. I realize some people just donít love audio and thatís okay, but
they should get over it and just do it. >> Kate: I guess there are just certain people
who are cut out for some things and theyíre just not cut out for others.
Youíve touched on this before, that a lot of podcasters drop off, did you call it pod
fading? Was that it? >> Kelly: Yes.
>> Kate: I love that. Iím going to call that a chapter. Is that the main reason, you think?
They just donít get their end goal? Itís not because their podcast doesnít do well,
itís really because theyíre not committed to it. Would you agree with that?
>> Kelly: I do. In my course I tell people to make a great big huge list of topics. If
you canít do that, you probably shouldnít start a podcast because some people started
a podcast thinking, ìOh, Iíll come up with ideas.î
>> Kate: Or, ìIíll just talk.î >> Kelly: Yes, and then 10 episodes in theyíre
feeling kind of lost. When we start a blog, we do not get immediate
fame. We do not get immediate tons of traffic. We write blog posts that 25 people see in
a month. We seem to accept that thereís a slow, organic growth that comes with a blog,
but with a podcast I think some people thought that they were going to immediately get a
huge reaction to it. If they look and see that episode only got 25 downloads, they feel
like this is a waste of time. Itís not. Like anything else, it takes time to grow and you
have to promote the doggone thing. >> Kate: How do you promote yours?
>> Kelly: You tell everybody that you can that you have one. Like I said, when I started
in 2003 I had to educate people. I had a page on my website that explained how to listen,
how to download, how to subscribe in iTunes, how to subscribe in Zune even though nobody
ever had a Zune. I had to educate and teach and point people
there and tell people, ìI have a podcast, I have a podcast, I have a podcast.î I still
do. I still tell people that. My Twitter profile says, ìIím looking for cool solopreneurs
to interview. My email P.S. points out my podcast. You just have to tell people.
Like I said, the course comes with press release templates because thatís one of the smartest
things you can do is definitely do a press release announcement when you start a new
podcast and give your podcast guests a template or fill it out for them so that they tell
people and send out a quick press release about their appearance. That really helps.
>> Kate: Okay, I would have never even thought of that. Do you rely on FeedBurner at all?
Do you have any opinion of it? >> Kelly:Do I have an opinion on whether itís
closing down? >> Kate: Theyíre saying itís not closing
down, but theyíre closing down a part of the developerís side. Do you even use it
now? >> Kelly: I do. You donít need any kind of
a plugin to be a podcast. All a podcast is, is a media file attached to an RSS feed. Linking
to an MP3 file from your blog is a podcast. >> Kate: Yes, but you wonít get in iTunes
then. >> Kelly: The plugin, whether youíre relying
on FeedBurner for it or youíre relying on a plugin, it lets you provide iTunes with
information, attributes, category, things like that. Thatís all it does. Technically,
that could be done without a plugin, but we donít want to do that.
>> Kate: I suppose, but you still have a larger, with iTunes, the RSS feed, and then you can
just you can just post it. Thereís still only that one step, thatís all. Itís not
a big deal, is it? >> Kelly: Youíre a podcast whether youíre
on iTunes or not. iTunes is just a directory that we love, but itís just a directory.
>> Kate: Even YouTube because you can subscribe to a YouTube channel. Itís the same thing,
really. Itís a syndication. Do you take notes? How do you prepare for
an interview? Give me some insight. I only put sort of bullet points down and then kind
of wing it. Is that what you do? >> Kelly: If I approached you about an interview,
Iím going to prepare questions and send them to you in advance unless you are willing to
fly by the seat of your pants with me. Some people are, some people are not. Whatever
they need, if I approached you, Iíll do the work. If you approach me, like if you say,
ìHey Kelly, I want to be a guest on your podcast,î then I say, ìFine, make up some
questions and talking points.î >> Kate: Right.
>> Kelly: Whoever asks you out on the date pays for the date.
>> Kate: I love that. >> Kelly: Itís going to vary from person
to person. >> Kate: I was listening to your podcast the
other day and you were talking to the virtual assistant lady. I canít remember her name.
Obviously, I donít really know her, but she approached you. No, she rang in, you did this
promotion. Thatís right, I remember you saying. She contacted you and said, ìLook, Iíd love
to talk to you,î because you have this open door policy or something.
>> Kelly: Oh, Andrea. Yes. >> Kate: And so sheís approached you. Does
that happen a lot, that people contact you and say, ìCould I have a conversation with
you on your show and promote my product on my whatever?î
>> Kelly: It used to back in the day. There was actually a way to be a sponsor. You could
sign up to do a quick, five minute promo about your product or your service. I donít do
that anymore, where you pay to do that. That day I had an open phones day.
>> Kate: I know, I thought that was awesome. >> Kelly: That was fun. Iíll definitely do
that again. I would like to do more things like that. When Andrea did that, I got comments
from friends that they just loved that because they missed that old format where I would
have multiple guests on in one show. Iím open to that. It just has to be organized.
>> Kate: You have to have that strategy donít you, otherwise it gets lost.
>> Kelly: Yes. >> Kate: One last thing, I want to talk to
you briefly about this book. Have you just released a book? You have.
>> Kelly: Solopreneurs are Smarter, yes. >> Kate: Is this on Kindle, Amazon?
>> Kelly: It will be. I havenít added it to Kindle yet.
>> Kate: I love Kindle. >> Kelly: Me too.
>> Kate: I have a romance with it. >> Kelly: I got a Kindle for Motherís Day
this year and itís been very busy ever since. >> Kate: Thereís no one in Australia who
loves it, except me. Have you ever talked to anyone from Australia before with your
podcasting? Who? >> Kelly: Itís been quite a long time, but
in the work at home mom niche I had friends over there in Australia who I had on the show.
Itís been a while. I do get people from the UK and all over the place.
Kate: You said you do co-hosting. How did that evolve? Did someone approach you or did
you approach them? >> Kelly: I love doing it, and I can float
a conversation pretty easily. There are times when itís just nice to have somebody to bounce
back and forth with. I would like to do it again.
Actually, I have plans for a new group podcast, not Solo Smarts. Solo Smarts will always be
my thing because itís part of my specific offer funnel, but I have a plan for another
podcast which will be group where instead of me being the host and having guests, there
will be a group of people all equal, chatting about different topics. Iíve always wanted
to do that. There are a few good podcasts out there that do that and I enjoy them so
much and I have so many smart friends who I know would be awesome in that kind of a
format. >> Kate: That would be great and I guess then
you have not anything in particular, itís whatever you want to talk about and then you
sort of mash it together. >> Kelly: Yes.
>> Kate: Pat Flynn did that recently and it was awesome, it was really good. There was
a lot of laughter. Fun times. I will let you go, but thank you so much for
talking to me, Kelly. You are quite an inspiration and obviously know what youíre talking about.
Is there anything else you want to talk about before we go?
>> Kelly: If youíre thinking about podcasting, go for it. The biggest thing, I relented this
year and I decided that you do not have to make a lifetime commitment to podcasting if
you donít want to. Thereís a really good podcast Iíve listened to, Internet Marketing
for Smart People, itís from Copyblogger. >> Kate: Right.
>> Kelly: They do seasons where theyíll do 12 episodes, and then they take a break.
>> Kate: Right. >> Kelly: You donít have to make a commitment
to week after week after week. You can just decide, ìIím going to do a season of 10
podcasts, then decide if I want to do another season.î
You donít have to make a big old commitment and get scared by that. Just give it a try.
>> Kate: I agree. Just donít put pressure on yourself, donít think you have to spend
$1,000 to get started. Just keep it low style, especially if you have a blog because you
already have your tribe so you can sort of start there anyway, promoting it just to them.
Anyway, Iíll let you go. Iíll definitely be in touch soon, but it was wonderful to
talk to you. Thank you so much. I interviewed Tyrone Shum the other day and I forgot to
push record. Have you ever done that? >> Kelly: Oh, I have, yes.
>> Kate: Oh, I feel better now. Lucky for me, Tyroneís a professional and he did push
record, so that was a relief. I have this stupid thing that records and it goes on automatically
when the call comes in, but I thought you had to push go and what I actually did was
push stop. I know, itís not really my fault then, if you know what I mean.
[end]