[00:00:00.070] - Alana Dawson
We know that about 57% of us families are avid podcast listeners. So over half of our nation are podcast listeners.
[00:00:17.270] - Clarissa Moll
A podcast about podcast casts? Yes, please. And thank you. If you're a writer, you may have wondered if podcasting is a way you could expand your reach and get your words out into the world. Maybe you've seen other writers pivot to podcasting, and you've wondered what's the attraction? Whether you're exploring, putting your words in front of a microphone or you've got a podcast yourself. This episode is for you. Hi, I'm Clarissa Moll. And welcome to the Writerly Life brought to you by Hope Writers, the most encouraging place on the Internet for writers to make progress here at the Writerly Life, we help you expand your creativity, explore new techniques, and express your hopefilled words in a world that needs them.
[00:01:02.030] - Clarissa Moll
We'll help you learn to balance the art of writing with the business of publishing and learn to hustle without losing heart. You have words and your words matter, and as you write them, you can be you boldly, bravely, maybe even a little scared. Sometimes you can be you in your writing life. So welcome to the show.
[00:01:25.250]
Friends.
[00:01:25.970] - Clarissa Moll
Lean in, grab a pen. Let's chat 57% of American families listen to podcasts. They're so much a part of our culture and everyday life. You can pretty well assume that someone is listening to one when you see their little white earbuds. In what's all the hype can podcasting be considered a legitimate form of expression for someone who calls herself a writer? Podcasting is rooted in providing thoughtfully organized information, which often involves storytelling. Just like writing. These are the same skills writers use to engage their readers. Writers often consider starting a podcast to broaden the reach of their message.
[00:02:12.630] - Clarissa Moll
So how do you know if podcasting is right for you? Our special guest today, Alana Dawson, is a great person to ask host of the Podcasting Party Podcast, a podcast coach, editor and producer Alana knows how intimidating podcasting it feels to a new writer and how powerfully the medium can be used to amplify your message of hope. Lean in as she tells us more in this recent Hope Writers Tuesday teaching with host Anna Franks.
[00:02:44.670] - Alana Dawson
So really, the six simple steps for turning a blog post into a podcast episode can also work. If you have a book idea or you've written a book proposal, you can take your chapters or your different themes within your book, and you can break them down the same way. So the first thing you want to do really is you have your introduction to your blog post. This is really where you introduce the topic right to your readers. And I'll use readers and listeners probably interchangeably right here.
[00:03:13.590] - Alana Dawson
Normally I say audience or listeners because podcasting but just know when I say that I mean your readers as well. So you're going to take your introduction and you're going to craft an introduction to your podcast episode. You want to open and tell them what they can expect in the episode. What you're going to talk about. You're going to give an overview. It's just really simple, very much like your introductory paragraph in your blog post. Okay. It's kind of a teaser, if you will. And many times it's already in your blog post.
[00:03:42.990] - Alana Dawson
But you can craft it a little bit differently for your podcast episode. The second thing you are going to do is you're going to take the body of your blog, and I like to break it into a couple of bullet points. If you can craft something that's like three reasons why or five ways. Two, six simple steps, right. This is a really great way, and I found that podcast listeners, it's easy for them to remember, because we know that about 80% of listening is done while multitasking, whether it's driving or folding laundry or whatever it is.
[00:04:19.590] - Alana Dawson
And so you want to make those bullet points stand out. So you're going to break up the main point of your blog post into some bullet points. Now you can write this out. There's lots of podcasters out there that like to write it, script it and read it. I found that that makes me sound really robotic. So I do something that's a hybrid script. And so I'll bullet out what I know. I can already say I'm doing it right now. With these teaching points. I have my bullet points, and I have written out exactly what I want to make sure that I highlight so that I don't miss it.
[00:04:51.090] - Alana Dawson
I can also have shiny syndrome. That's why I don't have the comments turned on right now. Guys, I'm sorry, I'm not reading your comments. I promise I will go back later, but otherwise,
[00:04:59.370] - Anna Franks
Shiny syndrome.
[00:05:00.270] - Clarissa Moll
That'S good stuff where you're like.
[00:05:02.010] - Anna Franks
Oh, it's shiny thing.
[00:05:02.910] - Clarissa Moll
Let me look. Yeah.
[00:05:06.790] - Alana Dawson
And so I try to keep myself focused and on point during that podcast episode. So you can also do bullet points if you already know what you want to say, but break that body down into those three to five to six different points that you want to talk to your listeners about, then it's time to craft your intro. Right. So you introduce the topic to them. You've gone through the main points of your content. Now you want to create an intro that wraps everything up with a nice bow.
[00:05:33.730] - Alana Dawson
You can use your conclusion paragraph and your blog post to crack this. You can use it verbatim if it sounds great. I always say if you're transferring the written word and you're going to be speaking it, make sure you practice that out loud, though, because sometimes when we write it sounds differently when we read it. So maybe rehearse it once or twice and create that intro that's step number three. So far you've done the introduction. You've done your crafted your bullet points or your script. And the number three you have created an outro.
[00:06:05.350] - Alana Dawson
Next is your call to action. This is probably the biggest I won't say mistake. But the thing that I see podcasters leave out the most right is they say and sometimes for writers as well, we spend all this time crafting this beautiful blog post and this beautiful podcast episode. And then at the end, it's like, all right, that's it. Right. Well, now what we want to give them an invitation, a call to action. We want to tell them what to do next. They're primed and ready.
[00:06:34.870] - Alana Dawson
They just spent 10, 15, 25 minutes listening with you. And so we want to make sure that we give them an action step to take. So think of the most important thing. You want them to take away from that podcast episode and then call them to have Action, and you can try trade these out as you're crafting this. Maybe one episode is to follow you on Instagram. Maybe one is to join you on your email list. Maybe one is to go get a freebie or an opt in, and that works too.
[00:07:04.210] - Alana Dawson
Just make sure you only have one don't list off a laundry list of things to go do, because guess what? They're not going to do any of them. So make sure you give them one purposeful call to action. Cta is what I call it. Cta is the shortened.
[00:07:19.030] - Anna Franks
That's the business language.
[00:07:20.050] - Alana Dawson
I like it. Yeah. So step number five.
[00:07:30.350] - Anna Franks
Thank you. Yeah. Five.
[00:07:32.450] - Alana Dawson
So we just did four to call to Action was number four. Number five. Now we need to craft. We need to craft some of these links or resources tools that you mentioned in your episode. Lots of times in a blog post, you're going to reference another writer, or maybe you're going to reference a movie or whatever that tool or resource you want to compile those them all together and something that podcasters call links. So links mentioned in this episode and what we're going to do there is we are going to sorry, I was reading something over here.
[00:08:15.010] - Alana Dawson
You're going to do two things at once. You're going to compile that list of links mentioned in your episode, and you want to use that in your show notes. Okay. So just all you need to know for right now is you're just going to compile them into one place. Step number six. I told you really simple. We're already to the end your title, right. Just like the title to your blog post. You want something that's going to really hook your audience and listeners and draw them in, especially new ones.
[00:08:40.690] - Alana Dawson
So when they're scrolling on that podcast app and they're thinking about maybe playing your episode, something that's going to grab their attention. And also you can be really strategic in this. And you can choose words keywords in the title that people may be searching for and take advantage of SEO or search engine optimization. So there you have it. Congratulations. You just took a blog post and turned it into a podcast episode.
[00:09:07.690] - Clarissa Moll
I don't think I've ever heard someone break it down so clearly and simply. I love how Alana Demystifies podcasting and shows how much producing an episode mirrors the writing process. That sounds like something you could do, doesn't it? Now that you know how to create an episode, how do you know when you're ready to add podcasting to your writing life? If you're a writer who wants to start a podcast, there are a number of things to consider before you begin. We asked author and podcast host Knox McCoy of the podcast with Knox and Jamie for his top tips for aspiring podcasters.
[00:09:48.610] - Clarissa Moll
Here's what Knox recommends. Number one know your why the podcasting market has exploded over the last few years, and it's a crowded space. This doesn't mean you shouldn't add your voice, but it does mean you'll need to know your why. When you're joining the world of podcasting, you will likely need a secondary platform to gather your audience outside of podcasting. Knowing your why will help you decide what's primary and what's secondary in terms of your platform. If you're already a writer, building an audience online podcasting can be a great secondary addition.
[00:10:27.790] - Clarissa Moll
If you're new to podcasting and writing altogether, you'll need to consider what your purpose is for the podcast and how you'll build a secondary platform to complement that purpose. Number two, pick a niche topic. The more niche your topic, the more likely you are to find an audience. Because of the saturated market, broader topics can easily become lost among already established voices. So how can you approach a familiar topic in a fresh way? What specific spin can you put on a topic to make it unique?
[00:11:05.050] - Clarissa Moll
Begin by investigating what's already available to listeners. Where does your message or topic intersect with other podcasts? Next, consider how you can produce creative and clever work by choosing a niche in your area of expertise and interest. As a writer. This is a skill you've already developed, so be sure to apply it to podcasting number three. Be consistent if you know your purpose and you've defined your niche, the next step is to look at your content schedule and determine if you can commit to podcasting for a significant period of time.
[00:11:44.950] - Clarissa Moll
Knox recommends that new podcasters. Choose a consistent podcasting schedule and stick to it for a full year. Can you commit to a year long project? If your current schedule doesn't support consistent podcast work, then this may not be the time to launch something new. Inconsistent content frustrates listeners, and it's more difficult to find new listeners than it is to keep the ones you've already established. Pick a schedule that works for you and provide consistent, niche content that you can share on multiple platforms and don't forget to have fun while you're doing it.
[00:12:23.110] - Clarissa Moll
Whatever niche you write in you can find your listener through podcasting. As you send your words over the airwaves to listeners, you'll find that your hopefilled message engages just like it does on the page. Podcasting is a great way for you to expand your writing life and reach new audiences with your words because they have your voice in their ears. Audio provides a unique opportunity to build trust and connection with your readers and listeners.
[00:12:53.410] - Alana Dawson
Listeners are doing lots of different things. They're taking care of their kiddos. They're driving to school, they're folding laundry, they're cooking, they're at work. They're doing all these different things. And so we, as podcast hosts, become really they're bringing us along in their most intimate parts of their day. And so they forge that bond with us in the business world. We call it establishing, know, like and trust, right? And so broadcasting builds that know, like and trust so much faster than any other marketing tool out there that we have found video probably second right behind audio.
[00:13:31.630] - Alana Dawson
And so when you're creating that content, when you are deciding what you're going to say, one of the best parts is you can literally talk to one person, just like we talk about writing to that one woman, that one person, that's your ideal reader. You can also talk to your ideal listener, that one person. And yet everybody will feel included.
[00:13:56.290] - Clarissa Moll
If this episode was helpful to you, just imagine how helpful the entire hour long interview with Alana Dawson would be every week. Hope Writers members have access to a new 1 hour Tuesday teaching with agents, publishers, social media strategists and authors and coaches like Alana Dawson. Hope Writers helps you make progress in your writing life. Whether you're writing blogs, a social media, or in a book. You want to be serious about your words and your reader. And we are here for you for writing tips and encouragement.
[00:14:32.170] - Clarissa Moll
Find us on Instagram, at Hopewriters or at our public Facebook page. Hope Writers Community Last a final word from entrepreneur and marketing expert Robert Garrish, "you just need one person to listen to get your message and pass it on to someone else, and you've doubled your audience." You don't have to be a top list podcaster to have your message reach the hearts and minds of listeners. You simply need to do as we say at Hope Writers. Your next right thing in love, writing and speaking into that microphone for your one ideal listener, the person who needs your words today.
[00:15:12.730] - Clarissa Moll
And as you explore podcasting in your writing life, you just might find that your audience grows. Just like Robert Garrish said, your hopefilled message will find its way to the eyes and ears of those who need it. Thanks for listening, writer friend. As you step into this week, remember to keep writing your words matter, we can't wait to read them. If you found this episode of The Writerly Life helpful, be sure to hit subscribe and tell your friends rate and review the show and like and comment if you're tuning in on YouTube, your reviews help others know you found the content helpful.
[00:15:54.610] - Clarissa Moll
See you next week.
