6. Podcasting as a Free Trial

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Welcome to Up an Octave, a podcast by Sonivia. I'm your host, Rue Spence, founder of Sonivia, the podcast management agency that helps women and non binary people take up space in podcasting. Up an Octave is here to support you in your podcasting journey. From how to market yourself, how to sound great, how to edit for your specific voice, and how to make your podcast feel like magic.

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Welcome to Up an Octave. Today I am talking about how podcasting can act as a free trial for your business. Even if your show isn't a funnel show, don't click away just yet because I am going to drop a ton of benefits for fandom shows. To quickly break down the offering of a fandom podcast, and if you're unfamiliar with the term, please go back and listen to my first three episodes where I break down all of the different models of podcasting.

A fandom podcast with monetized, gated content like on Patreon, Is offering the show for free with the hope that people will become big enough fans to become patrons. So when you're giving away your free show, you're acting with the show like a free sample for what they can expect out of your gated content.

For any show, if a listener doesn't love what you're offering for free, they're not going to pay for more. But conversely, if they love what you're doing, it can be easy to convert them into paid supporters. So as a funnel show specifically, your goal is to create clients for yourself. Your audience is filled with potential customers.

There are some people who are never going to buy from you. The free content that you're providing them is sufficient, or maybe you're out of their budget for right now, so they cling to the free content that's available in your podcast, or maybe they just haven't bought into you enough yet. I know that's the case sometimes for me, where I've listened to shows for a while, and eventually I'm like, okay, yeah, I, I'm getting enough out of this, I want to support them on Patreon, or I'm getting enough out of this, I want to join into their, maybe it's a mastermind, or a program that they're selling, something like that.

Sometimes those free nibbles Really bait the hook to reel someone in. So all that's to say that by the time that people are reaching out to you, after having listened to your podcast, they should be, like, 90 percent ready to buy. Your podcast has given them a chance to get a feel for you. Through that parasocial relationship of podcasting that we've talked about, where people feel like they know you because of the time that they spend listening to you, even though you don't necessarily know that they exist, They are building that relationship, and if you're being authentic in your show, by the time they're hitting contact on your website or wherever they're reaching out to you, they should feel like they know you, like they've already met you.

When someone is motivated to buy, they've spent this time with you in your podcast, and it's likely that they feel like they've gotten all that they can for free, and now they're ready to get more. But what does more look like? More can be a lot of things. If you're offering bonus content on Patreon, or if you're booking clients for a one on one service, you can give your listeners more in a way that they feel is desirable.

So ask people, say, hey, if I had a Patreon. What kind of content would you want? I think sometimes we get ourselves in trouble by thinking that we have to be the ones who have all the answers. But really, this information should be coming from your listeners. There's nothing wrong with saying, Hey, what do you want from me?

How could I go the extra mile for you? And then leaning into what they're suggesting. Your podcast, especially if you're a funnel show, should feel like a Costco free sample of what people can expect from you if they become a paying client. For example, with my show, I'm loud and proud about being a funnel.

My podcast is a facet of my podcast management agency, Sonivia, and I am offering a paid service. You hear it in my ad, I talk about it, I talk about the clients that I have. However, in this show, I'm giving all that info away for free. So why would someone still want to pay to work with me? Because of the personalization of my offerings.

When you're working with me individually, I'm giving you ideas for your show. I'm tailoring my knowledge to your needs. I'm taking your burdens away. I can teach people everything that there is to know about editing, but if that's not something that you want to take on, you can hire me. I can tell my audience about how to sound good on a mic.

But that doesn't compare to the personal recommendations I make for my clients. Now, I'm not telling you this to tell you how my business works. I'm telling you this so that you can learn how to apply it to any niche that your podcast falls in. If you're a therapist, you can talk about strategies for dealing with ADHD on every single episode of your podcast.

But there are still going to be people who want you to help them with their ADHD. Same with if you're a travel agent. You can spend an hour a week talking about how to plan the trip of a lifetime. But there are still gonna be people who want you to plan their trip for them. Because there's something to be said about the personal touch of working one on one with someone or in a small group if that's what your offering is.

This is all to say that this is where really letting your voice shine matters because of how saturated All environments are with the advent of the internet and social media. There is not a niche out there that is empty. I have seen it all. There are podcast managers out there, a dime a dozen. There are people who will help you launch your podcast.

I even have seen someone who Exclusively works with podcasts that are about pet grooming. Like, there is a big enough market out there for that specific niche. So that's why being so specific in how you're using your voice is going to be what captures people's attention. Like I said, there are other podcast managers out there, some who've done it longer than me, there are some who do it differently.

But the people who are attracted to my approach want me. If you're listening to this and you decide to hit me up in the DMs, that's because you want me. There are other options that you could go with. There are other therapists that you could go with. There are other travel agents that you could go with.

But when I listen to your show, I'm falling in love with you. It's the same, like, so with the travel agent. It's easier than ever to just plan your own vacation now. There are apps, there are guides, there's TikTok videos. But when the people who want the trips that you're planning and that you're talking about planning on your podcast, if they want those trips, they know that those come from working directly with you.

And this is why I don't believe that you can give too much away for free. I have people who ask me in a very touching way because they're concerned for me or want the best for me, You know, why are you so open about teaching? Why are you so open about doing a podcast where people can get all of this info for free?

And it's because I don't believe that there is such a thing as giving too much away for free. I think of your free podcast as like the take out fake out Pinterest recipes. Where it's like, sure, maybe I can make a Texas Roadhouse roll 95 percent as well as Texas Roadhouse with a recipe that I find on Pinterest, but is it worth all of the work of like, letting the dough rise, still having to do dishes afterwards?

Not getting the experience of going out. I promise you it's not going to be worth it to me. I'm gonna go to Texas Roadhouse every single time. The more secrets you're giving away, the more value you're offering, the more you're proving yourself as an expert in your niche, and the more that you're showing up as your authentic self, the more you're going to attract your hell yes clients.

I am a big believer in attracting your hell yes clients because people who are lukewarm, who you feel like you have to hide a part of yourself or make yourself smaller, those are not the people for you. And if you're trying to be 100 percent perfect and professional on your podcast because you think that that's how you should be showing up, To prove yourself as an expert people are going to be disappointed when they reach out and you're not that version of yourself And you're gonna be disappointed when you have to cram yourself into a box every time you speak with that client I believe that if you're giving away such high value information if you're essentially Giving everything that you're gonna have someone and this is again not for like a patreon bonus content situation But for a specific like program, especially I see this a lot with like therapists and coaches When you give all of that away for free People are going to slide into your dms ready to sign on with you because they know how you work They kind of can imagine that they know what working with you is like And they're going to trust that you're going to be worth their money because of how much you've already given for free You But I also want to talk about the people who I mentioned earlier that are just there to take those little Costco samples and kind of walk off saying, yeah, that was tasty, but they have maybe no intention ever of purchasing or they're just not going to get them right now because it's not in the budget on today's shopping trip because Costco can add up so quickly.

I walk in for like two things and I'm like 150 later. So these people are your seat fillers. They're still super valuable to your brand. There are a ton of ways that people can support you without patting your pockets. Back to the Costco example, if I try a cookie, and I'm like, man, you know, I'm really not trying to do cookies right now, I'm not looking to buy those right now, but dang, that was a good cookie, I'm gonna come home and I'm gonna tell my husband like, babe, These cookies that I had today at Costco were bangin I'm gonna blow up the group chat and be like bro, I had this cookie today at Costco and man next time I'm at Costco I'm gonna have to get me some of these for real cuz they were delicious.

Now I've generated the interest of like five other people in these cookies. They're like well dang if Ruth's saying they're really that good, I need to go get me a cookie. So if you're listening to a podcast, even if you're a seat filler, even if you have no intention of buying part of what I love about podcasting is how much connection it generates.

So there are going to be people who never intend to purchase from you, but they go, Oh, wow. I was just talking to Susie. See, it's always Susie. I was just talking to Susie and she wants to start a podcast. I need to make sure she listens to Rue's show. Back to my example of the therapist. If I see in the group chat that one of my girlies is really going through it and she's going through a breakup and I know that I've just listened to, let's come up with a new name, Martina's show.

If I know I just listened to Martina's show, and she talks about how to, you know, get over that dude, I'm gonna be like, you really need to go listen to Martina's show. Even though I maybe have my own therapist, or don't want a therapist right now, or whatever the case may be personally, I'm not looking to work with Martina.

I like the free information that she's giving away to me. But now I've just given her a client by talking about it with my friend. So never undervalue if you're seeing like your listening metrics are really high, but your conversion isn't as high from your podcast, but you're getting DMS of people finding you in other ways.

And they're saying, Oh yeah, my friend told me I needed to listen to your show or, Oh, my friend, even if they're not going to listen, they could say as simply as. I listened to this podcast. You need to go check her out. They're finding you on Instagram because that friend bought into your podcast. Now, none of this means really a whole lot if you're forgetting to ask for the sale.

Tell people, even your seat fillers, how they can work with you and how they can engage with you. Offer a path of least resistance, because people are not trying to click a whole bunch of things. They're not trying to do a whole bunch of things. Make it super easy for them to engage with you so that they take the effort.

Because chances are if they're ready to pull the trigger and work with you, they're already feeling intimidated. They're already a little overwhelmed. Maybe a little, you know, fun scared. If you make it super complicated, they have that much longer to talk themselves out of working with you. So make it super easy.

Offer to hop on a free call with them, whatever that looks like for your model, give them a, you know, a month of your thing for free or a week of it for free if you, if you have like a, a group or something like that. Make it so easy that they don't get to talk themselves out of it, because I know that I will do that too.

The amount of things that I will put in an online cart and then walk away from because I've talked myself out of it. Is unreal now, no matter what your path of least resistance looks like, you have to remember to ask in your episode, leave the link prominently in your show notes, tell people how they can engage with you once they finish their commute and they pull out their phone, how they can sign up to work with you.

Ask out loud. Don't beat around the bush and, you know, whisper it at the end. Prominently invite people to work with you. Prominently invite people to support you on Patreon. Proudly announce what you're doing. Because you wouldn't have started a podcast, and certainly not a funnel podcast, if you weren't also hoping that in addition to Showing that you're an expert in your field, and helping people out of the goodness of your heart, you also are trying to make a living.

So don't get shy when the time comes. And again, it shouldn't just be about, you know, click here to work with me. It can also be, follow me here on social media, because your samplers are likely going to take that step if they really buy into you. And sometimes, once they listen to your show, and they follow you on social media, the closer in that they get, the more likely they become to want to work with you.

There are some folks who are just, like I said, super slow to warm up. There are some folks who are saving up to afford you. Don't let them forget about you in the meantime. If you have a high ticket item, and I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that, if what you're selling is only for a certain budget You don't need to make yourself smaller, but you might need to give people a chance to save that up.

If what you're offering is really worth it to them, they will do that. But in the meantime, make sure that you're staying on their radar, whether it's through your podcast or whether it's through your social media. But remind them, say, hey, follow me on your podcatcher. Hey, follow me on Instagram. Hey, follow me on whatever platform works well for you.

I think that with podcasting, part of what's great about it is that it's evergreen content, so it's always going to be generating that marketing for you as people are discovering it. But in addition to being that, like, evergreen content, I also think of it if, like, having a course is a form of passive income, I think about podcasting as passive networking.

There are clients who it's taken messages, a call, weeks of emails, radio silence, and then a few months later they're back in my DMs and finally they're ready to sign up with me. I actually just this week signed a client who my first conversation with her, I looked back through our emails, was last November.

It's September 13th. We just signed on this week. Because it's taken her a while, her schedule was a whole thing. But I have had these multiple conversations with her. Now, there are also some folks who, you know, we have these interactions and we're kind of in that waiting game where they haven't signed on yet.

But I see them still watching my Instagram stories, still liking my posts. They're staying warmed up with me until they're ready to pull the trigger. Podcasting is like the best way to keep those people warmed up. Because of how intimate it is. You know, they're not just like glancing at your post on social.

If they're listening to your podcast, you are in their ears. You are spending that time with them, whether you know it or not. Hey, don't mind if I do, I'm just cutting in for a minute to share something exciting. Ever thought about making a podcast that doesn't feel overwhelming? If you're listening to the show, then I know you're curious about making the best podcast you can.

And that's where SoNivea comes in. I'm your podcast launch specialist, and I'm here to take your show from concept to content. I've immersed myself in the world of podcasting for years, and I have got the knowledge and industry secrets to help make your show the success that we both know it can be. If you're ready to take the leap and start sharing your voice with the world, head on over to SoNivea.

com and snag your free call. Let's chat. Oh, and by the way, the party's still on. I decided to keep celebrating until Halloween. So mention up an octave when booking your call before October 31st for a cool 50 off of your launch. Let's make some podcasting magic together. Your dream show awaits! Anyway, now back to the good stuff.

Alright, so today's question comes from H, who did not provide me a show to shout out, and they ask, how do you deal with someone not liking what you do and treating you cruelly about it? I think some of the context of what H is asking here may have gotten poorly translated, but I'm going to answer this through the lens of criticism at large.

I think the first thing to do is to separate yourself from what you're creating just a little bit so that you can see the hate for what it truly is. There are going to be people who don't like you. And I think it's actually a good thing because if you're for everybody, you are for nobody. You're also going to get hate when you reach a certain level because there are some people who are just going to troll.

And if you are big enough that they are finding you, then you are there for the picking. I think that in addition to just getting to the level where some people could be trolls, something that I personally see is if you're talking about something that comes off as taboo, that hate amplifies. I have gotten trolls on Instagram.

Every time I post a podcasting tip, it's radio silence. But when I have the audacity to say that women and non binary people deserve equal representation, the trolls come out of the woodwork, like nobody's business, to tell me I'm playing a victim, I'm ugly, no one wants to listen to what I have to say, I have bad teeth, blah blah blah, I've heard it all.

That is fine, and honestly, that is my inspiration to say it even louder, and be even girlier, and smile with my ugly teeth even bigger, because those trolls are pressing on the pain point that inspires my vision. If there was no one saying that calling out the disproportion of representation in podcasting was playing the victim, then there wouldn't be that need for the people like me who are swinging the balance in the other direction.

As long as what you're saying is pissing people off. That means that what you're saying has value because it's still not something that we're in a place to have the privilege to take for granted. If you are, like, a deprogramming podcast who's talking about, you know, restrictive religions, there are gonna be people who don't like what you have to say.

If you are a queer person or are podcasting about queer topics, obviously there are gonna be people who don't like what you have to say. If you are talking about really any social justice issues, there are going to be people who loudly want to tell you what they think about you. When you start a podcast, you put yourself out there in a brand new way, which allows random people to find you and insert their opinions into what you're doing.

My biggest tip to combat this is to remember that there's a difference between constructive criticism and just downright hate. If someone says, like, it's hard to understand you because, say, the landscapers were mowing right outside your apartment when you recorded, that is very different feedback than, like, oh my god, shut up, you're so boring.

The first one gives you actionable improvements. Pay more attention to when you're recording. What's happening around you. The second one is just some little punk who wants to scream into the void. I talk a big talk, but like, I'm still gonna get sweaty when either one of those kinds of notifications ping through.

No one wants to receive hate and it can be embarrassing to be confronted with ways that you can do better. But try and receive the constructive criticism and just let the hate roll off your back. That's like, honestly, life lessons more than anything. But it's especially true in podcasting. You know, there are gonna be people who just want to troll.

There are gonna be people who rate you one star and say, Oh my God, how dare you? And to me, that's just an indicator that what you're doing matters that much more. So if you have a question you'd like answered on the show, please reach out on my website, sonivia. com slash listen, or you can just DM me straight on Instagram, at soniviastudios, and leave me a show to shout out for you too.

I love getting to boost people up. Next week, I'll be back talking about my podcasting must haves. If you're still on the fence about starting a show, this is gonna be exactly what you've been looking for. In the meantime, please follow the show wherever you're listening and leave me a rating or review because just like your show, mine needs those to grow.

Come hang out with me on Instagram at Sonivia Studios, and I'll see you next time. Thanks for helping me take podcasting up an octave.