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Eleshia Harris is a holistic business growth strategist and wellness coach for female business owners who want to get clear on their business goals. Eleshia is passionate about helping entrepreneurs ditch the stress and confusion and instead run their businesses from a place of ease and excitement.
Eleshia launched her podcast in April of 2021 and has already seen exciting growth and reach with her first few months of weekly episodes. She’s on the Goal Digger Podcast for a one on one coaching session about all things podcasting. With that early success, Eleshia wants to pour gasoline on the first and continue to grow her show to support her business — and maybe even make a profit from the podcast itself someday.
This coaching session will cover podcast marketing strategies, monetization advice, how to sell on your podcast, and how to confidently step up to the mic and leave imposter syndrome behind. Class is in session!
Simple Growth Strategies for New Shows
Eleshia kicked off the coaching session with this question: How do I capitalize on the growth I’ve already seen, especially looking worldwide?
Seeing that your show is bringing in listeners from around the globe is so exciting, and wanting to lean into that reach is a great idea. A really simple way to recognize and celebrate the listeners you have from outside your home country is to shout out a different location at the top of each episode — think about it, if you heard the name of the place you’re from on a podcast you listen to regularly, that would make you feel seen and celebrated, right?
Another thing to consider is if you’re seeing downloads in other countries, you probably have a great keyword strategy already because people are finding your show. What do we do when something is working? Pour gasoline on the fire and do more of the same! Ensure each episode title is searchable with SEO friendly descriptions. Use tools like Pinterest to see what people are searching for within your podcast topic niche.
If you’ve already got several episodes out in the world, don’t hesitate to go back and review your top 10 episodes to make sure the title and description are keyword rich so they continue to attract new listeners and subscribers to your show.
First-Time Monetization Ideas
Monetization is always a big topic when it comes to podcasting — who doesn’t want to get paid for the hard work that goes into producing a show? Eleshia asked how I would get started with monetization today if I was just beginning and my answer is simple — affiliate marketing!
I would start with one affiliate per episode. You could introduce it as, “This show is brought to you by…” and then share about one of your favorites. It’s also really good practice for down the road when brands would pay you to talk about them. This practice will help you get comfortable with ad language and presenting sponsors to your listeners.
In addition to sharing about affiliate partners, I would suggest doing a call to action to join your email list. Inviting your listeners to subscribe by downloading a freebie or other opt-in lead magnet is a great way to ensure that the listener journey doesn’t stop when an episode is finished.
Should You Add Another Episode?
Eleshia asked about the decision behind going from one episode per week to two episodes. The truth is, that wasn’t my vision all along. I decided to add a second episode (my solo shows) because chatting with each guest brought up my own ideas, thoughts, and opinions on a topic, and so a second episode with a master class style allowed me to share about the topics I’m passionate about without pulling the spotlight from my incredible guests.
Are you thinking about adding a second episode? It can be great for downloads and for serving your audience (who is probably hungry for more goodness from you) but it becomes twice the work. My advice is to start small — experiment with a mini or bonus episode once a month in addition to your regularly scheduled content. Does it perform well? Do you see an uptick in listens and downloads? Does your audience want more? Most importantly, do you enjoy the additional work?
If you answered yes to all of these questions, adding a second episode each week might be for you!
More from this Episode
I love coaching sessions because I get to dig in with a Goal Digger with some great questions that I may not have otherwise thought to answer on the podcast. Press play for the full session with Eleshia Harris and don’t forget to tune into her podcast, The Eleshia Show, wherever you listen to Goal Digger.
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