c+p digital

Conversion driven digital marketing agency, focussed on creative content.

podcast

How to name your podcast

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A podcast name is often the first indication about who you are and what your show is about. For that reason, your show’s name is kinda sorta ALL-IMPORTANT. Spend some time on it, and woo-woo as this sounds, pay attention to the signs, symbols and metaphors that resonate with you.

A good podcast name should be descriptive and creative, giving potential listeners a peek at what to expect as they dive into your latest episodes.

That is a TALL ask 😁 One that requires a great deal of concise articulation and depth of story.

Here’s a bit of map on how to get to a good podcast name

  1. Use Metaphors: Begin by thinking of ways to be creative. The content market is cluttered. Podcasting has less that one tenth of the creators that YouTube has, but there are still approximately 3M podcasts. A creative name will take you far. Make sure to employ market research with peers, co-workers – they will have opinions that will help you. 

     

  2. Resist the “branded podcast”: When it comes to names, putting the benefit or at little hook front and center will serve you well. Too many podcasters resort to a branded podcast. These come off sounding strictly promotional, and brand’s messaging focussed. While there are some branded podcasts that exhibit the same storytelling qualities of a well thought out podcast, that aligns with the brand’s mission while serving its customers, they are few and far between. 

     

  3. Brainstorm with a peer or spend some thinking time and write down all your ideas: Start by writing down ideas. Use post-its. Write each idea on a separate sticky note. Give yourself an hour for just ideation in a group.
    Next, organize and group things together. Take those sticky notes with name ideas and group them. Ie: on the wall, move notes around to organize similar names. You’ll end up with a few narrowed directions. Pick no more than 3 to search and test. 
  4. Cross check ownership availability for the names you are considering: Once you have a few directions you like for your podcast name, make sure the name its available. You would be surprised at how many other podcasts could have similar names to the ones you are thinking. Especially if you pick a category specific naming system like “The B2B Sales podcast” you might find that there are already a few variations of that name out there.
    Remember ownership goes beyond making sure the name is available in the podcasting realm. If it is, apply for a trademark of the name. Then check for, and lock down the right URLs for future podcast oriented content and monetization. What this also does is avoid having people buy your URLs and hold them hostage. 
  5. Don’t be overly clever: While creativity is super important, you still want to make sure that what the name of your podcast  is communicating the solution that your podcast is going to provide. Overly cryptic names are also avoidable. Stay in the middle. 

  6. Do you need to consider a sub header for clarity?: Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t need a sub headline. Especially if your name verges on the super creative, it might need a tag ling to anchor it. This line may not need to be a part of your name and any logo unit you design. You could use it exclusively when you’re introducing each episode. Use the title and then the sub header, to explain what people are about to hear.

Looking for a more detailed podcasting resource? 

My name is Susan Diaz and I co-host 2 podcasts, The 4am Report, a top 25 ‘Canadian marketing podcast’, ranked just below marketing demigod Neil Patel. And ABCDEI, an inclusion podcast that is focussed on unlearning bias, one alphabet at a time, like children would. ABCDEI is a top 5% podcast, globally! 

You and I both know once is chance, twice is a pattern right? 😁

We’ve leveraged the success of these podcasts, as well as the podcasts we deliver for top brands as a podcast agency (c+p digital), spanning B2B across finance, future of work, marketing, and tech, to bring you the 101 primer on launching and running a ‘top 25’ podcast in your industry. 

Building podcast infrastructure that pays is available on-demand! It’s full of easy podcast wisdom, frameworks, checklists, workflows and tool suggestions that will serve you if podcasting FOR YOUR BUSINESS is on your plan.

The key to explosive content

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Hello and welcome back to 🎙The 4am Report🎙. We’re going back to our roots, with a micro episode that’s filled with no fluff, super-important advice. Quick and easy for you to digest (nom-nom). Because, as we roll into the fourth quarter, you need to focus on getting things done so you can start planning for 2022. 

So, without any more ado, we decided to repurpose some of our hits that will give you the best advice on how to do that. Complete with our zero-fluff promise. 

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On the show, you’ll hear more about the anchor theory and how to use it get an explosive amount of content, making your planning as easy as 🥧🥧🥧!

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About this anchor thing. If you haven’t heard us talk about it yet, check out this pretty self-explanatory visual below. 

Let’s break it down. Say you have a piece of content. A podcast, a blog post, a report or virtual recording. Surely you can break it up into a few points.

Now, stop and think of the four formats:

❶ Written format
❷ Audio format
❸ Video format
❹ And, the graphic or image format

Last, but not least, think about where your anchor piece falls – and use the other three formats to expand upon your anchor piece – highlighting some of the best bits from your long-form content.

We also discuss:

  • The Three Bs: Budget, Bandwidth, and Burnout
  • The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

👂Tune in to the episode to learn how the anchor theory have explosive results for your content, while freeing you up for that all-important planning stuff👂. 

Want to chat more about your marketing concerns (or any of your content!)? Give us a shout at C+P Digital – we would love to help!

 Plus, if you’re losing sleep over a particular marketing/business related problem or if you would like to suggest a guest on the 4AM Report, let us know.

You can find us on Apple Podcasts – subscribe to us – you won’t regret it!

And as always, sweet dreams😴…well, hopefully!

EP133 4 Plays to get your Podcasting Mojo back

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Are you falling out of love with your podcast because you’re not seeing results or not using it to the full? Or maybe you’re just bored of the same old, same old. In the words of Bobby McFerrin: 🎵Don’t worry, be happy🎵, because we’ve got four plays to get your podcasting mojo back:

  1. Get your podcast seen and heard by integrating it on your website 
  2. Utilize good writing (and spin that podcast into as many pieces as you can)
  3. Change up your format (how about a panel?)
  4. Use the material from your pipeline 

🎧Tune in for more great tips and get that podcast mojo going 🎧

How Writing Helps Power Up Your Podcast

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That is correct.

A HUGE amount of solid writing WILL help you power up your podcast, and help you get found on the God that is the Googles.

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Wait. What?? You might be saying. A HUGE AMOUNT?? Guys, I simply don’t have time for that kind of commitment!

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Au contraire, friends. You most certainly do. And, as we are wont to do here at c+p digital, we’re going to share our secret sauce with you, map out how easy it is, and show how you can big-up your podcast through the power of the written word.

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

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This week’s 4 AM Report guest was one of our own – writer/editor Lindsay Bell.

And while we’ve written before about the awesome ROI potential of podcasting and created our own “4 AM Report Origin Story” promo video (superhero themed, of course! 🦸🏽‍♀️🦸‍♂️)….

…today, we wanted to pick Lindsay’s brain, and dig into how she creates so much content out of one podcast episode.

How Do We Love Thee, Transcript? Let’s Us Count the Ways!

One of the biggest gifts that keeps on giving, believe it or not, is the humble transcript. If you can afford to get your podcast episodes run through AI transcription software – DO IT!

There are a number of reasonably priced models out there (here’s one, for example) and most have same day turnaround.

What this does is reduce the time-suck of having to transcribe your episode yourself, and quickly provides you with all the quotes and snippets and clips you might want to access (for all that content we mentioned above!).

BUT! (there’s always a but)

These transcripts aren’t perfect – they’re AI – so consider the source.

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There’s no cutting and pasting that’s going to happen here. You will find errors, and you will need to tweak and adjust the copy as you create your content. But you will come to find that your transcripts – misheard words and all – will be your lifesaver.

You will quickly and efficiently be able to create robust show notes, social copy, snippets for graphics/promotion, and flesh out a longform blog post for your website (as we have done here!) – all to be used to promote 👏 the 👏 hell 👏 out 👏 of 👏 yourself 👏👏👏👏👏!!

Keyword-rich written pieces help drive organic SEO. Which helps drive people to your website. Which helps drive people to get to know you. Which helps drive people to hire you! (well, in a perfect world! 😂)

Ask yourself the following:

🎙 Have you started a podcast lately?

🎙 Have you been thinking about starting a podcast?

🎙 Do you know anything about podcasts?

If you answered yes, yes, no (😂😂😂) to the above questions, you’ll want to either check out the full episode, or continue reading for a sampling of our own writing tips, tricks, and tactics to help you increase your visibility, widen your reach, and level-up on your way to becoming seen as a thought leader in your field.

You’ve Got the Transcript. So Now What?

“It varies client to client, but for us, for the 4 AM Report, we do social posts, obviously we do show notes for us – in fact, because we publish long form social content, our social posts effectively become our show notes. Saving more time! It’s full of emojis and it’s our personality and we’re having fun and yet at the same time, there’s bullet points and all the information is there, what are we talking about? Why do we have this guest on? Who they are? Why you need to listen? That sort of thing. But it’s done in a more fun way [than some clients]. So, we’ve got social posts, we’ve got show notes, and then from that, I then take the transcript, and I take the subject matter that we’re talking about that day and I do some research on it. I always think about things before I actually write – you know when I’m loading the dishwasher, what have you. I come up with an idea that I want to write more about, to expand and flesh out that episode’s subject matter. And that provides a value add for your readers and for the people who are going to maybe find the blog from listening to the podcast too.”

Mix it Up

“We talk a lot about the anchor theory here, and the flywheel thing. So, this allows us to take a show, like the podcast, and create just an explosion of content from it. But what we’re not doing is just sending out the same stuff all over the place. Because especially in the blog post format, you know, you don’t just take your transcript and drop it into the blog post. So yeah, because there’s a duplication problem with Google Search, right. If you have too much dupe content out there, they will flag that. And that’s not good for your SEO and your search results, too. So that’s why we work at changing it up and adding more value.”

Advice for the Busy Executive Looking to Start a Podcast

“Look, it DOES take time. And it becomes a sort of Faustian Deal thing: Do you save a few dollars, try and do it all yourself and fit it into your busy, busy schedule? Well guess what. One of two things happens – either you don’t do it week to week, and that’s a problem. Or you’re doing it but you’re throwing out…not the best content…because you really don’t have enough time. If you’re just starting out, and you really can’t afford it, you know what? You don’t have to go full bore, you don’t have to be writing 2000-word blog posts, that sort of thing. Instead, take what we do and the suggestions we make, and do them short-form. Just get it done. But if you do have enough money, investing in somebody who can turn this stuff around for you, and who has the experience, is invaluable. Don’t just sort of hire some schmuck (laughs) because this is a lot of content, I mean, this is the baseline of your marketing efforts if you do it this way.”

“One other small point too with the transcripts, they really are gold, honestly. As someone who is so old (LOL) that I come from the days of transcribing interviews myself, longform, it saves a ton of time. But also, because we’ve got our fingers on the pulse, I mean, this is what we do, that’s our job, to stay on top of things for clients. If something happens in the social-political sphere – especially over the last few months with Corona and the anti-racism movement, etc., you guys more than once have jumped into it like, ‘Okay, it’s Monday, but we’re going to get together really quick, and we’re going to knock off a quick little podcast about XYZed, in relation to marketing or crisis communications.’ And you get that transcript to me, and I get that turned around and voila, there’s more content. So even if we’re kind of doing two episodes that week, it doesn’t kill me because you’ve got those transcripts.”

Phew! We wouldn’t want to have your death on our consciences, Lindsay. 🤣☠️🤣

Of course, there’s much more on the actual episode, so have a listen if you can. Find us on Apple Podcasts – subscribe to us – you won’t regret it!

Plus, if you’re losing sleep over a particular marketing/business related problem during this Covid-19 economic uncertainty, or if you have a guest idea on the topic, let us know. Drop us a line at c+p digital.

And as always, sweet dreams…well, hopefully!

#60 – How Writing Helps Power Up Your Podcast with Lindsay Bell

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Is it hot where you are? 🔥🥵🍳 How’s your sleep? 😴💤😴 

We’re struggling – but not complaining – because SUMMER! And summer/lack of sleep be damned – here at c+p digital the show never stops! 

It’s time for the 4 AM Report – where we find out what’s keeping marketers up at night.

Today’s guest is one of our own, writer/editor Lindsay Bell.

🎙 Have you started a podcast lately?

🎙 Have you been thinking about starting a podcast?

🎙 Do you know anything about podcasts?

 If you answered yes, yes, no (😂😂😂) to the above questions, you’ll want to tune in.  

💥Discover the power of well written show notes!

💥Learn how to spin off REAMS of content from a single episode!💥 

💥And soak up our very own writing tips, tricks, and tactics to help you get found on the God that is Google. 💥

Praise be.

Enjoy!!

 

About Lindsay

• Shared a smoke with Robbie Robertson. 
• Ditched 28 years in TO for life in her East Coast homeland.
• Wife/Mom/Music Fanatic
• READS ALL THE BOOKS

A seasoned writer, editor, and content marketing consultant, Lindsay is a former television producer (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) with over 20 years of production experience who brought her knack for creating audience responsive content to the digital space in 2010. She focuses on digital content and editorial strategy, helping organizations improve upon and expand their digital footprint, as well as driving increased lead generation through storytelling.  Her writing resume includes some of the top thought leaders and publications in the digital space, in both Canada and the United States. 

 

Getting over your fear of on-camera with Heather Davidson-Meyn

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Some people love being in front of a camera. But most of us don’t. This episode of The 4 am Report talks about why you should consider making your face part of your marketing plan.

If you’re a small biz owner or an entrepreneur, your face is very much tied to your brand. And often one of your best marketing tools. 

In this episode of The 4 am Report, we talk to Heather Davidson-Meyn, owner of Fun Love Photography, about why personalized custom images can make your brand stand out from the competition.

We’re not telling you to ditch the stock photography, charts, graphs and other important design elements you use in your marketing. But we are very certain that you’re missing a great opportunity to showcase some personality and make a more lasting impression people will remember.  

We speak from experience:

Exhibit A:

And…

Exhibit B:

Past images used to promote our material.

Long story short: They worked and we got noticed.

Here’s an excerpt from the transcript:

Susan: So Heather, let’s talk that out a little bit. A key factor that stops many of us as small businesses from putting our faces on our marketing material is mindset. So, from your experience working with many small business owners, why is this? Why are they so hesitant to put themselves sort of front and center in their marketing?

Heather: Well, there’s a couple of places the hesitation comes from. First of all, not knowing. Not knowing the “how” and the “what,” exactly. What images do you need to create, and how do you create them? Where do you go? When do you do it? How do you represent yourself?

Secondly, is the whole thing about feeling vulnerable and unsure and not feeling camera ready, whether it be your hair and makeup, your wardrobe, or bigger things like feeling like you need to lose ten pounds.

Susan: Yeah, I can certainly understand all of those factors. My own journey has been at first I was like, “I’m certainly not getting on video.” And then we did video, which was highly produced in which it was shot ahead of time, and we were lit perfectly, and that kind of stuff. And then now we’ve gotten to a place where we’re quite comfortable hopping onto a Facebook Live or a LinkedIn Live, and just doing that from a video perspective.

And we applied the same sort of thing obviously to our shops, as well, that we’ve taken along the way. And I can certainly speak to the fact that getting a hold of your head space and your mindset was a big part of that.

Heather: Yeah, for sure.

Will: I wanted to talk about going beyond just the head shot. Of course. Yes, head shots are great. There’s a purpose for them, but let’s remember the one thing that makes you and your marketing stand out is that it comes from you. So you are part of that UVP. So Heather, if marketers and small business owners are out there listening, getting kind of inspired by what we’re talking about and considering investing in some interesting photography to accompany their marketing. Can you give us some ideas to help get creative juices flowing?

Heather: Yeah, for sure. I start the planning process with every single one of my clients with five main images in mind. Not all will apply to everyone, but they’re all important to consider. So first of all, there’s you. Who are you? That that could be your basic head shot. What do you look like? Can you be recognized on the street?

The second one is you doing what you do. So this is just a representation of you doing what you do. If you’re a maker, if you’re making something; if you’re a consultant, this is working with people, reading up on the latest books that apply to your field.

Third is you with your products. So again, this is more intuitive for someone who’s making products. Maybe you’re a seamstress, you’re sewing clothes, then you have product, or you’re writing books. You’re an author, you with your books. And sometimes it’s more challenging if you’re a consultant helping people with services. It’s more difficult to represent, but we can still definitely show you in a way that shows what you produce.

Fourth is you working with clients. Now, as I said, not everything applies to everyone. You may not actually work one-on one-with clients, but it’s still important to show that you can relate to people, and it helps people to see you working with people, so that they feel like they can relate to you as well.

And then finally, you being you. So, this is a little bit more personal and not necessarily completely tied to your business, but it helps people relate to you as a person. And that’s a lot of what this is all about. Showing your face, showing who you are, and giving something for the people out there on the internet who are seeing your photos on your website. Something for them to relate to. So, if you love taking walks, or you’re an outdoors sort of person, or maybe you love drinking coffee, or doing yoga, or whatever it is you do, it’s important to put that out there as well.

Now, a lot of people might struggle with envisioning how to turn these ideas into images, but a great photographer will guide you along the process, taking the time to learn about who you are, what you do, what you represent, and who the target client is that you’re actually trying to reach, and helping you represent that visually.

Susan: Thank you, Heather. That’s such a great framework of what people should be looking to shoot on a small business level, and we like to keep our episodes focused to a specific audience, but sometimes the lessons that we’re talking about apply for a spectrum of people.

About Heather:

Heather Davidson-Meyn

Heather is an internationally renowned portrait artist who uses the camera to create images that show the beauty of a person, both inside and out. She photographs families (because who doesn’t want to work with children and pets), as well as small business owners looking to elevate their brand presence with custom and personalized images.

Connect

Website

Facebook: @funlovephotography

Instagram: @funlovephotography and @your_brand_photography

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Still can’t sleep?

We would also love to know what’s keeping you up at night! Email us your problems – your issue might be featured in our next episode!

Any of these problems *speak* to you? Click here to subscribe in iTunes to hear about more things that haunt us or to keep an eye out for any of your problems. We might find a solution for you (or at least share your pain too!) We have more episodes with great tips, jokes and conversations – don’t miss it! 

If you get a chance, leave a review on iTunes so that others can find this podcast too! Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” We’d love to hear what your favourite part of this episode is in the comments below. Thank you!