How’s the Podcast Doing? Downloads, Money & More

Unedited Episode Transcript

 Hi. I’m Andy smiley your friendly podcast guide. I help you increase your downloads without letting your podcast take over your life. Today, I’m doing my first solo episode of season two. And I’m a little bit nervous. Something new also, I’m going to be super vulnerable in this episode and all of that makes me nervous, but here we are.

And I’m really excited too. I share. My own journey with you so you can feel a little less alone and.

Learn some things that can help you with your podcast. In this episode, I’m going to share how the friendly podcast is doing. So download numbers, how much money I’m making and how many podcasts consults I’ve done along with experiments that I’m trying out to improve the friendly podcast guide. And introducing the theme for this month podcast episodes.

But first I want to help you get to know me a little bit better. So in each interview episode, when I have a conversation with a podcast host that I admire, I asked two questions. So I’m going to answer the questions that I ask everyone else.

The first one is what was the last podcast you listened to for you? And this one is mindful with media with Alex fails. I adore Alex. I know her in real life and she is a beautiful soul. And I’m so glad that I know her. She helps women live their best lives. And, and she does that in so many different ways.

I’m actually a part of her business coaching group called the serenity. And it’s amazing. I’m already loving it and it only just barely started. The second question that I asked podcasters when I interview them is what’s a simple life hack. That’s making your life better right now. Um, when I am done with Instagram for the day , like I’ve scrolled and seeing what’s going on in the world, I’ve been inspired.

I’ve. Put up, whatever stuff I need to for the show, I just delete it because I’ve noticed that if I don’t delete it, then I, when I’m bored or I’m trying to avoid an emotion, I will hop on the Instagram and I’m out when there are so many other more productive ways that I can deal with my emotions. So. That is a simple life hack for me is I just delete Instagram

because it’s the best way for me to have a good relationship with Instagram.

Okay. Now I get to introduce this month theme. It was so fun picking the themes for season two. And the first one I had to choose was kid podcasts. If you know anything about me, I love kid podcasts. I use them daily in my parenting and I wanted to share them with you because kid podcasts are awesome.

And kid podcasters. Are so awesome. And. I feel like more people need to know about kid podcasts and just hear from kid podcasters, because truly kid podcasters are some of the most. Creative people I know and come up with the most interesting and unique. Ways to solve problems. And I knew that we would all get so much out of my conversations with them. Um, also just wanted. Um, To have storytelling kid podcasts as a theme because my kids love these podcasts right now, and I want it to look cool in my kids’ eyes. So I talked to some of the hosts of their favorite kid podcast right now. And. It was fun to feel cool. And to have my kids be excited about what I’m doing.

So some of the things that you can look forward to learning from this month episodes are.

The reminder to look for money-making opportunities outside of the normal podcast ads, um, using music and sound and a unique way to set your podcast apart. And just add that like, Uh, extra awesomeness

And you can get inspired to use the connections and assets that you already have in unique ways that will help spread the word about your podcast.

I am so excited for you to hear these episodes. These podcasters are brilliant, and it was just so much fun to talk to them.

And learn from them. And I know that you will learn so much from them too.

Okay. Now I get to tell you how the friendly podcast guide is doing. So today is August 26th. I’m recording this a week early. So you will be hearing this a week from now because currently I don’t have the capacity to record an episode and have it come out the next day. That is just not where I am right now. Maybe in a couple months.

So one of my goals with season two of the friendly podcast guide is for each episode to have 150 downloads in the first week. That’s the goal by November. I want that to be a reality for the friendly podcast guide. So every month I’m going to share how many downloads each of the previous months episodes got in the first week, because that’s my goal.

This month, this is going to be a little shorter, cause I’ve only had one episode and it was the trailer for season two. But when I just looked it up, I’m at 87 downloads. So I’m actually really stoked about that because I haven’t put an episode out for. Months at this point.

So having 87 while it’s not 150, it’s definitely higher than I expected. And I’m proud of myself.

The next thing I wanted to talk about is how much money I’ve made from podcasting this year.

So as of this recording, I’ve made $529. This is definitely earlier in the year. Because I took a step back and took a break from podcasting so that I could recover from burning out earlier this year. I’ve made the, I’ve made that money from my podcast starter pack. My jump, the line fee and from the sounding board, which is a group podcast coaching program that I’m hoping to bring back in some form. In the near future, it was so much fun. And I love having a community of women. Working together on their podcasts. It’s just the vest. The last thing in this, how is the friendly podcast guide doing section is how many podcast consult I’ve done?

So my husband, Scott is a therapist and before he was fully licensed as a therapist, he had to get a lot. A lot, a lot of hours. Uh, therapy time before he could be fully licensed. And I realized that I want to do something like that for me. So right now I’m planning on doing a hundred consult hours before I bumped my rates up. Right now, they are. Very reasonable. And I have them that way so that I can get more practice than I already have in podcast consults. I have done so many unofficial podcast consults with friends and people on Instagram and just DMS and all of that, which. Is amazing.

And I’m so grateful for all of that experience. And I’m just so glad I got to help so many people. Um, but I do want to have. A hundred official podcast consult hours. Um, before I raise my rates and the main reason that I want this is just so that I can feel confident in myself. And so that I can have a better idea of exactly who my dream client is, who I want to help and who needs my help?

So right now I am at seven. I have seven official consult hours. So, if you would like to help me. Bump up PI console our numbers.

I would love to help you. And the first consult that I do with you will be free. It will be an hour, I can help you with any aspect of your podcasts that you’re struggling with. We can talk through how to increase your download numbers. We can talk about maybe. You’re ready to make a bit of a pivot with your podcast, and you’re not sure how, or I can help you plan a whole year’s worth of episodes in a one hour consult call.

That might be one of my favorite things to do, just because it’s so fun to be creative. And to help you plan a year so that you don’t have to think about it anymore. And obviously you can change it, but it’s so fun to just have that map and just be ready. For a whole year’s worth of content. It’s just the best.

If you would like to do a consult call with me, it would be so much fun to help you with your podcast. So best way to connect with me to get that free consult is to send me a DM on Instagram at friendly podcast guide.

To wrap up I’m going to tell you about the experiments I’m trying out to improve the friendly podcast guide. The first one is I’m doing a giveaway and it starts today. I want to spread the word about the friendly podcast guide.

And like I said earlier, I have this goal of 150 downloads per episode. And I really want to hit that with this first episode, just to kind of set me on a good trajectory. For this giveaway, I have three different prizes. I have a grand prize winner. She is going to get a month’s worth of constant calls from me all for free.

Along with a $25 Amazon gift card because. Amazon gift cards are just kind of the best. I’m also going to give to two different people. To console calls each along with a $10 gift card for each of them. So, if you want to enter the giveaway, you have three different options. The first one is to leave a rating or review of the friendly podcast guide. Take a screenshot and send me a DM of that screenshot. To the friendly podcast guide on Instagram. The second thing you can do is you can talk about a takeaway you had from this episode that you’re listening to and share it on your stories and tag me.

Or if you tell a friend or multiple friends, In a non-technological way, then just send me a DM and I will trust you that you did tell your friend about this episode. Because I am so grateful when you share. friendly podcast guide with your friends in any way? Not just on Instagram.

The giveaway starts today. And it goes until next week, September 10th. So you’ve got a week to do. Any one of these or all three and you get three entries. Thank you so much in advance for sharing this episode, sharing the friendly podcast guide. And I am so, so grateful that you are here.

Some other experiments that I’m also running this month to try and improve the friendly podcast guide is first

I’m emailing the guests of each episode to do a cold open of sorts on their episode. To talk about the friendly podcast guide and talk about their episodes so that their listeners can. No, that it’s even there and know that they can hear their host. On my podcast and the other experiment that I’m running. Honestly sounds a little counterintuitive, but stay with me. I am experimenting with not putting a post out on social media on the day that my episodes come out. So my episodes come out on Tuesdays.

And in this season of my life, Tuesdays are incredibly busy for me.

For whatever reason, everything has just landed on a Tuesday. And I’ve decided that it is not worth my sanity. Two. Put out a post on social media on Tuesdays. So even though that’s the day that my episodes come out, I will not be putting a post out on that day. Just to save my sanity and we’re going to see if it makes my downloads dip a lot and if it does, then I will figure something else out.

But for now, That’s what we’re trying and we’ll see how it goes. Will you share this episode with your podcasting friend? Who’s been struggling with feeling alone and having low download numbers. She can follow along with me as I try to increase my own download numbers. And in next week’s episode, 📍 you’ll hear a conversation I had with Alexa, the host of the lively Louis stories podcast. You’ll be reminded that money-making opportunities will come when you have fun, do your best and expect the opportunities to come. Thanks for being here and I’ll talk to you next week.