Mastering Your Podcast: A DIY Audit Roadmap | #242

Creating a binge-worthy episode is as easy as....
1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣

Well, that does simplify it, doesn't it?  When's the last time you audited your own show or had your show audited?

The only way to get better is to regularly evaluate your podcast.  

Whether you are a host or guest, today's episode is designed for you to have a heightened awareness of what burns listeners out and what keeps them engaged.

Want to create a better show?  
Follow along to snag 8 podcast audit steps that will have you assessing your podcast so you can improve your show, increase your downloads, your impact, and your profits.

Yes you can create binge-worthy content that builds trust and draws in listeners -- when you begin with the end in mind.

Limited time Podcast audit for $297! 5 spots available. Listen to #242 to learn how you could save $50! Email jen@coachjenrogers.com to book your audit.

Special shout out to Karin! 🎤Rock Your Reinvention Testimonial – Karin Freeland. Listen to her show and give her some love!

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coachjenrogers.com/podcastsop

Limited time Podcast audit for $297! Now 2 of 5 spots available. Listen to #242 to learn how you could save $50! Email jen@coachjenrogers.com to book your audit.

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Transcript

Time To Simplify Podcasting
Jen Rogers | Creator of the 90-Day Sprint | Certified Coach | Keynote Speaker

I teach experienced Christian entrepreneurs how to leverage podcasting so they can grow their impact, influence + income.

If you’re a successful business owner and you haven’t launched a show, it’s time to talk about how to put your voice to work for you!

Mastering Your Podcast: A DIY Audit Roadmap | #242

💥Limited time Podcast audit for $297! 5 spots available. Listen to #242 to learn how you could save $50! Email jen@coachjenrogers.com to book your audit.

[00:00:00] Jen: I'm one of six kids, and towards the end of the pile, my bestie growing up, besides my friend Cindy Weimer from kindergarten who called me Jeffener because she couldn't pronounce my name, was my little sis. I'm kid number five, and Kat is kid number six. We built snow forts together, got in trouble for taking blankets from the house and using them to line our snow bedrooms, waited in school bus lines, got snookered tons of times by our older siblings, played lots of games of pretend, cried many a tears over the shocking loss of her mom, and have had 

[00:00:35] Jen: the typical sisterly squabbles at all ages. No matter the ebb and flow of our relationship, when the going gets tough, my sis gets going. When she adopts a mission, that thing is going to get done fast, and well, and with precision. When we were younger, Kat's the one who talked about becoming an accountant.

[00:00:56] Jen: And I remember thinking, that was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. Have you ever sworn you'll never ____________, and then you find yourself doing that very thing that you swore off? As I'm prepping this episode for you, I'm staring at my degree hung on the wall from the University of Missouri. If you're a Mizzou alum, 

[00:01:15] Jen: M-I-Z! Hey, you know what this very expensive, fancy piece of paper says? To whom it may concern, Greeting. Be it known that the curators, having been advised by the faculty, that Jennifer Eileen Duncan has completed the course of study required of candidates for the degree of Master of Public Administration.

[00:01:37] Jen: I bet you thought I was going to say a degree related to accounting. Well, that accounting degree did come, several years before the MPA. While the verbiage is similar awarding me a degree of Bachelor of Science Summa Cum Laude Special Honors in Accounting, the real question is, what do either of these degrees have to do with podcasting?

[00:01:59] Jen: Not a doggone thing. And yet everything. In episode number 241, you and I received a powerful reminder from my guest, Staci Gray. She reminded us to take the time to love the person we were back when, so we can more fully appreciate where we are now.

[00:02:20] Jen: Those decisions, those degrees, those expectations, they all led me to where I am right now, serving you on time to simplify. You see, it turns out I have a knack, not for numbers per se, but for tackling hard things. It stokes my competitive spirit. What knack do you have that can propel you to do the hard things related to podcast guesting or podcast hosting?

[00:02:46] Jen: I'm not proposing you go to school to become an accountant or seek a master's degree. Instead, I'm inviting you to become a master of your own podcasting experiences. By the end of today's episode, I'm inviting you to put your auditor cap on. No fancy paper degree required. Instead, listen in to learn how to assess your own podcast by performing an audit of your own show.

[00:03:12] Jen: If you're a podcast guest, use these audit tips to curate those shows you're thinking of becoming a guest on. When you perform an audit, you'll gain insights on how to improve your show overall, as well as hone in on key aspects of what makes a show binge worthy. 

[00:03:31] Jen: Here on Time to Simplify, we are in the business of creating binge worthy content to grow our businesses and ministries. We know that a good show builds trust and when you close that 18 inch gap between your listeners earbuds and their heart. Now that I may recovered certified public accountant with years of experience in both taxation and auditing, I put those skills to work with entrepreneurs who want to create their own binge worthy content.

[00:03:59] Jen: Hey there, I'm Jen Rogers, podcast launch coach and a woman who successfully embraces old school ideas with new ways of producing podcasts

[00:04:09] Jen: that will keep your clients coming back for more of you,

[00:04:14] Jen: I want to save you a ton of unnecessary work and guide you with a podcasting roadmap that will also prevent you from losing time, worrying about the tech you need to succeed. Instead of worrying. We take action to get your show timely launched with confidence. If you're on the guesting track, you'll acquire intel you need to show up brilliantly as a guest.

[00:04:37] Jen: And when the timing is right, you might just be launching your own show when you get hooked on how easy it can be to create meaningful content that closes the trust gap every time you nuzzle the microphone. Each week I teach you how to leverage podcasting for your business with a proven systematic approach.

[00:04:56] Jen: You 

[00:04:57] Jen: can go deeper when we create your own personalized 90 day sprint. This week, in addition to inviting you over to coachjenrogers.com/VIPCoach to take the first step to working together in a private sprint, I'm doing a new thing. I'm opening up five spots to audit five podcasts.

[00:05:17] Jen: It's a limited time offer at a ridiculously awesome price point. If you want to invest 297 to get unbiased feedback about your show and recommendations for how you can make it even better, send me an email at jen@coachjenrogers.com  and tell me you want me to audit your show. Listen, uh, I don't know about you, but post-Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas, things are pretty hairy around here.

[00:05:44] Jen: So I'm forgoing the fancy landing page and opt in to buy. Instead, just send me an email. Tell me you're ready to invest $297 and you want your audit done quickly and with the same precision my sister Kat would model.

[00:05:59] Jen: Before we jump into episode number 242, I want to share two exciting updates with you. Update number one, coming this January 13th, I'm kicking off a podcast monetization bootcamp with your name all over it. If you want to learn what it's going to take to monetize your own show and guest appearances, save the date for January 13th through the 17th more details and registration coming in the next episode. 

[00:06:29] Jen: Update number two. I had planned on reserving audits for the bootcamp. To gear up for it, I audited a talented podcaster show and here's what she had to say about the audit. 

[00:06:41] Karin Freeland: If you haven't taken Jen up on her offer to get a podcast audit, you're missing out. She gave me some amazing feedback that I could immediately take action on and implement for my show. Her insights were thoughtful, thorough, and impactful. Thank you so much, Jen, for all your support. I know my listeners are going to have a better experience because of your suggestions.

[00:07:05] Jen: That's Karen Freeland. as I'm sure you noticed in her review, she has tons of energy She's a certified life and career coach who is dedicated to helping women get unstuck and live their best life. She's also an award-winning author of Grab Life by the Dreams and a dynamic, motivational speaker. Her podcast is called Rock Your Reinvention. I'll put a link in the show notes so you can take a listen to her show.

[00:07:31] Jen: All right, welcome to episode number 242! I am so grateful you're here. Let's simplify podcasting together so you can grow your impact, influence, and income. P. S. No pocket protector required.

[00:07:45] Jen: There are four levels of audit opinions which indicate whether financials are presented in all material respects, compliant with generally accepted accounting principles. Perhaps I could create an institute of generally accepted podcasting principles. Both acronyms, G double A P and G A double P would be pronounced the same, GAP.

[00:08:12] Jen: Obviously, they represent two distinctly different things. I digress. Let me come on back to what we're talking about today. Because the types of audit opinions aren't relevant to a podcast audit. What is relevant is not rendering an opinion per se. Instead, we'll set out to follow an audit roadmap for your show so you can assess 

[00:08:34] Jen: how it's going. Today's episode won't cover everything I cover when I do an audit of your show. However, it'll give you a great start for self evaluation. Sound good? Let's do it. Step number one, start with the end in mind. How many times have you heard this? Ad nauseum. Franklin Covey, thank you so much.

[00:08:55] Jen: We are starting with the end in mind. How far do you get into the episode before you tell your listener what they'll walk away with by the end of the episode? Step number two. What is the purpose of this episode for your business? Step number three. How many calls to action do you give? When do you give them?

[00:09:20] Jen: Do they align with your overall business goals? Step number four. How's your audio? Rate it on a scale of one to three, where one is poor audio quality and three represents excellent audio quality for the entire episode.

[00:09:37] Jen: If you have a guest on your show, ensure that your evaluation includes your guest's audio. There will be times where you are interviewing someone and the internet is not kind. I remember a snowstorm that prevented me from carrying out an interview for several days because the lines were down. That's going to happen.

[00:09:58] Jen: Obviously, when the lines are down, you're not going to be able to record. When the lines are up, but they're not working great. You need to evaluate the audio. Sometimes you're going to have to cut parts of the episode and other times you might let your listener know upfront, Hey, there are a couple of spots in today's episode where the internet was not kind.

[00:10:17] Jen: I'll be sure it's very clear what we shared in the interview. So hang with me and let's get started with today's episode. Something like that. When you set the expectation up front, then your audience is going to be more forgiving when the audio is not top notch. Step number five, what are your credentials?

[00:10:39] Jen: And what compels you to share them with your audience? Perhaps I could ask, when do you share them? Step number six. How edutaining is your episode? You don't need to be a standup comedian, friend. But you do need to entertain. Here are ways to gauge your edutaining value.

[00:11:01] Jen: Listen to your tone. How is your enunciation? Are you easy to understand? Let's talk music. How does music add to your show? What would you say the purpose of your music is? Is your voice covered up by your podcasting music? Evaluate your pitch. Does it change to punctuate certain ideas you share? 

[00:11:30] Jen: If you've got a guest, how do they add value to the show? How is their edutaining value? Step number seven, you know that expression, tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. Yeah, me too. How well did you do that in this episode that you're auditing? Step number eight, do you have a final call to action?

[00:11:58] Jen: What is it? How many things are you asking your listener to do? If you've got a guest, my number one recommendation and what I tell guests when they come on my show is limit your call to action to one thing. This is incredibly challenging for guests to remember. They want to tell you where to find them here, there, and everywhere.

[00:12:18] Jen: You know, Insta, LinkedIn, Facebook, go to my podcast, go to my website, all of those things and they become overwhelming. Not only are they overwhelming, a listener isn't going to take any one of those actions because it's too much. There are too many things to choose from and we have enough decisions to make that we're not going to take the time to make a decision about where to find somebody on what platform.

[00:12:43] Jen: I believe when a guest shows up to serve well, anyone listening to that episode will be compelled to look them up on their own with just one link or web address shared. Thank you for your time. Appreciate it. True confession of a podcaster who guests? I've given out too many calls to action. I know.

[00:13:02] Jen: However, I have been practicing and working on giving just one call to action.

[00:13:09] Jen: The most powerful call to action you can give is one that creates the least amount of friction; when a guest is sharing their call to action, what can they offer up that will be the least amount of friction? Now, typically, you know, that's some lead magnet that you have an offering where you're inviting people to download something or take a training for free, something like that,

[00:13:33] Jen: that offers additional value to them. Other strategies might be to connect with you via direct message on a social platform. Or to direct them to your book, a call page. So if they want to take that next step with you and explore what it would be like to work with you, then you could offer up.

[00:13:52] Jen: the, your domain name. So for me, it would be www.coachjenrogers.com/bookacall. It's easy to remember. And it's also easy to include in the show notes. The one thing is I've been thinking about this book a call. I'm not so sure that's the least amount of friction. I suppose it depends on where the listener is in the pipeline.

[00:14:14] Jen: Are they top of funnel? Are they middle of funnel or are they at the bottom of the funnel where they really need, they're ready to invest in what you have to offer them? Play around with the calls to action that you give as a guest. And as a host, evaluate the number of calls to action your guest is offering up knowing that when they offer up too many, the listener isn't going to do anything with it.

[00:14:39] Jen: Nobody's going to do anything because it's too much information.

[00:14:44] Jen: We know auditing your own show. Well, we're, We, we love our shows and it's very hard to evaluate them without our personal biases. Yet it is possible to glean insights from going through these steps.

[00:14:59] Jen: Now  I'm going to do what I shared with you to do in step number seven. Let me recap the steps I shared with you to do an audit of your own show. 

[00:15:10] Jen: Step number 1. Start with the end in mind. 

[00:15:14] Jen: Step 2. What is the purpose of this episode for your business? 

[00:15:19] Jen: Step 3. How many calls to action do you give? 

[00:15:24] Jen: Step 4. Check that audio. Check, check. how's your audio?

[00:15:27] Jen: Step 5. That's all about your credentials. What are they and what has you sharing them? 

[00:15:34] Jen: Step 6. How edutaining are you? How edutaining is your guest? 

[00:15:40] Jen: Step 7. Tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell them, and then tell them what you told them.

[00:15:47] Jen: And finally, Step number 8.. Your final call to action, evaluate what it is, and evaluate what your guest is sharing. When you have a guest on, your guest is going to share their call to action. And then at the end of the show, just like I'm going to model for you here, you're going to have your own call to action.

[00:16:07] Jen: So you can see how having too many calls to action can overwhelm your listener. I do not want to overwhelm you. I want to share with you that if this feels too intense for you or you know that it will be too difficult to move past your own bias over your own show and you would like me to audit your show, I would be honored to do it.

[00:16:30] Jen: I've got five spots open for five savvy podcasters who would like me to audit their show. And remember the way to do it? At the very beginning, I said, I didn't set up any fancy schmancy opt ins or landing pages. Nope. I'm keeping this one simple because it is a busy season. If you want an audit and you want to invest $297 in an audit, claim one of the five spots.

[00:16:56] Jen: By sending me an email at jen@coachjenrogers.com. Tell me you want me to audit your show and we'll get it on the books. 

[00:17:05] Jen: You know what, if you're still here, you are definitely a professional podcaster. and I want to reward you for investing time in this episode to make your show better. Hey, in the steps I listed, the very first one I mentioned begin with the end in mind, and I shared with you what you are going to walk away with in this episode.

[00:17:28] Jen: The first person who emails me with the timestamp of when I share what you're going to walk away with in this episode will save $50 off that audit. So instead of $297, it'll be $247. I wasn't going to do this, but as I was recording, I thought, well, why the heck not? That sounds kind of fun, and it speaks to my own competitive spirit.

[00:17:51] Jen: I like to win. Do you like to win? Find out where I tell you what you're going to walk away with in this episode. Email me, jen@coachjenrogers.com and tell me you want the audit and to save $50 bucks on the audit by telling me where I told you what you were going to walk away with in this episode. All right.

[00:18:09] Jen: That's going to do it for this week. I am so thankful to be in your earbuds. I am just, uh, gosh, so thankful for you to be inside of this community. And I look forward to connecting with you in the next episode.