Why Shortcut Podcasting Kills Conversion (and What to Do Instead) | #274

You’ve probably heard it before: “Just batch 12 episodes and launch messy.”
But what if that’s exactly why your show isn’t converting?

Is your podcast a strategic business asset… or just a never-ending to-do?

Inside, we unpack:

• The shortcut mindset that's stalling your impact
• What the "long cut" really looks like (and why it works)
• Three practical shifts to simplify, build trust, and actually grow
• How consistent connection trumps sporadic promotion every time

If you're tired of podcasting that feels more like hustle than legacy-building, this one’s for you.

Plus: I'll share what it means to go live, get flexible, and speak to the people already waving their green flag.

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2025 is the year of PODCASTING WINS with explosive growth + booming sales! 📲Book a call with me - but only if you want to leverage podcasting to grow your influence, impact, + income.

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Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6

Transcript

Simplify Podcasting

Jen Rogers | Creator of the Podcasting Power Hour | 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 and proven offers to work for you!

If you've launched and it's not going well, book your power hour now.

2025 is the year of PODCASTING WINS with explosive growth + booming sales! www.coachjenrogers.com/VIPCoach  📲Book a call with me when you're serious about monetizing podcasting.

Why Shortcut Podcasting Kills Conversion (and What to Do Instead) | #274

​Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Years ago I attended a conference for writers and speakers. And in each session they would hand out slips of paper about halfway through the session and it would be a pulse check, P-U-L-S-E, a pulse check. Hey, how is it going? How are things going in this session? The reason they did these pulse checks was to learn how effective their message was.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: They did them a couple of times in each session. Now, if you are an audience member, this can feel a bit like work, and not everyone is going to participate in a pulse check. However, I know you are going to participate in this one. Are you ready? Alright, let's do it.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: How is your podcast work, whether you host or guest, how is it a strategic business asset?

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Listen, we've gotta have the mindset that what we are doing here is something that has a life longer than a year and produces income. That is the definition of an asset. 

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Got a guess as to what one of the biggest traps out there is for podcasting? The shortcut trap. Here's what Falling into the shortcut trap could look like:

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: a batch. 12 episodes in a weekend launch messy. Think about your podcast as just something that you do. It's just a visibility tool. It's not, you don't really know if it's going to do anything for your business, but you've been told you're supposed to podcast, so that's what you're going to do.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: These are messages that are floating around from the influencer culture. You download this freebie, you participate in this challenge, you do this thing, and everything's going to be great. I. The truth is it's not going to be great because those [00:02:00] things don't serve entrepreneurs with a proven offer who want to monetize the work they do on podcasting.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: , In today's episode, we're going to unpack how shortcut thinking leads to burnout, pod fade. And a show that doesn't convert.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Your first step to simplification? Well, here is me iterating on the fly.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist:  What do you need most right now? Do you need strategy on aligning your podcast with your business goals? I. Well, your first step could be to snag the podcast guides to have some sweet strategy time with your sweet self.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: You can download them@coachjenrogers.com slash podcast guides. If you're like me and you want to do more than fly solo, then simplify with community. Join us inside the Virtual podcast school and participate. Actively participate in the lives on Tuesdays, or comment when you watch the replays to get feedback on whatever it is that you're working on.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Click the community link in the show notes or head on over to www.coachjenrogers.com/community. I'll be sending out emails shortly to invite you to go live and introduce yourself in there. Share a little bit about yourself without being boring. More on that later. There's one more option I'm going to offer to you if you want to combine the gold in the podcast guides.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: The power of community and one-on-one strategy in a private coaching session with me, book a Power Hour. It's called the Power Hour for a reason. It's customized. There's no fluff, there's no prerecorded modules. You'll get my full attention. You'll get a personalized strategy and a plan that fits your season of business.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: It's not some generic formula. If you want to optimize your strategy, choose option three and book your power [00:04:00] hour at Power Hour. And of course, every single link will be in the show notes. 

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Hey there. I'm Jen Rogers, Podcast strategist and your host of Simplify Podcasting.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: You do want to make money with every episode, right? Of course you do. You are here to make money with every episode. You are in the right place and yes, you are my people. 

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: When this episode airs, I'll be en route, provided all systems our go, to a networking event, and I can't wait to connect with people in person. How about you? How often do you connect with people in person to intentionally grow your asset? AKA, your podcast? Listen, you don't need to do more stuff. What you do need to do is mean more with what you do, have a meaningful connection with your audience.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: That means what we always preach around here is you start with answering two questions for every host episode and every guest appearance. What is the business purpose of this episode and what is the listener going to take away from this episode?

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Finally, think about your own pulse checks. Are you doing market research? Are you checking in with your audience? Do you have a community where you can connect with them to learn what it is they really need?

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Are you inviting some of your clients to be guests on your show to highlight the experience they have with you? How are you creating meaningful connection with your podcast asset? This is how you monetize, when you are intentional about what you produce. I'm going to share a few ways that you can build [00:06:00] community using your podcast in this episode and remind you 

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: you do not need a large audience to convert your podcast. In recent conversations I was having with clients, we shared how important it is to focus on that first win. What is that first win? Is it a thousand downloads an episode? When you're first starting out, that can feel really big. How about a hundred?

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: We're going to start with a hundred downloads per episode. We are going to share the episodes. We're going to tell all our family and friends, and we're going to tell anyone we can about the show we have and invite them to listen into the show. Even if you've launched already, when's the last time you shared about your show in a way that brought meaning to the person you are speaking to?

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: See? Every episode you create is really your creative genius. This is why chat GPT should not be writing your episodes. I don't care how well you've trained your bot. Your bot is not you. You are you, and it's your creative genius that needs to show up on every single episode.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: That doesn't mean you can't use AI tools. Of course not. It does mean you need to authentically show up in your voice with your thought leadership. Anybody can type anything into any of these AI tools, so we don't need more information. What we need is the way you share what you do, so you need to strut your stuff and show off your genius to your audience because that connection, that visibility, that authenticity, that is a business decision to create meaningful connection with the people you have been called to serve. Alright, let's get into it. This is episode number 274 of Simplify Podcasting.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Not a trick question. What's the opposite of a [00:08:00] shortcut? I. Well, I could tell you about the number of not shortcuts my man and I have taken on trips when we've lost cell service, took a wrong turn, or got a wild hair and traveled off the beaten path, or I could tell you the answer directly, but you already know the answer.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: The opposite of his shortcut is the long cut. Fun fact, did you know grass grows better when it's cut a little longer than when you shave it down to the nubs? It's no different with podcasting. You must choose the long cut. Podcasting is a tool savvy business owners employ when they want to reduce their time spent marketing and focus on content that resonates with their ideal customers in the most intimate of ways.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Not taking the shortcut means giving yourself space to create something meaningful, especially in the highly skeptical consumer market of 2025. In this episode, I'm defining the long cut as community. When you build community trust skyrockets, market research is always on time, and you'll have a ton more fun interacting with real people.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: That's the opposite of what happens when you take shortcuts. Community is burnout prevention. Community is creative and community converts.

Pulse check. How are you doing so far? How do you interact with your community? How are you building trust with your offers? Like the power hour option I share with you?

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Take a moment, pause this episode and answer those questions. How do you interact with your community and how are you building trust with your own offers? Are you ready? Come on back. Come on back. Okay.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Here are three ways to build community. One consistency. I know, I know.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: It's true. It's not going away. [00:10:00] People have rhythms, people have routines. People are expecting when they open up their podcast app, your episode is going to be there right on time. Are you going to be there right on time? Hey, here's something I recorded a couple of months ago in relation to the people we are attracting and the people we are repelling, and those that lie somewhere in the middle.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Take a listen, and I'll be right back after this clip.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Remember way back when early on in your entrepreneurial journey and you learned about the flags, you've got the red flag, you've got the yellow flag, and you've got the green flag, the red flag. They don't like you. They are not interested in what you're doing, and that's okay because you both know. It's like, no, don't want to date you.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: No thank you. We're going nowhere. This relationship is going nowhere. That's great. You're not going to spend any time focusing on them, and the great thing is you don't even need to call them out. You know why? Because they're deciding on their own. Yep, I'm in or I'm out. So when they're out, they're out. You don't need to speak to them.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Then you have the people, the yellow people, you have people in the middle, the yellow flag, it's, nah. Well, I mean, I could listen to her episode. I could listen to his podcast, but I don't know. I mean, it doesn't really matter if I listen or not. And I'm certainly not going to be a loyal listener. So you're not really speaking to the meh.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Either you know who you are speaking to when you record episode after episode, you are speaking to people who are carrying that green flag who say, I hear this message. This message resonates with me, and I want to learn more. And the more they listen, the more they relate to you, you. I can't tell you the number of calls that I've gotten on where someone has said to me, Jen, I feel like I know you, and it's a little awkward for me initially because I don't know the person that's coming to talk about podcast coaching with me because they're listening to [00:12:00] me feeling a connection because what I'm saying resonates with them.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: They're thinking, okay, I want to learn more. I've spent enough time with Jen that I want to take that next step and explore how we could work together. You see, I'm doing that week after week with each episode I release. I'm talking to the green flags, and every once in a while if a red flagger stops on my show, they might be converted.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: It might be the time that God gets through and says, uh, I need you to listen to this. Has that ever happened to you? That happens to me often enough, and every once in a while you convert people who are walking around with their yellow flag, and that's great. You need to focus on those loyal listeners to develop those loyal listeners who are carrying that green flag, and you need to speak to them and yes.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: You need them on your email list so you can continue to connect with them, so you can invite them to say yes to the transformation you are offering. That's called a sale, okay? We don't like to talk about sale, especially in Christian circles, yet we're selling all the time. You're selling your kids to get them to eat their broccoli.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: You're selling your husband on buying that car that you've had your eye on. You're selling. All the time! You can do this. So don't focus on the selling. Focus on the transformation. Focus on how you're going to feel when you put your sweet tush in that new car. That's going to feel really good, right? That's the transformation.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: There's an exchange, there's a monetary and a time exchange there, and your role is to continue to share and speak to the needs of those that are carrying the green flag. Go find your green flag people.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Alright, let's go on to number two. Go live. I've been doing a new thing. I've been going live inside my Facebook group every Tuesday at 1:00 PM Eastern. I started it for my birthday month and I am confident it's going to keep going. It's stretching me. I'm growing [00:14:00] doing this new thing. 

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Although a bit skeptical at first, I have to tell you, the results are quite incredible. The number of views, the number of comments, the participation, the dms, whether you join me inside the Zoom room, which I love, or you're coming on Facebook and you're watching and commenting on the live stream or the replay, I now have the practice stability to.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Answer questions in the comments on Facebook while I'm streaming in Zoom. It's a beautiful thing and the only way I got here is the obvious way, practice! And the first couple ones, they're not pretty, but they're out there, they're done. And we know, we, we like to say done is way better than perfect, but we don't like to do done better than perfect.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Can you relate? Alright. Hey, I don't know what your experience is with live streaming or going live on your socials. I will share with you, this has been a most delightful experience. I'm having so much fun with the interactive conversations because let's face it, right now as I'm recording this episode, I don't know exactly what you're thinking.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: I don't know the exact questions you have, but I'm creating content to respond to those educated guesses because I've been studying my market. I want to lean in to the long cut. So consistently showing up and going live in your community group. You do need a community group because everyone is craving connection.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Okay? The third and final way to combat burnout to avoid the shortcut to focus in on the long cut is to create flexibility within your offers. Now, it's not like when you want toothpaste and you go to the store in the toothpaste aisle, you, you want just one tube of toothpaste. Maybe you want two. You know, you should buy two and save a little bit of money.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: But gosh, when I look at the aisle of toothpaste, there are so many options. I just want a tube of toothpaste. I don't want all of these options. It's [00:16:00] too much. It's the same with our offers. When we create flexibility in our offers, it's an offer that we know is viable and it doesn't have too many options.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Just enough. A great example of this is when you head on over to www.coachjenrogers.com/powerhours . You will see if you're a guest, click here. If you're a host, click here. And if you're super savvy, smart, and you want to bundle and save. Click here. You choose the option that is best for you in this time of your business because we're all in a different space.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: We're all in a different, on a different track in our journey, and that is of course the benefit of creating flexible offers. They meet your clients right where they are, and the best way to do this is to have conversations with them, whether you do group coaching or private coaching, or a combination of both.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Get in the room with your clients and listen to them. Listen, listen, listen.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Shortcut thinking. It means doing the task as quickly as possible for the sake of doing the task. Long cut thinking is strategy.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: You do the task because it aligns with your business goals. You decrease the burnout threat of pod fade and create content that converts.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Pulse check. What's working well right now in your business? What threats do you see? Is it systems, staffing, and upcoming shift in how you can show up? Remember, your business is not an island out of reach of your everyday experiences.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Relationships outside of your business that are in trouble can and will impact your business. You have one life and all parts are connected to the other. When you think about threats to your business, your podcast, your harmony, what's coming up for [00:18:00] you? If you need a little time to think about this, pause this episode and then come on back.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Next, identify a long cut strategy that can mitigate the risk. Reflect on the topics of this episode, the three things you can do to prevent burnout. One, create community. Two, go live for a great energy exchange, market research and direct connections. And three, have flexible offers that deliver for your clients.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: Running a business isn't a shortcut to wealth. It's the long cut to generational impact.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: So how'd this episode land for you? Will you share with me by leaving a podcast review on your favorite podcasting platform? You can impact future generations by leaving a review to help me help others monetize their podcast without burning out.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: I appreciate you. I appreciate every review. Thank you so much!And a quick, friendly reminder. Power hours are available for the right clients who want to take short-term action for long-term gains. Head on over to www.coachjenrogers.com/powerhoursP-O-W-E-R-H-O-U-R-S to book your first Power Hour.

Jen Rogers, Podcast Strategist: And if you're like other savvy entrepreneurs after the first one, you are going to want to book a bundle! www.coachjenrogers.com/powerhours. That'll do it for episode number 274. I will catch you on the flip side.