My biggest learnings from 5 years of the podcast

* Transcript created by AI – may contain errors or omissions from original podcast audio

 I am absolutely pinching myself that it has been five years that I have been hosting the Clare Wood podcast. So in today’s episode of the podcast, I’m going to go a little bit of a trip down memory lane and reflect on some of the things that I’ve learned from being a podcast host for five years now, some of the benefits of running a podcast and some things to consider if you are thinking about starting your own podcast. I hope you enjoy today’s episode.

Before we dive into the episode, I just want to take a moment and say a huge thank you to you, the listener, for tuning in to my podcast. From the bottom of my heart, I am so incredibly grateful that you choose to be here and to listen and learn from this podcast.

As a way of saying, thank you, I am going to gift one listener a one on one coaching call with me. So this will be drawn at random and all you need to do to enter is leave a review of the Clare Wood podcast, take a screenshot of it and email it to admin@clarewood.com and I’ll pop the instructions in the show notes for today’s episode. But one listener will get a 60 minute one on one coaching call with me as my way of saying thank you for tuning in and for your support of the podcast. The winner will be drawn at random on the 25th of June, 2024, which is one week from the release of this episode. And there’ll be notified by email.

 I was really reflecting on my five years of running the podcast and really thinking how far the podcast has come. Here’s some of the big wins that I want to recognize.

Firstly, the podcast launched at number. Two in the business category on the Apple podcast charts in Australia, which is such a massive milestone. The podcast that was number one was actually not a business podcast, but the way that it plays out in the business podcast, finance podcasts also land in the like personal finance podcast also sit in the business chart. So. My podcast very well could have been number one, which was just such an honor. I’m, you know, all these years later, I’m still incredibly grateful for that. And my podcast has been in and out of the charts, both in Australia and around the world since then. I have had hundreds of thousands of downloads across 44 countries, which again, Even sitting here saying it doesn’t sound real. It’s, it’s such a surreal milestone or accomplishment that the podcast has achieved and there’s over 250 episodes of the podcast and counting.

So reflecting back to 2019, I almost didn’t launch the podcast and let me share why. So. I had done a coaching session with, Stevie from Stevie says social at the time she’s now gone on to launch a different business, and she really recommended that I start my own podcast. So taking her advice, like the good student that I am, I went and recorded a couple of episodes and I had them edited. And when I listened back to them, I thought they are terrible. And I thought the content was lackluster. My confidence in speaking was pretty poor and I was just mortified by the sound of my voice.

I’m from Queensland here in Australia. And you know, I, my accent to me sounds very nasal. And that was all I could hear when I was listening to these episodes and I was crying, I didn’t know what to do. It was due to launch. And I rang one of my best friends, Anna, and said to her, Anna, can you please, please just tell me the truth. Is this terrible or not? And she listened to the episodes and she said, Clare, it’s great go ahead. And so I’m so glad that I listened to her and I pushed through my fear and launch the podcast, because like I said, it did go to number two on the business charts.

Since then, and what I’m actually going to do is I’m going to link to my very first episode of the podcast, and I want you to go and have a listen and see if you’ve noticed an evolution in the podcast episode since I first started. And the reason I’m being really vulnerable and sharing that is because, is because if there is something you’re wanting to do, maybe it’s not launching a podcast, it might be showing up on your social media, it might be hiring a team member, it might be doing a live, it might be speaking in public. If you feel scared. If you think you’re not very good, that feeling is very normal. And I will tell you something for free. The only way that you get better at something is by doing it again and again, and again, and again. And I have to say that my podcast confidence has grown so much since that very first episode, way back when.

So if there’s something that’s scaring you, go for it. so much for It’s very rare that we regret putting ourselves out there or doing something brave. A lot of times we just regret the things that we haven’t done. And I know from my own business journey, I mean, I wish I’d started this podcast earlier. I could have started it eight years ago when I first got started in business and really having that courage and resilience is how we get better. We just keep showing up and we keep doing the thing. And that is how you improve.

So the other thing that I’ve been reflecting on is what has been some of the benefits of the podcast for me. Well, obviously audience growth it’s a great way to connect with new Audiences with new people it would be pretty rare that I’d be connecting with people in, in South Korea, were it not for this podcast.

So it’s a really fantastic way to connect with people right across the world. And the other thing. As well, that happens with the podcast is there’s a depth of connection. And this is one of the beautiful things about both the podcast and this podcast is now on YouTube as well. So if you’re someone who likes to watch video, you can go check out the videos over on YouTube, but there’s a deeper sense of connection.

And I know these people that I follow online. When I meet them in real life, I run up to them, like they’re a friend and give them a big hug because. You get to know someone from listening to them or watching them online. And that’s, what’s really beautiful about the power of something like a podcast or social media or video is that people are getting to know you on a deeper level and connection does build that stronger level of trust, whether someone goes on to become, you know, a client or not, it really is about that amazing connection.

The next really cool benefit is the people that I have met. Oh my gosh. It blows my mind. Some of the cool humans that I’ve been able to interview on the podcast over the years. I am talking about TV stars, you know, a global best selling authors. Someone has been on stage with Oprah Winfrey some incredibly inspiring entrepreneurs, people that I absolutely looked up to in business have come along on my podcast, and it’s just such an incredible way to get to connect with and network with people like that through having a platform. Of any kind, and a really fantastic way to, I guess, give back to share knowledge, to share thought leadership, intellectual property.

And for me, you know, one of the things that’s really important for me is accessibility. And I know that my services. A high end, they are not for everyone. My one on one coaching rather. But what I’ve tried to do is have an array of different ways that people can work with me so that no matter where you’re out on your business journey. There’s a way that you can still access learning and coaching from me. So that’s one of the big why’s for me writing my book, intentional profit, to have something at a price point, $29.95 AUD, and these podcasts. It’s free. So I give a ton of value to my email list, to the podcast listeners yourself, to on my social media, and for me, I love that. I love that even if people aren’t ready to work with me or don’t want to work with me, there’s still a way that they can come in and learn about money. And yeah, that’s a really special benefit for me.

So what have been some of the lessons that I have learned? Over the last five years, the first one, be strategic with guests that you have coming on.

So what do I mean by that? When you were thinking about guests to bring into your world in a lot of business collaboration senses, have a think about, what’s going to be the win win scenario for us. So I have really been able to leverage a lot of people with big followings and big names at coming on as guests. And because of course, they share the episode with their audience in turn, it means that potentially more people are exposed to the podcast.

Something else that’s really important to me is being inclusive with Back when Black Lives Matter blew up there were quite a few people who you know, people were saying, Hey, you’re not being very inclusive with the guests that you’ve had on your podcast and for me, it’s something very important that I am presenting people with different backgrounds and abilities and, and races on the podcast. So that’s something else that Has been a learning, but also something that I’m really proud to have been able to do through my podcast so far.

The next big learning is consistency is key.

Now, consistency sounds good in theory. It’s actually really freaking hard. There have been so many times where I have just felt like missing a month, missing six months, shutting down the podcast, because it does take a lot of energy to record and to edit and to market a podcast episode. But there’s something about the power of consistency in terms of building trust with your audience, the discipline of consistency, and obviously the benefit of growth when you are delivering things consistently.

Another thing that I’ve learned over the years is the power of how to treat people.

So I’ve had some really well known people come on the podcast and some have been kind, humble, very supportive as well. You know, resharing the podcast, some even doing dedicated posts on their feed to the podcast episode. And then there’s other people who’ve come on who won’t even share an Instagram story of So I’ve sort of gone to the length to put them in front of my audience and they wouldn’t even reshare an Instagram story. And I get that that’s different for different people, but you know, that’s just one example of how, that didn’t feel like a great energetic exchange if they weren’t, weren’t even willing to, to mention the episode at all.

I know that I have found myself being treated and how I want to act as a business leader. So one of the things is honoring your word. Now I totally get that things come up in life.

I mean, my gosh, I’m a mom, I am a human. I’m going through all of the things. If I, for some reason, can’t honor a commitment, I will, first of all, be incredibly apologetic, explain the reasoning why, so that the other party can understand, and seek to come up with a solution that’s going to move the situation forward.

I’ve had a lot of people who have Flaked on me literally for no reason, time and time and time again, and it’s felt, you know, I get that sometimes someone might miss it, but sometimes there’s been people who’ve missed two, three, four recording times with me without even bothering to send an email. And it feels really disrespectful of someone’s time. You know, I’m showing up, getting camera ready to record the interview, sometimes waking up early in the morning, if it’s someone from overseas or late at night. And it’s really taught me that, ,that is something that’s very important to me. I want to treat people in the way that I’d like to be treated. And so that’s been a bit of a learning or a lesson.

And again, of course we can’t always honor our commitment. We can’t always show up because life happens. But for me, it’s been a big learning, that is something that’s very important to me. No matter how famous I become or how big my name is. I think that We can always treat others with kindness.

The next lesson that I’ve learned is to use the podcast strategically. So in alignment with launches. So at the start, I just used to record episodes about. Whatever, whatever I felt like talking about. And you know, sometimes I still do that. This episode was just something I felt like talking about, recognizing a milestone. There’s no, selling process here. It’s just a recognition and celebration episode, and sharing some learnings as well.

At the start, I wasn’t really thinking about what’s the thing that I’m trying to sell, what’s the message that I’m wanting to share with my audience right now. And over time I’ve recognized, Oh, if I’m going to have this platform, I should use it to support my audience, the things that I am doing in my business.

The next lesson that I’ve learned, I have learned about pitching. So as a podcast host, I get pitched to all the time. And I think I might record another whole episode about this. But at a snapshot, if you are pitching to someone, firstly, it’s not a collaboration really, unless it’s a win win. So people say to me, I want to collaborate with you by coming on your podcast. I’m like, well, you don’t really have a big following, you don’t have a parallel audience, this, how is this a win for me? That a collaboration means win win. So that’s the first thing. And I really encourage you if you are pitching for media for anything, think about the person who you were pitching to.

So for example, if someone comes to me and says, Hey, Clare, I’ve done your course, the Profit Academy Foundations, and I absolutely loved it. My business profit has grown by 50%. Would you be open to me coming on your podcast as a guest to talk about what I’ve learned? And of course, that’s a hell yes for me, I get to showcase a transformation from one of my students and you know, I also get the opportunity to showcase one of my students, their business you know, have the back links, et cetera, to their business. So that feels really in alignment.

Or if someone has a message, if there’s someone who’s got something really important that I think that my audience needs to know about, then that is absolutely something of interest. So I’ve learned a lot about pitching. And like I said, I think I’m going to do another whole podcast episode all about that.

So if you’re listening and you are umming and ah ing about whether you should launch a podcast or even, a YouTube channel or any other platform, In the space of marketing your business, a couple of things that I think that you should think about first.

Firstly, why do you want to. Really get clear on the why before you dive on in and make sure that you are using the platform in an aligned way.

Next, can you afford the cost and the time commitment? You might think that I just sit down here and Grab a mic and start rambling on. Maybe that’s what it sounds like sometimes. I don’t know, but I actually spend quite a lot of time. I spend at least double the amount of time I spend recording it on preparing.

I map out a framework of things that I want to share. I research topics. So that I can make sure that I’m giving as much value as, as possible. So it is a significant time commitment and also the cost. I know that different people do their podcasts in different ways, but I, since the start have had a podcast editor and I’ve recently bought this function in house using the support of AI and my assistant, but.

You know, it, it takes time for someone in the team or even for yourself to go and create assets to about social media marketing, to post it on your website, to post it on platforms. So really think about the cost and time commitment.

I just wanted to share a really interesting stat that I heard, which is that according to medium. com 90 percent of podcasts don’t get past episode three and of the remaining 10%, 90% percent of those don’t make it to episode 20. Isn’t that like mind blowing. So to get to episode 21, it basically means you were in the top 1 percent of episode producers, and it just goes to show how many people start this journey and don’t stick with it. So really before you get started, say, am I willing to lean in and commit to this and be consistent?

Like I said, from the bottom of my heart, I feel very humbled that I have you listening to the podcast. I feel very grateful for the opportunities that this podcast has presented. And I have no plans for the Clare Wood podcast to go anywhere soon. As I said in the intro to celebrate the five years, I’m giving away a 60 minute one on one coaching call with me. And to enter, all you need to do is write a review of the Clare Wood podcast on Apple podcast. Take a screen grab. And email it to admin@clarewood.Com.

A huge thank you to you for listening to my podcast. And I hope you enjoyed today’s episode, a bit of a trip down memory lane, and I cannot wait to chat to you in next week’s episode.

* Transcript created by AI – may contain errors or omissions from original podcast audio