I believe that the best way you can monetize your show is through selling your products and services and connecting deeply to the listeners that are listening to you because I've done radio before. And podcasting isn't radio.
Dylan Schmidt:This is the show for creative entrepreneurs who have a message to share and want to live a life of freedom. Learn how to grow your network, and net worth. Hear from exciting guests, and more. My name is Dylan Schmidt, and welcome to Digital Podcaster. Welcome to the podcast, Anna.
Ana Xavier:Hey, thanks for having me.
Dylan Schmidt:Do you mind shared briefly just a little bit about who you are and how you help? podcasters?
Ana Xavier:Yeah, so I'm originally from Portugal, I started doing podcasts back in 2008, where podcasting wasn't really like a thing was kind of like internet, audio, should we say? And then move to London? Because you know, where else would you would you learn about radio other than the place that has the BBC learn a lot about community radio and nonprofits, I got into digital marketing there. And so I really love social media as a tool for helping people get their message out in a very authentic way and connect to people from anywhere in the world. Really, I feel like podcasters feel like social media has to be these plays where, oh, it's so fake. It's so whatever. And I'm like, No, you can really use it how you want it and find a way to connect to everyone around the world. As I was mentioning, I then moved to the US typical, like, oh, girl needs boy boy has to move to the US. And I moved here and started working in live broadcasting. So kind of podcasts, they were broadcast live on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, all the things. So I was running video podcasts, making sure that people looked good that the engagement that we were seeing on social media was being sent out to the hosts and coaching them. And then in 2020, I was like, You know what, I've been doing this for homeless 20 years and different abilities. And so I just wanted to find a way to support podcasters, who were working towards the betterment of their communities and kind of bridge that knowledge in podcasting with digital marketing and supporting podcasters in all avenues. And so it's been so good to just really focus on these one segment of the podcasting world that is just so wonderful. And people are just super supportive.
Dylan Schmidt:That's incredible. So these days, you're helping podcasters, specifically with so many different things, right.
Ana Xavier:So it's more the organic growth. So I believe that the best way you can monetize your show is through selling your products and services and connecting deeply to the listeners that are listening to you. Because I've done radio before. And podcasting isn't radio, you don't have to be a professional. And most people are under so many assumptions that complicate things, I would say that if you think that you have to be super professional, you have to sound like a radio broadcaster, you're not going to be yourself, right. But today people crave authentic connections. So the best way to support podcasters is making them see what is their winning points. What are the things that they can help their community with? So it's more like through content strategy? What are they already great at? How can they help their community really see that they are the person who they need to follow? So that's mainly what I do. That's what really lights me up
Dylan Schmidt:when it comes to organic growth and just growing a podcast in general, what is the best way to grow podcast without burning out?
Ana Xavier:I love that, because I'm all about finding strategies to not feel overwhelmed. Because if you don't have a growth strategy, you will burn out. So I normally talk to podcasters and try to find what is already good about what they're doing. Right the things that they do naturally, that they don't fight against. Because I feel like when people are trying to find someone else's formula, they first off, don't even think this is make sense to me, is this something that my audience will connect with. And so really looking into what you already do very well. So one of our clients loves using Facebook, her audience is a bit older. So that's where they are. So that's where we focus on creating more of a like a holistic approach. And podcasting, not being necessarily a product or being part of your overall strategy, right, you can have a podcast, but if you don't have social media presence, if you don't have a way to put your word out there, you're going to be growing your podcast very, very slowly. It's possible, but it's just going to take a long, long time. So we figure that out. For instance, we have another client who does a lot of speaking. So whenever she's doing a public speaking engagement, she will just find ways to weave in episodes, she's recorded about that topic and tell people like, Hey, this is my QR code. Go ahead and scan and so you can subscribe to the show. Another one of our clients loves doing content and collaboration. So what she does is just bringing in a ton of people and just really making sure that she follows up and she gives them resources so that people can share the content instead of like, Hey, thanks for coming and then you never message to them again and you don't give them tools. I think one of the things that podcasters don't do a lot or don't do very well. Oh, and mainly because they just don't know is follow up, people are busy. And sometimes people don't know what they don't know. I mean, I've worked with over 40 professionals and every one is different. But your guests, if you don't tell them what to do, they're not going to do anything. Because maybe they were in 20 podcasts for the past month. So if you give them things to make their life easier, people are more likely to follow up, I'm not gonna say they always do. But for the most part, people are excited to help you are excited to share, especially if they had a great experience. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a really good experience when they're on their show. It's the simple things, it's focusing on customer service, like, just make sure that people enjoy being with you.
Dylan Schmidt:I love that. Because if you got some really good interview, the guest naturally is like, I want people to see this because I already made it. I don't need to recreate this situation that happened on a podcast, like, let's just use this amazing podcast everywhere, right? Is that kind of what you're saying?
Ana Xavier:Yeah, yeah. And also at the same time, I feel that for most people, if you're not having a podcast that is about public speakers, or people in the media, or people who do a lot of communication, this is a tool for them to get their word out there without having to spend the money editing and all of these things, right? The more tools you give them ready to use, the more they are likely to share. But I feel that also at the same time is we always tend to look at things through our lens, right? Like how I want to be seen, instead of like, How would anyone benefit from this? Why are we sharing this piece of content? Is this relevant enough? Or is this like an ego trip? I like talking about ego trips a lot. Because that's when you realize that you're not really doing the most effective marketing strategy, because you're thinking like, oh, I want to be seen Oh, that was a great takeaway from me. But like, was your guests the best, right? Like, you have to think about what would get anyone excited to share these piece of content? Why should they care is a great way to approach. And so if you're editing something yourself, make sure that your guest has a promo that they're going to be super excited, because I've been on shows myself, where the cut for the promo was just really badly done. And I was like, Well, I'm sure I I had a better take, or you know what I mean? Like, it's just, what are you doing that is making someone not share that piece of content as frequently. And it may be as simple as that. Sometimes, I would say most times, the solution for problem is more based on like how people behave. And really simple things. You don't need a master's degree in marketing, or communications to figure out like why people aren't sharing. Just sometimes it's as simple as that.
Dylan Schmidt:That's wonderful. Sometimes, it's crazy to think that Digital Podcaster is already on its way to cross over 15,000 followers on Tiktok. And Instagram, I try my best to post engaging short form content there that gives you bite sized tips so that you can incorporate things into your show and provide a better listening experience for your audience. Just go to tick tock or Instagram and search Digital Podcaster. And I will see you there. So this leads me perfectly to the next question is, what would you like to see more of in podcasting?
Ana Xavier:Oh, tell him that's a hard question to answer because I like so much. I think people need to understand the need to follow more people who are more like them, or doing more of the things that they feel that they want to see more of right? Be the person that you need it at some point in your life, right? If you were growing up, and you're like, wow, when I was growing up, there was one thing that nobody talked about, and it would have helped me so much. Do more of that. Be more authentic, be more human. We all are gravitating toward humanity and authenticity. There was a reason why speakers who were like, do this thing, and you will win. And you're like, oh God, who are you? I don't, I don't know who you are. I don't know what you stand for. I don't connect with you. The pandemic has been really clear about the need of us connecting to our humanity. And that's something that everyone can do. Every single week, when you're recording a new episode. Ask yourself, why am I not being who I am normally on the show, you want people to listen to your show and meet you in person and say, This is you. I feel like I know you because you don't need to have a radio persona, and talk super hyped and super fast and have no emotion because that's not who you are. And so I would really convince people do more of what is you and you will connect to people and how
Dylan Schmidt:do you suggest being more of yourself and staying on the topic of your podcast? How do you balance those two things? And with the interviewing like a guest, for example? How do you balance those?
Ana Xavier:That's a very good question. And that's something that is hard for people to gauge. So the way that you get more into your own self, your more authentic self and balance that out with being useful and relatable for other people is looking at it from the lens of what's in it for them? Why should they care about what I'm talking about? However, I'm going to approach this from what do we feel is right? Why do I care? Why am I passionate about this thing that I'm talking about, and really not hindering the parts of my personality. So if I think something is a good fit for someone or a believer in a specific approach, talk about that approach. However, make sure that at some point, you say, hey, and actually, I personally think so try to make sure that you have always your listener in mind, but that you're adding these little nuggets of, hey, I think this what do you think, and bring people in as much as possible, it's just really about making sure that they feel seen, and they are talking to someone that they can gauge what do you stand for? Right? You are talking about things that are valuable to you that you believe in, but you're finding common ground with other people. So do a combination of those where you're sprinkling in your personal values with what you're doing. But always, always, always think about, why should the listener care?
Dylan Schmidt:Love that and piggybacking off what you'd like to see more of what would you like to see less of in podcasting?
Ana Xavier:Oh, my God, Dylan, The, you have to, you have to you have to write like the the concept of there's only one approach to this one thing, instead of just being more open minded, and say, Hey, try this, see how you find it. And so I feel like people being more authentic, and not curbing what could be great ideas just because they don't fit the mold. I feel truly it is about helping people, instead of just trying to mask what we want to achieve with like, quote, unquote, help, I would like to be seeing more imperfect content. And that kind of makes it so that when you're focusing on creating what's called perfect content, you're focusing on tailoring the image that people have of you. And when you're focusing on creating content that moves you forward. So focusing on progress, you're putting the focus on others, and how you're helping them progress forward, or how you have this idea that you know, has to be shared with the world. I feel like thinking about that and how you can be more imperfect moving forward is something that I think is invaluable to make any long term progress. Sounds
Dylan Schmidt:beautiful. And I love how you turned what would you like to see less of you turn into this like beautiful thing to work towards? That's an epic answer. How can people work with you, Anna?
Ana Xavier:Thank you. So I do right now have a podcast course. And it's kind of self paced. So you can join monthly group calls with me and other students that I think is super fun, because you bring in the questions where you're stuck. And this is for podcasts, beginners, people who have been podcasting for the past three years, and for some reason, they don't know why their their podcast isn't converting listeners into like, really engaged fans, or why they're not using their podcast to create leads for their business, right? So it's called maximize your podcast content. And how you can start is going to the podcast facebook.com/course. It's really helping people where are they at? And then those monthly calls really bring people in to just bring in questions, but also learning from other people. The sense of community and accountability is huge. And I think that's pretty much why I created this course because it's just really helping people grow their show in a way that feels authentic to them, while just making sure that they are using all of this amazing content they're putting so much effort on it's wonderful.
Dylan Schmidt:And please make sure to check the episode description in show notes for links to all things and I just love everything she's putting out. Thank you so much for joining me today. Anna.
Ana Xavier:Thank you for having me, Dylan. It's been an absolute pleasure.