Imperfect Marketing
Imperfect Marketing
270: Building a Successful Side Hustle Podcast with Guest Stormy Bell
This week, Kendra talks imperfect marketing with Stormy Bell, podcast host of The Art of Volunteering. By day, Stormy is a Director of Development at a nonprofit in Chester County, Pennsylvania. By passion, she’s amplifying the power of giving back through her podcast, which highlights inspiring stories of volunteers and nonprofits worldwide.
Key Highlights
- How Stormy balances podcasting with a full-time nonprofit career.
- The importance of choosing a realistic podcasting schedule and sticking to it.
- Why LinkedIn and YouTube are her platforms of choice for growing her audience.
- The power of storytelling to inspire volunteering at any level.
Resources:
The Art of Volunteering podcast on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@artofvolunteering
Stormy Bell on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stormy-bell-367a26138/
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Hello and welcome back to another episode of Imperfect Marketing. I'm your host, kendra Korman, and I am really excited to have my friend Stormy join me today On this episode. Stormy is a podcast host of a show called the Art of Volunteering Welcome. Thank you so much for joining me, stormy.
Speaker 2:Kendra, thank you for having me. I'm quite excited about this too.
Speaker 1:So why don't you share with everybody a little bit about yourself and how you got into podcasting?
Speaker 2:Let's see, my name is Stormy Bell and by day I am a director of development at a nonprofit in Chester County, pennsylvania. My hobby is actually the podcast and I got into it because I reached a point in life. I'm like, well, what have I done and what do I want to do? I'd explored doing a digital course, but they talked about having your email list, which I know Kendra's very big on email list. Like, well, how, I'm starting at zero, what do I do? So I kind of took my passion for volunteering, people getting involved, and I'm like, well, I've done that throughout my life, I can talk about that and turned it into a podcast. It started out with just conversations with friends of mine who were in nonprofit space with their volunteers and we've been able to grow it to where I've had guests from Zimbabwe, australia, new Zealand, canada, so we really get around, and this next year I'll be having someone from I think she's Columbia, so we're getting to all the continents.
Speaker 1:Very cool. So I love the decisions that you've made around the podcast. First off, it's a great podcast. So if you are tuning in and want to learn about more about volunteering and the types of nonprofits out there, I encourage anybody who's listening or watching to tune in to the Art of Volunteering. We'll have some links for you in the show notes. But let's talk a little bit about podcasting itself. So it's not your full-time job, right? No, it's not. So how do you?
Speaker 2:do it. I like to batch my interviews. Well, let me back up. I like to talk to people who are making a difference, who are out there in the community, ranging from my last episode, which was PA Votes. Ranging from my last episode, which was PA Votes, where it talked about a nonprofit that gets out into like that 18 to 24 age space and just teaching the importance of civics, which isn't necessarily taught in all schools the way it used to, about the importance of issues. I've had a member of SCORE who's the mentoring for, like Small Business Association. I had a representative from there to come on and just talk about different people at different phases of life giving back. The theme of all the volunteer, all the episodes, is someone giving back or giving to the community or paying it forward and just making a difference. I like to batch my interviews. I try to do Saturday morning, since this is my day job and I will do anywhere from two to four interviews on a Saturday. And then my son is my editor, so I do not do the editing and he's wonderful, he's actually in that field. So I get the professional, I pay him you know it's not for free and so we we make a really good team we do.
Speaker 2:The episodes are biweekly, so it's basically two episodes a month. Our main social platform is YouTube. I do do. You can find an audio on Apple, google, spotify, but those are the main two platforms. I don't really focus on being in all the social media platforms. I just don't have time for that. So it's YouTube and a little LinkedIn, so I try not to go crazy with that. Less is more. In many ways, I have over the court.
Speaker 2:I'm planning my fourth season at this point, which is very exciting to think. I've been doing this for four years and it's fun. Many people have maybe have heard the book the five love languages. Well, mine's like quality time and quality conversation, so I can come out of a Saturday morning which originally started during the pandemic, and I would be so refreshed. I've just been to blah blah, blah, blah blah talking about all these really cool people helping other people or animals or arts. People or animals or arts. We've had a variety of all of them, but it's just giving of themselves.
Speaker 2:My vision for the podcast is to help restore the fabric of our society and we can only do that by coming together and working with each other. So the pleasure is highlighting nonprofits. The pleasure is highlighting nonprofits people who are in the trenches many times working on many social issues, from housing insecurity, food insecurity, educational oasis. There's just so many ways that people can get involved. It could be as simple as someone who's retired going to their elementary school and reading a book to children once a week for an hour. It doesn't have to be hard. Or it can be someone who's being a board member for a nonprofit where they're using their skills and expertise. Maybe their day job is finances. Well, nonprofits need to have that guidance in their boards. So there's something for everyone, and that's what I enjoy highlighting with the podcast.
Speaker 1:I love the time that you take to plan and identify your guests. You look for opportunities with themed months and things like that that are going on. Again, pa votes came out right around the election, which was very timely and relevant, so I think it'll have some long lasting impact, hopefully, on everybody who listens and watches. Now, being a podcast host, you've actually like had people stop you at networking events and things like that when you're doing your full-time job. Talk to me about what identifying that you're a podcast host or talking to people about being guests at networking events, has done for you in the rest of your life.
Speaker 2:It's really been exciting. People get when you say you're a podcast host, they're like really Like, that's so cool and it's so simple. But it's been really neat. And when I'm at networking events, I do my day job, you know, talking about who I am and what we do in our mission, and then always you reach the point of the conversation where you're like oh, so what are you into? Just getting to know the person, and so I'll bring up my podcast because it's a little different and it allows you to elevate nonprofits while you're talking about it. So it's a lot of fun and it's always cool because some of my reach does come through LinkedIn. So I'm into the network of the region that I work and it's like, wow, you listen or you pay attention, like it's. It's always exciting that someone's listening to it and I know from the numbers that people are listening. But when you actually have a real person saying that they're listening, it's like, wow, that's so cool. So I think I'm just as excited about the conversation as they are to mention it.
Speaker 1:And I think that that's just so neat because it's something that sets you apart from everybody else. People are going to remember you after a networking event because of that. So let me ask you about your schedule. So I talk to a lot of people you know. They always say and I can't remember who it is that said it but don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle. And I have, I have, I'm guilty of that, I do that all the time. I'm like I want to be there now, but it's not always possible. And so a lot of the people that are like me, that want compare their beginning to someone else's middle, that want to compare their beginning to someone else's middle, want to do more frequent episodes and stuff like that. What have you noticed and why did you choose to do every other week?
Speaker 2:First, I thought it was manageable, knowing that this is my side hustle. If you do four episodes on a Saturday morning, that's two months worth, so you're able to keep pace with it. My son also has a full-time job and he's doing this on the side for me, so it allows him to be able to pace that out At times.
Speaker 2:I'd like to do more like four weeks, because there's just so many great stories and like I'm already mapping out season four and I'm like, okay, that's only 26 stories that I get to share, but from a realistic point of view I can manage two episodes a month. What was the other part of your question?
Speaker 1:The cadence and social media. How are you managing? How did you decide YouTube and LinkedIn as your two main platforms?
Speaker 2:When we started, we, at the first year, we recorded um, I use zoom. I know some people don't like zoom, but my son is able to figure out how to do the dual tracks so he's able to have the voices on different tracks for editing. But it's something that I was familiar with and was able to do, so that's how we chose that. And then, using those um that platform, year one we only put it out on audio, so you could only find us on Apple, spotify, google, wherever that you listen.
Speaker 2:And then, after we had a season of video, we launched into YouTube because we're in an age where video is king, and so we we launched in April, because that's National Voluntary Month, so that's kind of like my anniversary month every year. And so we launched year two, all of season one in video, and then we started putting it out every two weeks. And then LinkedIn is because my network is my network and I have people all over the East Coast, around the world who follow it, so it just gives it a larger branch. So I hang out on LinkedIn, so it's very natural for me to post there. And then YouTube that's just where people go for their video content.
Speaker 1:So I think that there's a lot to learn here from what you're talking about. So you picked a manageable schedule that continues to be manageable. You picked a manageable number of social media channels and you started with one and expanded to two over time. Like that takes a lot of discipline because there's so many shiny objects out there that I think that it is I give you kudos because I fall into the shiny objects out there that I think that it is I give you kudos because I fall into the shiny objects thing all the time, unfortunately to my detriment.
Speaker 1:So I understand how hard it is to do what you're doing and to keep it in control, because sometimes you have more time, sometimes you hear more stories and you want to share them. But you are very disciplined and controlled with how you've grown your show and your show has grown pretty significantly. I think Buzzsprout said if you have more than 40 downloads on average of an episode, that you're in the top 50 percent of podcasts between your audio and video. You're well above that on average of an episode. That you're in the top 50% of podcasts um between your audio and video.
Speaker 2:You're well above that on average right Average from from the three seasons thus far, I'm about 80, um downloads per episode. Some of those are less, some are more, but um, on average 80. So I'm quite pleased about that. It's exciting to think that people are listening to these conversations and hopefully finding value with them, because they're supposed to be a source of encouragement and education Just these great conversations.
Speaker 2:I've spoken with corporations like SAP to talk about their corporate social responsibility program and how they're getting their employees to give back. They have a great program called Social Sabbatical where their employees can actually do local for like a week or they can go international for longer periods of time and they're just giving back their skills and we learned that it helps build morale within the organization. There's cross-pollination of people working in different departments and getting to know each other, so there's a lot of value in volunteering that people just don't realize. It does give you the basis for purpose, connections, community. It's really good for your mental well-being.
Speaker 2:We've actually had a counselor come on and talk about the impact of volunteering of any age. We've spoken with educational institutions, a college who talked about like why is it important for those incoming applications to have like that community service, that volunteering, and it has a lot to do with how they're going to service that volunteering and it has a lot to do with how they're going to assimilate to the college campus, because when you volunteer you're putting yourself in situations you wouldn't normally find yourself in, with people who are different than you many times, so that allows you to expand that when you arrive on the college campus. So there's just a lot of really cool things about volunteering that we get to bring out and share and I think people are resonating with it, especially in the culture of society that we're living in right now, where it can be so divisive and so polarizing. Volunteering helps bring people together and it's for our greater good.
Speaker 1:Well, I love learning about all the different organizations that you highlight. So I think that there's a lot of value that you're bringing, and it's not just local, I mean, it's national, international. The causes that you're highlighting. Some of them might be hyperlocal, but for the most part, the cause is national, international. It's a lot larger than just your, your local area, and the stories that you're getting are larger than the local area, which is very cool so on that hang on just real quick on that.
Speaker 2:Some of the times, like some of the local ones, it's the idea that I'm going to be having a food bank on even in the next year, and they might might be in a particular region, but if you really resonate with that story, you can find that where you live. So it's not just like, oh, I'm only covering one section of the country for the most part. No, these issues are everywhere and there's a solution that you can get involved with.
Speaker 1:And, I think, a couple of other things that I really like about your podcast. It's about volunteering. There's no question about what you're going to hear about. It's going to be about opportunities, about a nonprofit that's leveraging volunteers in a very cool and unique way. That has a very neat and unique story. So I think all of that is just keeps people coming back week after week, and you know again, this isn't your full time job. This is your, this is a passion project of yours and you've grown it, you know, with a consistent every other week episode and staying consistent to who you are and what the topic is. They know what to expect from you and your guests, which is always a good story. So let me ask you about your tech stack. So, when it comes to the art of volunteering, you said you're using Zoom. What else do you have?
Speaker 2:A microphone, I have earphones and I don't use the camera in the computer. I actually use an EOS, a Canon EOS Rebel. That's what my son used before he moved from the area, so he took my equipment with him. It's his equipment, so I actually had to invest in my own and I like the quality of it. It's simple to use and I actually I'm fortunate to have an office, so I leave it set up and I just hook into it each time. Uh, so my equipment's kind of on the low end.
Speaker 2:Um, like I said, he's the one who does the editing, so he has those platforms. I'm not sure exactly what those are, but he, he's able to do it. Uh, he's experienced, so it's fairly quickly for him to go through it. I can't imagine if I was to do it it would take a whole lot longer. But so you got to know, I would say, what your capabilities are and that you can find resources to fill those gaps someone in the audio visual department or afternoon program to see if they are able to help you, because it's real training for them to be able to do it, or you could. There's paid professionals as well. So, but it doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be hard.
Speaker 1:So we talked a little bit about. Originally you were doing it to build a bit of an audience. You've been doing it for three years. You've built a significant audience beyond just the people that listen every week, right? You're sending out regular emails every time an episode comes out. How else are you promoting it?
Speaker 2:It's the bi-weekly emails. That's really my main source of promoting it, other than posting it on LinkedIn and YouTube. We do just the YouTube video every other week and then the opposite week we do the shorts, where it's 60 seconds or less, and we actually built into the script for the day. I ask questions and I'll actually say can you say this in 60 seconds or less? So it's really defined in what we're talking about. Many times it's why I volunteer like just someone saying that quickly not quickly, but just 60 seconds or we'll pull from a blooper. You have your question about imperfect marketing. Mine is what's a blooper? Because many times our listeners learn more from the things that didn't go right as opposed to things that went perfectly, and so we will pull from there for our shorts All right.
Speaker 1:So that's another thing that I really want to make sure people heard and are listening to. So if you're thinking about starting a podcast or if you're going to be doing podcast guesting, help those people out that are creating the podcasts and help them create those snippets, those shorts, those reels and the TikToks and everything else that go with it, depending on where people are promoting. I like how you go in knowing that you want certain things in a shorter, condensed period of time. You're planning ahead for what those shorts could be. I mean, yes, you'll add in extra ones if there's like a really good tidbit, right, but it really comes down to making sure that you have what you need and that it's flowing the way it needs to, which I think is so important in the planning. On average, how long does it take you to plan an episode?
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, that was about where I was going to go.
Speaker 2:It takes at this point I kind of have a script of the different things that we're going to move through in the conversation and then, prior to that, I send out, actually a Google link for my guests to complete it.
Speaker 2:I send about a week ahead of time and then I sat down, usually the day before, sometimes the day up, because I like it to be fresh in my mind, and I look at the questions they ask. I asked them in the form to spell out like three talking points, because the guest is the expert of their field, the volunteering that's happening. So I let them kind of tell me what they want to talk about and then I build my questions around that and then, obviously, during the conversation there'll be clarifying questions or I'll have a thought that comes up. But we, I kind of map it out so I know exactly where it's going to go. That helps me not to have to read other than like their bio, which I want to make sure I have exactly what, what they've given I to read, um, other than like their bio, which I want to make sure I have exactly what, um, what they've given.
Speaker 2:Uh, I just follow kind of the script I always think of like, uh, say, jack, and now, um, uh, brian Seacrest with the wheel of fortune. It is the same script every night, but it's the guests that make it different. And so I can follow the same script week after week, but it's the guests and how they answer the questions and what they're passionate about. That's what makes the difference in every single podcast.
Speaker 1:I really like that because it doesn't. When I listen to your episodes, I don't they don't sound repetitive to me. So, even though you've got a script to me, so even though you've got a script, nothing feels overly rehearsed or, as it is a script, right, it's just a conversation between you and somebody else and I think that that comes through. So, okay, so you've got a little bit of a script. You refresh yourself with a little bit about what they're going to talk about. You try to plan your recordings on days off, which is always good, and how have you seen the results of people recording on Saturdays? Any pushback on that recording schedule piece?
Speaker 2:It's been interesting. The first two years I had no issues. Every you know I was scheduled every other month. I'd have a Saturday that I would just set aside in my personal schedule. Okay, that's art of volunteering day. This particular year people have been pushing back so I'm actually been doing them after work, like that four, 30 to five, 30 times. So I'm only getting one done a day, which is a little frustrating because I'm not batching them. Having four on a Saturday being two months, I'm only out a month or a month and a half. So that's been just interesting. That people's schedules have changed, it's fine. I still like the batching on a Saturday. So I know, as we're recording this, we're heading into the holiday season so I have some time off from work. The day after Thanksgiving we were not open, so I'm looking to connect with people who also are working and maybe this is their side hustle with their volunteering, to schedule it for that day. So it's a daytime schedule but it's not interfering with work.
Speaker 1:Okay, very cool, but again, I think that there's a lot to say for the fact that people would adjusting to your schedule so you can batch and you can pick a day, right? I mean, I think we get a little bit into our own heads and into our own ways about how hard podcasting will be. If that's something that we want to do, and if you can get around those mental blocks that I think each of us have different ones, you can make it. You can streamline it, you can make it your own, and it doesn't have to be Monday through Friday, it doesn't have to be whenever they feel like you can batch, you can pick a day, you can. I mean, there's just so many things that you can do. You can pick your own cadence and schedule and time limits and everything else that goes with it, and it doesn't have to be harder than you think it is, and you have an opportunity to share your passion and what you're passionate about with the world in a way that's educational and will help people, and I think that that's really powerful.
Speaker 1:So I love the fact that you have this podcast and that you've been doing that with it. So, before we wrap up, because I think that there's a lot here and hopefully everybody. People are learning from a different perspective when it comes to podcasting, when we're looking at the marketing that you do either in your real job or in on your side hustle. The show is called Imperfect Marketing, so marketing is anything but a perfect science. What has been your biggest marketing lesson learned?
Speaker 2:It's trial and error and that not every platform is going to be where you want to be. I've tried on Facebook and Facebook for me is more family based and I don't see a lot of traction in there. Not that my family doesn't listen, but that's not where they're clicking. They've actually become more of a either a Apple um listener. I don't see the click through on Facebook so I don't stress about.
Speaker 2:Maybe once in a while if it's a really like one of my favorite episodes, I'll put it out there, but that's not where I have it. So, really understanding what my um who's listening to it, like volunteering and I'm in the nonprofit space LinkedIn does work well for me because I have other nonprofits listening to it and gleaning from the information that's being spoken about. So I would say you really need to know what your product is and find the social media platform that truly speaks to that that you know your people are going to be hanging out there. So my lesson learned would be just don't go crazy on all the social platforms. Just pick the one, maybe two, that truly fit who you're trying to reach and where you enjoy hanging out on, because if you enjoy hanging out there, people are going to find you.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I love that because that's also really big into productivity and ways to save time, because when you're everywhere and you don't enjoy it, you're not really embracing the platform, you're not really doing the platform, you're not really doing what you need to do, and everybody needs more time because none of us are getting it all done. So I think that that's, I think that that's, that's huge, and I and I love that. That is something that you shared with us today. So Stormy is the podcast host of the show the Art of Volunteering, which you can find on YouTube and anywhere you can download your podcast so Spotify, apple and, I think, a bunch of others too so it is syndicated throughout.
Speaker 1:So again, wherever you're listening or watching to podcasts, be sure to check out Stormy's Art of Volunteering and don't be afraid to think about how you want to put your podcast together. Create it for how you want to live and work and what is manageable for you. I think that that is a huge lesson learned. I think Stormy's numbers prove that being consistent and doing what you can do is more than enough, because it puts you in a top tier of consistent podcasters. So thank you again so much for joining me today, stormy, I really appreciate it. If anybody has any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. We'd love to talk to you more about podcasting and how we both started our stories, and that's it for now. Have a great rest of your day.
