Christine Amerman 0:03
Welcome to podcast guesting for profit, where we bring you the secrets behind what it actually takes to be successful as a podcast guest without being sleazy or salesy. I'm your host, Christine Amerman.
Nicole Pettes 0:17
And I'm your co-host, Nicole Janton. Together, we're sharing the tips and strategies that we and our clients have used to generate seven figures from podcasts guesting, so that you can tap into the true power of your podcast interviews.
Christine Amerman 0:30
Whether you're an entrepreneur who wants to grow your business, a podcast or who wants to grow your own show, or both. You're in the right place. Welcome to podcast guesting for profit. Welcome to an episode of podcast guesting for profit that I am really excited to get into with you today and with my fabulous co host, Nicole, if you're tuning in for the first time, I'm Christine Amerman. And I am so excited to bring you a conversation about the importance of story about the importance of our stories about the importance of story in terms of being a powerful presence as a podcast guest and the importance of story as it relates to your business and your brand. I've been thinking a lot about stories. Over the past months, as I've been in a personal reinvention, rising, recognizing and remembering a lot of hours, I love alliteration, and who I actually am as a human as a soul. And because this work is my calling, how it relates to this business. And one of the things I'm really present to is that stories have been an integral part of my life. Since before I have any clear memories. One of my very favorite things about my childhood was that my dad who I get a love for stories from would tell me would make up Lassie bedtime stories for me when he would put me to bed. And so they were always original, and they were creative. And I was the kid in school who was writing, doing creative writing, all the way up through grad school when I was producing documentaries, which is of course a form of narrative storytelling. And when I studied at Oxford, and I could choose to study anything that I wanted, I took a creative writing one on one with a call tutorial with one of the professors. And really, really delved deep even though these were elective type classes, these were always the things that I was drawn to are these narratives and these archetypes and how do we take these things, these stories that we know are how the human brain is wired to process information to store information to remember information, recall information, and make it real for ourselves. How do we take these things and apply them authentically and ethically? To our businesses? As podcasts get? Right? How do we make this really like gorgeous intangible conversation, something that we can take and apply to reaching more people with our message and making ourselves more magnetic and more memorable? Because one of the things that I'm most passionate about is building a business and a life that is on your own terms. So meaning what if as a possibility stories are central to the way that you communicate as a podcast guest as a content creator, as an entrepreneur, rather than what I see so many people teaching, maybe because they haven't been studying and practicing story for almost 40 years, right? I'm sorting one. So since I could talk almost 40 years rather than all of the shiny objects which are like this Here's how you slide into people's DMS. And if you send 100, a day with this copied and pasted script before you get blocked by the algorithms, then maybe you'll get some back. And they'll eventually turn into high ticket sales. I call BS on that. That is not what I am here for or like, you know, I just need to get out this number of posts, or I just need this launch plan, or I just need to spend this number of dollars on ads and leads and like, look, I love strategy. And if it's not rooted in authenticity, and powerful stories that connect you to other souls, to what has been true of humanity throughout history, long before the internet, long before any of us were alive, when people were still living in tribes. Stories are the common thread between us and our ancestors, who survived so that we could be here today. Stories are how we learn. Stories are how we connect stories, or how we heal stories or medicine. And so, as you can hear, I don't think stories could be any more important. And then the question becomes, how do we walk them out? From where we sit in our businesses right now from where we sit with our brands? Right now from where we sit on our personal journeys, right now? How do we choose the right stories to tell? What are those stories going to do for us, so that will actually give ourselves permission to craft and share those stories and deal with the inevitable vulnerability hangover that comes when we share them. For instance, I'm sitting on a post right now, I was just journaling about it this morning, that I wrote a while ago, about having teeny, tiny boobies. And I haven't shared it yet. Because I'm not quite ready. Like it's written, it's done. There's a picture, there's a post all of the things. And when I check in with my get, I'm like to post it, right. But I'm here talking about it. And I'm aware of that, because I know that sharing my truth, every time that I do, every time that I peel back another layer of vulnerability, it resonates with the right people. Frankly, it repels the wrong people. And it strengthens people's impression of me as a certain type of human as a certain type of coach as a certain type of entrepreneur. So I want you to really consider what possibilities can stories create for you? And to give you some specific examples, I'm going to ask Nicole to chime in here, Nicole, what you got for us?
Nicole Pettes 8:26
Yeah, I mean, the power of storytelling, I think cannot be underrated. And particularly as a podcast guest you have a unique platform where you're able to share your story share your message and a much longer form. Now something that we're always thinking about as entrepreneurs as content creators is how can we captivate engagement. Because if you don't have engagement, if you don't capture the attention of the people who are tuning in to your episode, who are scrolling through your content, then it doesn't really matter what the content is if they're not paying any attention. And this is one of the huge powers of integrating stories is that you're able to actually capture the attention of the listeners, keep them engaged throughout the episode. And this is going to allow them to get a taste for you actually get to learn about your work, as opposed to if you just started maybe spewing off strategies, it might feel overwhelming and encourage them to click on to the next episode, scroll on to the next post, for example. Now, like you said, Christine, these stories are really the way that we connect. So with this goal of connecting with the audience, connecting with the listeners, there's really no better way to do this than with a story. What comes to mind for me is I felt really vulnerable at one time sharing a story about a little bit about my religious upbringing and what brought me to where I'm at currently in spirituality. And it was a scary story for me to share because I hadn't really shared that story before. But I had multiple people reaching out to me saying that that story really right resonated with them. And in particular clients saying that they chose to work with me because they had a similar story themselves. So it's through these stories that we're able to create those connections, build that trust, because someone actually feels like you've been through the same thing as them because you have and you're sharing it, as opposed to what it's so easy to do, which is to stand on the other side of things, as this expert showcase your IP and all the pillars of your process, which really just puts people to sleep, quite frankly. And then you miss out on all this opportunity for connection, really building that like no interest much faster. And being a memorable standout podcast guest. I mean, with you, Christine, I think this is something that stands out so clearly in your speeches, both on stage and in podcast guesting, which really captivates people, and inspires them to take action because they hear your story and they're so inspired. And so I'm curious for our listeners who might be feeling a little bit like me, and not sure maybe what parts of their story to share? Or how to best share their story to create this engagement to create that connection? What advice would you give
Christine Amerman 11:14
my very favorite way of looking at this. And I don't have an attribution. So if anyone does, please reach out and let me know, is share your scars and not your wounds. So there are always and forever going to be things that we are working through being human, and things that we are maybe struggling with things that we are coming to terms with parts of our journey that we are wrestling with, or working to integrate. And one of the things that I often see people do. And I've had clients do this is use their, their platform, their primary platform, wherever they share content, as more of their journal, then as a as a positioning piece strategically, so you know, I've been working with companies on their marketing and their messaging for over 20 years at this point. And so I've had the insight in the behind the scenes of seeing hundreds of companies, you know, and helping them with their messaging, right? How do we bring what is both strategic and authentic to the world, and in do so in a way that is going to connect with and attract the right people? Stories are the best way to build know, like and trust. And so when when you can be clearer on what is a scar, and what is a wound, which requires you to do a depth of self inquiry, which requires you to have self awareness and be able to be an observer of your own journey. And use your intuition and come to a place of like completion and integration with the things that you walked through, then you can be clear on what to share that is a scar that is going to serve people and not a wound where it might be attention seeking. Right. I think this is the thing that people fear. I know I feared it. Well, how do I talk about the things that were really impactful for me in a way that that serves people, and that helps people and that isn't being that person, like most of us have a frame of reference, like I don't want to be that person that I see on my social feeds or, or whatever, that's kind of repulsive. And I'm like, oh, that's awkward, like don't maybe don't share that or like wow, or that triggers us recognize attention seeking, right, like we have a judgment around. So how do we not be that person is usually the place that I see clients coming from, right. And it's very, very much something that I have had a conversation with myself a lot over the last eight years in this business, specifically, around how to integrate the true origin story of this business, into my marketing without being exploitative without being attention seeking. And and frankly Knowing that it's going to trigger people, because if you don't know, the reason that I started life with passion almost exactly eight years ago, was out of my own rewriting of my story and healing after the full term loss of my first daughter. And it was unexpected, it was everything was fine with a pregnancy one day and the next, my baby had passed. And so I experienced this big T trauma. And out of that did a level of a level of like, self exploration at a depth I never had before, of going like, what am I here to do? What am I going to do to make a legacy for her, since she's not here to do that for herself? And that's the only way I feel like, I know how to parent this child. And if I'm still on this planet, instead of her, like, what am I going to do with this life? And, and it was terrifying. Because what came out of that inquiry was like, Oh, I'm actually meant to step out from behind the scenes, where I had been very comfortable. Running the marketing, essentially, like a fractional CMO of other people's businesses, for years, right, telling other people's stories. And hands on doing that through video, through social through copywriting, through ads, through all websites, all of the marketing things. And then all of a sudden, it became very, very clear to me that it was time to tell my story, in order to empower others to do that for themselves. And to bring all of this knowledge to, to smaller businesses, right, and specifically, coaches. And I was so scared that people would perceive me as attention seeking, that I, they would perceive me as like, exploiting my daughter's death. And I had a conversation with myself about it. And what came out of that was like, No, this is the actual truth of why you started this business, Christine, it would actually be incongruent, and authentic, if you didn't share it. If you didn't share it, if you pretended that it was anything else. Right? If you pretended that, you know, my own awakening, like you were mentioning, Nicole, like my own awakening to my true beliefs, and my power and how I interact with the world, and what's beyond it was not completely changed by going through that experience in 2015. And so that gave me the permission to then go, Okay, well, if that's true, and that's authentic, then what are the places that our scars here and not wounds? So, for example, at that time, it was a massive trigger for me to be around. People who had living children, to hear them talking about parenting, because guess what, I had been pregnant, I had had a baby, but I did not bring that baby home from the hospital. And so while I was in the depths of that grief, I really didn't work with or speak to and my messaging people who were parents, and that is one way that I protected myself and frankly, them because I knew that my grief in that area was still so raw, that it was just it was very much like an open gaping wound. It was not a scar, you know, where I could help people is with the stuff that I've been doing forever. Right? I could talk about how to help them market and message just about anything that didn't relate to children. That changed as my family building journey continued. And I went on to have two living children. Then a space opened up in me as that wound healed and became a scar, where I could kind of hold the both and right like, all of these children are part of my story, whether they're Earth side or not. And so I think that for most of us what I've noticed, this is where we often get stuck. What parts of our story are okay to share. And usually it's the ones that are the most powerful, that are the ones we struggled To share the most, right, and I've walked people through, like, what am I going to include in my book, because the things that have affected me the most, for example, like maybe some of the people who, you know, did some harm to me, are still alive. And while that was the most profound
trauma that resulted in the biggest change in my life, I don't necessarily want to put that in writing for the entire world to read while they're still alive. How do I navigate that? Right? These are big, important questions, your story is yours. And also, we live in a world, as humans, we're wired for connection, things happen very much not in a vacuum, in the opposite of a vacuum, right in interaction with others. And so this is a really, really big conversation. And I share that specific example. Because it's probably the place that I wrestled with the most. The one, the more recent one would be sharing about my divorce. Because there are other humans, there's my kid's father, there's my kids, right? There's extended families, there's all of these things, I wrote a chapter in a book about it, about my making that decision, um, I, you know, wrote a post about it. And those things were written months before they ever went live and became public. Right. And I have wrestled with him in real time. So I just I share all of that, to give you some real examples of like things that I've chosen to share. And also from a really like, thoughtful place, not just throwing it online, the minute a decision was made, or the minute the experience was had. And I think this is super, super important to consider, as you are thinking about stories. So I hope those examples are helpful for you, Nicole, where what would you add?
Nicole Pettes 22:12
Yeah, I think that that is so important, sharing your scars, not your wounds, and something else that comes up from our clients all the time when we talk about sharing their more vulnerable stories, even if they are scars is this idea of? Well, sometimes when I share my story, I tend to call in people who are stuck, maybe they're at the same place that I was, but they don't want to take action. Or perhaps there was a aspect of your story that felt a little bit victime to a certain extent. And now you're calling in people who are in that victim mode, as an example. So how can I then actually share my story in a way that is connecting and resonating with the right people? And I wanted to mention this, because it goes so much, far beyond just deciding what story to share. But how are you actually going to share it? Right? If you think about even big companies like Pixar, they have huge teams that go into developing not only what the story is, but exactly how is it going to be portrayed in a way that's going to engage, captivate the audience, get the message, the mission of the movie across and the same goes with your work and with your stories? So you need to think about not just what stories are you ready to share what stories are on your heart that would impact them? But also now how can we present this story in a way that's going to land. And so just a quick tip for you here, because I find that a lot of people, when they think about their journey, they think about their story, they tend to start on a very low note, right? They may start with this beginning, like where I was at in the problem in the depths of it. And what happens when we do that is then we end up pulling in people who are at that same place, and who maybe aren't even ready to take action no matter what the outcome of your story is, or the result at the end. And so instead, you might want to take more of like the Pixar approach going back to them, which is telling a high note, and then sharing the low and then the high, right, so pulling them in with something that is inspiring and motivates action and then sharing those depths. And those more vulnerabilities of your story before going back to the high end. Of course, this is just a simple outline. But this is just to get you to think about how exactly am I portraying my story? How am I sharing it? And is it landing? Is it converting? Is it selling? Right? Do you have people reaching out to you like how I did saying, Well, I heard your story and I need to work with you? Or is it more? I heard your story and I can relate? Right? Because we would prefer the former so this is an important piece when you're sharing these stories is one what stories are you going to share but to and perhaps more importantly, how are you actually going to present them in a powerful way. So when you can learn to properly integrate these stories into an aligned strategy as a podcast guest Really, it's going to multiply the possibilities that come out of the episode for you both in terms of revenue in terms of opportunities in terms of relationship with the host, right? Think about how bonding have a connection that is to be able to share a vulnerable story of yours in a one to one conversation with someone that is just going to form a huge relationship with that host, which if you've listened to this podcast, you know that the key way to make a profit from podcasting is to take this more long term relationship focused strategy. And so we want to be able to help you to integrate these stories in the right way really come across these podcasts with an aligned strategy. So I want to invite you to go and grab our small pod big profit training, you can grab it at like with passion.com/profit. And we'll be sure to link it in the show notes for you. But this is going to allow you to show up confidently that you can make a profit even on the small shows and share your story in a way that's really truly powerful. So thank you so much for listening. We hope that you have found this episode to be helpful. If you enjoyed it, please leave us a review. It really helps us to reach more people just like us so that they can share their story and get their mission and message out into the world as well. So thank you for tuning in. And we'll see you next week for another episode of podcast guessing for profit.
Christine Amerman 26:33
Here's to living your life with passion