Ambitious Entrepreneur Show

8. Starting a podcast: Which is the best microphone

5.36 min Jun 11, 2022

Hi, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead podcast tip for coaches and consultants who want to launch a podcast to nurture listeners into leads, get clients and build their business with their podcast. This is tip #8. In tip #7 I shared that one of the most common questions I�...

Hi, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead podcast tip for coaches and consultants who want to launch a podcast to nurture listeners into leads, get clients and build their business with their podcast. This is tip #8. In tip #7 I shared that one of the most common questions I’m asked by coaches who are thinking of starting their podcast is – where do I start?

The second question I’m often asked is this: What’s the best microphone for my podcast?

The answer is simple: The best microphone is the microphone you have available to you right now.

However, before we even begin to consider technology – one of the questions I asked them is why do you want to start your podcast? And, if the answer is “because I’m just not generating the clients I want and I feel like the world’s best kept secret and I’ve heard a podcast will help me get my message out to more people.” that response is a red flag.

Why?

Because if their message isn’t working already, if how they speak about themselves and the services they offer, is not generating interest and inquiries – I would rather focus on getting their message right first and THEN launch a robust podcast strategy to help them expand their reach and visibility with a message that works.

Because a podcast will help you amplify your message BUT if your message isn’t working, your podcast will only amplify your message which is not working for more people, so you’ll end up possibly confusing even more people.

So rather than focusing on the make and model of a microphone – focus FIRST on your message.

That’s because you cannot edit and mix compelling content that converts, you cannot edit and mix content that nurtures listeners into leads from content that doesn’t make sense, that’s not compelling, that speaks directly to the heart of your ideal client and what he/she is struggling with – even if it was recorded on the BEST microphone available.

So, worrying about what microphone to get if your message isn’t already working is the wrong thing to focus on. The best microphone will depend on a number of factors, so keep that in mind as you continue your research.

But most importantly of all, your MESSAGE and working that out BEFORE you worry about the model and make of microphone is crucial.

I’ll see you in the next tip.

Post a review and share it!

If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends. Help us help them grow their business and create a positive impact. For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook. Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers. Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me. Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious, Annemarie

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7. Starting a podcast: Where do you start?

4.45 min Feb 9, 2025

Hi this is Annemarie and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead podcast tip for coaches and consultants who want to launch a podcast to nurture listeners into leads, get clients and build their business with their podcast. This is tip #7.
One of the most common questions I’m asked by coaches who a...

Hi this is Annemarie and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead podcast tip for coaches and consultants who want to launch a podcast to nurture listeners into leads, get clients and build their business with their podcast. This is tip #7.

One of the most common questions I’m asked by coaches who are thinking of starting their podcast is – where do I start?

So in this tip I want to share what I share with them and with all of my clients and my community.

Where do you start when it comes to your podcast?

You start with the end in mind. But not just ANY end in mind.

But a specific end in mind.

Because specificity is key.

For instance a goal of: “I want to build visibility and brand awareness with my podcast” is not specific.

Nor is, I want to grow my podcast downloads to 1,000 downloads per episode – that’s not specific either.

If we look at those two examples – being more specific with the first example of “I want to build my visibility and brand awareness with my podcast’ could become: “I want to build my visibility and brand awareness as a trusted authority as a coach/consultant for high-earning Reals Estate Agents in the commercial real estate space, helping them go from 7-figure to 8-figure deals.

And, if we look at the second example, where originally we said “I want to grow my podcast downloads to 1,000 downloads per episode’ to “I want to build a highly engaged community of multi-six figure coaches who are ready and need support to take their business to 7-figure incomes, with my podcast playing an integral role in my relationship building strategy and constantly growing to 1,000+ downloads per episode.

Both of those examples, I’m sure you would agree when from quite broad statements to specific and highly focused statements.

Why is that important?

Because being specific allows you to be more focused AND strategic in your planning, the content you share, HOW you position yourself, WHERE you share your podcast, the keywords and phrases you use.

It impacts everything.

So, tip #7 when starting a podcast – where do you start? You start with the end in mind – and that end in mind is having clarity AND specificity when it comes to your message and monetization strategy for your podcast.

How clear and specific are you when it comes to your podcast and the overall goals you want?

I’ll see you in the next tip

Post a review and share it!

If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends. Help us help them grow their business and create a positive impact. For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook. Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers. Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me. Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious, Annemarie

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[Ep#368] The 3 Key Stages of the Customer Journey for Your Client Relationship Building Funnel

25.39 min Feb 9, 2025

Over the last few months inside my membership program for Coaches – The Influence Alliance, we’ve been spending time on mapping out our strategies for the customer journey.
Is this something you have in place in your coaching business?
Do you have a strategy in place that’ll enable you t...

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6.Mistake5: Your message getting lost in the noise of your own podcast

5.81 min Feb 9, 2025

Hey, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #6. And this is the last of the main mistakes that I made when I started my very first co-hosted podcast 13 years ago, which we did for two years, and then even continued to do over the years with the other podcasts th...

Hey, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #6. And this is the last of the main mistakes that I made when I started my very first co-hosted podcast 13 years ago, which we did for two years, and then even continued to do over the years with the other podcasts that I had.

I’m sharing these mistakes with you so that you can avoid making them and therefore not have to go through the frustration that I did. But rather launch your podcast and start generating real results from your very first episode.

And this tip is not to let your message get lost in the noise of your own podcast. What do I mean by that? Well, I’ve made this mistake several times across a number of my podcasts.

I see this happen time and time again, going back to one of the other mistakes that I shared with tip #3 and that mistake was comparing podcasts to mainstream radio. Like what I did, I did that and other shows have done that to other podcast hosts and businesses have done that, too. So what they ended up doing was they got together and a number of guests interviewed them and then at the beginning or the end or right in the middle or somewhere along those lines, they would put a little ad in there about their own business and hope that as the host, someone would hear that. Then they would hope that someone would go, “Oh, I need that”.

Do not let your message get lost in the noise of your own podcast. I had someone else come to me because they had a massive production. They had hired someone that had come from the radio space mainstream radio. That’s exactly what they did as well. They interviewed all of these people from business, and then they incorporated ads within their podcast episode, which promoted their particular business, your message is going to get lost in the noise of your own podcast.

Get clear on your message, and make sure your podcast is highly niched with the topic and the guests that you have. As I mentioned in a previous mistake, monetize your own message but don’t do it in a way where you’re getting all of these guests and then you’re throwing an ad in there hoping that one of your listeners will go “Yeah, I actually need a fitness coach” or “Yeah, I actually need some financing capital financing for my business”. When the topics that you’re talking about the guests that you’re having, and the overall name and positioning of your podcast are anything but fitness for business professionals, for businesses who want to make a bigger impact in the world, or financing whatever that that demographic of the client is, make sure your podcast is themed and positioned so that you can step up onto that virtual platform and begin to build a high niche audience of your ideal clients that you can continue to build know, like, and trust with.

So that was Tip #6, the last of the mistakes. I look forward to speaking with you in the next tip, where I answer some of the questions that I have been asked over the years.

I’ll see you in the next tip.

Post a review and share it!

If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends. Help us help them grow their business and create a positive impact. For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook. Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers. Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me. Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious, Annemarie

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Ep#367 Coaches, Why LESS really is MORE to grow your brand and business

16.25 min Feb 9, 2025

Have you heard the saying ‘Less is more’? It’s a paradox – an oxymoron, that has been used across many industries.
In fact, it’s something I’ve said too, when it comes to a coach developing their message and content: Less IS More.
How so?
I share more in today’s episode.
...

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5. Mistake 4: Focused on a large audience vs niched audience

5.35 min Feb 9, 2025

Hey, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #5, I’m still covering some of the mistakes that I made 13 years ago when I started my very first podcast.
It was a co-hosted podcast that started in 2008. Go back to a couple of tips. And I share a little bit mo...

Hey, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #5, I’m still covering some of the mistakes that I made 13 years ago when I started my very first podcast.

It was a co-hosted podcast that started in 2008. Go back to a couple of tips. And I share a little bit more about why I started back in Tip #2, I believe it is, but today, I’m covering tip #5. And that mistake is focusing on building a large audience versus a niched audience. Now previously, I’ve mentioned that we used to compare our podcast to mainstream radio, it really was the only thing that we can compare it to. We think an audio radio podcast is audio obviously now there’s a video as well and live to stream. But back then it wasn’t.

I know even over the number of years that I’ve continued podcasting, one of the questions that I’m often asked, is do you have sponsors on the show? And I would say 99.99% of the time, I say no, we don’t because I recognize the value of a highly niched audience. And I know that the know, like, and trust that I have built with my community, with my listeners, I do not want to break because all of a sudden I’ve got these random ads from organizations that have paid me pittance in comparison to if my audience steps into my programs, VIP coaching programs, but training and such highly niched audience is much better than a large audience.

And I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I would much rather have a high niche, more highly engaged, a smaller audience of my ideal clients who love what I talk about, who are benefiting from it, who are hiring me, who are sharing my content, and recommending me to their colleagues and people that they know that would potentially need my services, than having a huge audience of people that maybe are enjoying the content, however, they’re not really taking action, they’re not hiring me, they’re not generating any leads for me or even referrals and recommendations of my ideal clients.

I always say to speak to an audience of one. And when you really are speaking, beautifully cutting through the noise for that audience of one. That audience of one and will become four, become eight and 16, and so on and so forth.

So, mistake number five, focusing on building a large audience versus what you should be doing, focusing on building a niche audience. And that means it could be a smaller niche audience. But a smaller niche audience that is more highly engaged, is ultimately going to allow you to monetize your own message, which I talked about in tip #4, rather than monetizing someone else’s, which is something that you should be focusing on to monetize your own message.

So hope that tip was helpful. Don’t focus on building a large audience. Vanity numbers are not bankable. Rather focus on building a niche audience that is far more highly engaged and more likely to hire you. As you continue to build know, like, and trust.

I’ll see you in the next tip.

Post a review and share it!

If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends. Help us help them grow their business and create a positive impact. For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook. Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers. Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me. Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious, Annemarie

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[Ep#366] How to Apply the Alignment Marketing Formula

34.28 min Feb 9, 2025

People buy from a company that they trust, like, and know. If people don’t know about your brand, they can’t build a relationship with you. They would want to support someone that shares their core values.
Knowing who you want to sell your services to is crucial when it comes to sales and marke...

People buy from a company that they trust, like, and know. If people don’t know about your brand, they can’t build a relationship with you. They would want to support someone that shares their core values.

Knowing who you want to sell your services to is crucial when it comes to sales and marketing. Not knowing who or what your ideal clients are can very well lead to ineffective marketing strategies. The content you share must also be valuable to your clients. And as you incorporate your values into your content and communications, you influence how your clients perceive you. Identifying and targeting your audience, believing in your message, and showing up consistently all make a difference. By doing so, you establish your identity as a brand and show your expertise, earning your client’s trust. When communicating with your clients, you must prioritize their needs over those of yours. It is about them, not about you and your business. That’s how you connect with them on a deeper level and drive more sales.

On today’s show, we’ll talk more about how you are gonna get an alignment, how you’re going to create belief in yourself, and how you’re gonna stay consistent in getting sales satisfaction and success based on your core values.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

How to discover your innate personal power within the comfort zone of your core values and personality traits
How to grow your audience and make sales in a way that feels comfortable, right, and fulfilling
How to apply the Alignment Marketing Formula (Alignment + Belief x Consistency)

Resources

The Influence Alliance — A business-building community for changemakers who want to build a sustainable and scalable business they love.
The Influence Alliance Free Podcast Series
Are you struggling to be known as a trusted authority in your industry? Schedule a chat with Annemarie at help@annemariecross.com.
Connect with Bridget : Website | Twitter | LinkedIn |EMail | Instagram

About Stacey

Stacey is the founder of Success with Stacey Hall, is best known for her ground-breaking social media marketing training program, Go for Yes, which has helped thousands of people attract more sales, customer and employee satisfaction, and success.

Stacey is an acclaimed international speaker who gained recognition for her TEDx Talk. Her mission is to help entrepreneurs attract and connect with their ideal audience, solve their audience’s problems, and leave a legacy that lives on long after they are gone.

You can connect with Stacey thru her Website | Twitter | LinkedIn |EMail | Instagram

Enjoy This Podcast? If you enjoyed today’s episode of Ambitious Entrepreneur Podcast, then hit subscribe now!

Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends, so they can find out more about how to generate returns from a Google Ads account.

For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS, and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook.

Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers.

Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me.

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious,

Annemarie

The post [Ep#366] How to Apply the Alignment Marketing Formula appeared first on The Ambitious Entrepreneur Podcast Network

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4. Mistake 3. Focusing only on sponsorships

5.13 min Sep 10, 2022

Hi, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #4, which are the mistakes I made 13 years ago when I started my very first podcast.
This tip follows on from tip #3 – comparing and thinking a podcast is like mainstream radio, which is not. Your podcast audience, ...

Hi, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #4, which are the mistakes I made 13 years ago when I started my very first podcast.

This tip follows on from tip #3 – comparing and thinking a podcast is like mainstream radio, which is not. Your podcast audience, especially if you are attracting a niched audience of your ideal clients – can be far more engaged than a large audience of people just listening for entertainment or easy listening, which is what you would typically find with a radio station.

Which leads to the next mistake my cohost and I made, which is to assume in order to best monetize your podcast – you do that through advertising and sponsorships.

Don’t get me wrong – sponsors are certainly a way to monetise your podcast and can work well if you have a specific business model that is best suited to sponsorships.

However, for a service-based business – a coach with expertise in your podcast is better positioned to continue to showcase your expertise, while creating an audience of your ideal clients who you can continue to build know, like and trust and then begin to nurture listeners who are ready to make that next step, nurture them into leads by getting them off your podcast and onto your list. I share more about that in my Profitable & Purposeful Podcasting Masterclass about this exact step I use on my podcast and now teach all of my clients. I’ll share the link so you can get access to the Masterclass at the end of this tip.

Building a community of your ideal client, continuing to build know like and trust, and nurturing listeners into leads and ultimately customers is how you monetize your podcast. You monetize your message.

I’ll share more in upcoming tips in this series.

Post a review and share it!

If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends. Help us help them grow their business and create a positive impact. For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook. Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers. Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me. Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious, Annemarie

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[Ep#365] The Power of Telling Your Story

32.08 min May 10, 2022

Stories have played a significant role in shaping who we are as human beings. They are written so that they can be shared with others. However, most people are reluctant to tell their stories. The thought of sharing our own story can indeed be terrifying – it can force us to examine closely w...

Stories have played a significant role in shaping who we are as human beings. They are written so that they can be shared with others. However, most people are reluctant to tell their stories. The thought of sharing our own story can indeed be terrifying – it can force us to examine closely who we are, where are, and how we got here. What we don’t realize is that our stories are powerful and they can shape, influence, and change the lives of others.

We never know who needs to hear our story. Our story can serve as a beacon of hope for someone else, letting them know they’re not alone and that things can still turn out well. And by sharing our story with others, we offer them the confidence to do the same.

Share your story; it’s your gift. Believe your story then you will fully understand its power.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

Learn how you can use storytelling skills to make a global impact
Discover 3 ways to enhance your storytelling and harness the power of your story
Understand how your audience’s engagement is vital for a win-win outcome

ResourcesThe Influence Alliance — A business-building community for changemakers who want to build a sustainable and scalable business they love.
The Influence Alliance Free Podcast Series
Are you struggling to be known as a trusted authority in your industry? Schedule a chat with Annemarie at help@annemariecross.com.
Connect with Bridget : Website | Twitter | LinkedIn |EMail | Instagram

About Bridget

Clients call her “The Book Whisperer”. Bridget is a NYT & WSJ bestselling author, mentor, humanitarian, and speaker known for riveting, transformational stories, showcased on Oprah, Dateline, CNN, GMA, NPR and in People among others. As the Founder of Your Inspired Story, she helps others discover the power of their own story.

You can connect with Bridget thru her Website | Twitter | LinkedIn |EMail | Instagram

Enjoy This Podcast? If you enjoyed today’s episode of Ambitious Entrepreneur Podcast, then hit subscribe now!

Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends, so they can find out more about how to generate returns from a Google Ads account.

For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS, and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook.

Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers.

Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me.

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious,

Annemarie

The post [Ep#365] The Power of Telling Your Story appeared first on The Ambitious Entrepreneur Podcast Network

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3. Mistake 2: Comparing podcasting to mainstream radio

6.82 min Feb 10, 2022

Hi, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #3, which are the mistakes I made 13 years ago when I started my very first podcast.
My co-host and I assumed this too, however, we were wrong.
In fact, when my cohost and I hired mentors to help us monetize our pod...

Hi, this is Annemarie, and welcome to another #ListenerIntoLead tip. This is tip #3, which are the mistakes I made 13 years ago when I started my very first podcast.

My co-host and I assumed this too, however, we were wrong.

In fact, when my cohost and I hired mentors to help us monetize our podcast (back in 2008-2010) – many of them had come from mainstream radio and suggested we monetize our show with advertising and sponsorships.

However, one of the things we didn’t realize back then (which I know now) was the incredible value of a smaller yet highly niched and highly engaged audience.

And, how with a smaller highly niched audience you were far better to monetize your OWN message before you monetize someone else’s.

I share more in today’s tip.

Additional Resources:

Profitable & Purposeful Podcasting Masterclass for Coaches and Consultants

Post a review and share it!

If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends. Help us help them grow their business and create positive impact. For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS and more!

You can also follow us through Facebook. Want to build a scalable business you are passionate about? Join The Influence Alliance – the Business Building Community for Change Makers. Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast’ Quiz here, and have a chat with me. Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

To staying ambitious, Annemarie

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