On this episode of Rhodes to Success, Jessica Rhodes interviews Joel Boggess & Dr. Pei Kang Boggess,who are the hosts of The Relaunch Show. Joel is also the number one bestselling author of Finding Your Voice, and Dr. Pei has the experience of successfully running both online and brick and mortar businesses. During the show you’ll find out one of the biggest mistakes podcasters make, how to get podcast guests to open up, and why content is no longer king.      

 

Main Questions Asked:

-       Did you record Chris Brogan at a conference?

-       How do you work together successfully as a couple?

-       How do you divide the roles on the show?

-       Share your thoughts on high quality interviews and great content.

-       Talk about podcasters thinking star guests will save their show.

-       If star guests aren’t the ticket to a huge audience, what is?

-       How can a guest help build your show?

-       How do you decide what interviews get released on your show?

-       What do you do in your show to get guests to be comfortable opening up and keeping the conversation flowing?

-       Talk about what’s next for Relaunch.

 

Key Lessons Learned:

-       Relaunch is Joel and Pei’s fifth podcast, which shows that sometimes you have to go through trial and error before you find success.

-       You become a better podcaster when you take the art and craft of interviewing seriously.

-       Every touch point matters, so it’s important to check in with your guest and keep them updated on what’s going on and where they are in the process.

-       As a podcaster, you need to position yourself directly to who matters.

-       Content is no longer king; it is a commodity. This means that no one person owns the market.

-       Podcasting is all about connection, relationships, and showing your personality.

-       Always place the listeners time as a priority.

 

Podcasting Guests

-       Your guest does not drive your show, you drive your show.

-       Often, guests can be heard on a variety of shows, but only you can be heard on your show. 

-       The big mistake podcasters make is thinking that the star guest is a ticket to a huge audience and will save their show.

-       Remember, it is the podcaster who is the difference maker, not the guest.

-       When you bring a guest on your show think of them as a co-host rather than a high and mighty expert.

-       Your guest needs to understand who your audience is, what their greatest challenges are, and how the guest can offer the most value.

-       When your guests feel like they have a strong relationship with you they are more likely to share the show and recommend people listen to it.

 

How to Get Guests To Open Up

-       Create a safe space very quickly and do a pre-show chat before taking the guest live.

-       Even if guests have listened to your show, it’s a good idea to give them a 30 second ‘crash course’ explaining how it works and your expectations. This will put them at ease.

-       If a show isn’t going well, sometimes it’s not you as the host, it could be that the guest isn’t the best conversationalist.

-       As a guest, it’s better to share a story than a theory as stories are much more entertaining.

 

The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

 

Links to Resources Mentioned

The Relaunch Show

 

Finding Your Voice

Networking is not collecting contacts; networking is about planting relations. On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Mike Bruny who is a speaker, author, certified life coach, and an alum of the Boston-based Leaders of Color Development Program Inc. Mike believes we are all ambassadors and stand for ‘something,’ so he is on a mission for individuals to discover and live their ‘something.’ Mike’s runs The New Art of Conference Networking, which helps conference organizers create the kind of environment that fosters people to make great connections. If you want to know how to make meaningful connections at your next conference or event, then this podcast has some awesome tips for you.

 

Main Questions Asked:

-       How did you come up with the idea of becoming a networking ambassador and helping people make connections at conferences?  

-       What is the ‘pivot’?

-       Talk about how to deal with collecting business cards at a conference.

-       Should we be strategic in who we take a business card from?

-       What are your tips of the best kind of business card to have and what information to include?

-       What are the ways people can be memorable at conferences?

-       Where do you recommend people fall in the spectrum of how to dress for conferences?

-       Share your tips for entrepreneurs who are running their own events and what they should do for networking and relationship building. 

-       What do you think about setting up a group for people who will be attending a specific conference?

 

Key Lessons Learned:

-       If you put in the work before you go to the conference there is a greater chance that you will connect with people.

 

Alone At the Conference

-       When you are at a conference and you aren’t taking to anyone, don’t panic. Be happy to have a moment to yourself. 

-       When you look confident and make eye contact, people will approach you.

-       If you are alone and focused on your phone or laptop, people will avoid you as they will think you don’t want to talk or be interrupted.

 

The Pivot

-       When you are at a conference and find yourself in a conversation clique, make sure to keep your eyes open for people who also want to join the conversation.

-       The way to let people into a conversation clique is to let them know there is an open space for them to join the conversation.

-       If you are on the outside and are looking to insert yourself into an existing conversation, take in what is going on and look for an opportunity to make a point to add to the conversation.

 

Business Cards

-       Having an idea of your personal goals at the conference makes collecting business cards a different process.

-       Before you decide to ask for a card, get a good idea about the person, what they are working on, what’s their biggest challenge, and if can you be of assistance to them.

-       Ideally the best strategy is to take other people’s cards because it gives you the power to take action and contact the other person.

-       When you get a card, make sure to write a note on it to remind you of who the person is and why you want to stay connected.

-       Receiving a business card is also an opportunity to think of whom within your network you can help other than yourself.

 

Tips For Your Business Card

-       Mike says stay away from glossy business cards as they are difficult to write on.

-       Use high-quality heavy stock and use a professional printing service.

-       Having a photo on your card is great for after the event, as the person receiving it will have a better chance of remembering who you are.  

 

Dressing for Conferences

-       Dress for your comfort level as well as what you are going after.

-       Women have the advantage when it comes to accessorizing as our eyes are drawn to the color contrasts.

-       For men, you can have a strong pocket square game and forgo the tie.

 

How to Handle Networking At Your Own Event or Conference

-       Get information on the people who will attend your event and find out what they want to get out of it.

-       Ask attendees who they would most like to connect with.

-       It used to be that attendees wanted to connect with people in their physical geographic location, but now people prefer to connect with others in the same industry.

 

The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

 

Links to Resources Mentioned

The New Art of Conference Networking

Mike Bruny

Brand Inside a Brand

Move the Crowd: 30 Days of Hip Hop Affirmations to Change Your Life  (book)

Entrepreneur Support Services

On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Katie Krimitsos, who runs The Tampa Bay Business Owners group and is the host of Biz Women Rock, which is an amazing podcast that features business and entrepreneurial women. Katie’s team did everything right in launching her podcast and today we talk about leveraging the power of a Facebook group for fans. In this podcast find out how Facebook groups can help you engage with your listeners.

 

Main Questions Asked

Tell us about the Biz Women Rock podcast and why you’re passionate about it. 

Talk about your Facebook marketing efforts.

What was the investment in your Facebook ad campaign?

Talk about your Facebook group and how you’ve grown it. 

Talk about building your list by having people opt in so they could join the Facebook group. 

What is the purpose of your group and how do you make sure people know and understand what is and isn’t appropriate to post?

Talk about how you used the group to promote the podcast. 

 

Key Lessons Learned

Biz Women Rock Podcast 

Facebook pages allow your listeners to interact with you. Groups allow your listeners to interact with each other. 

The Biz Women Rock podcast is an opportunity for savvy businesswomen to share their journey. This isn’t topic specific show but rather is story related. 

Katie wanted to build a solid community rather than a high number of listeners. 

 

Facebook Marketing 

Katie paid for adverts and started a page before the podcast launched. 

Within two weeks of advertising she had 2,000 likes on the Biz Women Rock page. 

Katie was spending $300-$500 per month. 

You need to spend money on Facebook ads so you can get your page in front of the right people but you need to be active in order for this to work 

If you have 100,00 people on your page but no one is engaging then the high number doesn’t mean anything. 

Katie’s Facebook content strategy was to post 3-5 times per day. 

Quotes with a photo of person’s face get a lot of engagement than just the text on its own.  

The majority of what Katie posts is curation and not just her own podcast content. 

 

Facebook Groups 

This is an opportunity to talk to the whole group and the members get to talk back and forth to each other. 

Katie marketed the group to the page, and created a specific graphic for the group. 

Katie personally reached out to 10-15 people on the Biz Women Rock Facebook page and invited them to brand ambassadors within the group. 

The ambassador role was to ask questions, respond to posts, making their own posts.  

There was a general Facebook ad for the group as well one that specifically targeted people who already like the page. 

Always provide different content or messages to the group than you would provide on the page. 

Anytime an individual in a group feels like you are talking to them directly, your group will multiply and engage more because they will feel like you really care about them. 

If you can make 2,500 people feel like they are the most important person in the group then you have done your job well.  

 

Facebook Online Group Culture 

The more structure you give the group better behaved people will be and the better the outcome you want to create will happen. 

The guidelines (rules) of the BWR group were posted in the group description as well as in the form of a graphic.  

The idea of the rules is the keep the group spam free as a way to retain members. 

In the beginning the rules graphic was posted weekly or kept as a pinned post.  

If someone goes against the rules Katie will contact them personally and if they continue with rogue posts Katie will delete from the group. 

 

Building Your List Via Facebook Groups 

Instead of the opt-in on the website, Katie changed it to ‘join our private community,’ which takes them to a button to join the group.

 

The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

 

Links to Resources Mentioned

Biz Women Rock 

BWR Connect (Facebook group)

Tampa Bay Business Owners 

Entrepreneur Support Services 

Interview Connections TV

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I’m pleased to share an interview I did as a guest on Jason Hartman’s podcast. On the show we discuss how to book great podcast guests, what it takes to be an awesome guest, and how to pitch yourself and get interviewed on podcasts. 

 

Main Questions Asked:

Tell us about getting good guests for a podcast? 

Elaborate on getting famous guests who have a lot of interview experience versus booking guests who are new. 

How do we get interviews, especially with famous people who get a lot of requests? 

Do you have a ratio you think is ideal of how much someone should be a guest on podcasts versus interview guests?

What does it take to be a good guest?

What does it take to put yourself out there and be granted interviews? How hard is it to get chosen?

How do you pitch yourself?

How does a podcaster define their market and show? 

 

Key Lessons Learned:

 

Getting Guests

Know the goal of your podcast and what kinds of guests you want to feature.

Look for someone who has experience behind a microphone and has been interviewed before.

A good way to check if someone has been interviewed is to search iTunes, then listen to interviews in order to hear how your potential guest sounds. 

Check that the guests social media and web presence are active online and will add value in the form of sharing. 

People who have been interviewed a lot are great guests because they have experience, but there is a risk of them sounding rehearsed and scripted. 

When reaching out to prospective guests, you need to personalize your request and be specific as to why you are interested in interviewing that particular guest.

Remember, unless you get a ‘no,’ it’s not a ‘no.’

A lot of guests want to be booked on shows with a track record so they are confident that if they record the interview it will be published. 

 

Being a Guest 

If you have your own podcast, then you are a much more appealing guest because you have credibility as somebody who produces their own show and knows what it takes to produce a podcast. 

Focus on your verbal communication skills and work on getting rid of your ‘crutch words.’

The more you know what you are talking about, the less you will use ‘crutch words.’

Have a one sheet, speaker kit, or press kit that shows the host your bio and suggested speaking topics, as well as interview questions. Then know what you will say if asked those questions. 

Make sure your answers aren’t too long or too short. 

End your answer in a way that creates a follow up question in the mind of the host.

If you like the interview you did, there is potential to run that interview on your own show. 

 

Getting Interviewed on Shows 

In order to get yourself booked as a guest on other shows, it is helpful to use a service, broker, or virtual assistant to pitch you. 

There will be a point where people start requesting you to be on their show; however, in the beginning you will need to pitch yourself. 

There are so many podcasters who want to get pitched, so you just start doing it. 

 

How to Pitch Yourself 

It is vital to have a one sheet or media kit that summarizes you as a guest.

Know what makes you different to all the other guests in your niche. 

Narrow your expertise down and be specific to the podcast you are pitching. 

Make sure you read the show description and understand how they explain their show. 

When a podcaster is being pitched they will be thinking, “Is this of value to my audience, will they want to listen to this interview, and is this something they will like?”

When you pitch a show, it should read something along the lines of: “This guest would be a great person to interview because your listeners will get x value from it.”

Follow and connect with podcasters on social media so you can get a lot of value. 

 

Define Your Market and Show 

You must have a target market and be really clear. 

Don’t be afraid to leave people out, otherwise you are in danger of your show and content being broad ‘general’ area.

 

The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

 

Links to Resources Mentioned

Jason Hartman Podcast

Conversion Cast 

Interview Connections  

Entrepreneur Support Services 

Interview Connections TV

On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Lyndsey Anderson who is a web strategy expert and works with business owners to help them grow their businesses. Lyndsey is the founder and CEO of two companies and knows how to utilize web technologies to help business owners find their dreams. If you’ve ever wondered what backlinks are and why they are so important, then this is a must listen episode.

 

Main Questions Asked

-       What are backlinks?

-       What are other ways to earn links back to your website?

-       How do you leave a comment and link on a website and not look spammy?

-       What is the best way to find new places to find high quality backlinks?

-       Is there a difference to creating a hyperlink in a blog post and a backlink?

-       What is PageRank and what does that have to do with link earning?

-       How does PageRank work if the source is a podcast host or app?

-       What does effect your PageRank if web traffic doesn’t effect it?

-       Can you talk about website conversions?

 

Key Lessons Learned

-       A backlink is a link from another website to your website. The purpose of which is to increase your website in search engine rankings.

-       Backlinks are now known as ‘link earning’ (this is the new approach of building links back to your website.)

-       Google takes into account more than 200 factors when you type in a keyword to search. One of the main factors is how many links you have back to your website.

-       If you are a guest on a podcast the podcaster links to your site in their show notes then that is considered link earning as you provided value to the audience.  

-       People used to buy links, use link farms, and comment on blogs, however, Google started recognizing these tactics and made changes.

 

Earning Links

-       Make relevant comments on industry specific blogs with a link back to your website.

-       Don’t just provide a link back to your website, you need to provide excellent information and answer a question. If you can expound on that information then link back to your website with a specific tool or resource.

-       The best way is to build an audience and get other people linking back to your website.

 

Finding New Backlinks

-       The best way is to spy on your competitors by going to Google and typing in your keywords and see what first few websites come up.

-       There is a way to search what backlinks your competitors have such as moz.com or majestic.com.

-       Take the competitor backlinks list and see where you can offer content or help and reach out to the owner of the website and see if you can also get a linkback.

How Google Views Backlinks

-       Google no longer wants links on a resource page or amongst hundreds of others in the footer but now prefers links surrounded by content.

-       Google is smart enough to recognize legitimate link backs and see natural links in the middle of a post with your name highlighted and a link.

 

PageRank

-       Google has an algorithm that will grade a page based on how many incoming backlinks there are ranging from a scale of N/A to 10.

-        If you are getting a lot of backlinks from websites with a page rank of 1 then Google will think you are spamming as pages with low numbers are easy targets, and don’t have quality content.

-       Go to Google and type in ‘what is my page rank’ and Google will show you PageRanks.

-       Before you go on a link earning campaign, you need to investigate and not go for all 7s. In the natural realm you will get links from 2s and 3s too.

-       PageRank doesn’t necessarily have to do with traffic but is more of a general way of checking if a website is legit or spammy. If it is a 1 or a 2 then don’t aim to put your link on there.

 

Website Conversions

-       Remember that a huge percentage of people will visit your site on a mobile device.

-       From April 21, 2015 Google is incorporating whether a website is mobile friendly or not into the algorithm.

-       Use the Google mobile friendly test to check if your site is mobile friendly.

-       Make sure you have a call to action to get on the list and let visitors know what they will get for opting in on your list.

-       Go to an outside source and have them do a full review your site.

-       Always know where you are driving people once they open your site.

-       Ensure you spend money on professional images and well-written content to make sure they are kept up to date.  

-       Visitors want to get to know you and see you speaking, which is why video is an essential element. It doesn’t have to be a huge production and can be 30 seconds or less.

 

The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

 

Links to Resources Mentioned

 Lindsey’s Webb

Google Mobile Friendly Test

Moz

Majestic

Interview Connections 

 

Entrepreneur Support Services