I’m afraid I’ll run out of podcast episode topics… “
This is what one entrepreneur told me about why they haven’t started their podcast yet. And I get it, the fear of not having what I call ideas-endurance is very common. It’s one thing to have a good podcast concept, and even to have the first 20 episode topics planned out – it’s an entirely other thing to be able to go the distance and not end up in the podcast graveyard. In fact, in both of our coaching programs for podcasters (the Podcast Tune-Up and the Concept to Casting Launch program), we insist our clients have 50 topics that fit within our show themes – that’s nearly 1 year of content!
In this episode, I share how you can take your first 20 episodes and turn them into a never-ending well of effective, on-brand, and intentional topics that will not only keep your show humming along but will turn your podcast into your most valuable marketing asset.
Wow. Big promises… let’s get started.
The first thing I want to clarify is that if your podcast is a way for you to build your authority as an expert in your field and make you the obvious choice for your ideal client – you do not need 200 different topics. Scratch that – you should not have 200 different topics. Even if you could talk about 200 different things, you shouldn’t! Are you hearing me? I’m talking to your ego that wants to show off how much you know… this does not serve your listener and it doesn’t serve your business.
You know what does serve your business and potential clients? Showcasing a deep understanding of the very thing that they need help with.
So, how do you keep those topics fresh and relevant? This is the key to having a consistent message without sounding repetitive. Here are 5 tips.
1. Use a different analogy to explain a concept. If you listened to my last episode, I talked about using the phrase ‘this might look like…’ to make your content more relatable. It also makes it easier to re-share ideas. A client of mine, Geraldine Carter, does this really well. She knows that sticking to her core message is key to success. She has a podcast that helps CPAs get down to 40hrs a week and switching from billing for hours to billing for outcomes is a big part of it. She talks about this all the time and is constantly coming up with new ways to help people understand – in a recent episode, she used a brilliant analogy featuring a Rubik’s Cube. You never know when one analogy will be what makes a concept click so continuously coming up with new ones is a great way to say the same thing in a different way.
2. Real-world examples. This also goes back to my last episode with the ‘this might look like’ phrase. Except in this case, you’re telling a story of a recent client or sharing a case study to help drive home the point or concept. These are very powerful and give new life to your core messages.
3. Perspective shift. Sharing a concept or idea from your perspective is important for establishing your authority, but take a minute and think about it from another perspective. How might this idea show up or feel to someone who is uninitiated? What other ways are there to look at it – maybe even incorrect ways to look at things? You want to treat your concept or idea like a house, and walk around it – see how it looks from the other side or how you might get in another way.
4. Lists! Every idea or concept can be part of a list or be broken down into a list (and each broken-down bit can probably be an episode topic!). Lists are a great way to reshare ideas and concepts without feeling like you are constantly repeating yourself.
5. Conversations. If you have guests on your show, this can be a great way to share the same topic but with the benefit of another person’s perspective. In fact, you can take everything from the list above and apply it to your interview! By the way, conversations with your own clients can also be a great way to freshen up an idea because they can share how they experienced learning or benefiting from your ideas and concepts.
Do you see how easy it is to give your ideas a fresh new look? And, I’m just getting started!
But, more importantly, it’s not just that you can do it, it’s that you should. I can’t stress this enough because I see podcasters making this mistake all the time. They think because they’ve already covered a topic they can’t do it again. To that, I say, OPPOSITE! You should do it again. This provides consistency in your messaging. Plus, you never know when a new listener is discovering your show. When they do, chances are they aren’t starting with episode one… so if you covered a critical topic in episode 10 and they find you around episode 40, they will have missed it. And, as I said before, no matter how clearly you share your idea, it may take 1, 2, or 10 examples or analogies before the penny drops for your listener and they really get what you’re saying… and uh, how freaking amazing you and that they have to work with you…
So, don’t stress about coming up with fresh topics – recycle the core ones you have by keeping them fresh and exciting. Your audience will love it and you’ll see the benefits in your business.
If you want help, book a free coaching call and we can do this together.
