You don’t start a podcast and all of a sudden have thousands of listeners. It will be a slow start and then all of a sudden something happens that will really accelerate that growth for you.
In today’s episode we invited Michelle Thames, the host of the Social Media Decoded podcast. She will talk about her podcasting journey, the lessons she learned over the years of her experiences, she will also share motivational tips that will keep you going.
In This Episode
[01:37] Michelle started online as a natural hair influencer, brands started to work with her and she started to monetize her social media.
[02:57] The reason she started the podcast was because wanted to have a voice online that helps people understand social media and digital marketing.
[04:40] Podcasts are really popular with people now and with it you have the ability to reach many people.
[05:12] Michelle started her podcast in 2020 after searching on Google how to start, she then created her format, used BuzzSprout to host her podcast, created intro and outro and recorded 10 episodes.
[07:00] For a new podcaster it’s really smart to commit and record 10 episodes in advance because 1 episode can’t give you enough data yet.
[07:50] Know that podcasting is a long term game, it won’t always be right away. You’re building something that people are going to listen to over time.
[08:14] You have to market your podcast like Michelle used social media to market her podcast.
[08:24] Later.com did an article about the top marketing podcast that you should listen to and she was included in the list which expanded her listeners.
[09:55] Use your digital ecosystem to market your podcast.
[11:41] You have to keep going even though it feels like no one is listening.
[12:55] Knowing that she has an important message to share is the reason why Michelle keeps going.
[15:04] Over the past two years of podcasting Michelle still keeps her podcast simple, the only thing she changes is from one episode a week to two episodes per week and hiring a VA team to keep her updated.
[17:25] Ask for feedback, testimonials and reviews, because that’s the only way that you’ll be able to know if you’re on the right track.
[19:47] Michelle podcast positioned her as a thought leader within the marketing world which helps her business credibility and engagement.
[21:50] One surprising thing that happened in her podcast was when a student did an analysis in her podcast and presented it in their class where she was able to speak to the students about creating a successful podcast and an online business.
[22:16] Michelle did an episode with Kathy Fredrickson, the student who did an analysis and presentation about her podcast.
[22:57] Michelle and Anne episode. We’ll just keep going, keep podcasting and then, then that might also happen to us.
About The Guest
Michelle is a social media strategist and digital creator. She started on social media as a natural hair influencer. She started on YouTube creating natural hair tutorials and started getting noticed. Also at the time, she worked in Healthcare administration for a top hospital in Chicago. She got let go suddenly and decided to bet on herself and start freelancing.
Michelle started writing for online magazines like Naturallycurly.com and Allthingshairus.com. She then got the opportunity to work for a startup beauty brand as the social media and digital marketing manager. Run the company’s social media, email marketing, influencer marketing, and much more!
Connect With Michelle
On her Website
On her LinkedIn
On her Facebook
On her Instagram