Creative Journeys: Story | Sound | Success

09 Podcasting Secrets: How to Grow Your Business and Build Authority

• Jo Day / Lucy Rennie • Season 1 • Episode 8

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Welcome to Creative Journeys!

Hey up, folks! I am Jo Day, and welcome back to Creative Journeys, the podcast where we explore the ups, downs, and everything in between when building a creative business. Today, we are diving into the world of podcasting - is it the right move for your business, or just another shiny distraction?

I am joined by my amazing co-host Lucy Rennie, who started her own podcast while writing a book, and together, we unpack the realities of launching a podcast, the tech and strategy you need, and how to make it a valuable business tool instead of an overwhelming time drain.

If you have ever thought about podcasting but felt unsure where to start, this episode will help you decide whether it is the right step for your business growth.

🎧 Listen now and find out if podcasting is your next big move!

Episode Summary

Starting a podcast sounds exciting, but is it actually worth it for your business? In this episode, Lucy Rennie and I break down the truth about podcasting—the good, the bad, and the unexpected.

We cover:
✔️ How Lucy launched her podcast alongside writing her book
✔️ The biggest mistakes new podcasters make (and how to avoid them)
✔️ Why knowing your audience is crucial before you start
✔️ How podcasting can build authority, trust, and long-term business growth
✔️ The tech tools we recommend for a smooth podcasting experience
✔️ Mindset struggles: Overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome
✔️ Should you DIY your podcast or hire a production team?

If you are thinking about podcasting but are unsure whether it is the right fit, this episode will give you the clarity you need.

Key Takeaways

📌 Podcasting is a long-term game—you need a content plan to avoid burnout.
📌 Know your WHY—do not start a podcast just because everyone else is doing it.
📌 The right tech matters—we share our recommended software and tools.
📌 Imperfect action beats perfection—done is better than perfect!
📌 Podcasting builds trust—it helps your audience feel like they know you.

Resources & Mentions

🔗 Buzzsprout – Podcast Hosting
🔗 Riverside.fm – Recording Software
🔗 Audacity – Free Editing Software

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⭐ Leave a review on your favourite podcast platform.
📢 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
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Connect with Lucy Rennie:

[00:00:00] Jo Day: Hey Up, folks. Welcome to Creative Journeys. I'm Jo Day. And I'm Lucy Rennie. And today we're going to be talking about podcasting. So, you will have already heard that me and Lucy met through podcasting and also Lucy's book writing process. So, I formatted Lucy's book, but I was Prior to formatting Lucy's book we met through a quick Zoom call where you were doing your research on launching your podcast and Audio Co was one of the companies that you'd selected to actually Go through that process of would we be a good fit?

[00:00:41] Jo Day: So let's sort of start from there if we can. What led you Lucy to thinking about doing the podcast? You're in the middle of the book writing process and you're trying to figure out You've decided that a good fit for your business that year would also be to launch your podcast.

[00:01:02] Jo Day: Tell me about that decision making process. 

[00:01:05] Lucy Rennie: Yeah, it's so me though, as well. It's like, why, why do it easy and just do something little when you can do like 10 million things at the same time. But yeah, no, what was going on was because I was in that zone of like, right, actually, I think we talked about in the other episodes of kind of , wanting to really support small business owners and give them the tools and help them to really, to just to get common sense, practical, practical advice.

[00:01:27] Lucy Rennie: Advice and guidance rather than all the sort of the frills and things that people were saying. I was in that zone of then writing the book and I'd launched the Future Proof Club and I was kind of trying to make all these things really accessible. So not expensive, but also adding value. Again, I'm a massive believer in the fact that we should be giving away our, our value as much as we can for free.

[00:01:49] Lucy Rennie: Cause I think it'll all work, you know, we should give our best. Content for free, because I think actually it shows, it makes people see what you're doing. And, and it's, yeah, it's always going to come around. And so as I was writing the book and as I was doing all the things, I was thinking, do you know what, actually, because that's what I do with my clients is terms of like trying to help them be more effective, streamline and, and kind of get as much out of, of something as possible.

[00:02:13] Lucy Rennie: I was kind of like, do you know what, this is daft. I've got all this content from the book. I've got all these different things. Actually, what I know. is the best way of communicating for me is to be talking, to sharing, to get people to get to know me and sort of that behind the scenes. And so I was like, Oh, I was too scared to do video.

[00:02:33] Lucy Rennie: Be dead honest. That was not what even I don't know how I got here, but that's another story, isn't it? But it was like, audio is kind of nice. It's podcast. It's I love podcast myself. I've always got, I'm walking the dog. I've always got a book or a podcast in my ears anyway. And I learned so much from them.

[00:02:47] Lucy Rennie: And I. Get to know the people. And I was like, do you know what? Actually, if I could get a podcast going in my head, I was like, I'll do a podcast and then I can repurpose it. And then I can do a blog and then I can do this and then an email and then my socials and I can kind of, you know, actually it's going to save me time rather than add to it.

[00:03:04] Lucy Rennie: You know, I was thinking all this logic and I was like, yeah, that's what, that's what I'm going to do. It'll be dead easy. And as I'm writing the book, I've got all, you know, I have, I've got so much content I want to share. I was like, yeah, I can just do it that way. So that was me really thinking I'm in this zone, right, let's just get it all done.

[00:03:19] Lucy Rennie: Let's get it sorted. And that year, 2022 was kind of, for me, I knew it was that transition year. I was going to put a shitload of work in, you know, it really was. It was like, I'd said to Paul, my husband, this is a year where. You know, I'm going to commit, I'm kind of sacrificing stuff cause I know it's going to pay, you know, sort of later on.

[00:03:38] Lucy Rennie: I wanted to do the groundwork. 

[00:03:40] Jo Day: Like you were laying the foundation. So that's really important. 

[00:03:43] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. So I was kind of, yeah, I was in that zone. I was like, right, if I can get the foundations in place, if I can get the tools in the right place, if I can kind of create the systems and the structure, then after that, it's just going to be about showing up and turning up and doing it.

[00:03:59] Lucy Rennie: So that was kind of where I was up to. And it was, like you say, I was already in the thick of writing a book, so, you know, why not throw in a podcast at the same time? But that's kind of how I work. It's like, I'm in it. Right. Okay. And then I'd sort of, yeah, it was that 12 months of head down. I'm going to, I'm going to create and do work hard really is what.

[00:04:19] Lucy Rennie: Because I was, yeah, it was that transition, wasn't it? From kind of having that big agency to more strategic mentoring, coaching, that kind of thing. So the pivot again, it doesn't happen overnight, does it? A pivot. It's like, I mean, it took, it's taken me really five years to get to where I am from that, making that decision in COVID.

[00:04:38] Lucy Rennie: So yeah, that was part of it. The, the, the podcast. So yeah, it was May 2022, I think it was when we had that zoom call. I was doing a VIP strategy day with some clients in Anglesey. I was by the sea and we'd had two days of like planning and, and thinking about it. Also, I was proper in the zone. I was like, Oh, just needs.

[00:04:56] Lucy Rennie: And it was one evening in the little hotel that I was staying in once it, that we jumped on a call. Yeah,

[00:05:01] Lucy Rennie: So it's kind of been instilled in me to get a minimum of three kind of quotes or three meet up with three different suppliers or partners to sort of see and compare and see what's going on.

[00:05:12] Lucy Rennie: So I had already spoken to. One podcast provider. And then I spoke, I had you booked in and then I had another one after you. So I'd already spoke to one podcast provider and and then we jumped on and it, it was, it was, it was.

[00:05:27] Lucy Rennie: I dunno. It was incredible. I just, there's something that just clicked straight away, wasn't it? I, I know I made a comment to you. I think you'll probably be able to tell me what it was that I said, 

[00:05:36] Jo Day: I, I don't think I'll ever , forget it, you said.

[00:05:39] Jo Day: You've given me more in 30 minutes than this mastermind program I've been on for six months has given me in six months. You've given me more value in 30 minutes than this program. That's what you said to me. 

[00:05:55] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. And so, But it was, I mean, it goes back to what we're saying about giving that value. You know, this was just a call, wasn't it?

[00:06:01] Lucy Rennie: And actually you were talking me through the strategy behind doing a podcast. So it was kind of, which was music to my ears. Cause I'd love, you know, like if we're going to do something, we need to do it properly. And we're going to need to do it this, you know, intentionally. It was just, Sometimes you just know, don't you?

[00:06:17] Lucy Rennie: Someone actually knows what they're talking about. They actually, I don't know, I suppose it's my background or who I am or how I do things, but I just know we clicked and it was just really, really great to have that conversation with you and to, you know, almost you were challenging me. So what, what, why do you want to do a podcast?

[00:06:34] Lucy Rennie: What is it about? What's it for? And you know, cause I get now, you know, you don't want to be working with people who don't get it either. It's, it's that, isn't it? It's kind of cause it is an investment. 

[00:06:43] Jo Day: Yeah. In podcasting, a lot of people. have, this fear of missing out or they just do what Nellie's doing, but you know, like they see what people are doing online and think, oh, I have to do that.

[00:06:57] Jo Day: Like people say, oh, you must have a Facebook group, but if you're not a right fit for a Facebook group, you shouldn't really have a Facebook group because you're not going to show up there. you know, and give it your all. It won't ever, you won't fit into it. It's like buying a new outfit and a new pair of shoes.

[00:07:16] Jo Day: The shoes have got to be nice and comfy, right? And I know people say about stretching yourself and your goals and you, you got to feel uncomfortable sometimes, but I think the more comfortable that you can feel in what you're delivering about your expertise, you'll deliver it with more ease and then people are more likely to be attracted to you.

[00:07:37] Jo Day: So, if you're coming on podcasting but you absolutely, at that moment in your life, hate speaking, then maybe podcasting isn't for you. You should gently nurture yourself into it. By guesting on somebody else's podcast or maybe trying out doing Instagram stories or maybe trying out doing some Facebook lives or Instagram lives, throwing yourself into a full on podcast might not be the right thing for you at that moment in time.

[00:08:08] Jo Day: And that's why I always challenge people on, are you at that point, that crossroads where You should be jumping on and, and investing in a podcast and for you Luce by approaching like audio and co and, and you came with audio and co. It was a financial commitment. Now, some people do a podcast and it's only a time commitment and a small financial commitment because.

[00:08:32] Jo Day: For them, they're actually going to get the tech and they're going to do it themselves. So the financial commitment that they're making is quite small because it's just basically the hosting platform and the microphone and, you know, whatever software they're using to record. So it doesn't have to be expensive podcasting, but if you're going to go with a managed service like what you opted for, it is a financial commitment as well, but less of a time commitment.

[00:08:58] Jo Day: And that's why I always challenge people on the why, why are you doing it? And the other thing that I want just to say is a lot of people also think I've got tons of content. And And 6, 8, 12 episodes in, they've given it their all and then they're all scratching around. I don't know what to say. So if you're gonna show up for half an hour every episode, minimum half an hour, and you're throwing all your expertise, you'll be surprised how much you can talk about in half an hour.

[00:09:33] Jo Day: And all of a sudden, by the end of week 12, episode 12. You've run out of things to say because you've shared all of your expertise. Then what I find is people are then scrapping around for guests to come on the podcast so that they can talk about something different, especially when they are solo hosts, when it's just been them.

[00:09:54] Jo Day: So you really, really do need to give it some thought, blueprint what your episodes are going to look like. And I, I think in your case, we went through that in quite some detail, and you had the content, and you had the guests waiting to come on the show. So I was comfortable that we were a good fit, and, and that You were definitely in it for the long, long haul.

[00:10:18] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. It's so interesting. Cause going back to what you were saying about, like, it has to feel right. I think it's so important that you see so many people. And I think it's that shiny thing, isn't it? Where you sort of see everybody doing stuff, but then actually people, they can't go on video, they hate, you know, doing even right, you know, depending.

[00:10:35] Lucy Rennie: We've all got our different strengths, haven't we? And so it's not one size fits all. So podcasting You know, it's like video. It's, it's, it's different to sit and write and things. So it has to feel right. And like you say, we're going to talk about mindset because that's been the biggest thing. Sometimes there's just actually, it's not for you.

[00:10:55] Lucy Rennie: You're not, that doesn't, you don't go into that flow. 

[00:10:58] Jo Day: Yeah. I'm fully aware that people who watch this. and see all the content that's being put out online. It can be quite intimidating for people, you know, oh my god, she's written a book, she's written five books, they're now on YouTube, they've now got this podcast, they're in all the places, the newsletters are going out, the blog posts are being written, how do they find the time?

[00:11:22] Jo Day: And it can then feel like overwhelm and make people who are watching in the sidelines with that comparisonitis feel pretty shitty actually. My advice to anybody that might be feeling that way and thinking That they need to get on the bandwagon and they need to do something. It's just really check in with yourself of, is this right for you right now?

[00:11:46] Jo Day: What, you know, how, what is visibility? What's good visibility for you? Where should you be showing up in a nice, comfortable way so that you're showing up and really adding that value and not showing up with the fear in your voice and not showing up with the anxiety on your face. 

[00:12:07] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. Yeah. So, and I think it's interesting cause I agree, I think, and we'll come on to that, isn't it, about like, we are being present now and we're there, aren't we?

[00:12:16] Lucy Rennie: We're visible and we're doing the stuff. But I think also for me, yes, there was a financial commitment, but I do think I was the opposite. I was like, Oh, actually it's going to help me. There's, you know, it's going to be that easy. I can do that. And then I can, and, and it is, you know, it is now because I've got my shit together, but think.

[00:12:38] Lucy Rennie: Very often we think it looks easier than it is and we think, Oh, I can, I can add that timing. I've got time to do that, et cetera. And actually, I think one of the biggest things where You were, you know, we had in that conversation and I don't think I really understood it or saw it or, and that's the story of my life, is the, the amount of time investment it was going to take to, to actually think about it and plan it.

[00:13:03] Lucy Rennie: Cause you can't just, yeah, we can just turn up, but actually if we want to make it quality and right and whatever, we need to think about it, don't we? And we need to kind of have some sort of plan and strategy. And I think. There's no right or wrong again with that, but it's, it's, where's the priority in terms of your business?

[00:13:21] Lucy Rennie: Where are you at with it? What's the strategy? And is it the right time? Is it the right, you know, have you got that time? Is that where you should be spending all your time and energy? Cause it was a completely new thing. So I wasn't going to get any business from it straight away, you know? Well, I did, but it was, it was more, that was a new thing that I was, again, preparing the foundations for later.

[00:13:39] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. So it was, I was going to be taking energy and time from. and different area of my business to be able to focus on that. So I think there was that element of it that was also really important. I think that was what in the discussions that we had, the fact that in your packages, it wasn't just, Oh, let's show up on zoom and let's do it.

[00:13:56] Lucy Rennie: There was right. This is how it works. We need to have some sessions about strategy and think about who your audience is and what you, you know, all the things that we, you and I probably take for granted, but actually, you know, why are you doing it? Who's it for? What's it? Cause You know, it's a big investment time, money, everything else needs to make sure it's fitting with your business.

[00:14:14] Lucy Rennie: And actually, you know, there's a, it's strategic, you know, it's not just a sort of a nice to have. And that's okay if you want to have a nice to have, you know, cause you want to have a podcast, that's great. But actually there's, you know, we're doing it intentionally, aren't we? Whether that's just even for me, it was more about reaching my audience and being able to, you know, connect with them in a way that I thought was going to be easy and good for me.

[00:14:35] Lucy Rennie: And, and, you know, It was, but there's a bit in the middle that we had to, I had to get over, which we'll, we'll come on to. But comparing to the other two that I saw, honestly, it was incredible. Like, yeah, but charge some of them, even one of them was charging more than you, but actually There was no strategy behind it and you were kind of, you know, it was very sort of flipping in a back room doing it sort of, you know, which is fine.

[00:15:01] Lucy Rennie: But for me, you know, me, if I'm going to do it, I want to do it properly. So I wanted someone, and we talked about this outsourcing as well. It's a bit like the bookkeeping and refinance for me. or the book, I knew I wouldn't be able to learn all that tech and do all the things because I just didn't have the time or the energy or the, the desire to.

[00:15:20] Jo Day: So can we, can we just talk about the tech just for a minute? Get to the nitty gritty of it. So our tech stack at Audio Co and I'll happily share this. So for hosting, your podcast episodes, we use Buzzsprout and I'll pop a link in the show notes. So we use Buzzsprout to host all of the episodes of our clients.

[00:15:43] Jo Day: It's got a really nice user interface and it's really simple to use. And if you're not outsourcing this podcast management to an agency like audio and co, then there are some really nice features in there using some of the AI technology where it can help you with editing. It can help you with. Getting your titles right.

[00:16:04] Jo Day: It can help you with chapter titles, time stamping, key points in the episode, and also writing some of the show notes for you. It will even write blog posts for you. I don't use any of those features, or we don't use any of those features in Audio Co., but they are there. I have tested them, and if you're just starting out, they're perfectly adequate.

[00:16:26] Jo Day: They're a good 7 If you, you know, you tweak them for actually getting a good podcast out there. Now, the recording software that we use is Riverside. fm. And again, I'll pop your link in the show notes. Riverside. fm. There's different levels. There is a free account where you can record up to two hours of audio every month.

[00:16:50] Jo Day: There will be some watermarks and limitations on the features that you can do. But most of our clients we purchase a pro account for, which means you get five hours of recording every month. And we as Audio Co get what we need. We don't, again, Riverside again provides show notes, timestamps. It also does for you soundbites.

[00:17:15] Jo Day: We don't use any of those features. Because we have other software that we do that in. So we do our editing in GarageBand and we also use Audacity, which if you're on a Windows pc, that's the free download for Windows computers and GarageBand as free on IMacs and MacBooks. So we then also use. software called Waves.

[00:17:41] Jo Day: Now Waves is where you get all of your plugins, so there is a cost to it, but we buy all the plugins which help with things like removing background noise and removing ssss at the beginning of words and, and just basically making it sound like studio sound. So we use lots of these plugins.

[00:18:00] Jo Day: We've got various different Things that we've added to GarageBand and added to Audacity. And we also used separate translation software as well. So, that's kind of our tech stack. We take everything out of Riverside as a raw file, work it in several different other pieces of tech, and then bring it back in.

[00:18:23] Jo Day: Once we've done it, we bring it into Buzzsprout. But those two main platforms, Buzzsprout, and Riverside are ample for you to get going if you don't want to manage service. The link's up there. 

[00:18:34] Lucy Rennie: I'm smiling because all that tech just goes And that's why it's great because that's why, yeah, you're here and you're so good at it.

[00:18:43] Lucy Rennie: And I think the, the bit though, I think that's really important that people won't get from that is, so I've known you for two years. Nearly three years nearly now. You are never sitting still. It's all, especially in that domain as well, but there's all, you're always saying to me, Oh, I've just found this new thing, or I'm just changing this, or I'm just doing this, or I've got a new thing here.

[00:19:03] Lucy Rennie: And I'm constantly, it's those 1 percent little changes again, isn't it? 

[00:19:08] Jo Day: Constantly. You've got 1 percent gains. I'm in a massive, there's 33, 000 people in this podcasting group that's on in Facebook, and people will just come on and say The other day somebody was on about the increase in price on StreamYard what you're using for live streaming.

[00:19:26] Jo Day: Well, Riverside has got a real cool feature on live streaming. It's 10 a month, but it's a bolt on package that you can have, so that you can then live stream to multiple platforms at once. So you can live stream to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, you know, you can connect to anything as long as you've got the . rTMP Protocol in the URL for the stream key. I know that's gone over your head, but you can just load all of that information into Riverside and it live streams to all of those platforms simultaneously. It's a really nice little feature. So for ten dollars a month, It's great value. Whereas I'm not sure what StreamYard have put the prices up to, but there's a lot of people commenting in this group at the moment of what's everybody now using.

[00:20:13] Jo Day: Riverside are heavily investing in this platform, which is what me and Lucy are recording on now. 

[00:20:21] Lucy Rennie: That's what this is, isn't it? 

[00:20:22] Jo Day: They have a media panel. You've got the lower thirds that, you know, you can actually. Add things throughout, throughout the recording. You can, you know, you can add your intros and outros.

[00:20:33] Jo Day: You can bring in video files, you can add. Music and all different kinds of things. You've got to take time to sit and learn it, but they've got a fantastic YouTube channel with all of the features on the YouTube channel. That you just type in what you're looking for of how to use it. They've got a brilliant FAQ section.

[00:20:52] Jo Day: So, for me, it's like a little university of podcasting and Buzzsprout's very similar. They've got a similar kind of, FAQ section of how to's. It's really useful if you've got the time to sit and learn it. And if you haven't, then you'd come to somebody like Audio Co and we do all of that learning on your behalf.

[00:21:12] Jo Day: So you don't have to, all you need to do is think about blueprinting your shows, where it's going, the start, the middle, the end you know, and, and. 

[00:21:22] Lucy Rennie: Only that, only those little things. Well, there's so much there. There, yeah. I think going back to the software though as well, it's really important to say for those who are like me, who appreciate quality stuff, but aren't necessarily techie and minded, I think what's really valuable for me is you pick software, you get behind the scenes and see it and choose it.

[00:21:44] Lucy Rennie: Don't you? That's really intuitive. So even, you know, cause sometimes I might not have to do a lot, but I have to go in and it's still really clunky and tricky and I don't know, whereas, Your systems that you use are really easy for me to kind of join and use and follow. And also you're really commercially minded.

[00:22:03] Lucy Rennie: So you're also going, yeah, okay, that's great. It works really well, but it's like really expensive. Like you've just explained there, but you're always looking for actually the best deal and the value for money as well for us as clients and you as a business owner. So I think that's the bit as well.

[00:22:18] Lucy Rennie: That's really important to say is kind of, it's not just about. Being the best, is it? There's also different factors about being able to use it, user friendly. Because the other thing is when we have guests, they've got to be able to use it as well, haven't they? You know, it's got to be easy and stuff for them to follow too.

[00:22:34] Lucy Rennie: So yeah, there's lots of things that I think is brilliant. Cause I can just go, Jo. And you look after it without even asking. 

[00:22:39] Jo Day: What I love about Riverside is that this one particular person that I'd commented and shared some information with out of this group yesterday was she'd only got a mobile phone and I, and I said, get yourself like a, decent clip on mic.

[00:22:55] Jo Day: There's plenty of them on, if you're on Amazon or any of your tech stores locally, if there are any on the high streets. But Amazon, you've got a great selection of clip on mics. And again, I'll, I'll link, I'll link a couple in the show notes of, you know, what I would select on, you know, they're not too expensive.

[00:23:15] Jo Day: You can get them for 30, 30 euros, 30 pounds. And they come with a little clip that goes in an Android phone or in your iPhone, and you can download the Riverside app and you can actually use Riverside on the go, on your mobile phone, clip your microphone on, and if you want to do a walk and talk in your local park, you can record a podcast out on the go.

[00:23:41] Jo Day: You don't have to be in your office. You don't have to be tied to a desk and these natural podcasts or you know. There's more of them coming out at the moment where people are just out in nature, sat on a park bench, recording a podcast, you know, or just out walking, where we leave all the natural sounds in the background more so with those, like we don't worry about traffic noise too much or birds tweeting because that's the whole point, you're out in nature.

[00:24:08] Jo Day: Yeah, it's real. Not that traffic noise is nature, but you get what I mean, you're outdoors noise, you would leave it. And it's not so much about this 100%, 10 out of 10, highly polished, perfect sound. It's you've got out there and done it and it's real. Yeah. So again, letting go of perfectionism that we've touched on an awful lot.

[00:24:33] Jo Day: It's the concentric value and being you, being real. 

[00:24:38] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. No, I really get that. And I think two reasons. So for me, definitely, like you're saying, I think again, being the more you can be you, so in your natural environment or talking and doing it and being, you know, being yourself. the real you, the more actually it's going to work and you'll feel comfortable and people will come to you and want to listen to you.

[00:24:56] Lucy Rennie: So that works really well. But I think secondly one of the biggest challenges for me was time, you know, running around between school kids and running a business and clients and doing, you know, this isn't a paid, I don't get paid to do a podcast. Yes, eventually it will. And you know, there'll be a sort of a knock on effect.

[00:25:14] Lucy Rennie: I'm not directly getting paid for it. So to be, have to be able to prioritize and block out time in your diary and make sure you come in to sit in the studio and do. I think actually if you've got that walk about mic and being able to do it just when you can and in that instant without worrying about is your hair all this and blah, blah, blah, actually takes away a massive stress, doesn't it?

[00:25:36] Lucy Rennie: Another barrier, another obstacle to it. So. So it breaks down that obstacle of having to sit in the studio and, and even just having your hair done or getting the mic sorted or being at that specific time.

[00:25:48] Lucy Rennie: One of the things, I think that's the key, isn't it? With your mic. And I want one now. I feel like I'm, I'm in my head, my brain's going, 

[00:25:54] Lucy Rennie: Oh, I'm just going to go and Google a little mic 

[00:25:56] Lucy Rennie: from Amazon. I 

[00:25:57] Jo Day: don't know how you pronounce it. I think it's something like, my pronunciation's terrible. I think it's something like Levalier.

[00:26:02] Jo Day: Lavalier or Rode. Have a look at the Rode ones. But Lavalier clip ons, they're about, I don't know, 50 or less for a set of two. 

[00:26:13] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. So, would that help me then when I'm up my hill with Kylo in the wind? Would that help me to count? Yeah, 

[00:26:19] Jo Day: clip it onto your lapel. And you, it pick you up directly, and they have the little furry sound buffer on there.

[00:26:27] Jo Day: So, it would stop a lot of the wind noise, but then directly, you know, record it to your phone, it'd be a lot better for you. Wouldn't get rid of all of it, but it'd make it more audible. 

[00:26:40] Lucy Rennie: So yeah, you helped me with everything in terms of setting it up, didn't you? Once I'd invested in that package, which was kind of everything, the strategy package and the doing, and it's kind of, it's only then when you sort of book in and you're like, right, and you skimmed over a schedule and you're like, right, we need to book in time for this.

[00:26:54] Lucy Rennie: I need to think about this. And that first call and it's like, Oh, 

[00:26:58] Jo Day: yeah. So winding back a little bit, because one of the episodes that we did the other week, and I can't remember which one it was, but it was about, you know, Brand and the inside out approach. Yeah. And I'd started the podcast by saying people jump straight to designing a logo.

[00:27:16] Jo Day: And I find when people approach for podcasting, they go, I've already done my cover design. Straight away, I've done my cover design and I'll say to them, who's your ideal listener? Who are you speaking to? And they haven't done that strategy piece. So, it's the same concept, the same strategic thought process.

[00:27:37] Jo Day: So, as part of our launch, when we were doing the strategy calls into, and the very first thing, I think you'll remember design we didn't even do till the third call. So the first call was about who, who are you talking to? Know your customer, know your ideal listener. Really know them, like really, really know them to the point that you can imagine them, who they are, where they shop, what they watch on TV, what magazines do they read.

[00:28:04] Jo Day: What YouTube channels do they follow? What podcasts do they listen to? Like we really needed to know who they were, who you were speaking to, but more importantly, why? Why are you speaking to them? What do you want to tell them? Why would they want to listen to you? And when we know all of those things, we were then, only then, you know, after a couple of calls and moving into the third call, well, what appeals do they have?

[00:28:29] Jo Day: You know, when we start looking at, well, we now know this customer and they're likely to be reading this magazine, this newspaper, that what's the color scheme? What, what are the bold or not so bold? What are the covers looking like elsewhere of other podcasts they watch or YouTube channels? What is appealing?

[00:28:47] Jo Day: And let's pull out what appeals to you, but what appeals to the client? And that's, that's where we did it from the inside before we even gave it a face. 

[00:28:58] Lucy Rennie: And it's so true. And it's funny, I'm smiling because that's, that's my book in it. This is what I do actually. Having, you know, for me, even that's like my bread and butter approaching something like that.

[00:29:14] Lucy Rennie: You, you still need somebody to come and I still needed you to help me to do that and remind me and to really delve in. And I couldn't have done it myself cause I'm not an expert in audio and in podcasting. Because actually it's a different world and there's different things to think about and even like the platforms and the times and the, the music.

[00:29:33] Lucy Rennie: We had a right laugh with the music, didn't we? And all sorts of things, but there's so much there that you really need someone who knows what they're talking about and can guide you and advise you. But also I remember you, you just got me to talk and then you would, you picked how it was so good and you picked out like the words that I was using or, you know, which is really important, you know, if it's tone of voice, isn't it?

[00:29:57] Lucy Rennie: And it's, it's, it's who we are in the language, but it was just so good having someone do that and help me. Cause it was. Yeah. And that was how you then helped me to kind of bring it to life. So yeah, 

[00:30:07] Jo Day: you use words like leaky bucket, future proof, ripple effect, you know, there was these keywords that as you were describing the work that you do and your business, I was just scribbling away.

[00:30:20] Jo Day: But. listening out for the keywords that would form part of the description for the channel. You know, what people would be, the search terms, what the podcast could be called. So you've got clarity, communication, connection that tied back into your, your book. You've got joining the dots. There was so many keywords that we're using.

[00:30:43] Jo Day: And because that's part of your natural language and you talk in a very comfortable and at ease way about that, it needed bringing into the podcast. So that's why I always do that exercise with people. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your business. And I'm listening and just writing down then what the, What that keyword and that, you know, what it is that we need to pull in.

[00:31:10] Jo Day: And then that's when we go off. And I, you know, I think I said to you, go and have a look on Amazon sites, search these terms on Amazon, you know, what does it bring back? So you've got to do that research. You know, a lot of people just want to get to the end point, want to jump in the studio and start recording.

[00:31:29] Jo Day: Or unless you've done this groundwork, first of all, and laid a solid foundation. You are scattergun talking to anybody and everybody, and you won't get picked up by the right people. So you might have an audience, but that audience will never convert into loyal customers, loyal clients. 

[00:31:52] Lucy Rennie: Yeah, it's completely with you.

[00:31:54] Lucy Rennie: Even, you know, like, I know we talked about the length and the style and, and all those different things. Yeah, even just like the mission, because We started off, didn't we? We had a microphone and headphones and all those things, but actually then you were like, do you know what? It's better sound on there.

[00:32:06] Lucy Rennie: Cause, oh, that was the other thing was my Wi Fi. Yeah. So that was the problem. There's so much actually, once we got started wasn't there, that was just like, that was another story. Cause it all seems, you know, but I think coming, sorry, I did know what I wanted to say, was coming back to what you were saying.

[00:32:21] Lucy Rennie: Again, it's that there's no magic pill and it's not, you know, you don't just suddenly click your fingers and you can be a podcast creator. You know, host or you do it. I think that's the thing is the more you actually unpick it, the more you realize just how much there is to do to make it, you know, to get the most out of it and do it in the right way.

[00:32:39] Lucy Rennie: And I don't mean that to take away or put people off, but 

[00:32:43] Lucy Rennie: I think if you're going to invest in it and you're going to start, you need to kind of be aware of. Actually, there is a lot of work to do behind the scenes and it doesn't, you don't just show up and it's there. It gets easier because once you've got the foundations in place and you've got you behind the scenes and, you know, working on it, it, you get more into the flow, which we'll talk about, but it's not a just click your fingers, do it, is it?

[00:33:07] Lucy Rennie: There's, there's a lot of work that goes into the 

[00:33:11] Lucy Rennie: background 

[00:33:11] Lucy Rennie: of, of yeah, of doing it all. 

[00:33:14] Jo Day: Yeah. So I'm just really conscious of time, so I don't want to take too long. This to be another Mammoth episode, but would you do it again? I know we're doing it now, but let, let me rephrase that question. What one piece of advice would you give to anybody who was thinking about starting out in podcasting?

[00:33:35] Lucy Rennie: Okay. If the one piece of advice is just ring you and get, give it all to Jo and get Jo to do it. There you go. There you go. We'll wrap it up there. No, I think. I think we should have another episode after about mindset and this, because that was the whole thing was actually, I, I thought I was completely okay and I could do it and you know, blah, blah, blah.

[00:33:56] Lucy Rennie: And actually the, the biggest challenge for me was getting over myself, which we can probably show bloopers from it, but you've got some bloopers from mine. It's helped me get here, doing this, like it's, I never thought at certain times that I was going to be able to do this and be on YouTube at the same time and like show the camera.

[00:34:15] Lucy Rennie: I mean, that was like, oh my God, you know, 

[00:34:17] Jo Day: so I think the value of it. making mistakes, like imperfectly perfect. I think you're more relaxed with that. Oh, massive. I remember one time we were like 19 minutes, nearly 20 minutes into an episode and you just burst into tears and said, I can't do this. Can we start again?

[00:34:39] Jo Day: And it, it wasn't that the whole 20 minutes needed, can we start again, because it could have just been edited and you could have just taken a moment, but your mindset wasn't quite there. And I think there was still a lot of imposter syndrome, self doubt, a bit of overwhelm. And over the weeks and months, you know, that all kind of got sorted and look here we are now.

[00:35:09] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. Yeah. That's been the biggest thing. I think we will talk about this probably more and more and more, but it was such a big thing to be. And I think because I'm such a, I want to give value and I want it to be, you know, want people to, Like, take something away from it. It was so, Oh God, who am I to say this?

[00:35:28] Lucy Rennie: What am I doing? And it needed to be right. And it wasn't necessarily about being perfect as in having it all polished, but it was more, am I actually, what I'm talking about? Is it, Is it a value? Is actually people going to go, you know, and it was, it was really, really scary. And the moment then like that doubt goes in, you spiral then and then it just wasn't flowing.

[00:35:48] Lucy Rennie: But I think had to go through that process to get to here now. So would I do it again? Absolutely. I mean, I've had people from France, from different countries getting in touch because of the podcast that they've, you know, and I've not got, again, that's point is, and we had this conversation was I wasn't in it necessarily to get shitloads of downloads and numbers and blah, blah, blah, straight away.

[00:36:09] Lucy Rennie: It was more for me, actually, it was a tool of getting my voice out there, sharing my story, talking, giving value. So I wasn't necessarily going, Oh, how many downloads? How many? Maybe I should have been more. It was also a learning curve. And I think. for me, the value in it anyway, regardless of whether people listened and whatever was actually for me, personal growth wise of doing it and getting over myself and being able to show up and do and actually jump on here now with you.

[00:36:37] Lucy Rennie: And it's exciting and I love it. And it's like, you know, but. Yeah, 

[00:36:41] Jo Day: I think they get hung up on the numbers. So everywhere, and again comparisonitis comes in so they get hung up on the how many downloads, how many followers have I got, how many likes have I got, how many connections have I got. And you can have thousands of connections and no engagement.

[00:37:03] Jo Day: You can have fantastic content, the best content in the world, but nobody's engaging with it because they're not the right audience. So don't get hung up on the numbers. You need to get hung up on the strategy that you're speaking to, the audience that you want to attract. That's the real important piece is knowing your customer.

[00:37:25] Jo Day: And if you get that right, it doesn't matter. Then if you're only getting 10 downloads, you're getting 10 downloads, speaking to 10 of your ideal client. Exactly. You know, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, way more value than having a thousand downloads of a thousand people that are never ever going to convert and like are popping in and listening for a few minutes and dropping off.

[00:37:50] Jo Day: They're not the right people. That's damaging. And the algorithms on the podcast hosting platforms and the charts, they all pick up on that the same as they do on YouTube, the same as they do on Facebook and Instagram. It's all about the engagement and the speed of engagement. How long are people engaging for?

[00:38:10] Jo Day: So, like on YouTube Shorts, the algorithm for YouTube Shorts, it's not published, but it's quite well known, that within the first minute, within the first 60 seconds of you publishing a YouTube Short, if somebody is engaging with that YouTube Short within the first 60 seconds, if they like the post, and watch it 100%, then, YouTube will promote that into the stream, into the algorithm.

[00:38:37] Jo Day: So, it tests it out with the first, say, 50 people, a small group of people it will test it. How many of those 50 people that it thinks you're speaking to based on the description and the keywords, engage with that content when YouTube shares it with them. And if enough of those people watch the video for a sufficient amount of time, it then moves it up a level.

[00:39:03] Jo Day: It says, okay, this is good content. Let's stick it in the stream. And then it's like in the flow and off it goes. And then you'll see that that's how you've got to understand how these things work behind the scenes rather than just chuck it out there. And you know, like we're four weeks in now and are all.

[00:39:21] Jo Day: videos or streaming and we, like, we're over 6, 000 views now and it's not about the number of subscribers. It's not. We, we've got more eyes on the channel than I've got in my entire social media. Collectively, there are more individual people engaging with the channel and returning. They might not have subscribed yet, some have, some haven't.

[00:39:48] Jo Day: They are returning to the channel and engaging with the short and with the full length videos. Yeah. But it's, it's outperforming my Facebook, my Instagram, my LinkedIn. It's outperforming everything. 

[00:40:06] Lucy Rennie: And, and who knew this time a year even ago you'd get me on you having a YouTube channel with you, like doing face, you know, video and stuff.

[00:40:15] Lucy Rennie: But I think, just finish it. I think for me, one of the key things that I'm dead proud of with the podcasts. I think I've done like, do we do 60 episodes I think? So it's paused at the moment because obviously we're doing this and, but it's there and people are still coming and downloading it and listening to it.

[00:40:32] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. But I have had people come up to me in Tesco's going, Oh my God, are you Lucy Rennie? I've been listening to your podcast. I feel like I know you. That for me is everything. I feel like I know you. I feel like, because for me, my business all comes through word of mouth and people who get what I'll do and like it and want to work with me.

[00:40:52] Lucy Rennie: And so it's, that's been the biggest tool is having a platform for me where I can be real and I'm not going to pretend to be something different because actually what's the point? You know, I want people to get me and I'm not perfect. So I've had that and I've also had somebody who went, Oh my God, I was listening to one episode with you and Vicky.

[00:41:09] Lucy Rennie: And I drove into work and handed my resignation and started my own business the months later. You know, and he's there and he's in my network now and we work together and it's, but that, how many, like that's, it scares the hell out of me. People are making decisions based on, but it's amazing. You know, the impact we can have with.

[00:41:29] Lucy Rennie: We're talking relatively small numbers for my podcast because again, another thing is I didn't have the time investing all these things. I didn't necessarily hold my end of the bargain, which was then about doing my promotion and making sure I was sharing it and doing it. And, you know, and, and that that's okay because I'm a mom and I'm just juggling and there's again, priorities and clients and all those things.

[00:41:52] Lucy Rennie: So again, so that's another thing, part of it. So just from those small numbers and doing it, the impact was huge. Like writing the book, you know, it's that kind of authority, that reach, that sort of It's 

[00:42:05] Jo Day: there, you've, you've got it, it's still there now, and if people say Where will I find this? You can reference.

[00:42:12] Jo Day: Actually, I've got a podcast episode on that. I'll send you the link. Exactly. Go and watch this or go and listen to this podcast episode. So it's like your book. You've got that as a reference material. Now people can go and read your book. People can go and listen to any of those podcast episodes.

[00:42:31] Jo Day: There are a couple that some of the content might be outdated now, but Possibly. Probably will be relevant if anything. Yeah, the Queen died. We did one about the Queen, didn't we? I was just gonna say, so when King Charles dies, it might be relevant, you know what I mean? But the Queen dying is a one off event.

[00:42:50] Jo Day: But there was still some great advice in there. in terms of planning and communications and how you deal with that sort of big event that happened. Yeah. Yeah. You know but mostly, most of the episodes it, you can direct people to, and there's some really, really good ones on there. Like CRM systems are on there, planning's on there, you know, why you became self employed.

[00:43:17] Jo Day: There's all sorts of interesting characters in those episodes that are totally valid today. So, go and listen to Lucy's podcast, The Future Proof Business, Future Proof Your Business, and the link will be in the show notes. And don't forget to like and subscribe to the channel and hit the notifications bell so it reminds you that we are, you know, we've published a new episode or a new short and yeah, give us a watch.

[00:43:44] Lucy Rennie: Can I just say one extra thing as well? Because this If people do want to get in touch with us and maybe they want to ask us a question or or pick pick your brains or whatever then we'll pop the link in as well because obviously our program's closed now there's a waiting list for that but if people want to jump on and and and have a call or have a chat or talk to us, then there's a new form that I've created that they can fill in and we can get in touch and have a chat.

[00:44:10] Lucy Rennie: So I'm trying to do a bit more of that and giving people a way to, because I think that's the thing. It needs to be two way. I don't want, it's not just broadcasting, is it? We want to have those conversations. So even if this is a question, maybe people want to ask about The episodes use that form and fill it in and get in touch or, or comment on the YouTube.

[00:44:32] Lucy Rennie: Comment underneath as well. But if you want to have something properly, yeah. 

[00:44:37] Jo Day: All right. We'll leave it there. 

[00:44:39] Lucy Rennie: It's a snow day here in, in, you're in Lanzarote, aren't you? So it's dead warm, but it's absolutely snowing it down here in the Peak District. So we're going to go and build a snowman, I think, this afternoon.

[00:44:49] Jo Day: So our next episode we are going to do in person. I can't wait.

[00:44:54] Lucy Rennie: Oh my God. Yeah, we are. 

[00:44:55] Jo Day: We're in person. So me and Lucy will be together recording our next episode. So I'm really looking forward to that. 

[00:45:01] Lucy Rennie: I need to go and buy one of those new microphone things now. So you've got me all excited, ready for next week. And we can walk about and chat while we're doing it. So. 

[00:45:09] Jo Day: All right. 

[00:45:10] Lucy Rennie: See you next week though. 

[00:45:10] Jo Day: See you next time. Bye for now. 

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Jo Day

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Lucy Rennie

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