Unleashing Podcast Power: Grow Your Small Business With Social Success
In this engaging conversation about podcasts for small businesses, Peg Fitzpatrick and Michelle Glogovac, author of How to Get on Podcasts and host of My Simplified Life podcast, discuss the intricacies of podcasting, focusing on the benefits of being a podcast guest, the importance of relationships, and strategies for building a personal brand through podcast appearances. They explore the challenges of starting a podcast, the significance of preparation, and the myths surrounding podcasting, emphasizing the need for effective content repurposing to maximize reach and impact.
The PopUp Social Media Success Series is a special seven-week podcast and Instagram Live series hosted by Peg Fitzpatrick, author of The Art of Small Business Social Media: A Blueprint for Marketing Success. Each week, Peg is joined by a new guest—industry experts and social media pros—sharing actionable tips, strategies, and insights designed to help small businesses elevate their social media game. From mastering AI to engaging your community and leveraging platforms like Pinterest, this series offers a fresh perspective on the tools and tactics small businesses can use to grow their online presence and connect with their ideal audience.
Key takeaways of podcasts for small business
Consistency in sharing content is vital for growth.
Podcasts can educate, entertain, and build empathy.
Building relationships is key in podcasting.
Guesting on podcasts is easier than hosting.
Preparation is crucial for a successful podcast appearance.
Repurposing content can enhance visibility and engagement.
Podcast hosts extend their trust to guests.
Sharing personal stories can create deeper connections.
Establishing a clear purpose is essential for a podcast.
Listening to previous episodes helps tailor your pitch.
AI-generated transcript:
Peg Fitzpatrick (00:01.016)
Hi, how you doing? I'm Peg Fitzpatrick and I am starting a live. It's one of my pop-up live series. And today I am going to speak with my friend Michelle Glogovac about podcasts. And she wrote this amazing book called, How to Get on Podcasts. And it's, I'm letting her in right now.
Peg Fitzpatrick (00:30.646)
I was saying that Michelle wrote this great book, How to Get on Podcasts. And this is how I, here she goes. Hello.
Michelle Glogovac
Hi. How are you doing? Good. How are you? Good. I was just showing everybody your awesome book. Thank you. Which is getting light from my, it's getting its little spotlight from my ring light. So I met Michelle because of this book.
How to get on podcasts. And Michelle and I both had a similar little bump in our publishing, our writing careers when McGraw-Hill closed down their publishing, their business books section. And we were both authors in that section. So oopsie, hi Sandra, my friend Sandra, who was on a previous show is already asking us podcast questions. So.
Great to see you. Great to see you face to face.
Michelle Glogovac
You too. I know it's nice for a Tuesday. It feels like a Monday, though.
I know. Well, we're still in a coma from last week, let's be honest. Yeah. Hi, Sandra. Sandra's also in a coma from last week. So Michelle and I both were kind of vocal. You were even more vocal than I was on your social media. And I think that was important for us to do that.
Michelle Glogovac
Yeah, I'll continue being vocal and I think it's good to let people know where you stand and then it's not a surprise when you do tell them.
Right, and honestly, if they don't agree, then it's totally fine if they don't wanna follow me. Yeah. That's how I feel. Exactly. So, would just say that because honestly, I'm really not someone who likes to talk about politics all the time, but now we have to.
goes so far beyond. that's like a whole other idea. I know, wait, wait, we gotta stop talking about this. We're talking about podcasts today. So we are on an Instagram Live to talk about podcasts, a little bit meta. Do you want to tell a little bit about your background first to like how you have a PR background, correct?
Michelle Glogovac
No, my real background is selling jet fuel to corporate flight departments for 18 years. totally has to do with podcasts. Well, podcasts didn't exist when I was in college, so this wasn't even a career path that I was going to be able to take. Because I literally graduated before the first podcast launched. So I'm dating myself. It's fine. But what I've realized is that they do relate to each other because they're all relationship based. So what I do now is all about relationships with the clients, with podcast hosts.
And what I did for 18 years was all about relationships with selling jet fuel and keeping those clients. And some of them are still friends to this day, totally unrelated. So that's really my background. My degrees are, have a bachelor's and a master's in law because I wanted to be an attorney. Sounds unrelated, but as a business owner, you have contracts. So it's very related and relevant. I was laid off and I had two little tiny people at home and I decided I wanted to do something job wise that would make the world feel like I was making it better for them. And that's when I discovered podcasts and the fact that they are free to listen to that you can be educated, entertained, you can hear a story from someone, you can build empathy. They truly, I believe, change the world. They make it a better place, which to me means that I'm doing something that's going to benefit my kids in the long run. I that.
Except for I was going to say, Joe Rogan's podcast. yeah, don't listen to his.
Michelle Glogovac
I don't listen to him either, but I know that it's things that I, well.
Anyway, we're going to get down to that. and a curse. Podcasts are a blessing and a curse, whether you host one or are a guest on one, because literally anyone can do it. That's totally true.
So what drew you into the world of podcasting and earned you the title of the podcast matchmaker? You kind of went over that already. What drew you in?
Michelle Glogovac
And really it's all about the relationships is what made me the matchmaker is I, I'm good at listening. I listen to clients. I listen to the stories that they share.
And then I pull out from it, you know, this is what you should be talking about. This is really interesting, and this is how it relates to you. And whether there's a story that might not seem like it relates to whatever you're selling, we can always tie it back because the whole point of a podcast is an interview is to really allow people to hear in your own voice, your own words from you so that they can fall in love with you and then want to work with you, buy your book, your product, your service without making it a sales promotion.
and that sort of a thing. So it's between that and then listening to the shows that we pitched to and listening to who are the hosts trying to target as their ideal listener. What's the goal of their show and recognizing when to bring the two together. That's what makes me the podcast matchmaker and why I love podcasts.
Peg Fitzpatrick
So just for people who are listening, in case you haven't, if you're not already connected with Michelle, she has a podcast but she also has a business called MLG Collective where she actually works with people and does podcast tours and helps them be a podcast guest. So she has two different things related to podcasts. So just to make sure. both angles. Yes, all over the place. So why do you think guesting is such a good way for people to build their brand?
Michelle Glogovac
Because it allows allows people to get to know you and it allows you to share your story. think it's so powerful for someone, a business owner, a nonprofit organization to share why they're doing what they're doing. Why is it important to them? Why do they get up every morning wanting to do the work that they do? Why did they write the book that they wrote? And for someone to listen to that, why behind it is it could be that one little thing that makes someone want to connect with them further wants to buy.
whatever it is that they're selling. And then at the same time, it allows that business owner to grow their platform, grow their audience, reach more people, and then create more marketing content for their own brand in the end. And I know that we're going to get to talk about that too, but you know, to, build on the content that they have to market their business. It's a great way to let people know that you're out there and who you are and what you stand for.
Peg Fitzpatrick (07:04.718)
I also think now that I'm on my own, I'm doing my own podcast tour. I also think it's really great when you're a guest, when people ask you questions from a different perspective too, it helps you rethink what you wrote and what you think about things. And maybe they're asking you something that you hadn't really, you know, thought about before you have like a good twist or new perspective on it. I that's interesting too. People have asked me about my book. There's certain things and, this is more than just podcasts. like, it is.
Michelle Glogovac
I've had to reread the book myself. go, I do bring up some other points in here. I could also reread my book. So, what are some surprising benefits to being a podcast guest versus having your own podcast? Timing-wise, it's so much easier to guess than it is to create your own show. And being on both sides, I know this because to have a show, you're hosting it and not just as the host. Like this, but hosting it on a platform like Libsyn to pay for that, you're paying for it. You are having to show up every single week. You know, if you're a guest, can schedule your interviews when it works for you versus when you're a host, you have to commit to, it every week? Is it twice a month? How often are you showing up and you have to show up because listeners notice. You have to keep creating content out of it. And then you have to, once you've recorded it, that's not the end of it.
you have to create your show notes and all of your social media postings and you have to market it and grow the audience. Whereas a guest is showing up and they're getting that warm audience. And of course you do need to share it as well and repurpose it. But the big difference is that you're growing an audience as a host versus coming into an already established audience as a guest.
Michelle Glogovac
It reminded me when you were saying it of like the difference between being a dinner host and a dinner guest. Yes. Because when you're doing that meal, yeah, you're doing all the work and the guests just can show up with some flowers and say, I can't wait to have this great meal. There's a big difference. And you can't have one without the other. I mean, you could eat dinner alone, but like for, in some podcasts don't have.
guests on them, the host does everything, but then, you know, that truly is all your, you still have to have a lot to say. So.
Yeah. Yeah. You have to be a good talker to yourself. Which is hard, you know, which is hard, like doing it, doing it like a live stream by yourself versus having a guest. I used to do a series. was a thanks a lot to a series I did every Friday for years on my Facebook page.
And that was just me and then talking to people in the comments and stuff. You're really just on and you could choose to ignore the comment kind of things, but it's just you with no feedback and it's a little bit weird. Yeah, it's weird. It's awkward. So, for those people thinking of starting a podcast, what's the first thing that they should focus on if they want to start one?
Michelle Glogovac
What do you want to talk about? What is the point of your show?
What do you want to talk about? What's the point, and what kind of content can you create from it? I would suggest that you start writing down what kind of episodes you're going to have. What are the topics that you're going to create and talk about? Because like I said, you have to show up every week and most podcasts are weekly. So that's four episodes a month. What are you going to talk about? You know, if you're going to interview people, who are you going to interview and what are you going to talk about?
again, the blessing and the curse of anyone can have one, but does everyone need to have one? Probably not. You know, that would be step number one. And then, you know, you have to establish what platform are you going to use? There's Spotify for podcasters, Libsyn. There's a bunch of different platforms and you will have to establish one of those and pay for them in most cases. You know, are you going to do video and audio or just audio?
Michelle Glogovac
I highly suggest that you create a process for these are the steps that you're going to take every single week so that eventually you can farm out, you know, the editing if you want to, or the social media aspect of it and create a process of I'm going to record an episode from there. How do do your show notes? How are you going to edit it? How are you going to create social media? Do you have templates for it? Link to all of those and create a process document.
Michelle Glogovac
And really I started this when I started my show is I created this document and as I did each step, I documented it. So I can hand it off, you know, if necessary, but then it also makes sure that everything will be uniform and consistent. I use Trello. I know you're a big Trello board fan too.
Peg
I love Trello. There's a lot of pieces for the show. So you have the recording, you can have audio and video.
You have to have great titles that tell people what it is and have SEO search in there. And then your descriptions have to be really great. So there's a lot of thought processes besides just, I think I'm gonna record something. And then, like you were saying, do you have ideas for the show? When you're really thinking about the show, you gotta check and see, is there already a podcast with that name and theme? Because there's a lot of podcasts in the world now.
Michelle Glogovac
A lot. One of my favorite shows on TV right now is Only Murders in the Building. And I cringe over their podcast part because I'm like, no, you don't just pull out your phone and record here and then pull out your actual studio set up over here. And you just plug away. And these people don't have a website. I'm like, this isn't real life at all. I know. It is funny.
Peg
They just pull out their little phone and record a quick note. And then later they're using the headsets and everything.
Your sound is gonna suck, and who edits them? Like the, is it Selena? I mean, what's going on there? So it's a pretend podcast, but I would listen to Steve Martin, who's so funny. I do love it. Are you watching the other podcast show with Kristen Bell? Have you watched that one yet? No. I'm gonna send you a link to it. I have to, I can't think of the name of it. It's like, I can't.
I have to think of it. It's Adam Brody. I cannot believe you haven't watched it yet. It's so good. It's based on a real life podcast that two sisters have and it's hysterical. The show is hysterical and that's all they do is their podcast in LA. I need a new show to watch, so perfect. it's great. You're going to love it. So the little podcast TV show. When I save this, I'll put it in the comments what show it is.
Peg Fitzpatrick (13:55.104)
And so what is the secret to making a podcast appearance unforgettable? someone really could give as much of yourself as you can, give as much knowledge, share everything that you know.
Michelle Glogovac
when I first started out in the online world, I heard Amy Porterfield say, give as much as you can for free because it will have people walk away saying, well, if she gives this away for free, imagine what she's going to give you when you pay her. And I've always taken that to heart. I will give away everything, I will tell you how to do everything by yourself for free. Come to me, and I will just do it for you. And so it's like, you get that, you know, even better. So share yourself, share your story, share how you can get, buy the book for $19 right now on Amazon.
Peg
But, but, for real, Michelle's telling us a lot right now. It is, I did read this book cover to cover and it does tell you everything about how and why to get on podcast. So this is just a little teaser, but
You can get Michelle's book and get the whole thing.
Michelle Glogovac
And I highly recommend it. Yeah. Give as much of yourself. And that's what's really going to reap the rewards and the benefits later. I recorded a podcast earlier today where I was a guest and she was like, just, we have only 10 minutes, but you know, try to throw out as many sound bites as you can. like, wow. Like way to, I didn't say it, but I was like, wow, way to like freeze my brain. Like no pressure. make it.
like make really great short sound bites and it'll just be a conversation. I'm like, that's 10 minutes. that's, you know, I mean, but was in your head, but that's tough. You get, you're like, what, would sound good?
Peg
Yeah, that's, that's tough. is, but some authors though, stick on a very tight theme for their book. they do like, they'll do, they'll create a speech for that book and it would be just on that one topic. The speech would be exactly the same. And then they have, like,
three maybe points that they would be making over and over again.
So if you were Simon Sinek with Start With Why, you know, that's what you would be talking about and you would probably have your sound bites like nails in your head. So you could always break your book down and get some sound bites out of it so you could repeat them, but I didn't do that first, so. It was just my random thoughts, which hopefully were good, but.
Peg Fitzpatrick (16:15.18)
Okay. So how could podcast guesting help build credibility and thought leadership, which is important for book sales?
Michelle Glogovac
Well, the fact is that podcast hosts are a very trusted source. Listeners show up every week because they trust the host and what they're saying. So that trust is automatically extended to the guest, which is a huge deal. It's not like you're going into a cold sales call where you have to earn
you know, this is who I am and prove who you are and what you do and why you're trustworthy. That's automatically being granted to you by being on a show. So that's a huge benefit for you to come on and to automatically receive. You know, to be the expert, you are the expert. You have been asked to be on to discuss what you know. And so automatically, you are the expert.
in those eyes and you become the thought leader because you keep showing up. People are going to see that over and over you're on shows talking about the same thing. So you must know what you're talking about because all of these hosts trust you to speak on this topic. And that's really the best way to explain how you become the expert, the thought leader when it comes to these podcast appearances.
Peg
Because you and I both know, I mean, it takes a lot of work to write a book and to get your book published is another big thing.
But then the publicity piece of it is huge because it's you people. It's all on you unless you are a massive, huge writer. I don't know. Who would I think of that would be like definitely has like book tours and like Emily Henry. If you're Emily Henry, she's got a team. She's got a publicist. She's got people, and she's gonna have the live book tours.
Book tours are another thing, you know, like an actual in-person book tour, also up to you. So you're paying for the travel, you have to make all the arrangements. So podcast tours are a way to do things from home and also reach tons of people. Do you have any quick tips for preparing to be a guest so you can make the most of your time in the spotlight?
Michelle Glogovac
Always listen to the show that you're going to be on before you're on it. You should be doing that before you even pitch yourself to be on the show. But it's always a good refresher, especially if you're doing a lot of appearances, a lot of interviews, to just listen quickly to an episode. You know, get a feel for the host and what they say. And maybe they have a question at the end of every episode that they always ask. And it's very noticeable if you haven't listened to the show and they ask the question that they always ask, be prepared.
You know, I always say you don't have to listen on one time speed, speed it up, make it two times. it goes quicker, but at least listen to an episode to be prepared. If they've chosen a topic that, you know, this is what you're going to speak on, you know, in general, you will know what you're talking about, but maybe it's on your book versus your business versus your personal journey depends on what you've pitched. So make sure that you show up and you're ready for whichever topic you're going to discuss.
Michelle Glogovac
Be camera ready if you don't know whether or not the video is going to be on. You at least want to show up presentable because you're going to be talking to another person. really remember that it's just a conversation with one other person. So you don't have to be nervous about it. It's like you're showing up for having coffee like we are right now. Like it's not a big deal. Just converse with the other person.
Peg
It's not big deal, but it's just being recorded and it will be on the internet forever.
Michelle Glogovac
Don't think about all the million people that can reach peoples. just said peoples. It's totally okay. And most things are, you know, they edit them. Unlike this, which is live. The rest, most podcasts are edited. So things can be taken out. It's true.
It's true. How can a business, a small business repurpose podcast content across their channels? So if a small business owners on a podcast, what can they do to make sure they share it smartly? There are so many ways. Download a transcript and look at the quotes that you've done. Look at the, what have you said that you could pull out to make social media graphics, create a blog post out of it, which essentially is like show notes, you know, a paragraph of
Michelle Glogovac
This is what we talked about. What are the main talking points? And then embed that podcast player. Go to Spotify. They've got the three little buttons. You right click, you copy a code. You just paste it onto your website. So now people can visit your website. They can see where you've been. They can play the episode while reading your blog posts, you know, create social media graphics that have the cover art of the podcast to share where you've been tagged the host.
because then they're going to share it as well. And it becomes that ripple effect of more people seeing it. Pin it on Pinterest. I know you're a fan. know, put it on all the social media places because not everybody's showing up in the same places. Not everybody is going to see your posts because of the algorithms, but post it. And you know, if you're pulling out different quotes of yourself, then you can repost the same episode, but using different parts of what you talked about.
over and over again and do it not just when the episode comes out, but wait a few months and do it again because it's going to become evergreen content that you can continuously promote for yourself to show people where you've been.
Peg
I've been creating multiple pins and then with different Pinterest titles, different Pinterest descriptions, and I have a board where I'm putting them and I'm putting them on other boards too, but I have a podcast only board for just the episodes where it's like my podcast tour board. And those pins are actually doing really well already. So I'm doing like clips that some hosts send you like clips and graphics and, but yeah. So just have a place where you can put them all. Yeah. And share, just share and tag. Share and tag for sure. For people who are feeling nervous about being on a podcast, what's a confidence, confidence boosting tip that you have?
Michelle Glogovac
Breathe. My biggest tip is to really listen beforehand. Get to know the host. Go to their website, read their about page, go to their social media, find something out that they share that's personal because then you know something about the host and you can bring that into the conversation. Hey, I noticed this. I noticed that you wrote a book and I noticed that your editor was my agent.
Peg Fitzpatrick (22:57.538)
that's the brand we have this in common. Yeah. That was a secret. You know what? Another, another really weird thing, Michelle and I both have the same blog theme, which, which don't go look it up cause it's just ours, but it's a really good blog theme and they look amazing and they look different even though we have the same one because our, our colors are different. Right.
Michelle Glogovac
Because we changed it. These are conversations things that we didn't copy and paste it and just leave it. We changed it.
But to know these little facts about someone else, I think that brings a comfort level too, that you show up and you know the person more than just hitting record and going, hi, how do you pronounce your name? And that is, when you're listening to their podcast, you do get that naturally. There was one podcast that I was on, and I was totally excited because she was from my hometown, Rochester, New York. Shout out to Rochester. it was really like that was like our.
You're going to Rochester?
Michelle Glogovac
I'm into Rochester on Thursday. Yeah. But I'm going to Syracuse. yeah. I'm just flying in because Southwest, yay. Yeah. Well, Syracuse I'm speaking at the Public Relations Northeast Conference.
Peg
Awesome. You're not that far from me. I wish I knew. What's next, I want to look at that because Syracuse is not, I'm trying to think how far that is. Probably four hours. It's kind of a lot. I'll check. But anyway.
I love Upstate New York because I'm from Rochester. Anyway, she was also from Rochester, so it was like really fun to talk to her. And what do you think is the biggest podcasting challenge? What is like a hard thing about the whole, if people are just getting started and they're just like, I'm not sure if this is a good idea. On the hosting side or the guesting side? We'll say guesting because this is to go with your book.
Michelle Glogovac
You know, the hardest part would be that people don't know which podcast should you reach out to. I think that's a, that's a big one. Or what topics should I pitch to be speaking on? And I think if you, really need, there's time, time is involved. There's homework involved on your end to research the podcasts that you think are a good fit for yourself. But first identify who is it you want to reach? Who do you want to talk to? And then go look for shows who are already talking to your ideal listener and go that way. And then make sure you listen to the show so you can personalize your pitch and make unique speaking topics. Don't just say, I can talk about marketing. know, make it very unique and specific to you. Make sure that they take guests. Make sure that they haven't just covered your topic already and recently.
And get personal in your pitch of this is what I'm going to bring to your audience and why your audience is going to benefit. Don't make it about you. We all know this is about you. We know that the interview is the interview you. So don't come off as this is about me. This is about my book. This is about my service, my product, my business. No, this has to be about what you're bringing to the audience and why is it going to be beneficial hearing from you?
Peg
So, what's one podcast myth that you would like to bust?
Michelle Glogovac
there's so many, the thing that I, I, cringe with is that there there's no standard. I think that we need to create a standard, whether that's in the pitching part and making sure that copy and paste is not okay. You don't copy and paste your pitch . Not sharing and simply showing up and recording the interview is all you have to do.
It's not all you have to do. You need to share it. You need to thank the host by sharing it. You need to repurpose it. Showing up and being interviewed is not going to move the needle on your business, period. You have to repurpose that content. You have to let people know where you've been because it's beneficial to your audience as well. You don't know who is silently watching you and waiting for that little nudge to work with you or to buy whatever it is you're selling.
Peg Fitzpatrick (27:19.436)
And it could be because now they've heard you in your own words on a specific show that's going to push them over to work with you, to reach out to you. But how are they going to know if you don't share it? So, I think the myth of just showing up is a big one. Yeah, it's not just the podcast record. There's more work for your guests. So Michelle, you can find Michelle's book wherever you like to get your books, how to get on podcast. And the longer subtitle is.
Cultivate your following, strengthen your message, and grow as a thought leader through podcast guesting. Excellent book, I love it so much, so you guys should get it. And you can get it with my book, The Art of Small Business Social Media, a fantastic combination. You can be on the podcast, and then you can know how to share it afterwards. So thank you so much. A million thank yous for spending your time and coming on here live. I'm so excited that we did not get cut off the last two shows. Instagram Live just…
stopped when we weren't done talking. was like, okay, I guess we're done. So this one will be all in one. So I will be making this in the spirit of repurposing. This will be on my Instagram profile, but I will also make a longer video, a blog post, a podcast, and tons of social for it. So this is not all people. There's always more work to do to share your message with people. So I appreciate everybody.
who watched live and thank you so much. And thank you to you, Michelle, for spending your time with you, Peg. Thanks for having me. This was fun. Yeah, super fun. Now I'm like, now I have 85 more things, so I will text you. Have a great day. Thanks, you too. Bye. Bye.