Not everyone with a podcast is a podcast strategist.
No, I am not gatekeeping! I know many exceptional podcast coaches and strategists who are ultra-qualified. But for each of them, I have heard literally dozens of horror stories about expensive coaches that overpromised and underdelivered, leaving podcasters’ dreams shattered.
When they come to my studio crying and frustrated, it motivates me to finally say - this trend has to stop!
Today, I am sharing more about who not to hire - and some important questions to ask when you are in the market for a great podcast strategist!
Are they a strategist…or was their own show successful?
I see it a lot: Podcasters grew their own successfully, so they become a coach. But the problem is - they have not proven that they can replicate that growth.
To be a coach, you need to have a track record of replicating the same great results, over and over again. You need a proven system of implementation that works!
There are a lot of reasons why shows are successful, and I’ll discuss some of them below. But beware of hiring a coach just because their show took off. It won’t produce the same results for you.
What is podcast strategy?
Podcast strategy is so much more than saying, hey, you should do what I did. It is actual work and there is real research that goes into making shows successful.
I said in this episode: “Strategy means that you are able to analyze the data, analyze the concept, look at the trends, look at the industry and competitor market, and break down what you’re seeing happening in the space.”
I’ve said it before and I can say it again, every podcaster is different. My goals with The Podcast Trapper might be vastly different from your motivations for starting your show. So it stands to reason that our markers for success, implementation strategy, and marketing plan are going to be different. That’s why a one-size-fits-all strategy just does not work when it comes to podcasting.
As an example, I am using The Podcast Trapper to educate my community and increase awareness about my company, Adode Media. I can provide value to podcasters and also encourage them to use us for their production here in Atlanta, Georgia.
That said, I do not obsess over how many views we get on Youtube. I also don’t worry about the number of downloads - I spend more time with my team strategizing who we are reaching. Are we using our platform wisely to connect with the right people, in the right location? That’s our goal, and focusing on vanity metrics would not be useful to reach it.
Podcast strategy is a set of goals and a plan to get you there. If your goal is to get X number of downloads, you need to strategize a marketing plan around that. If your goal is to have funny conversations with your friends, I love that for you - and you might not need a strategy at all. The question of course is, what are you using your podcast for?
A great podcast strategist will help you do the deep work and research trends in your industry.
Is it stealing or is it learning?
Since I’m sharing my hot take today, I want to bring up a common trend I’m seeing: The act of using others’ advice to launch courses.
In fact, I’ve seen people who I coached in podcasting literally take the content word for word that I have taught them - and repurpose that into their own course. I want to be flattered by this, so I am choosing to take it as a compliment. But at what point is it stealing?
Just some food for thought.
Is your coach an experienced innovator who has implemented their own advice multiple times and gotten results? Or did they just learn tools from someone else, take them, and repackage them?
Again, I do not say this out of outrage alone. It also won’t serve you.
Repackaged advice isn’t unique to your show and doesn’t contain real strategy for your niche - so it is unlikely to work. Ask yourself, is this person going to help me get the results I want?
You can’t get coached on this…
I am not specifically a podcasting coach, but even more, than that, I cannot coach you on how to launch an online community.
I share this because it’s a great example of how I can’t replicate something just because it worked for me.
See, when I launched Blk Pod Collective, it soared. It took off. It exploded. I am so proud of the work I did because it impacted so many lives! But you know what else? I could not replicate it if I tried!
Success is part hard work, part luck, and timing.
When I launched Blk Pod Collective, Instagram was totally different. It was exponentially easier to build our following back then. I could use the exact same social strategy today with marginal results, I promise you. I also launched it during the early days of the pandemic, and the social landscape has changed. People’s time is being spent differently. As a strategist, I think of all the factors affecting success. Sometimes, timing matters more than strategy.
This leads me to another important factor that affects podcast strategy…
Access matters.
Another issue I see is that a podcast coach’s success is inflated by the access they have - and you don’t have that!
If you meet a coach that started their podcasting career with established connections at Apple, Spotify, or a network, their success was likely affected by those positive opportunities. That’s awesome for them! However, you don’t necessarily get access to those connections just because you work with them, and so you won’t get the same results they got.
They may have been featured on New and Noteworthy right out of the gate just because their cousin gave them a leg up.
They might have gotten a mention to someone high up at a top company you like. Who knows!
Not only can you not piggyback off those connections, that is not really what networking is. Networking is establishing real, genuine business connections with people in your own right, not just using a coach for that purpose.
I encourage you to do some research on what advantages your strategist or coach may have had prior to their success. What did that journey look like for them? Is it really something you can replicate, or not?
Ask these questions…
Lastly, I want to give you some questions to consider when hiring a coach, mentor or strategist for your podcast.
Who are some people you have worked with, who I can talk to?
Check their work. And don’t just look at it or listen to their show - request real testimonials from former clients.
What case studies do you have for me to see positive and consistent growth?
Ask your potential coach for case studies. Don’t just look at their vanity metrics - what were their starting goals and where are they now? What did their implementation process look like? How did their strategist help them achieve those goals?
I hope this helps you choose your guides wisely!
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Ona Oghogho
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