The Talking Silkworm Podcast

In this episode, we talk about the vital skill of writing and its implications for personal growth and professional success. Angela Sierra, a seasoned writer, shares her experiences and wisdom, covering topics from language dynamics in professional settings to the transformative power of personal writing. We share some anecdotes and practical tips, offering a holistic view of the significance of honing one's writing skills. Key Takeaways: Resources: Angela Sierra writesAngela Alvarez-Beleshttps://simonsinek.com/videos/ted-talks/EnglishSpanishhttps://www.threads.net/@angelasierrawrites https://fluentenglishpro.cominfo@fluentenglishpro.comhttps://www.instagram.com/fluentenglish.pro/https://www.facebook.com/fluentenglishpro/

In this episode, we'll explore the concept of a content calendar and why it is a valuable tool for planning, scheduling, and organizing your content. Whether you choose to use a printed calendar, a spreadsheet, or an app, the purpose remains the same: to serve as a roadmap for your show, allowing you to visualize the past, present, and future of your content. Key Ideas:

In this episode, we'll be discussing the importance of show notes for your podcast. Show notes serve as a complement to your episode content and offer several benefits, including improved SEO, directing listeners to your website, sharing resources and other episodes, and capturing your audience's attention by giving them a preview of what the episode entails. Key Ideas: Resources: https://rachelcorbett.com.au/blog/podcast-show-notes/ https://www.thepodcasthost.com/websites-hosting/creating-great-podcast-shownotes/ https://convertkit.com/podcast-show-notes

In this episode we'll discuss the five essential things you need to start a podcast. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced podcaster or a beginner, these key ideas will guide you in launching a successful show. We'll explore the importance of defining your specific audience and topic, creating a content calendar, and developing a marketing plan to help you reach and engage your listeners effectively. Key Ideas:

Today we'll dive into the concept of shifting from consuming content to creating content for your business and audience. In a world filled with endless streams of information and social media platforms, it's easy to fall into the trap of passive content consumption. However, we'll explore why it's crucial to break free from this cycle and embrace the challenge of generating valuable content that resonates with your audience and fuels the growth of your business. Key Ideas:

If you're a coach or entrepreneur just starting out, it's crucial to prioritize building an audience and creating content from day one. While word-of-mouth is valuable for making yourself known and generating leads, taking control of your visibility, reputation, and authority through content creation offers unique advantages. By earning trust, showcasing expertise, and fostering a community, you can attract and connect with potential clients, making the process of selling services or products more organic and meaningful. Some of the ideas we mention in this episode:

In the world of podcasting, success extends beyond captivating content and top-notch equipment. Understanding podcasting's legal aspects is crucial to safeguard yourself, your guests, and your audience. There are four key legal areas to consider, even when things are running smoothly. From contract governance to guest releases, protecting hosts and guests is paramount. Red flags in selecting guests, content disclaimers, and guarding against defamation are all essential for responsible podcasting. Remember, hosts can be liable for false statements, emphasizing the significance of presenting multiple perspectives to avoid an echo chamber. For business podcasters, three key tips can pave the way to success. So, let's explore the podcasting world responsibly and stay legally informed!

Audio quality is important to your podcast, just like a professional look is important to your business. To implement these changes for improvement, my team and I have created a list of some of the most common issues that affect the quality of your show and how you can easily avoid them or fix them.

In this episode, we delve into the importance of knowing your audience and creating an audience persona for your content. Addressing a specific audience can greatly impact the success of your podcast, YouTube channel, or any other form of content creation. By understanding who your audience is, their needs, and how they benefit from your content, you can tailor your message to resonate with the right ears. Key Ideas: Have you created an audience persona or buyer persona for your content or business? Share your experience and effectiveness of this approach with us. We would love to hear from you

Have you ever wondered what it takes to start and grow a successful podcast? In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Nielsen, the co-founder of Zencaster, a podcasting platform designed to simplify the podcast creation process. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, from the tools available for podcasters on Zencastr to the future of AI in podcasting. We delved into the challenges faced by new podcasters, the importance of ease of use, and strategies for effective promotion. We began by discussing the comprehensive solutions offered by Zencaster. The platform provides studio-quality audio and video recording, automated editing tools like smart filters, and foundational audio enhancements such as dynamic range compression and noise gating. What sets Zencaster apart is its integrated hosting service, making it seamless for podcasters to create, produce, and publish their content. Josh also highlighted the Zincaster Creator Network, which allows podcasters to monetize their shows, even if they have smaller audiences. We touched upon the technical side of recording, acknowledging that not everyone has access to high-end equipment. Zencaster is actively addressing this by launching a mobile app on iOS, making podcasting more accessible for those who prefer using their phones. The focus remains on providing an easy and efficient experience for podcast guests, ensuring they don't need to be tech-savvy to participate. Key Takeaways: Resources: Zencastr

Are you considering starting a podcast for your health and wellness practice? Wondering if it's worth the time and effort? In this episode, we explore the undeniable benefits of creating a podcast as a coach in the health and wellness field. From inspiring your audience to building a community, establishing authority and trust, educating your listeners, generating qualified leads, and enhancing your engagement with current clients, we dive into the multiple advantages that a podcast can bring to your practice. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review! Need tools and resources to make podcasting easier? Get everything you need here: https://talkingsilkworm.com/resources/

Fear of failure often hinders individuals in both business and content creation. We discuss how this fear can prevent us from reaching our goals and the apprehension of being judged or causing a negative impression. Inspired by a lesson from Gary Vee, we explore the concept of intentionally screwing up as a means to overcome this fear and make progress.

In this episode, we explore the significance of free speech within the realm of podcasting. While many online spaces are subject to increasing regulation and censorship, podcasts continue to provide a platform where free expression can thrive. However, it is crucial to exercise this freedom responsibly. We delve into the impact of companies regulating speech for brand and sponsor-friendly messages or aligning with specific agendas. Additionally, we discuss the ease with which social media and tech companies can silence voices they dislike. This control over speech affects not only prominent figures but also creators across the internet, who fear the repercussions of even the slightest possibility of offense. Join us as we explore strategies to reclaim the power of free speech.

Shownotes: In this episodewe'll explore the significance of having a good microphone for your podcast. A high-quality microphone can greatly impact the overall audio production and listener experience. We'll discuss the advantages of using a dynamic microphone over a condenser microphone and provide some microphone recommendations to help you make the right choice for your podcasting needs. Key Ideas: Dynamic Microphone vs. Condenser Microphone: Microphone Recommendations:

Survivorship bias distorts our perception of success. Often, we base our actions and measure our success on partial truths and cherry-picked examples we consuder "successful", leading to frustration and misguided strategies. We uncover the concept of survivorship bias and its implications, challenging the assumptions we make based on the success stories we encounter.

Show Notes Question: As a health and wellness coach, how do you make your podcast profitable and popular in a few weeks? Or How do you make your blog, youtube channel, instagram account, big in a few weeks? Well, the answer is very simple: you don’t. Because we see online content that goes viral or influencers with super large social media followings, we compare ourselves and our work with that. We feel an urge to go big with little effort, to become overnight hits. It’s a normal thing to have this urge, I’ve been guilty of this myself. But this feeling is not grounded in reality given that, first, a lot of this content belongs to contexts apart from the health and wellness industry and, second, what we’re seeing is merely the result of a process, not the time and effort that lead to it. To begin with, as a health and wellness coach you’re aiming at a specific audience with a particular kind of content. This means, there’s no cat videos or challenges where you eat spoonfuls of ground cinnamon. Even though this generates millions of views and shares, there's no benefit from it other than shallow entertainment. Same situation happens with influencers you might have as a reference, many of them belong to other contexts and have different purposes. And still for those who appeal to entertain a generic audience, you’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg, not the hard work and all their years of creating content while still relatively in the shadows. You can read about comedians, sportspeople and businesspeople say: “it took me 10 years to become an overnight success”. In his book Content Inc, Joe Pulizzi explores the stories of content creators in different fields who generated large businesses from their content creation strategies. He talks about entrepreneurs in areas as diverse as backyard poultry, fiberglass pools, and photography. They all have in common the fact that they generated valuable content on a specific topic, for a specific audience, in a consistent manner for months or even years. In his case studies, Pulizzi identified that a content marketing strategy will take around 9 months to take shape, and an average of 15 to 17 months to yield results. Let me say that again: In his case studies, Joe Pulizzi identified that a content marketing strategy will take around 9 months to take shape, and an average of 15 to 17 months to monetize. This means that after a nine month period you will have gotten all the necessary feedback and done all the necessary adjustments to your content to have built the type audience that will potentially boost your business in terms of your reputation, online presence, authority and income. So, if you’re in the first few months of creating content around your health and wellness practice, set yourself for the long game: Show up, even if it feels very few people can see you. Listen to your audience, do the adjustments along the way, be consistent and valuable. It takes entrepreneurs in this industry a long process to build up their audience, career and reputation while spreading a message and helping people along the way. We have as a very close example entrepreneur and content creator, Liz Moody. We interviewed her in one of our episodes, and she told us it took her a long time to take off and become well-known with her content. So, to wrap up, I’ll share this quote by Joe Pulizzi from his book Content Inc: Without a doubt, the biggest reason content marketing fails is because it stops. I’ve seen business after business start a blog or e-newsletter or white paper program or podcast series and stop after a few months. Content marketing is a war of attrition. It’s a process. Success does not happen overnight. You must commit for the long haul if you want to be successful. View your content creation as a vehicle in constant motion, not as an end in itself. Reputation is not built overnight. If you’re just getting started, keep it up! If you haven’t started yet, the best...

Shownotes: When you have a podcast, it is crucial that listeners are engaged and connected with you and your message. It’s not enough to have great content. You also need to deliver that content in the best way possible. Simply put, the technical sound quality is just as important as the content of your podcast.

Shownotes: Trudy provides entrepreneurs with training to start and grow their online business and she also helps people start or transition to online businesses. Trudy will tell us about common reasons business owners feel stuck or overwhelmed and what you can do to tackle and overcome those issues. She’ll also tell us about the mindset shifts needed to create content that resonates with your audience and that will help you establish a relationship and build a community around your message.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of promoting your content for building an audience. We picture it as organizing an imaginary event and how it relates to content creation. While creating valuable content is crucial, without effective promotion, it may not reach the intended audience. We explore the balance between content creation and promotion and offer strategies for gaining traction and visibility. Key Ideas: Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BawiiZXDzy4Please remember to subscribe, rate and review! Need tools and resources to make podcasting easier? Get everything you need here: https://talkingsilkworm.com/resources/

There is no question about it, video is now on every social media platform because it’s so easy to digest for your audience. Even as a podcaster, you still need video to grow your audience and business. Our guest today, Tracy Philipps, is the go-to person for learning how to grow your audience for business by leveraging the power of video. She shares her knowledge of using video for your business, losing the fear of speaking into a camera, making your videos stand out, creating content and having the gear to get you started. In this episode you’ll learn: embrace your suck Links: Video Script Success WebsiteVideo Script Success InstagramVideo Script Success FacebookJoin our Facebook Group at Video PlaygroundLive Video Launchpad Resources: Great looking and sounding videos Thrive on live cheatsheet