Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at the strategies I used to double my downloads (listens) this season compared to season one. In addition to sharing transparent numbers and stats, I'll share what worked, what didn't work, and a few announcements about the future of my business. **Thinking about starting a podcast? Join our new free masterclass, How to Launch a Podcast in 60 Days Without Feeling Overwhelmed, at witandwire.com/register**

Loyal listeners are the heart of any great podcast, so it’s worth asking ourselves, how can we find not just more listeners, but great listeners? And how do strangers on the internet become our biggest cheerleaders and ambassadors over time? It’s such an important question to ask, so today, I invited customer journey designer Desola Davis to join me as we unpack the best ways to nurture leads, build relationships, and give our people exactly what they need at exactly the right time. Not only that, but Desolah will share more about what she calls your “secret sauce,” which will help differentiate you as the clear best option for not only your dream podcast listeners, but your ideal clients and students, too. Find the complete show notes, transcript, and references at witandwire.com/39. BONUS: Want to discover your unique Podcast Host Advantage? Take our new free quiz at witandwire.com/advantage.

That's why today, I'm here with Wit & Wire podcaster Jacqueline Aenlle (From Urban to Ag) to talk about streamlining your podcast production processes, how to know which marketing efforts are really working, and how to decide what NOT to do. For links to all the productivity tools mentioned in today's episode, visit the complete show notes at witandwire.com/38. >> To register for the new free masterclass, "How to launch a podcast in 60 days (without feeling overwhelmed)," visit witandwire.com/register <<

Today I’m excited to switch gears and talk about why podcast hosts can benefit from being guests on other podcasts. If even hearing that sentence gives you a bit of imposter syndrome, and you aren’t sure if you have enough expertise or experience to be a guest, my friend Christina Lenkowski is here to address why being a podcast guest is fundamentally different than social media or paid advertising. She'll also cover some of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to pitching podcast hosts. *Free Live Masterclass: How to Launch a Podcast in 60 Days Without Feeling Overwhelmed. Save your spot at witandwire.com/register.*

Even with a small starting audience and no sponsorship, podcasting is a powerful channel to generate revenue for your business if you know how to turn your show into an optimized conversion funnel for your business. Today, I'll teach you how it's done by introducing you to a Podcast Launch Accelerator alumnae, Kavita Melwani (host of The Enlightened Heart podcast). *Special Promo* - Join me for a new, free masterclass called, "How to Launch a Podcast Without Feeling Overwhelmed." I'll teach you how to cut your production time in half and start a high-quality podcast without any complicated tech or confusing editing tools. Save your spot for free at witandwire.com/register.

Have you ever attended a virtual summit? They’re not a new concept, but ever since the start of the 2020 pandemic, these online conferences have become more popular than ever. But whether you’ve signed up for a summit or not, today I’m here with guest Jenny Suneson to ask the question, “How can hosting or speaking at a virtual summit help you grow your podcast?” By the end of this episode, you’ll learn how to become a summit speaker, who should consider hosting a summit, and how being involved in a summit can help you build your audience. And if you’re worried your audience isn’t big enough to be a speaker or a summit host, we’re here to share why you shouldn’t let that hold you back. To download Jenni's freebie and find links to everything mentioned in today's episode, visit witandwire.com/35.

Wow, what a week. Since Apple's Spring Loaded event on April 21, there have been a record number of major updates from the biggest names in podcasting. (Apple, Spotify, and....Facebook?) Specifically, the launch of Apple Paid Subscriptions is a pivotal moment in podcasting, and both Facebook and Spotify have already responded with big new feature announcements of their own. So today, my goal is to share the most critical updates to help you understand how this will affect you as a current or aspiring podcaster. To view the complete show notes, including all articles reference and a list of our favorite podcast hosting platforms any budget, visit witandwire.com/34.

Do you dream about writing a book someday? Or do you already have a book, and you hope your podcast can help you reach a wider audience? Even if you aren’t thinking of writing your own book, there are a lot of book publishing strategies that podcasters should consider borrowing. So throughout this episode, I think you’ll learn a lot of really useful tips from guest Jessi Beyer to help you craft new podcast episodes, outline your book based on episode insights, and learn Jessi's "3x3x3" framework to apply to both your book and your podcast.

Apple recently announced that there are 2 million active podcasts listed in their app. This is particularly shocking after just last year (April 2020), the number hit 1 million. So how many of those podcasts are actually "active?" (Hint: it's not all 2 mil.) In this Q1 industry update, join me (Melissa Guller) as I share the biggest updates from Apple, Spotify, Anchor, and Google over the last quarter.

Instagram is a key social media channel for many podcast hosts. But is your strategy making an impact, or just costing you time and energy? In this episode, I’m joined by Instagram Sales Strategies Kara Cahill to talk about maximizing your efforts on Instagram without getting totally bogged down posting every day. Because - spoiler alert - neither of us believes you have to post daily to get the most out of Instagram. And we’re here to help you stay engaged without burning out.

I invited Clubhouse pro and fellow podcast host Laura Bauder (Profit From Podcasting) to join me in a test recording room on Clubhouse. This episode contains excerpts from that conversation, where we talk about what you can and can't do, and what we're hoping to see from Clubhouse to make this a legitimate option for podcast hosts.

Brandy currently releases a weekly 40-minute episode, but she's thinking about adding shorter mini episodes to hook more listeners. Is this an effective way to build your audience or your community? Or it just yet another thing that takes too much time?

In this minisode, I explain why I'm switching to biweekly releases, and if you might want to try it, too. I'm also looking for feedback. What would you love to see coming up on the podcast? Cast your vote at witandwire.com/listeners.

Do you use email marketing for your podcast? If not, today’s guest Kate Doster and I are here to explain why email marketing is still one of the top ways to build your audience, and why it’s just as important to encourage people to subscribe to you via email rather than only subscribing in Apple or their favorite podcast app.