How entrepreneurs build memorable podcast episodes, create referable content, and monetize by focusing on the right next move for their business.
Stop doing podcast work that does not make you money
Listen, we know, there is always one more thing you can do for your podcast. That’s the problem.
You could add video, move your RSS feed from your current platform to Substack. You could start doing lives. You can change your hosting platform, make clips, record voiceovers, and create a private podcast feed.
And of course, you could post more Substack notes.
You could also research whether Tuesday at 7:13 AM is secretly the time your ideal client has been waiting her entire life to hear from you.
You can stay very busy with your podcast and feel incredibly optimistic while you’re doing it.
“Look at me, I’m improving things.”
Meanwhile, no one has hired you.
No one has bought your course.
No one has said yes to your paid Substack tier.
Those tensions have shown up in the Substack Podcast Studio the last few sessions - our monthly roundtables and Q&As.
People bring incredibly good questions about video, Substack lives, the feeds, the private podcast, the short form content, how often to show up, and how to leverage notes to their advantage.
Underneath most of the questions from the last few weeks was the same one:
What is the business purpose for you doing ________? (i.e., adding video…launching your podcast…)
Conversely, what is the business purpose for killing your show?
Hey, heads up, I did kill a show, and I did it publicly, and I’m going to tell you, it felt really, really good.
That all happened when I came over to Substack just a few short months ago.
When I started the Mic Drop Mastery Newsletter, I had no idea it would turn into an audio podcast.
You know what I did have?
The idea, the KNOWING there was a next thing. The willingness to iterate, the willingness to explore.
As entrepreneurs, we often hear that expression that we are building the plane while we are flying, and I think about that. I’m basically dangling out of the plane. I mean, I have some sort of bungee cord connected to keep me into something that is there, but there are no seats.
And there certainly aren’t any swanky drinks on this plane yet.
Eventually, I know they’re coming. The luxe seats are coming. The stewards are coming. It’s going to be wonderful.
As I was sharing in some Substack notes, entrepreneurship is a lot like golf. You always want more.
(Entrepreneurship is like golf — you always want more. (Yes, Adam, I still want that Brazil course recommendation!)
Maybe it’s time to consider adding that into my, “Oh, that’s a great idea.” But I have to ask this: “What would going to Brazil do for my business?”
Now hear me, I’m not all business and no play.
This is why sometimes the question is, what rest do I need and hence, golf is a consideration in the Rogers’ house.
Every week on Saturday with the Mic Drop Mastery Newsletter, I give you three options to choose from to help you up-level your game, to help you see the best strategy for you right now in your business.
Remember, what you do now reveals the next right next step so you can become even more memorable, referable, and profitable.
My recommendation is choose one area first. (Yes, of course you can do all three.)
Getting started builds not just momentum, but confidence.
When people remember you fondly, they refer you. They’re not remembering your regurgitated ‘I help’ statement; they’re retelling what you do in everyday language.
People won’t remember your regurgitated I help statement.
Know this: what you're implementing today, you will see the results about 90 days out. That’s why investing now in your business, in your podcast, in your Substack is the very right thing to do.
We do that inside the Studio, an extension of the Virtual Podcast School.
I founded the school because far too many professional entrepreneurs are wondering, “Is a podcast the right next step for me?”
Full disclosure: hosting a show is not right for everyone. If you were about to bug out because you don’t host a show, stay bugged in because guesting requires memorability, too.
In order to guest well, you must be memorable.
Being memorable is where you make it about the audience, not about you. You’re more like a footnote to the story, which is exactly where you want to be positioned.
That podcast positioning expertise - when people remember your story - is the very win you need so people take the next step (sharing your story).
That sharing positively impacts your podcasting profits.
xoxo,
Jen
Become Memorable
Sticky Soundbites
Your chemistry is part of your memorability.
You can be a fantastic guest and still somehow create a lousy interview.
This has nothing to do with intellect and nothing to do with your stories, although you know how I emphasize this with the “You Know When” Method inside the Studio.
Know what can be the problem? You and the host never find a rhythm.
🎤︎︎ You talk over each other.
🎤︎︎ You’re not quite sure when to offer your CTA.
🎤︎︎ You pause, attempting to finish your thought, and then poof! The interruption makes your thoughts go away.
When you're in the audience listening to this, it feels uncomfortable. It feels disjointed.
And listeners feel that disconnect and they leave.
This is a terribly unprofitable, “Listen to them and leave ‘em” scenario you can avoid with intentionally keeping the radio station tuned to WIIFM📻.
🎬 Your Memorable Action Step
That’s why I’m sending you to an episode from my former show about co-hosting.
Yes, technically the show is dead.
The episode application of the episode is very much alive!
The same skills that make two co-hosts sound fantastic together are the skills that will make you a much more memorable podcast guest.
In this episode, I break down:
↳ The conversation that needs to happen before you share a mic
↳ How to prepare separately and still sound completely in sync with each other
↳ How to hand the conversation back and forth without awkward interruptions
Listen through the lens of guesting.
When the chemistry is good, the host remembers the conversation. Listeners stay with you! They cannot wait to get more of where you came from.
And you become a whole lot easier to remember, invite back, and refer.
Become Referable
Buzz Builder
Get on Other People’s Stages
Want to become more referable? Get in the room with someone worth referring.
Substack Lives makes that ridiculously easy.
Here’s how easy it can be:
Invite a collaborator from inside the Studio to go Live with you. Choose a topic where your expertise naturally overlaps, then have a real conversation your two audiences can benefit from.
You introduce your people to them.
They introduce their people to you.
Now both audiences have a reason to remember and talk about you.
🎬 Your Referable Action Step
Choose one person inside the Studio and invite them to co-host a Substack Live with you.
One collaboration. One chemistry-filled conversation. Two very specific CTAs - One for you, one for them.
Inside The 🎤︎︎ Substack Podcast Studio embraces the YOU KNOW WHEN…so you can create CTAs that convert clients faster. When you become a paid member, you’ll automatically get access to How to Get Ideal Clients to Say, “Tell Me More” mini training session.
If you’re not ready for the full Studio Experience, you can purchase the How to Get Ideal Clients to Say, “Tell Me More” mini training session for $47 here.
thevirtualpodcastschool.com/tellmemore
Become Profitable
Cha-Ching Content
Good chemistry should cause a reaction.
There’s an old Aesop fable about a lion and a fox who decide to hunt together.
The fox finds the prey.
The lion catches it.
Smart arrangement.
Neither one has to become better at everything. Each brings what they already do well, and the combination is really good chemistry that produces a result.
That’s what you can experience from your guest interviews and Live collaborations.
You find the right person. The conversation catches fire. The audience hears your expertise in a completely different context. Someone in the comments says, Ohhhh. I need this.
That’s chemistry.
For an entrepreneur, that’s chemistry that causes a profitable reaction.
A listener discovers your podcast and keeps listening.
Someone understands what you do well enough to refer you.
An inquiry lands in your DMs.
A buyer thinks, I know I want her help.
That’s where the profit lives.
If there’s no chemistry and no reaction happening?
Don’t start dumping more into the beaker.
More listeners. More episodes. More guest appearances. More promotions.
Check what’s already in there.
Do you have the right listener?
Have you identified a problem they immediately recognize?
What content did you share that clearly connects the problem to what you sell?
How’s the clarity of the CTA - memorable enough it sticks with them so they take action?
When one of those elements is missing, adding more attention won’t create the reaction you want.
You don’t need to rebuild your entire podcasting lab. You must identify the missing element.
🎬 Your Profitable Action Step
Choose the next step based on what your experiment just revealed:
Option 1: Haven’t launched yet or suspect something foundational is missing from the beaker?
Start with the Profitable Podcast Health Checkup. I’m increasingly convinced I should rename it Everything You Need to Know Before You Ever Buy Your Microphone and Launch Your Podcast.
Regardless - use code SUBSTACKTLC to save 50% and identify the elements your podcast needs before you start adding more.
Option 2: Want my direct eyes on what’s already in your beaker?
Become a Studio Founder and bring your podcast questions, messaging, episodes, and CTAs directly to me. We’ll identify what needs adjusting without blowing up the whole lab.
Option 3: Know you need more than a quick strategy session?
Private coaching is where we build or reposition the podcast around your business, your buyers, and the offers you want to sell.
Create the chemistry. Then make sure there’s something profitable for it to react with.
🎤︎︎ The Substack Podcast Studio is for the podcaster who wants to create the right content for the right person at the right time, so every episode builds trust, creates momentum, and supports the business they are building.
Become a paid subscriber today.
Links & Resources:
Create podcast episodes that make ideal clients lean in, recognize themselves, and say YES to working with you.
Need a game plan? Book a 1:1 Mic Drop Mastery Power Hour with me to get your strategy locked in.
Ready to go all-in to launch and monetize your podcast? If you’re at the level where you’re ready to invest $2k+ in a full-scale system build-out, start by booking a complimentary consult here. Let’s ensure your business model and your podcast are speaking the same language. https://thevirtualpodcastschool.com/consult.
SUBSCRIBER Tiers are open! Come on inside and join professional podcasters who are combining the power of podcasting and Substack to grow their businesses!
Curious what your podcast is really communicating to potential buyers? Take the Podcast Health Checkup and use code SUBSTACKTLC to save 50%.
Use code: SUBSTACKTLC to save 50% off The Profitable Podcast Health Checkup
