Create your own content format

This is the seventh email in an eight part series, to help you evaluate your existing platforms or whether it's time to add a new one to the mix.

Hi Reader,

Having your own show, or consistent formatted content, allows you to start to establish a personal brand as the host/s. This content can also add to the brand of your wider business, by featuring your services, team, and expertise.

While these platforms can feel saturated, there are ways to be more niched in your content. There's plenty of cooking shows, but they're all a little different. This might not always be in the topics you discuss, but the format, questions, humour, and how you are able to stretch your creative muscles within this new context.

Creating your own show is a fun way to explore a new form of storytelling. You can choose video first, audio only or a mix of both podcasting and YouTube content to satisfy your creativity and deliver messages in engaging formats.

If you happen to already have your show already, I hope this content can help you evaluate what you might want to adjust to make the show simpler for you, or to go to the next level.

Both videos and podcast content are discoverable through search. You’re able to also create pages on your website, social media content and Pinterest pins to up the chances of your content being seen in searches that aren’t specific to your show name. While you might not be featured in the podcast apps, YouTube will also recommend content to viewers without you being in the top of the charts.

You can also re-use your content to break into smaller clips, and other posts, emails and written content, so the time you spend ideating can go further.

That hero piece of content could be a YouTube video, blog, or email newsletter, it doesn’t have to be a podcast, but this repurposing process allows you to save time, and also deliver the same messaging on multiple platforms across a longer period of time. You could break down the hero piece into smaller content, or base your new content off the next step, questions people ask, or explanations of jargon.

Your show could allow for plenty of collaboration. You can involve more members of your team, invite your friends or those you admire in the space. You could invite your service collaborators, stockists or those you source materials from, or spokespeople for brands or softwares you work with.

The added benefit of working with a collaborator outside your own team is that they’ll share your show after being on it with their own audience.

Having your own show, even with a small audience, gives you have a reason to reach out to people you want to talk to, without some awkward coffee chat request. You can make this request of people you have a connection with even before your show launches.

Before you launch a show, it can be helpful to make a few practice episodes. This helps you to flesh out the concepts, and evaluate the work to produce, record, edit and promote any form of content. It’s up to you if you make them and never release them, or if you practice in public.

As much as the marketing potential is great, and there’s plenty of opportunities to reach out to fantastic guests, you should also figure out the true value of this kind of show for you.

Mine has evolved over time, but I do wish I had sat down and spent some quality time on this in the beginning to fast track this process a little.

Ask yourself these questions:

Who is your ideal listener/viewer?
What do your listeners/viewers need?
What would be unhelpful for them?
What unique brand values do you want to be clear in this content?
What types of conversations do you want to have?
Who is your ideal guest? Create a list of defining characteristics, and write a top 100 list
How often do you want to release this show?
Would you prefer to work in seasons to give yourself a break?
How will this show relate to and lead people to your offers?
What other content is already out there, and how would your content be different?
Could you better serve your audience by hosting a private podcast available to your email subscribers?
Having your own show isn’t for everyone. Could you just be a guest instead?
What value could you provide, what could you talk about, how would you lead listeners to your business?

To find more info, here’s a post about podcasting. You can also check out the episode with Rosa Sarmento for an in depth discussion about podcasting for niche communities, and the option of private podcasting.

Next week I’ll be wrapping this series with the different forms of community around your business, so you can evaluate how your audience is connecting with your brand, and each other.