Nicole Culver from Blissful Bites podcast shares why and how she started a podcast, tips for success, and how you could start your own podcast today!
I am stoked about today’s interview for a few reasons…
1 – Nicole Culver hosts the Blissful Bites podcast which is geared towards food + fitness entrepreneurs and bloggers. I am a frequent listened and it is phenomenal.
2 – Nicole recently launched a private membership course called 90 Day Profit Challenge: Fund your blog faster with profitable business strategies. I decided to sign up over the summer and, boy, am I glad I did! Nicole runs a private FB group for members, has a ton of resource videos, and really keeps us accountable – she does not disappoint and I would definitely recommend her programs!
3 – This interview comes at the perfect time. I was flipping through the November issue of IDEA Fitness Journal yesterday and came across an article about starting a podcast. And… Nicole was interviewed in it! So, after mine and Nicole’s interview below, I will share a few helpful notes and tips from that article.
Ok, so without further a do… meet Nicole Culver!
Where to find Nicole:
Her blog/ website: nicoleculverblog.com
Facebook: Nicole Culver
Twitter: @nicoleculver
Instagram: @nicoleculver
Pinterest: Nicole Culver / Blissful Bites
Her podcast: Blissful Bites
Her granola company: Blissful Eats
Question:
You have a lot of exciting stuff going on right now, can you explain a little bit about what you do?
Answer:
I own Blissful Eats, my snack company, and we’ve been going since 2011! I was an elementary school teacher, but I wasn’t happy…at all. I quit and pursued my dreams of being a business owner!
It’s been a lot of highs and lows, but I’m so much happier being a work-at-home mom instead of a cranky teacher. Now I get to teach in a different way!
I also help food bloggers turn their blogs into a business through my podcast, courses, and consulting work! I love doing this because I get to connect with bloggers, entrepreneurs, and other brands and help them refocus and fix the holes in their business.
Right now I’m focusing on helping my clients launch products with Facebook and my two 30 Day Grow Your Business Programs.
Question:
Why did you decide to start your own podcast?
Answer:
When I started Blissful Eats I was always looking for stories of other women entrepreneurs and how they started. I said that when I had something figured out (because there’s always more to learn), I would give back and share out my story and other people’s stories! It’s been the most fun thing I do every week!
Question:
What advice/tips would you give someone thinking about stating their own podcast?
Answer:
Be consistent.
If you say you’re going to show up 1/2/3 times a week, make sure you do!
And find the right length of show for your audience.
For me it’s 25-30 minutes.
Tips for starting your own #podcast with @NicoleCulver Click To Tweet
Question:
What would someone need to do to produce a podcast session TODAY?
Answer:
Not much!
You have to decide if the show is just you or if you’ll have guests. If you have guests, you need a way to record them like ecamm Call Recorder or Zoom (costs round $30.) If you don’t plan to have guests, you just need GarageBand – or some sort of recording program or app that works on your computer.
You will also need a good microphone (you can get on Amazon for $50.)
And last thing is a host! I use Awesound (around $30/month), but Libsyn is also well known and reliable.
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UPDATE: Nicole launched a FREE podcast course in January 2017, you can check it out here: Learn how to start, produce and grow your podcast in 12 days
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Question:
How did you promote/share your podcast with others when you started?
Answer:
I started a podcast launch team to help drum up support. I gave them sneak peeks inside the podcast and asked them to share it when it went live.
I also asked them to rate and review which is really important when you start out!
Additional Notes from IDEA Fitness Journal article – Starting a Podcast: Will a podcast help your fitness business?
Questions to ask yourself if a podcast is right for you….
- What is your goal? Share knowledge, gain clients, and/or establish yourself as a leader?
- Will you have 8-10 episodes ready to be recorded before you launch?
- Are you willing to outsource the mechanics of running a podcast if that is not your area of expertise?
- Do you need to expand your audience or network?
- Do you need to add value to your current audience?
- How are you with speaking and technology?
- Do you have the time to commit to publishing episodes on a consistent basis?
Choosing a name
This is very important and can be a double edged sword. If too specific, you may not be able to broaden your scope later. If you pick a broad name, you may later discover you have a very niched down audience.
Developing content
Nicole lists some questions in the article to ask yourself when coming up with you content calendar and the basis of your show.
- What does your audience want to hear?
- What interests them?
- What are they struggling with?
Finding and booking guests
- Connect with them at conferences.
- Network in your private industry or professional groups.
- Post in Facebook groups.
- Listen to related podcasts with relevant guests and reach out to them.
- Ask current guests to suggest future guests.
- Add a form to your website that encourages qualified people to apply.
- Connect with and pitch to potential guests on Twitter and Facebook.
Tips for success
- Drink water – a dry, sticky mouth doesn’t sound good.
- Make sure you are in a quiet room and pay attention to sound levels.
- Listen to other podcasts to determine what format will resonate best with your audience. Then copy that.
- Take a voice lesson or two. Your voice tone and how you say things can turn listeners off.
- Promote your podcast on all social media channels, your blog, and emails.
- Focus on relationship building – not your numbers.
Let’s Chat
What do you think? Would you ever start a podcast?
What are some of your favorite podcasts?
Nicole is SUCH an inspiration for work-from-home mommies like me. She’s clearly worked so hard to build her business and it’s awesome!
Yes!!! She does a great job! 🙂
I’ve never tried a podcast before. I’ve listened to a few but haven’t tried one myself. Sounds really interesting.
Me neither… and I don’t think I will any times soon! 🙂 But I think they are a great way to stand out in your industry and help many people at once.
What great tips! I love Nicole’s podcast. I don’t think I’d ever start one myself, but I sure love listening to them. 🙂
Haha totally agree! Sounds like A LOT of work!
Absolutely! And another opportunity to get in front of people – some like to read, some like to listen ,some like to do.
I’d be a horrible podcaster. I’m much better at writing…