Over the past year, we’ve seen the rise of private podcast feeds, which are podcasts whose access you pay for, typically either with money or an email address. They can be used in a variety of ways, as the ‘carrot’ for Patreon subscribers, as an opt-in, as an additional way to deliver content in a course or membership – so many ways. So, when Deanna Seymour shared that she was using private podcast feeds as a way to deliver a summit-like audio series, I knew I wanted to bring her on the show.
“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you.” – Dr. Seuss
My guest today is my friend and collaborator Deanna Seymour. She uses humor and empathy to help her clients feel more comfortable being themselves while marketing their business and connecting with their ideal clients. And when she’s not harnessing the power of creativity and playfulness in her work, she’s probably calling out the sleazy marketing techniques we’ve all seen in the online space.
In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, we talk about Deanna’s experience with private podcast feeds, being fun and authentic while still being successful in business, and her experiences of pitching herself for podcast appearances.
Having Fun with Private Podcast Feeds with Deanna Seymour
Topics covered include:
- Do we need to fit in a neat and tidy box? Why Deanna chooses not to niche down
- How bro-marketing and sleazy sales techniques made her lean into what felt right in her own business
- Why Deanna offers her private podcasts for free as a lead magnet to grow her email list
- The benefits and risks of being super-authentic in your messaging
- The impact that podcast guesting has had on her business
I’m sure that there is a lot in this episode that will resonate with you. If there’s anything in particular, take a screengrab and let me know on IG @thepodwizegroup.
And as always, if you have a question you’d like me to tackle on an upcoming show, record a short message at speakpipe.com/GPY.
The Podwize Group’s resources mentioned in this episode:
- Join the Podwize Group email list and get your copy of Podcast Pitches That Convert at thepodwizegroup.com/pitches
- Learn more about The Podwize Group’s services
- Follow The Podwize Group on Instagram
Podcasts mentioned in this episode:
- GPY Ep. 56: Capsule Podcasts with Betsy Wallace
- GPY Ep. 45: Show Up Boldly as YOU
- Listen to Deanna’s Imperfect Party and her free all-audio masterclass, Online Marketing Made UN-Sleazy
- Listen to Deanna on Episode 51 of Julie Bown’s This Shit Works podcast, The F*ck It Mantra
Other resources mentioned in this episode:
- Visit Deanna Seymour
- Connect with Deanna on Instagram
- Check out Hello Audio
Now it’s time for you to get out there and Go Pitch Yourself! Can’t wait to connect again!
Interested in connecting with other entrepreneurs who are using podcasts to grow their business?
>>> Check out the Podwize Co-Op
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Transcript for Having Fun with Private Podcast Feeds
Please Note: This transcript was computer generated so please be mindful of errors. Thank you.
[00:00:00] Angie Trueblood: In today’s episode, I am chatting with Deanna Seymour host of The Imperfect Party podcast, graphic designer, and all around creative. So I wanted to bring Deanna on to showcase what being authentic in business while also being successful might look like now, to be honest, I kind of hate the word authentic because I feel like it’s so over.
To the point that I see people getting quote vulnerable in online spaces being actually super awkward, because that is what they think. And that’s what they’ve been told that they are supposed to do. When I think of the word authentic to me, it really means being yourself, leaning in to your own personality and showing up pretty much the same way that you would in your non-business life.
So. Deanna and I chat about who, in the online space, she is no longer listening to, how the current iteration of her business stemmed from people who in her own words were throwing 20 bucks her way in exchange for her making a GIF. And we dig into the really unique way that she has used private podcasts, including hosting a series of interviews in a private podcast series that has grown her email list more than a traditional public facing podcast. And truth be told this episode is a little bit all over the place, mainly because Deanna and I know each other in a variety of. Which lends itself to several squirrel, like, side conversations and instead of reworking the entire episode into some linear piece of podcast genius, I thought it would be pretty on-brand for this episode to lead by example and show what having fun in business and with podcasts might sound like.
So let’s do this.
Intro
Hey there, pitches. Welcome to the Go Pitch Yourself podcast with me, Angie Trueblood, a self-proclaimed podcast junkie. I’m on a mission to rid the world of the crappy pitches that are filling up in- boxes everywhere. Want to help them. Let’s get pitching.
Angie: Hi, Deanna. Welcome to Go Pitch Yourself and Happy New Year.
[00:02:35] Deanna Seymour: Yeah, 2022. We made it. Thanks for having me.
[00:02:40] Angie: Yeah. I feel like this in my head has been a long time in the making you and I. Well, we are friends IRL in real life. We both live in Richmond and we met way back in the days of blogging. Right. Was that the first time we met on the moms?
[00:02:56] Deanna: Yes. Yeah, yeah,
[00:02:58] Angie: yeah. We were both writers for, I think it’s now the Richmond mom collective, but it was the Richmond moms blog. So back when our kids were really, really little, um, we connected and then we’ve really kind of stayed in touch as our businesses have evolved and our lives have evolved. Deanna was a member, I guess, of Go Pitch Yourself. And now is in the podwize co-op, which is amazing. So we get to work together and she, depending on when this episode goes live, you are the designer of our new podcast. Cover art girl. I’m so excited for that. Yeah. So tell the listeners then, because your journey, I feel like in the online business space has evolved and I’ve loved watching it, but share with the listeners kind of where you are now.
And then I’ll probably pull out some things that I might want you to take a step back and share like how you got, where you are. Okay.
[00:03:53] Deanna: Okay. I’m like, well, where am I going? Who knows? I feel like it’s just who I am. But, uh, I guess right now, officially, I’m a graphic designer and I help small business owners build like fun, colorful, quirky brands and marketing materials that really showcase what makes them different.
Or, you know, if you’re like a service provider and you’re your brand, I really want those materials to like highlight your personality and. Obviously speak to your ideal clients. So that’s, that’s sort of where I am in that ball of, I’m trying to call it something else other than authenticity these days.
But, you know, Like letting your freak flag fly.
[00:04:31] Angie: Yeah. But like that, that word authentic. Cause I even messaged you when we decided to record this episode. And I think that’s something that gets lost in the online space. It’s this idea of like, you can be fun and authentic and you don’t have to be totally polished to have a really successful business.
And one that kind of gives you. To you. And I feel like that’s where I’ve seen you over the years kind of transitioned. So you’ve done a couple of different things in the business, because I think initially you were really leaning into your art background, right?
[00:05:08] Deanna: Yeah. Well, okay. So I was thinking about it before we came on here.
Cause I was like, oh gosh, Angie is probably going to ask me about my journey is too much. What’s the journey. So I was like thinking about it and I was like, you know what. I really, I think goes to my art education background specifically because when you’re an art education major, you go to art school, but you take all the things.
So I took ceramics, I took sculpture, I took graphic design. I took painting. I took drawing. I took printmaking like. Do it all because essentially your job is going to be to teach the children, all the things. So then it’s like that. What does that phrase, what is a Jack of all trades master of none, but I’m like, whatever, I am a Jack of all trades and I’m like pretty freaking good at a lot of those things.
Yeah. Some of them are my favorites and I lean more towards it. Like I also, I minored in photography, so that’s like one of my main loves, but. I’m pretty good at those things. And so it’s been really hard. I think for me also having ADHD, getting super excited about a thing and then kind of moving on and having all these interests has made it really difficult for me to, I guess what the people say niche down.
Right? And so I keep doing this thing and like kept doing this thing and still maybe a little bit have a tendency to do it. Cause that that messaging is so strong to niche down that I make these declarations like. I’m going to do this, you know, moving forward and then a little ways down the line. I’m like, I don’t know, this is pulling me in this direction or, or this person, like a person’s reached out to me and been like, can you make me a website ? The mic?
Heck yeah, I can. That will be so fun. And then I’m like, And am I now like a website? Does that, like, what am I, I have to decide what I am and stick to that little box. And it’s just been really impossible for me to do that.
[00:06:57] Angie Trueblood: Well, I love hearing that one because I identify with it. It’s really interesting.
Like over the last couple of months, I’m like, do I have ADHD? I’ve never been diagnosed, but I am very much an ideas person. And so I really resonate. What you mentioned about getting hold in a bunch of different directions, but I, I had this revelation actually this morning, so I have another friend, Betsy Wallace.
She is in the co-op with us. She was on the podcast for really good business friends. And we’re always. Kind of brainstorming ideas of ways that we could do business together. And we had this Foxer message yesterday about some fun things that have kind of popped up in her world. And I recognize like you talk about the people and I feel like the people.
It’s kind of being preached to us that we need to fit in this one nice tidy box. Right. But like maybe part of the journey for us is that we can build a website if that is what we’re being pulled to do at the time. Right. So like maybe part of us finding the box that we need to fit in is that we do have space for short term fund creative projects.
And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, I think. It depends what your goals are, right? Like if you’re looking to build a $5 million business likely. You probably need to like tighten up your offerings a little bit, but if that’s not really what you’re going after, I think we have gotten into this business for a myriad of reasons, but I think, you know, there’s some level of creativity that we’re all looking for.
So…
[00:08:30] Deanna: Actually, as you said that the $5 million thing, like part of my journey too, has been, like I got in the online business space and I feel like most of the messaging is around like. Building a six figure seven figure business automating as much as possible, like scaling or whatever. And all these words that are basically like build, build, build so that you can have freedom.
And I’m like, oh, hold up. I’m a teacher right now. I make barely any money. And I’m like kind of happy. Like I get off like two weeks, I get two weeks off at Christmas. You know, I was like medium-happy being a teacher. I’m like, what if I could make. More than I did teaching, but also not deal with all this stuff.
I don’t like about you. Like I was like, right, hold up. We’re fancy at the Seymour house we have a, we have a pool in our backyard, so, you know, we fancy, um, it’s actually kind of annoying sometimes. We don’t have a pool guy, then we’d be really figured out that it’s actually like a chore, but it’s fun too.
But I remember being in the pool this summer with my husband, Matt and being like, you know, how I always joke about having the lake house. And I feel like there’s a celebrity entrepreneur who I will not name, but she has a lake house and puts all her beautiful Instagram pictures in her lake house. And I was like, what if instead of getting the lake house.
Why don’t we just like rent the lake house for a week. Wouldn’t that be fun? Totally changing that to just like, I don’t actually need a lake house. Like I don’t, I don’t actually want to like, like, I just literally complained about taking care of my pool. So like, I’m going to add a second, a second house.
Like what? Oh, well, like I need to readjust my goals for like money and what I really want. Out of my business. I have a two-year-old and a five-year-old and every talks about the freedom, but it’s like, you get the freedom after you build this huge business, but I just want the freedom now. So I’m like, I just want some clients and I want to be honest and ethical, and I want to know my people, like, I don’t want to automate to where I don’t know my clients.
And that was really like a huge shift too, in, in how I was approaching what I was offering and what I was.
[00:10:32] Angie: Yeah. Can you dig into that a little bit? Because I think that was something I recognized that was last year. Right. I feel like you almost had this. And I feel like a lot of people were talking about it, the cultish nature of online marketing and bro marketing, you know, everyone’s kind of starting to come around to it.
But what I saw in you. I mean, you talked about it, but you also like shifted your business. And I feel like really leaned into what felt right for you. And that’s when I actually feel like I started to see you blossom even more.
[00:11:03] Deanna: Well, it’s funny because this whole journey too was like, what am I supposed to do?
Like, I thought you start a business. Like I’m an art teacher and I want to start a business. So you look and you Google and you follow people. And you’re like, what am I supposed to do? And along the way, I just kept doing what I was supposed to do and following this person and this person doing what they said or their formula.
And then I, when I had an idea, which I had plenty of ideas, I just would always go to Google and be like, how do I do this? Instead of trusting myself to say, oh, I want to do this fun thing. Like just get to work and like try it and work through the process. And so I think when I started getting kind of mad at them, Celebrity entrepreneurs.
Yeah. Then I stopped following them. Then I was like, well, I’m just gonna do whatever I want. And like, this is not going to bode well for people who are selling things, myself included, but it’s like, we can figure it out. And I’m sort of a type of person who does always reinvent the wheel. Like even in teaching, like teachers share lesson plans all the time, but if someone shared something with me, I almost always had to like give them my a little twist or make an oh.
By the end of teaching, I would just like, go on Pinterest and be like, oh, that thing’s cute. Like, all I had to do was like, see something that sparked an idea for me, but I knew how to do it, how to teach.
[00:12:17] Angie: So give us a little context around that then. So, you know, you said like you had joined programs cause I, I know some of your history, like you would join programs to teach you things, but then what are some IX specific examples, not necessarily people, but to where you recognize, oh, I can do this thing.
What was one of those things that you were able to figure out?
[00:12:37] Deanna: Okay. One thing I did do was my Instagram experiments in my stories, and that was like the most money. Made in my business. And it was just going into my Instagram stories and being like, does anybody want GIFs? Like, I think it would be fun to make GIFs.
I want to make some GIFs, give me 20 bucks. I don’t make you, I guess people are like $20. You can’t … And I, I feel like we get so paralyzed thinking, like, how much should I charge for this? What should I do? I was like, I don’t know if someone throws me at 20, I’ll make them a GIF. We’ll see if I do a million.
And I’m like overwhelmed. First of all, I just made $20 million, but that would have been a little backlog, but I feel like I just started getting these messages, people being like, I’ll take five, just like giving me a hundred and being like, I want five. And I was like, oh my gosh, people want this thing.
And it’s fun for me to make. I was not making stuff. That’s what I do. I mean, I went to art school is what I’ve done. My whole life is make things. And I was spending so much time into my business. Thinking through things and making things or writing website copy or rewriting it I’m like, no, one’s probably even read this and I’m rewriting it, but it’s because I saw a new person tell me, oh, wait, here’s my exact formula for how I wrote a webpage.
And I’ll be like, oh, mine doesn’t look like that. Let me do theirs because whatever. But meanwhile, I wasn’t really connecting with anybody. So I don’t think anybody was even reading those drafts because. I wasn’t putting it out there. It was just working behind the scenes the whole time.
[00:14:09] Angie: Yeah. I really loved when you sent me your package pricing for like artwork for the podcast cover, the really cool thing is even in that process, you could tell, like you created.
It was an authentic, even onboarding process because one of the questions you were, if you have your brand colors, share them, if not, no bigs, I know how to pull colors and like match them up. If you have any particular graphics. Cool. Share them. If not, no big deal, I can create them, you know?
[00:14:41] Deanna: Yeah. Well, I think that’s what people need.
I mean, I think that comes from my teacher background of just like, if not, we can, we can figure it out. And I think. I love figuring stuff out to be honest, like I, when I did. And it’s funny. Cause when I did the GIFs, a lot of people don’t as a person who values like art and knowing your hex codes and all that, I’m like, how do people not know their colors or their fonts, but a lot of people don’t because they’re like, I don’t know, Ooh, I just do this sometimes, you know?
And so I just go on their website and, you know, figure it out and it was perfect. So, and then they were like super surprised because they were like, oh my gosh. Now I just have a GIF. How did you do that? It matches my brand. And I’m like, yeah,
[00:15:19] Angie: Yeah, I love it. Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, this has been such like a good bit of diversion, but I think it’s all gonna wrap around for the listeners.
So let’s talk specifically about podcasting now that we have really good sense of who you are and kind of this transition to just being authentic and your business and doing what feels right, rather than sort of following this prescriptive. To do list of how to grow a business. You mentioned your first podcast.
So let’s talk about your relationship a bit with podcasting. What was the first show that you had? Because you’ve had a couple of iterations, I think
[00:15:52] Deanna: Yeah well, okay. So I’ve only had officially The Imperfect Party Podcast. Might still be a thing.
[00:16:02] Angie Trueblood: So for context listeners, like I said, Deanna is in the co-op and on one of our first calls, I think back in October of 2021, she sort of sheepishly came.
I think it was to one of the round tables, which are more like our mini mastermind calls and was basically asking right. For permission to end it. This is something to dig into as well. I mean, I feel like that’s, you know, we talk about really wanting to be in programs where we’re well connected with the people who are in the programs with us.
And to me, it was just such an honest question of you kind of asking, like, is this dumb, like I have this podcast, should I just end it? If I end it do I announce it? And we were all able to kind of one totally give you permission to do business the way you want to. But, I thought it was kind of powerful just to be able to have that support around that pivotal moment for you like to give you that.
[00:16:59] Deanna: Yeah. Well, okay. So with Imperfect Party, when I first started it, I was following a plan to where, like you make a podcast, turn that into a really SEO, rich blog post, right. And then you pull your social media graphics from that, and then you make pins and direct on Pinterest back to. All these things that I was like, okay, that’s going to make my bed.
That’s going to make, that’s going to get me the lake house. You know, I was like, sign me up if I do, if I do a podcast. And do all those things, then I will lose my mind, but I’ll have a lake house maybe, but I don’t know how to take care of, then I’ll have to do something else to pay for all my help that I need.
[00:17:40] Angie: Right.
[00:17:41] Deanna: Oh my gosh. So season one was, I don’t know. It was weird. Cause if you look at season one, I kinda like it. Like at first I was like a little embarrassed and also this goes to show for anybody just like start your podcast because it’s going to change so much. Like you’re not going to have it all figured out when you start.
And I was like, nervous, which is ironic, I guess, cause it’s called the imperfect party, but oh, the podcast was to build my authority. Right. So I like can be imperfect, but like don’t be too imperfect. Cause then like, no one’s going to hire you. You know? So the first season is every other episode is me. And then I interview me interview and I don’t know, like I just had a, such a hodgepodge of things on there.
Like I was talking about, I feel like it was in December. So I have like my favorite Christmas songs episode, but then I have like a know, like, and trust with a branding person. And then this girl came on and talked about her breast cancer journey and like loving her body. And that, I mean, it was a great episode, but it’s like talk about not having a niche.
Like, what is this even about? So
[00:18:40] Angie: Very imperfect,
[00:18:43] Deanna: but it was like me and I was like, oh, no, kind of business. Cause I’m going to have build authority and make blog posts. So then season two, I was like, okay, this is like the height of me being really mad at online business, celebrity entrepreneurs and the whole thing.
So I thought my business was not going to have anything to do with online business. I was like, I want to work with moms, or I want to work with people who want to be more authentic in their life. Like I wanted to be Bernay brown, I guess, season two. Yeah. So those were all interviews. With people I thought were interesting, I guess I don’t know what the thing was,
[00:19:16] Angie: which is more like inspirational maybe.
[00:19:18] Deanna: Yes, yes. With a little more off that, like yeah. Being yourself and like their journeys and imperfect journeys. And then at the end of season two is when I interviewed Tarzan Kay. The copywriter talking about the online business world and like, whatever. And then that was also when I was reading that book culture.
And then starting to feel like, you know, in high school, when you like get a crush on someone and then you’re like, oh my gosh, he has like science. When I have math, I can see him in here. I can see him here and you start seeing it everywhere. I know there’s like a psychological term for that, but you notice those things.
[00:19:52] Angie: Oh yeah.
[00:19:53] Deanna: So I started noticing more and more people, like you said, speaking out about sort of the sleazy online marketing tactics or whatever. And I was like, oh wait, I can do business. Cause I really wanted to, but I just was feeling. Gross about it. Yeah. And then I was like, oh wait, I can do it like in a non sleazy way.
And that will be really fun. So season three maybe is that, I don’t know if season three might happen.
[00:20:19] Angie: I think the interesting thing about the online business, because I think a lot of people are talking about it and a lot of people are talking about it in their own way, which I also appreciate, because then I really appreciate the way that Rachel Cook talks about just building a sustainable business.
Cause she helps business owners build online businesses, right? Like that’s still a big component of the people she helps, but it’s like, well, let’s build it in a way that feels right to us and gives us our definition of freedom. And so no matter what part of life we’re in, and there’s always going to be people doing things in a way that doesn’t feel well aligned to us.
Feels maybe a little sleazy and then we have the choice to kind of go in a different direction. And maybe for so long, the voices that were the loudest were the ones that aren’t well aligned to kind of this new influx of people joining the business world. Right. I mean, I do feel like COVID over the last couple of years has probably introduced a lot of people.
Maybe some who had their toes dipped in the online business space, but now they’re able to more fully be immersed into it. I think it’s just raise people’s awareness of like, okay, there’s other people like me out here doing it in a way that feels good. Right? I appreciate that. So I appreciate you talking about it in the way that you do and everyone kind of just sharing their own perspective.
Some people bash it more than others and that’s, that’s their perspective, you know, like you do you, boo, you say
[00:21:52] Deanna: mine is like a little, a little catty. Um, when I first jumped in and I’m trying this year to be like a little more, um, just like say celebrity entrepreneurs, but like my masterclass was my first private podcast.
[00:22:07] Angie: Yeah. So let’s talk about that. So the reason I brought you on is this whole idea of fun and authenticity and business, but also how you leverage this newer technology, the whole idea of a private podcast. So one, why did you choose to go that route? Like what was your introduction to private podcasts? And then tell us about, is the masterclass still open for enrollment?
[00:22:32] Deanna: If people want to. Yeah, that’s on my website and I will name names on my website just saying my welcome sequence. And there are funny GIFs about it. So I’m still pretty catty just saying, what is there’s like a line in Steel Magnolias is when the one lady is like, If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit next to me.
And I, that really speaks to me. I’m always like between you, me and the podcast, like, let’s say this stuff.
[00:22:56] Angie: I had a boss one time when I was waiting tables, I worked at 11 E’s restaurant and she was just, you know, also being catty one day. And not that you’re going to hell, but something to that effect, you know, like in a friendly, like, funny way.
And she’s like, that’s fine. I’ll be busy shaking hands when I get there, because she was like, all my friends will be there to,
[00:23:20] Deanna: I like go back and forth too. Cause I’m like, I don’t know. I gave those people a lot of money. Like for a teacher salary. I gave the people kind of in my masterclass, $2,000 each, I feel like I bought the right to say your name and tell you that.
It wasn’t my favorite thing that I did in my business. Wow. So there’s that? So the masterclass is a private podcast, so I was a member of clubhouse, like hit the scene. It wasn’t just a year ago. Like, are we in a time warp or was that.
[00:23:49] Angie: No, I feel like it was just, it was definitely during COVID I remember people were getting on I’m like, how are y’all getting on clubhouse? Don’t you have a house full of children?
[00:24:04] Deanna: Yeah. Well, I really liked clubhouse. I was just also getting over social media. So I’m like, okay, this is like a new thing. Maybe this could be fun, but. On clubhouse. I went into a room and met Lindsay Padilla, who is one of the co-owners of Hello Audio, which is where I host my private podcasts. And also even though Imperfect Party was very imperfect.
I frigging love talking to people. So every episode I recorded, actually talking to the people. Yeah, all the other stuff and then feeling terrible about myself. Cause I never, just so everybody knows, I never did the whole, the whole process after the fun of the Pinterest and the whatever. Like I always felt behind.
I always felt not good enough, but talking to the people was amazing. I love talking to people. So I thought, okay, well this could be cool because also at the same time, like I think we all constantly are like, how am I going to grow my list? How am I going to grow my list? And it’s like, how many more PDFs can we need?
[00:25:09] Angie: zero, zero. The answer.
[00:25:13] Deanna Yeah. So I was like, huh, this can be cool. Like I make a private podcast and then it’s you want to listen? You want to listen to this cool thing. Give me your email. And you can listen because the idea is like, when you do a public podcast, your. Hopefully making people like intrigued about you and then go sign up.
But I was like, we’re not working on credit. You want to listen to this cool podcast. You got to give it upfront, pay me with your email address upfront. That was like a really fun way for me to think about growing my team. And I feel like all of that was happening at the same time that I was real mad about all my business stuff.
So my first one is called Online Marketing Made Un Sleazy. So maybe that’s a clue what else? And that was my first dabble in the private podcasting thing. And I wish I had a number, but I don’t have a number for you of how many people. Joined my email list,
[00:26:04] Angie: but I remember in the co-op you shared I mean, I think it was pretty significant, especially based on the size of your list beforehand.
Yes. Yes. So what did you like about it? Like, first of all, I guess just from like a user experience for folks that already have their own show, private podcasts are actually a great way. And I I’ve said it like a thousand times. That’s I want to create my opt-in to be a private podcast feed. I just haven’t done it, but I feel like that’s a great way for folks who are listening and they’re thinking, well, I want to be a podcast guest this year, but I don’t want to host my own.
Well, you could do these private podcast feeds and you know, Betsy talks about capsule podcasts. They’re all similar. You just have to decide what you want that paywall, right? Um, I mean you could pay, right. I think you did one like that. We’ll talk about in a hot second, but typically you pay for access to the private podcast, feed through an email address.
And so I think that could be a great way if you’re a guest and you don’t want to host your own show, but you want to drive people that have heard you through audio to another audio asset, then these private podcasts are pretty solid, but from a user experience, was it pretty simple to set up and navigate?
[00:27:19] Deanna: Yeah. I mean, super simple. I mean, at the backend of Hello, Audio is like upload a picture drag and drop your audio. And you’re like, you know, you could make it multiple episodes if he wanted, but it could also just be, oh, one episode. I mean, it could be, I think I would probably recommend to break it up, but if that feels overwhelming, then people can just stop and come back to it later you know,
[00:27:41] Angie: there’s no editing capability inside Hello Audio, right? Like you do your editing beforehand and then drag it into the. Yes program. Okay. Okay. So there’s editing, but now, I mean, there’s a lot of things evolving, even in the editing space to make that easier than it has been before
[00:27:59] Deanna: I use Descript. And I love that you just edit it like a, like a word document and it’s crazy, but also like, I think, I mean, unless it’s like a really big fluff.
I mean, I always joke that this is just the way I’ve branded myself. So it’s actually really lucky. And time-saving for me to be like in a perfect party. Like here we go. I mean, I don’t want anybody to be like annoyed, you know, if the sound is all off or really bad, or, you know, you still want people to listen.
But I think if a dog barks on my podcast, then people are aware. Dogs exist in the world and we’re two people talking.
[00:28:31] Angie: There’s one specific podcast I think about, and I actually love the host of it, but I listened to one episode one time and she was sniffling the whole time and it drove me bananas, like dog barking.
I feel like it’s pretty benign, but mean if a dog was barking the whole time, I’d be like, girl, you know, but like, you’ll put your dog up
[00:28:53] Deanna: a couple of things, you know? I was telling you the story right before we came on here, but it was actually Lindsay Padilla that I was doing an episode with when I accidentally muted her and coughed really loud into my mic.
And I took that out because I’m like, nobody wants this loud cough. And also what was she even talking about? You know? So I figured that out, but for the most part, if it goes pretty well, I think it’s, I think it’s.
[00:29:16] Angie: I love that. Okay. So I know that you did your master class that way, but then you’ve also done most recently, you did basically like a holiday private podcast, which was cool, but you have monetized one before also, right?
Like an audio summit.
[00:29:32] Deanna: No,
[00:29:33] Angie: I thought you did.
[00:29:34] Deanna: No. Cause that’s my big thing to be like, whatever. And then I’m like, wait, okay. Do I have money mindset issues? Or am I just man? So right after. The online marketing made on sleazy. Then I made a podcast series called F That. And that was a bunch of people coming together, telling their stories of when a time in their life, when they were like F this I’m going to do this my way and how that looked for them.
So the F That series was not all business people, because I don’t know. It’s just like people. And I’m like, they would be really cool. They would be really fun, like their story’s going to be great. So I had like anti diet people on there. I had a girl who’s handles called dope kitchen, and she was talking about like cannabis culture and there was.
People who had quit jobs. And then there was Liz Wilcox. Who’s a cool email marketer talking about her really cheap membership and why she decided to break the rules on that. So there was like some business, but just some other stuff. And that was really fun because then I’m like, okay, now I’m opening this up to like other people are promoting it.
So it’s my lead magnet. So people were still giving their email addresses, but I think it was 12 people total me included. So like 11 other people are. Promoting this. And so I got 80 some people on my email list that was only like 200 people to begin with. That’s really big growth. And I met 11 people that are like my friends.
[00:30:57] Angie: Okay.
So this was the thing that I thought was super cool about. It was you can have a public facing wide open podcasts and have guests on there every single week. And we all know if we host our own show, one of the challenges is guests don’t always share their episodes with their audience. And also, if they’re talking about the same thing on every show that they’re on their audience, isn’t always likely to go over and like listen to this new podcast.
So I’m not always a big advocate that having guests on your show should be. Necessarily a growth strategy. Like, I think it’s great. I’m bringing you on, because I think this conversation will serve my listeners. Right. Not because I think you’re going to share it with all of the world, but the way that you structured this summit, because that’s what you called it.
Right? Like an audio, what did you call it?
[00:31:47] Deanna: Um, well I call it F That a storytelling series. So it was just stories. The other thing is, I think everybody is teaching so much, like everybody says, give value, give value. So even like, Just the way my feet is and the algorithm, like, I just feel like every reel I watch is just trying to teach me something new and I’m like, can I just look at a funny, real people?
This is every reel, it’s like three tips to grow your marketing. Two tips to worry about your hormones. When you have your period three tips to blah, blah, blah. And I’m like, oh my God, over. And then they’re all different. So. Okay. Got it. And then the next year,
[00:32:27] Angie: well, so it was in December. I think I was either listening to a podcast or I might’ve been reading one of the podcasts books that I have, and it really talked about making sure you’re cognizant of. What is the audience doing on the platform that you’re sharing information to? So a lot of times we’ll see on Instagram, people will share, you know, oh, I just released this new podcast.
Go listen to it. Well, if I’m laying in bed at 10 o’clock at night scrolling through Instagram, the chance of me going to listen to a podcast is very minimal. Right? So like share what people need to know in that moment and let them move on. But what I love about the way that you had these guests on your, almost like an audio summit, basically, like it was basically a virtual summit, but audio only.
And so you did have to give an email address was that then they would share it, like you said, with their audience and it led to you being able to get some sort of bang for your return. Is that what it is? Yeah. Um, yeah, in a way that would be different if you just had them as guests on the imperfect party podcast.
[00:33:34] Deanna: Yep.
And thank you.
[00:33:37] Angie: You’re welcome
[00:33:38] Deanna: it’s something I made up. Like, that’s the thing I’m saying, like, when you’re only looking for like, what do people do? What do I need to do? What do people do you shut off that part of your brain? That’s like, What would be really cool to do what would be fun? So it was like, I know, I like talking to people.
I need to grow my email list. I just learned about hello audio. Like how can all three of these come together and be really fun. And also it’s funny cause it’s not charging and not letting it be about teaching. Are I feel like a little bit like my brand values starting to develop because. I do feel like, which is funny.
I’m a teacher I’m like not teaching is one of my brand value, but it’s also funny because I’m leaning a lot more heavily in 2022 into the service side of my business. Like, I really feel drawn to make things for people and not be another person teaching them how to do it. So. I think that’s just that like, starting to kind of poke its head out and be like, oh, don’t teach like enough with the teaching.
So yeah. I don’t know. Yeah. So I didn’t charge for it, but you could easily, well, I’m saying easily charged for it.
[00:34:44] Angie: Well, let’s, let’s talk about it. I mean, I think the whole idea of charging, you know, it’s a warranted conversation, but that would have made it more complicated, right?
[00:34:53] Deanna: Yes. Well, I was like, okay, this can just be like, uh, convert.
Sign, like, give me your email and your name, or it’s going to have to like connect to drive cart. And it’s like, well, the way someone’s do, you know, and again, here’s me like looking like, how do summits work? So then it’s like, okay, well the night when I wanted it to be free, or you could like have access forever or get all the episodes at once or so how do I sort those people out?
And like tech is not my thing. So I actually talked to my husband. Who’s. Oh, God, more business stuff that I don’t understand what you’re even talking about, but I was like, so I think the benefit is I’m going to meet a bunch of people. I’m going to get to talk to a bunch of fun people. Like I like doing that.
And it’s networking and it should grow my email list. And so I feel like that’s, that’s okay for now. And I’m like, I can learn the tech later and maybe, maybe I will charge for one day, but for right now, what’s the easiest way to just get it done. And I had the idea to do the holiday series, what, November 15th or so.
[00:35:53] Angie: Oh my God. I don’t even know how you pulled it together. Definitely go and just creep Deanna’s Instagram and her website because the graphics are amazing. Like, I remember us talking about it, I think on one of the co-op calls and then. It just appeared and the graphics were like magical and beautiful.
And that’s when I was like, I need her skillset in my life. Yeah. I mean, you just have this knack for communicating personality, through graphics and. I loved hearing that, you know, in 2022, leaning more into the service side and even inside of the co-op, I’ve pulled back on a little of the content creation because there’s plenty of content out there for us.
What we really need is a community of people that we can ask those questions to bounce our ideas off of, and really support each other as we navigate through all of this. So Bravo to you for not adding more. Not content noise, but like the teaching piece of it, because I want more people to help me in my business.
[00:37:05] Deanna: Not like I don’t want to learn how to do every single thing. Can you just do it?
[00:37:09] Angie: Yeah, love it. Oh,
[00:37:10] Deanna: I feel too awesome.
[00:37:12] Angie: Well, this has been so helpful. I so hope that people have just been able to get such a sense of your vibe, um, and why I love having you in my circle. Let’s talk very, very quickly because you did come into my life more in a professional sense when you signed up for go pitch yourself.
So how has podcast guesting impacted your business? I don’t even know if you’re actively, are you pitching yourself? Okay. Talk to me on this one.
[00:37:41] Deanna: Just kidding.
[00:37:44] Angie: I totally reached out to you by the way.
[00:37:47] Deanna: True story.
Yeah, I am pitching. Again, like I was thinking about teaching, like putting your own spin on things, not starting from scratch.
So everything that you provide is so valuable, but then I think what really makes my pitches, if I do say so myself stand out is like me being my weirdo self. And, and I think that’s also like kind of what we started talking about too. Just this year, this past year, I’ve just really leaned into like, I’m just going to do me.
Like, I’m just going to talk how I talk. Like you can like my intake form, which is funny. Cause I don’t even. Know that it says that I’m like, that’s funny. I’m going to go. Like, I look at it, but I just write, like I talk. And so that’s how I’ve been sending out pitches. I pitched somebody named Julie Brown.
Who has a podcast called this shit works. And I don’t know. I mean, I’m 41. So Julie Brown was like on MTV, like wubba wubba wubba. Oh yeah. Yeah. Julie Brown, downtown Julie Brown. And on her website, it was like, don’t call me downtown Julie Brown, which I was totally going to call her downtown Julie Brown.
And so, but then in the pitch, Okay. I know I’m not supposed to call you downtown Julie Brown, but can I still say wubba wubba wubba or am I pushing the envelope or whatever? So she then kept reading, which is like where your stuff comes in, which sets up like what I could talk about and how I get, you know, like all the things I need, but I feel like that first bit I’m just myself and I’m like, she could be like, who is this weirdo?
But then also I’m going to be a weirdo on her podcast. So if she thinks I’m a weirdo right now, Probably shouldn’t be on our podcast that I’m just going to be a weirdo for like 45 minutes.
[00:39:22] Angie: So yeah, I mean, that’s, I mean, I think that’s the important part of pitching is balancing sharing legitimately, like what you could talk about, but communicating your personality because just like you knew going into it, that you and Julie would likely be a good fit because you had done your homework on her and hello we all know her.
That person receiving it doesn’t know your personality. So you have to convey that somehow in the pitch in a really short amount of time so that you do not just stand out though for the sake of standing out. I feel like that’s what a lot of the pitches I see are. And I’m like, no, I just want to know who you are like.
[00:40:01] Deanna: Yeah. And that’s what. I’m like, I’m saying I’m a weirdo. I keep saying, but you know, like I’m a little bit funny, silly quirky, but if you’re not, then like, that’s where I’m talking about. Like, you can’t fail. Like if I were to be like, here’s how I got on this show, do follow my exact formula. Like be a weirdo, the first paragraph, but you’re not a weirdo.
That’s terrible advice because you’re going to get to the podcast and they’re going to be like, who wrote your pitch? What do you do? Who is like, who are you.
[00:40:28] Angie: We had someone we hired internally last year to write some of our pitches for clients like their big pitch template and what the challenges when we pitch on behalf of someone else is that we have to communicate our personality as a company, like in the beginning and the end so that they know.
We’re legit and like, we’re going to follow up and we’re going to show up for the interview, but then we have to communicate the client’s personality, like in the middle so that they kind of know what they’re getting and it didn’t work with this copywriter. She was fabulous, but you know what we do, it’s just such a nuanced way of communicating a myriad of personalities in one email.
[00:41:12] Deanna: Yeah. I had somebody too one time, like their assistant, it was actually Kate from Inbox, Besties who I’ve already recorded with because I am pitching. But, uh, they said like, normally it’s a hard note for her, the pitches in the inbox, but the assistant was like, you have to have her.
So, and she was like, I read it all the way to the end, which is like not normal. And I was like, oh my gosh. So I think it’s just like sprinkling that and you know what else? I don’t know how you feel about this, but I use emojis.
[00:41:38] Angie: Yeah, totally. Yeah. Like if that is your brand, but likely you’re going to be pitching to people that would appreciate that.
And again, it conveys who you are very quickly, right? You don’t have to use 20 emojis, but if you use two, it conveys that you’re the type of person that is more fun, loving, and quirky. Did downtown Julie Brown say yes.
[00:42:01] Deanna: Yeah. Not no way. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Julie Brown is not the actual downtown Julie Brown… So Julie Brown is a network marketer. Her name happens to be Julie Brown.
[00:42:21] Angie: I was like, damn girl.
[00:42:24] Deanna: No, but, uh, you know, what’s actually pretty fun is that I was on, see now I can’t even know what it was called, but it was like a person who is on E.
A podcast, like the happy, hot mess, a happy mess. And I got on her podcast and then I realized she was like an E correspondent, like hanging out with Mario Lopez and stuff. But, uh, I think I was too much of a weirdo for them. And then they emailed me and were like, oh, we’re not going to use that. And I was like high cred.
[00:42:50] Angie: So that’s the risk you run when you’re super authentic?
[00:42:53] Deanna: Yes. But you know, whenever I got off, I was like, instill, like, it felt cool to be on it, but.
[00:43:00] Angie Trueblood: Uh, this was so good. I’m envisioning people listening and just their shoulders dropping a couple of inches and just being able to take like an exhale of like, okay, let’s regroup.
As we go into this new year, who do I want to be? Who do I want to show up as? And. How can I do things a little bit differently than we might’ve been doing them in the past? So thank you for bringing that to this party. Where can people connect with you? Deana?
[00:43:25] Deanna: Um, people can connect with me on Instagram. I am thedeannaseymour, very official or DeannaSeymour.com.And on my first page, you’ll see the private podcasts we talked about. The masterclass is right there and that could be fun to listen to. There were definitely people who reached out and were like, I know I’m saying it’s all funny. And like, Whatever smack talking, but there were a lot of people that were like, I’ve been carrying a lot of guilt too, for money I’ve spent on things or just choices they’ve made and feeling like, oh, am I really messed up by spending all that money on that thing?
So I think it helps some people too. If you have any like shame or guilt around anything you’ve like bought in your business and didn’t use. It’s a good lesson.
[00:44:03] Angie: Yeah, no, I’ve listened. I don’t know if I’ve listened to the whole series, but it’s a really nice balance. Right? It’s got that entertainment value, but also that connecting with people and like, I see you, I feel you, other people have been where you are.
[00:44:17] Deanna: Yeah. And then let’s make fun of some of the people who. You know, it, just wrap it up a little I’m comic relief, right?
[00:44:25] Angie: That’s not me. That’s so funny. Cause I’m like, I mean, do we really want to make fun of people, but
[00:44:32] Deanna: to be honest, I’d have to re-listen I don’t even know if I. Do I make fun? I think I’d just point out some inconsistencies.
[00:44:39] Angie: Yeah. Calling question to some of the things you’ve been exposed to or seen.
[00:44:44] Deanna: So promises I was made. That’s the big one. That’s the big one.
[00:44:49] Angie: All right. Well, thank you for being a guest. So happy to have you in the co-op and to call you a friend. Thank you.
[00:44:55] Deanna: Thanks for having me
Outro
[00:44:57] Angie: I so hope you appreciated this conversation with Deanna and I, and that you walked away with a bit more confidence that showing up as you might be just what your business needs this year.
So here’s what I would love to know from you. One, are you using a private podcast feed in your business? And if so, how, if not, are you thinking about using one as a result of this. And number two, what, from our conversation stood out to you? I know for me, especially when I was, relistening the discussion of deciding that Deanna doesn’t actually want to own a lake house.
As funny as that might seem, it really resonated with me and sparked me to take a look at some of my own loftier life goals and her ability to see that the freedom that she has created. By building a business that suits her and her family and the here and now. That really spoke to me. So I would love to know if any of that spoke to you and kind of what you got as a takeaway.
I know for me, I’ve always thought, man, I would really like to own some land, my son and I even joke about it whenever we’re out, like in the country where like we need to own land, but honestly that would cost a pretty penny and thinking about it from Deanna’s perspective, it would totally take away from our ability to travel as much as I would like to.
I want to hear from you, please shoot me an email, like a real actual email and let me know. Email addresses angie@thepodwizegroup.com and podwize is spelled with a Z, or you can obviously connect with me in the DMs on Instagram, at thepodwizegroup, but either way I would love to hear from you and get some feedback on what you thought about this episode.
All right. Until next time, be well and be visible.
Post-show blooper
All right, Steve, we’re going to see what the combination of Musinex, tea and Sudafed does to my voice. Is this actually recording? Hold on.
Ahem, pick that up. Yep. It’s recording.