HEATHER MONAHAN // CREATING A SUCCESSFUL PODCAST
HEATHER MONAHAN
Heather Monahan and I have a few mutual friends and they all rave about her. I was so excited to get the chance to interview her. She has had tremendous success in her new podcast and I thought her story would inspire us all.
From when you started to think of the podcast and then got into creation mode, how long was that timeline? Wow! It has been a while! Since I launched my book in May of 2018, I have been thinking of launching a podcast but I didn’t have the bandwidth to do it. I knew I only wanted to launch a show that I would be really proud of. As people would ask me about launching one I began to look into what companies are out there creating the best shows. As I went on more and more podcasts as a guest I began to have discussions about my own show. I started talks with PodcastOne after I did a few of their shows. That was October 2018 and we finally signed our deal in April 2019 and my show launched in May. This was definitely a long process.
How did you come up with the format of your podcast? I had no idea what the right format was for a show so I deferred to the experts at PodcastOne. During our first meeting they shared with me that the best format for my show is to do a weekly intro where I share my personal struggles and what is happening in my life and how I am creating confidence, then an interview with my guest, then a wrap up where I answer listeners questions.
Your podcast did so well in the first few weeks. Congrats again!!! What are 3 tips you can share with FEMS on how to get their podcast seen, with engagement and to have such great success such as yours? The first 48 hours are critical in getting your show to trend on the Apple Podcast app. What I did was I made a large social media post, I landed a huge guest for the first show to attract attention, I offered to buy listeners my $299 video course as a thank you when they would DM a screen shot of their rating and review and I changed my job on LinkedIn to Podcast Host at PodcastOne and every person that reached out to congratulated me on the new job they converted to a subscriber.
Did you have any fears on launching the podcast? From the time I signed with PodcastOne to the time we launched the show it moved too fast for me to get scared. I knew I needed to get the show done. I didn’t have shows ready and waiting in the que so I needed to hustle and get out to interview my guests in face to face interviews. Since I had been scared launching my first book and I survived, I thought this would be easier. A book is created and then it is done forever, a podcast you get a chance at improving each week so I didn’t see it as a big risk instead it’s a big opportunity.
What other advice can you share for women looking to launch their own podcast? Figure out what is unique about you and rock that! There are so many podcasts out there that are just like the next one. Why not shine your light and be unique so you can stand out. It’s like anything, the more work you put towards it, the better it will do. I have begun using headliner and audiogram to promote my shows on social media and they work! I changed all of my social profiles titles to podcast host and I promote the link everywhere. I also share each time my show is trending in New & Noteworthy so people keep seeing the show and how well it is doing. You’ve got to create a sense of FOMO to get your audience to download the first episode. The best way to promote your show is to be a guest on OTHER podcasts. Don’t lose sight of this! People who listen to podcasts are more apt to listen to another podcast. Be sure to fish where the fish are.
What is your personal mantra? Right now I would say that done is better than perfect. I have definitely been overwhelmed the past 2 months launching this show and flying all around to interview my guests. Some days I am missing emails, some days I am recording commercials after I record my show which isn’t ideal however I have learned that it is all a process and will continue to get better and more streamlined overtime.
How can FEMS find your podcast? You can check out Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan at Apple Podcast or you can check it out on the PodcastOne site or the app!
Thank you Heather!!! We are grateful that you shared all of the above.
ABOUT HEATHER: Heather Monahan is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur and founder of Boss In Heels. Having successfully climbed the corporate ladder for nearly 20 years, Heather Monahan is one of the few women to break the glass ceiling and claim her spot in the C-suite.
As a Chief Revenue Officer in Media, Heather Monahan is a Glass Ceiling Award winner, named one of the most Influential Women in Radio in 2017 and Thrive Global named her a Limit Breaking Female Founder in 2018.
Heather’s new book Confidence Creator shot to #1 on Amazon’s Business Biographies and Business Motivation lists the first week it debuted on Amazon.
Heather is a confidence expert and is currently working with Fortune 500 companies and professional sports to develop confidence in the workplace and on the court. She’s also a member of Florida International University’s Advisory Council to further serve as a mentor and leader in the South Florida Community. Heather’s new show, Creating Confidence with Heather, can be found on Apple podcasts.
Heather most recently added Guest Professor at Harvard to her list of accomplishments. Heather and her son Dylan reside in Miami.