Q&A: Your Questions Answered!

In Episode 42 of the Power Your Platform Podcast, I’m answering 6 questions from the Power Your Platform audience.

A few weeks ago, I posted on social media that I would be doing this episode, and I invited people to ask me anything about storytelling or brand building or even podcasting.

Question #1: “How far ahead do you plan out your podcasts?” ~ Leah, Signable Vi5ion

Answer: When it comes to my podcast episodes, I like to be ahead by at least a few weeks. So that means I’m usually about 8 to 10 episodes ahead. And the beauty of being ahead is that you have space to think. You’re not super-pressured to meet a deadline so for me, that means the creativity flows a lot more easily. One of the ways I’m able to get ahead on my podcasts is by batching. I set aside 2-3 hours at a time, usually on a Saturday, and I record 2 or 3 episodes back to back. Batching allows me to stay ahead of the game.

Question #2: “How do you get feedback from your podcast?” ~ Paula, Barkn Up the Green Tree

Answer: I gather podcast feedback three ways: Apple Podcast ratings and reviews; our social media engagement; and through my podcast analytics.

Question #3: “How do you build a genuine story without giving away too many personal details?” ~ Geraldine, Lumii Films

Answer: There’s a fine line when it comes to personal storytelling. On the one hand, revealing parts of our life to our audience is really important in order to build connection and authenticity and trust. People want to see the real us and how we’re building our business or living our life behind the scenes.

Here are a couple of tips to keep you on track:

a) Find your focus. What do you want to be known for? Focus on revealing parts of yourself as they relate to your core audience and your core topic.

b) Don’t share personal info unless you don’t mind sharing it with the creepiest stranger in the room.

Question #4: “What’s the difference and rational between Facebook page versus a Facebook Group?” ~ Tammy, Maple & Trillium Woods

Answer: The difference between a page and a group is community. Most businesses have a Facebook page which is basically your business profile where you can post information and people can like it and comment and share. But what they can’t do on your business Facebook page is create their own posts or start a new conversation. So if you’re looking to create more of a two-way conversation and build a community, then you might want to consider launching a free Facebook group.

Question #5: "At what point does a business move from the free version of a digital product (like Canva) to a paid version?” ~ also Tammy, Maple & Trillium Woods

Answer: When it comes to free versus paid versions of a digital product, I always suggest that people try it out for free to know how often they’re going to use the tool and if it’s helpful for their business. After a few weeks, you’ll know if this is a tool that you’re going to use regularly.

Question #6: “Do you have any tips for streamlining content creation?” ~ Chantal, The Empowered Path

Answer: Check out episode 29 which outlines how you can repurpose your main platform content to save time and energy. My biggest piece of advice when it comes to streamlining content creation is to spend 80% of your time creating quality content for your main purpose-driven platform.

Facebook group link

Thanks for the questions! To hear the whole episode, be sure to tune into Episode 42 today!