How can you monetize your podcast through public speaking?

This can be tricky in the beginning and it may take several attempts to identify it. If so, that is okay. In fact, I would say it is normal. Part of the process comes from trying different things or taking different positions on subject areas. At the same time, you must pick a position. Don't aim for universal appeal because it won't happen.

Niching down can trigger some resistance, that feeling of being "boxed in." But don't think of it as something that will limit your abilities and impact. It's the contrary, by niching down and getting really specific about the work you do or who you do it for allows you to resonate more deeply with those people. It allows you to create a bigger impact as you address certain issues or topics that not many other podcasters are focusing on. Niching down is about more. More resonance, more impact, more visibility and recognition.

The benefit of podcasts is they show your expertise immediately to the listener. The same goes for public speaking. In each of these scenarios, don't wing it or waste the opportunity. Instead, be clear in the content and make it helpful to the listeners. In fact, don't limit yourself to what some people might consider "free content." Go deep. Be open and give the audience more than they could have expected. When you do, people will understand you are an expert, and people pay for expertise. This gives you an advantage and makes your podcast and your speaking worth more.

This is a rule of thumb for every podcaster in my opinion, either you have the goal of monetizing or not. But when we're talking about public speaking,I'd go a step further and say it's not just about valuable content. It's about sharing your unique opinions, being authentic, and speaking to your lived experiences and expertise. Don't be afraid of "sharing too much" here. That "too much" is most likely what is going to make you stand out.

It takes time, but it's worth it to actually hop on a call with some folks in order to build your network. Of course, it's easier to communicate via email or through social posts here and there, but a phone call or a coffee meetup is a great way to bring about a closer professional relationship that may lead to greater collaboration. You don't have to connect with everyone. Take the time to build a list and reach out to folks on that list with a specific ask. "Hi, podcaster! I admire x about your show / your work and I'd love to discuss y."

Consider having guests on your podcast, this is a powerful way of meeting and collaborating with experts and leaders who are doing outstanding work. That 1:1 time with them can not only bring extremely valuable information and knowledge to your listeners, but it can also start a fruitful relationship between the both of you.

You can organise small events to start with for your audience to come along and hear you speak in person, people really love that opportunity to do in per person events with podcasters and they can start in small rooms and grow.

When you pitch yourself, make sure the pitch is about them and their audience. Ask yourself how can you serve their audience and what is to be gained by their audience if they get the chance to listen to you? What problems can you solve for them? When you do this, you make it not about yourself, but about the show and the people running your show. Second, in your proposal, make it clear and concise. Don't make it hard for them to see what you do and why it matters to them.

For the love of all that is holy in podland, please personalize your pitches. Why are you reaching out to this specific show? Why are you a great guest for them and their audience? How does your unique perspective benefit them?

You need to make it clear what value you bring them and their audience - usually including some sort of deal can be helpful too :) [i.e - I usually speak for x$, but really love this forum & would do the first one for free!]

At the end of the day, if you're not delivering value, you won't get asked back & creating a valuable speaking career will likely be more of a flash in the pan

I'm a fan of reaching out to past and current clients and getting their feedback on your work. That feedback will allow you to lean on your strengths and what's working, as well as spot opportunities for improvement. Reach out to them and try to book a call to have a quick chat, or create a quick form they can fill out. I promise you, you'll learn a lot and become a better professional and speaker.

Be sure to promote your speaking opportunity before and after the event on social media, your website, and your show. Being chosen to speak demonstrates your expertise and lends credibility.

Leveraging opportunities is a bit vague, but also the most important part of monetizing your podcast through public speaking. Leverage is all about using your podcast when you are public speaking as a tool to engage with the audience deeper beyond the stage. You can also leverage your podcast to draw your audience to a public speaking engagement. At the end of the day, you want to look at the different ways you can communicate with an audience, and figure out how you can bring people together and deliver value to them whether on stage or on mic. Always be looking for more ways to add value to an audience and when you do that, there will be opportunities to monetize.

This is a bit of a strange prompt. Public speaking may lead to money, but more likely (and sooner), it'll lead to exposure. Which is great, but doesn't pay the bills. Do try to pitch yourself and speak at conferences, but look at this approach just as part of the overall monetization efforts of your show / your brand.

Don’t over complicate your format. Focus on doing a straight forward format really, really well. Make sure you fine tune every part of the format so that it’s the very best, then build. Don’t run before you can walk, consistency brings growth but only when your content is landing and making an impact.

If the goal is monetization, I believe it's important we talk about data and analytics. To monetize your podcast you need to have a clear vision of who you're talking to (demographics and psychographics) as well as the type of content they resonate with the most. You can start gathering that data by looking at your podcast host stats and Apple Podcast Analytics. You can also learn a lot from your social media and email marketing analytics and website traffic, don't overlook those.