Molly Ruland stops by to explain how she started a branded podcast that brought in so many clients from season one that she had to pause it. For Molly, it is all about starting and building relationships with her guests.

By conducting targeted outreach, she added 500 marketing people to her LinkedIn network, improving the relevance of her feed.

When it comes to SEO, AI is interesting, but she advises against using "podcast lingo" and emojis in podcast show notes and metadata. Instead, she recommends focusing on using relevant keywords. We should be advising AI to use relevant keywords in our descriptions and have it use the AIDA approach.

• Molly Ruland emphasizes that authentic podcasting is about being yourself and not just a sales pitch.
• Building relationships through your podcast can lead to business opportunities without being pushy about it.
• SEO isn't just a buzzword; optimizing your podcast content can help increase its visibility and attract the right audience.
• Don't just focus on the numbers; create meaningful connections with your guests and audience.

Ralph has been an accountant for 30 years. Because of his podcast, Intuit approached him to share and teach about the experience of moving from local copies of their software (Quickbooks and others) to the web-based version.

Check out Ralph's show at www.askralphpodcast.com

• schoolofpodcasting.com
• askralphpodcast.com
• heartcastmedia.com
• Camp Content Show
• Tom Petty and Axl Rose

Mentioned in this episode:

I'd Love To Meet You - Here is Where I Will Be

I will be manning the Podpage booth at Podcast Movement in Chicago and Dallas. For more information go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/where If you would like to me speak at your even (on or offline) go to www.schoolofpodcasitng.com/contact

Where Will I Be?

Starting a podcast can be daunting. Fear of failure, uncertainty about where to begin, and doubts about your abilities can hold you back. But what if you had a guide? The School of Podcasting is here to help you confidently launch, grow, and monetize your podcast. With over 20 years of experience and tons of successful podcasts launched, I'll walk you through every step. From planning to promotion, you're never alone." Learn at your own pace with video courses, join a supportive community, and get unlimited coaching. Say goodbye to fear and hello to success." Start your podcasting journey today with the School of Podcasting. Join now and take the first step towards turning your passion into a reality. Visit SchoolOfPodcasting.com to get started. No fear, just success.

School of Podcasting

2025 Audience Survey

Question of the Month: Let's Talk AI

Form a listener, are you using AI, if so what tools, what do you create, and do you spend more time tweaking the results that it would be quicker to just do it yourself?

After a lot of feedback on the first episode about podcast newsletters, I wanted to answer more questions, and this time I brought Paul Gowder to help.

We’ll discuss what tools to use and what content to include. If you really want to skip this whole newsletter thing, we've got some backup plans for you, too. Paul not only has wisdom about newsletters, but we also talk about building his community.

Spoiler alert: You might even want to ditch social media for this! Buckle up, because we’re about to make your newsletter dreams a reality.

• Start building your podcast newsletter today; it's like planting a seed for growth.
• Don't overthink content; even simple updates can keep your audience engaged and informed.
• Use email as a direct line to your audience; it's way better than shouting into the social media void.
• If you're not asking for emails, you're missing out—it's like having a party and not inviting anyone.
• Be cautious with Facebook. They may delete your group with 85,000 people in it.

• schoolofpodcasting.com
• paulgouder.com
• Paul's Free Strategies
• paulgowder.com/emailtools
• Paul's Email Jump Start
• What to expect at your first Powow.
• schoolofpodcasting.com/972 - Part 1 about Newsletters
• schoolofpodcasting.com/974 - This episode
• Jef Sieh's Social Media News Live Podcast

• Sustack
• Sendfox
• Mailerlite
• Kit
• Newsletter Database
• Liz Wilcox Templates
• Group Leads for gathering emails from Facebook Groups.

Mentioned in this episode:

Do You Need a Podcast Coach

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and many others have had COACHES to help them with an outside view to help them shape their content. I will start my 20th year in podcasting and would love to help you follow the best practices of podcasting, and avoid the common mistakes and avoid those steps that lead to burnout.

School of Podcasting

Question of the Month: Let's Talk AI

Form a listener, are you using AI, if so what tools, what do you create, and do you...

I ask my audience what their top pet peeves are just drive them nuts. We're spilling the beans on all the annoying things that make us want to tear our hair out while listening. We've got it all covered from podcasters who take forever to get to the good stuff to the dreaded mid-sentence ads that pop up like uninvited guests at a party. We also chat about the classic blunders that drive listeners nuts, like out-of-context clips and those cringe-worthy audio issues. So, grab your headphones and get ready to laugh and commiserate as we call out all the podcasting faux pas that need to be put to rest!

Steve Stewart from SteveStewart.me and the Podcast Editor Academy

Kim Newlove from the Pharmacist's Voice and the Perrysburg Podcast

Mark Lawley from the Practical Prepping show.

Todd the Gator from the Guardian Downcast show.

Zo Richardson from the Back Look Cinema show.

York from Welcome to Earth Stories Show.

Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting.

Niel's GoFundMe Page and his Documentary The Messengers: A Podcast Documentary

• Podcasters need to stop dragging out the intro and just get to the point already.
• Volume fluctuations between hosts and guests are a major annoyance that can ruin a podcast.
• Out-of-context clips at the start of a podcast are confusing and just plain unnecessary.
• Too many commercials can turn a great podcast into a frustrating experience for listeners.
• Not including show notes wastes listeners' time and makes it hard to follow up on interesting topics. Don't tell me a book and then not put the link.
• Bad audio quality is the ultimate deal-breaker that makes me want to hit stop immediately.

Additional Links referenced in this episode:

• Podpage - a great tool to make amazing websites for podcasters.
• Captivate media host (with some very cool tools built-in)
• YouTube Billion Views
• The Meidas Touch, which produces 15 episodes A DAY has "