The Smart Way to Use AI for Podcast Guesting (and When Not To) with Julie Fry: Podcast Ep. 446

446-SYB-Julie-Fry.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

446-SYB-Julie-Fry.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Carol Cox:
Podcast guesting is an excellent way to get visibility and speaking opportunities. Here how to do it the smart way, including how to use AI and when not to. With my guest Julie Fry on this episode of the Speaking Your Brand podcast. More and more women are making an impact by starting businesses, running for office and speaking up for what matters. With my background as a TV political analyst, entrepreneur, and speaker, I interview and coach purpose driven women to shape their brands, grow their companies, and become recognized as influencers in their field. This is speaking your brand, your place to learn how to persuasively communicate your message to your audience. Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your Brand podcast. I’m your host, Carol Cox. Today we’re talking about AI once again, which you know, is one of my favorite topics because I feel like there are so much potential and how we can use AI to improve a lot of the things that we’re doing. Yet, as you all have probably seen, I feel like there are places where people are using it that is not necessarily to their advantage. So I have as my guest today, Julie Fry, who has a company called Your Expert Guest, and she helps her clients get booked on podcasts.

Carol Cox:
So we’re going to dive into how to increase your visibility online, especially when there’s more and more content, whether there’s podcasts, social media content, YouTube videos, and so on. How to increase your visibility so the right people, the right audience can find you. But really, how to take that visibility and turn it into a longer term relationships? Because I believe that’s where you’re going to find success. And so does my guest, Julie. Of course, we’re going to talk about how to use AI. Well, whether you are researching potential places that you could podcast or have your visibility or even using AI to come up with topics that you could talk about. We’re also going to talk about how not to use AI, because we both see it quite a bit, and that generally means like, we’re not so sure that this is the right person either as a podcast guest or whatever the opportunity may be. So Julie, welcome to the Speaking Your Brand podcast.

Julie Fry:
Thank you so much, Carol. I’m delighted to be here.

Carol Cox:
Well, we have known each other for a long time, and this is the first time that you’ve been a guest on the podcast. I feel like we probably met in 2017 or 2018. Yeah, maybe even 2017. So quite a long time ago. And so you used to run a women’s business group in the Seattle area. So in person, you know, very face to face, human to human. And then you started your expert guest in 2020. So can you tell us a little bit about what that the first business was like and then how you transitioned to what you’re doing now?

Julie Fry:
Yes. So as you mentioned, I had a business, networking community for women, balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship. And it started with meetups in the Seattle area and then grew. We actually had at 1.25 chapters across the country. And we also had an annual conference where people would come together. It was very I was very much in my sweet spot of connecting people, bringing people together. I have a bit of an event planning background, so it kind of fueled everything that I need to be happy professionally. Um, and I did that for seven years. So towards the end of 2019, I started to get those murmurs of wanting to perhaps explore something different. And so I started the process of selling the business to one of my chapter leaders that finalized in January of 2020. And we all remember what that time was like. So I took some time to think about what I wanted to do next. Was it go get a corporate job? Was it start another business? Um, and as we got further into the spring, I still remember March 13th was the day that our schools sent home the email saying that we’re closing school for two weeks to deal with this outbreak.

Julie Fry:
And, you know, little did we know that a year and a half later, that would be when our kids actually go back to school. So the reality was, I had a lot of speakers in my network, and they relied on speaking on stages for their visibility. And so when live events started shutting down, there was a lot of panic. There was a lot of panic just among entrepreneurs in general. So I thought I just one day I was walking my dog and I had that sort of light bulb moment of, oh gosh, I wonder if my speaker friends could go on podcasts to maintain their visibility, and I had been a long time podcast listener. I had been a guest myself on many podcasts and seen the financial impact that it can have on your business if you’re on the right podcasts. So that was really the genesis for this business starting, and since then it’s grown organically. We’re a team of five now, and we work with women business owners, speakers and authors to get them booked on podcasts.

Carol Cox:
Oh that’s great. And yeah, I remember that time when all the live events first are like, well, we’re just going to postpone it until August or to the fall. Right. And then it was like, no, I don’t think we’re going to be doing it this year or in the next year. So yeah, definitely a lot of pivoting. Yeah.

Julie Fry:
Yeah. Rough time for sure.

Carol Cox:
Yeah 2020. But we’re back. And so as I mentioned in the intro, visibility is incredibly important as an entrepreneur, a small business owner, a speaker and author, because of course we want people to be able to find us, but it feels like the internet is even more siloed and scattered than it ever has been. And I know back when we first met, I could probably count on two hands. The number of podcasts there were focused on women like small business owners. There were not that many. And then there was just like this explosion, which is wonderful because I love podcasting. I love the medium of podcasting. Like you, I love listening to podcasts, but there are so many of them now, right, that, you know, like, the audience is definitely kind of all over the place. And so thinking of someone who wants to be a guest on podcast and let’s assume that they, they’re familiar with podcasts, they listen to podcasts so they understand the medium. What is the first place that you start with them when they come to you and say, okay, I’m ready to be a guest on podcast?

Julie Fry:
Yeah. The first thing that we always ask is, what’s your why? Why do you want to be a guest on podcast? Because it’s easy to get caught up, especially if you’re a newer business owner, to get caught up in what the given trend is at the moment. Like remember back when reels first came out on Instagram and everybody was dancing and pointing at the captions? And so everybody started doing that, but not really having an intention as to what their desired outcome was from that. So we always start with when we have a new client or a new potential client come on board. Part of that discussion is what does success look like for you as a result of being on podcasts? Is it you’re wanting to book speaking engagements, which it can be a direct stair step to getting booked on stages? Um, is it to get visibility around a new book that you have? Is it just to maintain evergreen visibility for your business? So understanding that why is really the first step.

Carol Cox:
And then Julie, then I know that you work with them to determine what are the best topics for them that they could pitch, and what types of podcasts, the genres, the audiences that would be a best fit for them. So you go through that process with them. And now let’s dig into the the AI part of it. As I teased at the beginning, because I know as a as a host of a podcast, I get pitches all the time for people who want to be a guest on the Speaking Your Brand podcast. And of course, you know, they find the podcasts and directories or what have you, and send those standard very templatized emails because they usually will mention a recent episode. Right. Like I enjoyed that episode. Yeah, I know that you just got the title whatever from from that. So there’s we know as the host on the receiving end like we know these things. And so that has always been the case, these kind of templatized version. But now I feel like AI it has lowered the bar because now it’s so much easier for anyone to be able to write pitches and do the research and send them. So how do you approach using AI and what have you seen either worked well or have not worked well?

Julie Fry:
Yes. So we definitely use it in our business, um, where we tend to use it. And what I would recommend to your listeners is there’s a few different places where AI can really help. So for us, when we are onboarding a new client and we record our calls, they have an intake form that they complete. So let’s just pretend that it’s you. It’s it’s Carol. You’re thinking about getting on podcasts for the first time that, um, you could pop into AI and whatever service that you use, your website, what your expertise is, um, what you are known for or want to be known for, and who your target audience is. And ask AI to design a general podcast visibility strategy for you. It is a starting point. It is not the end point, but sometimes having a basic outline and structure that then you can build from really makes it more likely that you’ll actually do the work. It’s like if you were writing a book, it’s hard to just look at a blank screen and start, but once you have a framework, then you can build from that. So we absolutely suggest that. The other thing that’s really helpful is oftentimes podcast hosts want you to submit a pretty short bio. And many people, because they’re super academic and they’ve accomplished all these things, and they have a 500 word bio that does not fly for most podcast hosts. So I created a GPT that is in our voice of how we like to see our clients bios. And then if we have a really long bio, we’ll pop it in that, and then it spits out a nice 50 to 75 word bio. That’s a little bit better. Again, still need that human evaluation. Still need to do some fine tuning, but it gives you a great place to start.

Carol Cox:
Those are excellent examples. And they’re and they’re both, like you said, having a place to start or fine tuning what you what you already have to either make it shorter or to repurpose it in one format or another. I know that, you know, I’ve used ChatGPT since a launch, so it knows me and speaking your brand really well. So I’ll ask it the same. Similar like, okay, write a bio for me that is focused on this part of my career versus this part of my career, and then it can do that, but then it will make some up sometimes like right. And then I’m like, I don’t think I’ve been in Fast Company magazine, but thank you so much for thinking that I have it right.

Julie Fry:
It would be interesting to find out what the craziest hallucination is that AI has ever given you.

Carol Cox:
Yes, yes, I was like, so you definitely need to check it, right? Because you just never know what it’s going to say. All right. So then. So then when you think about though, let’s get into the pitching part of it, because I feel like this is where so many of the women we know that we work with, whether it’s pitching for speaking engagements or for podcasts or for other types of opportunities, is that they they get really stuck and then they get into what I, what I call analysis paralysis, or they feel like they get imposter syndrome. Who am I to pitch to this conference or to this podcast? So either it’s analysis paralysis. Like they’re doing so much research, they never actually send anything or they’re getting imposter syndrome or they just don’t. They don’t even know where to start when thinking about what would be a good podcast or speaking sense conferences for for them to pitch. Yeah. So how would you approach, what do you recommend for that?

Julie Fry:
Oh, that’s such a tough one. In fact, I just had this conversation with a client earlier today. One of our services is we create customized lists of podcasts within all of the details that they need to pitch the show, because doing the research is really time consuming. So anyway, I checked in with her because we delivered that list and I told her I’d follow up in a few weeks to see how it was going. She said, I’ve pitched the the the hosts that I have a warm relationship with, but I’m having an obstacle. I’m having a hurdle getting started with the cold ones. And it’s true, like most people, pitching is not on their top five list of things that they love to do in their business. So step one is just kind of scheduling the time, putting it on your calendar so you know you have to do it, and almost taking yourself out of yourself and like having an out of body experience that think about your pitching somebody else. Because it’s always easier to shine a light on somebody else that you know and how great they are. And you know why they’d be a perfect fit for an opportunity. But for some reason, as women, we have a really hard time doing that for ourselves. So that’s just a mindset trick to tell yourself, like you’re doing it for somebody else, not you. And then the other piece to remember is that the end of the day, if the podcast that you feel like you’d be a good fit for if they have interviews, you’re actually doing the host a service by reaching out and showing them how you can provide value to their audience, how you can benefit their listeners, then they have to. They don’t have to go out and find somebody to fill that interview slot. So again, that mindset shift of you’re actually helping them do their job rather than being a nuisance or being pushy. And um, yeah. Yeah. Promoting it that way.

Carol Cox:
Well, the worst that can happen is either you don’t hear back or they say sorry, you know, sorry we’re not accepting guests or we don’t have room right now in our calendar. And that’s or and the best thing is that they say yes.

Julie Fry:
Yes, yes. I’ve never heard of anybody getting an email back like, how dare you pitch my show?

Carol Cox:
Right.

Julie Fry:
That doesn’t happen.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, no, that definitely does not happen. I would say most likely you just. It’s crickets. Like you just won’t hear anything back. So which is okay because you can still follow up with them later. It could’ve just been the timing was not good. Or maybe reformulate your pitch. So Julie, you mentioned warm pitching versus cold pitching. So let’s talk about the differences between those for listeners who may not know. And of course we know that warm pitching is always better when possible. So how can we go about trying to take what could be a cold pitch but making it warmer?

Julie Fry:
Yes. So this is when where we and I would imagine most of your listeners are on LinkedIn. We love LinkedIn for warming up pitches. So one of the things that you can do is go and look at the host. Who are your mutual connections? Um, is there somebody that you’re connected to that you that also connected to the host that you could ask, like, what’s your relationship with this host? I’m thinking about pitching myself for their podcast. So again, leveraging your network to get more visible on the host’s radar. Um, the other thing that we do, again, it’s a little bit more research intensive, but going to the website and learning about the host again, this is something that at least not yet AI is doing for people. It may be possible in the future through AI agents and that sort of thing, but for now you can go to the website, look at their about page, look at what are their services like for me, for example, I know that you have an AI visibility and automation program that you run. So I want to do everything in my power on this episode. And when I share it, to amplify that, you have that offering because that helps you, right? And for all of us to be successful in business, it’s that go giver principle that you want to be helpful and give first before you’re thinking about how does this benefit me? So I always recommend looking at the about page on the website, looking at what the host does, what’s their business, what are their offerings, are there ways that you can help them and support them and offering that up in your pitch? The other piece is, if you have a podcast yourself and you would love to be open to a swap, then putting that front and center in the pitch, that’s a good way to get a host’s attention, because most of the time hosts are very interested in going on other shows that have a similar audience.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, those are excellent recommendations, Julie. Yeah. Linkedin is my go to social media platform, the one that I use the most because I feel like it is really good for creating these professional relationships and finding those people that you have in common. One thing that I have done is if I find a podcast that I am interested in being a guest on, is I see if there’s any of their prior guests who I happen to know, And then I will send an email to that person I know who’s been a guest and say, you know, I saw that you were a guest on such and such podcast. How did how was the experience and would you be open to doing an introduction for me?

Julie Fry:
Yeah, that’s a great one. That’s a great one. Yeah.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, that works really well. All right. So then Julie, you mentioned that you had this one client who you did the research and you gave them the list of podcasts that they could pitch. Now with the work that you do with clients, I believe you also have a service where you do the pitching on their behalf. Correct. So you’re reaching out to podcast hosts. So what is your approach with that? I know you’re not using AI to write to write those emails, to send to the podcast host. So what is your process and how how do you build relationships with hosts so that you can make it more likely that your clients get booked on those podcasts?

Julie Fry:
Yeah. So for one, we have a more narrow focus. We don’t just work with everybody. We work with women entrepreneurs and mostly service business owners. So that kind of narrows the playing field of the hosts that we have recommended guests to that have shown up, had done a great job, and then the hosts like to accept other guests that we recommend to them. So that’s how we’ve kind of built and nurtured that network. There’s also that human element of just staying in touch. Um, you know, we like to send cards, we like to send thank yous. We like to just check in and send an email, like, how’s everything going? So that human element of building the relationship will always be forefront and center. Um, so other other things that we think about when we are pitching hosts and writing those pitches is taking the emphasis off of our client and putting it on the host and their audience. So we already know that there’s alignment when we’re pitching somebody, but by kind of shining the light on what they’re going to get out of it and what their audience will get out of it, that what’s in it for me? Um, and obviously we highlight in a short way the client’s credentials and make it easy for the host to check them out and see what what do they sound like, what’s their social media presence. And then most importantly, we let them know how we will promote the episode when it goes live, both us and our clients. So we you’re right, we don’t use AI when we write our pitches. We have a standard framework that we use and then customize each one as we go because each host is different.

Carol Cox:
Well, I’m even I really like this approach of thinking about what’s in it for the host. How can you add value to their podcast and to their audience? And I’m thinking even for my own podcast, this is episode 446. So it’s a lot of content, but I feel like I’ve just talked about a certain topic, and it has actually been maybe a year and a half, you know, 60, 70 episodes ago or more that I have specifically addressed that topic either myself in a solo episode or with a guest. But, you know, it’s in my mind. It feels fresh. But for people coming new to the podcast, they’re not going to find that. So I imagine and this is a tip for anyone out there who is pitching, either for yourself or on behalf of someone else. Maybe look at the podcast and say like, where are there gaps in their content that you could fill with your topic that they haven’t addressed yet, but that their audience could probably benefit from? Because I know there’s gaps in my content in the past six months or a year that I haven’t addressed or haven’t addressed recently.

Julie Fry:
Yep. That’s that’s part of what we do as well, is yeah, look at those gaps. Look at something that they haven’t talked about in a while or have they ever talked about it and they should be talking about it. So doing that reconnaissance on your end and looking at that episode history is definitely key.

Carol Cox:
Yeah. So let me I’m gonna, um, give you a, give a plus one here for not using AI to write your pitches. And here’s the thing. Like I love ChatGPT. I use it a lot for brainstorming and ideation for things that I’m working on. And yes, I will use it to write the show notes for this episode from the transcript and things like that. Because what I tell myself is that I wrote 400 episodes of show notes. I think I’ve mastered that activity. I think I can give it to ChatGPT and it can do a great job because it’s still in my voice, right? So I’m like, okay, I can do that. But and so, so I let myself off the hook for that. But I will say I am working with an event that is currently accepting applications for speakers for the event, and we’re going through the applications and we can tell every single one was written by AI. The problem with that is that even though it’s beautifully written, right, like the, you know, the in a world of blah blah blah, and the cadence and the sentence structure is, is really well done as ChatGPT does. The problem is that even though every topic is different, so everyone has a different topic, even wildly different topics from each other, they all seem the same. They all seem like the same topic. And so I would much rather have someone write an email or submit a speaker application that it’s not 100% grammatically correct, that has some clunky word choice or sentence fragments or what have you, but shows their personality. Because I feel like even if you have ChatGPT trained on you like it knows you, it still has a certain way that it writes that you can tell. People can tell when they’ve done enough of it, and it just I feel like it strips away your personality. And that’s what’s missing in a lot of these pitches.

Julie Fry:
Yeah. Well, and that’s what at the core, I mean, I think we’re lonelier than ever as a society. There’s so much noise Ways online. Our political climate is so divisive. So there’s so many things that are keeping us from being in community with each other and sharing our humanity. And so those opportunities where you get to be human, like lean in and do it. Like you said, we all have our own unique individual story. And that’s at the end of the day, what people are connecting to as our stories. So, as Carol said, just, um, it’s do it yourself. It’s better than being perfect.

Carol Cox:
Yes. And even what I will do is I actually will grab paper and pen because I’m so tempted now with a document open on my computer to use some type of a. I’m like, no, no, don’t use paper and pen. Let me write out what I’m even thinking. Like, what is my perspective on this? What is a story that I would want to share that would be relevant to this type of audience and then take that and then just really just authentic is such an overused word. But I’m like, really make it authentic. Like you care so much about this potential relationship that you’re building with the person on the other side, versus sending out 100 templatize AI written pitches to random podcasts?

Julie Fry:
Yes yes yes. Yeah. And on that note, and again, if you’re listening, maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of this, but there there are definitely software tools now and SaaS products that will pitch at volume for media opportunities, for podcast opportunities. And I’d be really curious to know if you’ve ever gotten one of those, Carol. But there’s just as you said, they’re all going to sound somewhat the same, because if you’re sending out 10,000 pitches at a time and you get a couple of interviews, it’s just not putting you in the best light. It’s better. Quality is so much better than quantity when it comes to speaking engagements, podcast appearances, any sort of visibility strategy because you want to be speaking to the right people.

Carol Cox:
Well, that event that I mentioned where we’re collecting speaker applications for when applications opened, there was a flood of applications that were submitted. So at first we were all excited, like, wow, like people are really interested. We found out that the 40 or so that had been submitted all came from one entity, okay. And so they were like basically just whoever was in their database that had paid or who knows what we’re just spitting out and doing the application submissions. So guess what happens to those? They get set aside. Yeah. So it’s not really doing you any good.

Julie Fry:
Yeah. Yeah it sounds great in theory. I mean, who doesn’t want to get eight podcast appearances a month? But I wouldn’t because chances are they’re not going to be the right eight shows. And if you’re being presented in a certain way that doesn’t align with how you like to present your brand, then it can actually be detrimental to you?

Carol Cox:
Yes, because your brand reputation gets connected to that other podcast because now it’s online and people can search it and find it. Yes. Excellent point. So you as the guest, be choosy too. As much as the host is choosy about who they’re having on for sure. Julie, you mentioned about this loneliness epidemic. And obviously with the pandemic, you know, so much of our lives went online. And even though, you know, people are getting out and about, you know. Right. You know, to more events and to more business meetups and conferences. So that definitely is increasing. But still, so much of what I feel like we’re doing does has tilted to a lot online. But so how can we kind of make sure that we are still building these human connections, these human relationships with each other online to support each other and to and to provide value to each other, especially as these AI tools get more sophisticated. You know, OpenAI just released their new Sora two app, which is like a TikTok style app that is all AI generated short videos. Like you could put your avatar in it and put your friends avatars in it. And I see this as being very popular and addictive for a lot of people.

Julie Fry:
Have you used it? Carol?

Carol Cox:
No, I have not gotten an invite as of the time of this recording, so I, I definitely will check it out because I’m curious. I don’t use TikTok myself because I prefer podcasting and reading. I’m a long form. I’m a long form content girl. That’s what I like. So let’s talk about the kind of podcasting itself and why podcasting is such a great medium, not only for building relationships, but also for visibility and attracting clients and speaking opportunities.

Julie Fry:
Yeah. So as you mentioned, it’s amazing long form content and I’m the same as you. I’m not on TikTok because I already feel like my attention span has gotten shorter than maybe it was five, ten years ago. So I don’t need any anything, making it even shorter. So you and as a host with 450 plus episodes, you know the power of the connection that your listeners create with you. They really feel like they get to know you when they meet you in person somewhere. They feel like they already know you just because of these snippets of your life that you’ve shared along the way with them. And so whether you’re a host or whether you’re a guest, you’re getting to connect one on one with somebody. So we had a call before we had this interview. And, you know, we’ll continue to stay in touch after this, but we’re planting the seeds of building a relationship every time you go on somebody else’s podcast. I always tell my kids, be interested, not interesting. And by being interested in other people and showing them that you care about them and their stories, it automatically creates that desire for getting to know you better and building a relationship. So podcasts are such a great way to do that. And when you go to a networking event and you’re getting to talk to a bunch of different people, there’s still just these short little, you know, 32nd to a couple of minute conversations where you don’t get to go very deep. But when you’re having a podcast conversation, you’re getting to talk for 30, 45, 60 minutes. So you do get to go deep. And that just it feels really good. When I get done with a podcast interview, I always feel like my bucket is full. Um, I’m an extrovert. I really like to talk to people. I know a lot of introverts like podcasting because they don’t have to go out and talk to people, um, and be on, but it really does fill my bucket, and I just feel like it’s such an important piece of how we can continue to embrace our humanity and connect with each other.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, well, it doesn’t surprise me that you’re an extrovert, Julie, since you’re an event planner and you started an in-person groups. I am very much an introvert, so that’s why I love podcasting because I like one on one. Relationships are very small, like small group relationships and I know I. So I started this podcast in February of 2017, so well over eight and a half years ago. And I there’s so many women that I have met and maintained relationships who have been guests on the podcast, actually an episode that’s coming up very soon after this one is with Stacy Brown Randall, who focuses on client referrals, and she was first on this podcast in in 2018. And then she and her team reached back out to me a couple months ago because she has her new book out and said, would you like to have Stacy on the podcast again? And I said, absolutely. And even though we had not seen each other on zoom, you know, probably since 2018, but even it had been that long, but I still felt like we had to have this great conversation. She’s in my podcast catalog, like this evergreen content library. So of course I would have her back on now if I had never heard of her before, had never had any relationship with her before. I’m sure I’ve gotten emails with similar things like such and such a book is coming out, and I just ignore it because it doesn’t have the same resonance.

Julie Fry:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s amazing. I mean, one of our clients, she’s been on one podcast four times because of that relationship, and they just keep wanting to have her back because she’s got interesting things to say about a wide variety of topics. So, um, yeah, definitely plants that seed for lots and lots of really good things on both sides.

Carol Cox:
I feel like something that holds people back from being a guest on podcasts is that they overcomplicate it. They feel like they have to have answers to any question that could be asked. And they and they get nervous about that. And they and especially for the over preparers who are listening, you know who you are. You can raise your hand. I know who you are, I see you, I understand you, hopefully, if you’re listening to this conversation and you’ve listened to other episodes that most podcasts are very natural conversations, and a good host will kind of keep the conversation going based on what is being talked about. And there I don’t think there’s any podcast host out there who are looking or if they are, it’s a totally different purpose of the podcast, like gotcha questions or trying to paint you into a corner, or to get you to say something that you don’t want to say. Like, that is not what most of these podcasts are doing. So what advice do you have for the people listening who are like, well, I don’t I don’t know what they’re going to ask or I want to have all the questions in advance or I want to feel really prepared or I need to practice and I’m just not sure what to say.

Julie Fry:
Yeah. So this is another one where if you are a perfectionist and like to know what’s coming, this is another place where you can use AI. So you can go to the host website, grab transcripts. You could grab a couple, pop those into AI and then tell it, I have an interview coming up on this show. I want to be as prepared as possible. What are some likely questions that they might be asking me. Tell me about the tone. Tell me about the style. Fill in with the questions that you want answers to. And AI does a pretty good job of making sure that you feel prepared and that there aren’t any gotchas. Another place where it’s helpful to is if the host has a question that they ask every single guest, but they don’t tell you that they’re going to ask this. This does sometimes happen. It will get caught in that AI prompt. So that’s that’s a great way to use AI, especially if you like to be Uber prepared.

Carol Cox:
That has happened to me before where they’re like, oh, what’s your favorite book or who’s your favorite like women role model? And of course I have, I have some, but in the moment I’m like, oh, I don’t know.

Julie Fry:
So yeah, it’s happened to me too.

Carol Cox:
Yeah. And that’s the thing. Like sometimes it happens and so you can just just think of something or just say, oh, I don’t. That’s a good question. Like there’s, there’s a lot of them that I know or something like.

Julie Fry:
Yeah, nobody, nobody is gonna like find you online. And I can’t believe you didn’t know the answer to that question.

Carol Cox:
Right? Yes. And this is. And so, you know, when we work with our clients, we we build out their signature talk for them. And what I explained to them, this is your foundation for what you want to talk about. So obviously you’re not going to go and deliver your talk when you’re a guest on your podcast. But if they ask you like, well, how do you work with your clients? Or like, what is a, you know, what’s a client journey that someone has been on? Or why would someone, you know, um, have this problem? What would you tell them? You’ve probably already we’ve already thought about that and mapped it all out on your talk. So you have the answers are there. And when I tell them, it’s like you already know your content, like you know what you do in your business. You know who you help. You know, if you wrote a book, you know what’s in the book. So just just talk from that. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be this perfect 32nd soundbite. Because back to this idea of authenticity and and humanity. We just want we want even some of the, the messy parts or like, oh, I was just telling a story, but now I just forgot why I was saying that. That’s okay. I listen to really big name podcasts and that happens sometimes to them.

Julie Fry:
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Um, done is better than perfect with everything.

Carol Cox:
Yeah. And the more you do it, the easier it gets, I promise. It really does. I remember the very first podcast I was on, I think it was January of 2016 or sometime in 2016. Yeah, very, very early. And I’m still in contact with that host who runs that. I don’t know if she still has her podcast or not, but I’m still in touch with her and she’s great. And yeah, I was nervous because I didn’t have my own podcast at the time. That was the first podcast I had ever been a guest on. But, you know, it just it gets easier the more that you do it. So just like if you keep putting the reps in, then any one podcast appearance is not going to be a make or break it for you.

Julie Fry:
Absolutely. Yeah. I also my first podcast appearance, I did every single thing wrong. I didn’t listen to an episode beforehand. I didn’t share it when it went live. I didn’t have a microphone. Right? Like it was just did everything wrong. And we’re still friends.

Carol Cox:
Right? Right? Yes. Yeah. It’s okay. Oh. So let’s. Yeah. So I’m having a good microphone is important if you’re going to be doing podcast interviews, if you just do one in your life like ever, then don’t worry about buying a special microphone. But you definitely should have a good quality microphone and have a nice setup for that. And I and Julie, I’m sure you do. You have resources on your website about that.

Julie Fry:
You know, actually we don’t. But the the podcast that we send any of our done for you clients is the Samsung to Q-u. Uh, just plugs right into your USB. Uh, you can get them for under $100. So that’s a, that’s a great one. And the ATR 2100 I know people really like to.

Carol Cox:
Yeah I used the ATR for years until I got the Shure, which is what I’m using now. But that was about a year ago. Yeah. And the.

Julie Fry:
Step up.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, that’s a step up. I mean, the sure is probably about 300. The ATR is under 100. So you can do the under $100 podcast mix. And it is it makes a world of difference. It really does because you want to you want to have good content, but you also want to have good audio quality because podcasts, people are listening in their ears a lot, and you want to make sure that that audio quality is high.

Julie Fry:
Yeah.

Carol Cox:
Yeah. All right. Julie. So what have, I guess, like what what have you been your favorite? What are your favorite podcasts to listen to? Now I’m putting you on the spot because I did not give you this question. I know you had a LinkedIn post recently where you asked, you’re like, oh, I’m looking for some new podcasts to listen to because, you know, it’s always nice to explore different things. So I guess tell us, like, what genres do you listen to a podcast, and do you have any favorites from, even if it’s a while ago or any current favorites?

Julie Fry:
Yeah, so I’ve really shifted it up a lot. So I don’t do much direct client work anymore, so I’m not doing as much research on podcasts that our clients might be guesting on. I’m just going to pull up my phone here.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, no, I’ll pull mine up too, and we’ll let the listeners know what’s in our queue.

Julie Fry:
My favorite genre is comedy, and so my go to’s for comedy are Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and Good Hang with Amy Poehler. So big, big names. Um, I do like to mix in the smaller independent podcasts too. Uh, I’ve had it. Have you listened to? I’ve had it.

Carol Cox:
No.

Julie Fry:
Oh my gosh. I think I suspect that you would love them. They are two Oklahoma suburban moms, one as an attorney. It’s a political podcast. And they are hilarious. They are. They could be comedians. I know they also have a book, but I love I’ve had it. I just started listening to that. So speaking your brand. There you are on my on my player. Um, for business, I like female focused, women focused podcasts, so I like speaking your brand, I like sales maven. Um, those are kind of the two for business that are at the top of my list right now, and one that I listen to a lot is nothing much happens. Bedtime stories for grown ups, for when you wake up in the middle of the night and you can’t go back to sleep, and I pop my earbuds in and put that podcast on and I go right back to sleep.

Carol Cox:
Oh my God, I needed that last night. Yeah, that was.

Julie Fry:
A good one. It’s a good one. It’s kind of on heavy rotation these days.

Carol Cox:
That’s a great idea. I have a Kindle, so I will read with my Kindle before I go to bed at night. And then I wake up and it’s like laying next to my head. And then I’ll just I try to find a relatively boring book to read when I wake up in the middle of the night to put me back to sleep like nothing. That’s really interesting, because if it’s interesting, I’m gonna keep myself awake.

Julie Fry:
Yeah, and that’s what this is perfect for. It’s just a story where literally nothing happens. Like it talks about the snow covered path that you’re walking down along a fence, and it’s just very soothing and it puts you back to sleep.

Carol Cox:
Oh, okay. I’ll definitely have to check that out. So I know probably no surprise, but maybe I need to. I need an intervention as I listen to way too many politics and news podcasts, right? Okay.

Julie Fry:
Yeah, I didn’t go very deep on what I listened to there, but yeah, there are quite a few.

Carol Cox:
And okay, so here’s how I justify it. Is that I, I, you know, I want to stay informed. I really have I think I’ve calmed down a lot this year and I’ve kind of I think I’ve been through like the five stages of grief. So I’m, I think I’m in like the not acceptance and the thing in the sense that I like how things are going, but more like acceptance is going to be chaos and we’re never going to like what is going on on a day to day, week to week basis. But we have to keep moving forward with our businesses, our relationships. You know, all of that while doing the best that you know, the help that we can where it’s appropriate. So but I listened to the politics podcast because I feel like they’re my friends. Is that parasocial relationship because I’ve been listening to them for like 8 or 10 years now. At this point, you know, off and on. And I feel like listening to them helps me to feel less alone in what is going on. And I would rather listen to an hour, an hour and a half long conversation they’re having, which gets into more depth and nuance than just reading headlines. Yes, that is what’s going on. So that’s how I and it actually makes me feel better.

Julie Fry:
Yeah. Same. I don’t understand when I have a lot of friends that have just checked out entirely because they say it makes them feel uncomfortable. And when I listen to Heather Cox Richardson or somebody like that, I feel like I get an understanding of what’s going on in the context, the greater context of history, too. And so it does. It actually makes me feel better than if I just stuck my head in the sand and pretended like nothing is happening.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, exactly. So I have a recommendation because as you all know, who are listeners for a while. I really want to make sure that we’re literally listening to women’s voices, and we know that so many of the top podcasts are by men. And again, I listen to them. Ezra Klein Show and Hardfork, the tech podcast from the New York Times. Like, I love those podcasts. I listen to them, but and they do a good job of having women. Guest a good balance on there as well, but one that I recommend is a relatively new podcast that launched this year. It’s called The Best People is with Nicole Wallace, and she’s an anchor on MSNBC. So she’s been an anchor for a while. So it’s called The Best People, and it’s her new podcast. And it is like, you know, politics and news driven because that’s what she does on MSNBC. But again, you know, longer form interviews. And I really have enjoyed that.

Julie Fry:
Okay, great. I will check that one out. I haven’t listened to it. Thank you.

Carol Cox:
Yeah. You’re welcome. See this is your podcast recommendations when you, uh, have a guest like Julie on the podcast. All right. Julie. So any final thoughts or calls to action for the audience?

Julie Fry:
Yes. So if you are thinking about how you want to be visible and you haven’t taken any action on it, as Carol and I have been talking about, our stories are so important. And with the podcast industry being so male dominated, and with the shift in our political landscape of wanting to minimize women’s voices, it’s more important than ever for you to speak. And whether it’s starting on a really small podcast that is hosted by your friend that has two listeners, that’s a great place to start, because then you can start using that muscle and getting your reps in and building up. So, um, yeah, just use your voice, please. We need we need to hear from you.

Carol Cox:
Yes. And find that community of support that will help you to do that because, you know, you can feel alone and vulnerable and uncertain. So, you know, go check out Julie. Definitely connect with her on LinkedIn. Her LinkedIn profile will be in the show notes. Connect with me on LinkedIn if you haven’t already and go to Julie’s website. That link is also in the show notes to check out her services. If you are interested in getting booked on podcasts as a guest, Julie is the person to go to Julie and her team.

Julie Fry:
Thank you Carol, I appreciate that.

Carol Cox:
Yeah, you’re so welcome. Well, Julie, thank you so much for coming on the Speaking Your Brand podcast. This has been a long overdue, but I’m so glad it happened. And for all of you who are listening, take action this week. Do a little bit of research to find a couple of podcasts that you could be a great guest on. Find some warm connections. If you know any podcast hosts or you know, have some colleagues of yours who have been guests on podcasts who will do an introduction for you, that could be a great place to start. Until next time, thanks for listening.

Sonix is the world’s most advanced automated transcription, translation, and subtitling platform. Fast, accurate, and affordable.

Automatically convert your mp3 files to text (txt file), Microsoft Word (docx file), and SubRip Subtitle (srt file) in minutes.

Sonix has many features that you’d love including generate automated summaries powered by AI, upload many different filetypes, share transcripts, automatic transcription software, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.