Overcome High-Functioning Anxiety as an Entrepreneur with Hayden Finch

You know when you listen to a podcast episode and you’re like, “This is creepy. It’s like they made this just for me. How did they know I needed this?! Are they in my brain?! Woah. HOW DID THEY KNOW?!"

Well. It’s me, hi. I’m doing it again. If you're wanting to know how to get more listeners to your podcast, this is going to help you BIG TIME. That’s because ~THE~ secret to a Top 100 podcast is knowing how to get inside the mind of your ideal listener and solving the very real problems that they have.

Simple, yes. Easy? well, let's just say thiiis is the part that trips most people up.

I call it learning how to speak your listener's language — and mastering this is what separates the Top 100 hosts from the wannabe podcasters who DIY'd their cover art, hit record, and called it a day.

So to save you 4+ years of figuring this out the hard way like I did, here's how to grab the attention of your listener like it's your FREAKING JOB.

(Get ready to pay attention and take some notes. I'm talking pens and pencils, people!)

Attracting more listeners to your podcast boils down to three simple-but-unconventional things. Ready to find out what they are? Hit play and let’s dive in.

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If you’ve toyed with the idea of starting a podcast but haven’t started yours yet, maybe you’ve also wondered if there's a best or better time to start it.

Then again, if you ask any top podcaster they’ll all tell you the same thing: I’m SO glad I started my podcast when I did.

So ~is~ there a best time to start a podcast? Sure, there IS some strategy that goes into launching your show effectively and I’m breaking all that down for you inside this episode.

But even more importantly, you’ll also learn the three things that determine podcast success (and why ‘right timing’ isn’t one of them).

Ready to stop overthinking and start podcasting? Hit play and let’s dive in.

Episode Links:

• Previous episodes referenced: How to Rank Your Podcast in the Top 100

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In our last episode, we talked about how if you’re struggling to convert listeners to leads from your podcast, it *could* be that you're unknowingly pushing people away with your number one tool for building trust as a podcaster — your voice.

So in this BONUS episode, I'm sharing a peek into a recent session with my own voice coach, Katherine Beck. She's got an ear for calling out the subtle voice habits, and you’ll immediately be able to hear the impact that nonverbal communication has on your listener engagement in real-time.

As you listen to this episode, notice where you pay attention and where you start to tune me out — and get ready to take some serious notes so you can apply what Katherine teaches me to your own podcast, too.

Ready to uncover the secret sauce to being a Top 100 podcaster? Hit play and let’s dive in.

Episode Links:

• Katherine Beck, Speak on More Stages

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

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SPOILER ALERT: A fancy mic won't make you a successful podcaster. (Okay, fine, maybe that’s obvious.)

But if you're currently not seeing the conversions you want from your podcast, it might have absolutely nothing to do with how good your microphone is or the quality of your content or how consistently you release episodes.

It *could* be that you're unknowingly pushing people away with your number one tool for building trust as a podcaster — your voice.

I don't mean that you somehow got forgotten at the back of the line the day God was handing out angelic voices. I'm talking about how your audience might be tuning you out because of something they're picking up on in your God-given voice.

Anxiety? They can sense it.

Self doubt? They can hear it.

Apologizing when you ask them to take any kind of action? Yup, you guessed it.

In this episode, you’re going to learn: 

• The impact of nonverbal communication on your listener engagement
• How unconscious sounds in your voice can repel listeners without you realizing it
• Why your beliefs and thoughts can impact the way your voice is received
• A behind-the-scenes look at my own journey from struggling to hit six figures to being named among the top 1% of all podcasts globally simply by learning how to use my voice more effectively (and how you can do the same)
• If you want a podcast that's worthy of being in the Top 100 and make meaningful change in the world through your voice, hit play and let’s dive in.

Episode Links:

• Tracy Goodwin, Captivate the Room
• Katherine Beck, Speak on More Stages

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

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You know that feeling when it's the day before your next podcast episode is supposed to air and you find yourself staring at the keyboard wondering "Omg... what on earth am I going to talk about?!"

I used to HARDCORE STRUGGLE with coming up with fresh content ideas on my topic when it felt like I'd already talked about everything under the sun — multiple times.

I had no clue that I was approaching it totally the wrong way, though.

Too often, podcast hosts (our clients included) think they have to resign themselves to the fact that coming up with content ideas after you've spent 142 episodes talking about everything there is to know about your topic is gonna be a soul-sucking slog from there on out.

When, really, your case of podcaster's block is actually caused by something else altogether (and once you realize what it is, you're gonna be like "Oh OKAY I can't believe I didn't see it before.”)

Trust me: creating a podcast that's FUN for you + interesting for your listener is about to get a whoooole lot easier. And once you see it, you'll be cranking out podcast episodes like the Energizer Bunny on steroids. Or with the peak energy of my six year old at 5:30 am every morning.

If you want to know my secret sauce for obliterating podcaster's block anytime it tries to rear its ugly head, hit play and let’s dive in.

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

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“Do I need a big audience to be successful with a podcast?”

It’s the question that keeps every aspiring podcaster up at night, and I get why — they see all these top podcasters with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media (and an email list worth envying) and assume that to be successful with a podcast, they need that too. 

In fact most people think that people like Amy Porterfield and Tim Ferris and heck, Joe-freakin-Rogan are successful podcasters because they had a big audience when they started their show.

But nope. It's actually the other way around.

Being ultra-successful with a podcast isn’t about how big your audience is when you start. It's about knowing how to differentiate yourself to attract the right audience *so that* you can grow.

If you have a podcast right now that's not growing like you expected it to (OR) if you’re someone who wants to start a podcast this year and make sure it's successful from the jump...

You’re going to need to know what levers to pull to make sure your show stands out and gets the attention it deserves.

And in this episode, I'm breaking down the first step to doing exactly that. Hit play and let’s dive in.

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

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Is your podcast still bringing in fewer than 1000 downloads per episode? Do you want to start a podcast and avoid hitting the painful plateaus most podcasters hit by Episode 6?

I hate to break it to you, but waiting around to hit that 1000+ downloads-per-episode milestone is the very thing keeping your podcast stuck.

Most hosts think, “As long as I’m consistent, my show will grow in time.”

But if the average show only brings in ~2000 total downloads per year, the REAL question is: how many years are you willing to work to finally start seeing the results you want? (No wonder most hosts quit after Episode 6.)

In this episode, we’re going behind the scenes of a recent client launch to show you one surprisingly simple shift that took this client from averaging ~30 dnl/episode to over 1000+/dnl per episode in a single day (and how you can too). Hit play and let’s dive in!

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

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Choosing a podcast name that helps you stand out is the worst thing you can do for your podcast. (Wait, what?) Yep…

When most people try to find a podcast name that stands out, they unknowingly make one of four major mistakes that causes them to blend right in with everyone else.

If you really want to know how to choose an effective show title for your podcast that will attract new listeners on repeat, hit play and learn… 

• What no one tells you about naming a podcast
• The 4 biggest mistakes people make when choosing a podcast name 
• Why you should NOT name your podcast after yourself (this is a BIG problem)
• Why “having fun with it” and “incorporating your brand personality” won’t work when it comes to creating a podcast name
• …and other common blunders to avoid when naming a podcast

By the time you finish this episode, you’ll know ~exactly~ how to choose a name for your podcast that gets more listeners clicking play (and whether it’s time to rename yours). Hit play and let’s dive in.

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

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Is your podcast cover art attracting potential new listeners, or are you unknowingly driving them *away* from your show?

Inside this episode, you’ll find out the answers to questions like,

• What makes some podcast cover art more effective than others at attracting new listeners? 
• Should you use your photo on your cover art? 
• Do I really need to hire a professional graphic designer or can I get by with using Canva or Fiverr? 
• and more… 

Plus I’ll reveal the results of a recent podcast cover art experiment our team did and show you three big-yet-sneaky mistakes to avoid when it comes to creating podcast cover artwork that stands out.

If you want to learn how to create riveting cover art that your ideal listeners can’t ignore, hit play and let’s dive in! 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

• pickfu.com

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

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Have you ever spent hours planning a podcast episode that you KNOW is packed with value, but it gets less than <100 downloads when you publish it? (Frustrating, right?)

In this episode, we’re breaking down the subconscious triggers that make listeners hit play — and why your episode titles matter more than you think they do.

Ready to learn how to title your podcast episodes to attract and engage new listeners so you can create an addictive podcast experience people can't stop raving about? Hit play and let’s dive in.

Liked this episode? Share it on social and tag me @thecourtneyelmer

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let me know!

Want to launch a Top 100 podcast of your own? Join me for our next free, no pitch, LIVE Workshop

Join 1700+ entrepreneurs and get access to the weekly Own Your Voice digital newsletter with insider tips on how to start and grow top-ranked podcast so you can create the greater influence, income, and impact you deserve.

Connect with Courtney:

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