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From Nurse to Digital Ninja

From Nurse to Digital Ninja

[0:00] If you’ve ever considered shifting careers our guest today can speak into that with personal experience as she’s shifted in a very big way with Alex Pemberton

 

[2:01] How Alex pivoted from registered nurse to web designer and digital ninja. 

 

[5:41]How Alex’s career choices seem dissimilar things from the outside end up being exactly the same on the inside. 

 

[6:40] Family support and how Alex’s sister became her first paying client

 

[8:56]  Do businesses really need a website today?

 

[11:58] The biggest mistake with websites and how it could be affecting your site now

 

[17:14] Alex’s favorite way to create content

 

[19:27] Using video as a Human Design Projector 

 

[22:34] Where to connect with Alex online

 

Website: http://www.Alex-Pemberton.com 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APHQstudio 

 

Check out Alex’s Class: https://alex-pemberton.com/tame-the-blocks/

 

Grab Alex’s 30-point inspection website checkup guide: http://www.Alex-Pemberton.com/amplify 

 

[24:37] Next week you’re gonna hear from Yong as she celebrates the one year anniversary of Amplify Your Awesome and her birthday week. Plus, Yong has a special gift for you to celebrate these milestones together!

 

Read Full Transcript

0:00
Hey there, Amplifiers! Welcome back to another episode of the Amplify Your Awesome™ Podcast. I am excited you are tuning in today because if you're someone that's ever considered shifting careers and you just weren't sure how to make that happen and worth the timing was right, our guest today can speak into that with personal experience. She's shifted in her career in a very big way. And you know how I love to bring you other entrepreneurs, and share their stories with you to inspire you on your journey, because entrepreneurship is definitely not a one-size-fits-all job for sure.

0:36
Have you ever felt like there was something missing in your business, something holding you back from the success that you're seeking? If so, you are not alone? For nearly 20 years, that's exactly how I felt as a business owner. It wasn't until I discovered Human Design, that it all became clear. And it turns out that I was the missing piece in my own business. joining me on this journey of discovering the real me and hear stories from other business owners, building businesses around all of their awesomeness. I'm Yong Pratt, and it's time my friend to Amplify Your Awesome™.

1:20
Our guest today is Alex Pemberton. And if you're ready to ditch the tech overwhelm, and focus on growing your business, you need Alex in your corner. She's a registered nurse turned web designer and digital ninja. And she creates and maintains beautiful and easy to use websites to help small business owners attract their dream clients. Yes, yes, yes. Give me more of that. Alex, I am so glad you said yes interview. We had an amazing chat before we even started this interview, and I'm ready to dive into some really meaty topics today. Welcome.

1:59
Thank you. Thank you for having me on.

2:01
So Alex, I want to know about this shift. Because I know when I share my story of being a dancer, choreographer, and now helping people with their content and repurposing and automation, they look at me like I had gone crazy. They think how could you possibly have been a dancer before? And now you're doing all this tech stuff? It doesn't even makes sense. But then when I explain to them, well, really, you know, choreographing a dance is very much like creating a new piece of content or putting together an automation to help people, you know, get to see your content more often. It's the same thing. So I'm sure going from nurse to web designer has caused some people to stop in their tracks. So let's talk about this shift and what caused the shift to happen for you.

2:52
Okay, so, as a nurse, I get to help people. And that's really why I got into it in the first place. I'm also very creative. I always have been. I've been sewing my clothes and making jewelry for as long as I can remember. And so this last job I had as a nurse was really, really tiring in in a mental way. There, there was a lot of stuff going on that was on the wrong side of ethical maybe. And so when we got ordered, I'm a military spouse. So when we got orders overseas, I said, Yes. This is the universe giving me a break. I can quit this job and do something different. And at first, I thought maybe I can just do some blogging, monetize it, talk about decluttering. That's my thing. And so I joined some groups, bloggers, and it quickly became obvious that many people felt completely overwhelmed with the tech side of blogging and their websites. And I thought this was funny because the tech part that's easy. I even even in nursing, I was always the one explaining to people how to use the system is unlike me, how do you not get it like this is? This is easy. You click here. You click there and submit them. Easy peasy, right? And when I explained it to them, people like Oh, that makes sense. I'm thinking well, it didn't before. Because I can explain all day, I'm happy to explain. And so I would help people in the groups. And eventually people were, you know, tagging me and saying, Hey, can I can I pay you to do this? Can I pay you to teach me to do this? Can you do this on my website? And I'm like, Okay, you know what, this is probably another sign from the universe. And forget blogging about the cluttering. Here's your new job, web design, and troubleshooting. And it really follows the same path as as in nursing, right. A patient comes in, you do the assessment, you figure out the diagnosis, you create a plan for for treating it. Execute, and then figure out if it's working right? You re-evaluate. Did it work? If it didn't? Okay, next thing we're going to try is this. And it's the same way with web design. You're looking at the existing website, or if there isn't one, that's the problem in itself, right? And you figure out what's wrong, what's working and what's not. To figure out a plan to fix it, then you fix it. And then you look, at the end, you reevaluate, right? You do get some diagnostics, like your analytics, Google Analytics, or what have you. And you're looking what worked, what didn't, what do we need to fix now? Okay, easy peasy. But it's really the same process.

5:41
I love it. And I just the idea that you listened to the universe, and that when the universe spoke up and said, Okay, we're gonna move you to a new location so you get to figure out what you're going to do. And you literally thought you were going to do one thing. But then by participating in these groups, people started asking you questions, and they started sending you invitations, which as a fellow Projector, that's a really big deal in our world for people to give us invitations to recognize us for our skill sets. And Projectors, I think, we also have an interesting way to look at the world. Like we look through the lens at the world differently than all of the other types of human design. So I think that really, as a tech person, as a fellow lover of tech, it's interesting how these very unsimilar things from the outside end up being exactly the same on the inside. So let me ask you this when you switch your careers, was your family supportive of that switch?

6:40
Yes, my husband is incredibly supportive of whatever I do, I could probably say, I'm gonna raze this house down and back. But in some ways, like he thinks I walk on water, and I couldn't do anything wrong. So if I think this is a good idea, he's like, go for it. And I love that about him. I mean, we've been together for 15 years, and it's been a great 15 years.

7:05
Amazing. And what's the rest of your family as supportive? Your parents or siblings?

7:10
My sister was very Yes. She actually was one of my first clients. She helped me kind of get into the maintenance portion. She says, Well, you know, I paid my accountant so much every month and to do my stepsister. She says, I will pay somebody to do maintenance for my website. And I said, you would like you paid me. I'll send you, I'll send you an invoice. So go ahead and invoice. So she was one of my first paying clients who actually got me into the continuity. And so that was, that was really great.

7:46
I love that your sister was one of your first clients. What a cool story that used to tell because I know sometimes when it comes to making big shifts and big pivots in business, family can sometimes, without trying to be mean, they can sometimes not be super supportive. So I love that your family was was gung ho and your your husband, you're saying he's, you know, he thinks you walk on water. I think that's so sweet. And the fact that you've been married for 15 years, and he's so supportive of you, I just think that is exactly what we all need, right? We need those that support system that validates and confirms the ideas we have in our heads to let us step into a new space confidently. I love this. So let's talk about websites. Because I've heard a lot of different sides of the story. Some people say in this day and age, you know, you don't need a website. Some people say all you need a website, not these other things. So as a web designer, as someone who helps people attract their dream clients, with a website, what is your take on a website in this day and age in 2020.

8:56
So you can say that I'm biased, but of course, I think you need a website. It is your single piece of real estate on the internet that you own, there is completely under your own control. Right social media accounts. They don't truly belong to us. They belong to the social media company. Facebook can decide at any moment that they will shut down your account. And good luck appealing that same thing with Instagram and wherever else you may be. But your website is your website. Now, do I think that just having your website is enough? No, of course not. You need to have an email list. You need to be on social media talking to people you need to be talking to people in person. But your website works while you sleep. When people look you up, they expect to see your website. They expect to they expect you to at least have something there. Right? So think about it. You are looking for an electrician or a dentist in your area because you just moved there. You go online and you say, best electrician in I don't know, Cheyenne, Wyoming, one of the places we live. So you're looking to see who's there, right? So if you come across all these Yelp things, and they know websites, do you trust them? Or are you going to go with the tool that maybe they do have a website that may not be that great, but it's better than nothing? Right? So yeah, in my opinion, you need a website, everybody needs a website, if you have a business, you need one, because it's there. When you're not awake, when you're not on your computer, when you're on vacation, and it speaks for you. It's your best salesperson.

10:45
I couldn't agree more. I know, It baffles me when I, when I live in a small town. So I'll just preface it by saying that. So I think people in a small town, they have a different perception of what a website does, right? They don't necessarily understand that. Even though they have an offline business, having that online portion is really an important piece of their success. Because if people aren't able to find you online, find out your hours. I know, I get frustrated. So businesses that don't have websites, I usually don't do business with them. Because I was so frustrated trying to find them and Google them for 30 minutes trying to find all these different things, and nothing comes up. You have to for me personally, that's kind of how I, I do my shopping and choose who we go to for certain services. But yeah, I totally get that. Having our own address. Having our own home on the internet, as big as it is, is a really important piece. And yes, we all those kind of things, too. So let me ask you this a follow up question. What is the biggest mistake that you see from business owners looking to update their websites, or maybe even starting their very first website? But what's the biggest mistake You see?

11:58
Okay, without going on a complete rant, the biggest mistake that I see people making is getting talked into a page builder. But let me start at the beginning. Okay. Back in the day, WordPress was wonderful. But you have to know how to code to create pages. So page builders came along as a workaround to that. And they allow people who didn't know how to code to create pages, right? The the post editor was really simple. It was very, you know, word based. So if you could do it in Word, you could do it on your website. But that wasn't, it didn't really give you anything to do your pages with only posts. And page builders are excellent workaround for that. However, we are now in the 21st century, and we have moved on. WordPress has moved on way past where it used to be. And we now have the block editor, which is excellent. And it allows you to create pages without any page builders. Now page builders, although they were great work around, they added to the weight of your website, right? They they slowed it down. So they came at a price. Back then it made sense to pay the price because nobody was really expecting a website to load in two seconds, right? People were so many people were you know, like on dial up. So they were gonna wait 15 minutes anyway.

13:27
So

13:29
I remember those days.

13:33
But, but now people are on their cell phones. And if it if it hasn't loaded in two or three seconds, they're gone. There's somewhere else. So it doesn't make sense to use a page builder. If If you want your website to load fast, because there is now a native solution that is so much faster. And second, if you're completely new to WordPress, it has a steep enough learning curve, that you do not need an extra piece of software to learn. They're not easy to learn, even though they they're sold, as you know, what you see is what you get kind of a drag and drop. There's a lot more to it. So please say no to page builders.

14:15
So I have a little confession then because when I started having to build my own websites kind of out of necessity, I knew nothing about them. And I do I knew nothing about code. So yes, the page builder for sure was the way for me to be able to quickly put a site together that didn't look like a three year old made it right. It kind of had some nice features to it, for sure. And, you know, I think we had this discussion last time we chatted as well, about the updates to the WordPress platform and how I still use the old version because I kind of liked that version. And you were trying to, you know, suggest that I might try the new version. But it's one of those things that trade off right there. At the end of the day, what is the opportunity cost for me to learn it or to hire somebody you know, because I will have to admit that I'm kind of a micromanager. I like to have my fingers and all the things and know how everything works. And I like to fiddle around. So sometimes it's hard for me to pass tech off to someone like yourself because I kind of like to go in there and, and, you know, do a little diagnosis on my own and say, Oh, I wonder what would happen if I just did this. I like to just play around. So it's interesting that you say that this page builder now in this day and age, though, I didn't realize that it actually slowed the load speed down. So I have I'll have to go reassess. Now, I'm using a theme. So I don't know if themes. Are those page builders? Are those considered page builders? Are those separate?

15:43
Now a theme is not a page builder, but there are themes that rely on a page builder or are built for page builders? And then there are those that are just made to work with the native interface?

15:57
No, I love it. So if you're listening, and you're thinking, what the heck are you guys talking about? I have no idea about WordPress. I have no idea about themes or page builders, it is okay. We're just having a conversation about you having a place to put your business online. So whether you use WordPress or another platform, there's lots to choose from out there. Just know that we're really talking about in this day and age, we want your page to load quickly. And we want it to look nice. And if you have questions for sure. Alex will share where you can connect with her at the end of the episode. So if you have follow up questions, because, of course me talking about this right now, I have follow up questions. But I didn't want to take up more time to talk about, you know, WordPress and the platform and page builders, because I think for some people, that might be something they've never encountered. And that's okay. We're just reach out to Alex at the end and say, okay, talk me through this, Alex, because I need some help. So let's shift gears a little bit Alex and talk about content. Because at the end of the day, a website in general, whether it's on WordPress, or a different platform, is really content. So when it comes to you creating content for your website, or for your social media, what is your favorite way to create?

17:14
So for a while, I did a lot of writing, not so much on my website. But I've been answering questions on Facebook groups, or in Facebook groups. But recently, I got into video. I did this ignite video challenge where we did a video every day now for like a little over three weeks. And the idea is that you go from really, like camera shy to really comfortable on camera. And that's how I want to go. Moving forward. I want to make videos for people, because I figure one you get to actually connect with me. And two, it makes it easier to to address questions as they come up. Because sometimes writing it down is like okay, well this this Do I have to have to worry about editing and how it looks versus getting on video where I just turned it on? And hey, how's it going? I'm Alex, let me answer your question by now.

18:14
Yeah, I love it. And I love video itself. But it took me a long time to say out loud, proudly that I love video. Because for me as a Projector with a defined throat center, speaking out loud and connecting with people, whether it's an audio or video is the easiest way for me to do that as well, even though I've written books, and yeah, I used to write a lot all the time. In this day and age, though, it's so much easier just to turn my phone on push record, just start talking. And whether that's a live video or in my notes app, or you know, on otter, my favorite transcription platform. Yeah, being able to just be in the energy of other people will be in the energy of the internet. And when it comes to reusing that content, video is the best content to repurpose, because it can be created into so many other things. And we have the most availability when it comes to video to audio to text to all these things. So I love that you said video because I'm always trying to talk to people about doing video and you know, there's always a lot of pushback. So what was it about video that drew you in now and why have you committed to doing video?

19:27
So with video, I think. So I'm a Projector as well. And with video, I figure you get to feel my energy. And you get to decide if I'm the person for you as a Projector. I don't get to tell you come work with me. Right? I can say, here's who I am. Here's what I have to offer. But the invitation has to come from the other person who says I love what you have to offer. Can you please do this for me and then and I am very right brained. So I have a lot of information that I don't even know is necessarily, and I don't always know how to pull it out, but other people can get it out of me. A lot of times, if you ask me a question, I'll give you an answer and then thinking, I knew that I didn't do that. So, so that's why I figured with video, I will attract the right people, and repel the ones who kind of look at me and go, Wait, she is crazy. Okay, fine. If you think I'm crazy, then don't even contact me, right? It'll save us both a lot of frustration. But if you think I am the person for you, then please let me know. And I will be happy to help you.

20:43
I love that. And I love that you use the word crazy, because I think we're all variations of crazy, we just have different kinds of crazy in our lives, right. And I know when I first came in, especially to the online business, I didn't want to rock the boat. I didn't want to offend anybody. I tried to speak to everybody. And that led to speaking to nobody, because I didn't know who I was speaking to. So being able to stand up and say, You know what, I'm kind of weird when it comes to this, and I am crazy about this. But if you want to hang and you'd like to be crazy to then come on over. So in and this podcast is really a testament to that is about helping business owners really stand in, in the spotlight of their own business, confidently, not saying okay, well, this is kind of weird. I'm going to hide this over here or this. I don't know if I want to share this. I'm going to show that over there. Because I lived that segmented, boxed up life, and tried to run a business like that. And it was so hard. Because nobody really knew who I was. Therefore, nobody really had an emotional connection to me. So yes. So if you're out there thinking, I don't know how I want to share this, I'm gonna challenge you all to go share that thing or go do the thing. Be crazy, in your own way. Be weird and embrace that, because that is how people find you. That is how you stand out from somebody who could literally be doing a video at the same time on the internet, attracting different people, right? There are people for all of us, there's enough to go around for sure there is no shortage of people who need all the things you have to offer. Now, Alex, I do want to make sure that if people have questions about their website about WordPress about not using a page builder, how do they go about finding you on the interwebs?

22:28
So obviously, I'm going to say on my website,

22:31
Absolutely!

22:34
www.Alex-Pemberton.com. I am also on Facebook as APHQ Studio. I'm pretty sure. And I also have a little freebie for the listeners that. So I have this website checkup Guide, which is basically a guide that takes you through a very quick 30-point inspection, kind of like if you would do your car, right of your website both the front end and the back end. So you can see where your website needs a little bit of TLC? And you can get that.

23:08
I love this. So where do we get this I don't want to stop.

23:12
Sorry, you can get it at www.Alex-Pemberton.com/amplify

23:18
Whoo, I love that you use the word amplify. And I will make sure I put all those links in the show notes for today's episode. Because I know there are people listening who are saying, Okay. I'm ready. I need someone to to look at my website, or I want to do this checkup with Alex do this 30-point checklist and make sure I'm doing the right things. Because when it comes to the world of tech, there are so many things that can go wrong. If you don't know what you're doing, right. I've been there. I've had to hire people, because I thought I knew what I was doing when it came to tech with my website. And then I literally broke things and I had to hire developers. And that gets really costly on the back end. So just do yourself a favor, save yourself some time headaches and money. Call Alex make sure you connect with her on Facebook or her website. Grab this checklist because I think once you've diagnosed yourself, you can then be armed with the information you need to say Alex, Okay, I'm ready to amplify my awesome with an even better website. So good. So Alex, I want to thank you so much for being here today. I enjoyed this conversation immensely. And I know that we'll have many more conversations to come

24:31
Thank you, Yong. This has really been fun. I was scared to come on here but I had a lot of fun.

24:37
Stay tuned because next week you're gonna hear from me. It happens to be my birthday week and we're celebrating the one year anniversary of Amplify Your Awesome™. And I have a special gift for you so that we can celebrate these milestones together. I'll see you then.

24:57
Thanks for tuning in to the Amplify Your Awesome™. podcast. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss any tips, tricks or secrets on building a business based around your awesome. Hey, and while you're there, leave us a rating and review. Let us know what you think of the show. And until next time, my friends, go out there today and Amplify Your Awesome™!


Quotes and Images for Sharing

Alex Pemberton - Amplify Your Awesome™ Podcast - Yong Pratt
Amplify Your Awesome™ Podcast - Yong Pratt - Alex Pemberton
Yong Pratt - Alex Pemberton - Amplify Your Awesome™ Podcast
Content, content repurposing, and your business

Content, content repurposing, and your business


Listen to the Audio Podcast HERE

If you spent millions of dollars to run an ad during the Superbowl, would you share that ad only once?

 

Heck no!

 

You’d use that puppy again. And again, And again to get your money’s worth. 

 

Sadly, most business owners I see online and that we work with, are putting in countless hours creating more and more content only to forget about what they’ve already created.

 

Every day, they’re burying their awesome content in what I call your Content Graveyard™…

The Content Graveyard™ - Yong Pratt - Amplify Your Awesome™

BIG SHOUTOUT to my youngest that created this awesome graphic of the Content Graveyard™

 

Today on this live recording of episode 284 of the Amplify Your Awesome™ Podcast, we’re going to dive into:

  • What content repurposing really is
  • Why [content repurposing] it’s VITAL for your business, and at the end,
  • I’m going to share how you can get my help to stop burying your content in your Content Graveyard.

 

Hey there and welcome! I’m your host, Yong Pratt, AKA as Dr. Content because

 

I help business owners cure what ails their content.

 

Let’s start off this episode with some vocabulary just so that we’re all on the same page. Here are 2 words that you’ll hear in the episode.

 

  1. Content – Content is the information and communication you create in your business. It could be in the form of text such as a blog, a book, or social media posts. Or it could be video, audio, or even graphic content. Here at Amplify Your awesome™, we believe that content is important for 3 reasons.

 

    1. To help people get to know, like, and trust you.
    2. To Attract the right people while repelling those that aren’t a good fit.
    3. To demonstrate the transformation YOU provide in your business whether you’re product or service-based.to help others get to know, like, and trust you.
  1. Repurposing or content repurposing simply means taking a single piece of content and using it in multiple ways and offering it in multiple mediums.

 

Think: Reduce – Reuse – Recycle when it comes to your content

 

  1. By repurposing your content, you can REDUCE the amount of new content you have to create.
  2. You can REUSE your content in many different ways
  3. And you can RECYCLE the same exact content when it’s done strategically.

 

And the best part of content repurposing is that so much of it can be automated when you know the right tools to use. 

 

Stick around to the end and I’ll share more about this tool and how I can help you get started with content repurposing…

 

Now that we’re all on the same page, I’m gonna come out and make a statement you may not like or want to here. 

 

Ready?

 

If you’re creating content and you’re not repurposing it, you’re absolutely wasting your time….

 

I’m gonna say that again.

 

If you’re not repurposing your content, you’re wasting your valuable time and money creating it and you’re amassing a HUGE Content Graveyard™.

 

For most business owners, content creation looks like this. It’s a process I call the Content Death Spiral™.

 

At the top of the spiral is your brand new, shiny content. You’re so proud of what you’ve created. You shout from the rooftops about it and you share it like crazy.

 

Then a little time goes by… 

 

It could be a week, a couple of weeks, even a month. Then your content starts to descend down the spiral until it reaches the very bottom when it gets buried in your Content Graveyard™.

 

Sending content to your graveyard isn’t always an intentional decision and it isn’t inevitable when you commit to repurposing your content.

 

When you repurpose, you’re committing to getting the very most out of every piece of content you create.

 

If you’re anything like most business owners I work with privately and in my classes, you’re probably only scratching the surface of what your content can do for you.

 

That’s right. 

 

I said what your content can DO for you.

 

Let’s make a declaration together, shall we?

 

Place your hands over your heart and repeat after me….

 

My content deserves so much more!

 

Let’s repeat that…

 

My content deserves so much more!!!

 

Take this mantra and own it.

 

Next time you sit down to create a piece of content, think about what else your content could become and the possibilities are really endless…

 

Ask yourself.

 

  • Could my blogs or series of blogs become a book? That’s exactly how I created my first book.

 

  • Could my videos become audios a podcast? That’s exactly what I’ll do with this video.

 

  • Could my podcast audios become videos? When you visit my YouTube channel, you’ll see my audio podcasts as wave videos – you know those videos that have still images with an oscillating graphic that moves up and down indicating sound? Check out the waveform video for this week’s podcast episode below. 

 

 

At this stage in my business, I don’t create content unless I know at least a dozen different ways, usually more, that I can repurpose that content.

 

How would your business look if every single piece of content you created got repurposed?

 

  • Would it free up time for you to do more of what you loved?

 

  • Would it save you money by allowing you to serve with more clients instead of always needing to create content?

 

  • Would it alleviate the stress and anxiety about what to post on social media every day?

 

If you answered YES to any of those questions, I have an invitation for you.

 

I get asked all the time what tools I use for content repurposing, how to get started, and how to automate the process. 

 

And because it’s summer and I know you have important family bonding time to focus on rather than creating endless amounts of content day in and day out, here’s what I’ve created for you.

 

The Content Repurposing Quick Start Workshop.

 

In this brand new 90 minute hands-on, do the work side-by-side workshop, you’ll literally walk away with at least one piece of video or audio content you already have repurposed into something new. Save your seat now.

 

I’m going to walk you through how to set up my favorite repurpose automation tool, repurpose.io, so that the video and audio content that’s currently in your Content Graveyard sees the light of day again.

 

How’s that for awesome???

 

When I work one on one clients, they pay me anywhere from $300 and up to have me help them set up their repurposing system or to help them co-create a repurposing strategy that works for their business.

 

Content repurposing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Content repurposing needs to support your business and its goals, not create more work for you.

 

In the Content Repurposing Quickstart Workshop, you’ll get access to me for 90 minutes, you’ll set up repurpose.io to turn your current video or audio content into more awesomeness that you can immediately share one social or anywhere else you want.

 

And you can save for your seat for the workshop for only $27….

 

I know, I know. It’s a total steal! My mentors and biz besties told me that $27 is way to low for the value I’m offering to you.

 

Here’s the deal. 

 

I want to see your business success and I want to see you Amplify Your Awesome™ in a time when so many businesses are closing their doors.

 

  • It’s time to breathe new life into your content.

 

  • It’s time to resurrect pieces from your content graveyard.

 

  • It’s time to get started repurposing your content today with the Content Repurposing Quickstart Workshop where you can get my help to repurpose and automate the content you already have
  • It’s time for MORE people to see your awesome content and see the value and transformation YOU provide!

 

If you’re ready to quickstart your content repurposing for only $27, just pop in the word ME under this video and I’ll reach out to your personally. The live workshop will be on Monday 7-20-2020at [11:11] AM PST. 

 

I look forward to working with each of you to magically turn every single piece of content you create going forward PLUS resurrect what’s currently in your Content Graveyard™ by learning to Repurpose it…all for the less than the cost of a couple of fancy coffees and a few treats.

 

Save your seat now and Quickstart YOUR Content Repurposing

 

Thank you for tuning into this live recording of episode 284 of the Amplify Your Awesome and I’m Yong Pratt

 

Listen to the Audio Podcast HERE

 

Recession-proofing Your Business Part 4: Audiobooks

Recession-proofing Your Business Part 4: Audiobooks

[0:00] If you’re a podcaster, or you’re creating video in your business already, or you want to learn to do these things, you’ll definitely want to tune in to today’s episode of the Amplify Your Awesome podcast. Today, our guest on the show is Derek Doepker. And he’s going to peel back the curtain on how you can use audiobooks and your skills as a podcaster or a video creator, to not only create and record your own audiobooks, but to do that for others to diversify your business using the skills and resources you already have.

 

[0:41] Once you’ve listened to the podcast, share your recording setup BELOW. Let us know if you’re going to record an audiobook for your business using your words, or you’re going to be in service to others and help them turn their words into audiobooks.

 

[1:18] Our guest today is Derek Doepker – a best selling author, speaker and consultant on the art and science of mind, body, and business mastery. I first heard Derek on a webinar and was really curious if I could use my podcasting skills to create my own audiobooks.

 

[2:50] Derek, can you talk to us about how you got started with creating audiobooks and how you’re helping others do the same thing now.

 

[3:00] Find out how Derek first came to the world of audio at the age of 12 and how it led him to write books and then creating audiobooks.

 

[4:25] The comment Derek kept getting and the trend he noticed that led him to research and helping others

 

[6:44]

 

[7:38] Derek can you talk about how to get high-quality audio using things lying around the house?

 

[10:47] The type of microphone Derek recommends

 

[13:01] How being a problem-solver helped Derek discover a practical solution that anyone wanting to create a high-quality audiobook can use

 

[14:41] How this new recording set-up could double as a getaway or a hangout with your kids. How a small shift in your mindset can help you start creating audiobooks today.

 

[15:48] What to do when you don’t like the sound of your voice

 

[18:44] “It’s not about whether you love your voice or not. It’s about being in service to others.”

Derek Doepker - Amplify Your Awesome Podcast - Yong Pratt

[20:20] How training your voice is a form of self-development

 

[22:39] The benefits of recording your own audiobooks

 

[25:19] ] Something that you bring to the table that only you might be able to bring to the table.

 

[29:24] How Derek serves others. Connect directly with Derek:

Derek’s Website

Derek’s Books on Amazon

Get Derek’s Audiobooks Made Easy Program 

 

[30:56] Yong’s experience of going through Derek’s audiobooks program

 

Ready to learn to record audiobooks for yourself or others? Join Yong inside of AudioBooks Made Easy 

Audiobooks Made Easy

[34:26] What did you think about today’s episode. Come share your take-aways action items BELOW. So what did you think? Are you excited to take this idea of creating an audiobook

 

If using your voice to share your message resonates with you, and you haven’t started your podcast yet, I invite you to join me inside of Podcast in a Weekend, which is officially open. This is the final time we are going to be launching Podcast in a Weekend in its current format and at its current price point.

 

Read Full Transcript

Yong Pratt 0:00
If you're a podcaster, or you're creating video in your business already, or you want to learn to do these things, you'll definitely want to tune in to today's episode of the Amplify Your Awesome™ podcast. Today, our guest on the show is Derek Doepker. And he's going to peel back the curtain on how you can use audio books and your skills as a podcaster or a video creator, to not only create and record your own audio books, but to do that for others to diversify your business using the skills and resources you already have.

Yong Pratt 0:41
Once you've listened to the podcast, come on over to the show notes at YongPratt.com/279 and share your recording setup because Derek shares are pretty awesome one and the visual is amazing. And come on over. Let us know if you're going to record an audio book for your business using your words, or you're going to be in service to others and help them turn their words into audio books. Again, that's YongPratt.com/279. I'll catch you right over there.

Our guest today is Derek Doepker. Derek is a best selling author, speaker and a consultant on the art and science of mind, body and business mastery. I first heard Derek on a webinar with Nick Stephenson, all about audio books made easy. I was really curious on how to create audiobooks, and I didn't think I had the skill sets or the resources needed to do that myself. I thought maybe I would have to hire it out. But after going through his program, and learning from him, and really tapping into my skills as a podcaster, and a video creator, I learned that I, too, could turn my physical and ebooks into audiobooks, again to reach more people. And this idea of creating audiobooks, goes so well with the idea of repurposing -something we love here on the podcast about taking one awesome piece of content and turning it into multiple. So if you have a book sitting on your hard drive, if it's somewhere out there in the cloud, like Dropbox, and it's just gathering dust, maybe it's time to pull it out, use your voice and record your words to impact the lives of more people and serve in a bigger way.

Derek Doepker 2:47
Yeah, thank you so much for having me on.

Yong Pratt 2:50
Derek, can you talk to us about how you got started with creating audio books and how you're helping others do the same thing now.

Derek Doepker 3:00
Sure thing. Well, when it comes to audio, my first start in the whole world is go goes back to I guess when I was 12 years old and started playing guitar. And I didn't think I'd be doing anything business wise. My whole dream was to become a rock star. So that got me into the world of not only playing, but music production, audio production, and I got my degree from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee in music composition. So without giving my whole life life story, essentially, I've moved out to Los Angeles to become a rock star. And that's when I got into content creation. It was blogging, YouTube videos, and then eventually I came across this whole thing of like, Oh, you can publish books. Let me take my writing and put it out there as a book.

My first book, barely sold, maybe about three copies in that first month, and one copy was to my mom and next book didn't sell much better. But eventually, after a couple years of trial and error and sleeping on an air mattress and trying to figure out the whole online business thing, I went to a seminar. I learned like the final missing pieces, which was really about influence and relationships. I added that and to my plan and then my third book launch, it was called 50 Fitness Tips You Wish You Knew, became a number one bestseller in weight loss and made almost $6,000 in royalties in 11 days.

So at that point, I cracked the code to the whole book, self-publishing thing and went on to publish multiple books. And each one of them became a number one bestseller. Not because, you know, at this point, I realized it wasn't about getting lucky nearly as much as just having a system, right? Knowing a process. Knowing how to follow it. And so that's when I started teaching other authors. And it was a couple years into this process, I started noticing. I'd tell my friends. I remember one friend. I had a book I just got done. And she's like, yeah, like you know, when it's when it's out on audio? And it's like, well, I mean, you can get it on like, an, you know, Kindle or an E reader or a print book. Like, it's like, yeah, just let me know when it's on audio. And so I started noticing this and I realized that there's a lot of people and you know, for the listeners, especially if you're a podcast host or podcast listener, like you get like, there's a lot of people who, not just like audio, but that's the only way that they will consume content, whether it's a book or anything else. So I started thinking, okay, yeah, audio. That's a great way to get the book out there. The market wasn't quite as big as it is now, but I could see the trend, right? I just like even now you can see that podcast. It's like we haven't hit the peak of audio. There's still so much potential with with audio consumption and creation.

So I saw that potential and that's when I started researching how to create audiobooks. I hired an editor for my first book, then I really wanted to do it myself. And we could dive deeper into depending on how much you want to explore it. But I'll make the long story short. After a couple months of research and testing microphones and different techniques, eventually figured out how you can make audiobooks yourself at home without needing to build a studio or anything crazy. Even when I was in like this giant open loft apartment which was terrible sound, I figured out some some little tricks and stuff. And I go, okay, this is possible, not only for me, but for virtually any author that wants to produce an audiobook. And that's when I started teaching authors because at this point I'd already been working with author clients. And I'll make one note about that.

The great thing about being a messenger, a teacher, a thought leader, and however you identify yourself -as a leader of any sort - is that when you have people that you're serving, it gives you this motivation, at least, if you're anything like me, to go I want to figure this thing out. Because like I was working for months, and it was only for my sake, I don't know, maybe I would have persevered, maybe not. But I knew like not only when I do this for myself is it going to be great, but now I'll be able to share it with all my clients and all the people that I'm helping. So I did figured it out. And that's, as soon as I did, I started working with some students to make sure that I could transfer the process. And since then, I have taught hundreds, well, technically thousands of people I've shared the process with on how to either hire an audiobook narrator or more specifically, as I'd like to do, how to create your own audio books.

Yong Pratt 7:38
So many good things about that story. First of all, I love that you started as a musician and you turned that skill set into something that you're doing today because I know as a dancer, not many people can see the direct path to you know what I'm doing today. But I love that it started there with that passion and then you took it to the next level. And you've translated that now into teaching other people how to learn these skill sets, and like you said, they are learnable. They are doable. They are translatable. So now you're impacting other people so that they can get their message out into the world in a bigger way. And I also really appreciate that you saw that there was this trend of people wanting to listen to audio. And I know sometimes we have to hear this message a lot of different times to really stop and say, Oh, wait, okay, I'm hearing it. Now. Let me see if I can figure this out. Because I think as entrepreneurs, I think we're just wired to be problem solvers. And it's probably the most fun thing that we get to do. So you saw that missing piece. And I love that you had friends who said, just tell me when the audio book is out, because I talk to my students about this as well about, you know, when you're creating content, it's not about doing it in the way. I mean, we want to do it in a way that's easiest for us. However, we also want to include other people and meet them where they are, so that they can learn from us too. And being able to take your written books and now turn them into an audio format so that you can reach different people on different platforms, I think that's really the key to this whole series right now is how can you take your skill sets, learn a few things more, tweak them, and then go out there and serve in a bigger way. And now I know you mentioned about the recording studios. I heard you, I've heard you tell the story. And I watched your class and I was giggling the whole time about your setup, because I'm just imagining what this looks like in your loft. Can you talk about, first of all? I guess the sound quality, but how you in your loft department, were still able to create really great high quality sound with some things that you found laying around.

Derek Doepker 9:50
Yeah, and it really touches upon this idea of being a problem solver as an entrepreneur. It's this mindset because to paint the picture, I made I was in a loft. The same building I'm in now, but this is a different apartment unit which had, I don't know 25 at least foot high ceilings, big wide open. And if you've ever tried to record audio in an environment like this, you know you have this reverb have this kind of like you're in a cave or something. And it's exactly what you do not want when doing an audiobook. And even even like podcasting and things like that. You generally want this kind of warmer, more present sound. So I go okay, maybe there's some different effects. But there's only so much you can do with effects. And one thing that helped in terms of just equipment was using a different microphone.

So before I explain how I set up the room, it was just going to a dynamic microphone, versus a condenser microphone. So condenser microphone is very sensitive. Something like a Blue Yeti, which is a great microphone. I have one. It's just going to pick up a lot of stuff though. Whereas I use now the ATR 2100. And there's a few other different microphones. This, this one little shift, made a huge difference. And I've worked with people on their audio and they'll send me samples and I go, that doesn't sound like an ATR 2100 or that doesn't sound like a dynamic microphone and they're like, Oh, well, no, it's the Blue Yeti. It's the Blue Snowball. It's this or it's that, again, great microphones but I can hear it immediately. And then when I've suggested, hey, it's worth the investment if you're doing an audiobook or something to go ahead and get one of these dynamic microphones like the ATR 2100. I believe actually Tim Ferriss, I read something, I believe he sends it to his guests. If they need a microphone, the ATR 2100. I don't get any kickbacks from Audio Technica. That's just what I use, but any type of dynamic microphone and that makes a huge difference. So first of all, having the right tool for the job that can go a long way.

The second piece, though, was I had these high ceilings and I'm sitting there going, okay, I don't have like a walk in closet. Bathrooms aren't great because tile and reflective surface unless I'm going to do this treatment, I really going to build the whole thing. And I actually came up with a way of doing something underneath my staircase, where I'd like to add it all in. But that was a pain going underneath my staircase and trying to set up like all these blankets and stuff. And I also was thinking to myself, this is the future for thinking I'm going even if I could figure out a way to do this weird setup underneath my staircase. What about someone else in a different situation? I want to know how I can transfer and teach this to others. So I wanted something that was more of a universal solution. I was racking my brain for a few weeks going okay, how do I lower my ceilings in my apartment? And obviously that's not a literal question, but it's this. It's this thing where it's like how do you do the impossible if there was a way. And that's a great question.

By the way, it's like a pet peeve of mine when people are like, oh, you just can't do it. Like if you say you can't do something instantly it activates something in me. I'm like, yeah, but how could you you know, like if it was possible? Theoretically if there was some way to do this, so I'm just sitting there going if there's no way to do this, and eventually when you ponder a question long enough, sometimes your brain just gives you something and I got this like what's kind of over your head? Over your head? What what would it be? Well, there's like an umbrella. And wait a second. Maybe if there's like a big thick patio, umbrella, those are pretty sturdy. Well, I wonder if I get a thick patio umbrella, put it up and then throw a big blanket over it. So that's what I did. And it ended up working perfectly. If you can imagine you have this patio umbrella sitting next to you just sitting at a computer desk and patio umbrella set up the blanket ecapsulates you. It goes around you back. Around the computer. And, you know, in two minutes, you have an on-demand studio setup, and it worked perfectly. And then I just, you know, take it down, stick in the corner or closet or whatever when I don't want to use it. So once I had that I then had a solution to be able to create an audiobook and more importantly, to be able to teach this to others to create great audio audio book. It could be any sort of audio, though. So another thing I know, there's a lot of podcasters here, whether it's for a podcast or an audio book, or could be a training course where you want to have really good audio, all of these tips are going to be helpful and relevant to know.

Yong Pratt 14:41
So good and just that imagery of that. It makes me think about you know, sitting on the beach or dreaming of sitting on the beach. So now we can, we can pull out our beach umbrellas, put them up, put them over a blanket and just pretend we're somewhere else while still getting great audio quality. So for everyone listening, if you do this set up at home I want you to send us some pictures because this is such a fun idea. And if you have kids at home, your kids will love playing under the umbrella. So not only can you record audio books, you can get some good quality kid time, too. So it works on many, many different levels. So Derek, can you talk about how to mentally make the shift? Because I know this is I think the thing that stopped me for a long time was not wanting to record my own book. Not thinking I could do it because I didn't like the sound of my voice or I didn't think I was going to be able to do it justice. Can you talk about some shifts that we can think about when we're setting out on this road even to consider recording our own audiobooks?

Derek Doepker 15:48
Sure, so two things come to mind immediately. One is just this idea of what if I don't like the sound of my voice? And I like to say well, that means you're human because that's the case for for almost everyone until you get to reach some people. And I've reached this point where I didn't like the sound of my voice, but eventually I got used to hearing it on recording. And now it's not as strange. But the phenomenon is really just a matter of, of in congruence, meaning it's not. It's not congruent with how we think we sound. In other words, we hear ourselves and your voice resonates through your skull and you go, that's my voice. That's the voice that you hear 99% of the time. When you hear your voice, you have a certain concept of what your voice is, and then you hear it on recording and it's like, no, that's, that's not it. Right? And so that's the feeling of, of not liking.

I tell the story actually, you know, find something about the places I live, become relevant to the story. So when I moved into the apartment, I remember, what was it? It was the stairs are on the left side, the kitchen was on the right side of the apartment that I moved into years ago, not the one I'm in now. And so I toured it and I saw it. And so now I go home and I'm like, I can't wait to move in I have this vision of the, of the apartment, then I go into actually move in. Well, it's a different unit than the one that they actually show you. But it's the same, same design, except now everything was flipped. It was a mirror image. So now my stairs, the stairs are on the right side, kitchen was on the left and everything like that. Exact same, same size, same everything in the apartment, just flipped. And I remember the first time I go in, I'm like, I don't I don't like this. I almost wanted to maybe move me into a different one where it's flipped back the way I wanted it. It was just uncomfortable for that first day or two and then, now it's fine. Then I habituated to it. And it's like, oh, this is normal. Now I just had to create a new normal for myself, so this is an interesting quirk of human psychology. I'm sure there's a name for it. But this idea that your voice doesn't match. Maybe how you how you think it sounds. And so some people, a lot of people will mistakenly think that that somehow means like, I don't like that without realizing a lot of other people might totally be fine with your voice or even love your voice and be okay with hearing you. I mean, you've been sharing. It's the voice that people have been hearing you use your entire life, you know, and I'm not going to say there aren't a few people out there who maybe if they have something where it's really hard to understand them or some sort of issue like that. That could be a possibility. I'll talk about that a moment.

For most people. It's not about whether you love your voice or not. It's about being in service to others. And this goes back to the whole concept we were talking about before, at least briefly touched on is you as an entrepreneur as a leader. You are solving problems and you're doing things for others. And it's the idea of, well, maybe I don't consume audio, but other people do. So it's not about what I necessarily want. It's about what's what's going to help them. And so the same sort of idea here is, do people want to hear you? That's the question.

And as part of being a leader is sometimes going, you know, it's not my favorite thing, but this is what, what serves others and what serves their needs. So I'm going to get outside of myself and go, you know. It's not about me. It's not about me getting caught up in my ego, and whether I love my voice or not, it's about hearing other people going, Derek, I want to hear it from you all. I want to hear from you. I want your energy. I want your passion behind this. And if you find that you have listeners or potential listeners who would want to hear a book or could be a podcast or a course or anything that you're teaching, and they want to hear it from you. Then that's the shift is the I gotta get outside myself and my preferences and focus more on serving them. And when you come from that perspective, then there might be an honest situation where you could record a sample and play it for people. And then if they're like, I absolutely can't understand the thing that you're saying. It's really hard to listen to your voice. If you can find someone that gives honest feedback like that.

Then you can go okay: (A) I'll train myself, because training your voice goes beyond just doing an audiobook or a podcast, this is about training your voice that you're going to use your entire life. I mean, how often I'm an introvert, I don't talk more than I absolutely have to, or if I'm getting paid to, like, I don't talk that much. But even I go, my voice is kind of important to make sure that it's it's trained. So it's a form of personal development. I was talking it was Joanna Penn who I was talking to about this. And for those who don't know, she does a lot of work with authors, the Creative Penn, and she she really inspired this idea in me that oh, yeah, it's a form of personal development and growth to work on your voice. So that's the first thing. Second thing is if you can't train your voice or something like that, okay, maybe it's not a fit. However, that's the vast minority a very small percentage of people. And secondly, that's not about whether I as individual, think it's something I like or not. That's because I actually got feedback from people. And I've determined from honest feedback that for whatever reason, it's better off if I if I hire someone else to do this.

Yong Pratt 21:32
Yeah, so many good points that I really appreciate that you brought up the idea of sharing your voice is about personal development because a lot of the podcasters that I work with, a lot of their business owners, they do multiple ways of connecting with their audiences. And their voice has become one of those things even though they may have started at a place where you know, ooh, having to listen and edit the podcast or edit the video - not so fun. However, we are getting to this place where it is personal development where you're shifting from it being about yourself and about more about being in service of other people and knowing how you can change and impact their lives. Coming from that perspective, I think is so huge. So now that we've made this mind shift, can we talk about what is the benefits for people to record their own audiobooks? So let's take this scenario of we have a podcast. And now they have a skill set of podcasting. They speak to their audiences, they have this equipment, what is the benefit of them, for them to record an audio book?

Derek Doepker 22:39
So there's two points that I want to touch on two different ideas. One is the benefit in terms of the direct benefits. The other thing is what you're saying where you have these skill sets. And so in the theme of recession-proofing your your business and your life, keeping in mind that any of the things that you get into almost rarely if ever, are you starting from scratch. You have your background of experience and knowledge that you're able to build upon. So we can we can touch on that in a moment. The practical, just what are the benefits of doing it yourself? Well, first of all, saving hundreds to thousands of dollars from hiring a narrator that's, that's kind of the most immediate, tangible benefit. Then there's also the fact that you again, you have these skill sets already. So why not capitalize on what you already have, what you've taken the time to learn? That's part of the reason why you can save the money is because you've already learned how to do this. You've already gotten, you've purchased the equipment. You have the setup, if you have the right, the right tools. And then with that, it goes back to what we were just saying which is what does your audience want?

And a lot of times people want to hear from the source and if you are offering any type of courses coaching, consulting, deeper work, ways that people can work with you deeper, that usually takes a degree of know, like and trust. Like people got to really feel like they know you and know kind of what you're all about and your vibe and your energy. And that is something that you can convey. When it's your voice speaking your material, no one's going to know your material better than you do. And that's not to say that there's, you know, narrators can't do a great job of hiring someone. They can. It's just different. And it's not going to be the same as you being the source of your material, injecting your passion into what you're saying. That's a different experience. And in today's world, where people. It's funny, I didn't even make this connection until now, but I was listening yesterday to a talk and it's about automation. And think about automation, artificial intelligence, things that are going to replace human jobs. And we're, so many jobs are going to be replaced by machines. But what can automation not replace are not very easily? Well, first of all, let's go back and look at how, just real quickly how the economy works as this ties into recession-proofing your business.

First of all, this time are not time but like resources, you know, it's about the resources you can gather from the land. You know, whatever, mined gold, you find gold, you find these, you know, things like that. Then it became more about your time, you know, trading time for dollars, then we went into the information age now, it's information is the resource that people value. However, we've already kind of saturated that because what, what's it like now, information overload, we have too much information. It's no longer valuable just to have information. So now, the thing that people are most going to value, this perspective. It's having a point of view. It's having the wisdom to know what information do you need at what point in time, and as having someone that can come in in and clarify and make sense of things for you. This is the thing. I talk to authors, but it's really for anyone, and people aren't buying your information. They're buying your perspective. And that's why if you've ever had this experience, you might have heard a quote or an idea 100 times throughout your life, thousand times, but then someone comes along, and they say it in just a certain way. And maybe it's who they are, and the inflection and their wording and they just put a certain spin on it, and then it just clicks with you. And it's like, I got it now, it's the perspective that made all the difference. And that's really the key thing that you're offering a value. So I could come on here and deliver the same information. But I could just talk like a robot and say you want to make your own audiobooks. It's like people will be like, I can't handle this same information. But a different perspective, a different energy, a different enthusiasm, right. And so that's something that you bring to the table that only you might be able to bring that to the table. There could be thousands, millions of other people could deliver the same information, but they won't do it the way that you do it. And so that becomes part of your unique selling proposition, which is then how you can have a way of standing out in a crowded marketplace.

Yong Pratt 27:28
And this is such a good point about your we're bringing our own points of view. And I think that's really key because, like you said, there is an abundance of information out in the marketplace, but being able to bring your own spin is huge. And I, for one, have really leaned in a lot to listen to audiobooks. And now I pretty much will refuse to purchase a book, if it's not read by the author, if it's nonfiction, because I really want their perspective. Because oftentimes in nonfiction work, if it's narrated by the author, they'll throw in extra bonuses that you will not get in the written text. And I, as a listener, appreciate that so much. Because, again, it's that perspective. It's that it's that that thing that connects me to them. That's why I resonate with them. That's why I like to listen to them. So I think for everyone listening to this episode, being able to bring your own perspective and sharing your own voice in just the way that you do it by showing up like you, taking all the best parts, right and amplifying that by recording this audio book for your audience and your potential audience is such a great way to first of all connect, to share your unique point of view, and again, to be of service. And we've probably said the word service in this interview so many times, but I really do think that at the end of the day, anything we're doing in this series about recession-proofing your business, is really about how can you stand up? How can you stand out? How can you serve? Now Derek, I know that you've helped thousands of people now make the leap from thinking about recording an audio book to actually taking the steps to do that. Can you tell us about how people can choose to work with you if they want to learn more about that?

Derek Doepker 29:24
Yeah, sure thing. And just a real quick point of what you said, because it was so good. And I want to drive a point home. You know, when you talk about perspective, perspective, includes your tonality. Perspective includes the the energy that you bring into something. And so much of communication is the tonality. So that's why I could say, I like drinking water. I can say I like drinking water. I like drinking water. Two slightly different meanings just by you know, emphasis based off of the tonality. So that's part of that and then when you talk about service, really recession-proofing. It's going to tie in the service thing, and how can I be of service? or How can I create value for people? Right? And so that's why even for those who have audio skills, if that means even doing audiobooks for other people, you know, I'm talking all about the benefits of doing it yourself. And I didn't plan on this becoming a thing, but as I taught people how to do their own audiobooks, I myself even thought I could do this for other people. So I've recorded some audiobooks for others. You know, I know some of my students have. So this is the idea once you have these skill sets, it's not just how can you do it for your you know, of course, you're doing it for others by creating an audiobook for others to enjoy. But now you can leverage your skills by providing it to other people. If you want to learn more about recording your own audiobook, the training that I have on that is called audio books made easy, audiobooksmadeeasy dot com, and my overall website for authors is BestsellerSecrets dot com.

Yong Pratt 30:56
So good. And I went through your course and it was it was so step-by-step. And it was created in a way that I could personally resonate with. I like those short and sweet wins. You get in. You learn a thing. You go do it, and then you keep repeating it. And by the end of the course, you've built this great system. And I love that you touched on the idea of systematizing things, because I think for a lot of business owners, they sometimes want to overlook that part. And I did for years, I didn't want to systematize anything, because I thought it was going to stifle creativity. I thought it was going to really just put me in this box. And what I discovered, after going through this idea of systematizing my business in creating all the systems my staff could then use, it was made business so much more joyful. For one. It made it so much more fun. And I knew there was a repeatable way to do stuff. I didn't have to always be on my game, and think of answers or problem solve on the fly. They were already documented. So I love that you've created this system and you're now sharing with others. And I will link up your website on today's show notes. So everyone can go check it out. Because I think if you're looking for a way to recession-proof, and you're already using audio or even video in your business, but you could turn into audio, this is a system that I really, really think that you should check out. Derek has put it together in such an awesome way. I'll link it up on today's show notes at YongPratt.com/279. And you can find out more about Derek there. Now Derek, where else do you hang out online if people want to come check out what you do and what other services you provide?

Derek Doepker 32:41
Yeah, so the main my main site is DerekDoepker dot come - d e r ek d o e p k er.com - which you'll probably have to see that in the show notes because it's a little tricky one. That that'd be the main place of course you can find my books on Amazon and we can link up to that. So those are those are the different places. And on another note about systemising. That is, I can relate not necessarily wanting to systemize things being resistant. And what got me around it was as soon as I just go, well, it's not just creating a standard operating procedure. For myself, like, that doesn't sound like that much fun. But if I call it a training course to teach it to others, and I go, oh, that is creating the system. It just, you know, for me, it's shifting it to how do I, how can I teach others to do this for themselves. So that's another way that you can think about, you know, doing whatever you're doing. If you're feeling some resistance, sometimes it's just these little shifts in your perspective, calling it something else, framing it as something else as a great way to bypass some of that resistance and actually find it can be a lot of fun.

Yong Pratt 33:49
Absolutely. You have to make it a game. You have to make it fun, figure out a way for you to get to that endpoint because if you're going to use something like audio, and you can use it to help your business help other people who are serviced by your business and people out who haven't even met you yet, it's such a wonderful gift that you can use. And, Derek, I want to thank you so much for sharing your time with us today, and really diving into this idea of leaning in to using audio in our businesses so that we can really start to recession proof our businesses. Thank you.

Derek Doepker 34:25
Thank you.

So what did you think? Are you excited to take this idea of creating an audio book for your business, or to be in service of others and create audio books for them to recession-proof your business? I want to hear all about it. And if you want more information about Derek's Audiobooks Made Easy program, come on over to the show notes, YongPratt.com/279 and share your biggest takeaways, your biggest aha and your action steps on this road to recession-proofing your business with audio books. And by the way, if this idea of using your voice to share your message resonates with you, and you haven't started your podcast yet, I invite you to join me inside of Podcast in a Weekend, which is officially open. This is the final time we are going to be launching Podcast in a Weekend in its current format and at its current price point. If you're interested in getting all the details, head over to today's show notes at YongPratt.com/279. And certainly, if you have questions about anything audio, drop your questions right there in the show notes and I will personally reach out to you to make sure that you can use audio in a way that's going to benefit you and your business. I'll catch you over on the show notes. Cheers.

 


* This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase using these links, we will receive a commission. We only share products and services we love and use ourselves. Thank you in advance for that cup of coffee ☕️ ☕️ ☕️

3 Reasons Why You Should NOT Start a Podcast

3 Reasons Why You Should NOT Start a Podcast

Don’t start a podcast!!!

 

Say what???

 

 

It seems like everyone you look these days, someone (maybe even someone you know), is starting a podcast. Doesn’t it?

 

While there are many valid reasons why a podcast may make sense for you, there are many reasons why you should NOT.

 

Today, we’re diving into my top 3 reasons why you should NOT start a podcast.

 

And if you want 10 more reasons why you should NOT start a podcast, grab our free guide by clicking the image below.

Read Full Transcript

[0:06] If you and Yong were to sit down tomorrow and have a conversation, could you tell her three reasons why you want to start a podcast?

[0:42]  What are your top three reasons that you want to start a podcast?

[1:10] The conversation we're going to have is one that needs to happen much more often, especially with the popularity of podcasts growing by the day.

[1:34] Today’s topic: 3 Reasons Why You Should NOT Start a Podcast

[1:49] Reason number one why you should not start a podcast and it’s a doozy! Even Yong had to overcome this one and dive deeper into WHY she wanted to start a podcast.

[4:00] Reason number two, why you should not start a podcast.

[5:19] The types of podcasts you’ll find on Yong’s personal podcast playlist. 

[5:36] Why your one-thing matters and why podcasting might make sense for you 

[6:37] Reason number three why you should not start a podcast - it’s a concept Yong talks a ton about

[7:03] How not to end up on Comparison Island - tune into Episode #146, entitled, "Stay in Your Own Lane,"

[7:36] Get the show notes at http://www.yongpratt.com/234

[8:27]  So how did you do? Think back to the top three reasons why you want to start your podcast that you declared at the beginning of this episode.

[8:38] Were they different than what I shared on today's episode?

[8:42] Were they the same?

[8:45] Does this episode, change your mind about podcasting?

[8:51] Let me know, over at http://www.yongpratt.com/234 

[8:58] Quick episode recap of the three reasons why you should NOT start a podcast. 

[9:35] If you want 10 more reasons why you should not start a podcast, head over to http://www.yongpratt.com/234 and grab our must-read free guide, 13 Reasons Why You Should NOT Start a Podcast. 

[10:11] Next week, Sandra Centorino of Real Women Go Live and I dive into the power of using live video. If you're anything like Yong was just a few years ago, and the thought of showing up on live video scares the bejesus out of you, you definitely do not want to miss this interview 

10:39  Until then, grab 13 Reasons Why You Should NOT Start a Podcast




13 reasons why you should not start a podcast by Yong Pratt

Click the image to get access to this must-read guide BEFORE you start your podcast.

Using Audiograms to Multiply Your Message

Using Audiograms to Multiply Your Message

Today on episode 220 of the In A Weekend Podcast, we’re going to talk about how to Multiply Your Message by creating Audiograms.

Thank you for tuning in today to this episode. My name is Yong Pratt, your host and the Chief Dreamer of the In a Weekend Series of Classes where we help you to simplify, to automate, and to leverage the often hidden assets (like your kiddos) inside your business quickly.

 

This is part five of a series called Multiply Your Message.

 

If you haven’t listened to the previous episodes, I’ve linked them below.

_________________________________________________________

Don’t Leave Out These Pieces – The Multiply Your Message Series

  1. 211 – Multiply Your Message Part 1
  2. 212 BONUS : Kids + Video = Magic for your business
  3. 213 – Multiply YOur Message Part 2 [Audio]
  4. 214 BONUS – 3 Tools to Turn Audio into Video
  5. 215 BONUS – Are you repurposing your videos?
  6. 216 – Multiply Your Message 3 [text]
  7. 217 BONUS – A Podcasting Success Story with Nicole Thompson
  8. 218 – LIVE Podcasting Q&A
  9. 219 – Multiply Your Message 4 [quotes]
  10. 220 – Multiply Your Message 5 [audiograms]
  11. 221 – Multiply Your Message 6 [graphics]

_________________________________________________________

 

Let’s start at the top.

What’s an audiogram? 

 

It’s a mini video clip. In that video, you’ll see a still image in the background. On top of that still image, you will have a little wav form – that little bar that moves up and down to show you that a video is playing. The audiogram can also include the transcripts or the text that we created on Episode 216. All of this – image, wav form, and the transcription – happens in one singular little video clip, and they are awesome.

 

You’ve likely seen these across social media. Here’s an example of a Podcaster:

  • Podcaster creates full length video and audio shows
  • Podcaster takes “clips” or “snip” from the audio (i.e., quotes from Episode 219); this can be hired out or done in house with software (I’ll share my fav tool later in this post)
  • Podcaster shares audiograms across social media and links out to the full episode on a website, iTunes, etc.

 

Some, not all audiograms have text overlaying the still image. If you took action on Episode Episode 216, you already have text you can use.

 

Here’s an example of one of our Audiograms:

Episode 219 Clip with Yong Pratt – In a Weekend Podcast

Why create audiograms?

 

People learn in many different ways: some learn best visually, others by reading, still others by listening. With the Multiply Your Message Process, we’re hedging our bets, as it were (a girl can learn a thing or two growing up in with all the gambling in Nevada). We’re taking that one, great piece of content, and transforming it into Multiple Pieces to help people consume our content in a way that’s most friendly to them.

 

An audiogram hits 3 types of learners right out of the gate – those that are auditory, those that learn visually, and those that learn through words (verbal/linguistic)

 

By the way, if you’re interesting in learning more about the 8 different types of learning or Superpowers as I call them, check out my first book, Raising a Superhero.

 

Bottom Line:

 

Audiograms are the bomb dot com (is that even a relevant phrase in 2019?)…at any rate, you get my point that they’re awesome.

 

Sounds good. But Yong, HOW do I create these audiograms?

 

I’m so glad you asked. I first introduced this tool back on episode number 214. And it does exactly what the name implies it repurposes your content. Of course in my world, when I refer to repurposing, it’s all about Multiplying Your Message – turning that one singular piece of content in to multiple.

 

I’m not exaggerating when I say that Repurpose changed my business by saving me TIME & MONEY. Who doesn’t want that?1?

 

At the time I was introduced to Repurpose, I had a full-time Virtual Assistant based in the Philippines (the cost of living if FAR less than the US). At the time, I was paying her $500+ monthly do to a portion of what Repurpose could produce automatically plus spending increasing time training and overseeing the work being produced. I could not believe what I was able to stop doing manually or what I could stop paying someone else to do for me with Repurpose.  

 

One of the many, many, many things Repurpose can do for you, without you doing anything other than upload your time-stamped transcriptions with your audio podcast, is automatically create these audiograms for you.

 

Say what???

Now it’s YOUR Turn…Here are today’s Action Steps:

 

  1. Get yourself a free 2-week trial with Repurpose. Trust me you will not be disappointed. If you choose is to invest in this tool, which is a mere $20 a month BTW, which equates to maybe four fancy coffees a month…You can use this software in your business every day to create audiograms and so much more.
  2. When you choose to invest in it, message me on Facebook, or DM on Instagram and let me know. When you use my link to purchase this monthly software,I will send you some video content to help you get started quickly and easily.  Once you get into the software, you’re totally going to be hooked and that $20 a month will be the best $20 a month you will ever spend. And you’ll probably begin to wonder how you lived without it – just like me!

 

 

Next time on the podcast:

Multiplying Your Message with Graphics (Images)

 

We’re going to talk about how to turn your text in to some beautiful images. Plus, I have a special guest for you that’s a 28-year graphics design pro. I’m betting (there’s that NV girl shining through again), you’ll learn a thing or two.

 

Before you head out on your day, go and check out Repurpose. Get your 14 day free trial start using Repurpose to Multiply Your Message today.

 

Don’t Forget: Kids are Creators, too…

Don’t forget that your kids (or someone else’s) can be instrumental in helping you to Multiply Your Message.

 

Wanna hire a Young Creator to help you, tell us how we can help.

 

Don’t forget, any of our In a Weekend Classes are ideal for helping you bring your kiddos into your business in meaningful ways – ways which can equip them with real-world skills they can use to fund their own brighter futures.

 

This post contains affiliate links. When you choose to purchase the product/service recommended, I may receive a commission. Thank you in advance for that cup o’ coffee 😉

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