I started my podcast, The Blogger Genius Podcast, in January of 2018, and I love it. I get to connect with my audience of bloggers and online entrepreneurs, help them grow their businesses, build my authority and trust, and learn from my incredible guests.  It’s also not expensive to start a podcast, and if you get your systems in place, it doesn’t have to be a ton of work. The question I get asked a lot is, “Should I start a podcast?” And my answer is always the same. “You should start one only if you have a very specific purpose.” For me, that’s two-fold -- building MiloTree, our pop-up app that helps bloggers grow their social media followers and email list, and building my own personal brand. 

Before you begin, ask yourself, “What is the purpose of my podcast?”

➔ To sell products or services

➔ Build your brand

➔ To sell ads

➔ To set yourself up as an expert

➔ As a creative outlet

You need to have the answer to this question before you ever move forward.

This is a great question for any new undertaking you are thinking of trying in your business… What is your purpose?

Another way of asking this is, “What is your ‘why’?”

Once you’ve answered that, you can tackle the question of what your podcast is going to be about. It can take many forms. Consider the following:

➔ What are you an expert in?

➔ What are you passionate about?

➔ What can you speak effortlessly about?

Once you’ve answered that question, the next step is to figure out your avatar -- your perfect listener. It’s not just about demographics. Think about what they struggle with and what problem you’re going to solve for them.

Next, what format is your podcast going to take?

➔ Interview

➔Topic centered

➔Q&A with an audience

➔Video

➔Solo vs. a team

And how often are you going to release episodes?

➔ Daily

➔Weekly

➔Monthly

➔Series

And the final question is what is your goal for your content:

➔ To get visitors to your website to sign up for your newsletter 

➔To buy your product or service

➔To download your freebie

➔To follow you on social media

➔To share your episode

➔ To get in touch with you

➔ To sell ads

Once you’ve answered all these questions, you are well on your way to starting a podcast. So, spend time thinking through your purpose, your expertise, and your goals, and you will know very quickly whether a podcast is right for you.

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Jillian Tohber Leslie founded Catch My Party in 2009 with her husband, David, and together, they have grown it into the largest party ideas site on the web, with over 6 million page views per month. In 2016, Jillian and David built a pop-up to grow Catch My Party's social media followers. The pop-up worked so well, they launched it as a separate company called MiloTree, to help other entrepreneurs grow their email lists and social media followers. In 2018, Jillian launched her podcast, The Blogger Genius Podcast, to help other bloggers and online entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Jillian interviews successful bloggers, online entrepreneurs, and industry experts to figure out what's working NOW in online business. Jillian received her BA and MBA from Stanford University. Before becoming an entrepreneur,Jillian was a writer in Hollywood for ten years, writing movies and TV. Jillian currently lives in Austin, TX with her husband and twelve year old daughter, Lainey. In her free time, Jillian likes to take photographs, travel, cook, and do yoga.