Thought Leadership Podcasts
Become known as an innovative thinker and leader.
Be The Company They Talk About…
…so leads come to sales calls excited for a a chance to talk to you, event planners invite you to speak and present, and industry blogs, websites and commentators cite and reference your work…
…all while creating valuable content you can reuse throughout your business.
We’ll handle all of the details, technology and distribution – you just need to decide what you want to be known for and what kind of experts you could have a rich and sophisticated conversation with.
There are three steps to turning on your personal spotlight:
Customize Your Service
Choose how often you’d like to be connecting with new people, whether you want an audio or video podcast, and how much support you’d like.
Meet with an Expert Producer
Who will get to know you and your business, ensure you’ve made the best choice for your company, and start developing your podcast concept and assets.
Start Podcasting!
We’ll provide you with everything you need to record your episodes! After recording, your work is done… except for starting to get yourself on other people’s podcast (which we can help with, too!)
Thought Leadership style podcasts are the single most common type of podcast that people want to start.
And they’re the type people most often get wrong.
Top-tier experts decide they want a thought leadership podcast so they can enhance thier brand’s reputation in their industry – but because so much podcasting advice is focused on interview-style shows… that’s the kind they start.
A podcast where the host spends the whole time making the guest look great and letting them share their information is a fantastic strategy… for relationship building.
But it doesn’t Establish Thought Leadership.
And that means it doesn’t bring any of the benefits of being a thought leader, like invitations, shorter sales cycles, backlinks and interview requests.
So we’ve designed a podcast system that shines the light on you, your company, and your ideas. It can work with or without guests, and is focused on making sure that everyone who finds your show perceives you as a real leader in your space.
Using a combination of careful editorial calendar planning, multiple media formats, and a focus on external promotion, a Thought Leadership Podcast will be the flywheel of content that your community and your colleagues keep coming back to.
“I’ll be honest. I started the Spin Sucks podcast with some trepidation. We talked about it for years, but I couldn’t just seem to get my butt in gear to get it done. I kept hearing things such as less than one percent of podcasts are hosted by women (according to Libsyn) and also watched the trajectory of podcasting and yet…
But then the amazingly brilliant and easy-to-work with women from One Stone Creative told me there is more than enough content on the blog to create a podcast. They said, in fact, I wouldn’t have to do any work, other than record something weekly. They made it so easy, it was impossible to say no. Thanks to them, we’re here three years later.”
– Gini Dietrich, Spin Sucks
Thought Leadership Podcasts
A complete Done-For-You Podcast that will help you become a known thinker and innovator in your field.
First, we’ll get to know who the most important new connections for your business are.
Then, we:
- Design a podcast look and feel that will make an impact with your existing audience and create content you can repurpose throughout your business
- Create an episode structure, including music, that puts your ideas front and center, highlighting your experience, philosophy and methodologies
- Build the guest booking and recording process for you – we manage the life of each episode, you just need to show up on time and ready to talk
- Create a workflow using your own platforms (for seamless integration into your work!) and provide a virtual recording studio for you and your guests*
- Handle the production and distribution of each episode, creating and scheduling assets for before and after each episode release
- Track your unique success metrics so you always know exactly how much value your show is generating for your business
*If you choose to have us produce live with you!
The Only Decisions…
We’ve done most of the work when it comes to developing an all-in-one podcasting service for professionals and entrepreneurs – but we do need you to make a few decisions about the media type of your show, how often you’d like to release episodes, if you’d like a producer live on every call with you – and whether or not you want to find your own guests!
There are no wrong answers or bad choices – only the amount of content and support that works for your company.
Solo, Interviews...or Both?
Solo Episodes give you a chance to build strong relationships with your audience, flexibility about recording topics and deadlines, and over time, a rich library of your IP ready to be used and repurposed throughout your business. This is great if you have a lot of commentary on what is happening in your field, a large list of things you WISH the rest of the industry was talking about, or a large company that needs a great deal of information from YOU in order to do their best work.
Guest Interviews are a chance for you to rub shoulders with other experts in your space – but it’s important to manage these conversations carefully. They need to be a discussion between equals – not an interview where you extract wisdom and insight from your guests. Interviews have the benefit of letting you enjoy the halo effect of being able to attract and talk to other industry-leading experts.
If you can’t decide – you don’t have to! Thought leadership podcasts can work beautifully with an alternating guest/solo cadence.
Audio or Video?
Do you want your podcast to be audio-only or include video of you and your guest? Audio-Only shows are slightly easier and less expensive to produce and can sometimes make guests more comfortable. Video shows are increasing in popularity and open up increased viewership and discoverability on YouTube. A full video podcast is an additional $200/episode.
Weekly or Bi-Weekly?
Ongoing podcasts can be produced to release every week or every other week. (Less than that and it takes too long to build traction and see results.) When making this choice, consider that you will need to spend about 45 minutes preparing for and recording each call, as well as spend time following up with your guests with all of the exciting new possibilities they bring you.
Find Your Own Guests, or Have them Selected?
Many business owners and service providers have a vast array of potential podcast guests – and even approaching and inviting strangers is easy (we’ll provide the templates!). But if time is at a premium, or you’re unsure if you can find the right sort of people, we are happy to be able to offer guest booking for your Interview or Alternating Interview Thought Leadership Podcast, for $300/episode.
Record Alone or Record with Us?
We offer Producer-assisted recording for thought leadership podcasts. This means one of our producers will be live with you on your recordings, making sure everyone sounds great, and making sure all of the episode parts are created to a high level of quality. This service is $100/episode.
If you are comfortable with podcast recording technology (using a service like Riverside, Squadcast or Zencastr) and in your ability to coach your guest through any tech issues, then recording on your own and sending us the files each week is the best plan.
If you’d like support working through these options, or would like to discuss how a Thought Leadership Podcast can help you in more detail, you’re welcome to book a call with us – we can help you make the best decision for your company!
“The service that you guys provide has really elevated our podcast, expanded our growth and opportunity, and demonstrated to our team how to do podcasting most efficiently, and I really appreciate that. I’ve worked with other services, and tried to do a lot on my own, and I can tell you, I’ve learned a lot.”
– Michael Volkov, Volkov Law Group
For All of Your Episodes…
We Provide:
- Guest Prep and Confirmation for Interviws
- Episode Audio/Video Editing
- Feedback on Your Performance
- SEO Optimized Blog-Style Show Notes
- Graphic and Social Media Assets for Before and After Episode Release
- Audiogram Version of Episode (for Audio Podcasts)
- Distribution to all Podcast Players
- Scheduling on Your Website and YouTube
- Guest Notification for Interviews
- [Optional] Social Media Post Scheduling
- [Optional] Guest Booking
- [Optional] Producer-Assisted Recording
Weekly or Bi-Weekly Starting from $450/Episode
FAQ:
How much time is this going to take me?
During the launch process, we will have 3 meetings lasting between 30 and 90 minutes.
Once we are into regular production, you will need to spend about an hour per episode: 20 minutes to prepare for the episode and 40 for the recording itself. (This can vary – sometimes a solo episode script might take a little longer to prepare, for example!) We will also prompt you to send an email or two to previous guests every week, using templates we will provide.
What equipment do I need?
Not much! We recommend a standing desk mic to capture the best possible sound – the SURE MV7 USB mic is a great option. For video shows, you will also want a good quality webcam or to book time in a podcast studio.
Otherwise, you just need a reasonable calm and quiet place to record every month. If anything else is required, we will discover that during the lauch process and advise you on optimizing your recording setup!
How long of a contract do I need to commit for?
You don’t. Podcast production with One Stone Creative does not have a fixed term. You are entitled to give 30 days’ notice to end ongoing production at any time. If you choose to have us find and book your guests for you, we do require a minimum of a 3 month commitment, as these relationships take time to build and book. Limited seasons cannot be cancelled once they are started.
Other than the episode rate, what costs should I plan for?
There is a one-time launch fee of $2500 – this covers your show development, coaching, infrastructure setup, and teaser episode. It is due at the time of purchase and is non-refundable.
If you do not have a good mic to record with, we will advise that you purchase one.
Some companies create a budget to send thank you gifts to their guests, which can be a wonderful way to keep the relationship warm!
Why 48 and 24 episodes a year instead of 52 and 26 for ongoing production?
There are two reasons:
1. One Stone Creative takes an annual pause around the winter holidays – and we recommend you do the same!
2. There may be times throughout the year when you need a break, or things get particularly busy – this allows us to easily take a pause when required or break the year into seasons.
“The best time to start a podcast for your business is 5 years ago.
The second best time is now.”
-Ancient Wisdom