People presume that if you produce any form of long-form content (i.e., a book, lengthy videos of value, or a podcast) that you actually have something to say. Whether you actually do or don’t have anything valuable to say remains to be seen, but publishing your thoughts on one of these platforms—- something besides social media— instantly enhances your credibility.

One of the most powerful resources you have is your voice— the words you declare and the tone + inflection people hear when you speak.

Proverbs tells us, “Life and death is in the power of the tongue.”

James provides a clear mental picture: “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it can speak big things.” He explains that the tongue can spark a forest fire, it can— like the relatively tiny rudder on a massive shift— shift the course of a cruising vessel, or it can build something colossal. 

Each word you speak attributes something to the impression people have of you, your content, and the organization you lead. Recall,  this is branding— what people think about when they think about you. 

You can’t always “ask for a sale.” One of my friends, Troy, suggests you can ask someone to buy one out of every seven times you post. 

“Anything more seems spammy,” he says. “Anything less, and they may forget that you actually have something for them to buy.”

Media guru Gary Vaynerchuk says you should “jab, jab, right hook.” That is, provide value, provide value… then ask for the sale.

Other thought leaders and influencers have their own formulas as to how often you can— or should— ask your audience to buy. Regardless of the specific ratio, there’s widespread agreement that you can’t always be asking…

In the section about blogging, I suggested you always have a CTA— a clear Call to Action— that offers your audience an obvious (and relevant) next step.  Publishing a well—placed podcast provides you with another opportunity to do exactly what blogging does— 

• You develop the discipline of creating regular content.
• You create content that is evergreen, that is, it’s relevant at all times, in all places.
• You create a reservoir of resources you can send people back to.

This means you can share these resources, too, via email broadcasts and sequences, as well as social media posts. You can share them in “real time” when the post goes live, and you can share them weeks and months and even years later. 

Now, let’s back up.

If Troy is correct— if you can (and should) ask for the sale 1:7 times you post, that means the more you post, the more times you can ask for the sale. Furthermore, it creates a different way to ask for that sale. Seeing the written “ask” is one thing, but hearing the ask— audibly, through your headphones— is another.

If you’re wondering what you have to share on a podcast, loop back to the first blogging chapter (14). Anything you would share on a blog can be shared on a podcast (and vice versa). 

In fact, podcasting is a great way to grow your content library— and forge ahead into new areas. 

A few months ago the ministry leader I introduced at the beginning of this chapter told me, “I’ve had an idea circling in my mind for a while— about a book I want to write.” With his new project taking flight, his mind was free to consider new possibilities. 

“What is it?” I asked.

“My story,” he replied. “The main concept is my journey from the cockpit to the pulpit. With all of the twists and turns between those two destinations.”

Now, I know his story well. Years ago he almost lost his job as a commercial airline pilot because he was an alcoholic. As a last-ditch effort, they sent him to a rehab.  The alcohol was, in large part, an escape for him— from his rough days of military service. He was— he is— a legit Top Gun.

He found faith along the way, and now leads a ministry that helps others overcome the hurts, habits, and hangups of the past so they can walk in full freedom and fulfill their purpose. 

“I know my own story, obviously,”  he said, “but I’m not sure how to get started…”

“Well, you can do the time in the chair with the keyboard,” I replied, “or you can podcast it. It may be easier to talk through it. Then, you can transcribe those recordings.”

I suggested he take those transcriptions and drop them into a book template, as I discuss in chapter 29. (There, I’ll show you how we transformed a video course into a book, as well as an audiobook.)

When people watch your videos— especially your “lives”— they begin to think they know you. Especially if you share personal stories. 

There’s something even more personal about podcasting, though. If someone watches you on video, they’ve got to “turn it off” in order to jump in the car and run a few errands. They can’t workout or do most household chores will watching you, either. What they can do, however, is listen. Podcasting allows you to become a significant part of the soundtrack of people’s life.