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 What IS a Podcast?
Let's start with the basics and not make assumptions "everyone" knows what a podcast is. Per a basic Gemini search: "A podcast is a digital audio or video program made for on-demand listening, like a personal radio show you can play anytime. It comes from the words 'iPod' and 'broadcast'." (note: the word origin is news to me!) Podcast Lingo
How Popular Are Podcasts? Let's look at some statistics straight from Podcast Statistics for 2026:
How Hard Is It? Let's look at this from both sides of the matter. What Does It Take to Host a Podcast? Surprisingly little in its most basic form, however, this is a very basic list. To do this well in the competitive market, I suggest referring to this Buzzsprout post for a more complete yet focused reference to get started. It also offers some great gut checks to determine if you're really ready for the commitment.
What Does It Take to Be a Guest on a Podcast? If committing to a regular schedule as a host or the decision of solo vs guest format is too much, there's a lot to be gained from being a guest on podcasts! Is Being a Guest Worth the Effort for My Business? Statistics on Omniscent confirm that's a resounding yes! A couple of stand-out stats:
You will get much further with "warm" pitches when possible. Connect with a podcaster for a program you regularly listen to that's related to your client market. You'll be better able to highlight the benefit you have to offer the host and audience. Per Podchasher related to 2026:
Also from Podchaser:
Where Do I Find Podcasts? If you haven't discovered podcasts, there are free and monthly fee services that curate shows featuring a variety of topics.
Get to the Point Podcasts are an amazing tool in your marketing tool kit! You'll get noticed as a host and as a guest. I will note if you decide to host a podcast, it takes a commitment to your audience and yourself to maintain a schedule. It may also come with a financial cost for equipment, streaming services, and editing or recording tools to really sound good. Hosting should not be taken lightly! Some podcasters connect with a service such as Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon to offset production expenses, especially if they have monthly subscription fees for recording and editing tools. I heartily recommend jumping at any opportunity to, at a minimum, be engaged on LinkedIn and Substack in podcast or live audiences to be seen with active interest. There is often an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise with helpful comments. You can become a "regular" with some shows and develop friendships, strengthen bonds with connections, and continue to make new connections. Once you get some comfort at that level, consider reaching out to hosts of your favorite podcasts that would also appeal to your potential clients. Your Turn! Have you hosted a podcast or LinkedIn/Substack events? Are you still doing it? Love to hear your suggestions to get started or why you may have stopped! Have you been a guest on podcasts or LinkedIn/Substack events? Are you looking for those opportunities? Let's help each other get connected, as hosts or guests! Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack!
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 Panic in the Streets! Headlines blare:
Step AWAY from the Doom & Gloom! Marketing basics are truly timeless and aren't going anywhere. If you're hoping for an easy way out of doing the marketing work by betting hard on AI, I predict a long wait. Your Mama was right—there's no easy way around work. Oh, sure—AI has its advantages, don't get me wrong.
Don't Despair! In spite of all that, the basic marketing tools remain useful.
Birth of the Internet—Take 2! Remember when the internet and the world wide web was a new and shiny thing in about 1990? It was going to change everything! It did—but it expanded our capabilities. It didn't replace them. AI is heading in a similar direction. There is a lot of talent expansion happening right now, maximizing our capabilities to do more faster. There are likely bumpy days ahead, don't get me wrong. But there is very definitely still a place for the basics of marketing. Classic Marketing Isn't Going Anywhere What would I call "classic marketing":
Is Blogging Useful? Blog posts give you amazing material for visibility across all of your channels! Thanks to Nonprofit Tech for Good for sharing these blog statistics.
Your Turn! How do you approach your marketing? What are you using as your core source of visibility? I'd love to hear! Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack to message! If you'd like to consider working together, we start by looking at where you're marketing plan is and where you'd like to be to see if we're a good fit. We focus on what is manageable for your time and energy. Click any of the links above to start!   How Should I Get My Book Published? While my focus is on marketing and not book publishing, this is a rather common question as a starting point. I've been grateful to spend time with many authors and publishing affiliated folks to become familiar with the basics of the options available. I am the first to admit, I am no expert on this nor profess to be, but I'm an amazing researcher and am happy to share my discoveries and resources. Also bear in mind, publishing options change—plan to do a bit of research on the matter when you're ready to publish for the most current info. First Book - Where's A Good Start? Excellent question! Let's start by defining the global options available with thanks to Books.by for their tutorial and an amazing comparison chart:
Chart below is courtesy of the same Books.by 2026 self-publishing guide:  Focusing on Amazon
My dear friend Gillian Whitney, author, podcaster, book coach, and publisher (with her husband), hosted a fabulous podcast February 25, 2025 discussing ISBNs which led to a discussion about Amazon publication options. She has transcribed the podcast into an article you can find here along with the option to listen to the podcast if you prefer. Above is her LinkedIn, here is her website. Gillian's recommendation for first-time authors: "[I]f you are a first-time author who is unsure whether publishing is going to stick, the free ISBN [with Amazon] is a perfectly reasonable starting point. There is no shame in it. You can always change your mind later — it is just more work if you do." ISBNs (each book format's individual book number of record) are needed to publish and sell books. A different one is needed for each book format. Purchasing them individually can be expensive, but they are sold in bundles a bit more affordably if you plan to publish in multiple formats or author multiple books. Gillian has plenty of detail in her article. Let's return our focus to Amazon, probably the most frequently used by independent authors. Amazon's Free ISBN: The Pros and the Cons Per Gillian's article: "Amazon (through Kindle Direct Publishing) offers a free ISBN for paperback and hardback editions. For Kindle eBooks, no ISBN is required at all — Amazon simply does not ask for one. Neither do Apple Books or Barnes & Noble Press for ebooks, though aggregators like Draft2Digital and IngramSpark do require them." The pros and cons are taken directly from her article.
Buying Author Copies on Amazon On behalf of a client, I asked Gillian about options for authors to purchase (affordably) printed copies of their book for distribution at meetings as a beautiful "business card" or to even sell independently off Amazon. I wasn't sure if there may be regulations about potentially inflating sales numbers if the author is the one predominantly purchasing the books. Here's what she had to say: "When an author publishes their book on Amazon, they have the ability to order Author copies at cost. You can order as many copies as you like (up to 999 per order) and sell them independently yourself at whatever markup price you choose. Many authors sell their author copies at conferences, speaking engagements, etc." Very good to know—thank you, Gillian! Get to the Point There are a number of ways to consider publishing your book! We have only scratched the surface here, but we've laid the groundwork for future posts and tackled a decent summary about Amazon to get you started. This post focuses on Amazon as it's one of the most popular means for authors aiming to publish independently rather than through traditional publishers whose process can take months and may ultimately not be accepted in their printing calendar. Gillian Whitney is a fabulous resource for authors looking to get published! She has published six books now and is involved on the publishing side of things with her husband. Her weekly podcast is roughly 30 minutes, hosting many guests related to the publishing and marketing process for books. She hosts monthly events on LinkedIn with featured guests for an hour where Q&A is available. Some authors prefer the broad distribution and authority of working with traditional publishers. Others prefer the speed and independence of independent publishing options. As an independent author, you do have some input in the price that will be charged depending on whether you're aiming for a profit or prefer to "freely" share your information. Amazon has a rock-bottom price point of slightly above the cost to print a book or $0.99 minimum for Kindle books. Your Turn! Have you published a book yet or thinking about it? Any stumbling blocks along the way? A book is an amazing asset to have for your business to demonstrate your thought leadership and expertise! It's a fabulous calling card for authors, solopreneurs, and even nonprofits interested in broadening their reach. I'd love to hear your experiences! I'd also be very happy to help you put the finishing touches on your nonfiction book with proofreading/editing skills. My favorite part of publishing is the marketing before and after your book is published--Let's Chat! You can also find me on LinkedIn and Substack!  Visibility, Conversations, Opportunities, Clients
I've had the pleasure of "meeting" Tracy Beavers through her website, newsletter, a webinar she offered, podcast, and Facebook group. I absolutely adore her approach to gaining clients that I'll call "relationship marketing" which is my preferred style. Tracy works with her clients on the nuts and bolts of marketing techniques - the value of websites, an email list to get into inboxes, and even Facebook groups for real-time conversations. But what I really love about Tracy's methods is her focus on conversations. Tracy's style aims "to turn everyday interactions into genuine relationships, meaningful opportunities, and ultimately, paying clients. ✔ Visibility creates conversations. ✔ Conversations create opportunities. ✔ Opportunities create clients." Her focus is in building real relationships. I adore that. Is Relationship Marketing Really a Thing? Turns out the answer is yes! (I thought I was just making up the term!) According to Wikipedia: "Relationship marketing is a form of marketing developed from direct response marketing campaigns that emphasizes customer retention and satisfaction rather than sales transactions.[1][2] It differentiates from other forms of marketing in that it recognises the long-term value of customer relationships and extends communication beyond intrusive advertising and sales promotional messages.[3]" Continuing from Wikipedia: "The technique was first proposed by American marketing scholars Berry (1983) and Jackson (1985). Berry (1983) argued in a conference about the field of service marketing that relationship marketing is a marketing activity for enterprises to obtain, maintain and promote effective relationships with customers. . .Jackson (1985) further modified the concept in the aspect of industry marketing. He argued that the essence of relationship marketing is to attract, establish and maintain a close relationship with enterprise customers." While I appreciate these early efforts to define Relationship Marketing, my take after many years of working with nonprofits, many more years in hospitals as a physical therapist, and more recently as a business owner focusing on marketing, my approach focuses on customer satisfaction, retention, and simply revolves around conversations. Let's review Tracy's approach one step at a time. Visibility Creates Conversations Visibility is created in a variety of ways which can naturally lead to conversations.
Conversations Create Opportunities Conversations and Opportunities can happen in many ways.
Opportunities Create Clients Thanks to your visibility creating a myriad of opportunities, you're bound to be hired for your services! While obtaining clients is likely ultimately the goal, it doesn't need to be pushy. It's more a matter of being in the right place at the right time when someone identifies a need you could be the perfect person to fill.
Your Turn! Where is your biggest challenge - Visibility? Conversations? Converting conversations into opportunities and clients? Love to hear if you're a Relationship Marketer as well and where you're focusing your efforts - Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack!  What Is It? Per Givelink's LinkedIn About section: "We're a transparent giving platform where donors pick real items needed by real people, give online, and see photo proof of their help reaching someone's life. Every donation is visible. Every item is tracked. Every life reached is real." Per Panos Kokmotos, one of three co-founders of Givelink, he describes Givelink as "helping nonprofits get the exact goods they need, and helping donors see where their money goes." What Do They REALLY Do? Givelink serves nonprofits coming and going.
Graphics that describe Givelink's advantages best as adapted from their website:
How Much Does It Cost?
As if this little gem could get any better, the generous folks of Givelink manage it! Use of this amazing service is free to nonprofits! Just be ready to provide your EIN for them to confirm your nonprofit status. Get to the Point As you can tell, I'm a bit over-the-moon excited for my recent discovery of Givelink! I've enjoyed chatting with Panos by zoom to get to know each other and email for continued discussions. This service meets a huge need in the nonprofit realm.
How Do I Sign Up? You can email Panos directly or head to Givelink's For Nonprofits page for details and ways to get started. Your Turn! Solopreneurs and authors—you likely work with nonprofits who may benefit from this service. Please share with them! Nonprofits—I hope you give Givelink a try! What are you currently using if you have in-kind donations needed? I'd love to hear if there are alternative options out there - Let's Chat (shoot me an email) or message me on LinkedIn or Substack!  What Is GeekPack?
GeekPack per the LinkedIn company page "is a business education company built for online business owners who are technically excellent—but revenue is inconsistent. We work with coaches, course creators, service providers, and agency owners who have the skills, the systems, and the clients—but not a predictable pipeline." Founder Julia Taylor, self-professed introvert "who'd rather be behind the screen than out in front," is a "business coach for tech-savvy women" (although I've seen a few gentlemen in the group), "helping you stop hiding in the backend & build predictable revenue." Special thanks to Julia Taylor for allowing me to interview her! Julia began GeekPack in October 2018, but started her first business in 2016. On becoming a military spouse with multiple moves, Julia started her business to manage her own career progression with flexibility to work from anywhere. As she shared on social media about her journey—teaching herself how to code, build websites, location independence with the RV life—she began hearing "I want to be able to do what you do—can you teach me how to do it?" “I wanted everything I did to be based around a supportive & encouraging community" as any time she asked any tech questions, she was made fun of. “I wanted to teach people how to build websites and start a business, but I wanted to wrap it around community—supportive, encouraging, and geeky," thus GeekPack was born. Who Is This For? Following and participating in the GeekPack programs are useful for solopreneurs, authors (writing books is your business!), and even nonprofits. I have seen a number of fellow nonprofit leaders in the GeekPack program. I asked Julia how she sees the match in her programs for nonprofit founders. “There are many parallels with nonprofit leaders and business owners—selling a service or funding, storytelling, marketing, letting others know you exist, have conversations, build relationships, networking—it's all the same. The only real difference is owner vs nonprofit, but I would argue most nonprofit leaders feel like owners, because they're probably the ones who started it, so there's not a huge difference. There are a lot of similarities.” GeekPack offers a number of programs:
Get to the Point I recently completed my second iteration of the 6-week foundation program--completion certificate achieved! I initially completed the program a year ago, year 3 of my business, where I gained insights that guided me forward, to ensure my business foundation was in place. Admittedly, I participated half-heartedly, thinking I knew more than I did and more focusing on the day-to-day of what I was doing in my business to build connections. I gained insights but not nearly as many as I did this year with many thanks to my instructor in GeekPack, Glenna Garcia. This time on year 4 of my business, I'm taking a step back to check my business foundation, and listening—truly participating this time each and every week—showing up live 2x/week with the cohort, watching the Verizon videos accompanying each lesson, doing the homework, and engaging with my classmates—all fellow solopreneurs. This year was more of an intermediate program—perfect for where I am in my business and for others in my cohort.
What's Next? The timing for the most recent GeekPack/Verizon program was perfect to commit to investing in Revenue OS, which I also highly recommend. It is not necessary to take the GeekPack/Verizon program before jumping into Revenue OS, however, I found the programs a good match for me. Revenue OS provides:
Want More? Head here to sign up for GeekPack/Julia Taylor's email at a minimum. This will keep you posted of upcoming opportunities to join programs or learn about new options available. Head here to apply for the next GeekPack/Verizon program. Head here to learn more about the Revenue OS program. Your Turn! Have you found any business development programs you like and have participated in? Love to hear about them! We all grow by sharing resources! Let's Chat or message me on LinkedIn or Substack to share!  What's the Difference? This is a frequent question I receive and I'm glad for it! The differences may seem subtle on the surface but are significant when you dig in. Short Definition
Resources This post will pull together information from four resources: Comparisons We'll review the basic differences between brand marketing and marketing, pulling thoughts together with a beautiful graphic courtesy of the Vistaprint article cited. Brand Marketing
Marketing
 Image created with assistance of Gemini AI Great Marketing Quotes Courtesy of Vistaprint
Recent Poll Results I conducted a poll on LinkedIn recently asking what the biggest frustration is about marketing?
Get to the Point I provide brand marketing services, which includes marketing services, but I start any conversation by identifying your brand marketing pieces to see if we need to strengthen or establish your plan. Your Turn! Do you have a solid brand marketing plan in place yet or simply random thoughts as your foundation? Are you able to see the difference between brand marketing and marketing? I'd love to hear your brand marketing and marketing journey--Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack!  Meet Author Liane Davey
I discovered Liane last week on a LinkedIn live interview by Lynnaire Johnston. You can find Liane on her website and her LinkedIn. "Thoughtload" was released in May 2026 and is her fourth published book. I'm looking forward to checking on the other three! Liane has created a community website, full of resources, that you'll want to spend time getting to know. It's available on her book landing page. You can find her book on Amazon, available in Kindle, Audible, and paperback. I'm a big fan of audiobooks and loved that the author read the book. It was very engaging, full of her personality and warm humor. Who Is This For Liane regularly coaches and speaks with teams, so much of the focus was on a team perspective. I was still able to find plenty of useful nuggets as a solopreneur (as would an author). I was definitely thinking of nonprofit teams I've worked with while reading. Even as solopreneurs, we're working with clients and occasionally teams. I found the majority of the content very useful. Focal Points of "Thoughtload" The author focuses on three basic premises:
Focus Fine Points Points that resonated with me:
Energy Fine Points Schedule set-up
Get to the Point I definitely recommend "Thoughtload" by Liane Davey! It's not a long read, I love hearing the author read the book, and she offers so many additional resources including blog posts, worksheets, and even a printable planner. Give it a try! Your Turn! Reality check: 1) Do you find you focus on activities, outputs, or outcomes? 2) Have you assessed your day's energy and are in alignment with your priority list? My turn:
How about you? Let's Chat or message me on LinkedIn or Substack!  Tipping Point for AI
(image from the movie Meet the Robinsons) Podcast episode 217 from The Artificial Intelligence Show pulled together a number of important stories that demonstrate the seeming unfazed domination of AI is facing some serious challenges at the moment. Pope Leo has issued his first encyclical (full document linked) warning AI is an existential threat to humanity. His timing is intentional, dated to the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's first major modern social encyclical defending workers' rights in the Industrial Revolution. The significance is important. Pope Leo XIV intentionally selected his name recognizing today's industrial revolution due to AI and "new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor." Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah shared his remarks at the Vatican following the pope's encyclical, echoing his own concerns about the future with AI and urging continued discussion in hope of creating AI for the benefit of all. Public Backlash The Artificial Intelligence Show podcast shares an additional story discussing the current public backlash against AI. In conjunction with this:
Where Do We Go From Here? There is a palpable dichotomy between the fast-forward enthusiasm of Silicon Valley in the US and the "AI arms race" internationally vs the increasing push-back from the public. The "tech bros" are all-in to build the technology, build faster, and build better than competition. We are told we "must" develop AI skills or be left behind. Businesses and individuals are doing their best to figure out best and safe use cases for the tool with a few figuring it out while the majority are fumbling along, hoping others figure it out better to lead the way. (refer to this recent story on safety when a company's entire database and back-ups were deleted in NINE SECONDS) Gen Z in the Cross-Hairs Gen Z—our current crop of college grads—has spent the past four years in this age of burgeoning AI in a mass of confusion and mixed messaging. Teachers and education systems have tried to figure the tech out along the way but with a lot of fear and hesitation imposed on the young scholars in the process. The result is while the tech has been developing, the students were accused of cheating if they used it, and few were taught how to use it responsibly. Many in this generation simply shut down and viscerally react any time they hear "AI." While growing up surrounded by the tech yet often having to teach themselves, they're now told AI must be embedded in everything they do to have any hope for a job. Others use it but are hesitant to heavily dive into it as they seek to maintain what they identify as human skills or the potential to lose skills by relying on AI too much. Many remain concerned about the level of hallucinations from AI. Gen Z is effectively being told they're not needed as the current enterprise goal of AI use is seemingly to take the very entry level jobs they're seeking. This will become a large problem as the generations shift and Gen X heads toward retirement years with little entry level training happening. Concerns about the environment have been a cornerstone of Gen Z beliefs. This issue has resonated with multiple generations as there is a push for more data centers to feed the growing demand for AI use. Fights against data centers have increased due to concerns about electricity and water demand along with noise pollution from potential neighboring residents. Where Do We Go from Here? We seem to be at a tipping point in the progress of AI.
Get to the Point The Pope's first encyclical seems a very important topic, but The Artificial Intelligence Show reference to it is the only comment I've seen about it. Add to that Anthropic's Chris Olah's remarks following the Pope and opening resources in this post, discussions need to happen on the topic of AI to defuse the push for the tech from the makers of the tech. (self-serving much?) Silicon Valley is simply producing the product of AI while attempting to reassure us "we'll figure it out as we go." That's no longer satisfying anyone and harder questions are being asked. Advancing the tech is great - most of us are using it more as we get more comfortable and it's simply incorporated natively into products. But let's be thoughtful in our use of it, where and when it's appropriate to use, what do we want as a society, rather than decisions being made for us from a select few indicating we have no choice. We always have choice. Your Turn! AI impacts all of us. Are you frustrated? Concerned? Bullish on advancing AI rapidly? Somewhere in between? I'd love to hear - Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack!  Have You Heard Any Good Podcasts Lately?
I'm a huge fan of podcasts! Audio options are my daily exercise companion. Podcasts have the advantage of fitting in a variety of time windows you may have, anything from 10 minutes long to 30 minutes, an hour, or more. Podcasts are fun and educational! I'm always keeping my ears open for new podcasts that mentors I admire recommend and often have on their podcasts. Podcasts for Nonprofits These are a number of podcasts available for those of us in the nonprofit sector. Most of these are on my To Listen list but I've seen good reviews.
Podcasts for Authors There is only one favorite on my podcast feed particularly for authors. Definitely check out my friend Gillian Whitney's Easy Peasy Books with her weekly podcast! She has additional content including monthly deep dives along with great articles on her LinkedIn. Podcasts for Solopreneurs/Business Tactics I have a number of favorites here on a variety of topics.
Your Turn! This scratches the surface of my podcast list. I've tried to focus on those I've actually listened to, although my nonprofit list is predominantly sharing available resources I have not heard yet as it's a rather niche podcast topic to find. What are your favorite podcasts right now and why? Love to hear - Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack! |
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