Download: 5 Steps To Start A Podcast

Steve Schwartz: Hello, and welcome to the Concierge Medical Marketing podcast. My name is Steve Schwartz, and it is my pleasure that you’ve come to join us today and learn everything that we can regarding how to make your concierge medical practice grow and thrive to get all the patients you need to fill up your panel, to provide better quality medical care to your patients, and to have a better life, more fulfilled with better results. It’s truly a pleasure to have you here on our podcast.
I’d like to introduce you to Ryan Ross. Ryan is my guest today, and Ryan’s company is Indie Advisor Marketing. Ryan has many years of experience helping his clients with podcasts, webinars, and other digital marketing strategies to help them be successful on the Internet. Ryan, thank you for joining me today.
Ryan Ross: Hello. How are you doing, Steve?
Steve: Wonderful. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule. I know, before we started recording, you started telling me some of the projects you’re working on right now and the things that are pulling at your time. So I really appreciate you coming onto the Concierge Medical Marketing podcast and sharing some of your truly valuable insight and wisdom on a really important topic to help concierge medical practices thrive and get their message out there, and that’s all about podcasting. So Thank you.
As a way of getting started, Ryan, why don’t you share with us just for a few moments a little bit about your background, where you came from, and how you ended up being an expert in podcasting and webinars and whatnot. And then we’ll dig into your topic today.
Ryan: Sure. So thank you for having me on, Steve, first of all. We’re learning together about a lot of different things in our community, but my story is I started in the webinar and podcasting industry more than a decade ago. I guess podcasting, it was 2014. I was working at Dow Jones, which is the publisher of The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s, and I was doing ad sales. But I needed a creative project, so I listened to podcasts like the Tim Ferriss podcast, and I would study breaking down things into their component parts. That’s my personality. I thought I could make a podcast — you just have to talk to people, right? That’s not true, and I will explain why.
So I started a podcast. It was called the Fierce Focus Podcast because I have trouble focusing. I wanted to learn from people that were good at focusing or maybe they also had trouble, so they had to double down on it. I probably interviewed fifty different people. Fun story: I saw a documentary on Netflix about the sommelier test, the master sommelier test. So I emailed one of the guys and asked if he wanted to come on my podcast, and he agreed. So I flew to Portland and interviewed twelve people because I had that one interview, and I thought this could be a lot of fun. It has to come down to reaching out to people, and it’s fun to do that.
In 2016, I started in the world of webinars, working at a large webinar company called Bright Talk, and I did sales and content creation for them. We created summits, virtual events, and I was outlining content, helping people create content calendars, recruiting guests, and delivering the value proposition of why webinars are important, which we can discuss in a separate podcast.
Then in 2021, after doing that for four years, I started my own business, helping people create webinars and content. They realized it’s important to get in front of people in an educational way and be omnipresent, where podcasts are a fantastic medium for that. I developed five actionable ways for starting a podcast which we can discuss today.
Steve: Great. Before we jump into those five steps, what would you say is the most important reason why a concierge medical physician should consider having their own podcast? Why would they do that, given their busy schedules?
Ryan: I would say any business needs to ensure they have a pipeline of new customers because eventually, you’ll have attrition. In the medical field, attrition may come down to natural attrition, so you always need to have more people coming into your practice. The best way to do that is to make sure more people know, like, and trust you. Being omnipresent in their minds and being in someone’s ear is a great way to do that.
Steve: Wonderful. Sounds good to me. Let’s dive into those five actionable items. Number one?
Ryan: The first thing is these are all action items. I call this “Five Cans and Five Loves.” “Five Cans” are the five people you can definitely get. If you have a bank of a hundred clients, you want to find the five people you know will automatically agree to speak with you about what you’re doing. My market is independent financial advisers, but they’re similar to concierge medical practices because they deal with affluent clients. These clients want convenience and focus on their long-term lives.
“Five Loves” are the people you’d love to have on but might not be customers yet. They’re like your gold list. This approach helps you commit because it’s time you’re committing to, making you stick to it. It’s a starting step to consider having a podcast.
Steve: For a concierge medical physician, the five cans, the five loves — the guests they’re interviewing — would they be patients, other physicians, office staff, or nurses? Who should they select?
Ryan: I’d say the people they’re most comfortable speaking with about the industry and who have dynamic personalities are best for the podcast. You want people you’re comfortable talking with. It doesn’t need to be patients, staff, or specific groups. It should be someone engaging so the conversations aren’t boring.
Steve: Makes sense. If it’s enjoyable, it’s engaging. What’s next? Number two.
Ryan: Outline five to ten questions you’ll ask your guests and send them ahead of time. This makes conversations easier and ensures you have something to fall back on. Your questions should be interesting to you so you’re enthusiastic about the answers.
Steve: I love that idea. What’s number three?
Ryan: Pick one distribution channel or recording studio and don’t overthink it. Focus on big platforms like Spotify or YouTube. Choose one, get your content, and distribute it later to other places. These platforms are improving over time.
Steve: Great! Number four?
Ryan: Block out your time. A podcast is an investment of your time, and you need to have it on your calendar. Time blocking helps you prioritize, reverse engineer, and align everything in your mind. It’s real when it’s on your calendar.
Steve: Couldn’t agree more. What’s number five?
Ryan: Automate your booking process. Using a platform like GoHighLevel reduces the chance of no-shows and takes the cognitive load off your mind. You can schedule emails, texts, or even automate reminders through this platform, which elevates the perceived quality of your podcast.
Steve: Excellent. Is there anything else you’d add?
Ryan: There are different podcast formats, and telling your brand story is a great branding opportunity. It gives you another chance to be in people’s ears and helps build connections at conferences.
Steve: Ryan, this has been wonderful. Thank you for sharing your insights on the Concierge Medical Marketing podcast. If our listeners want to contact you, how can they reach you?
Ryan: Sure. My email is ryan@webinar-launch.com. Generally, I target financial advisors, but I’m happy to give advice to anyone needing help with podcasting.
Steve Schwartz: That sounds great, Ryan. Thank you once again for taking the time to be with us today and for sharing those valuable insights. I’m sure our listeners will find your advice actionable and helpful in starting their own podcasts.
Ryan Ross: Thank you, Steve. It’s been a pleasure being here, and I hope your audience can take these steps and make the most of them in their practices.
Steve: Absolutely. For our listeners, if you’re considering launching a podcast for your concierge medical practice, remember that it’s about creating connections, sharing your expertise, and building your practice presence. Use the tools and strategies Ryan shared with us today, and you might just find a rewarding addition to your practice’s outreach efforts.
Thank you, everyone, for tuning in to this episode of the Concierge Medical Marketing podcast. If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to us.
Ryan: Thanks, everyone!
Steve: Take care, and we look forward to catching up with you on the next episode. Goodbye for now!