Candice Coppola of The Power in Purpose Podcast: Attract Listeners through the Power of Your Purpose
By: Tracy Hazzard
Tags: Business, Podcasting, Podcasting Tips, Podcast, Influencers

Can you tell us a bit of your “personal backstory? What is your background and what eventually brought you to this particular career path?

I got my first whiff of entrepreneurship while I was snuggled up on the couch, recovering from having my appendix removed. I was an unlikely entrepreneur. At 26, I had an unfinished college degree in Art History and a horrible corporate job to match. But just like every budding business owner, I also had big dreams for my life and the determination to make those dreams a reality.

Flipping through the TV (as one does when they’ve called out sick from work!), I came across a show on TLC called “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” I was instantly hooked, and that was the day I found my purpose in life. I started my wedding planning and design business in 2007, which led me on an incredible journey.

Fast forward to 12 years later, and I had planned and designed hundreds of luxury weddings all over the world. I grew this little business from the spare room of my home into a multi-country, multi-six-figure company. I had written two books, launched a speaking career–all while my team and I had the unique opportunity of helping families celebrate moments that mattered in their lives with some incredible parties.

In 2019, I decided that things needed to change. As much as I loved the work, there was something new calling me. I found a passion for helping entrepreneurs have the same level of success I was fortunate enough to have. I decided to sell my business and launch my successful business coaching career.

Purpose changed my life — I know first hand how powerful it is. I’m on a mission to help women discover their gifts, build businesses around their talents, and live each day on purpose.

Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?

I wasn’t sure if podcasting would be successful for me or if people would even listen to my show. One of the most interesting things that has happened since I started podcasting was the number of people who reach out to me that do listen to the show. I get DM’s, emails, and comments every day from incredible business owners telling me their stories and thanking me for creating an outlet where they can learn.

Can you share a story about the biggest or funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or takeaways you learned from that?

Oh, so many great mistakes! I remember being in the middle of an interview with a high profile guest when I heard a huge “BOOM” outside. Seconds later, my power cut out. A construction truck backed into our electricity pole and knocked out power to our neighborhood for the entire day.

I think every reader and podcaster can sympathize with being in the middle of an INCREDIBLE interview with an esteemed guest and suddenly having your power go out!

How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?

I’ve been podcasting for two years now, and we just published our 61st episode!

What are the main takeaways, lessons or messages that you want your listeners to walk away with after listening to your show?

Your purpose is powerful. What happens in our business (and our lives) when we start leading with purpose? Every week our listeners get to hear from other successful entrepreneurs–in a variety of fields and niches–who make purpose the cornerstone of their business. They’re left feeling inspired to dig into why they do what they do and are determined to build a business that leaves behind a legacy.

In your opinion what makes your podcast binge-listenable? What do you think makes your podcast unique from the others in your category? What do you think is special about you as a host, your guests, or your content?

It’s essential for business and self-help podcasts to be relatable, diverse, engaged, and actionable. Our listeners binge episodes because we seek diverse guests who have unique (but relatable) stories to share. And every episode is always actionable, with clear take-a-ways of what our listeners can do to improve their situation.

Doing something on a consistent basis is not easy. Podcasting every work-day, or even every week can be monotonous. What would you recommend to others about how to maintain discipline and consistency? What would you recommend to others about how to avoid burnout?

I’ve adapted a batchworking style that helps me to produce my show with consistency. Batchworking is a great way to knock out several episodes at once, from editing all your episodes to creating the marketing for each. When I started my show, I would do them one by one, and it took so much time. Batchworking helps me group similar tasks together to get them done at once.

What is batchworking? The simplest way to describe it is this: you take a group of similar tasks associated with a project, and you focus on executing those tasks in groups, without distractions, until they are completed.

Since you have a podcast, you KNOW that a lot of the tasks associated with every episode are similar. Tasks like:

Research

Inviting Guests

Script Writing

Interview Recording

Intro/Outro Recordings

Ad Recordings

Editing

…. and ALL the tasks related to prepping your episode to go live, including marketing and social media

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could take three months worth of podcast episodes and get them done on the weekend? Trust me, it is possible with batchworking!

Here are some easy steps to get started:

Process: Document your process for every episode, from start to finish, so you have a solid idea of all the tasks involved. Documenting your workflow will help you group similar jobs so that you can move onto the next step. A project management tool like Asana can help make this actionable. Goal: Set a goal for how many episodes you want to complete — whether it’s from the start (scriptwriting/research) or maybe that pile of audio that’s waiting to be edited. Set a goal and set the date on your calendar of when you’ll batchwork. I usually give myself two days to get through 12 episodes. Group Tasks: Now that you’ve set your goal and documented your process, group up your tasks by day. For instance: Day One: Record all intro/outro’s to interviews, fully edit episodes and export, write a digest of each episode for show notes, upload completed audio files to dropbox. Day Two: Schedule all episodes for publication over the next 12 weeks, create all blog posts in WordPress, create social media graphics for promotion Step-by-Step: The key to batchworking is not to do one episode at a time from start to finish but to complete one portion of your tasks for ALL your episodes. Why? Because they are all similar tasks, with identical action items, steps, and programs used. Instead of switching back and forth between a lot of software or tasks, you’re able to focus on one at a time while producing months worth of content for your podcast!

If you’re interested in learning more about batchworking, check out Episode 29 of The Power in Purpose podcast. I break it down, step-by-step!

If you’re suffering from burnout on your podcast, I promise you batchworking will help. Not only does it give you the undistracted space to get things done, but it also provides us with a little secret sauce to squashing burnout: momentum. Many podcasters find themselves in burnout when the to-do list is long and their time is short. Giving yourself the gift of batchworking tasks puts you back in control of your time and your to-do list.

What resources do you get your inspiration for materials from?

I look inside my community for inspiration. I try to listen as much as I can to my audience and keep their current problems and values top of mind. Every episode I do is for our listeners!

Is there someone in the podcasting world who you think is a great model for how to run a really fantastic podcast?

I love Amy Porterfield! Not only is her podcast one of the best, but she shows up consistently and with integrity in every show. I’ve used her as a model for how I want to show up for my audience.

What are the ingredients that make that podcast so successful? If you could break that down into a blueprint, what would that blueprint look like?

Every podcast is different, but I think there are foundational magic pieces that make a podcast rise to the top. If I could mix up a cocktail recipe for a successful podcast, it would have…

Equal parts purpose, passion, and authenticity

1oz of curiosity

A dash of humor

Garnished with a place for community

Can you share with our readers the five things you need to know to create an extremely successful podcast?

Keep Your Curiosity: Whether you’re doing an interview show or a show where you’re the main speaker, having a curiosity about the topic you’re presenting to your listeners is essential. Stay curious, ask questions, dig deeper, and provide your listeners with well-rounded conversations. When you can keep your curiosity, you’ll take your audience (and yourself) with you on a journey of discovery.

Serve Your Listener: Sometimes, hosts of a podcast make the show all about them and forget that there are listeners on the other side of the microphone. To have an extremely successful podcast, you must put your listeners first. Consider doing some of the following to make sure your show is serving its audience:

Map out your audience ICA: Know who your ideal audience is by putting together some details about who they are, their demographics, what they value, and what problems they have (that you can solve!). Just like you would map out your ideal customer in a business plan, your listener’s ICA profile can be the compass you need to make sure every episode is serving them value and solving their problems.

Data Mine To Get Topics: Surveying your audience can help push you out of a creative block from time to time. There may come a time where you’re at a loss for what to talk about (it happens to all of us!). Use data mining to get inside your listener’s heads and ask questions about what they want to hear from you. Going directly to the source makes it easier to create meaningful content consistently.

Flip It Back To The Listener: One of my show’s pillars is: how can this help the listener? During my pre-call prep with a guest speaker, I remind them that they should always flip it back to the listener as they tell their story or share an antidote. One easy technique that will make your podcast episodes actionable is to ask guests: what would you tell someone listening who is experiencing the same situation right now? Remember, it’s not about you or your guest, but the person on the other side of the microphone.

Create Connections To Continue The Conversation: If podcasting is a lead magnet for you, you must find ways to connect with your listeners outside of the show. This can be as simple as having conversations on Instagram, or more strategic such as a Facebook Group for your listeners to connect in. You want to extend the conversation outside of your show as much as possible and find unique ways to create personal connections with your listeners.

Consistency Is Key: Podcast listeners have high expectations that you’ll show up and continue to serve them once they’re invested in your show. If you lose consistency, you’ll lose listeners.

All of us have discovered an incredible podcast, only to find out that it hasn’t been updated in months (or years!). It’s even worse when a podcast you love suddenly stops producing episodes with no notice from the host. To have an extremely successful podcast, you have to be consistent in delivering your show. If you can’t show up every week, consider another timeline that works for you. If you don’t want to produce it year-round, then consider doing seasons that last a few weeks or months.

You don’t have to follow other popular shows’ timelines, who have teams behind them to produce new episodes every week. Commit to what you can and then show up consistently.

Make Diversity A Priority: There is no excuse not to feature a diverse group of people on your podcast. Diversity has been a priority for my show since day one, and my team and I purposefully seek out guests with different backgrounds. Use your platform to lift marginalized voices and experts who might be overlooked in their field. Make sure your podcast is representative of the colorful world and community we all live in. As you diversify your guest list, you’ll diversify your listener base and attract more people to your show.

Candice Coppola of The Power in Purpose Podcast shares the best ways to:

1) Book Great Guests. Make sure you have a process in place that makes it convenient and easy for your guests to book. I recommend subscribing to a calendar software, like Calendly, to help make this process smooth and easy. Calendly also lets you automate and customize reminder emails to your guests once they’ve booked–which helps eliminate no-shows! 2) Increase Listeners. Diversifying your guest pool will bring new listeners to your podcast. The more guests you have on your show, the bigger your audience can become. I seek out guests who have fostered incredible communities and have deep connections with their audiences. I know that their audience will follow them wherever they go, and some of those people will stay on and become part of my community. 3) Produce in a Professional Way. If you don’t have the option right now to hire a podcast editor, you can still produce a professional podcast with simple equipment. I recommend spending the time to learn more about audio quality and how to edit your show. You want the listening experience to be as good as possible–but it does NOT have to be perfect. 4) Encourage Engagement. Use your preferred social media platform to share your episodes and cultivate conversations with your listeners. One fun way to encourage engagement is to have your latest guest answer questions inside your Facebook Group or go live on your platform. 5) Monetize. Are you an affiliate for any other businesses? I use affiliate marketing to monetize my podcast with ads to promo codes for tools my listeners should use in their business. Finding advertisers for new podcasts can be tricky, so lean on your established relationships and consider running ads with your established affiliate partners.

For someone looking to start their own podcast, which equipment would you recommend that they start with?

Please, keep it simple. I record interviews on Skype (I find it has the best quality) and use the Audio-Technica AT2020 Mic. Add on a pop filter, and you’re good to go. When recording solo episodes, I do it right inside Garage Band.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Amy Porterfield! I think we’d have a great time talking about podcasting, online business, and margaritas!

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram is where I hang out! You can follow me @candice.coppola