Partner post: 5 tips for starting a podcast that will help you grow your practice

By Melvin Varghese, Psychologist & Founder, Selling the Couch

Ever had one of those moments?

A moment when your heart tells you to take a risk even though it terrifies you?

For me, that was podcasting.

But launching the Selling The Couch podcast has been one of the best professional and personal decisions that I’ve made. It’s changed my career path and my family’s life in ways I could have never imagined.

As the Selling The Couch podcast continues to grow, many of our colleagues in the health and wellness space have reached out asking for support in launching their own podcast.

I applaud their initiative because I know what a huge impact podcasting can have on a practice. Often, when I meet people who have heard my podcast, they tell me they feel they already know me even though we’ve never met.

Think about that for a moment. As a healthcare practitioner, one of the most important things you can do to connect with your ideal client is to reach them on a level that makes you familiar to them.

That connection is much easier to make when they can hear your voice on a regular basis. That’s the power of podcasting.

Today, I’m going to go through five tips that will help you get started developing your podcast. Then, at the end of the post, I’ll give you a link to a much longer podcast tutorial that I designed to provide step-by-step instructions on everything from equipment and software setup to how to record, edit, and publish your podcast.

It’s a lot to take in, but I always stick by my No. 1 piece of advice - KISS (keep it simple, silly).

OK, let’s get started.

1.  Keep it simple with equipment

You just need a laptop/desktop, a mic, and recording software. A lot of people get stuck trying to figure out how much they need to spend to get a good sound. The truth is, you can go very expensive but it’s not necessary at the start, and it might not be necessary even when you’re on your 50th show. My entire podcasting setup cost me less than $150.

2.  Think about podcasting as a way to serve your ideal clients

Coming up with content can feel overwhelming at the start. There are just so many things you could talk about! It helps to think about serving your ideal client. What are some topics that could help them improve their well-being? What information could change their lives for the better? By focusing on the person you would most like to serve in your practice, you are more likely to connect on that deep level that makes you resonate and become familiar to them. So familiar that when they finally do meet you in person, they feel they already know you.

3.  Don't let the need to get it perfect stop you from releasing your first episodes 

I admit I struggle with perfectionism myself, and it was something I had to overcome when I committed to doing a regular podcast, especially when I released the first episode. Nearly everyone's first episode is far from perfect, and that’s OK. Just putting it out there will give you so much great information you didn’t even know you needed to move forward. The first episode is important, but mostly because it teaches you what to do with the next episode.

4.  Use the end of podcast episodes to share services you provide

The topic of the podcast is what your clients will tune in to hear, but the end is where you can add in promotions. Ideally, you’ll align the content of the episode with a service you provide.

5.  Hire a professional to create your podcast logo

Having a logo for your podcast professionally designed is well worth the money. It’s the first thing listeners will see. You’ll also be seeing a lot of the logo, so you want to be proud of its look and what it represents. I like 99 Designs, Kapa 99, and DesignCrowd.

There is a lot more to podcasting, of course, but these five tips are a good start.

I also put together some free workshops and a free email course to get your podcast up and running.

And created a community just for health and wellness business owners who are using podcasting to share their mission with the world while growing their business. As I write this, we're over 200 podcasters!

We're called The Healthcasters and you can learn more about us at https://sellingthecouch.com/healthcasters.