Jeremy Weisz 2:39
Yeah, go ahead. I want to give a just a quick background, we did another episode called the five different types of episodes you should be creating with your content and your podcasts. And one of those types is the thought leadership episodes, which we’re going to break down even further today.
John Corcoran 2:57
Exactly. So that’s a good background on this. So this is one type of podcast interview, which we encourage people to create. And first of all, I guess it’s worth saying that there are some people who who approach podcast differently. And they think that they are going to create only episodes where they’re talking into a microphone, they’re sharing their wisdom. And the challenge with that is it’s very boring, it’s very isolating. And I have not seen many podcasts in that format succeed over the years, they tend to go for a little bit six months or so if that. And then they end up giving it up. Because it’s just not fun to do individually, the fact that you’re missing out on the advantages of upholding your network. Having said that, it is great to do some portion of your episodes using thought leadership. So let’s talk about Jeremy, what styles or what types of thought leadership episodes should people be thinking about creating?
Jeremy Weisz 3:55
Yeah, we’ll break down a number of different types of thought leadership episodes, what we end up talking about first is, you know, kind of a little bit more about the origin story. Right? So why you started your career. Again, when we’re talking about podcast, we’re talking about b2b podcast, not you know, a crime, you know, law and order podcasts or something like that crime. True Crime is hackley. But so the origin of why you started the company, how you came up with the idea, there’s a bunch of origin stories, and which, you know, brings people up to speed about your background and some interesting things in evolution of the company’s services and what you do.
John Corcoran 4:40
Yeah. And a couple other ones, you know, talking about a mentor talking about the secret sauce behind your company, what inspired you may be, you know, in many cases, you can create a great conversation around just one of these things. Talking about a mentor that you had as a kid or in college, or in high school. They took you under your wing In the lessons that you learned, you know, some people have amazing wisdom that you can spin out just from that one individual topic. Another one that’s really good Jeremy, is it a tear down? episode. So that’s where you know, you, let’s say your expertise is in SEO, or designing websites, or business coaching or something like that. And you will, in exchange for someone’s consent for you to share it as an episode. As content, you will give someone free feedback, free advice, or free coaching or consulting of some sort. And share that as as an episode on your podcast.
Jeremy Weisz 5:40
Yeah, I mean, we do that all the time on our calls, because people will ask us about their podcast and their business. And we’ll just, you know, give them advice, you know, for their situation, and we’ll tear down what’s going on, and kind of give them advice on how to improve it. And, you know, we do that all the time, you know, in our podcast business, but people can do that in their area of expertise.
John Corcoran 6:03
Right. Another one is frequently asked questions, you know, think about what are the 10 questions that you get asked all the time. Those are all opportunities for episodes, those are all opportunities for you to share your wisdom and insights around those particular topics. And, you know, we do this sometimes in our business where we just, you know, hop on and answer a bunch of questions that we get frequently from people. And, and that ends up being really great content, because it’s helpful to people. And it’s also something that we can share with other people down the line who have similar questions.
Jeremy Weisz 6:34
Yeah, we actually had someone who asked us a question about like, what equipment do I get? And we’re like, we should just make an episode about that. Right? So then, when someone else asks, we can say, Hey, go check out this episode. It’s all about the equipment that you should get. And then you don’t have to repeat yourself 20 times.
John Corcoran 6:50
Exactly, exactly. Another one is mistakes, you know, what are the biggest mistakes that you see in your industry? Or what are the biggest mistakes that you made in your business journey, that can also be a great topic for a thought leadership episode.
Jeremy Weisz 7:05
Yeah, mistakes, and also myths, right? So people will think, you know, this is the way it’s done. But it’s not. And so it’s kind of like myth busting episodes, I think are really good, too. Because people may think one thing, and then you kind of reveal that it’s not true.
John Corcoran 7:23
Yeah, busting myths, busting misconceptions. Those are really good. Another one is tools. So you know, if you have three or five different tools that you use on a daily basis in your business, just create an episode about that. And it can be very practical, and very useful. And it doesn’t have to be 30 minutes long, it could be 10 minutes long, just walking through why you use those tools and why you recommend them.
Jeremy Weisz 7:46
Yeah, I love those episodes. I mean, we, we actually did one of those episodes on tools that we use in our business. And people loved it, because they get insight into what we’re doing. And they can apply that to their own business.
John Corcoran 7:59
Right. Another one is book reviews, you know, if you read a book, and you want to share your takeaways from that book, or maybe three or four books that you’ve read recently, and your key takeaways from each one, that can be another type of thought leadership episode.
Jeremy Weisz 8:16
Yeah, I mean, I think that’s great, too, because then you get to share your takeaways. And also, it’s almost like a public service, because you’re sharing, like, here’s the book, here’s the takeaway. And then if they want to read more, they can go check out that book, but at least they got your high level takeaway from it.
John Corcoran 8:33
Yeah, absolutely. And then another one is case studies. So if you have a client that you work with, and you got a great result for them, you can share that story. You can share, you know, what was the problem? What did you do? And what was the result, and that can be another great thought leadership episode.
Jeremy Weisz 8:52
Yeah, I love that one. Because then you get to show how you actually help people in real life. And then it gives people confidence that you can help them as well.
John Corcoran 9:03
Exactly. Another one is trend spotting. So you know, what are the big trends that are happening in your industry right now? What are you paying attention to? What do you see coming down the line, that can also be a great topic for a thought leadership episode.
Jeremy Weisz 9:20
Yeah, I think those are great. I mean, we’ve done some of those episodes as well. And it’s just helpful for people to know, like, what are you paying attention to? Because then they can learn from that as well.
John Corcoran 9:32
Right. Another one is lessons learned. So you know, what are the biggest lessons that you’ve learned in your business journey, that could be another topic. And then finally, you know, another one is predictions. So what do you think is going to happen in the next year, in the next three years in the next five years in your industry? That can be another great thought leadership episode.
Jeremy Weisz 9:56
Yeah, I love those two, because then you can come back later and see if your predictions were right or not. And that’s always kind of fun.
John Corcoran 10:07
Yeah, exactly. And you can always do an episode later, where you come back and you revisit your predictions and see if you were right or wrong.
x
John Corcoran 10:20
So those are just a handful of different types of thought leadership episodes that you can do. Again, it’s a great way to share your own wisdom, your own insights, your own experiences, and to give value to your audience. And you can mix them in with interview episodes with other people as well. So it doesn’t have to be all one or all the other, you can do a combination of the two. Jeremy, any final thoughts on this?
Jeremy Weisz 10:45
Yeah, I mean, I think the key is to just get started with it. You know, I think a lot of times people think, oh, I have to have this perfect plan or perfect structure. But really, it’s just about sharing your insights and your wisdom. And it doesn’t have to be perfect. You just have to start and get it out there. And then you’ll improve over time.
John Corcoran 11:05
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, you can always revisit some of these topics later on, you can always do another episode on mistakes, another episode on lessons learned, another episode on predictions, because those things are always evolving. And you’re always going to have new insights as time goes on.
Jeremy Weisz 11:22
Yeah, I mean, even the same topic, you could cover multiple times, and you’ll have different insights, different experiences, and different stories to share. So don’t be afraid to repeat yourself in that way, because it’s going to be different each time.
John Corcoran 11:37
Exactly. All right. Well, thanks, everyone, for tuning in. This has been another episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast and the Inspired Insider Podcast. And we will talk to you again soon.
Outro 11:49
Thanks for listening to the Inspired Insider Podcast. If you’re inspired, make sure to share this episode with a friend. Check out Rise25.com for more episodes and resources to help you.
