Marketing Happy Hour - The Soft Launch of MHH Media + How to Start Your Own Podcast

Starting point is 00:00:00 you're listening to the marketing happy hour podcast where we discuss career and industry insights with our peers in marketing we're here to talk about it all like the ups and downs of working in social media how to build authentic relationships in the influencer and pr space managing a nine-to-five and a side hustle at the same time, how to be productive in your life and career without losing your sanity, and more. Ultimately, we're here to build a community with you because we're all trying to navigate the world of marketing together. Are you ready? Grab your favorite drink and join your hosts, Cassie and Erica, for this week's episode. Erica, it's just the two of us today, and I'm super excited to be here with you because we're going to talk about a very exciting little

Starting point is 00:00:55 launch. I shouldn't say little because it's not little. It's a big launch, a big launch that we had recently. And it's just surrounding our love and appreciation for the platform of podcasting and just taking everything that we've learned in the years of podcasting, whether it's with this show and just prior experience or current experience that we'll talk about a little bit more, but we're excited to be celebrating the launch of MHH Media. It's so, so cool to just see what has come out of Marketing Happy Hour, including this, including the community that we've built, all of these different platforms. This is just another extension of what we've been able to build over the years. And it's just so exciting to do this alongside you.

Starting point is 00:01:41 Yes, I love it. I'm so glad we're here. And I'm so glad that we're launching this. Yeah, for sure. Well, we'll get into the nitty gritty, all the details. But Erica, what's in your glass this afternoon? What are you sipping on today? Well, I actually made a little light, refreshing spritz with plant botanical vodka. Their team was kind enough to send that over to us. And it's actually really good. It has some flavor of goji berry and dandelion root. And it's actually just super light, which is something that I love, especially these days when I'm not really drinking as much, you know, it's a little treat to, you know, enjoy with happy hour. What about you?

Starting point is 00:02:21 Yeah, yeah, absolutely. No, their vodka is delicious and it's so fun to receive something that we can kind of make our own and put together whatever drink we are feeling like in a given time, whether it's during recording or just, you know, on our own day to day. But I have something a little bit different. So happy hour, of course, is not what it is without snacks, right? I know you and I, every time we go out to happy hour, we're always getting snacks or appetizers to go along with it. But I today have love corn. So they sent over a box of some of their different flavored goodies. I am crunching on crunching on the barbecue flavor, but it's just delicious, crunchy corn, little packets, packets of deliciousness. And I, I love these cause they're so small. And I, I love these because

Starting point is 00:03:05 they're so small. And so I actually went to a conference this weekend and I just threw a couple bags in, in my bag for the conference. And I was able to kind of snack on those throughout. So really great snack. Thanks to Lovecorn for sending that over. Oh my gosh. That sounds so good. I can't wait to try. I know you have like an excess amount at your house right now because I told them just send it your way. So next time I see you, I got to grab those from you because it sounds so, so good. But Cassidy, like you mentioned, you know, today we're just going to bring all of our listeners along with us in the journey of launching our own media company, which is so wild, but yeah, we're really doing this thing. You all might have seen that we recently launched our newest podcast under the MHH Media umbrella. It's called the Social Media

Starting point is 00:03:52 Diaries Podcast, and we'll actually hear from the show's co-hosts, Carly and Kirsten, a little bit later on, just hearing about their experience starting their own show. But first, we wanted to kind of share a little bit about our vision for MHH Media and where we're going next. Yeah. We'll talk a little bit about our personal journeys with podcasting here in a minute, but I think podcasting for me personally has just like taken over what I do on a day-to-day. I'm so, so highly passionate about it just because I've seen what it's able to do for brands, for creators. And I personally believe, and I know you, you would agree with me too, Erica, that podcasting is just one of the most intimate platforms for connecting on a deeper level, one-to-one

Starting point is 00:04:36 with community members. You know, people are putting their earbuds in, they're choosing to listen to you and dedicate, you know, anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes, even more of their time listening to you as the host and what you have to say. Yeah, absolutely. We always like to say it's, it's almost like the friend that's sitting with you in your car on your walk, whatever it is, just telling you about their day or tips and tricks that you can take away from it as a listener. And so getting into that space as a host, whether you're on the brand side, or you're a creator yourself, it's just another avenue to

Starting point is 00:05:09 get really involved with your audience and kind of create community around it. And in 2024, we're really expected to see really big growth with podcasts and those who listen. So we're really excited to be a part of that. Yeah, for sure. I found this article the other day from Demand Sage, and they shared that worldwide there are 464.7 million podcast listeners. And this number is projected to reach around 504.9 million by the end of this year. And in addition to that, the podcast industry is currently worth uh 23.56 billion dollars and so it's just growing rapidly i think more and more brands are starting to understand the value of it whether it's them creating a show themselves or even just tapping into shows to sponsor or

Starting point is 00:06:00 advertise on there um and like we said already, you know, this is really projected to grow. But there is, you know, a downside of podcasting. And I think that's something that not a lot of people expect to see going into creating a show. They're like, oh, let me just go ahead and do it and just see how it goes. And it's going to be so much fun. And it's I just pop on the recording and talk. But there's a lot more to it. Absolutely. As a matter of fact, this is something that we've talked about before, but there are over 700,000 active shows and millions more that were launched and just never continued. About 44% of those podcasts of the podcasts that exist in the world, whether they're active or non-active, they have less than three episodes, which really

Starting point is 00:06:45 speaks to that, you know, pod fade, which is that notion that you start a podcast, you're so excited about it and you try to get really organized with what's going on and what you want to talk about, but it's so hard to really hone in on what that means and what you want to put out to your audience and who you want to serve. And we kind of want to combat that for you. So Cassie, what does it take to, you know, keep a show going? Oh gosh, so much, but even just thinking about it technically. So there's a lot of work on the front and back end of a show to keep it going. And, you know, podcasters, like you said, sometimes just decide that the work isn't worth it. Even though I will always tell people that are thinking about quitting, I'm like, keep going. It's so worth it. It takes time to build, but it's such a valuable platform. And I think the point that there is so much work

Starting point is 00:07:35 involved is the reason that we decided to launch MHH Media. And the reason being we had so many people come to us saying, I want to launch. I don't know how, how do you get your show set up on all these platforms? How do you get it on Apple? How, how do you get it on Spotify? How do I even come up with a concept for my show? And so this network is just going to be a place where hosts can gain support, launching their shows while facing the challenges of podcasting together. So I believe strongly that podcasting alone, it's possible. You know, we started, it was just the two of us. I know there's a lot of people on their own doing it, but when done with support, one, two, three,

Starting point is 00:08:17 four, 10 people, it's way easier to stick with it and stay resilient no matter what, because you have that accountability. And like I said, supportive people who have been there and done that. A hundred percent. And I know people who listen to this podcast have heard us say that we never set out to really be podcasters. We just wanted to bring the conversations that were already existing and the things that we were already talking about with our friends and our peers in the marketing space, just to a larger audience. So people could learn more and kind of have that community and know that they weren't alone in the struggles that they were experiencing. So we're excited to kind of kick off more of those conversations with new shows underneath the MHH Media umbrella.

Starting point is 00:08:55 But as of right now, the MHH Media exists to provide podcasters with the production, promotional, hosting, and marketing support to launch and grow their own shows. Like we mentioned over the past three years, navigating the podcast space ourselves with Marketing Happy Hour and some of the further experience that Cassidy and I both have had in the space prior, we've just absorbed so much of that information around building, launching, and growing a show. There's so much out there, so many podcasts that you can even listen to about it. So many resources that either you have to pay a ton of money, you have to shell out a bunch of money for up front, or, you know, all of this free content that comes through multiple emails. We just receive all the time, just so many different tips and tricks and things like that.

Starting point is 00:09:41 We've absorbed so much information and tried so many different things out just around building and launching and growing your show. And we've just compiled everything that we know into one place with a starter document, which is our podcast launch strategy guide that we're kind of going to talk a little bit about now. Yeah, for sure. Well, I think too, you know, besides working on Marketing Happy Hour now for about three years or so, there's some other things that we have been able to work on outside of that, that have added to just our experience in the space. And I know we don't talk about this a lot of what we've done in the past and everything, but Erica, I know you have worked on some pretty substantial brand podcasts as well. So if you don't mind kind of like talking a little bit about that and what you have been able to do outside of marketing happy hour. Yeah, absolutely. So before we even started this podcast, I know a lot of people kind of know a little bit about my background, but I was working in the brand side of things, just placing

Starting point is 00:10:42 people on shows and kind of advertising on podcasts. And nobody knew where to start. And then I also transitioned to working for a large network of shows and just found the same pain points over and over again. Nobody knew where to begin. There was so many like limited beliefs holding them back. The barrier to entry was like so high, uh, just with overwhelm of like the back end, the planning process, your time management skills. It's so difficult because they were

Starting point is 00:11:11 constantly having to do some heavy lifting throughout the journey. And I know that we kind of ran into that with marketing happy hour as well. Um, instead of just doing like one heavy lift in the beginning that would set them up for success, which is something that we have developed behind the scenes to launch the shows that we're going to be launching. So I just have a lot of passion and a lot of understanding and grace for people that don't know where to begin and really, really want to do something to connect further with the community. And that's why I think it's so important to have a community of hosts of podcast experts that can really guide you along the way. And that's what we're setting out to do. Obviously, we are doing this on our own. We've done this on

Starting point is 00:11:58 our own for about three years. And as Cassie said, we've learned a lot along the way. And I just think that we can really help people. And that's what we set out to do in the beginning of all of this journey is just help people. So I'm glad that we get to continue to do that. But Cassie, I wanted to hear a little bit about your experience too and how you know what we know now. Yeah, absolutely. Well, it's slowly progressed over the years.

Starting point is 00:12:22 I would say back in, I think it was like 2018, uh, was the first time I was ever on a podcast, like really started diving into podcasting, which I know in retrospect, podcasting was quite a few years old at that point. But, um, later down the road, I ended up, uh, getting a client that managed, I think we produced like eight different shows. And so just seeing those being built and managed. And I had a mentor who had been in the podcasting space since like 2005 or something, just teaching me the ropes and then handing over the reins to me to host a couple shows as well. So I think both on the backend and the front end, just being able to work with as a whole 20 plus shows and just seeing how the brand identity is developed, the concepts, how to connect with just the listeners and everything and hosting on and off five or so shows.

Starting point is 00:13:19 And so it's just like I said earlier, like I'm so obsessed with this platform and it's been such a treat to be able to be a part of different audiences and styles of shows and just learning how to use the platform uniquely as it ties into your brand and your customers and serving them in a different way and adding value. It's such an awesome platform for just adding more and more value to your consumers. It's a long form content piece. And it's something, as we said earlier, it's so intimate. People are listening, listening to your voice. They feel like they're getting to know you. And it's kind of like just having a nice dinner table conversation with that authority or thought leader in the space. Um, so like I said, I could go on and on about how much I love this platform, but, uh, yeah, huge fan.

Starting point is 00:14:07 Yeah. Yeah. So I wanted to get into like how you can get started with MHH media. And if you already have a community that you want to connect deeper with, or you're looking for a place to create and foster that community, then we believe podcasting is for you. We, like I said, always say we didn't set out to become podcasters, but the community that we've been able to connect with and grow throughout our time investing in and growing the Marketing Happy Hour show is just the greatest thing that we've

Starting point is 00:14:35 ever professionally done. I speak for myself, I guess, when I say that, but I know Cassie feels the same way and we want to help you do the same. And that's why we really created the podcast launch strategy guide, because we've been there. We know what it's like to stumble along, hoping that something that we're doing will resonate or stick. And we know that if we can get through the pain points that you can too. Yeah, for sure. So this is definitely for someone that says, I want to start a show. I'm kind of a self-starter as long as I have the tools to be able to do that or the steps to make it happen. So kind of going back to Erica and I's experience, you know, with building this podcast and working in our past experience, we have really worked in every single element of podcasting. We've done the branding side,

Starting point is 00:15:22 the messaging side. We've even created our own podcast covers. We've edited on our own. We've done the branding side, the messaging side. We've even created our own podcast covers. We've edited on our own. We've written the show notes. So we have been able to kind of step into each of those roles and manage them ourselves and learn from those pieces as well and how to make them better and improve them over time. So overall, this guide is structured into five key sections and it's mirroring, like I said, those steps required for a successful podcast journey. So from launch all the way to growth and just kind of getting it up off the ground and even kind of tapping into what do you need to do to grow your audience further, things like that. So going into those five steps. So first of all, there's a comprehensive

Starting point is 00:16:06 guide to help you develop your concept. So again, we strongly believe that even before getting your show up off the ground is coming up with your why, why are you developing a show? Why are you doing what you're doing? Who are you speaking to? What is kind of that need that you're serving? And how does that tie into the authority that you have in your space? Number two is advice on creating a brand around your show. So first of all, starting with the foundation of the why now creating that name, that brand identity. So colors, logos, things like that, that tie into your target audience as well as maybe even a current existing brand that you have as well. Number even a current existing brand that you have as well. Uh, number three is vetted equipment that we recommend and even use ourselves. Uh, so for us,

Starting point is 00:16:51 audio quality is very, very important. And so we give you some recommendations for mics that we personally use. Uh, there's different levels for mics. Um, and also if you're doing video as well, kind of some recommendations for doing some remote interviews with different guests that you're going to be talking to as well. Number four is a step by step guide for preparing your first episodes and helpful tips for organizing your thoughts. And so one of the first things, this is the teaser that we take you through is outlining your first several episode topics. And so we also believe if you can't come up with 20 plus concepts for episodes, it might be time to kind of rework your concept a little bit,

Starting point is 00:17:31 because one of the things we don't want you to get into is being stuck of what to talk about next. And so that kind of helps set you up for success and get you prepared there. And then just also taking you through what to include in your first few episodes, how to launch things like that. And then last but certainly not least is the full scoop on how and where to launch your show, how to get it set up technically, et cetera. Kind of the nitty gritty that isn't as fun,

Starting point is 00:17:58 but it's also the most rewarding part, I would say, because it's actually seeing your show pop up on those platforms. I am just so thrilled that we're launching this too, because this is something that I wish that we had when we were starting out. So it just goes along with the theme of Marketing Happy Hour, even that we want to be the resource for people that we wish we had earlier on in our careers. And I think this is the same along those same lines.

Starting point is 00:18:22 We want to be the resources that we wish that we had when we were starting our podcast. So I love it. But I just wanted to also include some of our friends in this episode that can kind of speak to the guide and what it entails and how it's been helpful for them. So don't just take it from us. Now we're going to insert a clip from our friends, Carly and Kirsten, who utilize the exact document to start MHH Media's newest podcast, The Social Media Diaries. Hi, Carly and Kirsten. How are you guys? Hey, we're doing great.

Starting point is 00:18:54 Nice to be here. Awesome. Well, we just wanted to hear from you a little bit around why you started The Social Media Diaries podcast and what was really important for you to be able to convey to your audience within the podcast? Well, we started the Social Media Diaries podcast because about a year or two ago, we were already being asked about a podcast because we share a lot of advice and tips on our social media page. Also last year, we kind of blew up on socials. We now have a little over 40,000 loyal, loyal followers who are constantly asking us questions. Also,

Starting point is 00:19:35 I feel like Kirsten and I have a lot of traumatic experiences and trauma from our jobs. And we, and you know, every job has that. I don't want to talk down to being a social media manager, but I think we wanted a platform where we could have a community that could relate to us. And so they know that they're not alone. And also I feel like there's only so much that we can share on Instagram. The information that goes out there has to be really curated and kind of toned down to fit in an Instagram post, whereas we can sit in a podcast and talk for an hour about one topic. So it's a great way for people to really like see the back end of everything from our

Starting point is 00:20:15 experiences and our point of view. Yeah, for sure. I think podcasting is such a great long form content piece just to add even more value to your audience. So super stoked for you guys to kind of step into this, but going back to pre-launch, you know, you guys came to us and you're like, we need help. We need to put this into action and actually go ahead and launch. And so we worked with you guys, gave you a amazing resource just to help kind of work you through the launch process. And so curious to hear on

Starting point is 00:20:46 your guys's end, how that podcast launch strategy guide helped you in the process. That was huge for us. I think something that Carly and I implement in our business in all aspects is being organized, laying out a list, having something that we can always go back to if we get like a little off track and having that strategy for us to go and look at and say like this is what we need to be talking about this is how we need to do things there's a process to stick to it's really kept us like to our dates to turning things in on time to making sure that we're getting the content that we need to get um because it's really easy to just kind of run off on a tangent and end up doing

Starting point is 00:21:26 and talking about a hundred different things versus what we really kind of sat down to try to do from the start. I think the biggest thing when people start new things, whether it's a business, a podcast, Instagram page, whatever, is like what delays you and stresses you out or like forgetting important details. And so having your guys' guide helped us, I mean, it streamlined the whole process and made it so efficient and quick, actually.

Starting point is 00:21:53 Like we launched a podcast in like three weeks because we had everything laid out for us. Nothing was missed because we had the experts essentially tell us exactly what to do. Oh my gosh, that's so good to hear. And that's exactly why we created the guide and wanted to help you guys using it because we know the backend is so scary and it can be so intimidating to just get started. And we know that the amazing community

Starting point is 00:22:19 that we've built with Marketing Happy Hour is just like the most worth it thing. So it's just getting over that hump of like, how do I get started? What do I need to do? What are my first 20 episodes look like? What is, you know, my podcast brand look like it was a lot of the stuff that we personally spent a long time figuring out for ourselves that we wanted to just share with people and invite them in to create their own show and connect with their community in a way. So tell us a little bit about what the Social Media Diaries

Starting point is 00:22:50 podcast is about. So the Social Media Diaries is essentially like a dive into all of the things that Carly and I talk about on the back end. It's all the experiences that we've had. It's all the knowledge that we've gained. I's all the knowledge that we've gained. I think something that we touched on a little bit in our first episode is that as social media managers, as business owners, as entrepreneurs, you're going to make mistakes. You're going to learn things along the way. And our goal with this is to kind of share some of the things that we've learned along the way for business owners, for social media managers. You know, we kind of have our hands in both things. And I think being able to tell people what's

Starting point is 00:23:32 normal, what's not normal. I think a lot of people struggle with the same things. So us being able to share all that information with them in a place that is safe for them to listen to it and they're comfortable being able to ask questions is really important to us. Another big kind of component, even just behind millennial social media, our agency is helping small business owners, helping entrepreneurs, even influencers, creators,

Starting point is 00:23:58 people who are trying to make a living of some sort or income or traffic to anything off of social media. They all need help. And even though our social media posts are helpful, we tend to see a lot of comments and DMs where they still are left confused. They don't understand. And I get it because it's like learning anything new. It's like you have to go to school to really understand the complexities of certain things. And social media is very, very complex. And given there's a stigma that social media apparently is not a real job, it's actually a very difficult job. And we are here to help coach and guide people in the most, we want to try to dumb it all down and kind of be your social

Starting point is 00:24:42 media besties of like really helping those, even the older generations as well. Like my mother, she's a Gen X, right? Or baby boomer. And she has no idea at all. She doesn't even know how to put up a post on Facebook. So, but she wants to start using social media to, my mom is handicapped. She can't go to work so it's like we're trying to help those kind of people where it's difficult for them to learn when it's just a 12 second reel with obviously a long caption so hopefully with this podcast we can also reach more people and really help them understand by diving deep into the basics of social media. For sure. Well, we're super stoked for you guys. Congratulations on the launch and you can get social media diaries

Starting point is 00:25:32 anywhere where you listen to podcasts. We'll have everything linked below, but thank you guys for joining us on the show today. Oh, so good. So stoked about their show. It's been so fun to listen so far and just see their growth journey of the podcast, even just a few episodes in. So yeah, like Erica said, make sure you go check that out. We'll have that linked below in the show notes, but also want you to hear from Lindsay, founder and CEO of Good Press, who was recently on our show and talked about all things PR, but she is actually using the podcast launch strategy guide to help her develop the concept and get her show off the ground.

Starting point is 00:26:05 So we're also going to hear from her about how that's been effective in her podcasting journey so far. Friends, this guide is the real deal. The team at MHH Media really packed a punch and they did not leave anything out in the process. If you're anything like me, you've probably been sitting on the idea of starting a podcast for a while, but the fear of what to do and how to do it probably got in your way. This guide helped me organize my thoughts and equipped me with both the confidence and the excitement to get started. From ideation to execution, every question I had was answered, and I am so grateful that this guide has propelled me into the next stage of my podcasting journey. Awesome. Okay. Follow along with Lindsay as she continues her podcast launch process by checking

Starting point is 00:26:49 out Good Press at the link in our show notes. And if you are ready to get started, grab your podcast launch strategy guide at marketinghappyhr.com forward slash start dash a dash podcast. Again, that's marketing, happy, hr.com forward slash start dash a dash podcast. Yes. We'll have that linked below as well. And if you have any questions or you're hesitant about starting a podcast or want to know more about just how it's been beneficial to us and how much we've loved setting this up and how it served our audience, feel free to shoot us a message on any of the platforms linked below or an email. We're more than happy to talk with you more about our love for podcasting because as you've seen in this episode, we love it very much. I know we could talk all day. It's funny. I feel like we're rambling a little bit,

Starting point is 00:27:39 but it's just because we're so passionate and we appreciate all of you for being along with us on this journey. It's been so incredible. And Cassie and I talk all the time about the community that we're building and continue to have conversations with, and it's just so special to us. So we really appreciate you guys.

Marketing Happy Hour - The Soft Launch of MHH Media + How to Start Your Own Podcast

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