On any given day, you’re seeing patients, catching up on paperwork, figuring out your marketing and then zipping off to meet your friends or family for dinner. Your life is full and satisfying. But have you ever felt like you wanted to do more? Maybe you want to…
Meet more people (*ahem* potential patients).
Serve your patients in new, fun ways.
Grow your influence and impact.
There’s one easy way to do all that. It starts with hosting your very own practitioner podcast.
You might be thinking, “I’ve always wanted to have a podcast! But it seems like a lot of work, and I have enough on my plate already.”
My friend, here’s the thing. Starting a podcast as a practitioner is easier than you think. In fact, I’m going to show you how to get yours up and running in one weekend. So, let’s dive in.
7 Straightforward Steps to Start a Podcast
Starting a practitioner podcast may seem daunting at first, but it’s really pretty simple. It comes down to these seven simple steps:
- Figure out your podcast topic or theme. Since it’s for your patients and your practice, center your podcast around the needs of your ideal patient and how you help them.
- Give your podcast a snazzy name
- Choose a name that’s four words or less.
- Make sure it reflects your actual content.
- Don’t get fancy with spellings or special characters. It should be super easy for your patients to find.
- Try using a play on words or creating a name based on the results you want your patients to have.
- Choose a platform to host your podcast. Patreon is a popular choice that also happens to be a membership platform. Hello Audio is another option if you want a more intimate, homey feel.
- Get the equipment. Believe it or not, you don’t need a bunch of fancy, high-tech gear to create a podcast. All you need is
- A reliable microphone.
- A computer or laptop.
- Free recording software, like Garageband (Mac) or Audacity (our favorite). You could also get a mixer if you want to add background music or play around with effects.
- A stable internet connection.
- Map out your first five episode topics
- Record your episodes. Check out the next section for how to knock out five episodes in one sitting.
- Decide how you’ll tell your patients about it. Once your podcast is created, it’s time to get it into the hands (or ears) of others. There are TONS of options on how to do this. Here are three:
- Create a public podcast for anyone to hear. This is great for expanding your reach, but it may take a while before you start making any money off it.
- Create a membership-based program that includes private podcasts with exclusive information.
- Include the podcast as part of your existing services or programs. This strategy helps sweeten the pot of a service you already have and want to sell.
Alright, now that you know the steps, let’s talk about how you can crank out your first five episodes.
How to Record Your First 5 Episodes in a Weekend
Podcast episodes don’t have to be long or drawn out. As long as your episode contains solid content that serves your listeners, 20 minutes is more than enough time for one episode.
So, here’s what we’re gonna do… We’re going to break down how to get your first five episodes done in a day.
Before we start: Grab a pen and paper or open a Google Doc. I’ll share five episode ideas using the example of a practitioner who helps women in their 20s and 30s balance their hormones. As you read through these examples, write down ideas that pertain to your niche for your own podcast episodes.
Let’s go!!
Episode 1: The Grand Reveal
Introduce yourself and share what type of practitioner you are. Talk about what got you into this field and why having balanced hormones is so important.
Then, chat through some of the surprising symptoms of having unbalanced hormones, like brain fog, chronic bloating, or terrible cramps.
End with one simple next step your listeners can take. That could be a quiz on your website or a quick recommendation to help them with cramps or monthly crankiness.
Episode 2: The Before & After
People loooove stories. Share about how you used to struggle with whacky, unbalanced hormones. Or share about someone you love who struggled with them.
Take your listeners through the whole journey:
- Before: How you felt each day when your hormones were out of whack. Talk about all the symptoms you experienced and how they impacted your life.
- During: How you figured out your hormones were off. Describe what you did and how soon you started noticing improvement.
- After: What life is like now that your hormones are back in balance. Share those details and any surprising ah-ha’s along the way.
The key here is to get specific and get visual. The more descriptive you can be, the better. Let your personality shine through and make the story come alive for your listeners.
Episode 3: A Teaching Moment
The goal here is to share action steps or potential pitfalls that are important for your ideal patient to know. You can frame this up in a number of different ways:
- Answer three common questions you get from patients.
- Provide three common symptoms of hormonal imbalances and how to finally find some relief.
- Talk through the three essential questions every woman should ask their practitioner when talking about how to get her hormones back to normal.
Plan to talk for about five minutes on each of the three points, and viola! There’s your episode!
Episode 4: A Day in the Life
It’s time to give the scoop on what it’s like to come into your clinic as a patient. Get ready to…
- Brag about your amazing front office staff and cozy waiting room.
- Tell your listeners how easy it is to start working with you.
- Share what your patients experience when they first meet with you.
- Talk through what happens once they leave your office. Include all those heartfelt ways you provide extra care for your patients, like sending post-appointment follow-up texts and handwritten birthday cards.
End with a next step they can take, like calling your office for a consultation or following you on social media for more “behind the scenes.”
Episode 5: The Compare & Contrast
Talk about the way hormonal imbalances are addressed in the conventional medical model. Compare and contrast the traditional methods versus how you treat your patients.
On this one, remember to keep it simple and patient-friendly. Be careful not to be critical of a model that is different than yours or get “too medical” by using jargon or terminology that will make your listener’s eyes gloss over.
Start a Practitioner Podcast That Your Patients Will Love
Once you’ve mapped out your first five episodes and jotted down your talking points, you’re ready to start recording. To get started…
- Set aside a couple of hours on the weekend to crank them out.
- Choose a quiet space so you can record all five sessions uninterrupted.
- Be sure to have plenty of water to wet your whistle.
- If you flub up on a word and make a mistake, keep on talking. People love hearing “the real you.”
And remember – You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to start. If creating a practitioner podcast is a dream of yours, then just do it! Follow these simple steps and get yours going in no time. Your patients – and their ears – are waiting.
