June 2, 2025 • 26 mins
Ever felt like your voice doesn't matter? That's exactly where Donna Eade started before launching her podcast five years ago. Now celebrating this milestone, Donna sits down with Catherine Chapman to reveal the transformative journey that turned a childhood "chatterbox" into a podcast host who connects with listeners worldwide each week.
Donna's candid conversation takes us back to April 2020 when, despite questionable timing, she launched a podcast for wedding vendors that received just 10 downloads in its first month. Fast forward to today, and she's created a thriving platform where entrepreneurs find guidance on mindset and business strategy. Her story isn't just inspiring—it's filled with practical wisdom for anyone considering podcasting as their content pillar.
What makes podcasting so powerful? "How many people would you let whisper in your ear?" Donna asks, illustrating the uniquely intimate connection podcasters forge with their audience. This relationship builds trust that's difficult to establish through other media, with 75% of listeners more likely to purchase from podcast hosts than from television personalities. For business owners seeking deeper connections with potential clients, this insight alone is worth its weight in gold.
The conversation demystifies the podcasting process with refreshingly straightforward advice: don't overcomplicate it, be clear about your audience, and understand your purpose. Whether you're tech-savvy or technologically challenged, Donna's three-step approach makes launching a podcast feel achievable rather than overwhelming. Her launch strategy—particularly the "Netflix approach" of releasing multiple episodes simultaneously—offers a blueprint for creating momentum and building a loyal audience from day one.
Ready to amplify your voice and grow your business through the power of podcasting? This episode delivers both the inspiration and practical tools to get started. Listen now to discover how speaking your truth can transform not just your business, but your relationship with yourself and your audience.
Catherine Chapman - Far 2 Fabulous
FREE 3 Part Audio - Access Here
Podcast Equipment Recommendations MY KIT
FEA Create Simple all-in-one web, CRM, email system
For graphics Canva
Join the Pod Squad in the FB Group
My MIC ACTION PODCAST - here is a link to Spotify
Read from My Book Shelf & My Guests Book Shelf
Want to Guest? Apply here >>FORM
Edited and produced by Donna Eade
Thank you for your support:)
Until next week, Bye for Now XoX
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Donna Eade (00:00):
You're listening to the Mindset in Action podcast,
the place to be to grow andstreamline your business.
I'm your host, donna Eade.
Let's jump into the show.
Hello, hello, welcome back tothe podcast, everybody.
(00:21):
I'm so glad to have you heretoday with me for this, the
fifth episode in the livepodcast event series.
Today you have got me.
I did a chat with CatherineChapman, who very kindly
interviewed me.
She is the host, co-host of theFar Too Fabulous podcast, along
(00:44):
with Julie Clark.
I highly recommend you go andlisten to that one.
I'll leave a link in the shownotes for you.
Catherine interviewed me aboutmy podcasting journey, what led
to the fifth birthday and what Ithink about podcasting over
blogs and videos and all thatjazz.
So take a listen in to ourconversation on podcasting and
(01:08):
have a fantastic week.
I'm actually in Liverpool fortwo days this week, which is
going to be hectic for meAnybody knows me knows that I am
highly introverted and two daysout of the house, and it's
going to be in a big place withlots and lots of people.
It's going to be difficult, butI shall be back, as always,
(01:29):
next week with another podcastepisode, and so take a listen in
to this, the fifth in theseries, last one next week.
Speak to you soon.
Catherine Chapman (01:42):
So yeah, it's my turn to do the question time
and actually I think that Katstarted this off really really
well by just celebrating you forbeing.
See, I like the word community.
I don't prickle as much at theword network anymore, but I
think for us it's our businesssupport.
(02:03):
That's my kind of like littlecomfy place.
That's what we do at Business,women Unlimited it doesn't know.
It's business support and youtruly embody that, and so this
has been an amazing event and,like many of you, you go to
(02:25):
events often and you see thesame people, and this has been a
.
Really it's been nice to seesome different faces, been nice
to see your faces, so it's justbeen really awesome.
So well done and thank you verymuch for bringing us all
together.
Thank you so, donna.
Eat.
This is your life, no.
Nicola Tonsager (02:46):
Oh God no.
Catherine Chapman (02:50):
What's your name and where'd you come from?
Really, the actual firstquestion is Can you please just
talk us through your podcastingjourney from where you started
to the amazing fifth birthdaythat you're celebrating?
Donna Eade (03:04):
today.
Okay, so we could go back allthe way to my childhood.
I won't, but I'll try to keepit to the short version.
But basically throughout mylife I have felt like my voice
didn't matter and very recentlyI was doing some work and I
think I said earlier, the lastcouple of years I've really
spent some time going inwardsand I realised that I have felt
(03:29):
like I don't matter and that I'mnot enough and my voice doesn't
matter from a very, very youngage.
But I've always loved to talk.
I was the chatterbox at school.
It was literally written on myreport and I just spent a lot of
time wanting to speak but neverbeing heard.
So when the opportunity tostart a podcast came up, I was
(03:51):
like, yes, that is my jam.
I mean, I don't care if I'm nottalking to anybody at all, I
just want to talk.
So luckily, I do have listeners, which is is amazing.
But, um, it basically startedlike I said earlier.
I've been an entrepreneur on andoff since I was 18 and when I
decided to create a business forthe wedding industry shout out
(04:12):
to the wedding industry in thehouse and one of my OG members,
lincoln, thank you so much forbeing here.
I created something that Ithought was going to be
absolutely incredible and growand be amazing for an industry
that I loved, but my timing wasshit.
I decided to launch a businessfor wedding vendors in April
(04:37):
2020, yes, but what I also choseat that point was I knew I
needed a pillar piece of content.
I'd done blogging when I was awedding photographer.
I'm keyboard dyslexic.
I've termed it um, and I justdidn't want to write blogs and I
didn't want to get video ready.
Um, I just well, even when I dodo videos now, this is how I
(04:57):
show up.
I don't put makeup on, I'm not.
I'm just not fussed by it.
So I just wanted to dosomething that would get the
message out there.
So I decided to start podcasting.
Been listening to AmyPorterfield since 2014 and I
thought that is the the job forme, and I did it the the hard
way.
I did it by henpecking aroundthe internet and finding
(05:18):
different people to learn thisbit from and that bit from, and
eventually, way.
I did it by henpecking aroundthe internet and finding
different people to learn thisbit from and that bit from, and
eventually I launched it, and Ilaunched it on the 16th of April
2020 and five years later, Istill upload weekly.
I have two weeks off atChristmas because I believe
everybody in this room shouldnot be listening to business
podcasts over Christmas, andthat's what I do, so that is how
we got here amazing and justjust to make you laugh, I was
(05:41):
dictating this into my googledocs and I wrote I well, I said
the society for professionalwedding vendors.
Catherine Chapman (05:53):
It wrote the society for professional wedding
vendors.
So maybe that's the idea foryour next podcast.
Nicola Tonsager (06:00):
I don't know.
Catherine Chapman (06:04):
So what made you choose podcasting?
I kind of think that you havecovered that, but as opposed to
your blogs, vlogs, all thosesorts of things.
Donna Eade (06:14):
Well, it was the new kid on the block.
So, as much as you know, I hadbeen listening since 2014, which
was obviously six years thatAmy had been podcasting before,
and in 2020, podcasting reallycame to the UK in a much bigger
way and I just thought that'sthe one for me, Like I love
talking.
So why would I spend 20 minutesprobably more like an hour and
(06:37):
a half writing a blog that I'mnot really happy with and not
sure that it's really said whatI wanted to say, when I can just
turn around and speak into amicrophone and upload it?
Catherine Chapman (06:46):
that's magic to me was it just business
podcasts that you were listeningto then?
Donna Eade (06:51):
um, so, yeah, so I think it was mainly Amy.
And then then I listened tosome of Stu McLaren's stuff,
some of James Wedmore's stuffand then, obviously, when Diary
of a CEO came out, listening tothat.
But Corinne Crabtree, who Imentioned earlier, her no BS
podcast, I listened to that aswell.
(07:13):
That was my first fitnesspodcast, but I don't listen to
that one anymore becauseCatherine's got one called Far
Too Fabulous, which she did bygoing through my program, and I
love that one.
It is so good, you really needto go listen to it, yeah and
absolutely it wouldn't be.
Catherine Chapman (07:27):
It wouldn't be in existence without you, and
you did make it exceedinglyeasy honestly two tech phobe.
Like people that just wanted,we coined ourselves the Loose
Women of Wellbeing, because wejust rant and rant and rant
about wellbeing and we thoughtwe should probably just put a
microphone in front of us.
But we just didn't know whatelse to do and you kind of
(07:50):
filled in the gaps and really soeasily, just brilliantly.
Donna Eade (07:55):
And her and Julie are so good together.
It's hilarious.
They call themselves theMuppets.
Now it's loose women ofpodcasting.
It's the Muppets.
Catherine Chapman (08:01):
So this brings me quite, quite well
actually to question numberthree is if you could give us an
idiot's guide to um, topodcasting in three or four
steps.
What would they be?
Donna Eade (08:16):
and why so?
The first one is you don't haveto overcomplicate it, which is
something that we've been sayingall throughout the day.
Don't overcomplicate it.
Start with what you've got.
You don't need a fancymicrophone, you don't need a
mixer, you don't need all thetechnology that you think, oh my
God, what's out there, I needto sort this out.
You just need a laptop and youneed a microphone of sort my
(08:42):
headphone microphone from myapple I you know I use those.
I prefer wired to the airpods,um, just because there's a bit
of delay but wired speakers.
So start with what you've got.
Be really, really clear on whoyou're speaking to.
Who is it that you want toconnect with you?
I hyper niche.
Now my podcast.
When it started, I got 10downloads in 30 days.
(09:04):
I am really pleased to say thatNicola got a hell of a lot more
in hers after I did my launchstrategy, but it is one of those
things where I was in a hyperniche.
So there was only 400,000people in the entire world who
was going to listen to myoriginal podcast because it was
about the Society ofProfessional Wedding Vendors,
(09:24):
which was for UK wedding vendors.
Okay, now my podcast Mindset inAction anywhere in the world is
a potential target for thatpodcast.
So know who it is that you'retalking to and be specific about
it.
Don't over niche, because Ithink if you hyper niche you
really struggle.
If you can expand it a littlebit to give yourself a little
(09:45):
bit of wiggle room, you want toattract those people that are on
the outside.
Your podcast is great as afunnel.
That is a top-down thing.
So people come in at the top,they get to know you, they get
to know what it is that you doand then they're like oh, maybe
I want to work with that person,but they might have been people
that didn't think they neededwhat you sell until they got to
know you.
So make sure that you are justgiving yourself a little bit of
(10:05):
breathing room with it, but havethat, that real core intention
with your audience.
And then the third thing is why?
Why a podcast?
Why do it at all, like whetherit's video, blog, anything why
are you doing it?
What is the purpose of it?
Have a clear strategy on thatpurpose so that you don't get
overwhelmed, so that you knowwe're not doing what we're doing
(10:26):
with social media, where we'regoing.
Oh, my god, I need 10,000people on Instagram, because
then you get the swipe upfeature, which doesn't even
matter now.
But you know, it's that.
You don't need to be thinking,oh, I need, I need this many
downloads, I need that manydownloads, and you don't need to
focus on that.
If you know what your core, whyis I love that?
Catherine Chapman (10:43):
and I think we've heard lots of these, these
things that apply to all of ourmarketing and all of our
strategies and yeah, yeah to beable to apply it to podcasting
as well.
So last question well, from meanyway, what top three things do
we need for a successfulpodcast?
(11:03):
Do you want the list as well,that you did?
Donna Eade (11:07):
did I say something different to what I just said?
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely,thank you for that.
Catherine Chapman (11:16):
That was good not that we planned this at all
what did I mean by that secondone?
Donna Eade (11:24):
okay, so, um, first, get help.
Honestly, it is amazing if youcan have help.
So there are several people inthe room who have either done my
program or done my boot camp,um, and it makes a hell of a
difference when you don't haveto actually henpeck around the
internet to try and find things.
So, if you can get help, gethelp.
(11:45):
And there are lots of differentpeople out there that teach
podcasting everything under thesun, um, that are at different
price brackets that you can gethelp from.
Um, get help, because it's justeasier that way.
Make it easy on yourself, um.
And then I've said budget, butI'm not sure what I meant by
budget particularly.
Catherine Chapman (12:04):
But I think you said it.
Donna Eade (12:07):
Yeah, no, I have no idea what I mean by budget, but
I think it is really importantto to look at what you're
spending your money on, and oneof the things that I have really
enjoyed doing actually is doingwhat I call well, not what I
call what other people callvisibility ads.
So if you're ever looking atdoing Facebook ads, running
Facebook ads to your podcast isa heck of a lot cheaper than
(12:31):
trying to get somebody to buyyour thing from a Facebook ad,
and that can really be thedifference between them
eventually buying from you ornever even knowing who you are.
So the first thing you want tolook at when you're doing ads is
getting everybody who couldpotentially want to buy from you
into your world in the quickest, cheapest way possible, and
(12:52):
visibility ads is it.
You can get people to click onyour podcast link for pennies,
so it's a really good way ofdoing it.
But I would say, make sure thatyou set a budget and when
you're doing your podcast, likeif you have a item that you want
to buy like I wanted to buy mymicrophone I wanted a fancy
microphone.
(13:12):
It's not a hugely fancymicrophone, it's a very good
microphone, um but I put it inmy budget.
And then I turned around and Iwas like, right, when I get to x
, then I'm going to treat myselfto it, so use it as a reward
system.
You don't have to upgrade allat once, just do it as you go
and then finally have a launchplan.
It was what I didn't do with myfirst podcast.
I didn't have an audience whenI started the society of
(13:33):
professional wedding vendors.
I didn't have anybody on mysocial medias.
I didn't have anybody to listenand I put it out there and I
only got 10 downloads in thefirst 30 days, but actually
nicola and katherine, both intheir first.
Do you want to shout out,ladies, how many downloads you
got in your first week?
Can you remember?
Nicola Tonsager (13:52):
I can't remember, but I did launch
number 10 in the Apple UKspirituality charts.
You did, and that was down tofollowing your launch plan and
doing everything you told me todo as part of that, yeah, and I
think yours was in the 100.
Donna Eade (14:09):
You were 100 and something in your first week,
125, something like that.
So it made a huge difference toactually have a launch plan in
place.
So I think if you can have alaunch plan just like if you
were going to launch a newprogram or a new product, launch
a podcast in the same waybecause it makes a huge
difference and I've always usedthe analogy that you know, if
(14:29):
you push in a boulder up a hill,if you start at the bottom of
the hill, it is a long way tothe top, but if you start
halfway up, that top comes somuch easier.
And that's what having a launchplan does for you.
It gets you that further up andonce you're there, your
trajectory goes from thererather than having to start from
zero.
Catherine Chapman (14:46):
So it's just a much easier, easier way to do
it I think the one of the mostuseful bits of your launch plan
was having those three episodesrecorded, so you had them in the
bank.
Donna Eade (14:57):
Don't give everybody my secrets.
Catherine Chapman (15:00):
You were already.
What did you say?
The percentage of podcasts?
Donna Eade (15:05):
that don't go past three episodes.
Catherine Chapman (15:07):
You're already past that lot, yeah, and
it's just.
Yeah, it's a real buzz, it's areal high five, it gets people
hooked.
Donna Eade (15:19):
And that is why you can get the more downloads in
your first, first week as well,because there's more for people
to listen to.
So the idea is that you getthem in on that first episode
and then you go oh, and here'sthe second episode.
And they're like oh great, Idon't have to wait a week, or
however long it is, um, untilthe next one, and then they've
got a next one.
So then you, they binge, youlike netflix, and uh, then
they're hooked and they're likeokay, I'm coming back the next
time, this one drops yeah, andit's such a great way that no
(15:40):
like and trust, so so easy.
Catherine Chapman (15:43):
Yeah, just I mean I run with podcasts going
on in my in my ears.
It's just a brilliant way to toget that information in well,
that's the flexibility ofpodcasts, because you can.
Donna Eade (15:58):
You can listen to them anywhere where you can't
watch a video anywhere and youcan't read a blog anywhere, but
you can always have your earbudsin and you can always be
listening.
And one of the things that Ilike to tell people about is the
.
The extra special power of apodcast over video and over
blogs is that connection to youraudience, because I don't know,
(16:18):
put your hands out in front ofyou, everybody a little, play
along, okay.
And if you imagine a circlecoming from the tips of your
fingers, going all around yourbody at the same distance,
creating a circle, coming back,that is your personal space and
there are only a handful ofpeople that you will allow into
that space.
Yet podcasters frog jump thatand they go to an even more
(16:40):
intimate place.
How many people would you letwhisper in your ear?
I bet it's less than the peoplethat you would let within that
circle, okay.
So if they are whispering inyour ear on a weekly basis, they
are really gaining your trust.
And I was listening to a Diaryof a CEO yesterday, stephen
talking to Daniel Priestley.
(17:00):
It's their latest one they'vedone too.
It was a really good episodeand he was talking about
podcasting a lot on it actuallyand saying how it's going to
grow and grow and grow.
And he was talking about thatno like and trust factor and how
intimate it is to, you know,connect with somebody in that
way and how you're buildingparasocial relationships.
(17:22):
Now it's it's not the best andyou were talking about this
earlier the parasocialrelationship with the chef's
wife.
You know, you knew her, youwalked past her in the hospital.
She had no idea who you were,and that's the same for
podcasters, but it's buildingthat.
They get to trust you, they getto like you, just like they do
with the celebrities.
However, we have more value aspodcast hosts because 75% of
(17:44):
people are more likely to buyfrom what a podcast host tells
them to do than buying from a tvinfluencer or a celebrity.
So, and we have more powerbecause we're more personable, I
think because they can connectwith us on social media and dm
us and actually talk to us inreal life.
Then that trust is built overtime as well.
Catherine Chapman (18:02):
So I love podcasting how do you feel about
the um?
I feel that's a bit of a newtrend about warts.
And also, um, when I've donethe podcast, I like we do a
little bit of editing.
You take the coughs out and andmaybe the bits where my brain
just totally switches off andjulie and I look at each other
(18:22):
and I go I have literally noidea what I was saying like
halfway through a sentence, andso we edit those bits out.
But I was listening to I don'tknow why I was listening to one
of mark's fishing podcasts.
I think it just encroached onone of my Spotify lists.
I have no idea, but they weretalking about their whole new
thing was that they wereliterally just chatting.
(18:44):
So you got the coughs, you gotthe laughs, you got the breaks,
you got everything.
Mel Robbins was wanderingaround her studio looking at the
brain and you could hear themout and about.
And then, and um, uh, darioVienasio he was.
He was like, oh you know,talking to his friends tending
him to bring his vivo bare in.
(19:05):
How do you feel about the kindof warts and all, as opposed to
the slightly clipped versions?
Donna Eade (19:12):
there is a difference between a warts and
all podcast and a shoddilyproduced podcast.
Okay.
So it's the production thatneeds to be on point, not
necessarily taking out all theums, ahs, like for me, I want to
have a conversation.
I want it to sound like I'mhaving a conversation with
(19:33):
somebody and somebody could justjoin in.
I.
I don't want it to soundcompletely perfect.
I don't do that.
It's something that AmyPorterfield used to do and she
did a podcast episode.
I think I don't know whether itmissed going through editing or
something.
Somehow a podcast got up thatwasn't perfect and she had such
a reaction from her audiencegoing oh, my God, it's so nice
(19:54):
to hear that you're human, thatyou make mistakes, that you
stumble, because she would takeout every imperfection if she
stumbled over a word, anything.
I don't take that stuff out.
I take some of the oh, I've gota hair.
I take some of the ums and ahsout because I've got a hair.
No, no, I you know.
I take some of the ums and ahsout because when people are put
in front of a microphone or acamera, suddenly the ums and ahs
(20:18):
go up all of a sudden.
It's.
It's a nervous reaction andwe're not even aware of it half
the time, but I will take someof them out because it's not
natural.
That's not what they wouldnormally sound like.
I've got a podcast that I editfor a corporate and, honestly,
because they're not podcasters,they're corporate, they're not
used to speaking like we are.
Oh my gosh, the amount of timesthey trip over their words and
(20:41):
say, oh, it's a nightmare toedit.
But yeah, so it's the editing.
The sound quality needs to begood.
What you're putting in, that isup to you.
So if you decide to do that,you're walking around, people
are interested.
But I would say that if you'rewalking around looking at stuff,
you've got to remember it's apodcast, mel Robbins, she has a
video version so you'd be ableto go and see that.
But for me, podcasting isauditory.
(21:03):
So don't go looking at stuffthat other people can't see,
because that's just going tofrustrate them.
It would frustrate me.
I'm like what are you lookingat?
I can't see it.
So, yeah, so warts and all isabsolutely fine.
You've got to find your owncomfort level with that.
But it's more about theproduction level making sure
that the sound quality is good,so that because, again, people
(21:26):
are listening with earbuds inand if the sound quality is
awful they're not going to wantto listen.
In fact, I've got a podcast fora friend of mine business
friend of mine who does apodcast.
I love her dearly but she doesnot do anything to dampen the
sound in her room and it's sohigh pitched and squealy I can't
listen to it and I have toagain.
Catherine Chapman (21:44):
I'm going to bring everybody back to your
course where you actually teachthat stuff really really well,
and I still, if I haven't done,like if I haven't done a guest
episode for a little while, Istill have to then go back into
all the course material andremind myself what I need to do.
(22:05):
But it's always there and it'slike my podcast uniform I love
it I love it absolutely.
Anybody got any questions?
Donna Eade (22:29):
can I walk?
Janine Coney (22:30):
I was gonna say two jobs can you, donna, just
talk through um how people canbring in their own brand into it
, because we've obviouslydiscussed, if you're having a
conversation about somethingwhere you've got a guest speaker
, but you can also use it asyour funnel and you can have
kind of adverts in the middle oryou can introduce yourself or
(22:52):
change the the piece at the end.
Can't you for different umcourses that might be coming up
or events or what have you?
What do you think about that?
Do you think it is a good thing?
Donna Eade (23:02):
yeah.
So obviously your podcast canbe used as a tool for your
branding.
Like I say, it's got to be whatyour why is some people?
They don't want it connected totheir business at all, don't
know why they wouldn't, but somedon't.
Um, but yeah, if you are usingit, you've got your brand colors
in your graphic.
You have got your brand message, whatever.
That is the way you say things.
So for me, the last year, Icould probably riff off my
(23:25):
podcast intro right now withoutstumbling, because every every
week it's the same thing.
It's reminding you.
This is the mindset and actionpodcast.
I'm your host on it.
It says what it is on the tinand then there are ways to
advertise in your podcast yourown stuff.
So that's dynamic content.
I don't particularly likemid-roll in the middle of your
(23:48):
podcast adverts because I thinkit breaks the flow.
They can be successful, you cantry it, and I'm all about give
and take with that stuff.
You know you try it.
If it works, it works, if itdoesn't, it doesn't.
But I'm all about not annoyingmy audience.
So if I am doing a launch, soif any of you listened to my
podcast in the last three months, you would have heard that I'm
(24:09):
having an event and it wasliterally at the front of every
podcast for the last threemonths before my intro started,
and that, to me, is enough.
Like I give people that andpeople who are regular listeners
know what's coming when theyhear that first word because
they're like, oh, she's stilladvertising that they can skip
(24:29):
it really easily.
But usually once people aredoing whatever it is they're
doing, it's not so easy for themto stop.
Once people are doing whateverit is they're doing, it's not so
easy for them to stop, which isgood for you because it means
that actually 80% of people thatpress play on a podcast will
listen to the entire thing,which is a higher retention rate
than video.
But it's annoying for them ifthere's loads of ads, because
(24:50):
you can put like three, I think,in the middle of your, or more
in the middle of your podcastand if every five minutes it's
breaking for an ad, people aregoing to get pissed off.
So I avoid the mid ones, butyou can also do one at the end
as well, so you can talk aboutwhatever you like, whatever
you're sharing at the time,whatever you're promoting at the
time.
It's a great way of buildingyour email list, which is really
(25:11):
, really important.
We haven't really touched onthat today much, but, yeah, get
them on your email list as soonas possible and use your podcast
to do it.
Yeah.
Catherine Chapman (25:24):
Any other questions?
Nicola Tonsager (25:26):
No, brilliant, okay, thank you very much for
joining me.
Thank you for interviewing me.
Donna Eade (25:31):
Thank you, thank you .
You're listening to the Mindset in Action podcast,
the place to be to grow andstreamline your business.
I'm your host, donna Eade.
Let's jump into the show.
Hello, hello, welcome back tothe podcast, everybody.
(00:21):
I'm so glad to have you heretoday with me for this, the
fifth episode in the livepodcast event series.
Today you have got me.
I did a chat with CatherineChapman, who very kindly
interviewed me.
She is the host, co-host of theFar Too Fabulous podcast, along
(00:44):
with Julie Clark.
I highly recommend you go andlisten to that one.
I'll leave a link in the shownotes for you.
Catherine interviewed me aboutmy podcasting journey, what led
to the fifth birthday and what Ithink about podcasting over
blogs and videos and all thatjazz.
So take a listen in to ourconversation on podcasting and
(01:08):
have a fantastic week.
I'm actually in Liverpool fortwo days this week, which is
going to be hectic for meAnybody knows me knows that I am
highly introverted and two daysout of the house, and it's
going to be in a big place withlots and lots of people.
It's going to be difficult, butI shall be back, as always,
(01:29):
next week with another podcastepisode, and so take a listen in
to this, the fifth in theseries, last one next week.
Speak to you soon.
Catherine Chapman (01:42):
So yeah, it's my turn to do the question time
and actually I think that Katstarted this off really really
well by just celebrating you forbeing.
See, I like the word community.
I don't prickle as much at theword network anymore, but I
think for us it's our businesssupport.
(02:03):
That's my kind of like littlecomfy place.
That's what we do at Business,women Unlimited it doesn't know.
It's business support and youtruly embody that, and so this
has been an amazing event and,like many of you, you go to
(02:25):
events often and you see thesame people, and this has been a
.
Really it's been nice to seesome different faces, been nice
to see your faces, so it's justbeen really awesome.
So well done and thank you verymuch for bringing us all
together.
Thank you so, donna.
Eat.
This is your life, no.
Nicola Tonsager (02:46):
Oh God no.
Catherine Chapman (02:50):
What's your name and where'd you come from?
Really, the actual firstquestion is Can you please just
talk us through your podcastingjourney from where you started
to the amazing fifth birthdaythat you're celebrating?
Donna Eade (03:04):
today.
Okay, so we could go back allthe way to my childhood.
I won't, but I'll try to keepit to the short version.
But basically throughout mylife I have felt like my voice
didn't matter and very recentlyI was doing some work and I
think I said earlier, the lastcouple of years I've really
spent some time going inwardsand I realised that I have felt
(03:29):
like I don't matter and that I'mnot enough and my voice doesn't
matter from a very, very youngage.
But I've always loved to talk.
I was the chatterbox at school.
It was literally written on myreport and I just spent a lot of
time wanting to speak but neverbeing heard.
So when the opportunity tostart a podcast came up, I was
(03:51):
like, yes, that is my jam.
I mean, I don't care if I'm nottalking to anybody at all, I
just want to talk.
So luckily, I do have listeners, which is is amazing.
But, um, it basically startedlike I said earlier.
I've been an entrepreneur on andoff since I was 18 and when I
decided to create a business forthe wedding industry shout out
(04:12):
to the wedding industry in thehouse and one of my OG members,
lincoln, thank you so much forbeing here.
I created something that Ithought was going to be
absolutely incredible and growand be amazing for an industry
that I loved, but my timing wasshit.
I decided to launch a businessfor wedding vendors in April
(04:37):
2020, yes, but what I also choseat that point was I knew I
needed a pillar piece of content.
I'd done blogging when I was awedding photographer.
I'm keyboard dyslexic.
I've termed it um, and I justdidn't want to write blogs and I
didn't want to get video ready.
Um, I just well, even when I dodo videos now, this is how I
(04:57):
show up.
I don't put makeup on, I'm not.
I'm just not fussed by it.
So I just wanted to dosomething that would get the
message out there.
So I decided to start podcasting.
Been listening to AmyPorterfield since 2014 and I
thought that is the the job forme, and I did it the the hard
way.
I did it by henpecking aroundthe internet and finding
(05:18):
different people to learn thisbit from and that bit from, and
eventually, way.
I did it by henpecking aroundthe internet and finding
different people to learn thisbit from and that bit from, and
eventually I launched it, and Ilaunched it on the 16th of April
2020 and five years later, Istill upload weekly.
I have two weeks off atChristmas because I believe
everybody in this room shouldnot be listening to business
podcasts over Christmas, andthat's what I do, so that is how
we got here amazing and justjust to make you laugh, I was
(05:41):
dictating this into my googledocs and I wrote I well, I said
the society for professionalwedding vendors.
Catherine Chapman (05:53):
It wrote the society for professional wedding
vendors.
So maybe that's the idea foryour next podcast.
Nicola Tonsager (06:00):
I don't know.
Catherine Chapman (06:04):
So what made you choose podcasting?
I kind of think that you havecovered that, but as opposed to
your blogs, vlogs, all thosesorts of things.
Donna Eade (06:14):
Well, it was the new kid on the block.
So, as much as you know, I hadbeen listening since 2014, which
was obviously six years thatAmy had been podcasting before,
and in 2020, podcasting reallycame to the UK in a much bigger
way and I just thought that'sthe one for me, Like I love
talking.
So why would I spend 20 minutesprobably more like an hour and
(06:37):
a half writing a blog that I'mnot really happy with and not
sure that it's really said whatI wanted to say, when I can just
turn around and speak into amicrophone and upload it?
Catherine Chapman (06:46):
that's magic to me was it just business
podcasts that you were listeningto then?
Donna Eade (06:51):
um, so, yeah, so I think it was mainly Amy.
And then then I listened tosome of Stu McLaren's stuff,
some of James Wedmore's stuffand then, obviously, when Diary
of a CEO came out, listening tothat.
But Corinne Crabtree, who Imentioned earlier, her no BS
podcast, I listened to that aswell.
(07:13):
That was my first fitnesspodcast, but I don't listen to
that one anymore becauseCatherine's got one called Far
Too Fabulous, which she did bygoing through my program, and I
love that one.
It is so good, you really needto go listen to it, yeah and
absolutely it wouldn't be.
Catherine Chapman (07:27):
It wouldn't be in existence without you, and
you did make it exceedinglyeasy honestly two tech phobe.
Like people that just wanted,we coined ourselves the Loose
Women of Wellbeing, because wejust rant and rant and rant
about wellbeing and we thoughtwe should probably just put a
microphone in front of us.
But we just didn't know whatelse to do and you kind of
(07:50):
filled in the gaps and really soeasily, just brilliantly.
Donna Eade (07:55):
And her and Julie are so good together.
It's hilarious.
They call themselves theMuppets.
Now it's loose women ofpodcasting.
It's the Muppets.
Catherine Chapman (08:01):
So this brings me quite, quite well
actually to question numberthree is if you could give us an
idiot's guide to um, topodcasting in three or four
steps.
What would they be?
Donna Eade (08:16):
and why so?
The first one is you don't haveto overcomplicate it, which is
something that we've been sayingall throughout the day.
Don't overcomplicate it.
Start with what you've got.
You don't need a fancymicrophone, you don't need a
mixer, you don't need all thetechnology that you think, oh my
God, what's out there, I needto sort this out.
You just need a laptop and youneed a microphone of sort my
(08:42):
headphone microphone from myapple I you know I use those.
I prefer wired to the airpods,um, just because there's a bit
of delay but wired speakers.
So start with what you've got.
Be really, really clear on whoyou're speaking to.
Who is it that you want toconnect with you?
I hyper niche.
Now my podcast.
When it started, I got 10downloads in 30 days.
(09:04):
I am really pleased to say thatNicola got a hell of a lot more
in hers after I did my launchstrategy, but it is one of those
things where I was in a hyperniche.
So there was only 400,000people in the entire world who
was going to listen to myoriginal podcast because it was
about the Society ofProfessional Wedding Vendors,
(09:24):
which was for UK wedding vendors.
Okay, now my podcast Mindset inAction anywhere in the world is
a potential target for thatpodcast.
So know who it is that you'retalking to and be specific about
it.
Don't over niche, because Ithink if you hyper niche you
really struggle.
If you can expand it a littlebit to give yourself a little
(09:45):
bit of wiggle room, you want toattract those people that are on
the outside.
Your podcast is great as afunnel.
That is a top-down thing.
So people come in at the top,they get to know you, they get
to know what it is that you doand then they're like oh, maybe
I want to work with that person,but they might have been people
that didn't think they neededwhat you sell until they got to
know you.
So make sure that you are justgiving yourself a little bit of
(10:05):
breathing room with it, but havethat, that real core intention
with your audience.
And then the third thing is why?
Why a podcast?
Why do it at all, like whetherit's video, blog, anything why
are you doing it?
What is the purpose of it?
Have a clear strategy on thatpurpose so that you don't get
overwhelmed, so that you knowwe're not doing what we're doing
(10:26):
with social media, where we'regoing.
Oh, my god, I need 10,000people on Instagram, because
then you get the swipe upfeature, which doesn't even
matter now.
But you know, it's that.
You don't need to be thinking,oh, I need, I need this many
downloads, I need that manydownloads, and you don't need to
focus on that.
If you know what your core, whyis I love that?
Catherine Chapman (10:43):
and I think we've heard lots of these, these
things that apply to all of ourmarketing and all of our
strategies and yeah, yeah to beable to apply it to podcasting
as well.
So last question well, from meanyway, what top three things do
we need for a successfulpodcast?
(11:03):
Do you want the list as well,that you did?
Donna Eade (11:07):
did I say something different to what I just said?
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely,thank you for that.
Catherine Chapman (11:16):
That was good not that we planned this at all
what did I mean by that secondone?
Donna Eade (11:24):
okay, so, um, first, get help.
Honestly, it is amazing if youcan have help.
So there are several people inthe room who have either done my
program or done my boot camp,um, and it makes a hell of a
difference when you don't haveto actually henpeck around the
internet to try and find things.
So, if you can get help, gethelp.
(11:45):
And there are lots of differentpeople out there that teach
podcasting everything under thesun, um, that are at different
price brackets that you can gethelp from.
Um, get help, because it's justeasier that way.
Make it easy on yourself, um.
And then I've said budget, butI'm not sure what I meant by
budget particularly.
Catherine Chapman (12:04):
But I think you said it.
Donna Eade (12:07):
Yeah, no, I have no idea what I mean by budget, but
I think it is really importantto to look at what you're
spending your money on, and oneof the things that I have really
enjoyed doing actually is doingwhat I call well, not what I
call what other people callvisibility ads.
So if you're ever looking atdoing Facebook ads, running
Facebook ads to your podcast isa heck of a lot cheaper than
(12:31):
trying to get somebody to buyyour thing from a Facebook ad,
and that can really be thedifference between them
eventually buying from you ornever even knowing who you are.
So the first thing you want tolook at when you're doing ads is
getting everybody who couldpotentially want to buy from you
into your world in the quickest, cheapest way possible, and
(12:52):
visibility ads is it.
You can get people to click onyour podcast link for pennies,
so it's a really good way ofdoing it.
But I would say, make sure thatyou set a budget and when
you're doing your podcast, likeif you have a item that you want
to buy like I wanted to buy mymicrophone I wanted a fancy
microphone.
(13:12):
It's not a hugely fancymicrophone, it's a very good
microphone, um but I put it inmy budget.
And then I turned around and Iwas like, right, when I get to x
, then I'm going to treat myselfto it, so use it as a reward
system.
You don't have to upgrade allat once, just do it as you go
and then finally have a launchplan.
It was what I didn't do with myfirst podcast.
I didn't have an audience whenI started the society of
(13:33):
professional wedding vendors.
I didn't have anybody on mysocial medias.
I didn't have anybody to listenand I put it out there and I
only got 10 downloads in thefirst 30 days, but actually
nicola and katherine, both intheir first.
Do you want to shout out,ladies, how many downloads you
got in your first week?
Can you remember?
Nicola Tonsager (13:52):
I can't remember, but I did launch
number 10 in the Apple UKspirituality charts.
You did, and that was down tofollowing your launch plan and
doing everything you told me todo as part of that, yeah, and I
think yours was in the 100.
Donna Eade (14:09):
You were 100 and something in your first week,
125, something like that.
So it made a huge difference toactually have a launch plan in
place.
So I think if you can have alaunch plan just like if you
were going to launch a newprogram or a new product, launch
a podcast in the same waybecause it makes a huge
difference and I've always usedthe analogy that you know, if
(14:29):
you push in a boulder up a hill,if you start at the bottom of
the hill, it is a long way tothe top, but if you start
halfway up, that top comes somuch easier.
And that's what having a launchplan does for you.
It gets you that further up andonce you're there, your
trajectory goes from thererather than having to start from
zero.
Catherine Chapman (14:46):
So it's just a much easier, easier way to do
it I think the one of the mostuseful bits of your launch plan
was having those three episodesrecorded, so you had them in the
bank.
Donna Eade (14:57):
Don't give everybody my secrets.
Catherine Chapman (15:00):
You were already.
What did you say?
The percentage of podcasts?
Donna Eade (15:05):
that don't go past three episodes.
Catherine Chapman (15:07):
You're already past that lot, yeah, and
it's just.
Yeah, it's a real buzz, it's areal high five, it gets people
hooked.
Donna Eade (15:19):
And that is why you can get the more downloads in
your first, first week as well,because there's more for people
to listen to.
So the idea is that you getthem in on that first episode
and then you go oh, and here'sthe second episode.
And they're like oh great, Idon't have to wait a week, or
however long it is, um, untilthe next one, and then they've
got a next one.
So then you, they binge, youlike netflix, and uh, then
they're hooked and they're likeokay, I'm coming back the next
time, this one drops yeah, andit's such a great way that no
(15:40):
like and trust, so so easy.
Catherine Chapman (15:43):
Yeah, just I mean I run with podcasts going
on in my in my ears.
It's just a brilliant way to toget that information in well,
that's the flexibility ofpodcasts, because you can.
Donna Eade (15:58):
You can listen to them anywhere where you can't
watch a video anywhere and youcan't read a blog anywhere, but
you can always have your earbudsin and you can always be
listening.
And one of the things that Ilike to tell people about is the
.
The extra special power of apodcast over video and over
blogs is that connection to youraudience, because I don't know,
(16:18):
put your hands out in front ofyou, everybody a little, play
along, okay.
And if you imagine a circlecoming from the tips of your
fingers, going all around yourbody at the same distance,
creating a circle, coming back,that is your personal space and
there are only a handful ofpeople that you will allow into
that space.
Yet podcasters frog jump thatand they go to an even more
(16:40):
intimate place.
How many people would you letwhisper in your ear?
I bet it's less than the peoplethat you would let within that
circle, okay.
So if they are whispering inyour ear on a weekly basis, they
are really gaining your trust.
And I was listening to a Diaryof a CEO yesterday, stephen
talking to Daniel Priestley.
(17:00):
It's their latest one they'vedone too.
It was a really good episodeand he was talking about
podcasting a lot on it actuallyand saying how it's going to
grow and grow and grow.
And he was talking about thatno like and trust factor and how
intimate it is to, you know,connect with somebody in that
way and how you're buildingparasocial relationships.
(17:22):
Now it's it's not the best andyou were talking about this
earlier the parasocialrelationship with the chef's
wife.
You know, you knew her, youwalked past her in the hospital.
She had no idea who you were,and that's the same for
podcasters, but it's buildingthat.
They get to trust you, they getto like you, just like they do
with the celebrities.
However, we have more value aspodcast hosts because 75% of
(17:44):
people are more likely to buyfrom what a podcast host tells
them to do than buying from a tvinfluencer or a celebrity.
So, and we have more powerbecause we're more personable, I
think because they can connectwith us on social media and dm
us and actually talk to us inreal life.
Then that trust is built overtime as well.
Catherine Chapman (18:02):
So I love podcasting how do you feel about
the um?
I feel that's a bit of a newtrend about warts.
And also, um, when I've donethe podcast, I like we do a
little bit of editing.
You take the coughs out and andmaybe the bits where my brain
just totally switches off andjulie and I look at each other
(18:22):
and I go I have literally noidea what I was saying like
halfway through a sentence, andso we edit those bits out.
But I was listening to I don'tknow why I was listening to one
of mark's fishing podcasts.
I think it just encroached onone of my Spotify lists.
I have no idea, but they weretalking about their whole new
thing was that they wereliterally just chatting.
(18:44):
So you got the coughs, you gotthe laughs, you got the breaks,
you got everything.
Mel Robbins was wanderingaround her studio looking at the
brain and you could hear themout and about.
And then, and um, uh, darioVienasio he was.
He was like, oh you know,talking to his friends tending
him to bring his vivo bare in.
(19:05):
How do you feel about the kindof warts and all, as opposed to
the slightly clipped versions?
Donna Eade (19:12):
there is a difference between a warts and
all podcast and a shoddilyproduced podcast.
Okay.
So it's the production thatneeds to be on point, not
necessarily taking out all theums, ahs, like for me, I want to
have a conversation.
I want it to sound like I'mhaving a conversation with
(19:33):
somebody and somebody could justjoin in.
I.
I don't want it to soundcompletely perfect.
I don't do that.
It's something that AmyPorterfield used to do and she
did a podcast episode.
I think I don't know whether itmissed going through editing or
something.
Somehow a podcast got up thatwasn't perfect and she had such
a reaction from her audiencegoing oh, my God, it's so nice
(19:54):
to hear that you're human, thatyou make mistakes, that you
stumble, because she would takeout every imperfection if she
stumbled over a word, anything.
I don't take that stuff out.
I take some of the oh, I've gota hair.
I take some of the ums and ahsout because I've got a hair.
No, no, I you know.
I take some of the ums and ahsout because when people are put
in front of a microphone or acamera, suddenly the ums and ahs
(20:18):
go up all of a sudden.
It's.
It's a nervous reaction andwe're not even aware of it half
the time, but I will take someof them out because it's not
natural.
That's not what they wouldnormally sound like.
I've got a podcast that I editfor a corporate and, honestly,
because they're not podcasters,they're corporate, they're not
used to speaking like we are.
Oh my gosh, the amount of timesthey trip over their words and
(20:41):
say, oh, it's a nightmare toedit.
But yeah, so it's the editing.
The sound quality needs to begood.
What you're putting in, that isup to you.
So if you decide to do that,you're walking around, people
are interested.
But I would say that if you'rewalking around looking at stuff,
you've got to remember it's apodcast, mel Robbins, she has a
video version so you'd be ableto go and see that.
But for me, podcasting isauditory.
(21:03):
So don't go looking at stuffthat other people can't see,
because that's just going tofrustrate them.
It would frustrate me.
I'm like what are you lookingat?
I can't see it.
So, yeah, so warts and all isabsolutely fine.
You've got to find your owncomfort level with that.
But it's more about theproduction level making sure
that the sound quality is good,so that because, again, people
(21:26):
are listening with earbuds inand if the sound quality is
awful they're not going to wantto listen.
In fact, I've got a podcast fora friend of mine business
friend of mine who does apodcast.
I love her dearly but she doesnot do anything to dampen the
sound in her room and it's sohigh pitched and squealy I can't
listen to it and I have toagain.
Catherine Chapman (21:44):
I'm going to bring everybody back to your
course where you actually teachthat stuff really really well,
and I still, if I haven't done,like if I haven't done a guest
episode for a little while, Istill have to then go back into
all the course material andremind myself what I need to do.
(22:05):
But it's always there and it'slike my podcast uniform I love
it I love it absolutely.
Anybody got any questions?
Donna Eade (22:29):
can I walk?
Janine Coney (22:30):
I was gonna say two jobs can you, donna, just
talk through um how people canbring in their own brand into it
, because we've obviouslydiscussed, if you're having a
conversation about somethingwhere you've got a guest speaker
, but you can also use it asyour funnel and you can have
kind of adverts in the middle oryou can introduce yourself or
(22:52):
change the the piece at the end.
Can't you for different umcourses that might be coming up
or events or what have you?
What do you think about that?
Do you think it is a good thing?
Donna Eade (23:02):
yeah.
So obviously your podcast canbe used as a tool for your
branding.
Like I say, it's got to be whatyour why is some people?
They don't want it connected totheir business at all, don't
know why they wouldn't, but somedon't.
Um, but yeah, if you are usingit, you've got your brand colors
in your graphic.
You have got your brand message, whatever.
That is the way you say things.
So for me, the last year, Icould probably riff off my
(23:25):
podcast intro right now withoutstumbling, because every every
week it's the same thing.
It's reminding you.
This is the mindset and actionpodcast.
I'm your host on it.
It says what it is on the tinand then there are ways to
advertise in your podcast yourown stuff.
So that's dynamic content.
I don't particularly likemid-roll in the middle of your
(23:48):
podcast adverts because I thinkit breaks the flow.
They can be successful, you cantry it, and I'm all about give
and take with that stuff.
You know you try it.
If it works, it works, if itdoesn't, it doesn't.
But I'm all about not annoyingmy audience.
So if I am doing a launch, soif any of you listened to my
podcast in the last three months, you would have heard that I'm
(24:09):
having an event and it wasliterally at the front of every
podcast for the last threemonths before my intro started,
and that, to me, is enough.
Like I give people that andpeople who are regular listeners
know what's coming when theyhear that first word because
they're like, oh, she's stilladvertising that they can skip
(24:29):
it really easily.
But usually once people aredoing whatever it is they're
doing, it's not so easy for themto stop.
Once people are doing whateverit is they're doing, it's not so
easy for them to stop, which isgood for you because it means
that actually 80% of people thatpress play on a podcast will
listen to the entire thing,which is a higher retention rate
than video.
But it's annoying for them ifthere's loads of ads, because
(24:50):
you can put like three, I think,in the middle of your, or more
in the middle of your podcastand if every five minutes it's
breaking for an ad, people aregoing to get pissed off.
So I avoid the mid ones, butyou can also do one at the end
as well, so you can talk aboutwhatever you like, whatever
you're sharing at the time,whatever you're promoting at the
time.
It's a great way of buildingyour email list, which is really
(25:11):
, really important.
We haven't really touched onthat today much, but, yeah, get
them on your email list as soonas possible and use your podcast
to do it.
Yeah.
Catherine Chapman (25:24):
Any other questions?
Nicola Tonsager (25:26):
No, brilliant, okay, thank you very much for
joining me.
Thank you for interviewing me.
Donna Eade (25:31):
Thank you, thank you .
Popular Podcasts
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.