“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Podcasting with a Social Mind” with Giselle Ugarte of the Call to Action Podcast
As part of my series of interviews about “How podcasters can become a center of influence”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Giselle Ugarte of Call to Action Podcast. She is also the Director of Marketing at Media Bridge Advertising, a motivational speaker and a Certified High Performance Coach.
. . .
Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?
Awhile back, I went to a networking event where we went around in a circle, and each person stated their name, their job title and where they worked. More than ever, I noticed that almost every woman introduced herself in the exact same way: with a question mark — and usually with filler words like “just” and “kinda,” along with eyes wandering to the ceiling or even the ground.
For example, “Hi? I’m Maggie? I guess I’m just the SVP of a finance company, I also kinda serve on the board of this one charity too, but it’s really not a big deal. Umm.. yeah!”
These were entrepreneurs, top salespeople, senior-level associates, all brushing off their identities and accomplishments in a room full of like-minded people. I kept seeing this exact situation happen over and over, in meetings, on panels, and at conferences. I began wondering, what would the world look like if you never had to question if you belonged? In a room, at a table, on a job, on a stage, in a relationship… Can you imagine the untapped potential?
When I looked up business and leadership podcasts, I could count on one hand how many of the top ones were hosted by a woman. With women being 44% of podcast listeners and with podcast-listening women being highly-educated, money-making women, I saw a desperate need, and the Call to Action podcast was born.
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
Since starting podcasting, the most interesting thing that’s happened is learning to focus my attention completely outward, on my interviewee and on my audience (I’ve created an entire Pinterest board persona for my audience, by the way, her name is Emma).
When I first started, it was all about getting every one of my words perfect and getting all of my thoughts out, but that’s not how healthy conversation works, and that’s not what a good host does.
I’m now able to sit down for an interview, immediately get into the mind of my audience and then direct the conversation in a way that can excite her, empower her, answer her questions (and her follow-up questions) and help her take action beyond the series. This also usually means I do less of the talking, and that’s (more than) OK.
Can you share a story about the biggest or funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The dumbest mistake I made was trying to edit out every long pause, “um” and “like” in the conversation. I also noticed that every time I breathe through my nose, it sounds like a sniffle (one too many broken noses as a kid), and I tried to edit that out too.
When I played it back, you couldn’t tell that I’d snipped the recording, but I felt like I’d just sucked the soul out of the conversation. There’s magic in those pauses and sometimes even in the tripped up “um” fillers. Rather than wasting time trying to cut those out, use your energy towards improving your cadence and flow.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
I started podcasting with AfterBuzzTV in 2012. We were the first to do live-streaming television show recaps, with the audio available to download the following day. We did hundreds and hundreds of episodes together, and it definitely helped launch my television career.
Call to Action is my first podcast with Media Bridge Advertising.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Giselle Ugarte!
. . .
Podcaster Influencer, Giselle Ugarte of the Call to Action Podcast shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. Establish criteria for what a “great guest” means to you and your vision for the show, and then come up with a list of examples of who that could be.
Don’t get caught up in celebrity or the number of followers someone has. Think about who is going to bring genuine value to your audience, your show and your network. You may also want to consider only booking guests who are local to your area.
2) Increase Listeners. Own your show — and never stop talking about it.
If you’re not excited about your podcast, why would anyone else feel inclined to listen to it or share it? Be sure to include calls to action throughout your show and/or during your intro/outro that encourage subscribing, sharing and reviewing your podcast.
Any time you have a guest, be sure to send them a thank you email with links to share and sample copy to post.
3) Produce in a Professional Way. Your best resource for producing a professional podcast is YouTube. You’ll be able to see and hear what a lot of the professionals are using, and then you’ll be able to learn how to use it all at your own pace.
4)Encourage Engagement. Create social media and blog content around each episode for promotion and search engine optimization.
5) Monetize. The most effective form of monetization for a podcast is an endorsement. This is also our most effective marketing tactic that we recommend at Media Bridge, especially when it’s a fully-integrated endorsement that can live across platforms (podcast, social media, paid ads, radio, etc.).
What makes your podcast binge-listenable? What do you think makes your podcast unique from the others in your category? What do you think is special about you as a host, your guests, or the content itself?
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Giselle Ugarte!
