Joe Sanok is one of the leading podcasters in the world with his podcast, “Practice of the Practice” reaching more than 100k downloads every month. He’s also known as ‘Counselor of the Counselors’ for helping experts, all over the States as well as other parts of the world, to move and grow their practice online.
So, ForCreators sat down with Joe on our latest session of Monday for Creators, and asked him to share his experience, and his best practice on how to start podcasting, and grow as a business or a brand online. Read the report from the interview below, and don’t forget to watch the recorded webinar session on YouTube for a more in-depth discussion on the topics.
Joe’s background
Joe Sanok needs no introduction if you’re a fan of podcasting. He’s the host of the popular ‘Practice of the Practice‘ podcast, which is recognized as one of the top 50 podcasts in the world. In his podcast, Joe speaks to best-selling authors, and expert business leaders and innovators. Joe is also a counselor as well as an author. He has authored 5 books and has a new one coming out soon which is called ‘Thursday is the New Friday’. Joe has been featured on various renowned publications including the Huffington Post, Forbes, Reader’s Digest, and many more.
Initially, Joe started his career as a mental health counselor for a community college. However, it didn’t take him long to realize the potential of taking his work and business online. Joe then started offering his services not just to individuals, but to entire businesses. And soon enough, he was enjoying the work he was doing, which was basically helping others and making an impact on the world. At the same time, Joe is earning a lot from this online practice, much more than he would’ve made from his full-time job at the community college.
Joe’s journey so far has been quite interesting. His experience of moving his practice online, getting familiar with different online tools, finding clients and monetizing the practice, is very valuable knowledge to all those who’re interested to pursue the same. What did we learn from the interview?
Joe’s advice on realizing when and how you need to make changes to your life and work
When asked about his insights as to how people should realize they need a change, and how they might be able to start, Joe simply suggested that they should do what gets us excited, things that we have passion for. Joe urged them to find their natural passions and excitements, and see where it leads them to. He said that people often think too far into the future and wonder whether or not they’re going to get the market they need to establish themselves. And instead of doing so, Joe said that people should just get things going and see where it takes them. This, according to Joe, is the very first step that they have to take.
Joe also referred to the idea of finding the right niche, something that people can be happy with and earn from as well. Simply put, it’s like Mark Twain said – “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
How to start podcasting and email networking
The first 5 episodes of your podcast are the pillars on which the rest of the series will be standing on.
In order to start collecting emails, Joe suggests that we should use whatever platform we are comfortable with, be it Instagram or Facebook. Anywhere we might have a following, should do fine in terms of collecting email addresses. Look at the audience you already have built and try to engage them behind the scenes.
Joe also mentioned in his talk how podcasts are statistically one of the best ways to resonate a national or even an international message with your audience. And with that idea, he shared his opinion on how to get your podcast up and running.
According to Joe, the first 5 episodes of your podcast are the pillars on which the rest of the series will be standing on. You release these 5 episodes all at once on iTunes, and if someone really enjoys the first one, there is a possibility there are going to binge them all. This helps your stats and tells iTunes that your podcast is something they can promote to other use.
The next five episodes, you bring in guests and interview them. This shows that you are in touch with the field, and aligned with others from the same profession or area of expertise.
Finally, Joe suggests that you organize 5 live coaching sessions with your audience. This will demonstrate your skills, and tell your audience that you are the real deal here.
Once you are done with all this, you should now go for a weekly release. People will be expecting your show every week at a specific time by this point, and it is up to you to deliver.
Joe’s choice of an online tool for automated scheduling
In the webinar, Joe Sanok talks about Calendly, an online appointment scheduling software. It is automated and saves you quite a lot of time.
Joe’s opinion on Clubhouse
Clubhouse is one of the best, if not the best, platforms for content creators.
When asked about Clubhouse, Joe exclaimed that Clubhouse is one of the best, if not the best, platforms for content creators. He is a regular Clubhouser at the Pacific Podcast Magazine at Clubhouse.
According to Joe, Clubhouse feels like a conference where you have lots of breakout rooms or sessions. You can move from one to another as you may like. Joe also said that Clubhouse is amazing in the sense that it is a great way to build an audience. And it is not just the features that make Clubhouse so great. The way things are implemented on the platform also contributes to this. Joe believes that even if Facebook were to produce something of their own like Clubhouse, they might not be able to implement it in the same manner, which is why Clubhouse will be one of a kind.
Joe talks about his upcoming book, ‘Thursday is the New Friday’
Near the end of the webinar, Joe gave us a quick update on his upcoming book, ‘Thursday is the New Friday’.
The concept of this book comes from the idea that we are able to function or work better if we have 4 weekdays instead of 5. Joe explained how the concept of the 5 day and 40 hour-hour workweek came into existence, and how recent developments with the COVID-19 and other case studies have challenged this existing concept. In his book, Joe talks about how the four day workweek is the defining evolutionary step for the business world, as well as for our personal lives.
At the session, Joe also goes into details regarding how we tend to work faster and more efficiently when we are short on time. If we have 3 weeks to finish an essay, we are likely to take 3 weeks to get it done. But if the same thing is to be done in a week or couple of days, we shift into overdrive and work with more efficiency.
Favorite platforms to run courses
Joe recommends that you get your own test group to try out various platforms, be it Teachable, Udemy, or anything else. You keep testing until you find the right one for yourself and your product. Afterwards, you get started on it.
Your audience can help you in this regard. Joe talks about how their feedback can help you bring improvements to your product, and save you time as well.
Building on your power and unique selling point
At the very end of the podcast, Joe shared some of his thoughts.
It is his believe that most content creators underestimate their own power. They should have more faith in themselves as well as their niches.
Everyone has a unique selling point, which is their power, and it is important for them to put their faith into this power.
Joe also encourages people to take a stand on things they really care about, and be themselves from the beginning. Being authentic may push people away, but then it will also attract the people that really want to follow your work.
Joe’s new book, ‘Thursday is the New Friday’ is having its pre-release in summer 2021. Hardcover releases on October 5th. So save the date for that.
We hope you enjoyed learning about podcasting and moving your business online from Joe Sanok this week on Monday for Creators. ForCreator’s webinar series will give you the opportunity to hear from some of the best minds in the industry. Stay tuned for next week’s session where we will be bringing in another guest, and talking about a brand new topic. And in the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, and what you would like to see on Monday for Creators.
