It seems like everyone has a podcast or at least a variation of one these days. What people don’t mention is that podcasting can be A LOT of work. It’s not just recording conversations with fascinating guests. In the beginning of a host’s podcasting journey it might not make sense to have a podcast virtual assistant. However, the longer someone podcasts and the more a show or a podcast business grows the more likely it is that they will find themselves needing help or assessing the amount of time it takes them to run their show. A professional podcast virtual assistant could be the key to long-term podcasting success. Will that be you? If you love audio content, logistics, interesting conversations and being a part of an emerging content space, becoming a podcast virtual assistant may be the right side-hustle for you.
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10KVA
If you’re looking for a helpful resource to get you up and running as a virtual assistant, the 10KVA course is the resource that I recommend. The course creator also happens to be a friend of mine and someone that I trust and have watched grow their virtual assistant business over the past 5 years. Kayla Sloan has the goal of helping future virtual assistants be successful and develop unique online virtual assistant businesses that give them lifestyle flexibility and consistent income. Check out 10KVA today and tell Kayla that Michelle Jackson sent you.
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What Does a Podcast Virtual Assistant Do?
Running a podcast is a huge logistical puzzle. There are a lot of moving parts that happen behind the scenes which can impact the success of an episode and how smoothly things run on the backend. If there are hiccups with logistics, these mistakes can also impact a podcaster’s publishing schedule which is something that they want to avoid. Below is a short-list of some of the tasks that a podcast virtual assistant may find themselves doing. It’s important to point out that in conversations with your clients you may redefine the scope of work for the role.
- Guest outreach-This outreach could include, but isn’t limited, to reaching out to an ideal guest and booking them for your client’s show. Being the point of contact between the guest and the show. This could include: sending recording details, sharing a pre-designed recording logistics sheet for guests, sending an email reminder to the guest a few days before the interview (a good idea) and then sending marketing materials and the show link when the episode goes “live”
- Show note development-Some hosts may create a script prior to recording an episode or a flow of episode. Podcast virtual assistants can use digital programs to transcribe the audio content and then upload the show notes to the host’s website (they really should have a website!) Those show notes may also need affiliate links added to them, product information, resource opt-ins, disclosures and even “Buy Me a Coffee” links. To optimize show notes well, it takes time and any show hosts might not have that time. Some hosts might not realize that they need a show-note framework and a podcast virtual assistant could develop that for them.
- Audio editing-Technically, this could be a completely separate virtual assistant who is only tasked with audio editing because it can be such a big task. But some podcast virtual assistants may consider raising their rates and including this service as part of an “all-in-one” VA package. This type of offering could earn them more money working with fewer clients because podcast editing can be time consuming. This offering would be part of a premium virtual assistant package.
- Marketing of the show-It takes a lot of time to market a podcast. A podcast virtual assistant could create the marketing materials for the show in Canva and then upload and share the show details across social media channels.
- Guest gifts-Depending on the show, some hosts may send out gifts or other tokens of appreciation including their books, gift cards or t-shirts.
- Sponsor research-There are podcasters who pitch for sponsors but it can be a time consuming task. Researching a potential sponsors contact details, previous shows sponsored and whether or not the sponsor has worked with other podcasters can take up a lot of the host’s time.
- Show Email Management-If your client doesn’t have a dedicated email for their show-help them set one up ASAP. Once that’s done, you’ll then be in-charge of checking the email in-box a pre-determined number of times a week. Ideally, this is also the email address receiving podcast newsletter information and other podcast related outreach such as information from podcast conference. Read my review of Podcast Movement and Podcast Movement Evolutions if you’re curious about those events.
- Newsletter management-There is a lot that goes into running a newsletter well. While the host will most likely write the bulk of a newsletter, a podcast VA with some copywriting experience can set up the initial framework of a weekly newsletter. Once a template has been designed it”s a pretty straightforward process.
- Work with the Asana/Evernote/Monday-Workflow software. This is especially helpful if the host has a bigger team and everyone needs to see where they are at in the workflow of each episode.
- Assist host with ADA compliance measures-The American with Disabilities Act was passed to broaden access to spaces, et. al. for Americans with Disabilities. This assistance could include doing research on how content creators can make content more accessible. It’s an ongoing project but really important.
How to Find Podcast Virtual Assistant Clients
Now that you’ve decided to pursue this side-hustle, the next question is probably where in the heck do you find clients? It’s important to set up a client protocol before looking for customers.
- How long have they been podcasting? It’s probably better to work with someone who has been podcasting for at least a year. Why? Because it takes a lot to hit that one year mark as a podcaster and at that point the host is clear why they’re podcasting, the point of their show and how it serves their audience. They may even have monetized their show OR are in the process of staring monetization and need support as they work through that process.
- Does the host have realistic expectations of what a VA can do for them and what a reasonable onboarding process looks like. The VA should really set boundaries around the pacing of the onboarding process.
- Do you like their show? There’s no point in working with a content creator whose content you don’t enjoy. It’s hard to fake enthusiasm for content that you dislike.
Where Podcast Virtual Assistant Clients Are
Podcasting is still very much in its infancy. However, there a re a number of podcasting communities and spaces that you can find your ideal clients.
- Closed Online groups-DO NOT go against group rules, do not actively solicit for clients within these groups-you will get kicked out. Instead, make a note of the host and their show and then reach out via the host’s shared contact details on their website or social media feeds. Many groups share threads where you can post your services to the group.
- WOC Podcasters (Women of Color) Subscription service
- Podcast Movement (Facebook group)
- She Podcasts (Facebook Group)
- BIPOC Podcasters
- You can do a Google search for niche specific groups as well.
- Podcasts in Color-A comprehensive resource sharing over 5,000 podcasts hosted and produce by hosts of color
- Twitter-There are a couple of ways you can find podcasts. You can search using #podcast or you can look for shows in a specific content space.
- Niche specific communities-What does this mean? If you’re primarily in the personal finance space/travel/food/etc. there are communities that are adjacent to that content space. This is a good strategy because word of mouth helps grow a virtual assistant business. Being one of a few “go-to” people in a space is a great way to grow a virtual assistant business.
- Design a helpful tool-This could be a YouTube show/Twitter space/TikTok Channel/Twitter event and then show up weekly or bi-weekly with helpful tools and insights for your clientele. You DO want to get people on your email list if you decide to use this strategy, but it’s a great way to warm up your client leads and to show up consistently online. You’re sharing “What” not ALL of the “How” to do a thing. You are the “How”
How Much to Get Paid as a Podcast Virtual Assistant
Often you will find hourly rate information in these types of posts. Not from me. Design packages and price accordingly. Why should you design packages versus hourly rates?
- Hourly rates will inadverdantly give your clients power over your time. They will likely want an accounting of your time vs. just looking for results.
- An hourly rate may accidentally tie up your time and keep you from saying “yes” to other client work or personal projects that pay more.
- You should be paid for results vs. the time to get the results. As a podcast host, I really don’t want to be in the position of accounting for your hours. I’m busy. Instead, I just want to pay some money and get the results that I paid for.
- Do not go outside of the scope of work designated in your packages without charging for it. Period. You’re a business. When you’re setting up your packages, you can figure out what you would like to be paid minimum per hour BUT you don’t have to communicate that to your client. If you know that you would like to get paid $75 an hour, then it’s important to design your packages with that in mind. Ask yourself what is the minimum earn per client that you would like to sign on:
- Monthly
- Lifetime of the client-This metric looks at how long your client works with you.
- You can also set up a retainer fee (similar to a subscription)
- Always charge more for last minute rush projects and reserve the right to say “no”
- Have a couple of other VA friends that you can refer clients to when you’ve hit your work capacity
Time to Get Started
Now that you’ve decided to start a podcast virtual assistant side-hustle, it’s time to get organized.
- Set up a business landing page. You can use a couple of different resources to do this. They all cost under $50 a month.
- Leadpages
- Flodesk
- Ionos.com-One thing to be aware of is that you get what you paid for. I love designing my websites with Ionos (WordPress platform) BUT, customer service is a pain in the butt when things come up. However, it’s less than $10 a month.
- Don’t overthink this, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just set up your digital shingle and start hustling.
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