WP 22 | The Benefits of Podcasting with Gordon Brewer
The Wise Practice Podcast features guest speaker Gordon Brewer, an LMFT and owner of the Practice of Therapy Podcast and the PsychCraft Network. Brewer talks about the benefits of podcasting for businesses and private practice owners. He says that podcasting is more personal and intimate than reading blogs or articles, which makes it easier to connect with the audience. Brewer shares his inspiration behind creating PsychCraft Network, which aims to connect and support private practice owners through podcasts. He believes that podcasting can quickly establish one as an expert in their field, leading to better opportunities for growth and visibility. The podcast also discusses the benefits of using podcast editing and production services like PsychCraft.
Leverage podcasting to connect with your audience
Podcasting has become increasingly popular over the years, and many businesses and individuals are leveraging this platform to connect with their audience, build their brands, and grow their networks. A benefit of having a podcast is that it can be used to promote your practice. Gordon, who has a consulting business and a podcast shares that podcasting grew his business and helped him become known and build trust with his listeners.
Psychraft and the benefits of having a podcast
Gordon started by sharing about his company, PsychCraft Network, which is an online platform that provides resources and tools for creatives. He also mentioned that he has a podcast for his consulting business, and he uses it to connect with his audience and share valuable insights. Gordon explained that having a podcast allows him to reach a wider audience and build relationships with his listeners. It also gives him a platform to share his expertise and insights, which can help establish him as an authority in his field.
Connection and community building through podcasting
Gordon highlighted that one of the main benefits of having a podcast is the opportunity to build connections and create a community around your brand or business. He shared that he has seen this firsthand with his own podcast, as listeners have reached out to him and expressed their gratitude for the value he has provided through his content. Gordon also mentioned that having a podcast can help to humanize your brand and make it more relatable to your audience.
Leveraging the podcast to promote your practice
Another benefit of having a podcast is the opportunity to promote your practice and attract new clients or customers. Gordon shared that he has seen many people leverage their podcasts to promote their business by including calls to action at the end of each episode or by featuring guests who are relevant to their niche. He also emphasized the importance of providing value to your audience and building trust before promoting your products or services.
Tips for starting a podcast
For those who are just getting started with podcasting, Gordon offered some advice. He emphasized the importance of being consistent with your content and having a clear understanding of your audience and niche. He also recommended investing in quality equipment and seeking feedback from your listeners to improve your content. Having a topic you feel passionate about is also key. When you start you might not have a large audience and your passion will carry you through those times.
Creating content and monetizing your podcast
When it comes to creating content for your podcast, Gordon shared that it's important to have a mix of evergreen and timely content, as well as to stay up-to-date with trends and current events. As for monetizing your podcast, he recommended exploring options such as sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and creating premium content for your listeners.
Conclusion: The power of podcasting
In conclusion, podcasting can be a powerful tool for promoting your practice, building connections, and establishing yourself as an authority in your field. By providing value to your audience, staying consistent with your content, and leveraging the opportunities that podcasting offers, you can create a successful and impactful podcast that helps you achieve your business goals.
Links and Resources
Gordon on Instagram: @tpotpodcast
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WP 22 | The Benefits of Podcasting with Gordon Brewer
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Whitney Owens: Hello friends and welcome back to the Wise Practice Podcast. Looking forward to talking to you today about the benefits of podcasting in your practice, and I have a wonderful guest here with me who I call the Master of Podcasting, Gordon Brewer. He is the person behind the Practice of Therapy Podcast and the owner and creator of the Site Craft Network.
Whitney Owens: He's an L M F T and owns a group practice in Kingsport, Tennessee. Hey, Gordon,
Gordon Brewer: how are. Hey Whitney, it's good to be here. Yep,
Whitney Owens: always my honor and pleasure to talk to my friends on the podcast. Talk to my friends all the time, so Yes, yes. I'm glad that you're here.
Gordon Brewer: Yes, I am too. I, um, I'm thrilled that you have this podcast.
Gordon Brewer: Well,
Whitney Owens: thank you. Yeah. So mm-hmm. , I guess we could start out talking a little bit about that. That really, Gordon has been a big inspiration to me and starting my podcast with him, creating this network. So, do you wanna share a little bit about the site craft network and what. Sure,
Gordon Brewer: sure. So, uh, Whitney's kind of been in on this story from probably the beginning, and I, I had thrown, had somebody kind of threw the idea out of starting a network and I got the, I guess I'd gone to the, a podcasting summit back in 2000.
Gordon Brewer: Oh, I don't know when it was, but, um, anyway, went to that and, uh, kind of got the wheels turning on that. But one of the things that I think, um, is happening is that podcasting is just taken off. And it might have been because of the Covid pandemic or whatever, more people had time to listen to podcasts.
Gordon Brewer: But for, at least for me, um, I listen to a lot of podcasts and there's something about it that's just a little more personal and. Little more intimate, I guess you could say, by listening to the voice rather than reading something on a blog or that sort of thing. So anyway, I got the, the seed was planted for me to look into starting a network.
Gordon Brewer: And so, um, as I started talking with people about it, I got pretty much nothing but good feedback about doing that. And, um, At the beginning of 2022, this year as we're recording this, um, I formed a new entity called Site Craft and, um, my podcast, the Practice of Therapy, I moved it under that umbrella along with a.
Gordon Brewer: A new podcast I started this year called the Kindness and Compassion Podcast. So on my own, I kind of had a network there cuz I had two podcasts. So it's kind of like, uh, I don't know, in group group therapy, if you have more than one person, it's group therapy or so. Mm-hmm. , something like that. So I started that and um, But really the whole purpose in starting it is to be able to connect and be supportive to other people like Whitney.
Gordon Brewer: And we've got a great group of, of other podcasts in the network. Um, some of 'em you've heard on this podcast and, um, Yeah. And so that's how the kind of the idea got started. But the big, the big thing is, is just being able to support each other, build a community around this media and what we're doing and that where all of the people in the network are in similar niches as far as, um, being able to, um, Help other private practice owners and all of that sort of thing, so, yeah.
Gordon Brewer: Well,
Whitney Owens: I am grateful that you created it, Uhhuh . It's given me a place to connect with other podcasters that have a similar. kind of passion really for the work that they're doing. Um, and then I have the extra advantage of using Site Craft to edit and, um, edit and produce my podcast. So that's been mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: really helpful to me because as a group, practice owner, consultant, mom, all the things, like, there's no way I'd have the time to be able to do that. So I'm really grateful for you and for James Marlin, who Yes. Hope to have on this podcast as well, um, for doing that for me. So, Thought it'd be really cool to talk about the benefits of having a podcast.
Whitney Owens: It's a question. Mm-hmm. that I get asked a lot. Mm-hmm. . So maybe we can have a little conversation about that. What are you, what have you found to be some of the benefits? I mean, you have a podcast for your consulting business as well. Like what, what's that been like?
Gordon Brewer: Yeah, so yeah. You know, I think as much as anything, um, you think about how.
Gordon Brewer: How we have kind of changed over the years. When I first started the practice of therapy, it was a blog, and so that was a big thing and, and blogging is still important if you've got a website as far as s e o mm-hmm. and that sort of thing. But one of the things in terms of if you think about having a practice, Having a podcast can really quickly establish you as an expert.
Gordon Brewer: Um, and the other thing too is, is that people can connect with you by listening to you mm-hmm. in a different way than by reading what you've wrote, what you've written kind of thing. And so that's a, that's a big part of it and I think is that that's how it can really help your practice in that you.
Gordon Brewer: Begin to get a following. People begin to know, like, and trust you. And, um, you know, the thing about marketing your practice, really the way I think about marketing is, is that there are tons of people out there that need you and want your services, but they don't know you. So being able to help them find you for your services and podcasting, kinda like social media and blogging and your website and all of that just adds to the mix in a much more dynamic way.
Gordon Brewer: I think. Yeah, I, I love how
Whitney Owens: you said that. And I even think about myself, like, how do I connect with people, you know? And we need to provide people, multiple outlets to connect with us, cuz everyone's gonna have a favorite way to do it. Right. So like when you were talking a little bit about podcasting, I'm thinking about, okay, well when do I do podcasting?
Whitney Owens: I love to listen to podcasts when I run, actually. Mm-hmm. And so, you know, you're, you're talking about blogs and reading blogs. I never read blogs. Mm-hmm. , I'm like, no. Right. You know, and yeah. But I love listening to a podcast when I'm walking or running or driving or
Gordon Brewer: whatever. Right, right. And, uh, the other thing too is, is that you can, um, Yeah, you, no, I think that in, in many ways, the, the appeal of podcasts is that it gives you, you know, through the human voice, you can delve deep into various topics.
Gordon Brewer: Topics mm-hmm. . And, um, you also get, as I mentioned, kind of the emotion behind those, those things that you're talking about or what you're, you're doing within. Within your podcast. And, um, the other thing that I really love about podcasting, particularly with this style of podcasting where we're doing interviews, is you can really meet some great people and you can really, um, develop those, those networks and those, those relationships with people that you wouldn't be able to do, you know, just through blogging.
Whitney Owens: I think that is so important that you mentioned that, and as I look at, you know, the transition I've had to go through the past year. Mm-hmm. with my consulting business. The peop, the people that have been so supportive. Some of them I only met through bringing 'em on a podcast, right? And then after they kind of heard what was happening in my life, they reached out to me, they thought of me.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. . And I wouldn't have had that extra push and support if I hadn't had a podcast. So I think what you're saying is so big and those connections can go a lot further than we. .
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And I, you know, as I think about it, um, as you're mentioning there, I know one of the things, uh, in my, my relationship with you, Whitney, which we've been friends for quite a while now, um, is that we've, we've met in the context of this whole private practice consulting space.
Gordon Brewer: And if you were to think about it, what are the, I'd say probably the majority of people that you're connected with also have podcast. And so we've been, we've been, um, we've been on each other's, uh, podcast shows and that kind of thing, and so there's just a lot of relationship building and networking through those, through those channels.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. .
Whitney Owens: Most definitely. So when you think about, when you first started the Practice of Therapy podcast mm-hmm. , um, is there any advice that you have as people are thinking about starting a podcast, um, to help them gain maximum benefit from having
Gordon Brewer: a podcast? Right. Yeah, that's a great, a great question.
Gordon Brewer: Well, I think, uh, one of, one of the things is that, , if you're gonna have a podcast, it's really a commitment in many ways because you've got to, you've got to get your content out consistently in order for your podcast to do well as far as getting listenership and that kind of thing. And so as, uh, kind of my mantra with, with all of this is being, uh, consistent and persistent with.
Gordon Brewer: And that, uh, putting out a weekly podcast, there's a lot, lot that goes into it. Um, the other thing I would say is, um, I think it's good to learn the backend stuff, but don't get bogged down in all of those details. Um, because, um, Putting a podcast out, if you did it all yourself, you're looking at probably for a 30 minute episode.
Gordon Brewer: If you've honed your skills right, it'll take you two hours to get that ready to actually go out. And so, uh, being willing to outsource, um, Some of those things is gonna be, um, something that I didn't do in the beginning, but quickly transitioned over to getting a virtual assistant to help with all of that because I was spending, you know, as I was learning it, which I'm glad I learned it all, uh, I was spending, uh, you know, half a day.
Gordon Brewer: Getting one episode ready. Hmm. So, you know, draw on supports, draw on resources and outsourcing and getting it and getting it started. And the other thing too, I would say, um, Is whatever your podcast is about, make sure it's something you're passionate about, uh, and something that you enjoy talking about.
Gordon Brewer: Otherwise, it's gonna be drudgery. So and make sure that your, whatever your podcast topic is, or your podcast niche is, and that it's something that you can get excited about. Mm-hmm. .
Whitney Owens: Yeah. Oh yeah. I think that's such good advice and mm-hmm. . So I'm kind of hearing you say like, if you're starting a podcast, go ahead and outsource it from the very beginning, if you can.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Yeah. Which is exactly what I did, and I'm very glad that I did.
Gordon Brewer: Right. Right. And, and podcasting has taken off. I mean, it's just, uh, there are so many tools now, uh, from even when I started my podcast, the Practice of Therapy Podcasts in 2017. Um, There wasn't a lot of information about how to start a podcast out there.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. and I, I spent a number of hours just kinda scouring YouTube on how to make a podcast and, and going through all the steps and figuring out what kinda microphones to get and all of those kinds of things. Um, which I think is fun to do the research, but now there are so many services that will do it for you and, and just make it easy for.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. , definitely. Um, now I know we're talking about the benefits of podcasting, but is there anything you wanna say as far as considerations or maybe um, red flags that may a podcast
Gordon Brewer: isn't for you? Yeah. So, um, one, one thing is, is kind of going back to what I said already, if you're not willing to commit to it and of getting something out now, you know, certainly the, you know, using techniques like batching, you know, like, I'll, I'll record a bunch of podcast episodes in, in one week and get them ready so that they're ready to go out, you know, consistently on a schedule.
Gordon Brewer: So that's a, that's a workaround there. If you don't , if you don't, uh, like hearing your voice or you get, uh, you know, and I think the first time anybody hears their voice or they get, uh, maybe anxious with talking with other people. Although in our space with, with therapists, um, You know, really a, a podcast, doing a podcast episode is no different than doing a, a session as far as just having a conversation and being curious with people and that sort of thing.
Gordon Brewer: But, um, yeah, so the, the other thing I would say too is, um, if you're, if you're not into kind of some of the techy stuff, just a little bit, you don't have to be overboard with it. Podcasting might not be for you. I mean, that's, that's the thing is that, uh, there's, uh, there's a little bit of, of the tech side that you gotta kind of get, get into and learn how to do.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. , but yeah.
Whitney Owens: Well that's been one of my fortunate things, not having to deal with that. Yeah. I like being able to just get on and record. Yeah. Um, I love what you said about listening to your own voice. I think, I think that's really, um, important. Mm-hmm. and, you know, with all things it's. Stop doing all the stuff you don't wanna do, just go have fun.
Whitney Owens: Like, let your job be fun. Mm-hmm. . And so when I was thinking about starting a podcast again, it was like, well, I just love podcasting. I love to talk. Mm-hmm. , I love to be with people. And I actually, I'm curious, Gordon, I'm gonna, I'm gonna tell you my thing and then I wanna hear what you have to say.
Whitney Owens: Sometimes I listen to my own podcast. And not only do I get encouraged, but I'll be like, dang, I'm good. I, I just told myself something I forgot I'd said, you know, and now I'm remembering it and it's encouraging me. So, yeah. I don't know. Do you ever listen to your own podcast
Gordon Brewer: and Oh, yeah. Encouragement? I do.
Gordon Brewer: I part, yeah. Most of the most weeks I'll listen to a, a big majority of it, but mm-hmm. , you know, and part of it is, is that, you know, I don't know if this happens to you, Whitney, but I know a lot of times when I'm interviewing people, I am, I'm thinking, I'm thinking ahead as you go through it about what's gonna be my next question or what, you know, where do we want this episode to go?
Gordon Brewer: So I don't really take in exactly what everybody is saying. Yes, because you're in kind of your, it's kinda like you're in the on mode, and so going back and listening to your podcast, you, you can get Yeah, I would agree. Say, man, that was a good question. You know, or, yeah, that was, or I missed that one.
Gordon Brewer: Missed that when, that, that guest was talking about this particular thing and so, yeah. Yeah.
Whitney Owens: Now I have a good joke for you cuz you know I didn't hear anything you said cuz I was thinking about my
Gordon Brewer: next question. Oh, okay. It's okay. . I'm just kidding. Yeah, yeah.
Whitney Owens: That's awesome. Well, yeah. Do you have any, anything else that you wanna share specifically about podcasting?
Whitney Owens: Things for people to know?
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Um, I think, I think one thing is, is that if you, if you listen to a lot of podcasts, You'd probably be a pretty good fit for becoming a podcaster. Um, the, the other thing too is, is that podcasting has really, Is really replacing blogging as a media, um, that people are, um, they're going to, I mean, the, the, the podcast, the number of podcasts coming on the scene is just exploding.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. . Um, but the, the danger, the danger is, is that, um, you know, it's just like with a website or anything else, it's usually a slow start. I mean, one of the statistics we, I look. Quite often is the number of downloads per month or whatever, per week, whatever. And when I first started out, it was really kind of discouraging, oh, well only five people listen to my podcast this week.
Gordon Brewer: And you know that, that kind of thing. And I probably know all of them, but by being persistent and consistent with it, it quickly can grow. Mm-hmm. . And if you were to think about. Being able to get your message, whatever that is, in front of a big number of people. Podcasting is, is the way to go. I mean mm-hmm.
Gordon Brewer: um, it, I mean, I, I'm not, I'm not sharing this as a, as a bragging point, but just really as an example. So my podcast is currently getting about 5,000 downloads a month, and so, If I were to think about it, can you imagine standing in an auditorium? Speaking to 5,000 people. And so that's kind of, kind of the analogy I, I like to think of and I'm thinking, okay, that's a pretty good reach.
Gordon Brewer: That's a lot of people that you're, you're impacting and whatever way you're impacting people. And so I think that's one of the things about, about podcast. Um, plus podcasts are easy to share with people, so I think it's, uh, you've got the big share factor there as well. Mm-hmm. podcasting,
Whitney Owens: definitely. Yeah, definitely.
Whitney Owens: So if somebody's like wanting to speak but doesn't wanna be a public speaker in front of everyone mm-hmm. podcasting might be. Oh absolutely. For them. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting how we can get really, at least for me, vulnerable on podcasts. Yes. Because I forget that people hear me cuz I'm just mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: in this little closet by myself talking, no one's hearing me. Wait,
Gordon Brewer: they're uhhuh . Yes. Yes. And it's, uh, you know, the other thing that's nice about podcasting is it's really a storytelling medium. Mm-hmm. , um, you know, and I think most of us are really impacted by hearing stories. Um, and I think in a way that, that, um, really can give it done in the right way, can really bring meaning for a lot of people.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Hmm.
Whitney Owens: Such good stuff. I, mm-hmm. . I think another thing we didn't really touch on this, and we could do so much on this, is the idea of monetizing. Mm-hmm. . And I think people, I just wanna encourage people if they're thinking about podcasting, to really think through if they want to monetize or not.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. , and then thinking about what that looks like with monetizing or like what's the purpose. I just think a lot of people start podcasting and don't do it with an intention. And then they're frustrated that nothing's happening. And it's like, well, you didn't have a call to action or you didn't have a sponsor, you didn't have these things.
Whitney Owens: Like what do they, how do they connect with you after the
Gordon Brewer: podcast? Right, right. Yeah. Yeah. And that's, uh, that's the thing too, as far as in the context of private practice, really one of the big things that, um, Podcasting could do is number as, as I mentioned already, is it, it helps you get better known. And so it's a marketing tool in that sense.
Gordon Brewer: But the other, the other thing too is, is that it gives you a greater reach with wanting to help people. I mean, instead of the one-to-one way of helping people like we do in counseling and therapy. We can do one to many on a different level. Of course, obviously podcasting is not therapy, but we can still have an impact on people's lives by sharing our stories, sharing our wisdom, our knowledge, all of that sort of thing.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. .
Whitney Owens: Yeah. A hundred percent. Mm-hmm. . Well, speaking of connecting with people outside of a podcast and follow ups mm-hmm. , how can people follow up with you, Gordon, and learn about your courses and things that you offer?
Gordon Brewer: Well, sure. Thanks. Um, well, simple way is just to go to practice of therapy.com. That's the website and everything.
Gordon Brewer: That I do is there, but also you can connect with me on Instagram. It's T P O T. Podcast on Instagram, and then also you can find me on Facebook. But, um, the, you know, the, one of the things, uh, not to get too far on the tangent here, one of the things, one theme that has come up for me this past year, as a matter of fact, my last episode of 2022 that I did for my podcast, I talked about this, but a big thing that came up for me, a theme is the, the importance of community.
Gordon Brewer: And so part of what I'm doing now is shifting to a more kind of community-based kind of, um, paradigm or way of doing business. So, uh, started, start, uh, moved over to the Circle app. As far as the practice of therapy community, and then I've got the Practice Launch Club, which is a, uh, an exclusive membership community for, especially for those people just getting started in private practice.
Gordon Brewer: And so part of that, what we do there is housed on the circle community, but I think being supportive to people means being able to have conversations, being able to connect on a more personal level. And so, Full circle around, no pun intended with the circle metaphor, but um, I think podcasting allows me to do that.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. And I think it can allow a lot of people to do that as well. Mm-hmm. But to connect with me, to answer your question, go to practice of therapy.com. Got lots of free resources there, plus some, some courses. Uh, one that's probably the most popular is the Google Workspace for therapists. Uh, course also, um, the.
Gordon Brewer: Some other courses, money matters and private practice and all of all of that. And if you go to practice of therapy.com/whitney, uh, you can get on there and uh, find all those things.
Whitney Owens: Thank you Gordon. Uhhuh. . Yeah. And so I just wanna, um, attest, I was just sitting here while we were talking, thinking, I can't remember who asked me, but I was talking to somebody about my friends and he was like, Gordon Brewer, I listen to his podcast.
Whitney Owens: Is he actually in real life the way he is on the podcast? And I was like, yes, 100%. Like that's just Gordon. Like, yeah. Um, and so I just wanna say that to you as people are listening. Yeah. And, and also that your courses are great. that G the G-Suite course. I took it when I started my group practice. Mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: because I really wanted to optimize. It was so helpful. Downloaded all the stuff, have the course for my therapists if they wanna watch some of the videos. Mm-hmm. . Um, and then Practice Launch Club is a really great community for people, and especially in those starting phases of building their practice when you're like, mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: what do I do? How do I make this happen? Like, you're just an expert at helping people in those beginning stages of private
Gordon Brewer: practice. Yes. Well, Thanks. Yeah. Yeah.
Whitney Owens: Wonderful. Well, thank you, uh, for taking the time to be on the show and for creating Site Craft. Yes. I'm happy to be a part of it, and I'm glad to share that with the community.
Gordon Brewer: Yes. And I'm thrilled, Whitney, that you're part of that network and, um, I, I didn't mention, I'll do this real quickly, but if people wanna find out about some of the other podcasts on that network, they can just simply go to site craft network.com. Great.
Whitney Owens: All right. Well, thanks Gordon.
