How To Create A Strong Podcast With Author & Owner Of Scout Agency, Scout Sobel
“The biggest ROI in exposure building, community building, sales, revenue, and growth is podcasting. Podcasting is the most in-depth connection that drives the most results than traditional PR. ”
It seems that everyone we know has a podcast these days. There are so many different podcasts; if you’re thinking of creating one yourself, I would completely understand the hesitancy in jumping into what already seems like a saturated market. However, through my conversation with Scout from Scout Agency, I learned that I couldn’t be more wrong. That Podcasting has turned into this powerhouse of opportunity to not only connect with an audience and other people but to truly grow your business.
During our interview we take a deep dive into the world of podcasting and just how to make it work for you. Scout tells us about her new book, The Emotional Entrepreneur” which is now available on Amazon.
Get ready to take notes!
Why is a podcast such a powerful tool?
You know the podcasting world has changed so significantly, I think people are just hopping in because they're seeing different types of benefits than other mediums and platforms. So many times on Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, the name of the game is numbers, volume, followers. On podcasting, that's not necessarily the name of the game. Yes, of course, we are always trying to increase our community. We're always trying to grow it. The power of podcasting comes from the in-depth, intimate, and vulnerable connection you can create with your community. So if you have 50 downloads, 50 listeners on your podcast, those 50 people know you much more than if you had 50 followers on Instagram. 20,000 downloads on a podcast are significantly more impactful than 20,000 followers on any other social media platform. Why? Because the attention is intimate and long-form.
is podcasting then more powerful than traditional pr?
The biggest ROI in exposure building, community building, sales, revenue, and growth is podcasting. Podcasting is the most in-depth connection that drives the most results than traditional PR. I've had past clients or prospective clients come to me and say listen, we ran a traditional campaign and I was on three podcasts and those three podcasts helped. And so while traditional PR is so important, it just serves a different purpose. I think people think that they're going to get written up in the Los Angeles Times and their career is going to be made and all of a sudden they sell all these books, etc. When actually that's providing links to their website, it's providing good SCO, it's providing credibility. I had a client we started her PR and podcast tour with after five months of working together. She got verified because she was written about in so many articles, but her Instagram following and the inquiries to work with her. Came from podcast appearances. We put her on a podcast. She got over 100 inquiries in a week from that one podcast and grew 8,000 followers from 12,000 to 20,000 in a year.
so with all your podcast experience what are your thoughts about clubhouse?
Oh my God the clubhouse, the clubhouse. I was invited in December 2020, no one even knew what it was then, and the person who invited me was killing it at the clubhouse. They were growing a following and I didn't get on it until three weeks later and at that point, it was too late. After I got invited in January 2020 all of a sudden everyone I knew was on it. It's good to be an early adopter because you can grow quickly and become kind of a leader in the space. This is very true for what happened to a lot of people in the Clubhouse, but that window was like four weeks. People jumped on when we were in quarantine and then people jumped off. I had a whole clubhouse thing going every Tuesday I was hosting room. It was a waste of my fucking time. I was on Clubhouse to ask a question. It was Wednesday night, 7:00 PM that's usually when I spend time with my husband, but here I am sitting on Clubhouse to see if I can ask a question because it is amazing how quickly you can connect to these people. I listened to 30 questions that didn't really apply to my life, nor did I gain any value from hearing people before me. Here I am an hour and a half later and I was like, what is going on that people are spending hours on clubhouse? When we live in a world where we keep complaining that we don't have time to fulfill our dreams but we spend hours on an app.
what brought about scout agency?
Yeah, so I started Scouts Agency in February of 2019 after podcasting with Oasis for six months and just really recognizing the power of what happens when a woman goes on a podcast. I found entrepreneurship at the age of 23 when I started my own magazine that was sold in Barnes and Noble and had Halsey on the cover. I really wanted to get back into being my own boss. So after kind of recognizing that there was something to this podcasting world, some kind of magic sauce that I really, really loved. I had someone create a media kit for me. I had a list of 1000 female podcasters. I started only representing female podcasters, but I really knew that I wanted it to be a female-focused agency. Pretty soon I realized that my services could be applied to all women entrepreneurs, whether they're an author, they run an agency, have a product-based business, or if they were just a content creator. About five to six months into it I was representing people that weren't only podcasters. And you know, I sent out 1000 emails the first day. Gmail blocked me, they thought I was spam. So I opened up a second email, I had two emails going for a while, which was terrible but we built it. I built it really quickly because I wanted to have something that was my own that was financially viable that could support my life.
You Can Officially Add Author To Your Title Since Releasing Your Book
I just released my book, the emotional entrepreneur, in which there are 25 lessons. It's an emotional guidebook for entrepreneurs, and every lesson opens up with a quote from a woman that I interviewed. These women are reality TV stars, major entrepreneurs, Youtubers, and authors. Their followings are through the roof. It has been so fruitful. I mean we have Tiffany from Gold Quoted, we have Doctor Sheila Nazarian who has her own Netflix show. We have Lindsay Carter from set active. We have model and actor Charlotte McKinney. We have the co-founder of Bala the list goes on and on and on.
what was it like creating and running a highly successful company but also battling your own mental health struggles?
I used to be the person who used my mental illness as an excuse, and the only person that really hurt was me because it kept me back. It kept me in a victimhood mentality, etc. You know if you have any issues, whether it's mental illness, physical ailments, and family problems, etc. I'm not negating the fact that, that is very difficult, painful and hard. And you do deserve to really process and feel those emotions and you also get to accept the fact that that's the card you were dealt. So you have two options. You either get up and make the best of it and use it as your superpower. Or you let it consume you, and I think that people get really upset in that moment of like, “It’s not fair, it's too hard, etc.” I really encourage people to think about where they do have control and power over their lives and where they are giving away their power and control to potentially a new pain that's uncomfortable.
I use to stay in my mental illness. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 20. I dropped out of college. I couldn't even hold a minimum wage job. I mean, I was a fucking Gelato scooper. The responsibilities on my docket were quite low. I was in so much pain and yet the mind and the ego trick you into staying in the pain. It's comfortable, you know how to navigate, you understand the grooves. They'd rather keep you there than have you venture out into a new type of pain, which is shattering your comfort zone and really taking responsibility for your life and handling new types of pain. New types of anxiety. But that creates a better life that makes you stronger.
Depression was my home. I say it and some people, it jolts a little bit, but I was addicted to my depression. It kept me in my early 20s, I didn't have to think about what my purpose was. Growing up, I didn't have to think about responsibilities and then have to think about, you know, taking responsibility for my emotions. It kept me in a room. Where I got to hang out and do nothing and not grow but it was comfortable. As painful as it was, it was comfortable and so I would really beg people to ask themselves where is my pain keeping me comfortable and why is my ego tricking me into staying in this pain? Once you heal, recover, follow your dreams and shatter the limiting beliefs and take a stand for your life. If you go out into the world and push yourself to find your purpose to deal with your traumas, to heal your wounds, to develop emotional resilience and strength, it will be painful. It will feel like your heart is getting ripped out of your chest and you will get a really good ROI on that.
So my message is never that pain doesn't exist and discomfort isn't a continuous journey and that you'll feel great. Every second of the day, when you push past your comfort zone remember the ROI is better. And so you choose the ROI do you want to sit and be a victim and not stand up for your life? Me, I'm going to choose this one. One where I'm an author, one where I run a multiple 6 figure business. One where I run a successful podcast with my sister, and have a loving relationship with my husband. One where I can afford a beautiful home, nice dinners and a nice lifestyle. One where I can help others. I would just rather have that life.
Describe your slay.
I've biologically created this way in many ways. Uhm, I have an energetic flow that I need to get out every single day. I am meant to produce and create. I'm a generator by human design. Producing and creating and getting up and the building is almost part of my Physiology. I feel like. But what helps me keep going in moments of challenge or discomfort or when I want to quit 'cause believe me there are those moments. I've lived a life where I was supposed to amount to nothing. I lived a life where I was hospitalized and locked up because I was deemed a threat to myself in society. I've lived a life where my husband is afraid if I'm going to make it. I've just accepted the hard parts of life completely.
I want to live a life where I experience as many things as possible and I don't just mean the good stuff. I love my life unconditionally, period, and so even when there are challenging moments, even when I don't want to get up and create, even when I don't want to take the call, or see the team. I love my life, I really do. And I love myself a lot. Out of respect to the fact that God put me on this planet to be alive out of respect to the blessings and the benefits and all of it, I made a commitment to myself that I'm here to live, period. I was born for a reason and I believe my soul made a contract to be here. And I'm gonna fucking fill out that contract. I will see that contract till the end no matter what because the power that I have in my hands to create my own life is so great. It’s big, expansive, scary, and exciting. It would be a shame to not answer the call.
Make sure to follow Scout here:
IG: @scoutsobel
Founder @scoutsagency
Podcasts: @scoutpodcast and @okaysispodcast
Website: Scout Sobel