Abbey the Podcast Lady

Takeaways Big podcast partnerships usually come through the side door: conferences, relationships, and small seeds planted inside an organization, not a cold pitch. A show that is good enough to launch is not automatically ready for a partner, so keep developing the concept and researching your audience. Taking an intentional production pause can bring clarity, and your dedicated listeners are lik...

In this episode, Abbey demonstrates how to quickly set up a professional podcast website using Podpage , highlighting its features and ease of use to help podcasters improve their visibility and credibility. Key Topics Using Podpage to create a podcast website Features of Podpage including episode pages, SEO, and integrations The simplicity and speed of setting up a website with Podpage How a webs...

In this episode, Dave Jackson shares his journey from starting podcasting in 2005 to becoming a Hall of Famer, and offers invaluable insights on building a successful podcasting presence, the importance of a website, and leveraging tools like Podpage to grow your audience. Key Topics Dave Jackson's journey from starting in 2005 to Hall of Fame The importance of persistence and authenticity in podc...

Takeaways Abbey explains why right after Labor Day, heading into Q4, is the time to start building a holiday best-of episode, not December when everyone is scrambling. She walks through her process for using Riverside's magic clips and magic moments feature to pull the strongest 5 to 10 minute moments from a season of episodes and mash them into one best-of show. She shares the two-week structure...

Takeaways Abbey recorded this episode from the lake while sick with a cold, using it as a real time case study for why she believes so strongly in batching podcast content ahead of time. She walks through three low effort ways to build a bank of backup episodes: a running notebook of ideas, her own podcast planning journal, and a running note on your phone that you can turn into a quick recorded e...

Takeaways Peter Boolkah, a 21-year business coach and now published author, shares how his signature framework, the Hamster Wheel Trap, explains why founders build businesses that depend entirely on them, and how to start buying back your time before burnout sets in. Peter's book, Your Business Sucks, is the result of 20 years of research and explains why most businesses never actually get sold, t...

Takeaways Post-Labor Day is basically a second New Year's resolution for business owners. Use that "locking in" energy to get serious about podcast marketing through Q4, historically the biggest sales season of the year. Your podcast is not just an audio file that lives on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It is short-form video, email content, and blog content all rolled into one, if you know how to re...

Apply to Volunteer at PodFest 2027 Get tickets to PodFest 2027 In this episode, we explore the ins and outs of volunteering at Podfest Expo, the largest indie podcasting conference in the country. Nikita Burks-Hale shares how volunteers help create a welcoming community, the perks of volunteering, and how to get involved. Key Topics Podfest as the largest indie podcasting conference in the US Role...

Takeaways Podcast producers often find their way to the work through a lifelong pull toward media and storytelling, and Richard's path from mouthing fake celebrity interviews in his childhood bedroom to running a full studio in Charlotte proves that the "side thing" can become the real career. The objection "everyone already has a podcast" doesn't hold up. A low barrier to entry means a lot of sho...

Takeaways Abbey pauses her regularly scheduled episode to process the sudden loss of Dolly Parton and unpack the lessons in authenticity, generosity, and personal branding she has carried from Dolly's life into her own podcast. Dolly's Imagination Library and decades of charitable giving become the case study for why podcasters should use their platform for a cause bigger than themselves. Abbey co...

Bet on Your Podcast Course: https://www.skool.com/abbey-the-podcast-lady-5733/classroom Work with Abbey: https://abbeygravesproductions.com/podcast-production/ Podcast Planning Journal: https://amzn.to/4gd1Vxs Takeaways There is no such thing as being "behind" in podcasting. The people seeing real traction right now are the ones who simply took action and stuck with it. The three biggest excuses f...

Get the Podcast Planning Journal: https://amzn.to/4fSv5CZ Takeaways Abbey Graves published the Podcast Planning Journal: Plan It, Record It, and Publish It, a guided notebook now available on Amazon, built after her own idea notebook became too scattered to actually use. The journal includes a from-scratch show setup section, a pre-recording checklist, 60 episode planning pages, post-recording ref...

Takeaways RSS.com 's new Max plan lets you upload one video file and publish it to both Apple Podcasts (through HLS) and YouTube, and listeners can toggle between audio and video on Apple without losing their place. Video ads start earning automatically on Apple Podcasts from your very first video episode, no download or follower minimum required. Once you activate RSS.com Paid and verify PayPal,...

Bet On Your Podcast Online Course: https://www.skool.com/abbey-the-podcast-lady-5733/classroom Takeaways Abbey's podcast production business started as a free favor for a friend and grew into a full-time career within nine months. Every client on Abbey's current roster traces back to one original connection: her friend Liz, who she helped for free before either of them knew it would turn into a bu...

It’s August 1st and Abbey’s laying in bed at 10pm having a mini crisis about the calendar (June = Friday, July = Saturday, August = Sunday of summer — you get it). So she recorded this raw, unedited, audio-only episode with one goal: give you a real plan to launch a podcast by Labor Day weekend. Here’s the 6-step framework: 1. Get your mindset right — Labor Day is your starting line, not a deadlin...

Bet on Your Podcast Waitlist https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/form/OxdJ2xCtn30zWB41wDF6?notrack=true Takeaways There is a real test for knowing whether to ask for help: are you willing to learn a new skill and do it poorly at first, or do you have zero desire to learn it at all? Abbey is currently building her first full coaching program, Bet On Your Podcast, and hitting her own limits on th...

Takeaways Abbey breaks down four surprising podcasting lessons using Jimothy the viral raccoon, starting with the truth that feeling weird and out of place is a normal part of starting something new. People will silently watch a podcast for a long time before they ever engage, and that quiet stretch is not a sign to quit, it is part of how real growth happens. Becoming iconic in your niche does no...

Podcasting Gear for On-The-Go: https://www.amazon.com/shop/abbey-thesmalltowntourist/list/29FTTQQVAALCM?tag=abbeyminke-20&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d&ccs_id=217bd1aa-de0b-40c7-ba67-820474a2f9d1 Takeaways Modern podcast technology has made it possible to record a professional-sounding show from almost anywhere, including a dock at the lake, a car, or a sports bar back room. You do not...

Takeaways Confidence comes after you start, not before. Waiting to feel ready is the biggest reason new podcasters never launch. Your first episode is not a preview of your final product. Audiences expect some rough edges from anyone starting something new. Delaying a launch to keep recording and building confidence is a valid strategy, not a failure, as long as you keep showing up. In this solo e...

Takeaways You do not need an established audience or 10,000 listeners to start a podcast. Nearly every successful creator, from Amy Poehler to Taylor Swift, started with an audience of almost no one and built from there. Audiences are far more silent than you realize. Most people who consume your content will never like, comment, or share it, but that does not mean they are not listening. A podcas...

In this solo episode of Abbey the Podcast Lady, Abbey Graves digs into the side of podcasting that the analytics dashboards can never capture. If you have ever wondered whether your podcast is "working" based on your download numbers, this episode will shift your perspective on what success in podcasting actually looks like. Abbey walks through six unseen ROI categories that come from hosting a po...

Takeaways Only 15% of podcasts on Apple Podcasts have released an episode in the last 90 days, which means consistency alone puts you ahead of the competition. Your lived experience is completely unique, and no one else has had your exact journey, your perspective, or your voice, which makes your podcast irreplaceable even in a crowded niche. Your podcast is your owned marketing platform. Guest ap...

Takeaways Batch your summer podcast content with a miniseries: pick one broad topic, break it into three to five subtopics, and record it all in one sitting. The podcasters winning in Q4 are the ones who stayed consistent in Q2 and Q3. Summer is not an off season for your show. Give yourself grace but not a pass. Missing one week is fine. Dropping your show entirely is not. Summer is the season mo...

Takeaways Nearly 80% of Minnesota small businesses survive their first two years, and understanding what makes or breaks that milestone can help you build a more resilient business from day one. Losing clients, taking income hits, and pivoting fast are not signs of failure. They're exactly what self-employment looks like in real life. Building a business around the things you actually love doing i...

Take Paul's Quiz: https://gamifybusiness.com/quiz/ Takeaways Why most creatives struggle with traditional business education How gamification can make entrepreneurship easier to understand Why building a loyal audience matters more than chasing virality What happens when a creative entrepreneur turns business into a role-playing game? In this episode, Abbey sits down with Paul Pape, creator of Gam...