MEMMBERS ONLY: Only Authorized members can use this form. If you are not a member JOIN HERE.
Submitting Your
5 Minute Feature for the
Women in Podcasting Show
A feature is a 1 to 5 minute pre-recorded audio or video created and submitted by you to be included in a Women in Podcasting Show episode.
The episode and your feature will go out to our various channels, including podcast platforms, Youtube, stories, our socials and website.
Podcasters and Guests are welcome to apply.
You must be a Women in Podcasting member in good standing and currently paying your membership dues.
You must follow these steps for your feature to be accepted:
Step #1: Watch the training and check out the criteria and requirements. Create your feature! CLICK HERE
Step #2: Submit your form. Features will be released on a first come, first serve basis, as quickly as we can produce them. So, get yours in now to be one of the first on the show! CLICK HERE
Member’s Area – if you see this, that means you’re already logged in.
STEP #1 – Training on Creating Your 5 Minute Feature Spot for the Women in Podcasting Show
Listen to the training and take a look through the criteria and requirements for your feature to be accepted.
You are either a podcaster or expert guest, so you should have enough experience to complete this project. But, we’ve put together this extra support and training for those who need assistance in completing the submission.
We know you can do it! Take your time. We want to let the world know about your podcast in the best way possible.
Opportunity
This is not only a promotional opportunity, but also a learning opportunity. This process can also help you in other areas of your podcast, life and business. Schedule some time to go through the criteria and complete your feature.
Believe me, this process will be worth your while and help you in your own promotion, too. It’s all about representing your show in the best light for the best results within the opportunity we’ve created for you.
Learning How to be Concise, Yet Impactful
If you’re thinking this is just for business, think again. This if for anyone who wants to get better at expressing themselves and gaining support and favor with their audience. Whether it’s telling your family about your podcast, friends and acquaintances, or a room of 800 or 10,000 people, the skills you learn here will be valuable in your journey. If your goal is to reach and help more people, then this is an exercise that will assist you for years to come. Okay, let’s get started!
Be Confident
Your voice is important and needed now more than ever. We want to hear about your amazing podcast. People want to hear what you have to say. There are people who need your message. The below criteria is to help you get the most out of this promotional opportunity, and other opportunities as they arise.
Length of Time
✔ Your audio must be more than 1 minute and under 5 minutes long.
✔ Remember, it’s about compelling people to listen to your podcast, it’s not about telling everything about everything. This is a promotional opportunity for your podcast and/or for you as an expert.
✔ Being concise is powerful and will have more impact.
✔ Tip: on average, 100 words typically takes about a minute to speak. So, prepare something that’s generally 500 words.
✔ It doesn’t have to be a “script” but create at least an outline so you can stay within the time and fit in the requirements.
✔ Not many people can just “wing it” and fulfill all the criteria. If that’s your style, just be sure that your submission meets all the criteria.
Submitting Your Audio or Video – READ CAREFULLY
What Downloads to Submit
✔ Your audio or video must include the below criteria or it won’t be accepted.
✔ Submit Audio (MP3) or Video (MP4). Either one is fine. It must be edited and ready to go.
✔ If you submit audio, we will also convert it into an audiogram to be used in the video version of the show. If you submit video it will be used for the video version of the show, so be aware that your video will be seen.
✔ Your audio or video must be UNDER 5 minutes or it won’t be accepted.
✔ Your sound quality must be of standard or best quality and volume.
✔ Podcast cover art – JPGs only. min 3000 x 3000 pixels, 72 resolution via a download link. Do not attach it. JPGs only. No PDFs. If you submit your cover art in a PDF your submission will not be accepted.
✔ Optional: A photo of yourself min. 500×500 pixels – while this is optional, it is highly recommended. It doesn’t have to be a professional headshot. It can be a lifestyle photo of you in your environment, around your equipment, out in nature, or anywhere, but a photo of you goes much further when promoting the episode.
How to Submit Your Downloads:
IMPORTANT:
For all of the downloadable items above, the submission form will ask you for a link where we can download it. It must be a shared Dropbox or other link that we can easily access without having to go through a permissions process.
Do not send any PDFs or Youtube links.
Hey, I know for some of you this is confusing stuff. But, hang in there. I’m continually looking up how to do things like this in Google Support and Dropbox Support: https://support.google.com/ or https://www.dropbox.com/support
You may also find this article helpful: https://help.dropbox.com/files-folders/share/share-with-others
Submitting Written Material
Submit your application for a feature and written material through the form below. You’ll see we ask for your title, brief description and brief bio and a few other things. If you go over the word count specified, your submission won’t be accepted.
You have 2 choices for submitting your content for the Show Notes and promotional purposes: (1.) You can enter your full written piece in the first field if it includes all the criteria and you have it prepared. ***OR*** (2.) Answer the questions in the form one at a time. Just complete one or the other. NOTE: Do not send a document or pdf, you must submit your materials using OPTION #1 OR OPTION #2 in the form.
✔ Prepare before submitting
✔ DO NOT tell us to copy and paste from your website or other source.
✔ DO NOT fill in the spaces with NA or “go to my website” or “I’ll provide more later” or anything like that. If you don’t fill in the needed content, your submission won’t be accepted.
✔ Do not submit One Sheets or PDFs
Perhaps you’ve already gone through this process when creating your trailer or other promo. That’s great! Then you will be able to speed through the criteria and submit your feature quite quickly. For those who are just learning and this is all new to you, take your time. This learning will help you in many areas.
What to Say & Write for Your 5 Minute Feature
Use our Story-Teach-Tool Model.
Optional: Download a worksheet and get further training HERE.
You may be thinking all of this can’t fit into 5 minutes, but it definitely can. The suggested times are by each section just to give you an idea. But it’s flexible. You may spend a minute more in one place and a minute less somewhere else. This guide is a starting point to ensure you include all the criteria and meet the time requirement.
What to include in your audio or video
Below is an outline to help you prepare. Beginners, this may be some new learning for you. To those who are seasoned, you will understand what we’re aiming for and there is definitely some flexibility. It doesn’t have to be in this exact order, but you do have to include each of these things:
Below are examples of how to organize your content. If you want to rearrange it and have more paragraphs for certain parts, that’s fine, as long as it fits the content requirements and is under 5 minutes.
ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED: For Podcasters and Guest Experts, at some point in your recording mention you are “A Member of the Women in Podcasting Club” and that people “…can find your links in the show notes at womeninpodcasting.show, that’s .show not .com.”
PODCASTERS:
STORY – 2 MINUTES, 1-2 PARAGRAPHS
This section is all about you, your podcast and your audience.
Introduce yourself: Mention your name, podcast title, description, brief bio and who you serve (your audience). Who is your podcast for. Who will it help the most.
Examples that can be used in the story or teach sections: Why you started your podcast, a concise version of your story, a compelling question, interesting stat, exclamation or other attention grabbing statement. Why should the audience listen to you. See this article for creating a inspiring introduction CLICK HERE.
Only talk about your podcast and topic of expertise in your feature. We are looking for evergreen content.
TEACH – 2 MINUTES, 2 PARAGRAPHS
A brief mention of your expertise, a story that demonstrates your key learning points, or issues, or exclamations. What do you love to talk about and help people with the most. Let your passion, purpose and expertise shine through!
ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED: Stick to one general topic that is applicable to your podcast. Show your expertise in that, not in everything you’ve learned or taught in every aspect of your life. Focus on one thing for the purpose of this feature. It’s for promoting your podcast. It’s not a biography or course.
TOOL – 1 MINUTE, 1 PARAGRAPH
This is your call to action (CTA). It’s where the magic happens. It’s all about how you can help people, building relationships and provide a solution.
This section is directing people in what you want people to do next. What action should they take. Offer them a resource, tool, download and/or link you want them to download or visit.
IMPORTANT – CTA REQUIREMENTS:
✔ Your CTA must be evergreen. Do not include perishable items such as programs or events that have fixed dates, as we cannot guarantee when your feature will be released. Don’t mention anything anywhere in your talk that has a perishable date. Don’t mention a link that will expire.
✔ One link: Whether your offering a lead magnet or just sending people to your website, you can mention one of your links. This is in addition to mentioning the show notes, and of course you can say something like, “You can find us on all platforms, apple, google, etc” But, that alone is not nearly as effective as directly them to something they want, so you can continue fostering a relationship with them.
✔ Ideally, you will offer a lead magnet and an easy place where they can get it. The lead magnet should be directly related to your podcast or topic. Examples are: a worksheet, template, journal, checklist, strategy session, video, audio, book or other things of that nature that can be easily downloaded or accessed.
✔ For compliancy purposes, only do a downloadable lead magnet if you use a professional email marketing system (such as Constant Contact.) A professional system allows people to opt-in and opt-out. Spam or non-compliant emails are not permitted, of course.
✔ But, your CTA doesn’t have to be an opt-in or download. You can just direct people to your Instagram, Facebook page, an article on your site or other things like that.
✔ This is a lead generating promo, so keep it simple and easy for your audience to connect with you.
✔ Without diving into a marketing training, it’s recommended to offer a freebie from the top of your funnel when you’re first networking and meeting people, not a complex offering like your coaching or masterclass. This is engineered to get people to make initial contact with you. Then, you can lead them to your other offers.
✔ If you have special circumstances and you want to mention a program or something else you’re wondering about, connect with Jennifer Henczel directly. Some may be allowed if you can give us an affiliate link. That would need to be pre-arranged and authorized.
✔ Remember, this is a 5 minute feature for you and your podcast, not for selling programs.
PLEASE NOTE:
✔ If you choose to submit a video, in addition to showing your video, keep in mind we will also extract the audio from your video for the podcast. So, don’t show anything visual in your video that people can’t see in audio. For example, don’t do screen sharing or hold anything up, etc.
✔ Memberships are per podcaster, not per podcast. But if you host with women co-hosts, you can include them in your feature for information and entertainment purposes. They just won’t have other member perks. If they want the other membership perks, they will need to sign up for a membership.
GUEST EXPERTS:
Adjust the above criteria slightly to highlight yourself as a guest expert.
The main thing that will change from the criteria above is in your introduction you’ll be mentioning your name, bio and area of expertise, rather than your podcast name and description, of course. Other than that, it’s pretty much mostly the same.
Focusing on one primary topic or area of expertise is best for this particular type of opportunity. If needed, you can mention 3-5 talk titles or areas of expertise, but NEVER EVER EVER say I can speak on whatever you want me to speak on. Don’t do it.
Demonstrate your expertise with helpful tips or wisdom. Give examples of where you’ve spoken before. There’s lots of things guests can share during your 5 minute feature.
Remember, it’s not about telling everything about everything, it’s about being compelling and drawing people towards inviting you to be a guest.
DOs & DON’Ts
DO
✔ Follow the criteria and requirements.
✔ Keep it positive and professional.
✔ Keep it evergreen. The content should be consistent whether someone hears it now or in 6 months or 2 years from now.
✔ Fill out all the fields in the form completely for your submission to be accepted.
DO NOT:
❌ Do not sent messages or questions to us in audio or video. Submit any questions in text/written only via messenger or email. If we don’t respond, we probably didn’t receive it, so try again.
❌ Do not mention programs, projects, events or other items that have perishable times and dates. We cannot guarantee when your feature will be run.
❌ Do not say things like: “If only they gave me more time…” or “I’m supposed to say…” OR “Oh no, I’m running out of time…” just be confident with the time.
❌ No swear words please, the various platforms don’t favor it.
❌ No religious speaking, teachings or proselytizing.
❌ Do not use this as a commercial for your business or program. Obviously, within reason, you can mention your business and what you do in the context of introducing yourself and your podcast, but do not make the feature all about your business. This is a promo for your podcast.
❌ Do not mention MLMs under any circumstances. Don’t say, “I work with a great company that supports me and my listeners in improving their health and income” No. Don’t do it.
❌ Don’t mention other unrelated things you sell.
❌ Do not send anything in PDF format. We will not be retyping your content.
❌ Do not enter things in the form like “get it from my website”. You must submit your content and download links in the form.
❌ Do not attempt to send us any of your files via email.
Encouragement
I encourage you to use everything you’ve learned here to create a promo for your own podcast. Keep refining it. The more you get it out there, the more people will listen to your show and hear your message.
Questions
If you have any questions, please CONTACT US.
Additional Important Q&A:
What else is included in my membership? We have a vast selection of resources to help you master and monetize your message. You can find everything in the Women in Podcasting Club member portal. You can also post your introduction and questions as individual posts in the Women in Podcasting Facebook Group.
Do I have to share the episode? We encourage you to share your podcast feature. The podcast link will be available in the Women of Podcasting Show feed. If we all share, we all win!
Can you interview me instead? No, interviews are not included with your membership, but you are welcome to apply to be a guest. We have different criteria for interviews. Go to our Podcast Application to see if it’s a fit.
Can I get a transcript of my 5 minute feature? No, we will not be providing transcripts.
Can I get a copy of my raw or produced files, audios, videos or audiograms? No, we will not provide produced pieces for free. You can simply share the episode. Or for an extra fee we can give you the files or audiograms, if time permits. We do not have the capacity to make the logistics of sharing the finished files a free service.
Can I have more than one feature? No, one feature per Founding Membership. This is a perk for Women in Podcasting Founding Members only.
Can I submit my 5 minute feature even if I’m not a member anymore, because I paid for x months? No, you must be a member in good standing when submitting and producing your feature. You cannot submit a feature after cancelling your membership.
Can I revoke my permissions? No, once a podcast episode, stories or social posts are released, it’s impossible to remove everything involved in distributing your feature. You agree you are submitting your audio or video for us to use within a podcast episode and distribute through the Women in Podcasting Show channels and Inspired Influencers website, and on our various associated social accounts and platforms.
Additional Support – 1-1 Strategy Sessions
Please keep in mind, we do NOT have the capacity to provide free coaching (audio, video or general podcasting coaching). 1-1 training is not included in this 5 minute feature. We don’t have the resources to provide coaching to each person and go back and forth on edits and revisions.
If you want your submission to be accepted, you must follow the criteria and requirements. It’s nothing difficult, but it will take some time, thought and preparation.
If you’re in the beginning phase of this journey, if you find this is overwhelming, I can help through a 1-1 Strategy Session. A Strategy Session is in no way required, but if you’re lost with any of this, or if you want to save time and accelerate your learning curve, the option is available.
The rates for members are $197 for 30 minutes. That’s a deep discount. If you feel you do need extra direction and you would like a strategy session with Jennifer Henczel over zoom to help you one-on-one with your introduction, getting started, or growing & monetizing your podcast for your business, cause or community, you are welcome to book one. But, as I’m sure you can understand, we can’t afford the time to give free advice or 1-1 assistance.
Now you’re ready to fill out the Women in Podcasting 5 Minute Feature Form
