Categories
Podcast

Five Ways to Monetize Your Podcast

Podcasting is a powerful tool. You can reach listeners from all over the world. You can also network with other podcasters from around the world. Many podcasters have their podcast as a passion hobby. They are passionate about the topics they talk about, and they enjoy creating content and informing their listeners. 

In addition to having a podcast be a passion project, you can also monetize your podcast. This can help you become a full-time podcast or let this be a side hustle that brings in extra revenue. Today, I want to share five ways to monetize your podcast. 

Sponsorship and Advertisement 

Find brands or companies that your guest and their customers will benefit from their products. Charge them a fee for advertising on your podcast episodes. Create different packages to offer different prices depending on how many episodes they want to sponsor and how long the ad will be. 

The packages for advertising may also be used for other podcasts and small businesses. Reach out to brands, companies, or other podcasts by emailing them and pitching to them. In the pitch, let them know that you have advertising spots available and why their brand and your podcast align. Also, post on social media, in your episodes, and in your newsletter that there are advertising opportunities available. 

Graphic that says, "five ways to monetize your podcast"
Graphic by author Heidy De La Cruz

Affiliate Marketing

Partner with brands to promote their products and receive a commission through sales made from your affiliate link. This can be done in multiple ways, either reaching out to the brands directly and signing up for their affiliate program or signing up for Amazon’s affiliate program and promoting different products with your unique link. Lastly, look up affiliate marketing programs to see which one is best for you. 

Merchant Sales to Monetize Your Podcast

Sale your own merchandise! The possibilities are endless, whether that’s notebooks, pens, pencils, mugs, t-shirts, or tote bags, all with your podcast cover art, or if you have a saying for your podcast, use that. Sign up with Printify, design your graphics on Canva, or hire a graphic designer, and then add your designs to the merchandise. Printify can be connected with Shopify, and Shopify can be connected to your website; however, it’s easier.  

Host Live Events or Workshops 

This option can help you monetize your podcast but also help grow your podcast for those who sign up who may not have heard of your show. So, host live events, webinars, or workshops related to your podcast’s content and charge a fee for attendance. 

If hosting events is not your thing because, to be honest, it’s a lot of work, you can always hire an event coordinator to help you. 

This option can also be done virtually. 

Donations or Tips

Depending on which podcast hosting site you use, you can have the option to set up to receive donations from your audience. For example, I host with Spotify for Podcasters, and they have an option for this – it’s a button that says, “support this podcast,” and when someone clicks, they have the option to do a one-time donation or sign up for a monthly subscription. 

In Conclusion, on Monetizing Your Podcast

These are only five different ideas to monetize your podcast; there are more creative ways to make money from your podcast. If you’d like more ideas, you can download the 15 ways to monetize your podcast list under my podcast resources page. 

Found this helpful? Share it with another podcaster! If you have any questions, feel free to email me at heidy@heidydelacruz.com

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Categories
Business

3 Reasons Why Small Business Owners Should Have an Email List

You’re a small business owner; you have your website and your Instagram following. You get your leads that way, and you are making great sales. Everything is going great, your business is thriving, and then all of a sudden, Instagram deactivates your account. Now what?

Do you have a way to communicate with your customers outside of Instagram? Well, you can if you start an email list. Here are three reasons why all small business owners should have an email list.

If Social Media Shuts Down, You Can Still Contact Your Email List

We’ve seen it before, Instagram and Facebook not working for a whole day. People tend to lose their minds when this happens, and if it happened once, it will happen again. You will still have access to your customers by building your email list even if social media isn’t working. Why? Because your email list is independent of social media. If you are solely depending on Instagram for your sales leads, then the day that it does not work is a day you will lose sales. And we don’t want that. Also, with your email list, you can contact everyone simultaneously instead of having to send individual messages, like direct messaging on Instagram. Everyone gets the same message at the same time.

Inform Your Email List About Products and Services First

Your email list is the best way to community with your customers. You can share your new products and services with them first. That gives them priority over those who are not subscribed and provides loyalty to you. FOMO, or fear of missing out, is a popular marketing strategy that works, and your email subscribers won’t have to deal with FOMO with your business because they will know FIRST what you are providing them. You are putting your email list first, and in return, this will generate continuous sales because your customers will feel valued and appreciated. Major corporations do it; why not you?

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

You Create Your Own Community

You don’t own your Instagram account; Facebook does, so they can de-active your account at any time, and I’ve seen it happening a lot recently. But your email list, that’s yours! Those are your people, your customers, your very own community! You can create exclusive content for your community, offer a special promotion, and so much more. You are giving them a sense of belonging. Everyone loves that. So go ahead and start your own community with your email list!

In Conclusion

            We cannot only rely on social media to generate sales because it’s not dependable. With your email list, you will still have access to it no matter what happens to Facebook or Instagram, you can always keep in touch with your customers and let them know what’s going on first, and you’ll have your very own community! I’m sure there are more benefits of having an email list, but I think these are the top 3. Can you think of other reasons? Share your thoughts with me.

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Categories
Book Review

Book Review: For Brown Girls

Blue cover of For Brown Girls
Picture of the book: For Brown Girls by Heidy De La Cruz

Hey everyone, today I’m bringing another book review. I cannot remember how I came across this book; maybe it was on Instagram, and since she’s an immigrant, I thought I would love to have her on my podcast. So, I reached out, and I was able to get an interview! 

I cannot wait until the episode is released! But for now, I’ll leave you a review of her book For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: A Love Letter to Women of Color

Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez was born in Nicaragua and moved to the United States with her family in elementary school. She is the founder of Latina Rebels. She studied at Vanderbilt University, earning her Master of Divinity. 

The book starts with a letter to brown girls, telling us that we matter, that we are going places our families didn’t go, and ending by stating that we need each other. 

Here are a few things that stood out to me in this book.

This site contains product affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.

Voluntourism

Chapter one is called voluntourism, a term she uses for missionaries. Prisca shares about getting her picture taken by missionaries without her consent and how she feels about that. This reminded me of the book A Just Mission: Laying Down Power and Embracing Mutuality, where Medkes talks about how people go on mission trips and take videos and pictures without consent. In my book review, I expressed how I had always had trouble with that. So, now I’m reading the perspective of someone who actually had that experience. 

Prisca shares why she calls missionaries voluntourism and how the United States intervened in Nicaragua, exploiting its resources. I had always heard about the United States intervening in Latin American countries, but I had yet to look into the history and what exactly they did. I’ll definitely continue to do more research on this.

Colorism

Chapter two is called colorism, and Prisca shares how her mom always told her not to get so much sun. And it reminded me of all the colorism and racist comments I would hear from members of my own family. Colorism is so ingrained in our (Hispanic) culture that the exact phrases are used across Latin America and the Caribbean. 

I, too, would hear phrases like, “Marry lighter so you can better the race,” I’d get comments all the time about straightening my hair so my hair would be “done.” Because wearing your hair curly wasn’t considered nice or done. I’ll have to write about my experience growing up hating my curly hair because of the comments in another post. I would hear comments like a woman is good-looking for being a “morena” or dark-skinned girl. And I always thought, why can’t she just be good-looking? Why does the color of her skin matter? But it’s because we are conditioned to believe that lighter skin looks better.

For Brown Girls

In each chapter, she shares her experience with each topic. When she talks about the church she grew up in and its customs, it reminds me of my husband’s stories about the church he grew up in. I remember reading a page to him and him nodding to everything that was common, from Prisca’s experience to his. And it’s wild to think about how she said she grew up in a nondenominational church, but my husband grew up Seventh-Day Adventist, and many of the traditions, customs, and beliefs were the same. Prisca and my husband had a lot of unlearning to do. 

I recommend this book because it discusses a specific experience in the United States. I genuinely believe not everyone experiences this country the same way. This country offers different people different things, and I think it’s important that we learn about as many experiences as we can. To be empathetic and compassionate, and to understand that our experience isn’t the only one. 

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

Categories
Podcast

Five Ways to Market Your Podcast

podcast plan schedule for marketing written on the notebook
Photo by Mikael Blomkvist on Pexels.com

Podcasting is taking this digital world by storm; it feels like every day, a new podcast is out on the market. This is because podcasting is a powerful way to connect with your audience. However, publishing your podcast is only the first step in the podcasting cycle; once your episode is published, it’s time to market the podcast! 

When one hears the word marketing nowadays, social media are the first two words that come to mind, but we can market our podcast in other ways besides social media. Now, I’m not saying don’t use social media for marketing; I want to give you five additional marketing tools to utilize for your podcast journey! 

Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or just starting, these marketing strategies will help you with insights to broaden your podcast reach and gain listeners. 

Let’s begin!

Collaborate With Other Podcasters

One of the best ways to reach new listeners is to be a guest on podcasts like yours. By being a guest on other podcasts, you’ll share your experience, expertise, and information at the end of the episode so listeners can subscribe to your show and connect with you. 

There are plenty of groups on Facebook for podcasters who are looking for guests and guests who are looking for shows to appear on. Another way to be a guest is to pitch yourself directly to podcast shows you’d like to be a guest on. 

The next three all go together.

Create a Website for Your Podcast

Where you host your podcast depends on whether there is a page included, but you can always buy your domain and create a website exclusively for your podcast. For example, I host my podcast on Spotify for Podcasters, and they include this page for my podcast. The page shows the description of my show, the episodes, the shownotes, the cover art, and the apps where people can listen; however, this isn’t a website per se. 

If you’d like to create a website for your podcast, you’ll need to choose where to host it – like 

  • WordPress
  • Squarespace
  • Wix
  • GoDaddy

Buy your domain, and from there, you can add all the content of your podcast.

Start a Blog

Within your website, you can blog about your podcast episodes, which is another way to market your podcast. However, each blog post has to be optimized for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so it can rank on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. 

By turning each podcast episode into SEO-optimized blog posts, you’ll reach organic listeners to your website and your show. But fair warning, this marketing strategy is a long-term commitment in order to see results. In another post, I’ll share the pros and cons of this approach. 
I do offer this service to seasoned podcasters, especially those who don’t feel like they are good writers or writing can take them longer to finish. Send me an email at heidy@heidydelacruz.com to discuss details.

Email Marketing or Creating a Newsletter

Within your website and blog, you can integrate an email list and have your audience subscribe to your newsletter. Another way you can have people sign up is by including a link to your newsletter on the shownotes of each podcast episode. Lastly, when you are a guest on other podcasts, you can tell their listeners to join your newsletter. 

One great way to encourage your listeners to sign up for the newsletter is to provide them with a freebie. A free guide, list, or resource that’s exclusive for those who join. Within the newsletter, you can send your subscribers exclusive content, special announcements, promotional codes, and updates about new episodes.

You may like: 3 Reasons Why Small Business Owners Should Have an Email List

Attend Networking Events

What better way to find listeners than to meet them in person? Get right in front of your audience at networking events. Find business networking opportunities in your community to attend. There are also events specifically for podcasters; that’s an option. Or, if you’re feeling bold enough, you can host your own networking event. 

These are only a few of the many ways one can market their podcast. If you would like a list of 30 different ways you can market your podcast, you can download the list here. As a podcast coach, I can help you set up a marketing plan for whichever strategy you choose. 

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Categories
Blog Podcast

Did You Know the United States Has No Official Language?

Did you know that the United States has no official language? It’s easy to think that English is the official language. But there is no official language in the Constitution; however, states can declare official languages. Alaska has more than twenty indigenous languages, and Hawai’i has two official languages, Olelo Hawai’i and English. 

This conversation about official languages came up in my most recent podcast episode. I had mentioned to my guest that it’s interesting how when Latinos get together, we tend to navigate to speaking in English over Spanish, even if the whole group speaks both languages. She proceeded to say that we’ve moved to a country whose primary language is English, so we need to adapt and speak in English. Which I definitely agree we do need to adapt and speak English, but we also have the right to speak our native language. 

I proceeded to inform her that the United States didn’t have an official language. Although the majority of people speak English, about 300 million. So then I started to wonder why is it that the United States doesn’t have an official language.

close up view of a script and language
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

History of the United States and Language

According to Acutrans.com, since the beginning of our history, there have always been multiple languages spoken here. When the original 13 colonies became the United States, it was colonized by the British; however, they were not the only people in the colonies. There were indigenous people here, and colonists came from France, Spain, and Germany. 

John Adams, in 1780, presented a bill to make English the official language, but the bill didn’t pass because it was deemed a threat to individual liberty. Also, as stated, a lot of the colonists spoke multiple languages, so making English the official language wasn’t popular and didn’t seem necessary. 
As years passed, people have tried to declare English as the official language of the United States, but the US has gotten more diverse, and today, more than 350 languages are spoken by Americans, with Spanish coming in as the second most-spoken language (spoken in 62% of non-English speaking households, according to visualcapitalist.com.)

The Most Spoken Language in Every U.S. State (Besides English and Spanish)

Visualcapitalist.com released an interesting report about the most spoken language in every state besides English and Spanish. And in 13 states, German is the most spoken language. 

StateMost Spoken Language (Besides English and Spanish)
AlaskaAleut languages
AlabamaGerman
ArkansasGerman
ArizonaNavajo
CaliforniaChinese
ColoradoGerman
ConnecticutPortuguese
District of ColumbiaFrench
DelawareChinese
FloridaHaitian
Table from visualcapitalist.com

I Asked My Followers if They Default to English

As always intrigued by this conversation, I asked my bilingual followers on social media if when they get together with friends who are also bilingual, they default to speaking in English or Spanish. And the majority of them said they default to English or Spanglish. Honestly, this revelation surprised me, but I also understand why this happens. 

For me, and I’ve written about this before, it’s my comfort in expressing myself better in English because I attended school here. So, growing up, it was reading, writing, and speaking English whenever I wasn’t home, but at home, I only spoke Spanish. I didn’t know how to read or write it until I was a teenager, and even now, I probably don’t write Spanish grammatically correctly. 

However, I would like to change the habit of automatically defaulting to speaking in English, but I would like my kids to speak and understand Spanish. It seems like as the generations grow, the further away we get from our culture. 

You may like: The Struggle as a Bilingual Parent

In Conclusion

We live in a beautiful, diverse country where you can find many of the world’s languages spoken, so if you come across someone who has an accident, please extend grace. English may be their second, third, or even fourth language. Be kind. 

With Love, Heidy 


P.S. Did you know that it was once illegal to speak a foreign language in public in parts of the U.S.? This article explores 8 instances when foreign languages were considered dangerous in the United States. Check it out!

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Categories
Blog Spiritual

What Is Mindfulness & What Are Its Benefits?

woman with dog practicing mindfulness
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We are always multitasking, especially women. Women can be folding the laundry while watching a television show but still making sure the kids are okay or cooking dinner while listening to a podcast. We are regularly doing more than one thing at the same time. I believe women are the masters of multitasking. But mindfulness is the exact opposite of multitasking.

Mindful.org defines mindfulness as the ability to be fully present in the moment, being aware of where we are and what we are doing, but not overwhelmed by what is happening around us.

At any time during the day, one can practice mindfulness, which can have many benefits.

The Benefits

Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn brought mindfulness into mainstream medicine. According to Helpguide.org, he was the founder and former director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He showed that practicing mindfulness brings improvement in both physical and psychological symptoms. It also provides a positive change in attitudes, behavior, and health.

Scientifically, experts view mindfulness as a critical element in reducing stress and enhancing overall happiness.

Mindfulness improves mental health.

Psychotherapists have used mindfulness meditation as a treatment for many problems like substance abuse, depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, to name a few.

Mindfulness improves well-being

Because mindfulness focuses on the present, using this practice can help people not be so worried about the future or think about past regrets. Mindfulness makes it easier to be fully present in current activities and make them more pleasurable or enjoyable. Also, it helps with a positive attitude that contributes to the satisfaction of life.

Mindfulness improves physical health.

It can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, treat heart disease, and reduce chronic pain.

How can you practice mindfulness?

There are many ways to practice mindfulness; the primary goal of any mindfulness technique is to focus on the present, be alert, and focus on relaxation. Being present, there in the moment, not worrying about anything else but being present in the moment.

Meditation is the most common way to practice.

  • Start with sitting straight back on a chair or with your legs crossed on the floor.
  • Focus on your breathing.
  • Once you have concentrated on your breathing, become aware of sounds and your ideas.
  • Embrace your thoughts without judging good or bad, and if your mind starts to race, go back and concentrate on your breathing.

Can mindfulness have a Christian approach?

Absolutely! FocusOnTheFamily.com mentions how Christians and faith-based counselors use mindfulness as a therapy tool, Christ-integrated, by making mindfulness rooted in scripture and focus on connecting with God during the technique.

Psalm 104:34, “May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.” (NIV)

Prayer is a practical way that Christians apply mindfulness to their daily lives because when people pray or worship, they are concentrating on God; their focus is connecting with God and drawing God’s presence near.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually.” (NIV)

Some can be fearful because they find that mindfulness is self-centered or self-focus, but as a Christian, making it God-centered or God-focused shouldn’t be a problem. It is setting time apart to just be present in the moment, in that precious moment with God. It’s very comforting and brings so much peace.

In conclusion

Mindfulness has many benefits to our overall health. It is a technique that should be practiced because it can improve our focus. When done correctly, it can help bring us closer to God.

Set some time apart during the day, maybe in the morning before you start your day, or at night before bed to whine down and practice mindfulness for about five minutes, few times a week and see if you can notice a difference.

Let me know what difference it makes!

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Categories
Blog Spiritual

Let Yourself Cry (Guest Post)

regretful black woman crying on floor
Photo by Alex Green on Pexels.com

Hey everyone, today I am bringing you a guest post! I know it’s been a while since I’ve had a guest write on my blog, and it’s because I stopped blogging back in February to focus on my Substack newsletter, but in August, I started blogging again. Now, I have the opportunity to bring you an amazing writer and a sneak peek of a new book releasing later this month.

Today’s post is by the talented Dorina Gilmore-Young. She and I connected in the Entrusted Women’s Facebook Group, and I’ve followed her writing journey for years now. Dorina’s new book is about grief, and if you’ve been here a while, I’ve written multiple times about grief. And will continue to do so because I believe once you’ve experienced grief, it’s a lifelong journey.

My hope is that this sneak peek of the book brings encouragement to whoever may be grieving. They feel compelled to purchase the book and that it can be a resource to help with the heaviness of grief.

Alright, I’m done now; here is Dorina.

You may also like: Grief – Finding Encouragement in God’s Word

Let Yourself Cry

One of my earliest memories of grief was attending my Grandpa John’s funeral. He died of a heart attack on the golf course. I was close with my grandpa. As a fourth grader, it was difficult to process that he was with us one day and gone the next. I vividly remember my grandma wailing over his casket at the funeral. She was an elegant, measured woman—always meticulously dressed and prepared with a full Italian meal in the refrigerator that she could easily retrieve and warm up for guests. I was surprised that day—and somewhat alarmed—to see her clinging to the casket and weeping so loudly. My uncles, her sons, tried to pry her away. They tried to calm and quiet her. But we all felt the weight of her emotion. She was now widowed twice.

It was not until years later that my mom explained to me that wailing over the casket was a custom in “the old country” of Italy. This was an expression of love. My grandma was not out of control, as some might think in more American settings where crying is subdued or suppressed at funerals. She wailed to acknowledge her deep sorrow and her deep love for my grandpa.

I look back now and see that day differently than the way I initially experienced it. Her tears were not cause for concern, but rather, a beautiful symbol of her grief. We don’t need to be ashamed of our tears. 

You may also like: God is Present In The Heavy Seasons

God Sees Our Tears

Psalm 42 was written as a song that expresses a thirst and longing to be in God’s presence in times of grief. The psalmist writes, “My tears have been my food day and night” (Psalm 42:3, ESV). I understand the psalmist’s sentiment here. After my husband’s death, I cried for a hundred days straight. The tears would not stop. When I stood in the kitchen, I cried. While driving my kids to school, I cried. I went to church and sat in the back row and cried. I cried into my pillow at night. Tears pooled in my eyes as I wrote in my journal at dawn.

I turned to the Bible for spiritual oxygen to fill my lungs so I could make it through each day. The words in Psalm 77:1–2 gave voice to my situation: “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. I sought the Lord in my day of trouble” (CSB). 

Psalm 56:8 also helped me feel seen by God: “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book” (MSG).

He sees our tears and records our losses.

Jesus Wept Too

My favorite example of grief in the Bible is when Jesus took time to weep with Mary and Martha over the death of their brother Lazarus. John 11:33 says, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (ESV). 

We learn in verse 35 that Jesus actually wept. Jesus knew that later He would raise Lazarus from the dead, but He still takes time to cry with His friends. He knew they needed Him. He entered their pain, and through His presence offered comfort.

Friend, He weeps with you today. The healing often begins with releasing our soul-tears. We can trust the words in Psalm 147:3: “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds” (NLT).

*This post is an excerpt from Breathing Through Grief (releasing Nov. 14, 2023)

Pre-order here: https://amzn.to/45Uhkv7

Details here: https://dorinagilmore.com/breathingthroughgrief/

Prayer For Those Who Grieve

Thank you, Dorina, for sharing your heart with those who grieve. Thank you for sharing your experience and providing resources for those in a heavy season.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for everyone who is grieving. I pray that they feel your presence near and they know that they are not alone. I pray that you will comfort them and that they know you are there to catch their years. Let them cry to you, Lord. Let your love fill their hearts during this season. I pray that those who will need these words find them. Thank you, Lord, for being with us always. In your name, I pray, Amen.

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

P.S. If you would like to write a guest post for my blog, send me an email at heidy@heidydelacruz.com. I’d love to host you!

Dorina’s Bio:

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young grew up in a multiracial family and is a sought-after speaker, former newspaper reporter, teacher, and the award-winning author of numerous books, including three releasing in 2023: Chasing God’s Glory (Waterbrook Multnomah/PRH), Create in Me a Heart of Mercy (Revell), and Breathing Through Grief (Ink & Willow). Dorina leads as the president of the Redbud Writers Guild and the director of Lead Loved, equipping Christian women leaders. She writes for (in)courage by Dayspring and Proverbs 31 Ministries. Dorina chases after God’s glory as a remarried widow with her husband Shawn and three courageous daughters in Central California. Find her at www.DorinaGilmore.com

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Categories
Spiritual

Immigrants Are Made in the Image of God Too

statue of liberty the symbol for immigrants
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Immigration is not a new concept. Since the beginning of time, people have migrated (moved within the same region or country) or immigrated (moved to a new country). However, since 2016, it seems like immigration has become a controversial hot topic. Although it is political or has become political in the last few decades because of policies, I believe we should view immigration with a Biblical lens and view immigrants as image bearers, too, because they are made in the image of God too. 

I believe this because the Bible mentions the vulnerable all throughout. It talks about how we should treat them, and God has a soft spot for them. And who are the vulnerable, you may ask? They are the widows, orphans, foreigners (immigrants), and the poor. 

In the very beginning, the Bible starts by telling us that God made humans in His image. 

Genesis 1:27 (NIV) says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” 

This includes all of our brothers and sisters who have immigrated to the United States and the future immigrants to come. We need to keep this verse at the forefront of our minds when we are talking about immigrants.

What Else Does The Bible Say About Immigrants?

There are many verses that talk about the vulnerable, but I’ll only name a few. 

  • Deuteronomy 10:19 (NIV) And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” 
  • Deuteronomy 27:19 (NIV) “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
  • Leviticus 19:34 (NIV) The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” 
  • Psalms 146:9 (NIV) The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 
  • Zechariah 7:8-10 (NIV) And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ 
  • Matthew 25:40 (NIV) “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

The last verse is a reminder that how we treat others is how we treat Jesus himself.

Why It’s Important to Hear Immigrant Stories

The podcast The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants, shares stories about immigrants who moved to the United States. Immigrants talk about their journey coming to the United States, the cultural shocks they experienced, and how they adapted to living here. 

Some stories are good, and some stories are traumatic because everyone has a different reason for coming, but all have the same intention: to better their lives and the lives of their families. And it’s important to hear these stories because we need to understand our brothers and sisters better. We need to have more compassion towards them and empathy. And the best way to do this is by listening to their stories. 

The journey to come isn’t easy. The decision to leave or move from their home country isn’t a decision that is taken lightly. People don’t want to leave their home country. They don’t want to leave their culture, food, language, and sometimes families. They don’t want to start all over in a foreign land. This is all out of necessity. This decision is one that is thought about and pondered on for months and even years and often times prayed about.

In Conclusion

It breaks my heart how negatively the media talks about God’s children who immigrate here, which is one of the reasons why I started the podcast. Immigrant’s stories matter, and everyone should listen to them. To understand, to empathize, to be grateful that they or their family didn’t have to leave their land to make a better life for themselves. What if your family had to leave the United States? Wouldn’t you want people to listen to your story?

One last question to think about what if God called them here?  

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Categories
Podcast

Two Things Every Podcast Episode Must Have

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Every podcast episode needs two things! I mean, there are more than two things needed, but two things MUST be on each podcast episode. But before we jump into what those things are, remember that launching a podcast, getting the show running smoothly, and getting a schedule that works for you all have moving parts to it. As a seasoned podcaster and podcast coach, my job is to provide tips and tricks to make your podcasting experience the least overwhelming as possible. 

I’m super excited you finally decided to get your podcast going. As you are getting things together for your podcast and you’re outlining your episodes, make sure you include these two things: an intro and an outro! 

This may seem like obvious information but trust me, there are podcasts out there that don’t have this. Now, I want to share with you what exactly to include in each part!

What Is an Intro (Introduction) For Podcast Episodes

The introduction of your episode, intro for short, is the first thing that listeners will hear when they press play on your podcast episode. Think of it like the introduction of a TV show!

What Should You Include in the Intro

Each episode should have the same intro. If you are doing seasons, you can change it up for each season but make sure that it’s not a different intro for each episode because you want consistency. Also, keep in mind as you publish more episodes, not everyone will start on your first episode. They may listen to episode 15 first because that’s the episode a friend recommended. Make sure your introduction has this: 

  • Music (royalty-free – we don’t want copyright lawsuits)
  • Who you are
  • Name of your podcast 
  • What your podcast is about 
  • If you have a slogan/saying/or mission 

The best thing to do is record the intro, save that file, and plug it in when you’re editing. Some podcasters, after their initial intro, will record a welcoming message letting the listeners know what this particular episode is about. This is an option, or you can just get right into the episode.

What Is an Outro for Podcast Episodes

The outro is the opposite of the introduction of the episode. So it’s the closing remarks of the episode. Think of it like the ending credits of a movie or TV show!

What Should You Include in the Outro

Same as the intro, every episode should have the same outro. The most important thing to have in your outro is a call to action. Do not end your episode without one! Tell your listeners what to do next after listening to your episode. Here are a few call-to-action ideas: 

  • First, thank them for listening (time is precious) 
  • Leave a review or rate the podcast (depending on which platform they are listening on)
  • Follow on social media 
  • Subscribe to the podcast
  • Sign up for your newsletter
  • Share with a friend

If your podcast is an extension of your business, this is the perfect place to plugin whatever products or services you offer. And change the outro whenever you have a new product or service available. 

Remember to include all the links to resources, products, or services mentioned in the episode in the shownotes. In another post, I’ll tell you exactly how to write your shownotes and what to include.

Conclusion

One of the great things about podcasting is that you can create your show and adjust it to your liking, however, there are a few things that are needed to make the podcast successful. And an intro and outro for each episode is one of them! I hope this article was helpful; if so, please share it with a podcasting friend. 

Coming soon, I’ll have a podcast starting kit for purchase that will include a weekly planner, monthly planner, guest intake form, episode outline, and shownotes outline. 

With Love, Heidy

P.S. If you would like a free checklist to get started on your podcast and a list of equipment and tools I use for my show, sign up for my podcast newsletter at the bottom of this page.

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

Categories
Business Podcast

One Great Way to Market Your Online Business – Podcasting

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Marketing your online business can sometimes be a hassle. There are many ways you can go about it, and the online world is consistently changing. But if you’re looking for a new way to market your online business, I want to ask: have you thought about podcasting? If not, here are three reasons why podcasting is an excellent way to market your online business.

Establishing Authority and Expertise

With podcasts, you’ll dive deep into the topics related to your industry. With each episode, you’ll showcase your experience and knowledge to provide value for your audience. Talking on podcast episodes provides the opportunity to give your audience more explained details and share personal experiences that other marketing tools do not. 

Marketing on podcasts positions you as a thought leader in your industry. Listeners are more likely to engage with businesses that are perceived as authorities in their field. 

Also, inviting guest experts in your field will enhance credibility and will help you reach a new audience and even clients. 

Building a Community and Connection

Since podcasts allow you to reach more people, you can create a community and connection around your show. Podcasts create a personal connection with your audience. Hearing your voice and your guests’ voices can help humanize your brand, making it more relatable and trustworthy.

Listeners can create a sense of loyalty when they subscribe to your show because they want to hear from you on a regular basis. This builds a community of engaged and loyal followers who are more likely to support your business and its offerings.

The great thing about podcasts is that they can be interactive. You have to include the option to have your audience send you questions, and you can answer them on the show. That will make them a part of the show. 

One last thing to remember – not everyone is on social media, so you’ll definitely reach a new audience with podcasting. Also, you won’t have to worry about social media’s algorithms.

The Content is Timeless

People will be able to find your podcast episodes for years to come. Think of it like YouTube videos – those live on forever. Podcasting is timeless in the same way. Even if a person isn’t ready to become a client yet, they will receive knowledge and advice from you, and once they are ready to become a client, they will already have built that trust from listening to your podcast.

Bonus Reason – Repurpose Your Podcast Episodes

One of the best things about podcast episodes is that you can repurpose them for other marketing tools. For example, you can take each of your podcast episodes and turn them into SEO-optimized blog posts. This will help gain organic traffic to your website and your podcast. 

Market Your Online Business with Podcasting

If you are looking to start a podcast – I have a free checklist, equipment, and tools list just for you. Sign up for my podcast newsletter and receive yours today. If you have any questions about podcasting and how to start your own, schedule a call with me to discuss. 

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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