Category: Podcast

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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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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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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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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.”

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Business Podcast

One Great Way to Market Your Online Business – Podcasting

tablet with the words online marketing.
Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

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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Podcast

Who Are Women of Welcome

Podcast cover with Women of Welcome bri
Women of Welcome director Bri

Many organizations advocate for immigration reform and immigration rights here in the United States. Some operate based on faith, while others do not. However, I had the pleasure and honor of speaking with the director of the Christian-based non-profit organization Women of Welcome. 

Bri Stensrud is an advocate for human dignity. Her passion stems from equipping the Church to engage more steadily and tangibly in holistic human dignity issues. Bri is also an advocate and works within the pro-life movement. During her work, she faced questions about immigrants and refugees. She realized that many of the questions and concerns stemmed from fear and misinformation, so Bri started a journey to discover God’s heart for the sojourner. As stated in her bio on the Women of Welcome website.

Who Are Women of Welcome

The Women of Welcome, a non-partisan Christian organization, dedicates itself to sharing the whole truth and scriptures in understanding God’s heart for immigrants and refugees. Their mission states: We believe God calls us to a deep love for the vulnerable, the marginalized, and the forgotten. Together, we’re on a journey to understand biblical hospitality in an authentic way.

On their website, they have the Greek word for hospitality, philoxenia. Which translates to “the love of strangers.” They write, “Our mission is to follow Christ’s example of love, invitation, and generosity, especially to those who are pushed to the margins.”

How Did Women of Welcome Start

In episode 37, Bri recounts how she started this organization. It started with a study conducted about how people felt about immigration but also where they were getting their information about immigration. Data came back showing the majority were looking at immigration from a political viewpoint instead of a Biblical one first. The data also showed that the majority of women had compassion towards immigrants and refugees but did not know what to do or how to help. So, Bri and a friend put out a Bible study to see if it sparked interest.

The name of the Bible study is Ruth & Noami; it’s free and still available on their website. People have downloaded it over 130,000 times since its first release. It talks about what immigration is and revisits the story of Ruth and Noami. If you are unfamiliar with the story of Ruth and Noami, it is about two immigrating women and what they must do in order to survive. 

Women of Welcome has now grown to over 150,000 women between their Instagram, Facebook private group, YouTube, and newsletter. 

Resources

Since the release of Ruth and Noami, Women of Welcome has added five additional Bible studies. All are free and available for download right on their website. I’ve completed their Bible Study – What Does the Bible Say About Immigration? It was impactful, and I feel like it was important for me to do because of the work I’m doing with this podcast, so I encourage you to go through it, too! 

They have three films on their website to watch. While Our Care: Child Detention Stories and Discussion, discusses how children are cared for in the United States while going through the immigration system. Who is Welcome Here Film and Study, which is a documentary about informing Christians to grow their Biblical response to immigrants and immigration in the United States. Eyes to See Film is a film about going to the southern border in 2018 to see what exactly is going on. 

Women of Welcome also has a list of books about immigration they recommend to read for more educational purposes.

Conclusion

Listen to episode 37 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast to learn more about Bri, Women of Welcome, and their work advocating for decent immigration policies. To connect, follow them on Instagram and join their private Facebook group.

How are you actively engaging in immigration advocacy?

With Love, Heidy

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Podcast

Becoming a Podcaster Was the Best Choice

Podcaster Heidy standing under light with black tank top and red dress pants
Podcaster Heidy De La Cruz

It was in 2019 when God put it in my heart to start a podcast. Although I initially thought I would be sharing and celebrating the good things, my friends are doing in their lives on the podcast. The concept of sharing immigrant stories didn’t come until about a month before I started researching how to launch a podcast. Now, it’s been almost two years since I became a podcaster, and looking back, it’s the best choice I’ve made. Here are a few reasons why.

Share Immigrant Stories

When I first got the tug to start a podcast, the vision was to have a co-host, and we would give our opinions about various topics. I tried to get my husband to do it, but he wasn’t interested. I then thought I would highlight my friends and talk about the great things they are doing in their lives, but after I read an article on Medium about an immigrant from Kenya and how each culture shock she experienced in the United States diminished her confidence, I thought how these types of stories aren’t shared or talked about. 

The concept of immigrants sharing their journey coming to the United States and what they experienced after they arrived was foreign to me. I had not heard of podcasts or a space that shared these types of stories. Although this is just a part of their stories, not all of it, I still think it’s an important part and will continue to highlight them.

Since starting The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast, I’ve heard so many incredible, inspiring, and sad stories. I said I want to share the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the podcast because everyone has a different experience, and that shapes their perspectives and their opinions. Their truths are their truths; neither I nor anyone else can take that away from them. I’m just using a medium to host their stories.

Live My Mission While Spreading the Gospel

The mission of my podcast is to change the narrative of immigration to a more compassionate and empathetic approach – like a Jesus approach. And the best way to achieve that goal is by sharing stories of immigrants. As I am sharing these stories, I’m also spreading the gospel and showing my audience that even though we may disagree with policies, we can still extend compassion to God’s people. 

At the end of the day, we should treat everyone as they are all made in the image of God. And there are plenty of Bible verses that talk about how we should treat immigrants and refugees. 

And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:19 NIV

“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.’ Zechariah 7:9-10 NIV

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40 NIV

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

Teaching Others to Podcast

In September of 2022, I posted on Facebook how I wanted to help others launch their own podcast, and in August of 2023, I hosted my first “How to Launch a Podcast Masterclass.” I’ve created a six-week course where I walk people through the process of launching a podcast step by step. 

I’ve realized that initially, the process can be overwhelming. However, if you break it down step by step, it’s easier to manage and not feel discourage. I want to be the person I needed when I started my podcast.

Teaching others to do podcasts is a love I didn’t even know I had until I started. I’ve always been generous with my knowledge and sharing my process of whatever project I’m working on. So, now I’m sharing the knowledge of launching a podcast and helping those who wish to have their own. It’s such an amazing feeling!

You may like: I’ve Had These Opportunities Since I Started Podcasting

Becoming a Podcaster Was Clearly the Best Choice

Sometimes, we don’t realize we like something until we try it. When I first started podcasting, I didn’t know I would help others launch theirs, and once I started, I realized I absolutely love it. I’ve tried many things in my life, and some of them I didn’t like, so I shifted, but I wouldn’t have known that it wasn’t for me if I hadn’t tried. 

Becoming a podcaster is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, and I’m so glad I took that huge leap of faith. I’m excited to continue on this path and share the journey with you along the way! 

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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Save Time Editing Podcast Episode

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Photo by Milo Deckert on Pexels.com Editing Podcast

Editing your podcast episodes is crucial in delivering high-quality content to your audience. And editing your podcast episodes may be the least fun process of hosting a podcast. You can outsource this task if you have the funds, but if you don’t, here are a few efficient tips to help you save time! Let’s dive in!

1. Create a Customized Template

The best thing to do is create a template that already has your intro and your outro, so all you have to do is plug in the episode recording or video in the middle. From there, you’ll edit out what you don’t want from the episode, like dead air, questions your guest may have wished to re-answer, etc. 

If the software you use to edit doesn’t allow you to create a template, record your intro, then record your outro, and use those in each episode so you don’t have to record them every time. 

If your podcast is audio only and you have a MacBook, you can create a template on GarageBand and use this software to edit your episode. GarageBand already comes with your MacBook, so you don’t need to buy editing software. 

2. While Editing Podcast Episodes, Write Show Notes

This is the best time to write your show notes/description when editing your episodes. These notes serve as a valuable resource for listeners, summarizing the episode’s content, highlighting key takeaways, and providing relevant links or resources. By writing your show notes during editing, you’ll ensure accuracy and coherence between the content and its accompanying notes. This approach also helps you save time in the long run, as you won’t have to revisit the episode later to create detailed show notes.

In addition to writing show notes during this time, you can pick out your favorite episode quotes to create graphics. And choose which clips you’ll want to use to turn into videos for social media.

3. Time Management

The worst thing I did at the beginning of my podcasting journey was underestimate how long it would take me to edit episodes. When it comes time to edit your episodes, give yourself double the time the episode length. If your episode is twenty minutes long, block out about forty minutes to edit. 

These are a few things that have helped me be efficient when editing my podcast episodes. In another post, I’ll write about what you should include in the introduction and outro of your episodes. 

What tips would you add to this list? 

With Love, Heidy

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Categories
Podcast

Tools I Use for Podcasting

brown framed eyeglasses on a calendar tool
Photo by Leeloo Thefirst on Pexels.com

There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that comes with podcasting and as I’m building my digital course to teach people how to podcast, I’ve realized there are certain tools I use to run my podcast. 

Today I want to share those tools and how I use them. 

First, let me share that I have a podcast where I interview immigrants – I don’t record solo episodes so some of these tools may not apply to your show if you only record solo episodes. 

Let’s start!

Calendly

This is the app I use to schedule guest episode recordings and discovery calls for those who want to launch a podcast. With this app, I set my schedule, it syncs with my Google Calendar and will show the guests my availabilities. Calendly connects with Zoom so when a guest schedules a Zoom link automatically generates. 

This app allows you to generate a message for guests to see on the booking page. On this page I let guests know that the show is recorded on Zoom and to be camera-ready and I tell them to please log on to a laptop and have headphones and mic if possible. For some of my guests, it’s the first time they are on a podcast so I try to provide as much information as possible up front for a smooth process. 

The only thing I wish this app would do is block off the day once someone schedules a recording because I only record one episode per day.

Google Forms/Sheets/Documents/Calendar

Okay, Google has the best apps ever to be completely honest, and I use multiple for personal, business, and podcasting. 

I use Google Forms for potential guests to fill out a questionnaire. With this questionnaire, I gather the information I need to send questions before our episode recording, gather social media links, and ask if they are interested in joining the podcast newsletter. I also use Google Forms to receive guest’s consent to record the podcast episode. 

Google Sheets

This is where I keep track of the episode schedule. I have the episode publish date, episode number, the guest name, what country they came from, and where the episode was recorded (in-person or Zoom). 

Google Documents

I’m currently writing this blog post on Google Documents and then I’ll transfer to WordPress, but I sometimes use Google Documents to write my show notes or Mircosoft Word. 

Google Calendar

As mentioned above, I connect Google Calendar with Calendly so that my schedule for the day appears on my Google Calendar, and this is how I keep track of my day-to-day work. If it’s not on my calendar, it’s not happening.

Zoom

Zoom is the virtual app I use to record my episodes. Although I’ve read how other podcasters do not like using Zoom, I’ve had no issues (*knocks on wood*). Zoom transcripts the episode so I’m able to choose quotes to create graphics with or for video cuts. And I can record directly to the cloud so I don’t have to worry about storage issues with my MacBook.

CapCut and iMovie

These are the two video editing software I use to edit my videos. CapCut I use for the video cuts to promote the episode on social media. iMovie I use to edit the actual podcast episode. You can see behind-the-scenes footage about this here.

Grammarly

This app I had before I started podcasting because I use it for editing my writing. However, each podcast episode should have show notes so I use Grammarly to help with quick grammar things.

Canva

Canva is amazing for creating graphics! I use Canva to create my podcast cover art, graphics for the episode, graphics with quotes, the YouTube channel banner, each episode thumbnail for YouTube, and Reel covers. 

These are the tools I use to run my podcast. Are there any tools you use not on this list? Let me know. 

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

How to Become an Immigration Specialist

lady liberty in new york taken by the author. lady liberty is the symbol of immigration and freedom.
Lady Liberty – Picture by Heidy De La Cruz

Did you know that there was a way you could provide legal representation to asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants without being an immigration attorney?


The Department of Justice allows accredited representatives to provide legal immigration representation once they earn the VIISTA certification through Villanova University. This program is 100% online and it trains students to be advocates of immigrants and be ready to serve the community.

What Is the Recognition and Accreditation Program?

The Recognition and Accreditation (R&A) program from the Department of Justice allows non-attorney “Accredited Representatives” to represent migrants or asylum seekers before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). Because migrants aren’t entitled to court-appointed attorneys this program helps provide legal representation for immigration cases. Representatives with accreditation must be part of an organization recognized by the DOJ to provide legal services. Those are non-profits, and federally tax-exempt organizations.

In the most recent episode of my podcast, I speak with Joanne McAfee who went through the VIISTA certification program. She has accreditation with the DOJ, and currently serves as an immigration specialist at Catholic Charities in Delaware. Joanne explains the process of how she got into becoming accredited, and what type of work she does.

If you are looking for a way to help serve in the immigration space but don’t want to become an immigration attorney maybe you can can become an accredited representative. There is an enormous backlog of immigration cases and not enough help. Currently, it takes years for a judge to hear a case. And the judges hear the majority of the cases without legal representation and this includes children.

What’s the Difference Between Partial and Full Accreditation?

Villanova University explains the difference between a partially accredited representative and a full. With partial accreditation, the representative may represent clients before Customers and Border Patrol (CBP) or United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) but not before immigration courts. Representative with fully accreditation have authorization to appear before the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). The majority of the representatives with accreditation are partially partially rather than fully so they aren’t able to represent clients in court. If considering becoming accredited consider going full accreditation.

Immigration Needs Your Help

According to IBIS World – there are 13,498 immigration lawyers active in the US as of 2023. Which is a 3% increase from last year. However, there are over 2 million pending immigration cases currently. There aren’t enough attorneys to represent all the cases. By becoming accredited with the DOJ you 

Because of the backlog currently in the immigration system, it takes years for immigration cases to be complete. Policies and laws are constantly changing, so what may have been valid when the case was first filed may not be valid years down the line. You can listen more about this in episode 8 of my podcast. 

You may like: Episode Summary – Questions & Answers with Immigration Attorney

The immigration system in the United States is complex and outdated. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution possible because every case is unique. Nevertheless, we can involve ourselves by educating ourselves and advocating for policies that center on human rights and dignity. And if you feel called to do more but don’t want to go to law school becoming an Immigration Specialist with the DOJ is a great alternative.

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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