41. How to Make Your Podcast Stand Out with Tahryn Bolt

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If you’re thinking of launching a podcast or want to grow your one

Laura: Welcome to Podcasting for Business Owners. I’m Your host, Laura McRae a podcast consultant, educator, and self confessed podcast nerd. If you’re thinking of launching a podcast or want to grow the one you have, you’re in the right place. Hold on to your headphones and let’s go. Hello and welcome back to Podcasting for Business Owners, the podcast that helps you share your story, lead your industry, and grow your network through podcasting. If you’ve ever felt like your content sounds just like everybody else’s, or if you haven’t started your podcast yet because you’re worried your podcast won’t stand out, then this episode is for you. I’m joined by Taryn Bolt, the marketing and messaging wizard, behind the Social Bolt and the host of the How I Do Content podcast. Tarrin’s branding and messaging really stands out. Her content, whether it’s her, podcast, her Instagram, or her emails, is infused with two things she loves, Harry Potter and dogs. And somehow it just works. In this chat, we talk about how to create a brand that’s instantly recognisable, how to lean into your own style, and why being a little bit different is actually your biggest strength.

Taryn describes herself as a marketing messaging wizard

Hello, Taryn, and welcome to the show. Taryn, I love how you describe yourself as a marketing messaging wizard. Can you tell us a bit about what that means and how you work your magic with your clients?

Taryn Bolt: Amazing. Well, firstly, thank you so much for having me. I’m very excited to chat all things messaging and marketing with you. I guess the first, thing you should know about me is that I have a Harry Potter obsession. So not the author so much, but the whole magic and the story of it. And I have loved that for many years. And when I was starting my business, I thought, why not make it a little bit me and incorporate the things that I love into it. So Harry Potter was one of the obvious things. So it’s a little bit of a play on that. It helps me to create a brand that stands out and also just to have a little bit of fun. But also the other thing is that messaging and marketing are, I guess, my zone of genius. That’s what I am really good at. They are my spells for creating a successful business. That’s what I support my clients with. So it’s a little bit of both. It’s a little bit of me, and then obviously what I want to be known for as well. So I think that, yeah, just I’ve incorporated that magic element into the messaging and marketing that I support my clients with.

Laura: Yeah. And you can definitely hear that in your podcast. Your music is very Harry Potter style, and all the little phrases you say and it all come back to Harry Potter, don’t they?

Taryn Bolt: Yes. Yeah, it’s very intentional. And sometimes I get a little bit too carried away and I think, oh, I need to, like, scale it back a little bit just so it makes sense, because it’s all well and good to have Harry Potter references out the wazoo, like, you know, everything and everywhere, but not everyone likes Harry Potter. Not everyone’s read it, not everyone’s watched it. And so I can’t, like, just put it there for the sake of it. It actually has to make sense as well. And so that, you know, someone who hasn’t seen it or read it can still understand what I’m saying. It’s not like I’m speaking another language.

Laura: Yeah, well, you definitely make it so that we can understand what you’re saying, so you don’t need to worry about that.

Taryn Bolt: Oh.

A lot of people feel their content isn’t unique enough to stand out

Laura: A, lot of people feel like their content isn’t unique enough to stand out, especially with so many podcasts and online businesses out there. What would you say to someone feeling that way?

Taryn Bolt: Yeah, I think it’s definitely one of the things that, you know, I myself have experienced, and I know so many of my clients and people in my community do as well. I think that it’s just that thing when you’re in business and there’s a lot of other people, and especially online in Instagram, where there’s a lot of content going out every moment to sit there and think, oh, you know, what makes me different? You know, how do I make myself stand out? But I think it’s really important to come back to. And the reason that I did this is that it’s really hard to be someone that you’re not. So why wouldn’t you just want to be who you are? I think, you know, rather than that, it’s way easier just to be you and focus on you and the things that you love and the things that you like, rather than trying to be someone you’re not or trying to emulate someone else. And I think a lot of people find themselves down that pathway where they’re like, oh, that person over there is doing this. And I love that, so I’m going to try that too. But it kind of is against who they are

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Taryn Bolt: or, you know, what their business is like, what their life is like. And what ends up happening is it just doesn’t feel so aligned. It doesn’t feel good. And so people stop showing up and sharing their magic. And so the reason that I’m really big on this is because if you’re being who you are, if it’s aligned to your personality, your values, what you want to be known for, and it feels fun, then you are going to show up and share that and put that out there into the universe, into the online space. And it’s just going to be a whole lot easier than trying to copy someone else or trying to be someone you’re not. So I always say it’s a lot easier just to be me rather than try to be someone else. And I think the thing to remember here is in a world of where there’s so many online businesses, there’s a lot of content out there, there’s a lot of other, you know, messaging and marketing wizards out, there. There is only one me. And so, you know, remembering that the only point of difference between me and everyone else is me is literally the fact that I am who I am. I have my own experiences, my own knowledge, my own values, all of that. And so that actually in itself is going to help me stand out by just being me.

Laura: And that’s it as well. Like you were saying, everyone’s got their own stories and experiences, so that’s how you stand out.

Taryn Bolt: Yeah, exactly. Otherwise you just start sounding like everyone else. And, you know, then we have that thing where everyone’s saying the same thing, and if you get to be yourself, then you’re going to stand out naturally.

Laura: So you’ve built a business being fully yourself.

You weave love into your personal brand through every piece of content

How did you find your content style and give yourself permission to show up your way?

Taryn Bolt: Well, I think just. I just really anchored into a couple of things so obviously being that who I am and really just think about the things that would stand out from a perspective of my ideal client. So it’s all well and good to say that, you know, I love dogs, but if my ideal client doesn’t love dogs, if they don’t really like Harry Potter or things like that, you might not be adding that into your personal brand for those things. So I really just stayed true to who I am, and I thought about the things that I love or the things that make me me, and how could I actually incorporate that into my brand and into my content specifically? And so I just really focused on those two things, so my ideal client and myself. And then I just started to see, like, okay, well, what resonates with people, like, is this stuff that people want to hear from me. And, you know, I remember hearing a Business coach say that no one cares about your dog, so stop talking about your dog in your personal brand. And I was like, well, actually no, because a lot of people connect with me because of how much I love my dogs, for example. And so I’m not going to stop talking about it. It might seem unprofessional to some people, but my ideal clients actually love it. And I’ve connected with so many of my clients and now friends because of the fact that we both love dogs, for example, or we both love Harry Potter. So I think that just really making sure that you’re staying true to who you are and then just from that perspective of your ideal client. So, what is something that’s going to make me stand out and have that shared connection with them?

Laura: I, think even if you don’t like Harry Potter or dogs, I just find you so interesting. The way you manage to weave it in to every single piece of content you do, it’s just incredible. I think it’s really clever the way you do that.

Taryn Bolt: Yeah. And look, and that’s the thing as well is I’ve had people say to me, I have never read Harry Potter before, I don’t even like Harry Potter. But I love that you love it and I love how you share it. And so that in itself makes me have that connection with them or they see, oh, I want something similar for myself. So again, it doesn’t necessarily have to be like, you both love Harry Potter, you both love dogs, but it’s just that whole human to human connection. We love to learn about people and see what they love. And really, just like you said, it’s just interesting and different and it’s a lot different to a lot of the same sameness that you do see in the online space. And so it does stand out. It’s a little bit different to what everyone else is doing.

Laura: Yeah, I agree. It really helps you stand out, I think.

What are some signs that someone hasn’t tapped into their unique content style yet

What are some of the signs that someone hasn’t tapped into their unique content style yet? What have you noticed?

Taryn Bolt: Look, I think right now it’s very much AI has made it so it’s really easy to create content. Right. And save you time and create a lot of quick content. But on the flip side, that

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Taryn Bolt: means that we’re starting to see a lot of the same content and the way that it’s communicated as well. And so once you start sounding like everyone else or like a robot, then you can tell, okay, this person hasn’t developed their own unique content style. And I think the biggest thing for me is if I can consume a piece of content and say, I know that Taran created this, I know that Laura created this, I can hear them in my, like, in my head, or I can really visualise them saying those things, then you want that, you want to read my content and know that’s what I sound like. And I often have that when I do leave my house sometimes and I go and meet people in real life and they say, you’re exactly like you are, online, as you are in person. And again, that comes back to, well, of course, because it’s me, I’m going to be me. That’s how I show up. The same thing with your content. You want it to feel like it’s actually a conversation between myself and whoever is reading, consuming, listening to it, whatever it is, and that’s what I always want to have in mind. But if you start to sound like it came from AI, or you’re using vague phrases and terms that everyone else uses, then that’s really a clear sign to me. Yeah.

Laura: And I’ve noticed with your content, you even say the same phrases in your DMs, in your podcast and in your social media, you’ve got the same catchphrases and sayings, so it all links together and you can tell it’s really you saying it.

Taryn Bolt: Yeah. Because repetition in your content and your messaging is the thing to build that standout brand is because I say that I’m a messaging and marketing wizard, but people will call me that as well because I proclaim myself to be that, but I sprinkle that throughout all of my content. I have the same phrases and sayings like, I’m not reinventing the wheel every time. I just want to keep it consistent and I want to repeat myself as much as possible. And that’s what actually builds that brand awareness or people to know. Okay. When I think about Harry Potter, I think about Tyrone. I think about dogs, I think about Tyrone. When I think about messaging and marketing, the iron comes to mind. And that’s intentional for me to do that.

Laura: The one always stands out, is when you always say, for the love of dogs.

Taryn Bolt: Yes, yes. Because I personally am not religious. However, I do believe that dogs are, you know, my religion. And so that. Nice play into that. So, yes, that’s what I always say.

Laura: Yeah, I love it.

Bolt three day framework focuses on desire, demand and differentiation

So you talk about micro messaging. Can you explain what that is and how it helps people connect with the right audience?

Taryn Bolt: I’ve always supported my clients with messaging. Your personal brand, your offers, your marketing, your sales will all have different kind of pieces of messaging, so they’ll be a little bit different. But it all stems back to like my framework, the Bolt three day framework, which is like desire, demand and differentiation.

Laura: Can you break down those three pillars for us?

Taryn Bolt: So desire is all about your ideal client. So it’s what they desire, it’s where they’re at right now and of course where they want to go. Right. Demand is usually your offer or like how do you create demand for what you do and you know who you are and your services and what you offer and then differentiation, which I talk about a lot because obviously it’s about, you know, your unique blend of magic, what makes you different to someone else. Why should your ideal client choose you? So those three pillars, when you’re thinking about creating any kind of marketing or content in your business, you want to be thinking like, have I thought about desire, demand and differentiation in that piece of content? And does it kind of hit those. Those so that my ideal client can see, okay, Tyrone is the person that’s going to help me get from where I am now to where I want to be. And her offer, micro messaging, for example, my one on one coaching is the vehicle that’s going to help me get there. So I think it’s just really making sure that those elements are present in what you’re doing and you have thought about them. Before you create any offer, before you create any content, before you sell any kind of offer is just really thinking about those three elements first.

Laura: I’m guessing the third element, differentiation, is the one people struggle with most, Is that right?

Taryn Bolt: Yes, you would be 100% correct. Desire, demand, most people know that pretty well and differentiation is the one that most people struggle with. But it’s the most important

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Taryn Bolt: for you to master or for you to like, use. Because there are so many online businesses out there, there are so many different people who can serve and support you, but why should they choose you? What makes you different from all the other people doing the same thing as you? So essentially differentiation is built into like, who am I, what do I want to be known for? What are my special skills? Like, what are my tools and techniques that I help my client with? But yeah, it’s definitely the hardest one, especially for women because we’re like, but I’m not special or I’m not as good as that person. And so it’s just something that’s really important to me that I support my clients with because I believe there’s a lot of people who have some really incredible Magic to share with their community, but they don’t because of those kind of conditioning that where we’re not special, we’re not as good as that person, or we don’t have anything special to offer. So, yeah, it’s definitely the hardest but most important one.

Laura: Yeah. And how do you get people to find that?

Taryn Bolt: I think it really is about tapping into who you are as a person and who you are as a business owner. and what you want your zone of genius to be. Like, what is your unique blend of magic? What are you bringing to the table? And a lot of it is giving people the tools and skills to feel confident, to share that with people. A lot of it comes down to self belief and confidence to have that. But sometimes you just need someone to point those things out for you. So you need someone to say to you, well, actually, you’re really good at this. Or like, from what I see, these are the things that you’re doing amazing. We should do more of that. So I think that’s where having a coach or someone to support you to look at your content. You know, your podcast, for example, I saw that you did a post about turning someone’s masterclass into podcast episodes for them. So we would be like, oh, it’s just a masterclass. I can never use that ever again. But for you, you’ve got that, like, view of saying, well, this would actually be amazing because this content’s really helpful and xyz. So that’s why having that support or someone to look at things for you is really helpful. Just to pull out those pieces that we don’t actually see. Because when you’re running your business, you’re so close to everything and you think that, oh, this isn’t anything special. And people are like, actually, this is really good. So I think just sometimes it’s just building someone’s confidence or pointing out different things that they can’t see themselves.

Laura: Yeah. Getting the outside, perspective.

Taryn Bolt: Yeah. Sometimes we need just a little bit of a push, a little bit of confidence to be able to be like, to claim those things and to actually speak about them. So, you know, that’s why I’m such a big advocate for, like, obviously having someone in your business who can do that for you.

Laura: Yeah.

A lot of people listening today are thinking about starting a podcast

A lot of people listening today might be thinking about starting a podcast, but are stuck thinking, what would I even say that hasn’t been said before? What advice would you give them?

Taryn Bolt: I would say that I, have never in six years run out of content ideas because I’m always Coming back to those three things. Desire, demand, differentiation. I’m saying the same thing, but in different ways, because that’s what people need to hear. They need to hear different messaging angles because it’s not just one message that hits and people will buy, like, if only it was that easy. One piece of content, and then they hit that buy now button. But people need to hear a marketing message multiple times. So I think it’s just being clear on desire, demand and differentiation and then coming up with content ideas for that. And, you know, like, I always am thinking about it from the perspective of what would my ideal client actually want to listen to? What are the challenges that my ideal client currently has that I, ah, could create an episode about? What do I want to be known for? So how could I show that I am a Dumbledore level expert in this area? So again, I’m just cycling through those questions and in that moment in time, what is the episode topic that I’m going to choose? But, yeah, I’ve never run out of content ideas, and maybe that’s just my brain, but I think that if you anchor into those three things that you won’t either.

Laura: Yeah. And how long’s your podcast been going for now?

Taryn Bolt: I am just about to hit 200 episodes and I. So I think I started in 2021. It’s been going for a while.

Laura: Yeah, I never run out of ideas. That’s amazing.

Taryn Bolt: I also have my coach who I often say to her, I

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Taryn Bolt: need some help with coming up with podcast episode ideas specific to, like, my launch plan, for example. So I will go to her and say, this is what I’m thinking. Have I missed anything? Is there anything you recommend? So it’s, again, it’s always helpful to have that second set of eyes and a brain, a second brain to help you out if I ever get stuck. But that rarely happens. I probably can count on one hand the times that that has happened in nearly 200 episodes.

Laura: That’s great.

How can podcasters simplify their content creation when it feels overwhelming

You work with clients to simplify their strategy. How can podcasters apply that to their content creation, especially when it feels overwhelming or like there’s too much to do?

Taryn Bolt: Well, I think that the most important thing is to just keep it simple and not overthink it too much and not think that, oh, this has already been said before because again, what I’d say here is that, and this is why differentiation is so important is because you and I could have the same podcast idea, but the way in which we deliver it, vastly different. Like what we’re going to Put in it vastly different. So remembering that even if the topic has been done to death, there are, different ways that you can come at it. And also just thinking about your ideal client, the person who’s listening. If you think about, you know, what do you enjoy listening to in a podcast? What are the topics that you would tune into? So I think just keep it simple in terms of when you’re selecting your topics, just think about that ideal client. Don’t think about, oh, there’s so many people doing the same topic, really, just focusing on those two things and just hit record and do the thing.

Laura: Yeah, because also as well, I’ll listen to people who have got a similar podcast as mine for ideas, but my stories and examples are different. So although it’s the same topic, it’s different because you’ve got your experience and your thoughts on the same topic. So there’s always that difference there isn’t there?

Taryn Bolt: 100%. And I think that’s the thing to remember as well, is because a lot of the things that you see in the online space, like, really, there’s no new ideas. They’re just different ways to present the same kind of ideas. I’m a, messaging and marketing wizard, but a lot of the things I’m talking about are just foundational messaging and marketing principles that I learned at, uni and that I have developed through working with clients. So again, that’s why you want to sprinkle in those client examples and your personal examples and frameworks and techniques that you do differently to build on what’s already out there. And again, why it’s so important not to just say the same thing as everyone else is because then you stand out because you’re doing things differently. And so, you know, I’ve always looked at what other people are doing and said, okay, I like that, but I want to do it this way. So I’ve always done that to say, like, how do I want to make this my own? And a lot of people struggle with that because they look at what someone else is doing and they can’t stop themselves comparing themselves to that person. And look, I’d be lying if I said I never compare myself to anyone, but it’s just really a good skill to remember that, like, thinking about it, remove that emotion from it, think about the topic at hand. What could you add to that topic? How could you make it your own and then go from there?

Laura: Yeah, and I think that’s where people get stuck, don’t they? Because they think, oh, it’s been done before.

Taryn Bolt: 100%.

You incorporated donuts and Harry Potter into your storytelling

Laura: As we’ve discussed already, you’ve got such a distinct voice and brand. Was that something that evolved over time or did you always lean into the magical Harry Potter vibes?

Taryn Bolt: Oh, I actually always leaned into it. The reason being is I am an introvert and I would much rather not talk to people and, like, not show up my face online and things like that. But I know that that’s important because obviously, you know, by behaviour, we want to connect with humans. We want to get to know them. And so I just made a decision that, okay, well, you’re starting a business. This is just something that you’re going to have to do. And so how can you do it in a way that feels good for you? And I was like, at the time, you know, I followed Brook Villanovich. she used to run the social club and she incorporated donuts into her brand. And she used to talk about donuts all the time. She had, like, donuts in her stories. And, you know, people would send her, like, oh, have you tried this donut before? And I said, oh, okay. Well, that’s interesting because, you know, I could incorporate Ned, my dog at the time, into my stories because, like, he’s here, I love him. And

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Taryn Bolt: people could send me photos of their dog. I can tell people to say hi to their dog for me. And it built on that, and I was like, okay, well, what else could I do? And the other thing was, you know, Harry Potter. So based on what I saw Brooke doing and what I wanted to do for myself, I identified those two areas that would be something that I felt like I could incorporate really well into my business. So I kind of, just from the get go, I did it.

Laura: Yeah. And we love it. And you really stand out for it.

Taryn Bolt: Thank you.

Laura: Yeah.

Ask yourself where are you hiding your unique blend of magic in your content

So final question. What’s one magical step someone can take today to start owning their unique content style?

Taryn Bolt: I think just ask yourself the question, where are you hiding in your content? So where are you not saying what you want to say or what you believe in or what you want to be known for? Where are you kind of diluting your unique blend of magic? Right. So really just asking yourself. And most people will know immediately as soon as they say that, they’re probably like, oh, tired. How dare you say that to me? Everyone does the same thing is like, you probably know the areas in which you are hiding in your business or in your content, the things that you’re not saying, the things that you really want to say, the things that drive you crazy. What Other people are saying that you just like, disagree with or the things that you could talk about all day, every day. So like me dogs, for example, or, messaging and marketing, for example. But really just like, where are the places that you’re hiding in your content? And I think if you ask yourself that, you’re probably going to come up with some things that like, okay, this is a really good place to start in terms of owning your unique blend of magic and starting to filter that into your content and start to nail that differentiation piece.

Laura: Brilliant. Before we go, for anyone who’s completely obsessed with your magical approach, where’s the best place for people to find you, follow you, or work with you?

Taryn Bolt: Well, I think the best place to follow me is Instagram, so he, ah, social bolt. you’ll find me. Please feel free if you have a dog to send me a picture of your dog and we can connect over there. I’m very much open to having conversations in the dm, so if you want to come and say hi, do it. I have a podcast, the How I Do Content podcast, which is where I share all of my messaging and marketing, you know, magic over there. So that’s really great place to start. They’re probably the two best ways to do that. And then you’ll be able to find all the links to all of the free stuff or all of the paid stuff either on Instagram or on the How I Do Content podcast.

If this episode has got you thinking about how to show up in your podcast

Laura: All right. Thank you very much, Tyran, for coming on the show.

Taryn Bolt: Thank you so much for having me. I’ve loved this conversation.

Laura: How good was that chat? I loved how Tyrone reminded us that your biggest point of difference is you, and that applies so much to podcasting, especially if you’re trying to create content that connects her. Podcast How I Do Content is such a great example of what happens when you bring your whole personality to your show. And that’s something I always encourage you to do too. If this episode has got you thinking about how to show up more confidently in your own content or podcast, feel free to reach out. I’d love to help you bring that vision to life. Come and connect with me over on Instagram Odcast support services. I’d love to hear what resonated with you in this episode or what makes you stand out. Thanks so much for listening and I’ll catch you next time. If you found value in this podcast, please leave. A five star rating and a review would be even, even better. Your support shows that this is a good show which will attract high profile guests and in turn deliver greater value to you. This podcast is produced and edited by me. Don’t waste your time on editing. Let me help you with your podcast. Check out the links in the show notes to get in touch.

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