Tina Tower [00:00:00]:
Hello and welcome to the 300th episode of the Her Empire Builder Show. I cannot believe it has been 300 times that I have hit record and the show has changed a lot since the beginning. So if you have been here right from the start or you know, you just found the show last week, welcome and thank you. Because let me tell you, I do this show for you. I look at the stats all the time and I look at how many people are listening and what you're resonating with and what you're not. And we grow and adapt and change to make sure that it is as good as we can possibly get it and adding massive value to you. So what I wanted to share with you for the 300th episode is 10 lessons that I have learned from doing 300 episodes of the podcast. Let's go.

Main Episode

Tina Tower [00:01:01]:
So number one is you can change the name and format anytime now. This I think is really important because I obviously Inside Her Empire Builder which is opening next month. So if you're wanting to join us Inside Her Empire Builder, go to the Show Notes or just go to her empire builder.com forward/join and you'll be able to see our membership that is opening next month. But what I hear from a lot of them. So I have helped hundreds and hundreds of women Inside Her Empire Builder to grow their online business and a lot of the time that involves starting a podcast and the thing that trips people up a lot at the start is people like looking at going, well, I'm not sure of the name or what if I change direction in a year or what are the different topics that I'm going to talk about really getting hung up on. Do I do interview, do I do solo episodes? All of the different formatting things and all of the different naming things. What I wanted to share was you can change. And so when I first started this podcast we've had, we've had several name changes.

Tina Tower [00:02:08]:
So when I started, I started it after I sold my last company, Begin Bright. So Her Empire Builder wasn't even on the horizon. It wasn't on my radar at all. But I was just doing private coaching. So I was coaching a lot of really high achieving women and that was what I was doing. I just had private clients, I wasn't doing any marketing at all, like spread through word of mouth. But I wanted to share a lot of kick ass women's stories. And so it launched as the female advantage.

Tina Tower [00:02:41]:
That is what I started with. And I would just interview other women that had really, really interesting stories. Then after I Traveled around the world. I came back, I had had my, like, Eat, Pray, Love moment, and I wanted to talk about living a lot more intentionally and designing this unconventional life that was big and beautiful and exactly what was right for you. And so with that, I changed the name to An Intentional Life and changed the format from being purely interview style to being interview and some solo episodes. Then I ran that until I started Her Empire Builder. So Her Empire builder started in 2020, and then I changed the name again to Her Empire Builder and started really doubling down on the course focus. So up until that, it was the first kind of 80 episodes, were all around personal development, were around female empowerment in business in general, rather than really concentrating on the digital element of things.

Tina Tower [00:03:49]:
So then did Her Empire Builder. And then a couple years ago, I wanted to experiment with a name change because the podcast had gotten to a certain level and it had stopped growing. We were adding listeners every week for a while, and then the growth just plateaued. And I was like, okay, maybe the name Her Empire Builder. It's not something people are searching for. They're only finding it if they already know it exists. I changed the name to the Female Course Creator show, hoping that that would help expand the audience, that people would find it just when they were searching for course creation content. And it did a little bit.

Tina Tower [00:04:29]:
But then this year, I decided to change it back to Her Empire Builder again because I was like, you know, what I want to talk about is Her Empire Builder. I want that to be the known thing. And so I changed it again, hopefully by me sharing that it shows you you don't have to stick with the one thing. You can change direction at any time that you choose. Now, I will say that the people that stick with the one thing for the longest, they have the best results. I'm not advocating chopping and changing, but what I am advocating for, because if it's no longer inspiring you, if you feel like you want to try something different, if you want to experiment, you totally can at any time. So I think evolving is just a natural sign of growth and not something that you should stop yourself from doing. Okay, number two is solo episodes build your credibility.

Tina Tower [00:05:18]:
A lot of people, when they're looking at formatting, the easiest way to do it is an interview style, because you're not having to really. You don't get that vulnerability hangover where you're having to share your own thought leadership, where you're having to really think about what you're putting out into the world and trying to give that massive value so interviews are the easiest. It's also a really good way to. Like my number three, I'm going to talk about this at the same time. So number two, solo episodes build your credibility. Number three, interviews expand your reach. So the good part about interviews is when you're bringing someone else on, often they're then sharing that with their audience. They're going to share it on their email database, they're going to share it on their social media.

Tina Tower [00:05:59]:
It's a really good way to expand reach. But the solo episodes, if you're just doing interviews and no solo episodes, it's kind of like you're putting the spotlight on everybody else, but you're not expanding your own thought leadership. That's what the solo episodes do is they position you as the thought leader and they will build your credibility rather than interviews that are. That are like the curator of other people's ideas. So, you know, what I have found is people want you. If they're. Think about all of the different podcasts there are in the world. There is a reason that people are tuning into yours.

Tina Tower [00:06:37]:
And so they're going to want you. And so make sure you don't have to do it every episode. Like, if you don't want a solo show, you could just put you in every four or five, say. But people want to hear from you, so don't be afraid to take that mic solo style. So what interviews do is they do keep things fresh. They bring in different perspectives, like a little bit more color and movement in there. But be very intentional over your guest choices. I will say that in the 300 episodes, there has only been one that I have done that I haven't published because it was just like, you know, she was pretty new to podcast interviewing and she was super, super nervous, and you could barely hear a voice.

Tina Tower [00:07:22]:
And it was just a really uncomfortable, like, stop start interview. And I felt awful when it happened. And I could tell when I listened back to it. I was trying so hard to, like, draw her out and encourage her and hopefully, like, salvage the back end, but it just. It didn't work out. And so she was devastated when, when I told her that I wasn't publishing it. But, you know, you've got to. You've got to make those really intentional choice.

Tina Tower [00:07:52]:
I did, like, was a lot pickier after that in going, like, I won't take that risk again because I don't want to publish an episode. I have done that once before, also published an episode, like, only once. I won't tell you which episode because that'd be horrible. But I published an episode that I knew was not great. And when I look at the episodes now in order of least listened to, to most listened to, it's like number one, at the least listen to. So I knew that, but I didn't want to offend the person, so I published it anyway. And so now I'm very careful about who I interview so that I don't have to go onto those things. Number four is it has to be on video now.

Tina Tower [00:08:37]:
And my friends, I will tell you, we've been doing video podcasts now for I think the last maybe 12 to 15 episodes. So after the first quarter of 2025, we started doing video podcast. And I did it kicking and screaming. I didn't want to do it, but I also don't want our podcast to go down. And so we put so much effort and time and money into it that I wanted it to be as good as it can be. And I wanted it to keep growing and I wanted it to reach new audiences in there as well. And so, and so truthfully, I tried it because I had gone to south by Southwest where they were talking about video podcasting and there was everyone that knows everything about podcasting and basically every person said it's gotta be on video. I was like, damn, okay, I'll experiment with it.

Tina Tower [00:09:34]:
But I think people like audio. So what my goal was was to do it for about eight episodes, run the experiment, get the data, be able to see that it didn't really make much difference, be able to share with my her Empire Builder members what that data was so that they knew what decisions to make, and then just go back to audio podcasts, which I usually record, you know, in my Snuggie, alone in my office in the dark, feeling nice and cozy, instead of getting my hair done, having lights on and recording it face to camera. Anyway, data doesn't lie. It did show that the video works really well. And so I've committed to keep showing up and keep doing that because you look at things and I know that, you know, people will say if you don't love something, don't do it. And I've got to say that I agree, but only to a certain extent. So let me explain that a little bit because I know some people will agree with this and I know some people will like vehemently disagree with this, but I want the result. So I want to run a really leveraged, really scalable business where I get to work with fantastic entrepreneurs to help them build great businesses, beautiful, freedom filled Lives, really intentionally.

Tina Tower [00:10:58]:
That is my goal. How I get those people there is by showing up on social media, by doing podcasts, by speaking on stages, you know, doing all the things that we have to do. I don't love all of the front, public facing stuff. I am an introvert. And so it can be challenging sometimes to be able to show up and do that when I would love to just be behind my computer serving my clients, but there'd be no clients to serve if I don't do the thing. And so sometimes we've got to look at it and go, is, is doing the thing worth the reward? And sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. An example of when it isn't, of when I would agree with this was so in her Empire Builder this week, I taught data analysis with AI. So how to get all of the reports from our social media, from our database, from our customer performance, from our launch results, from our accounting software, from everything, and use AI prompts to be able to interpret that data and make better business decisions to grow our profit.

Tina Tower [00:12:07]:
So that's what we did inside her Empire Builder. And one of those things was social media. So I got all of our reports from metrical, the scheduling software that we use, and put that in with all the prompts. And what it does is it tells us what's working, what's not working, and gives us the next 30 days recommendation based on industry standards. And what's working best. What is working best. The thing that if I was going to give a 10 out of 10 effort would be this, this certain format of reels where it's like, for the first two seconds you do this, and then five seconds you do this scene, and then a couple seconds you do this scene. And that's how we do it.

Tina Tower [00:12:41]:
And we can do a voiceover over the top of it or a video over the top. Anyway, I look at that and I go, hell no. That is too much effort for me. I'm like, it may get like an extra 2%, but the effort is not worth the reward for that. And the consistency, I know I don't have the consistency in me to put that much effort into reels. And so I choose still where I want to do that effort. And where I do that is the podcast. I'm like, I can't do everything, but what I can do, I can do as well as what I possibly can.

Tina Tower [00:13:16]:
And so video podcast is where it's at. Now, the good part about video podcasting is you can batch it all in one hit, you can Also what it does is it gives you so much material for other things. So it goes onto YouTube, it goes on YouTube shorts, it goes onto TikTok, it gives us promotional clips that we can use. Been great in terms of having other content there. So it is very, very worth it. And people like to see you. And I mean still our YouTube channel, like, if you look at it vanity wise is not like the numbers aren't huge. We will get anywhere from, I think the lowest is about 50 views up to 250, 300 views in the week that it gets released.

Tina Tower [00:14:02]:
And so I look at that sometimes and go, is that worth it? But when I like, I speak a lot and if I am speaking in a room with 50 people, that's a lot of people. And so I look at that and go, that is worth it. I want to show up for you. I want to be able to deliver it in a medium that people are going to want to digest. The audio version still outperforms the video version hands down. Like we have anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 downloads a week on the audio side of things. So it's not ginormous. But, you know, I'm happy with it.

Tina Tower [00:14:35]:
And so I look at that and go, audio still outperforms video, but video, I don't think, like, if you're running a podcast, you got to get onto it. Okay, number five is you can take a break, but consistency wins. So I have taken a few podcast breaks. I've taken three months a couple times. I took six months a couple times, and then I've had years where I ran one every week for a two year block in a row. So breaks are allowed. Sometimes they're needed. Like, I think that if you're feeling uninspired, you're better to not produce than to produce something that's going to be subpar.

Tina Tower [00:15:12]:
And so if you feel like that, you can always take a break. There's a great podcast that I've seen that it's so sporadic. She'll put on like an episode sometimes every month, sometimes every two months, sometimes it's every three months, sometimes there's one back to back a week after each other because she literally, when she has like that spark of inspiration, she'll jump in and she'll do it then. And I love that it's not the way that you build a show that gets the most downloads, but it depends on what your goal is. It's a way to connect with people and it's a way to bring your best work and your best ideas. To life. So consistency does win. If you are looking to get a show that's going to rank, a show that's going to build with downloads, I mean, probably the closest friend that I have that has the best podcast is Omar Zenholm and Nicole Baldini, who has.

Tina Tower [00:16:07]:
They have the $100 MBA now. They put out three episodes a week consistently. Like, that is a huge amount of consistency and commitment. But what the $100 MBA does is it's just reached 3 million downloads. Like, it's huge. And so that consistency does pay off. Now, Omar's also been presenting that show for 10 years. So a consistency over time.

Tina Tower [00:16:32]:
And this is the thing, most people will quit too soon. When you stay in the game, it will gain that traction, especially if you are expanding the audience by having other guests on, you can advertise it as well. We've never put any money into promoting our podcast, but I know a lot of people that have much bigger podcasts than I do put a lot of money into that as well. Number six is batch your content. So today, for example, I have podcasting day. We will usually do around five to six episodes on a day. So I will get my hair done in the morning. I bring all of my changes of clothes.

Tina Tower [00:17:11]:
I change my outfit each time, and then I will batch basically as many as I can before my voice gives out. That is usually the first thing to go. So I have enough that I could keep going for, like, 10 episodes. I've got all of my notes written down for all of that, but I keep going until. Until either my energy runs out or my voice runs out. And usually it's when my voice starts catching because I've done too much talking, and that's when I stop. So batching, to me, is how you stay sane with it. I know that when I didn't batch, I was in that cycle where you're going, oh, my gosh, it's been a week again already.

Tina Tower [00:17:46]:
I better hurry up and record. And then you record, and you've got to do all your editing, and you just feel like you're on this endless train. And so batching allows you to kind of really concentrate and go, all right, I'm going to get in this mode, and I'm going to think about nothing else today. I don't have any other responsibilities. Like, this is it. I'm just getting in. I'm devoting to getting it done. So that way you're not always chasing your tail.

Tina Tower [00:18:08]:
And I find it keeps your quality high as well, because it's that Consistency. And that effort in there, okay, next One is it's 1000% worth it. So I would not do the podcast if it didn't bring results. It is something that I will not stop because it is so worth it. And what that does, I mean, it's built amazing relationships. So some people that, you know, I've met through podcasting is either like me being on their podcast or inviting them on my podcast. And so many people that I could never just call these superstars and go, hey, could I just ask you questions for 40 minutes? They would laugh me off their screen. But because I've got a podcast that has a decent amount of downloads, they're like, yeah, of course I'll come talk to you for 40 minutes.

Tina Tower [00:19:03]:
And then you get that time where you're not recording to become friends. And so I think for relationships, it is so worth it just for that alone, even if it didn't do anything else. And then it builds your authority in the marketplace, too, because it's not something that everyone can stay consistent with a podcast, while I think the barrier to entry is really low. All you need is a good mic, a decent camera, and you're in show business. But not many people can stay committed to that consistency. And so by you being one of those people that goes past that first 10 episodes, it means that your authority is really going to be cemented there. It also creates trust like nothing else that I've found. So one of the stats that I share with our members is we always survey people when they join her Empire Builder, and it's over 60% of people that join her Empire Builder have listened to the podcast for a year or more.

Tina Tower [00:20:06]:
And what that does is it gives people a window into me so that they can feel like, do I like her? Do I trust her? Does she know what she's talking about? Like, they can suss me out. You can really get a feel for who I am as a person, which I think you do business with people not only for their ideas and their business strategy, but also who they are as a person. Some people will go, yes, she's the one for me. And some people will go, no, she's not my flavor. And that is totally fine. It means that people can suss you out without it, without you having to ever talk to anybody. It's awesome. And so the leverage ability of that is so incredibly wonderful and worth it.

Tina Tower [00:20:51]:
It's also a long game. So it keeps going and going and going. And I will always like, what keeps me going is the messages that I get from people. I will get messages. Not all the time, but every couple of weeks, I'll get an email or an Instagram DM and just say from someone saying that what you just said, that line, which, you know, sometimes was a line I said on purpose, but often it was just a throwaway line that I put in there. And I'll say, that really resonated with me. Like, that changed my whole perspective on this. And now I'm able to, you know, have the inspiration to go and do the thing that I want to do.

Tina Tower [00:21:26]:
And that for me is so worth it. The impact like, that I can with my work, impact thousands of people every week is so cool. So cool in being able to do that. Number eight done is better than perfect. Now, I will caveat this and say I am not a fan of crappy, but I do think that people will hold themselves back because they're in this relentless pursuit for this unattainable perfection. And I do think that everybody who has been podcasting for long enough, if you listen to your first episodes, you'll probably hate it because you don't know what you're doing, and it's early and it means you've grown. Like, I will listen to my start ones now. There's still.

Tina Tower [00:22:13]:
So at the moment, I'm building a Delphi AI, and so I'm putting all of my content into this AI to build this, like, clone of myself. And I've been listening to them or, like, reading the transcripts just to make sure that things that I said five years ago, do I still believe that? Or take out, like, the things where my mind has changed on those certain things. And a lot of the ideas are still the same. A lot of the, like, ethos is still the same, but the way I deliver it is very different. You know, I can tell in the early episodes, like, my voice is so much, like, more nervous. It's like, higher. And nervous is the only way I can really think to describe it. I'm a lot more less guarded now.

Tina Tower [00:22:58]:
I'm a lot more comfortable now. And that's something that only comes with, like, the repetition of how many times you hit record. It's the same when we're doing webinars. Like, I was talking to someone the other day, and they were saying, you're so natural on a webinar when you're selling and doing all this. I'm like, I've been running webinars 15 years. You'd want to hope so, right? And all of that just comes with practice. It all comes with repetition. So don't wait until it's perfect because that will stop your momentum.

Tina Tower [00:23:25]:
Just get started and know that as you keep going. And that's the good part about having a small audience to start with. There's less people watching. But as you get bigger, you'll get better as well. Number nine is your podcast becomes part of your legacy. So you know you are as you go throughout, like you're documenting your journey, documenting your wisdom. And this is work that's going to be around for years and years to come that you've put out into the world. And I think that that's a really meaningful contribution to still give to people that they can access for free.

Tina Tower [00:23:59]:
You know, I think it's the same for writing a book. Writing a book is such a big commitment and it always blows my mind that you can get people's like, best distilled thoughts for 20 bucks. Insane. But with podcasting, you get it for free. You can access all of these great minds in our world for nothing. And to me, I was like, I want to contribute to that. I want to give some of that back in there as well. It's a gift for other people and it's a gift for yourself.

Tina Tower [00:24:29]:
Number 10, our final one is show up like people are listening even when they're not yet. So when you first start, I know because I journal. When my first episode went live and I shared it around, in the first week, I had 27 downloads, 27 of which I was like, that's amazing because I was a school teacher and that's the size of a classroom. And I was like, that's a jam packed classroom. That is cool. But I always showed up like it matters. I always tried to show up like people care and that it's worth it and that people are listening. And at the beginning, you can feel like you're talking to a void.

Tina Tower [00:25:13]:
You can feel like, is this going to work? Is this going to be worth it? All of that sort of thing. But keep going because listeners do come and it does grow very much over time. And what people will often do is they'll go back. And so you want to make sure that you're. I don't want to negate what I just said about it not being perfect and doing it anyway, but just know that people, like, in years to come, go back to the beginning. I had an email from someone like six months ago now. It was a while ago, but they said they went back to the very, very beginning of the PODC and started listening I was like, oh, my gosh, like, five years. My life has changed so dramatically in the last five years that that would be really interesting.

Tina Tower [00:26:00]:
Like, maybe I should do that and listen to the changes in there as well. But it's there. You've got it, like, in history. It is there. And so what I want you to know is stick with it even when there's no one clapping yet, because it will pay off in the long run. So hopefully that helps. I will say thank you so much for listening. I do this for you 300 episodes that I have hit record for.

Tina Tower [00:26:30]:
I would love to know what your favorite episode is, if you can reach out. Because one thing that always blows my mind with podcasting is it's like the last anonymous thing that we have. There is so much that we can measure. Who's coming on our website, like, who's downloading, lead magnets, who's showing up on webinars, all of that sort of thing. But with podcasting, I have no idea. I look at the numbers and I'm like, who are you? Who are these people that are listening every week? What I would love is if, to celebrate the 300 episodes, if you could DM me what your favorite episode has been, or if you could share on your Instagram, just a screenshot of you listening or where you are. I know some people are listening to this. Driving or walking.

Tina Tower [00:27:15]:
Take a selfie of yourself and tag me on Instagram and say you're listening to the 300th episode. It would mean the world to me to actually see you in real life and connect the person with the number there. But thank you so much for listening and cheers to the next 300 episodes.