Do you run a local pet service business and are curious as to how having a podcast might be helpful?
If so, you will love this podcast episode with Greg Pattison from Great Paws dog training who hosts the Woofin Pawsome podcast.
Greg is proof that podcasts can play a vital role for those in the pet industry and he has used his to grow his business as a dog trainer in a really creative and interesting way.
His podcast brings an element of extra support to the pet owners he’s working with, and it’s been transformational for his business.
It’s helped him build a community with other pet professionals, attract more clients, generate lots of leads and bookings.
And it’s helped inspire him to come up with programmes and packages for existing clients.
So if you’re thinking of starting a podcast, Greg shares how it could work for you, plus loads of practical advice on how to get going.
Listen in on the player link below or you can read the key topics as a blog post.
HI Greg can you tell me about what you do in your pet business?
I’m a dog trainer, I work with all kinds of dogs but I specialise in larger breeds and rescues.
I do classes and one to ones, but my other big passion is my dog training podcast.
What kind of things do you talk about on your show?
It’s all about what owners need. I got into podcasts myself and found there were lots for pet professionals but not owners.
So I had a light bulb moment and thought, ‘why don’t I give it a go?’
I reached out to some trainers to pick their brains and then I dived in and created the Woofin Pawsome podcast.
At first, I was a bit stuffy and professional, but it didn’t feel right for me.
So I wrote some bullet points and imagined I was speaking to a client and that’s how I try to do them so my personality gets across and people know what they can expect.
What were you doing before the podcast to promote your business?
I did a little bit of everything but not a lot of one thing so like most people I tried social media, local press, word of mouth, leaflet drops and social media adverts.
Doing a podcast and sharing information through audio felt better for me than Facebook lives or other things that people suggested.
I wanted to use people’s questions as content for the podcast and then I could direct people to a podcast episode.
It all started for fun but the promotional benefits took me by surprise and have helped my business grow.
Has the podcast helped to build your relationships with potential clients?
Yes, it’s really helped me build trust and loyalty and find clients who I have a good connection with as we have two common grounds – dogs and podcasts!
It’s a really nice icebreaker too and has helped to open the avenue to create a really natural human connection.
And you have guests on, how does that work for you?
I deliberately try to choose people in different industries, so I’ve had a pet bereavement counsellor, and I’ve got a canine physiotherapist lined up.
I want to cover all the different elements of having animals in your life.
Guest podcasts are a great way to people more information on a topic I’m not able to cover myself.
Having a podcast creates relationships, it builds a community of people, which I think just suddenly makes everything just a bit easier.
It can be quite isolating as a self-employed person. You live in your own little bubble.
So the podcast has helped me to open out and have people either with similar kinds of jobs or roles or complementary roles and expertise.
It suddenly broadened my world from not only a client perspective but from a networking perspective, and this was huge for me.
What’s been the impact of having a podcast on your business?
Because my competitors don’t have podcasts, when people work with me they get more value and content as a service provider so it helps me stand out from others.
It’s also helped with lead generation, so there’s concepts I’ve talked about in podcasts that people have come to me and asked how they can learn more.
I’ve created more bookings or appointments from this using the content I’ve talked about which are generally more advanced behaviour and training techniques.
The more podcasts I do, the more topics I cover and the more people are interested and it’s helped me build longevity with clients because they want to advance with their training.
OK, so what do pet professionals need to know if they want to start a podcast?
First, it’s so much easier than you think!
When you put a podcast out there, you upload it as an audio file to your hosting platform.
I use Anchor FM, and it’s totally free and it has an editor in it so you can use jingles and sound effects.
Your platform will distribute it to the likes of Stitcher, Spotify, Apple, Google for people to hear.
You can spend thousands on kit or simply use your smartphone, computer and a cheap Amazon microphone and just record whatever you want to do via phone or laptop, save it as an audio file and upload it however you want.
I started simple and mine evolved over time.
My one piece of advice is to have a think about what it is you want to do beforehand, so think about your content and try to keep yourself on point.
Do you have a regular schedule for your podcast?
I try to keep a regular schedule because it helps to keep me on track and it helps your listeners too because they can know what to expect.
If you’re going to be random or sporadic, make it clear for your listeners.
You could also release your podcasts in seasons, so record six and then release them at one point.
What’s next for you, your podcast and your dog trainer business?
Well as well as Woofin Pawsome, I have another podcast with a fantastic trainer called Carrie Anne Selwyn who owns Canine Hoopers World.
It’s the Dog Training Dictionary and we take words, phrases and terminology we use as trainers and behaviourists and explain it.
It can be isolating and easy to misinterpret what a professional is saying so that’s why I love this podcast because we break it down and help people understand.
I absolutely love my podcasts and having a means of answering questions from owners and helping people, and if anyone is thinking of it, just go for it.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Find out more about Greg on his website: https://greatpaws.co.uk/about-me
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatpawsne
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatpawsne
For Twitter: https://twitter.com/great_paws
And check out his podcast: https://greatpaws.co.uk/woofin-pawsome-podcast
To learn more about podcasts you might enjoy the following episodes:
How to start a podcast with Ant McGinley
