Transcript

Molly Ruland:

 

All right. Good morning. Coming in hot with another episode of Camp Content. Today we are sitting with Sheryl Plouffe. She is a true Canadian success story. She spent over  years on air as an esteemed weather presenter and then graduated to becoming a host of two popular Toronto shows. After four successful years, four more successful years in broadcasting, she decided it was time to do something new. So now focus has shifted from delivering news stories to helping entrepreneurs build their brands and businesses with YouTube videos, podcasts, and digital programs. Talk about a powerhouse set of skills.

 

Matt Billman:

 

Yeah. She’s used her many years of experience, as Molly said, to help entrepreneurs and take charge of their brands and businesses. She is now an on demand business advisor, video strategist, coach, consultant, public speaker. List goes on and on. She will turn your dreams into a reality. We did have to put that in there. So she’s been around for more than four decades. So, you know, when it comes down to building your brand or business from scratch, no one will be better at helping you out than Canada’s leading voice on television news and information. So, Sheryl, my first question is, so I see you’re in Toronto, or not Toronto, but up in Ontario. Are you a sports fan, by chance?

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

We’re a baseball team, and we’re a hockey family. I couldn’t be a true Canadian without being into hockey. So hockey and baseball are real.

 

Matt Billman:

 

So are we having a bad day today?

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

We are having a bad day, yes.

 

Matt Billman:

 

This is going off the rails right away here, but, I mean, yeah, because you look at it, the struggle the past few years have been, they can’t get out of the first round. They finally do this year, and then they’re now they’re down . If you guys get swept, does it even count as getting out of the first round this year?

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Yeah, exactly. I mean, we’ve been waiting for so long. I just need to see this in my lifetime. That’s all I ask. So, yeah, it doesn’t look so good at this point, but that’s okay. Leafs forever. Hashtag Leafs forever. My grandfather was a huge Leaf fan. Listen, I’m into hockey. My son is a goalie, so we’re into hockey, of course, but I’m not a massive fan. But it’s just like, I would just want to see them do better than they’ve done, right?

 

Matt Billman:

 

You just want to see a little success. Yeah.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Positive encouragement. I’m here for it. Well, welcome to the show. We’re excited to have you here.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

So glad to be here. I love talking about content, and it has transformed my life in many ways. And this whole journey started to move when I was  years old, creating content and in a cable access news magazine program that I was hosting at that age. And then it just kind of progressed from there. From there. And then I got to national TV before I was , and then I spent a whole lifetime there as well. So it’s been a real ride for sure.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Yeah. And I’m super impressed with everything you’re doing, especially coming from our generation or a little bit older. We really straddled the line between analog and digital, and you have clearly pivoted and adapted to all the new technology and how to use it. I mean, even just your studio set up with your nice lighting and your nice color, you’re really doing more than most. And you seem to have a very solid well, clearly you have a very solid grasp on how content can change your business, how to present yourself. And so let’s talk a little bit about that, because I know that one of the main focuses of your business is not just going on podcasts and having a podcast, but how to actually show up on them.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

It is a part of it, but you might be surprised to learn, Molly, that in the very early stages, especially in this iteration of my career, which is in the marketing space and the media space and coaching and consulting, I started from my kitchen counter. Really? I started from the kitchen counter. Mind you, I had a nice kitchen, but started from the kitchen counter. And so I didn’t really focus all that much on what is my background and what’s going on behind me. I made it clean, I made it tidy, but I made it uncluttered, but I didn’t make it perfect. And really, sometimes you have to be resourceful. You have to be resourceful at certain stages of your business. And I know you know this so well because you have to understand what stage you’re at. Are you in the bootstrapping stage right now? Are you in the early, early startup where you have to do with what you have? Or are you at the growth phase where now you have a little bit that you can start reinvesting in yourself? And it’s an evolution, and it really is a journey that people have to understand what stage that they’re at, for sure.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

I feel like a constant life is just a constant journey of challenges, right? Once this happens and everything will be fine, it’s like there’s always that thing, well, once my website is done, then I can start getting well, once this is done, or once I get past this, or once I’m not sick anymore. But that’s just life, right? And as an entrepreneur, I feel like you’re just really jumping onto that bandwagon and embracing the absolute chaos of owning a business and being able to adapt and pivot and adjust to what’s happening and use what you have. Because at the end of the day, I always say the first time you do something, it’s going to suck. Second time, it’ll suck less. Third time, you’ll be okay at it. And the fourth time, you’re an industry expert, but you got to get there, you got to put in the reps. Even if it’s at the kitchen counter or if it’s in a paid studio, you still got to get the reps in.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Yeah, you do have to get the reps in. I believe in that, too. That’s the first time you do anything, especially if you do a video, and it’s not going to be great. Sorry, it just isn’t. I just think about YouTube. A lot of people who are starting off, let’s see YouTube channels. Your first five videos are going to be less than stellar. Just be okay with that. But just know that by putting out those five less than stellar looking videos, the content should be on point. Your message needs to be clear and on point, but we’re just talking about the aesthetics of it. It might not look the way you intend for it to be in your mind, because in your mind, you’ve said, I need it to be perfect. Get those first five videos out. Get those first ten videos out of the way. And now you’re on the path to actually being able to build a monetizable platform that’s evergreen, that keeps bringing in clients.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

For sure. It’s like cooking, right? Don’t expect to make a souffle the first time you go in the kitchen, you know what I mean? It’s like you have to build up these things and use what you have and get good at it. And you can’t expect your first five recipes to be killing it, knocking it out of the park. Get comfortable in the kitchen, but at.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Least have a recipe, have something that, you know, have a framework or a recipe that you can follow. And yeah, you might not have the flair, let’s just say the flair. You’re not Gordon Ramsay, let’s say, or whatever, but you’re putting together the recipe, and you’re putting the ingredients together, and you’re making something right, and it’s going to be edible. It’s going to be edible. But then over time, you’re going to make it amazing.

 

Matt Billman:

 

Yeah. So, I mean, I guess sticking to that a little bit about having the right recipe and everything, looking at your YouTube, just the way you approach things and your videos get good views, right? You have views,  some thousand views,  some thousand views. And you have your one about zoom virtual backgrounds that’s got over a million. Was that kind of right place, right time? Because that one looks like it was, what, three years ago? So probably hide from the pandemic. Everybody’s downloading zoom for the first time. That’s the one that pops up, and then it just starts gaining and gaining and gaining.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

It is partly at the right time, but it’s also reverse engineering. And that’s something that I do and teach other people to do, if you want to know, okay, well, what are people in your ideal audience looking for solutions to at this moment that pertains to the thing you do. So I reverse engineered it and I looked and I went, okay, well, let’s do some keyword research. Let’s figure out what people are actually searching for solutions to. And then you make the content for that. And that’s how you almost pretty much guarantee results. You almost guarantee results that way. And so that’s, I think, part of the reason, Matt, why I have a video that has over a million views and many others that have tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of views. I have, I think, . million video views on my channel at this point.

 

Matt Billman:

 

Yeah, because I think that’s what a lot of people struggle with. They’ll go, put all this effort into making the video itself, and it looks so nice and everything like, why do I have ten views? It’s just such a well-designed and created video. But then they don’t understand that all the back-end stuff is how you’re going to get the visibility and everything like that, not just making a pretty well edited video and just popping it out there and hoping for the best.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

I think you’re right. I think a lot of people and production are important, don’t get me wrong. But so many people, again, depending on what stage you’re at, you have to know what stage you’re in, if they’ll focus too much attention on that, as opposed to really going out there and saying, okay, what’s my reverse engineering strategy? What is the message I’m sharing? What’s the content? What is the actual value of the thing I’m sharing that’s so important? Say something of value. Have a point of view. Share your insights. Have something knowledgeable to say. Develop a point of view. Right. Be polarizing if you want to be. But there has to be some meat on the bone to the thing that you believe in about your industry or about your niche. And I think that’s something that’s often missing is people haven’t formulated their own opinions on anything, and they’re just regurgitating what they see around them. Have some thoughts, put some ideas. That’s what thought leadership is. It’s leading with thought. Think about what it is that you believe, have opinions, and then share them with your audience on your channel.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Yeah, there’s a tool called Surfer SEO, and what it does is you can plug in, like, a keyword, and it’ll create a cluster for you, and then it’ll show you what the search volume is, and then you can sort by the highest search volume. So when you’re talking about giving people the answers to the questions that they’re actually asking right, because we were having a lot of clients coming to us and saying, hey, can you look through this panel discussion I was on eight months ago and find the gems? And we’re just like, no, I’d rather pull you in a studio and ask you ten questions that are relevant to right now and give you ten gems. Versus searching through  minutes of content to maybe find two clips that no one cares about anymore because it was eight months ago. And if it’s not talking about AI, nobody cares right now. Right? So it’s a great way to take what you are passionate about. So, for example, I wanted to write an article about how to write a podcast intro script, like a pilot. A podcast pilot. That’s what we call it. Nobody calls it a podcast pilot. They call it a podcast intro script. And I learned that from searching to see the search volume on Google. So I might call it something fancy like a podcast pilot, but nobody else does. And what they were searching for was, how do I write a podcast intro script? And so that was the blog that I wrote. The information was the same, but what I did is I answered the exact question that was being asked. So I provided the value and experience that I know, but with what people actually are looking for right now. I think a lot of times we think we know what people are looking for and we have no clue.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

No, the information is there, the data, it exists. You can find out what people are actually searching, so why not figure out the language, the words that people are actually using, and make your videos? And this is where the optimization piece comes in. And I know I’m speaking to this through the lens of YouTube because that’s the channel that I’m most successful on or have helped other people with. But we’re just talking about content in general. It’s the same thing that applies. And so you want to understand what the language is, what are the words that they’re using? Because your own vernacular, how you have the curse of knowledge, you know, your industry inside it out and there is jargon and there are words that we use in production that other people don’t even know of. So why are you titling your video with words that are not going to be searched?

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Exactly. Because when it broke down to it,  people a month were searching for podcast pilots and people a month were searching for podcast intro scripts. And now we’re ranking number two on Google for that particular blog because that was the highest search volume. So yeah, I think it’s really interesting. It’s like, you’d be good, but don’t worry too much about the production. But don’t worry too little, but really focus on the knowledge and then make sure your knowledge is what people actually think.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Yeah, and I want to come back to something so important that you just said, and that is about repurposing content. I am pro repurposing content. I know you are too. We love it. But from a production perspective, it takes so much time to go back into the ethers of your content eight months ago and drilling through something and trying to timestamp and time code, a long interview to find one little snippet. From a production perspective, you’re better off just doing something current and new and fresh with a new relevant mindset around whatever it is that you’re talking about. And I’m a fan of repurposing, but you have to be careful too. You don’t want to be going back and repurposing stuff that’s at a point where you had a different thought or a different idea. And this was my situation too. I mean, I have a lot of content from video marketing from years ago, but this doesn’t pertain to today because things have evolved with AI, with Web Three, with where everything is going. I have to have new thoughts and I need to put that out into the world now and for the future.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Right. Well, Sheryl, you’re one bad mama. JAMA, I’m super impressed with you. Honestly. I love that you are such a future forward person and you have a really great grasp on content. I mean, it’s no wonder you’re on TV for  plus years, so you should. But it’s really impressive what you’re doing and how in tune. So tell me about some of your clients. Like, how are you working with your clients with content marketing? What does that really look like?

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Well, I mean, we are working with coaches, consultants, experts that are in the growth phase, right. They want to scale their businesses. They have a product or service that they have been getting results for, for their clients. But typically those clients have come to them by referral. They’ve come to them through word of mouth or referral and their own marketing is not quite dialed in for some reason. They are not getting the engagement, they’re not getting the results, they’re not getting the clients sometimes because their mind is a mess or their process, right. Their actual process to produce content is so cumbersome and so inefficient that it doesn’t make sense for them to be doing it that way. They’re on a hamster wheel of social media that isn’t working. And we know social media has changed a lot. So you have to have a better strategy. Hoping that people find you is not a good strategy. Hope strategy doesn’t work. Right. It’s like, oh, I’m waiting to get discovered. That was like me back in the day, just sort of sitting around going, I hope somebody discovers me and puts me on TV. No, you have to have a better strategy than that. And so what is your strategy? To bring in consistent, targeted leads, preferably on autopilot. That’s why I love YouTube. Social media certainly has a place. It’s an amazing distribution channel. Millions of people are on there. But you have to understand what the game is and play within that sandbox appropriately because otherwise you lose your shirt. This is what happens. So many people go, oh, I have the best product or service. I’m going to do all these Facebook ads they do way sooner than they should. They don’t have a high converting funnel, they don’t know their numbers, nothing, right? And so coaches, consultants, experts who get into this line of work because they feel drawn in their heart to be able to give and make the world a better place. That’s really what they do. And they’re sometimes taking their professional experience and packaging that up into masterminds and programs and courses and other consulting, coaching, what have you. But they get caught up in this web of confusion and overwhelm and hamster wheel like activities that are non income generating and it’s a shame. And there’s all kinds of shiny objects out there and it’s not really their fault. They’re being targeted with ads on Facebook and other platforms that tell them, you need to do this, you need to do that. And then they go down this rabbit hole for eight months. I talk to them all the time. I get people on the line with me all the time, Molly, and they’re in tears. They’ve been burned so many times now that they’re fearful of actually getting out there. It’s the opposite of what we need them to do from a content perspective. We need people to get out there confidently with a point of view and be sharing that. And somehow they recoil because they’ve been burned so many times. It’s traumatic, it’s trauma.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Well, and the internet is a mean place. There’s that trending song that girl put out right now, and she’s like, if I was a fish and you caught me, you’d love me. And then the hook is like, why is everybody on the internet so mean? But it’s like, people really are. And if you’re not really confident in your product and your service and your messaging and you put something out and then somebody trashes you, it’s going to ruin your whole world because you’re not confident. If somebody trashes me, I’m like, dude, I’ve been doing this for years. It’s cool. You can think whatever you want. I know my product, I know it works. I’ve done it for other people. What you think about it doesn’t matter to me. And I will block and delete and not even think about you a half a second later. If you’re not confident in your products and your services and what you’re doing and you’re not really sure, then you’re going to take those comments to heart. And then it seems like a very hostile place, because it is. The Internet is a wonderful place filled with amazing memes and cool stuff and horrible people. You know what I mean? Like the loudest, horrible people are there. So, being really clear on what your offer is, and I agree, I think a lot of times the idea of this funnel and it is important to have a funnel and like, a pathway, but I think people get confused that they’re going to have this funnel just by putting content out. And it’s like, no, to really have a funnel, you need to do paid ads. There’s a lot more. And I think people gloss over that, and then they think they just dance on TikTok or get a million views. Like, I have a client right now, Gina Mollicone She’s amazing. And she started a TikTok account, has  followers in a month, and has videos with over a million views. She’s like, nobody messages me. Nobody talks to me. She’s like, It was kind of a waste of time. She’s like, Instagram people are a little more engaged, but LinkedIn is really where I’m getting people. And so it just goes to show you, like, not every platform is for you, and even having a half a million views is not necessarily going to do anything. So so many people are focused on those views, and it’s like, let’s even pretend that it did do something. Could you handle  leads tomorrow? I couldn’t.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

It’s such a good point, Molly, because here’s the thing. If you’re a coach, consultant, or expert, and you’re, let’s say, in the earliest stages of your business, and you need to grow, okay? You need a high ticket offer. You don’t want to do an ascension model at this point. And this is what so many people do, because they see the people that they admire at a stage where they’re like, oh, I want what Marie Farleo has. I want what Amy Porterfield has. It’s like, if you were to go in the background and look at what those women have, they’ve built that up over a decade. Twelve years. They have teams and people. They didn’t start where you’re seeing them right now. So for you to go out and try to imitate that is futile. What you need to do is start off with a high ticket product or service, and you need fewer clients to serve to reach your goals. Let’s say your initial goal is six figures, right? Six figures annual revenue. You need a high ticket offer. Here’s where it gets interesting from a content perspective. You don’t need to have a million followers on Instagram in order to sell your ten K products or whatever it might be. Just start doing this, get out a calculator and do the math. And you’ll be surprised. It’s like, oh, I only need ten clients. Oh, now all of a sudden, you start going, wait a minute. If I put out valuable content on YouTube, I put out valuable content on a podcast. And if I have the right strategy driving that podcast, now I don’t have to talk to  millions of people. I just need to know my numbers. It’s like, I need ten sales, okay? So why don’t I talk to  people this month? These are not millions and millions of people. Put out some content on your podcast. Have a strategy to have conversations with those people and have it lead to either prospects, partners, or platforms, meaning people that could become clients of your thing, right? Or partnerships, collaborations, joint ventures, strategic partners, people who can promote you. Or platforms where you get to be a speaker on their platforms. Or people that they know who have platforms. That’s the key to success as a coach, consultant, and expert. It’s not a funnel. It’s not an ascension model. And that’s something that you and I see so often and it breaks my heart.

 

Matt Billman:

 

Down keys to success with the three P’s podcasts platforms, partner, prospects, partners, prospects, partners, and platforms. Here it is. I was just like, wait, a good success right there.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

We’re making quote graphics out of that one, right?

 

Matt Billman:

 

So kind of sticking to the podcast there. When did you decide to start?

 

Molly Ruland:

 

That?

 

Matt Billman:

 

Was it after for a while and then you’re just kind of talking about your approach there. And then one thing I like to ask everybody that comes on here that does have their own podcast is outside of Molly’s episode, what’s kind of one that really stuck out was like, this one is going to be this one’s going to be great. This is exactly what I want the audience to hear and read and this is just going to be a really good episode.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Let me start with why and how I got started in podcasts. This was years ago. There was, I don’t know if you know, Cliff Ravenscraft, he was back in the day, he was the Podcast Answer Man. Okay, now this is going back to  when I started the seeds of what became my business eventually and got into marketing. And we’re really looking toward a path of building my own thing at some point. But I was still a broadcaster at that moment and I would follow him and honestly, he was amazing. Podcast answer man. So many great tutorials on YouTube. In fact, he gave us the whole course on YouTube for free and I followed that. But that’s what time it was then, right? We didn’t have a lot of the tools that we have at our disposal today at that time. And so I tried to do the podcast thing a couple of times, different iterations, different names. It was confusing, libson all the things. I mean, it was just way more intensive than I had ever thought. And also I did not apply this strategy is something that I learned by doing it. And so the first two iterations back in the day were really not applying this strategy. It was what most people do, right? It’s like, I got to get new noteworthy, I’ve got to get downloads, I’ve got to get sponsors and advertisers. And that can happen. Sure, absolutely. That’s a viable path. But that’s a long term path. So people get burned out and they keep doing their podcasts and they go, why is this not working? And so if your only path is audience driven. You got to be really committed to this process if that’s your only path to monetization. And that was my only path at that point. So eventually I burned out. I eventually focused back over to YouTube, got a better strategy, and reapplied it. Matt, to your point, this was in August when I thought, okay, I’m going to start cashing on my camera, but I’m going to do it a little bit differently this time. I’m going to do it with the mindset of bringing and attracting guests onto the show who are highly likely to either become prospects, partners, or platforms for me. And that’s when everything changed to the point where I was like, this is amazing. Now I need to teach this to other people. And that’s where a profitable podcast was born. That led me to Scalable Business Accelerator, which now includes a variety of different prescriptions for coaches, consultants, and experts in a three step game plan over six months to help them get clarity and focus. It might be a podcast, it might be a YouTube channel. It might be that your offer sucks right now. You need to figure out your audience, whatever that prescription is for, where they’re at and get them out of that pattern of overwhelm. So I hope that answers your question, but I think that the path was long. The path was long and arduous, and I had to go through so many iterations to finally land on this strategy. The second part of your question was, what podcast have I been on where I’ve been a guest? Was that your question?

 

Matt Billman:

 

Well, that too. Well, yeah, we can add that in there too. But the original one was yeah, of guests that you’ve had on yours, the cash out on Camera show. What’s one that kind of really stuck.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Out there like, this is going to be so many. I mean, I have had Ethan Butte, who wrote the book human Centered communication. He was a standout for me because his whole concept of the book is the idea that there’s so much digital pollution out in the world. And I just loved how he framed that. We had a great conversation about that. I’ve also spoken to one of the leaders of Kajabi, which I’m a huge fan of and have been a proponent of Kajabi for a very long time. And so having people like that on the show, I mean, there are so many different people that come to mind. But yeah, just wonderful conversations. Some of the conversations get deep and emotional even though it’s primarily a marketing podcast, but be surprised at how much that brings up for people. I just had one recently with Amanda Obeya and we were talking about money mindset and how sometimes your own crap from your childhood just rears its ugly head when you’re an entrepreneur and just going into that deep place. So there have been a few standouts, but I would say. I’ve enjoyed every single conversation I’ve had.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

That’s a great answer. It’s a great answer. I really love what you said. And we say the same thing with our clients, and it’s like the light bulbs always go off with a podcast, a branded podcast that’s for your business. The guest is more important than the audience. And I think that that’s very contradictory to what’s being touted out there. Get reviews. Get reviews. Itunes is a dead end street. You get a million views or million downloads on itunes. All you did was make Apple richer. You don’t get a dime from that. You can’t even communicate with that audience unless you record a podcast. So if you have subscribers on your itunes podcast, you have zero ways to communicate with them unless you record a podcast episode to speak to them directly. And YouTube is very obvious.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

This is really key and important.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

It’s very opposite.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

This is so key. Let’s say YouTube or podcast, I mean, those are the primary things that I focus on. You have to have a way to take people off of that platform onto your own list, and not just your email list. I’m talking about your database, your list of network connections, your database of access, who do you have access to? And I think in this transition from web two to web three, this is what’s going to be more important going forward. It’s going to be who do you know? Who can you call up and ask to partner with or collaborate with in some way? Relationships, certainly. Relationships, connections, database access. This is the most important thing. So you’re right, you can have all kinds of downloads on your podcast, and that’s awesome for your ego, but it’s not as awesome for your pocketbook. No, you have to have a better strategy.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

And YouTube, at least it’s a social media network. You can post on there, you can post shorts on there, you can post full length videos on there. You can do live chat with people on there, and you get a million plays on YouTube. You’re getting a check. Right? And instead of Apple Man getting a check, you get a check. Right?

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

That’s why I love it.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Exactly.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

That’s why I love it. I mean, the monetization model with YouTube is, again, twofold yes, bring people off your list, sell your own products and services through your channel. That’s a key thing. But the added bonus of YouTube, more so than any of the social platforms, is that it is the best monetization channel as far as them paying you to be a creator.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Exactly.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

It’s absolutely the best.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Exactly. Yeah. I’m a huge fan. I love YouTube. I mean, four years ago, when we started Heartcast Media, we were one of the few people doing video podcasts. And back then, all the purists were like, it’s not a podcast if it’s on YouTube. And there was all these people were really angry about it. I’m like, okay, well, tell that to Joe Rogan, dude. Do you know what I mean? You’re going to tell him he doesn’t have a podcast and now everybody’s like on the YouTube program. But it really was a lot of kickback in the beginning. People were really focused on podcasts is only audio. And it’s like, okay, sure, but if you want to have a podcast for your business, then it doesn’t even matter.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Use all the well, technically and sure, technically from a content perspective, yes, you can argue that a podcast is technically audio. But you and me and others who have been doing, let’s say, video interviews for the podcast after all this time, have benefited from something much more dynamic on the video platform, for social media, for YouTube. Because I see this a lot, where people start an audio podcast and then try to make the they want the best of both worlds, but they go at it the opposite way. They’ll start with an audio and then try to create a video to go with it. And it’s not the two people talking because you didn’t capture that. So now you have to have a strategy of like, you’re going to need broll. Where are you getting that broll? Because you have to make sure that you have the rights to use it. And is there music? Because now there’s copyright and all these different things. And now you end up in a production, post production quagmire of I’m trying to creating audiograms, or whatever the thing is that you want to do, waveforms, all that. Or you could just record two people.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Talking and it’s make it easy.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

It is fun. It’s a lot of fun.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

And especially when you look at the data on audiograms, nobody listens to those. They don’t certain platforms, they do a little better. But at the end of the day, if I’m scrolling on LinkedIn, I’m not going to stop and play that and listen to it. I need it to be served to me. So they’re not even the most effective. It’s like you said, just record it. And now when you have things like Zoom, which is super user friendly, not the best platform to record on per se, but super user friendly, there’s no reason to not do video. It’s not like you got to hire people to come with cameras and lights and it’s going to cost you $,. You’re recording on Zoom anyway, most likely. So why not?

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Yeah, I use Restream because it does everything right. It records video. You can go live. But what it does is it gives you the creator, the interviewer, the option of being able to add in elements live as a look, live if you’re recording it. So with a click of a mouse now you can add elements in there, lower thirds, full screen graphics, overlays, whatever the case may be. You can even run video clips, any number of things that you can do with it only limited to your own imagination. And so that’s exciting because now you can actually include that while you’re recording, and now you’re limiting or even eliminating all of that post production. So I say that get smart. Use the technology of today to make your life easier. And those tools didn’t exist back five.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Seven years ago, a short time ago. Before we wrap up, it reminds me when I first started Heartcast Media and I was doing video from the very beginning with all of our podcasts. We were using Switcher Studio and iPhones because I didn’t have an editor, right? I was very new in, right? And so I was like, I can’t afford to pay somebody to edit. So I was like, well, if we real time edit, right? So we were using Switcher Studio. We had iPhones across the table trying to not get the phones in the shot. I mean, it was like geometry.

 

Matt Billman:

 

I would be sitting in the studio and I would have the big mixer in front of me, and I’d be watching Mics and everything, and then be like, oh, crap. Switch over the iPad, the main iPad. And she’s like, I got to switch because Tim’s talking now, or this guy’s talking now, right back to the audio.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

But then we wouldn’t have any editing at the end. I did the same thing, and it worked really well for us until we expanded big enough to hire an editor. And we were a podcast production company, you know what I mean? And we still had to be scrappy and find a way to get this to work and not send somebody four camera angles with an hour of footage. It would have cost me a fortune to edit that, right?

 

Matt Billman:

 

Yeah. And we’re still finding new tools every week. Pretty much. We just switched to one this week for a company, and it’s been fantastic.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

No, I remember using Switcher Studio back in the day, and I loved it. I loved it. I remember doing a live stream. I remember doing a live stream. One time I was a chaperone for my son’s school trip to Toronto. We went to Medieval Times, and on the way back on the school bus, I had committed to my audience that I was going to do a live stream every whatever it was Thursday at : p.m.. I was on the bus with a bunch of French speaking kids all hanging over me, and I was there with my phone doing a live stream on the school bus on the . I mean, it was crazy. It was so fun.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

I love it.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

But I think you’re right. You have to get scrappy. But more importantly, you have to have a strategy. Like, what is your content strategy? What’s your plan? What’s your production plan? What is your message? What tools are you going to use? And if you don’t know, ask again. That’s the benefit of having a network of people that you have access to because you can ask for recommendations from people.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Exactly.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

If you’re not connected to a bunch of people right now, you’re going to be sadly losing.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

That’s exactly it. I spent a lot of time thinking about relationships and how important they are because especially living in Costa Rica, the qualifiers that sort you in America, go away. I don’t care who you voted for. I don’t care if you have the vaccine. I don’t care what party you belong to. Are you going to drive me to the hospital if I get bit by a poisonous snake? Are you going to help me out if there’s a landslide? Am I going to be there for you when you get sick? And all those other things don’t matter. And it’s just such a good reminder that your entire life is literally designed by the relationships in it, and so is your business. So it’s not just important to pick the right husband or wife or partner. It’s also important to pick the right clients and important to pick the right associations and partnerships, because your entire life is literally defined by the relationships that you hold. And I’m convinced of that %. So I would say if somebody is interested and curious, they should call you Sheryl because you are souped to nuts, as they say. You can really get somebody tightened up and get a game plan and a program. And so if you’re listening to this party people and you are intrigued, definitely hit up Sheryl. You can hit up her website. She’s got Discovery call links on there. There’s a really excellent podcast interview that I did with her on there about leveraging your content and time. Shameless plug there. But yeah, Sheryl, I don’t want to ask you, where can people find you? Because people are going to find you if they want. Can you give me the avatar of your ideal client? I know they talk about ideal, but I mean for you, like a client that would actually bring you joy you’d like to work with, what does that profile look like? And maybe somebody who’s listening will say, that’s me.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

It’s a coach or consultant that is earning, say, $, a month. They’ve gotten those clients from referrals or word of mouth, and there’s no path forward to scale. So they’re either at capacity or they’re soon to be at capacity, and they’re not charging what they’re worth, and there’s no path forward. And they’re scrambling on social media trying to figure that out when that’s not the game. The game is to have a better strategy to get clients, and that’s the ideal person for me to talk to.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Well, I feel like you just described a lot of people for sure. So if that’s you and that resonates with you, then hit up my girl Sheryl and get that Discovery Call booked and see how she can help you. Because the work she does is really great, and we are proud to associate ourselves with her in any way and send her any clients that we can because we believe in the work that Sheryl does. We appreciate the time, effort, and experience she has that she’s putting into it. Without further ado, we went a little longer than normal, but as predicted, this was a great conversation.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

This was fun. Thank you so much. What a great conversation. Such an important one, too. I love talking with people who understand content and especially production and who really have, I think, the right philosophy for the day and age that we are in right now. And that’s coming full circle on this conversation. It’s like, what stage are you at in your business? But let’s also understand what stage we are at as entrepreneurs in this world right now. It’s a very different world, and we have to have our eyes open to where we are and where things are going.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

And if it’s a zombie apocalypse, who do you want on your team? Right? And that’s how you should think about the clients that you work with, the vendors that you hire, and everything else. Who do you really want on your team? Because I think you should want your clients to win. Right? You want to do extra things for your clients. You want to go above and beyond. And so working with the right people makes all the difference in the world. So I’m sure a lot of people, 

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Give thought to. You have to understand about YouTube. I think every coach or consultant needs to understand YouTube. I mean, you do have to understand what’s going on there. Whether you choose to execute that is a different thing, because it might not be the thing that I don’t know. It could be a different path for you. But it’s a really powerful tool to use. And I think podcasting also is a very powerful tool.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Agreed.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

One or the other, maybe even both.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Look at that.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

That you can use in your business. And you’re flying.

Molly Ruland: Sure.

 

Sheryl Plouffe: You’re flying.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Agreed. Well, look, I met you because of your podcast, and we’ve had other conversations outside the podcast. And so it’s just the proof is in the pudding, right? Like, we’ve established a great relationship. We feel very similar on things, and I feel very comfortable sending you business and vice versa. So look at that. And that was just a month ago that I met you, and you’re already on our roster of favorite people.

 

Sheryl Plouffe:

 

Feels like we’re long friends from years ago, but it’s only a new relationship. But that goes to show you the power of connection, too, is that when you find people that are really kind of get you and you get them, it can feel like you’ve known each other for.

 

Molly Ruland:

 

Years and stick together. Because from the outside, it could look like we do the same thing, and maybe other people would view each other as competition. I’m like, no, this is a wonderful partnership and relationship. You never know. Even if it just means having a drink with you at the next Sheet podcast or something at the hotel bar, it’s still, like, worth every bit of time, because that’s what it’s all about, right? It’s all about feeling a part of a community and doing good things. So if you’re out there, I think a lot of new business owners, too, are very protective of their stuff. And there’s no note that’s never been written, there’s no word that’s never been said, there’s no song. Nothing here is original. It’s you. And don’t be afraid to share and meet people and extend those relationships, because if you hold everything too close to the chest, you miss out on really wonderful opportunities with people. So, on that note, thank you, Sheryl, so much for coming on the show with us. It’s been absolute joy chatting with you, and I’m sure we’ll have you back again or whatever, but I’m sure this journey has just begun, so thank you. All right, you heard it here, folks. Thank you for tuning in for another episode of Camp Content with Sheryl Plouffe with the French accent. We really love having her on the show. We appreciate your time and effort listening to the show, watching the show, wherever you’re getting it. If you find the content valuable, please consider sharing it on your network. And, of course, visit us@heartcast.com to see all the content we’re making and everything that we’re doing.

 

 And so, until next time, be excellent to each other and we’ll see you in a few days.

 

Produced by Heartcast Media