Podcasting for Financial Professionals

Potential clients are no longer only Googling your name or asking a friend for a referral. They may also be asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or another AI tool who they should work with. So the question becomes: does the internet contain enough meaningful evidence for those tools to understand what you actually know? In this episode, I’m joined by Ashley Smith, host of Show Your Proof, and creator of the “Proof Gap,” her framework for explaining why highly experienced professionals can still be difficult to find or understand online. Ashley helps professionals turn the expertise they already have into clearer, searchable proof without requiring them to become full-time content creators. Can AI Actually Understand What You Do Well Enough to Recommend You? (05:51) Building an Expert Online Presence in the AI Age (08:43) Why Defining Your Niche is Even More Important Now (14:18) Google Yourself & See What AI Says About You (21:02) How to Get What You Want Out of AI (26:15) Why Podcasting Helps You Get Found by AI (36:05) Using Conversations You’d Already Have to Create Content You Need (37:40) Leveraging Your Personal Voice to Stand Out Online (42:03) Learn from the Proof Talks Show Start by Seeing What the Internet Already Knows About You Start with a simple audit. Step 1: Open an incognito browser and search your name along with your profession, specialty, or location. Look at what Google and its AI features actually say about you. Step 2: Search the way a prospective client might search without already knowing your name. Does your expertise surface? Does the description accurately reflect what you are known for? If not, ask what information is missing to understand the gap between your real-world reputation and your online one. Generic Expertise Is Harder to Recognize Simply identifying yourself as a financial advisor, CPA, or planner gives both prospective clients and search systems very little context. Your online presence should make it increasingly clear who you serve, what problems you understand deeply, and what perspective makes your approach different. Choose two or three areas of expertise and consistently add thoughtful material around them instead of trying to publish about everything. Publish More of Your Thinking, Not More Generic Content AI has made it incredibly easy to publish large amounts of average content. So, instead of asking AI to generate another generic article, capture your own explanations, client questions, stories, frameworks, observations, and professional judgment. This likely means publishing less often while making each piece much more specific. Why Podcasting Can Help Capture Your Expertise You may struggle to sit down and “write thought leadership,” but when someone asks you the right question, you can often explain the issue easily because you have spent years working through it with clients. Those conversations can become podcast episodes, articles, newsletters, LinkedIn posts, FAQs, and other searchable assets. The objective is to create a growing body of credible material that helps people—and increasingly AI-driven search—understand your specialty. Action Steps from This Episode Find out what AI already knows about you. Identify two or three subjects you want to become strongly associated with. Write down the questions clients repeatedly ask about those subjects. Record yourself answering those questions in your natural voice. Turn those conversations into published assets. Revisit your online presence periodically to see whether the way you are being represented is improving. If you want help turning your expertise into clear podcast or YouTube episodes, download my free Script Starter Kit. Connect with Ashley Smith: Website: Ashley Smith — Proof Gap Strategist | Show Your Proof YouTube: The Proof Gap | Podcast & Speaker Introduction LinkedIn: Ashley Smith | LinkedIn Podcast: Show Your Proof

What do you do when a podcast guest will not stop talking, barely answers your questions, turns every response into a sales pitch, or shows up without the equipment you specifically requested? You do not have to smile through it and hope your editor can fix everything later. In this solo episode, I’m sharing five common guest problems and exactly how I handle them without embarrassing the guest or sacrificing the quality of the episode. 04:57 Handling podcast interview dynamics 08:35 Stopping Interviews for Off-Topic Content 11:32 Effective interviewing tactics 15:54 Guests ignoring equipment requirements 19:43 Managing podcast guest dynamics 21:44 Hosting and shaping interviews The most important mindset shift: being gracious to your guest does not mean surrendering control of your show. Set Expectations Before You Record Use the first few minutes before the interview to check equipment, listen for background noise, and explain how you conduct the conversation. If headphones or an external microphone are required, enforce the standard you already communicated. If the guest needs five minutes to find their equipment, wait. If there is no workable setup, reschedule. A delayed interview is better than knowingly producing an episode that reflects poorly on both of you. Interrupt and Redirect When Necessary If a guest turns a simple question into a ten-minute monologue, you are allowed to interrupt. Try: “Hang on, I want to stop there because you just mentioned something my listeners need to hear.” Then ask a more specific question or request an example. If the guest becomes overly promotional, pause the interview and explain privately that you want the main conversation focused on what listeners can learn and apply. Give them space to promote their offer later. How to Pause and Restart Cleanly Before stopping the conversation, write down the idea or question you want to return to. Address the issue off-air, leave a short pause, and restart with a complete question that makes sense on its own. That gives your editor a clean place to remove the private conversation and reconnect the interview naturally. Push Past Vague Answers If you ask what changed after someone launched their podcast and they answer, “It’s been great,” do not move on. Ask: “What specifically changed?” “What are clients actually telling you?” “Can you walk me through one example?” A strong interviewer listens for whether the question was actually answered and keeps digging until the audience gets useful detail. Fix Technical Problems Immediately Pen clicking, microphone bumps, lawn equipment, background noise, or a failing microphone should be addressed when they happen. Editing cannot always remove noise underneath someone’s voice. Stop, fix the issue, and resume. If it cannot be fixed, reschedule. You Do Not Have to Publish Every Interview Recording an interview does not obligate you to publish it. If the guest is too promotional, lacks substance, makes claims you are uncomfortable airing, or simply does not serve your audience, you can keep the episode unpublished. Your first responsibility is to your listeners and the reputation of your show. Before your next interview, know your technical standards, know what you want the audience to learn, and give yourself permission to intervene when the conversation is not delivering either one. If you want help structuring stronger episodes and questions before you hit record, download my free Script Starter Kit. Watch more episodes at www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com Follow Virginia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginiaelder/

How does a traditional CPA practice become a nationwide virtual firm with books, speaking engagements, a podcast, YouTube content, and prospects who already understand the value of the firm before the first sales conversation? In this episode, I’m joined by Salim Omar, CPA, founder and CEO of Straight Talk CPAs. Salim has spent more than 30 years building his firm and helping entrepreneurial business owners create financial clarity through accounting, CFO services, proactive tax planning, and stronger financial systems. We focus on how Salim learned to stop competing as “another CPA,” position himself as an expert, create educational content, and use different media to help prospects trust the firm before they are ready to hire. Build Authority Before the Sales Conversation Early in his career, Salim relied on networking, referrals, and one-to-one relationships. Over time, he realized those methods had limits. Books, speaking, podcasting, and YouTube became ways to demonstrate expertise and help prospective clients understand how he thinks before they ever meet with his team. For financial professionals, that means content does not have to create the first touchpoint to be valuable. It can strengthen later ones and help shorten the trust timeline. Pick a Medium and Start Salim does not recommend trying to do everything at once. Start with the medium that fits how you naturally communicate, then build from there. He also shares his “72-hour rule”: when you get a strong idea, take one concrete step within 72 hours before the idea becomes another note you never implement. Turn Client Questions into Content Salim’s team pulls content ideas directly from client conversations. His CFO and tax-planning team pay attention to recurring questions and use those themes to shape future videos and episodes. If you are worried that you will run out of topics, start by documenting the questions your clients already ask. Measure Trust, Not Traffic Salim is candid that his podcast and YouTube channel currently support conversion more than direct lead generation. Prospects may discover Straight Talk CPAs elsewhere, then watch videos, read content, and become more confident in the firm before talking with the sales team. For a niche professional service business, 300 ideal clients or referral partners consuming a useful episode may be more valuable than a viral video watched by people who will never need your services. Action Steps from This Episode Choose one content medium that fits how you communicate best. Turn recurring client questions into episode or video topics. Take one concrete step on a strong content idea within 72 hours. Put a recurring recording block on your calendar. Measure whether content is helping prospects understand and trust your firm, not only whether views or downloads are increasing. If you want help turning the questions you already answer for clients into clear podcast or YouTube episodes, download my free Script Starter Kit. Connect with Salim Omar, CPA: Website YouTube LinkedIn Facebook Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals, visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

“I don’t want to become an influencer.” I hear some version of that regularly from financial advisors, CPAs, and other financial professionals who are considering launching a podcast or YouTube channel. The good news is that becoming a lifestyle influencer is not the goal. Your content does not need to showcase expensive cars, exotic vacations, an aspirational lifestyle, or a quest for a million subscribers. For a professional service business, podcasting and YouTube serve a very different purpose: helping the right clients and referral partners experience your expertise before they ever sit across from you. Financial Influencer and Financial Professional Are Different Business Models Some of today’s best-known financial creators originally started sharing what they were learning about debt payoff, budgeting, investing, side hustles, or other parts of their own financial lives. The audience grew first, and products, books, courses, memberships, sponsorships, and businesses developed around that audience later. Most financial advisors and CPAs are starting from the opposite direction. You already have the business. You already know what you do and who you want to serve. Your podcast or YouTube channel is there to help more of those people discover, understand, and trust your work. You do not need the broadest possible audience. You need the right audience. Your Content Should Demonstrate Judgment For financial professionals, content is not supposed to be a performance of success. It is a demonstration of how you think. A prospective client can hear how you explain a difficult financial concept, how you approach tradeoffs, what questions you ask, and what you believe people should consider before making an important decision. Your office, your perspective, your stories, and the way you communicate can help someone decide whether they would feel comfortable trusting you long before the first meeting. You Still Need to Respect the Medium Rejecting the “influencer” label does not mean ignoring what makes good content work. Your episode still needs a useful topic, a clear title, a strong opening, good audio and video, thoughtful structure, and a next step for the person consuming it. Instead of asking, “How do I get this in front of a million people?” ask: “How do I get this in front of more of the people I actually want to work with?” That question produces a much stronger content strategy. Action Steps from This Episode Define exactly who your podcast or YouTube channel is meant to serve. Write down ten real questions those clients regularly ask you. Identify the stories, examples, and perspectives you already use when answering those questions. Decide what you want the content to accomplish: educate prospects, support existing clients, strengthen referral relationships, or help new people discover your expertise. Measure success through signals such as prospects mentioning your content, clients sharing episodes, warmer first meetings, and referral partners better understanding who you serve—not simply follower counts. Your goal is not to become famous. Your goal is to become easier for the right people to find, understand, trust, and refer. If organizing your ideas into a clear episode is the part that slows you down, download my free Script Starter Kit. It will help you turn the questions you already answer for clients into structured podcast and YouTube episodes without sounding stiff or scripted. Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals, visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

What if the next level of your business is waiting on you to pitch the thing, show up imperfectly, and stop hiding behind preparation? In this episode, I’m joined by Kelly Lynn Adams, host of Perfectly Imperfect, business growth strategist, advisor, international speaker, and coach to high-level entrepreneurs, executives, founders, athletes, public figures, and leaders. Kelly has more than 400 podcast episodes behind her, experience with major brands including Gucci, Kering, Liz Claiborne, Athleta, Kate Spade, and Bed Bath & Beyond, and media features in outlets including Entrepreneur, Forbes, Women, Thrive Global, Huffington Post, and more. In this conversation, we talk about what it really takes to build visibility through podcasting, speaking, media, and personal brand authority without waiting until every detail feels perfect. Visibility Requires Repetition Kelly shared that her podcast has been part of her business since 2018, with new episodes released every Monday. That kind of consistency is not always glamorous, but it creates trust. For financial professionals, this is an important reminder. Your podcast does not need to become famous overnight to become valuable. Repeatedly showing up with useful perspective helps prospects, referral partners, media contacts, and event organizers understand who you are and what you can speak about. Create a Wishlist and Start Pitching One of Kelly’s simplest but most useful strategies is creating a wishlist of the stages, podcasts, publications, and opportunities you want to pursue. Rather than waiting to be discovered, Kelly recommends getting specific about where you want to be featured, then consistently chipping away at those opportunities. For financial advisors, CPAs, bookkeepers, tax professionals, and other financial service providers, this is a practical visibility strategy. Write down the conferences, podcasts, local organizations, publications, and associations where your expertise would be valuable, then begin pitching with intention. Just ONE Yes Can Generate the Next Yes’s Kelly also shared that one opportunity often creates momentum for the next one. One podcast invitation, one speaking engagement, one media feature, or one high-quality client conversation can become proof that helps you open the next door. The key is learning to recognize and use the credibility you are already building. Your podcast can support this process by giving people a place to hear how you think, how you teach, and how you communicate before they invite you into their audience, network, or event. Imperfect Action Still Builds Authority Kelly’s show is called Perfectly Imperfect for a reason. In this episode, we talked about the pressure many successful professionals feel when they start creating content. When you already have a respected business or established career, it can feel risky to publish something that does not match the polish of the brand you have built. But every new medium has a learning curve. Podcasting, video, speaking, and media work all improve through repetition. You do not skip the awkward early reps. You move through them. Action Steps from This Episode Create a visibility wishlist with the podcasts, stages, publications, events, and organizations where you want to be seen. Choose one primary visibility focus for the current season instead of trying to podcast, write, speak, publish, and pitch everything at once. Use your podcast as a trust asset that shows event organizers, referral partners, and potential clients how you communicate. Follow up longer than feels comfortable, while still staying professional and respectful. Repurpose strong episodes when your schedule gets full instead of letting perfectionism stop your publishing rhythm. Ask for introductions, support, and opportunities more directly so the people in your network know how to help you. If you want to sound more clear, confident, and prepared behind