I got a rather interesting ticket via my helpdesk about a couple months ago. I won’t identify the sender, but I will publish the request in its entirety.

My name is [name withheld]. I recently heard your interview and I love your ideas! Can you help me get started with podcasting? We have a very genuine and unique product line. I feel our customers and the world would benefit from our product(s). I really DO NOT have the time to sit and read a book, however, I do have the time to get instructions on how to get going with this adventure. I really feel I could use your help. Can you dedicate a few hours for my project ?

Now, why would I find this particular ticket interesting? It’s this line:

I really DO NOT have the time to sit and read a book, however, I do have the time to get instructions on how to get going with this adventure.

(**sigh**) The problem is that all my tips, tricks and tactics are IN THE BOOK. The time it would take me to get this chap going on this adventure would be equivalent to him just buying the book and reading it.

In essence, he was asking for the coles notes for Podcasting for Profit, only he wanted the coles notes delivered by me over the phone. Unfortunately, the coles notes just doesn’t exist either on paper or via a private 1-to-1 with me.

Our reply?

Thank you for contacting us, but Leesa no longer does one-on-one consultations or coaching sessions. She does have a podcasting membership that might be of value to you. There are monthly training audios, and the blog is full of valuable information about how to make money podcasting. You can get more information about it at http://www.sixfigurepodcasting.com

My target market is such a picky bunch. Over the past 6 months, I’ve introduced several products to my list. I’ve joint ventured with a few people and offered what I thought would be successful products to them.

Some products have done well and some have not. I have come to realize that my target market no longer wants general social media advice. They want specific strategies, click-by-click tutorials and the exact blueprint to make their business a success.

And I’m listening.  Here are the things I will start doing:

• I will only joint venture with those who offer specific strategies. So, how to get traffic using social media is too general for my picky people, but how to stuff your list using Twitter is a better topic.
• I will only promote events to my target market where I know a specific strategy is being taught. Things like Entrepreneurial Success (no clue if this is an actual event) or Sales Mastery (not sure if this is a real event) are way too general.

So, if you’d like to joint venture with me, be forewarned. You have to offer a very specific strategy using a specific tool for me to be interested. I’m the gatekeeper for my very picky target market and they’re keeping me on my toes. They see me as an expert and not a generalist, so I have to live up to this expectation.

Love you guys!

One of the biggest complaints I hear from people who are blogging and podcasting is the lack of traffic.

If this is you, I’m inviting you to join me on Wednesday May 14 at 2pm EDT for a one hour teleclass with 2 of my favorite marketing gals - Michele PW, Your $Ka-Ching! Marketing Strategist, and Mary Pat Kavanagh, Queen of Connections.

Michele and MaryPat will share with you the Insider Secrets of Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking to Get Thousands of Warm, Hungry Visitors to Your Website.

Should be a fun call. Click here to register your spot. Even if you can’t make the live call, still register as you’ll get the recording of call so you can play on your computer or download to your portable media player.

I used podcasting to get my book deal.

While many authors complain about rejection letters, I didn’t have to go through this. Instead, my podcast attracted my publisher’s attention and gave them the confidence that I knew my stuff. Six months after signing the contract with my publisher, Podcasting for Profit hit bookstores.

I have tons of case studies of authors who used podcasting to get their book published. Over the next few days, I’ll present one case to you.

Now, you may think that only those podcasting about podcasting are getting book deals. Well, you’re wrong. I will show you how podcasting about any topic, eg. Byzantine history, science fiction, political satire and grammar, can get you a book deal with a publisher.

If you’re tired of rejection letters and frustrated that you can’t get your book finished, be sure to tune into this series over the next few days.

Photo courtesy Old Shoe Woman on Flickr

After reading Michael Port’s new book called Beyond Booked Solid, I put together a bunch of process maps on paper. To share these maps with my team, I used Visio to make them look pretty.

In this video, I take you click by click on how you can create a process map fast using Visio.

If you’re reading this through a feed reader, you’ll have to go to my blog to view this video.

In Thursday’s issue of Make Selling Fun, I’m going to compare the benefits and drawbacks of recorded podcasting, in other words, using archived content from teleclasses, webinars, speeches and presentations to create your podcast content.

To receive this issue and to find out if using a recorded podcast fits your personality, sign up to receive your complimentary issue of Make Selling Fun. Just enter your first name and email address in the boxes below.

As I see others using the Flip camera, I’m seeing a common problem emerge - often, the lips are moving slower than the words that I hear.  It’s rather obvious and very annoying.

The problem is that people are uploading the video file uncompressed in an AVI format, the format that the Flip camera records in. This looks good on your TV, but it’s lousy for online sharing.

The Flip camera also comes with its own software where you can save your video file in a compressed format. I used it, but it degraded the image.

If you want to share your video online without compromising the picture, you should save it in a compressed Quicktime format (m4v). That way, if you want to podcast your video file, you can do so easily using iTunes.

There are two ways you could do this:

• Purchase software that will convert your video file from AVI to M4V (I use Camtasia as I can also mix in screen captures and sounds - see this video as an example) OR
• Sign up for a free account through mDialog. This service will encode your video file in a few formats without you having to get your hands dirty. Just upload your video file as is and mDialog will convert and encode it in the right formats without degrading the picture.

In the next 2 issues of Make Selling Fun, I’m going to compare the benefits and drawbacks of live podcasting vs recorded podcasting.

If you’re curious to know the differences between the two and how each can help you in your podcasting goals, sign up to receive your complimentary issue of Make Selling Fun. Just enter your first name and email address in the boxes below.

One of the people I profiled in my book Podcasting for Profit is Terry Fallis. When I interviewed him a year ago, he was using a podcast to share the contents of his newest novel, The Best Laid Plans.

At the time, he couldn’t get a literary agent to represent his title. Many were saying that the topic - Canadian political satire - was just too narrow of a niche to be of any interest to a publisher.

Well, Terry continued to use a podcast to share the contents of his book. People started to take notice. He built an audience and finally self-published his book.

This week, Terry found out that he won a prestigious book award called the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Part of winning this award was getting $10,000. This on the heels of finally getting a literary agent to represent him.

I’m so proud of Terry on many fronts. But most importantly, I’m tickled pink that he used a podcast to indirectly profit from his passion. I wouldn’t be surprised if Terry donates a portion of his winnings to charity because he’s just that type of guy.

My advice? If every door is slammed in your face, don’t give up. As Terry shows, you can use a podcast to share your passion with the world. It may take a while, but soon people will notice.

The Grammar Girl posted a style guide for writing for Twitter. Since you only have 140 characters to work with, you may need some guidance on how to get the most out of this limited writing real estate.

I especially liked this tip:

Don’t use abbreviations such as 4U and L8. They make you sound like a 12-year-old (which is bad, unless you actually are a 12-year-old)

Yeah, not cool. I remember seeing someone do that in a response to me and I had to do a Google search on some of the abbreviations he used. Totally wasted my time which is NOT the point of Twitter.