Welcome back to Season 2 of the podcast!

This week Hilary Salzman joins me to chat all things storytelling.

We chat about how storytelling isn't a new concept, we've been doing it all our lives! But it is easy to get caught up in the latest shiny marketing thing and get overwhelmed as business owners.

Hilary is the host of The Everyday Storyteller podcast, and she shares her experience on why she decided to start a podcast, how she went about it and how it works for her business.

Hilary shares her top 5 tips for using storytelling in your podcast:

1. Figure out your story first. Be honest and embrace it with confidence.
2. Think about your audience on a deeper level - what do they care about? What problem are they trying to solve?
3. Be authentic
4. Find common ground with your audience and tell stories that highlight shared experiences.
5. Tell your story with confidence and use a platform that invites others to tell theirs.
6. Bonus tip: Have fun with it!

I'll leave you with a fun fact, "Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts & figures."

Have fun crafting your stories.

About Hilary

Hilary Salzman, the founder of 22 Stories and host of The Everyday Storyteller podcast firmly believes in storytelling and its power to connect us to the things and people that make a difference.

Hilary is dedicated to helping those who struggle to confidently use their voices. She works with bright business sparks and independent brand owners to get their stories out and grow their business. 

Hilary shares a wealth of business storytelling insights and guidance through her daily podcast and Instagram account. She is keen to ensure as many people as possible can access the tools and learn to develop their voice, regardless of their background or how much money they have to spend. 

For those that want to invest in their own business storytelling, Hilary runs personal and business brand story development workshops and 1:1 training, coaching & mentoring. She also provides specialist story-writing services for those that want, for example, a story-led website. Hilary is a regular public speaker on various storytelling subjects and is a guest lecturer at Oxford Brookes University in the UK. 

Website: www.22-stories.com

Podcast: https://podfollow.com/the-everyday-storyteller

Instagram:@22storiesandme

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/hilarysalzman

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Everyday_Storyteller

Hi, and welcome to Podcasting one-on-one with Rachel.

This podcast is for busy female entrepreneurs who run their own

businesses and want to start a podcast or who may already have a podcast.

I want to share practical information and tips on how you can get your podcast

started and managing it along the way.

I'll also be interviewing other female podcast hosts to give

you real insight into what it's like having your own podcast.

Hi.

And welcome to this week's episode.

I have Hilary Saltzman with me, who is a business storyteller from 22 Stories.

She describes herself as a writer, podcaster, and storyteller.

Hi, Hilary.

Welcome to the

show.

Hi, Rachel.

Thank you very much for having me.

It's lovely to have you here.

Um, just a little bit of backstory, Hillary, Hillary and I met through

a mutual friend, Tamsin, um, who has actually been on the podcast was one of my

first episodes, actually her and Jillian came on for the anti diet club podcast

and she introduced us and then we met at the podcast show in London, which was.

It's May 23, depending on when you're listening to this, um, to this episode.

So it was really great to meet Hilary in person and get to

know her a little bit better.

So do you want to just introduce yourself a bit and tell us a little

bit more about what you do and your awesome podcast, which is the Everyday

Storyteller podcast.

Absolutely, yes.

I can't believe that, you know, that we met at the podcast show and here we are.

It's great.

It's the power of connection.

And yeah, that's very much what I'm about.

So storytelling is something that, um, I really strongly believe in.

I have been a storyteller through my career in corporate marketing.

And it's through this belief that stories are what connect us at the end.

as people, uh, is really what drives my business now and the podcast.

So my business, 22 stories is about supporting mainly small business

owners to embrace their own story.

So their own personal story and the stories within their

business and use those stories.

to connect with others.

So predominantly in a business environment, that's connecting

with their customers.

So it might be an audience there as well.

So it might be an audience for other podcasters.

It might be a social media following, but it's all about connecting to the

people that those business owners need to connect to in order to grow

their business and succeed and do the things that they want to do.

Um, from that, I've developed the Everyday Storyteller podcast because I recognize

that there was a bit of a gap in the market between kind of doing what I do, I

mean, I, I offer things like storytelling coaching and, you know, I write rant

stories and business stories for people, but, you know, there is a gap between

what What everybody can afford what resources they have and and actually,

you know needing to learn this stuff So the podcast was a way of plugging that

gap and being able to share my expertise and experience as a storyteller And a

business owner out to a wider group of people predominantly women really because

I think this is an area that You know women Sometimes struggle with lack of

confidence around telling their stories.

So it's all about kind of, yeah, getting the message out there, helping

people, raising confidence, giving them the tips and tools to write their own

stories and tell their own stories.

And then the business is, yeah, they're kind of an extension of each other really.

It's just the same content but going out to a wider audience.

Um.

My background is in corporate marketing, as I said, so I spent 20 years, 20 odd

years, more than that actually, but I'm working for really large IT and tech

businesses And now I'll focus very much on all sorts of small businesses, which

is far more interesting than my IT past.

I love the idea of the

everyday podcast.

You're right in saying that there is a bit of a gap there that The also like

similar to you with with my podcast with this one is I'd like to plug

that gap in the way that I know that everybody can't afford, um, to always

outsource or to have that information.

So being able to create that to add value to them and help them along their

way in by whatever means possible.

I think that's a really great thing to do as well to help and my

audience is, you know, mainly female female business owners as well.

So

Yeah, definitely.

It's overwhelming sometimes as well.

It's not just the money side of it, but it's like, you know, as business

owners, we always, there's always something new to learn, isn't there?

Right.

This is the latest marketing thing.

And I think, yeah, the big kind of.

Aim with my podcast and what I do in my business is really to, you

know, get away from the fact that storytelling is something new that

people have to, have to learn about.

You know, it is something we do all the time.

You and I met in London, you know, we, we chatted, we kept, we recounted stories.

We talked about our own experiences.

We do these things naturally.

And so it's kind of breaking down those barriers and people not thinking,

right, I have to buy a course of this.

I have to.

put this on my to do list.

It's just about helping people recognize that, that they're all, we're all

storytellers and say growing confidence in the voice, growing confidence in

knowing what to do with your voice and how to turn your voice into stuff which

is actually going to, as I say, build an audience and, and sell things ultimately.

Yeah,

I agree with you about confidence.

That's something I definitely.

I still struggle with from time to time and definitely when I wanted to start

this podcast and when I first started my business that I was, um, struggling with,

with, you know, You come up with that.

Everyone has those.

Well, I don't know what, well, I don't know what to write.

I don't know what content and when, when you don't think about

it, it does come naturally.

Like you said, in our setting, when we met, you're telling stories, but

when sometimes when you sit down to think about it in relation to your

business, suddenly it becomes this big thing that you can't get over

and you can't work out what to do.

So your podcast is there.

Yeah.

So that would help.

So you've got, um, daily short episodes that, um, That you focus on, um, because

you've got here, I will share one thing you can do, write or think to help you

grow confident in your voice and create the daily habits and mindset you need.

To be your own everyday storyteller.

I love those.

Yeah.

It's just, you know, you know, again, we can't all afford to spend

an hour, you know, on a podcast.

As much as you love to, I can lose myself in long podcasts.

But, you know, really, you know, if we're trying to teach ourselves to do

something new, or, or, which is this, as I said, is about the confidence piece,

we just need those little reminders.

It's kind of, you know, it's like that, someone saying, Come on, you can do

it today, and here's an idea for you.

And that's really what the show is about.

So, you know, it's, yeah, each episode that they're creeping up a bit.

I think the longest is five minutes, but they tend to be

about two to three minutes each.

Um, and it's, yeah, just something practical and, and, you know,

and I lead by example as well.

So yeah, I, I try and start each podcast episode with a story of my own just

to show how we, you know, how, how we can use it, how we can integrate

it in, um, Yeah, I think some of them are quite silly stories, because

I think that's the thing as well.

It's about, you know, it's not always about having to be

super serious with everything.

Again, like you were just, you know, describing absolutely, you sit down and

you think you've got to work on your business, and suddenly that kind of, you

know, corporate business mode comes in.

You're like, right, I've got, what do people expect me to say?

And actually, you know, I think we're The world of business is more relaxed now.

I mean, there's certain industries where it's not, but on the whole, for

small businesses, it is more relaxed.

And I think once you can get into that mindset of actually, you know, I can be

a bit more chatty, I can be a bit more like me, it, then it's easier, because

otherwise, you're kind of pigeonholing yourself into, right, I've got to,

yeah, I've got to sound like a proper...

Grown up business and actually, yeah, we all do it, don't we?

That was something that I've that shift,

I guess, from employee mindset, perhaps to, to, to business owner.

And especially if you haven't really been in the online space

at all, it's very, very different.

I mean, my background prior to starting, um, my own business, I worked in events,

but with my dad, so it was very informal.

I didn't have like really a corporate background, but.

Um, when I moved into the online business, I was still very unsure of who I was

then and what I wanted my business to be.

So I felt like, Oh, should I have to, um, be this certain way or that certain way?

Will I not look professional quote unquote professional enough?

If I say this in a chatty way, I mean, obviously, like you said, we know

this, this is not the case anymore.

And if you're on LinkedIn, there are, there are plenty of online business

owners and everyone who are so comfortable being themselves and having their own.

And I've got to say, I, it's quite, I, I do find it quite tricky because some

of you, depending on how much you want to share on the platform about, um,

what kind of stories you want to tell, but I think having those daily prompts,

having those little pieces of advice and reminders, sometimes it does just take

that little, somebody else saying it and you hearing it to think, actually,

Yeah, why haven't I done it like that?

Because I've had that before when I listen to other podcast episodes as well.

And I find that really, really helpful.

Um, it's kind of, maybe constantly or frequently reminding yourself of these

things to help you keep on track with your

business.

Absolutely.

And, you know, and, and the, yeah.

The thing is, I've, I've been in that place as well.

You know, I have, I, I didn't wake up one day and suddenly be able to have this

great voice and feel really confident.

I don't, you know, I, I certainly have my moments of feeling, feeling, uh, you

know, imposter syndrome is definitely something that I feel, and it's, but it's

taken me years to get to this point of, of putting myself out there, of not wanting

to put myself out there of doing it.

And, and.

Cocking up and making a mistake and thinking oh my god, I never ever want

to go and speak in public again This is like my life is over, but it's you know,

picking yourself up and that's part You know, I share that side of it on the

podcast as well And sometimes I share really quite vulnerable things I've got

boundaries and I think you know what you're saying is absolutely right with it

There is no right or wrong when it comes It's got to be right for you, and it's

got to be right for your audience as well.

We've got to remember that, you know, it, you might be someone

that's a massive oversharer, but you've got to think, actually, do

my audience care about all of that?

You know, sometimes there's too, too far to go.

But, uh, you know, I, I do share, you know, I've had some really difficult

times, uh, in business, in my personal life, in, especially with my voice

and kind of, you know, being, feeling for years that I didn't have a space.

To have a voice and definitely guilty of adapting my, my voice

for particular audiences, you know, working in a very male centric

IT industry for lots of years.

It's really different.

And I, you know, I, I've ended up feeling really, you know, I felt ill,

I, I, I suffer from panic attacks and anxiety and it, a lot of it is driven.

In those times in my life where I've, where I've been basically, yeah, trying

to pretend to be somebody else and the freeing moment of actually saying, you

know what, I'm going to quit this world and I'm going to start up my own business

and I'm just going to be me, you know, I'm, you know, so much better for it

and I talk about these things and it's not always easy to share, share this

information, but it's that, you know, with With storytelling, it is about hope.

Hope's a really big word for me in storytelling.

And, you know, if I can share a little bit of my story and there's someone else going

through similar right now who hears that, it's that part of just, oh, I'm not alone.

There is a way out of this.

And then, yeah, there's Those everyday, kind of, here's something to think

about, here's something to try and do.

And just to gradually pick yourself up, gradually, you know, reinforce some of

those things that you probably know.

Storytelling isn't a new thing, you know.

I don't want to do myself a disservice here, but it's not rocket science.

But it's so easy to get lost in the trappings of everyday, especially as

women, this kind of, you know, this should've, could've, do I need to

do this, you know, and those things.

And yeah, the show is really just about kind of paying right.

Forget all that noise.

Focus on what you, you know, what your voice is.

Focus on your audience.

Focus on what they want to hear from you.

And here's a little few little tips on how you do it.

It's that, it's that kind of feel rather than it being right.

You've got to now do this and you've got to be completely different in the

way that you run your business because that's not what I'm about either.

Yeah.

I like that.

Yeah.

Focusing on what works well for you and, and being able to to let a lot of the

other things go and, you know, staying in your own lane and the comparison game.

I've spoken about this before, and it's something again that, that does happen.

Something shiny new comes up and you think, Oh, I've got to do that.

And Oh, I get sidetracked, but actually I've really tried hard.

I have.

And um, yeah.

I, that's one of my main kind of things this year was to really try and kind of

sit down and focus on, you know, for my business and for my podcast, what I really

wanted and then how to kind of just try and filter out some of the noise because,

you know, like I said, it can get too much and then we started doubting ourselves.

So, um.

It's nice to have something out there that can help recenter you into

what's best for you and your business.

Yeah, and not compare to anybody else.

So what made you choose podcasting?

Like, like, had you had a past experience with podcasting or did,

have you just loved podcasting and thought this would be such a great

way for me to engage with my audience?

Like, what was the...

It's funny because it was about this time last year actually

that I started to think about it.

And no, I had no experience of podcasting and I have to be really

honest, I didn't really used to listen to podcasts either, which is normal.

I do a lot now.

I really, I love, you know, I love the whole industry now, but it was just,

I went to, I was talking at an event.

for KPMG, their big accountancy firm, not my normal audience.

But I was invited to go and speak about storytelling.

And after I had done a couple of presentations, one of the lawyers from

KPMG came up and she said, I'm really interested in what you have to say.

Do you have a podcast?

And I was like, no.

I was like, the brain was whirring, and I was like, and it, it stuck in me for quite

a few days, a couple of weeks actually.

And I kept thinking, that's interesting that she asked that, I've never

thought about doing a podcast.

And there's a few of my customers that do podcasts, um, a couple of my friends.

And it just, yeah, that little seed made me think, Actually, do you know what?

I love to talk.

I can't get enough of telling people about storytelling.

I need more platforms.

I'm always looking for, like, places to speak and, you know, events to go to.

So podcasting just seemed a really natural kind of place to take it next.

And because...

I've been doing this for quite a long time now and Instagram

has always been my main channel.

I've got a heap, had a heap of content as well.

So it's kind of, it, I wasn't feeling like, oh my god,

I'm gonna do a podcast then.

Where do I get the ideas from?

It's, it's all kind of there in the teachings that I've been

doing for years and the social media content I've been sharing.

So, yeah, it was just that, okay, I can reach more people this way, I can

reuse a lot of the content, a lot of the ideas, the things that I know work,

I can share my experiences, I can share the experiences of my clients that I've,

you know, Um, taken through that journey already, and a bit of fun as well.

Um, it's just, yeah, it's just something, something new, isn't it?

And, um, so I, I knew nothing about podcasting, and through a couple of,

let's say a couple of my clients who had podcasts, I met, um, this lady called

Susie, um, from Story Publishing, and she, uh, does courses in podcasts,

and we did a one on one kind of thing.

Four weeks of, of her just sort of teaching me absolutely everything

I need to know about podcasting.

And I think through that I just got more and more excited about it.

And I think it's when I had that original idea, well actually it was

Susie that said do, do a daily podcast.

I knew what, who, my audience.

I knew what story I wanted to tell.

I knew how I wanted to reach.

I knew that I wanted to do something different.

I didn't necessarily want to do a guest podcast.

Um...

I wanted it to be more of this kind of informative, educative piece.

And she said, oh, have you thought about doing a daily show?

And I was like, uh, no.

That sounds a

lot of work.

I was wondering how you came up with the idea for a daily, for a daily podcast.

Because yeah, that's your immediate thought,

isn't it?

Yeah, he's like, hang on a minute.

This is a lot of work.

Yeah, but it was just, you know, she was listening to everything

that I was saying about it.

It was about this kind of, you know, we say about these kind of daily habits.

I mean, it was habits and mindset changing.

And he was just like, well, yeah, what if he did it daily?

And so, well, yeah, there isn't many people out there doing.

That's, you know, in the storytelling world, there's very few people doing

practical storytelling podcasts.

There's quite a lot of men in suits in America that do business storytelling,

. And there's, you know, surprise.

Yeah, surprise, surprise.

Um, and there's quite, you know, there's, there's obviously quite

a lot of, um, good podcasts around confidence issues and things like that.

But bringing those two together and doing it in a format that people

kind of think, oh, hang on a minute.

That's quite new.

I think.

Yeah, it was, it was.

It just sort of evolved to that, and it seems to be working, so.

How, how do you make it, like, planning wise and, and, and, um,

recording, how do you kind of fit that in?

Do you, do you must batch record a few different ones, do you have like

a little bit of a system going on for,

for how you do it?

Yeah, definitely.

So I, I batch record, I try and batch record a month in advance.

So I'll do like, yeah, 20 odd episodes.

Um, and it doesn't always work out that way.

Having a flexible producer is great.

Um, but yeah, it's, I've got a bank of content.

So as I said, so I've got a Trello board and it basically, I just use

that as my repository for ideas.

So every time I do.

a social media post every time something crops up with a client, I bung it

down on my Trello board as an idea.

And then I sit down once a month and say, right, what are the episodes?

What am I going to talk about this month?

It's all there in the Trello board, which is great.

So I don't often have to kind of think up new ideas.

Um, and then it's, yeah, I, I fully script everything.

Because I find it makes it easy, because it's just me, because

it's a monologue, I waffle.

I could literally, there's no way that I could like free, freehand do a 3

minute episode, it would be 15 minutes.

So a script helps me really make sure that I'm honing in on my audience.

It really makes sure that I've got one single message not going

off here, there, and everywhere.

And that kind of commitment to providing one thing for people to think about or

do or write is there in the scripting.

The other benefit of fully scripting it is that everything is then there.

So when I'm doing my show notes, I just lift it out the script.

When you're doing social media posts, it's all kind of written for you.

So I do find that a little bit of a, of a time saver as well.

And then, yeah, I just record them in one go if I can, if I'm up to it.

Um, and, um, and then they're kind of there.

And I, yeah, I just, I schedule them all in advance.

So, you know, there is a kind of, a couple of days of quite intensive work on it.

And then it's, you know, it's all scheduled and done.

And you can sort of sit back and get on with client work.

Yeah, so do you for your promotion and your

marketing with your podcast?

So like you said you you have the ideas so you use the podcast

episodes in your social media as well So you're kind of making that

your main content piece for the day?

Is that how

you?

Yeah, sometimes.

So, so it depends.

Sometimes there's different things going on on both channels.

But I do on a Monday, I always do a social media, um, uh, post that is

like, what's on the podcast this week.

So there's always, that's always consistent on my Instagram

and sometimes on my LinkedIn, but mainly on my Instagram.

Um, and then, yeah, it might be that there's a particular theme, you

know, it might be that, I don't know, Wednesday's episode is about overcoming

barriers, so I might do an Instagram post about overcoming barriers.

And it would link to the podcast, but it wouldn't be exactly the podcast.

It might be a slightly different take on it.

Um, yeah, like

using that kind of.

The subject is the, is the, is the, is the content pillar,

if you will, um, to use it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Definitely.

Helps you.

Yeah.

It just means that you're not, you know, otherwise it's such a,

it can be such a slog creating content for multiple channels.

So it's, yeah, it's a good kind of way.

And then it works.

You know, sometimes there's, there's stuff that I've done on Instagram

that I'll then turn into a podcast.

So there's, you know, and that's the beauty of it because you can

turn it into multiple things.

So, you know, turn it into blogs.

Um, I've got a weekly newsletter that goes out on a Friday, which just reminds people

what they might've missed that week.

So again, you know, to write that newsletter normally takes

about five minutes because it's, it's all there for the taking.

So it's, you know, as I say, you kind of put that effort in for a

couple of days a month and then you've got all of the, you know,

all, everything that you need really.

So, yeah.

I'm, I'm big on that for myself as well and repurposing your.

Using that con the podcast episode and what you've done there, that is

you created the content, then you just need to, you know, pull the little

threads and break it down to little different types of posts that can

work for you or your email marketing.

Like you said, I think that you don't say you don't have to keep coming up with it.

You've got the basis of it, the bones of it there for you to use that then helps

you create makes it much easier to create the rest of the content for your whatever

your, you know, your content strategy is.

Yeah, definitely.

I'm interested to know how you feel, um, is your podcast, so your podcast

is an extension of your business.

How do you feel your podcast, has it helped with, um, increasing your business

or getting in front of your ideal clients?

Yeah, it's definitely helped get in front of

a wider audience and many of whom would be my, my ideal clients.

Interestingly, it is listened to by about, it ranges, but between about

15 and 20% men, which is really interesting because it is, you

know, I'm very, I mean, it's not.

I'm not, I have no issue with men listening to it, but I am quite overt

about it being a podcast for women.

So, but yeah, so that's quite interesting to see that the analytics is interesting.

Um, I, I don't think has it brought me in business.

It's hard to know the direct correlation between the two.

I can, I definitely know I'm reaching a wider audience.

I'm definitely getting the business out there.

Um, I'm definitely getting people coming to me that haven't come through.

My Instagram channel or my LinkedIn channel and they, they

are coming through the podcast.

So I think it's just, I, I think it's one of these things, I've been talking

to quite a few people about this.

A podcast is not a quick win for business.

Yeah,

I, I agree it's not a quick win.

No.

I've seen people out there say, Oh, well, why shouldn't you do, do this

with your podcast and it can get you this many in a short amount of time?

I don't, I don't agree.

Really at all with that because it does take time to build an audience and takes

time to, to reach people, um, as well.

I'm just interested because I obviously want my podcast to help be there for,

for helping my business as well as, as well as adding value and helping

those people that can't necessarily afford the services that I offer.

Um, and I would agree with you in that I know there are some people that have

come through that have listened to my podcast and I've seen those uptick in

my numbers, but I couldn't sit down.

Um, You know, and say with 100% certainty, you know, I think that I

think that's the same with people's marketing as well that you can have

depending on what kind of business

that you're doing.

I think at the end of the day, you know, it is, it's a multi kind

of channel approach to marketing.

It's kind of what's needed because we don't buy.

You know, unless we're buying, I don't know, water bottles, got my water bottle

next to me, you know, we, we don't tend to buy immediately when we see

something online, you know, when it, when, especially when you're in business

and you're buying another business service, you're investing probably your

own money in it as a small business owner, you know, it is, you've got to

build that trust and that means multiple hits across that customer journey.

It's not just about, Oh, I listened to a podcast and now I'm going to buy from you.

All right.

So we got linked in and I'm going to buy from you.

But what it does is it's building that trusted relationship with your audience.

One, it's getting out to people that might not be on the social

media channels that you are.

It's getting your voice out there.

Um, you know, it's building trust with a new audience for your existing audience.

It's another way for them to consume what you're putting out there.

You know, it might be the thing that, that.

Um, kind of converts them into the sale.

So I had some, had somebody recently, a new client recently come to me and she

had been following me for quite some time.

And she had seen me on Instagram for over a year.

She'd been following me on Instagram.

She had been listening to the podcast and those things together at the right time of

when she needed to invest in her business with the things that she said, right, I'm

coming to you because I follow you and because I listened to you and because I.

Trust basically what you can do, but you know, that's a, you know, a year

at least of her, of her following me and then listening to the podcast.

So, yeah, I think, you know, things happen.

Sometimes you will, someone will hear and, you know, and they will think, right,

actually, I need this service right now.

But I think it's also, it's.

It's the other networky type things that having a podcast opens up, so

it's not for me, it's not just about the people that might consume the

services from my business, it's other

kind of avenues it opens up.

I'm a real advocate for getting more voices out there, and so if I can

connect with Other podcasters with other storytellers, if I can, you know,

collaborate like we're doing here, you know, having these conversations.

You know, if I didn't have the podcast, I wouldn't be here.

Wouldn't know you.

Yeah.

You know, wouldn't have extended our network.

And you know, the podcast has definitely, um, given me more opportunities,

um, to meet new people, you know.

Being featured in Podbible was absolutely wonderful and that, but, you know,

that, again, that wasn't a fast stream of business that came through that, but

I met other podcasters and I've been invited on to guest shows and again,

you know, it's, it's all these things that are slow process stuff, but it's

all part of growing, I believe, a really sustainable business rather than it

being a quick, yeah, a quick way to

Yeah, I love how you said sustainable because that

is just exactly what I was thinking.

It's like the building blocks.

You're building up that, that trust, like you said, that you're

building your authority, letting everyone know your knowledge.

And I think there's something, I mean, like a lot of people have said,

it's very personal about listening to audio as well and having that,

being that person in someone's ear.

Um, Helping them as well.

And, and like you said, some people said that helping the podcast

helped them make that decision.

I think that they not.

It's a way to get people to know you a little bit better.

'cause you're speaking, you are, you are letting them know your knowledge and

your ideas and how you are as a person.

And I think when people are investing online, and like you say, small business

owners, this is something that I have when I've invested in, in other

things for myself and my business.

I want to know the person, I want to know, you know, look at their content.

Before you invest and it's often, you know, a substantial investment, especially

if you're a solo business owner as well.

So having that, it's all really important to gain their trust, to know that, you

know, they're in good hands when they, when they do eventually, when it's the

right time for them to come to you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That safe hands piece, that trust is really, really important.

Yeah.

And I think it's anything where you can share the human side of

your business, they then get to know you, your personality, I

think it's a really good thing.

And as I say, podcasting is that really intimate way of doing that.

And I, I think that's a bit that I've.

get really excited about as well, the fact that you are just in one person's

ear and the feedback that I've got from people about kind of, you know, I think I

said to you, we met, you know, my podcast always goes up at half six in the morning.

And I love seeing by like seven o'clock that I've had a handful of people listen.

So I, and I know it's It's part of people's morning routines and that makes

me really, really happy to think that there are people out there that get up

and they like have their cup of tea and they're like, right, I'm going to get

my three or four minutes of storytelling inspiration and get on with my day.

And that's, you know, that's just great.

And it's, you know, it's all part of my, my mission and all kinds of

the things that, that fulfill me.

It's not always about making money.

I mean, yes.

You know, we do need to do that, but it's also, you know, it is, yeah,

people, I want people to see that this is, uh, you know, a real passion of mine

and, you know, an area which I really believe in helping more women do this.

And so, yeah, the podcast is a good way of

doing that.

Yeah, I love the idea of it being part of somebody's routine.

That's, that's wonderful for you.

Well, thanks for sharing, um, about your business and about your podcast,

but we've also got a little bonus.

So, um, Hillary's going to share some tips into storytelling and how you can

incorporate that into your podcast.

So I'm really pleased that Hillary has offered to share these tips with you.

So Hilary, do you want to let us know what those tips would be?

Absolutely, yes.

And thank you for letting me waffle on for a little bit more about

storytelling.

No, it's so interesting.

I think it'll be really interesting to everybody listening as well,

whether they've already got their podcast or starting their podcast

and listening to your passion about your podcasting and storytelling.

Well, I think before I go very quickly before I go into

the tips that I have got five to share I think the question that is often

asked is you know, why storytelling?

Why do we do this?

And I've talked a lot about connection and it's important to know and to understand

that Storytelling is more than just a marketing y type thing Storytelling has

been around Since the dawn of time and our brains are literally wired for stories.

So the way in which we, um, detect stories, the way in which our

brain can determine a story being told to us, it's, it's amazing.

And so, so, so it isn't just a kind of fluffy marketing thing, as I said,

when we hear stories, it creates chemical reactions in our brains.

Um, things within the limbic system, which is the, the, the system which

gives us gut feel and it's the thing that drives emotive buying.

So when we tell a story and someone hears it and they think, Oh, I

like that and they get that nice warm feeling about that person.

It's actually chemical that's doing that and so, you know, and it's amazing and

it's things like cortisol and Dopamine to make you feel happy things that cortisol

is really good for memory So stories are much more memorable than if you're just

spouting a load of facts and figures Um and oxytocin as well, which is really

an important chemical for empathy So when we talk about trust and building

relationships All of this is connected.

So storytelling really is a powerful tool to have.

And when you're, when you're podcasting or whatever it is

you're doing, it is, as I say, that great way to engage your audience.

But I think for me, it's when you start telling your own story, is where it really

happens, where the exciting magic happens.

So, in terms of doing that, my, my tips that I've got, I think number one,

is figure out your own story first.

Be clear and be honest with yourself about it.

You know, we're not, you don't have to have a Hollywood blockbuster story.

If you've been anywhere, done anything, spoken to anyone,

you have a story to tell.

If you are a business owner, if you just have a side hustle, you

know, one day a week, you have a reason for doing what you do.

So take ownership over your own story.

Figure that out and, and embrace it with confidence.

Again, it doesn't need to, you don't need to write some big

mission statement type thing.

It's just knowing why you exist, what excites you, what gets you up

in the morning, and you know, where you've come from, where you are

now, and where you're heading to.

Figure that out in your own kind of head first.

Tip number two, once you've done that, is think about your audience.

And that sounds really obvious, but we, we often miss that

stage when we're storytelling.

And by thinking about your audience, it's not kind of, you know, yes,

the demographics are important.

Is it a man?

Is it a woman?

Are they this age?

You know, what are they interested in?

But really to think about it at a deeper level, you know, what do your

listeners in, in the podcast world, for example, really care about?

It's not.

Just what you think is really interesting or fun to talk about.

What do they really care about?

What problems are they trying to solve in their lives?

And then, it's almost like you draw comparisons between what they're looking

to achieve and what your story tells.

And when you create those kind of crossover links, that's where

those, it gets really exciting.

So it's telling stories about you, which is, you know, very honest to you, but that

fits in with, with um, With your audience.

And that leads me on to tip number three, which is be authentic, be you.

We talked a lot at the beginning, we've talked about this one on one range.

It's just, you know.

You don't need to be what you think people want from you.

Just be yourself, because that will really build that trust

that we were talking about.

So share genuine stories that reflect not only your experiences, but things

that reflect your values as well.

You know, the things that are important to you.

Talk about challenges that you've, that you've faced.

And encourage your listeners to relate to the journey that you've been on as well.

Um...

You know, it's sometimes, you know, the best stories come from talking about

our failures and when we, you know, it's that vulnerability piece, but it also

gives you that opportunity to say, right, so something epically went wrong here

in my life as, you know, as a business owner, I did this and I massively

messed up, but I've learned from it.

And in that learning.

I'm now better placed to help you, Mrs.

Customer.

Oh, Mr.

Customer.

Yeah, so it's all about, okay, what can we take, but always making

sure it's relating back to that.

Um, I think four is really about, and it's kind of, you know, these are all

linked together very much, but it's, it's finding that common ground and telling

stories that highlight the, the, the sort of the shared experiences because it's

almost like, it's almost like relatable.

It's, you know, thinking about, I always say it's about, like, holding a mirror up.

If you tell a story, and your audience can see themselves

reflected in that mirror, you know.

It's going to create this lovely kind of familiarity with you, and

it really helps break down barriers.

So I think this is especially useful when you're first getting into something

like podcasting, and maybe people don't know you particularly well, or maybe

you've been known for something else.

Those stories kind of, yeah, it's like, yeah, just getting it all out there.

Here, this is me, type thing.

Brings people in, and they naturally will want to kind of

find, you know, find out more.

When we talk about kind of the themes of stories, um, very much think

about things that are relatable.

And it can be any topics, but there are some sort of themes, universal themes.

Things like, um, hope, we talked about, um, compassion, resilience.

Those sort of stories, any stories that fall into those categories

are really human based stories.

And so they're really good for getting people kind of, you know,

on board with you and, and um, you know, they, yeah, just give you

something to kind of hook into.

Um, avoid listing out loads of facts and figures in your stories.

Yeah.

Facts, and it's funny, facts and figures can be great, but kind of use them

to, um, Almost to kind of, I don't know, evidence your story a little

bit, but don't make them the story.

If you've got an amazing piece of research, for example, that's great.

But if you want to talk about it to your audience, talk about the kind

of why it matters to them first and, you know, that, that side of things.

Um, but yeah, stories are a good way.

If you are a very fact and figure type person, stories are a good

way of making that a bit more

consumable.

Yeah, that's, that makes sense because otherwise it's a

little bit too, there's no...

heart behind it.

There's nothing for them, like you say, there's nothing for them to

relate to, to just those types of

numbers.

And it's not, it's not memorable content as well.

So again, going back to what I was saying about the way the brain works,

when we hear facts and figures, the brain just says that's data.

So it doesn't do anything.

It will, it will compartmentalize it and be able to understand it

in the moment, but it doesn't do.

anything with those chemical reactions.

Take the same information and tell it in a story form, the brain will recognize it as

a story and say, all of those cogs start whirring and it becomes more memorable.

The reason that my business is called 22 Stories, by the way, is because

stories are 22 times more memorable.

And then I think finally, my, my big tip would be, you know, you

figure out your own story, tell it with confidence and ownership.

But you, if you, if you are in a position where you have got a platform,

like a podcast, use that platform, not only to share your own stories, but

to invite others to tell their story.

I mean, look at what we're doing.

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

You know, it's a really, storytelling and getting people to, to know

more about you isn't just about...

What you're sharing, it's the guests that you have, it's the stories that you share,

the things that you tell people about.

And it's just this lovely way to kind of,

I don't know, but it's also things like encouraging your audience to feedback.

You know, storytelling is, is always a two way thing.

So if you do a podcast like mine, which is just me rabbiting on, I would

say, you know, Talk to me audience.

Have you experienced the same thing?

Give them a mechanism to feed back and reflect on that story.

And, yeah, collaborate, find other storytellers, all

of those wonderful things.

Um, yeah, because it isn't just a one way thing.

And I think the final thing I'd say, I'm probably, probably

on six now rather than five.

It's just really, it's just to have fun with it.

Just chill out about it.

You know, it doesn't, it is awkward.

It can feel difficult.

And that's, a lot of that comes from society and what kind of society

tells us we should and shouldn't do as, as women in business.

But, you know, it doesn't need to be.

The world needs our voices, most definitely.

There is a space for us.

There are people that you can help just by telling your story on a podcast.

You are helping people.

Um, But, you know, just do it and be fun, be genuine, talk in your voice like you

were talking to a friend down the pub.

Don't suddenly put on some strange telephone voice.

Yeah.

And yeah, and just, you know, you know, use humour, use, you know, you know, just

depending on your audience, of course.

But, you know, just, yeah, just have fun, fun with your stories.

Definitely.

That would be my, my big ask.

That is absolutely brilliant advice.

I love how you said about, you know, sharing relatable stories and also sharing

your failures as well and showing, and I think, like you mentioned earlier,

it, someone else could be listening to that and go, Oh, it's not just me.

This is what I've been feeling.

And I think that is a really important connection in storytelling is

That feeling that you're not alone and that it has happened to you.

So if you're able to share your stories in that way as well, I

think, um, that can really help you connect with your audience.

And like you said, having fun, having fun with it and trying not to get, um,

too caught up with how you feel like you should be doing it and just kind

of do it with as much of you in there.

Yeah, definitely.

And I think it is that if you think that, you know, the way that I get over the fear

is to think about what you said at the beginning then was helping one person.

You know, if I can just swallow my fear for this one time and tell this story

and actually help one person, That is going to be in a slightly better

position today than they were yesterday.

Then it's, you know, it's worth those kind of like, oh, moments and things like that.

Just knowing that you could be helping someone.

And so that's a good way to look at it.

I

find.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much for coming on and sharing all your awesome

advice and your experience and journey with your podcasting.

Um, do you want to let people know where they can best find you if they want to

find out more about your podcasts and more about what you do as a storyteller?

Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah.

So, um, the everyday storyteller podcast is on all of the, the

main podcasting platforms.

So just search up the everyday storyteller.

Um, the business is 22 stories.

So I'm on Instagram at 22 stories and me and my website is, uh, www dot.

22stories no 22 stories.

com.

But yeah, Instagram.

Instagram is probably the main, main place to, to, to find me.

If you want to get in touch, just drop, drop me a DM and we can have a chat and

I would love to talk to more people.

Cool.

I will put all the links in the show notes so you can easily find Hilary

if you want to get in touch with her.

Thank you again, Hilary.

It's been lovely chatting

with you.

I'll catch you soon.

It's been my absolute pleasure, Rachel.

Thanks for inviting me.

Thanks for listening to the show.

If you'd like to connect with me or get in touch, then head on over to my website.

If you liked the episode, then I'd love it if you could leave me a

review in your chosen podcast app.

Your feedback is much appreciated.