So first off, the good news is my sourdough loaf from last week turned out fine after all, despite forgetting about the dough overnight.

I guess the freezing temperatures here in the UK stopped it going too mad. The rise was a little less than normal, but very acceptable and quite pretty really. And the slightly burnt ear was delish.

I'm sure there's some marketing lesson in there about having faith or things being more robust than you imagine…but that's not the point of today's post.

Instead, I want to talk about a question that's on the lips of a lot of people: “how can I market my course and get new customers without spending a bunch of money?”

The answer, in my experience, is… lots of stuff. You just have to figure out how to make it work.

And the “stuff” I want to talk about in this post is podcasts.

Podcasts aren't the kind of thing that make you rich overnight or bring a proverbial flood of new leads in an instant.

But they do bring a steady stream of new visitors. And they build a more permanent type of relationship. The type that comes from gently whispering in someone's ear week in, week out rather than making a big one-off noise.

In her Course Builders TV interview Denise Oyston talks about how her podcast has become the main source of new leads for her course.

Denise has my complete admiration as she does podcasts the “hard way” – solo.

I've always done interview-based podcasts – and that's continued with the Course Builders Hub interviews.

There are three wonderful things about interviews.

Firstly, you always learn something new. Often lots.

I've been staggered that despite over a dozen years developing my own courses and teaching it to others I've learnt so much from these interviews I've been doing. Different strategies. Different tactics. Different philosophies. All sorts of new stuff.

Secondly, you reach new people thanks to the folks you're interviewing.

I've deliberately told my interviewees there's no expectation they'll share or promote the interview – I'm so grateful just for them sharing their experiences with me.

But they've all shared the interviews with their contacts and on social media and new visitors have appeared at my site and signed up for my emails as a result.

And finally – and rather subtly – interviewing someone on a podcasts builds a relationship with them.

All the conversations you have with someone before you interview them, the interview itself and your interactions after all start a really good relationship.

It's up to you where you go from there.

Collaborations. Potential client work. Friendship.

All possible.

Podcasts or video interviews like I'm doing are a commitment, of course. But they're fun. They connect you with great people. They get you that steady stream of leads.

If you're looking for a no-cost way of marketing your course that actually works, I'd recommend them.