Starting a podcast sounds exciting… until you’re in it.

In this special anniversary episode, Dr. Sapphire reflects on one full year of running a podcast sharing the real behind-the-scenes of what it took to stay consistent, build systems, and grow a global audience.

From recording with just a laptop mic to managing guests, tools, and workflows, this episode breaks down the process, mistakes, and lessons that most people don’t talk about.

INSIDE THE EPISODE

1. Starting Before You’re Ready: Why you don’t need fancy equipment to launch your podcast.

2. The Real Podcast Workflow: From sourcing guests to recording, editing, and publishing weekly episodes.

3. Tools for Podcasting: Hosting platforms, recording tools, and what actually worked (and didn’t).

4. Lessons from Year One – What worked, what didn’t, and what she would do differently.

5. Podcast Growth & Visibility – Why promotion matters more than you think.

6. Repurposing & Content Strategy – How to reuse episodes strategically for more reach.

7. Building Systems & Teams – The support, automation, and structure behind consistency.

RESOURCES:

Podcast SEO Challenge Link:

https://www.podcastmarketinghub.com/glow

Podcast boot camp link:

https://stefaniegass.thrivecart.com/eg-profitable-podcast-bootcamp/

EPISODE TIMELINE

[02:01] Why she started the podcast and what year one looked like

[05:19] How she sourced guests and structured each episode

[07:57] The full podcast workflow (from idea to publishing)

[11:56] Tools she used (and why you don’t need expensive gear)

[17:43] The biggest mistake: not promoting the podcast

[18:56] Repurposing episodes for growth and visibility

[22:07] Podcast SEO and choosing the right keywords

[24:43] Automating systems and reducing manual work

[26:18] Why you always need a backup plan when recording

[27:04] What’s changing in year two (strategy, structure, growth)

Connect With Host

Hi, I’m Dr. Sapphire (Ayebanoa Sapphire Benwari), and I’m always excited to help you start and grow your list with my team. My goal is to help you build community, conversations and conversions all through email marketing.

Work With Me: https://forms.fillout.com/t/mjZ8unuvtyus?

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sapphirelearninghub/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayebanoabenwari/

Online Email Marketing School -

I believe anyone, including YOU can master email copywriting and marketing and get paid to offer it as a service to local and foreign clients.

Our online school uses the PIE framework to ensure you practically implement and gain experience. You see, confidence and skill come from doing. And in here, that’s how we roll.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapphirelearninghub

Instagram - https://www.instagram

.com/sapphirelearninghub

Store - https://sapphirelearninghub.nestuge.com/

If your emails keep landing in spam, the problem might not be your content — it might be your deliverability.

In this episode, Dr. Sapphire sits down with email marketer Chijioke Chukwuekem to unpack how he diagnosed a serious deliverability issue and used AI (Gemini) to uncover the hidden problems affecting his campaigns.

From segmentation mistakes to overlooked technical issues, Chijioke shares the exact process he used to move emails out of spam folders and back into subscribers’ inboxes.

If you’re struggling with low open rates, poor deliverability, or confusing email analytics, this episode will show you how AI can help you troubleshoot and optimize your email marketing strategy.

1. Diagnosing Email Deliverability Problems – How Chijioke discovered his campaigns were landing in spam.
2. Using AI to Analyze Email Performance – The specific way he used Gemini to identify the root causes of low open rates.
3. Segmentation That Improves Deliverability – Why separating engaged vs. unengaged subscribers matters more than you think.
4. AI Prompts for Email Marketing – The exact prompts he used to get useful insights from Gemini.
5. Small Fixes, Big Results – Deliverability improvements beyond AI that helped boost engagement.
6. Adapting to Changing Email Rules – How marketers can stay ahead as inbox algorithms evolve.

Guest: Chijioke Chukwuekem

Website:

https://reputationengine.com.ng/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chijioke-chukwuekem-7a637a27a/

[11:39] His biggest email marketing mistake and open rates confession

[16:23] How he discovered emails were landing in spam

[21:25] The two problems Gemini identified in his campaigns

[24:14] The AI prompts he used to diagnose the issue

[27:14] Deliverability fixes that improved open rates

[41:48] How marketers can adapt to changing email deliverability rules

[48:58] His top email deliverability tip for beginners

[50:55] How to connect and work with him

Freebie: Send These Emails to Build Trust

Send these Emails is a pack of 12 emails you can send to your email list to start building trust today and ahead of any launch.

👉 Download the 12 emails here.

Tired of welcome sequences that just “introduce” you but don’t actually sell?

Your welcome sequence is more than a hello. It’s your first opportunity to turn a new subscriber into a paying client.

In this episode, Prerna Malik shares how she builds sales-focused welcome sequences that convert from day one. From segmentation and psychology-backed messaging to email structure and automation tools, she breaks down what’s actually working right now in email marketing.

If you want to increase sales without relying on live launches, ads, or complicated funnels , this is the strategy to master.

INSIDE THE EPISODE

1. Why a Sales-Focused Sequence Works – The shift from traditional nurture emails to intentional revenue-driven messaging.

2. The Structure of a High-Converting Sequence – How many emails you really need and how to format them.

3. Segmentation & Psychology – Using conditional messaging and buyer behavior to increase conversions.

4. Social Proof & Authority – Why certain emails outperform others in a sales sequence.

5. One Offer or Many? – Deciding whether to sell a single product or multiple offers.

6. What’s Working Right Now – Real insights from active sales sequences.

GUEST RESOURCES

Guest: Prerna Malik

Free Guest Resource: https://contentbistro.com/welcomefreebie

📲 Connect with Prerna Malik:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/contentbistro?igsh=MXU0a21tYjViaWdkMg=

PS: Learn how to 5X your sales without live launches, funnels, affiliates, or ads on her website.

EPISODE TIMELINE

[3:42] Why she created a sales-focused welcome sequence

[13:44] Using segmentation and conditional messaging for conversions

[18:35] The highest-performing email in her sequence

[24:08] Selling one vs. multiple products in your sequence

[31:34] Top 3 tips for writing high-converting sales emails

[40:22] Writing subject lines that increase open rates

[45:20] Capturing brand voice and authenticity in email

Freebie: Send These Emails to Build Trust

Send these Emails is a pack of 12 emails you can send to your email list to start building trust today and ahead of any launch.

👉 Download the 12 emails here.