Remember when audiograms were going to be the next big thing?
They were supposed to grab attention and drive listeners to your podcast. But they never worked. They were the epitome of "content for content's sake" - easy to create, but accomplishing nothing.
As Deirdre Tshien, co-founder & CEO of Capsho, reminded us in our most latest episode, it's easy to get stuck in this trap – the loop of churning out episode after episode, without considering whether your efforts are moving the needle.
Audiograms are (mostly) gone, but they've been replaced by a new flood of cringe-worthy AI-generated social media posts. (If this is you, we can tell – no human uses the word “delve” that often.)
It is possible to write podcast descriptions and promotional posts that don’t suck, but not if you’re just word-vomiting the outputs from ChatGPT.
Compared to what you'd get if you simply asked ChatGPT for show notes or social media posts, Capsho's output is a huge upgrade.
And while it might not produce a final draft on the first shot, it gives a solid 80% version that you can then polish and personalize.
Some backstory: Early last year, I went on a free trial spree – signing up for five different AI-powered tools that promised to help write show notes and promotional posts. I hoped it would make my job as a producer easier, but most fell way short of the quality I would need to post.
Capsho was the one tool that earned my subscription for the simple reason that it is designed by marketers, for marketers, to give human-sounding outputs that drive your audience to a specific act – whether that’s reading a longer-form article, signing up for an event, or buying a product.
It does this by following a version of what I call the “4S framework” for AI-assisted writing.
Here’s how it works in a nutshell:
Source: Your podcast episode, which you upload to the platform, gives the relevant context so that AI knows what you know.
Substance: The core premise you want to emphasize, which you select from options after uploading, so it doesn’t go off the rails.
Structure: Here, Capsho uses an ingenius framework called the "honey trap" method (more on this soon) to keep readers engaged.
Style: The persona and voice you want to emulate, programmed through a mix of instructions and examples.
This framework is a powerful tool for creating engaging, human-like content with AI assistance. While we won't dive deep into it here, we'll be exploring it in detail in our upcoming course, Claude Mastery – so stay tuned if you're interested in mastering these techniques yourself.
Now, you if you have a sufficient understanding all four of these elements, you could attempt to reverse engineer the same product Capsho, using an LLM like Claude or ChatGPT.
Or you could take the super lazy route and use the default, slightly cringe show notes generated by recording and editing tools like Riverside and Descript.
I’ve done both of these.
But if you want faster results, you should test out the results from Capsho’s Next Gen service, and study the outputs of the Content Honey Trap.
::Aside:: You can get a free 30-day trial of Capsho by signing up for their 21-Day Content Habit Challenge (with eCamm), designed to help you build a lasting content creation habits ::Aside::
The Content Honey Trap: From Theory to Practice
The Content Honey Trap – built in part on the 7 Hours Rule from Daniel Priestley's Oversubscribed – is designed to draw in listeners like a lovable stuffed bear to honey. Priestley says people need to spend about 7 hours with you or your content before they're ready to buy. Fortunately, those hours don't have to be consecutive.
Every positive interaction - be it a 30-minute podcast, a social media snippet, or deep dive newsletter - is a deposit in the trust bank. But most content creators get it wrong. They create and hope for the best, without considering how they're building trust or moving listeners towards a buying decision.
Here's how the Content Honey Trap works, along with steps to execute it using Capsho:
The Content Event
At the heart is your main content event - typically a podcast episode or long-form video. This is where you deliver real value to your audience. But creating great content is only half the battle. First, you have to promote it.
To illustrate how the Content Honey Trap works in practice, let's look at a real-world example.
One of my clients is an 85-year-old clinical psychologist who's been racking up Instagram followers at an impressive rate, with a simple formula of practical tools for getting control over the monkey mind that plagues us all. He's all about helping people become the boss of their own psychological and physical health.
Despite his growing following, we’re struggling to monetize this growing audience effectively.
Push Content
This is where the Content Honey Trap comes into play. Before you release your main content, you'll create three strategic posts to build anticipation and identify your most engaged followers.
The "Say Me" Post: On Instagram, it's notoriously difficult to get users to click external links. The "Say Me" post helps isolate those who are most interested in your content. For our mental health expert, this might look like a video asking: "Who's struggling with racing thoughts and wants to learn how to quiet their mind? Comment 'Me!' below!" This post allows interested followers to self-identify, giving you a targeted group to focus on.
The "Why" Post: Next, you'll explain why your upcoming content is important. Deirdre suggests that unpopular opinion posts work particularly well here. For our expert, this could be: "Unpopular opinion: Meditation isn't for everyone. In our upcoming workshop, we'll explore alternative methods for mastering your mind that don't require sitting still for hours."
The Social Proof Post: Finally, share a testimonial that demonstrates the effectiveness of your approach. Our client might share a story of a patient who turned their life around using his techniques:
"Meet Sarah. Six months ago, she was overwhelmed by anxiety. Now, she's thriving in her career and relationships. Learn the exact method she used in our upcoming workshop."
The Bridge Funnel
After these push content posts, you'll direct interested followers to your bridge funnel. This could be a lead magnet, an event sign-up, or a direct link to your main content event. You provide this link only to those who've expressed interest, focusing your efforts on the followers most likely to convert.
The Main Event
Now it's time for your main content event. This is where you deliver the value you've been promising. For our mental health expert, this might be a workshop on mastering your mind. The event itself can contain an upsell to your product or service, but remember - you're only presenting this offer to people who've already expressed strong interest.
Pull Content
But what about those who missed your initial push? That's where pull content comes in. After your main event, you'll create four more pieces of content:
Awareness Post: Pique curiosity about your topic. "Did you know that 95% of people have never learned how to properly manage their thoughts?"
Tip Post: Offer a valuable snippet from your main content. "Try this 2-minute mind reset technique from our recent workshop..."
Community Post: Give a behind-the-scenes peek. "Here's how I prepare my mind before each client session..."
Action Post: Directly promote your main content with a strong call-to-action. "Ready to become the boss of your mind? Watch the replay of our workshop here: [Link]"
The Pull Content is where the 4S framework comes into play. You're repurposing content from your main event, extracting valuable snippets that continue to demonstrate your expertise and build trust.
The Content Honey Trap isn't about tricking people. It's about creating a path of value that naturally leads your most interested followers to your offers. Your followers get the help they need, and you build a sustainable business doing what you love.
