Podcasting powers connection

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By Janet Berry-Johnson | writer

Keila Hill-Trawick, CPA, MBA, is the powerhouse behind Little Fish Accounting and the voice of the "Build to Enough" podcast—a show that delivers sharp, actionable insight for solopreneurs in bite-sized doses.

In this Q&A with The Net Gains, Hill-Trawick shares how she turned a spontaneous speaking invitation into a strategic content engine, why she embraced podcasting as a way to deepen trust with clients (and future clients) and what she’s learned about balancing value and visibility without burning out.

If you’ve ever wondered whether podcasting is worth the effort for accountants, Hill-Trawick's got the real talk.

What inspired you to start your podcast, and how did you identify podcasting as the right platform to share your expertise?

I was actually invited to start a podcast after a local podcast studio heard me speak at an event for small businesses. I hadn’t thought about it as a mechanism for speaking to others, but I was immediately drawn to the idea that I could use a podcast to both provide value and act as a marketing tool for potential clients.

It ended up being the perfect vehicle for our messaging because we were able to provide value in short spurts on a consistent basis. Since we decided early on to keep the episodes short, it also provided the opportunity to cover topics multiple times in different ways, without losing the attention span needed to catch it all at once. 

What challenges did you face when you started podcasting, and how did you overcome them?

I struggled with costs for the podcasts, given that I hadn't planned to directly get paid from the podcast. Not only did it make me inconsistent in managing production (constantly changing to and from a seasonal model and determining the right content for sponsors), but it also made it hard for me to find and keep the right production team within a very limited budget.

Ultimately, I had to plan to pay for the podcast via the firm without an expected financial return on investment and instead use it as a baseline for all of the content we made throughout the month. That was beneficial because instead of looking at it as "just" a podcast cost, it became a method for planning and delivering messaging across platforms.

How has podcasting helped you market Little Fish Accounting and connect with your target audience in a more meaningful way?

One of the ways we’ve been able to use the podcast to connect is by giving an inside perspective on how we manage the issues our target clients experience, how we deal with them at Little Fish and how we take care of them for clients.

For example, we were able to go beyond simple tax topics to dig into the surprise clients feel when they file. This allowed a direct explanation of our Tax Prep Suite service and all included tasks to avoid that feeling.  

This is information on our website, but the podcast allowed us to dig deeper into why the proactive approach is important. People were able to connect by listening to the voice of the company as opposed to just reading it.

How has hosting a podcast established you as a thought leader in the accounting profession or shaped the way you approach client engagement?

The podcast is a good tool in thought leadership because it serves as an example to those looking for me to speak or participate in panels. Partners and conference organizers already have insight into my expertise and ability to deliver in an engaging way, even if they’ve never seen me on stage before. It also allowed me to give partners and sponsors the opportunity to talk to common audiences through our platform.

In terms of client engagement, the podcast acts as an easy resource to share on specific topics without starting from scratch, particularly for those not ready to work with us. 

They appreciate receiving expertise beyond our normal packages, and many became clients later because they didn’t feel left in the dark when they needed something initially.

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