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By Deneen L. Garrett | Creator & Host, Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation

I went Live with my longtime podcast coach and mentor, Danielle Desir Corbett — Founder & CEO, 6x grant-funded and award-winning travel creator, host of The Thought Card, and podcast marketing coach — for a conversation that recalibrated how I think about growth. Six-plus years ago, Danielle was the single voice I locked into when I launched Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation. This time, the conversation was about something every independent creator in our community needs to hear: the difference between being present and being findable.

Being a best-kept secret isn’t a strategy. It’s a ceiling.

The Trap of Passive Presence — On Waiting

So many of us pour everything into the content. The episode. The blog post. The graphic. Then we hit publish, post the link, and wait for the algorithm to do the work.

That’s passive presence. And it’s a trap.

Social media is a phenomenal tool for community and engagement. It is not a reliable engine for long-term audience growth. Algorithms shift daily. Your post has a shelf life measured in hours before it’s buried. When you build only on rented platforms, you’re renting your audience — not owning the relationship.

“Luck” and “virality” are not strategies.

Discovery-Based Marketing — On Definition

Discovery-based marketing is the practice of making your content easy to find by the people already searching for what you offer, exactly when they’re looking for it.

It requires a mindset shift: stop creating purely for expression, start creating for utility. Ask yourself — what is my audience actually typing into Google or a podcast app? Align your content with that intent, and you move from shouting into the void to meeting people exactly where they are.

PSO — On Podcast Search Optimization

Danielle walked me through PSO — Podcast Search Optimization — and it reframed how I think about show notes entirely.

A great audio file doesn’t find itself. Podcast directories require the same optimization discipline as any search engine:

• Descriptive titles built around what your audience is actually searching for — not clever titles that only make sense to you

• Show notes with real context, transcription, and links that help algorithms understand the episode

• Consistency, so platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube index you correctly

Master PSO, and your podcast becomes a search asset that keeps working long after release day.

SEO — On Long-Term Reach

If PSO handles the audio, SEO drives everything else. This isn’t a big-company tool — it may be the single most powerful lever an independent creator has.

Blog posts and web content that answer real questions become evergreen assets. Done right, they can rank on page one of Google for years — a 24/7 recruitment machine working while you sleep. The goal: become the go-to resource in your niche, built on keyword research and real search intent.

From Content to Undeniable Authority

When discovery-based marketing becomes consistent, something shifts. You’re no longer “just another creator” — you’re a subject matter expert. People trust creators who are easy to find and who consistently deliver.

That trust opens doors: speaking slots, partnerships, sponsorships, grants.

“You aren’t just putting content out there. You are building a brand that speaks to the needs and aspirations of your audience.”

Four Steps to Shift from Promotion to Discovery

Danielle’s framework, distilled:

1. Audit your content. Are your titles searchable? Would a stranger understand the value just by reading the headline?

2. Do basic keyword research. Ubersuggest, Google Trends, or even search-bar autosuggest will show you what your audience is actually asking.

3. Optimize your existing library. Go back. Richer show notes, better keywords, clearer calls to action.

4. Build an ecosystem. Podcast episodes, blog posts, and newsletters should point to each other — a network that search engines can’t ignore.

The Money Behind Discoverability — On Grants

Growing takes resources, and professionalizing your work is a real financial hurdle for most of us. That’s part of why Danielle founded Grants for Creators — because discovery-based marketing isn’t only about SEO. It’s about being discoverable to funders, not just followers.

Show up with a deliberate, data-driven plan, and you become a far more attractive candidate for grants and sponsorship dollars.

Start Growing Instead of Waiting

The move from passive creator to discovery-focused marketer is one of the biggest leaps you can make. It takes patience and technical effort — but a loyal, growing, owned audience is worth the work.

For the full conversation, listen to Discoverability vs. Visibility: Podcast Search Optimization (PSO) & Grants for Creators with Danielle Desir Corbett.

Don’t wait for your audience to find you by accident. Become searchable. Become the authority. Start growing.

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About the Author

Deneen L. Garrett is a Cultural Alchemist; Speaker, Writer, Podcaster. WOC Live is the live extension of Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation — a Top 20 Women’s Empowerment Podcast · YouTube U.S. Top 1% · Global Top 8.5% · Top 5% of podcasts worldwide · 160K+ monthly reach.

Follow Deneen: deneenlgarrett.com