Podcast Gym

Every podcaster shares a common dream: to see their audience grow and their downloads soar. Imagine having a strategy that could be your secret weapon to boost exposure. What if you could use trending news to get noticed? Harness the YouTube algorithm to get a hundred thousand new views?!Enter newsjacking—a technique that could transform your podcast's visibility. Let's explore this strategy further and understand how you can wield it effectively, drawing from my interview with marketing guru David Meerman Scott on episode 56 of Inspired Money.Understanding Newsjacking Newsjacking is the art of injecting your insights into a breaking news story, gaining the media spotlight in the process. Think of it as surfing the wave of public interest that news stories generate. By providing relevant angles or expertise, you capture attention when it matters the most.Historical RootsNewsjacking might sound like a modern buzzword, but its origin dates back to the 1970s in the United Kingdom. David Meerman Scott breathed new life into this concept, notably spotlighting how Donald Trump deftly navigated the 2016 Presidential election cycle, utilizing real-time marketing on Twitter. Scott's predictions based on Trump's tactics underscored newsjacking's power.Key Takeaways from David Meerman Scott In my podcast interview, David generously shared key principles behind smart newsjacking:Speed is Essential: The quicker you respond, the more likely you are to capitalize on the public's interest. The hardest part about leveraging newsjacking is remembering that you need to be quick and agile. You need to have the bandwidth to act in real-time.Create Relevant Content: Seamlessly tie your podcast's themes or your expertise to the news narrative. With newsjacking, you need a legitimate ties to the story. Just responding to any old story doesn't work so well.Strategic Sensitivity: Handle negative news with care to avoid misjudged sentiments. It's easy to get newsjack-happy, but the process is most effective when you're selective. Leverage the stories that are most relevant to your target audience and industry.Maximize Social Media: Leverage platforms for real-time engagement, ensuring your content surges in conversations.My Practical Application: Jane's Addiction Incident My real-world test of newsjacking began a week prior to writing this, with an unexpected and shocking moment during Jane's Addiction's reunion tour — one that left fans stunned and wondering about the future of the band. Perry Farrell's mid-performance physical altercation with Dave Navarro not only ended the band's Boston show early, but it ultimately ended the tour.I saw a perfect newsjacking opportunity.What tied me to the recent event? I had interviewed Etty Lau Farrell, Perry's wife, on the Inspired Money podcast two years ago. During the interview, Perry made a cameo appearance—greeting me by name! Although a video about Jane's addiction did not fit my YouTube channel's content, I decided that diving into the substantial weekend buzz just might win attention for npth my YouTube channel and the Etty Farrell episode.Here's how I did it:Planning: The news broke on Friday teh 13th, and by Sunday night, I had scripted a strategic video plan. This included finding concert footage of the “fight,” performance videos in New York and Boston, and reading fan comments on Reddit.Execution: On Monday, September 16, I recorded and published the video “Jane's Addiction Fight Explained: Perry Farrell Attacks Dave Navarro in...

Recent headlines have been quick to proclaim the demise of podcasting, citing layoffs at major platforms like Spotify and Public Radio. Yet, amidst the tumult, there lies a different narrative – one of resilience and growth. Contrary to naysayers, podcasting is not dying; it's evolving, adapting, and flourishing in unexpected ways. In this post, we'll explore why podcasting remains a vibrant medium, despite challenges, and discuss strategies for monetization and success.THE RESILIENCE OF INDEPENDENT PODCASTSWhile it's true that some major players in the podcasting industry have faced setbacks, independent podcasts have continued to thrive. These grassroots creators epitomize the essence of podcasting – a platform where anyone with a microphone and a story can find an audience. Unlike traditional media, where gatekeepers control access, podcasting offers a level playing field for creators of all backgrounds and interests.Independent podcasts often have loyal and engaged audiences, built through authenticity, niche content, and community engagement. Unlike corporate giants, these creators are nimble, able to pivot quickly in response to audience feedback, and can produce content with little to no budget. Moreover, they're not beholden to shareholders or advertisers, allowing them to maintain creative control and pursue their passions without compromise.PODCAST LISTENING IS UPAccording to the Infinite Dial 2024 report by Edison Research, the podcast landscape is witnessing significant shifts, with nearly 100 million Americans engaging with podcasts weekly. Despite concerns over a decline in downloads due to alterations in Apple iOS 17, indicating a drop in figures for major podcasts like This American Life, Edison's survey-based findings present a more nuanced perspective. Contrary to download metrics, Edison's data reveals a positive trend, with 47 percent of Americans aged 12 and above tuning into podcasts monthly, marking a five-point increase from the previous year, the largest jump since 2019. Moreover, weekly listeners have increased from 31 to 34 percent, estimating around 98 million individuals. By relying on survey data rather than raw downloads, Edison's report offers insight into the evolving podcast landscape, underscoring its integration into mainstream media consumption habits. Additionally, the report touches on various other trends such as social media usage, smart speaker ownership, and audiobook consumption, providing a comprehensive view of the evolving media landscape.MONETIZATION STRATEGIES FOR PODCASTERSFor those looking to monetize their podcasts, there are numerous avenues to explore:Advertising and Sponsorships: While recent layoffs at major platforms might suggest a slowdown in advertising revenue, independent podcasters are still attracting sponsors. By cultivating a dedicated audience and producing high-quality content, podcasters can command competitive advertising rates or secure sponsorship deals with brands aligned with their niche.Crowdfunding and Patronage: Platforms like Patreon have empowered podcasters to monetize directly from their audience. By offering exclusive content, merchandise, or behind-the-scenes access, creators can incentivize listeners to support them financially. This model not only provides a steady stream of income but also fosters a deeper connection with fans.Merchandise Sales: From t-shirts to mugs to stickers, merchandise sales offer another revenue stream for podcasters. By leveraging their brand and creating unique, appealing products, creators can turn their listeners into loyal customers while generating supplementary income.Live Events and Ticket Sales:...

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”– Coco ChanelYou're a podcaster. You love creating your show. But sometimes marketing and promotion to stand out can feel like an insurmountable challenge. With so many podcasts (YouTube videos, television shows, radio stations, books, and blogs) vying for an audience's attention, how can you make sure your podcast doesn't get lost in the noise?While traditional advice like “know your audience” and “invest in quality equipment” are important, I've been thinking a lot lately about unconventional approaches to help you make a mark.Here are some out-of-the-box tips for podcasters looking to break the mold and find success in this competitive landscape:1. EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONPerfectionism can be the enemy of progress, especially in the world of podcasting. Instead of agonizing over every “um” and “uh,” embrace the raw and authentic nature of your content. Some of the most beloved podcasts are praised precisely because they feel like intimate conversations rather than scripted performances. Don't be afraid to let your personality shine through, flaws and all.2. EXPERIMENT WITH FORMATWho says a podcast has to follow a strict interview or storytelling format? Get creative and experiment with different structures and styles. Maybe you want to incorporate elements of improv comedy, or perhaps you're interested in creating an audio collage of soundscapes and music. The possibilities are endless, so don't be afraid to think outside the box and push the boundaries of what a podcast can be.Six months ago, I transformed the Inspired Money podcast from a conventional pre-recorded one-on-one interview show to a livestream with three or four guest panelists. It's been fun, challenging, and refreshing. I like to say having four guests is like a normal podcast on steroids. Embrace experimentation.3. CULTIVATE A NICHE WITHIN A NICHEIn a crowded market, finding your niche is crucial. But why stop there? Instead of simply focusing on a broad topic like “true crime” or “self-improvement,” dig deeper to carve out a niche within that niche. Maybe you're passionate about true crime stories with a supernatural twist, or perhaps you have a unique perspective on mindfulness and meditation. By honing in on a specific angle or theme, you can attract a dedicated audience who shares your interests.4. COLLABORATE, DON'T COMPETEInstead of viewing other podcasters as competitors, see them as potential collaborators. Reach out to fellow creators in your niche and explore opportunities for cross-promotion, guest appearances, or even co-hosted episodes. Not only does this expand your reach and introduce your show to new audiences, but it also fosters a sense of community within the podcasting world.5. FOCUS ON ENGAGEMENT, NOT NUMBERSIt's easy to get caught up in metrics like download numbers and subscriber counts, but true success in podcasting goes beyond mere statistics. Instead of fixating on quantity, prioritize quality engagement with your audience. Respond to listener feedback, foster meaningful conversations on social media, and create opportunities for your audience to participate in the content creation process. Building a loyal and engaged community around your podcast is far more valuable than chasing fleeting metrics.6. DON'T BE AFRAID TO PIVOTFinally, remember that flexibility is key for any creator. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to pivot and try something new. Your podcasting journey is a marathon, not a sprint. It's okay to course-correct along the way.In a world where...

In the vast landscape of digital content creation, podcasters are constantly seeking innovative ways to expand their reach and engage with new audiences. One strategy that has gained significant traction is repurposing podcast content into short form videos for platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. While this effort may not immediately increase podcast downloads, there are numerous benefits to this approach that can elevate awareness and take your podcast to new heights.Broader Audience Engagement: Creating short form videos allows you to tap into different demographics and preferences. Some people prefer quick and visually engaging content over longer audio formats, so repurposing your podcast into bite-sized videos can attract a broader audience base.Increased Social Media Visibility: Social media algorithms favor video content, and platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok actively promote short form videos. By sharing your podcast highlights or interesting snippets on these platforms, you can leverage their algorithms to increase visibility and reach a larger audience.Viral Potential: Consistently publishing short form videos increases the chances of hitting content that resonates with a wider audience and goes viral. A single viral video can bring an influx of attention to your podcast, leading to increased brand recognition and potential listeners.Showcasing Personality and Expertise: Short form videos provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the personality behind the podcast and highlight your expertise on specific topics. This personal touch can create a stronger connection with your audience, making them more likely to explore and subscribe to your podcast for more in-depth content.Cross-Promotion Opportunities: Repurposing content for different platforms opens up opportunities for cross-promotion. You can encourage your podcast audience to follow you on social media for exclusive clips and updates, and vice versa. This interconnected approach helps in building a community around your podcast.MY RESULTSGrowing a podcast's downloads can feel like an uphill battle, given the fierce competition for attention. The power of short form videos lies in their potential to break through the noise. Virality is unpredictable, but by consistently sharing engaging snippets, you increase the likelihood of capturing the attention of a wider audience. Even if not every video goes viral, the cumulative effect can significantly elevate your podcast's overall visibility and attract new listeners.Over 90 days, I've posted a couple dozen short form videos on social media. Please don't laugh at my modest follower counts!In my experience, I've found that views are highly unpredictable. There's no way to predict which video will perform best on each platform. The same video will do well on TikTok and not do anything on IG. The next video will do well on YouTube but not TikTok.Cumulatively, the views add up.TikTok 10,632Instagram Reels 9,712YouTube Shorts. 5,269OPUS CLIP – AI VIDEO CLIPPING TOOLI recently discovered Opus Clip an AI tool that makes creating shorts that saves me a lot of time!Here's how it works.Drop a YouTube link (or Rumble link, Zoom link, Google Drive link, or select a file MP4, MOV, WEBM)It previously took me 30-60 minutes to create 1-3...

HOW TO PROMOTE A PODCAST AND GAIN MORE LISTENERSLaunching a podcast is just the beginning of your journey. The real challenge lies in promoting it effectively to gain more listeners. In this article, we'll explore fresh and unconventional tactics that go beyond the basics. Let's delve into strategies that not only enhance the quality of your content but also help you define and engage with your ideal audience, collaborate uniquely, and experiment effectively on social media.1. Elevate Your Content Quality and PositioningThe foundation of any successful podcast lies in its content. Strive for excellence in every episode. Understand your podcast positioning – what makes your show unique? Can it stand out in the crowded podcast landscape? Your content should resonate with your target audience, offering them something they can't find elsewhere. Invest time in research, scriptwriting, and production to deliver the best possible show.2. Define Your Ideal Listener and Go Where They AreClearly define your ideal listener – understand their demographics, interests, and behaviors. Once you've painted a vivid picture of your audience, find out where they hang out. Be creative in your marketing efforts. Rather than waiting for listeners to find you, proactively go to them. Attend relevant events, participate in forums, and explore niche communities both online and offline. Engage in conversations and share your podcast where your ideal audience is most active.3. Seek Out Unique CollaborationsCollaborations are a powerful way to expand your podcast's reach. However, don't settle for the conventional. Actively seek out collaborations that align with your ideal listener. This could involve partnering with influencers, experts, or other podcasters in your niche. Think beyond guest interviews – consider co-hosting episodes, participating in joint projects, or even organizing cross-promotional events. The key is to bring value to both your audience and your collaborator's audience.4. Social Media ExperimentationSocial media is a dynamic tool for podcast promotion. Instead of sticking to a single format, experiment with various content types. Post clips, images, and text updates. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses, promote upcoming episodes, and tell compelling stories. Leverage different platforms and study your analytics to understand what resonates with your audience. Then, double down on the content that garners the most engagement.5. Leverage User-Generated ContentEncourage your listeners to create and share content related to your podcast. This could include fan art, memes, or even short videos expressing their thoughts about your episodes. Not only does this foster a sense of community, but it also provides you with a stream of authentic content that you can repost and share. User-generated content serves as social proof and can attract new listeners who relate to the enthusiasm of your existing audience.6. Implement Gamification StrategiesEngage your audience with gamification elements. Create challenges, quizzes, or contests related to your podcast content. Encourage listeners to participate and share their experiences on social media. Offer exclusive rewards, shoutouts, or even special episodes for those who actively contribute. Gamification not only boosts interaction but also adds a layer of fun and excitement to your podcast community.7. Host Exciting GiveawaysImplementing giveaways can be a game-changer for your podcast promotion. For example, if you interview an author, consider doing a book giveaway with your listeners. Use platforms like KingSumo to structure the giveaway, encouraging social shares, new subscribers, and reviews. Giveaways not only incentivize engagement but also create buzz around your...

Creating a podcast can be exciting. It allows you to share your unique perspective, stories, and expertise with the world. However, like any creative pursuit, the journey isn't always smooth, and you may encounter moments of discouragement along the way. In this article, I want to share common reasons for feeling discouraged about publishing your podcast and offer thoughtful solutions to help you overcome these challenges and stay inspired.Embrace Your UniquenessOne of the primary sources of discouragement for podcasters is the fear of not measuring up to established shows or industry standards. Remember, your voice and perspective are unique, and that's your superpower. Don't hide it, unless you wear colorful tights under your clothes and want to be a super hero. Embrace what sets you apart, and realize that authenticity is a precious commodity in podcasting. Your authenticity can connect with an audience that craves something different, genuine, and relatable.Solution: Take time to understand your niche and your podcast's unique selling points. Once you embrace your uniqueness, you'll find the confidence to continue your podcasting journey.Manage ExpectationsIt's easy to get caught up in the numbers game, comparing download statistics and reviews to those of more established podcasts. While it's essential to have goals and aspirations, unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment.Solution: Focus on setting achievable milestones and celebrate the small victories. Be patient with your growth and understand that building an audience takes time. Remember that even the most popular podcasts started small.Seek Community and SupportPodcasting can sometimes feel like a solitary pursuit, leading to feelings of isolation and discouragement. You may question whether anyone is listening or if your efforts are worthwhile.Solution: Engage with the podcasting community, both online and offline. Join social media groups, forums, and local podcasting events. Attend industry conferences like Podcast Movement and Podfest. Interacting with fellow podcasters can provide encouragement, networking opportunities, and a sense of belonging. Sharing your struggles and experiences can lead to valuable insights and support.Reframe Failure as LearningFailure and setbacks are a natural part of any creative journey, including podcasting. Instead of seeing these moments as discouraging, consider them valuable opportunities for growth.Solution: Reframe your perspective on failure. Every mistake, poor episode, or negative review can be a stepping stone to improvement. Learn from your missteps and use them to refine your content and skills.Consistency and PatienceCreating a successful podcast often requires consistent effort over a long period. It's not uncommon to feel discouraged when results don't come as quickly as expected.Solution: Stay committed and maintain a consistent release schedule. With time, your audience will grow, and your podcast will gain momentum. The longer you persevere, the more likely you are to achieve your goals.Self-Care and Mental WellbeingMaintaining a podcast can be emotionally and mentally taxing, especially when you're struggling with discouragement. Your passion can quickly turn into a source of stress if you're not taking care of yourself.Solution: Prioritize self-care, mindfulness, and your mental well-being. Give yourself breaks when needed and don't be afraid to seek support from friends, family, or a therapist if discouragement takes a toll on your mental health.Keep Hitting PublishPodcasting is a rewarding medium for self-expression and connection, but it's not without its challenges. Feeling discouraged at times is natural, but it doesn't have to define...

Hey there, fellow podcasters! We understand the hustle and heart that you pour into your shows. Growing downloads, being recognized for your dedication, and getting your voice heard are universal dreams of podcasters, just like sculpting that perfect beach body at the gym. But much like the gym, podcasting success doesn't come overnight.It's about trying different exercises and consistently showing up for those reps. In this article, we'll be your podcasting personal trainers, sharing ideas and tactics to help you achieve a successful and sustainable podcast show that not only grows but shines brightly in the podcasting universe. So, grab your metaphorical podcast dumbbells, and let's start pumping up those listener numbers!1. SUPERCHARGE YOUR STORYTELLINGPodcasts are like storytelling adventures, and in 2023, storytelling is your secret weapon. Take inspiration from “The Moth” podcast, where real people share their stories. Make your episodes engaging, relatable, and filled with emotions. Share your own stories and encourage untold stories from your guests. It will make your podcast memorable!Action Tip: Start your episodes with an exciting hook, like an intriguing question or a funny anecdote, to grab your listeners' attention.2. NICHE DOWN YOUR FOCUSJust like “The Fantasy Footballers,” who found success by diving deep into one niche, choose a specific topic for your podcast. It's easier to stand out in a small pond than a vast ocean. Your unique angle will attract like-minded listeners.Starting narrow not only helps you stand out in the crowded podcast arena but also allows you to build a dedicated audience; and as your podcast grows, you can gradually expand your topics while retaining your core listeners.Action Tip: Explore subtopics within your niche to discover fresh ideas for episodes.3. LEVEL UP YOUR ARTWORKImagine your podcast artwork as a superhero costume. It should be bold, eye-catching, and give listeners a taste of what your podcast is about. Look at “The Science Vs” podcast for inspiration; their cover art reflects their investigative spirit.In addition to having a fantastic cover art for your show, consider creating unique episode-specific artwork that resonates with the content. This extra effort not only enhances your branding but also encourages your guests to share these personalized visuals on their social media, spreading the word about your podcast.Action Tip: Make sure your artwork looks great even when it's tiny. Test it on a small screen to ensure it's still captivating.4. SUPER SOCIAL SHARINGBecome a social media superhero! Share sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes, and funny anecdotes from your podcast. Be like “My Dad Wrote A Porno” – they engage their audience on social media by asking questions and responding to comments.To master the art of podcast promotion on social media, think beyond the routine episode links. Get creative, share behind-the-scenes glimpses, ask questions, and foster an engaging online community. Since podcasting primarily operates as a one-way communication from creator to listener, leverage social media to open up channels for feedback and two-way communication with your audience, creating a stronger and more interactive podcasting community.Action Tip: Use popular hashtags related to your podcast's topic to reach a broader audience on social

In a world full of great podcasts, it's increasingly challenging to stand out and capture the attention of your target audience. But here's the good news: you don't need to reinvent the wheel to make your mark in the podcasting universe. Instead, you can take calculated risks, as small as 3%, to position your show differently, breathe new life into your content, and create a unique podcasting experience that keeps your listeners coming back for more.UNDERSTANDING YOUR TOPICBefore you embark on your podcasting journey, it's essential to have a deep understanding of your chosen topic. I'm not talking about an expertise of your subject matter; but rather, you must study the competitive landscape. Dive deep into the niche you're passionate about and identify the gaps in existing content. What are the questions that haven't been answered? What perspectives haven't been explored? Your goal is to find your unique angle within your niche.ANALYZING EXISTING SUCCESSFUL SHOWSSuccessful podcasts offer valuable lessons in positioning and engaging content. Take the time to analyze them. What makes them tick? Is it their format, storytelling, or the way they connect with their audience? This is where you'll discover patterns you can use as inspiration for your unique approach.THE POWER OF 3% RISKSNow, let's talk about the magic number: 3%. The idea here is to take calculated risks that deviate from the norm by just 3%. This small shift can make a world of difference and set you apart from the crowd.Here's how to apply it:Revamp Your FormatIf interview-style podcasts dominate your niche, consider incorporating storytelling elements.Swap long episodes for shorter, more digestible content, or vice versa.Experiment with different episode structures, such as debates, roundtables, or live recordings.Find a Unique PerspectiveChallenge conventional wisdom within your niche.Bring in guest experts from unrelated fields to offer fresh insights.Share your personal experiences and anecdotes related to the topic.Engage with Your AudienceEncourage listener participation through Q&A sessions, polls, or listener-submitted content.Create a community around your podcast through social media or a dedicated forum.Actively respond to listener feedback and suggestions.CASE STUDY: THE 3% DIFFERENCEFive weeks ago, I made significant changes to my one-on-one interview, personal finance podcast. In publishing Inspired Money weekly for six years, I always focused on good audio quality, improving my interviewing skills, and landing great guests. In that time, I realized steady organic growth, but it was hard to break out of the very crowded one-on-one interview podcast space. It was time for a makeover, and I wanted to try something bold.To apply the 3% rule, I decided to:Revamp The Format: Instead of traditional interviews where the guest drives the topic, my team decided to map out one hundred episodes that includes everything from budgeting to philanthropy, from luxury watches to wine collecting, from side hustles to retirement. With the topics decided ahead of time, I can strategically reach out and book a panel of three experts per episode and moderate a thoughtful conversation.Find a Unique Perspective: With a panel of guests, there's room to challenge the status quo by highlighting not only success stories but also stories of failure and the valuable lessons learned from them. For example, in an episode on Financial Freedom, we took a critical look at Early Retirement. Spoiler alert: many young, early retirees are not happy after leaving the rat...

For independent podcasters, juggling multiple roles and responsibilities can be a daunting task. You not only have to host engaging episodes but also take on the roles of a researcher, producer, and marketer. However, with the help of advanced language models like ChatGPT, you now have the opportunity to access a powerful tool that can help you perform like a fully staffed podcast team. Let's explore how ChatGPT can empower solo podcasters, providing research assistance, production support, and marketing insights to elevate the quality and reach of your podcast episodes.STEP 1: RESEARCH ASSISTANCEResearching topics and gathering relevant information is a time-consuming aspect of podcast production. ChatGPT can serve as your virtual research assistant, helping you gather data, explore different angles, and uncover valuable insights. Engage in a conversation with ChatGPT to discuss your research needs, ask open-ended questions, and seek guidance on credible sources and data points. The model can assist in streamlining your research process, allowing you to focus more on content creation.Sample prompts:“Can you help me find recent statistics on [topic] to include in my upcoming episode?”“What are some reputable sources or studies that discuss [specific aspect] related to [topic]?”“I'm exploring [subtopic] for an episode. Can you provide me with a brief overview and key points to consider?”“What are some unique angles or lesser-known facts about [topic] that I can incorporate into my podcast episode?”“I need some expert quotes or opinions on [topic]. Can you suggest any renowned individuals or sources I can look into?”Remember, these prompts can be tailored based on your specific podcast's theme and the information you are seeking. Be sure to always fact-check the results. Engaging in a conversation with ChatGPT using these prompts will help you access valuable research assistance to enhance your podcast episodes.STEP 2: PRODUCTION SUPPORTProducing a podcast involves various tasks, such as editing audio, adding music or sound effects, and structuring episodes effectively. ChatGPT can lend a hand in these production aspects, offering suggestions and tips to enhance the overall quality of your episodes. Seek the model's advice on audio editing techniques, episode structure, and engaging storytelling methods. It can provide insights on pacing, transitions, and creating captivating intros and outros that keep your listeners hooked.Sample prompts:“What are some effective techniques for editing podcast audio to enhance its quality and clarity?”“Can you suggest royalty-free music or sound effects that would fit well with the tone of my podcast?”“I'm structuring my episode around a specific theme. How can I create a compelling narrative flow that keeps listeners engaged?”“What are some creative ways to incorporate storytelling elements into my podcast episodes?”“Can you provide tips on creating attention-grabbing intros and outros for my podcast episodes?”Engaging ChatGPT with these prompts will help you receive valuable suggestions and ideas to improve the production quality and overall listening experience of your podcast episodes.STEP 3: MARKETING INSIGHTSEffective marketing is crucial for expanding your podcast's reach and attracting a larger audience. ChatGPT can help you develop a marketing strategy tailored to your podcast's niche and target audience. Engage in a conversation with the model to explore different marketing channels, content promotion ideas, and audience engagement tactics. It can provide insights on social media strategies, guest collaborations, and leveraging email newsletters or other platforms to amplify your podcast's visibility.Sample...

Don't just be a podcaster. Dream bigger and be a creator. The act of producing original audio content requires coming up with episode ideas, writing scripts, recording, and editing, and promoting to build an audience.Similar to other types of creators, such as writers, artists, and filmmakers, you use your creativity to create something out of nothing that entertains, educates, or informs your audience. As you improve your craft, you're likely to develop a unique voice and perspective, and specialize in a particular topic or genre. You're also developing technical skills that include editing, audio engineering, and rendering.In my experience, one challenge that all podcasters face is the constant hamster wheel of production. There is little time to promote your last episode because you're probably already working on the next one. In a world where consistency promises growth and success, it can be challenging to find moments of stillness and quiet. But research shows that making space for ourselves, scheduling quiet time, and taking regular walks can increase creativity, productivity, and overall well-being. Let's explore the importance of each of these practices and how they can help boost creativity.MAKING SPACEMaking space is about creating physical and mental space for ourselves. It's about decluttering our physical surroundings, getting rid of anything that no longer serves us, and creating a calm, clutter-free environment. It's also about creating mental space by taking breaks from technology, work, and social media. Breaks allow our minds to rest and recharge.Making space is essential for creativity because it allows us to clear our minds, focus, and come up with fresh ideas. When our environment is cluttered, our minds become cluttered too. We're more likely to feel overwhelmed, stressed, and distracted. But when we create a calm and peaceful environment, our minds can relax. We can access our creativity more easily.SCHEDULING QUIET TIMEScheduling quiet time is about intentionally setting aside time for ourselves to be alone with our thoughts. In today's hustle culture, it can be very uncomfortable to sit alone without a smartphone or device. We must disconnect from the noise and distractions of the world and allow ourselves to reflect, meditate, or simply be still.Quiet time is essential for creativity because it allows us to tap into our inner world and access our intuition. When we're constantly bombarded with external stimuli, it can be challenging to hear our own thoughts and ideas. But when we intentionally create quiet time for ourselves, we can tune out the noise and connect with our own inner wisdom.TAKING REGULAR WALKSTaking regular walks is about getting outside, moving our bodies, and connecting with nature. It's about taking a break from our screens and our busy lives. Allow yourself to be present in the moment.Regular walks are essential for creativity because they allow us to clear our minds and access new ideas. When we're stuck in the same environment, doing the same things every day, our minds can become stagnant. But when we get outside, breathe fresh air, and move our bodies, we stimulate our brains and create space for new ideas to emerge.It's counterintuitive to say, “I need to go take a walk to make my podcast better.” But don't mock it until you've tried it. Making space, scheduling quiet time, and taking regular walks are essential practices for boosting creativity, productivity, and overall well-being. By intentionally creating calm and peaceful environments, disconnecting from external stimuli, and getting outside, we can access our inner wisdom and tap into our creativity more easily.So, the next time your podcast feels stuck or uninspired, try incorporating one of these practices into your daily routine. Ignite your creativity for a great podcast episode.

Consistency is often touted as the most important factor for successful podcasting. While having a regular schedule is important, there are other factors that are equally or even more important. Let's be real. Things happen. If your podcast is not your full-time job, sometimes your next podcast episode might have to be delayed. That's okay.In this blog post, we'll discuss five things that are more important than consistency when it comes to podcasting.Quality ContentThe most critical aspect of any podcast is the content. Your podcast must offer something of value to your audience. This means having informative, engaging, and entertaining content that your listeners will want to come back to again and again. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most of us do not take enough risks with our podcasts. Once we're in a groove, it's easy to get comfortable. Try to push the envelope with every new episode but remember… the quality of your content will have a significant impact on the success of your podcast. Ensure that every episode is well-produced, well-researched, and well-executed. Never compromise on quality.AuthenticityAuthenticity is crucial when it comes to podcasting. You cannot afford to take the connection and trust that you build with your listeners for granted. Your audience can tell when you're not being genuine, so it's important to be yourself and share your unique perspective. This means being honest about your opinions, experiences, and knowledge. Don't try to be someone you're not. Your audience can tell.Great HostIf you are the face of your podcast, it's essential to be engaging, interesting, and relatable. As a host, you should be passionate about your topic and able to connect with listeners. You should also be knowledgeable and able to guide the conversation. An engaging host can make a huge difference in the success of a podcast.ListenListening to and engaging with your audience is another crucial factor that can make or break a podcast. By listening to your audience, you will better understand their needs and preferences. This can help you tailor your content to meet their expectations and create a more engaging listening experience. Encourage feedback and respond to comments and questions from your listeners. This shows that you value their input and are committed to building a relationship with them.Marketing and PromotionEven the best podcast cannot succeed without effective marketing and promotion. This means utilizing social media, email lists, and other forms of marketing to reach new listeners. It also means collaborating with other podcasters or influencers to expand your reach. Don't be afraid to promote your podcast aggressively, as this is the only way to grow your audience.In conclusion, while consistency is essential, it's not the only factor that determines the success of your podcast. Quality content, authenticity, an engaging host, consistent quality, and effective marketing and promotion are equally important. By focusing on these factors, you can create a podcast that stands out and attracts a loyal following of listeners.NOW IS YOUR TIME!I really enjoyed this LinkedIn post from Rob Greenlee, Founder and CEO of Spoken Life Media. It seems the pendulum is swinging back in favor of the independent podcaster who can be a lean and mean showrunner.It reads... Podcasting is heading back to its roots now with the down economic environment - independent content creators and lower cost niche targeted content production is now the opportunity to grow a new show as big media content creation that has overspent on content is being reset. Power shift to the independent creator again as big media companies...

Podcasting has become an incredibly popular medium for people to share their ideas, stories, and insights with the world. I absolutely love it. Hitting publish on a great episode you created feels really good.The trouble is that the competition to stand out in the podcasting world has become increasingly fierce. You're up against hundreds of thousands of actively published podcasts. Some are supported by podcast networks with marketing budgets. If you're looking to increase downloads and create a successful podcast, it's important to find ways to differentiate yourself from the pack. One way to do that is to zag when others zig. In other words, try doing things differently than what everyone else is doing.One of the most common ways that podcasts are produced is by recording pre-recorded episodes. While this has been the tried and true method for podcasters from the start, it's also an opportunity to do things differently. For example, you could experiment with live streaming your podcast, either through social media or a dedicated platform like Twitch. This would allow your listeners to interact with you in real-time and give you an opportunity to create a more engaging experience.Another way to stand out is to record your podcast in person. While it's common for podcasts to be recorded remotely, there's something special about the energy and chemistry that comes from recording in person. This can be especially effective if you have co-hosts or guests on your show. You could even consider recording your podcast in front of a live audience, which would give you the opportunity to interact with your fans in a more personal way. I actually did this at Hubspot's Inbound conference in 2019 when I interviewed Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith. It's the only time that I recorded with a live audience. It was scary and fantastic. I highly recommend it.In addition to these production techniques, there are other ways to zag when others zig. For example, you could focus on a niche topic that isn't being covered by other podcasts. Alternatively, you could take a contrarian approach to a popular topic, offering a unique perspective that challenges conventional wisdom.Ultimately, the key to standing out with your podcast is to be authentic and true to yourself. Don't try to mimic other successful podcasts just because they're popular. Avoid common listener pet peeves and overused podcast phrases. Instead, focus on creating a show that reflects your own interests, passions, and expertise. Lean into you, the creator, because you make your podcast unique. You are your podcast's secret sauce. If you're passionate about what you're doing, your listeners will be able to tell, and they'll be more likely to stick around.If you want to grow your podcast audience, it's important to find ways to stand out from the crowd. I'm suggesting one way to do that is to zag when others zig. By experimenting with different production techniques, focusing on niche topics, and staying true to yourself, you can create a podcast that is truly unique and engaging. With persistence, dedication, and a little bit of creativity, you will build a loyal audience and establish yourself as a podcasting powerhouse.How is your podcast unique so it stands out?

After ruminating on my podcasting pet peeves (I'll share them at the end), I searched Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook to find out what bothers podcast listeners the most. There were commonalities and upvotes that we can use to improve our podcasts. It turns out that listeners do not just want to be entertained, educated, or inspired, but they want podcast creators to respect them and their time.Here's what I found.TOP 10 PODCAST LISTENERS' PET PEEVES:Uneven audio levels (especially louder ads)Too much rambling banter at the startPoor audio qualityAn interviewer who interrupts their guestMouth noises (lip smacks and clicks)Host's lack of preparationGoing off topic for too longInside jokesToo many adsMentioning books, articles, etc., but not including in the show notesWhile I've heard creators say that content quality trumps audio quality, listeners' most frequent complaints focus on uneven volume and poor audio quality. Uneven audio within a podcast episode that requires the listener to constantly adjust the volume is a big turnoff. Also, having your podcast episode too soft or too loud compared to other podcast episodes is also a problem. While commercials on television often boost the volume to make up for you heading to the kitchen for a snack, podcast listeners do not appreciate loud ads played in their earbuds. Quality is most important but do not pass on a relatively easy fix to keep your listeners happy.Solution: Manually fix audio levels in your DAW. There are also very useful plug-ins and tools that can help.Here are my favorites.Waves Vocal Rider Plugin or Waves MaxxVolume Plug-in: These are very similar and help to adjust levels on individual audio tracks or on an overall mix.Auphonic is a fantastic tool for leveling and normalization that uses AI-based audio algorithms.Izotope RX 10 Mouth De-click is a great tool for automating the removal of weird mouth noises.Listeners want a podcast episode to deliver on its promise. That means getting to the meat of the content quickly, without too much rambling or going off-topic for a long time. If you host an interview show, this requires preparation so that you ask questions that listeners want to hear answers to, not interrupting or talking over your guest, and not spending too much time on inside jokes.Solution: Follow the British Army adage: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Follow the 7 Ps and the payoff will be a stronger podcast.MY (MAYBE CONTROVERSIAL) PODCASTING PET PEEVESBig microphone – Not sure if I'm in the minority here but the proliferation of big microphones onscreen bothers me. I'm all for great audio and understand that being close to the microphone / proper technique helps a lot; but for some reason, I do not like it when the microphone dominates the visual. Perhaps I'm just realizing that I'm a podcasting pacifist and protesting against the microphone arms race. P.S. I like the Shure SM7b but do not have one. Maybe it's mic envyOpening with, “Tell us about yourself.” – This one is controversial if you do it. My rationale for not opening with this is that I have yet to find a journalist or TV talk show host that opens with this question. In my opinion, it is a weak way to start an...

Marc Maron has struck a three-year deal with Acast to host, monetize, and distribute the comedian's hit podcast, WTF With Marc Maron. Comedian Marc Maron launched “WTF” in 2009. 1,335 episodes have been published, with new ones coming out twice a week. The show gets about 55 million listens per year. Wow, that is a platform. And platforms are worth money. For example, former late-night host Conan O'Brien recently sold his podcast company to SiriusXM for a reported $150 million. In May 2020, Spotify announced a licensing deal with Joe Rogan to host The Joe Rogan Experience, exclusively on the streaming platform, for what insiders say was a three-and-half-year deal worth at least $200 million. Spotify's exclusive deal meant that Joe Rogan fans could only listen to or watch JRE from the Spotify app. Shows were removed from YouTube and all other platforms. Generally, being on fewer platforms means sacrificing listeners who do not want to migrate to an exclusive app. For $200 million, Joe deemed it worthwhile!  I'm curious, what would your number be? Going a different route, WTF With Marc Maron will be hosted, monetized, and distributed via Acast. Notably, WTF will continue to be available on all major podcast platforms. “Entering into a partnership with the podcast giant Marc Maron is a big win for Acast and for the open podcasting landscape, as this deal guarantees that the podcast can continue to be listened to by everyone, everywhere, and on their preferred listening platform,” Ross Adams, the CEO of Acast, said. Deal Highlights: WTF will offer bonus content, merchandise, and live event offerings via Acast+, the podcast company's subscription service.  The WTF back catalog, currently available without ads on SiriusXM's Stitcher Premium, will be moved over to the open feed.  A “small portion” will be paywalled on Acast+. Advertisers will be able to place dynamic ads or use Acast's in-house team for premium spots that will appear on Maron's show. WTF also hopes the Acast partnership will help grow the show's international listenership. EXPERIMENT LIKE A SCIENTISTBig podcasts with lots of downloads can sell lucrative ad spots, but they too are experimenting. Open podcasting vs exclusivity. Paywalled bonus content. Dynamic ad spots and Premium spots. These ideas can inspire the niche, independent podcaster too. Figure out which advertisers (sponsors and affiliates) would most benefit by reaching your audience. Make a pitch deck and earmark times to consistently sell your podcast to advertisers. Be willing to experiment by offering different packages and campaigns to see what works. BUILD A PLATFORMDon't shortchange your podcast by just thinking of it as a podcast. Build a platform. Celebrity podcasters are taking advantage of the opportunities arising from the decentralization of content. But you do not have to be a celebrity. Today is the Golden Age of the creator and one reason is that you have countless distribution channels at your fingertips.  You can ideate and execute episodes more nimbly than ever as a solo creator or small team.  Seize the opportunity to build a loyal audience.  How can you do that? Follow the data Know your target listener and look at your analytics to see what episodes performed well. Are there topics that you should revisit or go deeper into? Be authentic Your audience knows and trusts you. Lean into your brand and stories.  Communicate your value With so many podcasts, listeners like shows that provide help and have a purpose. Clearly stating your value (it could be ‘entertainment') will give you a leg up on increasing audience and influence.   With the audience as your primary focus, your platform and value will inevitably grow. What tips can you share for growing a podcast? Visit...

“And all this science I don't understandIt's just my job five days a weekA rocket man” ― Elton John // Bernie TaupinDuring your podcasting journey, you're bound to feel a bit lost. Things have been a little crazy for me recently. After many close calls, COVID got my family last month. I've caught 6 mice in my house in the last 10 days. My dad just returned home after a stint in the hospital. (Being a self-appointed patient advocate is exhausting.) The stock market is correcting. I foolishly tried running across my retaining wall yesterday in the pouring rain, slipped, and fell 4 feet onto the wet grass below. I tried to gracefully execute a ninja roll, but I looked more like the victim of a ninja who had kicked me off the wall. My pipeline of podcast interviews went down to zero. None of this appeared in my social media highlight reel, by the way.  May is Mental Health Awareness Month so be sure to take time for yourself, if you need it. For me, https://youtu.be/KTXj2bEwYIs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pg_51_falling&utm_term=2022-05-18 (guitar is my medicine). If you're in New Jersey this Saturday, come hear my friends and me play at https://hapifestnj.org/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pg_51_falling&utm_term=2022-05-18 (The Heritage of Asian Pacific Islanders (HAPI) Fest NJ). The hula dancers will be fab. If you fall, literally or figuratively, pick yourself up and hope the neighbors didn't see you. Lucky for me, karate men bruise on the inside. And mud washes out of jeans easily. Last week, I only had time to publish a https://youtu.be/lV5Un_Rtk80?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pg_51_falling&utm_term=2022-05-18 (5-minute solo episode).  Do what you can. If you cannot. that's okay too. Your podcast is valuable. If you want to monetize, it is critical that you create engaging content and drive audience growth. Many experts will tell you that it should be in that order. Podcast advertising is growing like a rocket defying gravity.  The sixth annual https://www.iab.com/insights/u-s-podcast-advertising-revenue-report-fy-2021-results-2022-2024-growth-projections/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pg_51_falling&utm_term=2022-05-18 (IAB U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue study) by PricewaterhouseCoopers is out and the data is impressive. For the first time ever, the podcast advertising market surpassed $1B in 2021. Revenues increased 72% YoY to $1.4B and are forecasted to exceed $2B in 2022 and almost triple by 2024 to over $4B. Podcast advertising grew 2X faster in 2021 (+72%) than the total internet ad market (+35%). Podcast advertisers are not only seeing the benefits of brand-building and driving business outcomes, but they are getting more sophisticated. In 2019, dynamically placed ads made up less than half of the podcast ad market. That has changed. Last year, 84% of ads were dynamically inserted into podcasts.  Advertisers are using technology to manage campaigns that target listeners based on location, age, and gender. Further, there are better methods for advertisers to track the effectiveness of their ads. The rapid growth makes sense. If advertisers can better implement advertising on podcasts and measure the impact, they're inclined to spend more dollars.  For podcasters, this means that we must take advantage of dynamic content. We also need to deeply understand our ideal listeners and audience metrics in order to demonstrate value to advertisers. (I've been looking at https://podcastgym.com/link/captivate/ (Captivate's dynamic ad features) and like what I see.) * * * * * It's funny how the dark can make the light appear brighter. Contrast frequently helps us to see things more...

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”― Isaac AsimovThe word for this post is “open.” Be open to unexpected guests. Be open to new ideas. Be open to being uncomfortable. Publishing a podcast regularly can be a slog sometimes. Being open to new things can keep things fresh — in a good way. I've talked previously about striving to get 100 nos in a year. This can push you to invite more guests and to reach higher. Since May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I decided to try something I've never done — attempt to book 4-5 AAPI guests.  I proudly report the following: No: Margaret Cho, Ali Wong, Ronny Chieng, Nims Purja Maybe: Michael Paul Chan Yes: Etta Lau Farrell, Steven He  If you don't know Etta (I didn't), she is the wife of Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, a long-time dancer for the band, and backup singer. She just released her debut single.  It's unexpected so I'm going with it! I'm excited to interview Steven He. Emotional damage! About 20 of my invites remain unanswered so I still have work to do. Wish me luck. Meanwhile, I put together a list of https://aapodcasters.org/31-asian-american-podcasts-for-aapi-heritage-month-2022/ (31 Asian American Podcasts for AAPI Heritage Month). Please add a few to your playlist. Monetization is always a hot topic for independent podcasters. It's doable but can be hard. If you're monetizing your show, how are you doing it? Hit reply, I'd love to hear from you. IMHO, here are three ways: Sponsorships – I'm not talking about MailChimp, Squarespace, or Blue Apron. Leave those to the big download shows. If you're small and your niche, you can proactively approach businesses that sell a product or service that fits your audience's needs. Price a quarterly or 6-month campaign according to the value of your niche listenership, not by your number of downloads. Ask enough prospects, and you can land sponsors. Affiliate marketing – This one is working for me. Again, the key is to find products or services that your listeners could use. Mention a link or code for listeners to support your podcast, and the affiliate partner will pay you a percentage of sales. Pro tip: higher ticket items can be better. My top seller is an $80 side hustle how-to manual that pays out 40%. That's much better than Amazon book links that pay a few cents. Sell your own product – Because you are building trust with your listeners, you have a great opportunity to sell them things like your course or one-on-one coaching. This is a popular one because it works. It tends to be a higher-ticket item so the potential revenue can be meaningful. Should you ask guests to pay to be on your show? This one can be controversial.  John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneurs on Fire charges some guests a https://www.eofire.com/guest/ ($3,500 appearance fee). You can place a PayPal link on your booking page requiring a guest to pay. I do not know about you; but if I were a potential guest, a surprise “marketing fee” would turn me off.  I've heard of podcasters charging PR companies $100-200 to book their clients. On the higher end, I know of a podcaster who successfully offers a VIP red rope package to PR firms. For $500, PR firms get their client's episode moved up in the production schedule, social media assets (a short clip and graphics), and a guaranteed number of social posts. For $3,000, the PR firm can book any 10 guests. The VIP red rope service kind of made sense to me. I mean, guests pay a pretty penny to PR firms to book them media appearances. Why shouldn't the podcaster get a piece? If others are charging and I'm not, am I leaving money on the table? I was so tempted to include a quote in my last email to a PR firm but didn't do...

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.“― Theodore LevittPivot is a popular word in the start-up world. A pivot means fundamentally changing the direction of a business when you realize the current products or services aren't meeting the needs of the market. It's a fact that most entrepreneurial firms fail. For an entrepreneur, the idea that you can pivot and survive is critically important.  Since most podcasts https://squadcast.fm/blog/overcoming-podfade (podfade), we'd better pivot too. This week, I read Carrie Caulfield Arick's piece entitled, “https://carrie-25561.medium.com/why-the-podcasting-industry-creates-podfade-ii-the-creative-7f26b814fae6 (F*ck Consistency. I'll take quality over it any day of the week. Fight me.)” It was good to get a different perspective on the 3C's of podcasting: content, consistency, and community. Carrie says the podcast industry is too rigid in putting consistency first. It got me thinking. Publishing for the sake of consistency may make us less likely to listen to our audience and less willing to pivot.  How often have you made significant changes to your show? Probably not often enough. I've been publishing weekly for 4.5 years without taking a break. Seasonal breaks would provide time to listen, reflect, and refresh. I admit that my weekly production schedule does not give me much time to think or act strategically. Consistency is meeting expectations in the present. We are told that listeners come to expect a new episode on a regular schedule. They thrive on consistency and predictability so it's essential that you deliver it if you want to grow your audience. But has your growth stalled? Have your downloads plateaued? Here is the problem. If you are only consistent and not innovating, you will get the same results. Another thing we tend to do as podcasters is emulate bigger podcasts. What if like some big corporations, big podcasters are too content with where they are and at risk of losing touch with their rapidly changing environment. Think Blockbuster, Radio Shack, Toys R Us – retail leaders that collapsed in the last decade. Indie podcasters have a tendency to follow established behaviors that may have at one time brought success. What if they now result in failure? Our time is too short to be another me-too, water-downed podcast. We must be nimble podcasters who are willing to push boundaries and disrupt ourselves. Innovation is meeting expectations in the future. For an example of a podcast pivot, I present my friends Steve and Veronica. After publishing 108 episodes of https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pod-sound-school/id1452753789 (Pod Sound School), they've done the unthinkable and said goodbye to their beloved podcast. As full-time content creators and business owners, they explain that they've grown out of their podcast. They realized that their thing is not only podcasting – it's just one skill set among many. Case in point, their https://www.youtube.com/podsoundschool (YouTube channel) currently has 55.6K subscribers. They're fabulous video creators. They will soon rebrand their podcast as “Content Jefe Podcast by the Pod Sound School.” This innovation is worth emulating! Analyze your audience and your strengths. Decide where you want to go together. Pivot! Mentioned in this episode: Join and Subscribe Visit www.podcastgym.com/newsletter to joing our community and subscribe to the Podcast Stronger newsletter.

Today, I deleted 3,300 emails from my inbox. 5,748 unread messages stand between me and inbox zero. Oh dear. I'll come back to my disastrous inbox later, but first… You want to grow your podcast, right? Many podcast gurus say the best way to grow your podcast's downloads is to guest on other podcasts. Why? Because you're getting in front of listeners who already listen to podcasts. Here's where https://podcastindustryinsights.com/apple-podcasts-statistics/ (2.4 million active podcasts) in Apple Podcasts are a really good thing. Even if only 21% have published within the last 90 days, that leaves hundreds of thousands of podcast hosts eagerly looking for guests. The challenge is they're not looking for just any guest. You're going to have to pitch yourself to tell them why you're a great guest. One of the quickest places to start is a guest-host matching platform like https://podcastgym.com/link/podmatch/ (Podmatch). Register for free and create a guest one-sheet. The Podmatch algorithm will immediately start recommending podcasts for you based on your guest profile. You can send your pitch and when a host accepts, it can be scheduled within the platform. It's that easy. For a more targeted effort, I recommend using https://www.listennotes.com/ (Listennotes) or https://www.podchaser.com/ (Podchaser) to search for podcasts based on your podcast's topic. While you might be able to land a guest spot on The Tim Ferriss Show, your time would be better spent starting smaller. Listennotes has a cool Listen Score (LS) that estimates the popularity of a podcast and a Global Rank that ranks the LS relative to the total podcast universe. While you're at it, it might be fun to look up your own podcast. Remember that the score and rank are just an estimation, but they can serve as a handy guide. I suggest pitching top 10% shows, then 5%, then 1%, until you're ready for Tim Ferriss. Your pitch will be unique to you so I'm not going to tell you precisely how to pitch yourself.  Back to my inbox. I receive a ton of guest pitches — including lots of samples of which ones worked and those that didn't. In my experience, know the podcast you are going to pitch. After listening to several episodes, you're ready. Make your pitch concise and to the point.  While every pitch will vary, here are the non-negotiables. Explain who you are Tell a great story about what makes you an interesting guest who is qualified to speak on the topic that you'll bring Extra points for why you think it will be interesting to the podcast's audience If you've been a guest on other podcasts, name drop WHAT NOT TO DO[Visit podcastgym.com to see the email] Yes, a few weeks have passed, but my name is still not James! Further, the pitch is so vague that I have no idea what her “unique insights” might be. Too much effort to find out more. Next! [Visit podcastgym.com to see the email] Uh oh. Tough start.  I get these form letters a lot. This one got my name correct but forgot to fill in for Guest X. I was always quick to eliminate resumes with glaring errors. I do the same with incoming pitches. Next! THIS ONE WORKED[Visit podcastgym.com to see the email] Jim's email is short and sweet.  He opened with who he is. He piqued my interest because he got COVID and his business lost $400,000 in annual recurring revenue. Double ouch! His story was not only topical, catching COVID during the height of the pandemic, but he's got a comeback story! The enclosed link to his blog post made it easy for me to learn more and check out his business. In the end,  https://www.runnymede.com/blog/how-to-rebuild-a-business-with-growth-marketing/ (he was a great guest.) Win-win. If you want to guest on more podcasts this year (and you should,) make a list of 12 shows that you want to target. Carefully craft your pitch. While you're doing...

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”Henry David ThoreauI was told early on, “Don't look at your downloads.” Guess what? I looked at my downloads. If I had zero downloads, I would still enjoy hosting my podcast. To which a friend responded, “Then why do you bother editing?” Touché. Good friends keep you honest, even if they're a pain in the ass. Ashley Carman wrote a very interesting article in Verge entitled, “https://www.theverge.com/22989201/siriusxm-podcasts-earwolf-stitcher-acquisition-hosts-employees-leaving (How SiriusXM Bought and Bungled a Beloved Podcast Network): SiriusXM leapt into podcasts with a $325 million deal — insiders say it's off to a messy start.” Here's Ashley's tweet: https://twitter.com/ashleyrcarman/status/1506284893474537479 What do you think? Is it getting harder to garner support and care? Do your downloads define your success? With the number of podcasts still growing, including those hosted by celebrities, it feels harder to get noticed. But are we really competing against them? I will never compete with Matthew freakin' McConaughey. While it can happen, most independent podcasters are a long way off from signing with a major podcast network. Until you get there, be creative as hell. Niche down if you have to. Lean into you. With the ups and downs of podcasting, it's okay to cry on a friend's shoulder, as needed. Or on the collective shoulder of podcasters that you don't know. Buck's tweet: https://twitter.com/2ndFiddles/status/1506372607704195081 I enjoyed reading all the replies to Buck's tweet. Podcasters are pretty awesome. Advice from Apple: What's the best way to make your way on and up the charts? Make an incredible show that is unmissable for listeners! Try your best to not focus on downloads. Redirect your attention to your craft. Big opportunities abound for podcasters, including new ones, to grow a loyal audience. Even small podcasts can be monetized. I've been at this for over 4 years and have only just begun to focus on growth and monetization. Hopefully, this old dog can learn new tricks. I plan to share tests and outcomes here. I'd love to hear what you are doing. Have a growth hack to share? Are you making money from your podcast? Leave a comment, please. P.S. Make a sad happy by downloading https://www.secondfiddlespodcast.com/ (Second Fiddles) wherever you get podcasts. Mentioned in this episode: Join and Subscribe Visit www.podcastgym.com/newsletter to joing our community and subscribe to the Podcast Stronger newsletter.

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of the creative effort. – Franklin D. RooseveltI read an article in the New York Times, “https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/arts/indie-podcasts-fiasco-campside.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pg_46_money&utm_term=2022-03-09 (Surrounded by Big Tech, Small Podcast Shops Swim With Sharks.)” The subheading reads, “Independent companies like Prologue Projects, Campside Media and Rococo Punch try different strategies in a market roiled by Silicon Valley and Hollywood.” The first subject is Leon Neyfakh's podcast production company, Prologue Projects, and how it needed to seek new funding for its fifth season of “Fiasco” after not getting renewed by Luminary. The good news is that big tech companies like Amazon, Spotify, Apple and SiriusXM have spent billions in recent years acquiring or developing podcasts. Here's the bad news. “Even if one isn't swallowed by a bigger fish, the competition for advertisers — critical sources of revenue for many independent podcasters — has intensified as the platforms leverage advanced technology and user bases in the tens or hundreds of millions. Additionally, the sheer volume of new podcasts (Spotify alone now has nearly four million, up from 500,000 in 2019) has made it increasingly challenging to attract and keep audiences.” Spoiler alert: After considering free, ad-supported, or paywalled models, Neyfakh pivoted “Fiasco” to Audible where the new season will premiere on March 24 as an Audible exclusive. Wanting to learn more, I read Leon's tweets. [Visit www.podcastgym.com to read the tweets.] Wow, $250,000 for a podcast! As independent podcasters, many of us are used to producing content on a shoestring budget. What's your budget? Is it in the hundreds of dollars? Maybe, thousands? Sadly, most of us cannot pay ourselves. Soraya, an NPR editor, weighed in and upped the ante. Soraya makes good points.  If we are to normalize million-dollar shows, indie podcasters need to step up too. We will need to get serious about monetizing so we can pay ourselves. If we build a great team, we need to pay them too. Further, we can no longer focus solely on content creation. We must begin to treat our podcast as a business. That means reaching out to sponsors, considering crowdfunding on platforms like Patreon, and partnering with other independent podcasters. Of course, it will vary depending on your show and audience. Think about what it may look like for your podcast. It is time to go bigger.  Bigger episodes Bigger collaborations Bigger budgets Make your podcast worthy of $1M. What's your budget for your podcast? What do you think about going bigger? Post a comment. Mentioned in this episode: Join and Subscribe Visit www.podcastgym.com/newsletter to joing our community and subscribe to the Podcast Stronger newsletter.

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. – Charles R. SwindollAre you generally more fearful or fearless? We all have our good days and bad days.  It's got to be partly innate, a trait present from birth. Some people were born fearless. Others have to work hard to build their courage. When it comes to rejection, fearing it is more universal. Really, who loves rejection!?  Get rejected consecutive times and even the most fearless warrior can feel the slump and have to shake off the funk. Why face rejection at all? Often, it's easier not to try. DISCOMFORTWe know it's easier to limit yourself to doing what's comfortable. Staying in your lane feels good. Think back to a real breakthrough or high achievement in your life. I'll bet it required truly pushing yourself beyond what you thought was possible. Growth most often takes place outside of your comfort zone. Welcoming discomfort is easier said than done.  We need to develop a habit to get there. TRAINLast week, I spoke at the https://podcastgym.com/link/interviewmastery/ (Interview Mastery Summit) where my session was, “Getting to Yes: Book Bigger Guests, Get Booked On Bigger Shows.” In it, I touched on the mindset for booking bigger guests and getting booked on bigger shows. Here's a challenge for you. Commit to getting rejected 100 times this year. That's 25 “no's” per quarter.  It's harder to do than you think. When you pitch, a nonresponse does not count. You must get a “no” reply. Celebrating rejection will shift your mindset. Each time will still be disappointing, but you'll quickly celebrate and move on. Ultimately, this gamification will encourage you to pitch more often and reach higher. Don't just take my word for it.  For background, this idea was inspired by Jia Jiang who sought out rejection for 100 days. He's an expert! If you haven't watched his TEDTalk, it's 15 minutes well spent. Out of his video blog came the book, https://amzn.to/3se5qMa?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pg_45_rejection_proof&utm_term=2022-02-23 (“Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection.”) Here are three highlights from Jia. IN THE PROCESS OF MY REJECTION JOURNEY, HERE IS WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT REJECTION:Rejection is a muscle. If you don't constantly work outside your comfort zone, you'll lose it and you'll become weak and timid. Rejection is a numbers game. Fight through enough no's and you will eventually find a yes. Avoiding rejection is worse than receiving it. Most people believe avoiding rejection is a good thing, by avoiding something bad we've dodged a bullet and we are somehow net positive, but that's not true. When we shy away from rejection we reject ourselves and our ideas before the world ever has a chance to reject them. This is the worst form of rejection and as a result, we are ignored by the world. Let this be your new goal. Put yourself out there. Where three rejections may add up to a slump, one hundred rejections will desensitize you to the fear. Build that muscle! Whether you apply this practice to your podcast, job, or other parts of your life, the magic lies in that you can never forecast where the “yeses” will come from. So ask often and ask big! Want to join me trying to get rejected 100 times? Mentioned in this episode: Join and Subscribe Visit www.podcastgym.com/newsletter to joing our community and subscribe to the Podcast Stronger newsletter.

Do you podcast for the money or the fame?  That emoji is me laughing and crying at the same time. It's said that most podcasters do not make money. The truth is that most of us have negative cash flow after accounting for the cost of gear, time, and not taking a salary. We podcast for the love of it… the networking… building a personal brand. I get it. It's not all about the moolah. As you publish each episode, though, wouldn't it be nice to have more listeners… get more feedback… help more people?! Growing a podcast can be hard. It helps to have a team. I'm linking here to a https://podcastgym.com/hire-remote-workers/ (social enterprise) that helps you find remote workers while creating jobs for talented people in countries like Venezuela, Argentina, and Kenya. I've had really good experiences with it. If we want to grow a podcast, it helps to treat it like a business. Building a team costs money. Marketing a show requires funds. Money, money, money! Making a podcast can be fun, but growing one can be too. CPMHere's the good news. According to the https://www.iab.com/news/us-podcast-ad-revenues-grew-19-yoy-in-2020-set-to-exceed-1b-this-year-and-2b-by-2023/ (Internet Advertising Bureau), the podcasting industry experienced a 19% increase in advertising revenue in 2020. Podcast ad revenues are expected to exceed $1 billion this year and $2 billion by 2023. One notable highlight: At 76%, mid-roll spot placements continued to account for three-fourths (76%) of revenues.CPM stands for “cost per mille” and refers to the ad cost per 1,000 listens. Here's the bad news for the average podcast that gets 164 downloads after 30 days. PODCAST PRE-ROLL AD CPMThe average 15-25 second pre-roll ad spot will have a $15 CPM. It'll cost approximately $1,500 to purchase a pre-roll ad on a podcast that generates 100,000 listens. Calculating a $15 CPM for 164 downloads is $2.46.  PODCAST MID-ROLL AD CPMThe average 30-60 second mid-roll ad spot will have a $30 CPM. It'll cost approximately $3,000 to purchase a mid-roll ad on a podcast that generates 100,000 listens. Calculating a $30 CPM for 164 downloads is $4.92.  PODCAST POST-ROLL AD CPMThe average 15-25 second post-roll (also known as an “end-roll”) ad spot will have a $10 CPM. It'll cost approximately $1,000 to purchase a post-roll ad on a podcast that generates 100,000 listens. Calculating a $10 CPM for 164 downloads is $1.64.  Selling ads for less than $5 isn't worth anyone's time… advertiser or podcaster.  AFFILIATESYou've got to start somewhere. The advice that I've heard most often is to start with affiliate marketing. Cost Per Action (CPA) Marketing is a marketing model in which a commission is paid when a user takes a specified action. It is also referred to as Cost Per Acquisition Marketing. It is not dependent upon how many downloads your episodes get. Joe Saul-Sehy of https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/ (The Stacking Benjamins Podcast) once told me that he started by joining an affiliate network like https://www.cj.com/ (cj.com) and doing ad reads so that listeners got used to hearing those spots. It also gave him confidence when approaching potential sponsors. Affiliate marketing is the process by which an affiliate earns a commission for marketing another person's or company's products.The key to effective affiliate marketing is partnering with products that fit your show and audience. Here are a couple of advanced tips:  If you have an interview show, invite a guest who has a product or service that your listeners want to buy. Pair an affiliate offer with that guest's episode. Find products or services that have a meaningful payout.  You do not need to have thousands of listeners to sell a product. The great thing about podcasting is that you build a relationship and trust with each person...

“Practice like you've never won. Perform like you've never lost.”I was recently invited to be a special guest of the https://www.andywangmusic.com/show/masters-of-hawaiian-music/ (Masters of Hawaiian Music in New York City). In the photo above, I'm in the center, seated between 5-time Grammy award winner https://kahumoku.com/ (George Kahumoku, Jr.) and master ‘ukulele instrumentalist https://www.herbohtajr.com/ (Herb Ohta, Jr.) We each played a solo set and then jammed together to close the show. (Play the embedded podcast player at 0:24 to hear a music clip.) Getting on stage is a lot like podcasting. It can force you out of your comfort zone. Playing alongside full-time professional musicians had my imposter syndrome running high too. After the show, a friend asked me, “How much did you practice.” My answer, “By myself? Quite a bit. Together? Not at all.” He responded with a socially distanced high-five. One of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, https://tommyemmanuel.com/ (Tommy Emmanuel) once told me to never practice in front of friends or family. “They'll get sick of hearing you play the same song over and over again. Please spare them and preserve their enjoyment of music.” True pros know the value of woodshedding. The term comes from the idea of going out to the “woodshed” in the back yard (or some similar, solitary place), and working at something, over and over again, until it's perfected. Practice with intense repetition by yourself. Then make it look like a breeze in front of people. That's a great trick! ISOLATIONTo perform with these legendary Hawaiian musicians was a dream come true. The universe has a wicked sense of humor though. Cold-like symptoms for one musician led to a positive COVID test. Organizing live events during a pandemic is not for the faint of heart. The tour ended prematurely with a bunch of postponed shows. The CDC says that I do not need to quarantine — just wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. My family prefers that I not eat with them, prepare food, or wash dishes. I definitely don't miss the dishwashing. As I write this, I'm isolating myself in the basement for the week. https://giphy.com/gifs/southparkgifs-l2SpWTQyOaTnqrHzO (via GIPHY) PRACTICEIt's not all bad. In fact, my man cave has everything that I need. I've got my work from home set up, a TV, workout equipment, a camping mat to sleep on, and en suite bathroom. An air purifier and space heater keep me company. You don't need a potential COVID exposure to practice. We podcasters can woodshed too. AUDIO ENGINEERINGMake time to get better at your DAW My digital audio workstation for editing audio is Reaper. I read a post at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1331712173584193 (Podcast Editors Club) and learned that I can edit video in Reaper too. This blew my mind. Optimizing audio and rendering video in the same program simplifies my workflow and saves me a lot of time. I also learned that I can render an mp3 audio file and mp4 video file at the same time. Thank you Steph Fuccio for the tips. Try new plugins http://imp.i114863.net/x9Z9zd (Izotope RX Elements) is one of my favorites. I use Voice De-noise (reduces background noise) and De-click in almost every episode that I edit. When it's on sale, it's a steal at $20! I like Elements so much that I grabbed a promotion to upgrade to http://imp.i114863.net/15gjox (RX Standard). I frequently use Breath Control and De-Reverb. This week, I was editing an interview with a guest whose laptop mic resulted in harsh, high-frequency S and Sh sounds. A little RX De-ess worked like magic. It was the first time, I've used that plugin. See if woodshedding can make your podcast sound better and improve the overall quality of your show. You might find that you can do things faster too. In the meantime, from my...

“When it is time to sow, sow and when it is time to harvest, you will harvest. Obey this rule.” ― Israelmore Ayivor, Become a Better YouFew know the grind better than an indie podcaster. Am I right? We wear many hats…  Booker, host, audio engineer, editor, promoter, copywriter, and VA. I'm sure there are more, but those quickly come to mind. Alexandra Cohl of POD.DRALAND expressed the indie podcaster experience perfectly in this tweet. See the tweet at http://podcastgym.com/the-many-hats-of-indie-podcasters BREATHEIt's time to see the forest from the trees. Even cowboys need to rest. Take a pause from the grind and take inventory of what you've created in the past 12 months. What have you accomplished? How did your podcast evolve? Any wins worth celebrating? Even though my http://inspiredmoney.fm/ (Inspired Money) podcast is 4 years old, innovation continues. I tweaked the show format, added new theme music, and improved episode art.  In the podcaster's war of attrition, simply continuing to publish makes you triumphant. I'm willing to bet that you had victories too. What did you do? SEEDSI feel like my downloads have held steady but have less of an upward slope than the early days. Of course, there's a global pandemic to account for. The work at home did not help my downloads. It's difficult to compare stats because every show and its audience are different. What do your downloads tell you? Here's my thinking. All the changes and improvements of 2021 have been sowing the seeds for a bountiful harvest in 2022. That said, the work does not stop there. When the seeds begin to sprout, more work is about to begin! Bring it on. HACKSIn the past, I mentioned ideas for promoting your podcast that included sending out press releases, swapping promos with other podcasters, and doing outreach to podcast publications/newsletters. Here are some additional experiments that I'm doing. Automated messages  I have an automated message that drips out to my LinkedIn contacts that asks for podcast feedback. On a platform that frowns on a hard sell, asking for podcast feedback is a way to say “Hi, did you know I have a podcast?” It's already sparking engagement and conversation.   Twitter Spaces I was recently a speaker on a friend's Twitter Spaces. (It's Twitter's competitor to Clubhouse. Kudos to those of you killing it on Clubhouse. I am not!) The appearance gained me new followers and my friend pitched my podcast. Hope it gets me a few new listeners. It's worth further exploration. YouTube I've been sowing seeds here in a big way by producing https://www.youtube.com/inspiredmoney (video) for my podcast. Video is daunting. Editing is very time-consuming, files are big, and I have to wear a proper shirt! It's been slow growth, but I'm optimistic for positive momentum in the new year. What growth hacks do you have to share? How can we grow our podcasts significantly in the next 12 months? Sow the seeds. Harvest the crop. And then repeat! P.S. Keep all your hats organized!

“The awards world can be ridiculous, but I'm not one to bash it. I love awards! When I've been nominated for Emmys and when I won my DGA Award, I couldn't have been happier. I always liked getting a gold star in class.”― Paul FeigI've never liked awards much. Perhaps it began in 1989 when the newly created Grammy Awards category for https://www.loudersound.com/features/what-happened-the-night-jethro-tull-beat-metallica-to-a-grammy-award (Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental went to Jethro Tull) instead of Metallica. I'm also parenting in the era of “Every Kid Gets a Trophy.” Where's is the excellence? I'm pretty bah humbug and yet… Today, I am one of the organizers of the https://aapodcasters.org/awards2021/ (Golden Crane Podcast Awards). The Asian American Podcasters Association just hosted its second annual awards show, and I loved it. What bitter irony. Attendees were dressed to the nines for a virtual event. Can you believe that?! Win or lose, it was community building with an overarching feeling of collaboration and connection. LISTENAs an organizer, I'm not eligible for nomination but am among a panel of judges. I listened to over 40 podcast episodes and voted on a number of criteria that included content, production, interview skill, and audio quality. There is a big benefit to listening to a lot of shows with a judge's ear and evaluation card. Listening to episodes gives you context. For example, identifying reference episodes of great sounding shows provided me with A/B comparisons for my podcast. I quickly realized that I've published episodes that don't sound as good as they should. As a result, I remixed and republished an old episode.   I urge you to put yourself through the exercise of listening to podcasts with a critical ear. You neither need to start a podcast award show nor be a judge. Just listen. PLAYLISTShttps://www.listennotes.com/ (Listennotes) is a great tool. You can search for and listen to podcasts directly in your browser. Even better, you can create a playlist of podcast episodes, copy the RSS feed for your playlist, and add it to your favorite podcast catcher.  I do this in Overcast and it works great. Any podcasts that I add to my Listennotes playlist with automatically be downloaded for listening on my smartphone. In addition to audio quality, you can listen to shows to improve your editing, show format, and interview questions. Why not get inspired by other great shows? Give it a try.  Keep upping your game, and you may end up with an award-winning podcast.

I don't know much about SEO, it's short for Search Engine Optimization. According to Moz, SEO is a set of practices designed to improve the appearance and positioning of web pages in organic search results. There are best practices; of course, but, many variables go into an algorithm.  What I do know is that when I pose a question to Google, the first page of search results is important. Most of the time, I click one of the top 5 search results. Google really is getting smarter. It's not often that we navigate to page 2, 3… or 10? The first page is important. Here's my simple assumption. The more visible you are in search, the more listeners will find your podcast. PODCHASERWhile there are tactics like encouraging well-ranked websites to link back to your website that can improve your page rank and domain authority, it can take a long time. Here's a hack for getting found more easily. I noticed that Podchaser, a.k.a. the IMDb of podcasts, ranks well. For example, I interviewed Arrow star Katie Cassidy (also the daughter of David Cassidy. Yes, THAT David Cassidy, from The Partridge Family!)  Search Google for “Katie Cassidy podcast,” and my website does not immediately appear.  Ranked #4, though, is https://www.podchaser.com/creators/katie-cassidy-107aS1Kck9 (Katie Cassidy – Podcast Credits – Podchaser). With that result, I hope some of Katie's fans will find my interview. While I previously did not see much value in completing my Podchaser profile and episode details, I've changed my mind. If you haven't done it yet, claim your podcast at https://www.podchaser.com/ (Podchaser) and fill out as much information as you can. (While you're there, listen to my interview with https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/inspired-money-552543/episodes/from-side-hustle-to-vc-backed-54061433 (Bradley Davis), Podchaser's Founder and CEO.) With Podchaser's help, you and your podcast are likely to rank higher in search results. IMDBOnce you're cataloged at Podchaser, you might also consider going to the actual IMDb. IMDb began accepting submissions of audio-only podcasts in 2020. Listing your podcast and its episodes makes even more sense if you interview actors and others who already appear in this database. If they don't, it's fun telling your guests that they appear on IMDb.com alongside their favorite films. It can be a bonus perk of appearing on your podcast. To list my podcast at IMDb, my first step was to add any guests as “cast” if they were already in the database. Phase two was to add a year's worth of episodes and podcast episode images. Eventually, I'll do phase 3 — adding episodes going back to 2017. Check it out here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16610062 (Inspired Money (Podcast Series)) My rationale for taking the time to list at IMDb is to show up in more Google searches. Maybe someone will find my podcast while searching IMDb for their favorite actor. Or it just might help me land another celebrity guest if a publicist is searching for podcasts for their client who's promoting a new movie, book, or album. YOUTUBEFinally, do not forget YouTube. Some say it's the world's second largest search engine. I do not know if that is true, but YouTube plays nicely with Google. Of course, it's because it's owned by Google. If you post static image audio episodes, it can help you in search. Even better, post video episodes and/or live stream. Dedicate time to build your channel, and YouTube will help your audience to find you. Try any or all of these three things to try to grow your audience this year. Do you have any great tactics for marketing and improving discoverability? Leave a comment at www.podcastgym.com and let me know.

In biology, evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations. In business, products evolve over time to improve the customer experience. As a showrunner, you need to encourage the evolution of your podcast. At launch, it's difficult to know if listeners will enjoy your podcast in the way that you envision it. Let's assume that you followed https://podcastgym.com/podcasting-for-an-audience-of-one/ (podcasting for an audience of one) where you created a podcast that you love and others have followed and listened over time. Or you followed an entrepreneurial approach by identifying a problem or gap in the podcast universe, polled people about what they wanted in a show, and you created that podcast. As you run a show over time, the challenge is to push yourself beyond the status quo. How do you innovate? LISTENListening back to your show with a critical ear is a powerful tool. Put yourself into your listeners' shoes. Make time to https://podcastgym.com/best-way-to-improve-your-questions-tale-of-the-tape/ (review old episodes) and take detailed notes about what you could have done differently to strengthen the episode's message and impact. Could you have asked better questions? Could you have said more by saying less? Be critical and adapt with precision. MEANINGFUL METRICSAs your back catalog grows so does your data. Don't just look at downloads for the sake of looking at downloads. Review your metrics with purpose. See what episodes got the most downloads. Is there a common thread in the topic, style, or format? Did certain episodes receive more feedback or elicit a stronger response from listeners? Look at https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/ (Apple Podcasts Connect) or https://podcasters.spotify.com/ (Spotify for Podcasters) where you'll be able to see how long people listened to episodes. Which episodes kept them for the entire episode? Where did people drop off? Based on the above, make data-driven choices. ASKI find that it's often difficult to get constructive audience feedback so be proactive. Ask friends and fellow podcasters to listen to a specific episode and ask them for feedback. What did they like or not like? What changes can they suggest that would improve the show? Search for clues in your podcast reviews. Read the comments if you publish to YouTube. I periodically conduct listener surveys where I give away several Amazon gift cards to entice people to participate. Ask listeners if they're male or female, how they learned about your podcast, do they listen in the car? Gathering additional information about your listeners, why they listen, and what they like or don't like is priceless. TAKE RISKSChange is not easy, especially when you don't have a lot of data to go by. Implementing real improvements to your podcast requires you to take risks. I encourage you to do it regularly. Change the length of your introduction. Try a new theme song. Randomly try a different show format. Ask different questions. Invite unexpected guests. Experiment like you're a mad scientist. Then look at the metrics with the care of a forensic accountant. See what moves the needle positively. Ask for more feedback. As you try different things, some will instantly feel right. Others will be stinkers and fail. Experimentation allows you to adopt the good and shed the bad. Rinse and repeat. Embrace this process and you cannot help but make your podcast better over time. What tips can you share about evolving your podcast?

An essential part of creating a successful podcast is to identify and serve your audience well. But what if you have no idea who your audience is? In marketing, they say you attract customers by creating a customer profile. Can we similarly attract listeners by analyzing their demographics, challenges, and psychographics? Probably. But are you podcasting to sell a product or to create a great show? Podcast for yourself and you'll free yourself from worrying about what the listener thinks. Remember the insecure kid in school who tried too hard to impress people? We've all been that kid. Experience teaches us that being yourself is not only better, it's more sustainable. Always be yourself. You are your show's superpower, the one thing that cannot be copied by someone else. You'll attract listeners who like you and repel those who don't. Don't strive to please everyone. You can't have raving fans without one star reviews. (Lacking any one star reviews right now makes me question if I'm pushing hard enough with my podcast.) If we strip away everything, you should create the show that you want to hear. This is art for art's sake. Art needs no justification. Create greatness and people will want to listen. 

7 REAL REASONS TO START A PODCASThttps://podcastgym.com/category/create/ (Create)8 seconds ago5 Min Readhttps://podcastgym.com/7-real-reasons-to-start-a-podcast/#respond (Add Comment) 7 There are many well-intentioned articles that say you should start a podcast because it’s easy. I’m going to be straight with you. While easy to start, producing and publishing a podcast regularly requires tremendous effort, energy, and discipline. You will encounter moments of joy, but you’re also likely to have moments when you question why you’ve committed to such a time-consuming project. As I reflect on my experience, here are seven real reasons to start a podcast. Being easy is not one of them. BUILDING CONNECTIONSLaunch a podcast and you’ll have a platform that gets you one-on-one time with people who would not otherwise talk to you. Think of it this way. Your podcast is your party. As host, you get to roll out the red carpet for VIP guests. Do things right, and you’ll grow your network. Even if you don’t cultivate these relationships, you’ll raise the level of your brand by organizing the party. This is perhaps the most valuable benefit of having a podcast. It stands triumphantly regardless of how many listeners download your episodes. This one is black and white, and it begins with episode one. BECOME A BETTER COMMUNICATORBecause of podcasting. I’m thinking in the language of stories. Does my story have a beginning, middle, and end? Will my episode tell a story from start to finish? These are the building blocks of becoming a better communicator. I ask better questions. Listening is a work in progress, but at least I’m willing to admit that I have a problem! That’s the first step. When speaking, I still use crutch words — those dreaded ums, ahs, and you knows — but I’ve gotten better. Whether I’m speaking to someone one-on-one or presenting on stage, I have no doubt that my improved ability to communicate is because of my podcast. LOW BARRIER TO ENTRYThe real reason to start a podcast is that there is not a gatekeeper to tell you no. In radio, you’d have to sell your idea to a program director. Then, you’d need sponsors to cover the overhead to put your show out over the airwaves. In podcasting, the biggest barrier to entry is often yourself! With an idea and a smartphone, you can start recording audio. Upload it to a web or media host, and you’ve got a podcast. Sure, you can go down a rabbit hole researching gear, but it’s quite possible to start with what you already own. And when you are ready to upgrade equipment, sponsors won’t be necessary because you can level up a reasonable cost. HELPING PEOPLEThe idea that you can be a big podcaster with a grand audience is alluring. Don’t start a podcast for the promise of fame and fortune, though. The truth is that the typical show has a median of 130 downloads during its first few weeks of publishing. Don’t fret, because the magic is not in a million downloads. It’s in building a relationship with a real person listening on the other end. Whether your intention is to educate, entertain, or inspire, a podcast grants you the ability to make someone’s day a little bit better. Be the best podcaster that you can be, and you’ll have the power to reach a listener who really needs you. You might inspire someone to make a positive change. You could save a life! AUDIO IS ENGAGINGA recent study found that the average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds today. That is sad. People view Facebook videos for an average of 23 seconds. A “good” YouTube consumption rate is somewhere around 50%.​ Podcasts are different though. They’re binge worthy! According to Edison Research, 80% of people listen to all or most of each podcast episode. This is despite the fact that many podcasts can run for hours. No wonder podcasts have been called “the slow food movement of the media world.”​ ​A podcast is an opportunity for you to develop trust and build relationships

Although the pandemic induced WFH (work from home) has had its share of WTF, there have been silver linings. I’ve enjoyed hiking with my family at nearby trails that I didn’t even know were there previously. The kids and I bike around the neighborhood regularly. We get to eat lunch together. As podcasters, we’re constantly striving for incremental improvements so, it’s not surprising that over the last few months, my home office has evolved in a big way. If you do a lot of virtual Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings like me, I want to share my new toy — a teleprompter used as a monitor so I can look people in the eye on video calls. A hat tip and thank you to my friend Junaid who is a Jedi Master of home studios and guided me. Visit his website https://www.homestudiomastery.com/ (www.homestudiomastery.com) to see what excellence looks like and if you want an expert to do it for you. Using a teleprompter at home One thing I never realized I wanted was a teleprompter. In the photo above, you’ll see that my right monitor is duplicated in the teleprompter above it. There is a 10.1″ monitor that displays the same image as my monitor, reverses the image, so that it reflects in the beamsplitter glass, also referred to as a semi-transparent mirror. Behind that mirror sits a Canon DSLR camera. Voila! I can look at the participants of a virtual meeting AND look directly at the camera. If needed, I can even reference simple notes in the teleprompter. It is magic. When the monitor is turned off, you can see the camera. The teleprompter serves as a small monitor. List of Gear: https://amzn.to/3kXwKsY (Glide Gear TMP100 Teleprompter) https://amzn.to/3rmzjqB (LILLIPUT 10.1″ FA1016/C monitor) https://amzn.to/2OnA04y (HDMI Splitter) HDMI cable Tripod DSLR camera If you think the work-at-home will stay in play long after the pandemic recedes, this is a purchase that will be used regularly for the foreseeable future. If you’re on the fence about buying more gear, see if this tweet speaks to you as loudly as it did to me. That’s the story of how I pimped my ride, er… home studio. With a little decorating and some paint, here’s my before and after. Indeed, today’s $1,000 suit is a home studio upgrade paired with a jacket and tie. Of course, pants are optional.

Episode 12: Want a shortcut to creating a great podcast? Never hesitate to imitate another podcaster. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or craft. Whether it's painting, music, or podcasting, all find inspiration in looking up to others. In his book, https://amzn.to/393Ta63 (Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative), Austin Kleon writes: What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original.Whether you're a newbie or seasoned showrunner, never forget that you are an artist. Find the best podcasters in your category. Listen to them. Especially make it a point to listen to shows outside of your category. Do they do interviews or have different show segments? How do they use music or sound effects? What are they doing differently from you? Get their shows and voices into your head because you can copy programming and personality. Don’t worry that imitating them will cause you to lose your own voice and identity. Soon enough you will become who you are supposed to be. By listening to other podcasters, you'll plug yourself into a depth of experience that enriches you. Inspiration through imitation can help you raise the level of your podcast. Tap into greatness and you may soon find that your show is improving and sparking increased engagement. Don't just be a podcaster. Listen. Imitate. Make it yours. Be an artist. Who are podcasters who have inspired you?

Episode 11: You own more podcast t-shirts than dress shirts Bad audio upsets you You’ve forgotten to hit record, more than once You’ve asked more than one person to subscribe, rate, and review You’ve debated whether there’s a discoverability problem You know what a double-ender is You know Podchaser is the IMDb for podcasts You can report your downloads stats, as of three minutes ago You consider podcast conferences as reunions You’ve recorded under a blanket, in a closet, or both at the same time If you have one to add, please leave a comment.

Episode 10: Why do you podcast? Is your podcast intended to educate, inspire, or entertain? We all have different motivations. Maybe your goal is to grow your personal brand and build authority? Perhaps you want to monetize your show by building an audience and selling ads to sponsors. Or you might podcast for the simple joy of creating something with friends. Art needs no justification. I’ve listened to many podcasts, and I do believe that podcasting is an art. The phrase “art for art’s sake” (from the French l’art pour l’art) condenses the notion that art has its own value and should be judged separately from themes such as morality, religion, history, or politics. Why do you create art? Is it a noble pursuit or an exercise in vanity? As podcasters, we have a tendency to look too closely at downloads to validate our hard work. This is not a criticism. What artist, writer, or musician wants to be irrelevant or ignored? Who wants to create in a vacuum? Not me. Every podcaster who I know wants to make an impact. But don’t let the numbers discourage you and stop you from doing what you’re doing. What’s not clear is how many listeners do we need? Consider these words from Glenn “The Geek” Hebert who has been podcasting since 2008. He founded https://www.horseradionetwork.com/ (Horse Radio Network), one of the largest independent podcast networks in the world, with over 8,000 episodes and 11,000 guests interviewed. Glenn is currently recovering from surgery to have a cancerous tumor removed. Here’s an excerpt from a post that he wrote at the https://www.facebook.com/groups/podfest/ (Podfest Multimedia Expo Facebook group). I have always preached that you shouldn’t get hung up on numbers, downloads, views. The truth is you don’t know who is listening and how you might be affecting them. Even if it is one person, you might be saving their life or making that terrible day they are having a little better. I knew we had built a community at HRN, but the love and support I received through this from listeners has been incredible and extremely humbling. The listeners got together and sent a large Amazon Gift Card so I could shop while healing. I have hundreds of emails from listeners going through the most God awful stuff that say listening to us has helped them get through to live another day. Bottom line: Whether you have 10 downloads or 10,000 downloads. Be the best podcaster and messenger you can be for that one listener. The one listener who really needs you that day. You just might save their life.While it’s common to question if your downloads are tracking well or not, having only a handful of listeners is enough to make a difference. You’re fine just where you are. And until you reach your goal of however many listeners you desire to have, remember this: Art for art’s sake means for the pursuit of beauty – without any other preoccupation. Keep hitting publish. And keep making art that matters. Are you overly focused on the number of downloads your podcast gets? What do you think?

Episode 9: If you’re ready start a podcast, you’re probably asking, “Where should I host my podcast?” The good news is that you’ve got choices. The bad news is that you’ve got choices! Don’t get overwhelmed though. A dedicated podcast host is a specialized service that offers to store and deliver media files associated with a podcast. While you could host your media files (MP3 or AAC / M4A) yourself, either on your own server or wherever you host your website, this is not recommended for most. If your podcast begins to grow, your podcast downloads could affect your bandwidth and quickly get expensive. Also, your web host specializes in delivering web pages, not media files. And if there are ever issues with your website, listeners might not be able to download your episodes. Your dedicated podcast host should serve your media files quickly and take the load off of your website. You should also get industry-standard statistics, distribution across podcast directories/platforms, and support. You might also consider factors like an embedded player, monetization features, sponsorship opportunities, automations, and education. When choosing your podcast host, you want one that will grow with you and meets your needs in terms of price, reliability, and support. You want to find a long-term partner because if you need to change hosts in the future, you probably won’t be able to seamlessly port your downloads and analytics. It’s not the end of the world, but choosing the right host today will save you from headaches tomorrow. Here are three hosts that I use: https://podcastgym.com/link/libsyn/ (LIBSYN)Established in 2004, Libsyn (Liberated Syndication) launched as the first podcast service provider offering storage, bandwidth, and RSS creation tools. Libsyn hosts over 67,000 podcasts worldwide, delivers over 111 million unique downloads every month, and accounts for 28.2% of Apple Podcasts downloads for the top 400 US Podcasts. I’ve hosted http://inspiredmoney.fm/ (Inspired Money) at Libsyn since launching it in September 2017. The hosting has been reliable, and Libsyn helped distribute my podcast early to Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, and other services. It’s great to be supported by long-time podcasters like Rob Walch, Elsie Escobar, Dave Jackson, Rob Greenlee, and others. Pros: Strong brand reputation, host of many of the top downloaded podcasts, frequently first to market for integrations with platforms and directories, advertising and monetization (for shows with 5,000+ monthly downloads), custom app for iOS & Android (extra $10/month + other fees), https://thefeed.libsyn.com/ (The Feed The Official Libsyn Podcast). Cons: Dated web interface, cost, one RSS per account. Plans: Classic 50 Starts at $5/month for 50 MB monthly storage Classic 250 at $15/month for 250 MB monthly storage Advanced 400 at $20/month for 400 MB monthly storage and Advanced IAB v2.0 Stats Advanced 800 at $40/month for 800 MB monthly storage and Advanced IAB v2.0 Stats Libsyn: https://libsyn.com/ (Sign up) and be sure to use promo code “andy” to get one month free. If you sign up on the second day of the initial month of your trial, you’ll get the rest of that current month and the following month free. https://podcastgym.com/link/captivate/ (CAPTIVATE)Self-proclaimed as “The World’s Only Growth-Oriented Podcast Host™”, Captivate was created in 2019 for independent podcasters. Captivate is the podcast hosting company of UK-based Rebel Based Media that offers a suite of podcast tools including Poductivity, Podcast Success Academy, and Podcast Websites. The https://podcastgym.captivate.fm/ (Podcast Gym podcast) is happily hosted here. Founded in 2019, Captivate is a newcomer but it feels like a veteran. https://www.markasquith.com/ (Mark Asquith), CEO of Rebel Base Media, has been helping podcasters to build their audio influence since 2014 and is a frequent...

Episode 8: A great microphone is an important tool of the trade so choose yours wisely. Type “Best podcast microphone” into Google, YouTube, or Pinterest, and you’re likely to find the Blue Yeti atop many lists. Before impulsively adding it to your shopping cart though, you should learn about different types of microphones and how they differ. Do your homework, because you should pick the microphone that is the best for your voice and your room. CONDENSER VS DYNAMIC As a podcaster, you don’t have to be a professional sound engineer, but you should know the differences between a condenser mic and a dynamic mic. When you see a singer in a recording studio, odds are good that she’s singing into a condenser microphone. Your first clue: you’ll notice that it’s a side-address microphone. In the photo in the blog, the podcaster is correctly speaking or singing into the side of the mic — not into the top. If you take a closer look inside the head basket, you can see a diaphragm or membrane inside. Because condenser mics tend to be sensitive, they’re better suited in a sound-treated studio that doesn’t have a lot of room noise or echo. Characteristics of studio condenser mics: Greater frequency response Sensitive to louder sounds Requires phantom power, a.k.a. 48V Cleaner and truer to reality Best in a sound controlled environment More costly When you see musicians on stage, you’re likely to find dynamic microphones being used. These mics are better when there are several musicians, for example, when you’ve got vocals and instruments (guitar, bass guitar, drums.) As pictured above, the singer is correctly singing into the top of the microphone. With a dynamic microphone, sound waves hit a thin metallic diaphragm that is attached to a coil of wire. A magnetic field is part of the energy conversion. In podcasting and radio, dynamic microphones can be ideal because of durability and price. When your mouth is close to the microphone, dynamic mics sound good for spoken word while picking up less room sound. Characteristics of dynamic mics: Durable Do not require power Good in noisy environments Less sensitive Lack depth and color More affordable Now that you know the differences between condenser and dynamic microphones, evaluate your space to see which type might serve you best. I encourage you to try both, if you can, to see which type sounds best for your voice and recording environment. In lieu of sound treating a room, many podcasters improve their audio quality by recording in a closet full of clothes or underneath a blanket with both types of microphones but especially to tame sensitive condenser microphones. XLR VS USB As you shop for a microphone, take note of the connections. Generally, XLR connections require an external interface to connect the microphone to your computer. External interfaces often have better preamps and analog to digital converters. USB microphones can plug directly into your computer resulting in a more straight forward setup with less expense (because you don’t need to buy an interface.) Microphones like the Audio-Technica ATR-2100 and Samson Q2U have both XLR and USB connections. Interestingly, I’m told that these conbo microphones actually sound better when plugged in via USB over XLR. It’s worth noting that quite a few very popular podcasts use budget mics like the ATR-2100 or Q2U, and they sound great. MICS THE EXPERTS USE Because audio is so subjective, selecting the best podcast microphone can be challenging. Rather than going by the advice of random Bloggers and YouTubers, I scanned 196 episodes of the https://podcastengineeringschool.com/category/show/ (Podcast Engineering Show) and ranked the top 29 microphones by mentions by guests. In full disclosure, I had the pleasure of being a guest on https://podcastengineeringschool.com/andy-wang-host-and-producer-of-inspired-money-podcast-pes-106/ (PES episode 106) and talked all about my podcasting...

Episode 7: Have you ever gotten a one-star review? Anything less than five-stars can be a crushing blow when you’ve worked so hard to build your show. I haven’t received a bad rating yet but kind of wish that I did. Am I a glutton for punishment? Probably, but let me explain. I’ve been thinking about this, and it dawned on me that every great show has haters. Lacking any negative reviews so far, I’m concerned that it could be a sign that I’m not taking a strong enough stand. My show is not great yet. Think about it. Howard Stern, love him or hate him? Oprah, yay or nay? And the $100+ million dollar man Joe Rogan? Search Twitter and you’ll find thousands of tweets like this one. Arielle Nissenblatt @arithisandthatMaybe, just maybe... it’s my sole (soul) purpose in life to bring down Joe Rogan. RT if you’re with me.Successful shows don’t just attract audiences, but they repel a segment of them. If you’re going to cultivate raving fans, you must accept the haters that come as part of the package. There’s often little middle ground. What if we strive to make our podcasts so great that a bunch of listeners hate us? If you have tips for achieving this, please let me know. TALE OF THE 1-STAR CHEFHave you ever eaten at Botto Bistro in the Bay area? I’ve only read about it. Restaurateur https://thehustle.co/botto-bistro-1-star-yelp/?&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pg_3_three_wishes&utm_term=2020-07-15 (Davide Cerretini) grew tired of feeling beholden to Yelp’s rating system. Even worse, he says that Yelp salespeople inundated him with calls to buy ads or else have some of his restaurant’s 5-star reviews removed. Feeling like Yelp controlled his reputation, he’d had enough. One morning in September of 2014, he placed a sign in front of Botto Bistro: Give us a one-star review on Yelp and get 25% off any pizza! Hate us on Yelp. In just a few days, Botto Bistro’s Yelp page had more than 2,300 1-star ratings praising its delicious food and good service! Cerretini became an instant celebrity in the restaurant scene and his restaurant was branded with the unique distinction of being the worst-rated restaurant on Yelp. Cerretini won. Whether we’ve got haters or not, we too can stand out by being different. Should we start asking for 1-star reviews? I’m very tempted.

Episode 6: What if you think of your podcast like a Western? Consider this. Podcasting is a new, untamed frontier. It can be a fast-paced action story. There’s archetypal conflict. Good vs. bad, villains vs. heroes, social law and order vs. anarchy. Podcast vs. radio, perhaps? The podcaster as the hero. A person of integrity and principle, courageous, moral, tough, solid and self-sufficient, maverick character (often with a trusty sidekick), possessing an independent and honorable attitude. I don’t think it’s too big a stretch. If you’re in podcasting, there’s likely a little outlaw in you. Today’s gunslinger is armed with a microphone. The Western hero usually stands alone and faces danger on his/her own, commonly against lawlessness, with an expert display of physical skills. Your version of roping, gun-play, horse-handling, pioneering abilities is storytelling, interviewing, editing, and promotion. In the 1991 American Western comedy film “City Slickers”, Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal) is an account executive for a radio station who’s trying to escape the reality of going through a midlife crisis. His friends, Phil Berquist (Daniel Stern) and Ed Furillo (Bruno Kirby), gift him with a two-week cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado where they meet trail boss, Curly. I’m particularly fond of the scene when Mitch learns that Curly, despite his tough exterior, is actually a very wise and heartfelt man. Curly advises Mitch to discover the “one thing” in his life that is the most important to him. Because that will solve all of his problems. *** Curly: Do you know what the secret to life is? Mitch: No, what? Curly: This. Mitch: Your finger? Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean sh*t. *** What is your “one thing” for your podcast? Do you have “one thing” for every episode? If not, I think you should. Be thoughtful and strategic. Don’t forget that your words carry great power because you’re a gunslinger. Now go save the day.

Episode 5: Great interviewers were made, not born. It takes practice, work, and experience. I'm listing resources that helped me prepare to launch my podcast. It's worth mentioning that there's not one best way to this. Interviewing is an art. I encourage you to find your voice and an approach that works best for you. Then, lean into it. My quest to become a better interviewer is ongoing, and I'm always learning. I've created my own master class on conducting interviews by reading, listening, and watching everything that I can find to hone my skills. Whether you are a podcaster, want to be a better conversationalist, or aim to ace your next job interview, these resources can help you. Be PreparedI've heard people say that they want their podcast to be natural and conversational so they do not want to over prepare or prepare at all. IMHO, the greatest interviewers make it look easy and natural. One thing they have in common is preparation. This can come in varying degrees that includes reading books or articles, listening to existing interviews, and reviewing a guest's social media accounts. Once you've done your homework, set a plan. Have an idea where you want to go. You are competing for your audience's attention. In response, you need to create the best content possible and preparation plays an important role in doing that. Be PresentStriving to be a better interviewer is really a set of guidelines because there is no one-size-fits all approach. Rather, there are many approaches and it is highly individualistic. For example, James Lipton, the creator, executive-producer, writer and host of Inside the Actors Studio, typically had a list of scripted questions. Nobody can contest his success with the 94 million American homes that he reached. Find your own approach, do your prep, and then, let it go. I believe in letting it go. Being in the moment is what translates into delivering a "natural" interview. By letting go of all the research that you did, you are well prepared yet free to be present, listen, and flexible to allow the interview to change direction -- naturally. Be a Great HostYour job as a host is multi-faceted. First, it's your role to make your guest feel welcome and comfortable. Be gracious and generous. Establish rapport. Push back if needed. Second, never forget that you are responsible for driving the interview so it's important that you maintain control. Allow interesting tangents to happen but appropriately bring the conversation back on topic. Use techniques to get the best tape out of your guests. Ask open ended questions... What, How, and Why. As host, you may share a great story but be concise. Let your guest shine. Your ultimate goal is to bring out the best content for your audience, and nobody knows your audience better than you do. Questions to Ask to Elicit StoryTell me about the time when… Tell me about the day/moment that you realized… Tell me the story of… You're on the right track when people are talking in dialogue (then he said this, she said that…) Describe the conversation when… Tell me the day you realized what we're talking about… What were steps that took you from A to B Things You Should Not DoNever… Ask a Yes or No question. Ask more than one question at a time. Say “…and my next question is…” Be disrespectful to your audience and the person you’re interviewing. Forget who you’re serving. Additional Resources That Helped MeRead:http://blog.bufferapp.com/6-powerful-communication-tricks-from-some-of-the-worlds-best-interviewers (6 Powerful Communication Tips From Some of the World’s Best Interviewers) http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2015/05/08/mastering-the-talk-marc-maron-discusses-his-interview-techniques/ (EARFUL: Marc Maron Discusses the Perfect Interview) Copyblogger: http://www.copyblogger.com/better-podcast-interviews/ (Conduct Better Podcast Interviews with This Simple 6-Step Preparation Process)...

Episode 4: If you do an interview podcast, how frequently do guests share the episode to their networks on social media? Probably, it’s not often enough. NOT GETTING ENOUGH SHARES?You created a stellar episode. You thanked your guest and provided her with marketing assets — pretty graphics, a quote card, and audiogram. That’s a good start but a lot of friction remains for a guest to take an image, write a blurb, and share it. http://blog.runnymede.com/investing-in-multi-family-real-estate-with-willie-mandrell (Willie Mandrell), who was on my show a couple months ago, created his own graphic and just shared it on Instagram. It was a marketing epiphany for me. View image at https://www.instagram.com/wjmandrell/ (https://www.instagram.com/wjmandrell) Look at what he did! Willie shared his podcast appearance; but even better, he raised his own profile by featuring himself alongside other high profile guests who have appeared on my show. This is great publicity for him and me. SOCIAL CURRENCYIn 2014, Taylor Swift wrote https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-taylor-swift-the-future-of-music-is-a-love-story-1404763219 (an article) in the Wall Street Journal. In it she wrote: I haven’t been asked for an autograph since the invention of the iPhone with a front-facing camera. The only memento “kids these days” want is a selfie. It’s part of the new currency, which seems to be “how many followers you have on Instagram.” -Taylor SwiftLet’s break down what Willie did because he went through a lot of effort. He searched my podcast back catalog for guests, saved show art, and created a new graphic. His audience may not know my podcast, but if they know Ryan Serhant and Chris Hogan, Willie just used social currency to get more value for the time he spent on my show. He created a powerful “selfie!” He also proved the problem isn’t too much friction. We need to give guests a reason to share. What’s in it for them?! As podcasters, we can copy Willie’s idea and supercharge a graphic with social currency. Create a template with a couple big guests from your show and drop in your current guest, front and center. Make something that’s worthy of sharing. Let’s use social currency to increase the chances of a guest sharing our podcast. This simple twist on a graphic puts your guest first and gives him/her more reason to share it. Sharing can be a win-win. Thank you, Willie! Sign up for the Podcast Gym newsletter at https://podcastgym.com/newsletter/ (https://podcastgym.com/newsletter).

Episode 3: Podcasters tend to be a pretty well spoken bunch, especially those who do their own editing. There’s no better motivation to improve your diction than having to go back to edit all your ums, ahs, and mouth clicks. Time is money. With all the time invested in making our shows, it’s not surprising that we’re super eager to do anything in our power to get the word out. If you were guaranteed a 10 percent increase in downloads, would you scream from your rooftop? Heck, I would probably do it for just 10 downloads. It doesn’t work, in case you were wondering. Guilty of OversharingWe’re such an enthusiastic bunch that most Facebook groups need to establish and enforce strict rules. Here’s an example from the Podcast Movement FB group: No self promotion No posting of own show links Ask questions, share your knowledge, and become a part of the family When the admins make an exception, look what happens. Have you tried sifting through 600+ Facebook comments?! We’re all shouting but few are listening. As podcasters, most of us are on social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn. In an effort to get more listeners, we post about our latest episode — everywhere. How is that working for you? I find that it’s a lot of time spent without a great return. 13,000 Unread MessagesThis got me thinking about my email inbox where I get a lot of spam. Nearly 100% is automated. Looking at my sent folder as analytics, here’s an important finding. How many automated spam emails I responded to? Zero.How many emails I responded to from people who I know? All of them. Follow the Rules This brings us back to the third rule from the Facebook group: “Ask questions, share your knowledge, and become a part of the family.” This is gold and needs to be our focus. In marketing, this is the difference between social selling and social spamming. When it comes to podcast marketing, we need to be thinking and behaving differently. Here are some tactics to try: Follow more people on social platforms Comment on blog posts Share feedback and ideas via email or direct message Take a social media conversation offline to phone, Zoom, or Skype Done correctly, great marketers have repeatedly built big dollar, business relationships that began as friendships on social media. If it works for them, it can work for us. Let’s approach social media in a different way. Stop shouting, start talking. Sign up for the Podcast Gym newsletter at https://podcastgym.com/newsletter/ (https://podcastgym.com/newsletter).

Episode 2: Before launching a podcast, most podcasters ask about things like gear, media hosts, and show art. Before I started, I asked a friend who had published over 1500 episodes for advice. His first reaction was, “Are you SURE that you want to launch a podcast?” When I assured him that I did, this is what he said. If you’re absolutely sure that you want to start a podcast, commit to doing it for a year. Once you start, keep publishing at whatever frequency you decide. Don’t look at downloads. Don’t consider whether you like doing it or not. Do it for an entire year before evaluating anything because podcasting takes time.Every year, I treat my podcast like a television show. Where TV network executives look at viewer ratings, I look back at the prior twelve months to see what I’ve gained from running the podcast. What did I learn? What mistakes were made? Did I earn more business? If I decide that it was worth my time, my podcast gets renewed for another season. Even though I know I shouldn’t look at downloads, I still do. Committing myself to publishing another full year of podcast episodes ensures that distractions (like looking at download stats or binge watching TV) won’t stop me from keeping my weekly publishing schedule. I highly suggest you do the same. Give yourself time. Sign up for the Podcast Gym newsletter at https://podcastgym.com/newsletter/ (https://podcastgym.com/newsletter).

Episode 1: When it comes to podcasting, rule #1 is that there are no rules. This is not television or radio where you are restricted to a set program length with a certain number of commercial breaks for ad spots. In fact, who says that you must have commercials at all? The choice is yours. What’s the ideal episode length for a podcast? I’ve heard it said, “Your podcast should be as long as it needs to be and not a minute more.” One of the many beautiful attributes of podcasting is that you have the freedom to publish a 2-hour episode, followed by a 5-minute episode the next. Your job is to create great content at any length. In my view, here are the rules of podcasting: There are no rules. Serve your audience. See Rules #1 and #2. That’s it. As you do your research, you will read many opinions about the ideal podcast length, format, and recipe for success. Don’t get overwhelmed. Stick to these these simple rules whether your audience is 100 million or just 1, and you’ll be headed in the right direction. Sign up for the Podcast Gym newsletter at https://podcastgym.com/newsletter/ (https://podcastgym.com/newsletter).

Podcast Gym is a podcast and blog for podcasters who want to improve, grow audience, and monetize their show. Topics include insights, tactics, and resources.