Prologue
Stick With the Plan
I had dinner with a friend a couple of weeks ago. He's one of those "day trader" guys and has programs that monitor stocks and other investments to watch for indicators that might mean a good opportunity to buy or sell.
I'm not into this stuff personally, but there is one aspect of it that I find fascinating – the decision-making process.
"You have to have a plan and stick to it," he told me.
Why? Because when you're in the middle of something that counts, emotions can get the best of you. And when that happens, you make mistakes.
It happens in podcasting, too ...
Let's say you get a lead on a great guest, you approach him about being on your podcast, and he says yes. Then what? Will you require that this guest go through the same pre-interview process you do with everybody else?
What if he refuses? Should you still take the chance this might make him change his mind about being a guest?
This is where emotion comes into play in podcasting.
You know what it takes to make a good podcast. Have a plan and stick to it. Don't hurt your audience because you let your emotions (specifically fear) get the best of you!
More on getting great guest interviews (and pitching yourself as a guest) in this issue of Big Podcast Insider ...
Sponsor
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Podcaster Opportunities
How to Join the Twitter Alternative Mastodon
First of all, yes, I'm still on Twitter. At least for now.
But I'm also on Mastodon, which is very similar, but decentralized. Want in? Here's an invite. (Note I have a limited number of these, so get one while you can.)
Want a short primer on Mastodon? Watch this short video.
Or, just jump on and see what it looks like ... You can find me here.
Even if you don't have a plan to use it now, I think it's smart to spend a couple of minutes to set up an account. I join every new social network. You never know what will take off and, the earlier you get in, the better the chance you have of getting the username you want.
General thoughts ...
Mastodon isn't a replacement for Twitter yet, simply because the userbase isn't there yet. With that said, this is a server just for podcasters, so I think you'll find it worth your time, even though the overall network is smaller.
If you jump on Mastodon, let's connect!
Podcast Hosting Skills
Podcast Interview Checklist – A Guide for Guests
The better you prepare your guest to be on your podcast, the better episode you'll get. And this video is a fun and entertaining way to do this.
What I love about this video is that it has examples of "bad audio" from built-in mics and AirPods. Hearing this will be motivating to guests as nobody wants to sound like they're recording in a cave.
Want something in writing? How to Get a Better Quality “Remote” Podcast Interview for that.
A note ... The video mentions Riverside (also mentioned above) as "something to install." That's not exactly accurate, Riverside is web-based and works on a web browser, which most people will already have installed.
Podcasting Tools
Want to Be a Podcast Guest? Pitch Like This ...
Want to be on more podcasts as a guest? Consider this ...
Vocal is a tool that lets you record and send voice notes via Gmail and I think it may be one of the best options for pitching yourself to podcasters.
What's one of the biggest issues podcasters who interview guests face? Bad audio quality.
But imagine getting an email pitch with not only great info about a guest, but also a personalized voice introduction?
Right there, you know if somebody is a good speaker and has a great mic.
Vocal makes this kind of pitch easy. You can send personalized audio messages to podcast hosts (or anybody else) as easily as you can write an email.
All you do when you're in Gmail is:
- Press record
- Speak into your mic
- Hit send
Watch the video to see how Vocal works. And even if the tool itself isn't a match for you, consider pitching yourself this way.
Podcast Humor
Your Kid Knows How to Subscribe to a Podcast
I was about 10 when my uncle got one of the first consumer-grade VCRs. It wasn't fancy – there was no "on-screen programming" or anything that was automatic. Yet somehow I intuitively knew how to set the clock and program it to record.
Kids figure out technology quickly. You don't need to explain things to them, because they already "get it."
But somewhat ironically, you do need to explain this stuff to everybody else as if they were a kid.
This is why you have to make your "subscribe to my podcast" page as simple as possible.
Feel free to copy this one for your podcast.
Related ... I could use some kid to teach me how to work my Mastodon page.
I kid, I kid. Mastodon is easy. Here's an invite for you.
Podcast Monetization
The 5 Stages of Podcasting
I can't tell you how many people come to me wanting to "get sponsors" for a brand-new podcast. If you're looking to get sponsors for your podcast, consider this:
Anything will sell for the right price.
In other words, yeah, you can have "sponsors" for your podcast on Day One, but it's probably not going to be the deal you imagine. This is why so many podcasters end up getting deals for $2-3 per 1000 listeners.
Some will argue, "It's better than nothing." But is it?
Ask yourself this ... "Is it worth it for you to make 1000 people sit through an ad that likely doesn't apply to them for you to make two or three bucks?" Because that's what you're doing when you take one of these deals.
There are five stages to podcast evolution:
- First Stage: The Idea
- Second Stage: Structure
- Third Stage: Building the Audience
- Fourth Stage: Building the Brand
- Fifth Stage: Revenue
As you can see, "revenue" is last on the list.
But here's the good news ... If you can stick this out, it's relatively simple for you to make the equivalent of $200-300 for every 1000 listeners you have. And bringing in that kind of money will allow you to play catch up very quickly when it comes to your podcast income.
Take your time and do this right. Don't cheapen your hard work and annoy listeners with cheap sponsor deals that likely aren't even a match for them.
The Wrap Up
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