Prologue
You Need Two Things to Change the World
I had an interesting experience earlier this week ... It's related to podcasting, and it has a happy ending, but I feel it's necessary to include a TRIGGER WARNING because it involves an injured dog.
Late Night Dogs
I live in an urban neighborhood, so it's not uncommon to see and hear people on the street, even late at night.
As I was taking my dog on his nightly walk, I could see a cab dropping off a woman and her dog in the parking lot of a 24-hour, emergency vet.
She immediately sat down next to her dog, in the middle of the parking lot, and started crying.
Sad people are pretty common at an emergency vet. With this said, the people there do good work and there are often very good outcomes. I took my cat there a couple of times when he was sick and they took great care of him.
I walked my dog around the block, coming back a few minutes later to see if the lady was OK.
She was still there, sitting in the middle of the parking lot, so I went to talk to her.
Her dog, a pit bull named Max, had been attacked by another pit bull. And she was living on the street and had no money to get him the help he needed.
I don't have all the details of everything that happened before I saw her. But I know she was there, sitting alone in the middle of the parking lot, for at least 20 minutes before somebody came out to help her. And I know it took a middle-aged white guy to go inside and say, "I have the money to take care of this situation" to make that happen.
It sucks to feel powerless and "unseen." Yeah, I had the money, which helps move things along, but as I was waiting with her, two people working at the vet walked within ten feet of us and said nothing.
I waved the second one down and once again requested help.
A few minutes later, two people came and started to assist the woman and her dog.
Crazy Money and a Big Voice
Paul Ollinger hosts a podcast called Crazy Money.
He said this ... "You need a certain amount of money to live a life that is absent of chaos."
He's not wrong β money helps. But if you really want to get things done in the world, you need a voice.
That's the opportunity you have with podcasting. And not only can podcasting be your voice, it can be a voice for other people and causes.
Like the unhoused. Or even animals who can't speak up for themselves.
A podcast can also provide you (and any cause you believe in) with the money to make good things happen.
If you're feeling ignored, like this woman was that night ... and like I was that night ... keep going. Keep showing up, keep applying pressure, and you'll find somebody there who will help you.
The two workers who eventually came out of the emergency vet did that. One immediately got down on the ground with the woman and started to look at the dog as I talked to the other.
"We'll handle it," she told me.
I got the lady's phone number before I left and gave her mine.
The next day, I got a text that read, "Thank you for your help and concern. They put a bandage on his neck and got him fixed up. I'm getting some money together to get him some antibiotics."
A happy ending? Who knows? Much like the relationship we have with a podcast guest, once this "episode" was done, my relationship with this woman ended. But not before I sent her a text back with the name and number of a woman who runs a charity for animals living at or below poverty level to hopefully help her get Max the care he deserves.
Let's make positive changes in the world via podcasting.
If you're ready to do this, or already doing it and need help doing it in a bigger way, reach out to me and let me know what you're doing and what you need help with.
Sponsor

Missinglettr
Missinglettr is an all-in-one promotion platform that turns podcasts into engaging social media posts and helps you solve distribution by finding the best influencers in your niche.
Podcaster Opportunities

Old Navy Meets "Kindergarten Cop"
Fiction podcaster? Listen up!
Non-fiction podcaster? Listen up!
What you do is so much cheaper than what Old Navy did. But you can deliver the same thing as far as value.
Getting new customers in a busy world is tough, especially for established brands, like Old Navy, because everybody and his brother already has opinions of established brands and many simply get ignored.
"I don't like _____________, so I"m not going to pay attention."
Because of this, we're seeing more "non-advertising" content that sneaks up on people and actually engages them by being:
- Helpful
- Entertaining
- Both!
Consider this if you're pitching companies on your podcasting services. Or ... if you're looking to get sponsorship for your podcast β you may already have just what a sponsor is looking for.
Podcast Marketing

Steal These 10 Strategies to Promote Your Podcast
It's good to learn from other podcasters, but if podcasters are only learning from other podcasters, everything starts to look and sound the same.
And like The Chi-Lites sang, "If everybody looked the same, we'd get tired of looking at each other."
Cultures move forward by "borrowing" things that work for others. And when it comes to podcasting, you'll benefit by looking at how newsletters approach common "podcasting" elements like:
- The Teaser
- Before/After Promotions
- Social Proof
- Self-Promotion
- CTAs (Calls-to-Action)
Alex Llull looks at 10 different promotion techniques here and each of them will work for you and your podcast.
Want more? I'll be going deeper on each of these elements on the next episode of Build a Big Podcast. Subscribe (or ... follow) to make sure you don't miss it.

Your One-Sentence Podcast Description
I love this formula from Jess Cook, which is perfect for coming up with a one-sentence description for your podcast.
The formula: [Verb] [ideal state] without [painpoint].
As she says, "It positions your solution as the aspirin."
You can use it (and variations of it) to let listeners know exactly what they'll get when listening to you.
For example:
How to [lose weight] [quickly and safely] without [feeling hungry].
Get [more customers] [via LinkedIn] without [being pushy].
A method to [get more done in your business] without [sacraficing quality time with your family].
You get the idea. Play around with this and, if you want to be mentioned on the next episode of Build a Big Podcast, let me know what you come up with via Twitter or Mastodon.
Not yet on Mastodon? Here's an invite to a server just for podcasters.

Want to Write a Book? You'll Want to Read This ...
First of all, I love the title of this site β The Middle Finger Project! It's a great example of letting you know exactly the kind of attitude you're going to get, even before you visit.
Your podcast should have something similar.
But let's talk about this article, because I think it's got something to consider for podcasters who are looking to do a book, or just distribute content in an additional way.
The first three steps:
- Start with a newsletter, not a website.
- Sit down and write out 12 pieces of your best advice, maybe the stuff you wish you'd known when you started.
- Turn those 12 pieces of advice into 12 love letters of 2,000 β 3,000 words each.
Then what? You can distribute it via your newsletter. Or a blog β I mentioned last week how personal blogs are coming back. Or maybe even "standalone" podcasts that can help you attract specific audiences who would also be interested in your main podcast.
But thanks for Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing, a book is also an option.
Just think about it. What you've got on your podcast is too good to only be on your podcast.
But speaking of podcasts, I'll have more on this in the audio edition of the newsletter. You probably know I've got some books myself, but what you may not know is that I've sold 260,000 copies (print, audio, and digital) on my own. So I've got a lot to say on your options for making this happen for you ...
Podcast Hosting Skills

Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast, and Voiceover Voice
I love this short podcast from Peter Stewart and, as a podcaster, you will too. He shares some great advice related to broadcasting and voiceover, from breathing, to conversational reading, to specific delivery styles.
Example topics:
- Station Imaging Voiceovers
- Voicing Public Service Announcements.
- Political Ad Voiceover Styles
- Movie Trailers Voiceovers
- Sport Stadium Announcing
Podcast Production

Audio Effects Explained
You may find this helpful for understanding the various effects available to you when editing your podcast.
Personally, here are the "Big Two" that I use when making Build a Big Podcast.
- EQ
- Compression
Initially, because I record as if it's a live broadcast, this is done via the dbx 286s Microphone Preamp & Channel Strip Processor, but I also process my files after I've recorded using Izotope RX 10, adding some additional EQ and compression, as well as "de-mouth click" effect and removing any heavy breath sounds.
But this stuff is subtle ... A little goes a long way when using any kind of effects. People want a person and voice they can connect with, so it's helpful to sound somewhat natural.
What kind of processing do you use on your voice? Let me know via Twitter or Mastodon ... and send me a link, so I can check out how it sounds.
Not yet on Mastodon? Here's an invite to a server just for podcasters.
Podcasting Deals

Stream Your Podcast on 30+ Platforms at Once
I always say that podcasting allows you to "do the work once." At that point, the number of people you reach is limited only by your distribution.
Do you livestream your podcast? Do you want to?
If so, CastNest is worth a look.
CastNest is a video platform that makes it easy to share and monetize your livestreams (or recorded content) everywhere β multistream across 30+ platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and LinkedIn.
And it's a deal ... only $49 for life.
Podcast Humor

Bad Guest Philosophy
OK, this isn't really a joke β it's a very serious issue.
Have a "bad guest" story you want to share? If so, I'd like to talk to you about sharing it on Build a Big Podcast.
Classifieds

Swell AI
Use Swell AI to automate your podcast episode summaries, time-stamped episode highlights, and long form articles based on the content of your episodes.
Pictory
Automatically create short, highly-sharable and branded videos from your long form content with Pictory.

Riverside - Remote Recording Studio
Riverside records high-quality audio (and video) directly from your browser. No special equipment is needed and connecting with your guest is as simple as sending a web link!
You can try Riverside free (no credit card is needed) and, if you like it, save 15% on any paid plan by using the coupon code BIGPODCAST.
The Wrap Up

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If you like the newsletter, you'll love the podcast. It's called Build a Big Podcast and it will help you do three things:
- Grow your podcast audience.
- Get people talking about your podcast.
- Make more money with your podcast.
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