Prologue
Doctor vs. Podcaster
A friend of mine had an appointment with a doctor last week and was telling me about the experience ...
"She wasn't listening to me," she told me. "So I just stopped talking."
Unfortunately, this is a very common situation. How common?
A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine evaluating how doctors interact with patients found that, on average, doctors only spend 11 seconds listening to a patient before interrupting. In fact, many doctors don't even ask patients why they came to the office that day.
Unfortunately, I hear a lot of podcasts that have a similar issue – with both guests and hosts.
Why?
- Inexperience and lack of communication skills – they simply don't know better (or are nervous)
- The "guilty party" isn't wearing headphones during a remote interview and isn't able to hear other people
- Hosts don't trust their ability to control an interview and guests don't trust their ability to get their messages out
Regardless, somebody doesn't "feel heard" on a podcast, that person stops talking. And experienced guests will stop talking when the host starts talking, because experienced guests allow a host to be in control.
Whatever the reason, if you want a great podcast, as a host, you need to let guests talk.
With this said, there are times when you need to talk. One of those times is when you're promoting your podcast ... More on that in this issue of Big Podcast Insider.
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Podcaster Opportunities
How Much Longer Will Twitter Last?
When it comes to talking about yourself (and your podcast), Twitter was great. And it's still pretty good for personaly connecting with people.
Yes, I'm still there. But as far as looking to the future, I suggest you consider other platforms including:
- Mastodon (Here's an invite link.)
- Spoutible
- Tumblr (Yes, it's back!)
Here are a couple of big reasons why people think Twitter might not be around much longer:
- Employment lawsuits
- Fines (due to FTC reporting requirements, for example)
I don't have a dog in this fight and wouldn't blame anybody for still being there – I am. But be careful if you're putting a ton of time and other resources into it as it might not be there long.
I'm curious what you think. Reach out to me via Twitter or Mastodon and let me know.
Podcast Marketing
Hate Promoting Your Own Work? Try this ...
Hate promoting your own work? You're not alone. But if it makes you feel any better, writers have the same issue.
So how do you "get over it" and move forward with getting the word out about your podcast?
Suggestions to make self-promotion easier:
- Create realistic self-promotion goals
- Keep what’s working, drop what’s not
- Don’t reinvent the wheel
- Use available tools to your advantage
- Shift your focus
I'll have more thoughts on each of these in the audio edition of this newsletter, but for this version, I want to focus on what I think is the most important aspect here and (hopefully) get you unstuck when it comes to letting the world know about your podcast.
Remove yourself from the process.
When it comes to creating your podcast, of course you're involved ... and it's natural to feel nervous or self-conscious, because of this. But when you switch to "promotion mode" for your podcast, it's no longer about you – it's about the people your podcast is helping.
In short, make the promotion you do about the people you're helping. You can do this by focusing on:
- The value your podcast brings to listeners.
- The knowledge or entertainment people receive when listening.
- The people who will be helped by what you've created.
Your promotion efforts are not self-serving, but rather an opportunity to connect with and support other people. So take a deep breath, and put your energy into them.
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Podcast Humor
The Podcaster Who Never Talked
Want to hear a joke about podcasters?
Podcasters never shut up ... until it's time for them to promote themselves.
I can relate. I'd much rather be doing something than talking about what I've already done.
But here's the harsh reality of what we do as podcasters ...
Most people don't know what we're doing. Even you, reading this newsletter for example, probably don't know about a lot of my current projects – the upcoming "launch plan" book, the new community of pro podcasters I've put together, or the daily podcasting tips that I post on Instagram and elsewhere.
Having trouble talking about what you do? Putting a system in place may help you to get in the habit of getting the word out. For example, a list of tasks you can do each time you release a new episode like:
- Post an update on LinkedIn
- Add an entry to your newsletter
- Reach out to anybody who was mentioned in the episode to let them know
You get the idea – make a list of 5-10 things you can do every time you release an episode and then do those things.
Every. Single. Time.
What do you do to promote your podcast (and other work)? Reach out to me via Twitter or Mastodon and let me know!
The Business of Podcasting
Why Listeners Will Pay for Your Podcast
I had a great time working with Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting at RocknPod this year Here are some of the big ideas he presented about why listeners will pay for your podcast.
Even if your podcast is free to download, this is important info to review, because time and attention aren't free. As it gets harder and harder to get time and attention from people, we're going to have to be even more skillful about the podcasts we produce.
Big Ideas
- Set your podcast up as the "only" option – you need to offer something people can't get anywhere else to make them pay (or even listen for free).
- "Good" isn't enough. People want to feel something – laugh, cry, think, grow, etc.
- Don't try to be everything to everyone. Focus on "the one thing" your ideal listener really cares about.
- Making a great podcast takes planning and editing. You won't get good results if you just hit record and hope for the best.
- Knowing your target audience is key to attracting them. You need to understand who you're speaking to and what they care about to be able to deliver value to them.
- You need honest feedback from your ideal audience to improve your podcast. And the best way to get this feedback is to ask for it.
More "big ideas" about why people will listen to your podcast (and pay for it) here.
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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.
You can subscribe for free.
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