Prologue
The Anti-Social (Media) Podcaster
There's something that's been especially obvious over the last couple of weeks, with the decline of Twitter (or whatever it's called now) and the rise of Threads.
We are done with social media.
Obviously not everybody. For example, there are a few "gurus and influencers" trying to hang on for dear life, because that's where they've built their reach and authority.
But, more or less, we are done. And it's time to go outside and touch grass again.
This is great news for podcasters. If you're not taking advantage of the post-pandemic and post-social urge that people are having to get together with like-minded people, you are missing a huge opportunity.
My challenge for you ...
Do a "meetup" in the next couple of weeks. Seriously, go to meetup.com or eventbrite.com and setup a casual get-together related to the topic of your podcast.
For example, if you podcast about guitars, set up a "Guitar Meetup" at the local coffee shop and get together with a few other people who are also into guitars. Or coin collecting, or vegetarian cooking, whatever you podcast about.
Seriously. Set it up now and send me a link via Threads, Bluesky, or Mastodon to let me know what you're doing.
Yes, I see the irony in that. But I've got something special I want to give you that will help you build your live events (and your podcast) into something big.
Want more thoughts on this subject? Get the audio edition of this newsletter.
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Podcast Marketing
Tips and Best Practices for Facebook Reels
Even if you're ready to ditch social media, here's some "social media" stuff you can use for your podcast ...
Meta published this guide on Reels, which you'll find helpful, even if you don't do Reels, because every one of these "best practices" has a podcasting equivalent.
"High-quality content" is what they're looking for. What does that mean?
- Easy to consume
- Easy to spread
- Easy to copy
I'll have more thoughts on this on how to do this for your podcast in the audio edition of this newsletter, but for now, here's the raw list of what Facebook recommends for Reels:
- Entertain your audience with relatable and engaging content that grabs attention.
- Inspire and start a trend that others can easily participate in.
- Use creative tools like text, filters, or camera effects.
- Use vertical video and avoid horizontal videos that are typically not as easy to recreate.
- Use music from the Facebook music library or original audio you create
- Be experimental or new and try different approaches to see what works for you.
- Clearly showcase your content using good lighting and shooting techniques.
As far as what not to do ...
- Blurry due to low-resolution.
- Visibly recycled from other apps (i.e. contains watermarks).
- Uploaded with a border around it.
- Horizontal (this video format is typically not as easy to recreate).
THE BIG IDEA
"Good" to Facebook means something that's going to keep people watching and can be easily replicated. Obviously, these benefits are great for podcasters too and everything mentioned here has a podcasting equivalent.
Again, I'll have more thoughts on how to modify these "Facebook" strategies for your podcast in the audio edition of this newsletter.
Podcasting Tools
Create a magic "subscribe link" for your podcast ...
A good "subscribe link" is very helpful when it comes to getting people to subscribe (also known as follow) your podcast.
Podfollow is a tool that gets listeners in the right place. For example, if somebody clicks on your link via an iPhone, that person will automatically be forwarded to Apple Podcasts.
Here's an example of how it works ... podfollow.com/bigpodcast
The service is free and it's easy to set it up for your podcast.
Podcast Production
Where to Get Episode Ideas (and How to Outline Episodes)
She uses these methods for a newsletter, but you could easily do the same for your podcast.
Where to get ideas for your podcast episodes:
- The most popular YouTube videos of my favorite channels
- Medium article headlines
- Previous content that has done well
- Something that is on my mind and just want to write about
A 4-part framework to outline episodes:
- A = attention (agitating and painting a picture of the problem)
- P = perspective (describing a perspective on the topic that I see as wrong and why)
- A = advantage (the benefits behind seeing it from my perspective)
- G = gamify (steps to overcome the problem and a challenge)
Easy!
Where do you get ideas for your podcast episodes? Let me know via Threads, Bluesky, or Mastodon.
Podcast Humor
You Can't Ask Guests to Do That!!
I do a lot of podcast interviews (as a host). I recently had a conversation with another podcaster about interviewing and my guest "rules."
"You can't ask guests to do that," he said.
But I can. And I do.
He was referring to pre-interviews, by the way – one of the most important aspects of getting a good episode.
RELATED: I want to be kind to my guests. If there's a "sensitive" issue, I'll often check in beforehand to see it's OK for me to mention it. For example, I interviewed a guy who had just been picked up on drug charges ... in a stolen car.
I asked, "Are you OK with talking about that?"
He was. So we did.
But in general, I have one "rule of engagement" when it comes to interviewing people – "I'm going to ask the question, but you never have to answer."
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The Wrap Up
When you're ready, here's how I can help you even more ...
If you like the newsletter, you'll love Big Podcast AMP (Audio Monetization Program).
This personal coaching program has been designed to help you do three things:
- Grow your podcast audience.
- Get people talking about your podcast.
- Make more money with your podcast.
You can get details here.