Prologue
One Sentence = Big Impact
It's very common for podcasters to want to change things up with their existing podcasts. Sometimes this is to attract more listeners or make more money, but many times, it's because they want to have a feeling that their messages matter and that what they're doing is making a difference in the world.
I get that. For years my work focused on marketing pop music. And working in any form of entertainment, sometimes it can be difficult to see significance beyond that.
But the truth is, there are some musicians, even "shallow" pop musicians, using their platforms to do very good things.
Bob Barker certainly did this, and his "main job" was hosting game shows. Consider his sign-off message for The Price is Right, which reminded viewers to "help control the pet population — have your pets spayed or neutered."
It was subtle, but it changed our culture.
The Big Lesson for Podcasters
The influence you exert through your podcast can go beyond the topic you discuss. Nobody watched The Price is Right to think about animal population control – they watched it for entertainment. But Bob Barker's short message about animals still resonated with viewers and had a ton of impact about how we treat cats and dogs today.
I've got a couple of other stories related to this you can listen to in this episode of Build a Big Podcast. One is about legendary radio host Casey Kasem, the other is about me.
Yes, you can do something like this at any level of your career. And the time to start is now.
Key Takeaways from the episode:
1️⃣ One sentence can have a massive impact. And, as podcast hosts, we have the power to use our platform and voice for important messages that align with our values and make a difference.
2️⃣ Make choices that reflect your values: Whether it's through the guests we bring on our shows or the conversations we have, we can align our podcasts with our philosophies and make a positive impact on our audience.
3️⃣ Sneaking up on your audience: Just like the message about animal population control on The Price is Right, sometimes the most impactful messages are the ones that subtly reach and surprise your audience. It's an opportunity for us as podcast hosts to share important messages that go beyond the main topics of our shows.
What kind of world do you want to see? What can you start doing with your podcast now that will help create this kind of world?
Let me know! Maybe I can help you spread this message ... Reach out on T2, Bluesky, or Mastodon.
Sponsor
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Podcast Marketing
How to Create Content on LinkedIn (that actually gets engagement)
If you're on LinkedIn and want more attention for what you're doing there, Thomas Strider has some ideas will help you.
A couple caught my attention are VERY similar to what we see podcasters doing on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere ...
- Avoid "engagement pods" (groups of people who engage with you to trick the system into thinking your content is popular)
- Focus on a single core idea
Let's talk about the first one – avoiding engagement pods. A podcasting version of this is working with other podcasters to subscribe, review, and interact with each other's shows. One of the big problems doing this is that it can mess with the "people who listened to this podcast also listened to these podcasts" recommendation engines that you'll see on Apple Podcasts and similar directories.
As a longterm strategy, you'll be far better off focusing on listeners who are listening to similar podcasts, not only to help out the "recommended podcasts" links, but also because the easiest person to convert to your podcast is somebody who is already listening to similar podcasts.
Related to this is being all over the place with "random" content that has no focus. People want to hire specialists, not somebody who was focused on something completely different just a few days ago.
Would you buy a hamburger at a Taco Bell? No.
Focus on what you do. And like Taco Bell, mix up your "ingredients" a hundred different ways to keep people engaged, while still delivering what they know and expect from you.
Podcast Hosting Skills
Ira Glass on "Good Taste" (and How We Get Better)
A two-minute message that I think you'll connect to:
“The most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work.”
Jump in and do the reps. And look for opportunities where you can do more reps. Almost every city has a radio station like this where you can get you own show. And KCRW Radio Race is an opportunity for you, regardless of where you live.
Want to start now? Get a free account on Spotify for Podcasters and do a show using this formula.
Podcasting Tools
Free Icons & Stock Photos for Everything
Lots of podcast and audio-related icons here ... all free to use.
Need a font to go with this? Google has 1562 open-source font here. Overwhelmed? These are the 20 Best Google Fonts, according to some guy who knows. 😂
A sidenote ... I love black/white, one-color art (get the story behind the Build a Big Podcast art here) and these icons will give you a lot that will work into these designs.
Podcast Production
How to Prepare for an Audio Interview
Follow this checklist and increase your likelihood of interview success!
A big takeaway here ... YOU ARE IN CHARGE! Do what you need to do to get the interview/recording you want.
Even pros don't know some of this stuff. For example, a production company reached out to me a couple of years ago to produce a podcast on food. They wanted to talk to celebrity guests about their experiences around cooking and eating.
And they wanted it to be recorded "at the kitchen table."
That's where they lost me! Audio podcasts and radio are "theater of the mind" and a kitchen is the worst place to record a podcast – too much glass and the motor from a refrigerator often comes through on recordings.
This is the first thing to consider on NPR's "good recording location" list:
- Avoid kitchens. Refrigerators are bad news – too noisy. And, kitchens tend to be “echo-y.” Usually the family room is best for a recording. Carpeting, cushy furniture, and curtains help absorb sound.
- Become annoying, politely. Ask to turn off televisions, radios, and cell phones. Keep an ear out for noisy computers. And, in some cases, you’ll need to ask to close windows or turn off air conditioning.
- Rearrange furniture. If turning everything off didn’t get you kicked out, now redecorate. It’s important to sit close to your interviewee, usually directly across or catty-corner. I want to be so close to someone I can rest my elbow on my knee or the arm of a chair and still have the mic close enough for an intimate recording. Often this requires moving furniture. I can’t tell you how many coffee tables and chairs I’ve moved. And, if I’m in an office, I nearly always ask people to get out from behind their desk. (By the way, I try to never interview someone on a couch. I find it uncomfortable because of the odd angle you have to sit at to be close and able to look them in the eye.)
Sounds bold, doesn't it? Maybe. But again, you're in charge here and you need to do whatever it takes to get the interview/recording you need.
Podcast Humor
Garbage In, Garbage Out
"Garbage in, garbage out" (GIGO) is an idiom that means the quality of output is determined by the quality of the input. If a remote guest uses a built-in laptop mic, for example, you're going to get a recording that sounds like somebody using a built-in laptop mic.
That doesn't sound very good, by the way. Are you producing a podcast you want people to pay attention to or having an informal Zoom session with the PTA at your kid's school?
I get it – it can be uncomfortable to reschedule an interview because your guest doesn't have the proper equipment. And if it's an "important" guest, you may think you won't have another shot, if you say something about low-quality audio and attempt to reschedule.
The more "important" the guest, the more you should be doing the pre-interview work to make sure you capture the interview properly. WIth this said, things happen and, if it's a moment you're not likely to repeat, like Marc Maron's WTF interview with Barack Obama, which became the most-downloaded podcast in history ... get what you can.
Classifieds
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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.