🎤 Podcasting is Changing (Issue 145) September 8th 2023

Prologue

Jimmy Buffett, Aristotle, and You

"To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man."

This is a quote from Aristotle. And it's good advice.

Over the years, I've interviewed hundreds of songwriters and this is something the great ones have in common. Same for great podcasters and radio hosts.

Jimmy Buffett was one of these people. Regardless of your thoughts on his music, I encourage you to look at:

His ability to connect with people.
His business sense.

Both of these things came from his ability to observe. For example, his first job out of college was writing for Billboard. Realizing most of the musicians he was writing about were broke, when he went fulltime as a musician, he diversified his income.

For example, he started by buying his own tour buses, then renting them to other artists when he wasn’t using them. And we've all seen the various "Margaritaville" licensing deals, from a chain of restaurants, clubs and resorts, a line of blenders, and a branded radio station on Sirius/XM.

And the man understood the value of branded merchandise. And building something around a community.

FUN FACT: Jimmy never put himself on the "jumbotron" screens when it played live – it was always people in the audience.

And something else he did (or didn't do in this case) during his time at Billboard, which is a good rule to follow for podcasters:

“I can never give anybody a bad review because I knew how hard it was to get up there,” he said. “Now, there has to be something toxic that [a review] says, but I can never do it because I knew how hard it was."

Steal This Idea

Messages in Present Tense are More Persuasive

Compare these two comments about the same podcast episode:

"That podcast episode was great."
"That podcast episode is great."

Reviews written in the present tense (vs past tense) were perceived as up to 26% more helpful.

Radio hosts have known this for years. A good host always talks in the present tense and this is why.

Why does "present tense" work better? According to this article by Thomas McKinlay, there are three reasons:

We perceive the past tense as saying something about a particular point in time, not a continuing activity, so it feels more subjective.
The present tense implies something current and more universal, seeming more certain.
Because we consider present tense more certain than the past tense, we find it more persuasive, useful, and helpful.

Podcast Hosting Skills

Turn Good Episodes Into Great Episodes

There's a difference between a "good conversation" and a quality interview-format podcast.

We've all seen that guy at a party (or just out and about) who has great conversation skills. These guys are fun at parties and usually very interesting to engage with.

But what helps somebody at a party will only get you so far when it comes to getting a great interview on tape ...

Great interviews have focus
Great interviews have a purpose that goes beyond "hanging out"
Great interviews have some discovery, but also an informed person guiding them – they're not random

If you're the "good conversationalist" at the party, don't worry. What you do have going for you is energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity.

But this needs to be harnessed, if you want to create a great interview. And the best way to give you the framework you need to do this is a pre-interview, if not directly with the guest, somebody associated with the guest, such as a manager, agent, or coworker.

More thoughts in the audio edition of this newsletter ...

3 Simple Ways to Find Story Ideas

Next time you're struggling to come up with a new story or just need a push in a more creative direction, Sally Herships recommends to try one (or more) of these things:

Be curious
Talk to people
Research

Some quick thoughts on each ...

Obviously, doing research is helpful when it comes to your podcast and, beyond helping you to be factually correct with the information you share, the best reason to do this may be the amount of story ideas that open up to you during this time. I'm not sure if I've ever done a pre-interview where I didn't walk away with a possible new direction.

And, obviously again, being curious is a great asset to have during interviews. But it's also something that will help you in your day-to-day life.

Always ask questions. And more specifically, always question things.

Her final recommendation, talk to people is something you should make a habit of, even if "non-podcasting" situations.

In today's world, it's very easy to live without a lot of interaction from other people. For example, the way be buy groceries or bank these days can be pretty much an "anonymous" experience. Even ordering something from your local fast food place is as easy as getting on an app, pressing a few buttons, and picking up the bag that's left sitting on the counter for you – and you don't have to talk to a single person.

I like automation. And as far as buying stuff, ordering via an app or a self-checkout system is often faster than using the "human" option for the same thing.

But when it comes to the ideas you have for your podcast and the stories you can tell, you're going to be far more limited if you don't actually interact with people.

So think about it.

Podcast Monetization

Sponsorship Framework for Podcasters

Justin Moore has a nice sponsorship framework for podcaters. These are three things you need to consider before doing any sponsorship deal.

Deliverables – What are you going to create, which format will it be in, where will it be published, and when will it be published?
Usage rights – What is the brand allowed to do with the content you create? Can it be repurposed? How long can it be used?
Exclusivity – If you do a deal with one brand, will you still be able to work with other, similar brands?

All of these things are negotiable. And the more established you and your podcast are, the better options you'll get.

The big takeaway here, which works for any job you do for somebody else, is to get clear on what you will do and what you won't do. Put it in writing, as what people hear and the way they interpret things is based on what they're focused on at the time and this will help you to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts in the future.

Need help building your podcast? Check out Big Podcast AMP.

The Business of Podcasting

Netflix Is Shutting Down Its DVD Business

A reminder that formats can and will change ... and this includes podcasting.

Podcasting is going to change sooner than you'd think. Just 20 years ago, we were still buying paper books (and magazines) and music was being delivered to us on pieces of plastic.

Of course, people were reading "books" and listening to music online 20 years ago, just like some people still read paper books/magazines and listen to music on CD, vinyl, and cassette.

But you want to be ready to take advantage of all of it.

I can help you.

Classifieds

Swell AI

Swell AI automates writing podcast summaries, articles, social posts, and more.

Manage multiple shows in one dashboard.
Build custom templates for each show.
Connects with Google Drive, Dropbox, and Zoom.

Get started for free.

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.

Publer – Social Media Scheduler

Use Publer to schedule and analyze all your social media posts from a single dashboard!

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.