Prologue
Famous Guests are Overrated
In Issue 148 of Big Podcast Insider, I mentioned getting a call about doing an interview with the #1 person on my "Dream Guest" list, Dolly Parton.
If you're curious about hearing my interview with her as well as the before-interview and after-interview conversations with my producer, you can listen here.
Included:
- how I crowdsourced pre-interview prep
- why a short interview is more challenging than a long one
- a big list of things that I was worried about (and everything that can go wrong during an interview)
- options to turn a short interview into a longer, full episode
- how to ask for what you want during an interview
A couple of thoughts re: your interviews ...
I had a well-known podcaster mention to me that he'd like to interview "famous people." I get that, because it's easy to feel like "fame" of a guest may rub off on us, get more attention for our podcasts, etc.
But "fame" isn't the #1 thing you should be thinking about when booking guests – you want to consider what will be interesting to your audience. Most of the time, especially for non-fiction podcasts, listeners are far more interested in hearing something helpful, regardless of who it comes from, than hearing from somebody they could find any number of places other than your podcast.
For example, let's say you're in the "entrepreneur" market ... Do we really need another interview with Elon Musk, Gary Vaynerchuk, or Tim Ferriss?
No.
Your interview with one of them, maybe. And that's the point ... If you're listening to my inteview with Dolly Parton, it's because of my involvement with it, not hers.
Same for you, your guests, and the listeners of your podcast.
Yes, "famous guests" are overrated – it's the host who makes the difference in podcasting.
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Podcasting Events
If you want to do an event for your podcast ...
In the previous issue of Big Podcast Insider, I mentioned how important it is to the podcasting community for us to have podcasting events that cater to our needs as independent podcasters.
Something special happens when like-minded people get together.
Your listeners feel the same way about your community and Partiful is a good option if you're looking to organize an event to get them connect to each other (and your podcast).
Looking for ideas? Check out the Party Inspo Page, which has some very clever themes.
If you do something for your podcast, let me know via Mastodon or Bluesky, because I'd love to help you get the word out about it.
Podcasting News
Dave Ramsey's Text Book
A Florida county school system has moved to use a book by popular finance guru Dave Ramsey. Parents are fighting back, saying Florida schools are no place for this "punitive, religious finance book."
It's an interesting story, especially for podcasters, since it involves one of the most successful (and controversial) independent broadcasters of all time.
People love Dave Ramsey or hate him – there's no middle ground. Which is maybe the biggest lesson of all here ...
You're not going to make everybody happy.
Don't let this stop you from putting your message out. And the next time you get a mean message or bad review from somebody, be thankful you're not the subject of a subreddit like this one.
RELATED: Every time I mention Dave Ramsey, there's one thing people ask me about. Yes, that story is true.
Podcast Production
WARNING: This Can Throw Off a Great Interview!
If you're on a Mac, and even if you're not, this is something you want to be aware of ...
The new macOS adds full-screen augmented-reality "reactions" that pop up regardless of the video service you use. I've had it happen on Butter and Zoom, which really threw me off, because I didn't know why.
Here's how to make it happen, assuming you're on the latest macOS:
- Thumbs up: thumbs up
- Thumbs down: thumbs down
- Double thumbs up: fireworks
- Double thumbs down: clouds
- Heart with two hands: hearts
- Peace sign: balloons
- Double peace sign: confetti
- Double “rock” sign: lasers
It's great in group chats, but not so much during interviews, since it can be distracting.
Have a funny screenshot from an interview? Send it to me via Mastodon, Bluesky, or Pebble!
Podcast Humor
When Things Go Wrong ...
If you listen to the behind-the-scenes "Dolly" episode, you'll get a good sense for how I rely on my producer when doing important radio interviews. And the same is true for my engineer.
I produce and record my podcast on my own, so I can handle both of these jobs, but there's something nice about having somebody else in the trenches with you, especially when something goes wrong.
And things go wrong ... a lot.
If you're not up-to-speed on the basics of recording yourself (and guests), I encourage you to do what it takes to get more comfortable with this. It's very easy to miss a moment due to technical issues and most things can be easily fixed, as long as you know how to fix them.
When kind of help do you need to feel more confident with recording yourself? Let me know via Mastodon, Bluesky, or Pebble. I'm not an engineer myself, but being in Nashville, I know a ton of great ones, so I'm thinking about putting something together to help podcasters get better at recording themselves.
RELATED: I just did a great session with Dan Hughley of Focusrite that talks all about recording, from setting up the right space to the technical elements you need to have in place to get something good on tape. That's coming soon. Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you don't miss it.
Podcast Monetization
Micro-Budget Podcasts = Huge Opportunity (and Profits)
This is behind a paywall, but let me summarize ...
You can make a ton of money by keeping costs down. Ditch the bloat and focus on stories that will connect with an audience.
If you listen to a short, 5-minute NPR podcast, probably 20% (an entire minute) will be a "credits" section that lets you know the names of:
- the host
- the producer
- the emotional support dog
- the dog walker
- the catering company
You get the idea ...
Hollywood has something similar with its movies. A major motion picture can employ hundreds, if not thousands of people. And there are a lot of non-labor costs involved, such as set fees, equipment rental, and music licensing.
Recently, we've seen more production companies going in the opposite direction and doing everything they can to cut production costs. For example, having only a handful of speaking roles (some movies as few as two), since background, extra, and bit-part (fewer than five lines of dialogue) performers cost a lot less.
Jason Blum did this with Paranormal Activity, turning the $15,000 "found-footage" thriller into a $890 million global theatrical franchise. And he's done it nearly 200 times since then, making movies that have grossed $5.7 billion at the box office.
The same opportunity is available to us via podcasting, but we're going to have to be creative.
Want some inspiration? Read Jason's story.
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Book Like a Boss - Automated Guest Booking for Podcasters
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- automated guest scheduling
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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 podcasting coaching program has been designed to help you do three things with your podcast:
- Grow your podcast audience.
- Get people talking about your podcast.
- Make more money with your podcast.
You can get details here.