Prologue
A Breakdancer, a Podcaster, and a Bodybuilder Walk into a Bar ...
You've probably read about the breakdancing situation at the Paris Olympics. If not, watch this quick video to get up to speed.
It made me think of podcasting, because there's always the "old guard" who's very attached and wants to protect what was.
At the same time, there are a lot of established people who are more than willing to help newer or less experienced people. Go to a gym and you'll find the biggest, scariest looking dudes are usually the coolest people there and more than happy to share their knowledge and excitement about weight training with others.
It appears that's what happening in the breaking community. While the general public had a good laugh at Raygun's expense, The Head Judge for the Olympics said this ...
"Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region," head judge Martin Gilian - known as MGbility - said at a press conference.
"This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo."
The breaking and hip-hop communities "definitely stand behind her," he added.
I want to be this kind of person for podcasters, so I'm starting a new segment of my podcast, Build a Big Podcast to answer questions from listeners. If you have a question about podcasting, feel free ask! You can reach me via Mastodon, Bluesky, or Threads.
Sponsor
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Steal This Idea
The House of Big Podcast
Let people know where you stand. That's the big idea.
It sounds obvious, doesn't it? But are you doing it? Or are you playing it safe, trying to "keep everybody happy," so you don't lose anybody.
Strangely enough, not taking a stand is how you lose people. Nobody wants a milquetoast podcast—that's what radio is for.
You don't have to be a jerk. You don't have to say anything controversial. For example, 10 Podcasting Lessons in 282 Words lets you know where I stand.
And nothing is controversial ... or is it? ;)
Fly your flag.
Podcast Marketing
Empathy = Podcasting Superpower
I love this quote from Alfred Adler ...
“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.”
When you have empathy or develop it, your podcast has an enormous advantage. I've been talking about this for years and written about it in the Big Podcast book, so you may have heard this from me before. Even so, I hope you'll take 2 minutes and 23 seconds to watch this short video on empathy, because it can be helpful to hear the same or similar messages said in different ways.
Podcast Humor
Oops! Mom heard my podcast!
I've had more than a few times where a guest called me immediately after taping an episode to ask something like, "Could we remove that thing I said about ___________?"
It's easy to get so comfortable when recording that we forget that what we record is actually heard by others.
I once got a letter from a podcaster telling me about how awkward his Thanksgiving holiday was, because his entire family had listened to his podcast.
You never know who is listening to a podcast. For example ... the FBI! Read Instagram scammer gets nabbed after bragging about it on a podcast for the story.
Podcast Monetization
23 Ways To Monetize Your Podcast (With Examples)
You've got a lot of options when it comes to monetizing your podcast.
My Top 3 ...
- Membership
- Merch
- Live Events
BONUS - Sponsorship
Why? I'll share more in the audio version of this newsletter.
Bottom line ... look at the full list and do an audit of yourself. Is there something on this list that you can add to your podcasting revenue stream?
Need personal help with podcast monetization? Check out Big Podcast AMP.
Classifieds
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Castmagic - Automated Episode Notes
Over 35,000 podcasters have used Castmagic to automate:
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The Wrap Up
When you're ready, here's how I can help you even more ...
If you want the shortcut to building a podcast people care about, here’s how Big Podcast can help you …
Free of charge ...
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We offer a range of podcasting services including:
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