Prologue
"Less = More" in Podcasting
When Tim Ferriss started his podcast, it was common for episodes to go two hours or longer – at least half of the "four-hour workweek" he championed.
Recently, he's had a lot of episodes clock in at under an hour.
People don't listen to you because they want to hear you talk. They listen to you because you have something they want. And they want you to get to the point...fast,
It's the reason so many people would rather take a pill than go on a diet to lose weight, or gain confidence, or whatever else we take pills for – basically everything we don't want to deal with or develop the old-fashioned way.
Don't "torture" your podcast listeners. Get to the point.
And with that in mind, here's the current issue of Big Podcast Insider...
Podcaster Opportunities
The Washington Post wants three minutes of your morning...
There's a trend in podcasting that you should be aware of:
"Shorter = Better"
People are busy. Beyond that, most don't have the attention span or focus needed for an hour-plus-long podcast episode.
And that's a big opportunity for you. While amateur podcasters who can't edit themselves and think everything they say is important are knocking out multi-hour episodes (and being ignored), you can get real attention for yourself and your message by keeping things short.
This article, Fewer Words = Better Podcast, will help you get going. Also look at the link above for a story about what the Washington Post is doing.
Podcast Marketing
A Small Plan for Your Big Podcast
I posted this podcasting business plan template on the Big Podcast Instagram page and several people jumped on it.
Here's a great example from Joanna of Letter to My Ex podcast if you want a good way to do it.
Seriously. Take a few minutes to look at what you're doing with your podcast and think about where you want to go.
5 Twitter updates podcasters should be aware of...
When it comes to having to get to the point with your message and communication, Twitter has other social media beat hands down.
Want to reach even more people? Make money via Twitter? Read this for some ideas of how to do it.
For example, do you know about Superfollowers?
Criteria for applying to join the waiting list:
- 10K or more followers
- 18 years old
- At least 25 Tweets within the last 30 days
- Based in the U.S.
- Follow Twitter Super Follows Policy
Lots of opportunity here...
What does Dollar Tree have to do with podcasting?
Dollar Tree, like the "five and dime" before it, has a problem... A dollar doesn't buy what it used to.
Four years ago, I started a podcast for NaPodPoMo – a challenge to create 30 podcast episodes in 30 days.
I called it Big Podcast Daily and it ended up lasting for a little over 250 days.
But a daily podcast can be a grind, not only for you, but also your listeners. So I decided to change up the release schedule, switch the name to Build a Big Podcast, and move forward with something less frequent.
Sometimes you outgrow a name. Or maybe you just feel like a change. Fiverr has had this issue. And now Dollar Tree does as well.
Two things I've learned about a name change:
- Do it now – sooner is better than later.
- People will move forward with you more than you think they will.
Consider this... How many people do you know who've been divorced and changed their names? Or how many people have married or remarried and changed their names?
In a couple of months, most people won't even remember the "old" name.
The same is true for the name change on a podcast.
Is a name change too bold for you? You may want to consider changing the sub-title or tag. I've done that also and I talk about it here.
Podcast Production
Why Your Podcasts and Newsletters Should Be Shorter
From a radio guy:
"A Pacific Content content analysis from 2019 found the average length of a podcast, based on nearly 19 million episodes from more than 600,000 podcasts, is just north of 41 minutes long. That represents a decrease of a couple minutes in a study conducted two years earlier. Still, 40 minutes is a long time, especially in our fast-paced lives."
He also talks about something else The Washington Post is doing with shortform content.
Who owns The Washingon Post? Jess Bezos of Amazon. He purchased it $250 million in August 2013.
Who has a lot of data on how people use the web? Yep, Jeff Bezos.
It's worth a look to see (and hear) what they're doing.
How to Improve Your Podcast Studio (and Sound Better)
For the last few years, I've been recording in a room full of foam and blankets. The results were good, but not great.
I wanted something better, so I just installed some acoustic panels based on plan for DIY acoustic panels by Marcus dePaula.
This is an episode of Build a Big Podcast and it's the first I recorded with the new setup. It's a conversation with Marcus about how you can sound your best with the space you have, regardless of whether you record in a spare bedroom, a closet, or a temporary location.
Topics:
- "Room within a room"
- Recording with a monitor – what you need to know
- Setting up a portable studio that sounds great
- Recording in your house? This is the best place to do it...
- Why books are a great thing to have in your studio
- Packing blankets
- Bedroom vs. Closet
- What you need to know about ceiling panels (clouds)
- Studio Comfort vs. Function
- What is good enough?
The Wrap Up
Like this newsletter? Tell a friend...
My goal is to better empower podcasters to be more successful spreading their messages and make more money with their podcasts.
I'd love it if you'll help me spread the word about this newsletter by sending your podcasting friends to bigpodcast.com/newsletter.