Prologue
I don't know a thing about NFTs, but I know something about podcasting...
Imagine playing in the stock market, or Bitcoin, or whatever else, trying to make a thousand little tranactions, each "maximized" for whatever outcome you want.
Sure, the potential is there, but success doesn't usually work like this – there are simply too many things that can go wrong. Plus, "a thousand little transactions" is a lot of work, even if you successfully execute all of them.
When it comes to investing money, more often than not, most people are better off sticking with a boring, slow-and-steady mutual fund than one of the alternatives – consistently put money in and give it time.
The same is true for growing your podcast – focus on the fundamentals and keep at it for a while.
The same is true for "small" podcasts, which (most of the time) make more money than larger podcasts.
Sexy? No. Stimulating? No. But you'll get the results you say you're looking for.
In this issue of Big Podcast Insider, I've got a big (yet simple) opportunity for you to build an incredibly dedicated audience. It doesn't sound sexy, but if you're looking for sponsors, you can make at least 5000% more per listener than the average podcaster.
Yes, I said 5000%. That's not a typo.
Podcaster Opportunities
The Death of Local Newspapers - An Opportunity for Podcasters
There are a lot of things radio does wrong, but something 99% of stations get right – all radio is local.
Unfortunately, for most broadcast media, "local" is often limited to traffic and weather. And even that is changing; we can get up-to-the-minute traffic info from apps like Google Maps and Twitter accounts like this one go beyond just temperature projections by giving personalized replies on weather conditions.
With local newspapers in a death spiral, podcasters have a big opportunity to step in and do something similar, offering a very specific set of people personalized content that isn't available elsewhere.
Beyond that, "local" content offers people connection, making them feel less alone. That's priceless.
Podcast Hosting Skills
Cancel Culture Doesn't Apply to Podcasting
Remember when podcasters were resilient? This whole format was built upon that.
But things have changed... Way too many podcasters today are soft, constantly talking about "cancel culture" and playing the victim card.
You are not a victim. And there's no such thing as "cancel culture" when it comes to podcasting – you either have something people like or you don't.
Nobody is censoring you. People (and companies) may not want to be involved with what you do, but that doesn't keep you from doing it.
The entertainment business, especially comedy and music, has a long history of people complaining they “can’t say anything anymore.” This podcast episode with Marc Maron and comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff talks about exactly what that looks like.
Podcasting Events
Charlotte Podcast Festival
Charlotte Podcast Festival (also known as CLT Podcast Fest – yeah, I know) was named one of the “best podcast conferences” by Buzzsprout and it's worth a look.
This VIRTUAL event takes place November 30 through Devember 4. It's free and open to the public and has panel discussions and seminars on podcasting (how to record, edit, host, market podcasts and beyond) as well as virtual networking for podcast fans.
Podcasting Deals
ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity
If you're considering using your podcasting talents to produce audiobooks, this short (and CHEAP!!) course from Mike Adams is amazing.
I've used Audacity for hundreds of projects, including the audiobook version of my book on podcasting, so I'm pretty comfortable with it, but I still learned a lot and it was definitely worth my time.
If you use Audacity, you may also find Mike's podcast on Audacity helpful.
Podcast Monetization
uCast - Podcast Advertising Marketplace
TRUE STORY: I just got a request to run podcast ads for a "male grooming" company.
"We came across Build a Big Podcast and think your content is a great fit for us! My name is Anne and i'm reaching out on behalf of the Audio Marketing team at MANSCAPED."
You know, because podcasting has everything to do with products like The Lawn Mower 4.0 and anti-chafing boxer briefs.
If you're looking to run ads on your podcast, uCast may be a better option for you.
I have not used this service and this isn't an endorsement – I simply want to keep you up-to-speed on options for you to monetize your podcast and "matchmaker" sites like this are where things are headed.
If you sign up with them, please let me know about your experience.
The Wrap Up
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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.