Prologue
No Hit Podcasts?! Not Exactly...
Everybody and his brother is talking about an article that says there are no hit podcasts. You can see the numbers here.
First of all, who cares? Don't let this stop you from doing what you do.
Second... Of course now! You can't have a "hit" when you compare new media, like podcasting, to old school, broadcast media like television. The only reason broadcast media has "hits" is because those outlets have a big ass antenna that forces their content on people, whether the people want it or not, and because those people don't care enough to get online and search for something else, or simply turn it off.
Most people lead boring lives. And those are the people we count when we calculate "hit" shows.
Why? Because it makes us feel good.
We do it as podcasters too. We count "downloads" instead of people. But just because you get a download for your podcast doesn't mean there is a person listening at the other end.
A serious question... How many of those 100,000 channels you have on your cable subscription do you really want?
And do you really want the "popular" channels and shows? Not really. But most people watch them anyway...if a show (or channel) is their only choice.
Here's how you can tell:
What happens to people like Bill O'Reilly once they leave broadcast radio and television? They disappear. Then some other guy comes along, takes the top slot, and now he's #1.
The slot is why so many people watch Tucker Carlson – it's not because he's good.
The same thing happened when Joe Rogan moved to Spotify. He lost influence and listeners because he no longer had YouTube to recommend/push his videos.
Podcasting brings quality, not necessarily quantity, But don't feel bad for Joe Rogan, because he got paid a ton of money and still has massive influence, because he still has people who care about what he has to say and will search him out.
Unlike Bill O'Reilly. Womp womp.
People listen to podcasts because, to them, podcasts (and podcasters) are great. But if you want an ego stroke with a bunch of sleepwalking people who will watch you (but not really care), by all means go to broadcast and enjoy your "hit."
Keep going!
Podcast Marketing
A Social Media "Hack" to Get More People to Respond to Your Messages
This is a short-and-sweet Twitter post that will tell you how to make the host of your social media headers. This is IMPORTANT if you are doing outreach for your podcast via social media, since the header is one of many things people look at before deciding to respond to you.
I can't tell you how many great guests I've booked for my podcast with just a simple Twitter message. Not a DM – a basic, 240-charater post that anybody can see.
If you're looking to up your social media game this year, take a look at the headers you're using. It's a simple change you can make in just a few minutes that will really help you to get more out of your social media work and get more people to respond to you.
Podcast Hosting Skills
You're Talking Into Your Microphone Wrong
I had a guy I interviewed recently who sounded a little off, like he was in a bank vault or something.
He wasn't – the problem was that he was speaking into the wrong end of his mic.
I tried to tell him, but he stopped me, letting me know he'd done "hundreds of interviews that way" and that he'd "never had any complaints."
He was wrong. And he sounded like balls. But it's hard to argue with people who don't know what they're doing.
This is why you need a video like this one. It can show a guest exactly what he's doing wrong.
Podcasting Tools
Are You Getting Podcast Spam? Here's How to Deal with It...
This is going to save you so much time and frustration...
One of the big problems podcasters face is SPAM email from companies who scrape RSS feeds for contact emails. So if you're getting a ton of messages about new hosting services, or "podcast promoters" promising to increase your rank on the Apple Podcast charts, this is why.
It's also why you're getting random and off-topic pitches from "exciting entrepreneurs" and others who want to be guests on your podcast.
Paced Email fixes this problem, while still letting the messages you need get through to you. It lets you decide when emails hit your inbox and allows you to combine collected messages by day, week, or month into convenient digests.
It saves me at least an hour per week. And there's a great, free plan that can handle your podcast emails in an effective way.
Podcast Monetization
Are NFTs an Option for Your Podcast? Maybe...
Thanks to "gurus" like Gary Vaynerchuk, lots of people are talking about NFTs. And I've seen more than a few actually spend money on them, hoping to make a nice return.
A good investment? Maybe.
I know plenty of Bitcoin millionaires. But I've met more than a couple of people who've lost a lot of money playing basically the same game.
One lost his house.
I get why NFTs are exiting to people, not as an investment, but as a fun way to own a piece of something you're really excited about. And that makes it a good opportunity for some podcasters.
Is it a good opportunity for you and your podcast? Read this article on how publishers experimented with NFTs in 2021 to get ideas and more information to help you make that decision for yourself.
The Business of Podcasting
Banking for Podcasters
If this is the year you finally get your podcasting business in order, you're going to need a good bank account. I found out about Novo after another popular bank for entrepreneurs, Azlo, shut down last year.
I was happy to find these guys. The account is free and you can apply online, in under 10 minutes. Easy.
If you need banking for your business, this is a good one to consider.
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.