Prologue
Are You 50% There Yet?
If you're like me, you start every year with big plans. For example, the 101 podcast templates book as well as a podcast launch planner.
But that was only part of what I wanted to do ...
Feel familiar? If so, don't worry – as long as you're pointed in the right direction and moving forward, you'll get where you want to go eventually.
In this issue of Big Podcast Insider, I've got some good news about getting new traffic for your podcast from Google, a way to create custom music for your podcast via AI, and the opportunity you have to connect with your listeners by being funny ... even if you're not a comic.
Do you record your podcast interviews using video? I've got something for you, too.
BONUS: If you're interested in doing a book, here's the story of how one podcaster got a six-figure book deal.
Podcaster Opportunities
What Does 1000 Listeners Look Like?
Several years ago, Al Bunetta, manager of John Prine, told me something about "big audiences" that I think you'll find helpful.
The two founded an independent record label in 1981, Oh Boy Records. Both he and John lived (and died) by their creative and marketing decisions and knew what it meant to build an audience and have an ongoing relationship with them.
"I think every musician needs to see what 1000 copies of their music looks like," he told me.
He was right. 1000 doesn't sound like a big number until you actually see 1000 records or CDs in the trunk of your car.
And if you're a podcaster with "only 100 downloads" (or whatever number you throw out when discussing how big your audience is), you need to do something similar – look at what that number of people actually looks like.
Some "podcast audience" photos for you.
When you know you're dealing with real people who are investing real time in listening to you, you'll approach your podcast differently.
Podcast Marketing
Consumers are looking for humor, but brands aren't delivering ...
I rarely watch TV, but a couple of nights ago, my wife and I streamed an HGTV show. You know that show, right? They buy a house, fix it up, sell it for a bajillion dollars ... same show each time.
For whatever reason, the same commercial (an ad for Bayer aspirin) was on repeat. In a single break, it would come in as many as four times.
It was depressing. Some guy had had a heart attack and, Bayer was now helping his chances of not having another one.
And my wife said, "Every other ad we've seen on here is funny."
Why? Consumers are looking for humor.
This is why the Big Podcast Instagram account is hilarious.
Not hilarious to everybody, but definitely for podcasters.
If you're looking to bring more humor to your podcast, this is where to start – inside jokes made just for your biggest fans.
Need help?
Podcast Production
Google Rewards Content for Being Different, Not Just Better
"Audio SEO" is coming. In many ways, it's already here, thanks to automated transcription options and the popularity of YouTube, which has automated transcriptions.
But it's one thing to have "Audio SEO" and another to know how to take advantage of it.
Google, like podcaster listeners, have a lot of "copycat" content to get through. Because of this, being “different” is a viable search strategy and there's a incentive to collaborate with the existing content instead of competing.
For example ... the interviews you do. Google loves this "combined content" and, because it's different, even if you cover similar things to other podcasts, you'll be rewarded with better search engine results page (SERP) placement.
Same for episodes that include listener voicemail and other audience content.
To summarize ... Google’s rewards content (articles, podcast episodes, etc.) that bring new information to the table. So make that happen if you want to use Google to attract more listeners to your podcast.
Podcasting Deals
Custom Podcast Music Using Robot Composers
Soundpiece is an AI music generator that lets you create the exact music you need for your podcast – beats, chord progressions, and even full songs. Everything is 100% royalty-free, and legal, so you don't have to worry about getting a takedown notice from your media hosting company or demonetization on YouTube.
Need a certain style? BPM? Length? Soundpiece has you covered.
You can:
- Create unlimited, royalty-free songs right from your browser with AI-generated melodies, chord progressions, and beats
- Access the platform from your digital audio workstation using a plugin
- Generate and access thousands of unique loops and samples
Podcast Humor
Your Podcast on YouTube
If your video isn't adding anything, you don't need video.
And video can actually take away from the good experience listeners have with your podcast ...
The real danger with video is that, if used when recording, people start playing to the video audience, which is limited. And because of this they neglect the audio-only audience, which means descriptions of things are different, etc.
The best reason I've heard for using video is when you are getting connected to your guest. It can be handy for solving tech issues. But for recording, turn it off. This not only makes you (and guests) focus on audio, but it's also a nice line of demarcation that tells people, "We're starting now, so you need to show up in a certain way."
Want to try this technique?
Riverside is online recording software that makes it easy for podcasters to record studio-quality interviews from anywhere and included both audio and video options. Try it free and, if you like it, get 15% off any membership plan when you use the code BIGPODCAST.
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.