Prologue
Never Shop for Food When You're Hungry
You know this rule, right? Never go to the grocery when you're hungry.
It also needs to be mentioned that there's a similar rule for podcasters – never partner with somebody when you're desperate.
This means:
- Never take on a guest "just because you need one."
- Never take on an advertiser because you're desperate for money.
- Never bring in a co-host because you're afraid of doing a solo podcast.
In short, it's good to have options. And if you're smart, you'll take a look at the places within your podcasting where you feel "this is the only way available to me" and do what you can to give yourself choices in the event "the only way" disappears.
You may have podcasting problems that could easily be solved with money. For example, if I go on a remote session, I always have a backup mic and backup cables in the event the main mic or cable fails. That's a situation that is easily solved for around $100.
Or it could be a podcasting problem that you need to work on personally, such as getting better at delivering monologue-style content, which will come in handy should a guest or co-host flake on you.
The point is – you want choices for yourself and your podcast. And just a little bit of time or money can give you a lot of great ones.
In this issue of Big Podcast Insider, I've got several options for you as far as growing your podcast and the business around it.
NOTE: I always do an audio version of this newsletter with additional commentary for each item. Subscribe here to make sure you don't miss it.
Podcaster Opportunities
Let's lift up young podcasters!
It's easy to skip over new podcasts, especially from younger people ...
I think one of the best things we can do as podcasters is to remember how things were when we started. Things like:
- Wanting to podcast, but not knowing exactly how.
- Not being very good on the mic.
- Messing up interviews (and other opportunities).
A good way to keep grounded and remember where you were is to review old recordings of yourself. Another option is to talk with new podcasters.
But regardless of trying to jar a memory ... it's nice for experienced podcasters to encourage upcoming podcasters. And it's easy – even a short message on Twitter can mean a lot to people.
If you know of an upcoming podcaster who needs encouragment, let me know on Twitter.
Podcast Marketing
Reality Television – Good for Your Podcasting Career?
Harry Jowsey has 4.8 million organic followers on TikTok and 4 million on Instagram.
Here's his five tips on how to grow your online audience:
- Be consistent
- Monitor your analytics for insight on your content and adjust
- Collaborate with other content creators
- Look at yourself as a brand
- Focus on posting exciting content that engages your audience
An interesting quote ... "I always try to do giveaways and focus on giving back to those that have really helped build my career."
Need an easy (and cheap) way to run a giveway? KingSumo can handle everything for you for a one-time price of $49.
What Harry didn't mention is that he was on Netflix's popular reality show, Too Hot To Handle. That's an entirely different topic that I'll be covering on the podcast version of this issue, so subscribe if you want more on that. I know three guys who have been on The Bachelor, two people who were on Shark Tank, and a couple of dozen others from various Idol-style knockoffs, Survivor, dating shows, Real World, etc, so I've got a lot to say on the topic.
Reality television is not what it appears from the outside, but it can work for you, if you're going into it with your eyes open ... and you're a gambler.
Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you don't miss it.
Podcast Production
7 Mistakes Podcasters Make
OK, this is really 7 Mistakes Creators Make, but all of these things apply to you as a podcaster.
Here they are:
- Pre-selling a product
- Undercharging
- Building for the masses
- Selling without an audience
- Assume audience = customers
- Quitting your full-time job too soon
- Limiting yourself to a business model
I'll have thoughts on all of these in the audio version of this issue, so subscribe to Builld a Big Podcast if you want details on everything.
For this edition, I'm going to focus on the first one, because this is one that I'm in the middle of right now, and it looks like I'm going to run into an issue with it.
Long story short, I have a book for pre-order on Amazon right now and, because the project has expanded, it looks like I'm going to miss the deadline.
Something like this is a huge risk for creators. It's not as bad as taking the money months in advance, since Amazon doesn't charge cards until the product is delivered. But missing a deadline is still frustrating to people and, the longer you go between somebody ordering something and somebody actually receiving it, the bigger the chance that they won't care when it finally arrives.
I love the idea of a pre-sale, as it gives time to build a buzz around a project. But if you're going to do one, make sure you can deliver, especially if you get paid in advance. And if you can't deliver, make sure you keep communication open by sending frequent updates on progress and answering questions.
More info on the audio version of Big Podcast Insider ... subscribe to Build a Big Podcast to make sure you don't miss it.
The Business of Podcasting
How Long Marketing (like Podcast Advertising) Takes
If you're selling podcast advertising, you need to communicate two things to the buyer:
- WHY it takes time for prospects to buy
- HOW you're tracking early indicators to ensure the strategy is working
Regarding ads on your podcast, here is something related you need to make note of ...
Many advertisers will want to "try you out" by buying a single ad on a single episode. DO NOT DO THIS. There is no "magic bullet" in podcast advertising and a single ad on a single episode is unlikely to do much in terms of getting results for a buyer. Beyond this, it's more work for you as scripting an ad (or going over talking points) and billing for an ad is the same regardless of whether it's one or twenty.
Depending on how often your podcast is released, I'd say the sweet spot for the number of episodes you sell ads for is between 6-15. This is enough for listeners to hear the ad a few times, but not so much that you or the advertiser can't get out of the deal quickly, if it ends up being something different from what you thought it would be going in.
The Wrap Up
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