Big Podcast Playbook - Grow Your Podcast. Build Your Audience.

The people who listen to your podcast are making mistakes. If you talk to them often, and you should, you'll start to see patterns – the same mistakes made over and over.

Talking about common mistakes listeners are making on your podcast and can show them three things:

1. Social Proof - It shows that "other people" are listening to you.
2. It shows you have an awareness of a common issue (and teases a solution).
3. It may build rapport if you've been through that issue yourself and want to share the experience.

On a more general level, this is another opportunity for you to get personal, build rapport, and show your humanity. Nobody wants to listen to a robot, yet that's what so many upcoming solo (and non-solo) podcasters broadcast to listeners when trying to be flawless.

Mentioned On The Episode

• 3 Mistakes I Made When I Started My First Podcast

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

I don't believe in the concept of the "self-made man." Everybody has help along the way and we're all influenced by others, even if that influence shows us what not to do.

This is especially true when it comes to the subjects we podcast about. If you care about something enough to podcast about it, you've had a lot of help when it comes to formulating your thoughts and opinions on the subject.

That's the story I want to know.

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

Excitement is contagious. 

Have you ever seen an excited person in a public place sharing that excitement with a friend? People are naturally attracted to situations like this.

What about your podcast subject do you find exciting? Why do you care so much? When you can clearly communicate these things, listeners become easy to attract.

This episode is about how to clearly communicate your excitement to listeners.

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

You can tell a lot about somebody from the books they read. Whenever I meet somebody interesting, I always ask about this.

The books we read tell a lot about us. They help define our beliefs. They help us to move forward with our lives.

You want your listeners to know who you are and sharing stories of the books you read helps to do this.

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

This episode, Day #7 of the 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge, continues where yesterday's episode left off. As mentioned yesterday, one of the best things you can do to set yourself apart from other hosts and make yourself (and your podcast) stand out is to do the opposite of what everybody else is doing.

Why do the opposite of what so many people are doing? Because there are a lot of false beliefs about things and somebody (who happens to be you) needs to set the record straight.

As always, there's a "challenge" element and I give an example of what I'm looking for from you. In this example, I talk about false beliefs about podcasting, because not only is this a podcast about podcasting and I want to keep examples relevant, these are things you need to know when selling advertising and sponsorship for your podcast.

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

Legendary speaker and broadcaster, Earl Nightingale, once said, “If you want to be successful in life, simply watch what most people would do in a given situation, and then do the total opposite."

In general, this is arguable good advice. But as a way to make yourself stand out from other podcasters, it's great advice.

Your listeners have a way of doing things that seems "normal." The other podcasts in your market have hosts who advise these things.

What would happen if you do the opposite? I talk about this. I also share the story of how "doing the opposite" of what traditional radio thought was best has kept my broadcast radio show on the air.

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

All successful podcasts solve a problem. This could be a big problem or a small problem. Regardless, it's important to the people who listen.

If you want to attract listeners to your podcast in a big way, you have to know your problem.

If you want to attract sponsors to your podcast in a big way, you have to know your problem.

Once you know your problem and have a way to solve it, listeners come to you.

Once you know your problem sponsors come to you, provided you know how to explain the problem (and your solution) to them.

That's what this episode is about...

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

All successful podcasts solve a problem. This could be a big problem or a small problem. Regardless, it's important to the people who listen.

If you want to attract listeners to your podcast in a big way, you have to know your problem.

If you want to attract sponsors to your podcast in a big way, you have to know your problem.

Once you know your problem and have a way to solve it, listeners come to you.

Once you know your problem sponsors come to you, provided you know how to explain the problem (and your solution) to them.

That's what this episode is about...

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

FUN FACT: Your first podcast isn't usually where you end up.

Similar to the people we date, jobs we work, and places we live, very rarely do we have podcasting success the first time around. 

So there's a pretty good chance the podcast you're working on now isn't the podcast you started with, even if the name and topic are the same.

So how did you get here? That's the subject of today's episode of the 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge.

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now. 

FUN FACT: Your first podcast isn't usually where you end up.

Similar to the people we date, jobs we work, and places we live, very rarely do we have podcasting success the first time around. 

So there's a pretty good chance the podcast you're working on now isn't the podcast you started with, even if the name and topic are the same.

So how did you get here? That's the subject of today's episode of the 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge.

To make sure you don't miss any of these special 30-Day Solo Podcast Challenge episodes, go to bigpodcast.com/subscribe and subscribe now.