Build a Big Podcast - Marketing for Podcasters (A Podcast on Podcasting)

This is the audio companion to Issue 41 of Big Podcast Insider. If you're interested in more info on what I talk about on this episode and also links, that's where to go.   Big Podcast Insider is a weekly newsletter on podcasting. If you like the content of this episode, consider subscribing – it's free and you can unsubscribe at any time.   Although the newsletter is almost a year old, this is the first companion podcast episode. As of now, I plan to do these weekly, just like the newsletter itself. Links To Things I Talk About:

• Big Podcast Insider - Podcasting Newsletter

  Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

What happens if you say something that later comes back to be wrong? What happens when the stakes are so high that something you said (and believed) pulls you off the air? That happened to a nationally-known radio host and it can happen to you – it can happen to all of us. Thoughts on what to do about it are in this episode...

Expectations are fine for relationships, as long as the parties involved are on the same page. For example, I expect to pay for a drink at the coffee shop, but I don't expect to pay for one when visiting a friend's house. Things get messy if you think one thing is happening and the other party thinks something else. Unfortunately, this happens a lot in business. And you may be doing this without even realizing it. Recently I saw a message from Jeff Brown of Read to Lead Podcast about an experience he had with a situation like this and how he handled it.  Help Your Expert Friends Build an Audience... If you like RED Podcast, subscribe now (it's free) and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like RED, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (maybe even two).

Has somebody who has done a lot of outreach to podcasters, trying to get myself or others booked as guests on those podcasts, I probably have as much empathy for podcast booking agents and others doing this job as anybody. It is a very tough job.   It sucks to be ignored. And it sucks to be rejected, even when somebody does it in a kind way.    This is especially true when you're doing your own booking and it's you or your project that is being rejected.   But as a podcaster, it also sucks to get form emails from people who see you and your podcast as number. And then get followup emails from these people...again, and again, and again.   This is one of the reasons so many podcast guest pitches get ignored.   Want more success with your podcast guest booking? Listen up... Links To Things I Talk About:

• Build a Big Podcast - Podcast Guest Application

  Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

You've probably heard the saying about college professors, "Publish or perish."  Like it or not, the same could be said about experts. And fortunately, we're in a world where getting out information out to the world is easier than ever. But how hard should be push? In this episode, I share a story about something that happened just this weekend, at a podcasting event I attended with Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting. In this story, his "sale" just happened, because the customer was already pre-sold on Dave, even though the two had never met before. This is something that can happen to everybody, even you. But you've got to get confortable letting people know you exist. Want to do this via your podcast? Visit BigPodcast.com for help. Help Your Expert Friends Build an Audience... If you like RED Podcast, subscribe now (it's free) and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like RED, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (maybe even two).

Nashville was the place for three podcasting events last week and I sit down with Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting to talk about each of them.   When podcasting first started, small events were all we had. Then things started taking off, so podcasting was added to blogging conferences and other "new media" events. Then podcasting got big enough to be worthy of its own larger events.   Now things are changing again, with more and more podcasting events focusing on different niches within podcasting. That was the case with two of the three podcasting events that happened in Nashville last week.   If you're looking to connect with other podcasters, live events are a great way to do it.   More thoughts on this episode...   Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

You take a risk any time you share a message, especially if you lean in to something. What happens if you say something that later comes back to be wrong? This happened to a local (but nationally-known) radio host. After months of posting anti-vaccination information and conspiracy theories about COVID-19, he got the virus. He's currently in the critical care unit of a local hospital, fighting for his life. It's a situation that we've all been in – we believe something (and act on it), only to have that "reality" flipped on its head. And, if you interview or work with other people, you've likely been in the situation of spreading the false beliefs of somebody else. In This Episode: The process of vetting podcast guests, guest post authors, and business partners When to kill an inteterview or partnership How close should a "values match" be when deciding who to work with? The Christian Pedophile (more info on this situation here) Going against guest or business partner opinions Removing "bad information" you've released Owning your past and making it work for you If you're releasing information to the world and want to keep on top of your reputation as well as make sure what you're saying is both accurate and helpful to your audience, listen up! Help Your Expert Friends Build an Audience... If you like RED Podcast, subscribe now (it's free) and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like RED, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (maybe even two).

Travis from from Pod Decks sent me a package of his five latest decks. Pod Decks are essential flash/playing cards with episode, segment, and question ideas. If you need ideas for your podcast, they can be a great tool.   On this episode, I review the Pod Decks package from Travis and talk more about how you can use Pod Decks as a tool to make your podcast better.   Want to hear them in use? I use the "interview decks" as a tool for my daily sausage factory podcast. I'm also using the "Episode Ideas" deck for episodes of the sister podcast to this one, RED Podcast and will likely have some behind-the-scenes from these episodes here, so you can see my thought process of outlining and planning podcast episodes using Pod Decks as a tool.    Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

Podcasting can a dangeous business and COVID-19 has brought with it some new risks for those of us doing close-contact work. For the last couple of months, I've been working on a project that requires dozens of in-person interviews, so I've had to think a lot about safety and how far I'm willing to go to get a good story on tape.   Just last week, a well-known broadcaster and podcaster in Nashville contracted COVID-19 from his co-host. Everything seemed to be going fine, until it wasn't – he's currently in the hospital in the critical care unit.   To make things more complicated, this person does a show where he frequently shares anti-vaccine propaganda. And the co-host of his podcast, the guy he contracted COVID-19 from, is his son.   It's a bad situation to be in. Which is a good reminder for all of us to be careful and thoughtful about the work we do and what we say while on the mic.   More thoughts on this episode...   Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

I had an interesting experience with a well-known podcaster recently. He was asking about the quality of his podcast and I let him know it wasn't very good. Then I let him know an easy way to improve it.   He rejected my idea.   I share the story in this episode. And my hope is that you'll make a different (and better) decision when it comes to your podcast. If you do, you'll get more listeners for your podcast and make more money with it.   Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.