Bold podcast promo strategies, psychological triggers from Starbucks, three essential interview question types, and how to add real impact (and "teeth") to your show in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ...

Big Ideas in This Episode

• Bands bribe radio station with fireworks for airplay
• What would you delete from your podcast—today?
• Is your gear obsession secretly holding you back?
• Starbucks-style choices: why too many repel listeners
• Sunk cost trap: why you keep bad podcasts alive
• Steal “Metal Shop’s” teeth: make your show addictive
• Never let a “hit-and-run” guest hijack your episode

Why You Should Listen

• The shockingly simple “firework effect” for making your podcast utterly unforgettable—borrowed straight from outrageous music industry stunts!
• The single question that reveals what’s secretly suffocating your podcast’s growth (and how to break free, fast)
• The 3 “fear stories” holding you back from podcast riches and recognition—plus, how to silence them for good
• How to instantly ditch the drudgery and force others to do your dirty podcast work for you (editors will secretly envy you!)
• “Pre-interviews”: the lazy man’s way to higher quality, hypnotic conversations—spend 10 minutes and watch your guests spill their best secrets
• The Starbucks psychological trigger that will keep your audience hooked—ignore it and lose your listeners to the competition
• How endless choices can secretly sabotage your show (and the two-option “milk or water” hack that keeps listeners loyal and powerless to leave)
• The sunk cost sin: why both YOU and your listeners will keep returning to your podcast—even when you bore them to tears (use this, get rich)
• The one tiny change that makes people greedily share your podcast with friends—viral growth, the easy way!
• How to sneak addictive self-care into your episodes, so fans lust after every new release (and brag online about your show)
• The “signature segment” strategy: create one killer feature and listeners will come crawling back for more (even if the rest is garbage)
• Why you MUST give your podcast “teeth”—and the 3 mysterious methods Metal Shop radio used to dominate a rabid cult audience
• What 90% of podcasters get wrong about interview questions—and how to ask so your guests hand you gold on a silver platter
• Expose your guests’ hidden greed, fears, and fantasies with these dangerously fun “novelty questions” that make even stone-cold CEOs open up
• The little-known trick for slashing time-wasting “hit and run” guests—gain absolute control, eliminate ramblers, and make every episode binge-worthy

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] The wildest things bands send to radio stations—fireworks, tombstones, and the desperate quest to get played
• [00:04:42] Three brutally honest questions every podcaster should ask to find true “podcasting freedom”
• [00:08:51] Why Starbucks writes your name wrong on purpose—and what that lesson means for your podcast
• [00:12:47] The shocking power of sunk cost fallacy: why podcasters (and listeners) stay loyal long after the fun stops
• [00:16:53] “What are you really bad at that you wish you were good at?”—Uncommon questions that spark unforgettable interviews
• [00:19:59] The Metal Shop secret: How one syndicated show kept listeners on their toes and what your podcast can steal from them
• [00:24:43] The dark side of podcast guests: How to deal with “hit and run” talkers who waste your time and tank your show

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This episode of Build a Big Podcast is brought to you by Riverside ...​

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About this episode of Build a Big Podcast:​

This is the audio companion to Issue 240 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. On this episode, I dive into where the money is made in podcasting. how to get more reviews (and subscribers) for your podcast, podcast hosting, and more.   ​

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