Viral Podcasting

Naresh Vissa joined us today. When it comes to marketing and monetization, the two go hand-in-hand. Using digital marketing you can turbo-charge your podcast listenership. It means uploading your podcast to multiple platforms. Getting your show out there. And define your niche. Narrow-casting focusing on a particular subject to hone in on your audience’s interest. You want to be an early mover in your niche to maximize your audience. You have to be in it for the long-haul. Commitment and consistency are crucial, especially in the beginning. Fresh and new content is key. When you get started, always release multiple episodes for the first few months. This is actually a case where quantity can be as important as quality. Then scale back to one episode per week. Be passionate and love what you’re doing, have a plan and watch what happens.

The digital economy went bust in 2001. Companies started seeking better more cost-effective ways of doing business. Now you can outsource everything, services and manufacturing, etc. It’s more efficient and improves the bottom line. When the next recession hits, it will be the next transformation of the global economy. Naresh is seeing it with his own business, his services have displaced employees and has increased client capabilities. The need to attend trade shows is diminshing. Their cost is making companies seek other web-based solutions. Online events and summits are becoming dominant. You’re no longer limited by space and geography.

Heather Havenwood was always different. While her friends in Texas were simply looking to get married and have a family, she always wanted to be an entrepreneur. She teamed up with a person she thought was trustworthy. They were succeeding beyond her expectations and then the unthinkable happened. Her partner absconded with all their company's assets, leaving Heather holding the bag. This led her to bankruptcy and couch surfing for many months. Finally, she went to an old mentor and asked the question, "Where did I go wrong." The answer was, you were too busy running the show to concern yourself with the really important issues. Today, she's successful and helping other female entrepreneurs to get their start. Truly an inspiration.

Paul Gibbons is a fellow podcaster using science and philosophy to further his audience’s knowledge. He’s opinionated and very secure in his beliefs, but that doesn’t mean he’s not open-minded. He’s willing to look at the facts and change his opinion when required. We talked about why media figures on the right succeed while those on the left fail. As I stated, “It’s not the message, it’s the messenger.” People connect with their favorite media figures and may or may not buy into their message. Paul, unlike most of his political grouping, acknowledges that Donald Trump is a genius of messaging and connecting with his followers. We could all learn a lot from POTUS 45 in that regard.

Lunide Louis has a gift and she decided to share it with an audience. But she didn't have one. So she started a podcast with very ambitious audience goals and so far she's exceeded. But her morning wake-up and goal setting program looks like a winner and that's why we're bringing here to you. We're trying some of her specific action steps. If you do too, please let us know how they work out for you.

You know that we're big believers in the constant quest to upgrade our equipment. Two recent additions have made a meaningful contribution to the quality of our shows and the ability to facilitate and expedite our workflow. First we purchased a slightly used Shure KSM 313 Microphone. This Red and Black microphone while being very attractive utilizes a Roswellite rare earth metal ribbon to capture sound. It's most useful for musicians, but it's also a great podcasting mic. The ribbon is great for picking up voice, but doesn't pick is limited in its ability to pick up breaths. So if you're a heavy breathing podcaster, this could do the trick. Until something better comes along, we're hooked.

Next is my 43" curved Samsung monitor. When it comes to workflow, this monitor is a godsend. It measures approximately 14" x 43" and has a slight radius. The beauty of this monitor is that it allows for three windows to be open, side by side at the same time. This makes editing documents, audio or video files a snap. It really helps declutter your desktop. I purchased it almost new on eBay for around $550, including shipping. It comes in a behemoth of a box, but is really quite simple to setup. Once you've got it set up the way you like it, you'll never go back to boxy monitors again.

Our continuous effort to improve is always reaping dividends. Stayed tuned for our next giant leap forward.

I've often preached the virtues of consistency, while not adhering to them myself. Finally, I decided to put my foot down and force myself to comply. I'm now doing 10 segments per month and have figured out that my producer can simply auto post them at 9am every morning. It's an easy system and it's working. It's one thing to produce the episodes, but it's quite another to actually release them on a schedule. But, it's not that easy. Now I do my show notes and the episodes are ready to go. If you're doing a weekly show, you need to release the show on a specific day at a regular time. Can you imagine if tv shows were released whenever they felt like it? There would be chaos on the air. So now I'm committed. Can you commit?

Ben Kreuger of www.cashflowpodcasting.com joined us and together we explored the evolution of a professional podcaster. Some people start out on a lark and find they have found their calling. Others start out with a distinct brand and business and realize that podcasting can help them to greatly leverage their business. It doesn't really matter how you get there, but Ben believes that once you become an advocate for your audience, you've made the transition. Eventually, if you keep at it, eventually you'll become a professional. And once you're there, you've developed the skills to keep it going. It's a process that unfolds over time. Are you ready to become a professional podcaster?

Kevin Dumont has always been a rebel. With some people, it's just the way they're wired. But not in a negative sense, but rather someone who doesn't go along with the crowd. His investment philosophy is really quite simple, look for gains but always avoid losses. That's rather non-traditional in the current economic cycle. It's a strategy for long term success. That's how his podcast was born, out of a desire to afford investors complete transparency while giving them opportunities to invest for the long term. While his podcast is relatively new, he's been quickly gaining traction. Evidently, listeners enjoy hearing the unvarnished truth and are always in the mood the increase their knowledge base. And that's what podcasting is all about.

Darren Paltrowitz was a veteran of the music business. Now he podcasts about the business and interviews many music celebs. We discuss a wide variety of issues facing podcasters and go into the business’s highs and lows. Perhaps of most help to those looking to build their podcasts is our in depth discussion of interviewing do’s and don’ts. Darren is a skilled interviewer with many, many interviews under his belt. We talk about disinterested interviewees, detached complacent subjects and how to take them out of their comfort zone. It’s all fun and part of what makes a successful podcaster. And Darren explains how he gets free trips and access to VIP Events.