Viral Podcasting

It’s very easy to get into a podcasting rut. Everything seems to be going fine and why should you want to upset the applecart. However, investing in technology that will actually improve your show is almost always a good investment. We’re not talking about vanity upgrades where you buy something new just to satisfy an emotional desire. Rather we’re talking about investing in innovations that actually improve the quality of your show. I recently purchased a new Mac Mini 2018. I didn’t buy the top of the line, but invested in the best processor and a 1 giga byte hard drive. The results have exceeded my expectations. The computer has virtually eliminated all latency on my videos. It’s way faster and saves my files in a fraction of the time of my last generation Mini. And this is just one small example. There are many more. Remember, your show is a living, breathing entity and you need to always be striving for continuous improvement. New tech can help get you there.

It’s very easy to get into a podcasting rut. Everything seems to be going fine and why should you want to upset the applecart. However, investing in technology that will actually improve your show is almost always a good investment. We’re not talking about vanity upgrades where you buy something new just to satisfy an emotional desire. Rather we’re talking about investing in innovations that actually improve the quality of your show. I recently purchased a new Mac Mini 2018. I didn’t buy the top of the line, but invested in the best processor and a 1 giga byte hard drive. The results have exceeded my expectations. The computer has virtually eliminated all latency on my videos. It’s way faster and saves my files in a fraction of the time of my last generation Mini. And this is just one small example. There are many more. Remember, your show is a living, breathing entity and you need to always be striving for continuous improvement. New tech can help get you there.

We spoke with bestselling author Kasim Aslim. He shared his life story with us and it was quite touching. At 20 years old he had a booming business and then all of a sudden he lost it all. He was having trouble making ends meet. It was a hellish experience that was life altering. However, rather than be defeated by this defeat, he used it as a learning experience. Today, he credits that experience with his current success and solvency. It’s a matter of learning far more from your successes than your failures. And he believes that these lessons can be applied to building podcast audiences. Marketing like podcasting is all about building relationshps and Kasim has become a master at it.

Amy Domestico is the Customer Success Manager for Voxnest. She's been in podcasting for more than a decade and takes the industry very seriously. There's probably no better source for the latest scuttlebutt than  her. Amy believes that the opportunities for making podcasting a career and a high income earner have never been greater. Since Spreaker and Blogtalkradio were combined into Voxnest, there's greater opportunities for monetization than ever. While you might not be able to retire off your earnings there, they provide an opportunity for immediate income, which is rather unique in this field. And now, there's the ability to post to many more platforms in just easy to access place. Voxnest/Spreaker are making big waves in podcasting. You need to check them out.

Marla Isackson became somewhat of a reluctant podcaster. At the urging of her team, she hesistantly begans podcasting. That was nearly 40 episodes ago and she's going strong. In the process she uncovered an opportunity to create a network for female and minority podcasters. She's got nearly 150 shows on her site now and expects to be at 250 by year's end. She's going to monetize the site by attracting advertisers with excellent show analytics and metrics. The space is booming now and when Marla finally releases the site to the public, she's expecting big results. Today it's iTunes, tomorrow the world!

Doing a great interview is an acquired skill and art. Unfortunately there really aren’t any great books on the topic either. Maybe it’s time to write one. There’s a lot more to it than just asked no a bunch of questions. Canned interviews sound canned and will not generate interest. You’ve got to find the angle. You need to find a side of your subject that isn’t well known or common knowledge. Are with a different perspective you can make a difference. Just put your mind to it and think differently. When it comes to interviewing it’s all about practice and point of view. You need to stand out. And remember that the most difficult subjects provide you with an incredible challenge to grow and improve your skills

This is our 45th episode. We're very big on paying it forward. That's why I'm making this personal offer to you now. Write to me at [email protected] and I will listen to your podcast and evaluate all of your branding and marketing and furnish you with a SWAT (strengths, weaknesses and threats) report to help you grown at no cost to you. What are you doing right and what are you doing wrong? You probably don't know and no one is out there telling you. Usually you only need to make minor corrections on the course you're following, but that's enough to show huge results. And that's what we're after. Again, just email me at [email protected] for your complimentary podcast evaluation. Happy podcasting!

Viral Podcasting

From a young age Karen Kataline wanted to be a performer. Later she went on to earn her masters in social work from Columbia. This prepared her well for her later role as podcaster. Karen says you've got to learn how to make connections quickly when you're a social worker and the same holds true for podcasting. She fills in for local radio hosts in her area and started her podcast a year ago. She continues to build audience and is looking to monetize and expand. There's a lot of options, but she will probably start another show dealing with women's issues and business matters. Right now it's all politics, all the time, but she's learning the benefit of being flexible as any accomplished podcast must. For more info go over to ViralPodcasting.com. 

When it comes to success in podcasting, consistency is the key. Whether it's releasing shows at regular intervals and times or consistent quality, when you deliver your audience comes to trust you and you insure that they download all your episodes as they become avaialble. They understand that you are reliable partner who can be counted upon. When you fail at consistency as I have at numerous times, your credibility will take a hit. You also need to be consistent in self-improvement and improving your show. Until we're all perfect at everything we do, there's always room for improvement. Whether it's cutting down on verbal stumbles, annunciating words more clearly, doing a better job with show notes, you can take small steps towards improvment that lead to big gains in audience and income. It's all up to you. Just promise to make one improvement per week and watch your listernship take off.

Liz Soria hosts a podcast called Tax Advisor & Biz Coach Success. She's been doing it for nearly two years and has over 2000 listeners. She's anxious to monetize the show and she need only look at her audience as potential clients for her services. While there are many other ways to monetize, converting listeners into paying customers is perhaps one of the easiest and most tried and true methods for podcasting success. After all, if someone is listening to a niche podcast, they probably have an interest in that product or service. So why not start monetizing your podcast by offering your own services. Figure out what your annual revenue per client works out to. Multiply that by 10, 20, 50 or 100. You could be looking at some serious sales increases for an incredibly low financial outlay. Perhaps the greatest takeaway from Liz's interview is that you need to make a commitment to yourself and your audience to keep on improving your show's quality and your level of expertise.