Your Podcast: Same Ingredients - Different Recipe

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When you start a podcast, there are a couple of things that will dictate how it sounds, looks, and what topics are covered.

Breaking the "Rules of Podcasting

In the past I've given tips on how you should get to the point when starting your podcast, and try to avoid too much unrelated chit - chat. For me the best recipe of podasting is:

1. Provide content that moves your audience by making them laugh, cry, think, groan, educate, or entertains them.2. Use personal stories to help explain the topic at hand.

Example:

I learned about audio running the sound system when I was 13 at my church. You would learn that I grew up in a church and I've been around audio for many years. That is a relevant personal story. The story that my sister stubbed her toe is not.

Email From Tina Smith

I received an email from Tina from the Savvy Home School Moms Podcast

Question for ya....Have you ever listened to this show? www.manicmommies.com

They are HUGE. No seriously, HUGE. Two moms host a weekly show about the craziness of being a working mom...been publishing episodes since the youngest was newly born....I believe she's 8 or 9 now?   They do a retreat every year called "The Escape" and hundreds of women converge on a hotel somewhere in the country (it changes annually) to relax and get away from their hectic, "Manic" lives as mommies. Chevrolet sponsors this for them every year, and sponsors their show regularly as well! They've also had Sleep Number as a sponsor. I'm sure they've had many other sponsors over the years. I've only been listening the past 3 years or so.    They are actually the show that spurred me to start our own show, because it's so casual and made me feel like podcasting seemed very doable. And almost every show is JUST chitchat. They don't even always plan things, as far as I can tell from some of their jabs at themselves. I suspect there is SOME prep, notes taken on topics they want to cover....but in general, it sounds pretty off the cuff.   But they are funny, and they always have stories to tell and their audience ADORES them, judging by all the voicemail they regularly play on the show.    I totally love what you teach and have learned SO MUCH from you, and will continue to be a huge fan....just wanted to share a show that really breaks many of the rules you and your guests set out for a good show format. :)  Just proof that there are always exceptions to every rule!   I was just listening to them, and then to your show where you were talking about how someone's show was talking about the weather, and how chitchat like that is not a good idea... and was thinking about how we repeatedly get listeners writing in and telling us how their favorite part of our show is the beginning chitchat...how they feel like they are sitting having coffee with friends. They tell us it's like taking a peek into our lives, and they like that. I imagine some like to commiserate with similar ups and downs, and other find it interesting to peek at a life unfamiliar to them.   I suppose it really depends on how it's presented. I find the Manic Mommies show really interesting and amusing...even though I'm not a work-out-of-the-home-mom, and don't send my kids to public school and we don't do any sports (those 3 things are the main content of the Manic Mommies' show)...I always look forward to listening to their show, and I know many people say the same thing about our show.  But if it were presented in a boring way, I can totally see that not working. But shared by people that have a chemistry and share things in a fun way, it can actually work. And work well!   Liked Minded People

I am not manic, or a mom. Consequently, this podcast didn't do a whole lot for. I am excited to hear that Chevy is sponsoring podcasts (so obviously they are doing something right). In the bots of the podcast I listened to the Mommies talked about Sunburn children, baseball playoffs, and more. They talk about trying to juggle working, family, relationships. Can any women identify? When their audience hears their podcast, they soon realize, "I'm not the only person who feels this way." They can identify with these people. Since they deliver stories in really interesting and amusing ways, this is the same ingredients but a different recipe.

Question One: Who Is Listening?

As the manic mommies podcast is gear (primarily) toward women, the communicate in a way what I call their "natural tongue." From a male standpoint (and pahleese I'm doing generalizations here) that means LOTS of details. It connects with their audience, and makes them feel at ease. I once traveled outside the US. I loved the places I traveled, but there was a sense of "Ahhhhhh" when I touched down in the USA. I was home. I was comfortable. I'm assuming Mommies may have this feeling when they listen to this podcast.

Podcasting is Not One Size Fits All

Tina is correct, this podcast does sound different than the podcast I talk about. It should. I'm not their target audience.

What is My Beef With Chit Chat?

Here is what I'm basing my belief on:

1. We are all busy.2. Radio is awful primarily due to the MAMMOTH amounts of commercials (38% here in Cleveland).3. Other Experts Say they are not about talking about yourself, and wasting time with chit chat.

a) Epic Content Marketing - Joe Pulizzi - "Your audience doesn't care about you."b) Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently - By John Maxwell "Get to the point".c) Chris Brogan (create of Podcamps) "What doesn’t work well is when people misunderstand the tools and aren’t really producing something; instead they are just having a chit-chat. There are a lot of people who think pressing record is the same as creating content. I always tell people just press record and get started, but somewhere along the way you’ve got to try and up your game, and make something worthwhile. (source)d) Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World - "The point is it's not about you. It's about your audience, what would THEY find compelling." Michael Hyatt.3) Pete Peaves - Podcaster's Roundtable - The #1 overwhelming  pet peave was not getting to the point. (see video)

So to calrify, my beef is not with "chit chat" it's with unrelated chit chat. I once listened through a 17 minute monologue about how the host hated the musician Bob Seger before they ever got to the actual topic.

Talking About Yourself IS working for some people

There is a popular podcast consultant who recently admitted they had not done their usual show prep. They had very legitimate reasons, and in my opinion should've skipped two episodes that were (in my opinion) 100% all about the host (I found very little take away). I really like this host as a person (super nice person), their show was not meeting my expectation of delivering content about podcasting.  This week they stated they were returning  to their typical 60 minute show which included:

A "short" 13:24 monologue about their life

A short 11:27 comment not related to their topic.

That means their show is 24 minutes of "off topic" content or 40% (meaning 60% he was on topic). This technically is worse than the 38% here on Cleveland radio during "drive time" in the evening.

This person's business makes a six figures. How does they promote his business? Podcasting. According to the host, he apparently has an audience who is interested in hearing his personal life details.

And you know what? That's OK. Its HIS SHOW.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

I play the guitar. B.B. King can put a ton of soul into one note. Yngwie Malmsteen plays so fast your ears can't keep up.

Yet, its the same guitar.

You may talk and talk, and talk, and talk, about your personal life.

I choose to refrain.

Yet its the same mp3 format.

What you provide to your audience is based on your unique characteristics that make you - YOU. Based on the unique characteristics of your AUDIENCE, you may be surprised what they want to hear/see.

 The Key Ingredients of a Podcast

 In the book Platform by Michael Hyatt he talks about making "Wow" content. For me, I recognize "WOW" content when I don't want to turn off the podcast and come in the house. I choose to sit in the car and listen until the end of the story. He says this in the book

"It Exceeds the audience's expectations

It touches the heart on a deep level

It captures your attention to where you tune everything out (I'm paraphrasing on this one).

The information HAS to be shared. You can't contain it. "

How you package that material will be based on your experience, personality, and insights. If you're having success, my guess will be you have elements of these and you're probably delivering it in an entertaining fashion.

I Prefer Not To Stiff Arm My Audience

When I go to Wal-Mart, the door greeter doesn't say "Welcome to Wal-Mart" and then stop me from entering.

They let me on in. They don't give me a bunch of information I'm not interested in.

I know what I need, and that's why I'm at Wal-Mart.

Please let me get to what I need.

 "It's All About Me????"

If you're new to the show, Dave was attempting to be entertaining this morning. He neither thinks he is a myth or a legend. He typically gets right to the point. Today he did this to prove a point. If this was your first show, please come back next week.

 

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