School of Podcasting: Expert Tips for Launching and Growing Your Podcast

Currently, I think civilization has a serious problem. We are losing the ability to identify the truth. I'm not talking religion, or anything philosophical. I'm talking about doing research, looking at the evidence, and reporting what we find. Today I use the clip of then Donald Trump's "Very Fine People" press conference. That remark came at 01:07 but the 2-minute mark had him saying, "I'm not talking about the neo Nazi's or the white nationalists because they should be condemned totally." Because of hi"s "Very Fine People" clip, Joe Biden said he HAD to run for President.  Please note I'm not either pro or against Trump. I liked his stance on China but saw MANY stupid things come out of his mouth. This is not about politics. It's about the media not focusing on delivering the truth, but more interesting in obtaining high ratings.  Mentioned In This Episode Very Fine People - video Profit From Your Podcast - Book Charles Barkley Speaks Some Truth   With a Podcast You Can't Be Cancelled While you can be removed off of platforms, as long as you have an RSS feed, people can subscribe/follow your show. It may take them a couple of extra steps to do it manually but you're not "off the air." In some cases being edited is just great exposure. People want to hear what the big deal was that you were censored.    QUESTION OF THE MONTH If you have a co-host, I'd love to hear how you found/chose your co-host. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question Be sure to mention your show, your website, and a little bit about your podcast. Ready to Start Your Podcast? The School of Podcasting is dedicated to teaching you the right way to launch, grow and produce your podcast so that you sound great. Membership includes step-by-step videos that will walk you through planning podcasts, launching them on Apple and other top directories, growing listenership and getting more listeners coming back for more episodes. The live coaching sessions are available via zoom -with a group coaching session every month during a call with other members who are also producing professional content. You have access to me via email as well as mentoring in our private Facebook community filled with brilliant minds such as yourself.  See www.schoolofpodcasting.com/join  

Billie Eilish (super famous singer - especially to young teenage girls - records her music with her brother in their bedroom. She currently has 44 million followers on Spotify and 81 million followers on Instagram. She earned 25 million from Apple for the movie and her net worth is reportedly 53 million. Not too bad for two people who are having fun recording things in their bedroom. Pet Sitter Confidential Today I talk with Collin who along with his wife produce the Pet Sitter Confidential podcast. They are truly impacting their audience, and due to their uber-niche topic, it is enabling them to get sponsors (Without 20,000 downloads per episode).  SPONSOR: The School of Podcasting Podcasting can feel lonely at times and that's why I created the School of Podcasting - to give you a place where like-minded podcasters can support, guide, challenge & grow. You'll have access to all the step-by-step tutorials so that you know how to launch your podcast without wasting money on equipment or trying to guess what to do when it comes to planning. You get live group coaching, a network Facebook group, and priority email support so that you never go into this alone - learn from me and fellow podcasters. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/join TOPICS COVERED 04:57 Topics on Your Show? 05:33 Who is it For? 05:59 Their Niche Lead to A Sponsor 07:16 Pricing Your Ad Spot 08:27 The Lifetime Value of a Customer 14:32 Building Their Community 15:49 Sponsor Renewal 16:59 Patreon Thoughts 19:18 Did you think anyone would listen? 22:08 Who Are You? 23:24 How to Balance Life? 24:27 The importance Having a Buffer I loved that some of his best guests aren't people with huge followings. Also, when someone is filling up notepads with information from your show, you KNOW you are delivering value.  Collin has multiple streams of income. He has the sponsorship along with a Patreon account.  Find their show at https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/ QUESTION OF THE MONTH If you have a co-host, I'd love to hear how you found/chose your co-host. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question Be sure to mention your show, your website, and a little bit about your podcast. 

So many times we identify ourselves not by our values or beliefs but by what we DO. I'm a cashier, or I work in accounts payable, the warehouse. That may be what you DO, but it may not be who you are. Podcasting allows you to reinvent who you are. To be your true self. Today we talk with Scot McCarthy of the Moving Forward Leadership Podcast. Scott joined the military when he was 18 and will be retiring soon, so he is using podcasting to reinvent himself and help establish himself in the space of leadership.  I love that Scott knows it's not easy to start a business and that why I brought him on. You need to dig the well BEFORE your thirsty. Scott doesn't have a month-week plan, he has a five YEAR plan. He constantly researching to work smarter, to better understand his audience (through Facebook groups), and hiring people for those things he needs help with. He's not talking into a phone set on speaker and looking for money to fall from heaven. Can I Play Music in My Podcast? When it comes to legal questions in the entertainment space there is one (and only one name) and that is Gordon Firemark Gordon helps answer that question along with a new spin on that question. What if they perform the song live on my podcast (or for those older DJ's they did on your show) can I play that recording (it's a different recording than the one on the record).  What about fair use? Keep in mind that fair use is the defense you use when you go to court. Check out Gordon's book, The Podcast, Blog & New Media Producer's Legal Survival Guide: An essential resource for content creators For more information check out Gordon at thepodcastlawyer.com Do We Need Your Guests Backstory? Nobody asked about the Lone Ranger until after he saved the day. Read my full article on Medium How Did You Find Your Co-Host? This is the question of the month (due by April 23rd, 2021). Record your answer (and be sure to mention your podcast and website) on how you found your co-host. Go to schoolofpodcasting.com/question Ready To Start Your Podcast?  The School of Podcasting is the best place for anyone looking to learn how to make podcasts. We have step-by-step tutorials, live group coaching, and a private Facebook group for networking. Join today with our 30-day money-back guarantee! You'll be able to create your own show in no time at all. Our team of experts will teach you everything from A-Z so that you can get started on your first episode right away. And if it's not for you, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee on your membership fee! It doesn't matter what skill level or experience you have - we've got something for everyone here at The School of Podcasting! Sign up now and start making great content today! This is episode 769 of the School of Podcasting. You can subscribe/follow the show at schoolofpodcasting.com/follow  or just text  " sop " to 31996

It's the last week of the month which means, "Question of the Month" where YOU get to be on the show. This month's question is "What do you wish you had known when you started your podcast."SPONSOR: The School of Podcasting Learn to plan, launch, grow, and monetize your show. You'll sound great, organized, and create GREAT content. Take advantage of our step-by-step tutorials, live group coaching, and private Facebook group filled with brilliant podcasting minds. www.schoolofpodcasting.com/joinBecause of My Podcast: Fred Castaneda The No Agenda streaming service found Fred's show the 2030 Podcast and added it to their schedule.  What I Wish I Had Known 04:31 Steve Stewart: Audacity At Zero Crossing 07:13 Kurt from Expats in Austin: The Importance of Editors 08:21 James from Bros and blokes - The Amount of Time 09:21 Kim Newlove from the Pharmacists Voice - Fitting Podcasting Into Life 11:18 Jill Keep the Flame Alive - It Takes a LOT of Time 12:06 Paul from Improve and Have Fun: Episode Length 13:30 York from Poetic Earthlings: The Evil of Comparison 15:11 Bill from Bill Watches Movies: Stats Are Useless 17:32 Paul from Improve and Have Fun:: Do Whatever You Want 18:47 Carrie from Hope for Anxiety and ODC It is EASY to Get Guests 20:11 Craig from Inglespodcast - Cohosts Makes Things Better 21:00 Arnie Sports History Network - More Networking 22:49 Kim from Bee Keeping Today - Reaching Your Target Audience is Hard 23:20 Seth Geekville Radio - Plugins For WordPress 25:30 Anthony from Route 66 - Post vs Pages 26:16 Join the School of Podcasting 27:14 Kris from the Kris and Kristine Show - How Podcasts Work 29:19 Joe the Morning Meditation- Writing Good Titles 30:22 Jeff the Podcast Pizza Show - The Power of the Niche 32:10 Glenn from Horse Radio Network - Started Side Hustles 32:58 Dave (me) - Do ONE GOOD Podcast 34:29 Kim from Toastmasters 101 Impostor Syndrome 35:25 Pashup from the Warrior One - Be Yourself 36:13 Next Months Question: Finding Co-Hosts 37:53 Fixing a Mistake 43:17 Bloopers Mentioned In This Episode Podcast Engineering AcademySmart Money Mommas

Quick Notes: Apple Update: Apple is changing the wording in their app from "Subscribe" to "Follow" so stop telling your audience to subscribe (and if you do, mention that it's free) and instead tell them to follow you. The new version of the app will be out in a few weeks. I was listening to the Sounds Profitable podcast and heard where my friend Harry Duran from Podcast Junkies, and Fullcast, hard obtained a sponsor for a show that had not been published. I had to hear how he did it. Question of the Month Deadline is This Friday What one thing do you wish you knew when you started your podcast? You can leave your answer at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question (be sure to mention your show and your website slowly).  Win Rewards for Sharing the Show Speaking of followers/subscribers if you share the show you can win rewards when your friends subscribe/follow. See  www.schoolofpodcasting.com/share Full show notes at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/767 For More Information on Harry Duran Check out his "Done for you" podcast agency at www.fullcast.co Check out the Vertical Farming Podcast Check out Podcast Jukies Podcast Twitter: @verticalfarmpod Mentioned In This Episode Join the School of Podcasting and get access to step-by-step tutorials, live group coaching, and an awesome private Facebook group for networking and brainstorming.  See www.schoolofpodcasting.com/join Sam Kinison's "Move to where the food is."  Harry Durran on Treating His Guests Like an Opportunity Instead of Transactions Dave Jackson on Podcast Junkies: 018 Dave Jackson | The Importance Of Providing Your Own Unique Voice Question of the month: www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question  Share The Show www.schoolofpodcasting.com/show Check out Fullcast Harry's "Done for you" podcast agency at www.fullcast.co Check out the Vertical Farming Podcast Check out Podcast Jukies Podcast Like the show? Buy Me a Coffee

Who is Kristin Molenaar? Kristin is an entrepreneur-enthusiast who lives by the mantra "work less + make more". She enjoys helping entrepreneurs ditch vanity metrics for true, profitable connections. She's the CEO of YesBoss, an agency that helps 2b2 entrepreneurs increase their visibility and credibility through profitable podcast guest features. Kristin Molenaar's Tips For Getting Booked on Podcasts There are almost 2 million podcasts. Where do you begin? Find someone in your niche, and use a tool like Podchaser, Podsearch, Google, or any podcast app and search for their interviews. This may lead you to podcasts that would also be interested in interviewing you.  Kristin likes to pitch a show with the question, "Are you open to being pitched." Another strategy is looking for hashtags.  When looking for a show to appear on, look further than the interview. Kristin looks for someone that can be a partner, and develop a long-term strategy.  Sending a "look how great I am" email is not a good strategy. The True Power of Podcasting One of the biggest complaints I hear from people that have been a guest on podcasts is "it has never produced any results for me." They will say, "I've been invited to be a guest on people's podcast. I showed up and I talked about what I knew and it didn't go anywhere. I didn't get any traffic or business from it. It felt like a waste of my time." This is what Kristin says that people need to remember when they're becoming a podcast guest. The biggest benefit you're going to get out of podcast guesting is the relationship with the podcast host. I think that there are a lot of false hopes or false narratives around what I'm calling one-hit wonders. I think people think, "If I go after the biggest podcast that I possibly can, it's going to change my business. Here's the thing about being a podcast guest just like every other marketing strategy, just like every other networking strategy, it snowballs on itself. But you have to treat people, like people. Your job as a podcast guest is to show up and be in service to the objective of the podcast host. You need to show the podcast host, "Hey, I appreciate you allowing me to show up in your space.  I am here to really provide as much benefit as I can to you. I want this to last beyond a recording." When people come in without that mentality. I think that the benefits are just severely limited. Being a podcast guest has tons and tons of benefits. But you're just missing out if you're not looking at this as an opportunity to meet really incredible people who are connected to other really incredible people and building a business that you can have fun together. That's what I love about podcasting and I wish more people came into it with that frame of mind because I think out of that we would get better pitches. We would get better research. We would get better conversations. We would get better results on the back end.    Want More Tips On Getting Being a Guest and Booking Guests? See this episode The Ultimate Guide to Hosting and Guesting Podcast Interviews   Podcast Rewind: The Show Business Show I appeared on episode 2 of the Show Business Show with Billy and Simon for a marathon session on my book Profit from Your Podcast Need Help With Your Podcast? Join the School of Podcasting? Are you afraid of sounding bad (or stupid)? Worried about buying a bunch of stuff you don't need? Feeling overwhelmed swimming in a sea of jargon?  Join the School of Podcasting and get access to: Step by step tutorials Live group coaching Private Facebook group filled with  Join worry-free with my 30-day money-back Guarantee  Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/join

You might be thinking, "I'm not a business, what do I care about branding? Well, if you have one download, congratulations you are a brand. Today I talk with Dr. Andrea Wojnicki from the Talk About Talk Podcast about developing and implementing your personal brand (and how it can help grow your audience) Sponsor: The School of Podcasting Join the School of Podcasting and never worry about sounding bad, spending too much money on gear, and being all alone to be frustrated and angry. When you join the School of Podcasting you get: Step by step tutorials A Private Networking Group Live group coaching Priority email support Join today worry-free with my 30-day money-back guarantee.  www.schoolofpodcasting.com/join What is a Personal Brand? Your personal brand is your identity or your reputation. A definition that Dr. Andrea loves is, “Your personal brand is what others think and say about you when you're not in the room.” Click Here to get the workbook to walk you through the exercises discussed in today's episode. Step 1: What differentiates you? Step 2: Email 10 People Step 3: Take a Personality Test Where Your Brand Appears in Your Podcast Your podcast brand includes:● What people read (show notes). Your emails (and have ONE thing in your email signature). ● What people hear (your episodes, and the quality of audio). ● What people see (artwork). Come up with a color scheme (for example two colors) and two fonts that you use consistently and it will build your brand How This All Works: Identifying your strengths, and a personal positive message that has deep personal meaning to you, delivered in a unique way allows you to BE YOU. It will come naturally. Leaning on your strengths can help reduce burnout as you’re not doing things that don’t come naturally. It can clear up situations by identifying what you can and can’t do. When you identify the verbiage you want to use, and how you want to appear and deliver your message, you provide your audience with the tools to tell their friends. If their friends ask, “What podcasts are you listening to, they can easily explain what your show is about, who it’s for, and what the benefit it. They also can explain the motivation of the show. Connect with Dr. Andrea Wojnicki Podcast: Check out the Communicate with CONFIDENCE – The 4Ps: Practice, Proverb, Pep talk, and Pirate episode Website: www.talkabouttalk.com Newsletter with Free Tips LinkedIn Facebook Group Coaching & Courses Online Corporate Training

In talking with new and seasoned podcasters I often hear questions that lead me to believe that people think they can "break" their podcast.  Today I talk about a few questions I've heard and how 99% of the time you're not going to break your show.  We also have a question of the month The Separate Track Challenge I have recommended Squadcast for years. The ease of use and the ability to have separate tracks of you and your guest makes it my go-to choice for remote recordings. then later I got a Rodcaster Pro which ( Along with the Zoom P4, and the Zoom P8) allow you to record separate tracks. I can be on track one, and my guest can be on a separate track. The question then is: Does the separate track recorded locally on the guest's computer (and uploaded to Squadcast) sound that much better than the same track that has traveled over the internet? I also had my guest join me on Zoom as I know a lot of people are using Zoom to record interviews. Nuts and Bolts of Remote Recording The zoom recording is sampled at 32 kHz where Squadcast records at 48 khz. (This is how many times per second a picture is taken of your audio - the higher the number the better the sound). For me, the zoom recording while listenable sounds "fuzzy" compared to the Squadcastrecording (which makes sense as it has a higher sample rate. Also, Squdcast provides a WAV file that is better than the m4a (variable bit rate - another "no-no" for podcasting) from Zoom. If you're going to use the m4a from Zoom, be sure to edit it, and export as an mp3 with a contact bit rate. When I compared the original Squadcast file to the one I recorded (after coming across the Internet) and there again was a slight degradation of the file (not quite as crisp). Another Benefit of Squadcast In my test, as my guest was talking the Internet slightly broke up the audio is it made its way to me. If I had been using the recording on the Rodecaster this "Glitch" would be in the recording. With the original Squdcast fie, the glitch is not there (as that recording goes from their microphone to their hard drive, and then uploaded to Squadcast. Always Have a Backup Recording Of Your Interview The other advantage of using a tool like Squadcast is in the event the recording has an issue with the Rodecaster I have Squadcast as a backup. If there is a glitch with Squadcast, I've got my hardware option as a backup. No matter what you are using to record your remote interviews, always have two systems recording. It's not a matter of if one will fail, but when. For me, Squadcast is the most reliable. School of Podcasting Moving to a New Platform Thinkific is charging me per student (and I'm not a fan of that) so I've looked at Kajabi, Teachable, and Podia . Currently, I feel Kajabi is cool, but I'm not a fan of their limits to the number of products, and I'm learning more about Podia as they allow you to sell digital products, membership sites, and courses. They also have an affiliate program. With Teachable if I use their affiliate program, I have to pay them 2%, and with Podia you pay your monthly fee, and that is it. No extra fees. Free Coaching Calls? I'm pondering trying something new. This would be to offer coaching calls at a deep discount that would then be used in episodes (which is why they are discounted). If you're interested, contact me and I'll send you an application. Join the School of Podcasting Get access: Step by step tutorials Live group coaching Private brainstorming/podcasting group You don't have to worry about sounding bad, buying the wrong equipment and wasting your time. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start Mentioned In This Episode 764 Podcast Gear Guide Webinar(free - no email address needed) Squadcast Samson Q2U Rodecaster Pro Zoom Podtrack P4 Talk About Talk Podcast Podcasting Resources Podcast

We've All Pushed Through Awkward Moments of Being Vulnerable Do you remember your first real kiss? I was with my first girlfriend. I was probably 14? I was scared to death. There was no internet, and for me, nobody to ask? So I went in for the kiss and kissed her in a very TV-friendly way. I stopped and said, "Let's try that again" and I figured out what to do. I tried everything I could to avoid falling in love with my first wife. I had told her over and over that I didn't want anything serious, but here we were a year later and a year later I was in love with her. Sitting in front of her house I said, "I need to tell you something," and then proceeded to tell her I liked her a lot. I backed it up, and then said, "I love you." These are scary things to do. You put yourself out there, and if you do it wrong you get some feedback, and you tweak yourself.  Over the past two weeks, I've had meeting after meeting with members of my audience (one at a time). Some of them were current or past members of the School of Podcasting, and others I had never met (but they were listeners to my show). Today I talked about what I learned and why you should seriously consider it. If the Words "Focus Group" Makes You Uncomfortable, then Think of It as Coaching So many people who are experts in their field still used coaches. Hank Haney served as Tiger Woods' coach from 2004-2010. During that span, Woods won six of his 15 career major championships. The two were very close while they worked together, and Woods credits a ton of his success to Haney's teachings. Here are some more people who even after their enormous success still have coaches: Richard Branson  Oprah Winfrey Tony Robbins Leonardo DiCaprio Serena Williams Metallica We all need people who give us feedback. That is how we improve. - Bill Gates Is This Just a Plug To Get Me To Hire You As A Coach? While I have the Podcast Rodeo Show which looks at your first impression and the Podcast Review Show that looks at your whole episode, website, and we have you fill out a form to discuss the goals of the show, if you want to know what content your audience wants and needs, the best place to go is your audience.  I'm Still A Shy Guy at Heart People don't believe it, but underneath it all I'm fairly shy. So the thought of reaching out to my email list and asking them for their input made me a little nervous. This was especially true if someone was a current or previous member of the School of Podcasting. This is where you have to change your attitude.  When I went to college for my first degree, I was a waiter. To be a good waiter, you listen to your customer and give them exactly what they ordered. As I got on zoom, I just said to myself it's like being a waiter again.  I Should've Done This Years Ago I sent out an email with the subject line of, "I need your help...." and explained that I was going to rebuild the School of Podcasting from the ground up and I wanted to talk to them. Here are some of the things that I gained from doing this exercise: I have a visual of what my audience looks like.  I got two people who will be future guests I got to see what was working in my show In regards to the School of Podcasting, I'm glad to say that the things people want, are often already being delivered. I learned that I might want to reorganize some of the content in the School of Podcasting. I heard some answer repeated. This is proof of concept that the tutorials I have are the right tutorials. I got a couple of great questions that I will be using for the "Question of the Month" in the future. There is nothing to be afraid of as these people are your listeners. If anything they might "fanboy" out a bit which is flattering.  When You're Too Close to the Subject There was one comment that came up twice that in one way surprised me, and yet upon thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. When I asked if there were any lessons in the School of Podcasting that they found confusing. Most people were so much confused, but wanted me to go deeper into subjects, The lesson? My lesson on Libsyn.com. What is this surprising? Because I've worked there for over five years. Why does this make sense? The curse of knowledge. I went too fast.  This was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.  Don't Do This on a Group Call While I could've held this as a "Town Hall" type of meeting, I enjoyed connecting one on one and giving my listener my undivided attention. I know for many of us who are introverts, podcasting is a great way to reach many people without meeting many people, but I'm here to tell you that time is too important to waste. If you were headed in the wrong direction wouldn't you want your GPS to alert you? Well, your audience is your GPS on the road to delivering value.  Start Your Podcast Today If you want to learn how to connect with your audience by creating great content that inspires them to tell a friend, JOIN the School of Podcasting.  Because Of My Podcast: I'm an Advisor in Hollywood Jerry Williams is the producer and host of the FBI retired case file review podcast. She's on a mission to show you who the FBI is and what the FBI does through her interviews with retired agents about some of the FBI biggest cases, and some investigations you've never heard about.  She said, "A couple of years ago, I wrote a book called FBI myths and misconceptions, a manual for armchair detectives, which uses quotes and snippets, from my podcast interviews to debunk cliches about the FBI, and books, TV and movies. Because of that book and because of my podcast, last summer I was contacted by two different Hollywood Studios. Now I am under contract with FX network, which is owned by Disney, and Warner Brothers and Bad Robot as a technical consultant on two TV shows that are going to be released later this fall. Now, I'm not going to name-drop, but if you look up Bad Robot, you'll get to see who I get to hang out with talking to the writers on zoom or the phone a few hours a week as a lot of fun and good pay. Now, I think this is pretty cool because of my podcast story. When I started FBI retired case file review five years ago, the purpose of the podcast was to help me sell more books. I am an author, getting ready to publish my fifth book, crime fiction and nonfiction about the FBI. However, based on my own experiences as an FBI agent, and because I've now interviewed more than 222 former colleagues, I'm pretty knowledgeable about most of the FBI violations. But I never thought of myself as a technical consultant. But now I am. Thanks, Dave for letting me share my because of my podcast story, love your show." Transcribed by https://otter.ai Scott Johnson's What Was That Like Connecting With His Audience Thanks to Scott for letting me clips from his latest episode of What Was That Like? Podcast. It showed over and over how engaged your audience is with your content. You hear everyone spreading your show via word of mouth and downloading ALL of your episodes when they find it. Glad to hear your hard work is paying off and I wish you continued success. Mentioned In This Episode What Was That Like Podcast No Agenda Show Podcasters Roundtable Jerri Willams Check out Jerri's Amazon Page Zoom Meeting Software Talk about Talk Podcast Podcast Rodeo Show (Review Your Show) Podcast Review Show Time Table 02:57 Because of My Podcast:: Jerri Williams 06:53 Everyone Needs a Coach 10:47 What Was That Like - Examples of Engaged Audiences 16:19 What I Gained (and you can too) 19:44 You're Too Close 23:48 THEY SAID MY NAME! 26:38 Clubhouse App Is Spying On You? 32:46 My Dad's Podcast 35:01 Bloopers  

Are you looking to grow your audience? Get more engagement with your audience? Today I have Valerie Geller the author of the book Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age—News, Talk, Information & Personality for Broadcasting, Podcasting, Internet, Radio which is also available on Audible  Meet Valerie Geller Valerie Geller, president of Geller Media International, a broadcast consulting firm, trains broadcasters throughout the world by Creating Powerful Radio seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching for news, talk, information, and personality programming for radio and television. She's worked with top stations and personalities throughout the world at more than 500 stations in 27 countries.  You can find Valerie's Books on her Amazon page, as well as beyondpowerfulradio.com and creatingpowerfulpodcasts.com Find her on twitter at @vgeller and @vgeller on the clubhouse app (iOs only). Thre Simple Rules To Make Your Podcast Successful Tell the Truth Make it Matter Never Be Boring Questions to Help You Edit Why should you listen to this? Why would someone want to hear this? The Best Podcasts: Inform Entertain Inspire Persuade  Connect The best conversations come from listening. When doing an interview listen and make the interview more of a conversation. Making Engaging Content When you are telling the truth and being transparent, you can share your opinion on a topic and ask your audience to share theirs. By asking a specific question it's easier than "send me some feedback."  When delivering content you should be doing one of the following: Inform Entertain Inspire Persuade  Connect Place Your Listener in the Movie Try to work visual words into your podcast. Help trigger the theater of the mind. There is a framework called the Story Spine from Kenn Adams that is used by many storytellers it is: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. (and so on) Until finally ___. And every day after that ___. For more on storytelling check out Episode 745. Growing Your Podcast When you are on other platforms, be amazing and leave them wanting more.  So many people go to other platforms (like Clubhouse) and tell them to come to the podcast.  If you bring amazing content to the conversation those same people will ask you where to find more of you.  It all starts with being Amazing. Ready To Start You Podcast If you're worried about sounding stupid, getting lost in technology, spending too much money, the School of Podcasting can help you avoid all that with: Step by step tutorials A private Facebook group filled with brilliant podcast minds willing to help Live group coaching sessions Direct access to me via email (and I often will respond with a video) Join worry-free with a 30-day Money-back Guarantee Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start and pick the plan the works best for you. Mentioned In This Episode Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age—News, Talk, Information & Personality for Broadcasting, Podcasting, Internet, Radio The Powerful Radio Workbook: The Prep, Performance & Post Production Planning Kenn Adams Story Spine Synergy Theater on YouTube Peabody's Down Under See Valerie's Video from the Next Radio Event Join the School of Podcasting