Influential Voices of Authority

The Deconstruction Of A Podcast Episode – Episode 127 In a previous episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I shared 7 ways to drive listeners away from your show. One of the main points suggested you treat every listener as if they are new to the show. We need to continually feed the funnel. Joshua Liston from The Deadly Arnold podcast was checking out my back catalog when he stumbled across this particular episode. He took exception to one of this particular suggestion. THANKS I must say that I do appreciate Joshua for a few reasons. One, he took the time to comment on the episode. Two, he was listening to my back catalog. Finally, he provided some great thought starters for a few solid episodes. I truly appreciate Joshua allowing me to use his comments to help others learn. That is what this community is all about. In that episode, I suggested one way you drive listeners away is being the podcaster who assumes listeners have heard the show before. POWERFUL INTRO If you're not explaining your podcast purpose each and every show, it will be difficult for new listeners to understand the show. Your audience will feel like they are joining a conversation in the middle. They will be lost. In this episode, we review an episode that Josh mentions to see how they do these things. I have selected one of the podcasts Joshua mentions with less of a national platform. Rather than tell you the name, we just jump in to see if the intro pulls you into the episode. As we discuss the introduction and care for new listeners, please do not interpret this as something you should do at the expense of your current fans. Sure, the content of your show must be great to keep listeners around. That is simply the price of admission. To get people to subscribe, create great content. That should go without saying. In order to keep people engaged, you need to make them feel like they are part of the club. This is especially true for new listeners. If you're not explaining your podcast purpose each and every show, it will be difficult for new listeners to understand the show. Your audience will feel like they are joining a conversation in the middle. They will be lost. SHOW REVIEW In the episode of Back To Work that I review, the hosts do a few things to make new listeners feel included. They use each other's name often. This helps us get to know the voice. We find out Merlin is 40-something and has a daughter. By sharing his life, his listeners get to know him. Merlin refers to the same five books quite often. Though he is obviously well-read, these books seem to have been very influential on him. Merlin knows a bit about Hollywood and the process of making movies. We learn this by his discussion of the four quadrant theory. Merlin is a Democrat. Merlin is confident and has little fear of speaking in front of large crowds. Dan admires that quality. IS THE INTRO NECESSARY On the other hand, there is no introduction to the show. I listened as a casual listener and had no idea what this show was about. There was nothing to suck me into the episode. Merlin's 355,000 Twitter followers along with his writings in magazines like Wired, Popular Science and MacWorld probably go a long way in driving listeners to the podcast. Since the average podcast has roughly 170 downloads per episode, those podcasters cannot assume listeners will stick around if there is no clear benefit. So many podcasters want to play the part before they are the part. It is similar to living like a billionaire before you are a billionaire. You cannot buy the Porsche, mansion and private plane until you make the money. You cannot act like a podcaster with 100,000 downloads until you earn the attention. Make everyone feel welcome, supply your listeners with great content, and make your material unique. Then, watch your subscribers grow. Find Joshua C. Liston at The Deadly Arnold Podcast and at BraverByTheDay.com. Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Focus On Current Or New Podcast Listeners? – Episode 126 In a previous episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I shared 7 ways to drive listeners away from your show. We work so hard to gain listeners. Why would we ever drive them away. Joshua Liston from The Deadly Arnold podcast was checking out my back catalog when he stumbled across this particular episode. He took exception to one of the 7 ways I mentioned. In the episode, I suggested one way you drive listeners away is being the podcaster who assumes listeners have heard the show before. If you're not explaining your podcast purpose each and every show, it will be difficult for new listeners to understand the show. Your audience will feel like they are joining a conversation in the middle. They will be lost. Have you ever felt left out of a conversation due to inside jokes. Two other people are chuckling about something, and you have no idea why. “Oh, it's an inside joke” they say. Why aren't you important enough to be in on the joke? Why is it inside only to them? Those situations are a bit offensive. You're not included. When you are not explaining your podcast, you are not allowing your listener to understand the nuances of your show. They won't feel like part of the club. Your listener will not feel important or that you care about them. It is quite possible they will leave. The opening of your podcast should explain the purpose of your podcast and let your listeners know exactly what to expect as if this is the first time they have ever heard the show. We discussed this in the past two episodes when we reviewed the importance of a strong introduction. A well-crafted introduction serves two purposes. First, it tells the brand new listener who is hearing the show for the very first time exactly what to expect from the show. You know exactly what is coming your way, even if you have never seen the show before. Second, those that have heard the show before are confident that they are in the right place. Those regular listeners will find comfort in the opening of the show they hear each time they tune in. Fans will also feel like they are “in the know”. This is similar to singing the theme song of your favorite sitcom. As soon as you hear the first few notes of the theme song, you know you're on the right channel. Your show intro should elicit the same response. As you create your show open, treat it as if every listener is saying, “Hey, I'm new here. What's going on?” You'll make everyone comfortable as the show begins. Here are Josh's comments on the subject: I must stress that I do disagree with your ideas around “making new listeners feel welcome in every episode”. Personally I think Podcasters focus too much on their new audience and far too little on those already listening (which is where the majority of engagements and downloads come from for most podcasters). Those same things that you suggest make new/new listeners feel left out (in-jokes, personal references, etc) are the very things that make a longtime listener feel even more part of something special, and exclusive. If you reference great podcasts that have stood the test of time “Back to Work” “Joe Rogan Exp” “Roderick on the Line” “Nerdist” “Hardcore History” “FOFOP & TOFOP” “Monday Morning Podcast” “Welcome to Night Vale” “We Are Alive” “The Dollop” “99% Invisible” “This American Life.” they make little to no intentional effort to morph their shows personality/language/individuality to entice new listeners to stay – they work incredibly hard in embracing their longtime listeners and fans though! I can see how your ideas applies to a more transient audience like those of commercial radio stations where listeners are after the content within the content (music, news, score-lines, financial data etc) but for personality driven podcasting I think this falls purely into speculative theory. -Joshua C. Liston The Deadly Arnold BraveryByTheDay.com In this episode, I offer my assessment of Joshua's position. Sure, the content of your show must be great to keep listeners around. That is simply the price of admission. To get people to subscribe, create great content. That should go without saying. In order to keep people engaged, you need to make them feel like they are part of the club. This is especially true for new listeners. If you're not explaining your podcast purpose each and every show, it will be difficult for new listeners to understand the show. Your audience will feel like they are joining a conversation in the middle. They will be lost. Make everyone feel welcome, supply your listeners with great content, and make your material unique. Then, watch your subscribers grow. Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Episode 125 – Are You Driving Listeners Away? In a previous episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I shared 7 ways to drive listeners away from your show. We work so hard to gain listeners. Why would we ever drive them away. Joshua Liston from The Deadly Arnold podcast was checking out my back catalog when he stumbled across this particular episode. He took exception to one of the 7 ways I mentioned. In the episode, I suggested one way you drive listeners away is being the podcaster who assumes listeners have heard the show before. You work so hard to attract listeners to your podcast. Growing the audience is a constant challenge for most podcasters. You do all you can to bring more people to the party. In this episode, we discuss the 7 ways you could be driving listeners away. In the episode next week, I will dissect one of the episodes suggested by Joshua and demonstrate how successful podcasters eliminate these traps. There are seven common mistakes podcasters make that drive listeners away. Here is a brief overview of each. See if you recognize these within your show. THE PODCASTER WHO TALKS AT YOU Great podcasters are not announcers. Great podcasters are conversationalists. If you can have a conversation with someone you cannot see nor hear, you have the ability to create a great podcast. Instead of talking at me, talk to me and with me. Let's have a conversation. You won't be able to hear my responses. However, how many times have you found yourself talking back to the radio or podcast host? When the listener is responding out loud, you know the host has the ability to be conversational even when the other party isn't present. Be personal and talk to your listener, not at her. THE PODCASTER THAT WASTES YOUR TIME The wider the focus of your podcast, the better chance your topic will not interest me. It sounds counterintuitive. If you want more listeners, you need to narrowly focus your topic. When you are too broad, your listener doesn't know what to expect from your show. Instead, pick a niche. Make it a tight focus. Pick the segment of your topic that you most enjoy and really focus there. Focus is powerful. When you are focused, your audience knows exactly what to expect. Your focus builds loyalty, because you aren't attracting listeners who have no interest in your niche. Since the niche is only focused on the slice of information that that interests your listener, your audience will almost always feel like you are delivering great content. You'll never be wasting their time. THE PODCASTER THAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU CARE When you only deliver the what, the listener has no real reason to care. You are only providing information. Facts are lifeless. You must provide the why before you can provide the what. The “why” makes your listener care. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “what’s in it for me?” Your audience will be asking this very question every time they tune into your podcast. When your audience knows what is in it for them, they begin to care. Making your listener care is the only way to get them to listen and more importantly come back again. Provide the “why” early in the podcast. Make them care. THE PODCASTER THAT DOES NOT GET YOU INVOLVED A podcast that is only focused on the host quickly becomes a very lonely podcast. “Enough about me, let's talk about me.” Listeners surely won't stick around for that very long. If listeners are not involved, they feel like the host doesn't care about them. Make your listener the star. It is your show. You know where it is going. When listeners are involved in your show, it is always your job to lead your guest and make them the star. Get your listener involved wherever you can. Provide opportunities for listeners to interact with you. Even if you receive very little feedback, the opportunity to do so will send the message to your listeners that you care. The opportunity for involvement goes a long way. THE PODCASTER THAT DOESN'T HELP OTHERS Focus on helping others. Zig Ziglar had many great quotes. One of my favorites is, “You can have anything you want in life just as long as you help enough other people get what they want in life.” How true that is. As you turn your information into engaging entertainment with your podcast, keep in mind that helping people is part of the foundation of a strong relationship. If you take, take, take, your relationship won’t last long. If you are there to give and help, you will develop friends for life. Get what you want out of life. Focus on helping others. THE PODCASTER THAT TRIES TOO HARD TO BE FUNNY Many podcasters painstakingly try to be funny. Jokes are never funny when the joke teller tries too hard. The forced punchline is uncomfortable. The timing is off. He will lead with something like, “This is funny” or “Here's a good one” or “You'll love this”. If I'm going to love it, do you really need to tell me? Won't I know I love it once you tell me? The good news is you don't have to be funny. Stop trying so hard. The funny will come. You are focused on the wrong thing. Funny follows fun. THE PODCASTER WHO ASSUMES LISTENERS HAVE HEARD THE SHOW BEFORE If you're not explaining your podcast purpose each and every show, it will be difficult for new listeners to understand the show. Your audience will feel like they are joining a conversation in the middle. They will be lost. Have you ever felt left out of a conversation due to inside jokes. Two other people are chuckling about something, and you have no idea why. “Oh, it's an inside joke” they say. Why aren't you important enough to be in on the joke? Why is it inside only to them? Those situations are a bit offensive. You're not included. When you are not explaining your podcast, you are not allowing your listener to understand the nuances of your show. They won't feel like part of the club. Your listener will not feel important or that you care about them. It is quite possible they will leave. A well-crafted introduction serves two purposes. First, it tells the brand new listener who is hearing the show for the very first time exactly what to expect from the show. Second, those that have heard the show before are confident that they are in the right place. As you create your show open, treat it as if every listener is saying, “Hey, I'm new here. What's going on?” You'll make everyone comfortable as the show begins. Next week, we will review a podcast suggested by Joshua to learn how these ideas are put to use in the real world. As I mentioned in this episode … Here is the link to the Podcast Talent Coach Worksheets. Here is the link to the Podcast Talent Coach Workbook. Here is the link to Podcast Talent Coach Coaching. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How To Construct a Powerful Podcast Introduction – Episode 124 TOPIC DEVELOPMENT WORKSHEET On a recent episode of the Podcast Review Show that I do with Dave Jackson, we got into a discussion with a podcaster who struggles with the introduction of his show. This happens with so many hosts. How do you properly begin an episode? Why are the important elements of a solid introduction? What is the purpose? We were talking with Doug Salamone of Mind Drippings podcast. On this particular episode, Doug was interviewing Taylor Pearson, author of “The End Of Jobs”. Doug said he was having trouble forming the introduction of his interviews. Before you begin your show, determine what are you hoping people will take from the interview. What is the point? Many introductions are a waste of time. They host wanders into the episode rather than creating anticipation and setting up the content. "Tell us a little about yourself, who you are and what you do.” It is such an overused first questions. Do your homework. Know the important facts about your guest that support the topic. Provide those pieces of information right at the beginning. Then, hit the ground running with great questions. Make the introduction of your show compelling. It should make your audience want to stick around for the payoff. I hear so many shows begin with their standard show open immediately followed by a bunch of housekeeping. Don’t waste the time of your audience. Your introduction should make a promise (tell the audience what to expect). You should then follow through on that promise (give them the content they expect). Last week, we discussed the purpose of a strong introduction. This week, I want to walk you through the steps of creating your powerful purpose and intriguing introduction. These steps come straight from the Topic Development Worksheet online at PodcastTalentCoach.com. 13 STEPS What do you hope to make the audience laugh at, marvel at or better understand? What is in it for them? Why is the topic relevant to your audience? How will you make the audience care? What is the source of the topic? How will the source lend credibility to the topic? What do you find intriguing about the topic? What emotion do you hope to stir? In what context will the story be set? Where will you take the topic? Where will the story go? What details will you use? What is the one thing you hope your listener will remember about you/your show? Write the intriguing introduction to your topic. Before you begin your show, determine what are you hoping people will take from the interview. What is the point. Do your homework. Know the important facts about your guest that support the topic. Provide those pieces of information right at the beginning. Then, hit the ground running with great questions. Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

The Critical Piece To A Great Podcast – Episode 123 On a recent episode of the Podcast Review Show that I do with Dave Jackson, we got into a discussion with a podcaster who struggles with the introduction of his show. This happens with so many hosts. How do you properly begin an episode? Why are the important elements of a solid introduction? What is the purpose? We were talking with Doug Salamone of Mind Drippings podcast. On this particular episode, Doug was interviewing Taylor Pearson, author of “The End Of Jobs”. Doug said he was having trouble forming the introduction of his interviews. START WITH WHY Here is Doug's first question: “Taylor, why don’t you introduce yourself a little bit more, and start off at the beginning with what brought you to decide to write this book and I’ll just let you roll with it and we’ll get the questions going.” Doug needs to make us care about the author as he introduces him BEFORE he brings Taylor on the show. Then, Doug needs to make us care about the subject. Before you begin your show, determine what are you hoping people will take from the interview. What is the point. When you use, “Tell us about yourself”, it sounds like you didn’t do your homework. The show is about big ideas. What is the big idea in this episode? The world of jobs is coming to an end. Start there. Later in the interview, Doug asks, “What are people to do … if the opportunities are limited … and every single year we have thousands upon thousands of people graduating from universities across the country … what are people to do to protect themselves from becoming obsolete in this current economy that we’re seeing everyday increasing where jobs are being eliminated or being exported to countries across the world?” This is the essence of the conversation. Let’s start here. Many introductions are a waste of time. They host wanders into the episode rather than creating anticipation and setting up the content. "Tell us a little about yourself, who you are and what you do.” It is such an overused first questions. Do your homework. Know the important facts about your guest that support the topic. Provide those pieces of information right at the beginning. Then, hit the ground running with great questions. Make the introduction of your show compelling. It should make your audience want to stick around for the payoff. I hear so many shows begin with their standard show open immediately followed by a bunch of housekeeping. Don’t waste the time of your audience. Your introduction should make a promise (tell the audience what to expect). You should then follow through on that promise (give them the content they expect). When a show begins with, “I’ll show you how to make a million dollars in 4 easy-to-understand steps”, followed by, “But first, let me plug 14 things and chat a bit about why I didn't post an episode last week”, you are losing your audience. Your fan tuned in to hear your secrets, not your problems. If you have housekeeping notes to pass along, sprinkle them within the show throughout the content. Lead with your strongest material. Housekeeping is not it. Your introduction should set up your podcast. It should be an intriguing introduction that tells the listener exactly what the podcast is all about. What will I get when I listen? It doesn’t matter whether your podcast is 10 minutes or 60 minutes long. You need to tell the listener what is to come. "Welcome to Podcast Talent Coach Podcast. My name is Erik K. Johnson. This is where we help you transforming your information into engaging entertainment so we can turn your podcast into powerful, profitable relationships.” With that quick introduction, I told you exactly what to expect. You know the name of my podcast. You know the name of the host. You know the goal we are setting out to accomplish. I’ve also put you in the mix by referencing your dreams and how my podcast will help you. In those brief seconds, I’ve given you who, what, when and why. That content should be followed immediately by a creative tease of this particular show. It might be something like, “We will help Steve figure out how to gently end a bad interview. Shelly asks about incorporating a call-to-action without making the show sound like an infomercial. And finally, we will hear a clip for the ‘The Golden Garden’ podcast and help Chris increase the energy and forward momentum in the show. Let’s get to it. First up …” This goes right into the show content. We start delivering on the promise made in the introduction. The show is moving forward. If I said, “Before we get to it, let me explain the new look of my website”, I would only be relevant to a small portion of my audience. Who cares about my new layout? That would assume first that most of my audience has visited my website prior to this show, and second that they can’t find their own way around the new layout. That’s a pretty big assumption. If is important enough to include, put it at the end, or somehow incorporate the information into an answer. Don’t waste the time of your audience. Make your introduction intriguing and get to the content immediately. Make Them Care I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “what’s in it for me?” Your audience will be asking this very question every time they tune into your podcast. Your introduction better tell your listener exactly how your topic will affect them. You need to hook them right at the beginning with an intriguing introduction. If you don’t hook them early, they will be gone in search of something more captivating. When your audience knows what is in it for them, they begin to care. Making your listener care is the only way to get them to listen and more importantly come back again. Lead with an intriguing introduction. This is true for your podcast in general as well as each individual topic. Your intriguing introduction should hook your audience, let them know exactly what to expect, and allow them to enjoy the story. What do you hope your audience will take away from this particular discussion? Your introduction should spell it out. It should set up what is to come. If your goal is to make your listener laugh at your misfortune over the weekend, lead with it. “This weekend was so disastrous, I wouldn’t have had time for anything else to go wrong even if I tried.” The audience will now have time to enjoy the vivid details of your horrible weekend rather than trying to figure out what point you are trying to make. When you begin your story with the details, your listener spends energy trying to determine the point you are trying to make. They are trying to figure out what the story is about. Have you ever been stuck listening to someone tell a story while you’re thinking, “Will he ever get to the point?” That is what we are trying to avoid. Here is an example of a story you might hear. “This weekend we went to the mall. It was just the two of us. We were looking for a gift for my dad.” Are we telling a story about finding gifts? Is this story just recapping the weekend? Maybe it is about my dad. You don’t know. I haven’t told you. There is no lead to this story. To hook your audience and allow them to truly enjoy the story, lead with an intriguing introduction. Emotionally Powerful? A successful podcast is built on a strong relationship with the listener. It could be called a tribe as defined by Seth Godin in his book of the same name. The strong relationships with your listeners begin to develop your brand. You can then monetize your brand and associated relationships with an effective call-to-action. But it starts with the brand. Powerful brands are more than just recognizable names. Powerful brands are full of emotion. A brand is a collection of perceptions, creating emotional connections, while consistently delivering on a promise. The more powerful the emotional connection, the more powerful the brand. Take a moment to think of some very powerful brands and the associated emotions of the rabid fans of those brands. Nike. Volkswagen. Star Trek. Starbucks. Apple. Harley Davidson. Fans will go out of their way to interact with their favorite brand. These brands are unique, because they create powerful emotions within their fans that are not found in ordinary brands. Ordinary brands lack emotion. Keds. Buick. Battlestar Galactica. Dunkin' Donuts. Hewlett Packard. Honda. The powerful emotions are not present for most people in these brands. An amazing book entitled “The Power of Cult Branding” by Matthew W. Ragas and B. J. Bueno describes the seven golden rules to cult branding. Emotion is the key to all seven. Social Groups, Courage, Fun, Human Needs, Contribution, Openness, and Freedom. All emotional. None are functional. It's not the best, biggest, brightest, loudest, or #1 product. Cult brands are focused on emotion, not hype. If you want to turn your podcast into a powerful brand that you can monetize with a strong call-to-action, stir emotion every time. Next week, we will walk through the steps in creating a powerful introduction. I'll give you a step-by-step process. Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

WHY PODCAST AVATAR GENDER MATTERS – PTC EPISODE 122 There is a big difference between marketing to men and marketing to women. The book “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” by John Gray, Ph. D. discussed in great detail the communication and relationship differences between men and women. These differences are critical in marketing. They are also important elements to your podcast strategy. When I have discussed this in the past, I have been labeled a chauvinist. I've been called narrow minded. People have said I am simply promoting the stereotypes. Let me first say these are generalities. Stereotypes are called stereotypes for a reason. Please understand that I am speaking in generalities. I understand these statements will not hold true for every person. These points are are simply how most men and women react in common situations as demonstrated through various research studies and many published books. The definition of stereotype is “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group”. There are times when the stereotypical case will not hold true for a specific situation. There is always an exception to the rule. Most of the time, these generalities will be the case. Today, we are going to cover five major differences between men and women that you need to consider when marketing to the different genders. Keep these differences in mind when you are shaping your podcast content. These differences also reinforce the importance of defining your target listener. You can find my Listener Development Worksheet to help you define your avatar or target listener online at PodcastTalentCoach.com. THINKING In a broad sense, men tend to think very linearly. Women usually think very spatially. To be effective communicating with each gender, you must understand these differences. You must also select one to target. The same message will have difficulty reaching both genders effectively. When handling tasks, men tend to be single-minded and focused on one goal, while women usually multitask well. This difference probably began with the cavemen. Each had well-defined duties in the household back in the cave. Cavemen would set out to find dinner and bring it home. He had one task with one goal. Find dinner without being eaten. He couldn't afford to focus on anything else. Otherwise, he wouldn't be coming home. Men needed to be very focused to find dinner without being eaten by a tiger. Women handled the entire household doing many things at one time. Women needed to multitask in order to tend to the house (or cave), handle the children and keep the family in line all at the same time. You can see this difference in society today. When men are watching television, they watch television. When men attend a sporting event, they watch the event. Men are typically focused on the thing they are doing. This is usually true even if they are doing it with friends. Women, on the other hand, typically have the ability to multitask very well. Women can be cooking 3 different dishes for dinner, talking on the phone, and keeping an eye on the evening news all while being fully aware of what the children are doing in the other room. Women multitask in a way that astonishes men. Men cannot understand why a woman can spend an entire baseball game talking with the people around her rather than watching the game. Men are there to watch the game. Women attend because it is a way to socialize and strengthen her relationships. She enjoys the game for much different reasons. The tendency to focus on one task or many creates another interesting difference between men and women. Because they tend to multitask and focus on multiple items simultaneously, women do not seem to tire of activities as quickly as men. When men focus on one thing only, they will become bored with that particular item before a woman. Men will want to move on to the next thing. Therefore, men tend to like new and different. Men tend to appreciate change more than women. Women will tolerate repetition much more than men, because they are not as focused on one item at a time. It may also take more messages in different ways to effectively reach and influence a woman. Men and women also differ in the way they remember things and events. Again, men are linear. Women are spatial. PROBLEM SOLVING Men and women also take different approaches in the way they solve problems. Because men think linearly, men focus on the solution. Men try to determine what steps are needed to reach a successful outcome. If a man is in need of a new car, he will find the solution step by step. A man will review his options, compare the features, determine the best buy for the money that will do the job, and make the purchase. Men typically move through a problem step-by-step. If the steps are all completed successfully, he buys the vehicle. Because women tend to think globally, they are typically concerned with the way their relationships are affected by problems and the possible solutions. She tends to consider how each person in her close circle is affected by each possible solution. If a woman is in need of a new car, she will typically consider her needs and those of her family. Will her kids be safe? Is there enough room for everyone? Will the features please her family? Are there entertainment features available to keep her kids occupied on trips? She will also consider how her friends will view the purchase and if she is being treated right by the salesperson. If the relationships all benefit from the purchase, she buys the vehicle. You can see evidence of this difference in the way auto makers market to the different genders. Minivans aimed toward women will play up the features for the entire family. The commercial will depict the envy of the neighbors. The storyline may even show mom juggling soccer practice, shopping, carpooling and work. These commercials tend to be very spatial in nature and focused on relationships. Commercials for trucks that are targeted toward men will usually tout the problem solving ability of the truck. The script will play up the horsepower, torque and hauling capacity of the truck. The commercial will usually show the truck pulling some ridiculously heavy load, like trees or ships or something. Men will be convinced they can get the job done with this particular truck. The steps are very linear. COMMUNICATING Men typically view communication and problems solving as a way to show their strength and power. Men typically see things as a competition. It is a linear approach. They seek validation by solving problems. When men are communicating with each other, you will often see each attempt to “one-up” the other. You will often hear, “Oh, you think that’s bad. One time something worse happened to me.” Other men do not typically take offense to these comments. These challenges are a way for men to show their power and dominance. Women use communication and problem solving for much different purposes. Women use both as a way to strengthen the relationship. Women seek understanding when tackling a problem. Rather than seeking validation, women are typically seeking empathy from and an opportunity to bond with their communication partner. You will rarely hear a woman try to “one-up” the person with which they are communicating. However, you will hear, “Oh, that’s terrible. What did you do?” When I go out to lunch with my buddies, we have a good time. When I get home, my wife will ask me what we talked about. I will tell her, “Nothing really. Sports and politics.” She finds it baffling that we didn’t discuss his son’s birthday or our family vacation. We debate the nuances of professional versus college sports. We might discuss the benefits of one political candidate over another. That’s how men communicate. Men use a friendly challenge to bond. Women tend to see that style as a lack of understanding. RELATIONSHIPS Men and women also handle relationship problems differently. Just like problems in any other area of life, men typically seek the solution (linear) while women tend to use problems to strengthen the relationship (spatial). Understand these differences as you build your relationship with your audience. Let’s take a typical, hypothetical couple. Tina and Adam have been together for 3 years. Their standard Friday night is eating take out and watching TV. Tina says, “Adam, we never go out anymore.” In Tina’s head, she is thinking, “Our relationship needs more ‘us’ time. We don’t spend enough time together having fun.” Adam replies, “Fine, let’s go out tomorrow night.” Adam is thinking, “Done, problem solved.” Tina then gets a little more aggressive with, “That’s not what I mean.” Now Adam is really confused. “You just said we don’t go out enough. Let’s go out tomorrow night. What’s the problem.” Tina says, “I’m not just talking about going out.” Conversations similar to these fall apart, because men and women approach the problem in much different ways. Women use the conversation to strengthen the relationship. Men use communication to solve the problem. “Going out tomorrow night” means different things to each of them. MEMORIES When men remember events, they tend to remember in a linear fashion. They will remember events in sequence as one thing happened, then the next and finally the last. It is a sequential time line. If a man were recalling a party, they would typically begin with the setting and who arrived first. He would walk through the time line of the party. His description might begin with, “Things got going in the kitchen. We moved downstairs and shot some pool. Paul had a bit too much to drink and after he broke the lamp trying to dance, the party came to a halt and everyone headed home.” It is a step-by-step recollection of the events. Women typically remember events in a very spatial way. They will remember who attended the party. They will remember the great time that was had by everyone. Women will recall some of the great conversations that took place. The memories would possibly include the laughs, the gathering places and the details of the atmosphere. The recollections of women tend to be global in nature. These differences between men and women will play an important role as you define your target audience. Will your communication be spatial or linear? This is something you’ll need to decide before you can move forward to create the structure and content of your show. Gender is only one characteristic of your target audience. There are many others to consider. Just as if you were describing one individual person, gender would only be one characteristic of that person. Remember, these are generalities. True is most situations. There is always an exception to the rule. You can send all the hate mail you would like. Or, you can get to work assessing your approach to ensure you are reaching your audience in the best way possible. Find my Listener Development Worksheet online at PodcastTalentCoach.com. I’d love to help you with your podcast. E-mail any questions or comments you might have to Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. You can also find tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Where To Find Topic Ideas – Episode 121 Content creators struggle with topic ideas. It is natural. There are days when few ideas are coming to mind. The other day, I was listening to the great motivational speaker Les Brown. He says speaking is natural. You don't hear of people facing speaker's block. Why do people run into writer's block? You simply need to find topics that pique your interest. These topics could stir any sort of emotion within you. They could make you laugh, cry, or simply say hmmm. The good news is that you can find topics everywhere. We tend to limit ourselves to our niche or genre. Expand. Topics are everywhere. YOUR INTEREST During my 25-year radio career, I've attend many, many seminars on creating great radio. One session eventually led to a coaching relationship with Bill McMahon. Bill had been coaching radio talent for quite some time. He had coached Jeff & Jer in San Diego along with many others. He had a great process for creating great radio. In our sessions, Bill would always encourage us to determine what we hoped to make the audience laugh at, marvel at or better understand. Then, start there. Before we could get there, we needed to find the topic. TOPIC GENERATION The idea for topic generation came from another radio mentor of mine. Dan O'Day is probably more famous in radio circles for creating great advertising. However, he did a radio session one time on finding great topics from everyday articles. Any article could spur a topic. Find any magazine or blog or paper. Scan through it until a headline catches your eye. As you read the article, highlight any sentence or word that captures your attention. When you are finished reading the article, find the one sentence or word that grabs you most. With this sentence or word, spend three minutes brainstorming and freeform writing about that sentence. Set a timer. Write everything that comes to mind. Put it all on the paper. Write instead of typing. It will let the ideas come more freely. At the end of the three minutes, look through the words on the sheet. Find the one idea that really jumps out that can be turned into a great podcast topic. Use articles out of everyday periodicals. PLAN IT The third tip came from internet marketer Ryan Diess. He suggest creating a planner that includes publish date, post type, your category, your offer and the headline. Ryan offers a list of over 40 post types. You can find that link HERE. Finally, I've created a worksheet that will help you ask questions to develop your topic. Once you find the sentence that piques your interest, use the worksheet to flush it out. EXAMPLES Here is an example of how I would use this method in my podcast. USA Hockey - “The Meek Shall Inherit the Ice” p20 June/July 2013 "When the nation's top quarter of college hockey teams hook up at a neutral site, only one gets to go home with a shiny gold trophy” - What makes a winning podcast. - Dissect the winners of the podcast awards – What industry events are available to learn? "Going back to the 1950's, when college hockey was a relatively new thing...” - Where podcasting began. - How podcasting grew from broadcasting and the theater. - What makes great theater? - What can we learn from those that came before? "But, every now and then, a smaller school … would crash the party.” - What can we learn from some of the fastest growing podcasts? - Review some new, undiscovered podcasts. - Review a show on the show. TOOLS Ten Questions from the worksheet 1. Why is the topic relevant to your audience? 2. How will you make the audience care? 3. What is the source of the topic? 4. How will the source lend credibility to the topic? 5. What do you find intriguing about the topic? 6. What emotion do you hope to stir? 7. In what context will the story be set? 8. Where will you take the topic? Where will the story go? 9. What details will you use? 10. What is the one thing you hope your listener will remember about you/your show? Finally, write the intriguing introduction to your topic. Don’t settle for the first idea. Work and mold your topic. It is easy to do an interview exactly like you do every other interview. Just like you’ve heard everyone do every other interview. Unfortunately, it will sound like every other interview. It is easy to approach a topic just like everyone else. Do something different. Stand out. Make your show different. Find new questions. Find ways to ask questions differently. Gain attention by being unique. If you are discussing an article, do something different. If most hosts would simply read the article and comment, zig when they are zagging. Grab the phone and call the subject of the article. Interview the author. Act it out. Create a parody of it that is so over-the-top that it becomes memorable. Find that unique way to rise above the rest. If you continue to settle for the first idea when presenting an idea, you’ll keep delivering typical content. We want to make you memorable. We want you to stand out and get noticed. When your content is vanilla and just like everyone else, you become wallpaper that nobody notices. You also become easy to replace. Push yourself. Brainstorm until you find something that is great. Then, run with it and make it engaging and memorable. Don’t settle for the first idea. Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

9 Uncommon Books That Shaped My Podcast – Episode 120 We are all looking for great books and inspiration. In the online business space, the same books are often recommended and discussed. Godin. Ries & Trout. Think & Grow Rich. Those are the must-reads to be in the game. Lesser known books can often offer powerful information and inspiration. They can also help you stand out from the crowd. When I started in radio 25 years ago, I would read all I could about radio and business. I read the big books of the industry to keep up with the crowd. Those books were the center of many discussions at industry gatherings. After I began programming my first radio station in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1995, I quickly realized keeping up with the crowd wasn't going to put me ahead of the crowd. To win, we need to think differently. To get ahead, we need to be willing to do what others will not. Find motivation and inspiration where others haven't looked. As you are trying to create a podcast that is unique and entertaining, one that will stand out and attract a following, take a chance on a few new ideas. Find a few nuggets that keep your heart pumping. Be a champion for a different way of thinking. Here are few books that have inspired me. These books are not the typical fare you hear mentioned in every keynote speech. You won't find these titles at the center of cocktail party discussions … unless you make it so. However, these books have useful information you can put to work in your podcast and online business today. You can use these ideas to spark your creativity. Find one book that looks exciting and inspiring to you. Give it a read. Maybe you'll find your own wonderful spark of an idea. THE POWER OF CULT BRANDING – HOW 9 MAGNETIC BRANDS TURNED CUSTOMERS INTO LOYAL FOLLOWERS (AND YOURS CAN, TOO!) – BJ Bueno and Matthew Ragas This book covers the 7 rules of cult branding. As examples, the book explores the success of brands like Star Trek, Oprah Winfrey, Apple, Jimmy Buffett and Linux. I love this book, because it explains the characteristics of brands that truly stand out from the crowd. These brands have created cult-like followings. The book gets me excited about what is possible. PLATFORM – GET NOTICED IN A NOISY WORLD – Michael Hyatt Michael Hyatt has a successful blog, podcast and membership site. In this book, he explores how to create a leverage your platform. If you are in online business, this is a great read. I find another takeaway each time I read the book. This work is like a “how to” guide. BEYOND POWERFUL RADIO – Valerie Gellar Valerie dives into the characteristics of successful radio. These principles can also be applied to podcasting. From Valerie, I learned to never be boring. She says, “There is no such thing as too long, only too boring.” THE MILLIONAIRE MESSENGER – MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND A FORTUNE SHARING YOUR ADVICE – Brendon Burchard This book provides the steps to take to create your business. The process begins with selecting your area of expertise and ends with finding promotional partners and repeating the process. It is an easy read. The book is the foundation of Brendon's teachings. His work has really shaped my online approach. MILLION DOLLAR COACHING – BUILD A WORLD-CLASS PRACTICE BY HELPIING OTHERS SUCCEED – Alan Weiss If you coach, this book will help you build your process of finding clients. This book was first recommended by Dan Miller of 48Days.com. Alan provides a great process to finding clients, converting leads and turning your coaching into a real business. CIGARS, WHISKEY & WINNING – LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT – Al Kaltman This book is full of great tips on management, overcoming obstacles, focus and competition. The lessons come from the actual events in the life of Ulysses S. Grant. It is an incredibly inspirational read. THE KNACK – HOW STREET-SMART ENTREPRENEURS LEARN TO HANDLE WHATEVER COMES UP – Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham This book discusses why start-ups fail, how to make sales and how to keep customers. Norm created a few businesses in New York City. He was also a contributor to INC. magazine. The lessons in the book come from his real-world experience and not simply theory. THE E-MYTH REVISITED – WHY MOST SMALL BUSINESSES DON'T WORK AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT – Michael E. Gerber This is probably the most popular book on this list. For the small business owner, this is a must-read. Learn to work on your business and not simply in your business. The lesson is fundamental for small business success. CASH IN A FLASH – REAL MONEY IN NO TIME – Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen This book shows you how to think differently to create quick cash, and then turn that cash into more cash. The lessons require action and courage. The book is creative in its storytelling. I hope these books give you a bit of inspiration as you continue to grow your business. There should be at least one piece to spark some creativity for you. Let me know what one you use. E-mail me at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Case Study: How To Set Your Price - Episode 119 If you are like me, and many others in the online space, you struggle with pricing. You don't want it to be too low and leave money on the table. On the other hand, you don't want it to be too high and not make any sales. So, where do you set the price? Pricing is tricky. There is a lot of art to setting your price. Most is trial and error. There really is no “correct” price. Price is determined by supply and demand. The price of anything is that point where a seller is willing and able to sell AND a buyer is willing and able to buy. It is a continuum. If a seller is not making much money on a sale, she will focus on another area of business that is creating more profit. If she is a public speaker on self defense and earns $2,500 per speaking opportunity on the weekends, she is creating decent income. If she then creates an online course teaching other women self-defense and creates sales of $3,000 per week with an hour of work online marketing the course, she may opt to do less speaking and more work online. Her speaking gigs require her to find clients, travel to the location, give the presentation for an hour or two (depending on dinner and other presentations), possibly spend the night, travel home and miss time with her family. That is a lot to give up in order to make $2,500 when an hour a night on her schedule could earn $500 more. People may be willing and able to buy her speaking at$2,500. However, she may not be willing to sell it for that. She may do a few speeches. It may just be less frequent. If her price increases to $5,000, the decision may be different. HOW DO YOU DECIDE? When I began coaching podcasters, I came to that very problem. I was in that place so many entrepreneurs find themselves. A price needed to be set for my services. What would podcasters be willing and able to pay that I would be willing to accept? So, how do you set your price. In this episode, I walk you through the steps I took to determine the pricing for my podcast coaching. OVERVIEW First, ask your customers what they will buy. This could be a survey of your list. You could simply study the market and determine what they are already buying. Find a few people that could use your help and ask five or ten of them. Next, determine what problem you are solving for your audience. People buy benefits and solutions. People don't buy mops. They buy clean floors. Solve a problem they know they have. Then, price on value. Know what value you have to offer. Your experience, knowledge and ability all play into your value. This will determine why it should be you rather than anyone else. You can now set a price by looking at the market and seeing what they charge. Buy a few similar products to see what is included if necessary. You want your price to be competitive, but not necessarily the cheapest. Your price does not need to be less than everyone else. It should probably be more expensive than others in order to stand out. Make it a great value for the price to justify being at the top end. If you tell your audience what to do, you can charge a low price. If you teach them how to do, you are able to set a mid-level price. When you do it for the, you can be at the high end. To be at the top of the range, go all out and solve all of their problems. Be a full-service machine. Prove the value and then add a bit more. Most importantly, have a sales process. Know how you will attract people to your process. Define how you will demonstrate your value and benefits. Give your audience a ton of value, then the opportunity to buy. I am not guaranteeing you will make money. I am not promising you that you will get rich, or even make a dime for that matter. I do not know you or your abilities. I am saying this process worked for me. You may find a few helpful tips here that could help you in some way. If you show your visitors the value of your product or service while giving them more than they expected, there is a good chance they will buy. As in my example, there are times when the price doesn't make sense. This is when you need to review your process. Is the issue the price tag as it was with my program at the beginning? Does the roadblock appear due to the structure of the product or service as it did with my 12-week program rather than weekly calls? Are your clients looking for a product or service tailored to their needs, like my calls ever other week? Rather than launching your product to thousands of people at one time, launch to a few. See if they are interested at that price and value. Gather some feedback. Make adjustments. Launch again to a few more people. As you adjust your sales process, you will find a spot where clients are willing and able to buy your product at a price you are willing and able to sell. If you are not selling enough, add more value or lower the price. If you are selling too much, raise the price. Tinker until it feels right. There is no correct price. There is only a price with which you are comfortable and that pleases your audience. Find my coaching service HERE: PODCAST TALENT COACH Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How Radio And Podcasting Are The Same – Episode 118 The podcast “elite” will sometimes say, “This isn't radio, this is podcasting. It's different here.” Well, I have news for you. Podcasting and radio are more alike than some will admit. You could benefit a bit by recognizing the similarities and borrowing the best practices. There are many ways that radio and podcasting are the same. The Same ... 1. Same Tools Both create with audio equipment. This one is pretty obvious. Both are creating shows using a mic and other audio equipment. The different ways the equipment is used makes it art. One sculptor may work with wood when another works with rock. Both are still sculptors and artists. 2. Same Approach Both sit in a room alone trying to entertain people they cannot see. It sounds crazy when you say it out loud. Both podcasters and broadcasters sit alone in a room talking with people they can neither see nor hear. Both try to predict the reaction of the listener while creating the entertainment. 3. Same Conversation Both have real conversations with the listener. Being authentic is critical to success of both podcasters and listeners. Both try to build knowledge and trust with the audience in order to develop a relationship. 4. Same Visions Both create images in the mind of the listener. When you tell great stories, your listener gets to know you. This is part of the “know, like and trust” philosophy of doing business. Stories with vivid details allow the listener to develop images in the theater of the mind. These stories allow her to enjoy the story in her own way. 5. Same Experience Both are individual activities. When two people watch the same video, little is left to the imagination. When the same two people hear audio, each will develop individual images in their mind. No two images will be identical. Listening is an individual activity. 6. Same Connection Both try to make a one-on-one connection and create a following. The podcaster and broadcaster are both trying to create a tribe for their content. If you are not trying to grow your audience, you will eventually be talking to yourself. 7. Same Episodes Both produce episodic content that keeps listeners returning. This is especially true in talk radio. Content is regularly produced by both podcasters and broadcasters. Those episodes of content build upon each other to create an ongoing show. 8. Same Goal Both hope to capitalize on the attention using a strong call-to-action. Content is created by both in order to attract an audience. Once the audience is built, both try to activate that audience with a call-to-action. The goal may be monetization, support or simply returning for the next episode. Either way, both hope to move a group of people. 9. Both Can Interact Both are able to interact in real time. This wasn't true a few years ago. However, now that technology has come such a long way, both podcasters and broadcasters can interact with the audience in real time. Podcasters chat with their listeners in real time using phone systems, Google hangout, chat rooms, and other methods. No longer is this feature limited to broadcasters. … And Sometimes Different There are a few features of podcasting that differs from broadcasting. 1. Podcasters Time Shift Podcasting can be time shifted. This can be a benefit over broadcasting. Podcast listeners can enjoy the show anytime they would like. They do not need to be next to the radio at a given time in order to hear their favorite show. This is a feature and not necessarily something that makes podcasting inherently different from broadcasting. When we are talking about the art and goal of the audio, this is just a different way of delivering. 2. Podcasters Benefit From The Beginning Podcast listeners start at the beginning. Mark Ramsey did a great session on this at New Media Expo 2015. Some broadcast listeners join the show at the beginning and some join in the middle of the show. Podcast listeners all start at the beginning of the episode. Rarely will a podcast listener download a show, scroll through to the 17:00 mark and begin listening there unless there is a specific direction to do so. 3. Podcasters Can Niche Down Podcasting can afford to be more niche. By nature of the medium, broadcasting must be mass appeal. This is definitely a benefit for podcasting. 4. Podcasting Is Inclusive Almost anyone can create a podcast. Podcasting requires a minimal investment. This makes it easy for most to get involved. There is no limit to the number of podcasts that can be created. Getting on the radio requires getting through the gate keeper. Your other option is to buy your own station. Both are quite difficult. Again, advantage podcasting. The nine similarities between the two formats are largely foundational. The essence of the art is the same. The goal, methodology and tactics are identical between the podcasting and radio. Podcasting enjoys a few benefits over broadcasting. The few differences are hardly enough to proclaim podcasting much different than radio. I'd love to know what you think. E-mail me anytime at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.