Influential Voices of Authority

The Secrets to Know, Like and Trust PTC Episode 057 Four Essential Elements of Powerful Storytelling WHY STORYTELLING Have you noticed a lot of the business interview podcasts sound the same? We are hearing the same guests answer the same questions time and time again. How do you become unique in this sea of sameness? Storytelling can transform your podcast. Your personal experiences and stories make you unique. No one has experienced the things you have experienced in the same way you have. If you want to stand out from every other podcast, share your personal stories during your show. People do business with other people they know, like and trust. Your stories create that knowledge. That is where true friendships begin. Stories help define your character and personality. If you want your listener to get to know you, share those personal connections. Connect, motivate and inspire your audience with your stories. Don't fit in, stand out. Your personal experiences are the only way to make the content your own. Great songwriters do it. Great filmmakers do it. Share your stories and stand out. ENGAGEMENT In podcasting, you cannot afford to be boring. Interest in your story never remains constant. Your information can only become entertainment when interest is rising. A great story continues to develop the plot and raise the interest. To create engagement, tell great stories. Keep the interest of your listener rising. Date your listeners. You need to earn the privilege of talking to people who want to be talked to and selling things to people who want to be sold to. To earn that priviledge, you need to build friendship. Great friendships are developed through self revelation. When you share your personal thoughts and feelings with an individual through stories, you begin to create a bond with that person. It is life enrichment. Making our lives better through friendship is the reason we do not live is seclusion. Over time, sharing stories will begin to build trust with your listener. Your stories share your values and beliefs. Practice becoming a great storyteller. GREAT STORYTELLERS Practice being a great storyteller. Have the courage to listen to yourself. Hear and have courage to record your personal connections to the events happening around you. When you use your podcast to create friendships, you are asking people to spend time with your every week. People share time with others that they like. They are asking themselves, “Would I enjoy taking a one-hour car ride with this person every week?” People listen to audio while they drive, run and workout so they are not alone. They use the audio as companionship. Let your listener get to know you. Your stories will also let others live vicariously through you. Your listener can enjoy your story of struggle and success without enduring the hard work and pain. Let them enjoy your stories. ELEMENTS OF GREAT STORIES There are four essential elements of great stories. Engaging introduction Reveal the details Powerful Resolution What else? Engaging Introduction Give them a reason to care. What do you want the audience to feel? Your stories make you human. Will it be humorous, compelling or tragic. My talent coach Bill McMahon would always ask, “What do you hope to make the audience laugh at, marvel at or better understand?” Your listener can experience various emotions through your stories. You could elicit joy, sympathy, empathy, anger, tragedy, tenderness, humor, rage, patriotism or many others. Emotions make that personal connection to your story. Pull your listener into the story. Your engaging introduction is a roadmap. It should be a solid headline that tells your listener exactly where your story will go. “Tell me if I’m gonna go to Hell for this…” Reveal the details Details are more believable than generalities. Your details will make your story come to life. When you develop your details, use all 5 senses. Draw the picture in the mind's eye of your listener. Make the story come to life. Put your listener right there in the moment. This is theater of the mind. Your details reveal specifics about your thoughts, beliefs and character. Resolution Your resolution should be a powerful reframing of introduction. Your will know when you reach your conclusion when you have successfully achieved the emotional goal set at the beginning. What did you hope to make your audience laugh at, marvel at or better understand? When you've achieved that goal, get to the resolution. What else? Asking “What Else” will transform your show. Let your story lead to something bigger. Maybe you turn your story into a discussion on Facebook. Maybe your story leads into an interview. What else can you do with it? Create some great entertainment. HOW YOU CAN BE A STORYTELLER What do you want to make your listener feel? What is the engaging set up? How will it be revealed in the story with vivid details? What is the resolution? What else can you do with it? I'd love to help you create great stories with your podcast. E-mail any questions or comments you might have to Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. You can also find other tools including worksheets, a workbook and videos to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Top 11 Takeaways From Podcast Movement 2014 Podcast Movement 2014 was held in Dallas, Texas August 16th & 17th. For an inaugural event, PM14 was well run and full of great information. The guys did an amazing job putting it together. Earlier this year, Dan Franks reached out to me and asked if I would present a session at PM14. I was truly honored. My session on the power of storytelling went over very well. Many people came to the stage after my session to tell me how useful they found the information. I really appreciated the feedback. I am already looking forward to Podcast Movement 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. My notebook filled with great notes from PM14. On this episode, I want to share with you my 11 top takeaways from the event. I hope these spark a little something in your to move your podcast forward and transform your content. 1. Have a plan to make money. This came from Chris Brogan's Keynote “Podcasting As A Business Driver”. If you want to support your habit/hobby, have a plan to generate income. This could be from your product, service or other income stream. Figure out how to cover your cost at a minimum. 2. Copy = Pale Imitation = Ignored. Srinivas Rao offered this insight in his Keynote “Genuine Curiosity – The Fuel Behind The Fire”. Chris Brogan said, “No one ever won a race looking sideways.” Be brave and have the courage to be unique. Tell some great stories. 3. What is your brand personality? Who are you really and who do your clients need you to be? Kristin Thompson asked these questions during her session “Rock Your Talk & Profit Big … Beyond The Podcast”. Define your brand personality. Then, thread it through everything you do. 4. Don't use white in your logo. This was mentioned during “Top Podcasters Share Three Success Secrets For Podcasting”. It was a panel discussion with Michael Stelzner, Cliff Ravenscraft, and Chris Brogan. If you want it to stand out in iTunes store, get rid of the white. Make your logo pop. 5. Involve others. During his session “10 Ways to Take Your Podcast From Average To Amazing”, Daniel J. Lewis suggested you use interviews, conversations, and shared presentations to get others involved with your show. Empower your audience to share your content. Delegate others to help you achieve tasks. 6. #1 goal of podcast marketing is opt-in. Tim Paige mentioned this in his session “The Top 7 Ways To Grow Your Podcast And Turn Listeners Into Leads”. We've heard it many times that the money is in the list. Use your podcast to grow your list every opportunity that you get. 7. Think of your avatar in the car or excercising. What can you provide to make the experience better? This was a great piece of advice from Jaime Tardy during her Keynote “The Future Of Podcasting”. If you want to connect and engage with your audience, put yourself in their shoes. 8. Learn what the knobs do. To learn your equipment and what it does, press record and narrate your actions as you turn knobs. Hear how it sounds. This was a tip offered by Dave Jackson in his session “The Art Of Editing Audio – Finding The Diamond In The Rough”. What better way to figure out what all of those knobs do other than tinkering with it. 9. Ask your tribe questions about what they struggle with. Jessica Kupferman's session was titled “Your Commmunity Of Kindred Spirits: Why, How and When To Build One”. She offered this tidbit while helping us discover the power and connection of a community. 10. Give your guests resources to promote your show after they are on. This came during a panel discussion called “Promote Your Podcast The Right (And Unique) Way”. If you want your guests to promote your show after they appear, make it easy for them. Give them graphics, quotes or audio clips they can use to help spread the word. 11. Comfort and awesome usually do not overlap. I loved this line. It was another from Chris Brogan during his Keynote “Podcasting As A Business Driver”. Be brave. Try something new. Be unique. Have the courage to step out and tell personal stories that cannot be copied. That's when you'll get noticed. Don't be comforable. Be awesome. 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 other tools including worksheets, a workbook and videos to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

3 Steps To Create Your Avatar - PTC Episode 055 Hi Erik, thanks for your awesome podcast. I have one question for you You define your avatar with a bunch of well-crafted questions, but where do you get the data to answer them? Is it hard data you have got from your following (if any)? Is it just a fruit of your imagination? Is it a mix of both? How much of the avatar is based on hard data, and how much is a projection of yourself defining it? Thanks and keep up the awesome work! -Alessandro Great question, Alessandro! It is actually a little bit of both. It will evolve over time. There are really three steps to creating your ideal listener. Each step relates to the life cycle of your podcast. Step 1 If you are just starting out, you need to create your ideal customer out of your imagination. Who would you like your ideal customer to be? Start there. Who do you want? Who will listen and get involved Who will be best served by your content Who will buy your stuff Step 2 Once you begin to get some feedback from your audience, refine your target with that information. Who is posting in your comments Who is sending your e-mail Who is asking for more information Step 3 Finally, when you have an audience of decent size, survey them. It does not need to be a formal survey One of strongest is an e-mail often used that simply says “where an I help you” To get specific demographic info, you will need a formal survey Ask questions that will help you know and serve them better Do not ask questions that will not give you info you can use and will only waste the time of your listener Overall, you want your avatar to represent that individual that in most engaged with your show and likely to take action when you make that request. Audience Of One Knowing your target audience will allow you to treat your audience as an audience of one. As you are creating your podcast, treat your audience like you are talking to each person individually. This is critical when creating a trusting relationship with your audience. I hear many shows address their audience as a group with comments like “hello everyone” or “hey guys”. Each person in your audience is listening to you as an individual. Audio is a very personal medium. Many times, they are listening with headphones. It is just you and her. Talk to her just like that. Addressing a crowd on the radio began when radio began. As radio was just being created, station owners needed content to broadcast. Radio programming began with rebroadcasting live, theater events. The person on the stage would address the crowd as “ladies and gentleman”. As radio progressed, live audiences were eliminated. However, people on the radio continued to address the audience as a group. It was fitting. The family still gathered around the radio before television was introduced to the family room. An on-air personality could address the audience as a group and be justified in doing so. Radio then became a personal medium. The television replaced the radio as family entertainment. In-car and headphones became the preferred method of radio listening. Each listener was now creating images and visions in his or her own head that were unique to their imagination. Their thoughts were different from those of any other listener. The conversation was now between the person on the air and the individual listening. Unfortunately, radio personalities continued to address the listener as a group. “It has always been done this way.” The disconnect began. Podcasts are even more individualistic than radio. Most people select a podcast because of their own tastes. Groupthink does not play a factor as it would to select a movie or television show for the family. It is one person listening on their own to a show that interests them. If you are talking to your listener as if they are in a group, using plural terms like everyone and you guys and you all, your listener will wonder who you are addressing. They will think, “You guys? I’m listening by myself. Who are you talking to?” In the end, they will not follow your call-to-action, because they will think someone else in your “group” will handle it. Talk to an audience of one and build that relationship with each listener individually. 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 other tools including worksheets, a workbook and videos to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

You Never Know Who You Might Help PTC Episode 054 I received a piece of feedback from Kenn Blanchard the other day. He said he was inspired so much by my “chit chat” episode that he went back into the studio to completely rerecord his latest episode. Kenn creates a few podcasts. I listen to “Black Man With A Gun” He recently launched a second called “Motorcycle Radio”. We talk a lot about helping people with your podcast. As you create your content, keep in mind that you never know who you might be helping or how much that help may mean. Gary Vaynerchuk has an entire chapter in his book “Crush It” devoted to care. It is probably the easiest chapter you will ever read. It is also possibly the toughest chapter to execute well. Extra Mile It is unfortunate in business today that "going the extra mile" isn't even necessary to stand out most of the time. Being consistent and delivering on your brand's promise will usually make you better than most of the competition. It amazes me that delivering a simple recap after the job is complete to one of our clients can create astonishment on their part. They are so numb to the average lack of care from their other suppliers that any sense of attention will get them to take notice. I've seen many, many bands go through the motions. I am not trying to make excuses. However, It's like a couple trying to get back together after a breakup. The relationship ended for a reason the first time. Getting together again may be good for a beer. Any longer will probably only make you realize why you broke up in the first place ... even when you're making hundreds of thousands of dollars to do it. Trust Circle You can't shout your way into a person's trust circle. They only way to gain trust is to add value. Give them something they can use. Building trust is the foundation of revenue generation for your podcast. As you build trusting relationships with your podcast, continue to ask yourself, “How am I helping my listener?” Continue to give, and the trust will develop over time. When you begin every discussion with your product, needs or wants, people will tune you out. You will begin to sound (and be treated) like advertisements for used cars. Shouting doesn't work. Your listener won't care and will rarely return. Serve First Serve first, many times over. Then and only then can you effectively sell. Shows like the 48 Days To The Work You Love, School of Podcasting and Internet Business Mastery are all designed to help their listeners first. Sure, they all have products to sell as the end result. However, they never begin with their product. The discussions on these shows always begin with the listener's needs in mind first. As you prepare for your show, find great ways to help. Your help may come in the form of entertainment. You may serve as companionship for your podcast listener. Help them find other forms of companionship as well. If your podcast is only one hour per week, there are 167 more hours in the week that aren't occupied by your show. Your listeners will surely need more companionship to fill a few of those hours. Help your audience fill those hours, too. Let's Help Each Other I would love to answer any question you might have. I have been in broadcasting for well over 20 years. Coaching on-air radio talent has been part of my day-to-day role since 1995. Studying and developing marketing and promotional campaigns for our radio stations and clients is also something I do on a regular basis. If you could use some help in any of these areas, please shoot me an e-mail at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Your questions will help me refine my show. You will help me select topics. It will also make the show much more enjoyable for you. I would love to hear your questions. If you could take a minute to shoot me an e-mail, or even comment on any of my posts that may have helped you, I would truly appreciate it. Making this show better is always my goal. Let me know how I can help you. In turn, let's help each other. 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 other tools including worksheets, a workbook and videos to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

You Are An Expert - PTC Episode 053 As I was grabbing a quick bite to eat at the local fast food restaurant earlier this week, I was reminded we are all an expert at something to someone. After ordering my food, I pulled up to the drive thru window of the fast food restaurant to pay. My total came to $4.38. I handed the kid in the window $5.38. The amount completely puzzled him. He looked at the currency for quite some time. I was beginning to think he didn't realize I needed change. After what seemed like two minutes, he looked around for his manager. When he realized his manager was helping another customer, he looked back at the money trying to devise a plan B. The kid finally stuck his head into the window and asked, “Are you good at math?” I said, “The total was $4.38, right?” He replied with, “Yeah.” I said, “You owe me a dollar.” “Oh, that's what I thought,” he replied with relief as he ducked to the register to retrieve my dollar. At that point, I realized we are all an expert to somebody. Even people who do not normally deal in American currency could probably guess that $5.38 minus $4.38 equals $1. To this kid, I could have been Newton or Archimedes or Pythagoras. You may not feel you are an expert in your field, because you don't have the experience or success equal to others. On the other hand, realize you have more experience than the beginner. If you think about where you were two years ago, you are much more experienced than a person in that position now. Help those folks make the two-year journey to get to the point where you are now. Six Ways To Demonstrate Your Expertise Help people learn what you know. Help people find the tools you have discovered through your journey. Help people find the right people in the industry where they can learn more. Find people who are in a position that you have conquered. Share your stories of triumph and woe to encourage those following behind you. Help those that do not have quite as much knowledge and experience that you have. If you have been in your field for any length of time, there will always be somebody with less experience than you. Find those people, and help them succeed. You may not be number one in the field. That doesn't matter. You can always be seen as an expert in the eyes of someone at some point. You simply need to find them. Then, help them in your expert sort of way. Who knows, maybe you are good at math. 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 other tools including worksheets, a workbook and videos to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

At Last, The Secret To Chit Chat Revealed Chit Chat at the beginning of your podcast has long been discussed. Is it appropriate? How much is too much? I was listening to a marketing podcast once. I just about gave up and moved onto another show. I had to force myself to stick with it. You would have thought they may have uploaded the wrong show. Here is the opening of the podcast. I've eliminated the names and other identifying parts. I really don't intend to call out anyone. I simply want to show you how chit chat can destroy your engagement. Show host: Welcome to (marketing podcast). I'm your host (host name). (website). We've got a couple people hangin' out in the live chat with us. (chat link) And you know, I shouldn't say that, because I've taken the link down from the site. But if you're listening and wanna see the schedule, it is fairly current. Although, not exactly throughout the summer. I am joined today, as I frequently am lately, by (co-host name) of (other show name). How's it goin' (co-host name)? Co-host: It is wonderful up here. Show host: Is the … uh … now you guys probably didn't have a lot of snow like we didn't have a lot of snow, which I'm still bummed about. But, I'm trying not to talk about it. How's your … how's your weather in ____? Co-host: It's pretty good. It's, uh … it's been a pretty warm winter. They proceeded to discuss the Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion for the first 10 minutes of the 30-minute show. At 10:45 into the show, host says, “Should we get into some questions?” This is a show designed to coach businesses to attract more customers. How did we get lost down some path about temperature conversions? I'm not even sure I can say it got lost. The show never laid out the expectations of the show. Neither does the show title. As I've written before, the opening of the show must tell your audience what the show is all about right at the beginning. Let your listener know what to expect. Assume they are listening to the show for the very first time. Six minutes into the show, they actually say, “You’re safe by now skipping over the first 10 minutes” of the show. What!?! You've got me, now you're actually telling me this isn't worth my time? At this point they aren't really lost. They are well aware they are wasting my time. There are over 100,000 podcasts available. These shows are all trying to attract me. These guys actually have me paying attention (the tough part) and are wasting the incredible opportunity. What are the chances I'll actually be back? In addition to the chit chat that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic, they gave you info at the open of the show that you can't even act on. They gave you a chat link that isn't even active anymore. They gave you a schedule which is “fairly” current, “although not exactly”. Then, they tell me I can skip over this part of the show. This sort of chit chat destroys your credibility and trust. People have come to hear you deliver on your promise of your topic. Talking for ten minutes about the weather does not accomplish that, unless you are the Weather Channel podcast. Your show must deliver on the brand promise right out of the box. That is the key to audience engagement. Your listener has come to your show for a reason. If you get lost on some tangent, your audience will be gone in a heartbeat. In this case, there are many podcasts available dealing with marketing. Instead of continuing to listen to this podcast, I moved on and found the “Unpodcast” with Scott Stratten. Scott was one of the keynote speakers at NMX2014. Scott has a bit of chit chat in his episodes. The difference is the relevance of Scott's chit chat to his topic. Chit chat during your show is appropriate if you can link it back to your topic. Let's say you open your show with, “My local television news did an amazing marketing job getting in front of 100,000 people this weekend at the sporting event simply by keeping fans up to speed on the weather.” If you follow that with some chit chat about how crazy the weather has been and how the station used that to their marketing advantage, you have linked it to your topic. Chit chat here is perfectly acceptable. It makes sense. If you are talking about the new studio you have built on a show about podcasting, that would be completely understandable. If you are talking about your weekend fishing and have no way to link it to your podcast about automobile parts, you are wasting time. It is a fine line. If the information supports your topic, you are on the right path. If it does not fit with the subject matter at hand, find another story that does. Lay out the expectations in your introduction. Deliver on those expectations immediately. If you find you're getting off on a tangent, get back on track as soon as possible. You will quickly find you are talking to yourself if your listener says to themselves, “I think we're lost.” Intriguing Introduction Use a great, personal story to lead with an intriguing introduction. This is where chit chat comes in handy. It is a personal, chit chat story that will engage people. Your chit chat brings them into the topic for this episode. 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. 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 other tools including worksheets, a workbook and videos to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Why I Ignore Critics (And Maybe You Should Too) PTC Episode 051 There are a few reasons why I ignore critics, and maybe you should, too. I was listening to Pat Flynn's “Smart Passive Income” podcast today. Pat received some feedback that was crtical of his style and motivation. The critic felt Pat was putting on a unauthentic persona in order to sell affiliate programs. Pat spent a bit of time at the beginning of the episode explaining his approach and defending his character. He didn't get defensive. His comments were positive toward his critic. Some great points were offered which made me like Pat even more. I love Pat's show. He sounds like a great guy. I just think he is wasting his time trying to persuade a critic to change his mind. There are five reasons I tend to ignore critics like this. Mic Time By spending time on negative comments, you're just giving the trolls exposure. The time on your show is valuable. Use it for great content. Do not let the trolls hijack your podcast. You've worked hard to attract the attention of your audience. Trolls do not deserve the attention. Constructive Criticism Yes, I find constructive criticism valuable. However, critics are rarely motivated to help you. They typically have the desire to tear you down to their level. If they cannot have success, they do not want you to succeed either. Giving them attention just feeds their appetite to be critics. Representation One person is not representative of your entire audience. It is so easy for us to get derailed by a negative comment. We can receive 40 compliments. Then, one negative e-mail will completely destroy our confidence. Remember, one e-mail only equals one e-mail. It is one person. Self Doubt We all fight the impostor syndrome. Am I good enough? Will anyone take me seriously? Who am I to be an expert on this topic? It is common to battle that everyday. Critics just feed that syndrome. You already have enough self doubt. There is no need to allow critics to feed that fire. Beat them down. Ignore them. Your Target Critics will never be your target audience. If you are selling an idea or product, critics will never be the group that buys what you are selling. No matter how hard you try to convince the critic that you are correct, they will always be skeptical. You are wasting your time on the critic. Focus on the people that love what you do. Jeff Walker addresses this topic in his new book “Launch”. He says, “All of us have people we want to connect with better than others … The last thing you want is a lot of prospects and clients who aren't a good fit for you … You want to be sure you attract YOUR people into your business.” Maybe You Should Listen On the other hand, maybe you should give your critics some attention. If you have thick skin, giving your critics some attention can strengthen the support of your fans. When you read some negative feedback, you fans will step up to support and defend you. I am not talking about trying to attract attention to yourself or manipulating your audience. However, if you have a strong, supportive community, you may find them defending you before you even have a chance to mention the critic. Dave Ramsey does this on his show quite often. He makes it quite entertaining, and strengthens the support of his tribe. You really need to have strong self esteem to make this happen. You need to be strong in battling the impostor syndrome to try this approach. If you truly believe in what you do, you can use critics to your advantage. If you find yourself creeping into self doubt, remove the trolls from your life. Don't let them bring you down. You are great at what you do. Superserve your fans. Let the critics seep back into the darkness and feed on somebody else. I'd love to help you with your podcast. E-mail any questions you might have to coach@podcasttalentcoach.com. You can find tools such as worksheets, a workbook and videos online at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's transform you information into engaging entertainment.

8 Questions To Better Podcasts - PTC Episode 050 Today, we discuss how you can follow 8 questions to better podcasts. On the Podcast Review Show the other night, Dave Jackson mentioned he was reviewing his own episode and discovered something he could do to make his show better. I'm a big proponent of show reviews in real time in order to get better. One of my free worksheets at PodcastTalentCoach.com is dedicated to reviewing your show. Here are eight of the questions on that worksheet that can help you improve your podcast. Pick an episode from a few weeks back. Listen to it in real time. Then ... Ask yourself these questions Did you accomplish the goals you set for this episode? How did you make the audience care? How did you include the listener, making them part of the story? Where were the “oh wow” moments? What was memorable about the show? At what points did you introduce and reset the show/topic? What stories did you tell? Where did you use active language? (walking instead of walked, eating, not ate) There are 19 total questions on the review sheet. You can find it online at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. If you would like the workbook that will walk you through all of the worksheets, find that at www.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 other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Get More Podcast Traffic PTC Episode 049 How do I get more podcast traffic? I hear that question all of the time. I recently conducted a survey of my subscribers. The question asked most often had something to do with traffic and engagement with their podcast. “How do I get more podcast traffic?” I knew the subject was a hot topic, because I see discussions everywhere. How many product launches have you seen that promise to teach you how to get more traffic? In 1962, Time magazine called David Ogilvy “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry.” David Ogilvy is quoted as saying, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.” Be careful what you wish for. First, make your product great. Then, bring people to the party. Let’s make your content engaging and memorable before we invite your prospects to the show. If you create a unique experience, your engagement will be much more effective when people come to the party. Let’s discuss how we become unique. Then, let’s discuss a few organic ways to gain some attention. Create your own style Don’t try to be somebody else. You are best at being you. Create you own show structure. There are enough knockoffs. Highlight your sense of humor. Tell stories that define your character. Discuss topics that interest you. Be interesting by being interested. Remove the clichés Definition of cliché: a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse. If you want to sound unique and original, replace your clichés with something fresh. Top business clichés: Thinking outside of the box Win-win situation Giving 110% Best Practices Synergy Paradigm Shift Low-hanging fruit Push the envelope Take it to the next level A leading provider of... When you use the same phrases used by everyone else, you become vanilla. If you want to be unique, grab a thesaurus and find some new words Be memorable What can you do on the show this week that hasn’t been done before? Listen to Dave Jackson on his 400th episode of “School of Podcasting” where he was hi jacked by the Binky & The Wiz morning show. You won’t hear that on any other show. Some loved it. Some hated it. Everyone that heard it remembered it. Removing every flaw and sterilizing your show will not make it memorable. Be audacious. Be adventuresome. Be creative. Be boisterous … sometimes. Be tender other times. Do it in a way that only you can do it. Brainstorm until you have something exciting. Sell The Sizzle People do not buy products. They buy what the product can do for them. You don’t go to a restaurant to buy a steak. You go the restaurant, because you’re hungry and want one of your favorite dishes. You want that tender piece of meat that you can cut with a butter knife. The one that will just melt in your mouth, because it is the best steak around. It is cooked perfectly. You are not rushing in there because the cow was corn-fed and aged to perfection. Who cares. Those are attributes, not benefits. Does it taste great? Will it fill me up? Does it remind me of the great family dinners we used to have when I was a kid? I’m in. Those are the benefits. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Now that we have a great product, how to we bring people to the party? Sure you could buy all of those expensive products or a bunch of Facebook ads. I’m sure they work. There is an easier way. And, it is free. Get your name out there by getting involved. How many podcasts do you listen to that beg you to get involved with the show? Email us. Leave us a voicemail. Post on our Facebook page. Find us on Twitter. Don’t forget that we have a speakpipe link on the website. Use a carrier pigeon. There are a million ways. Everyone wants engagement. When you reach out and engage with others, they include you on the show. This does two things. First, it puts you in front of their audience. That could bring a new audience to your show. Second, through the Law of Reciprocity, the host of the show may be more inclined to engage with your show. A little thank you gesture. What goes around comes around. Reciprocity in social psychology refers to responding to a positive action with another positive action, rewarding kind actions. When you do something nice for someone, they feel inclined to do something nice for you in return. Gary Vaynerchuk spends an great deal of time discussing this in his book “Crush It”. It is a great book that I highly recommend. Gary basically says, “Put your stuff out there. Then, go engage with everyone else.” Be seen. Meet people where THEY live. Then, be patient. You won’t get 100,000 listeners immediately. Grow slowly. Adjust and get it right as you progress. Build the foundation. As Gary says, “do it again, and again, and again, and again.” Keep engaging. They will come. It only takes your time. Schedule 30 minutes a day to interact with your audience where they are. You will eventually build the traffic you desire. Get more podcast traffic, but first be unique. Create your own style Remove the clichés Be memorable Sell the sizzle Get involved 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.

Find Your Motivation PTC Episode 048 Are you like me? There are times when I find it difficult to find the motivation to take myself to the studio and create a great show. Sometimes it is so much easier to stay on the couch and watch some television. This week, I received this e-mail. I have a podcast about fly fishing that has pod faded. Because I am a fly fisher I thought such a podcast would be ideal. But, it became so much work from pre-production, to post-production, to hitting the publish button on iTunes, that I stopped after 10 months. I enjoyed interviewing the people on the podcast and the preparation, but quickly grew tired of all the other work it took to publish. 4-6 hours for a 1 hour podcast. My current challenge is that I enjoy doing several recreational things, but I am not “passionate" about any of them. I just enjoy doing them. Also, I did not have a product or service to sell and still do not. Since this is not a hobby for me, I want to make a good income from this. I have purchased your book for my Kindle and am reading it now. I am considering consulting with you for an hour or two to move things along faster. Right now I am re-grouping and figuring out what to do next and your podcast is a great help. Thanks again for a great podcast. Name Withheld There are a few common issues within this e-mail. How do we find the motivation to fight through the blahs and record consistently? How can we streamline our workflow to make better use of our time? How can we do more of what we love and less of what we dislike? How can we generate some income? Motivation Like most podcasters, I sometimes fight the blahs. Are you like me? Do you have those days where you could record for hours on end when you have the drive and you’re fired up? Then, I experience those other days where I just cannot find the motivation to get into the studio. I feel alone. I wonder if anyone is actually listening. There are a few ways to find the motivation. Tips: Find the time of day and day of the week that gives you the most energy. Be consistent with the day and time of the week you record – schedule yourself. Record a few episodes in one sitting to batch similar functions. Always work a week or two ahead to ease the pressure to produce. Have a back up episode in the can in case life happens. Streamline the workflow Tips: Record a few episodes at one sitting. Setting up the gear takes time. Logging in, gathering material, getting to the studio, getting in the right frame of mind all takes time. You can perform the tasks once for multiple episodes when you put it all into one sitting. You could conduct one recording session per month for 6 hours and be done. Minimize your editing by relaxing on the perfectionism. Find the areas that eat up a lot of your time and remove or condense them. Do What You Love If you hate editing or creating show notes or posting the episode, farm it out. Use virtual assistants or production assistants. Make it easy on yourself. Much of this costs money, so … Generate Income What do fly fishers need? Find something that is easy for you to create. Develop your product funnel. In this case, it could be location guides, gear guide, gear reseller, instruction tutorials, tours, travel coordinator, make your own flies. Build different tiers for the funnel. Michael Hyatt & Dan Miller did an interview about making $150,000 a year from your platform. Doing a podcast for 10 months creates a solid base. There is surely something in that niche that could be monetized. It simply needs to be uncovered. This week: Find the motivation to fight through the blahs & record consistently Streamline the workflow Do what you love Build your funnel and begin to generate income 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.