Influential Voices of Authority

Focus Of Your Podcast – PTC Episode 037 A few notes before the episode this week. I am speaking at the Podcast Movement in Dallas August 16th and 17th, 2014. It is a national podcast conference that has an amazing roster of presenters and speakers. It is less than $135 (including fees) for the standard ticket before June 1, 2014. I would love to have you join me there using my affiliate link. Get your ticket by clicking the logo in the bottom right corner online at PodcastTalentCoach.com. Dave Jackson recently invited me to join him on the Podcast Review Show. You can find the show and listen at PodcastReviewShow.com. Each week we invite a podcaster on the show for a critique of their entire business from content to website to revenue opportunities. If you would like to be featured on the show, click the “Get Reviewed” link at PodcastReviewShow.com. I was listening to the Solopreneur Hour Podcast with Michael O'Neal this week. His show is one of my regular, weekly listens. The podcast frequently features an interview with a successful person in business. Michael does a nice job relating his content to my business. Many podcasters get lost in the interview and fail to make the important connection to the listener. When you define the focus of your show, you create a filter for your content. This filter helps determine which content makes the show. It also helps frame your content with respect to your listener. (Get the "Show Focus Worksheet" HERE.) To succeed, you need to set yourself apart from the crowd. You cannot simply be better. You must be amazingly different. Make the connection of your content to the needs of your listeners. Help your audience solve their problems and eliminate their frustrations. Even if you are a seasoned podcaster, it may be time for a tune up. Does your show have a strong focus? Is your content truly helping your listener? Have you defined what is in it for them? Begin with your passions. When you are creating your podcast, find subject matter that stirs a fire inside you. If you can talk about it for hours, you are probably on target. If you can come up with fifty different topics on your area of interest, you could have a winning subject. What topics and subjects typically occupy most of your conversations? This is probably where you will find the focus of your podcast. You will be talking about the same subject matter show after show. You better love it. To be interesting, you first need to be interested. Once you have your topic, define your unique qualities. Remember, you don't simply want to be better. You want to be amazingly different from the others. My show is focused on content. Where most shows about podcasting center on the technical aspect, I use my 25 years of broadcasting experience to create content you cannot find elsewhere. That is my unique position. This is where we narrow your topic. Really focus on the niche. You cannot be everything to everybody. Being broad creates a bland podcast that lacks focus. Be specific. The size of your niche is not nearly as important as the passion of the niche. Help people that are passionate about your topic. This is where you will succeed. Where can you help? Determine what frustrates your listeners. Figure out what your audience needs to do to double their business or happiness or success. Then, help them accomplish those things. Create solutions with your show. Finally, use this filter for all of your content. Define the focus of your show. As you prepare for each episode, run your topics and content through this filter to ensure the focus is on your listener. If you are interviewing people on your show, run it through your filter. What is in it for your listeners? How can they put that information to use? Even if you are a comedy podcast for entertainment only, your listener is still getting a benefit from your show. They are coming to you for companionship. They want to forget about their problems for a bit. Your content filter should ensure you are helping them accomplish that goal. Here is your “to do” list for this week. Step back for an overview of your show. Define the goal for your podcast. Determine where and how you are helping your listeners. Ensure your niche is focused enough. Put all of your content through your listener filter. Next week, we will discuss tips for the two-person podcast. We will examine five areas you should define and develop if you have a show with multiple hosts. 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.

Podcast Negativity Trap PTC Episode 036 A quick note … Dave Jackson of School of Podcasting has invited me to join his Podcast Review Show podcast. Each week, we invite a podcaster on the show and review their podcast with them. Dave and I help our guest refine their content, delivery, production, branding and website. If you would like to find our more, head over to PodcastReviewShow.com. This week on Podcast Talent Coach, we get a question submitted by Steve Stewart of the “Money Plan SOS Podcast” Steve brings up two questions. With all of the negativity surrounding us and pulling us in, how can we keep on a path of positive messages? How can you be passionate without being negative? It is good to recognize the negative influence in our content. Negativity surrounds us everyday, making it difficult to stay positive. The nightly news uses the philosophy “if it bleeds it leads”. The political talk shows are typically more about the negatives of the opposition rather than the virtues of their position. The Sunday morning political talk shows in the U.S. Are all a battle with a “sky is falling” mentality. Negativity attracts people. Many people have a desire to run from the negative rather than toward the positive. Many want to quit their job. However, few have any idea where they want to head. A cynical, sarcastic, mean attitude will simply pull successful people down rather than build anyone up. If bad news and negativity attract an audience, why change? If conspiracy theories and stories of the world ending keeps people coming back, why get rid of it? If it ain't broke, why fix it? Negativity in your life is destructive. If you believe you are what you think about, then we need to remove the negativity from our lives. This theory is present in many books. You will find it in Napoleon Hill's “Think & Grow Rich”. It is the main idea in “The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightengale. It is difficult to have a positive attitude in life if you are talking about negativity in every episode. In the long run, negative content in your podcast will harm you and your listener. I have stopped watching the news. I don’t want that negativity in my life. What good does it do me to see pain and agony in the lives of others? What is the solution? Our content can’t be all tulips and licorice. We can't look at the world through rose-colored glasses. How do we create the balance? First, we can’t make your show great by simply removing the bad stuff. We need to replace the bad content with more of the good stuff. Have you ever tried to stop doing something? Smoking? Eating fast food? The secret is that you can’t stop something without replacing it with something else. Many people that try to stop smoking gain weight. Food replaces cigarettes. There are four steps you can take to maintain a positive attitude and overtone in your podcast. Positive Solutions With your content, lead people to positive solutions. Start by identifying the negative. Then, replace those ideas with positive solutions. Show people better options. Give them help & hope. Use Proper Planning Know how to get to the good in the story and where you plan to go before you begin recording. Review Your Show Find the parts of your show where negativity appears. Then, determine how you could have lead the topic in a positive direction. Over time, you will become better getting to the positive during the show. Stick To The Tough Work The negativity trap is the easy path. Being positive is tough work. In the long run, it will be better for you and your listeners. Your audience will grow more slowly. However, it will be more loyal over the long run. Negativity wears out its welcome quickly. A positive attitude will help your podcast develop longevity. The negativity trap is destructive to your podcast. It is unhealthy for you and your listeners. Being positive is hard work. Be confident, and stick to it. Over time, it will be better for your show. Help your listener find the positive in her life. Help her overcome her challenges and solve her problems. Lead her to better results. Positivity helps develop long-term success for your show. 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.

Creating Podcast Avatars Before you can create a great podcast with meaningful, powerful relationships, you need to define your target listener. Most podcasts decide they are focused on a niche and leave it at that. I hear, "My podcast is for entrepreneurs." A broad category of listeners isn't defined nearly well enough to help you focus your content. When creating content, you will approach fans of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League different than you would talk to fans of the New York Philharmonic. You will speak differently to young men in college than you would to grandmothers who enjoy knitting. When you define your target audience, you will define your strategy to reach that audience. If you are creating a podcast around retirement, your target audience may be defined by gender and age, such as men in their early twenties or 50-year-old women. Their age is the commonality. Your target audience could also be defined by a common passion. The podcast could cater to fans of Harley Davidson who ride at least 25,000 miles per year. Their fanaticism ties them together. This episode walks you through your listener definition using the Podcast Talent Coach worksheet found online at PodcastTalentCoach.com. This week, complete the worksheet to really define your avatar. I think you'll be surprised how it helps shape your content. I'd love to help you with your podcast. Please let me know how I might be of assistance. You can also find tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

MORE PODCAST ENGAGEMENT I received an e-mail the other day that contained a question I'm asked quite often. For quite some time, I've tried to solve the problem myself. I've read books, listened to interviews, purchased products and reviewed tons of notes and articles I've collected over the years. The question? How do we create more engagement with our podcasts? Before we jump into engagement, let's review your checklist from last week. On the last episode, we discussed ways to sound more confident in your content. Your checklist included four items. Be yourself. Tell a story on your podcast this week that will reveal something about you. Do everything in your own style. Start by defining that style. Move beyond information by defining what is in it for your listener. Stir emotion. Review a past episode while actually listening like a listener. Now that you have some time between posting the episode and reviewing it, this might be a good week to listen to your show like a listener. See if you actually accomplished all four points. I hope the episode helped you and served you to create your podcast with more confidence. Through all of my research and years of experience, I've discovered a few key steps to create interaction. This week, let's cover 7 steps to create more engagement with your podcast. 1. Be A Storyteller For Success As you create your podcast, become a great storyteller. Great storytellers create fans. Interest in your story never remains constant. Your information can only become entertainment when interest is rising. If interest is falling, the show is becoming boring and is no longer entertainment. A great story continues to develop the plot and raise the interest. Have you ever sat through a long, monotonous story that never seems to end? You stare and wonder if the speaker actually has a point to this monologue. You pray for your cell phone to ring and save you. That scenario is exactly what you want to avoid. Practice becoming a great storyteller. Stories help define your character and personality. You should always be yourself. It is difficult to play a character consistently and tell great stories. Your true feelings and identity will always be revealed in the stories you tell. If you are successful hiding your true self, you simply are not telling great stories. Vivid details and interesting points that stir emotions in your listeners can only come from your true feelings. Reveal your true character. Storytellers create raving fans. 2. Ask Them To Engage How do you expect them to know you want them to be part of your show if you don't ask? Be sure to make your request specific. Tell your listener exactly what you want her to do. 3. Make It Easy To Engage You may use social media, your website, an e-mail address, voicemail, or a number of other methods to reach you. Simplify it. Create one contact page on your website containing the info to avoid the need for a laundry list during your show. Then, always provide that one contact source. By using that one source, you also prevent your listener from getting caught in the decision paradox. Make the questions specific, so they don't have to think. Give your listener a question to answer or specific piece of information to provide. If he isn't forced to be creative and “work” to create content for your show, you will have more success creating engagement. 4. 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. Ziglar is a great example of helping people. His speeches always offer great tips to improve your life, sales or attitude. He also has great books, CDs and other products he sells. However, most of his time is spent on helping others. There is a lot of free Ziglar information available. He helps others and eventually sales come his way. Get what you want out of life. Focus on helping others. 5. Make It About Them If you want people to engage, there has to be something in it for them. Make them care. 6. Tease And Set Up The Next Episode Prepare your audience to participate. Let them know the topic for next week. Then, ask them if they have a question about that particular topic. If you have a guest, ask if there is a question they would like you to ask. Michael Hyatt does a great job at this on his podcast "This Is Your Life". 7.Thank Your Audience Thanks for listening. I appreciate the help you give me. It is such an easy way to strengthen your relationship with your audience. Your listeners have given you something they can never get back. That is their time. Show your appreciation. A simple thank you will go a long way with your listener. If they know you are honestly grateful for their time, the chance they will listen again goes way up. It must be honest and authentic. You can't thank them in a gas-station-attendant-I'll-never-see-you-again kind of way. You must deliver it from the heart. It should be the kind of thank you that you would give a stranger who stopped to help when you ran out of gas. Your listener is your lifeblood. Without your listener you have no show. She has many, many choices when allocating her time. Let her know you appreciate her for spending her time with you. … And thank you for stopping by. You have done a ton for me just by being here. Next week we will discuss how to define your target audience better than the generic avatar you have now. We'll get specific. If you have questions about that topic, head to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com to get your questions answered. I'd love to help you with your podcast. Please let me know how I might be of assistance. You can also find tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How To Develop More Podcast Confidence Self-confidence is a battle we all face. Most recently, I received nearly the same question. How do I become comfortable as a speaker? We have discussed this topic in the past on the Podcast Talent Coach podcast. In episode 012, I offered tips to become more comfortable with the timber and sound of your voice. This week, I would like to give you a few ideas to use to develop more confidence in your content. I had a coaching call and received an e-mail in the past couple weeks that included this topic. Both podcasters were unsure of their speaking ability. They felt they may lack authority on their topic. I had a coaching call with a gentleman who had recently launched a new podcast. His career to this point had involved public speaking and presenting. He was self-conscious of how he sounded on his podcast. He asked if he should get a voice coach. The second question came in an e-mail. "So far I have interviewed and recorded 3 people and when editing I'm realizing how much I hate my voice and because of that I feel unsure about putting anything out. Though the desire to podcast and be a liable presence is there is it possible to have a nervous sounding voice and still taken seriously? I don't know why I sound so timid and unsure because these people I'm interviewing are so far of people I know but as soon as I press that record button my presence seems to change. Do you have any tips? I hope there is still a chance for me. I hope this is just a newbie problem and something that I can eventually overcome." We all face the inner critic. We are unsure how we can sound like an authority in our niche. What can we do to develop more confidence in ourselves as we create our content each and every week? This week, we discuss four steps to become more comfortable & confident with your content. BE YOURSELF A great podcast is a great relationship. It is just like creating a great brand. In order to develop that solid relationship, you must be yourself. You can’t fake it. When you try to be someone or something you are not, you will not sound authentic. Eventually, the truth will come out. Have you ever met someone you had admired from afar, only to have them do something that didn't fit with your image of them? Maybe it was a baseball player, or a movie star, or a politician or a musician. You met them with great expectations of an encounter with your hero only to find out they were rude and average. It turned out they were only being who they thought they should be for the public when really they were someone completely different in real life. Everyone has their flaws. That is what makes them human. Howard Stern has flaws. He makes his flaws part of his show. Domino's Pizza admitted the errors of their ways with their cheap, low quality pizza. They laid it out for the world to see in their marketing. Your listener will accept your flaws. They will feel like you are “one of them” when you admit your flaws upfront. Don't be afraid to expose yourself. When your listener discovers you are something other than the character you portray, the bond of trust will be demolished. Your relationship will be forever damaged. Build a solid brand. Be yourself. YOUR STYLE Create everything you do in your own style. You can only stand out among all other shows when you create your own unique style. You must then make sure everything you do is consistent with that style. Many new broadcasters try to emulate the style of their hero or mentor. They attempt to imitate the styles they hear from other broadcasters. Unfortunately, copying doesn't create a unique style. Copying typically creates a watered-down version of some other style. When creating your content, be yourself and find your own style. Some of the greatest broadcasters didn't start the ascension to the top until they abandoned the attempts to broadcast in the style they thought others desired and began being true to themselves. Oprah Winfrey quit trying to be a traditional news anchor. She also quit doing the typical tabloid, daytime talk show. When she began to create the show she always desired, she went to the top of the game. Howard Stern began as a radio DJ sounding like every other radio DJ. He was playing the records and spouting the lines written by management while going nowhere. When Stern decided he was going to do radio his way, he began to make a name for himself. He also went to the top. Rush Limbaugh followed a very similar path. He had a cheesy radio name. He followed the format designed by somebody else. Limbaugh made every attempt to fulfill the typical radio DJ stereotype. He also got fired again and again. When he decided to broadcast in his style and true to his beliefs, he began his rise to the top. Adam Corolla made his climb when he took full control over his style and show. He was climbing the DJ ladder in Los Angeles. Corolla had some decent television work. He then decided to create his own show in his own style via podcast. That began his rise as one of the biggest podcasters in the world. All of these broadcasters made the decision to stop copying others. They all created shows that were true to their style. They each also stay true to their style in everything they do. You will never hear Rush sound like Howard. You'll never mistake something Oprah says as something Adam might say. Being true to their style isn't something that takes conscious effort. It comes easy to each of them, because it is true to who they are as people. Be true to yourself. It will make it easy to create everything you do in your style. MOVE BEYOND INFORMATION The goal of our podcasts is to create strong relationships with our audiences. We can take those relationships and move our listeners with a call to action. To achieve that strong relationship, we need to move beyond information to engaging entertainment. Dan Miller, author of “48 Days To The Work You Love” could simply explain how you might find a new job. Instead, Dan instills the belief in his listeners that there is more to work than a paycheck. He stirs emotion describing how you can turn your passion into your career. Dan uses that emotion to turn his job finding information into engaging entertainment. Financial information is turned into entertainment on “The Dave Ramsey Show” when Dave turns debt into the enemy. He doesn't simply walk you through the steps to become debt free. Dave helps you find that burning desire to escape the shackles of debt. He makes you envision the possibility of “living like no one else”. His help becomes engaging entertainment. That is the reason his show is extremely popular and he is very wealthy. Our shows can be powerful when we build relationships and move our listeners with a call to action. Those relationships happen when we move beyond information to engaging entertainment. REVIEW YOUR SHOW Review your show on a regular basis. Actually listen like a listener. That is the only way to improve. Many hosts finish recording a show and think, “That was pretty good. What’s next?” They might recreate parts of the show in their head to determine what might make the show better next time. Usually, there isn’t much time spent actually reviewing a show. There are so many other duties to handle. It’s on to the next thing, which is probably editing, posting, and promoting the show. In order to make your podcast better, you need to spend quality time listening to the show. Play it back. Grab a pad of paper and write down the parts that jump out at you. Jot down the “oh wow” moments. Take note of the sections that didn’t work exactly as you planned. You will only find these moments when you listen like a listener. The show will sound much different to you when you listen back than it did as you were recording it. You will hear things you didn’t notice as you were focused on creating the content. Words that you overuse will suddenly become noticeable to you. Once you have created the lists of good and not-so-good, create two more lists. First, determine how can you create more of the “oh wow” moments on the show. How might you incorporate into the show more of the great content that worked? Second, make a list of ways you can eliminate the parts that weren’t polished enough. Get on the road to show improvement. Review your show on a regular basis. To Do This Week 1. Be yourself. Tell a story on your podcast this week that will reveal something about you. 2. Do everything in your own style. Start by defining that style. 3. Move beyond information by defining what is in it for your listener. Stir emotion. 4. Review a past episode while actually listening like a listener. 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.

Your Professional Podcast Sound PTC Episode 032 When I first started in broadcasting, I doubted my voice, my sound and my ability. I doubted whether I belonged with the other professional broadcasters. Would they find me out and end my broadcasting career before it began? Everyday, I would search for ways to sound more professional. Any idea that would come along to help me sound more prepared I would put to use. If I thought an idea would help me sound organized, I would give it a shot. Overnight radio is where most broadcasters begin. I did overnights for the better part of four years trying to find my way. The desire to belong in the category burned inside of me. My passion to sound like a professional drove me show after show. After years, I realized the fear of sounding unprofessional, unprepared, and unorganized is perfectly common amongst broadcasters. The desire to be credible and belong in the category burns inside of most that go on to become successful. The inner critic is present in all of us. If you would like to sound like an expert and not simply knowledgable about your topic, there are steps you can take to sound more professional. There are ways to become more organized and prepared. Your show can grow by leaps with a few simple adjustments. Here are three steps you can take to sound more professional. PREPARE FOR YOUR SHOW Before you begin to record your show, you should spend just as much time preparing for the show. It is very similar to mapping out a trip. You not only need to know where you are going, you need to know how to get there. Many hosts will have an idea of which topics they hope to address on the show. They may have a few e-mail questions to answer or a current event to discuss. That is where most quit. They think, “Well, I have our ideas. Let's do this.” They then begin recording. This is a big mistake. You must plan what you hope to do with each topic. How do you hope to answer the questions? What will your opinion be on the current event. Most importantly, how will you present it to your listener. If you plan to answer an e-mail question only because you think it is a good question, but you do not plan out your answer, you will wade through the answer. It will take you much more time to answer the question than is necessary. Your show will therefore lack momentum. Your listener will become easily bored. When you stumble your way through your answer unprepared, your listener will wonder if you actually now where you are going. Before you open the mic, plan out your show. Jot down some notes. Write down the few important points you need to mention as you're answering the question. Then, make sure you stick to your plan. Dan Miller does a wonderful job of this in his podcast “48 Days to The Work You Love”. He knows exactly which questions he wants to answer in his show. He knows exactly how he wants to answer them. He also has a few solid examples for each answer. Dan tends to over-promise at the beginning of the show with the questions he hopes to answer. He should either stick to a time limit for each answer, or promise fewer with the potential of a few “bonus” answers at the end if time permits. Give your show more momentum and energy. It will happen when you prepare for your show. STAY FOCUSED Avoid the shiny objects. In the past, I've suggested you incorporate stories in your podcast to truly engage your listener. To make your stories powerful, lead with a strong introduction that tells your listener exactly what to expect. Your first few sentences will tell your audience exactly where you are going with your tale. Many podcasters find it fairly easy to lead with an intriguing introduction. The trouble comes as the story develops. Storytellers often find it difficult to stay focused on the goal of the story. They often get distracted and sidetracked following tangents that really have nothing to do with the story. Let's say the story begins with, “I got the deal of a lifetime at the mall this weekend.” You know exactly where we are going with this story. I'm going to tell you all about a great deal I found at the mall. If we are in the middle of the story, we get completely derailed if I ponder, “Why do parents think they can just drop their kids off at the mall like it is a daycare?” This has absolutely nothing to do with the great deal I found. We are now running down a rabbit hole and need to figure out how to get back on track. Your listener has a difficult time following your story when you get off on tangents. Your show becomes confusing. Meandering stories also waste time and limit the number of subjects you can address in any particular episode. Make it easy for your listener to follow and enjoy your stories. Stay focused on the goal of the story. Avoid the shiny objects. REPLACE THE CLICHES That's right, of course, like I said, obviously. If you find yourself saying “obviously” or “of course”, you are making one of two errors. The first error is repeating yourself. If you are saying “obviously” because you feel everyone already knows the information, you are wasting your breath. There is no need to say it. I may say, “The sun comes up in the East, of course.” Everyone listening to me knows the sun comes up in the East. There was no reason for me to point out the origin of the morning sun. “Of course” gets thrown in, so it didn't look like I was trying to teach you about the sunrise. I didn't want you to think I just learned that. “Of course” plays it off. The second error is lack of confidence. You may want to sound knowledgeable to those who know the information. Yet, you know there is a segment of the audience that does not know the details. In this case, you're just wasting words. I may say, “The band will be at the arena Saturday night, of course.” Some may be aware of this performance. Yet, there may be members of the audience who haven't heard the news. It makes sense to add the information. The idea is to sound knowledgeable and credible to those that already know, while providing the information to those unaware. You simply need to restructure you sentence and eliminate the cliché. “When the band is at the arena Saturday night, parking will be at a premium.” This sentence provides new information to both segments. I include the “arena Saturday night” portion for the new listeners while giving those already aware of the concert new parking information. Both receive a benefit. When you include “that's right” or “like I said”, you are repeating yourself. Your listener heard you the first time. Most people use these cliches to fill time while they think of the next thing to say. Avoid going in circles. Your listener will quickly become uninterested. Know where you're going and keep moving forward. Avoid the cliches. That's right, of course, like I said, obviously. Take these three steps to sound like an expert and not simply knowledgable about your topic. These steps can make you sound more professional, more organized and more prepared. Start down the path to show growth this week by making these few small adjustments. 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.

Protect Your Podcast Voice Your voice is your power. It is your tool. Without your voice, you have no podcast. Throughout the year, it is inevitable that you will get sick. Maybe it is just a scratchy voice. Maybe you lose your voice altogether. When illness hits, what do you do about your show? A few weeks ago, I made a trip to a conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Five days of shaking hands, conference room sessions, and group dinners along with two flights there and back, made it difficult to avoid the germs. As much as I did to rest, eat properly and protect myself from getting sick, illness still found me. The sickness had me down for the count. I had a horrible cough. My throat was sore and raw. The frog sound coming from my voice box was not anything I could use to record a podcast. What was I going to do? Luckily I had prepared. I had been working two weeks in advance in preparation for the trip. In case I didn't make it back in time to record the podcast for that week, I wanted to be sure I had something prepared. It came in handy, even though I made it back in time. There are three things you can do to prepare for disaster. First, work a week ahead. When you are working on the podcast for the following week, you have some flexibility. If something happens where you can't record for any reason, you already have the show ready for this week. Second, create an evergreen episode. This is an episode with content that never becomes outdated. This is your “just in case” episode. You simply set it aside in case you need it. Finally, you can record an evergreen “donut”. This is an open and close that allows you to put repurposed content in the middle. It is like you are putting it in the middle of the donut. For instance, you would record an open just like your regular show open. However, instead of introducing new content, you say something like, “This week we will be revisiting the one episode of my show that has been downloaded more than any other episode.” You could also create a show of highlights or “best of” questions. This could be any content you can gather from previous episodes. Your close would be very similar. “I hope you've enjoyed this 'best of' episode. I will be back next week with an entirely new episode.” This closes the donut. Now, if you ever get sick, you have an option to continue to deliver content every week. Consistency is crucial to creating relationships. Plan ahead. So, how do you stay healthy? How do you get well if you get sick? What ounce of prevention can you use to protect your most valuable asset? Here are a few tips. Care Take care of your voice. - Wear a hat & avoid the head cold - Speak from the diaphragm when recording - Avoid excessive clearing of the throat - Warm up properly by slowly expanding your range - Use a nasal rinse Drink When recording, stay hydrated. - Drink room temp water to avoid constriction from cold beverages - Avoid caffeine, because it also constricts - Avoid soda & syrup drinks to prevent the crud building up in your throat Get Well If your voice gets strained, here are a few things to try. - Gargle with warm salt water - Use a humidifier to keep your membranes hydrated - Drink warm decaf tea with honey - Drink warm/hot chocolate - Use a nasal rinse - Drink plenty of water - Experiment to find what works Your voice is your most valuable asset. Do all you can to protect it. Stay healthy. If you get sick, try these seven tips to get well. Above all, don't risk it. Plan ahead. Illness is inevitable. Have a show in the can or a plan to create some evergreen content should you get sick. Do your best to protect your podcast voice. 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.

TURN YOUR PODCAST INTO A CONVERSATION PTC EPISODE 030 Let's have a conversation. People want to feel part of the discussion and not like they are sitting in a lecture. How do you create that atmosphere on your podcast? Talk to me, not at me Treat your audience as an audience of one Let your listener live vicariously through you Use your regular voice Do everything in your own style Talk To Me, Not At Me When you are podcasting, talk “to” your listener. Don’t talk “at” her. You are not announcing. You are having a personal conversation and building a relationship. Podcasting is an intimate conversation with one person. The conversation is typically one person speaking into a microphone addressing another single individual. There may sometimes be hundreds of thousands of people listening. However, they are all listening by themselves. Even in an automobile with others listening via communal speakers, the members of the audience are listening by themselves in their own head. Each listener is developing their own unique, mental images. Have a conversation directly with that individual. Put your listener in the moment. Avoid addressing the group. Instead of using “hello everyone”, use “hi, how are you?” Make her feel like you are talking directly to her. It will make your podcast relationship much stronger. 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. Nobody like to be lectured to. Data and facts get dull & boring. Engage by being conversational. Tell stories. This is a converstaion, not a lecture Vicarious Can I Be You? Vicarious. Voyerism. Eavesdropping. Those are three main reasons people listen to your podcast. Tell stories to help fulfill those desires. People dream about having a different (and usually better) life. They want to experience those things others are experiencing. The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. People crave living the lives of others. Your listeners want to live vicariously through you. They want to experience your success. They wish they had the courage to do the things you have done. Your fans want to be you in some way or another. Voyerism is a reason many people watch the shows they watch, listen to the stories they hear, or read the books they read. They want to experience the lives of others. People eavesdrop on the conversations of others for the very same reasons. They can experience the life of others without the risk of faliure. Eavesdropping doesn't take the courage that it takes to actually live the life. By telling great stories about your experiences, you help your audience fulfill the desire to live vicariously through you. If your show contains audio of your feats and experiences, you allow your audience to become the voyers they desire. When you interview people on your show, you allow your listener to eavesdrop on your conversation. When you simply lecture as the content of your show, you fail to help your listener experience any of those three desires. Find new ways to deliver your material to your audience. You will make those important connections that turn into friendships. Those relationships will foster loyalty to your show. Your tribe will follow you wherever you go. That's a powerful thing. Tell stories of self-revelation. See where it takes you. You'll be surprised how many people wish they could be you. Use Your Regular Voice The scoop is that fake announcer voice that you hear quite often. It's like a slow start with a gradual build. “Wwwwweeeelllllcome to the big show.” It sounds like your voice is going up and down as if it is on a yo-yo. Real people don't talk like that. You are trying to build trusting relationships with your audience. You want to sound real and authentic. When you sound like a supermarket announcer, you sound fake. Your listeners will find it hard to trust you, because they know that isn't really you. The audio they are hearing sounds like a character you are portraying. Don't let your voice bounce like a ball. You can be excited and enthusiastic. You can also be real and natural at the same time. Just be yourself. When the inflection of your voice bounces up and down, you will find it difficult to truly engage your listener. Be real. Avoid the scoop. Create Everything In Your Style Create everything you do in your own style. You can only stand out among all other shows when you create your own unique style. You must then make sure everything you do is consistent with that style. Many new broadcasters try to emulate the style of their hero or mentor. They attempt to imitate the styles they hear from other broadcasters. Unfortunately, copying doesn't create a unique style. Copying typically creates a watered-down version of some other style. When creating your content, be yourself and find your own style. Some of the greatest broadcasters didn't start the ascension to the top until they abandoned the attempts to broadcast in the style they thought others desired and began being true to themselves. Oprah Winfrey quit trying to be a traditional news anchor. She also quit doing the typical tabloid, daytime talk show. When she began to create the show she always desired, she went to the top of the game. Howard Stern began as a radio DJ sounding like every other radio DJ. He was playing the records and spouting the lines written by management while going nowhere. When Stern decided he was going to do radio his way, he began to make a name for himself. He also went to the top. Rush Limbaugh followed a very similar path. He had a cheesy radio name. He followed the format designed by somebody else. Limbaugh made every attempt to fulfill the typical radio DJ stereotype. He also got fired again and again. When he decided to broadcast in his style and true to his beliefs, he began his rise to the top. Adam Corolla made his climb when he took full control over his style and show. He was climbing the DJ ladder in Los Angeles. Corolla had some decent television work. He then decided to create his own show in his own style via podcast. That began his rise as one of the biggest podcasters in the world. All of these broadcasters made the decision to stop copying others. They all created shows that were true to their style. They each also stay true to their style in everything they do. You will never hear Rush sound like Howard. You'll never mistake something Oprah says as something Adam might say. Being true to their style isn't something that takes conscious effort. It comes easy to each of them, because it is true to who they are as people. Be true to yourself. It will make it easy to create everything you do in your style. 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.

EPISODE 29 – MORE PODCAST LISTENER INTERACTION Many podcasters ask me how to get more listener interaction with their show. How can you get more listener feedback and comments? We need to transform your information into engaging entertainment. When your content is engaging, people take notice and take action. If you want your listeners to interact more with your show, make your content engaging. When you tell stories on your podcast, you reveal things about yourself. Vivid details are critical elements of great storytelling. You are creating theater of the mind. Draw pictures in the mind of your listener. Details are more believable than generalities. Details reveal specifics about your thoughts, beliefs and character. Details put your listener in the moment helping them envision your story in their mind. Garrison Keillor, in one of his “Stories From Lake Wobegon”, describes a woman who endures crushing loneliness and town gossip. Keillor says, “She got into bed with a dying man – so she could sing 'Abide With Me' in his good ear”. You can see the details in your mind. Envision the man's hearing aid. Can you hear the song? There are so many details in that sentence, many of which aren't even described. Lake Wobegon is a fictitious place, yet is believable due to the details. The story details reveal what Keillor finds amusing. The story is also vivid enough that you can see it in your mind. That's the wonderful thing about audio. Everyone sees their own personal, mental images in their own way. Those differences add to the enjoyment and entertainment of the story. Each listener can enjoy the unspoken details in their own way. They are not at the mercy of the interpretation of a movie director. Tell great stories. Use vivid details. What did you reveal today? 1. Tell me great stories I'm not simply talking about your integrity. By character, I mean all of the attributes that create you, as in character in a play. The purpose of your show is to attract an audience. Whether you want to monetize that relationship, encourage a call-to-action, or simply create an audience for your ideas, creating the audience is where you begin. The stories you choose to tell reveal how open you are to others. Your openness is a sign of trust. Trust is a big piece of a relationship. Reveal things about yourself through your stories and you'll begin to build trust with your listener. The details you include tell your listener what you value. If the listener feels you value things they too value, you solidify the relationship. People like to hang out with similar people. If your values are opposite of your listener, you may also attract them. It is like a love/hate relationship. They may dislike it, but they continue to listen. This often happens when talking politics. What you find entertaining will be evident by the stories you tell. Since people like other people who have similar tastes, revealing those things you find entertaining will also build the relationship. Stories also have the power to demonstrate your vulnerability. Stories can show that you are a real person. Your listener will see you as approachable. They also may begin to see you as a friend. That is when true relationships begin to form. Next time you watch a late night talk show, notice how the great, memorable interviews contain great stories. Interviews that focus on facts and information rarely cut through. Those guests come off more as a lecturer than as a friend. The guests that tell stories appear more personal, warm and friendly. Their stories reveal things and help you feel like you know them personally. Take note next time you watch. Foster a relationship with your listener by revealing things about yourself through stories. Stories will define your character. 2. Put your audience in the story If you truly want to engage your listener, put her in your story. This doesn't mean create a fictitious part of your story where she becomes a fake character. Include details that are so vivid that your listener feels like she is right there in the moment. Stir the passion within your listener with great emotion. You have probably seen a movie like “Silence of the Lambs” where you completely lose awareness of your surroundings as you’re sucked into the scene. It may have been a movie like “Casablanca” where they say goodbye at the very end. Those are two great stories that put you right there in the moment. Stories told by great storytellers do the same thing. Garrison Keillor is probably one of the best storytellers of our time. When listening to this story, you can see the guy Keillor describes in a few short seconds. He includes great lines like, “… In the midst of drinking a Bombardier at the Moonlight Bay Supper Club and she’d gone off with him to the Romeo Motel.” The story is short, yet the details are vivid. If you can create details so vivid that your listeners can almost feel them, you can truly put her in the story. Your listener will be fully engaged. That is where information becomes entertainment. Strengthen your relationship with your listener at every opportunity. Put the audience in the story. Create a movie and put your listener in it 3. Make them forget they are listening to a podcast When your audience is listening to your podcast, make them forget they are listening to a recording. Take them to another place. Make your storytelling so strong that their imaginations put your listener in another time and place. That's what great storytelling is all about. That's what great relationships are all about. People seek entertainment to escape from reality. They want entertainment like movies, concerts, television, radio and podcasts to make them forget about all of their problems. Entertainment that succeeds will take the audience member to some other place and time. When you record your podcast, you need to create that wonderful theater of the mind. It doesn’t matter if you’re reading fiction or talking about gardening, put your audience in the moment. Make your listener forget they are listening to a recording. 4. Intrigue & Suspense What will happen next Anticipation is a key feature to storytelling. Your story should build just like a good plot builds in a movie. You need to make your audience anticipate the content that is on the way. It is like a vacation you are planning to take. The fantastic anticipation for the trip is almost as pleasurable as the trip itself. You can't wait for the trip to arrive. You want your listener to feel the same way about your content. When they can't wait for the story to arrive, you have created some great content. Teasing is the art of creating anticipation for your audience to entice them to stick around for the payoff to your setup. It is a critical element of your show. Teasing helps create momentum for your podcast. When you promote parts of the show that are coming up, you must creatively tease your audience. You must give them a reason to stick around. It isn't enough to simply say, “A great story about this weekend is coming up.” Few will stick around for the payoff. Tease. Create anticipation. Instead, use something like, “You're never gonna believe what I found in the attic this past weekend.” The evening news does a wonderful job at teasing. Create anticipation. Tease me. 5. Use active language Your details should contain active language. Words like walking, carrying, and eating are current tense. They create images in your mind. You can see a clown walking. If I am telling a story about a clown that walked, using the past tense, it is more difficult to envision in your mind. It already happened. He isn't doing it anymore. I can see walking. I can't see walked. When you use active language, your story comes to life. Use rich, vivid words that will draw fantastic pictures in the minds of your audience. “The old man, small and fragile, came slowly walking into the art shop gingerly carrying the tattered, leather-bound, black-and-white photo album he had been saving from his depression-era childhood.” You can see the old man. Active language paints those photos. 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.

EPISODE 28 – BUILDING YOUR PODCAST BUSINESS Most every podcaster has the desire to turn their podcast into a business. Though some podcasters treat their show as a hobby and an outlet for their passion, many reach a point where they wish to monetize their efforts. Podcast profits are possible in many forms when podcasters get creative. Most podcasts do not generate enough cash to stand alone as a business. There are ways to generate revenue from the podcast, such as advertising and sponsorships. These methods typically bring in money in direct relation to the size of the audience. It is traditionally called CPM, or cost per thousand. (M is mille - Latin for thousand, M is also the Roman numeral for thousand.) There are two primary issues with relying on advertising as your primary revenue source. The first downside of CPM is the direct relation of hours to dollars. When you stop putting in hours, you stop taking out dollars. When you stop creating the podcast, the revenue stream stops as well. When you exchange hours for dollars, that is called a job. When you create something one time and it generates a continuous stream of income, that becomes a business. Limited inventory and revenue is the second problem with advertising. There is a limit to the amount of sponsorship time possible within any particular episode. If your podcast is an hour in length, how much advertising could the show possibly contain? Two sponsors? Four sponsors? At some point, the adverting becomes a negative to the audience. This is the issue terrestrial radio is facing. The commercial time has expanded to a level that is negatively affecting time spent listening to radio. Stations are hoping listeners will sit through 12 minutes of commercials on music stations and nearly 20 minutes on talk stations. People are looking for other content that does not force feed them content they do not desire. This is where your podcast will thrive. You can turn your podcast into a business by developing a suite of products. Brendon Burchard, the author of "The Millionaire Messenger" and creator of Experts Academy, describes it as an integrated product suite. The podcast attracts a group of followers without wasting their time. Your content and message builds a friendships. Listeners begin to know, like and trust you. Once you have built a loyal group of listeners that trusts you and your message, you can ask them to join your list in exchange for something free. This gets people to take the next step to become engaged with your brand. I use this with free worksheets, videos and other content. Fans give me permission to e-mail them pertinent, valuable content. The additional free content continues to build the relationship. After delivering content over time, you can begin to monetize the trust you've built. Start by asking your fans to purchase a low end product, such as this workbook. The low end product doesn't cost much. It is simply a purchase to break the barrier to make your fan comfortable doing business with you. Your listener can risk $20 to see if your products are as good as you say. Again, we are building more trust. If you could sell 1,000 e-books at $20 each to your audience of 10,000 listeners, you would generate $20,000 in revenue. Let's compare that to the CPM model. The average CPM in podcasting is around $25. Using that same 10,000 listeners, your CPM factor would be 10, because you have ten “thousands”. $25 CPM x 10 “thousands” equals $250 per episode sponsorship. Two sponsors per episode would generate $500 per episode. Producing 50 episodes per year would then bring in $25,000 annually. That is just a little better than the e-book model. There is a big difference between the two methods. With the e-book, you write it once. It then continues to generate revenue. You must create your podcast every week to keep the revenue flowing. At the beginning of the next year, your podcast starts over again. Your e-book continues to sell with little additional effort. You can also write another book to begin doubling your revenue. The next step is a mid-range product. This would be something in the $200 range. While you continue to deliver great, free content and your book continues to sell and build trust, you can then produce your mid-level product. At some point, you will ask for that sale. Convincing 100 of your 10,000 fans to purchase your $200 product will generate $20,000. We are talking about converting one percent of your audience at this level. This style of product layering continues as you build your business. It is all based on the relationships you are creating with your podcast. You are building trust with your podcast. The fantastic, free content allows your fans to know, like and trust you. Your podcast is the foundation of your business. Your podcast is not your income generator. The relationships you have build with your audience becomes the conduit to create income. Your friendships will be the basis on which your business is built. We will turn those relationships into a suite of great products centered around your content. “Entrepreneur on Fire” with John Lee Dumas is arguably one of the most successful recent podcasts in terms of revenue generation. John releases a daily podcast 365 days a year. He has been able to monetize his podcast at a high level using sponsorships. In fact, he posts his monthly income report at www.EntrepreneurOnFire.com/income. According to his site, Dumas generated $39,400 from sponsorships in December 2013. Even at that level of success, John Lee Dumas has other products. At nearly $40,000 a month, his show is bringing in almost half a million dollars in annual sponsorship revenue. If you examine the income report, advertising within the show isn't even the largest source of income during the month of December. Entrepreneur on Fire generated $52,763 with John's “Podcasters' Paradise” program. In total, Dumas lists 7 different revenue sources on his income report. These include a mastermind, sponsorships, an ebook, an audiobook, his program, one-on-one mentoring and affiliates. This is a great example of a suite of products. The entire program is built on the foundation laid by his podcast. If you hope to build a business around your podcast, begin by developing your product suite. Brainstorm the various products and services you can create. Make a list of five to ten products that will begin to generate revenue for you. Then, start creating the one that will be quick and easy. This is where your business will begin to take shape. Your entire business will be built around your podcast. This is where people will begin to trust you. Everything described in this workbook up to this point has been designed to get your audience to know, like and trust you. Only when we reach that point can we begin to monetize the show. You are creating a relationship with your audience. The more you reveal about yourself on your show, the more you create influence through friendship. Your sales will be built on the trust you are developing. Help your audience. In sports coaching it is often said that players will not care how much the coach knows until they know how much the coach cares. Show your listeners you care by helping them solve their problems. Develop that friendship. Once your friendship is built, your listeners will begin to move through your product funnel. Your product funnel is just as it sounds. We bring many people into the big end of the funnel. As they move through, the price goes up until only a few come out the small end. Your podcast and other free content is at the big end of the funnel. As we move to the low-tier $20 product, we lose a group of listeners. We then lose another group when we progress to the $200 product. Listeners continue to move along the funnel until we have a few dedicated listeners playing thousands of dollars at the small end of the funnel. You cannot begin at the middle of the funnel. People do not begin by buying your $200 without knowing anything about you. The entire funnel is based around your podcast and the relationships you are creating. Though your podcast will not be your primary revenue generator, it will be the foundation for your business. This is where it all begins. Make it great. Tell the truth. Make it matter. Have fun. Before you know it, you will be building great friendships on the way to an amazing business. This week: Develop your free bonus content Launch an e-mail database like Aweber or Mail Chimp Brainstorm a low-tier and mid-tier product you can create 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.