Influential Voices of Authority

On a coaching call the other day, Ken and I were reviewing his show. We got to talking about connecting content to offers, and he had a breakthrough. I thought it could help you improve the effectiveness of your show as well. THE MONEY STRUGGLE Many podcasters struggle to monetize their show. Your challenges are common. Most are going about it the wrong way. You know I am no fan of ads and sponsorships on podcasts. There are three problems with ads and sponsorships that make them no good for your podcast. First, people are fleeing traditional media to escape all the ads. Next, ad agencies treat your audience like a commodity. They want to pay the same for your audience as they do for every other audience. Therefore, you need a large audience. Finally, ads and sponsorships put a cap on the revenue potential. You can only include so many ads on your show. And you can't raise the rate, because you're treated like a commodity. If you can't sell more, and you can't sell it for more, your revenue is limited. STOP GIVING IT AWAY I've seen this firsthand. Spending 35 years in radio, we've tried every trick in the book to keep listeners from leaving during commercials. We struggle to raise the rate, because ad agencies will only pay so much. If a radio station raises ad rates, agencies just go to another station. All audiences are treated equal. That simply not the case. You're not just like everyone else. Listeners don't deserve that. Advertisers don't deserve that. And hosts don't deserve that. If you are selling coaching to women entering the workforce for a second time after being home with the kids for 20 years, you have two choices. You could advertise your coaching on Dave Ramsey's podcast "The Ramsey Show". What percentage of that audience is your perfect client? Maybe a fraction. You could also advertise your coaching on "Career Returners" with Karen and Liz where they talk about returning to a fulfilling, successful career after a long break. How many of those listeners could be your perfect client? Karen and Liz primarily interview women. I'm guessing a majority of the listeners are your ideal clients. Ad agencies price your podcast per thousand listeners. If you're a coach for women reentering the workforce, are one thousand Dave Ramsey listeners the same value for you as the one thousand listeners of "Career Returners"? Of course not. But, agencies treat it the same. Stop giving away your podcast. Leverage the relationships you're building with your audience. GROW YOUR AUDIENCE For this marketing strategy I'm going to share to work, you need an audience. So, come join us for the Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop to build your strategy and grow your audience. By the end of this 3-Day Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop, you will have a clear, step-by-step blueprint to grow your audience. You will begin taking the steps necessary to attract your ideal clients. This workshop is designed to help you lay the foundation to be known as an influencer and respected authority in your niche. We roll up our sleeves and build your strategy over three powerful days July 19-21. Get the full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. CONNECTING CONTENT Let's talk about a better way of monetizing. Instead of ads and sponsorships, use your podcast to build relationships and market your business. Build relationships with powerful content. Then, lead your listener down the sales path by connecting content to the offer. Use your podcast to market something. This could include coaching, services, products, courses, affiliate products or a variety of other things. When I was on the call with Ken the other day, we reviewed his show. On the episode, Ken was talking about finding yourself worthy of success, especially at work. It was a great episode. Toward the end of the episode, he gave three tips to help people find that self-worth. The third tip was to surround yourself with community and support. Ken then said, "If you need help finding that community and support, let's have a call - sign up on the website." It was a perfect way of connecting content to his offer. The content he did such a great job laying out led right into his offer for a discovery call. Heck, I was ready to sign up. When I mentioned it to Ken, he said it was a complete fluke. He didn't do it intentionally. It just happened in the moment. But after I pointed it out, he said he totally understood how the strategy made so much sense. He never thought of it that way. RELATIONSHIPS When you sell ads on your show, you get paid once. Time to go sell another sponsor. When you are connecting content to your offer, your offer lives as long as the podcast does. It continues to generate revenue for years whenever somebody discovers that episode. Building relationships with your listeners is so much more powerful than ads. Relationships make your call to action (CTA) more effective. Create amazing content that leads to your CTA. When you do, you'll find more clients coming to you rather than you chasing them. START CONNECTING CONTENT To begin using your podcast to market your business, start with the end in mind. What do you want listeners to do when the episode is over? Once you've determined the destination, we can now determine how to get there. The path is your content. When you start with the destination, you know exactly what content to create. Now, create content that helps your listeners get clarity on their problems and challenges. This is also true for interviews. When the interview is done, what do you want your listeners to do? When you determine the destination, you know what questions to ask that will help you get there. POWERFUL CONTENT Connecting content to offers takes some art. You can't be all info. To create powerful content that connects, stir emotion. Help your listeners see what is possible in the future. Give examples of your help with others. Everything interesting is about people. Finally, make them an invitation and offer. CREATING ENGAGEMENT I know. You're probably saying, "Yeah, but how do I get them to take action on the offer?" It can be challenging to create engagement and get your listeners to respond. First, make it easy. Create an easy feedback loop with your podcast. If you're like most, you're probably asking how do to know it's really working? There are times when you're wondering if you're even really talking to anyone. Getting people to respond requires relationships and engagement with the right audience, not just any audience. If you're trying to connect with your audience in better ways, you need to create content that connects with that audience and leads them to something more. What are you doing to get the traction to grow? When you make a request of your audience, do you never get a reply? Your content is disconnected from your call to action. Lack of engagement comes from content without emotion. Start with the end in mind. Decide what you want your listener to do when the conversation is over. Then create content that stirs emotion. CONNECTING CONTENT WITH STORIES You can't be information alone. Include stories, personality and heart. When you include stories, you set yourself apart from everyone else. Stories also share who you are, what you do, and why. In his book Start With Why, Simon Sinek says, "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Your stories share why you do what you do. Tell more stories. ATTRACT THE RIGHT AUDIENCE Let's start building your plan to fill your audience with the right people and turn you into an authority in your niche. Come join us for the Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop to build your strategy and grow your audience. By the end of this 3-Day Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop, you will have a clear, step-by-step blueprint to grow your audience. You will begin taking the steps necessary to attract your ideal clients. This workshop is designed to help you lay the foundation to be known as an influencer and respected authority in your niche. We roll up our sleeves and build your strategy over three powerful days July 19-21. Get the full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. If you'd like to start with a podcast strategy call, apply for your call here: http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply

CURIOSITY CREATES GREAT INTERVIEWS Do you ever wonder why your podcast isn't growing? Why you aren't attracting more listeners? It could be your own level of curiosity. We all want more listeners to our show. Yet we struggle to grow. How great would it be if you were the kind of magnetic host who draws people to you and has the ability to influence that audience to take action? You can become that known influencer in your space. It begins with becoming unique and standing out from everyone else in your niche. AUDIENCE EXPLOSION BLUEPRINT Before we dive into your curiosity, come join us for the Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop to build your strategy and grow your audience. By the end of this 3-Day Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop, you will have a clear, step-by-step blueprint to grow your audience. You will begin taking the steps necessary to attract your ideal clients. This workshop is designed to help you lay the foundation to be known as an influencer and respected authority in your niche. We roll up our sleeves and build your strategy over three powerful days July 19-21. Get the full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. BECOME UNIQUE To become a unique podcast host, you need to embrace your curiosity. It is the most important trait when it comes to creating unique content. Some of the best hosts are highly curious about everything. This creates great interviews, conversations and content. Curiosity will take you to places few others will go, because your curiosity is unlike any other's curiosity. As you hone your curiosity, you will start asking better questions and be able to think on your feet. It is like any other skill you have. When you use your curiosity during interviews, you only need a couple really good questions. Your curiosity will help you create a powerful conversation by listening as asking solid follow up questions rather than following a list. HOWARD STERN'S CURIOSITY Let me give you an example of curiosity during an interview. Howard Stern was interviewing Billy Joel. During the conversation, Howard starts with a question and then just follows his curiosity. Listen to Howard navigate this discussion. He asked questions like... "Was this a tough song to write?" "What were you thinking?" "Did you know this piece, the mood of this music feels like a heartbreak?" "This was a woman that broke up with you?" "Why didn't it work out?" "Then words come out? How does it go?" "Is that a word you would write down sometime?" He actually gets into the story of the woman. It was Elle MacPherson. But, that's a story for another time. Howard asks the natural follow up questions his listeners would ask. That's what makes him a great interviewer. STAY CURIOUS There are a few things you can do to enhance your curiosity skills. First, ask questions. Ask questions about everything. When we were little and we asked "why" about everything, we would drive our parents up a wall. Find the courage to ask those questions again. Next, follow up the question with another "why". Just like kids, follow your curiosity with more questions. Usually the sixth or seventh why will yield gold. One of the keys to curiosity is listening. When you actively listen, you'll hear things others will miss. Be sure to take notes. When you find something that piques your curiosity, write it down. Learn more about it. Others will typically be interested in the things that interest you. Use these notes to create great content. Finally, don't be a know-it-all. You don't have to know everything or always be right. Instead, be curious. Truly seek to learn and understand. FOLLOW THE QUESTIONS Curiosity begins with asking questions. Challenge yourself to ask questions about the world around you. It is easy to ask questions about things you don't know. Push yourself to ask questions about the things you know. Asking these questions will really improve your curiosity. Use questions that start with, "What if..." or "I wonder..." If you want different answers, ask different questions. Interact with other curious people and people that know more than you. To get started, make a list of things that pique your interest. What would you like to know more about. Then, research those things when you have a few minutes. Instead of playing Candy Crush or some other pointless game on your phone, go down a rabbit hole chasing your curiosity. THE BENEFITS OF CURIOSITY Curiosity comes with many benefits. First, curiosity drives relationships. Your curiosity about others demonstrates you have a genuine interest in them. It deepen the relationship. Next, curiosity breeds creativity. This is where you become unique and an original show host unlike any other. Curiosity will disrupt stagnation. Being curious will foster change and action. When you are asking questions, new ideas form and move you in a different direction. It creates momentum. Our curiosity build relationships by showing people we are interested in them and what makes them tick. We appreciate how they are different and unique in their own right. Finally, curiosity helps us learn new things and grow as a person. PODCAST CURIOSITY With your interviews, your curiosity will get your guests to tell you things they've never told anyone. When you let your curiosity drive the interview, your guest will enjoy telling stories that are different than any other interview they've given. At the end of interviews, I've had guest tell me they talked about things they've never talked about on an interview. We went down paths they don't typically travel. To improve your curiosity, you need to practice. Slow down and ask questions. Just like any skill, you won't be perfect when you begin. It will take time. Just stick with it. Great podcast hosts are curious. Begin refining your curiosity skills this week. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

UNIQUE SHOWS COME FROM UNIQUE PERSONALITIES When you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing. You're not unique. PICK A SIDE Focus your topic on what you know best. Be opinionated. Be passionate. Pick a side. Be unique. Most of all, be consistent. When you try to discuss an industry in general, your audience won't know what to expect when they visit your show. Let's take Dave Ramsey for example. During the opening of "The Dave Ramsey Show", Dave would say, "Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice." Dave's show is a personal finance show. Moreover, it is a show about getting out of debt. Dave helps people find ways to pay off their debt and become financially stable. "The Dave Ramsey Show" didn't discuss particular stocks or mutual funds. It didn't discuss how to go about investing other than simply suggesting you sock away 15 percent of your income for retirement and then some for college. Dave's show recommends 7 basic steps to financial security. He has been doing a show on these 7 steps for over 30 years. Every show, everyday, every call. It was all about these 7 steps in some way or another. When you tuned into "The Dave Ramsey Show", you knew what you would get. Dave was focused. CHANGING DAVE As Dave gets older and closer to retirement, he is thinking about the future of the show and company. He changed the name of the show from The Dave Ramsey Show to The Ramsey Show. To help him ease his way into retirement, Dave incorporates other Ramsey Personalities into the show as co-hosts or hosts when he is gone. The show isn't just hosted by Dave. When you tune in, it could be hosted by Ken Coleman, Rachel Cruze, Dr. John Delony, George Kamel or Jade Warshaw. It may even be hosted by a couple of them if Dave is not there. The intro of the show has changed. When it was the Dave Ramsey show, Dave would say, "Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice." Now with 6 different hosts with different areas of expertise, the intro of the show says, "Where we help people build wealth, do work that they love, and create amazing relationships." The show has become less focused on getting out of debt and personal wealth and more about life in general. Before, I knew what I got. I was in financial trouble and needed answers. Now, I could get anything. Does the show help me with my job search, or my relationship with my in-laws, or getting out of debt, or starting a business, or dealing with my boss, or my kids assuming I will watch the grandkids, or negotiating my credit card rate? All of it. You don't know what you're going to get or who will be giving it to you. The show is losing its clarity. Give your podcast focus. Your audience will appreciate the consistency. YOU UNIQUE What makes you different? When you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. Make people take notice. You are an expert at your opinion. Give it to people. Take a stand. Pick a side. Some of the nicest people make the worst podcast hosts. They try to please everyone in the audience. Those people tend to blend into the background and go unnoticed. I once coached a radio host who was one of the best storytellers I had ever met. When he and I would meet one-on-one for coaching, he would tell me some of the funniest stories I had ever heard. He would tell me stories of his dad that would have me crying from laughing so hard. He once told me his dad was absolutely convinced the PT Cruiser was the best car ever made. As much as my host would try to explain that the PT Cruiser was simply the Dodge Neon chassis with a different body, his father wouldn't believe it. The two of them would get in these heated arguments in public about this car. Of all the things in life you could argue about, this happened to be the PT Cruiser. The way the story was told was full of fabulous details. The host really had the ability to make the stories come to life. As much as I would encourage him, the host wouldn't tell those stories on the radio. He didn't believe the audience as a whole would be interested. Instead, he played it safe. He only discussed vanilla content that wouldn't upset anyone. Unfortunately, the show never took hold. UPSET THEM If you're not upsetting someone, you aren't trying hard enough. I would much rather have half the audience hate me and the other half love me rather than the entire audience have no opinion one way or the other. If the audience doesn't have an opinion, they don't care. I'm doing nothing to stir their emotion if I'm not making them pick a side. If you haven't picked a side and really focused your topic, people won't care. They won't be passionate about your show. Speak your mind. Be different. Get noticed. Make people care. BIG PARTY Big Party on the other hand lived his life on the radio. I hired Mike from the college station to be the morning host on our Top 40 station. His on-air name was Big Party, because that's exactly what you got. Big Party has a unique perspective on the world. He would ask questions everyone wanted to ask, but was afraid of asking. He would tell stories and share thoughts nobody would share. It was my job to help him share his stories and bring out the right pieces to create great content. We shaped his stories to allow the audience get to know him and what he was all about. People loved it. And, they loved him. Everywhere Party went, he knew people and they knew him. The show was authentic, engaging, hilarious, and some of the best radio. His show quickly went to #1. CONNECT Your success is all about connecting, inspiring and motivating your listeners. When you connect, inspire and motivate your audience, you stir emotions within your listener. Those emotions are powerful. Emotions make people come back for more, because the create a bonding relationship. Connect with your listener by revealing things about yourself. Revelations make you human. They show your listener that you are a normal person and just like them. They can relate to you. Tell your listener about yourself. Describe the mistakes you've made. Talk about your hardships. Discuss the obstacles you've overcome. Your listener will relate to that. I WASN'T UNIQUE When I first began in broadcasting, I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, I was getting my degree in Architecture. I started drafting when I was 13. That was all I ever wanted to do. I fell into broadcasting by accident. While working weekends at a roller skating rink, I was offered a part-time job at a radio station running some equipment. I was making a few dollars to blow in college … while getting my degree in Architecture. My first full-time broadcasting job came while still studying Architecture. Each day I was on the air, I felt like an imposter. What right did I have to be on the radio talking to thousands of people everyday? I didn't know anything about broadcasting. After finishing my Architecture degree, I stayed in radio. Everyday, I learned a little more about broadcasting. I read all I could about the field. Little by little, my confidence grew. Years later, I realized I could reveal things about myself during my show. People did actually care about me. Relationships formed. Success came my way. REVEAL THINGS Self revelation during your show will help your relationships grow as well. Have confidence in yourself to connect with your audience. Once you've started to build that relationship, you can begin to inspire your audience. If you can do it, they can do it, too. Give him hope. Light that fire of desire within her. Stir emotions. Describe success. Now that your listener can envision success, show her how to get there. Motivate her to take action. Break the process down to small steps that she can easily take. Motivate her to take a step each day. Connect, inspire and motivate your listener with each podcast. When you create strong relationships with your audience, you create fans for life. If I can turn a degree in Architecture into a career in broadcasting, you can be successful there as well. Make it happen. YOUR UNIQUE AUTHORITY To become an authority and influencer in your niche, you need to stand out and be unique. You can do that by sharing yourself. Develop your personality and which parts you'd like to highlight on your show. Then, tell stories to develop that reputation with your audience. Build relationships. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is, "If you can't find a stage, build your own." GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE FROM STAGE To grow your audience, you need to get in front of people who don't know you yet. Then, you need to share your story and how you are different. Finally, you need to invite them into your world. When I use the term "stage", I don't only mean a physical riser in front of a live crowd during an event holding a microphone. To me, a stage is any time you can speak in front of two or more people. Stages could be live events. A stage could also be a podcast interview, a radio or TV interview, a virtual summit, speaking to a mastermind group, doing a Facebook Live, participating in a roundtable discussion, or presenting during an online event such as somebody's workshop just to name a few. So, which should you choose and how do you find opportunities? That's what I want to help you solve today. Let's begin with choosing the right stage. There are a few questions to ask yourself in order to find the right opportunity. THE RIGHT AUDIENCE The biggest factor in choosing a stage is the quality of the audience. Most people are concerned with the size of the audience. I've made more money speaking to a small mastermind group than I have speaking to nearly 100 people at a conference. The difference is the quality of the client prospects in the room. Those members of the mastermind were all my ideal clients. Ensure you get in front of the right audience. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY? Next, select the right environment. What speaking activities do you enjoy? Some people prefer being interviewed on a podcast talking to people you can't see. Others prefer the reaction of a room full of a hundred people. Do what you enjoy. INVESTMENT OF TIME AND MONEY Your stage consideration should also be based on your investment. Some stages require a fee to speak. It's easy to dismiss paying to speak. But if it is the right room, paying could be well worth it. The bigger investment is your time. Will you need to travel to the engagment? Travel can eat up days for a one-hour talk. Not all talks are created equal. Ensure it is worth your time. CAN YOU PITCH? What are you allowed to offer from stage? Some opportunities like TEDx won't let you make any call to action, not even a free download. Others allow you to sell from stage. Know the rules and how that frames your opportunity. ARE YOU PROMOTED? Will the host promote you as a speaker at the event? Sometimes the promotion of you at the event is more valuable than actually speaking at the event. WILL YOU MAKE CONNECTIONS? Who else will be in the room? Sometimes the connections you make at the event lead to other speaking opportunities. When big connections are possible, the new opportunities could be worth more than the current speaking gig. Consider it an investment in the future. CAN YOU USE THE CONTENT/RECORDING? Will the host give you access to the recording to use as you wish? Maybe you can use it as a podcast episode. FINDING STAGES To find a stage, make connections with others. When you see announcements arrive in your inbox, reach out to the host to see if you might be part of their next event. Ask for opportunities. Email the host and ask, "What does it take to be on your stage?" If you can't find a stage on your own, let an expert help you. There are many experts around that will help you land a stage. Steve Eriksen has an amazing platform that will help you land a stage. STEVE ERIKSEN When Steve Eriksen hosted a summit for his own coaching business, he couldn't find a good system to help him run his event. So he took his technical background in the events space, combined it with his real-world experience as an event host, and created EventRaptor, a system that makes virtual event management easy - including virtual summits! Steve is the Founder of EventRaptor. His goal is to make Virtual Event Management easy! If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Stories connect you to others, because the stories you tell reveal things about you. Those stories let people get to know what you like, believe and value. VINCE GILL The way he tells stories is why so many people love country icon Vince Gill. He is so open and transparent with his stories you just feel like you're best friends 5 minutes after meeting him. Vince released his first album in 1985, but really broke through in 1989 when he signed with MCA Nashville. When he released Gun Slinger in 2011, he invited a group of us to his house to listen to the album. His house is pretty amazing. He lives in one of those renovated homes built a hundred years ago. THE RECORDING STUDIO At the front corner of Vince's house is a recording studio. Imagine a large family room. You enter the studio down a couple steps in the middle of the long wall. To your left surrounding the exterior of the room is his amazing guitar collection. Under the countertop that rings the three walls to the left are about half a dozen drawers. Each holds two guitars. Hung on the walls above the counters are more guitars as if you were in a music store. There had to be a few hundred guitars in that room. Vince told us most of his collection was in storage with his touring gear. In the middle of that left half of the room sat the large mixing console facing the far wall with a small recording booth through the door in the close corner. The right side of the room looked like a warm den. There were oversized chairs, a nice couch, a few end tables and a fireplace. I imagined a lot of songwriting was done in that room. On wall straight across from the entry stairs was the bookshelf holding his various Grammy Awards, CMA Awards, and other accolades. The Grammys and other awards his wife Amy Grant won were on the shelves as well. THE STORIES Above the fireplace hung a destroyed vintage guitar. I asked Vince about the story behind that guitar. He said when the floods of 2010 hit Nashville, the storage facility most of the big country artists used for much of the gear was under water. All of the gear in that huge warehouse was destroyed, including many of Vince's prized guitars. The guitar that hung on the wall was one of the oldest that Vince had in his collection. He salvaged it from the flood and hung it on the wall as a reminder of how precious time is for all of us. As we made ourselves comfortable in the studio, Vince had his producer cue up the new album. He would then proceed to tell us a story about how a song was recorded or about the inspiration behind a song. Then he would play it for us. It was amazing. BREAD AND WATER One song on Guitar Slinger held a very special place for Vince. He told us "Bread and Water" is loosely based on his brother who had a rough stretch of life. Vince's brother was in a car accident and almost killed when he was just 21. He never fully recovered. As he told the story of his brother, Vince said his brother would kind of hobo around. He would often spend time at the mission. Vince then plays the song for us. The opening stanza of "Bread and Water" goes like this: One night he wandered into that old mission The one out on the poor side of town He really had no interest in salvation Just a place to lay his drunk ole body down Vince got a little choked up when he told the story of his brother as he introduced the song. Once he played it, the song took on such a different and more powerful meaning for all of us in that studio. Check it out on YouTube. You'll see what I mean. INTERESTING STORIES After about four songs, Vince says, "Are you guys enjoying this or are you just getting bored with my old stories?" Each and every one of us emphatically chimed in that we wanted more stories. I could have sat there for a week and listened to Vince tell stories. It was truly one of the highlights of my career. When the Eagles recently came to town, I went to see this tour, because Vince was playing guitar and singing the parts left vacant with the passing of Glenn Frey. It was so great. I have seen Vince Gill play probably half a dozen times at various events. I've met him twice. He has always told great stories, and everybody loves him. His stories make you feel like you've been best friends for years. That's what stories can do for you. When you tell stories, you build relationships. You create an identity and personality. People are attracted to you. To discover how to use stories to grow your audience and build your authority, join me for my next Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop. You can get full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. During this 3-day workshop, you'll have a clear, step-by-step blueprint to grow your audience. You will lay the foundation to be known as an influencer and respected authority in your niche. This workshop will help you begin attracting raving fans who share your podcast and purchase your programs. Come join us. Find the details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. MICHELE GUNDERSON ON STORIES On this episode, I want to share with you an interview I did with Dr. Michele Gunderson. She is an expert on stories. As a former University instructor and Iyengar yoga teacher turned entrepreneur, Dr. Michele Gunderson has the unique ability to help you align your inner world and outer world stories in ways that will catapult your business. Her clients go from having less impact than what they're capable of, to creating five- or six-figure months in a business they love. This conversation is all about the power of story in your podcast. Enjoy my conversation with Michele Gunderson. ADD STORIES To get Michele's free gift "7 Quick Tips for Crafting an Inspiring Story that Sells", visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/storytips. To discover how to use stories to grow your audience and build your authority, join me for my next Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop. You can get full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

One of the biggest struggles podcasters face is how to monetize a podcast. They simply rush to the monetization phase without doing the foundational work first. MONETIZE A PODAST WITH AUTHORITY Before you can monetize your podcast, you need to have authority and influence in your niche. In this episode, I will share nine ways to monetize a podcast. But none of these ideas will work without authority. If you can't influence a room and move the crowd toward action, no monetization strategy will be effective. To have influence and authority, you need to become well known in your niche. You will become well known by becoming known well. And you become known well by telling your story and building a relationship with your audience. The rapport you build with your audience feeds that authority. When they are ready to solve their problems, your audience will start with those with whom they have a relationship. Relationships start with familiarity and grow into trust. It is the foundation of authority and influence. Once you have influence over an audience, you can motivate them to take action. This is where all monetization begins. If you aren't monetizing your podcast, you probably haven't spent enough time building relationships, authority and influence. If you would like help building that strategy, take advantage of my podcast strategy call. You can find details and apply for a call with me online at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. Let's talk about why coaches struggle to monetize a podcast. PODFADE I was working with a client creating a strategy to get her interviewed on other podcasts. It's a solid way to grow your audience. The term podfade has been around for years. A podcast podfades when the host just stops publishing new episodes and the show fades away. It has often been said that the big hurdle is around 7 episodes. I always thought it was an old wives' tale. Then she and I opened Apple podcasts and started searching for podcasts that fit the criteria. To find shows that will interview you, the podcast needs to meet 3 important criteria. First, the show needs to fit your niche. It should appear that the podcast is talking to your ideal target listener. Not necessarily your topic, but indeed your listener. Next, the prospective podcast needs to actually interview guests. There is no need to reach out to a show that doesn't do interviews. My podcast was solo for the first 275 episodes. It didn't stop people from reaching out telling me they would make the perfect guest. Finally, the podcast needs to be actively publishing new episodes. FRESH EPISODES So we searched caregiving in Apple podcasts. Here is what I find today. 12 Step Guide to Caregiving – 1 episode published in May 2018 Twenty-Four Seven: A Podcast About Caregiving – 19 episodes, last in December 2022 Caregiving Coach – 19 episodes, but last was July 2023 The Caregiving Secrets Show – 7 episodes, last published June 2021 Caregiver Storyteller – 18 episodes, last show November 2023 Caffeinated Caregivers – 9 episodes, but only 3 in the first 5 months of this year Caregiver Conversations – 19 episodes, last published July 2023 Caring for the Caregiver – 4 episodes, last published September 2020 Eye on the Caregiver – 22 episodes, last published May 2023 Caregivers Share – 9 episodes, last published December 2023 The Senior Caregiver Podcast – 8 episodes, last published November 2019 The Purposeful Caregiver – 14 episodes, last published December 2023 Now there are many others that have hundreds of episodes. But these dozen have fewer than 24 episodes. They didn't even make it half a year. Whether it's 7 episodes or 14 episodes, many podcasts fade away early for 3 reasons. First, the podcaster realizes that podcasting is more work than they thought it would be. They don't have a system to consistently produce a weekly episode without eating their entire week. Next, the podcaster discovers the audience doesn't grow as fast as they thought it would. They haven't built a system to quickly and easily build their audience. Finally, the podcaster gets frustrated that the podcast isn't generating revenue like they thought it would. This typically happens because they haven't created a strategy to leverage the audience attention to generate sales. We've talked a lot about producing and growing your show. Let me give you 9 ways to monetize a podcast. The first two I really dislike. The other seven are solid. MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH ADS The first way to monetize your show is advertising on your show, just like radio. Unfortunately, this won't work for you. And it's bad for business. Most advertising agencies and large advertisers want podcasts with 5,000 downloads per episode. Only 7 percent of all podcasts reach this level. If you're not nailing 5,000 downloads per episode, you most likely won't be landing any advertisers either. Advertising is bad for business, because it clutters your show. People are fleeing traditional media to get away from ads. We would do research with our radio listeners. Time and time again, listeners would tell us the one thing they hated most was all the commercials. It didn't matter how many commercials we played, it was too much. I once programmed a radio station where we promised to never play more than 3 minutes of commercials. In comparison, many stations play 8 or 10 minutes of commercials today. We quickly went to #1 in the ratings with that station. But the top complaint was still too many commercials. People simply don't want commercials in their content. It takes a lot of time to sell advertising. And you're always trying to sell the next one. On top of that, your show can only hold a limited number of ads. Your revenue will have a ceiling. COMMODITY But the worst part of advertising is that it turns your podcast into a commodity. Advertisers treat your audience the same as every other audience. They will pay a set amount of money per 1,000 listeners. That assumes the thousands of listeners to Joe Rogan's podcast are the same as the thousands of listeners to Gary Vaynerchuk's podcast. And that simply isn't true. If you advertised Quickbooks on Gary's show, how many listeners need Quickbooks? Probably a good proportion, because many of Gary's listeners are entrepreneur's or have a side hustle. If we advertised Quickbooks on the Joe Rogan podcast, how many listeners need it? We don't know. The audience is too broad. Only a fraction of the listeners are entrepreneurs. Some work retail. Others work blue collar jobs. Some sit at a desk. Others are managers. Advertising Quickbooks on Gary's show would be much more effective than ads on Joe's show, because a greater percentage of the audience are qualified buyers. However, agencies treat all audiences the same. Your show becomes a commodity. Salt is salt regardless of the brand. That's unfortunate for your show. There just isn't enough benefit to attempt to monetize with ads. Skip it. SPONSORSHIPS Sponsorships are similar but a bit different than ads. Most of the same negatives you get with ads also come with sponsorships. There is a ceiling on your revenue, it takes a long time to sell, and your listeners don't want it. The difference is the relationship. Sponsors typically support the show and are tied in with the podcast more than an ad on the show. An ad says, "Buy Blue Apron". It rarely has anything to do with the podcast. The advertiser simply wants access to the audience. A sponsor supports the show and is usually a good fit. Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn is sponsored by Circle, ClickFunnels, Interact and other tools that online entrepreneurs use. Pat can talk about how he uses these tools in his own business. It's more than just an ad. With sponsorships, you can also go beyond the podcast. Sponsors can be included on your website, in your newsletter, on your social media accounts, as sponsors of your events, and a variety of other ways. This relationship is a lot more than an ad. It is worth a lot more as well. SMALL AUDIENCE There are ways to land sponsors without a huge audience when you stack your value. An advertiser would get an ad on your episode to your 150 listeners. A sponsor would get those 150 listeners. They would also get the 2,500 people on your email list, the 1,500 people following you on Facebook, the 1,200 people on your Instagram, the attention from the 800 people who visit your website every month, and the 150 people that register for your webinar. Instead of the 150 listeners the advertiser receives, the sponsor gets the attention of 6,300 collective fans from all of your channels. Stack the value. On top of that, your sponsor's product is exactly what your fans need. Only a few of Pat Flynn's fans would want and need Blue Apron. But most all of them could use ClickFunnels. Though I'm not a fan of sponsorships, I like them better than ads. SELL YOUR STUFF My favorite way to monetize your podcast is to sell your own stuff. You control everything. With your own products, you know the quality of the goods. You know exactly what your listeners are receiving. You also keep all of the revenue when you sell your own stuff. Double win. Courses, books, digital products, software and merchandise are just a few things you can sell to your audience. I like products, because you do the work once to create it and can sell it over and over again. You can also incorporate your stuff into your content. SELL YOUR COACHING The next way to monetize your podcast is to sell coaching. I like this as much as selling your stuff. The downside of coaching is time investment. It takes your time to continue to deliver while products require you to do the work one time. On the other hand, coaching is usually sold for more. It is a bigger ticket with more revenue upside. You need to make fewer sales to generate more revenue. One-on-one coaching can move to group coaching to leverage your time. This will happen after you find the common challenges amongst your clients. SELL OTHER'S STUFF - AFFILIATES I've really had good success with affiliate sales as a way to monetize my podcast. This is how Pat Flynn got his start. With affiliate sales, you promote somebody else's product or service on your podcast. It is best when you tie it into the content. Then you provide your affiliate link. When your listeners buy through your affiliate link, you earn a commission. The rate you earn can usually vary from 10% to 50%, but I've seen as high as 100% on an event ticket where the host will sell their high-end program. There are quite a few benefits to affiliate marketing. You don't have to create the product. There is no concern about fulfillment. Affiliates will often give you swipe copy and graphics to market the products. The downside to affiliates is the need to continuously sell. When somebody buys, they aren't your clients. They become the customer of your affiliate. You're basically starting from scratch each time. There is no chance for an upsell with an affiliate product. The client is buying from your partner. There is no chance to go back and offer them the opportunity to buy again. When working with an affiliate partner, you also don't control the quality of the product. Always ensure you are dealing with quality companies. Your reputation is on the line when you endorse an affiliate product. As a matter of law, be sure you don't make false claims or say that you use a product or service that you do not use. You cannot say "it tastes great" if you've never tasted it. It sounds logical, but many do it. Statements like that are against Federal Trade Commission regulations. PROMOTE EVENTS Using events is another way to monetize your podcast. Rather than promoting your products or services on your show, hold an event. Promote the event on the show and sell products and services at the event. Your events could be webinars, workshops, VIP days, 3-day events, live events, conferences, or any other gathering. There is power in community. Bring your audience together, and help them make progress. Once you help them solve a challenge, you can offer the opportunity to go deeper with you. Make them an offer for your products and services. These events can be free or can come with a fee. It all depends on what the attendee receives during the event. What transformation will they experience? Whether or not to charge is also determined by the amount of work it will require from you to create the event. Webinars are typically free, because it's only an hour of your time. 3-day events usually require an investment, because you are providing tremendous value over the course of 3 days. DONATIONS AND CROWDFUNDING Many podcasters use donations and crowdfunding to monetize their podcast. I'm not a fan. Your listeners shouldn't need to donate to your hobby. Instead, sell them something. Don't say, "Please give me $5". Instead say, "If you'd like to support the show, purchase a show t-shirt for $25 on the website." With the $5 donation, you get $5 and the feeling of receiving a handout. Your listener gets nothing. With the $25 t-shirt, you get $15 or more after the cost of the shirt. Your listener gets a great shirt. Everybody wins. There are plenty of print on demand shops that can help you with this. You can also buy a gross and ship them as they are ordered. PREMIUM CONTENT I don't see many people use the idea, but selling premium content is a way to monetize your podcast. You could create basic info on the podcast. Then offer additional content, behind the scenes content, video footage, supporting documents, or a variety of other premium content for a price. Interviews could be used for this. The podcast could be the basic 30-minute interview. Premium content subscribers get an addition 30-minute interview with key takeaways and other "never before told" stories in the premium content. MEMBERSHIPS AND MASTERMINDS Finally, memberships and masterminds are a great way to monetize your podcast. A membership is like premium content with a community element attached. The mastermind idea is the community without the premium content. This idea is driven by the podcast using the fear of missing out. On the episode, talk about what you've been doing in the membership or mastermind. Make people really want to be part of it. The great thing about memberships and masterminds is the recurring revenue. People are paying each month to be part of the group. YOUR MONETIZATION Let's talk about your monetization. Take advantage of my podcast strategy call. Let me help you develop your monetization plan. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

FIRST, GET NOTICED Before you can grow relationships with your audience and become an authority and influencer in your niche, you need to get discovered. Making your podcast discoverable is one of the first critical steps. So many podcasters struggle to grow their audience. However, they are doing very little to be visible and become discoverable. You cannot expect people to just show up to your podcast. It takes diligent, deliberate action on your part to get in front of those listeners. As you build the relationships, many will become fans for life. CHICAGO GETS NOTICED I just saw the band Chicago perform Wednesday night. It was a full house even though only 2 of the 10 guys on stage were original members of the band. Jimmy Pankow on trombone and Lee Loughnane on trumpet were the only two original members on stage. Robert Lamm is still listed as a member, but for some reason he wasn't there. Even the lead singer is the third replacement after Peter Cetera left the band in 1985. Chicago has been touring for over 55 years. Over those years, they have been building relationships. They have toured relentlessly for years gaining more and more fans at each show. In 1971, Chicago performed a week of sold out shows at Carnegie Hall in New York City. They were the first rock band to do it and turned the shows into a 4-disc box set as their fourth album. Six years later in 1977, Chicago became one of the first acts to receive the Gold Ticket Award from Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a new award given to performers who sold over 100,000 tickets to performances at the venue. Chicago drew over 180,000 people to the venue in nine sold-out appearances there over the years. On Wednesday night, a full house at the 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater sang, danced and partied with a band that was a shell of its former self. And the fans couldn't have cared less. It was legacy. The music holds a special place in the hearts of fans even though the original guys aren't there performing it. It's all about relationships. DISCOVERABLE THROUGH PODCASTS Relationships begin by getting discovered. There are many ways to get discoverable. Some work better than others. In studies that have been done, most people discover new podcasts through word of mouth. They hear somebody else mention the show. Therefore, my favorite way to get discoverable is to get interviewed on other podcasts. Podcast listeners listen to podcasts. Give them options. SUMMITS I find summits a good way to become discoverable. Though all summits are not created equal. I've been on summits that have 15 people at the session. However, I was on an AI summit a few weeks ago where 350 people were there. A summit is like a virtual conference. A group of experts give presentations centered around a the theme of the summit. Summits typically last anywhere from one to five days. The session are usually interviews or presentations. During the presentation, the presenter will usually offer a free lead magnet to get people on their email list. When I was on the summit with 350 people in the room, I was able to add 125 people to my email list. Just ensure your presentation and gift match the audience the summit is attracting. OTHER WAYS TO GET DISCOVERABLE There are a variety of other ways to get discoverable. You can get on stage at conferences in your niche. Find ways to get mentioned in articles. Do Facebook lives in groups with group owners. Just connect with the owner of the group and see if you can add some value to their group. I've have huge success speaking to masterminds. These are typically small groups, but they've invested to be there. You can also create your own virtual events that partners can promote. DANIEL J. LEWIS Today, I want to share an interview I did with Daniel J. Lewis. He is a master at getting your podcast discoverable. As a multiple-award-winning podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis gives you the guts and teaches you the tools to launch and improve your own podcast for sharing your passions and P.R.O.F.I.T! Daniel created the Podgagement software to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast, and he teaches podcasting techniques through consulting and online courses. He hosts his own podcast about podcasting called The Audacity to Podcast along with a few other podcasts. Daniel has also been nominated for multiple awards. Enjoy. FREE GIFTS You can get Daniels free gifts at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/daniel. It is an email-based course called "How to Make Your Podcast Stand Out". Be diligent and deliberate to grow your audience, get noticed, and start building powerful relationships. It's your first step to becoming an authority and influencer in your niche. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

To make your impact on the world, you need attention, authority and influence. A great way to create that rapport is through virtual events. PROMOTE THE EVENTS You can promote your virtual events with your podcast. At the virtual event, you can get closer to your audience, build stronger relationships, and demonstrate your expertise. To be an influencer, increase your visibility. Virtual events are any online gathering that allows you to present to a crowd and move a room. Some of the most common virtual events include webinars and summits. You can also create workshops, VIP days, masterclasses, networking events, 3-day events, meet-ups, online conferences, and a variety of other gatherings. On your podcast, you can discuss the transformation people will experience at your event. Then, make the invite. At the event, deliver value, help people get results, and make an offer to them. BEST EVENTS STRUCTURE There are three things your participants should receive at your events. First, they need to receive your training. Teach them something that will help them solve a problem. Next, they need to do something. This could be homework during a 3-day event or simply generating ideas during a webinar. Get your participants to take a step forward. Finally, participants of the events need to share. They could share the ideas they just generated in the chat during a webinar. During 3-day events you can put them into breakout rooms to share with each other. Sharing makes the doing real. This is similar to sharing goals. Studies show that when you share goals, you are more likely to achieve those goals. Learn, do and share is an effective structure of all great events. POWER OF EVENTS There are many benefits to doing live events. Events give you more face time with your prospects. You can build stronger relationships and rapport as part of the sales process. They get to know you better. These events let you learn more about your prospect and their challenges. The more they do and share during the events, the more you discover how you can help them. It is powerful market research. Events allow you to make more offers to your prospects. These people are spending good time with you. If you've built your structure properly, you are providing great value. Now you can offer them the next step with you. Finally, events give you more visibility. You gain by the visibility of promoting the event. There is benefit by the visibility you get during the event. And then you can benefit by continuing the discussion online with participants after the events. MY EVENTS When it comes to building my events, I learned by watching those already conducting successful events. By participating in and helping with their events, I learned what worked and what didn't. I discovered what I should do and what I should avoid. To make my events successful, I tried to find those who already had authority and influence in their niche. Then, I offered to help them with their events for free. I just wanted to be close enough to learn. Today I conduct a variety of events including summits, workshops, 3-day events, masterminds and more. It has been a powerful way to build my authority and influence. It can help you as well. EVENTS WITH JANELLE ANDERSON Today, I've invited events expert Janelle Anderson on the show to help us learn how to create our own powerful event. Janelle Anderson is known as the Speaking Confidence Coach for coaches. She is a Certified Professional Coach, author, and renowned speaker. Janelle is on a mission to empower coaches to launch on a strong foundation of clear messaging aimed at the audience most aligned with their passions and strengths. She helps coaches grow their business through masterful speaking and storytelling with her business, Emerging Life Coaching. Her latest event is the Art of Influence Summit where I'm proud to be a speaker. Enjoy my conversation with Janelle Anderson. GET STARTED Get started with your events today. Join us for the free training coming up May 21st at 6pm ET/3p PT. It will show you how to create, host and run simple, profitable and virtual events. You can get registered at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/virtualevents. Build your virtual events to grow your authority and influence in your niche. Janelle and I look forward to seeing you there. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

INTERVIEW GUESTS AND MORE Podcasters have been hitting me up with great questions looking for answers. Today we talk about booking big name guests and demonstrating your expertise during interviews without talking the spotlight from your guests. We will also answer questions about bringing energy to your podcast, podcasting 2.0, and the pros and cons of joining a podcast network. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me at coach@podcasttalentcoach.com. PASSION AND ENERGY I remember you always said to be authentic. And I'm doing just that. However, I feel that I lack energy. I certainly don't feel like I'm boring. And the stats are showing it. Something inside of me keeps telling me that I shouldn't decide how exciting I sound, it's my audience that will decide that. How do I overcome the need to feel that I need to bring the energy like John Lee Dumas but I'm afraid I will sound like a rodeo cowboy? I just want to be me. -Edwin Soler – Closing the 18 Inch Gap TWO DIFFERENT THINGS Passion and energy are two different things. You don't need to be JLD wild to have passion. When I hear you talking about the people you help or the struggles you've encountered at your last job, you get passionate. That doesn't mean you are overly energetic. You definitely do NOT want to sound like a bad wedding DJ or some horrible car lot commercial. People can easily identify fake energy. It's like a fake smile. Faking it will blow any trust you've developed with your audience. But being authentic will endear you to your audience. Authenticity is being real and revealing things about yourself. Being authentic is about stirring emotion. Think of a suspense thriller you've seen. These movies aren't over the top enthusiastic. However, I would argue they have a lot of energy. Suspense thrillers have you sitting on the edge of your seat with a knot in your stomach wondering what will happen next. Don't confuse sounding exciting with being exciting. BRING YOUR PASSION As you approach your podcast, be passionate about the topics you select. Smile a bit, and let the audience feel your enthusiasm for the content. It is similar to reading a story to your audience versus telling them a story. Reading the story to the audience doesn't have the same excitement and connection. When you deliver your content, vary your inflection a little. Stir different emotions throughout the content. Make them smile a bit. Get them choked up. Surprise them. Get under their skin and annoy them a little. Above all, let your audience get to know you. When you stir emotion and you talk about content that is interesting to you, I have no doubt you'll be authentic, energetic, and enthusiastic. CONNECTING WITH GUESTS What are some good strategies to attract and connect with celebrities to appear as guests on my podcast? My podcast is "Cancer and Comedy: Healing Through Hope and Humor" and can be found at cancerandcomedy.com. I'm looking to have guests who are entertainers and other public figures who have faced cancer and have a story to tell of how they overcame their circumstances to have success. Two examples of dream guests would be Michael J. Fox and his Parkinson's Foundation and SNL performer Vanessa Bayer who overcame Leukemia. -Brad Miller – Cancer and Comedy WHO DO YOU KNOW For really big stars, reach out to their publicist. I Googled Michael J. Fox publicist and found Sharron Elkabas and her phone number. A quick search of the publicists for stars will help you get started. You might also consider a subscription to IMDb Premium. The cost is $12.50/month when you buy an annual subscription. That membership will give you contact info to most representatives. When you are reaching out to people to appear on your show, lead with what's in it for them. How will the guest benefit by being on your show? You might start with people who have something to promote, like a book or new movie. They have a bigger incentive to make appearances. PAMPER THE AGENT OF THE GUESTS Next, take great care of their handler. That might be their manager, agent, publicist or assistant. Make sure you give amazing service to the person who serves as your contact. Make it super easy for them to get their client on your show. Finally, ask for referrals. Tell the guest and their agent that you are always looking for great guests who have a story to tell. Then ask who they know. Asking for referrals is tricky. You don't want to ask "Do you know anyone?" It is too easy to say "no". You want to ask, "Who do you know?" This requires an answer. You can also ask for referrals from people in your network. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for guests. Be clear exactly who you'd like. Then ask, "Who do you know?" At the end of the day, you might not start with Michael J. Fox. But you can sure work up to that interview. We are in a connected world that has reduced the six degrees of separation to just a few. Each time you ask for a referral, follow with, "I appreciate that. My ultimate goal is to interview Michael J. Fox and Vanessa Bayer. Do you know anyone who might know either of these two?" You never know who has the connection. PODCASTING 2.0 1. When do you think podcast 2.0 will become the standard? 2. What are the pros and cons to joining a podcast network? -Craig McManus – The Garden Question Podcast IT'S COMING Podcasting 2.0 isn't one thing. It is many things. Therefore, I don't believe there will be a single moment in time when it becomes the standard. I believe it will be implemented slowly over time. According to podcast hosting service Libsyn VP of Podcast Relations Rob Walch, "Less than 1% of all downloads happen with apps that support podcast 2.0 features." Adoption of Podcast 2.0 will be determined by Apple. It will come down to when and what Apple wants to incorporate. Because, most podcast downloads are still consumed via Apple. According to Podcasting2.org, "Podcasting 2.0 extends the RSS standard - the core technology that makes podcasting possible - to add new features. None of these features break any existing podcast feeds or podcast players, but, where supported, they enable podcasters to do more things, and enhance the experience for the audience." It can get very technical. In real people speak, Podcasting 2.0 will add some additional features that podcasters can use. The recent implementation of transcription is an example of 2.0. You hear a lot about it, because Apple has adopted it. You don't hear much about the other feature, because Apple isn't making a big deal of it. PODCASTING 2.0 FEATURES Some of the other Podcasting 2.0 features include: Soundbite TXT Location Value 4 Value Chapters Lock/Unlock Author/Credits Live Item Trailer License The lock feature is an example of the rough implementation. Hosts like Libsyn allow you to lock your feed, so it cannot be imported into other players without your consent. However, not all players play by the rules. They say they don't "recognize" the tag. Adoption of Podcasting 2.0 will be slow and piecemeal. I believe Apple will slowly implement parts of it such as author, chapter and license. But it may be slower to implement things like Value 4 Value unless Apple gets a cut. PODCAST NETWORK Whether or not to join a podcast network should be decided on benefits versus costs. What will you get by joining a podcast network? The biggest benefit is typically promotion on other shows across the network. You'll need to determine if those shows are speaking to your ideal listener. Will listeners of those other shows also listen to your show? If so, it may be a benefit. How much promotion do you receive? The network should give you specifics. They should tell you how many shows are on the network and how many times you will be mentioned on those shows. Where your promo on the other shows occur is also important. A preroll at the beginning is much more valuable than a promo tagged on at the end. Many more people hear the beginning than the end. There are other questions to consider. How many listeners do those other shows have? Does the network promote you outside of the shows on the network, such as email or social media? When it comes to the cons of joining a podcast network, consider the investment you'll need to make. How much are you required to promote the other shows? What happens if the network has a show you don't feel fits your brand? Can the network add other advertising to your podcast to make money for the network? Do you retain ownership of your content? How can you leave the network, and are you allowed to join another immediately or is there a non-compete clause? At the end of the day, how much are you willing to talk about other shows and promote other podcasts in order to promote your show to their audiences? How much return will you get for that investment? INSERT INTO INTERVIEWS HONORING GUESTS Question: My show is mostly an interview show with relevant experts on particular topics. Yet, I would also like to establish myself more as a trusted and knowledgeable person on the topics that we discuss. How can I insert my own voice more during interview episodes with experts yet without drowning out the expert's answers or acting like I want to one-up their answers? -John DeRosa – Classical Theism Podcast at classicaltheism.com SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT This is a struggle of many podcasters. You want to demonstrate your authority without stepping on the toes of your guest. I get it. Interviews are great for a few reasons. First, interviews can help you expand your network. The guest can promote the show to their followers. You can also tag them on social media as you promote your show. When you interview others, you don't need to do all the work. You simply ask some great questions, listen intently, and ask solid follow-up questions. A great conversation is engaging. Finally, you benefit by association through interviews. Your guest is subtly endorsing your show by agreeing to appear on your podcast. But, how to you demonstrate your authority with an interview podcast? There are three things you can do. ADD YOURSELF EARLY First, I like to present a bit before the interview begins. This allows me to demonstrate my expertise before the conversation. I will interview my guest. Next, I will determine the big takeaway from the conversation. Then, I will record a 5- to 10-minute intro to the episode where I teach around that topic. For instance, I interviewed Marc Mawhinney on Episode 487. Marc talked about the power of doing flat fee joint venture partnerships. After the interview was complete, I recorded an intro where I taught various reasons people would want to promote you, especially if you have a small list or audience. Money is just one of those reasons. Now I have demonstrated my expertise a bit and can focus on simply having a great conversation with Marc. If I want to offer a call to action, I can include it here before the interview begins. Everybody wins. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS The next way to incorporate you into the interview without stealing the spotlight from your guest is to ask better questions. Find ways to ask a short question that demonstrates your expertise. This strategy should be one or two sentences at most. It requires great editing on your part, especially with your follow-up questions. As an example, I might be interviewing Marc on JV partnerships. I might say, "I typically recommend my clients start by creating partnerships with those who really want to see them succeed rather than those just looking to earn money. What is your best tip to get started with joint venture partnerships?" This question does two things. First, it lets the audience know that I coach people. Next, it informs the audience that I have various ideas to use JV partnerships to generate revenue. I have just added a little of my expertise without taking away from the guest. It becomes an issue when the host wants to tell a story that takes three minutes before they get to a question. Be concise. Little by little you will build your expertise with every interview. EPISODES WITHOUT GUESTS The third thing you can do is create a solo episode between each interview episode. Your interview episode my be the great conversation around the topic. Then, you can create a solo episode where you dive deep into your takeaways from the conversation and how your audience can implement what they've learned. YOUR QUESTIONS If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me at coach@podcasttalentcoach.com. I'd love to include you here on the show. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

USING PUBLICITY TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE To grow your audience, you need to consistently attract new listeners. Marketing your podcast requires publicity and public relations. YOUR PUBLICITY Publicity is defined as notice or attention given to someone or something by the media. Getting on other podcasts could be considered publicity. You're leveraging media to draw attention to you and your show. The average podcast listeners consumes around 8 different podcasts each week. To draw attention to your show, get on other podcasts. But you can also use other media as well. My client Greg Payne hosts the Cool Grandpa podcast where he helps grandfathers connect to their grandchildren in more powerful ways. Greg was featured in an article in the New York Times. His monthly downloads doubled overnight. That New York Times article led to another article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper. Get outside of your insulated circle and find other media who can highlight you. THE ART OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Public relations is defined as the state of the relationship between the public and a company or other organization or a famous person. Use publicity to improve your public relations. You know I'm big on relationships. The rapport you're building is the foundation of all sales. There are a variety of ways to let people get to know you and build those relationships. Getting interviewed on other podcasts is my favorite way. But you can also share your story in newspaper interviews, magazine articles, blog features, Facebook lives, YouTube video interviews, and any other opportunity you can find to get in front of your ideal target listeners. MAKE IT EASY To get others to interview you, make it easy. Post your speaker sheet on your website for easy access. You can see my speaker sheet on my website at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/speaker. When people are interested in interviewing you, direct them to your speaker sheet. This will contain how they will benefit by interviewing you. It also lists the best ways to contact you. A speaker sheet helps you appear professional and organized. It will make it easier for people to contact you for publicity. I'm always looking for opportunities to be interviewed. If you would like to have me on your show, let's see if we can find a time to make that work. Email me at coach@podcasttalentcoach.com and let's make it happen. JILL LUBLIN To help you with your publicity and public relations, I'd like to share this interview I did with Jill Lublin. Jill is an international speaker on the topics of Publicity, Networking, Kindness and Referrals. She is the host of the "Jill Lublin Show" and author of 4 Best Selling books. Her latest book, Profit of Kindness went #1 in four categories. Jill is a master strategist on how to position your business for more profitability and more visibility in the marketplace. She is CEO of a strategic consulting firm and has over 25 years experience working with over 100,000 people plus national and international media. To make an even bigger impact, Jill also leads a conscious kindness community. Enjoy my conversation with Jill Lublin. Such a great conversation with Jill Lublin. You can grab her free publicity action guide at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/jill. Grow your audience by getting in front of new listeners. Find new people you can invite into your audience. Get started this week. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.