Tag Archives: traffic

Grow Your Podcast Audience Challenge – Episode 203

Play

Grow Your Podcast Audience Challenge – Episode 203

increase downloads
Join the Download Challenge

Most of us want to grow our audience, increase downloads and become more influential in our niche. It is usually one of the goals I hear from podcasters. If you were to list your top three struggles with your show, would one hurdle you list be increase downloads?

YOUR HURDLES

When podcasters reach out to me for their free strategy session, they answer a few questions before we get on the call. One of those questions is, “In what ways do you need help with your podcast.”

I reviewed the last five requests I received. Four listed some form of “increase downloads” as a struggle. “Marketing and promoting the show” was on one form. One said, “Increase our audience – not sure what’s holding us back”. I heard, “Getting more listeners and paid supporters”. The fourth listed “gaining subscribers”.

Growing your audience to increase downloads is usually somewhere in our goals regardless of the length of time we have been podcasting. You’re not alone.

THE CHALLENGE

I want to help you grow your audience, but only if you are serious and ready to take action. I am launching a 30-day challenge which might turn into 60 days. As the studies show, it takes a minimum of 21 days and average of 66 days to form a new habit. We’ll see how it plays out. Get details at http://www.podcasttalentcoach.com/downloadchallenge.

It takes consistent action to build an audience. This challenge will help you take consistent action by holding you accountable in a group with the same goals.

NEW HABITS

In 1960, Dr. Maxwell Maltz said it takes patients “a minimum of about 21 days for an old image to dissolve and a new one to jell.” Dr. Maltz published that theory and his thoughts on behavior change in a book called Psycho-Cybernetics.

As with many quotes, over the years it was taken out of context. The stat was eventually quoted as, “It takes 21 days to form a new habit,” leaving out the important “minimum”.

A new study by colleagues at University College London and published in the European Journal of Social Psychologysays it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit.

That is why consistency and accountability are important. If you want people to remember your brand, it takes frequency to the target.

BRANDING

In radio, we talk about top-of-mind awareness. Brand advertising is designed to help make brands memorable.

When Coca-Cola runs their brand advertising campaigns, they don’t expect you to drop everything you are doing and run to the store to buy Coke. When McDonald’s creates their branding commercials, they don’t think you will suddenly turn around and pull into a drive-thru. These brands are creating top-of-mind awareness.

These companies want to be the first brand you think of when you are hungry or thirsty. When you pull into a quickie mart for a drink, they want you to think Coke. When you ask your kids where they want to grab a bit to eat, they say McNuggets from McDonald’s. It is all about top-of-mind awareness.

How many brands of toothpaste can you name? Quick, off the top of your head. How many come to mind?

You can probably name the toothpaste brand you use and the one you use when your favorite isn’t available. Maybe one more. Unless you work in a grocery store, you can probably list 2 or 3.

A quick search of the internet shows there are actually 35 brands of toothpaste.

That list simply includes brands. There are multiple varieties within each brand. When I checked the Crest toothpaste website, I saw 60 different varieties available.

The only way for a brand to win is to create top-of-mind awareness. When people think of your niche, do they think of you? Are you in the top two?

YOUR BRAND

Your top-of-mind awareness doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistent work. The same work it takes to increase downloads and grow your audience.

There are many ways to drive engagement. We have discussed many ways here on the podcast.

In our Download Challenge, we will use many of these to grow your audience. Today on the show, I want to review a few of my favorites.

 

ENGAGE

Leave feedback for other shows. Everybody loves attention.

The best way to grow your network is by making contact with others. Start by commenting on podcasts, blogs and discussions of influencers.

Don’t simply be a lurker, reading all the other posts. Get involved. Take action.

You want to be seen as someone who gets things done. By taking action and engaging with others, you send the message that you are active.

 

NETWORK

Network with other shows in the same genre. Help each other.

Find people in your niche who compliment what you do. Team up to help each other grow. Look for ways to share each other’s content.

If you know where your audience congregates, that would be a good place to look for them. There is a good chance others in your niche are talking to the people you would like to reach. Start making friends.

Start by commenting on their podcast. Send the host questions for their show. Become a familiar name.

Depending on the level of engagement the host receives from her audience, you will become a familiar name after some regular engagement.

Once you are on the radar, reach out with an introduction e-mail or message. Ask how you might help. Give first. See where it goes from there.

 

HELP OTHERS

Help other people. This help is intended for your listeners.

Do Facebook Live “ask me anything” sessions. Prove that you are willing to help them achieve their goals. Give them direction.

If you become the go-to resource who knows where to find the answers, you become the de facto guru in your space.

 

BE SOCIAL

Use social media to spread your message. Be active on Facebook & Twitter.

Consistently interact with others on social media. Avoid always asking. Offer to help. Don’t simply look around. Get involved. Be active.

Have you ever had that person in your life who would only call when they needed something? You know who I mean. They need money or they want an introduction or they need a ride. You don’t want to be that person online.

Social media is a great place to create relationships. If your activity is all one-sided, it will be very difficult to build friendships.

 

FIND GROUPS

Get involved in online groups. Find people who are interested in your niche and start getting involved.

Groups are a great place to find like-minded people. If you want to create brand awareness, these groups are a great place to start.

It does you very little good to be a member of a group if you are not going to actually participate. Members won’t know you are there unless you speak up.

 

BE CONSISTENT

You need to be consistent if you want to build brand awareness. This involves interacting online on a daily basis.

The Download Challengeis designed to get us together to share ideas and help each other. We will share our download numbers. We will share our goals. We will hold each other accountable.

Every day we will post our progress and our activity. After 30 days, we will see what has worked. We will know where to continue our efforts.

 

Get involved at PodcastTalentCoach.com/DownloadChallenge.

 

Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How Much Prep Is Too Much? Podcast Struggles – Episode 196

Play

How Much Prep Is Too Much? Podcast Struggles – Episode 196

Podcast Struggles with Prep
Copyright: ximagination / 123RF Stock Photo

I recently asked my tribe about the one thing they are struggling with most. This week, we are going to answer the questions and help you get over a few hurdles, including tips to deal with show prep, relaunching your podcast, growing your audience and more.

RELAUNCH

What giving me the most headache is relaunching my podcast after a long time not producing because life took a turn. My gear has been in storage after some life changing events and I’m starting from scratch.

Have a great day!

– Dan

The Coffee Couch

 

EKJ:

What part of starting is giving you a headache, Dan? If we got together in a coaching session, this is where we would start. If we can determine where the aggravation lies, we could work our way around that piece.

Podcasting is a lot of work. You need to create your subject and notes. You need to record the show. Edit the show and create the show notes. Post the episode to your media host. Create the post on your website. Then, you need to attract the audience.

Each step comes with its own unique headaches. You are also starting at ground zero, which looks like a true uphill battle.

Let’s assume you enjoy the process of creating a podcast, but dread the fact that you have no audience. Starting from scratch and building it up again feels like a lot of work.

The first thing we need to do is accept the fact that it doesn’t just seem like it is a lot of work. It is a lot of work.

It isn’t the destination, it is the journey. You don’t want to be the dog that catches the car. Enjoy the run.

Remember when you launched the first time around? Remember the excitement when you got your first few downloads? Do you remember how it felt with you hit the 100 download mark? How about when you received your first e-mail from a listener or comment on an episode?

Here is your chance to experience that excitement all over again. But this time, you have experience from the first time around. You won’t experience the frustration trying to figure things out for the first time.

More joy. Less frustration. Get started and enjoy the journey.

 

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

I think my biggest concern is Imposter Syndrome and then closing the deal on scheduling an interview. I took so much time in planning and pod-crastination that potential guests (50) may have forgotten that they agreed to a chat. I took too much time to learn the technology. You and I chatted on your show about my beginning process MORE THAN A YEAR AGO!

MY QUESTION: How much Show Prep is TOO MUCH PREP?

Being totally nervous about asking for interviews, I wanted to answer EVERY POSSIBLE question and objection, upfront. I prepared a SUPER-detailed show prep sheet to send to potential guests.

– David Freeman

 

EKJ:

50 guests!?! David, let’s get rolling. Start recording.

I completely understand the Impostor Syndrome. The unknown of getting started is the scariest part.

“What if I mess up the interview?” “What if I come off as an amateur?” “What if people find out I don’t know what I’m doing?”

You know more than you realize.

Your interview is simply going to be a conversation. Walk into the interview being curious and you’ll be just fine.

When he interviewed authors, Larry King said that he would not read their book in advance, so that he would not know more about the book than his audience. He was simply curious and asked great questions.

It is just like a cocktail party. Know enough about the person to start a conversation and go from there.

What is the goal of the interview? You want the person on your show for some reason. How will your audience benefit from this conversation?

Once you know that, you will understand which questions are important. You will use your target listener as a filter for your questions and let it roll.

Get over your fear of starting by taking the first step. Make it a small, easy step. Get a mic and a computer. Install Skype.

Once you have that done, schedule and record an interview. Make this someone lower on the list. This will be a test run to make sure all goes well. Knowing this will take the pressure off of you to make it a home run. We are just looking for a little success.

When show prep is becoming an excuse for not launching, it is too much prep.

When you are asking for an interview, what is the worst that could happen. They might say, “Sorry, David. I don’t have time right now.” If that happens, move on to the next.

A decline is never a judgement on you or your character. The interview just doesn’t make sense for them right now.

If you position your request from your guest’s point of view and explain how it benefits them, that is about all you can do. They either say yes or no. Don’t be embarrassed about asking.

Some will be flattered that you asked. If you have done your homework and know what is important to your potential guest, very few will be offended if you ask. If they are offended, that individual is probably not somebody you want on your show anyway. Move on.

With regard to the show prep sheet you send your guest, make it easy. Nobody wants to volunteer to be on your show and then spend 2 hours filling out forms and doing homework before the interview begins. Cover the important subjects, like time, room noise, profanity and expectations. Then, get rolling.

You cannot possibly predict every scenario that might happen during the interview. So, stop trying. You won’t know how warm the water is until you jump in. Give it a try.

 

RELATIONSHIP SUCCESS

You had a longer segment on sharing content or teaming up with other podcasts on a previous episode. I focused a lot of effort on that, and like you advised, I didn’t fear losing my listeners to these other friendly shows.

The plan didn’t work at first, but then we found the right partner. They engage on our Facebook and share our content and we do the same for them. Not only did our average downloads jump 25% overnight, but we made some great friends at the same time.

We are currently planning a joint episode and we are both hoping it will be a success. This is a great strategy to gather new listeners. And if you are fun, engaging and creative, these new listeners will stick around.

– Andy Gonzales

 

EKJ:

I love when a plan comes together.

In Episode 176, we talked about various ways to grow your audience by 10x. One of the suggestions is connection.

You need to reach out to others in your space. You need to increase your circle of influence. You need to take some chances and make some noise.

So many podcasters see the pie as limited. If you get more pie, I must get less. They act like there is only so much pie to go around.

Podcasting is more like fire or ideas. If I have fire and I give you some of that fire, you gain and I lose nothing. If I have knowledge and I share that with you, it is the same situation. You gain and I lose nothing.

Just because someone listens to your podcast, that doesn’t mean they cannot enjoy another. There are 168 hours in the week. You are probably awake for 112 of those hours. If you release on 60-minute podcast a week, there are 111 more hours to enjoy other shows.

Find great partners and help each other. As Andy says, you need to find the right partner.

If partnering with someone in your direct niche still makes you a bit uncomfortable, find someone who might make a great compliment to your content. Look for a podcaster who offers something that goes hand-in-hand with your stuff.

Dave Jackson and I are a good example. We are both podcast coaches and consultants. However, Dave’s expertise is teaching the technical side of podcasting. My expertise is content and personality. We overlap here and there. But, we also compliment the strengths of each other as well.

If you do a podcast on coaching baseball, find a podcaster who has a show on playing baseball. If you do a business-to-business podcast, find someone who is business-to-consumer. If you are small business marketing, find someone who is small business accounting. There are a million possibilities. Help each other.

Here are some tips to grow your audience.

 

TEN TIPS TO GROW

  1. Reach out to super-fans and begin the interaction.
  2. Help people meet and create community.
  3. Host events to create community.
  4. Get interviewed on other shows. Make it easy for hosts to find you.
  5. Give. Leave feedback for other shows. Ask great questions on other shows.
  6. Promotion is the exploitation of great opportunities. Find great opportunities.
  7. Buy a contest insurance policy.
  8. Collect birthdates in your database and call listeners on their birthday.
  9. Create a lead magnet for every episode.
  10. Find people who can help you and invest in yourself. Mastermind, coach, peers.

 

You can get my entire list of 52 ways to create engagement with your show here:

 

Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

My Tools To Make Money With My Podcast – Episode 184

Play

My Tools To Make Money With My Podcast – Episode 184

Make Money With Your Podcast
Copyright: szefei / 123RF Stock Photo

How do I make money with my podcast? I get asked this quite a bit. Many podcasters want to make money to at least pay for the expense of podcasting.

I thought you could get some great help if we reviewed the tools I use with my podcasting and in my business. This includes the tools I use to create my podcast, website and newsletter. We will also review the resources I use to learn, create products and generate revenue.

This list includes affiliate links. Please understand I would never recommend anything I didn’t already use and love. I have been using most of these resources for years. That is why I feel confident recommending them to you. You can find affiliate links to and discounts for most of these in the resource section online at PodcastTalentCoach.com.

I want to give you a quick overview of my gear. Then, we will get into making money with your show.

If you would like some great, FREE tools to get your revenue started, I have an amazing, FREE online training course for you online at PodcastTalentCoach.com. Plus, you get two of my best two of my best resource guides, “16 ways to make money with a free podcast” and “75 ways to drive engagement with your podcast”. Get them now online here:

FREE REVENUE GENERATING TOOLS

 

COACHING RESOURCE

This overall list doesn’t include much technical information, such as mixers, processors and software. I leave that to Dave Jackson at the School of Podcasting. He is the tech expert that helps me. If you are looking for help setting up the studio, Dave is your guy. He leads off my resources.

 

TECHNICAL TOOLS

A few technical tools from my studio include my mic, my mac and a few web tools.

My studio mic is an ElectroVoice RE20. This runs about $450. It is a high quality mic. This mic is probably much more than a beginning podcaster needs. However, if you are serious about podcasting, this is a great mic.

My backup mic is an Audio-Technica ATR-2100. It s a great USB mic for about $60.

For editing, I use Adobe Audition in the studio. I will occasionally use Garage Band for quick projects or when I’m traveling. Dave Jackson recently turned me on to Hindenburg Journalist. I am considering that option. Audacity is also a great tool. Daniel J. Lewis is very knowledgeable with this platform if you are looking for input.

I use a Mac Book Pro 13″ for the flexibility. It cost me $1,200.

My mp3s are tagged with ID3 Editor from PA Software. The price tag was $15.

I host my audio with Libsyn. It runs $20/month.

My URLs were purchased through GoDaddy. The price really depends on the URL. You can usually find a deal. After the initial deal, I pay about $45/year.

I have a website on Homestead and one on Host Gator with WordPress. Homestead is a stand alone site builder. Host Gator just hosts my WordPress site. Homestead is $20/month. HostGator is $135/year, just over $11/month. They each have various plans. WordPress is free.

On my website, I use Paypal for my transactions. Most of my providers accept it. Plus, they have a card option for my customers. I like this because most of my customers are familiar with it.

Aweber is my newsletter provider. The subscription is $19/month at the time of this writing. I looked at Mail Chimp. Both are very similar services if you have a list under 5,000.

Canva.com is a decent resource for creating graphics. I use it primarily as an editing tool. They have a decent photo library. Most photos are about $1/photo. However, most of my photos come from 123RF.com. I find those photos to be a little better than the Canva photos.

My workbook was self-published through Create Space, an Amazon company. You simply upload a .pdf. It is fairly simple to use. Not very expensive. They also sell the workbook through Amazon and converted it to Kindle. That made things super easy for me.

I am in the process of creating a membership portal through WishList Member. It was $297 when I purchased it. They have solid training videos. I am not yet complete with this one.

 

LEARNING TOOLS

Dan Miller and 48Days.com is where it all started. He has great tools to help you find your passion and the work you love.

Internet Business Mastery is a great podcast and course that has helped me refine my business focus. Jeremy & Jason have been there and done it.

Audible.com has turned my car into a mobile classroom. I am usually listening to a couple books a month on top of the podcasts. You can get a free book when you use my affiliate link on the resources page.

I cannot say enough about Dave Jackson and the School of Podcasting. If you want to learn the technical nuts and bolts, check out his course, membership and training tools.

 

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Now that you have your gear set, let’s talk about making money with your show. Don’t forget to get the free training online at PodcastTalentCoach.com.

To make money with your podcast, you need something to sell. When I’m coaching clients, we review goals. Many will say, “I’d like to make money with my podcast.” When I ask, “What do you have to sell?”, they say, “Nothing.”

Nothing to sell equals no revenue. A few ads in your show will not generate enough revenue to make a difference. You need to create a product. Then, let your podcast promote that product while helping and entertaining your audience.

The best thing about a digital product is that you do the work once and then sell it over and over again.

When I was struggling to launch a product, I had no idea what my audience wanted. So many gurus say, “Figure out what your audience wants and then make it for them.”

That sounds so easy. But, how do you figure that out?

A Seed Launch is the perfect place to start.

The Seed Launch is part of Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula. The Seed Launch is one of my favorite parts of the PLF course. I’ve watched that module multiple times and learn something new each time.

I love the Seed Launch and want to share it with you. If you embrace this, you will find the product creation and launch process so much easier to understand.

Jeff teaches you exactly how to figure out what your audience wants. With the Seed Launch, your listeners tell you what they need as you create the product. It is brilliant.

Let’s walk through it.

One of the fastest and easiest ways to make money is with the Seed Launch. You start with no list or product and you get paid to create your product. Tell me that doesn’t sound great.

If you are just starting out or want to test a new idea, a Seed Launch works very well.

When you are building your online revenue stream you need to take small, incremental steps. Those small steps add up to huge results. You start building your list with your opt in. Promote that opt-in on your podcast and through your e-mail. You let that opt-in teach people about your product. Finally, you execute your product launch. These are the baby steps to revenue.

With the Seed Launch, you don’t need a huge list or a product.

This is an interactive process. The Seed Launch helps build relationships. It helps get feedback and case studies that you can use with even bigger launches. Each launch builds on the last.

Most of us are not trained teachers or trainers. We don’t instinctively know how to teach correctly or appropriately. The Seed Launch will help you refine those skills as well.

When creating your product and teaching, be careful of the Curse of Knowledge. You forgot what you didn’t know when you were staring out. You forgot what it was like to not know the basics.

You’re likely an expert in the subject matter of your product. As an expert, it is very hard to remember what it was like as a beginner. Now, you do it without thinking. Like riding a bike. If you have ever taught a child to ride a bike, you know what it is like to try to remember the basics.

The Seed Launch helps you avoid the Curse of Knowledge. It is interactive with webinars or teleseminars.

That’s what makes the Seed Launch a fantastic way to create and launch a product. Your fans tell you exactly what they don’t know and need to learn.

 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

So, how does the Seed Launch work?

With the Seed Launch, you create an outline for your course. You then get a group of people to join you as you conduct a series of webinars.

Through the surveys you perform before and after each call, you’ll find out what they really want to know, where the gaps are, and what you need to revisit or teach better. They tell you exactly what you need to teach, which helps you build a product your audience wants and needs.

As you conduct the webinar series, you record all of the calls. By the end, you have a product that your audience has helped you create. It is exactly what they want, because they told you during the process. You have answered all of their questions, because they asked. The Seed Launch helps you determine the market need while avoiding the curse of knowledge.

Keep in mind, the Seed Launch is not just for beginners. If you have a business but want to launch a new product, this is a fantastic way to get started. It prevents procrastination, because you get paid and are forced to create the product.

The Seed Launch brings in money, creates a great product, and leads to new learning.

 

GET PEOPLE INTERESTED

“But I don’t have a list.” How do you get people in the webinars when you don’t have a big e-mail list?

We all started at zero. You are not alone. The best things about the Seed Launch is that you don’t need a big list. You only need a small group to help you with the creation of your product. You need enough that you can create some community and receive valuable input.

Where can we find those people?

Think about your circle of influence within your expertise. Do you have a group of people you know who might be interested in your knowledge? How about your e-mail contacts. Look at your Facebook friends and your Twitter followers. Your podcast audience is a great pool of people. These are all solid ways to get people interested in your webinar series.

If you can get 20 people on your webinar each paying your $100 to be there, you are earning $2,000 to create your product. How great is that?

When you are done with the webinar series, you have a great product to sell over and over again using the other forms of launches that Jeff teaches. You can use the Internal Launch, JV Launch and Quick Launch.

Jeff Walker teaches all of these in Product Launch Formula. He is getting ready to release PLF and kick off the training. Do you want to learn more? Do you want to see how this can propel your revenue?

The free video series Jeff releases to promote PLF is training Jeff calls the “Second Best Training” on the internet just after the PLF course itself. I own PLF and have watched his free video series three times AFTER I made the purchase. It is a great business resource.

If you want access to course, sign up at PodcastTalentCoach.com. You will learn a great deal with regard to making money with your podcast.

Just for signing up, I’ll send you two of my best resource guides, “16 ways to make money with a free podcast” and “75 ways to drive engagement with your podcast”.

Sign up online at PodcastTalentCoach.com. Hurry. Jeff’s free training begins on February 8th.

 

Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

 

(These tools can be found on the resource page at PodcastTalentCoach.com. Most links on that page are affiliate links. I may receive a variable commission for any purchase made using those links.)

Purple Cow Your Podcast Brand – Episode 103

Play

Purple Cow Your Podcast Brand – Episode 103

The unexpected is amusing, delightful and memorable. Being direct assumes your listener cares about your marketing message. She doesn’t. Your listener cares about his or her needs, wants and desires. Attract their attention by doing the unexpected.

In his book “The Purple Cow”, Seth Godin says, “Cows, after you’ve seen one or two or ten, are boring. A purple cow, though … ow that would be something.” Phenomenal, counterintuitive, exciting and unbelievable.

If you want to get noticed, you need to stand out. You cannot afford to be a different shade of gray.

BJ Bueno in his book “The Power Of Cult Branding” describes the same. Oprah, Star Trek, Harley Davidson, Apple, Vans shoes. They are cult brands because they are incredibly different. They are not simply a percentage better or brighter or less filling. They are different.

Just a side note, if you would like to support the show, please use my affiliate links to both of these books.

Physical versions:

You can get a free audio book with a free trial to Audible using my affiliate link.  CLICK HERE.

If you are considering either book, I’d love to have you use my link.

To engage your podcast listener and create a relationship, you need to be memorable. In order to be memorable, you must be unique. Be distinct, unusual, and unexpected. If you sound like every other show, you will not stand out and get noticed.

DISTINCT

Be unique. If everyone else is interviewing the popular clique in your niche, make your show different. Stand out. Interview different people. Interview the same people in different ways. Create a different interview style. Instead of interviewing, turn it into an expose or magazine style feature.

Jimmy Fallon is great at “not” interviewing people. He will do a lip sync challenge. Sometimes he will do a skit. He might turn it into a game show. It isn’t the typical interview.

UNUSUAL

Is everyone doing it the same way? Do it differently. You could add listener calls to the show. Don’t wait for them to call you. Reach out to people who e-mail you and ask if you can call and record them.

When I did episode 100 and 101, I didn’t hope people would call a voicemail number. I reached out and set up a call just like I would with an interview. Be proactive.

Apple is unusual. Wikipedia is unusual. Volkswagen is unusual. Stand out. Don’t be a different shade of gray.

There is a car dealer in Omaha that does things differently. Instead of being a little better or different, they have flipped the car buying experience on its head.

The dealership has a customer parking lot clearly marked. You are not attacked by 15 car salesmen the minute you drive on the lot. They hold the door for you. They help you find the person you need.

The dealer also understands that you have a lot of info from the web, so they don’t take an entire day to get the deal done. They have eliminated the games.

They just want to sell more cars. They don’t necessarily need to get every penny out of a deal. They more time they save, the more time they have to sell another car.

By doing things differently, this dealership has become the #1 Nissan dealer in the region. On top of that, they’ve only been open a few years.

UNEXPECTED

Another dealer took it over the top with my service.

My battery wouldn’t hold a charge. I figured it was my alternator. So, I took it to the dealership.

If you have ever had a battery replaced, you know how painful it can be to reset your radio, clock and other electronic features in your car.

When I picked up my car, they had reset my radio, clock and everything else. The first thing the mechanic did when he got into my car was write down my radio stations. Not only was it reprogrammed, it was back on the original station.

This dealership does the unexpected. They are also the #1 Ford F-150 pickup dealer in the country.

Dave Jackson does the unexpected when he interrupts his interviews with interesting asides. He drives the point home by interrupting himself. Who would think of doing that? It goes against every interviewing standard. Well, it adds unexpected surprised to his interviews.

Drop in some audio to surprise your listener. Take the show in a direction that your listener wouldn’t expect. If they think you are going right, go left.

If you can create unique, memorable experiences for your listener by incorporating the unexpected, you begin to create powerful, meaningful relationships.

Are you using cows?

I would love to help you with your podcast. E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

52 Tips To Attract Podcast Traffic – Episode 078

Play

52 Tips To Attract Podcast Traffic

I'm a sucker for a great roller coaster.
I’m a sucker for a great roller coaster.

 

Here are 52 ways to engage your audience, attract them to visit your website and draw them to your podcast.

When you shine the spotlight on your listener, they will tell others about it.

When engagement is easy for your listener with a clear benefit, traffic and engagement will increase.

Get all 52 ideas here:

www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/traffic.html

 

 

  1. Network with shows in the same genre.
  2. Help people meet. Create community.
  3. Use the phrase, “Next time you’ll hear …”
  4. Get interviewed on other shows.
  5. Make your artwork standout.
  6. Write great show notes that your audience can use with links.
  7. Create business cards that promote the show instead of your phone number.
  8. Create a contest and give something away on our show.
  9. Leave feed back for other shows.

 

Get all 52 ideas here:

www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/traffic.html

 

I’d love to help you with your podcast. Post any questions or comments you might have, or e-mail me at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Get More Podcast Traffic – PTC Episode 049

Play

Get More Podcast Traffic – PTC Episode 049

Get More Podcast Traffic

How do I get more podcast traffic? I hear that question all of the time. I recently conducted a survey of my subscribers. The question asked most often had something to do with traffic and engagement with their podcast. “How do I get more podcast traffic?”

I knew the subject was a hot topic, because I see discussions everywhere. How many product launches have you seen that promise to teach you how to get more traffic?

In 1962, Time magazine called David Ogilvy “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry.” David Ogilvy is quoted as saying, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.” Be careful what you wish for.

First, make your product great. Then, bring people to the party.

Let’s make your content engaging and memorable before we invite your prospects to the show. If you create a unique experience, your engagement will be much more effective when people come to the party.

Let’s discuss how we become unique. Then, let’s discuss a few organic ways to gain some attention.

 

Create your own style

Don’t try to be somebody else. You are best at being you.

Create you own show structure. There are enough knockoffs.

Highlight your sense of humor.

Tell stories that define your character.

Discuss topics that interest you. Be interesting by being interested.

 

Remove the clichés

Definition of cliché: a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse.

If you want to sound unique and original, replace your clichés with something fresh.

Top business clichés:

  • Thinking outside of the box
  • Win-win situation
  • Giving 110%
  • Best Practices
  • Synergy
  • Paradigm Shift
  • Low-hanging fruit
  • Push the envelope
  • Take it to the next level
  • A leading provider of…

When you use the same phrases used by everyone else, you become vanilla.

If you want to be unique, grab a thesaurus and find some new words

 

Be memorable

What can you do on the show this week that hasn’t been done before?

Listen to Dave Jackson on his 400th episode of “School of Podcasting” where he was hi jacked by the Binky & The Wiz morning show. You won’t hear that on any other show.

Some loved it. Some hated it. Everyone that heard it remembered it.

Removing every flaw and sterilizing your show will not make it memorable.

Be audacious. Be adventuresome. Be creative.

Be boisterous … sometimes.

Be tender other times.

Do it in a way that only you can do it.

Brainstorm until you have something exciting.

 

Sell The Sizzle

People do not buy products. They buy what the product can do for them.

You don’t go to a restaurant to buy a steak. You go the restaurant, because you’re hungry and want one of your favorite dishes. You want that tender piece of meat that you can cut with a butter knife. The one that will just melt in your mouth, because it is the best steak around. It is cooked perfectly. You are not rushing in there because the cow was corn-fed and aged to perfection. Who cares. Those are attributes, not benefits. Does it taste great? Will it fill me up? Does it remind me of the great family dinners we used to have when I was a kid? I’m in. Those are the benefits.

Sell the sizzle, not the steak.

 

Now that we have a great product, how to we bring people to the party?

Sure you could buy all of those expensive products or a bunch of Facebook ads. I’m sure they work.

 

There is an easier way. And, it is free.

Get your name out there by getting involved.

 

Getting Involved

How many podcasts do you listen to that beg you to get involved with the show? Email us. Leave us a voicemail. Post on our Facebook page. Find us on Twitter. Don’t forget that we have a speakpipe link on the website. Use a carrier pigeon. There are a million ways. Everyone wants engagement.

When you reach out and engage with others, they include you on the show. This does two things.

First, it puts you in front of their audience. That could bring a new audience to your show.

Second, through the Law of Reciprocity, the host of the show may be more inclined to engage with your show. A little thank you gesture. What goes around comes around.

Reciprocity in social psychology refers to responding to a positive action with another positive action, rewarding kind actions. When you do something nice for someone, they feel inclined to do something nice for you in return.

Gary Vaynerchuk spends an great deal of time discussing this in his book “Crush It”. It is a great book that I highly recommend.

Gary basically says, “Put your stuff out there. Then, go engage with everyone else.” Be seen. Meet people where THEY live.

Then, be patient.

You won’t get 100,000 listeners immediately. Grow slowly. Adjust and get it right as you progress. Build the foundation.

As Gary says, “do it again, and again, and again, and again.” Keep engaging. They will come. It only takes your time.

Schedule 30 minutes a day to interact with your audience where they are. You will eventually build the traffic you desire.

 

Get more podcast traffic, but first be unique.

  • Create your own style
  • Remove the clichés
  • Be memorable
  • Sell the sizzle
  • Get involved

 

I’d love to help you with your podcast. E-mail any questions or comments you might have to Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.

You can also find tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.