Podcast Business Coach

Rebranding Joni Mitchell Style

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways

I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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AI? Don't think so...

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Video Podcasting Notes

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DAI could be a great way to monetize your podcast and your business if you're looking at taking full control of your podcast ads.

Check out this short episode to understand how it works and how you can use Dynamic Podcast Ads to keep archive podcast episodes working for you.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways

I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Programmatic podcast ads mean you can pretty much immediately make money from your podcast.

In this show, you’ll discover how they work and the pros and cons of using programmatic advertising in your podcast.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways

I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Do you want your podcast to sound good?

Check out this short podcast to get some tips and insights on sound!

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways

I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Despite podcasts being all about sound. The first impression many listeners will have of your podcast is your artwork.

In this episode, you’ll discover what you need to consider.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways

I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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If you’ve ever wondered how podcasting recording gear is connected, this short show is a run-down of a typical setup and how it’s all connected.

From microphone to podcast, I answer your input and output questions.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways

I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team

5. Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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This December holiday season has always created a pattern interrupt; for many, it's a chance to unwind and take a break.

But for us podcasters, there's a strong argument we should continue publishing through the holidays precisely because of that pattern interrupt.

Why?

Because it's long been the case for many podcasters, we see new listener acquisition at its highest during this December and January period.

So how does that translate?

Well, for podcast listeners, that pattern interrupt means a chance to check out new podcasts. They normally wouldn't have time to listen to.

So, for us podcasters, it means getting to fresh ears during a time of year; we wouldn't normally be able to do so.

So, today's tip is to keep going through this holiday period, and all being well, you've batch-produced some shows ahead of time and preloaded them, so you can also take a break.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways

I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Today! The Confidence to Podcast.

I’ve come to learn that there are a few recurring themes podcasters say hold them back from continuing or even starting a podcast.

Today - Confidence.

You wouldn’t be the first person to suffer from imposter syndrome, questioning your credibility and authority to host a podcast.

If the voice in your head is asking, “who do you think you are?”.

You have what’s called… the human condition.

When it comes to your podcast, keep this in mind… your podcast isn’t for everyone.

It can’t be.

Nothing anyone ever really loved was loved by everyone!

I don’t enjoy hot climates and beach vacations.

But the millions of beachfront hotels around the world don’t seem to care.

It’s ok if people don’t get your podcast.

So I encourage you not to think of your podcast listeners as ‘people’ but to think of them as your kind of people.

When you do - it’s way easier to make content because you can see how these listeners and future listeners are on your side!

Look - I’m never going to listen to a podcast about being vegan in Texas, but if that’s your thing - don’t let a carnivorous Brit like me stop you.

The thing is -the more specific you can be - the more magnetic your podcast will be.

If you’re a vegan in Texas - I imagine you are pretty starved of content for people like you.

But let’s take that negative thought all the way down the road….

Someone takes the time to let you know they don’t like your show.

Think about it… someone took the time, they will never get back to let you know what they think.

I’m not saying you need to respond or engage, but I am saying - that alone is proof that you are onto something.

So keep the following phase to hand just in case someone tells you they don’t like what you’re doing with your podcast…

“Thanks for your feedback and for taking the time to listen but… I didn’t make this podcast with you in mind”.

And…

“My podcast exists because I’m interested in being a vegan not because I consider myself the authority on all elements of it.”

The thing is - we all have opinions, but when it comes to it - how many of them really matter?

When people take the time to express an opinion to you - I’d argue it's because, in some way, you matter to them.

So… don’t let what others think or say stop you from starting a podcast.

I’m not going to tell you podcasting is easy, but once you've started in the right way - it will only get easier, and you will build confidence.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back. In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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As podcasters, we often ask ourselves… ‘How?’.

How will I find out what microphone to buy?

How will I set up my computer?

How will I make sure my show is recorded?

How will I ensure my podcast can be found?

How will I find the right guests?

How will I know what to ask?

How will I get my guests to share the podcast?

How will incorporate my podcast into my website?

And so on and so forth and despite messages from the industry telling you that podcasting is easy, it still can be overwhelming.

The truth is podcasting done right has corners of complexity.

So rather than ask yourself ‘how’ - What happens when you ask yourself ‘Who’?

Who will help me find out what microphone to buy?

Who will I trust to store my content so it doesn’t get ripped off?

Who will teach me how to get my podcast shared?

Changing how to who still needs an answer but in my experience immediately decreases anxiety levels.

When we try to do everything ourselves - life gets hard. At best we get stressed and at worse, we miss things and make mistakes.

The rule of “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” can still very much apply to your podcast.

You’ll find a much more in-depth analysis of why (and how) I’m a fan of this approach if you read (or listen) to Dan Sullivan’s book, ‘Who not How’.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting.’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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I love that a properly set up podcast enables anyone to put out content on their own terms.

But just like publishing on any public platform with a view to sharing our content - we might receive feedback of all types.

When it comes to interviewing people on your podcast then, it’s worth taking a moment to decide what position you want to take as an interviewer.

Here are a few thoughts on how you might approach an interview and some pros and cons.

The Enthusiastic Interviewer

This kind of guest interview can be magic but it comes with risks. When you’re fully onboard with who your guest is and what they are doing they can really open up and help you create really great content.

But… If you know too much you could be at risk of alienating the listener and even coming across as a sycophant!

So be aware and keep a stock of signpost questions up your sleeve to help listeners stay engaged. For example.

Just because I understand what podcast hosting it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t ask someone like Todd Cochrane from the hosting and podcast tools company Blubrry - to help me serve my listeners with a question like… “For those listening who aren’t sure why they need safe podcast hosting, how would you explain the difference”?

The Cynical Interviewer

A fairly aggressive investigative journalist approach has the potential to get a juicy interview that’s highly listenable and could even make the headlines. But… It can create friction.

You just have to ask yourself… Is it the kind of friction you need? or… Are you just setting yourself upper the trolls and a load of unhelpful noise?

The Passive Interviewer

Be like a journalist. Take a balanced view… Be detached and ask questions that represent everyone’s viewpoints. For example - Why do you love podcasts? Followed by… What would you say to those people who don’t think podcasts are worth listening to?

You will get a balanced interview this way but it has the danger of being a little dry and the worst-case scenario is that it turns into the same cut-and-paste interview your guest has given hundreds if not, thousands of times before.

Here’s the good news. If you set it up properly. It’s your podcast. You get to decide what you say, how you say it, and to who you say it. You don’t need any blue check box to validate you!

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back. In just 60 seconds you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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A few weeks ago, I spoke about how disappointed I am when I see podcasters ask me what questions I’d like to answer.  

These podcasts are set up in such a way that leaves me feeling like I’m just filling a content hole. And yet so many people are doing it.  

You could literally copy and paste the pre-meditated soundbites from one ‘interview’ to another.    

What a wasted opportunity for us as podcasters.   

Isn’t it more powerful to create something remarkable, so our guests feel like they have been involved in a meaningful and memorable conversation?   

The greatest and most memorable interviews of our times have included thoughtful questions.   

As podcasters, interviews are one of the most powerful ways we can create remarkable content for our audience.   

In the last few months, I’ve been focussing on asking better questions. 

While I understand there is value in journalists strategically creating questions so politicians, celebrities, and the like fall on their own swords… that’s not really the kind of questions I’m talking about.    

Simply because with my interview podcast episodes, my aim is to make the guest the star so that they simply feel compelled to share our conversation with people in their world.    

Welcome to the world of highly targeted organic marketing.    

And all that’s required is… preparation.   

A few prep habits I’ve created along the way are as follows.   

Ask your guests ahead of time what they don’t want to talk about.  

It immediately shows respect and puts them at ease.   

Ask for a bio, look them up on the internet, and  study their LinkedIn profile.

When you do, look at all the aspects. Career, education, and interests.   

Once you have that information think about questions that fill in the gaps.    

I recently interviewed Nobel Peace Prize winner Lameen Abdul Malik.   

Having studied his LinkedIn profile, I noticed that after helping to build a Cancer Hospital in Zambia, he took a break to set up a café in South Africa.    

While it’s all there in the LinkedIn bio, it gave me a lot to ponder and led to a set of questions that I hope created a unique, fun, and memorable interview for him. 

On the subject of the Café I asked:    

What led to the decision? 

How did you convince your wife and family to move country? 

Why would anyone move away from working in Cancer to baking cakes and making coffee?  How did you adjust? 

What are your memories of that time?  

How did it affect your children? 

What led you to you moving away again? 

Looking back on it today, what did you take from the experience?    

These are just a few questions I noted down about one line on a LinkedIn bio.    

So next time you interview someone on your podcast, think about what questions you can ask that will bring out a unique story and, in turn, will help you create a truly unique sharable episode.

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.In just 60 seconds, you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Today - Conversations Vs Sales Podcasts are not just content. If you’re in the business of selling your expertise, it’s likely that each customer is worth a considerable amount to you.

Especially when you take into account lifetime value and referrals.

You’re probably used to having sales conversations.

Now… getting to sales conversations is one thing.  

But having sales conversations that actually convert is entirely another.  I had plenty of the former before the later came.

Narrow Podcasting is a book all about using a podcast to grow your business.  

More specifically its a book about how to create moments that lead to more high quality sales conversations.

The mechanism is a podcast.

One thing is for sure. More good conversations with the right people lead to more sales conversations.

‘Give podcasts to great people’ is my version of, ‘Sell shovels to gold diggers’.

If you’re not familiar… The old adage about shovels and gold tells us that when we recognize a gold rush is happening, we shouldn’t try to be the next person to mine for gold, because we’ll probably fail.

While everyone else is digging for gold it’s better to be the person selling the shovel. You can use your podcast as a shovel to give to your guests. Do a good job and they will use the podcast they have been on (your podcast) to open doors for themselves.

And as a delightful side-effect - it’ll open doors for you too.

Look, maybe you have concerns about interview skills, tech, confidence or not having enough time.

A quality shovel, podcast, with your name on it is what the profitable pod method course is focussed on. 

Along with addressing those common concerns it helps you identify -

Who you should be speaking with on your podcast, 
How to invite them on your podcast 
What to ask them in your interview 
Exactly what to do once the podcast has gone live.  
How to avoid giving your guests the one-night stand feeling and keep your relationships alive

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Depending on where you get your information, you might be thinking that podcasts have peaked.

But two things in the last few weeks happened in the UK that showed me that this podcasting thing hasn’t run its course.

And I wanted to share those with you today:

Number 1: On the 7th of October on his podcast, ‘Full Disclosure’ James O’Brien spoke with veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby about his career.

For context - Dimbleby has interviewed presidents and almost every British prime minister in modern history, he’s anchored ten general elections for the BBC and commentated on everything from President Nixon’s 1969 UK visit to Princess Diana’s funeral.

You get the idea.

They spoke about the frustrations of short-form media and the lack of depth in interviews.

So when O'Brien asked Dimbleby if there was any way back for the long-form political interview?

I was overjoyed to hear (ironically on the podcast) they both agreed… podcasts are a great antidote to short-form content.

Number 2:

A couple of days earlier on October 5th, 2022 something even more interesting happened.

UK Prime Minister (at the time of writing) is Liz Truss. She gave her first speech as the leader of the Conservative party, calling out her opponents, and I quote, “From broadcast to podcast, they peddle the same old answers.”

I’m not here to talk politics, but for a leader of a country to talk about podcasts in their first major speech tells me that podcasts do matter and provide a meaningful platform to create both short and long-form content that other media platforms have left behind and I’d argue can’t get close to.

Whatever side of the fence you’re on this was a remarkable moment for podcasts.

As podcasting grows they’ve had a fair share of bumps in the road. No doubt with many more to come, but I’m betting that the road for us as listeners and creators has only just begun.

The facts are - podcasting is part of the conversation. From kid’s TV shows to on social media, to political speeches….

It’s still a great time to be podcasting.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Today…. Why would you need a podcast if you’re running a business that’s scaling fast?

As a decent business gains momentum, it’s going to grow organically.

Likely it’ll happen through recommendations and referrals.

That means paid marketing efforts aren’t needed quite as much, if at all. It’s The Dream.

So, if you’re in that position, you might wonder if you should stop the podcast you’ve got or bother starting with one.

The truth is, when a business scales fast, it still has challenges and is positioned properly; a podcast can help you in many ways.

Here are just 2.

1 - A rapidly growing business needs a cohesive team. And as you grow, you and the leadership team will likely have less time face to face to connect. A number of our national and international clients have discovered the value in creating a podcast to stay in touch, on a human level, with everyone in their organizations.

While we saw this strategy during Covid because of travel restrictions and isolation rules, podcasts have kept team members aligned with the organization’s mission. The result of that is… retention. And as you know, retention means a more valuable business with less churn and less time and money on recruitment.

2 - As your business scales, you will still need to recruit more team members. And there is nothing better than getting your message out in your industry by creating a podcast to show potential candidates the culture and feel you have created in your organization. This is a strategy that will attract the best talent in your industry.

So when it comes to podcasting for a growing business, you can add real value by continuing or starting a podcast.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting.

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It’s great when people talk about your podcast and your business in a positive light. Marketing is awareness.

You already know a podcast is a great way to reach the masses. Your listeners are aware of you.

But you aren’t necessarily aware of who they are.

If you have a lead magnet that captures a name on your website through a free offer (and you absolutely should) that’s great, but you could hardly say you really know them.

But there are some people you do know pretty well. Your podcast guests.

And there is one thing they all have in common.

You.

Remember… ‘marketing is awareness’ and I’ve come to realize a worthy marketing activity isn’t an overt type of look over here, look at me one.

It’s in building on relationships you already have and… this is the crux of it:

The new relationships you uniquely have the power to create.

Your guests have invested time in you by being on your podcast.

You can give them a return on time invested by making thoughtful introductions.

In my book Narrow Podcasting - I call it Alumni matchmaking.

So… question…

If you took some time to make those connections, what could that mean for you, your podcast, and your business?

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors, or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will.

Last week I interviewed someone on my podcast and the audio on his side was bad.

After one of our engineers took a look and listen - the news I was half expecting came.

My guest’s side of the conversation was unlistenable.

Could I have prevented it from happening? Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe?

Is asking a guest for a do-over (in this case a Nobel Peace Prize winner) awkward? Yes.

Is rerecording, so your guest comes across in the best possible light worth it? 100%

Will they say no? Maybe, but hopefully not if you tackle the issue head-on.

So what to do? The only thing I could do… Be honest and try again.

Here’s the message I sent my high-value guest:

Hi Ron,

I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

Bad news:

The audio from your end of our conversation was unusable.

Your message and your story deserve to be heard and my engineer took 2 hours to try and save it and, I’m afraid it’s just not going to work.

Good news:

We can record an even better one again AND I have found a place near to you I can get a microphone. Let me know your address and I’ll have it sent.

I’m so sorry it didn’t come out well. The work you are doing is way too important not be heard in broadcast quality!

Let me know about the mic and if you are ok to book again.

Warmest, Toby

Now, I’m absolutely not telling you to go out and buy your guests microphones. But in this case, I was happy to do this because of who this guest is and who he can be for my business.

Let’s face it… No one will thank you for putting out a podcast with crappy sound that makes you and them sound bad. Not you, not them, and not your listeners.

Bad recording due to tech, environment, and internet signal happens to us all. So… Be nice and address it head-on.

The added benefit is you get to go back, knowing what parts of the interview went well and, ultimately publish an even better podcast than you would have done from the first take. So every cloud and all that…

Resources

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how to smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Today a little nugget from the world of TV and film adapted for podcasting.

On TV and film sets all around the world, 2 things need to happen to capture a recording.

The cameras need to be on
The sound needs to be on.

You might hear the term ‘rolling’ because you may remember back in the good old days we used to use actual film. In my country we call movies films!

Anyway… Only after those 2 things happen can the director say the word ‘ACTION’.

And when the word action is said, you may see a clapper board.

Seeing as a clapperboard emoji is available, I’m going to assume you know what one is.

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Today, The Dark Side of Strategic Podcasting

If you’re using podcasting to grow your business I’m all about it.

That’s not a throwaway comment, I invested a significant amount of time and money writing a book about it.

But one thing I’ve noticed recently are invitations to other podcasts that leave a funny taste in my mouth.

Let me explain.

There are so many things that can be systemized in podcasting. Scheduling episodes to release on certain days, emails out to your audience. Blubrry even has a closed caption function where listeners can read along, for superior accessibility.

Tech is wonderful.

But sometimes it can work against us.

Recently I was invited to someone’s podcast. I asked for more info and was immediately sent a link to a page.

All good so far.

I frequently use a calendar link that does the time zone calculations so guests I’ve invited onto my podcast called ‘Moving Conversations’ can schedule in.

But on the page I was sent I was asked around 15 questions that essentially turned out to be some sort of contract.

Loads of yes/no checkboxes.

For example…

By being on this podcast, do you agree to promote it to your followers on linked in?

Will you provide us will an affiliate link for any products you mention?

Will you like and share all social media posts relating to your episode?

And on and on and on.

It left me feeling like this person had zero interest in me and was looking to use me to create free content and then get access to my network.

There was nothing in any communication about why they wanted me to speak, and what it was about me that made them want me on their podcast.

The final nail in the coffin was when the form popped up asking me to provide 3 questions for them to ask me!

So… I was left feeling like I’d been given an unpaid assignment for a lazy business owner who was trying to systemize a human relationship.

One of the big reasons I and many of my clients enjoy using Blubrry’s slate of tech tools is that you can pick up a phone and call a person to get support. A perfect example of an ecosystem that uses the best parts of tech and direct human communication.

So how will you use tech so you can show up in person where and when you need to?

I've created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to

grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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Today - Podcast content problems through the lens of Elton John.

When a VIP podcasting client flew from the USA into London telling me she wanted to see Elton John, I knew I needed to get a few tickets, especially when I discovered he was playing just up the road from my home.

But honestly… I was concerned.

Elton isn’t someone I’d paid too much attention to in the last 25 years and the videos of him playing during lockdown suggested he might be past his best.

But cut to the night of the show - I was blown away.

The show was amazing. I had the best time.

He sang well, but what was most impressive were the production values.

An ace band with arrangements sensitively supporting his vocal limitations, coupled with a production crew who made his old songs sound fresh.

Unlike the stay-at-home restrictions of covid… this was a real team effort.

Looking around the place - 10s of thousands of people were clearly feeling the same as me.

What’s all this got to do with podcasting?

Well - I get that you might sometimes have concerns about generating new content but I’ve come to learn, that it’s ok to repeat your ideas.

I may have discovered Elton John many decades ago, but I was genuinely enthused to hear songs I was familier with, being performed with a slightly different approach.

The environment I was in was new.

His tempo and tone changed.

The truth is, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SING THE SAME SONG EXACTLY THE SAME MORE THAN ONCE.

Side note - In an episode entitled Parapraxis of Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast, he shares a story about how Elvis only ever sang Are You Lonesome Tonight correctly… once!

Back in London, Elton reinforced my belief that these songs were well crafted and I was happy to hear them in a new context.

Great artists learn that playing the hits is a great way to create a long and prosperous career and I’m pretty sure podcasters could learn a thing or two from that.

This isn’t about me convincing you to like Elton John.

This is about me letting you know that if you have a position as a podcaster, don’t worry about running out of ideas. Listeners come and go and may not have heard your early stuff.

You have a responsibility to your listener and yourself to be able to convey your message in a number of different ways.

You probably don’t need more ideas… just more ways to connect your ideas.

—

I’ve created a Quiz to help you discover the #1 roadblock holding you back.

In just 60 seconds you’ll crack the code behind a show that grows your business without paid ads, sponsors or thousands of listeners.

Ready to start a podcast that makes fame and audience size irrelevant?

TAKE THE PROFITABLE PODCAST QUIZ >>>

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’

2.Read my best selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’

Implement with the‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoyseamless Podcast Production powered by my global team

5.Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast. Hosted by me, Toby Goodman, Best Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

Produced in partnership with Podcast Network Solutions, these tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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Previously I’ve spoken about using the power of guest podcasting - where you can have another podcaster host one of your episodes on their show.

It’s a perfect way to leverage your podcast without investing in paid ads.

For full context - it’s worth a few moments of your time.

Depending on where you listen, you can find the previous segment on Blubrry’s, Podcast Insider, or as a stand-alone - Episode 34 of podcast business coach. That’s over at narrow podcasting dot com.

Today I’m going to take it a step further and explain how you can connect with other podcasters and how I recommend you frame someone else’s podcast on your own podcast feed.

Connecting with other podcasters with a view to having them share an episode should be pretty straightforward. Contact information can often be found in the show notes.

But the sad fact is… podcasters are targeted by lots and lots of emails and spam - so I’ve come to learn it’s more about how you can attract their attention.

Firstly - positioning.

Let’s say you have a podcast about parenting - a section of your podcast listeners might also be listening to podcasts about marriage. What I’m saying is… think about your listeners and where else they might like to hang out. A podcast about marriage for example, could be a great place to start.

And that leads me to my second point…

Homework.

Just because initial signs are good… Make sure you actually listen to a few episodes of a potential partner podcast.

You should be checking for quality content and quality audio.

Thirdly - Invite. While there are no guarantees, anyone wants to host your podcast on their podcast, a respectful invite that can quickly sum up the benefit of sharing an episode. And because you’ll have done your homework, you can demonstrate quickly that you aren’t like all the other spammers.

Here is an example email template you can use.

Dear (Name of Host),

I absolutely loved your episode about (insert name of episode). Especially when you talk about (insert example that resonates).

I’m the host of the parenting podcast and am looking to partner with a few like-minded podcasters so we can grow our shows.

Would you be open to speaking about a collaboration?

Best,

Your Name

You can send this as an email, but you also might find LinkedIn or other social media profiles are other good places to connect.

Show up online where you know they are!

Lastly - a quick note about hosting another podcast in your feed.

You are asking your listeners to trust you with a recommendation.

So whatever you do, don’t just drop the episode in your podcast feed without recording a short intro.

Roman Mars from 99% Invisible does a great job on his show with his intros, framing them as ‘bonus’ episodes.

I’d also encourage you to record a closer at the end - it shows respect and reminds your listeners what show they are listening to.

Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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The premise of my book narrow podcasting (thanks by the way if you’re one of the ones who helped me make it a best seller) is to create a podcast that builds your business without paid promotion, getting sponsors, or even having thousands of listeners.

Spoiler Alert: it’s about using podcasting to create relationships.

While the team and I serve business owners - there is a zero-cost strategy that can work well for all podcasters who are looking to grow.

A strategy that involves building relationships with other podcasters.

We’ll call it guest podcasting after guest blogging.

If you aren’t aware guest blogging is where you are given permission to publish your content on other websites with the permission of the blog owner. For example - If you’re a fashion writer, you can offer up an article about style to be published on the blog of a fashion website. If that website has more traffic than yours does, your article will be seen by more of the kind of people you’re writing for.

While this happens in podcasting a fair bit, I’d argue it’s underused.

With guest podcasting - you are not appearing as a guest on someone else’s show.

You are agreeing to give the audio file you created for your podcast to another podcaster and they will publish your episode on their podcast feed.

At this point you might be asking… why on earth would they do that? So let me break it down.

Like-minded podcasters enjoy championing others.

You know how thoughtfully introducing good things to others in your circle makes you feel good?

That… It builds trust and makes you look (or in this case sound) good. In other words… You can make other podcasters look cool when they share your content.

So… it comes down to identifying who’s show would you like to guest on.

Start by asking yourself…

What podcasts do you enjoy listening to?

And more to the point - what other podcasts do your listeners enjoy? If you don’t know…. please ask them.

The worst case is you discover some more cool podcasts.

The best case, you get to collaborate with other podcasters.

And FYI… Some of your listeners may well have their own podcasts.

Here’s another incredible bonus of sharing your podcast with others.

It buys them time. For most of us… Podcasting done well means showing up every week to meet the expectation our listeners have.

For example, my Friday morning bike ride is about listening to ‘Podcast Insider'

So if ‘Podcast Insider’ isn’t in the feed… another show could take its place.

Buying someone a week's lead time so they can be there for listeners is a really nice thing to be able to do.

So here are two questions I’d like to leave you with.

Who’s podcast would you like your podcast to be featured on?
Who’s podcast would you like to share with your listeners?

Next time I’ll share specific tactics of how you can connect to other podcasts and how a guest podcast can be framed.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Take the Profitable Podcast Quiz and discover how smash through your podcasting roadblocks so you can have a podcast that grows your business.
Read my best-selling book ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Join the waitlist for ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Best-Selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings are powered by Podcast Network Solutions Production and Blubrry Podcast Hosting

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Being a British male of a certain age, I’ve always dreamt of living the life of James Bond.

Knowing who’s behind what and Trading in international secrets.

The kind of secrets only those with the highest clearance levels can be trusted. But it never happened.

And let’s face it there’s a reason some things need to be kept well away from the public domain.

Perhaps you like the idea of having a podcast but have always felt rather protective of your intellectual property, there are legal restrictions in your industry or simply, you have no desire to cast your pod far and wide.

Sure… for most podcasters the idea that everyone and anyone could be listening is the ultimate dream.

But you’re not most podcasters you’re you and maybe you just don’t want or need to be widely identified.

Perhaps you’d rather float inconspicuously like Mr. Bond… only connecting classified information with listeners on a need-to-know basis.

That’s where private podcasts come in and the good news is you don’t have to be in her majesty’s secret service to have one.

A few days back I was contacted by a Pharmaceutical company that wanted to connect medical professionals through a podcast, but they needed a safe place due to strict regulations in the industry.

They told me how much they knew a well-produced podcast would help but needed assurances we could keep the content safe and private so the whole idea didn’t end up being Dr. No go. …

But That’s when I told them about Private Podcasting.

With a private podcast, you can enjoy all the benefits of podcast tech but narrow the distribution to those you choose to give a license to listen.

So if you’re looking at creating an effective internal way of communicating with your people perhaps, it’s time to focus your golden eyes on a private podcast safe in the knowledge you can say, this podcast is…. For your ears only.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Get on the wait list for the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Partner at Podcast Network Solutions, Best selling Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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As podcasters, there is no shortage of opportunities to disappear down the ‘best gear’ rabbit hole.

There is also no shortage of opinions on what boutique microphone and signal chain might suit your voice and podcast.

But today I want to put all that aside and let you know about one piece of gear you need, that doesn’t get the respect it deserves.

The microphone boom arm.

A stand for your microphone that clamps to your table or desk.

A few companies make them. Some are sturdier than others but this isn’t about the best boom arm. This is just about the fact that we podcasters could really do with using one. Properly.

Let me explain…

This arm works just like one of those old anglepoise lamps - a spring-loaded arm that enables you to bring your microphone close to your mouth so you can actually speak into it with appropriate technique… without compromising your seating or standing position.

And that’s important because our breathing and thus our voices are hugely restricted when we have to bend ourselves into shape just to get close to the mic.

If you’re familiar… It’s akin to trying to get comfortable in a chair while holding a baby that’s fallen asleep at a really awkward angle.

The other thing a quality boom arm will do is free up desk space.

Having your microphone on a boom arm means it doesn’t need to be cleared from your workspace between recordings and means your desk is clear for note pads - useful real estate during podcast interviews.

But here’s where many podcasters create unpleasant noises, that even the most experienced audio engineer will find hard to clean or fix.

They attach the boom arm to the same platform a keyboard is on and don’t realise how well desks (especially thin wooden ones) can conduct sound. Especially the lower prices ones without isolation… reverberations created from a hand movement, a keyboard tap, or a drinking vessel will travel up the arm and into the microphone creating a noise like this…. (audio effect)

So if you haven’t already - invest in a boom arm. The best you can buy.

And please fit it properly by isolating it from the main surface you type on.

If you don’t have more than one surface, use some books. By the way… The book I use is a Chinese translation of a book I ordered from Amazon. Seeing as I can only read English I figure it’s helped me in a practical way! Thanks, Jeff!

Pay attention to this and your results are:

• A cutter-free desk,

• A microphone that can be used to its full potential.

AND is

• Isolated from interference.

And finally …

• An ideal comfortable position to speak from so you can create a podcast your listeners enjoy the sound of… even if they don’t know it… I promise you, their ears love you for it.

So let’s hear it for the microphone boom arm… the unsung hero of the podcasters gear kit. No flashing lights, no cables or sockets but without it… untold stress!

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - Director at the production company, Podcast Network Solutions, Best Selling author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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Raya (not her real name) got funding for her start-up.

Finally - Recognition and validation for the big idea she’d worked for years to perfect.

As she created her IP and her investor pitch, podcasts kept her company and she fell in love with their ability to educate and inspire.

Her investors loved the idea that she would use part of the funding to create a podcast as the core marketing asset for her startup.

So she invested in production.

But she made one huge mistake and let her self-confidence get the better of her.

Raya hated the sound of her own voice and forget it was the voice she used to pitch her idea to the venture capital company that invested in her start-up.

The seed round funding gave her a sense that she had created a brand - A brand that in reality, she had yet to build.

While she was right to delegate the things she couldn’t do, she delegated the one thing she needed to do to help her build her start-up into a brand. She hired a professional broadcast journalist to host her podcast.

The result was this.

Listeners and guests alike developed a relationship with the host. A host who spoke well and asked thoughtful questions but when it came to Raya’s knowledge and sheer passion for the startup, understandably, didn’t exist.

The success of her nascent business hung on her ability to create relationships, and because she didn’t show up personally she never got to personally connect with potential customers, referrers, and partners.

A year later the business folded.

If you’re running a startup you can use your podcast to lead conversations but only if you show up.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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Today the crucial and not so-crucial elements of a podcast that actually gets listened to.

But first, some context… Since its inception, podcasting has grown exponentially.

With it, we have seen trends come and go.

Video is one of the most regular themes of discussion our production team have with podcasting newbies.

In fact, some would-be podcasters still feel as if audio-only podcasts play 2nd fiddle to video content. And those people are missing the point.

While video is nice to have and definitely a great tool when recording your podcast with a guest, please don’t let not having it prevent you from starting your podcast.

If you can make it happen great. But remember podcasts continue to be primarily audio-based media.

With video, you are asking a listener for more. And a video-based podcast has a high likelihood of not being watched because a potential listener’s screen time priority will often be taken up with work, emails, social media scrolling, and watching Netflix.

From the commute to the gym session. With audio-only you are able to get to your listeners where other media can’t.

So despite all the advances in the podcast landscape, the crucial elements of a podcast remain simple.

Consistently produced, high-quality content backed up by SEO-based show-notes.
High-quality audio. Bad sound is exhausting to listen to.
Solid hosting that reliably publishes everywhere podcasts are available, including on your own website, and ensures you own what you’re publishing.

____

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

____

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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Today…. Starting a podcast network. Should you do it? Is it time? And if it is, what do you need to consider?

Starting a podcast network is a serious undertaking and can be massively rewarding for both you and the podcasters in your network. But first, let’s get clear on what a podcast network is.

You probably already know that a podcast network is (or at least should be) a group of shows covering the same broad theme.

For instance, True crime, rock music, fashion, etc…

So to run a podcast network you need to either be producing multiple shows yourself or have agreements with a collection of podcasters who produce content under your network’s umbrella.

Here is where the grey area starts.

As a leader of a podcast network, you’ll need to be clear about ownership and revenue.

As the network owner, you have choices to make.

If you are prepared to invest in both production costs and your hosts, you stand to benefit from 100% of the sponsorship revenue and relationships with the listener base.

Side note: That means it’s down to you to have a mechanism in place so listeners can actually identify themselves to you. For example, this might be a lead magnet on your website.

If you are inviting podcasters into your network without compensation, you’ll need to be clear on what’s in it for them.

Most obviously that will be a share of ad revenue, but it could also mean access to a larger pool of listeners with the same interests. Or maybe it represents a piece of a larger partnership pie.

Other ways to collaborate include shared merchandise and live events.

Then there’s tech. I recently met a man who told me he has a podcast network but in truth, because his podcast hosting platform didn’t have network functionality he simply had… a group of shows.

What this means is he didn’t have a dashboard of network stats and the shows weren’t interlinked.

On one hand that might not be an issue in the short term, but if you’re looking at sponsorship deals and creating a podcast network with maximum revenue potential, having a website and podcast host with network capability is essential.

A network with the ability to host dynamic ads across all your shows means that in just a few clicks one single ad will appear in all your networked episodes.

This makes it easier for you to sell ad space or refresh your own ads.

So.. no stale ads in episodes for events that happened 6 months ago.

This also gives you the ability to resell the same ad space. Meaning sponsors can pay to sponsor your entire podcast catalog for 6 months and can either re-up or lose space to someone else (who could be a potential competitor).

From a calculation and distribution point, a proper network will also make any profit share of revenue way easier.

If you plan to sell your podcast network down the line all your shows will represent one large asset.

Podcast Networks are a completely different ballgame to running one podcast.

Not to mention as the leader of your network, you’ll need each podcast show to be consistent in production values. It’s a lot and frankly not a one-person job. It’s also the reason my team exists.

So, are you ready to start a podcast network?

_____

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

_____

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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As podcasts grow in popularity you will hear more and more about podcast networks.

Podcast networks are groups of podcasts that should have the same theme which essentially means that when they are grouped together in a network a rising tide lifts all boats. But sadly this isn’t always the case.

From the newbie pod-curious to the experienced podcaster the whole idea of being part of a network is incredibly exciting.

There are fewer things than what feels like an exclusive invite to join a group to give us a feeling of validation.

But these days it’s highly likely that if you’ve published just a few shows you’ll be invited to join a podcast network, and today I’m sharing what that could look like.

If you’re being invited to a podcast network early on in your podcasting life or perhaps before you’ve even started… beware.

We all have to start somewhere but if you have no real form as a podcaster yet, these invites are likely to be from nefarious network owners.

Here’s how an invite might unfold.

They will tell you they love your content (but they won’t be specific)
They will tell you about their network of X number of shows with X number of listeners and probably include a top X% of podcasts in the world stat to really impress you.
They will invite you on a call to talk about the exciting possibility of joining them.

On the call, they will talk about reach and listeners and at some point let you know it’ll cost you X to cover the production costs. Then you can be part of the gang.

While this could be ok I’d encourage you to ask some additional important questions. For example…

What is the theme of the podcast network? The narrower the better. “We help great podcasters grow” might initially appeal to your ego but it doesn’t actually say anything.

Whereas “we support parents of mixed-race children” is super specific and shows a very clear theme that could be a perfect fit for your podcast.

What is the motivation of the podcast network owner?

Are they building a network because it’s their actual business? My good friend Brady Sadler does this with a music-themed podcast network called Double Elvis. An invite to that network is genuinely exclusive and exciting.

One of the big things you must consider is advertising.

The obvious benefit of joining a podcast network is that you could receive revenue from sponsors. But please dig a little deeper.

Your podcast about eating meat-free is going to be seriously undermined if you find your network owner has sold ad space to a chain of beef burger joints.

Get clear on how exactly the network will operate and if you’ll have any say in what ads are placed on your show.

You should also look closely at the company you’re in. Who else has shows on the network?

Are your values aligned? Are these people your competitors? Does that matter?

What’s MOST important, is the question of your ownership.

Are they building the network to sell to someone else? Would you be part of that sale?

One of our regular referrers is a top New York Lawyer who hires our team to untangle podcasters from nefarious networks that try to steal content and brand it as their own.

Ask these deeper questions and you could end up saving yourself massive legal fees.

So when it comes to ownership, check the agreement.

Owning your RSS feed means you own your show. If you don’t you could lose everything.

That means owning your hosting subscription with an established hosting company that will keep your show safe.

If you are happy not to own your show the benefits of being in the network must be worth it to you? And if that’s the case just like TV networks they should probably pay you to host a show.

If you are asking yourself if you should start or grow a podcast network, stay tuned for the next installment!

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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It seems that on an almost weekly basis businesses offering to place you as a guest or find you slots on other podcasts are popping up.

These may or may not be a good idea for you, depending on what you’re trying to do with your podcast.

Regardless of if you’re interested in using these matchmakers, they are no doubt a sign of a growing industry.

That is great news for all of us.

But I’d wager there’s something better and less time-consuming for you to get great fit guests for your show and even be invited to appear on other podcasts too.

Direct referral. There is nothing more powerful.

I cover this in extensive detail in my book ‘Narrow Podcasting’ but today I want to credit another fellow brit, Phil M. Jones, Author of Exactly What to Say - subtitle - the magic words for influence and impact - on exactly how to ask for them.

Before I get to the ‘how’ here’s some clarity on ‘who’ to ask.

Simply - Your existing guests. Especially the ones who you have connected well with and who have brought value to your podcast and audience.

While asking them, “Do you know anyone who would be a good fit for this show?” Is great… What Phil taught me was a far more powerful version.

Instead of saying “Do you know anyone?” Try “Who do you know?”

“Who do you know who would be a good fit for this podcast?”

The difference in words is small but it will garner a different response.

Do you know anyone? Is open-ended and is, when you think about it, fairly overwhelming. The response is likely to be a respectful “I’ll think about it”.

While “Who do you know?” will likely move your guest into searching the exact moment you ask for just one person who would be a good fit to appear on your show.

You’ve given them a task that they will be rewarded for. And no, I’m not suggesting at any point money exchanges hands.

The fact is most of us love building relationship capital by helping others.

Being thought of as a good connector keeps us (and your guest) top of mind.

So next time you are looking for new guests try Phil’s tweak of ‘Who do you know?’ and do let me know how you get on.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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When was the last time you thought about your show format or show build?

As podcasters, we have total freedom to create something remarkable and yet most shows keep to a simple ‘intro/main content/outro’ format, without a thought.

On one hand, I fully believe that in many cases this standard podcast build works perfectly for many shows.

Find what works. Rinse and repeat… right?

But I often wonder how it can be improved even just in tiny ways.

After all, as one of my greatest teachers once said, “The art lies in the details”.

I was reviewing a show the team produced last week, and it was hard to fault.

The host and the guest's sound was perfectly mixed but I found the ending seemed rather jarring.

To give it its final polish, I send the show back to the music team to see if we could create some quiet, subtle music to help the join or transition between the end of the interview and the usual outro.

The team didn’t disappoint.

On the face of it, what they did was simple…

Taking a strand of music, they created a slow fade over the final part of the interview portion of the show that transitioned into the outro section.

The reality was it took our main music man to make this happen. With a history in music for radio ads, tv and film, he is a person who is experienced in composing music specifically to enhance speech, rather than detracting away from it.

That is what made this apparently simple production element work.

When the final version was sent back to the client, she was thrilled. The difference was night and day.

So today’s tip is to think about how you can use music to create more impact with your podcast.

And I’d love to know what incremental tweaks you’re using to improve the listening experience of your podcast?

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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I recently come across someone who is being talked about a lot by some people I really respect and who I have worked with in the past.

After checking out a few social media posts I moved to his website.

After that… I contacted him and he qualified me as somebody that would be a good fit for his software and we booked a call to speak.

I went to my office, opened my computer, and clicked the zoom link.

While the tone of his messages online was perfect - I was really keen to get a measure of him, with a view to making a considerable investment.

He joined our call a few minutes late and appeared flustered.

Then he said, “Do you mind if we don’t do this on video, I’ve just got in from the gym?”

”Sure!” I said.

What else was I going to say, I didn’t want to appear unreasonable?

Over the course of the next 20 minutes, he took me through all the questions that led to him, unsurprisingly, making a recommendation.

Would I like to choose package A for X investment or B for Y investment?

Every word he said was perfect - but the problem was he didn’t do me the courtesy of even briefly waving to me on camera.

But the worst thing was it sounded like he was in a large kitchen or bathroom with dogs barking, was doing other things and the story I was telling myself about his timer bleeping every five minutes was that he was on the clock to close a deal.

Who can say if that was true? With the camera off, I couldn’t tell exactly what else he was doing. It wasn’t a comfortable experience.

After some hesitance from me - He perfectly positioned a follow-up call and I agreed to connect with him the following week.

But the whole experience made me feel like a cog in his wheel. Not a person whose needs were being heard.

When it comes to your podcast you could have the best microphone in the world you could be the number one expert in your field, but when you’re speaking you are not in an environment where you can give your guests and your listeners your full attention. they will sense it, even if they can’t articulate it.

Remember - without the visual our hearing sensitivity is heightened. This is powerful for us podcasters. But not always in a good way!

All of this serves to remind me about the respect we need to give our guests and listeners. These are people who give us their time and attention. And there’s nothing more valuable than that.

As podcasters, we have a duty of care to them to produce the best audio possible, without any unnecessary sound that translates into unwanted noise. Noise that distracts from the conversation and content.

Why? Because without all this, your podcast simply won’t connect in the way you want it to.

So… Stay focussed and please record in a distraction-free environment.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

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Podcast interviews connect to listeners best, when feeling like they are in the room with you, just you, the podcaster, and your guests.

The right room and recording equipment are all obvious places to go to ensure you capture the best sound possible.

But there is another little trick I learned when I was hired as a musician for a recording session at a major studio in London.

The singer - let’s call her Jane, had just been signed to a major record label and that meant a multi-million dollar (or pound) investment.

From being a singer in small London clubs with a following of a few hundred, they were going to make her a star.

Immediately the machine got to work, stylists, designers, marketing teams, session musicians, and a producer who’d just won a Grammy for the last act she’d worked with. The studio was booked and Jane arrived to record the ballad that had won the hearts of the record execs.

Understandably, it was clear to all of us she was completely overwhelmed and distracted.

We began recording in the same room some of the biggest film scores and hit songs in the world had been created.

Jane was far from being in her comfort zone. The room itself was about 10 times the size of the bars she’d been honing her craft in, and rather than the slightly intoxicated friends she knew, she was surrounded by musicians she’d only just met and about 10 eager and strange faces behind the glass in the control room.

And.. the red light.

The red light is the same as the red light you’re probably familiar with. It means you’re recording.

Unfortunately, Red is also the colour of danger and arguably the least relaxing colour possible.

What did all this lead to? A terrible performance of a song Jane had written and sang thousands of times. And not just once… this happened all morning.

We were all frustrated and Jane was starting to beat herself up.

Then Kay stepped in. Kay was the producer I mentioned earlier. Unlike everyone else in the control room, she was the picture of calm.

She stopped the recording and said,

“Jane, we’re going to take a few minutes and try something different. I totally get this is not how you normally sing so I want to try something. Is that ok?”

After the break and some fresh air, Kay announced that she was going to turn the lights out.

We sat in the dark for a few minutes in silence with only a few lamps so the musicians could see their instruments and Kay pressed record.

Jane nailed it.

Years later I’m using versions of the same technique Kay taught me to ensure our podcasters and guest are giving their best podcast performances.

Here are 3 ways this lesson can translate into improving your remote podcast recording.

Firstly… Cameras off.

You might find you get a more honest interview from someone when they are not concerned (even subconsciously) about what they look like.

People tend to make interesting expressions when they are thinking deeply. So you can simply say hi on camera and let them know you’ll be conducting the interview without the camera on. Bonus… it can also improve recording quality where the internet signal is poor.

Secondly…

You will be more focused on your conversation if you can’t also see yourself on the screen. In zoom, there is a setting called ‘hide self-view you can use if you are keeping your camera on.

If you think about it, when we speak with people in person we don’t hold a mirror up next to their head. Surprisingly powerful.

Thirdly - think about what’s going on behind you. The cleaner your environment the more chance you and your words will connect.

Does your background support your position or not? My studio/office also doubles as my practice room. It’s full of my drums. Now that lockdowns have been lifted and I’m playing live again… the room can be far from tidy. So I’ve taken to pulling a black curtain behind my desk chair.

There are also what I like to call the virtue-signaling bookshelves. British politicians were masters of creating these during the lockdowns when they were forced to dial in from home knowing that others would make judgments about the books on their shelves.

So the question to ask yourself here is… Is your environment supporting you or distracting away from you?

All of this is to say that even if you are not capturing the visuals for your podcast be aware that they will change how you and your guests show up and how the recording is captured.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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One of the beautiful things about podcasts is their versatility.

If you’re running any sort of business and using your podcast to promote what you’re doing, you’ll likely have a website.

And if you have a website you might have a Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ page. If you don’t - maybe you should!

While there is no doubt FAQs can really help you to serve your prospects and clients and move them towards making the decision to invest in your products or services they can be pretty boring to read.

By using podcasts to answer FAQs you can add that human element and even expand on an answer.

For example… one of the most frequently asked questions from prospective podcasters my production team work with is…

Will you help me with my gear and equipment set up?

The short answer is… yes!

An expanded answer is perfect for a podcast called….

’How will you help me sound like a pro?‘

Might be…

‘When you decide to invest in pro production with us, the first thing that will happen is we’ll schedule your technical setup.

One of the team members will jump on a call with you to assess the room you plan to record in and give you tips on how you can improve your environment to capture your podcast.

From there they will check your computer has the processing power you need and then recommend the microphone and associated pieces of equipment from headphones to acoustic tiles to ensure you’ve got the best gear for your situation.’

An faq-style podcast like this adds a human tone and in this case, demonstrates a result. I… A professional-sounding podcast (the service we provide).

So, consider using your podcast to give expanded answers to the questions you are frequently asked, these can serve both your existing and future clients and you can send links to these podcasts to answer questions via email.

If you have a team looking after your inbox, they can also use them to reply to questions with confidence.

For example…: Hi Joan, Thanks for your question, click this link to check out a short podcast that answers that exact question.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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We all have a natural tone of voice.

It’s a kind of unconscious competence we develop.

You might initially think you simply speak the way you speak but that’s not the case.

Of course, our tone changes depending on our mood. As an example…. to quote my mother talking to her lazy teenage son circa 1990: Good morning.

Talking to the same son 30 years later when she comes to stay… good morning!

I’m aware that my tone is pretty ‘dry’, and can come across as sarcastic and dismissive, especially when I’m tired.

As podcasters, I believe we have a responsibility to be aware of our tone and the feelings it creates.

From putting our guests at ease to making our listeners comfortable.

You might want you, listeners or guests, to feel excitement, or you might want to help them relax.

So today a little reminder… as you go about your life as a podcaster… consider and get conscious about your tone.

I mean… Consider and get conscious about your tone.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

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Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
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What seems like a lifetime ago I taught two different music degree courses. One was geared towards musicians who wanted to work freelance the other was called creative musicianship and focussed on those who wanted to be more in the spotlight. Songwriters and composers…

There were pros and cons to each course but the issue with the ‘creative’ musicians was they were mostly under 20 years old and didn’t have enough range or experience.

They thought of themselves as unique, but the truth is most of them sounded like second-hand imitations of others that had gone before them.

But the ones who had found their voice and what many considered to be a uniqueness all had one thing in common… they listened to everything they could get their ears on. Even if they were committed to playing country music they were also open to learning from baroque and heavy metal. Seeing what they could learn from, and elements they could use in their own music.

Just like musicians, as podcasters, we can only ever sound like ourselves.

But I believe to create a truly outstanding podcast, it’s important to spend time understanding this nascent medium.

Great business podcasts that take from storytelling shows are always more immersive and more enjoyable to listen to.

Podcasters focused on children might do well to listen to comedy podcasts to discover ways of making learning fun.

It’s like the old saying goes… you have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

So today I encourage you to create space in your life as a podcaster and give other podcasts a chance.

And if you have any must-listen shows, I’d love to hear from you.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

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Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
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Retain & Grow Your Team with Your Podcast

For so many business owners, Podcasting is rightly viewed as a core marketing asset.

But there are other ways of repurposing or even directly using your podcast to help you - if you’re part of a marketing team or run a business, and right now, I’m going to address just one.

On the other side of massive marketing success is sales and, on the other side of that, is the much less sexy topic of delivery or, as my parents would say, working.

If you have grown a podcast that serves your business, you can also use it to help onboard new team members and uplevel or up-skill your existing team.

Because your podcast is your voice and not just your external one.

The more you grow, it’s likely the less one-on-one time you’ll have with your team.

If your aspirations are anything like mine, you might be looking at stepping away from everyday operations.

Your podcast can quickly gen-up new recruits to the kind of person they are working for, the culture you’ve worked hard to create, and give them a way to feel connected to the top brass, even when, like our team, you are all working remotely across multiple time zones.

The results are a better performing, more cohesive team that retains the culture you built and who you retain.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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One of the biggest reasons people don’t start or continue a podcast is the self-imposed pressure of creating content.

Ironically these are often some of the people who would or eventually do create the best podcasts.

These days, you don’t have to look far to meet a self-proclaimed expert but there is another way to create a podcast that will serve you. And it’s simply your ability to be a curious ambassador for those of us who are also looking for ways to improve and learn and grow.

So rather than focusing on what you’re going to say in your next episode or even if you haven’t quite managed to start yours yet… the following advice applies.

Spend more time being interested and less time trying to be interesting.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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Today: 2 quick tips based on real data!

The UK media regulator Ofcom recently published its 2022 Podcast Survey and the most popular reason to stop listening to a podcast is…

“I couldn’t find any that interest me.”

The second most popular reason to stop listening to a podcast is…

“I don’t have enough time.”

So today’s tips are:

Remember! You can’t be for everyone. So be for a very specific type of listener with a specific interest, desire, want, or need.
Respect your listener’s time and they will invest it in you.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

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We talk a lot about the value of staying regular with your podcast and our recommended cadence for most podcasts is weekly. For clarity - you should publish your show every week. You also know - because podcasts aren’t live, you can batch record and schedule your podcasts to be published while you're away on business, enjoying a vacation, or even dealing with a last-minute crisis. And because you’ve batched some recordings you have a buffer.

All of this is the good and absolute best practice as far as me and the team is concerned.

So it’s when you’re dealing with external forces… you are likely to encounter hiccups.

When I say external forces… what I really mean is ‘podcast guests’.

This is where a Calendly, Aquity, or similar booking system will be invaluable for you.  

This is a booking system you can add to your website that allows your guests to book in a slot for recording with you.

But guess what? You can’t automate humans.

So, when it comes to setting up a guest booking system, you might also want to consider a PS: ‘let me know if none of the times showing work for you’… especially for your higher profile guests.

So - within reason, be flexible and always stay human.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

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Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
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At some point last year, I decided to write a book based on how I have helped expert-led business owners use podcasting to scale.  From solo consultants to therapists, doctors, and even an astronaut.  The method I’ve refined over the years doesn’t involve using podcasts to get a broad fan base, sponsorship, or even many listeners - but it does consistently bring in clients. In one case it bought in over 100k in consulting fees before the podcast even launched!

The caveat is… you need a business with a product or service you’re already selling.

So to celebrate the launch of the audio version of the book Narrow Podcasting: Make Profitable Connections and Grow your Business, Without Paid Ads, Sponsors, or Thousands of Listeners  I’m sharing a segment of the opening chapter with you

Here it is…

I don’t imagine you think much about airport flight information screens until you’re about to fly. Then, you check them every three minutes until they tell you your gate number. These screens are a perfect example of narrowcasting: they display flight information only applicable to passengers leaving from that airport on that specific day—a very narrow set of ticket holders.

In this book, I will show you how to create a narrow podcast, because unlike one of those screens, your podcast can be even more personal—as if the screen mentioned each passenger by name. This method is so laser targeted, it’ll move you away from concerning yourself with the vanity metrics of unidentified listeners and toward real connections with specific people that lead to sustained and profitable business growth.

Once an incredibly narrow medium, podcasting is now a widely enjoyed part of the traditional broadcast media landscape. Podcasts are so ubiquitous, it’s understandable that business owners ask if podcasting is worth the hassle. After all, as the broad appeal widens, there’s less chance than ever you’ll grow a podcast through listenership and sponsorship. And when it comes to paid advertising online, the whole exercise feels more like a risk than a savvy investment.

Maybe you’re a bit like me. You view social media as a necessary evil and would much rather connect with someone through an actual conversation. Also, perhaps you prefer helping others before yourself, even though, as a business owner, you’ve been told to fit the oxygen mask to your own business before it suffocates. I understand that podcasting might feel like the wrong medium for you. Indeed, most business owners get podcasting badly wrong. They lose time and money on an ill-defined shiny pod, and the distraction costs them big time. But not you—not now you have this book.

Be prepared to suspend your preconceived ideas about what podcasting is, and get ready to discover exactly how, by going narrow, it can serve you. I’m NOT going to teach you how to grow your podcast to get more listeners. Instead, I’m going to show you exactly how I’ve helped my clients grow their businesses using what I call the Profitable-Pod Method. The method teaches you that if you are focused enough, you will see a new path, one so narrow, it only has room for you and the people that (when it comes to growing your business) truly matter.

For the last five years, I’ve helped independent business owners all over the world implement this method to create podcasts that help them on their mission to create meaning, authority, and profit. When you understand and implement the system properly, I guarantee you’ll never need to look at a podcast stat again, worry about how to measure the success of your show, or get wrapped up in the increasingly broad podcasting echo chamber of narcissists, attention seekers, and noisemakers.

And, if you’re running a business but don’t consider yourself an extrovert, then narrow podcasting is going to be perfect for you.

___

So, there you have it - Unlike creating a podcast a book is a broadly solitary experience.

Having now created both I can firmly say - I much prefer podcasts!

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Longevity, how long will your podcast episodes live as listeners? One of the things we've all come to love about podcasts that have been going for a while is that once we discover them, we're normally able to dive into the archives, sometimes years back to get a sense of how the podcast started.

Now, I work with lots of podcasters and one of the main things I often find myself reminding them is that each episode is an asset. As you'll know, the definition of an asset is that it accrues value and provides future value and as the podcaster and the owner of the asset, it's not just your listener, who benefits in a previous segment. I talked about the value of keeping your feed fresh with a replay episode and that is a great way to get more value from each show.

Shine a light on a previously published episode. Your newest listeners probably won't have heard it, but how many other ways are you using your archive shows to help you meet your goals? Over on the pro production team, we have an entire section of our members area that walks you through various ways you can repurpose your podcast to get massive value, post-publication.

Each pro podcast also has a show note writer who ensures that attached to each podcast episode are SEO-rich show notes. With SEO-rich show notes your podcast is far more likely to get found online in an organic, that's unpaid, search. For clients, we always provide broadcast-quality, audio, and show notes along with rock-solid hosting. These three elements serve to ensure you get the most value from every episode. From easy and unique social media content to blogs to sales, and even training materials. If the idea of creating more from your podcast appeals, why not get in touch by the website and we'll show you how we can save you time and increase the value of each podcast episode, just head over to narrowpodcasting.com.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
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Today a quick word about investment.

Michael Port wrote, ‘Book Yourself Solid’, Tagline: The fastest easiest and most reliable system for getting more clients than you can handle, even if you hate marketing and selling.

Disclaimer: I am a certified Book Yourself Solid Professional!

In his book, he talks about how people will invest amounts in you proportionate to the amount of trust you’ve earned.

I’m not sure how many times I read that before the light bulb went off in my head and I made a connection to podcasts.

You see not only will people invest money in you proportionate to the amount of trust you’ve earned, they will also invest time in you proportionate to the amount of trust you’ve earned.

Today a quick word about investment.

Michael Port wrote, ‘Book Yourself Solid’, Tagline: The fastest easiest and most reliable system for getting more clients than you can handle, even if you hate marketing and selling.

Disclaimer: I am a certified Book Yourself Solid Professional!

In his book, he talks about how people will invest amounts in you proportionate to the amount of trust you’ve earned.

I’m not sure how many times I read that before the light bulb went off in my head and I made a connection to podcasts.

You see not only will people invest money in you proportionate to the amount of trust you’ve earned, they will also invest time in you proportionate to the amount of trust you’ve earned.

So - just because your podcast is free to listen to (unless you have a subscription functionality set up) - doesn’t mean it needs to take an hour for your listeners / your early investors, to listen to.

In fact - it's likely to reach more people and speeds up the ‘trust’ process… if you keep it short.

If you’re enjoying this short podcast - thanks so much for investing your time.

And… If you’d like more of me in your life, your next step might be to read my book, Narrow Podcasting.

In fact - it's likely to reach more people and speeds up the ‘trust’ process… if you keep it short.

If you’re enjoying this short podcast - thanks so much for investing your time.

And… If you’d like more of me in your life, your next step might be to read my book, Narrow Podcasting.

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
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Hi! It’s Toby Goodman here fresh back in London from my trip to Podcast Evolutions 2022 in Los Angeles.

The first week-long in-person event I (and many others) attended since before the pandemic and I’m exhausted.

Being surrounded by so much noise and so many people, the challenge was (for all of us) to connect with the right ones.

And the good news is…I met a LOT of people.

The bad news is - I couldn’t tell you what 80% of them actually do. Even after speaking with them for up to 15 minutes. And that’s a shame, because maybe if they were able to articulate it I could have hired them. And if not, maybe I could have partnered with them or… simply introduced them to other people in my world who might hire or partner with them.

After all - that's what these in-person events are about right? Networking - Not sales immediately - but increasing our networks.

So rather than focusing on the ‘who and do what statement’ I found myself asking these people another question… And this is a question I encourage you to ask people you meet AND have an answer for yourself.

And that question is simply…“What sort of results are you getting for your clients right now?”

The reason that is so powerful is because it prevents people telling you where they want to go, and focuses them on the reality of their situation.

What that means is you can immediately discover how you can serve them.

It also enables you to show results rather than tell people about you…So as a podcaster here are 2 more questions in the same vein that I encourage you to ask yourself and have answers for…

What kind of results are you getting your listeners right now?
What kind of results are you getting your guests right now?

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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his week I’m hanging out with the Blubrry team at Podcast Movement in LA, so I’ll be listening to lots of people introduce themselves and their podcasts.

So I wanted to use my psychic powers to predict exactly what 80% of podcasters I meet will say when I ask them about their show.

The following is exactly how not to introduce yourself on your podcast…

“Welcome to I know stuff with your host Neville Narcissist.

In this show I’ll show you behind the curtain secrets, the tips and tricks and strategies of how I stepped into my true authentic self, now live the life of my dreams, and have created success - so review me on all the platforms and follow me everywhere.

This week in the show…. Wonderful me.”

So there you have it, a boilerplate intro for a podcast no one wants.

If you find yourself falling into any of those traps you can make your intro a million times more effective if you simply add a target market.

I’ll now read it again - It’ll be terrible but by adding one word - any least it has some sort of chance of attracting someone.

Slightly less terrible intro…

“Welcome to I know stuff with your host Neville Narcissist.

In this show I’ll show you behind the curtain secrets, the tips and tricks and strategies of how I stepped into my true authentic self, now live the life of my dreams, and have created success as a yoga teacher - so review me in all the platforms and follow me everywhere. This week in the show…. Wonderful me.”

So - it’s still terrible but now it’s only focussed on yoga teachers… do you see how much easier that would be for the right person to press pay and poor old Neville to create some business?

Like I say not perfect but better.

As ever - if you’d like help refining your show AND support with your production so you can focus on your yoga or whatever it is you do best…

Whenever You’re Ready Here Are Five Ways I Can Help Your Business Grow Using Your Podcast

Get your FREE ‘Ultimate Profitable Pod Checklist’
Read ‘Narrow Podcasting’
Implement with the ‘Profitable-Pod Method’ Online Course
Enjoy seamless Podcast Production powered by my global team
Work with me 1:1

About The Show

Podcast Business Coach tells you exactly what you need to know to grow your business with your podcast.

Hosted by me, Toby Goodman - CEO of Production Company Podcast Network Solutions, Author of Narrow Podcasting, and Creator of The Profitable Pod Method.

These tips and musings can also be found on Blubrry's Podcast Insider Show.

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For the best part of 20 years, I attended 8 live events a week. Sometimes 14.

Because that’s what it took to make a living as a working musician.

While the pandemic brought all that industry to a shocking halt I had already started my journey into building a podcast production company and advisory business.

And in February 2020 JUST before the world locked down - I was able to attend Podcast Movement Evolutions in LA.

When I was there I noticed some striking similarities between how people in podcast land behaved and how members of the company of a touring show behaved.

Just like the world of showbiz, the podcast industry is made up of front-of-house and back-of-house types.

Let me explain - On a broadway or west end show - you have the performers on stage - in podcast land - you have the hosts and guests.

In showbiz, we have the technical crew, stage managers, producers, directors…. and in pod-land we have marketers, audio engineers, producers, show note writers, etc…

Now in the 20 years, I worked exclusively in showbiz I’ve been on really enjoyable tours… and some awful ones.

During the unhappy tours, people would keep themselves to themselves - and that made for less fun and almost certainly a less cohesive performance.

But the successful ones had the following in common… No matter what role people had - they all knew each other and they all worked together for the good of the show.

When I went to Podcast Movement in LA I saw a mix of both… and in some cases, there was a massive invisible wall between the people in tech and the podcasters.

But just like in showbiz - and yes you could certainly argue that podcasting is showbiz these days… the people having the best time and creating the most profitable relationships were the ones getting to know others around them and building real-time human connections.

When the pandemic hit we were all pretty much trapped in our virtual worlds.

So now the world is opening and we’re all starting to go out - two might be wondering… should podcasters attend or even create live events? Do we need to?

Well - I think we do. In fact - the people I connected with in person in February 2020 helped me to sustain and build business throughout the pandemic.

Serendipitous moments and face-to-face conversation have been missed.

So that’s why I’ll be heading back to LA next week to Podcast Movement 2022 to see my friends and colleagues from the industry and meet some new ones.

So no matter if you’re a technician or a host, a promoter, established, new to podcasting… or a mix of all of that and more and you’re attending… please come and say hi! I might even have a copy of my book Narrow Podcasting to give you!

And if you’re struggling to find me, you only need to head over to the Blubrry booth and leave a message with Todd or Makenzie. Who I should add are also very welcoming and here to support you on your podcasting journey…

The same applies to any other in-person events too.

So my tip for you today is… refill your hand sanitizer and go out and meet people in real life. I’m sure you won’t regret it.

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Today I woke up to a couple of notices, a notice from Kate, who I work with, who linked an article from nine to five Mac analysts that said Spotify is close to overtaking Apple podcasts in the number of users. This is an article on nine to five Mac from September the 21st. So that was the first thing I woke to. The second notification was from a client over in Dublin, in Ireland. And it was a slightly panicked message saying, although my podcast has been published, it's not showing up in Spotify. And that gets me thinking again about how much control independent podcasters really don't have on what's going on with Apple. What's going on with Spotify. We just don't have control over that stuff, you know, but the good thing was because she's using Blubrry and she's using the plugins and she's got that podcast on her website.

I was able to remind her in a friendly way that it was okay. She could still go ahead and announce the fact that the podcast was live because it's living on her website in a blog that was built specifically for her podcast, which is brilliant. So she doesn't have to wait. She was under the illusion that she had to wait for Spotify to pull the podcast before she could officially let them know that it was out. But of course, we don't want her sending people to Spotify. It's going to show up at some point there, but we want, and she wants people going to her website because after all, she's an independent podcast who's running a business and she's using her podcast to generate business.

So as she publishes her podcast and she announces it to the people on her list and the people in her world, she's only really ever pointing them to her website where her podcast by the way is framed and shown around everything else she does in her business life, in her independent life as a podcaster.

So if you are not doing it already, just one more friendly reminder, please, please, please set up your website with a blog roll and make sure that you create a separate link for every single episode, which is essentially a blog entry and make it clear, make it easy. So it's easy to send out a link to your email list and to people and publish on your social media platforms that say, Hey, a new podcast out, it's at my website.com/podcast/name of the episode. And then when the big boys and the big platforms like Spotify and Apple and all that lot have a blip, and something goes wrong in the matrix, you don't lose out because you are hosting your content on your website with Blubrry hosting.

Thanks so much for listening. What you've just heard can also be found as a segment on Podcast Insider an industry show from our partners over at the best podcast tools and hosting company around, Blubrry. For more on narrow podcasting, the profitable pod method course, and how to remove all the stress from podcast production. Go to narrowpodcasting.com.

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I've spoken a lot about email and why you should be collecting email addresses from your subscribers or followers. And I've also spoken about how you might get listeners onto your email list. So they stop becoming a stat and start becoming a raving fan and maybe even a client. But today I want to take this step further to encourage you to do some basic segmentation with your email list. Let me explain. I don't speak to my friends the way I speak with my kids and I don't speak to my clients the same way I speak to my parents. If I'm introduced to someone for the first time in person, I'll likely greet them pending pandemic-related restrictions with a hand and shake. If I meet an old friend, they get a big hug.

So why do so many podcasters with email lists communicate to their guests with the same emails they send to their listeners?

Sure, both have invested time in you, but while your listeners choose when to put you in their ears, you already know your guests, at least to a certain extent, and they created time and space in their diary to open up to you for the benefit of you, your show and your listeners. So my tip today is to think about how you can continue the conversation with guests who have been on your podcast and segment your lists. So you are not treating your guests the same. You are treating your listeners depending on when you're listening. There is a lot to come to support you with all this.

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There's been a lot of talk online recently about if you should run an email list for your podcast in the last week or so now my answer to this is always a hundred percent. Yes, I've covered why before. And I'm sure I'm going to revisit this again because it's an important topic for us independent podcasters, but here's one thing people often overlook when emailing out to of their list of listeners. You're probably aware that emails from a list are often sent from an email address. That's set up for this precise, dedicated reason. It makes sense, right? You wouldn't want people actually replying to your automated email. Would you except maybe you would now. I'm not sure what you are doing with your podcast, but if you are trying to build followers, fans, listeners, or even customers inviting people to get in touch directly with you is more often than not a very good idea.

So today's tip well, most people are savvy to the fact that they're getting list email, especially if they see the footer, but it doesn't mean that you can't let them know, okay. To hit reply and that you check your inbox a few times a week. These are the kind of marketing activities that can really help build what you are doing with your show. And they're much harder to delegate than the time-consuming production element. If you find that you're stuck in the weeds with all of that stuff, our team is standing by ready to help you with all aspects of editing, building, and publishing your show. So you get in touch. If you'd like to find out how it works. See you next time.

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About once a month or so I come across someone looking for co-host posts in podcast forums. Only have to say, Hey, I'm looking for a co-host. Who's interested to get a flood of questions, freehand raising replies, uh, even to one post that said, just to be clear, I'm not looking for financial investment. I'm only looking for a co-host that post got loads of replies as if time was less valuable than money. Nine out of 10 times, people post stuff like this want the glory of being a podcaster without doing the work. Being a good podcaster requires more than just paying hosting. If you're smart enough to do that. And website subscriptions. Look when co-hosted podcasts work, the chemistry between each host can be what gets listeners coming back week after week. No question at all, but partnerships are not to be taken lightly.

They involve commitment, a mutual understanding. So if you're thinking of starting a podcast with a co-host or thinking of partnering up, get clear on the following, are you interested in know about the theme or focus of the podcast? It does have a theme, right? Can you add value to the podcast? Is your point of view or your interest enough to sustain your time commitment? Are you the begin to your co-host yang? Who is the owner of the podcast, as in who owns the actual hosting and website of what happens when one of you is sick replay or solo, who does what who's in charge of research segments, doing emails and socials? Do you have time? So today's tip is when it comes to co-hosting know what you're getting yourself into. I'd love to know what your podcast prenups look like.

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Today, Podcast Networks.

If you've been asked to join a podcast network, don't without understanding the motives and values of the network owner of themselves. If you've been asked to join, think of Groucho marks, who once said, I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member. Here are some things to watch for. Know the benefits to you as the network owner sees them and ask what's in it for the network owner themselves. The answer, if it's a value should be very easy and quick to understand. For example, our network is about farming. So your show would be perfect for us. Get clear on if you retain ownership or if you'll be giving up ownership of your podcast completely to join the think about what that means for you as well. If you had to do that next, understand how easy it might be to leave.

If the network isn't working out the way you'd hoped, maybe you're not generating the level of revenue from sponsors you'd hoped for, or maybe they bring a podcaster into the network whose values are at odds with yours. Sometimes joining a network is absolutely the right thing to do, but there are networks that exist that don't care about the win-win of a partnership. You can get a sense of who they are because they'll literally let anyone in. And honestly, if you're going to be part of a club, do you really want to be in one with no red velvet rope at the door? In other words, be a bit more like Mr. Marks, on the other hand, maybe it's time to step up and build your own network. Now that really is one sure way of playing a bigger game in the podcasting world, doing it properly requires the skills of professionals and as it happens, that's where we can help. So if you'd like to explore building your podcast network, we'd love to help do that.

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Today, we're having a think about your episode title. What really is in a name. Now, if you are an independent podcaster, there's a chance that you may be getting started. There's a chance that you might feel that you are not being found as much as maybe you'd like, and I invite you then to consider the name of not just your show, but also each individual episode, because people often go to their podcast place, whether it's the apple, uh, app or Stitcher or Spotify or any of the other ones with intent, they're looking for something just like people visit YouTube people, certainly visit Google with intent. It's very different perhaps to the interrupt of social media, um, Facebook, they kind of browse through Instagram, browse through Twitter, browse through sort of something we do when we are procrastinating. But people go to YouTube when people go to Google and I suggest when people go to the podcast, absent places where people listen, they go often go with intent.

Perhaps they're looking for a podcast about true crime. Perhaps they're be looking for a podcast about a specific sport or a specific political situ. So when you think about what you are calling your podcast, think about the intent that people go to the search engine to find a podcast with. And the other part of this is if you have guests, oftentimes your guests will have an amount of credibility in the field and have established reputation with a, a number of people that you haven't yet. Perhaps your guest is been around longer and has done more stuff. So they're found. So in that case, if you have a certain person on your podcast, then you should be thinking about adding that person's name to the episode, not just assuming it's not just in notes, although that does help actually adding the guest name as well as the subject is super valuable and will push up your podcast, not just in the search results.

If people go with the intent to the podcast app, but also to Google and the other major internet search engines, because people aren't necessarily searching for you, but they're searching for your guests. Consider your episode titles. That's something that our show notes team takes on board as well. So if you're looking for pro production and you need stuff considered and covered, then, then that's one of the things that our team always takes into account. So until next time, I hope you enjoyed that tip.

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On today's tip Sponsorship.

When it comes to sponsorship, you don't have to wait for a sponsor to approach you. In fact, many that do will likely only be looking at one metric, your listener stats. In fact, if you're an indie podcaster on a budget, the following is how I encourage you to think about sponsors. Even if you don't have huge download numbers, it is possible to get a sponsor for your podcast. Your ideal sponsor might not be familiar with podcasts as a place to advertise some businesses simply don't have huge marketing budgets for traditional radio or print media and many leaders, especially those who don't listen to podcasts themselves yet may understandably assume the investment in advertising on podcasts would also be out of their budget range. So how do you go about identifying a possible sponsor? Well, there are lots of ways to answer this, but let's keep it simple.

Firstly, your target audience, who does your podcast speak to? Single fathers, fitness fanatics sci-fi fans? Your ideal sponsor doesn't have a podcast but does run a business that speaks to the same group of people. Secondly, what's it worth to them? Well, frankly, I don't know, but say you're a sci-fi podcast. Your ideal sponsor could be a sci-fi fan convention or it could be just a local comic shop. Take the local comic shop a small business with limited resources of not just money, but also time. So what would it be worth to them to reach a few hundred more like-minded sci-fi fans who love comics and listen to your show? Would they be able to put a mail-order offer together to your listeners for vintage comics? Sure. They would. Would they like the idea and the feeling of sponsoring a podcast for just a few hundred bucks or maybe a thousand dollars, of course, would that sort of money help you cover your production costs?

No doubt out. If you're serving the same target market, you should think of an approach to a possible sponsor as a real partnership because a rising tide lifts all boats. So today's tip is this it's never too early to look for partners for your show so long as you are clear on why it could be a win-win all around. Some of the money from those partners could go into pro production, enabling you to produce broadcast quality shows faster and attract more revenue from your potential sponsors or as I prefer to think of them, partners.

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For the purposes of this tip. I'm going to assume two things. Number one, as a podcast listener, you are listening via a podcast catch app on a smartphone or tablet because that's where most listeners listen, including your listeners. My second assumption is that you have published more than a handful of episodes, but hey if you haven't, heads up, even if I do say, so this is a good one.

Here's the thing. As much as we plan to stay ahead of our podcast recordings and plan ahead with the very best will in the world. Sometimes stuff happens. Let's file that under the category life. So while it's understandable, sometimes you don't have an episode to publish. You can still stay top of mind with your listeners on a weekly basis. How putting up a replay of an older episode from your archive, is good for at least two reasons.

Number one, because listeners discover podcasts often long after they have launched. And it's a great opportunity to catch them up. Number two, it's good for you. As you republish your replay archive or Encore show in each app, your show will continue to sit at the top of your listener's most recent published episodes rather than getting lost in potentially tens. Or if you're like me, hundreds of shows they've subscribed to. So in that case, you can still appear at the top of your subscribers or followers, pod feeds in the new today section. Even when you are behind in your own production, you should always try and let people know it's a replay. And if you do have time to bolt on a short intro to your original audio file, you get to tell them something along the lines of, Hey, their listener today. I'm sharing one of my most popular episodes from 28 team about watching paint dry.

You can add further reasons if it makes sense. In this case, maybe watching paint dry is on the verge of becoming an Olympic sport. You never know stranger things have happened anyway, like I say, you're going to need to have more than a handful of shows to make this work. So stay on top of your podcast as production. I know all this is hard and it's easy for me to say, just bolt on an extra bit of audio. When you have a production team, it's easy to put up replay with an amended intro, and it's definitely easier to keep on top of your regular schedule too. Thanks so much for listening. What you've just heard can also be found as a segment on Podcast Insider an industry show from our partners over at the best podcast tools and hosting company around, Blubrry. For more on narrow podcasting, the profitable pod method course, and how to remove all the stress from podcast production. Go to narrowpodcasting.com.

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Back in the day, a long time ago, over 20 years ago, my first computer was a PC and whenever anything would go wrong with it, I would phone up the shop where I got it or I'd phone up the manufacturer. And nine times out of 10, they would tell me that it had nothing to do with them. And they would refer me to the person that made the monitor or the person that made the printer or the person that made the process or the keyboard, or what have you. And I'd run round and round and round. And I didn't have any control over what was happening with my computer. And it really annoyed me. And then one day someone introduced me to Macs. Now I'm not poo-pooing the PC crowd. I know people that use them love them, but I always find that people that use PCs know how to do things.

They're kind of geeks and they enjoy fixing things. Whereas with max, you know, you don't really need to know how a computer works. You just need to own it. And if there's a problem, you go to the Mac store, you go to the genius bar and whatever's wrong with it, whether it's the screen or the keyboard or the printer, or some bit of software's not working, you just take it to that one place. So as a customer of Apple products, I always have one place to go. And the company now is obviously so big. That pretty much I could be anywhere in the world. And I could find a Mac store and get it sorted, or I could phone up or email them and get to a central hub and get my problem. Probably fixed. I would say 90% of the time without any problem at all.

So that saves me time putting your work, whether it's a word document you've written on a computer or a podcast into someone else's hands is a dangerous game. Only having a Facebook page. Only having Instagram, only having socials. I don't care how many followers you've got on there. How many subscribers you've got on different platforms, all of that. You put all of that at risk. If you don't have somewhere else that you own and that you have control of, your listeners can come to you to that one central place where you've got your flag in the sand that says the name of your podcast on it in our world as podcasters. That is your own website. That's your own.com. That's the equivalent of you being apple and having your own apple stores. Because when Facebook went down, people didn't stop buying apple computers during that time, during those six or so hours, that happened anyone that went to Facebook to spend money, wasn't able to do so anyone that went to Facebook to find somebody wasn't able to do so, the only way they were able to find someone was to find them via other channels.

So it's your job as a podcaster to make sure that you have a.com that you own and that you only use Facebook as an additional added extra. Now, I am not for one minute saying to you that you shouldn't be on Facebook because Facebook is where the people are. The certain people that you need, the certain fans that you want, certain listeners, you want certain customers, you want they're on Facebook, but so is everyone else. So your job is to remove them from Facebook in the nicest possible way and have them sign up on your website so that you have permission to get in contact with them because that is where your list lives, it should live in your own CRM on your own mailing list. So that when Facebook goes down, you are not affected. And there are countless ways that people will have lost money because they had their eye over on the social media that is Facebook and Instagram.

And the ones that continued, the people that it didn't affect are the people that have their own.com. And that should be the same for you as a podcaster. You want people to identify themselves to you. So primarily only use Facebook as an additional added extra that you use as a fishing lake to get those fish, those listening fish away from Facebook and over to your list, which means that sure you can update them on Facebook if it's working, but always email them directly, which is definitely the place to be, to have space, to have permission, to have space in someone's inboxes, something that you're gonna need to earn, but something that if you've got that permission, the biggest social media network site in the world going down will not affect you. So that is my tip for today.

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Welcome to Podcast Business Coach. This week. What Can Your Podcast Listener Do Next? Your podcast is an asset, right? Broadly speaking, there are three ways you can make money as a podcaster. Number one, you are already famous. So as soon as you come out with a podcast, you're gonna get inundated with offers of mattress companies, websites, companies exercise, bike companies, trying to sponsor you to give you money. And that's great if you are already famous, secondly, you are a creative. You are one of those storytelling types who is working hard, creating something beautiful. You're doing all the work yourself, making it sound amazing, doing sound design, telling stories, and ultimately the dream, just like a rock and roll band is that you get picked up by a network or even by Netflix or Amazon.

But as a business owner, what are you gonna do to make money? Well, you can use your podcast to grow your business through providing value to the marketplace, and you can use it as a tool for connection. Now, as a podcaster in business, you're likely measuring your podcast success on listens, but as great as stats are, even if they're IAB compliant like Bluebird, they don't tell the story of your bottom line to make sure your podcast sits in your sales cycle and relates to your business. Make sure you're sending people to your website to discover more and even better give them a specific reason to visit. So today's tip is to use your leadership skills, to tell your listeners what action they can take next, and to be clear what they can do next so that your podcast is fully leveraged and useful to you. As a podcaster in business is go to your website.

Podcast Business Coach: Recent Episodes

Toby Goodman