I started podcasting way back in 2010 and have now released more than 350 episodes. I thought it was high time that I shared a few of the lessons I’ve learnt along the way by answering your questions about podcasting.
In this episode of Australia’s favourite marketing podcast :
- I share my thoughts and answer your questions on all things podcasting
- I share another low cost marketing idea in What Have You Got To Lose?
Today I share 3 steps to getting your emails opened by the right people! - And we go back into the Small Business Big Marketing vault, revisiting a past episode in which we caught up with the maker of America’s best sandwich!
To find out what you really wanted to know about podcasting, I asked!. I received some excellent questions from both Small Business Big Marketing Forum Members and The Small Business Big Marketing Facebook page.
SIDE NOTE: There’s a whole section inside the Small Business Big Marketing Forum dedicated to Podcasting. Check out the forum here. It’s only $67 a month and if you can’t make that back plus multiples more than I am doing something wrong.
I kick off the show with 10 things that I want you to know about podcasting and the podcasting landscape:
- Podcasting is effective at growing your personal and business brand – coaching, speaking, Forum, Emceeing large events and being played on Virgin flights have all spun out from this very podcast.
- It’s growing. The podcast section in iTunes is 10 years old, there are 325,000 podcasts listed there and Apple reported 10 billion listens in 2016. It’s also slowly being released on platforms like Spotify and Audible.
- Many needlessly complicate the whole podcasting process, it’s way easier than you think. Listen in as I answer some of the more technical questions about getting started.
- There’s some amazing shows out there, forget radio and TV get into podcasting. A couple that I’m loving are ‘Here’s The Thing’ & ‘How I Built This’
- There’s a number of different podcast formats – Interview style (like mine), Soapbox (or rants), Q&A or a discussion among co-hosts.
- Audio / acoustic quality is critical. You’re competing with road noise, gym noises, dishes you name it. Your audio really needs to be crisp for people to hang in there with you. My setup includes my mac, a blue yeti microphone and a free piece of software called Audacity. I have used other microphones and gear as needed (i.e. when I’m on the road or on holidays) but that’s my basic set up. I try and find a room where the noise is dampened somewhat (i.e. not too echoey).
- You can do them anywhere. As mentioned above I have podcasted out of a studio, my office, a closet, an island in Fiji, a hotel room, my car.
- Don’t judge success on audience interaction. It’s hard not too but just focus on making a great show. The very nature of podcasting means that people are rarely at their computer so it’s often hard to get that interaction. Stick with it.
- There are different ways to monetise your show – sponsorship, your own product, increased enquiry to existing business, new revenue streams.
- My show is successful because I mix education with entertainment (and I’ve stuck at it).
I also go on to answer a total of 29 questions and they are all outlined in the episode timeline below.
Yep, another big episode of your favourite marketing podcast. Let’s go!
EPISODE TIMELINE
00:00 Two marketing insights
01:00 Teaser
01:35 Welcome & overview
04:15 10 things I want you to know about podcasting
15:45 How far ahead do you (normally) pre-record your episodes?
16:46 What do you think will change from the way podcasts are recorded, listened to, found in the next 5 + 10 years?
17:45 What is your strike rate of guests you have asked to be on the show to the ones that do turn up?
18:23 How many (on average) shows do you do per year that are not up to your high standards?
19:19 If you could go back 7 years to when you first started, what bit of advice would you give yourself about podcasting?
20:04 Of the podcasts you listen to, how many do you find yourself, compared to how many are recommended to you?
20:40 How many podcasts requests, in which another podcaster is asking to interview you, do you decline per year?
21:22 How do you put aside the limiting belief that you are not any good at it when starting a podcast?
23:33 How much does it really cost to put together a podcast?
25:55 If you have an idea for a podcast but don’t know if it will get any audience is it worth trying because it adds another bit of rich media and therefore SEO value or does a flop actually give you a negative score?
27:45 What would be the minimum requirements for software, equipment etc to start a podcast with?
29:35 Insights into Key Person of Influence
32:55 Insights into Cornerstone Business Solutions
35:10 How do I get started?
36:43 How do I get set up on iTunes?
37:15 Who’s got the best ‘how to podcast’ guide to get started?
39:19 How do you go about planning and organizing each show? Is there a process that you have in place that you follow each time?
41:55 How do you reach out to guests? I.e. Via email, phone etc
42:40 Where do you get the majority of your podcast feedback from?
44:12 How do you know you have REALLY engaged on a topic? Is it simply quantity of subscribers?
44:39 How do you increase listenership in a tight niche?
45:48 How do you distribute your podcast?
47:10 How do you source guests for your podcast?
48:17 At what point did you decide to look for advertisers?
49:40 What’s the 5-year plan with your podcast?
50:08 What was it like when you started, did you ever wanna throw in the towel and what kept you going till the 300+ episodes now?
52:59 How much time, energy and money to invest to promote your podcast?
54:12 And where do you focus that effort?
55:10 What are your favourite monetisation tips?
56:20 I host with Libsyn but want to move to OMNY – afraid it might feel like shifting accountants?
58:18 What do you wear when you podcast? I heard you like to do the occasional show in your birthday suit. Do you mix it up a bit depending on your guests?
01:00:40 What Have You Got To Lose – 3 steps to getting your emails opened by the right people!
01:03:47 Wrap-up and an insight in to both a past guest & next week’s guest
RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED
Audacity podcast recording software Call Recorder for Skype
Blue Yeti Microphone
Episode 115 where I got involved in Flying Solo’s national ‘work in the nude day’
Check out Showrunner for tips on getting started with podcasting
OMNY – Beautiful podcast hosting
Episode 104 with Tommy Nicolosi – the maker of America’s best sandwich
EPISODE SPONSORS
Key Person of Influence – Become highly valued & highly paid
Grab a FREE hard or audio copy of their Amazon best-seller
OVER TO YOU …
What was your biggest marketing learning or ah-ha moment from this episode?
Leave your comment below.
My guest and I respond to each and every comment.
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21 thoughts on “351 – My answers to your most pressing podcast questions”
Oh, well, look at that. The first commenter.
Great show, Timbo. I’ve been toying with the idea of podcasting for a few years now. Your good info in this episode may have pushed me over the edge.
Thanks Steve. Always happy to support you along your podcasting journey.
Timbo – After listening to just about every one of your episodes, the least I can do is leave a comment. Thanks for this episode & the other 350. I act as a small business advisor & your podcast is the #1 goto resource I send small business owners to. You have shown you don’t need to be huge to compete with the big end of town. Thanks so much for all the Marketing G O L D. Here’s hoping you have at least another 350 episodes in you.
Wow I really enjoyed this episode Tim especially around 4:15 and onwards.
Thanks Warwick. Your words, support (almost every episode!) and referrals are hugely appreciated, buddy. I’ll keep it up if you do!
Well Ante, thanks for the feedback with the ever so slight backhander ;0) The show can’t happen without sponsor support, and I always endeavour to keep my intro as tight and friendly as possible.
Arguably the best episode yet or maybe just great timing. This has got to be the universe speaking to me! I have three podcast interviews, done, edited and in the can and just sat on my desktop. They have been sat there for 6 weeks…….
Kidded myself that the hosting, uploading and website was a hassle. But now I’ve got a kick up the backside and the answers to hosting and getting it on iTunes.
Watch this space
Well done, this is an episode that will be listened to many times over
Hey Timbo, I’ve had a bit of break from the podcast (don’t take it personally, I do it to all of them) but this was a great episode to come back to. I’d comment more if i could do so whilst driving…
Been thinking about starting a podcast for a while now. Not sure if i can put aside 4 hours a week at the moment but it’s definitely on my to do list. Thanks for all the tips!
hey Timbo, thanks for the episode and the shout out for my question. It was a good tactical episode and I took a lot away from it. Following our conversation a while back I did indeed start my podcast called the Property Developer Podcast, and it is going great. I know what you mean about getting emails from people which give you warm fuzzies and inspire you to keep going! Keep up the great work.
Thanks Justin, for the warm and fuzzies. And well done on getting your show of the ground. Never stop!
Thanks for coming back to the fold, Jason. And for the kind words. I’ll challenge you though on finding those 4-hours a week to create your own show. If it’s something you’ll enjoy (and why wouldn’t it be) then those 4 hours will be found easily. If you’d like support, then join my Forum.
Thanks Amar …. I’m honoured to have been able to provide that kick ;0)
Timbo!!!
Mate, great episode, AGAIN!
Seriously though, this one was really really good. And no, not just because you answered my questions first up. Although How Good Was That! I nearly slipped over in the shower when you started off with me first up, thanks buddy, that was so cool.
But, really, I have been trying to put my finger on it, to work out why this one was so good. And all I can come up with, and what I think it proably was, is because it was so Raw.
As in, it was real, genuine, just you talking from your heart, giving honest answers, with absolutely no hidden agenda, other than trying to be as open as possible, in order to help the listeners out, the most that you can.
And yes I know your other shows do that as well, but this one had a real goodness about it.
I don’t know, reading the other comments, no on else has mentioned this, so maybe I’m the only one that felt it, or maybe I’m just too close to it all, lol
Either way, who cares, I loved it and that is all that counts.
Love you brother.
Benny me boy, they are very heartfelt words. Thanks so much. It means a lot. The ongoing support of motivated business owners like you make it all worthwhile.
It was great to hear your energizing voice throughout the whole podcast – one of your best ever. How often do we neglect to tell those that enter our hearts that we love them – WE LOVE YOU TIMBO. Although I am thousands of km away, you lift my spirits and make life better. So grateful. Fascinating how a prerecorded audio podcast can touch our hearts so profoundly. Magic. Many thanks. – Dennis
LOL. Thanks Dennis. I love you , too! I’m honoured to be able to energise from such a distance!
Thanks Timbo. I really enjoy your podcasts mate, but I’m one of the ones listening in the car or at the gym and therefore never comment. 🙂
Just a quick question mate – Call Recorder for Skype seems to be only for MAC. Do you have any suggestions/preferences for recording skype on PC?
Thanks for making the time, Glenn. Really appreciated.
You could always buy a Mac, Glenn ;0) Otherwise, try Pamela http://www.pamela.biz/
Hey Timbo,
Been listening to your podcast since the early days with Lukey and have been trying to figure out how I could use a podcast in my business. I have 2 main businesses, 1 I am a commercial photographer, & 2 My wife and I do Printed & Engraved Products.
Most photography podcasts I see are How to podcasts and teaching photography and not sure how that would benefit my customers who are business owners etc.
With the Print/Engraving business, we post to Instagram and have done a few videos of the behind the scenes on YouTube however most of our followers end up being similar competing businesses. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Mate, Keep up the great work.