Profitcast - Helping businesses start a podcast that is profitable

Who Should Be a Guest on Your Podcast and Why?

The Real Brian — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 01:00:00 -0600

It’s the question every business podcaster asks: Should I have guests on my show? If so, who and why?

In this episode of Profitcast, Seth Silvers and The Real Brian challenge the traditional guest interview model. They explore why interviewing high-profile guests often fails to grow your show, when guests do make sense, and why your best content might not involve a guest at all.

You’ll hear data-backed examples, guest horror stories, and a fresh framework for deciding who actually adds value to your audience. Spoiler: just because they’re famous doesn’t mean they should be on your podcast.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Why guest interviews became the default—and why that’s changing

(03:01) Common myths about guests growing your audience

(06:30) A better approach: only invite guests who solve problems

(10:00) Editing reality: value ≠ credentials

(14:00) Real case study: big guest, big reach... no retention

(18:00) What happens when guests dilute your message

(21:00) The Jordan Harbinger model: trust in the host

(23:00) Why a guest should boost your show—not carry it

Thanks for listening to Profitcast! For more tools to grow your podcast, check out BusinessPodcastRoadmap.com —a free resource we update monthly with everything we’re learning about successful podcasting for businesses. If you’re serious about growing and monetizing your podcast, reach out to The Real Brian and Seth Silvers to learn more.

Seth Silvers:

storyon.co

Seth's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethsilvers/

The Real Brian:

realbrianmedia.com

TRB's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamtherealbrian/

realbrianshow.com

TRB's YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@rockmypodcast

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

Should You Monetize Your Podcast?

The Real Brian — Wed, 28 May 2025 01:00:00 -0600

Monetizing your podcast sounds great, but is it the right move for your show, your audience, and your business?

In this episode of Profitcast, Seth Silvers and The Real Brian unpack the realities of podcast monetization in 2025. From CPMs and ad networks to value-based sponsorships and backend business strategies, they break down what actually works (and what doesn’t) for business podcasters.

This episode is packed with real-world numbers, examples, and fresh perspective—especially for branded shows, niche podcasts, or anyone tired of outdated monetization models.

Topics explored in this episode:

(03:33) Why CPM-based monetization doesn’t work for most shows

(08:19) Better monetization models for niche and branded podcasts

(15:24) Indirect monetization: backend offers, client conversion, and trust

(22:15) When podcasting becomes your most effective nurturing tool

(28:28) Real examples of niche shows generating serious revenue

(33:23) Final thoughts: set your own rules and monetize with clarity

Your Podcast Is Your MOST Efficient Marketing Tool

The Real Brian — Wed, 14 May 2025 01:00:00 -0600

What if your podcast isn’t just content—it’s your most effective marketing asset?

In this episode of Profitcast, The Real Brian and Seth Silvers break down why podcasting is one of the most efficient marketing tools your business can use. It’s not just about growth—it’s about nurturing, multiplying your time, building trust, and answering key questions before your clients ever get on a call.

They share examples, strategies, and personal stories showing how a podcast can streamline sales, deepen relationships, and create evergreen value—without needing to “go viral.”

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) The bold claim: podcasting is your best marketing tool
(01:52) How to multiply yourself with a podcast
(04:39) Podcasts as part of your communication flow
(06:33) Building trust without more meetings
(08:19) Word-of-mouth and the hidden value of podcast content
(09:23) The $30,000 client from 3 episodes
(10:48) Nurturing through the buyer’s journey
(11:58) Stop the 7-minute infomercials—deliver real value
(12:48) The ROI mindset vs. long-term growth
(17:40) FAQ episodes: the podcast content every business should have

Thanks for listening to Profitcast! For more tools to grow your podcast, check out BusinessPodcastRoadmap.com —a free resource we update monthly with everything we’re learning about successful podcasting for businesses. If you’re serious about growing and monetizing your podcast, reach out to The Real Brian and Seth Silvers to learn more.

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

3 Things To Do NOW With Your Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 06 May 2025 01:00:00 -0600

Are you asking your audience what they want from your podcast? That might be a mistake.

In this solo episode of Profitcast, The Real Brian shares three crucial actions every business podcaster should take immediately: lean into your expertise, speak with confident authority, and actually deliver exceptional value. He challenges conventional advice and reminds us why your podcast’s success depends on your clarity, not crowd-sourced content ideas.

Whether you're just launching or stuck in growth limbo, this episode is a sharp kick of clarity to help you stand out, serve better, and profit intentionally.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Why asking your audience what they want can backfire

(01:45) The power of expert-level experience

(02:28) Confidence vs. cockiness

(03:49) The real impact of delivery

(05:34) Why value > hype

(06:47) Personal story: how Pilates changed my life

(07:25) How to apply the 3 keys to your podcast

(08:00) How to work with Brian & Seth

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

Is Your Podcast Audience Too Broad?

The Real Brian — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0600

If your podcast audience isn’t growing, you might want to niche down.

In this episode of Profitcast, Seth Silvers and The Real Brian talk about one of the most common and costly mistakes in business podcasting: trying to reach everyone. They explore the power of creating content for a specific person, why general messaging falls flat, and how to align your show’s content and packaging with the audience you actually want to serve.

This episode of Profitcast will help you sharpen your message, focus your strategy, and finally reach the right people with your podcast.

Topics explored in this episode:

(01:19) Defining your audience in complex businesses

(03:22) When your message and packaging don’t match

(05:29) Why audience alignment takes discipline

(08:49) Create your podcast for one person

(11:19) Speaking to “you,” not “everyone”

(14:42) Specificity is how podcasts grow

(18:06) Aligning your strategy with what you really want

(22:38) Targeting a focused audience, even inside a broad one

(27:21) Solve a specific problem for a specific person

(28:22) Set clear expectations—and meet them

(29:27) Your ideal listener might be you from two years ago

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

Audio vs. Video Podcasting: What’s Best for Your Business?

The Real Brian — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0600

Should you be doing an audio-only podcast or adding video into the mix? Is YouTube even considered a podcast platform? In this episode of Profitcast, The Real Brian breaks down the difference between audio and video podcasting and helps you determine what’s best for your business content strategy.

You’ll learn the technical definitions, practical applications, and why the "rules" don’t matter nearly as much as your marketing goals do. This short commentary is going to help you clarify what will move the needle most for your brand.

Topics explored in this episode:

(01:14) Audio vs. video: what does your business need?

(01:52) Why voice creates trust, and video increases reach

(03:04) Defining a “real” podcast (and why it doesn’t really matter)

(04:23) What really matters in 2025 content strategy

(05:00) Why audio + video is the best option for most businesses

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

Should You HIRE A Host For Your Podcast?

The Real Brian — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0600

You know your business needs a podcast, but who should host it? You? A team member? Someone else entirely?

In this episode of Profitcast, The Real Brian and Seth Silvers explore the growing trend of professional podcast hosts for hire. They break down the real reasons CEOs and marketing teams are struggling to get podcasts off the ground and why bringing in a seasoned host may be the key to a show that’s actually consistent, compelling, and sustainable.

Whether you’re an overwhelmed founder, a stretched-thin marketing lead, or someone considering a new approach, this conversation helps you decide who should be the voice of your brand’s podcast, and why it might not need to be you!

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) The hosting problem most businesses face

(01:32) When internal hosts don’t work out

(03:49) Can the wrong host hurt your brand?

(05:02) Should a CEO host their own podcast?

(08:09) What professional hosts actually do

(10:44) Benefits of hiring a podcast host

(13:15) Interviewing skills & crisis control

(17:09) Where to find the right host for hire

(20:11) Traits to look for in a host

(23:12) Internal vs external co-hosting

(25:26) Why sustainability is the real strategy

(27:15) How to get in touch for help

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

What Podcast Analytics Actually Matter?

The Real Brian — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0600

Are you measuring the right things—or just chasing vanity metrics?

In this episode of Profitcast, Seth Silvers and The Real Brian take a deep dive into podcast analytics: what they used to be, how they’ve evolved, and what you should really be tracking in 2025. Whether you’re podcasting for fun, growth, or business ROI, this conversation will help you shift away from outdated metrics like downloads and into more actionable data that drives smart decisions.

Tracking things like your audience size, completion rates, and 7-day performance help to to meaningfully improve your show’s performance.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) What data actually matters in podcasting?

(01:26) The history of analytics in podcasting

(04:02) Why downloads are incomplete (and still useful)

(06:54) Shift your mindset: from downloads to audience

(10:55) Tracking behavior-changing metrics

(12:46) The 3 types of podcast data to track

(17:40) Why data without insight leads to wasted time

(21:33) Why you should analyze performance at 7 days

(25:19) Monthly data vs. real-time insight

(28:15) Retention rates and 60-second drop-offs

(30:07) Using analytics to adjust intros, pacing, and episode length

(31:59) The big question: Why?

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

The Podcast Growth Matrix: Four Ways to Grow Your Show

The Real Brian — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0600

Everyone wants to know how to grow a podcast, but most are looking in the wrong places. In this episode of Profitcast, The Real Brian and Seth Silvers introduce a simple but powerful framework: The Podcast Growth Matrix.

It breaks podcast growth down into four strategic paths, helping you cut through the noise and focus on what actually works.

From organic word-of-mouth to smart paid strategies, this episode clarifies how podcasts really grow and why it's not about going viral.

The Real Brian brings a decade of podcasting wisdom and an eye for authentic connection. Seth Silvers, founder of Story On, specializes in helping businesses use podcasts as marketing and relationship tools.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Why growing a podcast feels so complicated

(01:07) Start vs. grow: why no one’s searching “how to grow a podcast”

(03:33) Why podcast discoverability is broken

(06:31) What really works: the power of a confident pitch

(10:42) Why none of this matters if your content sucks

(12:36) Introducing the Podcast Growth Matrix

(14:44) Why people don’t talk about your podcast

(19:38) The second quadrant: others sharing your show

(23:39) The hidden power of audience connection

(25:49) The third quadrant: paying to promote your podcast

(31:28) The fourth quadrant: paying others to promote your show

(36:28) Why organic sharing always beats paid

Thanks for joining us on Profitcast! If you’re serious about growing and monetizing your podcast, reach out to The Real Brian and Seth Silvers to learn more.

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

139. How Much Should You Edit Your Podcast?: Raw and Unedited Vs. Polished and Professional

The Real Brian — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0600

The trend in 2025 is shifting. Audiences seem to crave unfiltered, authentic content over highly produced, polished podcasts. Should your podcast follow this new trend, or should you give your podcast a highly-detailed edit?

In this episode, The Real Brian and Seth Silvers dive into the debate over whether podcasts should be raw and minimally edited or if a polished, professional production still reigns supreme. They explore the pros and cons of both approaches, how content strategy affects editing needs, and what makes the most sense for different types of podcasts.

The Real Brian has been podcasting since 2014 and has hosted numerous business and entertainment shows. Seth Silvers is the founder of Story On, specializing in helping businesses grow through podcasting.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Welcome – The shift toward raw, unedited content

(02:30) The radio vs. podcasting mindset on editing

(06:00) Does heavy editing make your podcast seem inauthentic?

(09:45) The impact of audio vs. video formats on editing

(12:50) The balance between authenticity and professionalism

(16:10) Editing for content vs. editing for perfection

(19:30) What’s the right approach for business podcasts?

(21:40) The Business Podcast Roadmap – A free resource for podcasters

To learn more about The Business Podcast Roadmap, visit this website! - BusinessPodcastRoadmap.com

Thanks for joining us on Profitcast! If you’re serious about growing and monetizing your podcast, reach out to The Real Brian and Seth Silvers to learn more.

Seth Silvers:

storyon.co

Seth's LinkedIn

The Real Brian:

realbrianmedia.com

TRB's LinkedIn

realbrianshow.com

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

138: The Roadmap For A Successful Business Podcast

The Real Brian — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0600

Podcasting continues to be popular for businesses, but how do they know if they are successful or not? Most businesses quit podcasting, unsure of if they ever had an ROI.

In this episode of Profitcast, Seth Silvers and The Real Brian talk through the Business Podcast Roadmap and identify what businesses should be paying attention to know if they are on the right track. If you want to start a podcast that is profitable, this is the roadmap.

Seth Silvers is the founder of Story On, a podcast production company helping businesses leverage podcasting as a powerful marketing tool.

If you’re serious about growing and monetizing your podcast, reach out to The Real Brian and Seth Silvers to learn more.

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

137: Why Businesses Fail At Podcasting (And What To Do About It)

The Real Brian — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0600

Why do so many business podcasts start with enthusiasm but fade away within months? Is it bad advice, unrealistic expectations, or something else entirely?

In this episode, Profitcast kicks off a new chapter with The Real Brian and our new host, Seth Silvers, now on YouTube for the first time too!

Why do 90% of podcasts fail? How can you avoid becoming part of that statistic? The Real Brian and Seth share their firsthand experience working with businesses on launching and growing podcasts.

They debunk common myths and begin to provide a clear roadmap for businesses to create a profitable podcast that stands the test of time.

The Real Brian has been in the podcasting world since 2014, hosting Profitcast and numerous other shows, including those for businesses looking to establish their online presence through podcasting.

Seth Silvers is the founder of Story On, a podcast production company helping businesses leverage podcasting as a powerful marketing tool.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Welcome to the new chapter of Profitcast

(02:00) Why most business podcasts fail within a year

(06:35) The myths of podcasting success

(10:40) The role of expectations in podcast longevity

(15:15) Is podcasting a viable business growth tool?

(19:01) Why most podcasting advice doesn’t work

(23:26) The importance of storytelling in podcast marketing

(28:10) Creating a podcast strategy that actually works

If you’re serious about growing and monetizing your podcast, reach out to The Real Brian and Seth Silvers to learn more.

Seth Silvers:

The Real Brian:

TRB's YouTube Channel

Subscribe and Listen to The Real Brian Show Podcast HERE:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profitcast-helping-businesses-start-a-podcast-that/id894979986

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IahJnf3FJjOSvomfjGwRv?si=0458e8a8579b46d1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLomuMlItmjjdWoo6VQQvBg

Any time you purchase something off of Amazon, please consider using the Profitcast affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4kyVYfz

Affiliate links mean we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you!

Ecamm Live for Streaming: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=realbrianshow

136: Profitcast Update and Future Plans

The Real Brian — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0600

It's time to do some evaluation here on Profitcast. To do this, we're taking a break and going through our numbers and our future plans. But we're not the only ones who should be doing this.

Listen in to here what we'll be reviewing, why we think it's important, and when you can expect more new episodes.

Check out all of our episodes at https://www.rockmypodcast.com

135: Podcast Episode Planning Do's and Don't's

The Real Brian — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0600

We've talked about having a plan for your podcast and why it's so important. Now it's time to talk about having a plan for each episode. We're sharing what to consider, how to validate content ideas, ways to get feedback, and of course, how to test and optimize.

It's been said so many time, but it's still so true, having a plan for your episodes allows you to be more creative when in the moment things happen.

How do you plan out your podcast episodes? Do you wing it?

Check out all of our episodes and let us know how we're doing at https://www.rockmypodcast.com.

134: How to be an Unforgettable Podcast Guest

The Real Brian — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 06:30:00 -0600

Podcast guesting is a GREAT way to grow your own podcast audience. It's significantly more effective than having guests on your show AND it can help you become an even better host.

So what do you need to consider as you're trying to be on other shows? The most important thing to remember is that your main goal should be to provide value to the hosts' audience.

Listen in to learn more!

133: The Right Way to Bring Guests on to Your Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 06:30:00 -0600

Bringing guests onto your podcast can be a great way to share fresh perspectives and ideas with your audience. As long as the guests you bring on are prepared to provide value, it's a recipe for success.

But there's definitely a right and a wrong way to do this. Listen in to learn all about what you should consider if you're ready to start having guests on your show.

Stay tuned for the next episode where we'll be giving you great insights on being a guest on other people's podcasts.

Want more Profitcast? Go to https://www.rockmypodcast.com to check out all of our episodes and send us feedback.

132: Different Podcast Content Concept

The Real Brian — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:00:00 -0600

TRB is trying out something new today... a new way of doing an episode... check it out and tell us what you think!

131: Redefining the Why Behind Your Podcast (and How it Impacts Your Success)

The Real Brian — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 06:30:00 -0600

The Real Brian was watching a Shark Tank episode the other day and had an epiphany about redefining the why behind your podcast. You see, this company was built solely to provide pet parents a way to include their pets in their weddings.

They weren't making a ton of money, but the service they provide is huge for those who truly love their animals. For them, they were winning every time a beloved pet was able to participate in the union of their parents.

So why do most podcast goals and "whys'" revolve around the bottom line and how much money it can bring it?

Listen in to hear our thoughts on what your why should look like and how to dig deep enough to find your true why.

Catch all our episodes at https://www.rockmypodcast.com

130: Why You Should Repurpose Your Podcast Content

The Real Brian — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 01:00:00 -0600

Record once and create days or weeks worth of content for all of your marketing platforms? Sounds pretty awesome right? Especially if you have a very limited amount of time to record new content.

Well KDubs certainly thinks so but The Real Brian has a whole other idea on how to record and repurpose content for those that prefer recording rather than editing.

Both ways work - just remember that if you're not repurposing your content you're leaving money on the table!

Want to learn more? Check us out at https://www.rockmypodcast.com

129: Level Up Your Podcast Equipment

The Real Brian — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 06:30:00 -0600

Tired of having subpar sound? It's time to level up your podcast equipment and we're sharing exactly what we would use to build our studio.

Bonus - stay to the end to hear about leveling up your video as well.

Here is a list of all of our equipment that we mentioned in this episode:

Mics

Mixer

Mic Arm

Headphones

AKG K240

Video Recording

Ecamm Live

Camera

Lighting

Misc

Check us out at https://www.rockmypodcast.com for all our episodes and to check out links to all the products we're recommending in this episode.

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128: How to Track Your Podcast Statistics (Part 2)

The Real Brian — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Last week we discussed the what, why, and how of tracking your podcast statistics through your podcast host and podcast players. But how did your listeners get to you? What parts of your marketing are working... and which aren't?

How do you find out?

That's what we're chatting about this week. Ways to properly track your traffic and determine which platforms and content are bring you listeners.

Listen in to hear more about why tracking your traffic is important, how to do it, and which platforms we love to use to help us do this.

Check out Podgagement for some really cool tools on growing your podcast engagement and audience!

Want more? Go to https://www.rockmypodcast.com for all of our episodes!

127: How to Track Your Podcast Statistics (Part 1)

The Real Brian — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0600

Everyone says you need to track your podcast statistics to better understand your listener and how your content is performing. But what does that mean? What are your numbers really telling you?

Are there ways to optimize your episodes to see increased listens and downloads? Do listens and downloads even matter?

These are questions that we get all the time and we thought it was time to share the knowledge.

The most important thing for you to take away from this episode is that your numbers are telling you a very important story. They are not ever going to be 100% accurate, but if you track and trend over time, you'll be able to tell what's going right, what's going wrong, and what your tweaks and changes are doing for your show.

Come nerd out with us - https://www.rockmypodcast.com

126: Is Podcasting Saturated? (Part 2)

The Real Brian — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 06:30:00 -0600

Back with the second part of our "Is Podcasting Saturated?" conversation and sharing all the good tips! The Real Brian was perusing his email and received one that was specifically about this topic.

In the email they discussed some of the stats surrounding podcasting as well as what those stats mean for saturation.

K-Dubs came in for the win to corroborate the stats that the email shared as well as providing some stats for YouTube channels to show that podcasting truly isn't a saturated medium right now.

It's all about how you're using your podcast.

If you're just starting your podcast or if you've had your podcast and you aren't seeing growth, listen to the end for a mini-coaching session on steps you need to take to start and grow today.

Want more Profitcast? Check us out at https://www.rockmypodcast.com.

125: Is Podcasting Saturated? (Part 1)

The Real Brian — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 01:00:00 -0600

Not sure about you but The Real Brian and KDubs get this question about podcast saturation all the time. As someone is thinking about whether or not to start a podcast the first thing they wonder is whether or not they've already missed the boat.

Good news - you haven't!

Bad news - you likely will need to find something new and innovative to bring to the table.

Listen in to hear our thoughts on podcast saturation and why taking a stance and changing up the style of your podcast can be just the thing to set you apart.

Want more? Check us out at https://www.rockmypodcast.com

124: THAT'S a Podcast Episode!

The Real Brian — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 05:30:00 -0600

How do you think up those super cool podcast episodes Brian?

Great question Kayla! The answer is... Life?

If you've ever wondered how you can start picking out the content nuggets that are integral to your every day life, then this is the episode you need to listen to. It's time to train your brain to see potential content ideas all throughout your day!

Want more Profitcast? Go to https://www.rockyourpodcast.com for all the tea!

123: Stop Prostituting Yourself (Revenue vs. Profit)

The Real Brian — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 05:30:00 -0600

Have you found yourself on discovery call after discovery call, providing value, giving real feedback and advice, and then being ghosted by your prospects?

I'm sure we all have... but have you ever taken a minute to see exactly how much that time cost you in the long run? I bet it's a lot more than you think.

How do you impress prospective clients without giving it all away?

Quick answer: Boundaries...

Long answer: Listen in and find out.

Want to learn more? Check us out at https://www.rockmypodcast.com

122: The Secret to Being Reliable and Effective

The Real Brian — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0600

Have you ever been ghosted by a potential client, customer, friend, loved one, or job prospect?

Doesn't feel good does it?

The same is true when you ghost your listeners by not releasing episodes for your podcast. If you're not showing up consistently and reliably, then your podcast will not be effective, no matter what your goals are.

So how do you become not only reliable but also effective with your episodes?

Listen in to find out!

Want some more? Head over to https://www.rockmypodcast.com for all of the Profitcast episodes and to connect with The Real Brian and Kayla.

121: Desperation Sucks!

The Real Brian — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0600

Have you ever found yourself taking on projects or clients just for the money? Or have you found yourself making decisions you wouldn't normally make because you feel stuck or, dare I say, desperate?

We've all been there.

But what do you do when desperation strikes as you are growing your podcast and your business? Do you glom onto any sponsor who will have you? Start running ads that aren't aligned with your business and listeners? Change your content?

For all of these, the answer is no!

So what is the answer? Listen in as The Real Brian and K-Dubs discuss desperation, what it looks like, how it strikes, and what to do when you find yourself in that place.

Check out https://www.rockmypodcast.com for all of the Profitcast episodes and to leave Brian and Kayla audio love notes.

120: Is Podcast Coaching and Consulting Worth it?

The Real Brian — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0600

Wondering if you should hire a professional podcast coach or consultant? Continuing our discussion from Episode 119, we're sharing our thoughts on why you might need some additional eyes and ears on your podcast.

Listen in to hear why we think coaching prior to recording is super important, what an ongoing coaching relationship entails, and how to find the right podcast coach or consultant for you!

Want to hear the rest of our episodes or leave us some audio magic of your own? Check out https://www.rockmypodcast.com for all the goods. Have questions that we haven't answered yet? You can leave us a voice message and we will answer it on the show!

119: Why You Should Hire a Professional

The Real Brian — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0600

I know... You're perfectly capable of starting your podcast on your own. However, do you have the time and resources to make your podcast great?

That's what we're talking about on this episode of Profitcast. Why you need to hire a professional and what kinds of professionals there are in the podcasting space.

For instance, do you know the difference between a podcast producer and a podcast editor? How about the difference between a voice over artist and a podcast host?

There are so many things to consider as you start and grow your podcast and bringing in the professionals early on will make all the difference for your success.

Want to hear more? Check out The Real Brian and K-Dubs at https://www.rockmypodcast.com for all of the Profitcast episodes and provide your feedback on the show or topics you'd like us to cover.

118: The Great Video Debate!

The Real Brian — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0600

Should you create a video podcast? Will a video podcast really help you grow faster?

Answer: It depends!

What you really need to consider however is, do you have the capacity and resources to create an effective video podcast? Because there are so many more things to consider when creating video content versus audio only content.

Listen in as Kayla and Brian walk you through what equipment you need for a video podcast and the amount of time you're looking at to get your video podcast going.

Our goal is to give you things to think about as you start to establish your overall podcast goals and structure.

Want to learn more? Check us out at https://www.rockmypodcast.com to learn more about Kayla and Brian and to listen to all our episodes of Profitcast.

117: The Good, The Quick, and The Cheap REVISITED 2024

The Real Brian — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0600

If you had to choose between something being good, quick, or cheap... which would you choose? It probably depends on what you're talking about right?

How about when it comes to your podcast? Or your business? Or how you're pricing your services? What about your health and relationships?

Brian and Kayla are chatting about it all and discussing why it's important to go into all transactions understanding which two options you must have...

... because you cannot have it all!

Want to learn more about Brian and Kayla, listen to all the Profitcast episodes, or leave them a love note? Go to https://www.rockmypodcast.com for all the info.

Here's a quick link to the original Good, Bad, Cheap: Episode 39: https://www.rockmypodcast.com/39-the-good-the-quick-and-the-cheap-podcast/

116: Does Podcasting Still Work in 2024?

The Real Brian — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0600

Does podcasting still work in 2024?

Welp - it depends! It depends on your definition of success and why you're podcasting in the first place. You see, podcasting DOES still work, but maybe not in the same ways as it has in the past.

For instance, if you're looking to become a podcaster and that's your entire job... then you're really looking to have "celebrity" status either in your industry, in the podcasting space, or in general.

Listen in to hear what's working, what you should consider for your own podcast, and why podcasting is crucial for businesses who are trying to expand their voice in the market places.

Want all the episode details and information about Brian and Kayla? Go to https://www.rockmypodcast.com to find all of the episodes, contact information, and more. Don't forget to leave us a message if you have a specific question burning in your brain.

115: The Fastest Path to Burnout

The Real Brian — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 05:00:00 -0600

Not knowing this one thing about yourself, your business, and your podcast will lead you to the deepest, darkest burnout.

What is that one thing?

Your core values.

Your values are the driving factor for setting solid boundaries and determining who your right fit client, customers, listeners, and friends are.

Not convinced? Listen in as Brian and Kayla chat about how your core values, your why, and your definition of success come together to create a solid foundation to build your podcast on.

Want to learn more about Profitcast? Head over to https://www.rockmypodcast.com to check out all of our episodes, learn more about Brian and Kayla, and let us know what topics you'd like us to cover.

114: Be Consistent… or Fail!

The Real Brian — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0600

What is one of the most important things you can do to set your podcast up for success?

Be CONSISTENT!

What does that mean for you?

It means setting an expectation for your listeners and then delivering upon that expectation. It means scheduling time in your calendar to record, edit, and upload your show. It means making your podcast an important part of your business activities.

Want some tips on how to be consistent and why it's so important? Listen in and learn more.

113: Defining Profit and Success For Your Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0600

What does "success" mean to you? What does it mean for your business?

Believe it or not, it's extremely important to understand what success looks like in your eyes so that you can determine the right metrics to track to see your progress.

The same is true with your podcast. The number of downloads you get is the least likely indicator of real success in most cases... and does not necessarily lead to profit.

If you're ready to define success for your show, listen in to learn how!

112: Set Your Podcast Up For Success

The Real Brian — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 05:15:00 -0600

This is a HUGE topic. Like massive. Honestly, it's the theme for Profitcast going forward, so there's no way we'll be able to cover everything you need to consider in this one episode.

In fact, what we'd like you to do is listen in and really digest these first few steps.

Then as you listen to future episodes, remember that our goal is to help you make the most out of your podcast. No matter why you've started your podcast, we're here to help you reach your goals.

So how DO you set your podcast up for success? Listen in and find out.

111: Profitcast Returns! (...and why!)

The Real Brian — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 05:00:00 -0600

Profitcast is BACK!

And things are going to be a little different around here. In this first episode The Real Brian is introducing his brand new co-host for the show, Kayla Wells... radio name TBD.

Together they'll share more about the vision for Profitcast as we resurrect the show, why it ended, why they're revitalizing it, and what to expect as they continue to release episodes.

If you're serious about podcasting and using it to boost your business, then you're in the right place.

Wanna Check us out? Go to https://www.rockmypodcast.com to check out all of our episodes and get in touch with us.

110.5: Profitcast Returns

The Real Brian — Tue, 14 May 2024 18:35:00 -0600

It’s time… time to resurrect Profitcast. After 8 years, I am bringing Profitcast BACK to you!

On Tuesday, June 4th, 2024, it’s time to set your podcast up for success.

And I won’t be alone this time. We’re bringing a combined 30+ years of experience in podcasting, radio, live hosting, production, voice over, marketing, and more to each and every one of our episodes.

It’ll be a little different this time - less about the passion and more about the professional side of things. We’ll be talking about how to set your podcast up for success in multiple ways, including: marketing strategies, clarity and impact with your message, how you (or the host) present yourself to your listeners, the type of equipment we recommend, WHY you’re even podcasting in the first place, and SO many more topics! It’s all designed to help you succeed with your podcast right now!

Join us every Tuesday morning for effective and applicable strategies and tips, and of course fun and laughs! Cuz hey - it’s edutainment!

SUBSCRIBE NOW so you don’t miss the relaunch of Profitcast on June 4th! And so you don’t miss any future episodes.

Are you ready to set your podcast up for success???

LET’S ROCK IT!!!!!!!!!

Links!

110: This is the End

The Real Brian — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This is the end. The end of the line for Profitcast. And though there might be no more developed road beyond this point, the journey is far from over. The journey of discovery, both into defining what it means to profit and in making an uber customizable model apply for a specific situation, is one that is always met with undeveloped terrain. No one model works perfectly for two people (or... it's just extremely unlikely). And so podcasters trailblaze as explorers did when settling in new places all over the world: when no road was paved, they made their own ruts.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

109: Empathy and Transparency | Lisa Woodruff

The Real Brian — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to the penultimate episode of Profitcast! Before we close this chapter of the Profitcast journey, Brian sits down to chat with Lisa Woodruff, a professional organizer and host of Professional Organizer's Think Tank (P.O.T. Tank). Lisa's journey goes back 8 years and she shares the passion behind what she does and why she does it.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

108: Profit and Success Stories, Part 3

The Real Brian — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This week we have two fantastic updates to share with you all, and some commentary, of course. Sit back and enjoy the wonderful wisdom of our two profit and success stories!

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

107: Profit and Success Stories, Part 2

The Real Brian — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 09:00:00 -0600

These Profit and Success Stories from previous guests on Profitcast have been like a colorful montage of the podcast’s run.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

106: Profit and Success Stories, Part 1

The Real Brian — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 09:00:00 -0600

It's a bittersweet installment of Profitcast this week. As excited as we all are for The Real Brian Show to begin and for Brian to let the Real Brian loose, there will be many things to miss about Profitcast. In the words of Geoffrey Chaucer, the late 14th Century poet who knew how to write about love and loss, "All good things must come to an end." (That's from Troilus and Criseyde if you're looking for some light summer reading.) Unlike the tragedies of our favorite dead poets and playwrights, the saga of The Real Brian will continue! This is real life, people.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

105: Why Podcast Movement is Essential

The Real Brian — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back from Podcast Movement! In this week's episode of Profitcast, Brian shares some stories and experiences from his time at Podcast Movement 2016, the biggest takeaways and what's next for The Real Brian Show. We'd love to hear about your experience and takeaways from PM16. Leave a comment or shoot Brian an email!

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

104: Your Podcast is ALL About YOU

The Real Brian — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Who is your podcast really about? Is it about you? Is it about your listeners? This is the topic Brian tackles in this week's episode of Profitcast! Reminding us of Brian Ibbot's mantra, "Listeners come for the content and stay for the host," The Real Brian takes a closer look at what this shocking and outrageous statement, that our podcast is ALL about us, is really getting at! It seems that there is a healthy balance between acknowledging our listeners deserve respect and that our content should honor the reason they found us in the first place while also realizing that, ultimately, without us there would be no podcast.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

103: What Benefit Do You Offer?

The Real Brian — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Not long ago I came across a word math meme that simply said: Underestimating Time + Overestimating Capacity = Being Overwhelmed. Living in an on-the-go culture, as we do, underestimating time is such an easy thing to do. We think we have more than we do, we always need more than we have, and it never rolls over into the next month. If we were to do a study about why people do or do not listen to podcasts (or certain podcasts) or even why they would or would not buy into a product/service being offered, I'd hazard a guess that being overwhelmed with life is a top reason. "I've got too much going on to try that new thing." Or... "I know I have to spend a little money to make a little money, but I'm too overwhelmed with bills to even consider it."

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

102: Simplify and Focus | Marc Gunn

The Real Brian — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This week's guest was particularly exciting for me because I've been listening to his show from the beginning. Marc Gunn of the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast joins the Real Brian to talk about the success he's seen in the last 10+ years around his very popular fan-supported podcast.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

101: Impacting People | Kate Erickson

The Real Brian — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Mindset. Mindset, mindset, mindset. Why do we keep coming back to this topic? Because it doesn't just matter, it is and can be pivotal in all our endeavors. This is more than positive thinking. Sometimes positive thinking is akin to the 19th century writer and philosopher Fyodor Dostoevsky's observation of a white polar bear: "Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute" (1863). The stronger the focus is on trying to stay positive, the more annoying it becomes. Mindset isn't about a singular focus, it's about a manner of living, which Brian and Kate beautifully emphasize in this installment of Profitcast.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

100: Looking Back at 100 Episodes | Emilee O'Leary

The Real Brian — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 09:00:00 -0600

As Brian and I were talking about what type of discussion would be useful concerning co-hosts, I thought about the incredible interviews he's had over the last 100 episodes of Profitcast and how many of them concern the importance of being prepared prior to podcast launch. While the scale of criticality between a podcast launch and an Apollo launch is almost incomparable, it does expose the fact that there will inevitably be things that go wrong after a launch, in spite of extensive preparation and checklists.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

99: How Did Tim Ferriss Grow His Podcast?

The Real Brian — Tue, 31 May 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Author of 4-Hour Work Week, 4-Hour Body, and 4-Hour Chef, it was no surprise to anyone when Tim Ferriss's podcast took off after his April 2014 debut. And why shouldn't it? Established fan base, established author, calculable results; Tim raced to the top of Best Of iTunes lists in both 2014 and 2015, experienced extraordinary numbers for total downloads, and locks down interviews from the hottest names of the decade.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

98: Every Surge of Success Came From... | Ryan Gray

The Real Brian — Tue, 24 May 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to Profitcast! This week, Brian gets to chat with Ryan Gray of The Premed Years Podcast and founder of Medical School HQ. Ryan is a USAF flight surgeon turned physician turned full time podcaster who spends his time collecting resources, interviewing students and doctors, and providing perspectives that help premed students in all walks of life. In addition to podcasts, Ryan also provides mock interview prep, one-on-one interview prep, and assistance with editing personal statements. He's developed quite the niche for himself and is seeing tremendous benefits from the considerable effort he's poured in to his venture. Anxious to hear where every surge of success came from? Better listen!

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

97: How to Do a Virtual Summit | Yann Ilunga

The Real Brian — Tue, 10 May 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to Profitcast! This week our guest is Yann Ilunga of the 360 Entrepreneur Podcast. Brian talks with Yann about his upcoming summit and gets the details on how you can do the same, if Yann's story strikes a chord with you!

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

96: Why YOU Should Take a Sabbatical

The Real Brian — Tue, 03 May 2016 09:00:00 -0600

What happens when an entrepreneur takes a month off of working after going, and going full boar, for 15 years? Well, you’re about to find out! Brian is back from his sabbatical and has learned a lot. He gets honest, he gets real, and he gets under our skin. In a good way, of course.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

95: 16K Downloads in 6 weeks | Amanda Bayerle

The Real Brian — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 09:00:00 -0600

As passion podcasters, we should be asking ourselves daily how bad do I want it? But we don't, do we? We get caught up in the go-go-go, we get tangled in the weeds, we get obsessed with the minutiae and forget about the big picture. Those are overlooked at a high-level, but there are lower-level aspects to the big picture that also go overlooked. This week's guest on Profitcast is Amanda Bayerle, one-half of the How Bad Do I Want It? Podcast. Through Amanda, we are reminded of a very important aspect to rounding out a sustainable entrepreneur lifestyle.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

94: Glorious Tips For Your Podcast | Colin Gray

The Real Brian — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to Profitcast, we're so glad you could join us on this day-after-tax-day in the United States! Typically, Tax Day (the day filing taxes is due) is April 15, but because the 15th was Emancepation Day, the day when we freed ourselves from the oppressive British and their inane tax regulations... Tax Day was moved to Monday the 18th. We can continue carrying out our patriotic duty of paying taxes to the man. Very important, very interesting stuff, I know. No, what is interesting is the guest Brian chats with this week! Colin Gray, of Podcraft, brings his world of business to Profitcast to talk with Brian about his experience and how applying some business techniques might come in useful while you're making decisions about your podcast.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

93: Consistency and Action are KEY for Profit | Nadia Finer

The Real Brian — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Brian has a lot of guests who talk about putting in a lot of hard work in order to seem like an overnight success; the true overnight success is a rare commodity, and something to neither hope or aim for in a realistic scenario. Managing our expectations going into a business venture means being prepared for a variety of possibilities, including for nothing to turn out the way you expect it to.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

92: 6 Figures a Year With a Podcast | Harry Campbell

The Real Brian — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This week on Profitcast, The Real Brian talks with Harry of The Rideshare Guy Blog and Podcast! Harry has a great story of transitioning from the life of an engineer for Boeing to a life of an Uber driver. That lifestyle change helped Harry to look beyond being a driver and start to see holes in available content and information for drivers, employed by such millions-of-dollars enterprises such as Uber and Lyft, and plug them with valuable resources. Now Harry and his team provides tips and strategies for drivers to earn more money by working smarter.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

91: Stop Looking At the Symptoms

The Real Brian — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 09:00:00 -0600

We've been told countless times that treating the symptoms, rather than the disease, will produce unpredictable results. Usually it won't produce the results we're hoping for, such as curing what ails us, but it may fool us into thinking we've solved the problem for a time.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

90: Unlocking Profit That’s Right in Front of You

The Real Brian — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to Profitcast! This week Brian goes solo, talking about a recent breakthrough he had that was long overdue. Since returning from Heroes & Villains Fan Fest in Chicago a couple weekends ago, Brian's been having some vocal chord issues. For a guy who's voice is strained he does a great job delivering his episode, but send him some happy thoughts anyway! We're all podcasters, we all can envision the panic that might come from losing our voice when our livelihood depends on it. Feel better, Brian!

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

89: SO Much Profit and How to Achieve it | Erica Duran

The Real Brian — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This week, Profitcast is excited to welcome Erica Duran, of The Erica Duran Show (Freedom Based Luxury Lifestyle Design Radio)! The Real Brian and Erica talk about strategies to employ when taking your business completely online and how to seek a balance amongst your assets and your resources. We want you to see that there is so much waiting to be profited from and give you some parameters on how to achieve it.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

88: What’s Holding You Back?

The Real Brian — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Our guest this week is no stranger to Profitcast! The Real Brian is joined by Profitcast’s first official dedicated sponsor, Jodey Smith, to return to the theme from episode 84 – How To Connect With an Influencer. The topic of discussion this week is What’s Holding You Back? The guys drill into the practical and psychological blockages we experience that hold us back from acting on what we know we need to do.

What’s Holding You Back?

Much of the discussion this week is a call-back to the points Brian raised in episode 84; influencers have a constant flux of people seeking after their adivce and time and carry with their personage a certain level of celebrity which makes them not only sough after, but held at a higher honor in society and in our own minds. For someone like Brian, who’s livelihood and ambitions are very people-facing, overcoming obstacles that affect confidence and presentation are vital. The examples Brian gives in this episode do a great job of illustrating how these obstacles holding him back create more obstacles. What holds us back can perpetuate more deeper issues that continue to hold us back.

Using some tips he’s picked up from Stop Chasing Influencers (Kimanzi Constable & Jared Easley), Jodey brings a new dimension to the conversation surrounding mental roadblocks and helps provoke a conversation about actional setps toward facing those roadblocks.

The one insight I have to provide, in regard to overcoming roadblocks, is in the literal sense of the term. In Minnesota we often say that we have 2 seasons: winter and construction. Construction is rampant everywhere, not just in Minnesota, because of the nature of our world. Everything decays. The second law of thermodynamics states that the universe tends toward high entropy (left alone, closed systems tend toward disorder). Construction, therefore, is a necessary side effect of a desire to sustain our current civilization and, as such, will create situations which require us to re-route.

Taking detours or a different route in order to avoid construction-spawned traffic doesn’t prevent us from reaching our destination, but it does present challenges that delay us in reaching our destination. Sometimes the challenge is time (it takes longer), sometimes the challenge is frustration (the headache of slow-moving car build-ups, poor merging and angry drivers).

On the bright side, the roadblocks and detours that come up in our professional lives have a greater chance of providing meaningful value in our various pursuits. They make us more resilient, better prepared, more knowledgable, and work toward building our confidence and aptitude. However, if we attack them in the wrong state of mind they can become like construction roadblocks; they can last for a really long time and do nothing but frustrate us, day after day, swallowing us into the darkness of despair.

Don’t let the roadblocks you face become like construction detours! Recruit a trustred friend to help you work through some of the mental roadblocks you face; seek professional assitance when your technical problems are impeding your forward progress; take courses or read a book when you face abstract questions about the future. There are so many resources at your disposal, don’t be afraid to utilize them!

Links!

Stop Chasing Influencers by Kimanzi Constable & Jared Easley
Profitcast Patreon

87: Extreme Hustle and Fast Profit | Rich, The Armchair Ninja

The Real Brian — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This week on Profitcast, The Real Brian recruites Rich from the Armchair Ninja Podcast to learn how his extreme hustle turned into fast profit. Careful research helped Rich target a niche that lacked a podcast community and fill a need. Through an anthropological immersion into that culture, Rich has found untapped potential nearly everywhere he looks.

Once again, I will leave Rich and Brian to relate the story of Armchair Ninja’s origin and development. It’s the anthropological immersion that I want to target in my blog post. Where anthropology is the study of humanity, cultural anthropology is a focused discipline studying the cultural variations among humans. We can only understand, sympathize, aide and learn from cultures other than our own when we’ve totally immersed ourselves in that culture. From the outside looking in, we interpret rituals incorrectly; we misunderstand language or colloquialisms; we offend, insult, or dishonor by the insensitivity of offering inadequate, uneducated assistance. Without knowing the culture into which we enter, we run the risk of being rejected and failing at our aims.

Knowing and loving podcasts, Rich knew this to be true. He knew it’d be hard to break into a realm that was already saturated with podcasts. So he took some time to examine his options, his capabilities, and his interests, then immersed himself. It was, as they say, an excellent use of the participant observation methodology.

Based largely on Rich’s approach, I’ve compiled a series of areas that are worth understanding before crashing a niche and starting a podcast.

Classification of Interest

Rather than just identifying the genre of your topic, get to know the interest surrounding that topic will also be of valuable aide as you develop a podcast. Consider the process of classifying: elements become metals and nonmetals; crimes become infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies; biological organisms are organized into kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.

Just because your topic might be a television show or a hobby doesn’t mean it’s isolate to that genre. Rich freely admits that he’s not athletic, and yet American Ninja Warrior is an action-packed athletic competition. He isn’t able to offer a personal expertise in training and nutrition, but because of the range of interests that are available under the platform of a television competition he doesn’t need to rely on personal expertise.

So classify the interest and develop a driving purpose for your podcast.

Resources

One of my favorite board games is Settlers of Catan. Briefly: the basic objective of the game is to gather the resources required for building roads, cities and settlements. This is accomplished by purchasing building materials through resource cards collected on each turn based on the roll of the dice and the placement of roads, cities and settlements. Every game is unique because the board can be laid out in hundreds of different patterns, which makes certain resources more valuable in one game over another, certain resources more abundant in one game over another.

The diversity of play makes Catan fun, but more to my point in describing this game, the diversity is what makes each round of the game actually a game and not, for example, a puzzle. A puzzle has a picture, a set amount of pieces, and pieces that remain the same size and shape each time they’re dumped out of their box. Catan is fun because you need to observe, strategize, and execute decisions based on a fluctuating set of variables within a given paradigm.

The ongoing challenge of every podcaster is to understand what their resources are at any given point in time. I started thinking about each topic that a podcaster could target, like Arrow, for example, as it’s own unique Catan layout. Depending on the angle that podcast takes, they require a variety of resources in order to build their roads and cities… or, to translate, a variety of resources in order to cater to their audience. As an Arrow podcast, we could choose to do a podcast about the show only, about the relevant comic stories or characters that each episode is centered around, about the production style or make-up and costume design, etc. Each of these angles requires a different set of resources because each angle targets a different sub-genre. One angle might acquire resources like actors; one angle might acquire comic book collectors, artists and writers; one might acquire resources like a production team.

What doesn’t help in Catan is collecting resources that will do you no good. Having an abundance of one resource doesn’t make you wealthy; having a good balance of what you need at any given point in time will enable you to steadily build your settlement.

Community Development

Each week we hear from a podcaster who has a very unique experience in community development. While there are exceptions, loyal listenership is often a direct result of community building. The exceptions usually come in the form of an existing community, either an established individual launching a podcast or something of the like, but as it is a rare occurrence, and unlikely that if you are reading this that you fall into that category, I am not speaking to those exceptions.

Find your people. When you don’t have a pre-existing listener base, it’s hard to know where to begin, right? “Find your people” is easier said than done. Rich didn’t just go after Twitter followers, he sought out multiple types of communities based on the context of his interest. For Arrow Squad, Brian and I have attended different conventions in addition to social media because we’ve both experienced how awesome it is to meet fellow podcast listeners in person. I, for one, attended Golden Spiral Media’s Fringe party in Oklahoma City a couple years ago and have been tremendously blessed by the community that has developed and endured, in spite of Fringe’s end.

Community development is not unlike Catan either! We are in a perpetual state of development, sometimes doing it ourselves, sometimes having the benefit of an enthusiastic listener base who is eager to promote our podcast. Look for community in unconventional places, as well, because like Brian has been saying… there is still a very large subset of Earth’s population who have no idea what podcasts are or what entertainment/education they can provide!

Links!

86: Podcast Hosting Business Update | Jason Bryant

The Real Brian — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This week on Profitcast, The Real Brian reconnects with Jason Bryant whom we first spoke with in episode 33 – A Different Way to Monetize Your Podcast. Jason gives us an update on how his business of hosting podcasts for other organizations is going! Jason has seen much success in the last year and graciously offers up many of his observations from what he believes has made him successful.

There are two big takeaways that I want to draw focus to in the discussion Brian and Jason have. The first is, once again, the power of niche; the second is patience.

We’ve been talking for months and months about how a niche can serve a podcaster well. Covering a topic no one else covers or doing something in the way no one else does it helps us to stand out from the crowd. Instead of being Waldo (from Where’s Waldo?), we have a chance to become the free spirit amongst all the uniforms. It’s not about following a list of criteria to have a podcast, it’s about owning it, making it unique and making it your own, and not conforming to the patterns that everyone else has adopted.

Niche can be broken down in two ways, and I love what these guys talk about so I’m not going to go into great detail. When it comes to hosting podcasts for businesses, it’s helpful to either have expertise, as Jason does, or a methodology, as Brian does. Jason has the corner on wrestling, and Brian’s strength is being able to interview in such a way that provides value to basically any business. Both of them have found a niche, though. Both have somewhat narrow potential customer bases, and will likely never see any overlap, but there is a need for both niches.

And that’s where the second takeaway comes in. Patience is tough, especially when money is low and discouragement is high. Jason makes the great point, though, that seeds need to be sown before plants can sprout. If you’re serious about hosting podcasts for businesses, it’s essential to sow the seeds. This can, unfortunately, be the most tedious component of finding business, and sometimes the most unfruitful. But without seeds, nothing can grow.

After the seeds are planted, that’s when patience comes in. A business might not be ready to make a decision when you’ve first proposed the venture, but perhaps six to twelve months down the road they’ll have had a chance to evaluate and reconsider. So after you’ve planted some seeds, circle back around after some time and see where they’re at! And if you keep that cycle going, keep the ground warm and watered and cultivate your connections, you will see plant life begin to develop.

Check out all of the cool stuff Jason is up to now by using the links below! I don’t want to spoil too much, but I will hint that he’s got something big coming up… This Summer… that has to do with Brazil and wrestling…

Links!

85: THE Formula for Profit

The Real Brian — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:00:00 -0600

THE Formula for Profit

So it’s not really a math formula, per se, but it IS something I’ve been researching, observing, formulating, and then LIGHT-BULBING once I realized a commonality across all successful podcasters and entrepreneurs!

YEAH!

Naturally, I have to share it with you. :)

The interesting part of this is that some of this is commonly talked about across the board as a strategy to grow and monetize your podcast. But here’s the thing: putting all of these strategies together is what, I believe, creates success and profit. I don’t believe most teach all of these things in THIS way.

The other surprising thing is when I ask successful podcasters how they became successful and profited and the response is:

“I don’t know.”

This answer is much more common than you might think.

So here’s the formula I think is the key:

Pain/problem that WE have – personal connection
Pain/problem we can also solve – knowledge and ability and drive
Passion for that topic (is it something we actually WANT to find a solution for, help others with, etc.)
Avatar WANTS and knows they NEED a solution
Avatar WILLING to “pay” for that solution
Able to differentiate yourself with your solution/dominate your niche

Listen in for the expanded discussion!

Links!

84: How to Connect with an Influencer

The Real Brian — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 09:00:00 -0600

How To Connect With An Influencer

People skills are one of the most vital aspects to any business. Unless you are an assassin who receives targets via encrypted codes and payments via automatic transfers, dealing with people is just part of the way the world goes round. However, there are people skills, and then there are influencer skills, and this week’s Profitcast topic is cenetered around finding and engaging influencers.

An influencer, according to the article Brian cites as his inspiration for this topic, is someone who calls the shots, leads people with their mind, sees and does things that others cannot or will not, and have what it takes to succeed and lead. Every one of us looks to a different subset of influencers, and Brian uses the cast of Arrow at Heroes and Villains as his example. As you listen to Brian’s experience and advice, consider it through the lens of whomever you’d most like to connect with in order to enrich the content you provide.

I think one of the most important tips Brian brings to the table is this idea of recognizing that influencers have a constant influx of people like us seeking advice and time. It relates to his observations at Podcast Movement, in which someone he meets hands him a business card and starts rattling off their podcast venture and/or business without knowing the person with whom they are talking. It’s unhelpful, a waste of time, and provides little value to either member of the conversation. I have an analogy that helped me to think about the relationship between myself and an influencer in a more pragmatic way.

The value of a gear doesn’t come from its independent movement in proximity to another gear. Two gears rotating without intersecting have, in fact, no value whatsoever. There is energy expended, but no work gets done. Value comes when two gears work together in order to alter the relation between the speed of a driving mechanism (i.e. the pedals of a bike) and the speed of the driven parts (i.e. a bike wheel). Whether you want to say the influencer is the wheel or the pedal of a bike, therefore, is wholly dependent on the story, but it works in either direction. The point being: one action produces a result for the other, but without the intersecting teeth rotating at inverse directions… the effort is meaningless.

None of us are scared of doing the work required to be the torque which operates a gear. If we were scared, we wouldn’t be engaged in this conversation. We’re driven by our passion and want to surround ourselves with people who will push us to the extraordinary! While I’m not as extroverted and gung-ho as Brian is about interviewing actors from Arrow, I still see tremendous value in providing these types of relationships to the listeners of Arrow Squad. But Brian makes a great point: if we can’t offer value to actors and actresses, we can’t really expect them to be lasting influencers for our podcast. It takes more than just being an interesting, engaging or funny person to make an impact in the life of an influencer. We must provide value.

To return briefly to my gear analogy, there is an interesting relationship between two gears of different sizes. When two gears mesh, and one is smaller than the other, the observations we can make with our eyes will reveal that the large gear will produce more torque while the small gear is required to move faster than the large one. The analogous symbiotic relationship is extremely fascinating to me because the amount of work each cog does is actually relative to its size. The speed at which the larger and smaller cog rotate are proportionally identical; meaning, the speed to size ratio is the same.

If you and I are the small cogs in this analogy, and the influencer is the larger cog, then this observation is important for two reasons:

It may seem like we are doing a lot of work just to build or maintain a relationship with an influencer, but because we are the smaller cog, the system requires us to move at a faster speed in order to capitalize on the torque of the larger cog.
We may not be the only cog meshing with the larger cog; in order for us to stay functional and not prevent the whole system from collapsing, we must continue at the speed dictated by the larger cog.

In both cases, if we are not seeing the results of effort exerted, then there is a breakdown in the system and it is not a mutally beneficial relationship. As Brian says, it’s important to make sure you and your influencer fit, and you’re not just entering into a relationship because you think it will accelerate you forward. Why pedal a bike if you want to stay at home? Ha, does that work? Don’t answer that question if you’re into that whole stationary bike workout…

Links!

How to contact influencers who can support your work (Everyday Power Blog)
Jodey Smith
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Profitcast Patreon

83: Level Up Your Life and Podcast | Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness

The Real Brian — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 09:00:00 -0600

This week on Profitcast we welcome Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness! In spite of the fact Steve does not utilize the audio medium in his business, he is the perfect example of how to find success by following a passion, niching down, and going hard after something you believe in. Nerd Fitness was conceived in 2009 after Steve made every training mistake known to man and saw zero return for his efforts. As both a guy who wanted to be healthy and a self-proclaimed uber nerd, he wanted a means for others like him to achieve their fitness goals without being intimidated by the culture common to many gyms and fitness centers.

Steve’s origin story will resonate well with many of us, and be equally as encouraging. He started down the path of doing it like everyone else and trying to reproduce what’d already been done. Unsurprisingly, he found that he wasn’t differentiating himself from the crowd. He wasn’t being true to himself. One of the most discouraging obstacles we encounter, either as a creative type or as an entrpreneur, is the dichotomy of knowing we have good bait (a quality product, topic, or concept) and not getting the degree of nibbling we were expecting.

The good news is we have a very customizable alternatives working at our craft which a fisherman does not. While there is undoubtedly skill involved in fishing, a fisherman cannot build a lasting relationship with the fish he seeks to capture. Once that fish is caught, it (usually) does not stick around for more than to be sliced and diced. (Fish are caught to be consumed, and I do not approve of any other type of fishing.) But our listeners, our community, they are not like fish. We want them to stick around.

I’ve used a fishing analogy before, I know, and I hope that you will humor me once again because I rather like the various components that arise when comparing anything to fishing. At its core, fishing can seem like a passive activity. Boring. Sit and wait for the fish to come to you. And perhaps, sometimes, that really is all a fisherman can do; at the end of the day, it’s the fish’s choice to take a bite. But I’d argue that the good fisherman, the ones committed to their craft, learn about their lure, their bait, their target fish and how it relates to the weather, to the environment and other similar factors before they get into the boat. Like any hobby, some days everything comes together and works to our advantage, some days we miss the mark; but we know there is that potential before we even venture out. A fisherman learns what he can and makes decisions based off that knowledge in order to create the best possible outcome during his outing, and likewise, we can make decisions that will give us the best advantage in our own craft.

Needless to say, there are two glaring things separating us dramatically from fishermen (wait, just two?!). These are highlighted well by Steve and Brian in this episode and it is what makes our hobby truly exciting.

1) We deal with people.

WHOA! I know, mind blown. Different fish might have different preferences, but fish do not have personalities in the way humans do. They’re not going to reject a lure because it was too green or they didn’t like the personality of the fisherman. We deal with real people who won’t be fooled by thestatus quo. Like Steve, we can’t be afraid to be different, to go in a different direction than our competition; to take risks that haven’t been taken; to pave new roads to new heights. But, most importantly, we can’t neglect the human component. People are relational and individualistic, and what we provide to them is as much about them as it is about our passion.

One thing that stands out to me about Steve’s business is that he developed this paradigm of coupling his nerdiness with his love of fitness to appeal to a very unique subset of people, but he doesn’t rely on that format alone to carry him through to lasting success or to build up his clientele. He sought out the needs of the people who came to him so that he might be able to provide them with quality advice and guidance.

2) We care about retention.

We aren’t casting tasty morsels out into the lake to attract fish, either to toss them back in or consume them. We’re looking for a fiercely loyal community. Before the Nerd Fitness Academy, Steve’s main mode of communicating with his audience was through blogging. When he realized that people weren’t picking up what he was laying down, he looked for ways to fix that. In the podcast, Steve cites Adam Baker’s article, How to NOT Suck At Blogging as extremely helpful. But he didn’t just consume that article and do everything it said, he took it to heart and assessed what changes he could make without sacrificing his personality in his writing.

We often use the idiom, “cannot see the forest for the trees,” to refer to someone who is too immersed in the details to see the big picture. Well, retention, in my own opinion, requires the exact opposite. It’s dangerous to look at the numbers of our podcast (or blog posts) and just see a forest. A thin forest, an unhealthy forest; a big forest, a luscious forest. When we don’t see the trees in the forest, it’s like we’re too focused on the big picture and forget that it takes invested individuals to create that fiercely loyal community we desire.

All the articles and links that Brian and Steve talked about in this week’s podcast are below! Go check out Steve’s book and consider taking that step to level up your life!

Links!

Nerd Fitness
Level Up Your Life by Steve Kamb
279 Days to Overnight Success by Chris Guillebeau
How to NOT Suck At Blogging by Adam Baker
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Profitcast Patreon

82: ROCK Your #1 Goal in 100 Days | John Lee Dumas

The Real Brian — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 09:00:00 -0600

We are nearly 1/12th of the way through the Year of Profit, still well inside Q1 of 2016, but it’s never too late to set goals. And that’s what we’re focusing on this week… setting goals. The Real Brian and John Lee Dumas team up to talk about John’s upcoming Freedom Journal release (see links below) and how we can ALL rock a goal in 100 days.

Smart Goals

Every company I’ve worked for has done goals differently. It’s an area I’ve struggled in, because even though I’m forward-thinking, I don’t like failing! I also do not like being bound to something out of obligation, and goals have always felt, to me, like a binding that holds me to straining after something too specific. Instead, my philosophy has always been: work hard, respect and honor authority, respond to constructive feedback through an intent to improve, and keep reaching higher.

As a result, I’ve simply made myself scared to set goals. And that is not good. The company I work for now is all about the future; we build and maintain a series of web applications that measure workforce intensity by providing talent analytics and employee measurement through a variety of surveying techniques. There is something to be said about knowing my own place within a company’s paradigm by also knowing where I fit in and how I contribute to the overall goals of the company.

SMART is a mnemonic device for remembering a set of criteria that enables a person, or group of people, to establish objectives. Most commonly, the letters stand for the following: Specific Measurable Assignable Realistic Time-related

I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that the factor which contributes most to my inability to move forward on a project is a high degree of generalities, and that the best way for me to make progress on a project is to break those down into specifics. One of the excuses I’ve used a lot in setting bad goals, or unspecific and immeasurable goals, is that my occupation doesn’t really fit well into about 60 percent of the SMART criteria.

As an application developer, my goals, at large, are to 1) write quality code that 2) produces as few bugs as possible while 3) helping to iteratively move development cycles forward. Naturally, my first ideas for goals are… 1) Code better. 2) Produce fewer bugs. 3) Get my work done efficiently and quickly. But these aren’t specific, and as they currently read are really not measurable.

After some conversations with my manager, I came up with several goals that took the focus away from me specifically (I did write a few that were career-oriented goals) and instead focused on my role in the whole process. One goal, targeting the write fewer bugs idea, was scheduling code reviews with my peers and then providing a live demonstration to the quality analysts for each feature development. Two things I might not even have thought of being measurable goals ended up not only being measurable, but extraordinarily realistic. I’d say that goal itself hits about 95 percent of what SMART aims to target. The remaining 5 percent is sort of due to the fact that this is an on-going goal, something that isn’t necessarily accomplished and crossed off a list, but in the course of completing it I move myself toward the other goals on my list at a faster pace. Implementing a practice of code reviews and demos enables me to write more efficiently and produce fewer bugs because I’ve had to live-demo the functionality before it goes into the next stage of testing.

If you’re like me and struggle with the setting of goals, or are intimidated by the prospect of finding goals specific enough to measure and accomplish, I really think the Freedom Journal is going to be something you find useful. In addition to helping to form a goal, the John’s process will also help you to incrementally move toward accomplishing a goal by breaking it down into manageable pieces. Check it out! The links to the Kickstarter campaign and the EOFire page are below.

Links!

Learn more about the Freedom Journal
Entrepreneur on Fire
Sign up for a free trial with Audiobooks.com!
Profitcast Patreon

81: Inside the Mind of a Sponsor | Jodey Smith

The Real Brian — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to Profitcast! We’re excited to share this installment of the podcast with you because it features Profitcast’s very first sponsor, Jodey Smith! Since we leave no rocks unturned here at Profitcast, Brian decided that rather just announcing a new, and a first, sponsor, that he’d actually bring Jodey on to discuss the how and why and what for prompting him to come alongside Brian financially.

We get inside the mind of a sponsor this week and hope it will encourage you on both sides of the coin, to both consider supporting a podcast financially and also to think about partnership in a different way.

Jodey describes his means and motivation for becoming Profitcast’s first sponsor on this episode, but I will leave it up to your eager ears to absorb those details because they’re so much better coming from the mouth of the man himself. I actually had the privilege of meeting Jodey just this past September when Brian and I were in Atlanta for DragonCon. Golden Spiral Media organized a quasi-traditional meet up at a restaurant in Atlanta and Jodey drove down from Gainesville to join in the fun. Though our paths never crossed during our time at TV Talk, I do remember his name getting thrown about, but mostly I knew his name from Brian. At that dinner in Atlanta I got to experience first hand Jodey’s depth of knowledge both in podcasting and web development, as we shared many common interests and found it incredibly easy to converse over these shared interests! I will admit, though, while he and Brian prefer Gold Rush, I am more of a Dual Survival fan myself. But preferences are what make the world go ‘round, right? I don’t hold it against either of them.

Jodey offers a pretty straight forward service: podcast launch coach. From what I’ve heard, the service primarily comes in two forms: either a done-with-you service or a tell-me-what-I-did-wrong service, both of which are highly recommended from a wide assortment of podcasters. Sometimes the hardest part about podcasting is just getting to the point where you can do what you do best (and for many of you that is getting behind the microphone), and Jodey provides a service that doesn’t necessarily alleviate the need to go through that initial process, but creates a structured and methodical environment for that process to occur in a way that alleviates stress.

So this week we’re pointing you at Jodey and the service he provides! A huge thank-you to Jodey for sponsoring Profitcast and we will continue to remind you week in and week out about his services. Please check out his website, jodeysmith.com and contact him there. If you’re interested in being like Jodey and sponsoring Profitcast, please get in touch with Brian! The easiest method is to send him an email (brian@profitcastuniverse.com).

Links!

80: 3 CRITICAL things to MASTER | Dave Jackson of School of Podcasting

The Real Brian — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 09:00:00 -0600

Mastering a craft is a lifelong journey, a journey we welcome here at Profitcast with open arms! While most professions and career paths have varying degrees of mastery, entrepreneurs and creative types often have a more difficult time qualifying mastery due to the often subjective nature of our skills and the impact society has on the value of those skills.

Trades like operating a switchboard or doing data entry or door-to-door sales are outdated, but the core concepts of those trades are not. Skills like thinking on your feet, attention to detail, and interpersonal communication are prevalent in these outdated jobs that can be honed and applied elsewhere once a trade becomes irrelevant. But when we’ve managed to convince ourselves that the trade we once thrived in, and is now deprecated, was our only means of maintaining a livelihood, we’ve fallen into a poverty mindset.

In this week’s episode of Profitcast, The Real Brian and Dave Jackson have an important discussion about some potentially uncomfortable, but entirely necessary, critical things to master. I am of the belief that our culture, abundant in its Puritanical roots, has made it unnecessarily difficult to talk about subjects like worth and value, particularly when trying to be objective about ourselves, because of a historical emphasis on praising humility and shunning pride. While it is certainly admirable to be humble, and less admirable to be prideful, the behaviors resulting from striving for being more of one and less of the other has created an incredibly large rift between objectivity and honesty. We think we are being honest with ourselves when we are more critical, when in fact our objectivity is skewed by the culture through which we filter our perceptions.

When it comes to our own livelihood, our own passion and our own objectives, it is our prerogative to do an honest skills assessment and self-evaluation, not just through our own lens but also through the lens of trusted colleagues and friends. This means not devaluing our own experience, whether it is through a facade of humility or a misunderstanding of our own skill sets.

The company I worked for prior to the one I am currently working for had a very, very unique hiring process and I think it is worth outlining here briefly because it was the first time I felt I took an honest look at my own abilities and their value.

I performed three tasks for this hiring process: 1) Took a Kolbe Assessment (for a little more info on this, I wrote about it in episode 55). 2) Recorded an audible account of what I believe my top three skills/attributes were. 3) Asked 12 people close to me answer this question: “Please list and describe Emilee’s strengths.” And then discussed and coalesced their results to develop a sort of massive Venn diagram of how other people see me.

Personality assessment, self-evaluation and data-gathering. Individually they say different things; the assessment can explain why I do what I do; the audible self-evaluation forces me to articulate my perception of myself; and the data-gathering from people close to me forces me to see myself through the eyes of the people who should know me best.

I learned so much about myself through this process, but what was so critical to me was the fact that I found the courage and confidence to stop apologizing for being a certain way. What I wrote about in episode 55 was how I learned through my Kolbe assessment that I do not work well with generalities. This is only a weakness if I don’t know how to work within my comfort zone. If I continually pressure myself to strive for results without specifics, I will spend my days frustrated and anxious. But if I recognize that my immediate paradigm has too many generalities and work on breaking them down into specifics, I find that the pressure alleviates and I not only complete my work faster, but better.

If you’ve been sucked into the poverty mindset, or the self-destructive mindset of worthlessness or unrecognized value, I challenge you to find a way out of it. Brian and Dave give some excellent tips to objectively, and realistically, look at your own “avatar” so that you understand your true value. Don’t be afraid to set goals that seem high, as long as you’re willing to do the work necessary to get yourself there.

Brian and David use musical metaphors throughout the podcast, but I’m Minnesotan…and Minnesotans like their rifles and guns, so I’m going to leave you with a shooting metaphor. One of my favorite quotes comes from one of my favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau: “In the long run, men only hit what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high.” Ironically, Thoreau was a pacifist, but I’m not talking about war or resistance to civil government here. I’m talking about yelling “Pull!”, looking through the scope of a rifle, and following the clay pigeon as it soars into the sky before shattering it a hundred yards in the air with a .22. It is highly satisfying when the combination of instinct, coordination, and subtle understanding of physics and aerodynamics to come together and annihilate a clay pigeon. And that satisfaction can be achieved in all walks of life… but it takes practice, commitment, and a willingness to learn.

Links!

79: Sometimes An Episode Just Isn’t Worth Releasing

The Real Brian — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 09:00:00 -0600

”It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

This quote has a very interesting history of attributions over the centuries. From ancient philosophers to Abraham Lincoln to Mark Twain, no one is absolutely sure who said it first! It comes, no doubt, from the oldest text of them all, Proverbs of the Hebrew Bible. Proverbs 17:28 says: “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

As podcasters, keeping our mouths closed seems counterintuitive. How can keeping silent help me when my hobby/livelihood/passion revolves around people listening to what I have to say? I think Brian gets it right in this episode! Sometimes an episode just isn’t worth releasing. And it’s not because you are worthless or you never have something worthwhile to say, but that sometimes… one day, one recording, or one moment moment, whatever intention you had just didn’t come together as expected.

Instead of forcing it, instead of trying to force that square peg into a round hole, consider easing off. This is a technique I use in my yoga practice a lot, actually. Some days I am bursting with energy and I can feel the movement lead me into a rejuvenating workout. Other days I am fatigued and exhausted and I just cannot fit myself into a pose that I normally do every day. Much of yoga’s value comes from my own acknowledgement of how I feel while practicing and then making the adjustments necessary to match that feeling. It isn’t about forcing every pose and every stretch, striving for the far limits of my flexibility and strength. Sometimes I have to back off and ease up.

So maybe it seems counterintuitive to turn off the mic, but it’s no less counterintuitive than holding back an angry retort, knowing you’ll regret saying it later, or choosing to take the high ground when someone else is choosing to be petty. We deal in words, a property that cannot be taken back once released; a property with the power to build up or tear down, to encourage or demoralize.

Think of this episode as permission to let go when it’s just not coming together. Give yourself a pass instead of beating yourself up! And with that, I will leave you with the words of one Thomas Jefferson: “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”

Links!

78: Essential WordPress Plugins for Your Podcast | John Overall

The Real Brian — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Holy plugin toy box, Batman! According to WordPress.org, right now there are 42,080 plugins. Sometimes, numbers like that can be intimidating, but I like to think of it similar to online dating. There is a very large pool of individuals who are all registered at a specific service, and yet only a few at any point will be matched to another profile based on the criteria they’ve specified. Just like with a life partner, it’s essential to know what you’re getting with a WordPress plugin… so be picky!

As it turns out, this week’s Profitcast delves into a topic I have a little bit of expertise in! By day I am a application developer, and though I haven’t built any WordPress plugins, I did build a couple modules for DNN and can say from experience that the more you know, the better. Brian chats with John Overall of the WP Plugins A to Z Podcast for a rather unusual, but nonetheless useful, episode. We spend a lot of time talking about production quality, content value and techniques for marketing, but not a whole lot of time considering the other aspects to a podcast.

There will be folks on both sides of the you-have-to-have-a-website argument. Just two weeks ago, Glenn told us that he never visits the website of a podcast he listens to. Why? The podcast is there so he doesn’t have to sit down and stare at a screen. While this is a valid point, there are many reasons to have a web presence, particularly if your podcast topic is something that necessitates a website. But more than that, it simply increases the visibility of your podcast.

With that in mind, it can be very intimidating to look at all the components required to set up a website. Domain, web host, CMS (i.e. WordPress, DNN, Drupal, Joomla), security, users… And then, when WordPress is installed and you’re staring at the default theme with the default text and the default headers, you think, now what?

John provides some excellent advice for weeding through plugins, and I’d like to bring up a few here and provide a little commentary to help encourage your efforts in creating a web presence.

Map It Out This is great advice from John, and something I always start with when designing a website for a new client. Every website is unique because it has to fulfill a unique need, so don’t jump into a new WordPress site figuring that you’ll orient your content around the plugins you choose.

Start with your content, sketch or outline the structure of your website, and consider how you want to display each aspect of your content. Once you have the needs in mind, then you can start looking for plugins that will help facilitate those needs.

Read the Comments …with a grain of salt. Smart online shoppers read and interpret reviews of products. How often will a user give a product 1 star because they ordered the wrong size or color? And how often will a user give a product 5 stars because “it arrived on time”? No, we’re looking for the reviews of users who’ve received the product and wore it or used it and have something to say about their expectations and the quality of the product.

Side note: I’ll admit that I sometimes just read Amazon reviews for the heck of it. My favorites are the ones that start off like this: “I bought this for my boyfriend for our 1 year anniversary because I didn’t get him anything on our six month and he got something for me!! He’s so sweet and kind and caring and I wanted to do something nice for him….”

Read the Manual Every new toy I get, whether it’s my awesome new Cassini telescope or my JBL Flip speaker, I read the manual cover to cover. Sometimes it’s a total waste, but more often than not I learn something very valuable that enables me to do something right the first time. Before downloading a new plugin, read the documentation that the developer has made available. In addition to being aware of the extent of that plugin’s capabilities, you’ll also learn a little bit about the developer and what you can expect from the future of that plugin.

One of the biggest red flags for me as I look into new plugins is whether the developer can even modestly articulate the functionality of their plugin. Popular ones like Jetpack and Akismet seem to have someone devoted to writing their documentation, but some of the more obscure plugins that do more obscure work can be, as I like to say, iffy. While it doesn’t necessarily mean I write them off for not being able to explain what their product does, it may be indicative of the help they will be able to provide to you or even the intuitiveness of the product itself.

Also, these manuals will tell you exactly how to install the plugin, whether it has any dependencies, and which versions of WordPress it is compatible with. All very important things!

John has a ton of great suggestions for us this week! If you’re struggling with plugins, this is definitely one of those episodes that you need to listen to twice, and maybe the second time while you’re sitting at your desk, or at least have a pen and paper handy. A huge thanks to John! Be sure to check out his website and podcast. All the links mentioned in the show can be found below.

Links!

77: How To Leverage Your Community | Paul Sating

The Real Brian — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 09:00:00 -0600

“Nothing says Christmas like Die Hard.” Hashtag Overhead on Profitcast. It’s appropriate, as this is the week of Christmas. A very Merry Christmas from Brian and myself, and for whichever holiday you observe this time of year: [insert celebratory salutation]! Thank you for joining us this week on Profitcast as The Real Brian chats up Paul Sating, of The Q and Atheist Apocalypse, who offers up advice to leverage your community, talks about his process in re-branding, and what a good old mirror-check did for him!

Re-Branding

This week on Profitcast, the conversation goes into several aspects of podcasting we haven’t delved into much. We’ve talked about branding, about community, and the importance of social networking, but Paul has a unique story to Profitcast that speaks more to the persistence of our podcasting presence rather than the emergence of it. Through Paul’s experiences, it’s both encouraging and gratifying to learn that making good decisions early on can enable necessary and/or unforeseen transitions in the future.

Paul is totally a passion podcaster. Like Brian, he has a passion for getting behind the mic and talking about stuff that interests him and benefits other people. He went through this very transformative period in his podcasting experience that made him take a good look at what he was doing, what he was getting out of what he was doing, and what he wanted to be doing and see where they aligned and missed one another.

Still in the early stages of re-branding his solo project, The Q , Paul is very excited about what it means for him personally. He got to that place with his previous podcast where doing it was a struggle all the time. He was faking it to make it, and that just didn’t fly. This was something he loved to do, right? Why was it such a struggle? Taking a step back, he reassessed, drew up a new plan, and re-branded.

Re-branding is not an easy thing to do, but sometimes it’s exactly the jumpstart we need to be reignited by our passion! What I love about Paul’s journey is that he knew where he wanted to go, knew he wasn’t in the right place, and not only admitted that to himself but also gave himself permission to course correct. He leveraged the community he’d already build to bring himself back to where he wanted to be.

We hope you got something out of this week’s interview! Keep in mind, it’s experiences like Paul’s that will make a Mastermind so valuable. The lessons Paul learned in re-branding are ones that could be shared with someone else in a similar situation, and we want to make Mastermind the platform for those connections to be made.

Check out Paul’s podcasts and give him a show him some love!

Links!

76: Breaking all the “Rules” to SUCCESS | Glenn the Geek of Horse Radio Network

The Real Brian — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 09:00:00 -0600

It is mid-December, here in real time as I write this blog post. I live and work in Minneapolis, MN, and I have for most of my nearly three decades of life. I have seen winters with the absolute worst snowstorms, I have been stuck in countless traffic jams originating from inadequate plowing and heavy precipitation. I have seen blizzards in mid-October and late-March. But I have never seen this much rainfall in December.

The Twin Cities is 10” below average snowfall this year, and instead of average temperatures around 11 degrees, we’re averaging temperatures just above freezing. It doesn’t feel like December, much less like Christmas is next week! While it’s depressing that my usually reliable state will not be delivering on a white Christmas, I’m liking the fact that I’m not stuck in traffic for 2 hours on each end of my work day.

The last month or so has been pretty busy in my life as my family prepares for my sister’s wedding at the beginning of January, and as such, I’ve been reflecting more on what I spend my time doing. I have been forced to cut out the fluff and do only those things that I have to do. I listen to a lot of podcasts, since my commute to and from work, on average, is about 25 – 40 minutes a leg. The three I have kept in my playlist in spite of my busyness share two very important things in common, which I believe are pretty central to the conversation Brian and special guest Glenn the Geek have on this week’s Profitcast!

The three podcasts I listen to on a weekly basis are RadioLab (which…isn’t released weekly), The Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, and Soccer Morning with Jason Davis (a daily morning show). I’m alerted by new episodes and within minutes I’m listening. They’re all different lengths, they’re all different genres, they’re all very unique. While RadioLab isn’t as “niched down” as we tend to emphasize podcasts need to be, it has a corner in storytelling that is nearly irreplaceable to me.

So what do these three podcasts have in common, you ask?

One. They entertain in order to inform, but in very different ways. They aren’t strictly entertainment podcasts, nor news podcasts. They have always been information via performance, but I didn’t really get what that meant to me until reflecting on this in the past week or so.

If you’ve never listened to RadioLab, their schtick is delivering complex stories about science and philosophy through an accessible method of storytelling and extremely imaginative audio production. Spending just 20-60 minutes with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, I can learn some of the most outstanding things about life.

Soccer Morning, on the other hand, utilizes a much more classic talk-show/radio approach, and the host, Jason, entertains through an assortment of invaluable interviews and live discussions with listeners. He’s knowledgeable and passionate and has a way of attracting other people who are passionate. Plus, it’s soccer. Passion is soccer’s middle name.

Lastly, but not leastly, is the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, which is the podcast I’ve been listening to the longest and the one that never disappoints. Marc Gunn somehow manages to put a show together every week that perfectly satiates my musical needs and my curiosity of celtic culture.

Information through entertainment. It is no secret that our culture is inundated with information all day long, and at the end of the day we need to fool people into learning. If someone sits down thinking, “Now, I have to spend time learning about XYZ.” there is an immediate shift in perspective, and an association made between the listener and the host that gradually commits them both to an unspoken obligation. But when we are able to lull someone into learning by distracting them from a tedious activity (i.e. my 30 minute commute 2x a day), we’ve successfully locked in a committed listener (and as a result, quit calling them listeners).

The irony is that even though I listen to these podcasts on a regular basis, I have zero involvement in any community surrounding them. Maybe slightly with the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, but nothing near the degree to which I’m involved in my own podcasts, for example.

Two. Consistency. With the slight exception of RadioLab’s approximate bi-monthly installments, these are the most doggone consistent podcasts. Soccer Morning airs live at the same time every day, Monday through Friday, and releases a special installment on Sundays. And I get an email basically every Monday afternoon that a new Irish and Celtic Music Podcast is available to me, with a personal note from Marc Gunn to all his supporters, detailing what I can expect coming up from the podcast and any changes he’s making or events he’s attending or shows he’s performing or trips he’s leading.

Someday, Marc, I will make it to one of your shows! I don’t think he reads these blog posts, of course, but he’s my Celtic hero.

Consistency is more important for Soccer Morning and The Irish and Celtic Music podcast than for RadioLab, simply due to the nature of NPR and that podcast’s success, but even between these two the consistency is different. Where Marc Gun utilizes Patreon pretty heavily with The Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, Soccer Morning is a network podcast that is part of a much larger business. The reasons for being consistent are very different.

I have a big takeaway from Brian and Glenn’s discussion as it relates to my observations about the podcasts I’m still listening to during this busy season. This takeaway comes at a perfect time because I’ve begun to get a little frustrated in my own podcasting experiences as it pertains to performance. I’ve always been really hard on myself for not being a great articulator. I don’t always feel confident in having to vocalize a thought, I’d much rather write it out. But this is something I can work on. Like with Brian and Addy’s idea for this Mastermind, I am capable of improving upon the way I present myself and perform behind the microphone.

We can’t ever conclude on why someone chooses to listen to our podcast. We hope it’s because we provide a product of quality, we hope it’s because we’re interesting and make information interesting. But we don’t ever really know why. Why does someone listen to Arrow Squad instead of the other dozen Arrow podcasts? Sometimes it’s simply an It factor. Or sometimes, like with Glenn, it’s a niche factor. But the why doesn’t matter in the end. When we’ve captured the attention of an audience, regardless of its size, it is our duty to always strive to get better at what we do. It is our duty to provide our listeners with quality content, with opportunities to get involved, with quality, passionate guests, with relevant information, with the ability to engage with us and for us to give back. Podcasting is reciprocal. There is just as much life force within our motivation to improve as there is in our community’s level of engagement.

Basically, we could all benefit from a Mastermind. A place that we’re not shy to ask hard or taboo questions. We’re not ashamed to struggle or to succeed, and are surrounded by others who can encourage us and mold our perspective. But, most importantly, a place where we go with the intention to fulfill the duty we have to our medium, to be performers consistently entering into the cycle of learning, practicing, and implementing.

Links!

75: How Passion Met Profit

The Real Brian — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 09:00:00 -0600

In the couple weeks since attending Heroes & Villains Fan Fest (HVFF) in San Jose, CA, I’ve shared a couple small stories about our experience at this con, but Brian made my job super easy this week because now I have the chance to share pictures and tell even more stories about that weekend. The first picture here is Brian and me, fawning over a mashup of two of our favorite things (click picture to expand). Half of what makes conventions so much fun for me, a modestly well-adjusted introvert, are the people I get to share the experience with. Being able to share this experience with Brian, and his wife Sarah, was so much fun; plus we got to hang out with a listener of Arrow Squad and Jason Cabassi, so I hardly thought about the fact that I was sharing air with tens of thousands of people.

But this post isn’t amount my introvertedness, no it is not. This post is about how much fun it was to see Brian on stage doing what he loves to do. Having been on this journey with Brian for a while now, listening to each episode of Profitcast in such a way as to provide a companion blog post, I just felt like I had a unique perspective on everything that was coming to a head as he took the stage Saturday and Sunday of HVFF. Some of the realizations Brian shared with me, as he’s sharing in this episode, but some of them were less about him and more about the conceptual idea of performers. Before I get into the conceptual idea of performers, I want to take a moment to draw focus to a couple things. Brian gets excited about weird stuff. Like getting on stage, standing in front of thousands of people, and having to think on his feet. He’s a weird dude, but I like him anyway. The “nerves” he gets before getting on stage are more akin to, say, Steph Curry before he gets on the basketball court… or being five years old and waking up at 6 a.m. on Christmas morning… or being 12 years old on a plane to Disney World. They aren’t nerves as we normal people might consider nervousness; it’s bristling excitement, it’s finding energy from anticipation, it’s looking forward to something.

I am a complete 180 degrees from him. If I was getting ready to go on stage in front of thousands of people, I’m just hoping I remember my own name, remember to breathe, and hopefully, how to walk. While I might be able to hold my own on a podcast, in the safety of my apartment and tucked behind a microphone, the paradigm of a live, in-person audience is another thing all together. And I think this is one of the coolest things I learned, personally, from this weekend. We’re not all supposed to be able to do what Brian did. We’re not all built to moderate panels and facilitate a discussion between fans and actors. It is just as important for me to recognize that this isn’t my sweet spot, it’s not something that excites me or energizes me, and to step aside so that other people can step in as it is for someone like Brian to realize that this is where his passion lies.

Arrow Squad has seen success largely in its community. We receive a lot of monetary support for a podcast of our size, I would guess, but certainly not enough for us all to, quote unquote, quit our day job. But it is a fan podcast, and Brian would likely agree that it is a hobby podcast. Because he stuck with this hobby podcast in spite of any scary financial situations and the uncertainty of where Profitcast would take him, he saw a tremendous pay off that weekend at HVFF.

Giving up is the only way to fail 100% of the time. It’s hard to see a result like this in the midst of emotional upheaval, and that is one of the reasons that Brian wants to start a Mastermind group. By developing a place where podcasters can go to seek advice, to receive encouragement, and learn about their craft, we can take advantage of a built in model that is less tangible in an industry such as ours. Curiosity breeds experience, experience breeds knowledge, and knowledge breeds more curiosity, three categories that we can exist in simultaneously. Three categories in which we can both want or need help, but also provide help. This brings me full circle to the conceptual idea of performers. Where I recognize that I am not built for being on stage in front of thousands of people, there most certainly are people, like Brian, who enjoy that sort of thing. He goes into detail about his experience on stage and what it means to him, but there are a couple major takeaways that we can all get out of his experience, whether you want to be on stage or not, and I think they all cry out for a place like a Mastermind:

1) Gain experience. Here are a couple cliches: “You’ll never know if you like it if you don’t try it.” “How do you know you don’t like asparagus if you’ve never tried it?” “You don’t know until you know.” Do you know any 4 year olds? The average 4 year old asks over 400 questions every day. From the day we’re born until the day public school has sufficiently squashed out our will to live, we taste everything, we touch everything, we stare, we test, we question. Keep doing!

2) Niche down! You’re going to get sick of hearing that, aren’t you? In all seriousness, though, use that experience gainer inside of you to decide what you really like and what you really want to do. You’re an adult now, so you can take #1 as far as you need to, being discerning about what you like and what you don’t like. I know that I do not like public speaking, but I do enjoy writing. And look! Here I am. Writing. You don’t have to do it all… do what you WANT to do!

3) Share! Share your experience, listen to other experiences. Grow, learn, give. Keep the circle going. Feed other podcasters.

What do you think about this Mastermind idea? Let us know! Until then, be like us and get some badges to HVFF, a good cup of coffee, and an awesome friend.

Links!

74: How to Grow and Monetize Your Podcast | Tom Woods

The Real Brian — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Happy December! Yes, in real time we are entering the month of December in 2015, so for those of you reading or listening to this 2,000 years in the future… here are a couple fun facts:

December 4 is International Free Hugs Day! Extroverts, go find an Introvert and make them uncomfortable. (December 4 is also National Cookie Day.)
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens comes out this month… 10 years after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and 32 years after the last quality Star Wars film was released.
The fastest growing demographic on Twitter is the 55-64 age range. (For you 4015 A.D. folks, hopefully you don’t know and don’t care what Twitter is.)
In the past 9 years, 7 people have died and 98 people have been injured on Black Friday from a shopping-related incident.

Now that you know all these wonderful facts, let’s introduce you to Brian’s chat buddy on this week’s Profitcast! Tom Woods, of the appropriately titled The Tom Woods Show, is an Ivy League educated political analyst, author and podcaster. In Tom’s situation, the podcast was not his original brainchild as we are most often accustomed to hearing about on Profitcast. The podcast came after Tom worked his butt off to build up his reputation as a leader in free-market thought and libertarian philosophy, politics and economics. The podcast came after he’d authored 11 books. But it did come, and for the last two plus years he’s put out 5 shows a week, every week, interviewing a vast array of political faces and analysts.

Because Tom’s story is different, having backed into podcasting after he’d written several books and made a name for himself, the experiences he’s had are very unique, at least in terms of the folks we’ve interviewed on Profitcast. Although it isn’t exclusively the case, I feel like usually we see this play out the other way around, at least, as I say, when it comes to Profitcast. We’ve studied the approach of a podcaster who built their audience base up from nothing or began by being a No Name in their niche, but we don’t often get to hear about how podcasts contribute to an existing image.

Being a free-market and libertarian podcaster, Tom is already pretty niched. But the spectrum of information and insight he can provide to his audience is still fairly broad. He experiences the ups and downs of discovering which topics resonate with his audience, which strike a nerve or which illicit interaction. He’s not afraid to try something new, but also not afraid to admit that the content of a certain episode may not be a direction his listeners are willing to follow him in.

There’s always a line, isn’t there? Between what we want to podcast about, what we’re passionate about, and what our listeners want. Brian and Tom have a great discussion about the various approaches we can take in addressing these concerns and even how to juggle what the results of our approach mean.

Personally, I love it when someone of Tom’s caliber and success can come on a show like Profitcast and talk about the importance of respect. Respecting a guest, respecting the audience, and respecting content are all pretty blurred lines, but they’re not as relative as we make them seem. The level of respect for a guest does not need to be dependent on content, or vice versa. Just because you’re speaking with someone very important to an industry, for example, doesn’t guarantee the content is going to be something your audience wants.

On the flight to San Jose, CA for Heroes & Villains, Brian and I had a really good discussion about our reputations as podcasters. Or, at least, the reputation we want to build. Rather than focusing on casting yourself in this perfect image that can attract the people that will help you move forward, whether that is an affiliate or an interviewee, we thought about it more as the persona we reflect on the air and off the air to the people we interact with. This is everyone from the affiliates and interviewees to the listeners themselves.

The conversation Brian and I had was more of a general discussion and agreement over the fact that it takes effort and commitment to be kind and genuine. It’s hard to take the high road when so many people are not. But what I really enjoyed about Tom’s perspective is to see that with his level of success, it is not only possible, but also, remarkably, part of the reputation he’s made for himself. It doesn’t have to do so much with modifying our level of tolerance for another person, whether we agree or disagree with another person should not affect our ability to respect them, but more so the willingness to enter into a discussion with the mindset of having a conversation or healthy debate about ideas rather than a contention about right and wrong.

The debaters I respect the most are the ones who can listen to their opponent and respond to specific points with a thoughtful response that isn’t attacking the other person, while still countering logic with a challenge. We don’t convince people of a certain truth by tearing down their self-esteem, but by revealing holes in their logic and providing an alternative way of thinking that replaces those holes with something we consider true.

In the course of establishing a community, this seems to be one of easiest ways to alienate, isolate, or build up a group of people. Either you can attract all of the people who want to be angry debaters and alienate anyone with a differing opinion, isolate yourself through an unwillingness to have open discussions, or build people up by molding a safe environment for listeners to be heard and contribute. At the end of the day, I want a reputation for being that podcaster who provides her listeners with a place they can come to, in safety, and expression opinions and viewpoints.

This is just a small piece of what Brian and Tom talk about this week. I kind of took this idea and ran with it because it was encouraging for me to hear such a sound philosophy on debate from a political podcaster. I know political podcasting is different from, say, Talk Radio, which I’m more accustomed to (the likes of Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck, who, in my opinion, are more conversational than most talk radio hosts), but politics seem to bring out the worst sides of people. It’s what they say about family gatherings over the holidays, right? Avoid religion and politics. But it shouldn’t have to be that way! There are very few venues in which a person can actually feel comfortable expressing political viewpoints without the fear of being attacked, or with some degree of comfort in knowing their question will be answered considerately.

From what I’ve listened to of The Tom Woods show, I think this podcast is a perfect example of how that atmosphere of safety can be built up and perpetuated. It’s not about controlling content… but about controlling oneself. Being the respect you want to see from others.

Links!

73: How to Work for $5,000 Per Hour | Rob Slee

The Real Brian — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 09:00:00 -0600

To our American listeners, Happy Thanksgiving! To our non-American listeners, we are so thankful for you and the support you provide simply by listening and participating in the Profitcast community. Thankfulness is a hot topic this week in the States, and even though Brian has been reminding us to be thankful on a daily basis, because it’s a good and healthy practice, it’s always incredibly meaningful to me when everyone in this country takes an entire day to celebrate being thankful.

Many American movies centered around the holidays like to almost glorify the troubled or comedic nature of family gatherings over Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s represented as the only times of the year when all the family gets together; when the mom and dad with the five homeschooled kids drive to the East Coast where their kids are subsequently exposed to the wild and unbridled nature of the unsupervised public school children of the 80-hour work week brother and sister-in-law. Chaos ensues, but somehow they manage to come full circle so that a moral conclusion can be had by the 90 minute mark, leaving enough time for non-ironic hilarity to ensue.

But that’s not the thankfulness I celebrate, nor does Brian. Having just returned from Heroes & Villains Fan Fest in San Jose, CA, where I spent a lot of time with Brian and his incredibly awesome wife Sarah, I can say for certain that these two know how to be thankful AND know how to bless.

For a podcast where the host is unashamedly bringing us through a very rollercoaster-like journey in profiting through podcasting, I think it’s important to understand who that host is and why I should trust anything he (or she) says. In my experience with people, there is no way to really trust someone and the advice they give unless you know them. Whether it’s a television show podcast like Brian, Kevin and I do for Arrow or it’s a professional podcast like the one Addy and Brian do for Audiobooks.com, unless you can get to know the hosts a little bit, understand their moral, ethical, economic, and environmental paradigm, it is really difficult to trust advice that is given.

When I read through reviews many listeners leave in iTunes for any sort of podcast, it irks me when someone leaves a comment like, “The host(s) spend too much time talking about their personal lives.” or “I listened for 10 minutes and the host didn’t say anything worthwhile.” This is a total shame. It tells me more about the person leaving the review than the podcast itself, because I already know that this person doesn’t want or need to take the time to understand the context of the podcast.

And that’s why on Profitcast, Brian loves to celebrate the journey. Passion podcasters find themselves quite often on the same journey as small business owners. and to emphasize this point, Brian chats this week with Rob Slee, author of Time Really Is Money: How to Work for $5000 Per Hour. Rob is an entrepreneur of the most envious kind; the guy who has internalized what it means to trim the fat and focus on what matters. This episode is rich with insight that transcends niche. No matter what line of work you are in, the conversation within applies. As an application developer, myself, I can think of a number of ways Rob’s advice on applying business practices is absolutely relevant to me. Rather than talking about personal application, however, I’d just like to point out three of my favorite moments from the podcast.

ONE. Rob says that he can mathematically prove that 85 percent of private business owners are not creating value in their businesses right now. They’re creating a lifestyle. This totally reminds me of the whole idea that it’s easier to make a habit than break a habit, and that it is our tendency to continue doing something in a certain way because it works. Rob has some great insight as to why this is a total fallacy and a dangerous business model for anyone wanting to grow a business.

TWO. Just by knowing that your time is worth a specific dollar amount, you’ll automatically stop doing the tasks that are not meeting that standard. Rob presents this idea in such a way that it doesn’t sound arrogant to pass on tasks that are “below your pay grade”, but to understand that if you desire to operate at a certain level (and COMPETE at a certain level), you have to stop doing the tasks that prevent you from working on what you should be working on.

THREE.This one is by far my favorite: iterative failure is an investment in success. We have to have a positive relationship with failure because it is going to happen. It’s human nature to try three times and then give up, but it’s the people, the businesses, that continue to re-assess and retry that find success. Overnight successes have years of failure behind them, but those years of failure are obscured by the very nature of failure (being unknown until one is known).

Be encouraged by this week’s episode and take a look at your daily tasks. How can you trim the fat? What systems can you put in place to allow you to spend the time on what you want to do, what you enjoy doing, and what will help you achieve goals? Then report back! Let us know any insight you glean from taking a look at your own model.

Links!

72: The Power of LIVE Podcasting | Nick Seuberling

The Real Brian — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Just start. Do not give up. It’s a long journey, you can’t give up so easily. These are just a few wise words from Nick Seuberling of the Inside the Jungle Podcast! Nick has been podcasting about football, and sports, since 2005. He’s going to talk to us about the power of podcasting live and tell us his unique story of trial and error.

Trial and error might not be quite the right way to state the journey Nick has been on, as “error” carries a much harsher connotation than I’d prefer to attribute to his experiences. But through the Profitcast lens I think it works for one big reason: we each have in our own mind this idea of what profiting with our podcast means, so we try one thing and when it doesn’t pan out we try another, and another. Nick started broad and gradually narrowed his niche down to what he now considers success and profit.

Famously, the methodology “trial and error” is attributed to C. Lloyd Morgan, a British animal psychologist and a pioneer in comparative psychology. He developed a statement that is now known as Morgan’s Canon, which is essentially a culmination of his observations in an experimental approach to his chosen field. Before Morgan, psychology wasn’t considered an “experimental science”, but Morgan couldn’t describe his observations of the ways in which animals learn and develop in any other way but trial-until-success.

There is an important lesson we can learn by taking a look at C. L. Morgan’s work, and I think it ties nicely into Brian and Nick’s discussion about finding your niche and learning by doing and not giving up. We’ve spent plenty of time talking about the importance of “niche-ing down” and “being the first”, but it would be a shame to overlook the basic, evolutionary fact that biological systems (whether it’s a human, an animal, or whatever) wouldn’t be where they are today unless the majority of its contributors didn’t give up.

In no case may we interpret an action as the outcome of the exercise of a higher psychical faculty (or psychological processes), if it can be interpreted as the outcome of the exercise of one which stands lower in the psychological scale. Morgan’s Canon (parenthetical mine)

If you’re scratching your head and trying to re-read the above quote in a way that makes sense, let me lend just a little insight as to what I have come to know it to mean. To paraphrase: we should not use generalizations for something that can be broken down into smaller components, unless there is evidence of that generalized application having been a primary or solitary factor. This doesn’t mean that things are connected, or behave, in the most simple or economic way (path of least resistance, if you will). It’s not referring to Occam’s Razor (the solution with the fewest assumptions must be the correct one).

While simplicity is a common criteria between Morgan’s Canon and other laws or principles, such as the law of parsimony or, as mentioned previous, Occam’s Razor, it actually strives to caution us against accepting simple answers. It seems simpler to explain accomplishments or achievements as the direct outcome of reason or intellect, for example, than to account for them as the result of a complex series of experiences. But the apparent simplicity of an explanation, Morgan says, is the dangerous caveat in understanding any biological system.

Am I losing you? Think, for a moment, about your profiting goal. Do you want to make a living by doing what you love? Do you want to be an expert in your field? Now think about a podcaster, or a network, or an entrepreneur who, for lack of a better phrase, has what you want. The simple explanation is to say that So-and-So achieved Such-and-Such because they are better business-minded, smarter, savvier, more charming, have more time, have more money, etc. These are the high-level activities we’re prone to believe separate Us from Them and lead to the unhealthy assumption that because we do not operate at that high-level, we cannot be successful.

In the course of addressing his own principle, Morgan draws many references to the complexity of nature, both in human and ecological evolution, and how science rarely accepts the simplest explanation. The simple explanation can be misleading. In the context of the above paragraph, in thinking about what it means to profit with our podcast, it can lead us to think we’ve failed if we don’t meet X goal in X time. Just because a certain subset of podcasts explode, become immensely popular, and make large amounts of money does not make it the rule to how such things work in the real world.

There are exceptions, both in science and in podcasting, where these “high-level activities” are what make a person or a podcast so successful. But again, attributing success to only these isolated, and somewhat “elite”, factors is just as misleading as saying they are why we are not succeeding.

At Profitcast we’re all about the journey. Everyone’s is different. Everyone’s is unique. So don’t cut your own short by stacking your present circumstances up against someone else’s. Identify some generak them down so that they aren’t these enigmatic, unattainable milestones. Setting the bar high isn’t a bad thing, but in the words of a great ballplayer, Bo Jackson: “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.”

Side Note Dear Nick: I just watched the Bengals’ undefeated season come to an end. Sorry, man! I’m struggling to watch my Packers play this year. It’s pretty brutal.

Links!

71: 5 Tips to Grow Your Audience

The Real Brian — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to Profitcast! If this is your first time with us: Welcome! This is a weekly podcast dedicated to the multidimensional study of profiting through podcasting. Whether it’s learning from other podcasters who have come before us, chatting with podcasters possessing certain expertise, or diving into some of the grainier details, we look at it all as vital to truly profiting through podcasting. As a community, and as individuals, we consider ourselves to be passion podcasters, because we love what we do and we do what we love.

This week we’re in some of the grainier details of a very large picture. To demonstrate the importance of taking the time to review and study this aspect of podcasting, I would like to use the example of Georges Seurat. You may best know this artist by his famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884). Click on the photograph to see the larger image, because this is one of those paintings where getting up close is just as important as taking a step back.

From far away we see a beautiful, colorful depiction of various individuals enjoying an afternoon outside. But up close we see the meticulous brush strokes, the wide array of colors, and the intimate detail of each figure depicted. It took Seurat two years to complete this painting. He was 26 years old. This 7ft by 10ft painting burst onto the scene as a blatant challenge to Seurat’s impressionist predecessors to such a degree that it initiated a new art movement, a spinoff of sorts, called neo-impressionism.

We might be entrepreneurs or business-minded, we might be audio geeks or podcast junkies, but we are also artists. We have a craft that we are passionate to excel in. By reading this blog post, by listening to this podcast, you care enough about your craft to seek out ways to refine your technique, to learn how to succeed, and to see how the rest of the world is faring.

If it’s difficult to connect with the idea behind a painting, then perhaps a sports analogy will suit you better. Peyton Manning is 3 yards away from breaking the record for all-time passing yards in the NFL. He didn’t get there by taking every summer off and only playing 16 games a season! Still at 39 years of age, Manning goes to practice every day, he sits and watches tape with the coaches, he talks with his receivers and offensive linemen, he builds relationships with the men on his team.

This week Brian gives 5 tips to grow your audience, which brings us back to some basics, but also has plenty for us to chew on as we think ahead about where our podcast can go or where we can go as podcasters.

Is your audio quality poor? There is a solid place to start making improvements. Learn about audio production and figure out where to invest so as to improve the audio quality of your podcast. There is no wasted time in learning about audio when the medium of your craft is audio!

Are you still trying to lock down a name for your podcast? Consider clarity above cleverness! How will the name of your podcast contribute to your visibility in a Google search?

On that note, are you starting a podcast in a niche that has a lot of competition? As the podcasting world becomes increasingly saturated it can be hard to find that fast growing niche without competition, but giving yourself every chance by making considerations before launch will significantly benefit you after launch.

Don’t be afraid to spend time painting blades of grass, if I can use a metaphor. It may seem boring or uneventful to take care of it now, but the effort you put into understanding how to cultivate an audience will be rewarded when you step back and look at your podcast from a distance… whether it’s two months from now or two years from now!

Links!

70: Go To Where Your Listeners Are | Danny Pena

The Real Brian — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 09:00:00 -0600

One of the most overused film quotes is from Field of Dreams (1989): “If you build it, he will come.” It is whispered to Kevin Costner’s character Ray at the beginning of the film when he’s walking through the cornfield on his farm. In a way similar to Noah of the Bible, Ray acts on the instruction from this mysterious voice, continues with his mission in spite of the ridicule he receives, and the outcome is unlike anything anyone has ever seen.

Have you ever met someone who just seems made to do what they do? I’m sure many of you believe that podcasting is your “calling”. Maybe you heard a mysterious voice that said, “If you talk about this and publish it on the internet, they will come.” I’m not here to judge that! What I am here to do is tell you that building something is only half the story.

Danny Pena’s approach to podcasting is refreshing because it is genuine. He’s one of those rare gems who began podcasting before it was cool, but still has a remarkable passion for it that centers around the interactions he has with his listeners. It’s hard to do anything for fourteen years and still have the same level of enthusiasm for it as you did at the beginning, but if that isn’t a sign of being made to do something…. then I’d like someone to give me a better definition.

-Less is More Selfless, that is. My takeaway from this interview has to do with being selfless. The way Danny describes his approach to reaching out to his listeners, including them on important milestones, and providing value to them is very inspiring. We talk about the importance of developing a community and how critical it is not to think of your listeners as numbers, but we cannot go wrong in hearing multiple perspectives on building a healthy community.

When Brian and I were in Atlanta for DragonCon, along with our Arrow Squad co-host Kevin Bachelder, we knew only of one event that we’d be attending for sure: The Parsec Awards. Of course we knew we wanted to attend panels for Arrow and The Flash (and Kevin likely has the next 10 years of panels mapped out as he’s had the last 10), but Brian and I only knew of when and where the Parsec Awards would be happening.

My natural tendency is to tell as few people as possible about anything I do. I don’t like the attention and I don’t like the focus to be on me, I don’t like getting my hopes up and I don’t like disappointing people. Excuses, excuses. That’s all they are! As Danny is describing how he invited his listeners to The Podcast Awards when he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, I’m reflecting on my approach to the Parsec Awards and mentally kicking myself.

We told our friends, our listeners, not to come. It’d probably be boring, right? And it wouldn’t be that long. It was dinner time, they were hungry, and we didn’t want to make them come sit through a 2 hour ceremony in which our moment in the sun would be less than five minutes.

But that’s not the point, is it? The point is the shared experience! Just like the experience of DragonCon with Brian and several of our listeners was invaluable, the awards ceremony, at whatever level of entertainment it provided, would have been a chance to deepen that experience. Every experience is only what we make of it, right?

I hadn’t been thinking about the awards ceremony as that kind of opportunity, but I sure won’t be making that mistake again. We would not be where we are without our Arrow Squad listeners. Heck, I would not be on Arrow Squad with Kevin and Brian were it not for the listeners! The community of that podcast made the desire and the decision easy. I want to share every success and every shortcoming with them. I think. No, I do.

Takeaways There were a lot of takeaways from this conversation, one of which is kind of a head-smack: Get OUT of your house! Attend events! Go to where your listeners are! Make interaction happen because it will provide you with opportunities to expand your reach, expand your knowledge, and broaden your perspective.

What did you take away from this episode of Profitcast? I truly want to know! Write something in the comments below!

Links!

69: Make Money with a Podcast PLATFORM | Jessica Kupferman

The Real Brian — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome to Profitcast! Whether this is your first time trolling the site or you are a regular listener, we are so happy you found us and hope to provide some valuable and entertaining material for you to chew on. This week, The Real Brian is joined by Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts and of the more recent Moneycast, which, as it might sound, is a venture dedicated to helping people understand methods of making money through podcasting.

To hear the full story of how Moneycast came about, and Jessica’s discovery shortly thereafter of Profitcast, you’re going to have to listen to the episode. Brian and Jessica have their own takeaways, and they are good takeaways, having to do with looking beyond the numbers and selling your podcast as a product. Several weeks ago, Brian reported some findings he compiled after speaking with a range of potential sponsors and essentially came away believing that in order to make anything work out, he would need 100,000 downloads per episode or more! Jessica challenges this in a very unique way and re-opens the door to an avenue that seemed to have no traction.

Because they cover that side of the discussion so well, I want to supplement their discussion by looking at it through an economic lens. On the surface, the competition between Moneycast and Profticast almost seems relational. Two podcasts started within 12-18 months of one another (sorry, don’t have the exact number) and dedicated to nearly the same goal have what appear to be a vested interested in attracting the same listener base. With two podcasts of the same premise, would you not end up sticking with the podcast whose host you subjectively determine to be more entertaining/appealing/interesting/[insert adjective]?

Jessica and Brian are very open and frank about their approach to learning of each other, and of the other’s respective podcast. Jessica admits that she didn’t know Brian’s podcast existed until after she launched, but had a very similar drive and motivation for providing podcasters with material that would help them make money doing what they loved doing. As difficult as it is to be first these days with a podcasting idea, it’s even harder to thoroughly understand the scope of the pool that we’re diving into with a new podcast. It would shock me to learn that Jessica is the first one to experience this sort of situation.

Competition stabilizes capitalism. The classic idea of monopoly, the single entity controlling the supply of a product or service, doesn’t really exist anymore. Monopolies in modern society influence price and supply, making it difficult, but not impossible, for new players to enter the scene. Competition, healthy competition, or as some might call it, “perfect competition”, is that Economics 101 mantra: “when supply meets demand” and the market determines the price.

The relationship that this classic economic model has to podcasting isn’t as cut and dry as McDonald’s and Burger King, or Verizon and AT&T. But competition exists across many genres of podcasting, and most, I would argue, exist in a healthy way. The playing field is so large that the even the potential for a monopoly, as we might consider Google to be, seems impossible. Perhaps if you divide the playing field into enough sub sections it’s easier to see directly how podcasts compete for the same listeners, such as Jessica and Brian, but particularly when it comes to monetizing a podcast it feels like the focus on competition within a niche is misplaced.

And it all has to do with Jessica’s argument for developing and pitching a podcast platform to sponsors rather than trying to fit your podcast into the cookie-cutter mold of ABC Company’s sales parameters. The competition we face in monetizing our podcasts isn’t other podcasts, it is the corporate marketplace we’re engaged in and the lack of knowledge concerning the engagement of what is, more or less, our own “customer base”. I hate to call listeners or members of our communities “customers”, but potential sponsors see them as such…and that’s half the problem.

After this episode of Profitcast and Moneycast, I’m inclined to believe that a joint effort and committed approach to changing the way sponsors see podcasts as worthwhile advertising investments is well worth the existence of both podcasts. In the words of Dr. Seuss, which I feel like I’m quoting increasingly more often: “There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” No one can host a podcast the way YOU host it. No one is YOU. By that understanding alone, Profitcast and Moneycast are not going to produce the same content.

When the model changes, likely this theory will change as well. But for now Jessica and Brian establish a very intriguing foundation from which we must build our podcasting ventures off of if we hope to make money doing it. The way the market is now, there is enough competition between podcasts that merely existing will provide you with the success you seek or desire. It’ll take hard work, it’ll take commitment, but it’s not out of reach. Just be YOU!

Links!

68: Leave Your Listeners Wanting MORE | Addy Saucedo

The Real Brian — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 09:00:00 -0600

To the loyal listeners of the Audiobooks.com Podcast, we get an extra dose this week as Brian brings his co-host, Addy Saucedo, in on this episode of Profitcast! I’m a huge fan of these two together and you are definitely in for a treat. We get a great conversation that covers what Addy is up to and what her passion is, the limitations of imitation, and a tease into what Addy and Brian are working on together.

Limitations of Imitation

As a marketing guru, Addy is full of insight into what makes the podcasting world go round. From her experience and observations, she’s a firm believer in the two fold approach: adopt and adapt. (With a heavy emphasis on adapt.) The natural tendency, as Brian reminds us, is to copy exactly what someone else has done to try and forage the same results. But as we’ve discussed many, many times on Profitcast, imitation alone will not suffice in the World of 10 Million Podcasts.

Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. It used to be a hyperbole, I think, but I’d be shocked if it weren’t true. One of my running paths around my house takes me to three different lakes over the course of 5 miles. Even though there are so many lakes, they are all very distinct and people in the area know interesting details about each one. I enjoy jogging around Lake Nokomis, but if I arrive after 4pm on a weekday, it is so busy I often can’t find a place to park. Some of my friends who have pontoons or skiing boats are very particular about the lakes they go to for similar reasons. This lake is busier than that lake, this lake attracts more of this or that kind of crowd.

How similar that seems to what podcasts have become! Even though there are so many, we still come to know interesting details about a great many of them, whether they’re in our niche or not. From Profitcast we hear a lot about (and from) the podcasters who have been successful, both monetarily and in listenership, but it is also important that we don’t limit ourselves to the podcasts that have been explicitly successful.

Adopt and adapt is the best way to explain why it’s bad to focus only on what the successful podcasters have done. Adopting or copying may seem simpler, it may seem more straightforward and safer, and for a while it may be. But unless it is adapted to suit your situation, it will lack the core of what makes you you and then it will lack the propensity to grow organically. I truly believe that listening to a greater breadth of podcasts enables us to adapt better. In the course of adopting, our minds are set on doing one thing in a very particular way, but if we’re adapting, we’re not being limited by a particular paradigm and, instead, allow our brains the opportunity to search for our own uniqueness.

Links!

Do IT (Intentional Transformation) with Addy Saucedo: Listen on Stitcher and iTunes
Profitcast Patreon

67: What Top Podcasters and Performers Do To Succeed

The Real Brian — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome back to Profitcast! In this week’s podcast, Brian drops some observations he’s been making about the top podcasters and performers. It is his mission, after all, to discern what it is that sets them apart from everyone else. What are the people at the top doing to succeed?

We’ve established by now that it’s difficult to replicate the success of other podcasters. We can follow the same steps and make the same choices, but the chance of seeing the same return is very slim. That said, it is still worth knowing what they’ve done to put it into context and glean insight in that way. Brian brings up the important fact that many successful podcasters managed to become the first in their topic or niche, and frankly that is hard to do still at this point in the industry. However, the great fact about life is that we all, as individuals, are unique! Even if we can’t be first, it is still possible to find that niche that gives us the same opportunities as being first did for others before us. That is largely the theme that Brian follows in this podcast: how to think about your approach, how to think about your style, your uniqueness, and catering to those elements by being the youest you!

One particular story comes to mind of a friend who spent many years as a talk radio host. When I first met this man, we’ll call him Billy (because I just watched Gremlins), he was a serious arguer, but amicable in the way that many debaters are not. He was genuinely interested in hearing other viewpoints and went out of his way to give people the opportunity to express their viewpoints. The great thing about Billy is that he is one of those rare intellectuals who can express his opinions with colloquial articulation, which is to say, in a way that everyone can understand and grasp.

Then, one day, Billy is offered a job in talk radio. Everyone I knew, who also knew Billy, thought this was a perfect match. He’s considerate, he’s generous, he’s eager to get to the truth, and his conversational style is engaging. He lays on his opinions just hard enough that he makes you want to argue your own viewpoint. He was absolutely ideal for talk radio.

And for a long time he was very ideal! He took the person he was every day, the person I’d come to know, and brought him into the radio show. He covered local and national topics, social and political alike, and helped to educate the airwaves using his expertise (he’s an attorney). He took calls from people who phoned the radio station wanting to get on and argue a point or discuss something in greater detail and he was, somehow, capable of revealing ignorance or bad reasoning without hurting the feelings of the person calling in. In my opinion, that is a very, very rare gift.

But as the years went on, I began to think that it was less about the fact people don’t have this gift and more about the state of the business. Talk radio, the way the business of radio wants it to be, isn’t a friendly conversation between a host and a bunch of callers who are eager to have a civil discussion about the important topics of our culture. Nay. Talk radio incites. It makes people feel the extreme of both ends of the spectrum. Listeners in the middle of that continuum do not return regularly for a show, it’s the people who are incited by the host that return.

The station wanted Billy to be edgier, to cut callers off by talking over them, arguing points more emphatically than may seem strictly necessary, and poke fun at people from time to time. The evolution of his style changed gradually as he began incorporating these elements into the way he hosted a talk show. He became less conversational and more aggressive with his words. It was less about debate and more about telling people how wrong or ignorant they were. Slowly, we saw this change effect Billy off the mic as well. We could see it take a physical toll on his mind and attitude. His general conversation style was a lot rougher, like he was behind the mic, and he lost that stellar quality that made him articulate complex points in a relatable way.

He continued on with the talk show for a couple years. Here and there the station tried to mix things up, giving him a co-host, for example. But it was never the same to Billy as it was in the beginning, and he admitted that to us. As much as he loved doing talk radio, the business was just not demanding hosts like him. When he was finally let go, I had this overwhelming feeling from him that it was a take-it-or-leave-it sort of deal. Where, yeah, it was hard to lose that income and that opportunity to tell thousands of people your opinion on this or that, but it also seemed almost a relief.

It is never too late to reassess where you are, what you’re doing and what your goals are, then make the necessary adjustments in order to realign it all. It’s never too late to realize that you’re heading down a path that will be hard to come back from and make an intention to be different and take your podcast in a different direction. If you aren’t being true to you, being true to what you want to do and what your goals are, it will be hard, if not impossible, to sustain your podcast for long. Brian just recently made this adjustment himself! Sometimes your listeners don’t even see what’s going on, but can understand and resonate with your reasons for making the change, and respect you all the more for it.

One last analogy before I wrap up here. I practice yoga, almost daily, and have made a couple really interesting observations lately that I find extraordinarily cool. I’m not the first person to think of these, I know I’m not, but this is how I see it.

At the beginning of each yoga session, and I have more control over this when I practice alone, I take about 3-5 minutes to focus on my breathing. I sit cross legged, close my eyes, sit up straight and broaden, and soften, my shoulders. For the first minute or two I just try to find a rhythm with my breath, to keep it steady and come into a place of peace. After two minutes I’m more intentional about my breath, breathing deeper and heavier to warm up my body for when I begin moving around. For the last minute, I make adjustments to the way I’m seated. And this is the point of this analogy. After four minutes of sitting and breathing, then finally becoming aware of the rest of my body again, there are small adjustments that I make that feel dramatic. Maybe it’s sitting up just a little straighter, tucking my stomach in just a little more, rolling my tailbone down to the floor. After sitting with my eyes closed for four minutes, I am already so far away from the world outside that I’ve become very used to the way my body is there in that moment. Because of that awareness, the slightest movements feel a lot bigger than they are.

Sometimes the adjustments we need to make aren’t as dramatic as we we think they are. Sometimes we think we’re making this huge change that everyone is going to notice, but in reality it’s only really noticeable to us. Whether it’s a big dramatic change or a subtle, almost unnoticeable, change, the important thing is that we’re making the adjustment because we believe it will be to our benefit. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t go on! Stop. Assess. Adjust.

Links!

66: Having ABUNDANCE With Your Podcast | Harry Duran

The Real Brian — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 09:00:00 -0600

What time is it? Tool time! Fans of the classic television show, Home Improvement, still say this when asked what time it is. I still say it. Sometimes people who never have seen the show say it. Tool Time with Tim the Toolman Taylor was the alliteration of my childhood.

The premise of Tim’s reality show, Tool Time, is a great parallel for the vast array of information Brian and Harry discuss on this week’s Profitcast. Having abundance with your podcast harkens back to weeks past when we’ve discussed similar topics, such as the good-cheap-quick ideal, the you’ve-got-to-give-to-receive mentality, and in general, the focus on community and building relationships. This discussion is very important because it covers an area that we don’t touch on a lot, and that is the establishment of your tool bench. For those of you who don’t know, or may need a refresher, Tool Time was a reality show within the fictional television show Home Improvement. It is hosted by Tim Taylor (Tim Allen) and Al Bourland (Richard Karn), who are perfect foils for one another. Tim is knowledgeable, but accident-prone and immature, whereas Al is wise and competent, both grounding Tim and providing valuable information for the show, but also being the brunt of his jokes.

The irony I’m trying to highlight here is that Tim Taylor had a reality show about home improvement projects, but wasn’t the best at demonstrating the best way to go about it. In fact, it often ended up being the case that his method of doing things would be what not to do. While he was regaining his pride or recovering from an injury, Al would explain the proper way to perform the task and provide the insight for the reality show that undoubtedly sustained its fictional lifespan.

Tim not understanding his tool bench was the gaff that made the television show work. It was a comedy and a family drama, paralleling the similarities between the tools available to a father and the tools available to a handyman, and the fallouts of misuse (as well as the benefits of proper use!). Not knowing our own tool bench as podcasters doesn’t usually come across as a gaff, it comes across as embarrassing and often costs us more than time–sometimes it costs us listeners. We need to know our tool bench.

I was at the Minnesota Developer’s Conference last week and attended a track that basically presented a variety of tools for your “web arsenal” (i.e. gulp, grunt, webpack, to name a few). And even though the track left a little to be desired, I really liked the presenter’s opening comments. He showed us a picture of a messy tool bench, one where the tools are unorganized and in disarray, rusting, dull, or broken. When my workbench looks like that, I don’t want to get any work done. I’ll spend a quarter of the time just looking for the tools I need, another quarter of the time getting the tools mended or sharpened, and then I only have half of my original allotted time remaining to do the work I need to do. Then he showed a picture of a clean workbench, like this one (maybe a few more tools!), but with the point of saying that when tools are organized and the workspace is clean, it’s easier to jump into the gut of the work.

Part of becoming efficient is finding the right tools to do the work you need to do. This goes beyond buying the right microphone, the right soundboard, the right headphones. We’re talking about the details of our work that keep us from actual work. Harry says it very well, in that we need to each focus on the things we excel at and stop wasting so much time doing the things we’re only OK at. Not that we can’t, but that we don’t need to. Learning how to delegate the work we have to the people or resources who can do them better and more efficiently will make us more enthusiastic about tackling the work we’re passionate about. We’ve all been to that point where we’ve spent hours doing frustrating, mind-numbing work, only to reach the end of it all and be too exhausted to do what we wanted to do in the first place.

Everything about this episode of Profitcast is meant to give you tips and suggestions for reducing frustration and maximizing your time doing the work that you want to do. Make sure you have a notepad ready, because there is a lot coming your way!

The Webinar As Brian mentioned, the webinar Tom Schwab initiated JUST FOR YOU! Six step process to use podcast interviews to rapidly grow traffic, leads and sales. It will be hosted by Tom and Brian on Wednesday Oct 7 at 7:30 PM Eastern. Register now!

Links!

Podcast Junkies
FullCast
Webinar: Six step process to use podcast interviews to rapidly grow traffic, leads and sales.
Podcasters Paradise Podcast
Profitcast Patreon

65: Is This Holding You Back From Success?

The Real Brian — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 09:00:00 -0600

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” Paulo Coelho The Alchemist

I read The Alchemist for the first time only a couple weeks ago. The premise of this novel, originally published in 1988, is astounding and has one of those perpetually relevant themes about pursuing dreams (or treasures, depending on your interpretation). I’ll try to briefly describe plot without either giving anything away or failing to do it justice.

Santiago, the protagonist, attended seminary as a boy but chose instead to become a shepherd so that he could travel. One night he has a dream about seeking treasure and it initiates his journey to the Egyptian pyramids in search of this treasure. He demonstrates a healthy balance of curiosity and caution, but soon realizes that caution is a bigger threat to his happiness than taking a risk.

The quote above is spoken to Santiago by a man whom we only know as the Alchemist. In the situation where it is spoken, the Alchemist has promised to the leader of a war tribe that in three days’ time, Santiago will transform himself into the wind. If he fails to do so, they will give up their lives to the tribe. Bold, young Santiago is angered by this because the Alchemist has put him into an impossible situation. But the Alchemist says to Santiago: “If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

Many times, in the course of pursuing our dreams, we are met with a series of unrelated, seemingly insurmountable tasks. On his journey to find treasure, Santiago meets many people who all have an opinion of his daunting task, but it isn’t until he learns about the Alchemist that his perception of seeking treasure transforms into seeking his destiny. The Alchemist, because of his position and experience and knowledge, has the unique ability to challenge Santiago in ways that he’s never been challenged before. Is this not so indicative of real life? When we’re not just challenged by our circumstances, but challenged by our mentors and peers?

I’m glad Brian chose to talk about fear in this episode of Profitcast, if it’s only for my own sake! It’s healthy for me to think about fears, call them by name, and address their often crippling nature because I’ve seen it derail me in the past. When a fear is known only by me, its secret—or the shame of its existence—can be extraordinarily harmful and discouraging.

Luckily, I’ve had a couple people like the Alchemist in my life who have put me into situations where I must face something that has no business ruling my life. I’ve never been asked to transform myself into the wind, but sometimes it’s sure felt like that was what was being asked of me!

I can’t remember where I first saw this, but there is a popular acronym for FEAR: FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL

By defining a fear, I’ve been able to separate what I know to be a lie from what I know to be true. And breaking down fear has allowed me to take decisive action. Brian talks about the differences between he and I when it comes to public speaking, and I think he absolutely nails it. As I’ve come to define what my fears actually are, and not just cower to their lordship over me, I can distinguish between something that makes me a little nervous and something I know myself to be incapable of.

“Incapable?” you ask. “That’s harsh.” Perhaps. Perhaps it’s like saying never. But just as Brian says, there are things I can do very well, and there are things that I cannot do well at all. I can build a website from scratch. I can cook a meal. I can play the guitar. But I cannot speak in front of a big group of people. When the focus and attention is on me, I cannot retain my thoughts well enough to speak coherently. This isn’t about letting fear consume me, it’s about understanding what being in that situation does to my physiology and choosing, instead, to make the most of a situation without having to perform an act that makes me physically distressed.

Somehow I’ve learned to love life without having to do any public speaking whatsoever. (That was sarcasm, by the way.)

Taking incremental steps to confront the fears that are holding me back from my life goals has enabled me to overcome some serious roadblocks preventing me from taking the next step. I believe that is a very important step toward maturity and to maintain one’s sanity! But part of that discovery process is also not being afraid to state what you want, and then see, within that context, what is holding you back and what you want to overcome.

One of the most popular lines from The Alchemist is this: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Sometimes you might think that the exact opposite is true, but even when the odds are stacked against us, it is shaping us into becoming the owner of our dreams. The important thing isn’t to let that fear hold you back, but to inspire you to know more. And in the amazing words of one Dr. Seuss: “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.”

Links!

64: How to Double Your Growth By Becoming a Podcast Guest

The Real Brian — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Last week Brian got nerdy about DragonCon so that he could relate the importance of building a community. This week, Brian gets nerdy about business with very special guest Tom Schwab. It’s not purely about business, mind you, but as starting, growing, and maintaining a podcast is very much a business venture, many of the same principles can be applied as we consider the various options available to us in marketing.

One of the most disheartening facts to hear about is how little time people spend reading in lieu of audio or visual resources. It’s not an exclusive fact, as I am likely one of few people my age who prefer holding a local newspaper in my hands over a global, glowing newspaper in the palm of my hand, but it’s foolish to ignore the fact that listening is the preferred method of information consumption. This isn’t to say blogging isn’t useful, but everything does have its place.

Most listeners of Profitcast have no reason to be disheartened by this fact, though! As this is a podcast about profiting with podcasts, not blogs, most of you are probably excited that there is increasingly more traffic being driven toward your enterprise, rather than away from it. Even two or three years ago, this was not the case. Podcasts, and podcasters, were capable of delivering news in the way people want it now, but people didn’t know they wanted it. Good innovators provide solutions for problems that don’t exist yet. Only by presenting the solution do people realize there was a problem in the first place. And in that way, passion podcasters are in the best position to be innovators of information consumption.

Now that there is a need, and a demand, it’s essential to learn how to take advantage of the system. If you think take advantage bears a negative connotation, don’t think about it as making unfair demands or exploitation, rather think of it as making good use of opportunities provided by a situation. When a residential building has a fitness center, it’s smart take advantage of that facility instead of buying a membership to a gym. Right?

This is the topic of conversation in this week’s installment of Profitcast, how to make good use of the embedded marketing opportunities podcasting provides. Tom Schwab presents a very intriguing model that organically evolved from an Inbound Marketing approach. Whether the end goal is to drive people to a business or to drive people to a podcast, the basic problem is obtaining exposure. For a while, this is how blogs were useful. But as blogs have become so saturated and podcasting becomes the primary source of information, a distinct paradigm shift resulted.

In Schwab’s case, this opportunity meant being a guest on other podcasts. The exposure that guesting creates is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before because there is an implicit endorsement by the regular host, a chance to intimately connect with the guest’s voice and demeanor, and a natural segue into the guest’s services or products without the shameless plugs or unnecessary fanfare.

What I like about the model that Schwab presents is that it requires us to care about someone or something else before others can care about us. At least, that’s how it should be. How do we become desirable as a podcast guest host? How do we get this kind of exposure? Well, it takes investing in other people. It takes seeking out peers and mentors, people who share interests, other podcasters in your industry, and then learn how you can provide value to them by first discovering how they provide value to you.

Schwab particularly emphasizes the difference between leads (potential clients, potential listeners) and good leads (clients who fit, listeners who will invest). This circles back to the previous point, in which it is in our best interest to first seek out those podcasts that have relevant content and a relevant listener-base because it it will maximize the potential for good leads.

I’m not an entrepreneur, nor do I know much about running a business. Sometimes, to me, marketing seems ethereal, like it relies on the perfect set of circumstances in order be useful. Buy an ad here and here and here and hope someone sees it and cares. But this model, investing in podcast communities to then provide value to them, is a mutual exchange of free advertising. Your listener base is exposed to that podcaster, and their listener base is exposed to your podcast. That is a marketing strategy that makes sense to me!

We’re left with quite a few takeaways from this episode of Profitcast, but the one I want to reiterate is this: you can either BUY traffic and attention, or you can EARN traffic and attention. Do you want to grow a community, or do you just want to make money? As a passion podcaster, I truly hope your answer is the former.

If you haven’t listened to the episode yet, grab a notepad and go lounge in the sun because you’re going to want to take notes.

Links!

63: What My Co-Host and Listeners Taught ME About Profiting

The Real Brian — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Nerd alert! No, not you. Well, maybe not you. Brian lets his nerd flag fly in this episode as he recaps some of his experiences at DragonCon 2015, but there is undoubtedly something for everyone. Whether you’re a nerd of the DragonCon variety, or simply a nerd, or maybe you don’t consider yourself a nerd at all (in which case, I must ask, why not? It’s all the rage), Brian touches on some very critical points that have to do with every podcaster, regardless of your affiliation with nerdery.

I’ve been podcasting for only a couple years. For any who are unaware, I was actually mentored in a pretty remarkable way (the story of that journey can be found here) and I’ve grown and expanded my experience with several different co-hosts since my debut with Darrell Darnell on the TV Talk network. I never did, and still really don’t, consider speaking to be my forte. I like the written word. There is something about sitting with a pen in my hand or a keyboard beneath my fingers that finds words quicker and easier than trying to speak them aloud. Because of this, I didn’t really think of myself as a “passion podcaster”. As I listen to the stories of the guests Brian has on the show and hear the successes of fellow listeners of Profitcast, I point at them and go: there is a passion podcaster.

Brian has asked me several times to consider attending Podcast Movement, and whenever he asks I laugh and retort: “Seriously, what would I do at Podcast Movement?” I don’t edit, I don’t produce, I don’t run my own podcast. All I do is show up when I’m supposed to and talk (seriously, easiest hobby ever). My desire to podcast is only insofar that I can fill my life with things that it lacks, and in my case that’s a community of people who I can really nerd out with (thus, Arrow Squad).

As you can imagine, being friends and working with Brian brings about a lot of conversations and interactions that I really do not get in my day-to-day life. And that’s not just because he’s an over-caffeinated extrovert, it also has to do with his genuine interest in people and commitment to learning that quite literally spills out in every walk of his life. At least, every walk that I’ve had the privilege to witness. Brian is a passion podcaster, because he’s podcasting even when there isn’t a mic in front of him.

Martin and Brian with John Wesley Shipp, the original Flash

But one of the things I’ve started to realize in recent weeks, and particularly after meeting Brian in person, is that while there are degrees of passion, there are not degrees of podcasters. Perhaps there are on a subjective scale, but a person who gets behind the mic on a regular basis and shares that audio with the world is a podcaster. Like everything in life, and especially hobbies, in order to improve we must invest. And by virtue of investing, we either discover an increasing passion or a passive disinterest, in which that hobby is subsequently dropped. Realizing this has made me a little embarrassed by my response to Brian about Podcast Movement and something shifted in my mind. I stopped thinking about myself as an ornament on a podcast and actually part of the podcast and realized that I do have business being at something like Podcast Movement, because podcasting is a hobby and I am invested.

Two years ago, thinking about getting on Skype to record a podcast was absolutely terrifying to me. Sometimes I wouldn’t sleep the night before. I’ve experienced a complete 180, in that now it invigorates me. I look forward to hopping on Skype with Kevin and Brian to record an episode of Arrow Squad because it’s fun. I want to start new podcasts about new shows because it excites me to do more than numbly watch television. Either I’m podcasting about the shows I’m watching, engaging with a podcast, or blogging. But my approach is by no means passive, it’s totally and completely passionate.

So it turns out that I am a passion podcaster!

Emilee and Brian! I think he’s angry because I couldn’t stop laughing…

After DragonCon, and while Brian and I were processing our experiences in the form of extremely long-winded emails, I mentioned to him that I genuinely felt a freedom to be myself around him, something I have experienced so rarely I’ve at times forgotten that I’m not being myself. It’s more than holding back the nerdiest aspects of my personality, or the obnoxious aspects of it, or the eccentric aspects of it, it’s more like protecting the aspects of myself that I don’t want torn down or soiled by the (let’s face it) very abusive society we live in.

Not everyone has this gift, to allow people the ease to be themselves around them, but it is certainly something to strive for. I think in terms of take-aways from this episode of Profitcast, there are significant things we can turn around and examine in a more introspective way. Take a step back from the mic and think about who you are to your co-host(s), your listeners, and your niche. Maybe your gift isn’t encouragement, honestly I don’t think it’s one of mine, but just like when we try to be someone we’re not, trying to exercise gifts that we don’t have can lead us into situations that we’re not prepared for or become uncomfortable with. I can be encouraging, when I think about it and act on it, but it isn’t as natural for me as it is for Brian.

My mission, after listening to this episode, is to identify what my strengths are as a podcaster. Likely, these don’t differ much from my strengths as an individual, but I can see how I might need to apply a few filters on my own strengths to consider them actionable when I get behind the mic. I’m being vague because I’m still in the process of discovery, but essentially the focus here is to embrace what I am good at instead of trying to force the things that are unnatural.

This is a hard task to do completely independently. Like setting goals or an annual review, it starts with a careful examination of yourself, but then it must inevitably be checked against something external. So think through what your strengths are, then find someone you trust and ask to have an open discussion about them. Take your ego out of it and think objectively in such a way that you can recognize raw strengths (as in, the core of what it is, not “I’m good at talking”) and craft your podcast in such a way that can utilize those strengths.

Like Brian, I was impacted very much by the opportunity to interact with members of The Arrow Squad. Because of Twitter and Facebook, it’s a daily thing to get a ping from a listener about something happening either in the Arrow universe or in the community, and having that kind of access to the people who allow you to do what you do is invaluable. We hope that you got something out of our experience, and welcome you to share your own stories about interactions with listeners! These are the stories that inspire us to do what we do.

Links!

Meditation for Beginners, Without the Woo-Woo: A Beginners Guide for the Everyday Person by Clive Smit
OnTheGo.FM Jason Norris’s education network for life-long learners.
Podcasters Paradise Podcast
Profitcast Patreon

62: This is ESSENTIAL to Profiting!

The Real Brian — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:00:00 -0600

What? What is essential to podcasting? That’s why you’re here, right? You want to know how to profit with your podcast. Let me share a secret with you: even magic potions have recipes. That’s right! Love Potion No. 9 is a recipe. It might smell like turpentine and look like Indian ink, but Madame Ruth mixed it up right there in the sink.

The road to profiting is a recipe, and everybody’s recipe is a little bit different. Luckily, creatively combining the various ingredients of a podcast is far less worrisome than creative cooking. In fact, it’s much less stressful, in my own opinion. Following recipes can be difficult; maybe you don’t have all the ingredients and have to hunt down substitutes, maybe you don’t have a utensil required, maybe you don’t understand what the recipe means exactly. Take, for example, this recipe from my mother (to the right). I was looking for my Nana’s incredibly yummy roll recipe in my mom’s recipe box and found this. I quickly took a picture of this notecard with my phone, put the box back where I found it, and left my parents’ house without actually reading it.

If you can’t read the handwriting, the last line of the recipe says, “Continue as with bread.” When I finally read this at home I smacked my forehead. Because of course that’s what it says, right? My family notoriously writes recipes with lines like, “Whisk in the usual way.” and “…add the same amount of egg whites as with meringue.” Not only do I not have the full recipe, I also do not have the instructions of how to form the rolls (picture to the left). And when I asked my mom, “Where are the instructions for forming the rolls?” She just said: “In Nana’s head.” Not helpful!!

Sometimes looking at the ingredients and the time it will take to actually reap the benefits of your hard work seems overwhelming. And sometimes it is (kneading is tough, let me tell you). But isn’t it worth it, in the end? If the answer is no, then you didn’t follow the recipe correctly.

We have to eat, so we keep cooking. We also have an innate drive to follow our passion, and so we keep podcasting. That’s why you’re here, right? You are intent on discovering what it takes to profit with your podcast. We’ve shared a lot of ingredients to profiting by podcasting over the last year, and this week Brian brings up a new ingredient in this week’s Profitcast that I am quite glad he addressed. I’ve actually been struggling with this very concept over the last couple days and have spent a lot of time trying to understand why I reacted so badly to someone’s criticism. I don’t like being hurt or angry, but I also am not used to being confused as to why I’m hurt or angry.

My first degree is in English and I have never, ever regretted that degree. I love the training it gave me to communicate through written words and to help others communicate more effectively. However, I started off as a journalism major. I entered college full time at 16 and joined the newspaper staff in my first semester. I was a lot younger than the other students on staff, and at least four or five years younger than the editor. I can’t really remember how decent I was at writing, but I wasn’t terrible. I’d passed all the tests required to enter into the college level English courses I was in, so I knew stuff.

I can still remember the first article I wrote for the newspaper. I can remember standing behind my editor as he sliced and diced that piece of paper in red ink. He hacked off every adjective, drew a line through every other sentence, and was grunting the whole time. Because my natural instinct is to believe everyone is smarter than me, I just assumed that I was a terrible writer. I assumed I was too young and that I was in way over my head. But then he finishes, turns to me and hands me the paper and says: “Good start, clean it up a bit.” I had no idea how to take that. First he slashes at my writing, then he tells me good start. Hmm. As I got to know him a little better, I discovered how to shave away his abrasiveness and see both the praise and the instruction he was giving me.

Being on the newspaper staff undoubtedly toughened me up, but it was only in obtaining my English degree that I truly developed the means to give and receive constructive criticism. I spent many, many courses in the write-read-critique-listen cycle. Write a story, read other students’ stories, critique their stories, then listen to a room full of students critique my own writing. That was really hard to do at first because, naturally, I become attached to what I’ve written and become defensive about why I chose to do XYZ to a certain character. But over time I learned that the trick is being able remove your own feelings from the mix and look at it objectively (through the minds of my classmates) so as to improve upon what already exists.

Brian brings up the somewhat popular blanket statement review that crops up a lot in podcasting: the content is not worthwhile. This is an extremely subjective and unhelpful statement that reflects more upon the person giving the review than it does about the podcast they’re reviewing. It’s not constructive because it offers the podcast no means to improve upon what they have and it isn’t useful because it forces other people reading reviews to rely upon the opinion of a reviewer named CaptainMal2001.

The internet has made us, as a society, bolder because we can now hide behind aliases. We don’t have to deliver the criticism to anyone’s face and no one has to know it was actually us who said that terrible, nasty thing. But Brian, and I, are here to tell you that if you hold to this belief, then you will undoubtedly suffer on the road to profiting with your podcast. Learning how to give and take constructive criticism might be the most important thing you do, both as a podcaster and as a person.

Have you ever heard of the Ideal Praise-To-Criticism Ratio? The trick, I’ve found, to constructive criticism is not withholding either praise or criticism, but finding a balance between the two. If you’ve ever been on the receiving side of criticism, you know it can be hard to take. Sometimes, when it’s delivered really badly, it can take a super long time for the true meaning to set in, and even longer to repair the damage done in the giver-receiver relationship. The Ideal Praise-To-Criticism ratio, I believe, first cropped up as Marriage Math, a concept developed by a psychology professor named John Gottman. He claimed that marriages fall into danger when positive to negative interactions fall to a 5:1 ratio. (Learn more in this article.)

In an ideal world, we’d be able to offer up the kind of praise-to-criticism ratio as this article explains (6:1), but it’s not an ideal world. My point here isn’t to even encourage you to strive for this ratio, it’s actually a lot more simple than that. There are three things that I think help in the delivery of criticism that transform them from abrasive to constructive and totally revolutionize the way podcasters interact:

1) Begin with positives. More than just stating the negatives, you have to state positives. Acknowledge what the other person has done well and do not be afraid to offer praise. You might call it softening-the-blow, but I think that it is natural for humans to be less mean or nasty when they take a moment to consider the object of their criticism as a real person with real abilities. 2) Avoid generalities, avoid references to gut feelings, and use words intentionally. In other words, provide specifics. Spend a little time reflecting on what you didn’t like and understand why you didn’t like it, before spouting off a bunch of things that just come into your head. 3) Don’t overwhelm them with a lot of negatives. Just like any influx of information, a human being can only retain so much at a time. Choose a couple key points, offer those up, and then let that person come back to you for more. Sometimes they’ll never come back, but sometimes they will!

My encouragement to you is to not be sucked in by the ease with which the internet provides us to be overly blunt and callous. Be mindful of how you word things, take the time to reflect on your comments, and think about how you can use each opportunity to build someone up. There is so much negativity in this world, let’s try tipping the scale back a bit, shall we?

Links!

There will be no Profitcast next week.
Profitcast Patreon

61: The Importance of Asking and Building a Relationship | Andrew Alliance

The Real Brian — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 09:00:00 -0600

“I deep early, man!” The soon to be immortalized words of Andrew Alliance, this week’s Profitcast spotlight and all around excellent human being. What an episode! Andrew and The Real Brian get real in this week’s episode, talking about the importance of building a relationship with your listeners as the key to growing a meaningful audience.

The correlation between building relationships and growing a podcast audience has come up a few times on Profitcast. The concept itself certainly isn’t anything new, but the lessons and insight we get from the various perspectives each time it does come up is incredibly humbling and grounding. Numbers aren’t everything, slowly sponsors will begin to see that, but sometimes, in our podcasting heads, we still don’t fully understand what that means. When we look at our numbers and see them dip, or see them plateau, or compare them with podcast audience numbers similar to our own, we don’t think of the individuals who make up those numbers. We only see the number. And that’s dangerous.

Luckily, Brian seems to sit down with a fellow podcaster who has some much needed wisdom right when our attention starts to lock in on the number of our listeners rather than the names of our listeners. Andrew’s approach to audience growth is all about relationships, and he’s very adamant that the format of podcasting enables and encourages the kind of relationship building that other classic mediums have never been able to match.

Social media is certainly changing the way we listen to radio, with the ease of communicating being what it is now. This morning, in fact, I was listening to a local country station here in Minneapolis, MN and they wanted people to call in and tell what city they’re from and what that city is known for. It happens that one of the women on the morning crew grew up in the same city I did and she said that our hometown (Burnsville, MN) is known for the Zombie Ladies. I spent 18 years in Burnsville and had never, ever heard of the Zombie Ladies. After I tweeted this to the station, some other Burnsville guy calls in and confirms what the host claimed. (I still don’t entirely know what they are talking about.)

As they moved on from Burnsville to other Minnesota citizens, they were reading posts from the Facebook page and playing calls from people who’d phoned in, and there is definitely a certain degree of engagement that occurs in radio. Calling into a radio station isn’t anything new, by any means, but Facebook and Twitter provide a new dimension to the historically one-level of engagement radio has always been. But the caveat is that there are so many country radio stations across the United States that I can literally just hit the Forward button on my tuner when I leave the Twin Cities and find another within a click or two. Unless I invest in Sirius radio, perhaps, I’ll never listen to that Minneapolis-based radio station while I’m in another state (heck, even 2 hours north) because there is another identical station playing the same 25 songs over and over. Why bother?

Podcasts are distinctly different because they build communities that transcend distance. As Brian mentions in the episode, Arrow Squad is a perfect, current example of this. What I love about that community is the way it can bridge the gap between listeners in Australia, the UK, and Canada, and even amongst the hosts (Brian is in Colorado, of course, I’m in Minnesota, and Kevin is in Massachusetts). A country radio station does not have this same type of requirement; a Minneapolis-based country radio station does not need to cater to Australians (but it is on iHeart Radio, so if you really want to…)

Even though we do much, if not most, of the talking when it comes to hosting a podcast, listening to our listeners can be the most important thing we do when trying to understand audience numbers. Andrew mentions that when he was asked to provide numbers, I think to a potential sponsor, he did as he was asked, but followed it up with commenting on the loyalty of his listeners and the strength of the community. This is important because the trust he’s forged with his listeners is translatable in influence.

Trust is influence. Isn’t it easier to follow through on a recommendation when you trust the person doing the recommending?

I am not a big movie watcher. I will go to all the comic book movies in theaters, but I prefer sports. I just don’t like wasting time with movies that I don’t think I’ll like. This past week I had dinner with a friend who was surprised I hadn’t seen Draft Day (Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner). I told her, very frankly, that I just didn’t know anything about the movie. I see previews, but they do nothing to really tell me what the story is (kind of like ALL the Superman v Batman trailers that came out prior to Comic Con). She took the time to explain the general concept, then told me her reaction to it, and because I know this woman pretty well I knew how to interpret her recommendation. If she had told me to watch it, “Because I loved it and it is about football…” I might not have been as inclined to care.

There are a couple things about this scenario I just laid out that I think are important to note, particularly in the wake of Andrew and Brian’s conversation. If we’re talking about building relationships through respect and listening to one another, and overall just being friends to the people who care about the same stuff we care about, then there are three things I take away from this simple conversation with a friend about a football movie.

1) We were intentional about having dinner together. Before the recommendation of the movie ever happened, we had already planned to have dinner. (Brasa, in Minneapolis, is an excellent choice… If you are ever in the area.) In the podcast translation, we build a rapport with listeners to encourage them to come back.

2) We talk about individual interests in order to find mutual interests. The conversation originally started because I told my friend that I primarily watch soccer in the summer (in addition to Falling Skies, which I podcast about), and even though she doesn’t watch soccer, she does watch football, because her husband was a quarterback in college. See how we got to a movie about football? These kinds of conversations happen because we’re intentional about learning about the people around us.

3) Stop scratching the surface! As Andrew says, unless you go deep, you’ll never know if you can go deep! Maybe a conversation about football movies isn’t incredibly deep, but it’s certainly not scratching the surface. The movie clearly impacted my friend to an extent that she found it worthwhile to tell me about it, and that only came about, as I said previously, because we ping-ponged between individual interests until we reached a point where she had a recommendation for something I would enjoy based on her understanding of my interests.

Last week I wrote about how conditioning in sports is vital to getting ahead and giving an athlete the opportunity to pull past others of equal skill level. I think building relationships is definitely on par with that concept. It’s not the same as constructing a schedule in order to take control of your life, but it is certainly part of refining an aspect to a podcast that isn’t 100% connected to your presence behind the mic. It is absolutely part of it, because presentation of ourselves behind the mic is part of it, but it is not all of it. If we don’t spend time off the mic interacting with listeners, can we ever hope for more than an audience similar to that of karaoke night?

A huge thank you to Andrew for being on the show this week! Be sure to check out the links to his podcast and Twitter below, and let us know how his perspective on relationship building impacted you!

Links!

The Show Radio covers gaming, tech and entertainment!
Andrew on Twitter! @uriyya
Profitcast Patreon

60: If You Want to Profit, Do This!

The Real Brian — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Every season of life presents new challenges which require us to assess and re-calibrate our lives to accommodate for its changes. In the midst of a few things that remain consistent, like nourishing ourselves and getting sleep, the activities of various sizes that fill the rest of our 24 hour days are almost never consistent.

As a person who loves consistency, the minute changes in scheduling can often drive me nuts. I’m the kind of person who will give someone several days notice when I want to make plans. My flaw, in this regard at least, is that I expect the same out of other people as well. I don’t like last minute changes to plans and it’s hard for me to adjust when something new is sprung on me. This has been something I’ve acknowledged, however, and am working on because, more than anything, I get this distinct feeling of selfishness every time I get frustrated by spontaneous changes in plans. In my head, I see that the other person didn’t care enough about me and my time to give me more notice; very rarely do I stop to think about what might be going on in that person’s life to force them to change plans on me.

This week’s episode of Profitcast reminds me of a term we use in various sports practices and training sessions. Conditioning. Conditioning is useful in many regards, though none of them are strictly considered fun. It is used to build endurance, to hone technique, and, very often, to humble the proud.

While natural talent, athleticism, and skill are valuable to components in any sport, each can only take a person so far. There are a lot of talented, a lot of athletic people in this world, all vying for the same goal: victory. In the end, it will be the person who dedicates themselves to the peripherals, to conditioning and technique, that will come out on top against someone of equal skill.

Managing schedules and organizing time reminds me of conditioning. Sometimes it can be brutal, sometimes people can hate you for it, sometimes it’s not fun, but we always appreciate it in hindsight. Schedules are a way to manage responsibilities and show respect; they’re also a way to maintain sanity.

Without endurance and technique, we get caught up in the big picture and forget about the fundamentals that comprise the big picture. In the world of podcasting, the fundamentals are those things that surround your passion podcast. For example, not getting enough sleep impacts our ability to provide consistent, quality content, but so do things like scheduling too many meetings on Recording Day, or inefficient time management that permits us to record, but not to edit and produce.

If we let our schedules run us ragged, the “get to” mentality slowly turns into the “have to” mentality. We lose steam, lose interest, and lose sleep. We’re telling ourselves and the people around us that all we care about is the end game, that we’ll do everything and anything to get there. And sometimes that’s OK, sometimes it’s OK to do whatever it takes, but that methodology isn’t sustainable over long periods of time.

Which is why conditioning is so useful! Getting a grip on your time will feed into all aspects of life, not just podcasting. It’ll let you give the time to podcasting that podcasting requires, to advertising that advertising requires, to family what family requires, and so on and so forth.

I will admit, I was surprised to hear that Brian is going to begin implementing a schedule. As he starts to acquire more clients, it might not be strictly necessary to have a set schedule for every half hour of every day, but it will certainly become useful in these beginning stages so that he can avoid over commitment and give to each client the time that they require. I’ll be interested to see how this goes for him and how it will change the way he approaches different projects.

Don’t shy away from conditioning! Build endurance for passion podcasting by taking care of the details and taking the time to understand each season of life, what it requires from you and how you can respect that season.

For the record, I do not drink 9 pots of coffee a day. Maybe 3.

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

59: Overheard at Podcast Movement

The Real Brian — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Podcast Movement 2015 is wrapped, podcasters have returned home to their remote corners of the earth, and life resumes. The legacy of PM15 lives on, however. Gather thousands of professional podcasters at a convention and silly comments will be made! If you haven’t already, check out the hashtag #OverheardAtPM15… And to give you a clue as to what exactly you’ll be perusing, check these out!

What did you overhear at Podcast Movement 2015? Let us know!

In this reactionary podcast, The Real Brian looks back on his time at Podcast Movement 2015. A couple critical, and eye-opening, lessons were learned; many introductions (and re-connections!) and observations about the state of podcasting were made. Whether you’re new or a seasoned Profitcast veteran, there is something to be gleaned from his reflection of this podcasters-only convention.

Having been experiencing the world of podcasting monetization strategies through the eyes of Brian over the last year, it is incredibly interesting to hear how much his perspective on profiting has changed since the beginning. Not only has his criteria changed for what it means to profit with a podcast, but the approach has started to change as well.

Amongst the stories Brian shares about his entertaining weekend, a definite theme resonates through them all: reminding yourself why you podcast. Just as gas fuels a car, podcasts require passion fuel. But gas does not drive a car. It can certainly influence the person driving the car , but it alone cannot sustain the life of a car. Passion cannot be the only dimension to a podcast. Don’t read too far into this analogy, because it breaks down quickly, but I’m trying to draw focus to the balance Brian is alluding to in this episode. We have expectations for our undertakings, but unless we stack those expectations against reality, we will go from the “get to” to the “have to” mentality.

In an ideal world we would all make money doing what we love, as opposed to just making money doing what we need to do. But the impact of a failure when it relates to a passion is significantly more profound than other failures. When we fail at our hobbies, it’s like a piece of our identity fails. And that can be incredibly difficult to bounce back from.

A year ago I was working for a small business. Small, small business with big, big dreams. The business was hugely successful in its niche for 14 years, but the business owner, my boss, developed a vision for the company that would take it in a new direction. While holding onto the niche, he wanted to reorient our efforts from creating one-off, highly-customized systems to developing a one-size-fits-all platform. The concept itself was great and as a data analytics tool it was remarkable. But by making this switch, we lost our hold on the niche that made the business so successful.

When I first arrived, I put in the effort to get to know small businesses as a general concept. I’d come from a corporate health care organization of 40 thousand people to this small company of (at the time) 8 people. I knew very little about small business. I was reading a lot, because that’s what I do, and I came across this article, entitled Why Small Businesses Fail (or Fail to Thrive and Grow). This is bullet point number one:

Just because you love something doesn’t mean you should convert it into a business. Too often businesses fail because the owner feels their passion is shared by others. Research your business idea and make sure it’s viable.

Is this not exactly what we’ve been talking about when it comes to podcasting? Actually, if you read on in the linked article, many of the bullet points directly relate to our experiences here through Brian. Trying to monetize a podcast is extraordinarily akin to starting a small businesses.

Turning a hobby into a career is, or can be, emotionally taxing. Taking that leap, however, can also be rewarding! In light of Brian’s observations in this episode, it seems as though even the people who are aware of the risks and are trying to be careful not to fall into the traps waylaid for them are just as susceptible to the false definitions of success. Brian had the opportunity last weekend to understand and absorb the fact that his model for success is being met through Profitcast. And no, it wasn’t in the way he originally hoped. But to state that he failed with Profitcast is an absolute lie.

In the case of the small business I was working for last year, I watched as my boss went from this enthusiastic, confident and ambitious master-of-his-domain into a somewhat frantic and depressed shell that met every No with a distinct sense of failure. The money dried up and we were left with this powerful data analytics tool that was being under-utilized by small companies who had to be won over time and time again. That depression, in addition to being a major roadblock to salvaging what remains of a business or venture, has a ripple effect on everyone you are responsible for. Employees feel it, in the case of a small business, and listeners feel it, in the case of a podcast. Let me speak from experience by saying it drives people away.

On the road to making millions with your podcast, don’t lose sight of what is important! It’s not wrong to have those types of ambitions and goals, but give yourself smaller milestones along the way so that you can celebrate wins. Be honest about your successes and your failures. Don’t let failure define your passion because even if it doesn’t fit into one model, it might fit into another.

In the words of J. R. R. Tolkien from that adventuresome classic The Fellowship of the Ring:

“The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.”

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

The foundation of Profitcast has been to pioneer techniques of turning passion into profit. Many podcasters have been successful with Patreon, and Brian hopes to provide meaningful insights and suggestions on how to launch your own campaign.

58: Get a Full Sponsor BEFORE Launching a Podcast? | Espree Devora

The Real Brian — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Not too long ago, Brian covered a listener question that was: when should I monetize my podcast? (That was episode 40.) Based on current models and expectations of sponsors, trying to monetize too quickly can often yield frustrating and discouraging results. But this week, Brian chats with Espree Devora of We Are LA Tech and finds that someone is finally defying the traditional safe, though nonetheless calculated, approach to finding sponsorship for your podcast. And finding it before launching a podcast.

Honestly, it’s best if we just let Espree explain her methodology, because her passion and excitement outweigh any feeble attempt I make here of regurgitating her words! Instead, I’d like to get you excited about what this woman is up to in podcasting and encourage you to take a close look at her approach to a super niche.

On the day that I listened to this interview, ironically, I had received an email from another woman at work earlier in the day. It simply said: “This made me think of you :)” and had a link to this article about the general lack of female programmers and software engineers. Listening to Espree talk about her newest podcast, Women in Tech, and the passion for seeking out women in the tech field which led her to launch the podcast was very impactful to me. I was primed for this interview after reading this article, and clearly society is starting to take notice of women in tech roles as well.

By day, I am an application developer for a company located in Minneapolis, MN. I am the only female developer on my team, though there is a female digital designer in the company, and according to my manager I am the first female they’ve hired for this developer role since the company’s origin (1999). Because of how immersed I am in this world, having been involved in building websites since I was 16, I often don’t stop to think about being a woman in programming or application development.

This niche Espree found for the Women in Tech podcast is the perfect example of a “filling a void”. The article I linked to above describes a documentary, in which many people are interviewed about the state of women in tech positions. Even though gender issues are rarer now than they have been, historically, it’s still rather uncommon to see women in certain roles. Hearing the statistics, and general comments of the rarities of being a woman in this field, makes a podcast like this so well timed. Driving women into these roles by encouraging them with the evidences of women who are successful in these fields is an amazing niche.

Likewise, Espree’s podcast We Are LA Tech also found a niche for the business minds and has the distinction of being the first podcast about startups in LA. What’s more, the passion that Espree brings to her podcasts make them not just a specific “super niche”, as we’ve been discussing on Profitcast lately, but she is well within the bounds of her interests and curiosity. It is curiosity that drives her to talk with startups and deliver high-quality content.

There is a ton of information in this week’s podcast about how to think differently about sponsorship and monetizing podcasts. While certain challenges will always be present, Espree presents a unique perspective on the state of making money with podcasting and how her own curiosity has enabled her to be successful. Espree’s track record is a pretty huge indicator that finding a sponsor is possible.

One particular tip that Brian takes away is this idea Espree brings up about experimenting with contacting companies about sponsorship. Find companies who might share the same customer or listener pool as your podcast, get to know them, and then talk to them about potentially sponsorship! And Espree brings up a good point, you don’t want to just read about these companies you contact, you want to really know things… things that will make you less of a 7-second elevator pitch and more of a couple friends sitting down to catch up. Where are their “pain points”? What times of year do they make monetary decisions? Why would they enjoy your podcast?

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

Links!

57: Good Headlines = More Listenership

The Real Brian — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Catchy headlines are by no means a new idea. Since the dawn of print media, either newspapers or tracks or pamphlets, distributors have put a lot of effort into making information appealing. Headlines present a unique challenge in that they must make the potential of information appealing.

Anything that has a headline likely utilized one of a number of tactics: humor, pun, alliteration, wow-factor. The goal, essentially, is to quickly and briefly draw attention to the content of a story or article. Hopefully once the reader is committed to the article, the content speaks for itself. As Brian points out on the podcast, this is always a tricky combination of making the headline interesting and informative, while not being misleading or boring.

When I first listened to this week’s podcast, my first thoughts went to famous newspaper headlines. The death of Princess Diana sparked: “DIANA DEAD.” When NASA astronauts landed on the moon, we saw: “MAN WALKS ON THE MOON.” When the Titanic sank, The New York Times front page read: “TITANIC SINKS FOUR HOURS AFTER HITTING ICEBERG.”

Sometimes the content creates its own headline, like the examples I’ve given. Diana Dead is both a wow-factor and an alliteration, but it’s also as true and straight-forward as a headline can get. Sometimes the content can seem a little too complicated or broad to be stated in a few words, at least insofar that a listener, in the context of podcasting let’s say, will stop and take an interest. Finding a rhythm with headlines for podcast episodes is no less daunting than finding that super niche, because many podcasters are competing for the same listeners, just as many newspapers compete for the same readers.

One very interesting comment Brian made on the podcast was an observation about the relevant piece of the episode title. It is important not to bury the lead. Brian noted how he used to structure episode titles like this: PC # | Interview with Name | Topic of Discussion. But the typical smartphone will only show the first 25 characters, or so, of an episode title. The most users can see, then, is the name of the person being interviewed (or maybe not even the full name). By switching the order of interviewee and topic, Brian found that, overall, podcast downloads rose.

Of course, this isn’t true 100% of the time. For example, an interview with a well-known podcaster using the original title format will certainly have more downloads than a episode title with the adjusted format, but which was poorly named (i.e. What Does Jurassic World Have To Do With Podcasting?). What seems like a good idea may turn out to be a bust, but this is the challenge we face. In a world where nothing is handed to us, don’t let the naming of your podcast episode be a boring and automatic practice. Make writing good headlines part of your production routine.

As podcasters we hope that the information we’re putting out is more than just interesting. We want it to excite and encourage listeners. If it is difficult to make a podcast title exciting, be wary of falling back on making it cute or ironic. Make it informative.

There are some exceptions, of course. Podcasts about television shows have a little more leniency. Below I’ve taken screencaps of two Under the Dome podcast episode titles. They embrace the craziness and absurdity of their show and use it to their advantage. Fans of the show can appreciate the titles, but the same title might not mean much to someone unfamiliar with the show’s premise. And that’s ok! It demonstrates creativity, it conveys personality, and it’s interesting.

In this podcast, Brian shares some very frank information about the stats of his episodes as they correlate to their respective titles. After you listen and get an idea for the patterns he’s seen, take a look back on your own stats and take note of any patterns you see. Then… report back! We want to know how you’ve fared.

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

56: Superheroes (and Super Podcasters) Super Niche!

The Real Brian — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Super niche, activate! I enjoy it when Brian goes with a superhero theme for an episode of Profitcast because it means that I can write about superheroes. I suppose I could always write about superheroes, but at least now it isn’t totally out of left field. Several weeks ago I wrote about superhero origin stories and the similarities to a podcaster’s origin story, and in many ways this post will build off that same idealism. If you missed it, click here.

Whether you’re into the modern model of superheroes or not, don’t get hung up on the box office successes (and failures) that our culture loves to glorify. Think instead about the model of a superhero, or even just a hero. A person living in the real world with an extraordinary ability who feels drawn to make an effect on the world because X-Y-Z; at first their efforts are awkward or ineffective because they don’t know how to properly use their powers to effect the greatest change; as they settle into their powers and differentiate between allies and villains, they understand how best to control the skills they have in order to be the most successful.

As Brian emphasizes in this episode of Profitcast, and as we learned from Jason Van Orden last week, finding a super niche is the key to an origin story. Defining oneself in a narrow focus is important to gain credibility in a broader context. Brian uses the example of Tim Ferriss, who started out very, very specific, but as he gained credibility and gained a following it has enabled him to broaden the scope of the material he puts out, without running the risk of alienating his regular listeners. And likewise, when a new superhero comes on the scene, they aren’t immediately inducted into the Justice League of America or the Avengers. They have to prove themselves by holding their own and demonstrating how they can work as part of a team.

Interestingly, when Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel were first developing Superman and were not having much luck selling him, one editor told Shuster: “The trouble with this, kid, is that it’s too sensational. Nobody would believe it.” I think this perfectly defines the problem for podcasters whose niches are too broad and they’re having trouble finding momentum. It isn’t impossible to have a broad niche, Shuster and Siegel proved that with Superman and his many powers, but it took a great deal of time. The first time they tried to sell Superman was in 1933, but they did not successfully launch their classic Superman character until the June issue of Action Comics in 1938. That’s 5 years of character development! But not just development of Superman. Shuster and Siegel became pros in the comic book world, gathering up experience through a series of low paying jobs for creating other comic strips.

Superman, when it finally made it to print, was an instant success. But the creators of said comic would likely not say their dreams for Superman were an instant success. It was five years of commitment, of rejections, of odd jobs, but all the while staying true to the ultimate goal for their prized character.

Before I wrap up here, take a step back and consider yourself not as the superhero, but as the civilian living in the same universe as a superhero. You are a citizen of Star City, where the Green Arrow protects the innocent and delivers justice to those who think they are above the law. What does the Green Arrow need to do for you to trust him? One theme the television show Arrow deals strongly with is the concept of who has the right to deliver justice. When the oppressed are fed up, do they have the right to take matters into their own hands? When a billionaire sees injustice, does he have the right to take matters into his own hands? We have a responsibility to those who we claim to serve, and the thing Oliver Queen has had to learn on Arrow over the last three seasons is that he cannot act independently of the law, nor can he disregard the city he serves.

Don’t just consider your super niche, consider how you need to fulfill a promise with that super niche to those listeners you want to count as your audience. Let your passion fill up that super specific niche, not insofar that you are a people pleaser, but that you use your passion to be pleasing.

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

Links!

55: There IS Money in Podcasting | A Story and Strategy of Millions with Jason Van Orden

The Real Brian — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 09:00:00 -0600

This week’s Profitcast features an interview with Jason Van Orden, one of the masterminds behind Internet Business Mastery and as the title of this episode suggests, Jason is adamant that there is still money to be made in podcasting, but it’s not something to be taken lightly. I’m going to address the aspects of Jason’s interview that resonated with me and how important the terms differentiation and curiosity suddenly became to my daily vernacular.

Listening to Jason describe his process and methodology was very comforting to me, because I approach projects in much the same way as he does. I have what the Kolbe A Index calls a high Fact Finder and low Quick Start. (Apologies for the photographed image, I only ever got a hard copy of my Kolbe results.) To quickly break this down, having a high number in the Fact Finder category means that I gather and share information by getting down to the specifics. A good example of this is that I really dislike trying to describe a book when I’m in the midst of reading it. I want to have all the information before I tell you about the plot of the book. Having a low Quick Start, on the other hand, refers to a tendency to stick with what already works really well in order to avoid chaos and reduce the chances of making mistakes.

After reading that, you may wonder how I ever accomplish anything. Well, as I become more knowledgeable in a given topic, my ability to accomplish my Fact Finder quota quickly increases and I’m able to broaden my Quick Start capabilities, moving on from sticking with what already works and begin experimenting with new ideas. The advice Jason gives in this podcast resonates really well with me — and not just in the affirming way that it’s okay to do a ton of research before starting a project. A certain degree of preparation and research is absolutely necessary when approaching a medium as densely packed as podcasting.

Here at Profitcast, our thing is passion podcasting. We’re passionate and want to share ideas and information through the medium of podcasting. Chances are you found this podcast and this blog post for that very reason, and good for you! For real. Sometimes it troubles me to see how few people care enough about a topic to be comfortable, and intentional, about being openly nerdy about it! In high school, or earlier even, did you ever just get so excited about something that you were bouncing all over the room while your peers look on, crossing their arms and acting embarrassed for you, wondering why you deigned to show an emotion that was anything other than indifference? Passion podcasters are enablers. We provide outlets to people who think that they are the only ones bouncing around the room, excited over something everyone else is too unwilling to become genuinely nerdy about. We are specifically identifying our name, our brand, our reputation with something.

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? Getting specific. It’s 2015. There are thousands upon thousands of podcasts, millions upon millions of podcast episodes. When we have this itch, this passion, and there are so many others out there just like it, how can we chime in and not sound like everyone else?

This is where, I do believe, having a high Fact Finder and low Quick Start come in extremely handy. I cannot just jump into something and start experimenting. If you don’t believe me, ask Brian. In the course of our friendship, and partnership, I’m sure he can come up with several scenarios in which we discussed and deliberated instead of jumping in and going because of my insatiable need to know the details. He’s been incredibly gracious and has taught me a lot about being able to fill the gaps of my subjectively lacking knowledge in order to get a task accomplished, but it still can be burdensome to those around me. And yet, when it comes to finding uniqueness in the world of podcasting, I might just have the drive and the mental instruments necessary to find a solid niche.

Jason references a couple very key points of preparing to do a podcast that I think are vital to my point here. And if I’ve been too vague, my point is to encourage you to not overlook the research and prep that goes into your podcast before you begin and while you’re producing. Two key points are these:

One. Differentiation. It is possible to be the first on a certain topic, but increasingly difficult. As Brian likes to say, if you can be the first, AWESOME! If not, find a niche. Get specific. Jason’s idea of differentiation comes from this same mold. It’s okay to admit to yourself that there may be other podcasts out there just like the one you want to start, so listen to them. Do not be afraid of the competition. Embrace the challenge to find a way to make the delivery of your passion unique. You can even broaden the scope some, find podcasts that might not even be in your category or genre, but perhaps approach a topic with the same formula you’d like to implement, and take note of what works and what doesn’t.

B. Curiosity. We talk about passion, but how about curiosity? Curiosity increases passion, so stay curious. Research does this for me. The more I read, the more I want to read. The problem zone for myself is that I often cannot confidently state that I’ve learned enough to be an expert, or to have the authority necessary to speak on the matter. What happens after I read the whole book and still don’t think I can adequately describe the plot? What if I need to read it again? Keeping yourself curious will undoubtedly be the key to a full and dynamic podcast, but don’t forget that sometimes curiosity can be external. Like Larry King, and even The Real Brian, curiosity can be the means to connect with your audience, instead of strictly the means to be an authority to your audience.

Thanks to Jason for being on the show this week! It was so great to hear his brain picked apart, get some very validating perspectives on the state of podcasting, and the hope that there is, assuredly, money in podcasting.

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

Links!

54: Selfish & Selfless Podcaster: How To Be Both!

The Real Brian — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Selfish versus selfless. Both of these terms deal with where a person’s concern lies; with oneself or with others? We’ve talked about this dichotomy in less explicit terms for the last couple weeks without even realizing we were building up to this podcast. As it goes, podcasting isn’t just about the podcaster, it’s not just about the host. Yes, you [the podcaster] decide on a topic and begin making your commentary on that topic available, but the moment you have one single listener, it is no longer just about you.

And yet, it isn’t solely about the audience either. In fact, swinging to either end of the spectrum is unhealthy for a podcast. We cannot make decisions based only on how we feel. Step back from podcasting for a moment and think about other decisions you make everyday. Imagine making every decision, whether it is with a spouse or a friend, at work or at the grocery store, based only on feeling. Some of us would be getting divorced or married every other day! Some of us would quit our jobs every day! And we all know what it’s like to go grocery shopping while hungry… It takes extraordinary responsibility and willpower to get only the things we need (and not buy three cartons of Oreos).

In this episode of Profitcast, Brian spends a great deal of time making reference to finding a healthy balance between doing what we want (the selfish part) and doing what is good for our audience (the selfless part). The episode title of last week threw many listeners into a [unintentional] frenzy, and yet it helped to solidify some unknowns to Brian because of the emotional responses he received. Ultimately, the decision to keep going is completely up to Brian, but he would be remiss not to take into consideration the members of his audience that he’s been cultivating over the last year.

On the selfish side of things, Brian can look at the last year and think about the time, effort, and hustle he’s put into making this podcast successful. Sometimes when we look at where we are and where we wanted to be we become discouraged and the scales of our balance feel significantly lopsided. In such cases we have to honestly ask ourselves if continuing to move forward is the best decision for our own health. Brian shares a great example of when walking away from a project was actually the right thing to do, and I am personally very glad he shared this story because he put into words what I’ve been long trying to understand myself. He and I started a podcast last Fall, were super excited about it, and found ourselves frustrated after four months because of several imbalances. It became the right decision to step away, and I think you will get a lot out of hearing this story from beginning to end.

And yet, when Brian recalibrated a couple weeks ago and realized he wasn’t on exactly the right path it was easier to keep going when he could see the adjustments he could make in order to get back into hustle mode. It’s a lot easier to hustle when you’re doing the right thing in the right way! When you start to feel lazy or frustrated, take a step back, figure out where that frustration is coming from, and redirect your path. It may make all the difference!

Finding that healthy balance between being selfish and selfless is part of life. Whether it’s podcasting, a relationship, or a career, we must find a balance between doing what we want to do and doing what other people want from us. Familiar with the utilitarian approach? 1) identify all courses of action 2) determine who will be affected by which action and the benefit or harm that will occur in each situation 3) choose the action which will produce the best benefit and the least harm. (For more information, check out Jeremy Bentham’s philosophy on the Happiness Principle.)

If you’re frustrated or unhappy with your podcast and are asking questions like, “Am I a good fit for my topic/podcast?” It may be time to do a full assessment. What do you want? What do your listeners want? Can your skills and expertise efficiently cater to the desires of your audience? It will do no one any good if you are simply pandering to an audience because you have an audience. Be honest with yourself and with your listeners and they will respect you for it.

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

Links!

53: The Last Episode of Profitcast!

The Real Brian — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Frankly, my (Emilee) speaking to anything on the name of this episode would be a spoiler alert! Yet, on that point, it is interesting to contemplate the end of something and gauge our reaction to that contemplation. From an introspective manner, does the end make me feel relief or sadness? At the end of a long project, for example, I might feel relief; but at the end of an enjoyable vacation, I feel sadness. From an objective standpoint, when considering the end of something I enjoy, but am not directly part of, am I bummed out or do I feel indifference? For example, I was extremely bummed out by the end of Fringe, but I didn’t have a strong opinion over the cancellation of Revolution.

From August 2013 to September 2014, I was part of a podcast which rewatched the TV series Lost in anticipation for the fan-run reunion on Oahu. My role in this podcast was to read a book every week that was relevant to the episodes we were watching (or as close as I could get). This was a strenuous, sometimes stressful, but a hugely rewarding undertaking. The difference between this podcast and pretty much every other podcast I’ve been part of is that it had a finite number of episodes. We knew how many we would produce and how long it would take us. At the end of those, what, 63 weeks? At the end I was relieved (that was a lot of reading). But I was also bummed! What a fun experience, particularly insofar that our last episode of that podcast was recorded in Waikiki within sight of the beautiful ocean on the very island in which the majority of the show was filmed.

Our reaction to the end of the podcast, and our listeners’ reaction to the end of the podcast, is very telling in terms of judging the relative success of that podcast’s run. Did we do it right? Did I bore listeners with my 10-12 minute literature segment? Did we waste our time? Did our format work for what we were trying to accomplish?

For many podcasts, the end doesn’t come until the primary host(s) says it will. A morning show podcast, a political or current events podcast, a music podcast; these all have the potential to carry on for years and years, only ending because a host decides that the podcast has run its course. If and when that time comes for you, hopefully you’ve taken the time to do an inventory of your accomplishments, of your trials, and of your limitations in order to understand the reason you’ve decided to shut down.

But another interesting angle might surface from doing this inventory. Perhaps, while legitimately considering whether or not to shut down your podcast you realize that you’ve been making some grievous errors that aren’t only possible to rectify, but imperative! Brian shares some interesting insights as to how this came about in his course of determining whether this should be the end of Profitcast and explains why he made the decision he made.

It’s comforting, in my mind, to have someone like Brian out there in the world taking these kinds of risks and not being afraid to jump in with both feet. Personally, I’m not much of a risk taker. I like security, with the occasional burst of spontaneity, but I could never do what Brian does. What I appreciate so much about his frankness in this episode is his willingness to see that in spite of the knowledge he’s acquired over the last couple years, there are still basic, core mistakes we make as human beings that affect our ability to be successful, whether it is in podcasting or in daily life.

There are some big take-aways in this episode that should make us all scratch our head and do an inventory of our current ventures, whether or not we’re considering a full shut down of a project. Sometimes a recalibration is what we need to adjust our course and assure ourselves that we are living life to its fullest. But perhaps the most important component to this is the willingness to be honest with ourselves in regard to the reality of our circumstance.

Let The Cat Out Of The Bag One of Brian’s first questions is where the heck did this idiom come from? Interestingly enough, one might even consider it ironic, there is no great origin story for this idiom. There are a couple of possibilities floating around, but the earliest recorded usage of the phrase comes from a book review in The London Magazine in 1760, in which the reviewer makes a comment about wishing the author had not “let the cat out of the bag.” Perhaps the reviewer liked to hide his cats in a bag before revealing them to party guests. Whatever the case may be, the origin of this idiom appears to be like a cat still in its bag.

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

52: Doing What “Makes Sense” Doesn’t Always Make Sense

The Real Brian — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 09:00:00 -0600

We talk a lot on Profitcast about reorienting around what profiting with your podcast means for you and your situation. The traditional, or go-to, definition is monetization, and that’s natural and it doesn’t hurt to have that as a goal. But lately we’ve taken to broadening this definition. To me, profiting with my podcast means ___________.

Rob and Martha Southgate seriously challenge the idea of monetization as the pinnacle of profiting with podcasting. Their story is a remarkable one, a miraculous one, we might say. In many, many ways it differs from other success stories we often hear on Profitcast; one of Brian’s guests will explain the strategies he or she employed to reach the stage they are at now and can offer up suggestions or helpful hints for others currently fighting through the smog. Rob and Martha, though they have fantastic insight, truly have a unique (and likely non-reproducible) story that will challenge us in new ways.

Having such a unique experience in their podcasting journey provides some excellent insight into how we, as passion podcasters, consider our role in the broader podcasting world. In the business world, profit actually means this: “A financial benefit that is realized when the amount of revenue gained from a business activity exceeds the expenses, costs and taxes needed to sustain the activity.” But going back to the “Doing What Makes Sense Doesn’t Always Make Sense” mentality, Rob and Martha have come to find that profiting with podcasts doesn’t mean exceeding the expenses needed to sustain themselves, but actually finding fulfillment in having exactly what they need in order to live.

How often do we, particularly Americans, stop and reflect on the fact that having enough to live is enough? We strive for the padding between the day-to-day and the bottom line. We strive for vacation time and a slightly bigger house with a slightly bigger yard. And as passion podcasters, we strive to do what we love for monetary gain and end up losing sight of the bigger picture.

With their focus on producing quality podcasts, doing what they love, and committing to only what they need, Rob and Martha are in a place many financially successful podcasters lose. And they don’t lose it because they don’t believe in it anymore, but because–quite often–they become consumed by the monetary aspect of the podcast, they become consumed by the success that monetization brings, and they lose the ability to have that raw, excited impact on others. Not always! But often. Rob and Martha focus on people and talents, finding people with passion to spearhead podcast projects. They don’t focus on the number of downloads, but embrace the importance of doing and sharing what they love.

In Rob and Martha’s world, they are profiting big time because they stepped off the cliff and are walking on cloud nine! You’ve got to stop reading this blog and go listen to their story now.

PATREON Would you please consider supporting Profitcast through Patreon? I would be ETERNALLY grateful! Thank you to ALL who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon

Links!

Profitcast Patreon

51: If You’re Busy, Your Podcast Will Fail!

The Real Brian — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 09:00:00 -0600

I was inspired and passionate to share about busyness and how it negatively affects our podcasts and profiting with them. In fact, I firmly believe that we will fail with our podcasts if we’re busy. Don’t get me wrong. Having a full schedule and working HARD is GOOD. But being BUSY does not equal full schedules and hard work. John Lee Dumas isn’t busy. But he works hard and is VERY successful. With this, I talk about respect, boundaries, and manipulation. Each of these things have a major impact on being busy and, therefore, our success and profit. Check out the episode this week to hear about what’s holding many of us back and how we can break these chains and start seeing some results. I WANT you to succeed. PLEASE. :) And now a word from Emilee: :)

Everything we cover here at Profitcast is meant to encourage, enlighten, education and, hopefully, entertain; this week is no different. Sometimes we broach some topics or concepts that are harder than others to soften our pride to, but there are some issues that cannot be left to work themselves out, and as such we like to open the forum for an honest conversation about some of the roadblocks that get put in our way as podcasters.

Last week, Brian and Robert talked about the effort we need to put forward in order to grow our audience. We can’t stand around waiting for handouts! A couple weeks ago, Brian and Jen Briney talked about the difference between putting out a podcast because it’s “due” and putting it out because it’s ready. We can actually hurt our podcast by rushing things and putting out something that is low quality or contains poor content.

This week, Brian takes on a couple more difficult topics: 1) Respect. 2) Boundaries. 3) Manipulation and how they affect our busyness or success. A couple recent experiences, and witnessing this experience in others, prompted Brian to address three fairly important, and relatively untouched, topics in the podcasting world. A lack of respect and boundaries can lead to a litany of issues within and around our podcast, trickling down to our listeners, to our sponsors, and, worst of all, into the passion that drives us to podcast.

It seems simple, right? R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me. Just a little bit! You know, Otis Redding got a lot of stuff right in that song and it has a powerful message. But when Aretha Franklin released her own version of the song in the late 60s and added the iconic bridge, in which she sings R-E-S-P-E-C-T, it turned the song into an anthem for Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements alike. She unashamedly painted herself as a strong woman demanding respect from her man.

Respect is anything but simple, but it is fathomable. It takes focus and intention and, if given that focus and intention, can change absolutely everything about the relationships you have with your listeners, with your co-hosts, with your guests, and even with your own relationship to your podcast.

But that’s enough chit chat. Brian gets down to business, using some real world scenarios to discuss how to take a critical look at boundaries, how to recognize manipulation and divert it before it becomes an issue, how to show respect to others and, of course, how all of this can help you to reduce your busyness and start PROFITING!

PATREON Thank you to all who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon! It is a huge honor and Brian cannot wait to see what can be accomplished through this partnership.

If you’re unfamiliar with Patreon, the basis of the campaign is an opportunity for you to partner with Brian in a financial capacity in order to receive more and unique content. Without taking away anything you are accustomed to getting out of Profitcast, a Patreon campaign enables Creators, like Brian, to provide more to people like you, while staying within his means of available resources.

50: What Does Jurassic World Have To Do With Podcasting?

The Real Brian — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Welcome to episode 50 of Profitcast! It is so exciting to be able to say fifty isn’t it?

Jurassic World is just the most recent example in a long line of cinematic blockbusters that are capitalizing on the marketing potential of a film’s dramatic premise as its release approaches. Jurassic World is the fourth film in a line of [loose] adaptations of Michael Crichton’s dinosaur novels (Jurassic Park, The Lost World). The second film, The Lost World, was released in 1997 and owing largely to the excitement and brilliance of the first film, it broke the opening weekend box office record (set by Batman Returns) which it held up until the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. However, in spite of all the hype, the critical response was harsh. Four years later, when the third of the Jurassic movies was released, the rather unenthusiastic response of its predecessor led to modest success for the movie, but nothing that surpassed The Lost World, and was received even more negatively than the second. The fourth movie now has this sordid history to overcome in order for the marketing leading up to its release to not be considered overhype. Unfortunately, we will only know in hindsight.

Marketing yourself and your podcast is important. We’ve talked in recent weeks on Profitcast how it doesn’t need to be a central focus of your daily podcasting checklist, but it is difficult to grow your community and audience when you aren’t doing any form of marketing.

The reason podcasts, films, or whatever it is, do well is because passionate people put out compelling content, find their niche, and gain a loyal audience who are eager to spread the word about what they’ve found. If your show is good, people won’t be able to help but talk about it. It is the most important avenue of marketing at our disposal, hands down.

And yet, word of mouth does not negate the need for the type of marketing in which you, as a podcaster, purposefully showcase your podcast and drive to expose it to a wider audience. If I might turn to a fishing analogy, there is a huge correlation between the bait a fisherman uses and where he decides to cast his line to the type of fish he wishes to catch. This fisherman can put a worm on a hook and cast his line like a boss, but if he’s in still, open waters and looking to catch a largemouth bass, the chances of him accomplishing this are very slim. If he wants that largemouth bass he’s got to think about murky waters with deep vegetation, he’s got to think about a shiny lure that can troll through weeds without getting caught, and he’s got to think about the weight on his line that will allow the lure to sink down to the depths of where that largemouth bass is swimming around. When a listener takes your bait and listens to your podcast, you certainly want quality content and audio to set the hook in their experience, but if you’ve cast your line into the wrong type of water it doesn’t matter how compelling your lure is, they aren’t going to stay because your content will not resonate with them.

Join Brian and his co-host, Robert Krueger, as they flesh out these ideas of finding your niche, finding what makes you special and thinking critically about how the effort you put forward can be put right back into the efforts you take to grow your audience. We’ve discussed and learned a lot on Profitcast over the last 50 episodes, but learning isn’t enough. We must execute!

So go forth and multiply.

Question of the Week We’ve learned a lot, but what have you done about it? What are the results?

Next Week! No spoilers have been reported for next week’s episode.

PATREON Thank you to all who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon! It is a huge honor and Brian cannot wait to see what can be accomplished through this partnership.

49: The Single Most Important Secret to Success???

The Real Brian — Tue, 26 May 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Sometimes podcasting feels different from other entrepreneurial adventures. You don’t need official office space. You don’t need employees. You don’t need post-it notes and pens and pads of paper with official letter heads. But in this episode of Profitcast, Brian outlines some very key details about what makes podcasters fit right in line with the other entrepreneurs out there whose ventures do require the list of items above. Perhaps the odds are not quite in the podcaster’s favor, but that is a matter of perspective and commitment.

Perspective and commitment? Can I be any more vague? To be honest, I probably could have tried. But let me lay this down, to avoid confusion: in all walks of life, whether it is personal or professional, the odds of success hinge upon one’s own perspective of their situation and their commitment to making it work out. Marriages, friendships, diets, and learning anything new require an accurate perspective and unyielding commitment in order to even consider success as an option. And the same is true in the case of podcasting.

Spotify, as Brian outlines, has recently been making waves with the announcement that it will soon begin offering podcasts. Third-party sources who have begun to contemplate what this means for podcasters declare that this, this!, will finally be how podcasters make money. Before now it was almost impossible, so they write, but now it is within arm’s reach. Whoa! Not so fast, Brian tells us. Sure, this avenue can provide great exposure, but let’s take a look at the artists who went to Spotify with their wicked beats hoping to make it big. Brian can name a few who have said they’ve outright hated Spotify because of the pennies-on-the-dollar type of relationship Spotify offers. Of course, this is one side of the story, but it is still very relevant to the discussion because it seems to offer the same fast-success scenario as every other avenue we’ve been driving down. Exposure on Spotify will be excellent, no doubt, but it’s not going to be an instantaneous money machine.

Knowing this shouldn’t change our perspective on podcasting about our passion. If anything, it should reinforce that nothing good in life comes easy. And it shouldn’t. If everything good came easy, no one would ever try. Without trying we wouldn’t have innovators, we wouldn’t have scientists or thinkers. We wouldn’t have Tesla cars! (Listen to the podcast to catch that reference.) The difficult road ahead should stimulate you to think outside the box and find that niche where you are needed. Find a hole to fill that allows you to excel by offering a needed service.

Some of the things Brian learned at the Fort Collins Startup Week last week speak soundly to this point. He says that every speaker at the conference spent time on the subject of going after your passion and doing what you love. The money will follow. Once again, Brian holds up a hand and says, “Wait a second.” (This is a yellow light, not a red light, folks.) For many, this may be true. But it is dangerous to speed through this intersection when there is major construction going on right on the other side. The road to success is incomplete. In fact, not much of the road is paved for us, neither as podcasters nor entrepreneurs. Thankfully we can borrow and reuse from multiple sources to save repeating a lot of the work, but the actual road to your success is in the process of being paved as you drive down it. And as you’re driving, or getting ready to head down it, some very critical road trip considerations need to be acknowledged. Maybe they’re road signs, maybe they’re detours, but regardless, if you are a safe and attentive driver they are things you will consider before they overwhelm you. Here are 2 to wet your whistle:

1) This is going to take time and hard work. We’ve talked about this many times on Profitcast. Good, quick or cheap? You can pick 2. No two combinations eliminate the necessity of commitment, which requires both time and work. But if you’re passionate about your podcast, then this should be work you are aching to do! If you aren’t aching, are you really in your niche?

2) Can you meet profit with your podcast? Take a look at your audience base. Take a look at the market. Take a look at the service or product you’re trying to sell. Is there a market for it? Are the people who you are catering to even capable of paying for what you’re offering?

These many factors of our figurative road trip hinge upon one very important key to success (THE secret to success, perhaps?): are you being the best you? Does this podcast, does this venture, allow you to be the best you? If it doesn’t, you could find many things about this journey overwhelming. We don’t want you to be overwhelmed, we want you to be podcasting what you are passionate about. Take a moment, close your eyes, and do a quick self-evaluation. What about your project do you dread doing? If you’re like Brian and hate writing blog posts, that can be tough. It’s a necessary task and for a while you may need to labor over it yourself. But then, when you start building an audience and making friends, someone will come along, raise her hand and say, “Can I do that for you?” Invest in people, and let them invest in you.

I made a Lion King reference a couple weeks ago, didn’t I? I’ll refrain from another circle of life comment, then.

Question of the Week This week’s podcast asks for responses on various questions Brian raises throughout his revelations following Fort Collins Startup Week.

Next Week! No spoilers have been reported for next week’s episode.

PATREON Thank you to all who have come alongside Profitcast through Profitcast Patreon! It is a huge honor and Brian cannot wait to see what can be accomplished through this partnership.

48: Effective NON-Marketing Ways to Grow Your Podcast | Jen Briney of Congressional Dish

The Real Brian — Tue, 19 May 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Please join me in wishing Brian a very Happy Birthday! He looks pretty good for pushing 50, doesn’t he? (Don’t tell him I said that.)

Every superhero has an origin story, don’t they? (They do.) Profitcast has the unique privilege of presenting the origin stories of the superheroes of podcasting, while simultaneously providing us with the resources to turn around and become a superhero ourselves. We don’t need a cape or a mask, or super strength, or lightning fast reflexes to succeed in podcasting. We need a passion, we need resilience, and we need a strong backbone. And a microphone. Microphones help.

Jen Briney’s story is another ideal prototype for Passion Podcasting, one that we admire and encourage here at Profitcast. Locating a severe oversight in modern government proceedings, which has a serious trickle-down effect into the American people, Jen saw a hole, something she needed to fill for herself as much as she wanted to help bring awareness to the general populous, and decided to plug it. Right now Jen is the only podcast in existence to read every single congressional bill that passes. If that niche weren’t already specific enough, she further separates herself from other political podcasts by not being a typical political podcast (which we all thank her for, profusely). There are no shouting matches, there are no heated debates. There is well-researched, well thought analyses pertaining to each bill, spattered with her own opinions.

In recent weeks of Profitcast there has been a trend away from archetypical marketing strategies to help grow your podcast to a more hands-on, relational model that is easily adoptable by any beginning podcaster. Brian and Jen discuss the non-marketing strategies Jen has employed effectively to grow her podcast, as well as very insightful considerations surrounding the relationship between Podcast and Donor. There is an exchange of value that takes place between the two parties, and if you’re having trouble either growing your podcast or making money from it, it will be useful for you to do a personal assessment using the criteria they outline.

Time is also spent on discussing presentation, both the podcaster and the audio itself. We all have bad days or off days, we all have days when our equipment randomly decides to act like a red-headed stepchild. It’s important to take a step back, breathe, assess, and determine whether or not this episode you’ve produced is worthy of the caliber you would expect to be handed on another podcast you respect. Sometimes asking for a second opinion is helpful. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to hold back an episode if it just doesn’t feel right. Late material is much, much better than bad material.

We’ve got a great discussion for you here in this episode. Hit play and enjoy the ride!

Question of the Week Brian is ready to make some decisions about what happens next with Profitcast and wants your input! Which of these directions resonates with you most: 1) Personal consulting/coaching (personal attention and direct help for what YOU need right now with your podcast) – good and quicker, not as cheap. 2) Group coaching (less personal attention but has resources to learn from) – good, not as quick, cheaper. 3) Video/audio/written resources and training for purchase (no personal attention, but good DIY stuff to help you) – good, cheaper, not quick (because DIY).

Next Week! The next episode of Profitcast, No. 49, will be released in 2 weeks! Next week Brian is taking a break due to Memorial Day Weekend and a local conference in Denver.

PATREON First off, a huge thank you to Jodey, Joshua and Robert for being the first to jump on the Profitcast Patreon campaign! It is a huge honor and Brian cannot wait to see what can be accomplished through this partnership.

47: They Come for the Content and Stay for the Host | Brian Ibbott

The Real Brian — Tue, 12 May 2015 09:00:00 -0600

This week on Profitcast, we learn that there is more than one podcaster in Colorado! However, they are both named Brian. Yes, Brian Ibbott, of Coverville and The Morning Stream, joins The Real Brian this week and they cover a broad spectrum of topics, from New Media Expo to World of Warcraft to what an engaged podcast community looks like.

We’ve been discussing for several weeks now the importance of an engaged listening audience. Remember last week? “No community? No podcast!” Long-term and established evidence of this can certainly be found in the results of the 2015 Podcast Awards, but it can also be found in real-time. Having an engaged listening community has become the immediate feedback we need in order to know how our podcast is faring amongst the, literally, millions of options available to each and every person who has access to the internet.

The metrics for podcasting are changing. Sponsors might not be fully there yet in understanding the value of ten-thousand engaged listeners versus one-hundred thousand casual listeners, but soon the measurements will shift. Never underestimate an influential host providing recommendations to his or her audience. But in either case, there is a road that needs to be traveled to arrive at that stage; whether you’re in search of one-hundred thousand listeners, or in search of a core audience who know and trust your judgment, there is much work to do.

The Brians beat out several factors surrounding an engaged audience, including how to give your podcast the best chance for a committed listening audience and how to leverage a different set of metrics when it comes time to consider monetizing. The Real Brian brings us back to a question posed last week: as podcasters, what are we responsible for? Brian Ibbott gives us another perspective to that same deliberation. Providing consistent and relevant content that speaks to and encourages your listening audience, collaborating and responding to your audience, are vital factors in considering what we are responsible for as podcast hosts.

In addition to stories about New Media Expo, Brian Ibbott tells us about his journey into podcasting and how his love for cover music pushed him into starting the most successful cover music podcast currently in existence. The insight he provides into pursuing a passion, and thus into a responsive relationship with his listeners, provides tremendous insight and hope. The dream of profiting from our passion can be within reach!

Question of the Week Narrow, focused content. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Discuss!

Next Week! Brian will be back next week with exciting and new and amazing things…. but it’s a surprise. Wait for it…

46: No Community? No Podcast!

The Real Brian — Tue, 05 May 2015 09:00:00 -0600

K.I.S.S. is an acronym coined by the U.S. Navy in the 60s and provided a quick way to remind someone that unnecessary complexity should be avoided. For the record, K.I.S.S. stands for keep it simple and straightforward. Some have repurposed the final S as stupid, but that is not the connotation we’re going for here! You don’t have to go much further than the title of this this podcast episode to understand the importance and simplicity of the number one task of maintaining a podcast and growing a community.

There is no single right way to go about building a community around a podcast or networking for your business, but there are certainly wrong ways. The abrasive, me-oriented approach, for example, is a tough way to win friends and influence people. In the words of Dale Carnegie, author of How To Win Friends and Influence People, “To be interesting, be interested.” Your podcast is an extension of yourself, because the topic you’ve chosen is a passion (or, at least, we hope it is!), but a podcast is more than a topic.

A podcast has listeners, those listeners have needs, and those needs can funnel directly back into your podcast to make it relevant, engaging, and robust. Mufasa, from the Lion King, really says it best: “Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.” Simba, of course, protests that they eat the antelope, so, how does that work? Well, Mufasa says, when we (lions) die, we become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. We are all connected.

As podcasters, what are we responsible for? How do we fit into the “circle of life” as it pertains to podcasting? We want a lot of listeners, but are we ready for a lot of listeners? If you are seeking to grow your audience, you must be aware of the commitment you are making to every listener who wants to contribute and wants to engage.

Engaging can be intimidating or difficult at first, but it is certainly a learning process. Remember Carnegie’s comment? To be interesting, be interested. The advantage podcasters have over, say, authors, is that narrative of the podcast is fluid. It can be adjusted and calibrated, tweaked and prodded, as it is being provided to listeners. We get feedback and make the appropriate responses based on that feedback. How much do you know about your listeners? How many of them can you name? How many have you connected with on a personal level and know their birthday? Know their day job? Know how many kids they have? This isn’t about knowing the life story of every listener, but getting to know who is listening, why they’re listening, and how their listenership is vital to the life cycle of your podcast.

This week’s Profitcast is an excellent opportunity for you to take a serious look at the state of your own podcast, be honest about the excuses you’re currently making, and get over being afraid to take the next step! Confront the things holding you back and take a proactive approach in understanding how you can turn a perceived negative into an advantage.

Mr. Carnegie also wrote: “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself.” And that is what Brian is trying to do with this podcast. By providing a series of questions and scenarios, he hopes to help you boldly confront the various excuses that have been holding you back from growing your audience.

Question of the Week Have you ever met someone that ended up changing your podcast/business or podcast/business life?

Next Week! Brian will be back next week with exciting and new and amazing things…. but it’s a surprise. Wait for it…

45: What if You Never Made Money With Your Podcast?

The Real Brian — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Money, money, money. Profiting with your podcast is more than just the money. We see it happen all over the place, particularly in American culture, where an individual who seems to have garnered much financial success does not consider him or herself successful.

Over the last 10 months we’ve interviewed a lot of people who’ve been successful with podcasting, both financially and in their respective communities. We’re told that in order to have a successful podcast, we need to make money and have a large community. Naturally, when anyone asks you what your biggest struggle is, your answer might very well be: “I don’t know how to grow my audience and I don’t know how to make money.”

But is that the real definition of success? Perhaps it is one component of the definition, but as we are Passion Podcasters, by necessity we MUST broaden that definition to include the impact we are having on our audience. Are you affecting and influencing others? Are you getting meaningful feedback? Do you feel like you’re making a difference? We’ve all heard that “money doesn’t buy happiness”, so for a venture that is about learning how to profit with your podcast, it is important to define what success means to you and your podcast.

From observing and chatting at New Media Expo, Brian was able to identify a Resonance Factor from 4 basic criteria. 4 simple, yet extremely tough criteria.

1) Performance. Presentation. Delivery. Body language is a critical part of everyday communication, and something that is severely lacking when you are sitting behind a microphone and your audience only has your voice in their earbuds. Presentation becomes critical. All you have to win over your audience is your voice. Are you doing everything you can to make it a worthwhile experience for your audience?

2) Topic. Content. Niche. Three things we talk about a lot on Profitcast! If you aren’t resonating with your own material, chances are that will come across in the presentation of content to your audience. Being passionate about your topic is important because it should drive you to find your value, your niche, and to create unique content that is meaningful to yourself and to your audience.

For the remaining 2 criteria, you’ll have to listen to the podcast!

Question of the Week What if you never made money with your podcast? What would you do?

Next Week! Next week Brian will be discussing, as promised, networking and building relationships and community.

PATREON A tremendous Thank You to all who have already begun regular contributions to the Profitcast Patreon campaign! It is a huge honor and Brian cannot wait to see what can be accomplished through this partnership.

44: #Overheardatnmx | What Went Down at New Media Expo

The Real Brian — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 09:00:00 -0600

What happened in Vegas is definitely not staying in Vegas! Brian is back with an all new episode of Profitcast, laying down the experiences he had at New Media Expo, sharing some stories (the highs AND the lows), and what in the world #overheardatnmx is referring to.

A major theme that came out of New Media Expo is this idea of going beyond just the money. But what does that exactly mean? As a means to give everything its due time, Brian has split his talking points into three categories and three podcasts.

THIS WEEK: The Good and the Bad of New Media Expo NEXT WEEK: “The Resonance Factor” THE WEEK AFTER: Networking and Community Building

Despite the challenges of competing with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for space at the convention center, Brian was able to spend a lot of time listening, asking questions, and observing other podcasters. The challenge is never finding quality content or finding interesting people to talk to, it always seems to be logistics! Sometimes the logistics can bring everything down, other times it quickly is extinguished from the mind once resolved, but the point is to never let it impact the potential for knowledge acquisition. Absorb. Observe. Chat. Socialize. Network.

The lows of NMX were pretty low, and Brian goes into detail about the awful performance by the hosts of the Podcast Awards. While we can acknowledge that there are some podcast award themes that might warrant a bit coarser language or invite a little more colorful lifestyle, the awards themselves are meant to be a celebration of outstanding work by podcasters and those who supported them. We do not think this award ceremony was a reflection of that.

Tune in for more highs and lows! And be sure to come back next week when Brian talks about “The Resonance Factor”!

Question of the Week If you were at New Media Expo, what are your thoughts on the convention? Please leave a message on the SpeakPipe widget located at Profitcast Universe so that we can PLAY your thoughts and reactions!

43: How To Set Your Podcast on FIRE! | John Lee Dumas

The Real Brian — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Remember Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare? It’s a wildly common fable in American culture to describe the triumph of steadiness and consistency over a fast, but choppy, approach to the proverbial race of life. The lessons of this fable are entirely relevant as Brian talks with John Lee Dumas about how the latter found success with his podcast and with his passion.

A natural side effect of passion is an urgency and drive to pump our lives full and push as hard as we can until we’ve achieved all the success we could hope for, but this approach can be detrimental to our success because of the risk of burnout or of failing to take the time to make the necessary adjustments to achieve lasting success. And the other side of being the Hare in the podcast game is that we have the potential to become arrogant, to rely only on ourselves, and to forget about the importance of building relationships.

It was a privilege to speak with John this week and pick his brain about his rise to success, hear what worked and how he went about pushing through the mire. John shares his foray into podcasting and how he carved out a very unique niche, then took advantage of it and worked on steady growth. The great thing about John’s story is that it is entirely capable of being reproduced. John built a model around a podcast that utilizes the drive and persistence of passion and the heart of the entrepreneur. It doesn’t bank on overnight success, but invests in incremental growth around building relationships, providing value and consistent content, and staying true to passion.

Based on the conversation, Brian has FIVE take-aways:

1) First and best in your niche. YOU define your niche. Find that area where you can become “best in class”. You can become the best, but be careful of digging in the wrong hole. 2) Build relationships with your guests and continue to provide value to your guests. Building relationships is KEY, so are you promoting those interviews and guests well beyond the release of that podcast? 3) Ask. Listen. Respond. A simple three step process that sounds easier than it is, but is not difficult when you set up your podcast to become this revolving door of reciprocal actions.

Wait, that’s only 3! Yep. Listen to the podcast for the remaining 2 take-aways! Trust us, they’re worth it.

Question of the Week What are you going to do with the tips we got from John Lee Dumas?

42: Are You The Best?

The Real Brian — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 09:00:00 -0600

In addition to the answer to life, the universe, and all things, this is the second shortest episode of Profitcast EVER! Which begs the question… which one is the SHORTEST?

Hmm… I suppose that depends on WHEN you ask that question.

I’ve been reading/listening to Seth Godin’s “The Dip.” Fantastic book by the way. He asks the question: “Are you the best (in your market/niche/podcast topic)?” The best in your market or even geographical region (it really all depends on your audience) will always be the most successful. Each of us can become the best in something, somewhere. The alternative is mediocrity and an uphill struggle, spending incredible amounts of resources and time to get somewhere.

He goes on to ask that if you’re not the best, can you become the best? If not, then a pivot may be in order. In his book, he talks about smart quitting. For our sake, I talk about pivoting to a different topic/niche/etc. The question is somewhat rhetorical on Profitcast, today. I do encourage you to ask the question and see what you can do to become the best in your topic/niche. This will definitely lead you on the right path to growing and profiting with your podcast. :)

41: How To Double Your Email List | Jeremy Montoya

The Real Brian — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 09:00:00 -0600

We last caught up with Jeremy Montoya in episode 4 (Final Clock Out), where he and his Final Clock Out co-host Taylor Stevens shared about their passion for helping others succeed by encouraging them to work toward a lifestyle that embodies their passions and goals. Jeremy has taken a page out of his own book and has begun focusing on an often overlooked area of business and podcast growth: email lists.

Unlike the postal system, email is far from being obsolete. (We’re not intending to start a war with that claim!) An email is a personal and precise way of delivering information, but when handled incorrectly it can be more harmful than helpful.

In this week’s episode of Profitcast, Brian talks with Jeremy about strategies he’s formed around growing an email list. Frankly, podcasts are a hard way to grow an email list. Think about the people listening to your podcast, for a moment. Where are they? What are they doing? When are they listening? By their very nature, podcasts almost guarantee the person listening to your podcast is not sitting in front of a computer, waiting to type in a URL to be taken to a website where they can opt in for an email list.

How do we work with that? Luckily, Jeremy has some incredibly valuable advice.

EMAIL LISTS: THE PROBLEM You may fall under one of these scenarios:

We have amazing discussions, content, and equipment for our podcasts, but we don’t have a business.
We have a business, which produces a podcast, but cannot gauge the value our listeners receive from what we deliver.

EMAIL LISTS: THE SOLUTION You thought we were going to give it away here, didn’t you? We’re not cruel, we’ll give you a hint at what’s to come. But quite honestly, you want to listen to how Brian and Jeremy set up situations where email lists will provide value specifically to your listeners and then suggest resources on how to get started on achieving those ends.

While you’re waiting for the podcast to load, think on this: text message marketing. Whether your listener is at the grocery store, driving in the car, or washing dishes, providing them with an easy method to capitalize on content you are offering for free will be vital to establishing a loyal core of email subscribers. And, as an example, Jeremy wants you to text JEREMY to 33444 so that he can send you an action guide so that you can implement the take-home technique to build and grow your email list through this SMS marketing technique.

Building an email list is a strategic process, one that you need to adapt for your podcast. Don’t feel limited by the genre of your podcast, because when it comes to providing content, delivering valuable and meaningful content to your listeners helps to strengthen the community you are trying to build. That said, don’t jump in without a plan! Being strategic can help you understand vital metrics about your core listening audience. Being impulsive can drive listeners away as fast as it takes to click “MARK AS SPAM”.

40: When You Should Monetize Your Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Most, if not all, podcasters have asked this question at some point in their journey: “What is the right time to monetize my podcast?” Listener Colt Chandler posed this question, as he gets ready to launch his own podcast in April (We Catch Thieves, look out for this one!), and Brian takes the time to really drill into various schools of thought surrounding this humdinger.

Remember the takeaway from last week? Good. Cheap. Quick. You can only have two. This concept comes into play again in the process of assessing the business model of a podcast and determining when the right time is to monetize. Depending on that business model, you might be confronted with one of the following scenarios concerning your listener base:

You have an “inherited” or “built-in” audience coming to this podcast from another source (i.e. book, business, product).
You are starting your audience from scratch.

Of course, the preferred method would always be to have an eager, bated audience, but that isn’t always the case. Brian examines what the options are from both angles.

What are my monetization options if I have a built-in audience? If you already have an audience, one of the tallest mountains has already been conquered. But as a wise woman once sang, “Climb every mountain. Ford every stream. Follow every rainbow. Till you find your dream.” Having loyal, eager listeners is every podcaster’s dream. However, immediate monetization by virtue of having this loyal listener base isn’t guaranteed.

Take the time to really consider what monetization looks like. Patreon and supplemental products and services are excellent ways to generate revenue, but are you providing meaningful milestones?

How long should I wait to start monetizing my podcast? YOUR answer to this question largely depends on your business model. Just like with every business, a podcast must build up its content and the trust of its audience. And this isn’t just when you are starting a podcast from scratch, it also is an inherent need even with a built-in audience. Are you providing quality content, or are you just looking to make money? Your listeners will be able to tell the difference.

Remember this: Know. Like. Trust. Your audience must get to know you, like you, and trust you. Establishing a new audience means that this will take some time (you can’t buy listenership, right? That kind of defeats the purpose!). But commitment to that core audience base will yield loyalty and foster trust, which, in turn will enable you to provide content, products, or services that will generate revenue while also enabling you to do what you’re passionate about!

I don’t want to ask my listeners for money. Am I out of luck? Heck no! But you will have to listen in for suggestions, and what the limitations of those options might be.

Listen in to catch Brian’s tips for assessing both angles, apply it to your podcasting model, and call in to tell us how it’s going! And if you have strategies of your own, or have a different method for the way it has worked for you, please share and help others to understand their options!

39: The Good, The Quick, and The Cheap Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 09:00:00 -0600

So what do you think? I know we want our podcasts to rock… to be good. But do we want that process to be quick? Do we want it to be cheap? I think the common desire is that we want it GOOD, QUICK, and CHEAP! But the reality is, you can only pick 2 of those 3. I talk about this business mindset and how that applies to us growing our podcasts, monetizing our podcasts, offering services and products to our listeners and clients, and so forth. I also had a great question come in about what I would do differently, knowing what I know now, if I were to relaunch Profitcast or start a new podcast. This got me thinking and I came up with one big one that I definitely would have done but also a few others that I hope will be beneficial to you, not only if you had the desire to relaunch or start a new podcast, but also if you were wanting to grow your podcast now… where it’s currently at. So what do you think? Good and Quick? Or Good and Cheap? I’m assuming you prefer good either way. :)

CLICK HERE to contact me!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Knowing what I know now, if I were to relaunch Profitcast or start a new podcast, what would I do differently?
- 1) Find a way to hire someone to coach me to launch correctly and set my podcast up for maximum success, growth, and monetization – if I was SERIOUS about my podcast. BUT, if it’s a hobby, then I wouldn’t do that.
- 2) Make sure the NAME of your podcast is simple and explains, CLEARLY, what you are going to be doing
- 3) Set Yourself Apart or YOU WILL GET LOST
- 4) Have more CONFIDENCE
- ALSO
  - Be the best YOU – know your strengths, talents, passions, etc.
  - Know your target listener/avatar
The Good, The Quick, and The Cheap Podcast
- You have 3 Options – Good, Quick, and Cheap… BUT you can ONLY pick 2
- Growing your podcast and monetizing (since I brought up coaching as the main thing I’d change if I relaunched or started a new podcast):
  - Personalized coaching – direct personalized help to figure out where you’re at and provide solutions to the problems you’re facing
  - One-size-fits-all courses/coaching – great if you’re wanting to DIY, take your own time, but still have the general guidance and help to get where you need to go – but wouldn’t necessarily be specific to YOU and your podcast
  - DIY – research on your own, learn everything you need to know, then aggregate the information, and apply it without any help
- What YOU offer in YOUR podcast/business and how that applies
  - Services
  - Products

38: The BEST Business Model for Your Podcast!

The Real Brian — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Word up Podcasting Leaders! I was totally inspired after listening to the Fizzle Show. They talked about 10 Business Archetypes (models) for online business. I thought – this is great information that I have to share on Profitcast! But I wanted to share these 10 business models as they related to podcasting and what Daniel J. Lewis and I talked about on episode 31 of Profitcast – Monetization Strategies Successful Podcasters Use. I’ll be talking about these business models, what they look like, and how to apply them to your podcast so you can choose which model fits YOU the best in order to have an effectively profitable podcast! My hope is that, after this episode, you should have a clear understanding on which business model applies best to your podcast and how you can start working towards that profitable podcast today. BOOYAH peeps! Question of the week this week! Which is the BEST business model for YOUR podcast??

CLICK HERE to contact me!

Archeology… Arche… Archet… Arch Enemy! Archetyp… BUSINESS MODELS!

Today’s topic was inspired by the Fizzle guys – Thanks to The Fizzle show – they talk about these 10 Business Archetypes on episode 91 – they cover it from an online business perspective. I want to cover it from a podcasting perspective.
The episode Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast and I talked about – Monetization Models – episode 31 of Profitcast
10 Business Models:
- Teacher
- Thought Leader
- Mediapreneur
- Freelancer
- Coach
- Artist
- Maker
- Curator
- Engineer
- Retailer
How does this apply to podcasting and us making money?!?
According to these business models, there’s really only one way to make money directly with your podcast. The rest seem to make money with a business around and utilizing your podcast.
As a podcaster, we could make money using ANY of these monetization strategies Daniel J. Lewis and I talked about. But which strategies fit YOU, your best YOU, strengths, talents, etc. and best business model???
Teacher
- Product creation
- Courses and Academies
- Coaching
- Books/eBooks
- Affiliates
Thought Leader
- Public Speaking
- Books/eBooks
- Patreon
- Donations
- Courses
- Product Creation
- Premium Content
- Sponsorships
- Affiliates
Mediapreneur
- Sponsorships
- Affiliates
- Patreon
- Donations
- Possibly Premium Content
Freelancer
- Services
- Consulting
Coach
- Coaching primarily
- Book/eBook
- Affiliates
- Courses
- Product Creation
Artist
- Product creation/Art creation
- Online store of your own creations
- Patreon
- Donations
- Premium Content
Maker
- Exact same as the artist
Curator
- Product resale
- Amazon
- eBay
- Online store
- Drop Shipping
Engineer
- Product creation
- Online store
- Affiliates
- Services
Retailer
- You’re a brick and mortar store of some kind that utilizes your podcast to grow your business
- Online store

Question of the week… Answer it… Do it… Commone Do it… Do it… Do it…

Which is the BEST business model for YOUR podcast?

37: Sponsorships: Are They Even Worth It?

The Real Brian — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 09:00:00 -0600

First of all, I had a TREMENDOUS opportunity to be a part of the Podcast Awards review team this last week! It was a treat and it was very encouraging to be a part of! I share a few things I saw in the review process that I thought were hilarious, but more importantly, very confirming, encouraging, and helpful for our podcasts! Our podcast, Arrow Squad, is a finalist in the Best Produced category!! I am beyond excited and thankful! Congratulations if your podcast was nominated and selected as a finalist!!! The big thing I did this week was some extensive research on sponsorships for podcasts. I contacted companies that advertise with podcasts. I also researched other companies, podcasts, networks, etc. to see what sponsorships worked for them and how they worked. I wanted to aggregate the data to determine how best to utilize sponsorships for our podcasts. I went into this bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with high hopes that I would find some encouraging results for all of us. I had some very nice and informative conversations with great people. Unfortunately, the answers were somewhat discouraging and challenging. But don’t worry! I share my findings as well as what I believe about podcasting and advertising vs. radio, TV, and other forms of media. I also share some options for us with our podcasts and some possible solutions if you’re interested in sponsorships. Question of the week this week! What do you think about sponsorships?

CLICK HERE to contact me!

Findings, Discoveries, Answers to the Universe

Opportunity to be a part of the review team for the Podcast Awards
- Arrow Squad is a finalist in the Best Produced category! I will be posting ways to vote for Arrow Squad (should you wish to help out) and you’ll be able to vote DAILY starting March 4th.
- A few of the review qualifications and questions were:
  - Sound Quality
  - Presentation and Delivery
  - Relevance
Sponsorship Research and Findings
- Contacted companies and researched sponsorship opportunities
- Reports on findings
- Radio and TV vs Podcasts
- Sponsorships vs Patreon
- 3 options:
  - Take the sponsorships as they are
  - Don’t take sponsorships
  - Fight and stand up for what we have as podcasters and stop comparing ourselves to radio, TV, and other forms of media

Question of the week

What do you think about sponsorships?

Do you have a success story with your podcast and a sponsorship?

36: $1200 an episode with Patreon | Noah Lugeons

The Real Brian — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Could you imagine making $1200 an episode with your podcast on Patreon? Maybe you already are. Maybe you’re making more. Maybe you’re like: PICK ME!!! PICK MEEEEE!!!! I invited Noah Lugeons on to Profitcast to share how and what to do to succeed on Patreon with your podcast. Noah shares what to do and what not to do as well as some incredible strategies on how to make the most of your Patreon campaign. Noah also discusses the benefits of “milestones” as opposed to “rewards” for your Patreon campaign. We also talk about what podcasters DESERVE. It’s a fascinating tangent we get off on but ties nicely into Patreon and why it can be so essential to you and your podcast. You put a lot of time and energy and resources into your podcast. Do you think you deserve to get paid? I walked away from this interview inspired, encouraged, energized, and ready to take on the world with actionable steps! I hope you will too. Question of the week this week! If you’re using Patreon, how’s it going for you? Good? Bad? Ugly?

CLICK HERE to contact me!

Milestones, Rewards, and what YOU Deserve!

Balance between what I know (I’m the expert of my own podcast) vs what the listeners want
Can I answer the question – is this show what I want – that’s the most important question (without any ego)
Noah didn’t survey his audience but did look for major trends in feedback
Where passion meets profit = his passion and desire to make a difference but still the need to pay the bills and justify the 50 hours put into it
Patreon:
Setting up 2 different tiers
- Milestones – when we reach this amount per month, we will DO “x.”
- Rewards – when you pay this amount, you will RECEIVE “x.”
Success is going to come from these 2 tiers
Milestones are the MOST important, not the rewards
Are they going to be RELEVANT and RESONATE with the listeners
- The milestones must be MEANINGFUL to the listeners not yourself
- Milestones motivate the listeners because you’re providing more value to them
Make the milestones REALISTIC too
Good examples of milestones reached:
- From a 30 min to a 60 min show
- Started a second show
- You can reunite the 2 co-hosts (essentially allowing them to go full-time but not actually saying this) – this will allow 2 good friends that YOU know to be reunited – it’s personal and it benefits them
Rewards thoughts:
- Don’t make them complicated
- They MUST be relevant to my show
- Rewards are just bonuses to the listeners but it’s not what actually motivates them
The secret to success on Patreon:
- Have to know HOW to ask for money
- Do NOT apologize for asking for money… don’t we DESERVE to get paid for it?
The MOST important task is to make money in order to make our podcasts work!
Value your time and recognize that you deserve to be compensated for it
But ALSO value your audience’s time
What NOT to do with Patreon:
- Overpromise
You actually might just succeed so don’t overpromise and underdeliver
Have something you can offer your listeners MORE than another person

Scathing Skeptics can check out Noah’s stuff!

Question of the week?

If you’re using Patreon, how’s it going for you?

Also – Do YOU think you deserve to get paid for doing your podcast?

35: Set Your Podcast Apart From The Rest, Part 2

The Real Brian — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 09:00:00 -0600

It’s crazy when you talk about something (last week) and then explore what you just talked about. I had a good week of analyzing “where passion meets profit” and applying that to where I’m at with Profitcast and Arrow Squad. I hope you were able to take some time and get introspective about your podcast. I am curious to hear what you came up with!

As we move into part 2 of Setting Your Podcast Apart from the Rest, I decided to jump into “How to Present Yourself!” There are SO many important factors here that are critical for your podcast’s success! In fact, the successful podcasters have either mastered these elements or at least come close to mastering them.

Keep in mind, they’re ALWAYS working on their podcasts and continually getting better. But there does come a point where you need to master certain aspects.

Here they are: vocal body language, effective delivery, winning listeners and influencing others, unwavering confidence, exceptional quality of your podcast, and a GREAT attitude about your podcast and for your podcast.

There’s a lot more, of course, but this is all I could fit in this week! :) I hope you get a lot out of this episode! I actually, interestingly enough, got a lot out of it just by presenting it to you on Profitcast.

Good reminders and challenges!

After you listen to the episode, think about where you’re at and then please let me know your thoughts on this week’s question:

Which of these do YOU think you already excel at and which of these do you need to work on the most? CLICK HERE to contact me!

How to Present Yourself

WINS to share!!
Great point from Mark – Solo Talk Media
Journey so far – with last week’s topic – fun to work through!
- This is the year of action – 2015. 2014 year of learning and growing.
- This year – stop talking, stop procrastinating, and get it done. TAKE ACTION!!!!!
- Interviewing people coming up who are succeeding with Patreon!!
How to Present Yourself
- Social skills, friendliness, “body language”, etc
  - What’s your “body language” behind the mic? Remember – vocal body language is the PRIMARY thing listeners will resonate or not resonate with.
  - Monotone vs excited
  - Interactive vs self-centered
  - Approachable vs intimidating
  - Likeable vs annoying
- Confidence
  - Confidence is really, really, really, REALLY important
  - Confidence in YOURSELF and in your podcast will help you greatly in succeeding. Lack of confidence in you and your podcast – you’re not going anywhere.
  - People follow confidence. They don’t follow a lack of confidence (most people).
  - Confidence brings a sense of security as well.
  - Make sure to back up the confidence.
- Quality
  - Equipment
  - Use of sound fx
  - Vocal presence
  - Mic ability – use of mic
- Positive/forward thinker/good attitude
  - How’s your podcast? Couldn’t be better!
  - Failure is not an option
  - Jump on the bandwagon/train/etc.
  - I’m leading – are you with me? If not, no worries.
  - I WANT you here. I don’t NEED you, but I want you. I’m doing this with or without you but I hope you join me.
- Delivery (making sure you are being you but also making sure you’re delivering yourself correctly to the right audience)
  - Goes back to being authentic to your identity/strengths/talents/etc.
  - How do you know if you’re delivering correctly?
  - Are you talking about something you love and know?
  - Are you talking to a group of people who actually care about what you’re talking about? If so, how much do they care?
  - Are you providing a solution to a problem they have or helping to fulfill a desire they have?
  - Is what you’re saying resonating with your listener?
  - Are you following through on what you said you’d deliver?
  - Is your podcast focused, exceptional, value-driven, etc?
  - Arrow Squad example

LINKS!!!!!

Question of the week!

Which of these do YOU think you already excel at and which of these do you need to work on the most?

34: Set Your Podcast Apart From The Rest, Part 1

The Real Brian — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 09:00:00 -0600

I told you in episode 32 of Profitcast, that I would discuss each of the elements of setting your podcast apart from the rest. In that episode, I covered a bunch of different items that will help YOU and your podcast to stand out now that podcasting has become more popular.

It’s so easy for us to want the magic bullet of focusing on marketing strategies and monetization strategies because that’s what’s COOL and what we think will save and massively grow our audience. But the reality is, if we market crap, we get crappy results. If we market average, we get average results. BUT… if we market EXCELLENCE, then we’ll get excellent results!

Think about this for a minute.

Please hear me when I say we need to do our VERY BEST to take actions that will set our podcasts apart from the rest. Otherwise YOU WILL GET LOST IN THE NOISE. Trust me, I know this. I’ve experienced it. And marketing, alone, won’t help your podcast to stand out if you can’t back it up with something unique and excellent.

Do NOT get discouraged by what I’m saying here, because YOU can rock your podcast into an excellence beyond what you might be able to imagine right now. We can all do it. We WILL do it.

Let me help you. Today’s episode of Profitcast is part 1 of a series about setting your podcast apart from the rest. I’ll be covering two main topics today: 1) Making sure your content is RIGHT for your listeners and for you. 2) Being the best YOU.

Do NOT write this off, thinking you already know it. Maybe you do, but I would encourage you to listen to this episode and do some introspection to make sure you are on the right track with your podcast. I’m not asking you to doubt where you’re at by any means. But I AM asking you to make SURE you’re on the right track so I can continue to help you make sure your podcast is set up to STAND OUT!

I hate to say it, but the research I’ve been conducting over the last year has shown me that many podcasters fail right here and get stuck. Don’t be one of those statistics. I want you to succeed with your podcast. So LET’S ROCK IT! :D

What help, specifically, do you need in order to set your podcast apart from the rest? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Stand Out

Dave Jackson – Ask the Podcast Coach and School of Podcasting
Review from Profitcast episode 32
Set Your Podcast Apart
- Be the best YOU
  - Identity
  - Strengths
  - Strengths Finder 2.0
  - Talents/gifts
  - Interests
  - Uniquenesses
  - Experiences and stories
- Are you passionate or even interested about getting behind the mic?
- CONTENT
  - Passion Meets Profit
  - Passion = what YOU love and want to talk about
  - MEETS Profit = what others are already passionate about, looking for, and rabid for
  - NICHE your topic and content
  - Concise and focused content
  - Make sure your listeners not only resonate with it but understand it
  - Deliver value
  - Know what you’re talking about or make it a journey podcast
  - Have humility and openness to being wrong and getting advice from others who know more
  - Does your content correspond with your podcast’s name and deliver what your listeners are expecting to hear?

You want these links… don’t you?

Question of the week?

What help, specifically, do you need in order to set your podcast apart from the rest?

33: A Different Way to Monetize Your Podcast | Jason Bryant

The Real Brian — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Just when you think you’ve come up with the main, successful ways to monetize your podcast, you meet Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online.

Daniel J. Lewis and I talked about the “Monetization Strategies Successful Podcasters Use” in episode 31 of Profitcast. Right after that, Jason contacted me and said he was using a different way to monetize his podcast and it was working!

So, naturally, I wanted to interview Jason and find out what he was doing so we can pass on his strategies to you in hopes you can benefit from this model as well!

Also, I have 3 takeaway points to consider from last week’s episode (episode 32) about “The Secret Strategy to Growing Your Podcast.”

After you listen to this episode of Profitcast, let me know your thoughts to my question: What do you think of this monetization model?

CLICK HERE to contact me!

Mat Talk

Continue to TAKE ACTION every day! Don’t become stagnant.
Gain knowledge and wisdom – know what you’re getting into, prep yourself, make sure you’re really ready for it in order to commit to it
Continue to improve every single day

VERY niche – certain shows directly to the college’s sports ONLY
Virginia Tech – shows the power of the niche – model program for what he’s doing
- All about wrestling – their team is ranked 9th in the nation
- Virginia Tech fan is a fan of ALL their sports
- Alumni have a tie to the university
The Universities are using the podcasts as a recruiting tool
- AND – they don’t have to do the work! Jason does it!
Jason is selling HIS reputation
Social media
- Looking at retweets and favorites – you know what’s resonating
Have to establish yourself as an expert and get the reputation built!
Educate yourself on the topic you want the most and then become an expert on it
Make sure your show is DIFFERENT – have a unique perspective
Passion and courage
Find the right niche – sell your podcast/product/service
Tapped into an existing audience
- Recommends doing whatever you can to tap into an existing audience rather than trying to create your own
Jason’s best money strategy – being able to sell his reputation, professionalism, and experience to the schools.
Essentially – Jason has a business that gets clients (schools) and pitches to coaches saying HE will create a podcast for the coaches, talking about what they want him to talk about. His business, his clients, they pay him to create and host a podcast FOR them.
His monetization model is based on trust, professionalism, quality
Ego – HAVE to be confident in your ability and service BUT don’t be cocky

Wrestling with whether or not to check out Jason’s website? DO IT!

Question of the week?

What do you think of this monetization model?

32: The Secret Strategy to Growing Your Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 09:00:00 -0600

FINALLY we get to talk about this secret missing strategy for growing our podcasts! I wanted to analyze it more before talking about it on Profitcast and so without further delay, here we go! As you know, I’ve been interviewing and researching the ways on how to profit with our podcasts and grow a large and loyal listener community. Through the interviews, I kept asking myself what is it about the successful Podcasters that has made them so successful? Many podcasters have put in similar amounts of work and used the same strategies but have never achieved success like the top podcasters. Sometimes not even close to the same level of success. So what sets them apart from the rest? I realized THAT’S the secret! You HAVE to set yourself apart from the rest. The secret IS the secret! Let me explain. It used to be you could start a podcast and instantly get listeners. Ok well maybe not for EVERY podcaster, but it was definitely a lot easier to gain listeners years ago with a podcast than it is today. Podcasting has matured and we have to keep that in mind as we move forward in podcasting. We have to do what it takes to set ourselves apart from the rest of the other podcasts if we want grow our podcasts. It really is the secret to why the top Podcasters have primarily succeeded. Sure there are a lot of strategies that the top Podcasters have used (we’ve discussed most of them in the interviews here on Profitcast) but the missing key strategy that I couldn’t put my finger on is that they set themselves apart from the rest. So now you’re probably thinking – well DUH Brian – but HOW do we set ourselves apart? I’m glad you asked. :) Setting yourself apart from others is in-depth and will take commitment and perseverance. Are you ready to join me on this journey? Then let’s ROCK IT!

CLICK HERE to contact me!

Secrets, Secrets, Secrets

The Secret Strategy! Set Yourself Apart!
HOW do we set ourselves and our podcasts apart?
- First of all you need to be the best YOU! (uniqueness, your own story, strengths, talents, etc)
- Branding (explain – much of this actually falls under branding)
  - Your identity – does it shine through on your podcast?
  - Name of podcast – does it clearly identify what your podcast is about and good for search engines? Keywords.
  - Content – does it correspond with your name and what people expect to hear?
  - Are you getting to the point?
  - Are you DELIVERING what you said you’d deliver?
- How you present yourself (social skills, friendliness, “body language”, etc)
- Confidence – episode 19 – Oh No We suck again!
  - Security
  - People follow confidence not lack of it
- Positivity
- Quality of your podcast and sound
- Building relationships and community
- Networking
- Serving others
These last 3 are extremely important:
- Tenacity, commitment, perseverance, etc.
- Investment (financially, emotionally, time, etc)
- Set unrealistic goals – Tim Ferriss talks about this in 4-hour workweek.

Link… just one… no more

Tim Ferriss – “The 4-Hour Workweek”

Question of the week?

Which action will you implement this week in order to set yourself and your podcast apart from the rest?

31: Monetization Strategies Successful Podcasters Use

The Real Brian — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 09:00:00 -0600

I am SO excited for this episode of Profitcast!

I got to hang out with Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast. We decided to do something a bit more unique than an interview.

We both joined forces… two podcasts… two podcasters… and co-hosted this episode of Profitcast (and this week’s episode of The Audacity to Podcast) in order to discuss awesome monetization strategies that successful podcasters are using!

We went into great detail talking about what strategies these podcasters are using to make money with or as a result of their podcast, how these monetization strategies work, how you can use each of these strategies, whether or not they’re a good fit for you, and what it looks like to get started monetizing your podcast today!

It’s, by far, the longest episode of Profitcast ever! But it is VERY worth it and I hope you’ll take your time listening through it, learn a lot, and see some INCREDIBLE results with your podcast as a result of our conversation! SO EXCITING!

Here’s my question for you: Which of these monetization strategies are you going to start working on TODAY?

CLICK HERE to contact me!

The Monetization Strategies. Yep. All the goods. :)

Sponsorships
Affiliate Relationships
Product Resale
Drop shipping
Online Stores
Product Creation
Courses and Academies
Services
Coaching
Donations
Patreon
Premium Content
How each of these strategies works
Whether or not they’re a good fit for you
How you can use each of these strategies
What it looks like to get started

Question of the week?

Which of these monetization strategies are you going to start working on TODAY?

30: A Missing Key Strategy

The Real Brian — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Hmm… so this week I decided to go back to the “basics” and make sure Profitcast was lining up with my original mission and vision for the show.

By the way, we should ALL have either already done this with our podcast before we launched OR… if we’ve never done it, then we should go back and make sure your podcast aligns with your mission, vision, and identity.

I realized that, in some ways, Profitcast has definitely stayed on course and excelled. In other ways, however, Profitcast strayed off course and failed to deliver. I talk about it in this episode of Profitcast.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about the monetization and listener growth strategies for our podcasts. I keep coming back to the same question – Why do some podcasters go out and do all of the right things, apply all of the right strategies, and succeed wildly while others, who also did the right things and applied the same right strategies, not succeed?

I believe I discovered a missing key strategy that just might help each of us to succeed massively… that is… if we’re willing to put in the time, tenacity, perseverance, and commitment.

Here’s my question for you: What do you want from me? What would you like to see Profitcast deliver to YOU in 2015? Get specific.

CLICK HERE to contact me!

Practicing Social Skills

The 4 podcasters
The “basics” of our podcasts
- Mission, vision, identity, niche, avatar, etc.
How Profitcast held up to its mission, vision, identity, etc.
Monetization and listener growth strategies and why some people succeed and others don’t
A Missing key strategy
Daniel J. Lewis joining me next week to co-host the episode, discussing monetization strategies successful podcasters are using and which ones are beneficial and relevant

29: A Truly Profitable Podcast | Cliff Ravenscraft

The Real Brian — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Man – what an honor this episode! I had the awesome privilege of chatting with Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answer Man!

Cliff was the person who taught me to podcast. He helped me to transition from radio to the world of podcasting.

He gave me my start.

He helped me to be set up for a truly successful and profitable podcast.

Cliff has been called the Godfather of Podcasting and knows his stuff.

He’s been podcasting since 2005 and has had tremendously successful podcasts over the years and has now turned his passion into a full-time career. Cliff has spoken at numerous conferences, including being the keynote speaker for Podcast Movement in August.

We get a chance to dig deep into podcasting and how to create a truly profitable podcast with some great strategies and, even, simple solutions to seemingly complicated problems! I hope you learn a great deal and enjoy this episode! :)

How are you answering questions and delivering what your audience is asking for? GET SPECIFIC! CLICK HERE to contact me!

Podcast Answers

First and foremost – Cliff created content HE was passionate about
- If he created content people wanted more than HE wanted… it didn’t last
- Then looks for people who are receiving a benefit from it
He shares his life, thoughts, advice, etc. in a TRANSPARENT way
Cliff answered the questions that people would ask him on email – that’s how Podcast Answer Man was started!
Spoke about it exhaustively and then, as a result, became the expert on that topic
“Growing your audience” should NOT be your focus
- INSTEAD – grow a deeper relationship with the listeners you ALREADY HAVE
- Completely forget the fact that you “ONLY have 400 people” and are trying to “grow to 1,000 or more”
- INSTEAD – ask how many of those people have you had a PERSONAL relationship with
- How many have been PERSONALLY touched by YOU not JUST your show (e-mail, social interaction, phone, face-to-face, etc.)
- How many of those 400 people have you gone deeper with?
Build your podcast 1 relationship at a time
Get creative with ways to monetize
- So many people think TOO small
- How many people could I get to pay me $1,000 this year
Build up reciprocity
- Natural “REACTION” – negative side – someone punches you… you want to punch them back HARDER
- Positive side – someone blesses you, you want to bless them back MORE
“The more successful you become, the less accessible you will be” – Andy Stanley
“Do for some what I wish I could do with everyone.”
Trust God with your reputation

Pursuing some Action

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Please check out Cliff’s websites and podcasts! (LINKS BELOW)
Question this week:
1. How are you answering questions and delivering what your audience is asking for? GET SPECIFIC!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

28: It All Begins… (Plans for 2015)

The Real Brian — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 09:00:00 -0600

Happy New Year!!! WELCOME BACK!!!!

I hope you had a SMASHING Christmas, New Year’s, and wonderful holiday! :)

I know I promised that Cliff Ravenscraft (The Podcast Answer Man) would kick off the New Year here on Profitcast and HE IS! Tomorrow… on Episode 29!

But today I wanted to do a 2015 launch episode to cover a few things I was reminded of over the last 2 weeks as well as outlining a couple of things I will be doing in 2015 with Profitcast.

I’m so excited to be back doing another Profitcast episode and really am thankful for you. Thanks for joining me on this journey and I am really excited to share the journey of creating a PROFITABLE podcast in 2015 with you. Successes, failures, and all!

LET’S ROCK IT!

CLICK HERE to contact me! Talk to you tomorrow!

It All Begins…

Quick recap from the last episode
Few things reminded of over the last 2 weeks
Reminder of the single motivating purpose for our podcast
FOCUS… without it… we can’t really succeed nor gain effective traction
What about the strategy on how to get our podcast in front of other listeners? They need to know we’re even out there, right?
Plans for 2015

27: BONUS: End of the Year 2014 Profitcast Update

The Real Brian — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 09:00:00 -0600

I wanted to do an end of the year Profitcast update episode! While it’s only been since July since Profitcast launched, it’s always good to evaluate where you’re at to make sure we’re on the right track!

These past 5 1/2 months have been AWESOME! Thank you SO much for listening, interacting, and helping to build such a great community already! I know it’s just going to continue to get better and better!

As we move into 2015, it’s important to let you know some of the ideas I have about getting back to fulfilling the intention of the journey and purpose of Profitcast.

I have plans for Profitcast in 2015 that I think and really hope you will like and I hope it will benefit you GREATLY in your podcast as well.

I share, on this bonus episode of Profitcast some of the ideas I have, some thoughts on the mission/purpose of Profitcast, importance of “presentation” in your podcasts, and a request for 4 other podcasters to join me on a crazy journey to take our podcasts to a completely profitable and successful place.

CLICK HERE for more details and to contact me! MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Changes coming to Profitcast
Looking back at the interviews
Original intentions and journey – where passion meets profit
Morphed into how to make money and grow your audience
Reason I’ve been so focused on money
Definition of “Profit”
Showing you how to create a PROFITABLE podcast not JUST how to make money and grow an audience
Ideas for next year
- More solo eps
- Still will bring other podcasters on but in a different, and better, way
- Focusing HEAVILY on creating and producing the BEST podcast YOU can… being the best YOU… impacting others… building incredible relationships with your listener community… and yes, as a result, being profitable in every way… including money
PRESENTATION (overall – what the listener sees and hears)
What I will be doing

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Profitcast…

I’m looking for 4 podcasters who want to take a CRAZY journey with their podcasts! Contact me if you are:
1. Tenacious
2. Serious about growing your podcast
3. Committed to rockin’ your podcast
4. Ready for a wild ride with your podcast
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Have a GREAT Christmas and New Year’s!

26: The Simplest Way to Grow Your Podcast | Jessica Rhodes

The Real Brian — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 09:00:00 -0600

It’s so simple… Seriously. It’s so easy to get caught up in complex strategies on how to grow your podcast, grow your community, create greater interaction, etc. But the solution is SO simple!

Do your listeners share your podcast explosively?

Do you know the names and some personal facts of at least 25% of your listeners?

Are you feeling frustrated that you’re not getting better interaction with your listener community?

I talk with Jessica Rhodes of Interview Connections and the Rhodes to Success Podcast about relationships, networking, interviews, and, yes, growing your podcast.

Jessica has some awesome tips on EFFECTIVELY growing your podcast in ways that are extremely simple and achievable. Yet… so profound.

After today’s episode of Profitcast, you should have the information necessary to take action on building exceptional relationships with your community and, as a result, watch your podcast grow. :)

If you haven’t already, will you commit to learning personal facts of 25% of your listener community? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Jessica Rhodes

Jessica Rhodes is the founder of Entrepreneur Support Services, Inc. (ESS), a business providing a variety of support services to busy and time strapped entrepreneurs and small business owners. ESS is the parent company to Interview Connections, the premier source for booking outstanding guests for your podcast.

Jessica earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Temple University and has trained extensively in interpersonal communication while studying Strategic Communication at Temple.

Jessica spent six years working for a nonprofit where she managed a large staff of door to door fundraisers, earning her a reputation as a passionate and skilled saleswoman. In fact, she’s been told that she could “sell ice to an Eskimo!”

With her most important job now being ‘mom’ to her son Nathan, Jessica left the nonprofit world to start Entrepreneur Support Services, Inc., so she could bring her exceptional skills in sales, marketing, and administrative support to growth-oriented entrepreneurs and small business owners who need support to help in a number of areas so they can stay focused on their most urgent, high revenue-generating priorities.

The Goods

Focusing on the individual people is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do
Knowing first and last name, email address, and at LEAST 1 personal fact (if not more) of about 25% of your listeners
If you know specific people who would benefit from your episode, share it personally with them – value!
You can share your podcast all you want but as soon as a LISTENER shares it with others, then it explodes
Profits will increase faster if you focus on client retention rather than client acquisition (FOCUS ON CURRENT LISTENERS)
MAKE CURRENT LISTENERS RAVING FANS!!
Keep being who YOU are – be true to yourself

The Rhodes to Action

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Please check out Jessica’s websites and podcast! (LINKS BELOW)
Question this week:
1. If you haven’t already, will you commit to learning personal facts of 25% of your listener community?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

25: Affiliate vs Drop Shipping | Gary Leland

The Real Brian — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:00:00 -0600

Have you had problems getting affiliates for your podcasts by chance? I’ve had a beast of a time developing affiliate relationships with companies for a multitude of reasons. One main thing is, as a Colorado resident, I can’t be an Amazon Associate. So that knocks off one of the largest stores in the world.

I’ve also been disappointed by the low percentage in affiliate commissions that I’ve wondered if there’s a better way.

Pair that with the fascination of buying and selling products over the years… I’ve asked – what if we could sell relevant products to our listeners rather than just recommending an affiliate link? If it’s possible, then HOW do we do it?

Enter Gary Leland! He’s, not only a veteran podcaster, but he’s been buying and selling online since 1996. He’s made the majority of his money selling products to his listeners that are relevant and actually add value.

Gary has some PHENOMENAL advice and tips on whether or not drop shipping and selling products would be a good move for your podcast or not.

I also do a quick review of the past 5 1/2 months of Profitcast and some thoughts on presentation and quality of our podcasts and ask a VERY important and pivotal question:

Do you want more info about how to master the presentation of your podcast in order to set yourself up for success and profit? OR Do you want to stay on the actual step-by-step strategies on how to grow and monetize your podcast? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Gary Leland

Gary’s online world began in 1996. He built his first online store back then and by 2005 one of his websites was listed in Time Magazine’s list of “50 Coolest Websites”.

Today Gary has 25 websites, most of which sell a product of some kind or another.

He is the past National Director of Social Media for the 3.7 million member strong United States Specialty Sports Association.

Later he moved into the world of media with his Fastpitch TV Network. The network consist of videos, podcasts, apps, blogs, books, and even a monthly magazine. Gary also created and runs Podertainment Magazine, which is becoming a huge publication (and is fantastic by the way)! :)

The Pitch

Best way to make money on a podcast is to have a product to sell and use your podcast to advertise the product… or service
Review show – review certain products that you can sell
Doesn’t believe in affiliates – TOO small of margins
Definitely believes in drop shipping
- Problem with drop shipping – once a decent business is established – if the products are from multiple companies – the customer gets charged multiple shipping charges
- Therefore, you’d need to eventually stock the products
- Make money off of shipping
If I wanted to sell the Heil PR40… start with with drop shipping
- If I started selling a LOT of mics, then I’d want to start stocking them myself
- Build inventory up slowly
How to get started with drop shipping
- “I’m opening a store” (don’t mention that I’m doing an “online store”)
- Contact Heil – or contact a distributor
- Persistence
How to take a podcast to the next step
- Worked social media REALLY hard
  - Posts 4-5 things a day on FB, Twitter, and Instagram, etc.
  - Advertises for his sites as well
- Mixes up social media posts
  - Remembering that new people never saw older posts – remember to recycle
- FB groups – HUGE
- Gary puts commercials into his podcast – saying “Buy from my website” – if they like the show and need the product – they’ll buy
- Twitter
  - Use a Twitter handle for your podcast rather than a personal one
- Question of the day on the FB Group
  - Put out an eBook about – community answering your questions of the day (entire ebook on the “family” answering the questions)
The #1 strategies:
- Grow your audience – SOCIAL MEDIA!
- Monetize – find a product to sell that resonates with your audience and SELL
  - Sell one product at a time – do a review on it and sell it and then add an additional product, etc.
- Drop shipping – find a company that will allow you to drop ship a product IMMEDIATELY

Action Steps

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Please check out Gary’s website and podcasts! (LINKS BELOW)
Question this week:
1. Do you want more info about how to master the presentation of your podcast in order to set yourself up for success and profit? OR Do you want to stay on the actual step-by-step strategies on how to grow and monetize your podcast?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

24: The Cure for the Average

The Real Brian — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 09:00:00 -0600

What I’ve come to discover, and we may not like this, is that there’s really no quick way to growing and monetizing our podcasts despite what some people will say.

It takes a level of excellence in most, if not all areas, to grow and monetize our podcasts.

We can continue to talk about the strategies to monetize and the strategies to grow our audience (and we will) with iTunes, reviews, social media, etc., but the reality is, if we don’t cure our average with our podcasts… none of those strategies will matter in the long run.

I came to a realization that we really need to CURE THE AVERAGE for our podcasts. It is essential that we MASTER OUR CRAFT of podcasting.

I’m not saying we need to be perfect by any means. But I AM saying that we need to put priority, focus, commitment, perseverance, etc. on mastering excellence with our podcasts. When we can do that, those strategies we’ve been talking about will be a LOT easier to implement and succeed with!

After listening to this week’s Profitcast episode, let me know what you think and what, if anything, resonates with you.

Also, here’s my question of the week: What average do you need to cure for your podcast? CLICK HERE to contact me!

The Cure For the Average

Recap of 4 things learned recently:
- Confidence
- Laser focus
- Finding a common enemy with your listeners
- Injustice/movement
Cure for the Average
- What it means
- The Matrix and my old neighborhood
How this applies to our podcasts
- Average sound, mic presentation, content, succinctness, connection with listeners, understanding of the avatar, tenacity and perseverance, work ethic, belief and confidence, laser focus, etc. etc. etc.
What I’ve come to discover, and we may not like this, is that there’s really no quick way to growing and monetizing your podcast despite what some people will say
- It takes a level of excellence in most, if not all of these areas, to grow and monetize your podcast
- We can continue to talk about the strategies to monetize and the strategies to grow your audience (and we will) with iTunes, reviews, social media, etc. but the reality is, if we don’t cure our average with our podcasts… none of those strategies will matter in the long run.
So are you in this for the long haul? Because if you are… and you’re willing to cure the average in your podcast, then you’ll succeed.
Practice mic and presentation skills – mirror, shower, car, etc. A LOT
Ask a LOT of questions and listen to people – what they want, etc.
LOVE what you do – and choose a topic that you can enjoy
Continue to learn and apply the knowledge to wisdom

Action Points

Take the SHORT Survey below please! :)
Question this week:
1. What average do you need to cure for your podcast?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

23: How to Take Action and Grow Your Podcast! | Jason Hartman

The Real Brian — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 09:00:00 -0600

Ready? Fire! Aim! I love this phrase. Seems like when I talk to other podcasters and entrepreneurs, there’s an all-too common theme of getting ready to get ready. We’re stuck in the process of getting ready. The problem is, we never launch. Never fire. Never move to the next level.

Unfortunately, I’ve struggled with this as I’m sure you have at one point or another.

It’s common. But it is an enemy. The enemy of INACTION… PASSIVITY… APATHY… etc.

It’s hard to fight too. You certainly can’t go at it alone. You certainly can’t expect to never fight it. It’s always there.

But WE must RISE ABOVE and FIGHT IT! I encourage YOU to TAKE ACTION! Wherever you’re at with you’re podcast, just PLEASE take action!

If you ever get stuck, don’t ever hesitate to contact me. Profitcast is a community, not just a podcast. We’re in this together.

My goal for Profitcast was to, not only get the answers we’re all looking for on how to grow and monetize our podcasts, but also to create a community of podcasters who can come around each other and lift each other up to success!

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of people saying that podcasting is a hobby or you can’t make money in podcasting or (fill in the blank).

WHO’S WITH ME?

I have Jason Hartman with me today. He’s brought in more than 10 million in revenue and 5 million downloads with his podcasts. He owns a podcast network (Hartman Media) as well as the Jason Hartman Foundation and is bringing us some INCREDIBLE advice and wisdom to Profitcast. This is definitely one you don’t want to miss.

Here’s my question of the week: What is preventing you, specifically, from taking ACTION with your podcast right now? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Jason Hartman

Jason Hartman is the Founder and CEO of Platinum Properties Investor Network, The Hartman Media Company and The Jason Hartman Foundation.

Starting with very little, Jason, while still in college at the age of 19, embarked on a career in real estate while brokering properties for clients, he was investing in he own portfolio along the way. Through creativity, persistence and hard work, he soon joined the ranks of the top one-percent of Realtors in the U.S. and in quick succession; earned a number of prestigious industry awards and became a young multi-millionaire.

The Hartman Media Company is an innovative portal for educational content to benefit aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals in various fields and services. Jason hosts a podcast called “The Creating Wealth Show” where he talks about real estate investing, financial and entrepreneurship strategies.

Jason also believes that giving back to the community plays an important role in building strong personal relationships. He established The Jason Hartman Foundation in 2005 to provide financial literacy education to young adults providing the all important real world skills not taught in school which are the key to the financial stability and success of future generations. We’re in a global monetary crisis caused by decades of misguided policies and the cycle of financial dependence has to be broken, literacy and self-reliance are a good start.

Slacker’s…er… NON-Slacker’s Manifesto

Passion is essential
Is the rest of the world interested in your topic?
Podcasting gives you access to thought leaders
Constantly refine, refine, refine
Law of polarization is a VERY important law!!!!
STOP being reasonable… start being UNREASONABLE
TAKE A STAND

1) He’s opinionated and gets REAL

2) Big name guests right out the gate

3) Develop COMMUNITY – make your listeners feel like you’re a part of something!

4) Create a philosophy around the podcast – 10 COMMANDMENTS OF PODCASTING

Pursue a personal mission
Thou shalt produce quality recordings
Stop wasting your listener’s time
1. Get to the point
Leverage Time with good workflow
Create personal brand
Thou shalt high quality content – entertaining, educational, and executable
1. Summarize it into something ACTIONABLE with what we just learned
Thou shalt post thy content REGULARLY
Thou shalt follow proper podcasting etiquette
Define a business strategy
Change the world!!

Constantly getting really good guests
Best strategy for monetizing his podcasts/network: BUILD COMMUNITY AND TRUST!!!
CULTIVATE Rational Reasonable Recklessness
Don’t be the person who’s always getting ready to get ready
There is WISDOM in ACTION
“To know and not to do is to not yet know”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”
“My life seems like one long obstacle course with me as the chief obstacle”
The world is abundant but if you can learn to just create enough value that you can exchange with others, you’ll succeed!

TAKE ACTION and TAKE A STAND!

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Please check out Jason’s podcasts and website! (LINKS BELOW)
Question this week:
1. What is preventing you, specifically, from taking ACTION with your podcast right now?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

22: Focus on those who are ALREADY listening (build relationships) rather than trying to “grow your audience” | Lou Mongello

The Real Brian — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 09:00:00 -0600

There’s this fantastic advice I heard at Podcast Movement: “Focus on those who are ALREADY listening rather than trying to “grow your audience.” I think we all KNOW this, but hearing it from that perspective sort of hit me between the eyes!

It really goes back to the basics. As podcasters, we’re taught to create some type of marketing strategy if we want to grow our podcasts and, eventually, monetize. So we think we need to “grow the audience” and get those download numbers up!

While that is true, if we want to monetize our podcasts and treat it like a business, it still goes back to one simple question:

Are you building RELATIONSHIPS with your community?

We all want friendships and we all want to feel like we’re a part of something, right?

If we, as the podcast host, treat our listeners as FRIENDS and bring them into a community, our podcasts WILL grow.

If we’re focused on those who are ALREADY listening and making them feel special, our podcasts will grow.

So why do we keep trying to focus on those who AREN’T listening?!?

Lou Mongello, of the WDW Radio podcast, has some INCREDIBLE thoughts on all of this on Profitcast. He has successfully implemented what he shares on the show and shows us how we can do the same with our podcasts.

Here’s my question of the week: Are you building RELATIONSHIPS with your community? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Heeerrrrre’s Lou Mongello

Lou makes a career as a Disney author, host, publisher, historian, speaker and trusted Disney expert and creates unique content via a variety of multimedia outlets. A former attorney and owner of an IT consulting firm in New Jersey, Lou left the practice of law and company to move with his family to Florida, pursue his passion, and follow a dream of sharing his love for Disney with others.

A social media pioneer and influencer, Lou connects with his loyal audiences (he prefers “friends”) via a variety of online social networks, and also hosts monthly meet-ups in Walt Disney World and around the country. As one of the leading authorities on Disney, podcasting and new media, Lou is frequently interviewed by the media for expert perspective and analysis. He has been featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Boston.com, VentureBeat, Bloomberg Business, WPIX 11 TV New York, CBS 46 News Atlanta, AOL.com, Parenting Magazine, Readers’ Digest, Fodors, Robert Scoble and numerous others.

The Magical Details

Love of this “useless knowledge” rolling around in his head about Disney
We’re equipped with the tools and knowledge to make our useless knowledge valuable
Had no idea that his content would resonate with the Disney fans – he decided to wing it and change things up based on the feedback he received
He wrote the book he wanted to read
Produced a show that he, as a Disney fan, wanted to hear
His podcast is like sitting around at a coffee shop or diner having a conversation with friends
Bring them the Disney “magic” if they couldn’t be there
Lou does NOT worry about the “competition”
Doesn’t worry about the numbers
Do the same show for 10 people that they will do for a million people
Focus on those who are already listening than trying to “grow your audience”
Audience likes his top 10 shows, restaurant reviews, ambient sounds (walking around in a park)
Content should bring ENTERTAINMENT and VALUE to every listener every week
Podcasts are about INFLUENCE rather than NUMBERS – for sponsors, monetization, etc.
Percentage of listeners that buy vs number of downloads (LOYALTY and VALUE)
Don’t dilute your podcast with sponsors (take a limited number of sponsorships)
Works out a sponsor package that becomes a “part of the show” – make sure they’re a great partner!
Listener e-mail show – answer the questions specifically on the show
Has the sponsor come on to answer the listener questions AS WELL!
3-pronged approach to monetizing:
- 1) Monetize your audience – logo, branding, membership site, special events
- 2) Monetize with sponsorship
- 3) Monetize yourself – become an expert – speaking, workshops, mastermind groups, coaching, products
No cookie cutter/one size fits all way to grow and monetize your podcast
Answer EVERY e-mail – personal response – CONNECT on a deeper level with your audience
Monthly meetups with listeners – the point is for Lou to meet HIS LISTENERS
Forming those relationships
MAKE FRIENDS
Ask your listeners/friends to go out and tell THEIR friends, share, tweet, etc
Podcasters NEED to have a blog, videos, live events, products, content in a way that most people are COMFORTABLE consuming it and enjoy consuming it
Do what you love!!!

Make a Wish… then TAKE ACTION!

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Please check out Lou’s websites and his Walt Disney World Podcast (LINKS BELOW)
Question this week:
1. Are you building RELATIONSHIPS with your community?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

21: MASTER content creation from Executive Producer of Star Wars Rebels | Greg Weisman

The Real Brian — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 09:00:00 -0600

I am blown away, sometimes, by the wisdom I learn from interviewing other people! When I set out to interview Greg Weisman, I thought he’d have some fun and good content for us. What I didn’t anticipate was the level of experience and expertise he’s developed over the years writing for popular comics and shows.

His advice on storytelling, content creation, and character (avatar) creation and understanding is INCREDIBLE.

After all, he got his content in front of and was hired by Lucasfilm, Disney, Marvel, and DC Comics. Pretty impressive!

I also promised we’d talk about Opportunity vs Distraction and I share an update on the Profitcast journey!

Let’s turn all of this knowledge and information into WISDOM and SUCCESS!

Are you passionate about your podcast and the content you create? CLICK HERE to contact me!

All About Greg Weisman

Greg is a writer of comics & cartoons & books. He’s one of the creators and producer of the Gargoyles television series. He was a producer on shows including W.I.T.C.H., The Spectacular Spider-Man, Young Justice and Young Justice: Invasion. He’s now an executive producer and writer for the brand new Star Wars Rebels and has written two novels: Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam.

Use the Force… Unlearn what you have learned…

UPDATE TIME
Great blog post from Michael Hyatt about not being bashful about selling your products
Still researching the BEST ways to grow your audience with little to no resources
One size fits all
Opportunity vs Distraction
LOTS of opportunities… LOTS of good things to get involved with and help with VS one or a couple WISE things to actually do
Vision and Single Motivating Purpose
Passion
Greg’s Journey
KNOW their characters inside and out… then the characters start to “tell you how their story is going to go” (THIS APPLIES TO OUR AVATAR/AUDIENCE)
Clear on the END GAME.
PASSION about what you do and the content you write
Storytelling that impacts others
Do you love your OWN content… would you watch your own show? If not, then why would anyone else?
Put out the content to the best of your ability and then try to “ignore” the comments…

The Spectacular Action Points

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Please check out Greg’s Books (LINKS BELOW)
Leave Greg a 5-star rating and review for his books on Amazon
2 Questions this week:
1. Are you PASSIONATE about your podcast and the content you create?
2. Do you KNOW your end game?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

20: Do you use storytelling in your podcast? | Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 09:00:00 -0600

There really are, primarily, two types of podcasts: The Educational podcast (how-to, teaching, coaching, instructional, etc.) or the Entertainment podcast (TV show, gaming, comedy, pop culture, inspirational, etc.)

Each podcast usually fits into either or both of those categories. People will pay just about anything for education and/or entertainment.

It’s our job to make sure that we are masters of our podcast in either or both of those categories. With that comes storytelling, content, presentation/entertainment value, and production quality to name a few.

I talk with Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast and the Noodle.mx Network about these things above and a LOT of great strategies for setting your podcast up to grow, profit, and succeed. Daniel also shares some great ideas for creating income with your podcast (actual tangible ideas) regardless of whether you are educational or entertainment!

Do you use storytelling in your podcast? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Daniel J. Lewis

Daniel is an entrepreneur, consultant, speaker, award-winning podcaster on The Audacity Podcast, The Ramen Noodle Clean Comedy Podcast, and The Once Upon a Time Podcast, and owns the Noodle.mx network.

He enjoys science fiction, action, adventure, and comedy entertainment genres, as well as “real” hobbies like cooking, swimming, and volleyball. Daniel is a black belt martial artist and especially loves to dig into God’s Word.

The Audacity to Give Specifics

Story-telling – people relate SO well to a story
You could be sitting through the most boring presentation on something but then they’ll tell a story and people will perk up!
Look at website comments
Looks at dload numbers to see which ones were popular
Google questions that people have to see if it fits your podcast topic/content
Learn how to present yourself better – work on your presentation quality
3 areas of quality you need to master in order to make sure you’re not turning away listeners:
- Content Quality – is it something that they actually WANT to consume?
- Presentation Quality
- Production Quality
Find the listeners and reach OUT TO THEM
It IS who you know
Lots of options to monetize
- Donations have worked really well for Daniel
- Patreon
- Products
- Affiliates
- Sponsors
BIGGEST way to make money on your podcast that doesn’t depend on size of audience is to SELL YOURSELF
- Products of your own
- Services of your own
Entertainment content
- Release extra content that you can SELL (premium content)
- What is it that other fans of the TV show WANT?
- Make a commentary for EVERY episode of every season as a special BONUS and SELL THAT
- Make products for fans
- Indiana Jones Fan Podcast – the OFFICIAL Indiana Jones Fedora
Just DO IT – just start it – don’t give up, don’t stall

Stop Noodlin’ around and TAKE ACTION!

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Go to My Podcast Reviews and sign up!
Give Daniel J. Lewis a shout!
Answer this question: Do you use storytelling in your podcast?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

19: OH NO! We Suck Again!

The Real Brian — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 09:00:00 -0600

Ok we really don’t suck… again. Today I have the journey you’ve all been asking me to share! So I delve into what’s been going on, some of the learning moments, strategies, successes, failures, mindsets, etc.

Most of my journey over the last couple of weeks was mindset and really making sure my approach with Profitcast, and everything else I’m working on, was correct.

I also share 2… wait 3! things that are PARAMOUNT to us succeeding with our podcasts.

Profitcast’s Journey This Week

Last week we talked about content – would you even listen to your OWN podcast?
Who is your avatar/ideal listener? Define that person!
Presentation – Are you Entertaining or Boring?
Growing your podcast and listener base and monetizing it is a LOT more in-depth than I think we all sometimes think
You can’t JUST podcast about your passion and the money and listeners will follow
You can’t JUST podcast about your passion and the money and listeners will follow
Realistically, this is a journey… it’s involved… it can be long…
Business/Education vs. Non-business/entertainment
“Guinea Pig” tests:
- Arrow Squad
- My friend’s Business
What I’m trying

2 er… 3 Things (powerful word, eh?) That Are ESSENTIAL To Succeeding With Our Podcasts

1) CONFIDENCE!

We need confidence in ourselves and in our podcasts! Do we believe in ourselves and our podcasts? Do we believe we really have what it takes?

2) LASER-FOCUS

Bright shiny objects don’t help us. We MUST laser-focus on our one thing that really matters, helps others, and has the best chance of success.

3) Paralysis By Analysis

Less Talk, More Action!

Action Step – PLEASE send me an e-mail or voice message:

1) Are you REALLY confident in yourself and in your podcast? Let me know!

18: Would you listen to your OWN podcast? | Rob Walch and Elsie Escobar

The Real Brian — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 09:00:00 -0600

I asked the question… “How do I know whether or not my podcast content is REALLY what listeners want?” In MY mind, I think – I’ve got good content with my podcasts. I love getting behind the mic and encouraging, entertaining, etc. with my podcasts. But how do I REALLY know if my content is what others actually WANT?

I was given great advice: “Would you listen to your own podcast and be a loyal fan of it?” Wow… great question.

I talked with Rob Walch and Elsie Escobar of Libsyn and The Feed Podcasts, among many others, on Profitcast this week and we talk a lot about content, growing your podcast, getting listeners rather than just listens, creating incredible loyalty, what it takes to monetize a podcast, Libsyn vs Soundcloud, owning your own feed, and a LOT more. It’s a fantastic interview, albeit longer than most episodes of Profitcast but well worth it!

Would YOU listen to your OWN podcast and be a loyal fan of your podcast? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Rob Walch

Rob hosts Podcast411 and Today in iOS Podcasts, co-hosts The Feed Podcast with Elsie, and is VP Podcaster Relations at Libsyn. Rob’s been around since the beginning of podcasting and has coached many of the successful podcasters today on how to podcast.

Elsie Escobar

Elsie is a podcaster, Yoga specialist, and, as she puts it, Modern Digital Jedi! She hosts the She Podcast, Elsie’s Yoga Class Podcast, and The Feed Podcast with Rob.

The 411

Consistency
Making sure to answer listener questions
Making sure listener’s voices are heard
Finding out WHERE your listeners are AT (She Podcast – the women are on FB)
EDITING is a great strategy! :) Produce and edit your podcasts!
Good content and word of mouth marketing will grow your show
CONVENIENCE for listeners so they can EASILY listen, respond, etc.
Having a place for the conversation to take place
CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT
If you have RIGHT content, the listeners will come
If you have the RIGHT relationship with your podcast topic, you will ROCK IT… if not, you won’t
Would you listen to your own podcast?
Do you like the sound of your own voice?
Does your podcast entertain or bore the listeners?
Libsyn is all about helping podcasters to promote THEIR OWN BRAND vs Soundcloud is all about helping podcasters to promote Soundcloud’s brand
Libsyn does not take away your ownership of your feed – you own AND control your feed if you run it through Libysn
Running your feed through your website may end in disaster
Be a matchmaker between advertiser and your listeners

Action Time

CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW
Give Rob and Elsie a shout over at Libsyn or either of their podcasts (BELOW)
Answer this question: Would YOU listen to your OWN podcast and be a loyal fan of your podcast?
Do you KNOW your own feed? If so, what is it?
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

17: Creating Content your Listeners WANT, Tips on Building Loyal Relationships | Dave Jackson of School of Podcasting

The Real Brian — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:00:00 -0600

Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting is on the HOT SEAT today on episode 17 of Profitcast! What a great guy with LOTS of great information and perspective!!

We talk about quite a bit about some great strategies and mindsets for growing your podcast. Seriously – great information from Dave including creating content your listeners actually WANT, getting to really KNOW your listeners, tips on building quality and loyal relationships, and, of course, a lot more!

I also want to know what specific topic would you like me to cover on Profitcast? CLICK HERE to contact me!

Dave Jackson – School of Podcasting

Podcasting since April of 2005, Dave’s podcast about podcasting has been downloaded over 1 million times. He’s helped hundreds of people launch podcasts. Dave has multiple podcasts and websites including powerofpodcasting.com, morepodcastmoney.com, weeklywebtools.com, logicalloss.com, feedingmyfaith.com, growyourchurchshow.com, marketingmusician.com

Dave has spoken at many marketing and media conventions including New Media Expo, Blog World, Erma Bombeck Writing Workshops, Podcamp Columbus, Podcamp Cleveland, Podcamp Cincinnati, and the Business of Writing Summit. He is also author of the book “More Podcast Money.”

School’s In!

“Who’s gonna listen to me?”
We each have valuable content that we think we’re the only ones that have that quirky knowledge
Feedly – getting feeds from sources to apply to your topic
Then networking with that person that wrote the article and building relationships
“Names, not numbers”
Answer EVERY e-mail!
Keep the conversation going on e-mail – follow up with questions to that listener.
1 download at a time
Step 1 – figure out who your audience is
Step 2 – make content they WANT
Step 3 – Get to KNOW your audience (add value to THEM first)
CONNECT with your audience
Fast success might be hitting at a place that you’re not at:
i.e. More money in the bank – buying FB ads, etc.
i.e. More time than you
i.e. No debt
Stop comparing yourself to others because they’re at a difference place than you
Zig Ziglar – “If you help enough people get what they want… then, eventually, you’ll get what you want.”
Can make more money sometimes with affiliates than with sponsorships using the CPM model
Finding the RIGHT product that FITS your listeners
Tell everyone you’re an expert and eventually you’ll become one
Back it up, BECOME that expert
eBook – get podcast episodes transcribed and put it into a conversational book

Homework

Check out Dave Jackson – School of Podcasting
Contact me with one thing you want me to cover on Profitcast
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

16: Do Or Do Not. There Is No Try.

The Real Brian — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 09:00:00 -0600

I have 3 important strategies we all need to master for our podcasts. Without these 3 strategies, most other marketing strategies will be extremely difficult to implement.

I also wanted to get us back to the root of why Profitcast started in the first place:

To take that journey with YOU on how to make money with our podcasts and grow our audiences.

Getting Back to the Root of Profitcast

When I started Profitcast, the intention was to take the journey of learning how to monetize our podcasts and grow our listening community. We sort of veered away from that “journey” and did more interviews.

The interviews have been GREAT and I’m thankful for each and every one of you. But I also want to make sure I’m reporting in as the “journal” type show as we go on this journey together.

That includes the successes AND failures of how to make money with our podcasts and how to grow our audiences.

3 Strategies We All Need to Master

1) CONTENT that delivers exceptional value

2) Presentation (or talent) / “entertainment” value

3) Surrounding yourself with the right people / Networking / building relationships

Action Steps – PLEASE send me an e-mail or voice message answering these questions:

1) Why do you listen to Profitcast?

2) Is there anything specific of value that Profitcast delivers to you?

3) Are there any specific topics you’d like to see me focus more on?

15: Establishing Credibility, Quality and Essential Connections, and Podcast Revenue Streams | Nick Gelso

The Real Brian — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 09:00:00 -0600

It’s Profitcast’s 15th Episode! Today, Nick Gelso joins me to discuss establishing credibility, quality and essential connections, and podcast revenue streams to name a few of the topics discussed.

I also share one huge secret to massive success with your podcast (and anything for that matter). I’ll be going into a lot more detail on that in next week’s episode!

I invite you to share your podcasting journey and what you’ve experimented with and seen results with! CLICK HERE to contact me!

Nick Gelso

Nick Gelso is the Founding Partner and CEO of North Station Media, CLNS Radio. Nick has been covering the NBA and Boston Celtics since 2008. He has locker room experience and is an accomplished NBA columnist and radio personality. He’s appeared on Boston radio, Las Vegas television, ESPNBoston, CBS Sports. He is also co-host of CLNSRadio’s flagship production, the Celtics Late Night Show.

Additionally, Nick co-hosts Beats & Eats Podcast (WHICH they GRACIOUSLY interviewed me on last week!! CLICK HERE to hear the show. We got intense about the podcast industry and brought up some good conversation points that I’d love to hear your thoughts on. Beats & Eats hosts podcasts from Hell’s Kitchen Chefs’ Barret Beyer & Anthony Rodriguez. Actors such as Lydia Cornell and Matt Fahey. Hell’s Kitchen Chef Dan Ryan hosts a reddit-based, pop-culture podcast. Chopped Chef, Rob Burmeister & Hell’s Kitchen Chef, Clemenza host the culinary-comedy podcast, “Chewing the Fat with Big and Beefy.”

Nick also is a podcast coach and consults with quite a few actors and celebrities.

The Playbook

Having ONE day available for interviews will cause you to be taken more seriously by interviewees/publicists
Know your boundaries
Create demand
Wake up and LOVE WHAT YOU DO!
On-demand world
Podcasting gives us the opportunity to be a part of our listeners’ lives
If we don’t improve EVERY single show, hang it up
Constantly have to be “evolving” with a strong RSS feed, tags, etc. to be on top of the game
Quality connections are SO important
After having guests on, re-engage with them!
Your guests’ social media following is HUGE
Audience engagement
Tapped into 5 revenue streams
Big goal and then realistic tiered goals
Identifying 10 revenue streams
Market research and Investigation
Need resources and discipline to do the research – sometimes it means to pay people to do it
Podcast MUST be good first with EXCELLENT content
If you’re starting out and ask to make money initially, it’s the wrong order
Hone your skills as a podcaster and hone your content – A MAIN GOAL
Build your brand and who you are as a podcaster FIRST
Build infrastructure and community before monetization
Podcast has to be a certain threshold in order to make big money
You CAN make money in the podcasting industry

Action Steps!

Listen to Beats and Eats – check it out – profitcastuniverse.com/nick – let me know what you thought of the episode they had me on. Interesting topics brought up. FYI – explicit language.
Take one action step and begin establishing credibility (or more)
What one way can you connect with another person or people this week and build some quality relationships?
Pick 1 revenue stream and begin working on it today
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!

14: Dude, Focus. Get Real. Profit.

The Real Brian — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:00:00 -0600

In a world that inundates us with massive amounts of information that is all over the place… some differing opinions… sometimes hard to decipher… many times not explaining how… it’s ESSENTIAL for us to take a step back and Focus.

As you start to grow your podcasts and, heck, even get to the point where you’re in demand, are you going to act better than everyone else, your listeners, other podcasters? Or are you going to Get Real?

Time to go over some of the strategies we’ve learned so far on how to Profit with our podcasts!

LOTS of information today! Let’s rock it!

Focus. Get Real. Profit.

Focus

Focus on YOUR strengths
1. Stop trying to be like Pat Flynn or Cliff Ravenscraft or John Lee Dumas, etc…
2. Don’t always think you need to do what they do
3. Don’t think you have to measure up to what others do
4. Stop focusing on your weaknesses… because if you do, you’ll have strong weaknesses.
5. Instead – focus on your strengths!
6. Do you know your strengths? Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
Focus on your single motivating purpose
1. Mine is: “I get up in the morning to encourage and empower in order to help others have joy and hope, and live the lives they were meant to live.”
2. What is YOUR single motivating purpose
3. Make sure that everything you do with your podcast (topic, frequency, etc. etc.) aligns with your single motivating purpose.
Focus on the ROOT of a situation
1. Take a step back and look at the ROOT of the situation rather than chaotically focusing on symptoms
2. SIMPLIFY… the simplicity of growing an audience… monetizing… etc.
3. Just in time learning
4. One purpose of Profitcast is to bring all the chaos of the information out there, sift through it, and organize it in a way that WORKS and that you can easily digest and apply to your podcast.

Get Real

I share a story I had with a top podcaster. We can learn a LOT from this story.

Profit

Sponsorships and advertising
Affiliate links
Selling products
Membership site
Coaching
Some kind of an Academy
Donations
Patreon and crowd funding
New one – drop shipping products
SO MANY MORE I haven’t looked into nor have enough info on yet

Action Steps

What one take away can you immediately work on and apply this week?
What profit strategy are you currently using that works?
What other profit strategies do you recommend?

13: Knowing what your listeners want, great content, podcasts creating business | Matt Theriault of The Do Over Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 09:00:00 -0600

Profitcast’s LUCKY 13! I have some INCREDIBLE content and massive success that our guest, Matt Theriault, will share with you and how he did it!

Matt Theriault, also known as the Do Over Guy, from the Do Over Podcast, The Epic Real Estate Podcast, and the Body Do Over Podcast.

Matt has a POWERFUL story from working in the music industry to having to bag groceries for $7/hr to finding what he loves to do and where his strengths were, now making 7 figures with his current business. Not only will his journey inspire you, but he will be sharing some actionable tips and strategies on how we can take our podcasts to an impactful and successful result!

About Matt Theriault

Matt Theriault is the guy behind both the Your Do Over and Epic Real Estate Investing podcasts on iTunes.

His podcast Do Over is a personal development show with more than 40k downloads a month. He started this show as a way to market his book, Do Over. Lessons about himself, the human condition, business and sustainable wealth creation were so abundant, poignant and profound during his “come back” journey that Matt felt compelled to write about them in his first book.

Matt’s podcast Epic Real Estate Investing is consistently in the top 10 of What’s Hot in business podcasts on iTunes. His show is downloaded over 90-100k times per month and is a successful marketing tool for his real estate investing business, Cash Flow Savvy.

His most recent show is Body Do Over. This is a health and fitness podcast about simplifying weight loss in the effort of making results permanent. Matt co-hosts this with fitness expert, John Schaefer of Cut Method. Matt is the guy losing weight, and John’s the expert! That show quickly grew to 100k downloads a month in 2 months and has an active membership community at BodyDoOver.com.

What it is!

Commitment to podcast – how much time it takes
Finding a role model who has ACCOMPLISHED what you want to accomplish
Became the guinea pig
Passion really drove his fitness podcast to number 1 – the journey
Sometimes while waiting for a helping hand, you just need to get up and take action yourself
Once you make a decision, things can happen fast
Investing in yourself and your business
Podcasting gave Matt a voice – sharing his book on the show – changing lives
Real Estate Podcast exploded from day 1 because PEOPLE WANTED IT and TOLD Matt they wanted it!!!
Membership site – opened it and made $50,000-60,000 the first weekend!
The podcast created the business. Couldn’t have without the podcast.
Do NOT go in trying to get money from your listeners – they’ll sniff it out and hate you for it
If you’re not entertaining or content-heavy, you won’t succeed
Make that long-term commitment and start RIGHT NOW!
STRATEGY
- Giving, selfless, helpful, transparent, unique content
- Gary Vaynerchuk – give, give, give, then ask
- Had a whole year of giving (with his Do Over podcast) before creating the business
- Be OK with giving away free info!
- We are here to educate, give, and help people
- 80% will take it and never pay
- 10% will pay some – resonate, etc. (DIY part of the business)
- The last 10% will pay you for ALL of it (you do it for them) (Service-oriented part of the business)
- BE consistent! COMMITTED to what you set out to do.
- “The Dip” by Seth Godin
- Persistence pushes your way through the dips of get through…
- Don’t worry about the competition
- Be authentic and genuine and transparent with your listeners
- Have GREAT content – make sure people actually WANT to hear it
  - Millionaire Fastlane

Action Steps!

Ok – success time – let me know what successes you’ve made this week
NEXT WEEK – 1) Solo episode? If so, what do you want me to talk about? OR 2) Interview our next guest?
What MOST impacted you this week?
Check out Matt, his podcasts, and his book in the links below!
Connect with Matt on Twitter!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

12: Sponsorship strategies, Power of Loyalty, and Our Value as Podcasters | Darrell Darnell of Pro Podcast Solutions

The Real Brian — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 09:00:00 -0600

Twelve. That’s right… episode 12 of Profitcast and I get to chat with Darrell Darnell from Golden Spiral Media about sponsorship strategies (LOTS of them by the way), the power of loyalty, how we can impact our community, and our value as podcasters regardless of what we’re podcasting about!

Darrell also recently released his incredible video Audacity Mastery – ALL about learning and mastering Audacity so you can take your podcast’s audio quality and production to the next level. It’s a PHENOMENAL video.

Additionally, I talk about a few things in the beginning, including some audio tools I recommend, 4 KEY elements you need in order to profit with your podcast, a GREAT suggestion from our community – Sarah, and 2 lessons learned from getting hit by a car while riding my bike.

About Darrell Darnell

Owner and Co-Founder of Golden Spiral Media. Darrell is also a producer and host of Stuff I Learned Yesterday, Person of Interest Podcast, Gracepoint Podcast, Berserker Cast, We Have to Go Back, The Fringe Podcast, The Revolution Podcast, and Almost Human Podcast,

Darrell married his wife Kari in 1999 and has been blessed with two beautiful, bright, and fun kids.

In 2013 he left his career of 19 years to focus fully on Golden Spiral Media podcasts and clients.

He serves as a part-time worship leader at his church. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology which makes him a certified geek.

His favorite TV show of all time is Lost and Fringe is a close second. In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, spending time with his family and writing up silly bios so he can refer to himself in the third person.

The Skinny!

4 key elements – Traffic, Conversion, Economics, Mindset
Sponsorship strategies
Podcast and sponsor with similar values
A podcast a sponsor can trust
Listener connectedness/loyalty
CPM isn’t the only consideration
Why should a company sponsor a podcast?
What’s in it for the sponsor?
What makes you different?
What makes us unique?
SELL your podcast to the company
Quality of podcast(s)
Loyalty of listeners
Sponsor will get a genuine effort to represent them on the podcast to the listeners because of a trust
Building a place where listeners can have their lives changed and impacted
A POWERFUL story about a listener
Each one of us has value and a unique perspective that no one else has

Audacity Mastery

Darrell has graciously offered a 10% discount if you enter in Profitcast’s promo code when you check out! It’s a fantastic video that will help you to learn and master Audacity, and therefore, your podcast’s overall production and sound quality! SO worth it!!

Audacity Mastery

Stand up and KICK IT!

Take ONE thing learned today and apply it!
THEN report back on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Darrell, Golden Spiral Media (and all the podcasts), and Audacity Mastery in the links below!
Connect with Darrell on Twitter!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

11: Profit, Sponsorship Strategies, Relationships, and Mindset! | Shaine Freeman of The Miews Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 09:00:00 -0600

We turned it up to 11 for the 11th episode of Profitcast! It’s one louder… yes… this podcast goes to 11.

I have a GREAT show for you! Shaine Freeman – host of The Miews Podcast and I Am Entertainment magazine will be joining us with some INSANELY helpful information for you and your podcast!

We’ll be chattin about the power of relationships, sponsorship strategies, the ever-important mindset, understanding YOUR value, how to utilize social media, and believing in YOUR podcast and what you are delivering!

About Shaine Freeman

Shaine Freeman is the Co-Founder of I Am Entertainment and a 20 year music industry veteran who has worked with some of music’s biggest names!

Shaine also spent 5 years managing the successful career of several top film and TV actors. His passion for helping unsigned music artists is what drives him to host The Miews Podcast and share key insider success tips.

Shaine is also coaches basketball for youth, frequently working with the Atlanta Hawks.

Tips, Tricks, Hacks, and all Things Discussed!

The importance of iTunes New and Noteworthy and an experiment!
Not NEEDING the listener or sponsor, etc… not being desperate. Wanting them, yes, but not needing them.
Attitude of confidence
UNDERSTANDING VALUE
Being positive with your audience
- Getting past the feelings because feelings are unreliable
- Worst thing is to base how you approach your show with how you feel
Mindset is EVERYTHING
Realizing that not everyone is interested in what we’re doing/find those that ARE interesting
Marketing is a trending hashtag on Twitter – use the hashtags to target the right people
Utilizing Twitter to find those people and then @theperson to connect with them specifically to connect with them, let them know what you’re doing, etc…
Reached out to those you already know in your niche – NETWORK – ask for introductions
Getting interviews to get their expertise AND access to their audience
Not being afraid to ask for referrals
MUST BE VISIBLE – can’t be a hermit and succeed
“Use your network to build your net worth!”
Combine your show with other podcasters’ shows into a media kit – approach sponsors with average listens per episode(s) / month
RELATIONSHIPS RELATIONSHIPS RELATIONSHIPS!!!!!
Media sponsors care about WHO we’re reaching on our podcast – make sure the people we are reaching MATCH with what the sponsor does/offers
KNOW your return on investment – the companies spend money on your podcast BECAUSE they get a return on their investment.
If we can prove the return/value back to a sponsor, then it’ll work. Advise against taking money for the sake of having it. Make sure you DELIVER or else trust will be broken.
Be an asset to the medium of podcasting
LinkedIn – purposely seek out Media Buyers – if their title says they handle the “advertising budgets” then REACH OUT TO THEM!
BELIEVE IN YOUR PODCAST – PROMOTE IT, TELL EVERYONE ABOUT IT!!!!!!
Know what your listeners WANT

DO IT!

Take ONE thing learned today and apply it!
THEN report back on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Shaine and The Miews and I Am Entertainment Magazine in the links below!
Connect with Shaine on Twitter!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

10: Contacting the right people, creative monetization, and giving BACK to your community | Troy Heinritz of The Blacklist Exposed

The Real Brian — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 09:00:00 -0600

We hit the 10th episode of Profitcast! Very exciting!! Still LOTS more to come. Today, I’m talking with Troy Heinritz of Under the Dome Radio, Resurrection Revealed, and The Blacklist: Exposed!

We’re chatting about making key contacts with the right people for the right reasons to get the right results! We’ll also be talking about some creative monetization strategies as well as giving back to your community! Beyond that, Troy shares incredible tips on sponsorships and how to utilize social media to make those key contacts and get that deep interaction with your listeners!

While Troy has been podcasting for just over a year now, he’s a veteran behind the microphone and has some great tips and strategies for us!

About Troy Heinritz

Hailing from the midwest, Troy is a Sci-Fi lover, Bad Robot enthusiast, Trekkie, and overall TV junkie. He is also an avid listener of the Packers Fan Podcast (co-hosted by Wayne Henderson) as he is part owner of the 13 time world-champion Green Bay Packers. Working at radio stations KQAL and KHME before relocating to Chicago, he has a broadcasting degree but also works in the technology industry in cloud computing. Troy then moved into the world of podcasting, debuting with the Under the Dome Radio podcast.

He then hosted two podcasts, TV Talk The Blacklist and TV Talk Revenge, on the TV Talk Network.

Troy now continues to host Under the Dome Radio and Resurrection Revealed, both on Noodle.mx, and is launching the upcoming The Blacklist: Exposed podcast on Golden Spiral Media. You can follow Troy on Twitter @troyheinritz.

What’s discussed in this episode!

Podcasting vs Radio
Some thoughts about podcasting in general
Making key contacts with the right people in your topic
Having actors, leaders, or other key people in your niche on your podcast
Having a listener be a featured guest of the week to give their expertise on your podcast
Podcasting is about profiting from interpersonal connections from the human race
2 key aspects to growing your podcast
Intentional connection with your listeners
Creative monetization strategies
Cool ideas for giving back to your community
Good advice on sponsorships
Facebook Group strategy

Action Steps

What can you apply now to your podcast in order to take the next step?
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Troy’s websites and podcasts below!
Connect with Troy on Twitter!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

9: 7 Amazing Tips about Podcast Movement from a Caffeinated Podcaster

The Real Brian — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 09:00:00 -0600

I get to tell you ALL about Podcast Movement, inspirations, encouragement, things I learned, and some really cool realizations!

I have 7 Amazing Tips about Podcast Movement learned over the weekend in and out of the seminars.

This episode is special to me because when you have these revelations after being to a conference, you want to get them out before they’re lost… forever… So I hope you can really benefit from this episode and I thank you for listening and joining us on this journey!

The 7 Tips About PM14 From the Caffeinated Podcaster

A few insights I learned and heard over and over at Podcast Movement
The value of networking/connecting with others
Putting others before yourself (in business)
Value of a GOOD co-host
Surrounding yourself with positive, forward thinking, like-minded, and supportive people
Real ticket vs virtual ticket
The value of your community RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU

Action Steps

Value your community right in front of you.
Network. Give value to others!
Surround yourself with positive, forward thinking, like-minded, and supportive people!
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

8: Automation, Listener Engagement Tips, Podcast Co-Hosting | Christian Psencik of Prolific Success

The Real Brian — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:00:00 -0600

We got a chance to talk with one of the speakers of Podcast Movement coming up THIS WEEK! Christian Psencik of Prolific Success and the Days Drama Podcast discusses his cool successes and tips of engaging effectively with his listeners, what he’ll be talking about at Podcast Movement, and some really helpful automation tips for businesses and podcasters!

I also talk about some of the thoughts I have up until now with Profitcast and a check-in on the direction of 1) monetizing our podcasts, 2) growing a large and loyal audience of listeners, and 3) the prerequisites necessary to accomplish steps 1 and 2.

Plus an idea I have for evaluating other podcasts… interested? :)

About Christian Psencik

Christian Psencik uses his 10+ years as an IT Specialist to make the complex world of tech simple and teach entrepreneurs how to use automation in their online businesses. Using tools like IFTTT, Dropbox, Evernote, Asana, and many others allow them more free time, more flexibility, more creativity, and ultimately more success in their business and podcast!

Christian also co-hosts the daily podcast, “Days Drama: The Days Of Our Lives Soap Opera Podcast” with his wife Vin.

What’s discussed in this episode!

Podcast Movement
What Christian will be talking about on his panel at Podcast Movement
Some neat specific strategies for engaging with your listeners and making them feel like rockstars!
What Christian is doing with Prolific Success
Automation tools for businesses
Automation tools for podcasters

Action Steps

What can you apply now to your podcast in order to take the next step?
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Christian’s websites and podcast below!
Check out Christian’s videos and eBook as he releases them!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

7: Networking, Passion, Community, and Monetization | Dan Franks of Podcast Movement

The Real Brian — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 09:00:00 -0600

I sat down with Dan Franks on this episode of Profitcast and WOW! Incredible conversation about Podcast Movement coming up and the value of conferences, networking and building relationships, community, passion, and more.

Dan’s journey as a businessman, entrepreneur, and podcaster is inspiring and also helpful as we continue to learn how to grow and monetize our podcasts.

We’ll be talking about strategies that are not only important for *investing* in your podcast, but also help with thinking outside of the box for growing your large and loyal audience and monetizing your podcast.

About Dan Franks

Dan has been working in the tax field for more than five years, with the past three focused almost exclusively on working with small business owners and entrepreneurs. His passion is helping those who are great at whatever it is that they do with the accounting side of their business, which is often times the least of their concerns.

He’s a full time CPA at Beaird Harris & Co. in Dallas, TX.

Additionally, Dan is a lifetime serial entrepreneur, and has always been a self starter that takes the proverbial bull by the horns. He’s launched two podcasts, PodMov University, and the first annual Podcast Movement conference specifically for podcasters.

Stuff we chatted about in this episode!

Podcast Movement
The benefits of conferences
Attending a conference to invest in your podcast
Networking and connecting with other podcasters and building relationships that last
Involving community and listening audience whether online or offline
Local involvement
Utilizing local and independent musicians to bring music and cross-promotion
Have a guest co-host each week to help with the show and promote the show to THEIR people!
Podcasting is focused – 600 listeners, for example, in a niched podcast is tremendous for sponsorships
Looking at creative ways to monetize rather than just the “old school” way of thinking (CPM, etc.)
PASSION
We don’t always know specifically what we’re getting into – but hit record, get started, and have fun on the journey!

Action Steps

What can you apply now to your podcast in order to take the next step?
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Dan Franks, his site, and Podcast Movement below!
If you resonated with what Dan talked about and love what he is doing, rate and review his podcast on iTunes HERE!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

6: 15,000 listeners and Profit | Jason Cabassi of the Walking Dead Cast

The Real Brian — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 09:00:00 -0600

I had the awesome opportunity to chat with Jason Cabassi of the Walking Dead Cast (at the time, the number 1 Walking Dead Podcast out there). Jason, and his co-host Karen, started this podcast before the Walking Dead TV show even was released, covering the original comics.

At the time, they had 20 listeners per episode. Today, they have between 15,000 and 20,000 listeners PER episode! They are monetizing their podcast and, today, Jason shares what he’s done and learned along the way.

He’s got some great strategies for connecting with your listeners, monetizing your podcast, and succeeding the TRUEST sense of the word.

About Jason and the Walking Dead Cast

Jason has a long-held and vague childhood memory of teenagers stepping gingerly out of a church, creeping into the dark woods, naively believing they might be safe, only to be encircled and then engulfed by shambling rotted corpses, arms outstretched. It was on TV. You can ask him about it at jason@walkingdeadcast.com.

The Walking Dead ‘Cast is a podcast dedicated to the hit AMC TV show, The Walking Dead (surprise!), based on Robert Kirkman’s long-running and excellent comic book series. We also cover the latest zombie news around the world and other topics related to the undead. The Walking Dead ‘Cast is hosted by Jason and Karen, two zombies. I mean, zombie fans.

Stuff we chatted about in this episode!

Do interview that fit your niche
Choose a good name for your podcast
Make it fun/passion before the money
Jump in with both feet in order to make money
Competition is good for growth
Listener interaction/engagement is essential
Connection is what determines success!
Goal is to first serve the needs of the listeners
Acted as if they had a huge audience (professionalism)
High quality show from the start – good mics, good music/production, etc.
Make friends with other podcasters in your niche
Amazon affiliate link
Contacting companies of products you use to become an affiliate or a sponsor
Sponsors/products that are related to the listeners
Persistence with reaching out to sponsors
Talk about what you have as a podcaster that can benefit the sponsor (engaged and “captive” audience)
Bring your personality – be yourself!

Action Steps

Take action on the strategies discussed immediately – I say this every week, but we are LEARNING IMPORTANT STUFF!! :)
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out the Walking Dead Cast with Jason and Karen
If you resonated with what Jason talked about and love what he and Karen are doing, rate and review their podcast on iTunes HERE!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

5: Key Ingredients for Creating a Professionally Produced Podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 09:00:00 -0600

What in Sam Hill is that all about?

Well I’ll tell you! I’ve had quite a few questions that have some common elements – elements that are essential for a professionally produced podcast. In order to monetize your podcast and grow a large and loyal audience, there are some key ingredients that your podcast needs. Those key ingredients will help you to achieve that professionally produced podcast! It will be AWESOME and your listeners will thank you!

Today, I go SOLO on Profitcast to share some of these key ingredients! These are by no means a complete list of ingredients for ensuring your podcast is professionally produced. Nor is this an exhaustive discussion about it either. I’ll save that for later. For today, I’ll talk about some of the key strategies I’ve used (and coached) for creating and ensuring your podcast is professionally produced!

This goes BEYOND just the actual *sound* of your podcast and delves into content, organization, value, presentation, etc. I hope you enjoy the show!

Shout Out to Stephanie from TV Rewind Podcast

Stephanie invited me to be a part of her podcast this week – TV Rewind – and it was a blast! It was a privilege to be a part of her podcast and talk TV! I met Stephanie through TV Talk. We talked about quite a few shows including The Flash, Shark Tank, The Fosters, and more! You can check out the TV Rewind Podcast HERE!

The Ingredients to this Concoction we Called an Episode!

Asking if our podcasts are ready for monetization or even a large and loyal audience
Intro/Outro Production
Podcast Process Breakdown
Podcast Equipment
Show Notes and Content Preparation
Creating and Providing Value for your Listeners
Podcasting Presentation Mastery
Talking TO your listeners rather than AT them
Editing Your Audio and Software
Podcast Player Plugins on Profitcast
How I make my Interviews sound so good
NEXT Week’s Guest! :)

Action Steps

Which ingredients can you take today?
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast! E-mail brian@profitcastuniverse.com or on Twitter @iamtherealbrian
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

4: Social Media, Community, Strategies, and Monetization! | Final Clock Out

The Real Brian — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:00:00 -0600

Having the opportunity to interview Final Clock Out was a treat! Even though their audience is Millenials, their experiences, thoughts, and tips are for all podcasters looking to grow a large and loyal audience and profit with their passion podcast!

We talk lots of strategies… and I mean lots! There are some great tips that Jeremy and Taylor give in this interview! In fact, I plan on putting some of them into practice so I can report on how they go! Want to join me?

About Taylor and Jeremy of Final Clock Out

Final Clock Out was created for the movers and doers of this world. The people who understand there is more risk in not doing, than in doing. People who understand that movement is where life takes place and comfort zones are stretched.

Part of Final Clock Out’s mission is that their listeners will never have to experience that debilitating feeling of isolation, and instead have a network of many others well on their way working toward a lifestyle that embodies their passions, skills, and highest dreams.

Final Clock Out is here to inspire and equip the generation of Millennials to leave the job they hate to pursue a life they love.

Taylor and Jeremy bring a passion from their experiences to help Millennials succeed. With their passion, however, also comes ACTION to impact others and helping entrepreneurs to accomplish life and business goals!

BUT, it’s not JUST about Millenials as their information and experience spans all walks of life.

Stuff we chatted about in this episode!

Having a skill, a trade, and a platform to use in order to solve problems for others.
How fear can rule our decisions and life path. Instead, we need to believe in ourselves and take healthy risks.
How ESSENTIAL Twitter is and how it can build INCREDIBLE relationships and powerful connections!
How to utilize Twitter correctly and build loyalty.
Other forms of social media that can be very helpful for your podcast.
How people are using different forms of social media
Building a community and providing value.
Gamefication of the podcast.
Being responsive to listening community.
Making yourself available to the people who are highly motivated and want direct connection.
The strategies Jeremy and Taylor are using to set themselves up to profit with their new podcast!
Just get started!

Action Steps

Take action on the strategies discussed immediately – I say this every week, but we are LEARNING IMPORTANT STUFF!! :)
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Final Clock Out with Jeremy and Taylor – Final Clock Out
If you resonated with Taylor and Jeremy and love what they’re doing, rate and review their podcast on iTunes HERE!
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Get busy becoming PROFITABLE! Let’s make an IMPACT with our podcasts!

3: Tips on Growing Your Listening Community | Wayne Henderson

The Real Brian — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:30:00 -0600

I don’t know about you, but I sure love to connect with my listeners. I LOVE building community! As podcasters, we all ask the questions – “How can I connect with my listeners on a deeper level?” “How can I grow my listener community?” “How can I better interact with my listeners?” “How do I build loyalty with my listeners?”

When I initially started Profitcast, I thought I’d only be talking about how to monetize your podcast. I was surprised to see that podcasters equally wanted to learn how to master the listening community dilemmas. Not to mention that in order to profit with a podcast, building your listener community is ESSENTIAL!

That’s why we’re talking with Wayne Henderson today! He’s got some great tips to growing your listener community!

My Crazy Theory – Further thoughts

My theory has been, regardless of whether you’re a young podcaster or a super-experienced podcaster, you’ve got at least one, if not more, nugget of wisdom that will help all of us in developing a large and loyal audience and having the privilege of generating income with our podcast.

As I’ve been interviewing other podcasters, I am ALREADY blown away at the nuggets of wisdom each of these podcasters have! We’re only three episodes in and one week from launch and WOW. I’m already seeing this theory prove true!

About Wayne

Wayne has been podcasting since 2005. Wayne is a veteran of radio, voice work, production, etc. He was introduced to the world of podcasting when it was brand new and hasn’t turned back.

He’s done a handful of podcasts, including: Under the Dome Radio, Resurrection Revealed, TV Talk Revenge, and the Packers Fan Podcast just to name a few!

Wayne also owns a company called Media Voice Overs, where he provides awesome voice over work for podcasts, radio, TV, videos, and more!

What we be talkin’ about today

How Wayne got started in Podcasting and what it means to him as well as his goal for podcasting
Making sure you have the right tools in order for starting your podcast (or fine-tuning your current podcast) including how to maximize your iTunes exposure
Some sweet tips for engaging with your listener community and how to build that community
A couple of fun ways to promote affiliate links!
And yes… more. :)

I almost shared a story… but I won’t… so here are the action steps!

Take action on the strategies discussed immediately
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Wayne’s podcasts and voice over work – Media Voice Overs
If you like Wayne, his thoughts, his podcasts, etc. give him some love and rate and review his podcasts on iTunes (links above for each show!)
Give me your feedback on today’s episode of Profitcast!
Have an AMAZING week!!! :)

2: Developing a Consistent Loyalty With Your Listeners | Kevin Bachelder

The Real Brian — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:15:00 -0600

We all want a loyal audience with our podcast. We even wouldn’t mind that being a large, loyal audience. Heck, it’d be nice to make some money with our podcasts too!

As I delve into the task of discovering the secrets behind growing a large and loyal audience and generating income with our podcasts, I am seeking out other podcasters to see what their strategies and experiences are.

My Crazy Theory

My theory is, regardless of whether you’re a young podcaster or a super-experienced podcaster, you’ve got at least one, if not more, nugget of wisdom that will help all of us in developing a large and loyal audience and having the privilege of generating income with our podcast.

That brings us to our very FIRST interview! I’m excited to talk with Kevin Bachelder about podcasting, growing a loyal audience, and even the aspect of making money with your podcast. He’s got some incredible gems to share!

About Kevin

Kevin aka The Podcast Overlord first became involved with podcasting in 2005 due to a huge interest in Sci fi which started in the early 70s watching the original Star Trek series reruns. That passion led to him participating in multiple other podcasts and starting Tuning Into Sci Fi shortly after.

Nine years later, Kevin has the opportunity to also host Saturday B Movie Reel, a few TV Talk shows, and participate as a panelist and leader of DragonCon.

Kevin is an incredible example of someone who podcasts about his passions, grows his podcasts successfully, and every time he gets behind the microphone, he massively impacts his listeners.

The Podcast Overlord Speaketh

How Kevin, his co-hosts, and team members grew intense and consistent loyalty from their listeners with shows of hundreds of listeners, shows with thousands of listeners, and even one show with more than 10,000 listeners
Tips and strategies for listener interaction that will guarantee they become fans
How podcasters, and even introverts, can grow their listenership and fan base
The secret for preventing podfade and discouragement. How to make sure your podcast will weather the storms.
A powerful strategy to a common money-making option and advice on how to use it respectfully

What Now?

Take action on the strategies discussed immediately
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Check out Kevin’s podcasts – Tuning Into Sci Fi
If you like Kevin’s podcasts, give him some love and rate and review his podcast on iTunes
Give me your feedback on the show!

1: Introduction to Profitcast: What it’s all about and why I’m doing the podcast

The Real Brian — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:00:00 -0600

This has been a podcast in the making for quite some time now and I intended to launch in May, then June, and then finally just said JULY 1st NO MATTER WHAT! So here we are!

Profitcast will be a weekly podcast, released every Tuesday (New Podcast Tuesdays!). I’m here to help you to profit with your passion podcast and grow a large and loyal audience. I am not an expert but I intend to become one – I’m on the journey of discovery and mastery!

About The Real Brian

I share a little about who I am and what I’ve done that directly relates to Profitcast. I also talk about why I launched Profitcast and why it’s so important to me. There are a few stories… and there will be more. :)

What Profitcast is and why I’m doing it

I’ll discuss the following about Profitcast:

Tagline – “Where Passion Meets Profit”
Passion podcasters
Backstage Pass example
The nagging question – how do I make a living and pay the bills with podcasting?

The plan for Profitcast

I intend to research, learn, and compile all of the information out there to learn how to specifically, effectively, and successfully make money with a passion podcast and deliver it to YOU!
Join me on the journey – we can learn together!
The secondary idea here – growing a large and loyal audience
Not making money at expense of listener
Ways we can master our podcast
Interviewing other podcasters
Experimenting
My belief

Action vs Perfectionism

Why Profitcast didn’t launch sooner
The decision to act and move rather than perfect
Make decisions quickly (within reason) rather than agonizing over them
Be as excellent as possible but not perfect
Grow as we learn and master things and make things sound and look better as we are able and have the time to
Paralysis by analysis
ACT! DO IT!

Now what?

Take action on the strategies discussed immediately
Give the Profitcast Universe feedback on your successes and learning moments so we can all learn together!
Give me your feedback on the show!
Sign up for the Profitcast Newsletter below!