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We Almost Killed Our Own Podcast. Here's the Audit We Ran Instead.

Brian and Josh open up the Cincinnati Business Podcast -- their other show - and audit it live, on camera. A year and a half in, over a million content impressions, and they were still asking each other whether it was worth keeping. This is the full teardown: what was broken, what they're changing, and the three-part framework they use on client shows to make that call.

In this episode:

Why "is this worth it?" is the right question to ask about your podcast -- and why viewership is almost never the metric that answers it
The 3 P's audit framework: Positioning, Packaging, and Promotion
Why a podcast without a defined ICP is a networking hobby, not a business asset
How narrowing your guest list actually increases views instead of shrinking them
Why the host's job is to represent the audience in the room, not himself
The "does this bring me joy?" filter for guest selection -- and why an obligation-driven show dies
How wardrobe, set design, and thumbnail direction are all positioning decisions, not aesthetic ones
Why YouTube Promotions is a shotgun when you need a rifle - and what to run instead
What it looks like to promote a podcast the way a media network would, not the way a creator does
"Cold caking," typewriter thank-you notes, and building moments of delight into the guest experience
The guest promotion handoff most shows get wrong -- and the simple fix

Timecodes:

00:38 Why we're auditing our own show in public

01:49 V1: The "city name business podcast" play -- and why it drifted

05:15 A million views and still asking "is this worth it?"

07:03 V2: Narrowing the show to our actual ICP

11:55 What finally started working: recognition and a revenue correlation

17:14 Hobby podcast vs. business asset

20:14 The 3 P's: Positioning, Packaging, Promotion

21:22 Positioning: Who is this show actually for?

31:00 Positioning: What do we want the show to do for the business?

41:50 The "will this guest bring me joy?" filter

44:18 Packaging: Visual identity, wardrobe, and show flow

55:19 Promotion: Right content, right platform (the LinkedIn SSI)

59:31 Blog posts, SEO, and sharing credibility with your guest

1:00:29 Why YouTube Promotions was a mistake

1:02:41 Thinking like a media network: billboards and paid placement

1:06:04 "Cold caking" and creating moments of delight

1:11:10 Making it easy for your guest to promote the episode

Resources mentioned:

- The Power of Moments by Chip & Dan Heath

- LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

Brian Erickson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bwerickson

Josh Lewis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatjoshlewis

Subscribe and listen:

Web: https://cincinnatipodcaststudio.com/cincinnati-podcast-studio-podcast

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@cincinnatipodcaststudio

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grow-your-podcast/id1811723379

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iR9FJcC5VZG0Aevp8nhGu

Produced by Cincinnati Podcast Studio

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