← School of Podcasting: Expert Tips for Launching and Growing Your Podcast
School of Podcasting: Expert Tips for Launching and Growing Your Podcast
How to Handle Listener Feedback (Even the Awkward Bits)
00:45:15
Loading summary
Transcript23 lines
- [00:01]
A
So it's somewhat rude to ask someone for their feedback and then not reply to it. And over the span of this year, I have asked you for your feedback on the show and you gave me some and I never kind of reported back. And my conundrum is the fact that if you said nice things about me, who wants to listen to 40 minutes of me going, and Jill thinks I'm great and so does Bob. That's no fun. So what we're going to do is I'm going to share some of the feedback that I received and then talk about how do you receive feedback? Because it's not all positive, kids. And when we get to this one part, we're going to have to play disclaimers, all sorts of stuff. It's at times an adult related show today because of some of the feedback. So strap in, hang on, let's talk about feedback. Hit it, ladies. The school of podcasting with Dave Jackson.
- [01:03]
Podcasting since 2005, I am your award winning hall of fame podcast coach, Dave Jackson. Thanking you so much for tuning in. If you are new to this show, welcome aboard. This is where we talk about planning, launching and growing your show. Today we're kind of in the grow mode because if your show is not good, it's not going to grow. My website is schoolofpodcasting.com everything we talk about today you can find@schoolofpodcasting.com 1013 because that's the episode. And while you're there, don't forget to use the coupon code listnr when you sign up for either a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription. And of course that comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. And so yeah, I was kind of like, how, how do I do this without sounding like a complete just egomaniac, you know, enough about me talking about me. What do you think about me? So I've broken these down into kind of sections and then we'll kind of go, what can we learn from that? So here's just because, I mean, how is you hearing about my audience gonna help you? Because my audience is not your audience. And so just a couple things. 95% of you follow the show. Wow, that's really cool. 54% of you heard about me on another show or I was mentioned on a show and this one surprised me. 22% of you found me by searching the app and I was pretty sure nobody did that, but 22% of you, that's how you found me. When it came to the length of the show, 76% said keep it the same. And here's the fun part. 11% said it should be longer, and 14% said it should be shorter. And so how do you decide that you go with the big numbers? 76% said keep doing what you're doing, 43% of you said that the show, in terms of getting worse or better is kind of staying the same, 49% said it's getting better, and 8% of you said it's getting worse. And so that is something I take wholeheartedly. And remember, when you're looking at feedback and somebody gives you notes, you have to know what your show is. You have to know the purpose of your show, your why, the who, etc. And so I wanted to talk about content. And I know the goal of my show is to help people. You hear me say this all the time. I'm Dave Jackson. I help podcasters is what I do. And so when I heard things like, I really like that you continue to find what issues podcasters are having and then offer solutions for them. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. So I'm like, all right, mission accomplished. The host has become self aware, and he's not timid in voicing his opinions. And so if you're ever worried about voicing an opinion, don't be. Now you're like, yeah, but somebody might not like it. Okay. But somebody also might be this person that goes, I like the fact that you're voicing your opinion. I always try to voice my opinion with, and here's why I think it, so that if I am wrong, I want you to come and say, here's why you're wrong. Exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C. And so, you know, people want opinions. In my opinion, at least this person is happy that I'm not afraid to share them. I heard this a lot. I try new things. Yeah, I do. I. To me, how are you going to know if something works? And. And I always listen for feedback, hence the name of the show. And the one that came up a bunch is like, a lot of people said, I really enjoy the bloopers. And so if you're a regular listener to the show and didn't know that if you make it to the very end, there are bloopers. There are bloopers. And they said things like, it helps keep you relatable. So I've had things in the past where. Where I now leave them in. If they're really bad, I always move them to the bloopers. But also, I got some comments on I seemed more focused. I had somebody say, I feel like the episodes are more focused and on topic than they were a few years ago. Thank you very much for that. Another person just said, more focused topics. And so I think everyone, I don't know anybody is like, well, I like this show, but I wish they were more confused when they started off and went in 13 directions. I don't think anybody's going to say that. This one, I thought was interesting. I prefer shows with only Dave once or twice a year with a guest is the correct mix, in my opinion. And it's kind of interesting because my buddy Craig Van Slyke, he does AI Goes to College. He also does Live well and Flourish. He heard an episode with me where I interviewed somebody and he said, didn't you kind of know what that person already was saying? And I said, yeah. And he said, wouldn't it just be quicker for you to say it? And he has a point. And I know I did a few more interviews than usual, and it's just one of the things I was kind of playing with. For me, interviews are all about the network. It's all about people finding you. So when you hear things like that stat, like people referring to me, oh, it's because I was, you know, either on their show or something like that. And sometimes I get a little worried that my show is kind of always the same. And I had multiple people say, hey, it's not a bad thing to stay the same and to just. I always bring this up in December, but if you've never watched a Hallmark movie, if you've seen one, you've seen them all. And now that I watch them every year, you know how we say things make you laugh, cry, think grown Hallmark movies make me groan, but they also give me something to do to just turn off my brain and relax. And I'm laughing at the fact that it's really the same plot and now it's the same actors. They just changed the name of the movie. So if you're ever wondering, like, I just keep doing the same thing, well, people tune in to it because they like that same thing. So keep that in mind. This one really made my heart, like, glow and go pitter patter. He said, I trust you, Dave.
- [07:27]
You bring to the table topics people and ideas that are important as well as there is nowhere else I can find the same answers and content. That to me is a great compliment. And that to me says, okay, good, we'll get to the bad stuff here in a second. But these are the things you're looking for here again, you know, I said, I try new things. Somebody said, you're constantly reinventing yourself. But here's the feedback I loved from this one because I've told you this before. He says, I can tell when you're tired and distracted at times, but you are genuine with integrity and very interesting. But that thing about I can tell when you're tired, I've always said if you're not excited about a subject, your audience is going to pick up on that. And so I wanted to share that one specifically. I love the fact he said, I'm genuine and with integrity. We're going to talk about genuineness a little later because I got some comments about we're gonna, we're gonna brush up against religion today because I got some comments, as is expected. I love this one. Somebody said, hey, when I first heard award winning in hall of Fame at the beginning of your show, I thought, oh no, this guy's gonna be an egomaniac. But you're not egotistical at all. You come across as a guy who truly wants to help people. So for me, I'm like, good. My brand is working because that's what I do. And so another person. The content of the show hasn't changed much in years, but repetition is important when somebody is just starting out. Some new contact for old timers would be nice. So again, don't worry sometimes about doing the same stuff. So what can we learn from that? Well, people, another one I'll throw in here, I think it's down in another section. But people want to hear more about behind the scenes stuff. So right now I'm using a road podmic USB into a Rodecaster duo and I record in Hindenburg, but I had multiple people say, I wish you would do more of that. Like, what's going on? How are you doing what you're doing? And so I got a lot of feedback there. And people like Focused podcast. If we're saying if you share an audience with me, they want it focused, they want integrity. They want you to back up what you're saying with facts. And they like the fact that I kind of change things up a bit and that I think I've never been diagnosed, but if you talk to me for longer than 10 to 20 minutes, you're like, oh, this guy is either ADHD or ADHD or PBRKF. See me, I don't know. There's so many letters I could have. And the focus thing is something I try to do, knowing that I will kind of go left of center a little bit when I speak in public. If they say, Dave, you have 30 minutes to talk, I will schedule and I will practice my talk to be 25 minutes, if not 20, because I know I'm going to call in audible. So that's the first section over my content. And so so far I'm like, okay, it looks like my content is doing what I want it to do. We're going to talk about some of the not so positive feedback I got. And one was about ads. And speaking of ads.
- [10:49]
Ralph Estepp Jr. S the Truth Unveiled show just went over 139,000 subscribers on YouTube. And here's what Ralph had to say about the school of podcasting.
- [11:01]
B
It has made a huge difference in my podcasting journey. Without you and without the school podcasting, I wouldn't be where I am now. My shows continue to grow. In fact, now I'm on my third show and the amount of stuff that I've learned from the school podcasting has been immense. So not only is it educational, but the friends I've made there have been life changing relationships for me. So, Dave, I just want to say thank you so much for what you do. And if anybody's out there, they're thinking about getting into podcasting or if they're already in podcasting, do yourself a huge favor and subscribe and join the school of podcasting.
- [11:36]
A
AskRalph.com is where you can find all four shows from Ralph. And you can join the school of podcasting by going to schoolofpodcasting.com join.
- [11:50]
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
- [12:01]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, now we're going to get into the fun section where people gave me notes. So right now you're 30% of the way through. We've talked about my content, I have notes, and then the last thing is ideas. And so this one says it's always solid content. I wouldn't mind a bi weekly schedule if it helped. Making it all killer. No filler. And this is where you kind of have to read between the lines to see. So when somebody says no filler, that means some of it is filler. And that's okay. You don't want a lot of filler, but that's one that I was like, okay, let's point that out. And a bi weekly schedule would be interesting. But I've. My ego won't let me do this. And this is where you have to be honest with yourself because I've never missed a Monday in 20 years. My ego just loves that streak. It's kind of like Seinfeld writes a joke every day. Why? Because he's done it for, like, 47 years or something like that. But I always try my best. I'm not looking like, hey, it's Monday. Here's another episode. No, I. Right now, I'm working on three different episodes as we speak. And then here, somebody said, hey, that whole, like, question of the month thing, I don't think it's important. But those who contribute can get long winded or seem to answer so they can hear their own voice. Should you replace it or delete it? No. It's there for a reason, and I never skip through it. I listen from beginning to end, so it's somewhat annoying, but not completely annoying. So. Okay. And for the record, I do, in some cases, edit those down because people will send me personal notes and they'll. They'll just. They're like me. They'll go on a tangent, and I'm like, yeah, let's just stick to the answer. And. And also, there are times on our last episode where Kim NewLove sent in 12 different tips, and they were all like, just amazing. I'm not cutting any of those, so. But there are some that I cut out, and there are some people that really go a little over the top with the production. I'm like, I just really need the answer. But that's okay. That's good to know. Here's one. Dave, for a very long time, you were just Dave, and I loved it. But now that you're using more AI tools and you tend to read to us way more than ever in the past, it feels like you're reading to us and reading your script in real time for the first time. Your cadence is off. And I really miss the old day before you switch to how you presented back in the day. That's a great note. And I do my best to not do that.
- [14:46]
But I can think of a couple episodes where I was like, I'd written the blog post and rather than what I normally do, because I write the blog post again to get me focused. And then I boil it down to bullet points. Then I write on a sticky note, and I stick the sticky note on my computer screen and I talk to my computer screen. But there were times when I would just glance over at the blog post and it sounds like I was reading it. And unless you are really good at it, I don't know anybody. Unless you're doing a news show that wants you to read the news to Them. Here it is, our top story tonight. Look at this water. Water skiing. Squirrel. No, this one scratched my head. So as we look at this. Does that person have a point? Yeah, there were a couple of episodes that I can think of that I was like, yeah, I probably did that. And so when you do that, you go, oh, yeah, don't do that. It's really. It's not like, oh, I'm horrible. What was me, I'm a failure. No, it's like, don't do that anymore. Oh, okay. All right. This one I found confusing. Your episodes used to be 20 to 25 minutes, to which I go, in 2007. Ish. And basically a few months ago, I noticed more personal stories, which I enjoy, but get to be too long or sometimes repetitive. And that is something we'll talk about here in a second. And sometimes don't add to the point of the episode. Ooh, that's bad. I'd love for you to get back to the 20 minute format. I'd have to look, but I don't think I've been a 20 minute format literally for probably 10 years. Because the first bit of feedback I got when I went to an event was, dave, we love your show. There's only one problem. And I'm like, what? And they're like, it needs to be longer. And so I'm always a fan of the Valerie Geller quote, right? There is no such thing as too long, only too boring. And so I usually have a topic, like today we're talking about feedback. And when I'm done talking about feedback, I'm going to hit stop. And as long as it's under 45 minutes, I'm like, okay. I do if with interviews, this is something I do. I go through and I listen to every question and I listen to every answer and go, does that deliver value? And then by the end, I've got all these questions. Then I go, great, what's the least valuable question? And I pull that one out. That's just a weird Dave thing I do to go, let's make this interview really pop. But I like the fact that it's, hey, you're sometimes repetitive. And that is true. And that is something I just was like, if it's a good story, it's a good story. But I realize sometimes they're like, oh, no, Dave's going to talk about when he went to his wife at a Christmas party and he was shy. Dave. Yeah, okay, I get that. So it's something I'm aware of. And maybe I need to come up with some new stories to illustrate some of these points. Another person said, hey, is your podcast a hobby or a business or is it corporate driven? He says it seems like as of late more towards those doing this full time and are using the podcast as a marketing tool for business. If this is the majority of your audience and paid students, that's fine. But I'm wondering if the majority isn't smaller and a smaller and hobbyist podcast that are part time or side hustles. And that is something I did somewhat on purpose almost always. I start off every year with a how to do a podcasting 101 for absolute beginners. And I did not do that this year because almost everybody I deal with, especially in consulting, already has a podcast. And people that don't have a podcast join the school of podcasting. And then I work with them there. But I am going to. And if you notice, anytime I do something that's really kind of for beginners, it's I always announce up front this is for beginners because I don't want people who are, are experienced and have done this for a while to go, ugh, that was boring. So I always announce it up front. And then the other thing I need to be aware of because this came up, that if they are beginners, you have to remember that and you can drown them in jargon if they're brand new. So that was great feedback that I need to remember. There are times new people are listening. And then this one I thought was interesting. I preferred the show when there weren't any ads. And I'm pretty sure we can go back to 2005 and I will be telling you to join the school of podcasting. He says, I understand why they're there. However, I would like to hear fewer of them per episode. And there is, you know, 10 seconds of me at the beginning where I go, you know, join the school coupon code listener. I have typically 30 seconds to a minute of one in the middle. And then there's a 15 second baby ad that just says, go to podcastingobservations.com that's my email list. And then at the end I again say, hey, if you want to join the school of podcasting. So I the, the problem I think I'm running into is not the number of ads, it's the fact that it's yet another ad for the school of podcasting. So, so I get that. I do. I heard this feedback in the middle of the year. So here again we ask ourselves, is this a Valid complaint. And I looked and I had, I don't know, four ads that I would run. And I'm like, oh, they're really tired of hearing the same thing. It's always going to be the school of podcasting. Occasionally, I will promote my other services, my book, things like that, but most of the time, it's the school of podcasting. And so I now have more ads. They're all for the school of podcasting. But that is something that I was like, okay, I got to mix those up a bit. Here's where things are going to get a little adult. So if you got kiddos in the car with you, and if you're offended by the word Jesus, this is where you want to stop. But this is interesting feedback. And this is if you. I always say, right, don't talk about religion, don't talk about abortion, and don't talk about politics. And silly me, I say at the end of my show, right? Thank you for listening. Take care. God bless. Classes dismissed. I'm not ashamed to be a Christian, and I think Jesus is way cool. He's a good friend of mine. And so when I get this feedback, I'm like, oopsie. He says, well, first of all, before we do that, we got to throw this in here.
- [21:27]
You guessed it. Invisible sky buddy alert. Invisible sky buddy alert. Beware.
- [21:34]
All right, I'm just gonna throw this back in here again. If you have kids in the car, some adult language coming your way, some adult topics, really not so much adult language, but adult topics. So just want to let you know that.
- [21:49]
And some people get offended just because I refer to God as my invisible sky buddy. And that came about from. From when I played a promo for a podcast I do called Feeding my Faith. And the guy said, hey, I didn't tune in to hear about your invisible sky buddy. So I got this feedback. As a fellow believer, I really struggle with your focus on being blue as often as you have been lately. Mentions by you of porn, the word snatch. On a recent Ask the Podcast Coach, I get that you're enjoying the funnier side of Dave, but it doesn't gel with your mentions of speaking at Christian conferences and in your local church. For example, we mentioned a movie, and I thought he said, battle of the Bulge. That's not the name of it, but I said, is that a porn? That was a joke. I guess it just seems that you are playing in two different lanes, and there are times as a listener that I'm a little embarrassed for you and for your audience when you Lean into in heavily to your more blue version of Dave. I've been following you for a very long time. I love what you do for podcasters, and I want to recommend your show to more people. But when I do and they come back having a negative experience because of some of the random blue references, it is. Well, I guess they, you know, that's a problem. So it is your show. Obviously, this is just a humble opinion. Take it or leave it. And I really appreciate that. And there is a part of me that is different, I think, than most Christians, and that is. I love language and I love words. So let's pretend it's Halloween and somebody puts a flaming bag on your porch, and you run out and you step on it, and it has dog excrement in it, and it's dog egg ceremon because it got a little bit on the bottom of your shoe. But if it actually, if you stomped on it and it got a little bit on the side of your shoe and maybe a little bit on the toe, then it might be dog feces. And if you stepped on it more another time and it got up on the side of your shoe, okay, now it's poop. We've gone from excrement to feces to poop. But if you step on it with your heel and it's a big pile and it goes up the side of your shoe and hits your sock. When you tell somebody that story, there's a really good chance you're going to drop the S word because it smells. And it's like, man, I stepped in a big flaming pile of dog stuff. And that's how I view words. I'm not offended by the word. For me, blue is maybe one of the things you shouldn't talk about is sex or sexuality. That will get you, you know, letters like this. And again, I appreciate it, but for me, I get the word snatch is slang for vagina. But, you know, if I say breasts instead of boobies, or if I say, we could go on. Right. Boner. All sorts of fun words here. They're words. And I think it's silly. Even if I say, well, I don't say G.D. you just filled that in. You're like, Dave said, oh, yeah. Or if I. Right. So I think that's silly to go, well, you know, it's the R word. Well, you go, wait, you can't say brrr. Well, so it's their words. To me. They're. They're. They're words. And I, I personally am offended that everyone is Dropping the F bomb, because I want that one to retain its position as the word you say for the end of the argument, to quote George Carlin. So I get that, and I don't mean to offend. My problem is, and this is, I think, part of it, like my joke there about Battle of the Bulge, was that a porn? For me, I grew up in the 80s when porn. And I don't know if you guys know this, there's porn. In fact, Perplexity says it's a $70 billion industry in 2024. And yet nobody watches it. But yet. When I was a teenager looking for music magazines because I was a guitar player, we would go to get the latest hit, Parader magazine or Cream or Music, but there was always those dirty magazines and dirty things. And if there was a movie like Top Gun, you know, there was going to be some sort of porn movie called Top Buns that was just a thing. And so for me, when I hear. Hear a movie title and I get it wrong, and I'm like, wait, is that a porn. You know that I know that. I know that you know that. That was the thing. And so my problem is, if I have a chance to make you laugh, I'm going to take that laugh every time. And there are times that religious folks go, but that's a joke about hot dogs and donuts. I get it. And that gets me in trouble. But I also say sex was invented by God. It could have been just rubbing two elbows together, and then presto, you have a kid. But it's this whole intimate thing, which is a beautiful thing. And it feels good. Last time, you know, last time I checked. And so I. People get really weird, especially in America, about sex. And you never said I said it. But just to be clear, I never said porn was good. And so I do want to say when I thought about this, I'm like, well, I take this lightly. I'm like, that's words. You know, I grew up in these sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me kind of thing. I wish that was still a thing, but it's not. But I also have to acknowledge that porn ruins a lot of people. It ruins families. It. It's straight up ruining our young men because they, you know, our kids are running into porn. It, like 13 now. And so by the time they get to 22, a woman could be completely naked. And it just doesn't do anything for them. Like, look that up and then erase your history, of course. So there's. There's that so I shouldn't make light of that. And then likewise, I mean, I totally get that. I was married to a flaming alcoholic for a decade and I still occasionally might make a joke about booze and such. And yet, to quote Neil Young, I've seen the needle and the damage done, you know, so I understand that some people go, I can't take that lightly. So it did make me think. I honestly felt I'm not blue because I'm not saying F and G, D and H and S. And you know, all the other words that people say I do, like my shows are clean because I'm not saying the seven dirty words. But realize. And so getting back to feedback, realize people's meter of what is and isn't naughty is always going to be different. I will think about this a little harder. It is my nature. Just for the record, sex makes people uncomfortable, which makes it easy to get a laugh. And again, I'm always going to go for the laughter because I love to laugh and I love to make people laugh. So I will think about that. Appreciate your feedback. And you know, it's one of those things. Would you say that joke in front of Jesus? Probably. But that's where my relationship with Jesus is. He's my best friend and he knows me. I'm not hiding anything from that guy. He knows I'm going to think that joke.
- [29:53]
But we all have different relationships and different perceptions when it comes to all religions. But that was one. I was like, well, how am I going to address this? But I get it. I will think about it and I will try to do slightly better. But I do like to make people laugh. It's that whole entertaining thing. And again, I thank you for the feedback. And if you're already at the keyboard sending me a sternly worded letter, please remember that for those who are without sin, cast the first stone. And Jesus hung out with tax collectors. But keep in mind, going back to what can we learn from this? You're going to get notes that you're going to go, hmm, I don't know if I can do that. Or, you know, bottom line is you can't please everyone. And that is kind of just me being me. And the point that they made there that's really good is these are first time listeners. Because I remember once I was at a conference and we were talking about race and I raised my hand, I'm a middle aged white guy, and I said, look, I'm nervous even asking this question. And we had a discussion and this older black woman Came up to me at the end, and she said, honey, you don't have to worry about it because I can hear your heart and you're fine. And so if somebody doesn't stick around for two or three episodes, they're not going to know that Dave, he's a kidder. He likes to kid, you know, And I. I have a higher tolerance for what is considered naughty, so. And I've lost people. I've had. I know. There was a woman that listened to my show, and I said the word nipple clamp, and that was it. She was out. And I was like, all right. And again, I was. I was making a joke. So that's going to happen. And the question is, do I care about that? And I always care about any listener. But.
- [31:58]
There are times that's just me. And I'll. If I am to be entirely transparent, I do like to go right up to that line. I do. That's something that I'm like, ooh, this could. This could. You might get a sternly worded letter. And. And there are times that I go, oh, let's see. And there are times, obviously, like this one, where I go over the line. And that's going to cost you a listener or five or ten, or who knows? And that's the joy of being an entertainer, being an educator. Your words matter, and it's up to you.
- [32:37]
Ooh, now that's a good question. Oh, I do this every year, and this might be the last year I do this. So if you want to get in, now's the time to do it. And that is, if you only had one podcast to listen to on an island, what would it be? If you can remember, please give me their website address so I can link to it. And then the big question is, why is it your favorite? And feel free to go as long as you want about the why, because that's really what we're trying to learn about. And then, of course, don't forget to say a little bit about your show and. And your website address. I need this by December 26th. Just go to schoolofpodcasting.com?
- [33:32]
Oh, where am I gonna be? January 15th through the 18th in Orlando, Florida, I'll be speaking at the PodFest Multimedia Expo. Then February 17th through the 20th in Nashville, Tennessee, I'll be speaking at the NRB 2026 International Christian Media Convention. For more information, go to schoolofpodcasting.com where.
- [34:02]
Want to know more about what I think when it comes to podcasting? Check out my newsletter@podcastingobservations.com that's podcastingobservations.com links in the show notes.
- [34:17]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. One of the great things about sending out a survey is the fact that people will give you ideas. I did a thing, Dave's Kitchen, where I've got probably 30 ideas from that. But here's some more. One was I appreciate the info on products that are new to market and that you use. These could be book reviews or things from AppSumo. That's a great idea. I think you may want to consider offering perhaps two different weekly shows. One of those for just starting podcasts and another one for those of us who've been doing this for a while. And this is great feedback. And so this is where you have to go, what is your show and who is it for? And I agree with this, by the way. I know I have a problem that sometimes I talk to beginners and sometimes I talk to those who have been doing a podcast for a while. So I am leaning slightly more towards those who have a podcast. And the idea is a just the people I talk to @podpage, because I do consulting there. I'm the head of podcasting there. The School of Podcasting members. Yes, I have many people that join the School of Podcasting that are brand new. They have no idea where to go or where to start. And so, yep, I do talk to those people. But I have a fair number of people that have joined the School of Podcasting because they want to grow their show. And when I get hired as a consultant, it's usually from somebody who is growing their show. And I can help with that. And so I know the fact that sometimes if I talk to just the beginners, I'm blowing off a probably larger chunk of my audience that already has a show. So I'm aware of that. And this is where doing a second show just for beginners, if I was going to do that, it would be like a 12 or 13 episode series and that would be it. I could do that. I couldn't do a weekly show just for beginners because after a while you start your podcast and you're not a beginner anymore. But I did hear that feedback and I know that that's why you'll notice because probably in January I will do a For Beginners episode and I will say at the beginning, this is for beginners, because I don't want to waste your time if you're not a beginner. So there was that. I liked this one. Maybe a listener. Q and A segment, but make it more in depth rather than a quick answer to each question. More audience participation other than the question of the month. And I was like, huh? Because I've tried this before and realized sometimes when something doesn't work, it's not that it was a bad idea, it's just it didn't work then. So, again, if you go to schoolofpodcasting.com voicemail, maybe this is something I will try. I've done it in the past where I've done discounted consulting, and this would be either free or discounted, where you come on with your one question about a subject or something of that nature, depending on how this would work. And basically, I would coach you. And if you're a coach, you should be coaching on your show because your audience will go, oh, that's what coaching is. My buddy Natalie Ekdal over at bizchicks b I z C-H-I x.com did like a year and a half, if not two years of just interviewing people, and it brought her, like, no clients because she was making the other people look really smart. And then she started doing coaching, and they're like, oh. And her coaching went through the roof. So I like that idea. And if you want to try that, if you're like, oh, I'd love to ask you a question about such, maybe we'll start doing that. I like that because A, it grows my network, and B, it's content, and C, if I don't become a giant trying to think of a fun word, if I don't get too pushy about it, you know, I might end up with a new member of the school of podcasting. But that would be the thing. I don't want to. I don't want to be you. Yeah, easy for me to say. I don't want it to be a thing where, oh, I'm not asking a question because he's just going to try to corral me into the school of podcasting. So that's something I'm willing to try. So I liked that idea. And then the one here, I love this suggestion. It said it's time to get more detailed and move beyond the basics, perhaps. So again, here we're talking about beginner and then already going, perhaps a great idea for a show would be how to really break that discoverability gap and ways to actually reach new listeners and grow the show. And for me, when I hear people say there's a discoverability problem, it's always they're not discovering your show. And I get That I really do. And the person even says, I know this is almost an impossible question, but I bet it's the same question all veteran podcasters have once they get past the basics. And that is true. But I also get. I almost did an episode about this this year, and I still might ask some people who are doing podcasting for a living. And I guess in a way that might be, if you could put up air quotes for me, advanced podcasting. But to me, podcasting is a little bit like digging a hole. Like, you take your shovel, you push it in the ground, and then you exuberate some force and move the dirt over to that spot there. And the first thing you have to figure out is where's the hole gonna go, right? And then from there it's just, you know, dig, throw the dirt, dig, throw the dirt. Now, there are advanced versions like get a sharper shovel, get a bigger shovel, get some friends to help you, you know, all sorts of things. But in the end, digging a hole is putting the shovel in the dirt and moving it. And again, you could, you know, get one of those big Tonka toy looking things that comes over and grabs the dirt for you. All sorts of ways to speed that up. But at its core, growing your audience is find out who they are, find out what they want and give it to them. That's step one. And I think a lot of us don't do that. It's interesting how when you bring up getting feedback from people, some people are like, I don't want to get any notes. I love notes. I love constructive feedback. When people go, hey, you're too blue. All right, let me think about that. I love that kind of stuff. Maybe I'm just weird, maybe it's the teacher in me. But for me, I don't quite understand advanced podcasting because to me, it all boils down to know who your audience is, give it to them in a fun and entertaining way. And then once you verify that you have something that is remarkable, meaning it's so good that people will make remarks about it to their friend, then you go out and you buy ads and you do promo swaps, and you do all sorts of other things like that. But the problem is, and I totally understand this because I've been looking for it, is, where's that 10,000 download switch? Where is the paint by numbers? Just do this, then do this, then do this, and then do this and you'll get 10,000 downloads. Now, there are best practices and I can coach you in that, but in the end It's a matter of what I say will work because it worked for so and so may not work for you because, well, your audience is older or your audience is younger or your audience is male or female or in a different. You get the idea. And I see now, because we're kind of approaching podcasting season where everybody goes, this is the year I'm starting a show. And, and so in December on Facebook, when I go to Facebook now, it's all these companies saying, we guarantee you will be famous. We guarantee you will make money. Well, yep, you can make money from day one at 0.003 cents per download. Yep, you're making money from day one. And in terms of I can make you famous, please tell me who season six winner is of American Idol because they got put in front of thousands of people and yet, I don't know. I can tell you Kelly Clarkson and the girl that sings the football thing. Yep. Other than that, you know, there are a few, but most of them a, you know, didn't hold on to that audience. And for the person that goes, well, wait, can I make a living as a podcaster? This is where I'm different. Some people go like, oh, yeah, just give me ten grand, I'll show you how. Where I go, well, you can. Can you make a living as a musician? Can you make a living as an actor? Can you make a living as an author or an athlete? You can. And it's simple in the fact that you just need to be better than everyone else. But it's not easy. So you better love playing the game or writing the book or acting on stage or whatever it is. You need to love your craft and enjoy the journey.
- [43:53]
Hey, if this episode inspired you and you want to give me more feedback, I am always, always open for constructive feedback. I do this show for you so we can learn together. And for those who like bloopers, strap in.
- [44:11]
With a friend. If you like the show, pretty, pretty please share it with a friend right now.
- [44:21]
And if you got kids in the car, now would be the time to hit stop, because we're going to talk about adult things. In fact, let me go put this back at the beginning. That's there. Let's. Let's fix that. I had a few people ask about audio editing and I will have to some of these. What I will do is I will circle back and you know where I could do that Now, Dave, here's a novel idea. Why don't you just do the circling back now and then make this a better episode. That sounds like a swell idea, mister. And I promise never to say waxing the dolphin again.
- [45:02]
And you know, some things that when people like you have. Yeah, easy for me to say, right?
- [45:11]
Schoolofpodcasting.com.