1,000+ Podcast Shows Produced - What I Learned & How to Make Your Successful

Summary

Stay Paid Podcast: Episode 1,000+ Podcast Shows Produced – What I Learned & How to Make Yours Successful

Release Date: August 11, 2025

Welcome to a landmark episode of the Stay Paid Podcast, where hosts Luke Acrey and Josh Steke dive deep into the secrets of podcasting success with special guest Matt Halloran. Matt, the co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Proudmouth—the world's leading influence accelerator for financial advisors—brings his extensive experience from appearing on over a thousand podcast shows. In this episode, he shares invaluable insights on building a successful podcast, the importance of persistence, effective promotion strategies, and the power of storytelling. Here's a detailed summary of their rich and engaging conversation.

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1. The Value of Persistence in Podcasting

Matt Halloran emphasizes that podcasting is a long-term commitment. Persistence is key to building a solid foundation and achieving lasting success.

• Matt Halloran [01:35]: “It just takes longer than anybody wants it to take... you got to be in it for the long term.”

The hosts discuss their own journey, noting that it took approximately three years to gain traction, highlighting that perseverance is essential despite initial slow growth.

• Luke Acrey [02:39]: “Stay Paid took three years... it took until about 2020.”

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2. Building Systems for Podcast Success

Establishing robust systems is crucial for accelerating podcast growth. Without them, consistency and scalability become challenging.

• Matt Halloran [03:12]: “We have nine podcasts, growth tactics, and seven rocket boosters of influence. These systems accelerate your influence.”

He shares that with the right systems in place, podcasters can expect to see significant traction within 9 to 12 months.

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3. Measuring Traction: Beyond Vanity Metrics

Matt advises focusing on meaningful metrics rather than vanity stats like downloads or views. He introduces the concept of "client households" as a baseline for measuring podcast success.

• Matt Halloran [05:42]: “If you have 100 client households, you get 100 listeners. You're killing it, like, faster.”

This approach aligns listener growth directly with the existing client base, providing a more tangible measure of success.

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4. Promotion Strategies: OPP and Guest Strategies

Effective promotion is vital for podcast growth. Matt outlines two primary strategies: the OPP (Other People's Podcasts) strategy and a robust guest strategy.

• Matt Halloran [06:17]: “There are two ways to get paid: the OPP strategy and having a very firm guest strategy.”

He emphasizes the importance of inviting influential guests who will share the podcast with their own audiences, thereby expanding reach organically.

• Matt Halloran [07:04]: “If they don't share the show, you basically put them on blast. That's how we grew Proudmouth.”

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5. Branding: Focusing on Your Niche

Matt stresses the importance of niche branding over trying to appeal to everyone. A focused brand attracts a dedicated audience and fosters deeper connections.

• Matt Halloran [13:36]: “Stop trying to please everybody, piss some people off, and be okay with it.”

By targeting a specific audience, podcasters can build a loyal community rather than spreading themselves thin.

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6. Content Creation: The 4:1 Personal to Professional Rule

Balancing professional and personal content enhances audience engagement. Matt introduces the "four to one" rule to help creators connect more authentically with their listeners.

• Matt Halloran [09:43]: “For every four professional posts, you have to have one that's very personal.”

This strategy encourages podcasters to share personal stories and insights, fostering a genuine connection with their audience.

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7. Storytelling to Engage Your Audience

Incorporating storytelling into podcast content makes it more relatable and memorable. Matt highlights how stories create emotional bonds and enhance listener retention.

• Matt Halloran [23:07]: “People see themselves in stories. They feel that connection.”

He shares his approach to his upcoming TED Talk, which revolves around emotionally charged personal stories of hope and helping others, demonstrating the power of narrative in establishing influence.

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8. Developing Public Speaking Skills: Lessons from a TED Talk

Preparing for a TED Talk provided Matt with valuable lessons in public speaking, particularly regarding body language and pacing.

• Matt Halloran [20:05]: “It's so important what you're doing with your hands... try not to push people away.”

He discusses the importance of space and timing in speeches, advocating for concise and impactful delivery to maintain audience engagement.

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9. The Power of Influence Marketing

Matt underscores the significance of influence marketing in the modern landscape, where authentic, organic content reigns supreme.

• Matt Halloran [30:32]: “Influence marketing is the only marketing that's left that works.”

He encourages podcasters to leverage their influence by creating valuable content that resonates with their target audience, highlighting video and podcasting as powerful tools.

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10. Podrocket Academy: Taking Action

As a takeaway, Matt introduces Podrocket Academy, a comprehensive learning management system designed to teach podcasters the strategies he uses at Proudmouth.

• Matt Halloran [27:53]: “Go to Podrocket Academy... you get eight hours of live coaching per month for $100.”

This platform offers resources like the Influence Readiness Test, tailored plans, courses, and worksheets to help podcasters bridge their growth gaps effectively.

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Notable Quotes

• Matt Halloran [01:35]: “You got to commit to this is going to be part of your marketing for the rest of your career.”

• Luke Acrey [11:04]: “Have you found that most of your shows where people talk about the things that do turn off other people are more popular?”

• Matt Halloran [22:00]: “When you don't provide space, you're talking at, not with.”

• Luke Acrey [30:14]: “Because influence is everything. Because knowledge is going to be free. It already is.”

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Conclusion and Action Items

In this episode, Matt Halloran provides a roadmap for podcasters aiming to build a successful and influential show. Key takeaways include:

1. Commit to the Long Haul: Success in podcasting requires persistence and long-term dedication.
2. Implement Robust Systems: Develop and refine systems to streamline growth and influence.
3. Focus on Meaningful Metrics: Measure success through client engagement rather than vanity metrics.
4. Leverage Strategic Promotion: Use OPP and guest strategies to organically expand your audience.
5. Niche Branding: Concentrate on a specific audience to build a loyal community.
6. Balance Content: Adopt the 4:1 rule to mix professional insights with personal stories.
7. Embrace Storytelling: Use personal narratives to create emotional connections with listeners.
8. Hone Public Speaking Skills: Practice effective body language and pacing for impactful communication.
9. Utilize Influence Marketing: Create authentic and valuable content to enhance your influence.
10. Take Action with Podrocket Academy: Utilize available resources to accelerate your podcast growth.

Luke Acrey [31:58]: “Top producers take action. Take action on that today.”

By following these strategies, podcasters can elevate their shows, build a dedicated tribe, and ultimately create a life of freedom and fulfillment.

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Join the Movement

If you're ready to take your podcast to the next level, visit Podrocket Academy to access tailored plans, live coaching, and comprehensive resources designed to accelerate your influence and business growth.

Stay tuned for more expert insights on the Stay Paid Podcast, and don't forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and share your thoughts with the community!

Transcript

[Matt Halloran]

Foreign.

[Josh Steke]

Your number one sales and marketing podcast on a mission to help you learn how to close more deals, keep more clients and build the freedom you're working for. But that can only happen if you're willing to take action today. My name is Josh Steke, Chief marketing officer at Reminder Media. And as always, joined by Luke Acrey, president of Reminder Media. And returning to the pod is Matt Halloran. Matt is the co founder and chief relationship officer at Proudmouth, the world's leading leading influence accelerator for financial advisors. A highly sought after speaker and podcast vet, Matt has appeared on over a thousand shows and delivered hundreds of speeches, as well as hosting Proudmouth's top advisor marketing podcast. Matt, welcome back to Stay Paid.

[Matt Halloran]

Hey, it's so glad. It's been a long time, man. I'm super happy to be back, dude.

[Luke Acrey]

It has been a long time. We had you on early on in the show. Yeah, you've been, you know, an awesome partnership relationship for us. You missed something in his intro though. You didn't call him a hippie dude. Yeah, he's a hippie dippy. He's about to do a TED Talk all on some f good stuff that actually is very, very important. We'll get into that in a little bit. I want to, you know, kind of title this podcast the truth behind podcast. Are they worth it? Right, because we're talking to the guy that's done 10,000 plus episodes, has been on every show, helps people do podcast, and I would just like to dive right in knowing what you know now, Matt, in the years you've been doing it, what have you seen? Is it, is it worth it? Is it only worth it for top producers who have a brand new, like what's your just gut roll take? And then let's get into like the maybe details of what you're seeing numbers wise with these things.

[Matt Halloran]

So, so the big, the big thing that we've learned is it just takes longer than anybody wants it to take, right? So when you're building a social proof foundation, which podcasting can really help you with, you got to be in it for the long term. You know, we work with financial planners and financial advisors who are always saying, stop looking at what's happening to me.

[Luke Acrey]

They're telling people to do something they're not doing. Oh, man.

[Matt Halloran]

I know, dude, I know. We probably just lost a bunch of people with that comment there. But, but honestly, it's the same thing with this, you know, this content marketing strategy, what we call the social proof influence acceleration is something that you just have to you got to commit to this is going to be part of your marketing for the rest of your career. Because it's not just about bringing in new business. It's also about great client communication that's portable and convenient. And also it actually helps with referrals, which we can dive into all of that.

[Luke Acrey]

And how long is long? Like, is it like you just said you got to be in for the long haul, but then you said for the rest of your life.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah.

[Luke Acrey]

So, like, is there an in between there? Like, is it. You find it for us. What. What do I normally say? I usually say stay paid took three years.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah.

[Luke Acrey]

We were doing it before Andy Day Carter came on.

[Josh Steke]

It did. It took until about 2020.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah, it took about three years to get some traction. And that was tough. Right. But we kept going. And I actually share that in talks that I give is that, wow, I didn't realize that one of Josh and I skill sets is that we just don't quit. Like, we just keep going even when.

[Josh Steke]

We'Re too dumb to quit.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah, exactly.

[Matt Halloran]

Sometimes.

[Luke Acrey]

Or too egotistical. And we thought it was good when it really wasn't. And we finally did it long enough to get good. But do you see that? Is it normally three years before people.

[Matt Halloran]

What do you mean, in fact? Well, one of the reasons why it took you three years and it took us about the same amount of time was because we didn't have all of the systems in place. We didn't have all of the other collateral that we really needed. But I need to address something really quickly. My. My old mentor used to say his favorite thing about the most successful people was persid. Persistence mixed with stupidity is the good is equal success. And so I absolutely love that. So we're all there. Right? So Kirk and I started podcasting right around the same time you guys did. And we just. It was a grind. So when you have a system, and this is going to be wildly self promoting, so just be prepared for that. When you actually have a system that we've worked on over the last eight years to build, we. We accelerate it. So you're really looking at 9 to 12 months before you start seeing real traction with your show using a system. Now, you and I, when we first we didn't have the damn system, we just didn't. We were just like, yep, we're going out there, we're going to ask everybody to share it.

[Luke Acrey]

We were like, who do we interview? And I was like, let's interview our insurance agent, let's interview our employees.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah, yeah. And we did the same thing. But when you do, and we have nine podcasts, growth tactics, and seven rocket boosters of influence. I mean, we've got all of these different systems now that we know when you plug in and you use these things, you're going to accelerate your influence.

[Luke Acrey]

Are most of the systems like ways to promote, essentially, ways to get out in front of an audience? It'd be interesting. Let's get into that in just a second. When you think about that nine to 12 months, it takes about that, and you see traction. Can you give me some idea of what that traction means? Like how many downloads or views? Or maybe you start seeing that the connections of the people you interview turn into something like. What is that? Measurement stick. And obviously everybody's gonna be a little different. But do you have any benchmark you can give us?

[Matt Halloran]

We do. So a lot of it really is vanity metrics, unfortunately. And you guys have fallen prey to this, as we have. We want as many people listen to the damn show as we possibly can. But you have to look at the bigger picture. So most of our clients, Right. So most of the people that we work with here at Problemout have anywhere from 150 to 400 clients. Right? So. So that's. That's really your baseline of client households that most advisors who are successful have in their business with junior advisors or whatever other reps, if you're hitting those numbers and if you're getting that level of adoption right out of the. So you take your client households, right? That's your baseline. So if you have 100 client households, you get 100 listeners do. You're killing it, like, faster.

[Luke Acrey]

That's a great benchmark.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah, I love.

[Luke Acrey]

I love knowing that. That is actually really good.

[Matt Halloran]

It's just frustrating because, you know, I was trying to call a couple ago, and the guy's like, man, I want to be the next Joe Rogan. I was like, okay, well, I'm not the right system for you. He's like, what are you talking about? Like, I'm not going to make you Joe Rogan. First off, you. You're not Joe Rogan. Right? Yeah, well. And they don't have the per. You know, they don't have the personality, they don't have the national network, and they also don't have the hundreds of millions of dollars behind the show. Right. So anyway, baseline. So client households is really the baseline now. When you hit nine to 12 months, really what you're going to start seeing is those numbers steadily increasing over time.

[Luke Acrey]

Okay.

[Matt Halloran]

And that is wildly proportionate to your niche, to your existing network outside of your client households. And also your centers of influence, where we really start seeing numbers, which is this is Stay Paid podcast. How do you get paid? There's two ways. One is the OPP strategy, other people's podcasts, and the other one is having a very firm guest strategy. So bringing on your centers of influence and interviewing them. But their price of admission, this is super important. The price of admission to come on your show is that you're going to share that. They're going to share that show with their audience. So your CPAs, your estate planning attorneys, your insurance agents or whatever, divorce attorneys, real estate agents, you get them to come on the show, but if they don't share the show, you basically put them on blast. That's how we grew proud.

[Luke Acrey]

That's super smart.

[Matt Halloran]

Was bringing on people like you, Luke. I mean, you were one of our first guests on our show.

[Luke Acrey]

I'm sorry, I apologize.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah, yeah, it was rough back, though.

[Luke Acrey]

You're spot on, like uphil from there. Biggest thing for Stay Paid has been not been the audience as much as it's been. I guess maybe now it's the audience, but it was the guest. It was the ability to get the Tom Ferry on who's the number one coach in real estate or Cody Askins in the insurance industry and network with them, which led us to sponsorships and speaking on stages and all this other stuff. And then now we actually, I shouldn't even say now because we haven't been the best at it. And I would love to pick your brain on this. We haven't ever been able to build a tribe really well. And I think it's maybe because Josh and I are too much. Teaching at people instead of learning with people through our show is. But I'm not sure if it's accurate or not. This is just our reflection point. It's like maybe we don't share enough personal information that gets people to actually love Luke and Josh and want to be a part of it. I think we do have, you know, what you would quote, unquote, say listener, fans. You know, we have gotten some fan mail before.

[Josh Steke]

Shout out to the fans.

[Luke Acrey]

We have. Yeah, exactly. But the point being is, like, we haven't created, like a tribe that you would. We should have. I don't. Have you found that you've been able to create a.

[Josh Steke]

Like, our YouTube videos don't get a ton of comments. We don't.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah, that's what I mean. Like engagement. Sorry. I'm yeah. Phrasing it probably wrong. It's like the engagement we don't get a ton of. And that's a sign to me that you're educating people and they love it, but they don't feel connected to you. Right.

[Matt Halloran]

So we have something called the four to one rule, which is vitally important in all of your content creation, which is this. For every four professional posts, you have to have one that's very personal. Now you get as personal as you want. And I'm going to use my partner, Kirk Low, because I love this story. So, you know, Kirk and I have been in business together for eight years, and his number one performing post on LinkedIn still to this day is a fuzzy picture of him with his family down by a lake. Yeah, and it was just, hey, I'm just spending some time with my kids. You know, we love hiking and, you know, nature and all of this stuff. And it was. Was the first time, because Kirk's very, very private person was the first time that he really kind of, you know, lifted the hood so you could see the engine of what makes that man tick. And you guys need to do that, too. You guys, I want to feel a genuine connection. What do we have in common? When we know what we have in common, then the probability of me commenting on those things and saying, God, Luke, I love that too. Dude, that's a great. You know, you get that comment on YouTub or whatever. That's a wonderful comment. Same thing with you. Just, you know, Josh, I never. Here's another one. I never knew that about you guys. That's the sort of stuff that you want. That's that audience engagement and a lot.

[Luke Acrey]

Of great way to think about it. Yeah, it's such a good way.

[Matt Halloran]

A lot of advisors, a lot of financial services professionals, or what we focus on, which is just people who sell their expertise for a living, they don't do that because they're, like, stoic and they don't think anybody wants to know. No, everybody wants to know what makes you tick. And that's where the real connections are lie.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah. And I think it's always the fear. We have it, too, and we've gotten better at it over the years. But it's the fear of, like, I serve so many clients within Reminder Media, and you're trying to not be controversial in a bad way. You want to be controversial in a good way. But the things that I tend to be interested in tend to be controversial in a bad way. Politics, religion, money, like those. Those are the things that I'm interested in like if you find Luke Acrey, you know, obviously, you know, my family is, you know, first or I would say faith family and you know, so forth. But it's like talk about those things. But I'm getting more and more comfortable and, and I say comfortable is the wrong word. More and more just like, you know what, you just gotta be you and whatever happens, happens because this is what you truly believe and what you truly think. Have you found that most of your shows where people talk about the things that do turn off other people are more popular?

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah. So when you're trying to create a cult like brand. Right. You have to understand that you're going to repel as many people as you attract, but you're going to be attracting people who become raving fans. Yeah.

[Luke Acrey]

And that's my problem. I don't think we repel people. Sorry to cut you off there, but I think that's our problem. I don't think. Let us know in the comments if we've repelled you before. But you're probably not listening.

[Matt Halloran]

They're probably not here.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah, yeah, they're probably not here. I don't think we repel a lot of people. That's our problem. Like we're too, we're too. It's like, I think that's what it is. But anyways, keep going. I cut you off. Sorry.

[Matt Halloran]

Well, but that's, that's really powerful. So, so the guy who rebranded us to Proudmouth because we started off as top advisor marketing and in fact that's when you were on the show, that's how long ago it was. So we hired this guy named Rob Howard and you can't get to Rob Howard. You can't like Google the guy. He doesn't show up. He's like this savant when it comes to branding. One of the things, he wrote a book called Fix how to create a Cult like brand. And that's a huge component of how you do that.

[Luke Acrey]

I need to read that.

[Matt Halloran]

You should. It's, it's in, it's, it's. It is my. One of my favorite business books I've ever written. Next to Dr. Robert Cialnini's ethical Influence is the sales book, which is the best sales book I've ever read in my life and I use it in sales every day, all day. But you guys have a couple of things going for you. So as much as I would love to just beat you up for the next half an hour, please do, Please do the, the name of the show and the consistency of the show is one of the reasons you guys have been so successful. I mean, who is not going to want to click a podcast called Stay Paid, right? I mean, this is brilliant marketing. You know, Josh, I'm sure that was all you. Congratulations, brother. That was.

[Josh Steke]

We got to give the original host Sefton now.

[Luke Acrey]

I didn't know Sefton came up with the name.

[Josh Steke]

I think so.

[Luke Acrey]

I think Josh deserves a little credit. But Sefton, wherever you're at.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah. In the brand of the show is vitally important because people really connect with the brand and the brand is all of the language surrounding it. Not just the logo, not just the tagline, not just the image. And our clients who are the most successful are trying to actively not please everybody. And one of the things that we like to talk about a lot is you're never going to outspend Ken Fisher. So when you're trying to go after the general retirement marketplace, you're screwed. I'm sorry. It's just so competitive. It's so expensive to get those people's attention. When you have that hyper focused niche like we do, we work with independent financial advisors who are an RIA is my ideal client to be fully transparent. Now, can we help other people? Hell yeah, we can. But if you're going to give me the right people, that's who I want.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah.

[Matt Halloran]

Worry about compliance as much. They generally are already successful. They have the freedom and they have a niche. And God, if I could drive one point home to every single solitary human being is stop trying to please everybody, piss some people off and be okay with it.

[Luke Acrey]

Oh, so well said, man. Yeah, that is so well said because that is ultimately what attracts people like we've been talking about. But also, even more importantly, it's what actually makes you live a fulfilled life. Like you. You actually are comfortable. And that's the main thing that I'm learning is going, wow, let your shoulders.

[Josh Steke]

Down a little bit.

[Luke Acrey]

Like, let your, like, let your breath out. Stop trying to please everybody. Not because about the authenticity of your content. That's just an added benefit because of the actual quality of your life. And it's like, wow, that is what I am really focused on for myself right now. All right, so I would love to get into a little bit of why you're doing the, you know, the TED Talk. Yeah. And that kind of plays into promotion. Right. And TED Talk is a great way to spread your brand. And then maybe we can talk about, I think you called it nine systems, you know, a promotion. Maybe you can give us one or two of those. But why the TED Talk? And why are you spending time, energy, and money to do that?

[Matt Halloran]

So we test everything here first, and we are. I'm a client of Proudmouth, so this is a really important concept. And Josh and I will be able to go ahead and agree with this. You know, you know, I'm not just the president. I'm also, you know, part of Bosley's Hair Club for Men. So we.

[Luke Acrey]

We really, for those listening. Just so you know, he took off his hat and showed that he was bald, so he was building some comm.

[Matt Halloran]

Commonality.

[Luke Acrey]

So.

[Matt Halloran]

So the nine podcast growth tactics that we've built. Right. Are in an order for a specific reason. And podcast growth tactic is number six. Number six is. Is to write a book. So I wrote a new book. It's called Shut the F Up and Listen. It's a communication and sales book. It basically tells you that you're going to be able to close more business and you're going to be more successful if you just learn how to shut up and stop talking so much. I break down all types of listening. It's not active listening. It's called engaged listening. So that was podcast growth tactic number six. Number seven was me getting on other people's podcasts. We call it the OPP strategy. I use the system that's called podcast guests.com, which is a great. It's cost 50 bucks a month, and I get an in an email every week saying, these are people who are looking for guests like you. Wow. And now I do have to say that some of the podcasts are rough. Go ahead.

[Josh Steke]

No, I was going to say, how has we tried that for a little bit and maybe something worth looking into. Like, how has that worked? Have you found. Have you found the connections to that?

[Matt Halloran]

So out of the 15 to 20 I've done, five were really good. Okay. All right.

[Luke Acrey]

Actually, not bad conversion.

[Matt Halloran]

No, not at all.

[Luke Acrey]

It's a lot of time, though, if a podcast is 30 minutes to an hour. So you are committing a ton of time.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah. It's very transparent, though, to see who's actually in this as a expert or a professional and who's just phoning it in. And so the other 15, they were just basically phone in it, and they're just. They're just trying to get guests and content so that they could feed their ego. But the five were really, really good. Like, they were prepared. They had a system. They knew exactly what they wanted. For me, they prepped me with some questions, even though I don't. You generally need that. It was. It was just absolutely wonderful. So, anyway, that's podcast growth number seven. Podcast number eight is when you really start speaking more and more. So you start making your not really personal brand, but you really start getting out there more. And so I hired a speaker's agent, right? So, you know, I'm working with Mary Carlson, who's. She runs a financial behavioral keynote group. She does all of the paperwork and helps me negotiate all my contracts. I've gotten more paid speaking gigs this year than I've ever gotten in my whole year, honestly. And then I am not a person who deals with good. I'm always striving for great. Drive some people crazy, because I'm always trying to get better and better. And I had one goal, guys, this year, one goal in 2025, and that was to get a TED Talk. And I researched it for months and months and months and months. This agency, this coach, you know, here's the, you know, YouTube tutorials on how to fill out the applications. And it was just like. It was just too much. And so I have a pretty large network. I've been working really, really hard at building this network and actually becoming more influential. And the book came out. I was on all of these opps. I was just voted actually the 10th most influential person in financial services by Indigo Marketing, which is all by design, right? Through following the steps that we built here at Proudmouth for our clients. So I was talking to a friend of mine. This is a long story. I'm sorry. But I was talking to a friend of mine who is a coach that works with business professionals who sell their business for like, eight, nine figures, and they go through a massive existential crisis. So this guy's, like, super wicked specialized. His name is Jerome Myers. He's unbelievable. And he said, you never let me coach you, dude. And I was like, well, yeah, I don't hire coaches. And he said, well, just tell me what your goals are. And I said, I only have one. And he's like, you're an idiot. I was like, no, I really only have one goal. And it was. I said, I want to get a TED Talk. And he said, oh, my God. I talked to this guy 7 years ago who's a PR agent in Northern Ireland. Let's see if he can give you some advice. Whatever, man. I'm game. Let's go. So that was a Thursday morning. By Friday, I already had a call with the guy in Northern Ireland. He looked at my TikTok channel, and he was like, whoa, dude. Like, you're pretty entertaining. This is interesting. He's like, you're in. He's like, I've got a seat for you at the second largest TED convention in Swansea, which is in the uk. Do you want it? I was like, yes. And he goes, well, I didn't even tell you how much it's going to cost. I was like, I don't care. I'll find the money. And he's like, damn. Now that's, that's, that's the right attitude.

[Luke Acrey]

Hey, man, Richard Branson, when opportunity shows up, say yes and figure it out later.

[Matt Halloran]

I'll figure money out, right? Take a damn loan. I don't care. Right? But just because this was my goal and, and it's a process, man. Like, oh, I speak a lot, right?

[Luke Acrey]

Well, you told me before we came on the show that they. You even looking. You had someone look at your body language and stuff like that. Any insights you can give us? What you learn there? Oh, from a speaking standpoint.

[Matt Halloran]

Holy crap. So. So number one, it's so important what you're doing with your hands, man. And I never really deconstructed that that much. And she would, she said to me. So I had to submit videos to her, and then she gave me feedback and I sent her other videos. Her name is Roxanne. She lives in Greece. It all of a sudden, like, I just started really paying attention to what I was doing with my hands, like, you know, trying not to do things like this. And for those of you who are listening, I'm like basically pushing you away. A lot of people have that open hand. You don't. You want to always be bringing things in. You don't want to be steepling, which a lot of us do when we're talking because we think it makes, it makes you look arrogant and cocky.

[Luke Acrey]

Right?

[Matt Halloran]

There's all of these little things. But the other thing was, which made me really happy, which is actually in my book, was space. And you only have now it Swansea. You have 18 minutes. My speech is 12 and a half. Door to door is what I've been practicing, trying to build space into 12 minutes. So, Luke, I know you know this, and Josh, you know this. You say, hey, Matt, I need you to go give a two hour presentation on podcasting.

[Josh Steke]

No problem.

[Matt Halloran]

I do that now. Let's go. Matt, you have 12 minutes. I've been preparing for this for three months.

[Luke Acrey]

That is my fundamental issue. I have too much to share.

[Josh Steke]

We try to do a webinar for 20 minutes so hard.

[Luke Acrey]

We hit 21. And I then went on for another 10 minutes after the fact, just literally, you know, barely getting, like, feeling like I barely scratched the surface. Like, you are so right, man. It's like, to be a master, you got to be able to deliver it in 12 minutes with space. That's the thing that. I mean, you're hitting me right in the gut with that one. I don't give space. And I should, dude. Because it kills me because I. I think I lose emotional connection at that point or impact, because I don't.

[Matt Halloran]

Is when you don't provide space, you're. You're talking at not with. And that's a really big philosophical shift. And in fact, it's really funny because I do this and I do all the sales for Proud Mouth. Right? And so, you know, I'm talking to people almost every day, all day, and they are always surprised when I'm not like, you know, problem. You know, you know, I don't do that. I do it by asking questions and listening and finding my opening that most of us are trying to buy my product. Buy my product. Buy my product, man. That people just don't like that much anymore. So.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah, they don't. Yeah, I agree with you. These.

[Matt Halloran]

The.

[Luke Acrey]

What you just said is so powerful because it is how I opened up where I think our struggle is of not buying or getting a tribe, which is we're not connecting with people. And it's probably because we are trying to teach. We're not giving any space. So it feels like we're talking at, not with. Where if you give space, it's talking with. Now. Podcast is tricky because you got to say something. Well, there's nobody else on this. Right. But you can let things sink in.

[Matt Halloran]

Yes, but you also. So we have something at Proudmouth called the perfect content formula. It's storytelling, education, entertainment, call to action. Every one of your shows needs to have those four things. And if you have in. What I think you guys need to be doing more of is telling stories. People see themselves in stories. They feel that connection. And when you're in storytelling mode, which is really what my whole TED Talk is, it's three and very distinct stories of hope helping one person every day. One of them's when I was in the Navy, and then the other two was when my wife and I worked at a place called Boys Town with that risk teenage kids. And so they're very emotionally charged stories. And when I have. So I did it in front of my friends, and I don't know if you guys have ever done this. But, like, I can be up in front of a thousand people. It doesn't. I'm not nervous at all. I spoke. I did my Ted talk in front of 18 people. My. It was the first time my wife ever heard me speak. Because why would she hear me speak? I'm in financial services. Right. I speak on the road. I don't do it at home. Right. My son was there. Right. With his partner. My neighbors were there. Guys I play miniatures with. Which is a totally other story. They were there. Right. My in laws were there.

[Luke Acrey]

I had eight people that you care about.

[Matt Halloran]

Oh, my God, I was so nervous, dude. And. But it was wonderful because it was the opportunity I needed to have that really heightened stress.

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah.

[Matt Halloran]

That rush. Yep. And now, I mean, I could do the speech for you right now. And it'll be 12 and a half minutes.

[Luke Acrey]

That's awesome.

[Matt Halloran]

Right? And so. But hope. Right. Help one person every day. It is very, very hippie. Is very, very touchy feely. So as you continue to grow your individual brand, which what you're doing with your content marketing strategy, there has to be a bifurcation. Who I am is the. I am the podcasting expert. I am a nerd about podcasting. Guys. You have no idea. I can deconstruct your show within five to seven minutes and make you ten times better after that. Five to seven minutes. This is what I love. Right. But I'm also wildly passionate about being a hippie and making the world a better place and spreading magic, joy, and love and hope into the world. And so they. They. They aren't opposing. What happens is as Proud Mouth's brand increases, my brand increases. As my brand increases, Proudmouth's brand increases. And that's a core chapter in that book fix by Rob Howard that I really believe is really, really important. So Luke, you. Whatever your unis is, right. The Lukeness or the Joshness has to come out in this show more and more. And when that happens, everything changes.

[Luke Acrey]

Dude, this has been awesome. Like, I mean, such good advice because it's exactly where we're at. We're at this kind of transition point. And it's funny, we have a new format of our show coming out that I am so excited about. It will be out, you know, by the time this is released. But it's. We are. And it's a little bit of a model after the Dave Ramsey show entree leadership and Dave Ramsey show and his shows where it's a call in show where two of our episodes a month are going to be call inside, where we have clients and agents and business owners calling in from all over the country, giving us their biggest problems. But the reason why I share that is one, super excited about the show. But two, is because Josh and I have literally gotten off and gone. We have to bring more of our stories into the teaching because that is what Dave does so well. Dave Ramsey, when he's giving people advice, he shares what he did at Ramsey Solutions, and it just brings it all together because you feel connected. And we're. Instead of just teaching someone, which is what we've done on kind of maybe the first four or five episodes we've done, and, you know, we got to start bringing in more stories, and that only happens as if you are your Eunice. As you said, the Lukeness, which is a scary place, ladies and gentlemen. That Luke Ness. Get ready.

[Josh Steke]

It's terrifying.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah.

[Josh Steke]

Matt, final, final question. Because we have the ball in common. We also the beer. When did you finally go, you know, give up and let it go all white? Because I'm. I'm working on it, you know.

[Luke Acrey]

Well, this is the Joshness, ladies and gentlemen.

[Matt Halloran]

If you're won, Fantastic. So. So, Josh, when I partnered with. With Kirk Low and we built Proudmouth, I lost all color. I mean, you know, that stress, man.

[Luke Acrey]

Kirk brought it on.

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah. I mean, we've been. It's been wonderfully successful. I mean, with 30 people on our team. We're a very large organization.

[Luke Acrey]

Amazing.

[Matt Halloran]

We're, you know, we're doing anywhere from 100. 150 episodes a month now.

[Luke Acrey]

Do you remember where you were at when I came on the show?

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah, dude.

[Luke Acrey]

I mean, it's crazy.

[Matt Halloran]

It was brutal.

[Josh Steke]

That's 150 episodes per. You said over 10,000 at this point, right?

[Luke Acrey]

Yeah, yeah, but 30 team members. Jeez, man, you guys are crushing it. I'm just proud of you, bro.

[Josh Steke]

How can people learn more about it?

[Matt Halloran]

Yeah, so there's. There's a couple of different things. And here. Here's the again, Stay paid podcast. I'm in business, and I want to stay paid. So number one, I want all of your audience actually to do something very, very specific, which is to go to Podrocket Academy. So we built an entire learning management system based off adult learning and gamification for you to actually learn how to do what we do at Proudmouth entirely on your own. You not only take this thing called the influence readiness test, which will show you your actual gaps on what you're. What we've been talking about this. How to build Influence and how to make that go even better. You get a custom score, and then you get a tailored plan on podcasts and courses and worksheets in order for you to bridge the gaps. It's only $99 a month. Please, dear God, join it. Plus, you get eight hours. This is the. This is where the value goes nutso. Eight hours of live coaching per month for 100. Wow. Yeah.

[Luke Acrey]

How do you do that? How do you even afford to do that?

[Matt Halloran]

We're really good at this.

[Luke Acrey]

That's crazy, man. Yeah, I want to put that. Steve, maybe we can have Dawson splice that to the front of the episode, because that's so much fun value right there. Get it in even earlier for people to hear. Wow. Amazing.

[Josh Steke]

Awesome.

[Matt Halloran]

So. So that's. That's. That's really. And so when we were talking about me coming on the show, I mean, my ultimate goal was to really talk to everybody about influence. Listen, influence marketing is the only marketing that's left that works. You have to understand that you have to start creating organic, real content. Video is king. Podcasting is queen. That's the world we live in today. So here's. Here's my. Here's my last piece of quick advice. Are you ready? This is, like, super high tech. I just got out of a client meeting and this is what happened. So for those of you who are listening, I'm holding up my phone to show you that you need to be creating content like this. Now, from a compliance standpoint, if you have a compliance oversight, it's not going to be a problem. I'm not sharing client information. I'm not giving investment or insurance advice. I'm just talking about the experience of what I just experienced with a client. That content is king. Post it everywhere. Make sure you know where your ideal target market in. By the way, it might not be LinkedIn. It might be Instagram. It might be Pinterest. You have to do the research, but that's what you need to do. And that's where all of the fun begins. And that's where you're really going to start, not just growing your business, but growing your influence.

[Luke Acrey]

You're so spot on. Because influence is everything. Because knowledge is going to be free. It already is. With chat, GPT and AI. It's just like, so now it's going to be about where do I trust to get my knowledge? And that's influence. Like, who do I trust the most to get my knowledge from? So spot on, brother.

[Matt Halloran]

Love it.

[Josh Steke]

Matt, thank you so much for coming on the show. And thank all of you for listening. You can get all of those links that Matt mentioned in one place [e-mail] where you can get the show notes and the video of these episodes. Of course, you can check the show notes anywhere. You're listening to this as well. We'll include those things. If you like this episode and want to show your support, head on over to YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, YouTube.com remindermedia Give this video a thumbs up. Leave us a comment and we will make sure to share it here on the show. If you want to get hold of me or Luke, you can email [e-mail] and of course you can follow us on social media. We are at Stay Paid podcast for this episode of Stay Paid. I'm Josh Dyke.

[Luke Acrey]

Guys. I'm Luke Acre. Man, Matt, so awesome to see what you have done and what you are doing, man. Just incredible. I remember years ago being on your show very early on and you're the real deal, man. I mean you've done thousands and thousands of these and you've built a successful business. Congrats on the TED Talk. I'm sure it will do extremely well. Make sure you get it to us so we can promote it for you and help you get some views on it. My action item for everybody listening to this is, you know, that you should be producing the content that Matt said. You know, you should be doing that and you're probably not doing it at the level you need to do it. And I want you to commit to at least putting out one piece of content a day for the next seven days. Remember the difference between top producers and mediocre producers in every business. Top producer take action. Take action on that today.

[Matt Halloran]

SA.