Why Podcasters Podcast - PCI 355

Speaker 0 00:00:00 If your goal involves partnerships or monetization, it's vital to be clear about this upfront. You know, potential partners and sponsors will want to know your podcast goals to see if they align.

Speaker 1 00:00:12 You're listening to Podcast Insider, a weekly podcast, bringing insights, advice, and insider tips and tricks to help you start, grow, and thrive through podcasting. With the support of your team here at Blueberry Podcasting. Welcome. Let's dive in.

Speaker 2 00:00:26 Hi, this is Mike Dell, VP of Customer Relations here at Blueberry.

Speaker 0 00:00:30 And I'm Todd Cochran, c e o, and co-founder of Blueberry Today. What is your podcast goal? Why are you podcasting? I really kinda had an epiphany moment number of months ago, Mike, because I was doing all of these customer calls and usually the call started out with how do I grow my show? And that was a question that was asked to me, and I'd be like, well, let's go take a look at your website. And, you know, we would just, I'd kind of dive into mm-hmm. kinda the guts, right?

Speaker 2 00:01:05 Yeah. Go through the tech stuff.

Speaker 0 00:01:07 Yeah. When the tech stuff. But then I kind of had, you know, like I said, I had this epiphany moment where I said, I'm really not asking the right question. And in return, you know, cuz they said the question would be, as an example, again, you, Mike, you would say to me, Todd, I wanna, I wanna grow my podcast. And then my return to that would be is, well, Mike, let's, let's back up and start and say, what is, what is your goal of your show? You know, what is the goal and what do you want to accomplish? And about 75% of the time on those calls, there would be this dramatic pause was almost like the content creator was thinking of. Hmm. And sometimes a person would come right back immediate and say, I'm trying to build leads, right. Business, or I wanna monetize. You know, they, they would ha some folks had this immediate response, but other folks hadn't really thought about it. So if you're listening to this episode and you're thinking to yourself, Todd, you just hit me in the mouth because you, you, you're asking me what is my goal? Well, this is part of why we wanna do this episode, is we want you to think about that. What is your podcast goal? And, and why are you podcasting? So, Mike, what was the goal of your first show?

Speaker 2 00:02:25 My, well, I was a very big fan of, of a am talk radio. And I would listen to it, you know, all night long listening to Art Bell and, you know, all, all that stuff in the middle of the night when I was working mid shift and, and I thought, boy, I'd love to do a radio show. And then all of a sudden podcasting come along. And I said, oh, well that's, that's fun. I really didn't have a goal other than I wanted to get on the microphone. Mm-hmm. So it was kinda a hobby for me. Now, you know, now that we're doing this more and more, you know, we're doing this show, our goal for this show is to inform potential podcasters and tell 'em about new stuff and all that. So there's definitely a goal for this show. But my personal show, there was really never a goal, at least on the main one. And then I had a couple other shows in the past did have a specific goal.

Speaker 0 00:03:18 You know, there was no such thing as like an influencer back when podcasting started out. And so when I was doing my show, I really wanted one thing. I had heard about this, uh, trade show called CES that I really wanted to attend, but I had really no way to get in. So I wanted to build authority myself in the tech space so that number one, I could get a press pass. And ultimately though, it really became two goals, it become, build authority in the tech space. And number two was to make money for the show because I was spending so much money in those early days that my wife really put the hammer on me. And she said, Hey, you, you know, you gotta figure out how to make cash. So, you know, fortunately it doesn't cost several thousand dollars to, you know, really, that's why I was spending a lot of money to keep the show online because there was no blueberry that yeah, none of that existed in those early days.

Speaker 0 00:04:14 So for today, we're gonna talk about some reasons why podcasters choose to create a podcast. And, and hopefully we'll hit yours. And if you don't have a goal for your show, maybe maybe you're going to, uh, maybe you're gonna, we're gonna hit a hit the mark with you. So I'll start with the first one, sharing knowledge. You know, many podcasters are experts. They're enthusiasts, you know, sometimes they're enthusiast, like some folks are TV enthusiasts, TV show enthusiast, and they create a podcast based upon just being a super fan of a, of a, of a show. But oftentimes, again, some folks are just an expert in a specific field and they wanna share their knowledge and passion with others. And again, this can range from academic subjects to hobbies and really everything in between. So I think the first one is, and I think oftentimes, even though we have a goal, maybe my goal was to have, be able to be in the limelight a little more and, and have access. It really was truly about sharing knowledge. So some of this crosses over in each show, so maybe the goal isn't immediately sharing knowledge, but that's part of what you do in the podcast.

Speaker 2 00:05:28 And another one we have on the list here is building community. You know, podcasting can be a great way to find like-minded people that are interested in a subject that, you know, you could build a community of around, you know, I, I use the example of like a, uh, ham radio club. You know, there's a ham radio club in my area that does a podcast. You know, they do a little short one. Instead of putting out a newsletter, they just do a little short podcast that they disseminate and they make it so that it can be aired on, on the radio. So they also put it on the, uh, weekly nets, the get togethers on the radio. And it's a great place just to build a little community, build knowledge in the, uh, in the membership. You know, and a lot of, uh, nonprofits use that for community building.

Speaker 0 00:06:21 Think about Danny Pena and Gamer Tag Radio in the community he built. And, you know, they were doing stuff with gaming before Twitch or any of this other stuff existed. And they were taught, they were doing, they were doing an audio podcast talking about the games they were playing, describing what they were doing in such detail that they got their fans so wrapped up around their show that they built these huge, huge in-person communities. They would do events and stuff. And of course, Danny, today's in the podcast Hall of Fame, but, you know, he was, he kind of was the one that pioneered the ability of doing this show to specifically build this community and a true community that would meet in the hundreds of people that would come to events that they would hold. And I don't think they set out to do that, but it was just an indirect thing that kinda happened.

Speaker 2 00:07:14 Yeah, that kinda happened with a, a friend of mine does a show called Airline Pilot Guy, and you know, it's just aviation enthusiasts and, and airline, you know, he talks a lot about airline business and all that stuff, and it's now come to the point where he's got these in, you know, in-person meetups. So, you know, he's being an airline pilot, he is all over the world, and he'll say, I'm gonna be in London. I'll be at this bar at this time. And he gets 20, 30, 40 listeners. Yeah,

Speaker 0 00:07:42 That's awesome.

Speaker 2 00:07:42 Show up everywhere, you know, and he's got this huge community built around his podcast. That's

Speaker 0 00:07:48 Cool. You know, the thing, another thing people do their podcasts for is really for the art, the creativity and self-expression. Podcasting is definitely form immediate allows a lot of creative freedom. You can do whatever you want, however you wanna do it. Uh, podcasters can experiment with a format, with content, with style. And really, podcasting is a place where you can really, truly express yourself. And, and that, you know, runs the gamut. I know that there are folks that are actually doing shows that are multiple characters. It just runs the gamut of different types of shows. But again, I think everyone that does podcasting is a little creative and obviously has the ability to do, do self-expression. So kinda goes hand in hand. And it may not be the goal, it may be part of the why in doing your show.

Speaker 2 00:08:45 And these are basically reasons why podcasters podcasts. So, you know, and, and a lot of them can cross over too. You know, there's, you know, more than one reason to podcast and you may have more than one.

Speaker 0 00:08:57 That's right. Career opportunities is another, you wanna get into that.

Speaker 2 00:09:02 Well, yeah, career opportunities, definitely. That one hits pretty close to home here, . That's true. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if I hadn't started my podcast on my back porch in Lake Ann, Michigan, you know, , I got into it right at the beginning and, you know, really fell in love with the whole, you know, whole area. But this could go for other things as well, not just podcasting. You know, if you're, say you're doing a show about oil and gas and you know, you're, you're really interested in the petroleum industry and you get people in the industry listening to your show, even if you're not currently in that industry, you might find ways to get a job doing that.

Speaker 0 00:09:43 Well, I think a lot of podcasters have picked up jobs

Speaker 2 00:09:48 On our team. . Yeah.

Speaker 0 00:09:50 Including people on this team. Absolutely. Including you. If you think about the, what you're really doing is you're building a portfolio for yourself. Yeah. A portfolio of content, a portfolio of knowledge, a portfolio of engagement, a portfolio of this is who I am. And I've always said that content creators need to be aware that you never know who's listening. Sure. Because you could say something that could make some individual at a company say, we need this person on our team, we need to go get this person. And I think probably more often than not, uh, the ability to maybe grow in your field that you do in your podcast DN can be a great benefit. But at the same time, um, use caution. Because if you get to the point where you are building a portfolio and you go down a rabbit hole and say something that you shouldn't, it could obviously have the opposite effect.

Speaker 0 00:10:59 You could find yourself without a job, so you have to tow that line there a little bit. The next thing up is obviously monetization. You know, why not all podcasts generate significant re revenue? Some podcasts are able to monetize their content through sponsorships, maybe through someone that's listening to the show or, or post endorsed ad advertising. Obviously normal advertising, maybe programmatic host red ads. Again, Patreon support, selling merchandise value for value runs the gamut on how monetization and monetization is one of those things. When someone tells me immediately they wanna monetize, it's almost, we have to have the, the ugly baby conversation.

Speaker 2 00:11:44 Yeah. The, the horse in the right order.

Speaker 0 00:11:48 And I will look at the show, and let's say the show says, well, I wanna do host endorse ads, and I'll go and look at the show size and, and we'll have a conversation about that. But oftentimes podcasters overlook what's right in front of them. Um, maybe they're already in this field and maybe they should be their own sponsor. Uh, maybe again, someone that's listening to the show would like you to pitch their product. Um, a lot of people fall into this. They, they end up finding a sponsor, finding someone that will help underwrite their show often by accident. And it often starts with an email that says, Hey, I love your podcast and, uh, I work with this company and we, we wanna, we wanna work with you. So the monetization piece can happen multiples of ways. And again, if you're creating great content, creating great value, you can get money back from your audience just in pure the Patreon slash model. So, uh, don't get too wrapped around monetization.

Speaker 2 00:12:51 Yeah. And, you know, and, and be patient. It takes a little while to build an audience unless you're famous for something else, which some people are education, podcasts are great tool for educating people or educating yourself as the podcaster. You know, so many times people are interested in a subject and through having their podcast about that subject, they learn a lot of stuff about it. So it can go both ways. But you know, a lot of, uh, educators, you know, teachers and professors and whatnot, put their lectures out as podcasts or, you know, even, you know, the old iTunes, you, you know, they'd have the whole class on podcasts and you know, of course you don't get credit for it. You get the knowledge.

Speaker 0 00:13:38 Another one, of course, is storytelling. Some podcasters. And I think a lot of us are natural storytellers, you know, spent so many years in the Navy, I've got lots of stories. And podcasts can provide a new unique platform to share these stories. They can range from true crime to science fiction, to just everyday things in life. And of course, oftentimes that delves into interviews and conversations where you can have this opportunity to have these long in-depth conversations with interesting people and ask them questions that no one else has. And again, podcasters enjoy the ability to, to learn from their guests. It goes back to, you know, you're getting educated in the process and at the same time provide those guests a platform to, to be heard. And this next one, Mike, is one that's one of my favorites.

Speaker 2 00:14:29 Advocacy podcasts could be a real powerful tool for raising awareness about, you know, social issues, causes movements, and it gives you a platform that's, you know, for people that are un underrepresented. And, you know, think of it this way, you know, this goes into the free speech thing. Podcast is the last bastion of being able to say what you wanna say. Now that isn't, doesn't mean you're not gonna have some repercussions as we talked about before, but there's nothing that prevents you from saying what you wanna say about a particular subject. And I, you know, definitely it's a great way to advocate for, you know, a cause that you are passionate about.

Speaker 0 00:15:17 Another thing too is obviously podcasts can result in personal development. The process really is, can result in valuable, valuable personal growth. And, you know, and it goes both ways. So I've often been told my audience over on new media show, I've said, if you listen to the show long enough, you'll get a PhD in podcasting. But again, it can grow your skills in public speaking. Audio editing, marketing, networking can all be honed really through podcasting. And of course, podcasting is largely about entertainment. And you can put a podcast out and have it be fun, enjoyable, whether it be a comedy show, movie review, role playing game. Many podcasters really enjoy entertaining the listeners. I think we all want to do that.

Speaker 2 00:16:00 Yeah, a lot of hoists, podcasters out there, you know, that aren't interested in the making money with it, they just wanna get on the microphone and have some fun.

Speaker 0 00:16:10 And of course, it's important to note these motivations often overlap. And single podcasters might be driven by several of these following reasons. You know, setting a goal is really the key here. And we've been talking about a little bit about, not necessarily goals, but why people create podcasts. But again, the goals can be about, well, it's not necessarily goal, but knowing a clear direction for your show, have a clear goal on what you want to accomplish with the show. And it really helps you determine what content you're gonna produce. It's gonna, you need to know who your target audience is gonna be in, how you're gonna reach them. And again, without a clear, clear goal, you may find yourself kind of wandering and producing content that feels disconnected or, or inconsistent.

Speaker 2 00:16:58 Yeah. I kind of create, remember the old commercial about you gotta make the donuts. You know, sometimes if a podcast gets to that point where it's like, oh, it's another chore, you know, that's if you don't have a clear goal, that's gonna happen quicker. And along with that motivation, you know, creating and maintaining podcasts requires a lot of work. You know, a lot of time, you know, you just don't throw these things together. You know, we, we spend time prepping for, for these shows, and we record them, and then we send 'em to the editor and they spend time, you know, it's, it's some work, especially if you're doing it all yourself. That's,

Speaker 0 00:17:33 That's a fact.

Speaker 2 00:17:34 You know, if you have a, a clear set goal for what you want to do with your show, you're gonna be more motivated to keep going

Speaker 0 00:17:43 And at the same time determine what your KPI's gonna be. If people said, what's the KPI measurement, what's your measurement of success? You know, goals give you a benchmark really to measure your progress in success. And again, if your goals are reach a certain number of listeners, or you're trying to get that press pass like I was trying to get, or you building authority, it really, again, what is going to be the success metric that you're gonna say, yes, I had a success for the show.

Speaker 2 00:18:13 And that's gonna be different for everybody

Speaker 0 00:18:15 Too. Everybody, but oftentimes people get wrapped around the numbers too much is, oh, Todd, I've only got 180 people listening to my episodes. And the thing I always tell folks is, is just imagine that you are actually, this is the best way to do it. Google what 180 people look like, and it'll show you a picture, right? Imagine, print that picture out and put it somewhere you can see it in your studio or wherever you record your podcast. And as you're getting ready to turn the microphone on, imagine you're walking onto a stage and they're sitting in a chair in front of you. If you can visualize that, not a lot of people get to go up and stand up in front of that many people on a weekly basis or however often you're publishing your show to talk to them. And if we think about that, you'll actually create a better podcast cuz you'll be better prepared to go out there and present to those folks.

Speaker 0 00:19:09 It's like going to, let's say you're gonna go speak to Rotary, and what's a typical rotary meeting? I would expect in small towns, it's 40 or 50 people, they're at a rotary meeting, and if you get asked to speak at Rotary, you're probably gonna spend a little extra time to be prepared to go speak to those 50 business people. Whereas your podcast, you're reaching this audience of very direct folks. So your success doesn't have to be 10,000 listeners or a hundred thousand. It could be that 180 and, and Hoffman does the people we work for actually reach 180 people. This is a small company, Mike, we're under 20 and, you know, who do I reach on a weekly basis? 20 people. But my podcast reaches a much, and this podcast reaches a much bigger audience,

Speaker 2 00:19:52 Right? For sure. You know, and having a goal also helps you figure out what resources you wanna allocate to your podcast. You know, for, you know, if your goal is to maximize listener engagement, you may choose to invest time into creating some interactive content or building a community on social. If your goal is to generate revenue, you might invest in advertising or some high quality production or equipment or whatever. So, you know, your goal kind of dictates how much you're gonna spend on it money-wise and other resources, time. You know, how much time are you gonna spend if it's just hobby?

Speaker 0 00:20:33 You know, I think branding's a big piece of podcasting and it's something people often overlook. You know, your your goal can help shape your podcast brand. And if your goal is to be the go-to source for a topic, this will influence the tone of the content and, and, and the marketing of your podcast. Again, it's, it's what you know. So when, when we say Podcast Insider, what does that really mean? That means we're talking about what's happening inside podcasting, helping you grow your show. It's really about the inside guts of the do's and don'ts of podcasting. Now, when I do my show, it's called Geek New Central. So what is that branding Invoke? It's about, it's a new show for, it's a tech show, it's a geek show. It's, it's a show that talks about technology. So your branding of your show name and, and the art that goes along with it really has to invoke again, what your goal is. But the biggest challenge in long-term podcasting is probably the next topic.

Speaker 2 00:21:35 Yeah. Audience retention. If you have a clear goal, it helps you create, you know, consistent experience for your listeners and they're more likely to stick around and they're, they may tell other people about it, so it may help you grow, but you know, growth is only part of it. You wanna also make sure you keep the people that are listening now, you know, audiences come and go, you know, that's kinda normal, but having that clear goal definitely helps.

Speaker 0 00:22:03 That audience retention piece is important, um, to keeping them engaged and giving them a fresh look and, and, and keeping it entertaining. But really in the end, I think the last topic we've got to talk about here is about strategic partnerships. If your goal involves partnerships or monetization, it's vital to be clear about this upfront. You know, potential partners and sponsors will want to know your podcast goals to see if they align with your own or that partnership could be a business or maybe it's your own business where you're trying to, um, that strategic partnership is I'm creating content to get leads for my business. And you have to make sure that those meld together in a, in a, in efficient way. So, you know, I think we've covered a bunch of stuff here. Again, there's, there's probably a lot more topics we could cover in strategies and goals, but your goals should be specific and they should be measurable, achievable, and relevant to set yourself up for success. Did, did I miss anything, Mike?

Speaker 2 00:23:10 No, I think, uh, good here. So, uh, hey, we really would like to hear from you, you know, what, what was the goal when you started or what is the goal? If you're, uh, currently thinking about starting what you know, let's talk it out. There's probably some other goals and, and stuff in here that we didn't cover. Yeah, let us know. It's Mike, Todd, or McKenzie, any one of us@blueberry.com.

Speaker 0 00:23:37 Thank you so much. Happy podcasting.

Speaker 1 00:23:41 Thanks for joining us. Let's meet up next week. And in the meantime, for more information to subscribe, share or follow, check out the show notes@podcastinsider.com to check out our latest suite of services and help Blueberry can help you leverage your podcast. Visit blueberry.com. That's blueberry without the ease.