OVERCOME YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE

What is your biggest challenge? I get many questions about all facets of podcasting.

Today we are going to overcome a variety of listener challenges.

Cathy wants to know how long her podcast should be. Behiye is stuggling with echo in the audio. Dave just wants to get started. And Kate’s challenge is getting clients.

If you have a challenge with your podcast journey, you can always email me at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. I would love to help you overcome that challenge right here on the show.

 

HOW LONG

Cathy’s challenge:

How long should my podcast be?

 

There is not such thing as too long, only too boring. My radio coaches have told me that for decades.

It is true in every area of life. Have you ever been in a conversation wondering if it will ever end? You’re wondering if there is a point to the story they are telling. That’s what I’m talking about.

When I was getting my architecture degree, we had to take Architectural History. Not just one, but three levels of history.

If you love architecture, you love architectural history. The cathedrals, the Greek classics, the modern movement. There is so much beauty.

When I took Architectural History, it was a completely different story.

The professor would stand at the podium at the front of the tiered lecture hall. He would turn off the lights and turn on the slides.

For the next hour and fifteen minutes, he would proceed to read his notes in a monotone voice for each slide as we took notes and sketched the building on the screen.

There was no story. No engagement. Just facts in a monotone voice.

To make it worse, the class was at 8 in the morning. As a college kid, that was never good.

I would sometimes leave class to get a soda from the machine upstairs just to stay awake.

Twice a week, it was the longest hour of my life.

BROADCASTING

In my fourth year of school, I took Broadcast Management as I was considering a degree change to journalism.

Dr. Walklin taught Broadcast Management.

Every class, he would tell us about a great station that created a unique experience for their fans.

Dr. Walklin would tell stories of stations that got in trouble or got sued for something they did. But, people were still talking about it 30 years later.

In that class, we got to design our own fantasy radio station. We discussed why it would work and why it wouldn’t. We learned about other station launches.

The conversations in that class were electric.

That’s the difference between too long and too boring.

Tell stories and be engaging. As long as the momentum of the show is moving forward and keeping your listeners engaged, length doesn’t matter.

Audio host Libsyn did a study of the top podcasts on the platform. They found that half of the podcasts were longer than an hour and half of the shows were shorter than an hour.

There is no magic number. Engage your audience and be consistent.

 

GARBAGE IN

Behiye’s challenge:

It’s about reverb. Twofold need; How to avoid echo in the room from happening and how to edit it once it happened?

Best regards.

Behiye

 

Unfortunately, you can’t do much with audio that is recorded poorly. You can clean it up a bit with some effects. But, you can’t make it perfect.

Garbage in equals garbage out.

I once did an interview with Natalie Merchant. It was an opportunity that came my way while I was working at a station that played her solo stuff after she left 10,000 Maniacs.

Natalie was coming to town, and I had the chance to interview her over the phone.

After we completed the chat and I let her go, I listened back to the audio. It was horrible. There was a lot of hiss and fuzz from the phone line.

There was very little I could do to save the conversation. I used bits and pieces that you could understand, but had to throw most of it away.

If you record poor audio, you’re stuck with it. So, make sure your audio is clean with a test recording before you do the full show.

CLEAN AUDIO CHALLENGE

Once the echo is recorded, it is difficult to remove it. There are 3 things you can do to get better audio.

1. Record in a room with soft surfaces. Hard, parallel surfaces like hard countertops, tile floors and bare walls create the echo. If your room has hard surfaces, hang some blankets in front of you to absorb the sound. I sometimes hang a sleeping bag over a stepladder in front of me to help.

2. Work the mic closely. The microphone should nearly be touching your lips or chin. No more than the width of two fingers away.

3. Ensure the mic is a directional mic and set up properly. This will prevent it from picking up room noise.

Use those tips and your audio should be much cleaner.

 

JUST START

Dave’s challenge:

Just getting started. That’s what I’m struggling with.

Cheers,

-Dave

 

The first step is the first step. Don’t get overwhelmed by the entire process. Just take the first step.

In the Winter of 2015 and again in the Summer 2016, I stop podcasting. For about 8 weeks there was no new episode of Podcast Talent Coach. Life just got in the way.

We were traveling, and it cause me to miss a week. That week turned into two.

Two weeks turned into four. Next thing I know, I hadn’t published for 2 months.

I knew I needed to get back at it. But the outline, the topic, the content, the recording, the editing, the posting, the promoting… it all seemed daunting.

Where was I going to find the time.

Well, I just took the first step. I brainstormed 50 different topics. It wasn’t about the entire process. I only wanted to get the first step done.

Once I had 50 topics, I selected 3 that really sparked my interest. I created outlines for those 3.

It was a matter of taking the next step. I wasn’t concerned with every step. Just the next step.

Let one step lead to the next. Soon, you’ll have your episode published.

Just take the first step. Open the mic and start. Schedule it, and get it done.

 

CONFIDENCE CHALLENGE

Greg’s challenge:

Time and self confidence are big for me. If it isn’t scheduled it didn’t happen and we tend to focus on the easy things first. Got my intro done that took about 5 takes now don’t seem to find time for first episode and when I do I draw a blank on content.

 

My Godson plays high school baseball. He is a big boy who plays first base and can really crush the ball.

He was at bat in the first game of the season with bases loaded and jacked a grand slam homerun. 4 runs.

There were two guys on base for his next at bat. He hit another homerun. 3 more runs.

7 runs in two at bats. You don’t need to know baseball to know that is pretty good.

He’s in another game in the middle of the season a few months later. For his first at bat, he hit a long drive to right center field. The right fielder makes an incredible dive to catch the ball for an out.

On his next at bat, he drive the ball straight up the middle just like you want to do as a batter. The ball ends up hitting the pitchers glove enough to slow it down. The pitcher throws him out at first.

Then for his third and last at bat, he hit a long ball all the way to the center field wall. The center fielder catches it about five feet in front of the fence for another out.

After hitting zero for three in that game, he tells his dad he doesn’t believe he is good enough to play college baseball.

RESULTS VS HIGHLIGHTS

His dad made a great point. He said we often compare our results to the highlights of others.

On paper, Joseph went zero for three. Evaluating the game, he nearly went three for three with a home run. It was all a matter of inches.

We are often our toughest critics.

Speak to your younger self. Create content for the person you were a few years ago. Help that person get to where you are without all of the struggles.

 

RESOURCES

David’s Challenge:

I haven’t started a podcast yet but have plans to do so soon. Any resources you can share will be truly appreciated.

Thanks.

-David

 

There are few resources you can use.

First, visit www.podcasttalentcoach.com/launch. You can find my free podcast launch minicourse. That will show you what it takes.

Next, check out www.podcasttalentcoach.com/workshop. I am holding a podcast fast workshop to help a group of people launch their podcast in a weekend.

Bruce came to me for some coaching. He wanted to launch a podcast around a book he had written.

As we do during my podcast strategy calls, we started talking about his goals. Bruce really wanted to help the world get healthier.

Our next step was to determine where he is today. Bruce tells me he purchased his microphone two years ago and has wanted to start his podcast ever since.

Sometimes the learning can get overwhelming. The more YouTube videos you find, the more different ways to create a podcast you’ll find.

To launch, purchase a USB microphone. A Samson Q2U will cost you about $70 in the U.S. Plug the mic into your computer.

Download Audacity. It is free software. You’ll record your episode there.

Export it as an .mp3. Upload it to an audio host like Libsyn. Share the RSS feed with the podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify.

That’s the basic process.

During the Podcast Fast Workshop, I’ll answer your questions and refine the nuances of your process. We’ll eliminate the guessing.

 

WHAT MAKES A PODCAST

Gary’s challenge:

I’m struggling with how to actually deploy a podcast. Can I call it a podcast if I do a series of LinkedIn Lives or Facebook Lives interviewing experts offering services to my target market?

 

Technically, as podcast is distributed through an RSS feed. It stands for real simple syndication.

By definition, a podcast is a digital audio file made available on the internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically.

The automatic part comes through subscription via an RSS feed.

You can do a series of LinkedIn Lives or Facebook Lives and call it a podcast. But it won’t technically be a podcast, because people can’t subscribe and have it automatically show up on their phone or computer.

To distribute a podcast, you will use an audio host. I am an affiliate for Libsyn. You can get your first month for free at Libsyn.com with the promo code PTC.

An audio host is like a storage unit for your audio. And your RSS feed is like the address to your storage unit.

You give your RSS feed, or your address, to all of the podcast players like Apple and Spotify. Then each time you upload a new episode to your audio host, it is automatically ingested into the podcast players via the RSS feed.

We cover all of that during the Podcast Fast Workshop. You can see all the details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/workshop.

 

GET CLIENTS CHALLENGE

Kate’s challenge:

I have no idea how to convert listeners into clients. I use the books I have written as “sponsors” of the show, but am not sure what else to do without blatantly saying in a show, “I am a brain health coach”.

 

I’m not sure why it’s bad to blatantly tell people you’re a brain health coach. It is what you do.

As long as you serve people and give them value, it is perfectly acceptable to give them the opportunity to go deeper with you. In fact, you owe it to them to get more if they want it.

I had known my friend Dave for about six months when he mentioned his book.

“Whoa, wait! You have a book?”

Dave says, “Yeah, it has been out for about a year now.”

I ask him how I didn’t know about that and why he has never mentioned it.

He tells me, “I don’t mention it much, because I don’t want people to feel I’m beating them over the head with it.”

I say, “Dave, you’ve never mentioned it. How do you expect people to buy it and benefit from it if you never tell them it’s available?”

To turn your listeners into clients, offer your listeners value on your show. Inspire them with the why. Then, give them a chance to go deeper with you if they choose.

As long as they benefit from the first part of the show, there is no guilt in giving them the chance to get even more.

I have a great resource for you. It is 7 ways to attract your ideal clients. You can download it for free at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/attract.

 

LET ME HELP

If you don’t have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.