UNIQUE SHOWS COME FROM UNIQUE PERSONALITIES

When you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing. You’re not unique.

PICK A SIDE

Focus your topic on what you know best. Be opinionated. Be passionate. Pick a side. Be unique. Most of all, be consistent.

When you try to discuss an industry in general, your audience won’t know what to expect when they visit your show.

Let’s take Dave Ramsey for example. During the opening of “The Dave Ramsey Show”, Dave would say, “Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.”

Dave’s show is a personal finance show. Moreover, it is a show about getting out of debt. Dave helps people find ways to pay off their debt and become financially stable.

“The Dave Ramsey Show” didn’t discuss particular stocks or mutual funds. It didn’t discuss how to go about investing other than simply suggesting you sock away 15 percent of your income for retirement and then some for college.

Dave’s show recommends 7 basic steps to financial security. He has been doing a show on these 7 steps for over 30 years. Every show, everyday, every call. It was all about these 7 steps in some way or another.

When you tuned into “The Dave Ramsey Show”, you knew what you would get. Dave was focused.

CHANGING DAVE

As Dave gets older and closer to retirement, he is thinking about the future of the show and company. He changed the name of the show from The Dave Ramsey Show to The Ramsey Show.

To help him ease his way into retirement, Dave incorporates other Ramsey Personalities into the show as co-hosts or hosts when he is gone.

The show isn’t just hosted by Dave. When you tune in, it could be hosted by Ken Coleman, Rachel Cruze, Dr. John Delony, George Kamel or Jade Warshaw. It may even be hosted by a couple of them if Dave is not there.

The intro of the show has changed. When it was the Dave Ramsey show, Dave would say, “Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.”

Now with 6 different hosts with different areas of expertise, the intro of the show says, “Where we help people build wealth, do work that they love, and create amazing relationships.”

The show has become less focused on getting out of debt and personal wealth and more about life in general.

Before, I knew what I got. I was in financial trouble and needed answers.

Now, I could get anything. Does the show help me with my job search, or my relationship with my in-laws, or getting out of debt, or starting a business, or dealing with my boss, or my kids assuming I will watch the grandkids, or negotiating my credit card rate?

All of it. You don’t know what you’re going to get or who will be giving it to you.

The show is losing its clarity.

Give your podcast focus. Your audience will appreciate the consistency.

YOU UNIQUE

What makes you different?

When you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. Make people take notice.

You are an expert at your opinion. Give it to people. Take a stand. Pick a side.

Some of the nicest people make the worst podcast hosts. They try to please everyone in the audience. Those people tend to blend into the background and go unnoticed.

I once coached a radio host who was one of the best storytellers I had ever met. When he and I would meet one-on-one for coaching, he would tell me some of the funniest stories I had ever heard. He would tell me stories of his dad that would have me crying from laughing so hard.

He once told me his dad was absolutely convinced the PT Cruiser was the best car ever made. As much as my host would try to explain that the PT Cruiser was simply the Dodge Neon chassis with a different body, his father wouldn’t believe it.

The two of them would get in these heated arguments in public about this car. Of all the things in life you could argue about, this happened to be the PT Cruiser.

The way the story was told was full of fabulous details. The host really had the ability to make the stories come to life.

As much as I would encourage him, the host wouldn’t tell those stories on the radio. He didn’t believe the audience as a whole would be interested. Instead, he played it safe.

He only discussed vanilla content that wouldn’t upset anyone. Unfortunately, the show never took hold.

UPSET THEM

If you’re not upsetting someone, you aren’t trying hard enough.

I would much rather have half the audience hate me and the other half love me rather than the entire audience have no opinion one way or the other. If the audience doesn’t have an opinion, they don’t care. I’m doing nothing to stir their emotion if I’m not making them pick a side.

If you haven’t picked a side and really focused your topic, people won’t care. They won’t be passionate about your show.

Speak your mind. Be different. Get noticed. Make people care.

BIG PARTY

Big Party on the other hand lived his life on the radio.

I hired Mike from the college station to be the morning host on our Top 40 station. His on-air name was Big Party, because that’s exactly what you got.

Big Party has a unique perspective on the world. He would ask questions everyone wanted to ask, but was afraid of asking.

He would tell stories and share thoughts nobody would share. It was my job to help him share his stories and bring out the right pieces to create great content.

We shaped his stories to allow the audience get to know him and what he was all about. People loved it. And, they loved him.

Everywhere Party went, he knew people and they knew him.

The show was authentic, engaging, hilarious, and some of the best radio. His show quickly went to #1.

CONNECT

Your success is all about connecting, inspiring and motivating your listeners.

When you connect, inspire and motivate your audience, you stir emotions within your listener. Those emotions are powerful. Emotions make people come back for more, because the create a bonding relationship.

Connect with your listener by revealing things about yourself. Revelations make you human. They show your listener that you are a normal person and just like them. They can relate to you.

Tell your listener about yourself. Describe the mistakes you’ve made. Talk about your hardships. Discuss the obstacles you’ve overcome. Your listener will relate to that.

I WASN’T UNIQUE

When I first began in broadcasting, I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, I was getting my degree in Architecture. I started drafting when I was 13. That was all I ever wanted to do.

I fell into broadcasting by accident. While working weekends at a roller skating rink, I was offered a part-time job at a radio station running some equipment. I was making a few dollars to blow in college … while getting my degree in Architecture.

My first full-time broadcasting job came while still studying Architecture. Each day I was on the air, I felt like an imposter. What right did I have to be on the radio talking to thousands of people everyday? I didn’t know anything about broadcasting.

After finishing my Architecture degree, I stayed in radio. Everyday, I learned a little more about broadcasting. I read all I could about the field. Little by little, my confidence grew.

Years later, I realized I could reveal things about myself during my show. People did actually care about me. Relationships formed. Success came my way.

REVEAL THINGS

Self revelation during your show will help your relationships grow as well. Have confidence in yourself to connect with your audience.

Once you’ve started to build that relationship, you can begin to inspire your audience. If you can do it, they can do it, too. Give him hope. Light that fire of desire within her. Stir emotions. Describe success.

Now that your listener can envision success, show her how to get there. Motivate her to take action. Break the process down to small steps that she can easily take. Motivate her to take a step each day.

Connect, inspire and motivate your listener with each podcast. When you create strong relationships with your audience, you create fans for life. If I can turn a degree in Architecture into a career in broadcasting, you can be successful there as well. Make it happen.

YOUR UNIQUE AUTHORITY

To become an authority and influencer in your niche, you need to stand out and be unique. You can do that by sharing yourself.

Develop your personality and which parts you’d like to highlight on your show. Then, tell stories to develop that reputation with your audience. Build relationships.

 

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.