Hello, and welcome to my latest Business Podcasting Tip Sheet.
It may seem somewhat defeatist to publish a weekly hints journal about something, only to almost reach double figures, and then issue one entitled My ALL TIME Number 1 Podcasting Tip.
Surely that entry should come further along in the series, like, maybe at the end?!
Well, I’ll explain why in just a moment.
I should also explain, I am simultaneously about to try and get away with giving you My ALL TIME Number 1 Podcasting Tip whilst completely going against it.
This week, in addition to all my other stuff, I’m also working away from home on Smooth Radio in Glasgow on the breakfast show here.
I absolutely love everything I do for a living, but being on the radio is special to me – it was, and remains, my very first love in a working sense.
The longer I get to spend in this magical industry, the luckier I feel, because I genuinely didn’t realise what had happened when I got into it.
I’d found my passion.
And I talk these days, somewhat feebly, when I recall a conversation I had with my wife in my early forties. It literally took that long for the penny to drop.
I can’t remember the preamble for this particular conversation, but the outcome was me utterly naively and child-like stumbling upon the fact that not everyone had travelled the same path I had, where they’d tried something, didn’t quite fit, tried something else and found the one thing they adored most in the world.
I’d embodied that old adage.
Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
My wife’s withering reply to me wrongly assuming this was what happens to everyone was “Do you really think I’m passionate about accountancy?!”.
Word to the wise here, and I think this is common to most. Don’t fear the shouting. Fear the slow, clipped words, in an almost whispering sentence, because the control required to prevent that from boiling over is extreme.
At this point, I didn’t posit my theory that ‘somebody must’ be passionate about accountancy, because adrenalin was in charge of my body and it was counting the number and accessibility of exits from the room.
Anyway, like I said, I’ve never underestimated just how lucky I am to be feeding a passion and making a living.
But, I digress.
We’re here for My ALL TIME Number 1 Podcasting Tip, and I’ll get to it in a minute, I promise.
Just one other thing.
It’s only when I do early shift for a week and get up at 3 or 4 in the morning for 5 days in a row before behaving like a sloth come 10 in the morning, that my appreciation for those who work shifts of abnormal hours rises exponentially.
I’ve worked various shift patterns in my life, and when they’re regular, you can make a lifestyle around any of them, but when you’re on days one week, nights the next and overnights the week after, I have no idea how you cope.
Hat Tip.
OK, back to My ALL TIME Number 1 Podcasting Tip.
The reason I’m doing this now, is because at the moment I’m receiving a lot of queries along the lines of “OK, I’ve started my podcast, and we’re going great guns, but I’m not seeing the returns I’d hoped for in the listening numbers as yet. How do I get more bums on seats?”
The truth is, there are a number of things we can do at this point, because making any type of content and sharing it with the world is simply not enough for the world to turn up and pay attention.
Just ask Piers Morgan at Talk TV 6 months from now.
We can, we have and we will look at a number of ways to increase the audience of your podcast in both previous and future Tip Sheets.
But none of those are My ALL TIME Number 1 Podcasting Tip, which I’m going to share with you now.
Are you ready?
Are you sure?
Really?
OK.
Here it comes.
My Number 1 ALL TIME Podcasting Tip is this….
Don’t focus on attracting audience, concentrate on being better.
Nothing will encourage an audience to listen more than consistent levels of brilliance.
Why do you return anywhere?
Whether it’s a restaurant, a gym, a car wash or a hairdresser.
Why do you go back? Why do you recommend them to friends?
Because they’re great at what they do.
Things like price may enter into it, but, at the end of the day, the reason you want to share the experience with others is because it’s worth sharing.
That’s what you have to aim for with your podcast.
Consistent levels of delivery. And keep on batting.
And your audience will keep ticking upwards.
John Mellis is a radio and audio professional with over thirty years of experience in those sectors. Today, he operates in a variety of roles as a presenter for Global Media’s Smooth Radio across the UK, a BBC contributor and as a creator and host of multiple podcasts designed to promote the businesses and business owners who commission them. In this weekly Tip Sheet he introduces the concepts and building blocks for designing your own business podcast. You can subscribe to it below, as well as downloading John’s free ebook ‘Pitch Perfect Podcasts’ and sign up for the online course ‘Win Business Podcasting’ which takes you from newbie to nerd at your own pace so you can conceive, record and publish a business podcast of your own. Let’s make great conversation!
Sign up for our weekly Business Podcasting Tip Sheet below
Book A Discovery Call with John about YOUR podcast idea.