Hey podcaster! – I’m working hard this week putting together an eBook on getting your first 100,000 podcast downloads. It’s going to be jam-packed with value so stay tuned!
Affiliate Partner of the Week
Want professional-sounding audio? You need Auphonic.
Brandon from the Mad Fientist podcast recommended Auphonic to me before Eilidh and I started Generally Spooky History. It was a game-changer.
It meant that our audio sounded professional from day one, even with no experience in audio production. It automatically boosts and levels all the audio while removing background noise so your voice rings out true.
I’ve subscribed to the monthly S package for almost 3 years now.
What Makes Your Podcast Different From Anything Else in the World
Your podcast is one in a million because you host it.
But that’s not quite enough.
You need to articulate what you are offering that makes your podcast unique to all the other podcasts out there. After all, it’s unlikely you’re going to be the only one talking about your subject, but you can position yourself as a singular podcast in your space.
Describe your podcast
Recently, I came across an exercise that will cement in your mind why your podcast is different.
It’s from the book Make Noise by Eric Nuzum:
“Write a ten-word description of your show or concept in a way that distinguishes it from anything else in the world”
A simple but powerful exercise that forces you to think about what your podcast offers. For example, if you did this and described your podcast as:
“A movie review podcast with plenty of laughs and discussion.”
It’s fine, but the problem is that a dozen podcasts fit that description. It doesn’t tell me anything about your podcast. You need to go deeper and figure out exactly what your podcast offers.
To succeed, you can’t be replaceable
No one should be able to listen to a different podcast than yours and get the same thing. In other words, we don’t need a podcast like Joe Rogan’s because we already have Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Your ten-word description will force you to stand alone and create a unique and valuable show. Its uniqueness will drive your growth because you’ll know what you offer and who it’s for.
Kieran MacRaeI was listening to Chris Hutchins and Jay Clouse talk about podcasting, and Chris kept repeating the same advice: put your content and audience first.
In the interview with Jay, he talks about regularly turning down offers from big-name guests who want to come on the show because he knows they can’t provide what his audience expects. In other words, they don’t fit into his ten-word description, so he can confidently say no.
Don’t make it if it doesn’t fit your ten-word description.
Listeners love consistency
People put too much stock in showing up every week without fail. While that type of consistency can be good, consistency is also about listener expectations.
In my show, Generally Spooky History, we do the deep dive. When people show up, they know they should expect a multiple-hour episode covering all the details of the topic we’re covering.
Our ten-word description is “Deep dives into Scottish history and its spooky stories”
Because “deep dive” is part of our ten-word description, it becomes part of our brand and what we offer. You come to our show, and the above is what you get. We don’t cover world history, current affairs, or anything else. You get deep dives into Scottish history.
TLDR
Write your ten-word description and then ask if any other podcast could fit that description.
Then try again, going deeper and breaking apart the why behind it. Do this, and you’ve created a north star for your content.
Community Wins
A Fresh Story Podcast was ranked #1 by Goodpods in the Personal Journal category
DG Early-Morning Show had a Nobel prize winner as a guest!
The Life Shift Pod crossed 30,000 downloads and 100,000 views on YouTube!
Social Anxiety Life crossed 3,000 downloads
Hear Me Out with IFE joined the 20-episode club and crossed 1,000 downloads!
If you have a win you want to share, hit reply!
How I Can Help You
1) Free 5-day Podcast Marketing Fundamentals Course – Learn the basics of what it takes to grow a popular show, get more listeners, and earn more money from your podcast. The five day email course is totally free
2) The Template Vault – Learn how to grow your podcast on autopilot. Get fill-in-the-blank templates to set up your podcast’s foundation for growth, success, and making money.
3) Podcast Marketing Coaching– I am an experienced podcast coach, and I want to help you master your podcast marketing. Check out my full list of services and discover how we can work together.
4) Recommended Tools– These are the tools I use to grow my podcast. I focus on tools that improve quality and save time.
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