Why I Have a Podcast and You Should Too
Photo via Jeffrey Zeldman on Flickr
"Finding a content gap where we could offer something truly differentiated was critical. The news coverage worked. We were able to save our audience time every week and told them what we thought was the most important news of the week."
Source: Content Marketing Institute
After starting my blog, getting on Twitter and starting an email newsletter, the next best thing I ever did for my business was to start a podcast, which many of you know is CauseTalk Radio. This week Megan Strand and I will air our 243rd episode!
There are a lot of benefits to having a podcast beyond amassing a huge following that you can monetize with advertising and sponsorships. I say this because the listenership for CauseTalk Radio is small - just a few thousand downloads a month. And while we have done some advertising on the show, the money isn't what keeps the show going.
This is what does:
My friendship with Megan Strand. The show would have never happened or continued as long as it has without Megan.
- We share the work, but Megan does most of it. She books the guests and prepares us for the show. While I often brag that she does this work because I'm the "talent," and would rather hang out in the "green room," the real talented one is Megan!
- Megan recruited Pete Wright at Rash Pixel to produce the show (Another thing I don't do! But as Joe Pulizzi explains the process here, producing a podcast needn't be that complicated.)
- We keep each other accountable. We push each other to find guests, schedule shows and try new things (and stop doing things that are irritating or don't work!)
If you start your own podcast, definitely consider having a co-host, especially one that complements your skills. I don't consider myself a great listener or interviewer - but Megan is! However, I'm good at lightening the show up and making fun of guests! What Megan would do without me I'll never know!
I get to learn something new every week. Many of you know that I'm am an infovore. I love learning new things. I do a lot of reading during the week, but I don't have many direct conversations with people in the field of cause marketing. The podcast gives me a chance to do that.
Regardless of how busy I am, I know that I will learn at least one new thing from our podcast. A second benefit is that the podcast gives me fodder for other content (e.g. blog posts, ebooks, infographics).
Podcasting is the new networking. Talking to someone online for half an hour is a great to way build a connection. I've met some great people through the podcast. Why not start a podcast so you can talk to the people you would eventually like to call clients? Think about it. When you have podcast, prospects come to you. If you're a lazy networker like I am, it doesn't get much easier than this.
Some Podcasts to Listen to
For some of you, podcasting is a new thing. And it really does help to listen to a few good ones before you start your own. Here's where I would start.
This Old Marketing - Alas, the team on this show is wrapping up production this month.😭 Still, go back and listen to some of the older shows. Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi do a great job talking about the key happenings in the world of content marketing.
Six Pixels of Separation - Mitch Joel is a wicked smarty and a great interviewer. If it's true that the quality of one's questions determines the quality of the answers, Mitch asks some outstanding questions!
Smart Passive Income - Pat Flynn is a super guy and is great at picking guests that explain step-by-step how they are making money online. Pat asks great questions because he really knows his stuff! A real pro.
The Speaker Lab - Hosted by Grant Baldwin, I always learn something useful from this show. Grant is great at getting people to share their secrets of building a successful career with professional speaking.
