Podcast Talent Coach

Should You Change Your Introduction? - Episode 107   Should you change your introduction? Is it time to freshen it up?   I get this question a lot when I'm coaching clients. Before we can adequately answer the question, we need to examine the purpose of an introduction.   The first thing we learned in speech class was the structure of a speech. A good speech is built with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Your podcast is no different. However, it may be structured like a series of tiny speeches.   Let's just look at the introduction of the podcast itself.   Your introduction should set up your podcast. It should be an intriguing introduction that tells the listener exactly what the podcast is all about. What will I get when I listen? It doesn't matter whether your podcast is 10 minutes or 60 minutes long. You need to tell the listener what is to come.   "Welcome to the Podcast Talent Coach Podcast. My name is Erik Johnson. Over the next 30 minutes, we will help you transform your information into eng

6 Ways Stories Make Your Podcast Powerful   The art of storytelling can be powerful. A story can pass life lessons from one generation to another. Tales can help people remember information. Stories bring words to life.   There have been thousands of great storytellers throughout time. You don't need to be Chaucer or one of the Brothers Grimm to use stories to make your content come alive. Use stories wherever possible, and your information will become engaging and entertaining. It will also be memorable.   Here are six ways stories help the information in your podcast become powerful, engaging content.   A LAND FAR, FAR AWAY   Stories help your listener escape his everyday life. A tale that is told well will transport your listener to another place and time through their imagination. You help them forget their problems.   When you tell stories in your podcast, you give your listener hope. Tales of success help your listener see what is possible. Tragic stories make him thankful for what he has. Stories that

How To Improve Your Podcast In 9 Steps - Episode 105   Sometimes you are just too close to the content to recognize the issues.   I was recently working with two coaching clients. They were both struggling with the introduction to their episodes. The opening of the shows didn't feel powerful enough.   As we dug into the shows with each podcaster, we realized they were missing their “why”. The hosts were not giving their listeners compelling reasons to stick around.   We would never have realized the issue had we not performed the show review.   In sports, coaches and athletes watch game film. Corporations use the annual review. Scientists incorporate theory evaluation. In the world of podcasting and radio, we call it the aircheck show critique.   Review your work. It is the best way to improve your show. Listening to the podcast like a member of the audience will reveal things you don't hear while you're recording the show. Your review will expose areas that need attention and focus.   There are a few ways to

  Have You Tried These 6 Audio Imagination Tricks? - Episode 104   Imagination. It is the wonderful result of recorded audio. When you listen to the radio, podcasts, audiobooks or other recorded audio, the imagination is in full motion. Your imagination belongs to you and you alone. You have full control. Your imagination is unlike any other.   Your imagination is used for your sole benefit. The characters and scenes created in your “Theater of the Mind” are exactly how you want them to look. The images are created in your mind in a way that gives you the greatest pleasure. It is all to benefit you.   The wonderful details in a story can stir the imagination in magical ways.   Last week, we talked about the element of surprise and delight within your podcast. Pieces of audio can add a wonderful element of surprise.   Video typically doesn't stimulate the imagination the way audio does. When you see a car in a video, you know exactly what it looks like. If you and I both see a car in a video, we would both des

Purple Cow Your Podcast Brand – Episode 103   The unexpected is amusing, delightful and memorable. Being direct assumes your listener cares about your marketing message. She doesn’t. Your listener cares about her needs, wants and desires. Attract her attention by doing the unexpected.   In his book “The Purple Cow”, Seth Godin says, “Cows, after you've seen one or two or ten, are boring. A purple cow, though … ow that would be something.” Phenomenal, counterintuitive, exciting and unbelievable.   If you want to get noticed, you need to stand out. You cannot afford to be a different shade of gray.   BJ Bueno in his book “The Power Of Cult Branding” describes the same. Oprah, Star Trek, Harley Davidson, Apple, Vans shoes. They are cult brands because they are incredibly different. They are not simply a percentage better or brighter or less filling. They are different.   Just a side note, if you would like to support the show, use the affiliate links to both of these books. Physical versions: "Purple Cow" Purple

How To Define Your Avatar Or Target Listener - Episode 102   As we develop our business around our podcast, we strive to build trust. In order to build trust, we must develop relationships with our listeners. Friendships are created when you truly know everything about a person. This is the reason it is crucial that you define your single target listener.   Many podcasters refer to their target listener as their avatar. This person is the single individual around which you create all of your content.   To develop your business, you need to define your niche. Your focus on your niche helps grow your community. The ideal customers within that niche gives the focus the power.   TRUST We have heard it said many times before. People do business with those they know, like and trust. This trust is what our friendship with our ideal listener is developing.   To build trust with our podcast, we need to have a conversation with one person. In order to do that, we need to define that ideal listener. Our target listener.

What If I Get Too Much Engagement? (Listener Questions Part 2) - Episode 101   THANK YOU!   We have made it through 100 episodes. With your help, I have been creating this podcast for nearly two years. Thank you, thank you, thank you.   On this episode, I want to finish the special show we began last week. This is part two of the questions I have received from listeners.   NEW PATHS   I have never had another person on the show. Up to this point, I have simply been sharing my 25 years of broadcasting knowledge with you.   For the 100 episode milestone, I invited a few listeners to join me on the show to share their questions about podcast content and creation.   The response and questions were so great, I had to split the show into two episodes in order to keep it to about 30 minutes each. This week is part two. If you missed the first half, subscribe to the show and give it a listen.   A few questions allow us to dive into some new material. A few help us explore a few topics a little deeper. There are even

How Do I ____ In My Podcast? - Episode 100   THANK YOU!   Welcome to Episode 100. With your help, I have been creating this podcast for 100 episodes.   On this episode, I want to do something special.   NEW PATHS   I have never had another person on the show. Up to this point, I have simply been sharing my 25 years of broadcasting knowledge with you.   Today, I have invited a few listeners to join me on the show to share their questions about podcast content and creation.   The response and questions were so great, I had to split the show into two episodes in order to keep it to about 30 minutes each.   A few questions allow us to dive into some new material. A few help us explore a few topics a little deeper. There are even a few twists along the way.   FRIENDS & INSPIRATION   Here are the people who join on this episode and inspire me to do this each week.   Dave Jackson – School of Podcasting "How do you get used to talking to the wall when doing a solo show?"   Steve Stewart – Money Plan SOS "The impo

Steps To Develop Your Show Strategy - Episode 099   Developing your strategy involves determining how you will uniquely address each topic. Whether you are presenting information, answering questions or interviewing guests, there are many ways to address each topic. You do not need to do it the same way every other podcast does it.   Be unique. Find the way that will stand out.   If you are interviewing, do you need to ask the same questions that every other podcast asks? What if you play a game with each guest called “The Hat of Forbidden Questions”. It's a hat filled with crazy questions. You simply reach in the hat, pull out a question and ask whatever is on the card.   The hat method is completely different than every other podcast. This approach will also generate unique answers while engaging your guest in a unique manner.   Here is a tip many people forget. This is show business. You could play “The Hat of Forbidden Questions” and never even have a hat. You could have a list of crazy questions for your

4 Ways To Make Your Podcast Different Starting Today – Episode 098   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 basically an incarnation of the Dodge Neon, 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

3 Steps To The Art Of The Tease – Episode 097   When you want your listeners to stick around and listen to what you have to say, you need to give them a compelling reason. Your listener needs to anticipate what is to come later in the show. You need to excite them. You need to tease them.   Anticipation is a key feature to storytelling. Your story should build just like a good plot builds in a movie. You need to make your audience anticipate the content that is on the way.   Your story is similar to a vacation you are planning to take. The fantastic anticipation for the trip is almost as pleasurable as the trip itself. You can't wait for the trip to arrive. You want your listener to feel the same way about your story.   When your listener can't wait for the story to arrive, you have created some great content with an powerful tease. Your listeners will get more enjoyment from your show when they get the tease payoff more often. The pleasure of the “oh wow” factor will be increased. The joy of anticipation wil

PTC096 – Why Is Dumas So Successful   Thank you!   Thanks for all the e-mail over the past few weeks. Seems my four-episode series on interviewing really got you thinking. Such great questions have been filling my inbox.   We will talk about a few of the interviewing questions on the episode this week. We will also discuss how to remove crutches from your podcast.   Here are a few of the questions ...     Erik, as I am listening to WTF's Thursday episode when he was recapping the behind the scenes of the President's visit, I thought it coincided with your episode this past week, because he was talking about how long the process took. (Host Marc) Maron's producer said exactly what you said about keeping up great relations and communications even if the interview didn't seem likely to happen. I love your podcast. Keep up the great work. -Kim Slusher www.DIStractedLifePodcast.com (A podcast about Walt Disney World travel.)     Erik, quick note to say I've been enjoying your podcast on interviewing people. Will y

Six Tips To Land Better Podcast Interviews – Episode 095   How do you land the big interview guests? This is part four of my series on interviewing.   In Episode 092, we talked about interview priority #1. We talked about making your guest look good. When you make your guest look good, everyone wins.   In Episode 093, you learned two steps to powerful interviews. To create unique interviews, be sure you ask creative, interesting questions. Then, be sure to actively listen to the answers.   Then, in Episode 094, we discussed the three skills of great interviewers. To create engaging content that stands out in the sea of sameness, great interviewers learn to lose the script, know their guest and not just the bio, and keep the interview focused on the guest.   Before we get into finding guests for your show, let's talk a bit more about great questions. When you develop the ability to find engaging, unique questions, you are well on your way to creating a podcast that will stand out.   Turn Over The Interview Ro

3 Skills of Great Interviewers – Episode 094   (This is part 3 of a 4-part series on interviewing.)   So many podcasts sound similar. The same guests. The same questions. The same answers. The sea of sameness.   As a podcasters who conducts interviews, how do you stand out? How do you make your interviews different and unique when compared to the others in your genre?   Podcasters that create powerful, unique, engaging interviews possess common traits. After coaching radio talent for over 2 decades and conducting my own interviews for 25 years, I have learned the skills that are necessary to conduct great interviews.   There is good news. You can easily learn these skills and begin to rise above the rest of the vanilla interviewers.   Let's go over all three skills.   Lose The Script   When you are interviewing a guest on your podcast, be real. Be present in the moment. Truly listen to the answers your guest is giving. Your next question may come from that answer, and the question many be nowhere in your note

Two Steps To Powerful Interviews – Episode 093   Last week, we discussed the #1 priority of your interviews. That episode was part one of a series on interviewing.   This week, I would like to share with you the two steps to take in order to create powerful interviews.   Over the 25 years I have been on the radio and coaching radio talent, I have had the opportunity to interview many, many people. More importantly, I have had the chance to discuss the art of interviewing with celebrities, managers, coaches, consultants, radio talent and many others in the industry.   Time and time again, I hear the same thing. There are two elements that create successful interviews. Now, you can use these two steps to create great interviews on your podcast.   Don't Ask That Question   If you have a decent guest on your podcast, they have probably been interviewed many, many times about the same subject. Popular guests often get bored with the same questions being posed to them over and over again.   To make your interview t

Podcast Interview Priority #1 – Episode 092   I recently received an e-mail from Bill Frank. He discovered me at NMX2015.   Bill was wondering how my coaching may help him with his interview show. I thought you may be having the same question.   This week, with the hope of helping you improve your interviews, I would like to begin sharing some of what I have learned while interviewing guests on the radio for 25 years.   You can find Bill Frank at brainstorminonline.com. His show in iTunes is called “Brainstorming with Billy The Brain".   Make 'Em Look Good   When you have a guest on your podcast, it is your job as the interviewer to make the interviewee look good. You are the professional. You know everything there is to know about your podcast. Your guest is new to your show. They may even be new to interviewing. Help them.   When you help your guest get comfortable and look good, you help them successfully promote whatever it is they came on your show to promote. They will be grateful for that. Your guest w

My Podcast Resource Toolkit – Episode 091   (These tools can be found on the resource page at PodcastTalentCoach.com. Most links on that page are affiliate links. I receive a variable commission for all purchases made using those links.)   We are coming up on episode 100 of Podcast Talent Coach. This podcast has been up and running for a little over 18 months.   I thought this would be a good time to review the tools I use to in my business. This includes the tools I use to create my podcast, website and newsletter. We will also review the resources I use to learn, grow and develop.   I have been using most of these resources for at least 18 months. Some have been used longer. A couple tools are more recent. For the most part, I have been a long time user and have been quite happy with each of them.   That is why I feel confident recommending them to you. You can find affiliate links to most of these online at PodcastTalentCoach.com.   COACHING RESOURCE This list doesn’t include much technical information, su

4 Essential Elements of Powerful Storytelling   Why should you use storytelling in your podcast?   Have you noticed a lot of the business interview podcasts sound the same? We are hearing the same guests answer the same questions time and time again. How do you become unique in this sea of sameness?   Use stories.   Storytelling can transform your podcast.   The power of storytelling can help listeners get to know, like and trust you. Through that knowledge, true friendships are formed. Stories help define you and your character and personality. Great storytellers create fans.   Don't fit in, stand out.   In this episode, we discussed great storytellers in various genres, such as country singer/songwriter Lee Brice, pop singer/songwriter Jason Mraz, Walt Disney and Zig Ziglar. All are great storytellers in their own right.   In podcasting, you cannot afford to be boring. Interest in your story never remains constant. Your information can only become entertainment when interest is rising. A great story continu

What Is Holding You Back? – PTC Episode 089   At New Media Expo 2015, I met many podcasters that were weeks and months away from launching.   "I'm 30 days away from launching.”   "I'm about 90 days from going live with my podcast.”   "I'm still conducting interviews preparing for my launch this summer.”   What is holding you back?   I know what you feel. I was in your shoes when launching my podcast. Planning. Learning. Researching. Trying to get it just right.   Don't let perfection keep you from launching.   We often let procrastination creep into our lives disguised as “planning” and “researching”. We tell ourselves we will launch right after we complete a few more steps on our “to do” list.   Here is the problem: The “to do” list keeps growing preventing us from launching.   When I was launching, I started with a blog. The blog grew slowly. I finally came to the realization that podcasters would rather listen to podcasts than read.   My podcast planning began.   I started watching videos on podcasting. Po

A Memorable Podcast Brand – PTC Episode 088   Do they remember?   When you consider the options podcast listeners have, the importance of creating a powerful brand really becomes apparent.   I searched iTunes for podcasts about hockey. There are hundreds of hockey podcasts available. Thousands and thousands of episodes exist that deal with hockey. You can find various topics, including drills, NHL teams, coaching, fantasy hockey and many more.   How do you stand out? How do you get noticed?   Your listener needs to remember your podcast, so they can return and listen again. That is the way to build a following. It really doesn't matter how many people listen today. What builds a strong podcast is the number of listeners that come back the next time, and the next time, and the time after that. You build your audience slowly with more listeners this week than you had last week. Get your listener to remember to return.   Using your brand to create strong relationships with your listeners is critical to the healt