Selling Things Nobody Wants
Why Your Podcast Isn't Growing
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The Post Campaign Survey
In my last newsletter I talked about putting out my first email campaign. It worked in that people signed up, but not to the extent I wanted. I felt like I had blown it a bit. My business coach suggested I send an email asking people why they didn’t buy.
WHAT? This felt like a “In case you missed it, I failed” email.
But the one thing that drives me nuts is when people pay for my opinion and then ignore it. So I crafted an email (per my coaches instructions) in a “Help me make my next course/content” fashion. I explained how they can help shape the next content I create.
The Good News
The bottom line was this:
Most of the people on the list already had a podcast, and thought they were “past” the content I was serving. It’s not that my product was bad, or the presentation was bad. I was serving roast beef to vegetarians.
I got a fair amount of responses, and I am very happy that I took the advice of my coach.
The Bad News
The bad news is (and this is not shocking) people want to know how to grow their audience. When I provide feedback, insights, and examples, it often goes ignored.
So what people are often really saying is, “My podcast isn’t growing, and I feel like I’m doing all the right things, but I want you to help me grow it. I’m prepared to do everything I currently do (that’s not working, that’s why I hired you) and nothing more. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, and expect a different result.
OR
So what you’re really saying when you ask for feedback, “Please agree with everything I’ve done to this point (that’s not working) and tell me to keep doing the same thing because I’m not going to change.”
This can be quite frustrating, but at least now I know what I’m up against. The one thing that every teacher wants is a willing student.
So dear reader, how open to feedback are you? I’m not talking about opinions. I’m talking about things you can measure (you and the guest vary GREATLY in volume, you made the same point five times in a row, the title on your artwork is so small you can’t read it, that set it and forget it player has zero SEO).
I listened to my coach, and it helped. If you’re paying for a coach’s opinion you should listen (or let them go).
If having a coach is one of the “right things” you are doing, it’s not a “right thing” if you’re not open to suggestions.
On the flip side, maybe I need to learn how to give advice in a way that more people will implement it (hmmmmm).
Who Wants Some HONEST Feedback?
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My Latest Content
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Stuff That Caught My Eye
The Four Pieces of a Paul Harvey Story
I got to hang out with Dan R. Morris in Nashville and he is the host of Tracing the Path and he did an episode that talks about the four things that make up a Paul Harvey story (and he’s a classic storyteller that was famous for “The rest of the story” reports he did on radio). Listen to the episode.
Pat Flynn’s Halloween Candy
I listened to Pat Flynn’s Book Lean Learning, and he had a great analogy for shorts vs long videos. He said, “Short videos are like Halloween candy. You see it and get excited. You might eat it and get a quick jolt, but you off to the next house and the giver is forgotten (paraphrased). For me, this is true. I can name the people I watch on Youtube where I consume their long videos. People who I only consume their shorts are known more by terms like “Bearded dude with coffee cup.”
Not that shorts are bad, but they may not carry the “umph” of long form video. Check out the book.
What’s Coming In The Future
I have an interview with David Hooper (author of Big Podcast) who is now working with Sirius XM. I also have tips from my audience on how they are battling the “ums.”
Need Help With Your Podcast?
Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005
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