“If you don’t believe in yourself, you’ll never have the courage to press the record button. On the flip side if you think every word coming out of your mouth is golden, you might be in for a rude awakening (content – not you – is king). It hasn’t hurt Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, Howard Stern etc. But then again these people are polarizing (loved and hated with extreme passion)…”

Jim Meeker said this:

Anytime that anyone presents their content, in any medium, as being “the only way”, the ego of producing a podcast turns to the egomaniacal. And no matter how you slice it, it just ain’t pretty I find humility and a soft stick to be much more enticing when it comes to podcasting. When I feel that the podcaster is just being natural and “sharing their passion” for whatever the content, I am more inclined to return to the podcast for a second listen. So, yes, I have tuned out of podcasts that I felt that there was an arrogance to the host.

Steve Hart said this:

If the podcaster lets their ego get in the way of addressing criticism or listening properly to what other people say, then that is when ego becomes an issue.
Podcasters can have all the ego in the world, but the ego must be matched with an equal amount of humility for it not to become destructive.

Charlie Hays had this to say:

To me, one side of the line is that you need to have confidence in yourself and your knowledge / expertise in your chosen niche as well as mic delivery and creating compelling content that grabs an audience’s attention.

On the other side, when the show is more about promoting personal agendas and less about creating compelling content, your ego has become too big. I have unsubscribe from a handful of podcasts for this very reason.

I know that more people than ever are making money from podcasts which is great, but when 1/4 of the show is infomercials or testimonials or content that is not related to the shows topic, that does not interest me personally, even though I can fast forward through a podcast.

Here are some other quotes on being an “Egomaniac” from people you may have heard of:

“If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that… I believe in what I do, and I’ll say it.”
-John Lennon

“To have ego means to believe in your own strength. And to also be open to other people’s views. It is to be open, not closed. So, yes, my ego is big, but it’s also very small in some areas. My ego is responsible for my doing what I do – bad or good.”
Barbara Streisand

“I have a huge ego and a huge inferiority complex at the same time.”
Barry Gibb

Balancing Your Ego in Podcasting

You need to be able to speak to be a podcaster. The number one fear of humans is speaking in public. This means to start a podcast you need to overcome the number one fear of most people. Sure, talking into a microphone in a basement is not in technically in front of people, but in a way it is. You need to have something to say.

Confidence in knowing what you know is great. I was amazed (being a musician my whole life, and a Beatles fan) that my wife could not name the original drummer of the Beatles (Pete Best – Pre – Ringo). I never thought of it, but I do have a lot of information about music, history, etc. I was the only kid in first grade who knew who Jimi Hendrix was when he died.  If you have information that other people may not know, you may be viewed as an expert. You may not feel like an expert, but if you have spent time in your topic you probably know more than most people. Share it, and find other like you.

For me balancing your ego is (to use my teaching background) throwing out the top and worst and keeping the middle. While it’s nice to have the person that just GUSHES about your podcast, they may not have made it to those episodes that you’re not as proud of. Likewise, the scathing review you read in iTunes about your podcast burned and was painful to read. That person may not have been your target audience.

Good Ego – Bad Ego

Let’s look at an example when an ego is good, and an ego derails a podcast

Good – You miss an episode. You know there are people who listen every week. You take a few minutes toward the end of the podcast to explain the lack of show last week. This is a courteous gesture to your audience, and shows a sincere appreciation for their devotion to regular listening.

Bad – The podcaster launches into a 10 minute explanation about why they missed last week’s episode. Feeling guilty they go into insane amounts of detail explaining why they missed last week.  In my opinion this shows that the podcaster has a belief that his audience is waiting with intense anticipation for the next episode. That they are barely surviving without your podcast. Get a grip. You’re no longer talking about your passion, but instead are talking about you. Your ego has go you off topic.  The truth (from what I’ve experienced an heard), most podcasters may get some feedback if they miss an episode, but you’ll be surprised just how well your audience got along without you.

 New Stats at Libsyn

Libsyn announced that they have weaked their stats to better reflect mobile downloads. In the past if a mobile phone started to download a podcast and then was interrupted when it started again it boosted your stats. Now they have tweaked their stats to better identify this situation. What this means is their stats are going to be more accurate, but your numbers may take a small dip. For more information about Libsyn, go to libsyn.com and if you sign up use the promo code sopfree to get your first month free.

Great Tool For Show Notes

I’ve said in the past that one way to organize your show notes is to write them in WordPress and save them as a draft (and the publish them when you release the show). This stops you from having to them type them twice. However, when you are out and about this means you have to remember your idea, etc until you get back to a computer. If you have a smartphone, you can use Evernote and clip websites, type notes, record audio notes, and more. This is not a new tool, but I’ve been a little late jumping on the Evernote bandwagon. I’ve heard it was cool, and after using it I can agree.

Shout Outs

Special thank to Daniel from the Audacity to Podcast and Ray at the Podcasters Studio, and Cliff at podcastanswerman.com for mentioning me in their show. Also thanks to Uwe from http://www.greenjobs.de

Keep Your Family safe, and your eyes where they are supposed to be by using Covenant Eyes software. Use the code “Podcast” to get your first month free.

Get your first month of hosting at libsyn.com y using the coupon code sopfree

Some people wonder, “Should I start a podcast?” and they wonder if they have the material. I am always amazed at the number of people who give away a free newsletter, but don’t turn that exact same material, record it as audio, and turn it into a podcast?

As most of you know I recently got married and have three wonderful step-children. As I have never had children before I decided to read up on the subject and was advised to read “The Successful Stepfamily” by Ron Deal. So far I am very impressed with the book, and may actually lead a study of the subject at my church next year.

I went to his website at successfulstepfamily.com and was surprised that while Ron had books, he was a speaker at conferences, he offered personal coaching, he did not have a podcast. Was it that he didn’t need the publicity? I typed “Stepfamily resources” into Google and did not find him on the first, second, or third page (so I stopped looking). While podcasting will not boost your Google rankings, it will boost your exposure to people who may link to your website which may boost your Google ranking.

I contacted his company, and after some thought they decided not to go in that direction. What a shame they have great content.

If you have a newsletter, and you have content that is worth people reading, that should be a podast. All you do is read the newsletter into a microphone (be sure to add some inflection so it doesn’t sound like you’re reading), write a quick blog post, upload and attach the audio to the post. Yes, it’s that easy.

How much does it cost to start a Podcast? Most of my recommendations at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/equipment but if it’s just you recording its going to cost around $250. If you’re on a tight budget, about $125 to start, and an ongoing fee of $5-12 a month.  Meanwhile a membership at aweber.com (a popular email client) is about $200 a year.

Why people think e-mail is better?

The nice thing about email is you can get your reader one click away from buying your product (if your email promotes a product). The bad news about email is people get so much email. I can’t remember the last time I purchased something from an email. Don’t get me wrong, email is still the top way to communicate for a business. I just know more and more I’m going to my inbox, highlighting a number of emails, and pressing delete (before I even read them). But that’s just me.  In terms of getting your potential customer 1 click away, email does that splendidly.

Give Your Content in the Format That People Want

Movies are delivered on the big screen, then movies on TV, then VHS, DVD, now blue-ray and movies available for download. Why? Because good content is good content, but some people want to see it on a big screen, some people want to watch it at home; some people want to watch it on the go, etc. So instead of forcing your potential customers into a channel they don’t want, why not give the content in a format they will enjoy.

What podcasting has over e-mail

The first podcast I created was and is  for Musicians. Before it was a podcast it was a newsletter delivered via email. At one point that newsletter had about 1200 subscribers. I turned it into a podcast and it has around 800 downloads per episode (some higher some lower). However, as a newsletter only I think I sold about 2 copies of my book in a year. As a podcast I sell about 1 a month. Why? Because it has a tone of voice, and has made me more human. The podcast has enabled me to build a relationship with my listeners. If I travel I know of different cities where I have open invitations to stay at people’s houses, get tours of cities, etc as these listeners are more friends than potential customers.

Am I going to retire on my 1 sale a month? Absolutely not, but I don’t do the podcast to sell books, I do it because I love the subject (and make more money via sponsorship of the podcast). However, don’t over look the fact that marketing via podcasting is more effective (from my chair).

The Best of Both Worlds

The good news is you can do both. You can use free services such as feedburner, and have people that sign up for your email list be notifed when you do a new post (with or without a podcast). Now you have your product one click away, and they have the ability to listen (or watch) you talk about the topic.

The Bottom Line

Podcasting allows you to reach a global audience that wants to listen/watch (not read) content. If you have content already (articles, newsletters, etc) that you give away for free you can distribute that for next to nothing and build a relationship with your readers. If I was Ron Deal I would promote my email list in your podcast (along with your speaking engagements, and how the new book was coming), and in the email newsletter I would promote the podcast. You can always offer exclusive content that is only available in that format to get them to sign up for both.

Spoof Testimonial

Thanks for Chris from www.fillupuripod.com for taking the voice over I sent him and turning it into a “spoof” testimonial. Hillarious.

Sign up today and start a podcast!

I’ve asked three companies, and one has said no, one has said maybe, and one definitely wants to be involved.

Even if you don’t get involvement from industry leaders, you need to think about your listeners, where they are, how you will get to them, andif there is enough content to support more than 7 episodes.

Cool Plugin
cfroms
www.deliciousdays.com/cforms/plugin

My problem is I created a podcast called, “Dates From Hell Show.” The idea was the entertaining stories of meeting people online who you wish that, well, you never met online. The purpose of the show is to encourage people to try online dating. Looking back I wonder what we were thinking. This is why its always good to have someone how is not your mom listen to the show (A step I skipped).

All is not lost. You can always buy a new domain, change the banner on your website and keep going.

Logical Weight Loss Podcast 12 Week Challenge

I mentioned this was $12 last week, I’ve changed my mind and now it’s free. Go to www.logicalloss.com/12weeks

Using Amazon S3 as Your Podcast Host Webinar This Thursday

Sign up at http://www.schoolofpodcasting.com/webinars

I also talk about the new OPEN PODCASTING webinars at the School of Podcasting. You can see the schedule at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/webinars

SITES MENTIONED
Logical Weight Loss Podcast at www.logicalloss.com
You can get $5 off the Diet Power software at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/dietpower

Ready To Start Your Own Podcast?
Come get your very own Personal Podcast Coach by going to start.schoolofpodcasting.com

Key Ingredients of a Podcast

1. It will help the audience, or teach them (like this podcast)
2. It will entertain the audience (laughter, music, etc).
3. A unique perspective (like a stay at home Dad, a solder in Iraq).
4. The ability to move the audience (taps in to the emotions of the audience).

How Many Downloads Can You Expect on Your First Show?

I’ve released the first episode of the Dates From Hell Show. We are not listed anywhere (iTunes, Podcast Alley, etc). We had a whole 19 downloads. This may seem poor, but you have to keep in mind that I’ve done very little publicity for this show (so don’t get discouraged).

A New Kind of Business Card

As the Dates From Hell Show may have a wider appeal than many of my podcasts I wanted a different type of business card that was geared more toward driving traffic to my website instead of contacting me. It explains its an “Internet Radio Show.” It explains that you can listen online. The great thing is if you order 500 cards, they are only 6 cents each.

Start Podcasting Today

Sign up and learn how to podcastat the School of Podcasting where we have step by step tutorials, podcasting resources, and live question and answer sessions with a podcast consultant.

Podcasting is not different. Just becuase you know that you will back from your 10th podcast and say, “yuck” when you listen to your first podcast doesn’t mean you shouldn’t record a podcast. You NEED to start a podcast, and all you can do is make it the best first impression you can.

Don’t be one of these people who are constantly planning their podcast. Planning is important ( see www.planningyourpodcast.com ), but at some point you need to let people hear/view it.

My advice is to record a few test episodes, and let people voice their opinion. Then let it fly. The key is you’ve made a podcast and you’ve published it. Some people won’t get that far because they get hung up on making it “perfect.”

Listen to Show