Welcome to Podcasting Tech, a podcast that equips busy entrepreneurs engaged in podcasting with proven and cost effective solutions for achieving a professional sound and appearance. I'm Matthew Passi, your host and a 15 year veteran in the podcasting space. We'll help you cut through the noise and offer guidance on software and hardware that can elevate the quality of your show. Tune in weekly for insightful interviews with tech creators, behind the scenes studio tours, and strategies for
podcasting success. Head to podcastingtech.com to subscribe to this show on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform, and join us on this exciting journey to unlock the full potential of your podcast. Let's go to Maryland today, and we are chatting with David Griffiths. He is president and CEO of Content Creating Academy. He is also a trusted adviser and faith based creator, and you can learn more about him at contentcreatingacademy.com, which, of
course, we will have a link to here in the show notes. David, thank you so much for joining us today. It's a privilege to be here. Thank you for having me. So you do a lot of content creation. You do video, you do text, you help others, you do a podcast. How did your content creation journey start? Where where did you really decide that this was gonna be what you wanted to do?
So interestingly, in in a in a former life, I was a gospel recording artist And I always used to hear, David, you know, the most important thing is you need to get more followers on social media. So I was on YouTube for 13 years and I only had a little over a 100 followers. So I was missing some kind of ingredient. And so, one of my when the pandemic occurred, one of my friends created a Zoom chat for us high school buddies to connect on.
And, one of my friends, his mother just passed away and he said, hey, Dave. Would you mind singing a hymn on Facebook just every morning for a while just to help me get through the loss of my mom? And, I said, sure. At the time, I had really not, you know, I've been a little bit discouraged with different circumstances in life. And I hadn't really been sharing my music or my presence as much as
before. But this invitation was my opportunity to stop feeling sorry for myself and start focusing in on how I could be a blessing to someone else. And in so doing, I realized that if I kept doing that, my friend Kevin would hear me, but not anyone who hadn't met me before because in order for other people to discover me on Facebook,
I'd have to pay money to advertise to be discovered. And that's when I discovered that TikTok was a platform where I could have organic growth and people could discover me even if they've never met me. And so it was in this process that I actually began a journey to where now I have over 1,500,000 followers between my different platforms. Wow.
That's really incredible. Do you think there was something particular in your strategy, or do you think the emergence of TikTok itself and maybe being one of the early adopters to have really helped you out there? It's definitely strategy. So those 13 years when I wasn't growing on YouTube, I never I never got a coach. I never invested in someone who'd already done what I wanna do, who could then help me get further faster. So when I got on TikTok, I got a
coach. And one of the things I learned from this coach was, let's say, there's 8 different things that you would like to share. So you share them and you let your audience teach you what it is that they really want from you. So in my case, you know, I I, I don't have the gift of dancing. So that that wasn't one of the things that I tried, but I tried different trends. You know, I I would try, I would share inspirational thoughts. I would,
ask people questions. I would do community building activities. I would play piano. I did all these things and sang, and then I prayed. And the interesting thing was the things that went viral were when I gave from my heart something inspirational to people. And so I realized authenticity was important. And then I also, when I prayed, that was something that resonated with people as well. So then I realized that while you can do different trending things, you should be clear on
who you are and who you wish to impact and be authentic. And if you're authentic, that's half the battle. So was the TikTok and the social media something that you were doing first and then the podcast came along? Or did you have the podcast already and and TikTok kinda helped you to grow it? What was like the how did you add to your content creation stack, let's say? Yeah. So what what I my thought was, okay, I've been blessed
with all these followers. Now, what is it that they would like from me that I'm not giving them already? And so I actually asked that question on the different platforms. And I was I was strategic in the way that I grew. I grew on, TikTok first to then I went from there to Instagram so that I could see what worked or didn't work. And then I kept spreading to different platforms because different platforms have
different cultures. And so, from asking people, I realized that people really wanted to learn from me how to change. There were a lot of people who really wanted to change different aspects of their life. And I and I am fascinated with personal development and change as well. And so I said, okay, this makes sense. So I entitled the podcast change. And because I had a large number of followers, it was a little bit easier for me to get some guests who, who who had large followings. And it it just
it made sense to me. But but I think it's just important whether you're growing on social media or you're starting your podcast to be very clear on what gives you joy and then who it is that you wanna make content to serve. Because you can get distracted in just doing things that get a lot of likes or things that are provocative. And then you end up doing something that eventually the
algorithm understands and you figure out how to work the algorithm. But then you might not like what it is that you have to create because you were just following likes and you didn't really have another strategy behind it. I I think for so many people, that's a tough pill to swallow because everybody wants their content to be popular. Everybody wants their content to get the likes, get engagement, you know, rise up in the algorithm and become more popular than it is.
And if you tell somebody what you enjoy doing isn't gonna get you the same reaction as what this is that's been working, that that might be difficult for people to take. How do you how do you reconcile that for for someone? I think, okay. 22 thoughts. I am a very passionate photographer. But I realized after doing it in different context, that I specifically like doing portraits. I specifically, I don't want to be a wedding photographer. I enjoy taking pictures of, concerts that I go
to just for me. But I realized the joy that I had, is more so for me being able to create an image, a concept, and dive deep into it and and use different techniques and and really create a vision that I'm passionate about. And so that could be a hobby. If you wanna make a full time living, then there might be some other stuff that you might have to do, and that might not be as enjoyable for me. So that's just one analogy.
Sometimes something is a great hobby, and it doesn't become as great a business from the other stuff that you have to do to make enough to make a living. The other thing is the Japanese have a concept that, apparently, it's not the way that we use it here in the west isn't as authentic as the original, but have you heard of Ikigai before? I believe I have. Okay. So if you think of 4 circles that overlap, 1, 2, 3, 4. One of them is what is it that you're
passionate about? 1, is it, what is it that you're really good at? Then one is, what is it that people are willing to pay you for? Right? And then one is, what what is it that the, that, that the world needs that you would be interested in doing? So if you look at the bull's eye of all those things, that would be your ikigai, your reason for being or for living.
And so for me, I would recommend that someone try to find a bull's eye, an overlap because in reality, for example, I might like making, avatars of photo avatars for people, but that trend might have passed. But that's what I like. So I'm gonna advertise. Hey. I'm gonna do, you know, this, digital avatar thing for you, and I only charge you $50 for it, but it's great. And everyone could be, like, yeah, Dave, but people were doing that, like, a year and a half, 2 years ago. We're not
interested. But I can market it really successfully. I can be consistent every day and let people know about it. I could be authentic. It's what I like to do. But in reality, I'll be very poor because you have to pay attention to what the market wants because
you're in business. And I guess that's the key thing if we're talking about folks who are doing this not just for fun or not just as a passion, but right if this is if this is something that you are relying on for income or you think is gonna be a strong source of income, then you have to have a slightly different approach to it.
So based on your experience with social media, your ability to grow your following to where it is today, what would you say are some things that podcasters typically do well to create engagement for their content on social media? And maybe what are some things that a lot
of them are doing wrong? So one of the one of one of the best ways that I see people leading people to their podcast is when they find an exciting moment from their podcast and they post it and then, you know, they tell people for the rest, they can go to the actual platform, whether it's video podcast they can watch on YouTube or if it's audio.
That's very helpful. I think having a view towards a conversation, even making a talking head video that's real, where you're asking a question that's related to the subject of your podcast. And then you could let's say that you were do you were talking your episode is gonna be about depression. So you could say, hey, fam. I have a quick question for you. What's the thing that triggers depression for you most often? I'll go first. For me, it's when I
have a visit from family and then they leave. And afterwards, I just feel really low. And it usually happens even especially at the holiday seasons. How about you? Let me know in the comments. So you're starting an actual conversation about something that's relatable to people. You're sharing your authentic feelings. Then in that discussion, you can you can, create some authentic engagement that then sets up for a great
follow-up that leads people to your podcast. So I think sometimes we just stop at taking a snippet from the thing and sending people there. But in reality, we could do more on our social media to actually engage people in conversation. And then that that heightened awareness is a good, bed for you to follow-up with and send people to your, podcast. Yeah. I mean, that's so interesting. The the lots of folks do like putting clips of their show out there and hoping that people see it and hear it
and think, oh, this is interesting. Maybe I I wanna listen to more. And, you know, there's probably limited success with those. Right? When we're on social media, we tend to be on social media. But, yeah, this idea that you are providing something, this idea that you are engaging with your audience specifically in building a relationship, does tend to have does tend to pay off more. It might not pay off right away. That one post might not get a lot of people to actually click over, but it'll
maybe get you that follow. It'll maybe get you that comment, which then moves you up in the algorithm. Right? It it increases your probability of engaging with this person because now the platform knows, oh, you like this content, so maybe it'll bring it back a little bit more of it to you to show it to you, right, when you're here
more often. So, right, it's it's not just always about a subscriber really building the the engagement, building the relationship, and and, you know, getting yourself in front of that person more often than not. What about for someone who, you know, they they know they have good content, they know that they can help people, but, you know, they turn the camera on, they turn the microphone on, they're trying to make that sincere, authentic
moment. And, you know, just as soon as the mic turns on, I'm just like right. They got nothing. How do you how do you learn to overcome that, or how do you learn to be able to talk to your audience, especially when, right, for the most they're not there. You're really talking to your phone and then putting it out there on the world. And for some people, that's that's not the easiest thing to do. I believe that you have to get your reps in.
I believe that well, for me, it's very fun, but some days I'm going like, what on earth is going on? Like, why am I making all these mistakes? Then other days I get in the zone and like, I should record a bunch of things because I'm in the zone.
Usually, I get in the zone when I feel something deeply, and then I can speak in that feeling and often, you know, I'm well rested, maybe I've just taken a walk, I've drank some green juice, like, I've I've gotten all the planets in alignment as it were And then I get that sweet spot. And then, yeah, I can go. And what I found is you have to just put in the reps. So you have to
be okay with sitting down and saying, alright. For the next hour, I'm just gonna even if I have 15 minutes of something to say, I'm just gonna go through it. And I may do it 3 or 4 times until I start to feel fluent. This starts to feel like I'm talking to my best friend. Right? So that's one thing that I encourage people to do is to put in the reps. Sometimes it can be helpful. Like, I have some clients who I support, where they have anxiety with creating content. And sometimes they come
into my studio and then they talk to me. Right? So they're talking to the camera, but I'm on the other side of it. And we just get them to a place where they're, they have, like, a framework of what it really feels like to be talking to the person through the camera. Yeah.
Yeah. And that that's I I love that advice. It's something that we always told our podcast clients, which was not to look at this microphone and think about the audience, but to look at this microphone and think about, like you said,
your best friend. Right? That that person who when you talk to them, you, you know, you sit up in your chair, you lean forward, your shoulders are relaxed, you you're not thinking, you're just being and doing, and and, you know, it it tends to produce the the best results for you, which, you know, if if one person feels like you are engaging with them as if you've been their best friend their whole life, everybody listening will also experience
that same feeling. So I I think that's some great advice. We're chatting with David Griffiths, president and CEO of Content Creating Academy and, the podcast change. You can check out more at contentcreatingacademy.com. David, for everybody who comes on the show, we have a couple of questions we'd like to ask everybody. And so one thing I'd like to ask you about is, in the podcasting space specifically, is there anything you would like to see improved, whether it's from the creation side,
distribution, marketing? Right? Just is there something when you're dealing with your podcast, you're like, man, I wish blah, blah, blah, was there. Something else was easier to do. When I first was getting started, I wished that there was an easier path to understand,
the steps that I need to take towards monetization. That was something that I thought, you know, like, of course there were some high ticket offers that were available, but I thought in a general sense, that would be great if there was some more information that was available just as a process for people to think that way. Right? As opposed to just, oh, I'm just gonna start a podcast and just, you know, sponsors will fall out the sky.
Yeah. Hasn't happened yet, I'm sure. Nobody ever has ever podcaster, sponsors fall out of the sky as, as cloudy as it might be that day. Is there any tech on your wish list as far as something that either is out there that you've been wanting to get your hands on, whether it's for video or audio or, maybe something that hasn't been created yet that you'd love to see made that would help you in the hardware, software, anything like that?
Not really. I'm trying to think of the name of that switcher. The broadcaster video, the Blackmagic. Yeah. ATEM Mini. That YoloBox. That one. Go back. ATEM? Yeah. Yeah. The Blackmagic ATEM Mini, the video switcher? Yeah. I've been interested in that a little while back. Save your money and keep your eye on the RodeCaster video. It looks like it is, it it it costs a lot more, but it looks like it's worth it. Phenomenal product that can do a whole lot of different things,
in the video world. We'll we'll we'll make sure we put a link to it in the show notes so everybody can see what we're talking about. But, yeah, Rodecaster video is the next generation, I would say, of that video switcher, that you're talking about from from or from
Blackmagic. Alright. And lastly, are there podcasts that you have, that you listen to, you're subscribed to that, you know, no matter what you're doing when this episode comes out, you're gonna stop and listen to it or, you know, it's one of those shows that you will not miss an episode of it. It usually, I would I would like to say there's one diary of a CEO. But, but in
general, I have different it just depends on what season I'm in. If I'm in a head space trying to figure out how to keep my mind shift going well, I might be listening to Mel Robbins. Right? If I'm or or Jim quick, just to kinda just depends on what it is that I'm working with in that season.
Yeah. Interesting. I never I never, you know, usually when I hear somebody say that they have seasonal podcasts, it's usually like, well, it's football season, so I'm listening to the Ravens or, you know, now we're into baseball and so it's the Capitals, but you're saying it really is about what's happening during the year and what you're feeling and which creator is gonna boost you up and and kinda support your mentality? Absolutely. And, you know, and I'm also a public speaker
as well. I can speaking this Friday. And so the things that I was listening to are related to me having value to share when I talk. So that's that's that's part of it too. Part of it is so, you know, I have several 1 on 1 clients in addition to the community that we have content creating academy. And so for the 1 on 1 clients, some of them are dealing with particular
issues. And then if I know I have a 1 on 1 with them coming up the day before, I'll probably be listening to certain things as well, just to, to, to have that in my mind. Yeah. So that's the, for me, it's more of a functional thing based upon what I do. So there's different different kinds of, information that I need for different people that I serve. And so that
determines who I'm listening to. And I think what you're saying, by the way, is a great example and a reason why podcasters shouldn't just promote their content that came out that day, that week. You know, maybe you're doing an episode today that when you send it to your audience, they don't need it. But in 6 months from now, you repost that content, and you might be hitting that person who wasn't ready to hear it then, but they're ready to hear it now.
Or like you said, right, like, it's it's more topical to what I'm working on, what I'm doing, what I'm thinking about. And so, you know, really strong argument for getting out there and making sure that you are constantly repromoting and repurposing, your content or your podcast and and, truly, any of your, content creation journey. So we've been chatting with David Griffiths, president and CEO of the Content Creating Academy, host of the podcast Change.
We'll have links to all those here in the show notes. David, thank you so much for joining us today. It was my pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for having me. Thanks for joining us today on Podcasting Tech. There are links to all the hardware and software that help power our guest content and podcasting tech available in the show notes and on our website at podcastingtech.com. You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite platform, connect with us on social
media, and even leave a rating and review while you're there. Thanks, and we'll see you next time on Podcasting Tech.