Whoa. We're back! Jerod Morris and Jonny Nastor and reunite to talk podcasting ... for the first time in almost 18 months! We are actually killing two birds with one stone: a Lunch & Learn for folks in the Unemployable Initiative (a community that Jerod runs) and a new episode for this long-dormant Showrunner feed. Learn more about the community: http://unenployable.com/community We cover: • Takeaways from the annual Infinite Dial survey on the podcasting industry. • Why our four pillars of ...
Apr 21, 2020•1 hr 15 min
With the holiday season now in full swing, it's time to ask yourself a very important question: should you take a holiday break from your show? Here is answer: yes, we are. This will be our last episode of The Showrunner until January 9th, 2019. But before we go, we describe some important reasons why you should consider taking a break too, and offer up a few steps for how to execute a holiday break the right way so that you get the most out of the experience.
Nov 29, 2018•23 min
This week, we react to two articles that caught our eye — each of which deals with a topic we’ve discussed recently here on The Showrunner. First, we discuss this article from Nieman Lab ( http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/11/consumers-love-smart-speakers-they-dont-love-news-briefings-on-smart-speakers-at-least-not-yet/) : Consumers love smart speakers. They don’t love news on smart speakers. (At least not yet.) You may recall in episode we discussed a handful of reasons why short-form podcasts are ...
Nov 21, 2018•38 min
We talk a lot about the importance of building your email list and nourishing your subscribers — but what do you do when you are struggling to get anyone to join your email list in the first place? You need to examine (or reexamine) your lead magnet. And in this week’s episode of The Showrunner, we describe a simple 5-step process for creating a lead magnet that will lead to consistent conversions. Among the topics we discuss: • How to define the problem your lead magnet will solve (and why bein...
Nov 14, 2018•41 min
As we mentioned near the end of last week's episode, this week we're talking about listener life cycles -- because not all listeners are created equally, and without a proper understanding of your podcast’s listener life cycles you will find yourself fighting an unwinnable fight to keep every new listener who comes your way. We publish remarkable podcasts on a consistent basis and new listeners discover our shows each and every day. So why do new listeners not stick around? Is it something we di...
Nov 07, 2018•43 min
There are audience members — the kinds of people who auto-download your show, listen consistently, and even share an episode every once in a while. And then there are AUDIENCE MEMBERS — the kinds of rabid, loyal folks who show up for your live broadcasts, participate in live chats, support your show with donations, offer to help out, reach out to you when they are visiting your area to ask you to coffee, and just generally go the extra mile (maybe even many extra miles) to show you how much they...
Oct 31, 2018•51 min
Sponsorships are one of the most common and potentially reliable ways to monetize a podcast. But especially for podcasters with smaller audiences -- those who don't have access to the bigger networks of corporate podcast advertisers -- getting conversations going with potential sponsors isn't easy, and knowing how to propose terms and set up deals isn't always clear. We hope to shed some light on that with this episode, in the wake of Jerod signing up a new sponsor for The Assembly Call. He lear...
Oct 24, 2018•57 min
If you’re struggling to build the audience you want, it may be time to shift some of the time you’re investing into your podcast’s content over to the marketing — because no matter how great your content is, you’ll never build an audience if the right people aren’t being exposed to your show. In this episode, we provide you with seven proven tactics (plus three bonuses!) that will help you get more listeners. Among the topics we discuss: • The reality that most podcasters aren’t investing enough...
Oct 17, 2018•55 min
Emerging distribution channels like Amazon Alexa's Flash Briefing, plus the ever-expanding proliferation of "normal" longer-form podcasts, are creating an interesting opportunity for podcasters. Is it time to consider publishing shorter, more regular episodes? There are several examples of this working in a variety of different markets. And Jerod has done his own experiment resulting in some pretty surprising (at least to him) results. Among the topics we discuss: • Some of the success Jerod has...
Oct 12, 2018•48 min
The people we admire who seem to launch new books, youtube channels, and podcasts endlessly — they aren’t braver, smarter or stronger than you. They have just gained control over their thoughts and feelings towards their fears. They have learned how to use their inner voice to overcome fears and move forward. Let’s learn how to create fearlessly — which will in turn enable you to become the showrunner you want to be. Check out our sponsor Hover for your domain hosting needs. Go to Hover.com/Show...
Oct 03, 2018•44 min
This week talk about launching your show — specifically, launching when you don’t have an established audience already. What are some of the most important steps that you should take — and not take — during the first few weeks after your episodes go live, so that you can generate excitement, get some listeners and subscribers, and build positive momentum for the future? Among the topics we discuss: • Why having the right mindset, and realistic expectations, is so important. • How to approach you...
Sep 26, 2018•50 min
[133] How to Improve Your Podcast Description (and Gain More New Listeners) Your podcast’s description can have a big impact on your ability to attract new listeners. By including relevant search keywords in your description, it can help you surface in more relevant searches, thus exposing you to additional potential audience members. And by choosing your words strategically, you can answer a few key questions that any potential audience member has when trying to decide whether to give your show...
Sep 19, 2018•34 min
Whether you’ve been building an email list for a while, or still haven’t even collected that first email address, there is something for you in this episode. Among the topics we discuss: • 6 reasons why you should build an email list to complement your podcast • 8 different ways you can use email to deliver valuable content to your audience • 3 questions to ask yourself to determine which type of email content you should produce. • 5 rules of thumb to follow when setting up your email list (or r...
Sep 12, 2018•50 min
This week we have have a little fun by ranting about our podcasting pet peeves. We also share some notable pet peeves that were posted by members of the Showrunner Podcasting Community. And while it’s fun to rant, there is a larger purpose in doing this. If we understand what triggers podcast listeners to have a negative reaction, we can make sure we avoid those elements in our shows. Here is the rundown: • (2:12) Showrunner Spotlight: 90 Seconds with Harry Duran from Podcast Junkies and FullCas...
Sep 05, 2018•52 min
This week, we talk about how you can earn a profit from your podcast. Some of the methods we discuss are about how to earn money from your podcast. Other methods that we discuss have nothing to do with money at all. But they all fall under the umbrella of podcast profitability — and we explain how. Your challenge as you listen is to identify at least one method you aren’t currently using and figure out how you can incorporate it into your podcast profitability mix. Among the topics we discuss: •...
Aug 29, 2018•1 hr
This week we discuss a topic that is easy to overlook: your podcast category (aka archive) page on your website. But we aren’t overlooking it. Not only is it the topic of this week’s Accountability Challenge in the Showrunner Podcasting Community, but we also recently updated our podcast archive page too. What purpose does this page serve? What essential elements should it include? We’ll walk you through the basics that every one of these pages should have. Among the topics we discuss: • Why the...
Aug 22, 2018•41 min
This week we talk about how you can move beyond just connecting with your listeners through your content. We lay out the step-by-step process you have to go through to actually to build a community that transcends your content, and the benefits that you, as the showrunner, reap when you do. Among the topics we discuss: • Why you can’t skip steps in this process. • The foundational power of the one-to-one connection between host and listener, and how to both provide and seek opportunities to conn...
Aug 15, 2018•46 min
This week we are going to walk you through a simple process that will help you … change the world. Seriously. Because the only way to change the world is through ideas, but it will never happen with subpar, under-developed ideas, or without knowing how to give your ideas a real opportunity to spread. While we certainly don’t know all the secrets to how ideas spread, but we do understand how to help you give your best ideas a chance. And we’re going to talk about it this week. Among the topics we...
Aug 08, 2018•45 min
This week we are going to talk about something very exciting that has been going on over the past six days: the relaunch of the Showrunner Podcasting Community. We’re less than a week in, and the community already has more than 150 members. • Where are we hosting it? • Why did we make that choice? • What are our goals with the community? • And how have things taken off so rapidly? We’ll discuss in this episode — in hopes that you can apply some of what we have learned to your own community-build...
Aug 02, 2018•49 min
This week we are going to talk about a new framework that will help you think about how you are positioning your podcast. And if it feels like we’ve been hitting this topic of positioning a lot in recent weeks … good! It should. The deeper and deeper we delve into one-on-one conversations and consulting with you and your fellow showrunners, the more we are realizing that positioning is one of the areas proving most challenging to identify and define, but also the most rewarding when pinpointed c...
Jul 25, 2018•43 min
This week we are going to talk about naming your show. Specifically, we are going to go over three key concepts that you should consider when coming up with the name for your new show — or, if you have a show that isn’t getting the traction that you want, then for renaming an existing show. And even if you are settled on your name, so you’re thinking maybe you should just skip this episode, you shouldn’t. The concepts we’re going to discuss today are applicable to many elements of your show besi...
Jul 18, 2018•42 min
This week we discuss some elements of your podcast that are easy to overlook or take for granted but that can make a huge impact on your ability to get discovered — which is the first step toward driving meaningful results. We call these elements “low-hanging fruit” because they are simple changes that can really make a difference, and we shouldn’t overlook them in our haste to seek more advanced strategies for our shows. This low-hanging fruit includes: • The importance of manicuring the search...
Jul 11, 2018•49 min
This week's episode is being published a day early due to the 4th of July holiday on Wednesday, and it's also about a quarter of the usual length -- with a very specific call to action for how you should invest your extra 30 minutes! You may remember our discussion from episode #117 (What Are You Avoiding That You Know You Should Be Doing?) in which Jonny relayed the overwhelming response he received when he finally sucked it up and sent an email to his list that he'd been avoiding. One of the r...
Jul 03, 2018•11 min
If you have ever tried to host a remote 2-on-1 interview, then you are almost surely aware of the landmines laying in wait all over the place. From disorganization to verbal car crashes and more, remote 2-on-1 interviews can be fraught with issues if you don’t have a solid strategy for executing them. This week we use a question from our Showrunner Course Facebook group as the inspiration for an entire episode highlighting three of the biggest potential problems and give you strategies for overc...
Jun 27, 2018•56 min
When that green or red light is on, and words are being recorded, you are performing for your audience. Which can be tricky, because when we use a word like “performing,” it can suggest that we are putting on a front, or that we are somehow being fake. This isn’t the case — at least, it’s not the case if the foundation of your show is an authentic connection with your topic and your audience. The performance is about channeling all of your energy and attention into delivering useful content to y...
Jun 20, 2018•56 min
[119] 3 Ways This Showrunner is Getting His Podcast Right This week, we share three important tips that we took away from listening to a show hosted by one of your fellow showrunners. These are tips that will help you create a better audio experience for your listeners, and they will help you better define your positioning in the minds of your listeners — which is something you can’t just do once, but that needs to be an ongoing part of your message. The episode we are referencing is When Money ...
Jun 19, 2018•33 min
What is the unique combination of advantages that you have -- whether these advantages were earned, gifted, or came to you by happenstance -- that no one else in your niche has? These are your unfair advantages, and maximizing them is one of your keys to success as a showrunner. Among the topics we discuss during our main topic segment: • Examples of unfair advantages from popular shows/showrunners and from our own experiences • Why understanding your unfair advantages is so important • The ques...
Jun 12, 2018•37 min
This week's episode is pulled directly from Jonny's own showrunning experience with Hack the Entrepreneur. Recently, he had fallen into a rut in which he'd gone close to a month without emailing his list. With every passing day, the prospect of reaching back out felt more difficult and monumental. Until he just ... did it. So we discuss some of the lessons Jonny learned from this experience, and that we hope you learn too: • Why doing something (even if it's imperfect) is better than doing nothi...
Jun 05, 2018•29 min
This is the fourth episode in our series on reassessment. In this one, we dive into the importance of routinely shaking up the experience that your podcast is delivering (or at least reassessing to determine if you should) — both for your audience’s benefit, and your own. Among the topics we discuss: • Different ways that you can shake up your podcast by adding or removing elements • Examples from our showrunner past of how we have shaken up our shows • A sequence of three questions to ask yours...
May 29, 2018•35 min
Our series on reassessment continues, this time with a discussion about audio production. And we have a special guest here to lend his expertise: Toby Lyles from TwentyFourSound. Among the questions we ask Toby: • When you are talking to new podcasters who don’t have a ton of experience creating quality audio, what basic tools do you suggest they start out with? • What is the biggest mistake you see podcasters make when it comes to getting quality sound? • Once a person is comfortable with the b...
May 22, 2018•40 min
