Second Lesson In Podcasting: Choose Your Niche
By Cheval John
This post is the second lesson (chapter) of my second book “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn” that I am blogging as part of Nina Amir’s “Write NonFiction In November Challenge, #NaNonFiWriMo.”
Though the challenge already began, it is not too late to join in on the fun of blogging a book in a month.
If you want to participate in #NaNonWriMo, visit the website at www.writenonfictionnow.com
Hope you enjoy this post below.
You might be wondering if you should aim for a general audience or go for a niche market.
You would think that it is easier to go after a general audience because you want to show that you are well rounded and also want to cater to everyone.
In a lot of ways, it might work if you want to display your experiences to a potential employer or in the case of a freelancer, a client.
However, that can cause you to lose your audience because you are trying to please everyone and are stretching yourself thin.
The best thing to do when you are starting a podcast is to go for a niche market.
Whether it is marketing, sports, self-help, etc., you are solving a specific need and in the process, creating a loyal following.
Dori DeCarlo, a seasoned entrepreneur, first got into podcasting after launching the show, “The Three Wise Girls” with co-hosts Debbie Barth and Linda Alexander.
During one of the shows, Dori did a two part segment on Mompreneurs, a woman who is a mom and is an entrepreneur.
In the process of that segment, Dori found her niche.
With the encouragement from her co-hosts, Dori launched her own show called “Word of Mom” which evolved into the network, “Word of Mom Radio.”
In the four years since launching, the network has received over 70,000 downloads in 2013 and is continuing to grow.
So if you want to grow your podcast, focus on a niche market because you will separate yourself from the crowd.
Video Courtesy of Tom Corson-Knowles
First Lesson In Podcasting: Start Locally
By Cheval John
This is the first “lesson” chapter of my second book “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.”
I am blogging this book as part of Nina Amir’s Write Nonfiction In November challenge.
The post “The Process of Writing A Book” explains why I decided to join in this challenge.
You can see the introduction of the book, “Introduction To Podcasting” right here.
If you have a desire to write a book and want to join me in this challenge, then head over to Mrs. Amir’s blog to find out more about blogging a book.
Without further ado, here is the first chapter.
When many people are first starting out, they are tempted to reach out to the most recognizable person out there.
The logic is that the recognizable guest will “drive” many listeners to the show.
It is very reasonable if you want to start your podcasting journey on the right foot.
However, this is the wrong approach.
Many of these big name people will not even give you a second thought because your are not big enough, especially if you are just starting your podcast.
They will feel nervous because they do not know what to expect.
That is why it is important to start locally because your potential guest already know you and trust you.
If you built that relationship with the people who are prominent in your area, then it will be easier to approach them to be one of the “firsts” guest on your new show.
And once your podcast gains traction, it will be easier to reach out to the “big name” people because they will see your track record and nine times out of ten, they will accept.
When I was in preparation to launch my show, “What’s The Word?,” I reached out to a “prominent” person and she accepted the invitation.
Three days before the show was set to launch, she sent me a message saying that she was not able to do the show because she had to focus on her new clients and wished me luck.
Though I was bummed, it was a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to reach out to the people I already knew at my alma mater, Sam Houston State University.
The show launched a few weeks later and from that moment, I had many “well known” guests on the show.
So if you want to have a great start to your podcast career, it is really important to start locally.
What are your thoughts on podcasting? Leave your comment below.
Video courtesy of Nina Amir.
College Football Playoff: The New BCS
By Cheval John
We are half way through the college football season and things are getting more interesting.
The committee for the newly implemented College Football Playoff (CFP) released their projected four teams that would make it in.
The teams that were projected this week were Mississippi State, Oregon, Florida State and TCU.
Though this is a small step in the right direction for a long overdue playoff system in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), it still has a long way to go.
What this playoff system does is benefit only the teams that are in the big 5 conferences (SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big 10, and the PAC 12) because the committee only focus on those teams that have a tough schedule and have a quality win against an opponent.
It also shows that even a convincing win against a quality opponent in their respective conference does not mean much.
For example, Baylor was ranked No. 7 in the committee’s poll.
Didn’t Baylor come back from 21 points to defeat TCU 61-58 on a last-minute field goal a couple of weeks ago?
Shouldn’t that comeback win have any validation on what type of team Baylor is?
Not in this type of playoff system.
What this shows is that you must win every game in your schedule and have a convincing win against a school that is in the big five conferences.
Also, you must make sure that if you do lose, that it should happen early in the season and not late in the season because that could come back to hurt your playoff chances.
Maybe, the top professional sports leagues in North America should model the CFP.
That way, it could give teams with pedigree like the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Lakers a chance every year to win a championship.
What are your thoughts on the College Football Playoff system?
Video Courtesy Of Baylor Athletics
There Is No “I” In Team
By Cheval John
Thank goodness you are not Kaelin Clay.
The senior wide receiver made what is possibly the bone headed play of the year that caused his team, the Utah Utes to lose against the Oregon Ducks 51-27.
The Utes had a 7-0 lead and had all the momentum going for them when quarterback Travis Wilson found Clay wide open down the field for what would have been a 78 yard touchdown pass.
However, Mr. Clay was so focused on celebrating the score that he dropped the football a yard shy before crossing into the endzone.
With a heads up play by Oregon’s defense, they pick up the football and returned it 99 yards for the touchdown and tied the score up at 7 after the extra point.
From that moment on, the Ducks steam rolled Utah en route to an important win that kept them alive for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.
The lesson from this: Always be a team player because it is not all about you.
Your actions can either elevate a business, organization, etc. or bring down them down very quickly like Mr. Clay’s foolish action brought down his Utah team against Oregon.
What are your thoughts on that wild play between Utah and Oregon?
Video courtesy of ESPN via BBA News
Third Lesson In Podcasting: Research, Research, Research
By Cheval John
So now you have landed your guest for your podcast and are counting down to the show.
One of the most important things you must do before the show is to do your research.
You might say, “That is so obvious.”
The sad reality is many people don’t do their research on their guest.
The host might think they can wing it with the guest on the show.
However, your audience can tell right away if you are on top of your game.
When you do your research on the guest, you will find out interesting things you never knew before.
From the research, you can create some talking points which will be a guide for you once the show begins.
And when you ask your guests specific quotes, they will feel very valued because of the research you did before the episode.
Once that happens, the guest will refer your show to their friends who are influential as well.
In addition, you will gain greater credibility with your listeners because they know that you are very disciplined in preparation and also your audience knows you value them.
The blog post is the third lesson (chapter) from the second book I am blogging here, “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.”
Video courtesy of Josh Sundquist
Share this: