The 7 Potholes of Podcasting with Travis Brown
Travis Brown is the creator and instructor at Shortcut to Podcasting and the Chief Podcast Producer at Podcast Buddy. He has, over the past five years, developed an amazing system for launching a new podcast and consistently releasing episodes. In this episode of Operation Podcast, Travis breaks down the SEVEN bottlenecks to podcasting in today’s times!
1. Not Making Your Podcast Audience-Centric and Inviting
The most common roadblock is that podcasters tend to make everything about themselves. Is your podcast all about you, your reviews, ratings, and scripts? If yes, there needs to be a shift in focus. And it's really easy to change that. Start inviting your audiences by asking their opinions or experience or feelings, and bring them to grow by being a part of your journey collectively.
“They [your audience] are the most important part, they are the hero of your journey.”
2. Needing to Qualify Your Podcast Listeners
Travis suggests using the Spray and Pray method to qualify your listeners. And by this, he means to say that you have to make your audience understand what the show will be about and let them figure out if they want to listen to it. Present the problem to your audience and then the fix to the problem.
“Qualifying is everything. It's in sales. It's in marketing. It's in everything that you do. And it's a very easy tweak. Because I think people don't know what to say.”
3. Your Podcast Does Not Know Its Target Audience
Understand your niche and your target audience and make it clear who your podcast is tailor-made for. You want everybody to listen to your podcast. But if people don’t understand whether your show is for them, it could take forever to grow. Once you gain more visibility, you could expand outward and go to different topics.
“Be really specific, be really targeted.”
4. Not Realizing That The First 60 Seconds of Your Podcast Is Gold
The first 60 seconds are crucial to hooking your listeners and making them decide if the episode is for them. It would not be very pleasant to have a 60-second regular podcast intro to regular listeners, especially. You could avoid this by using that time to tell them what the episode is about or give them the highlights from the conversation.
“If you had any value meter on your podcast, the first 60 seconds is absolute gold.”
5. Not Investing in Your Skills and Circle
Travis says podcasters, specifically, don't invest in learning or invest in their circle. But if you look at anybody successful, you'll find things going the other way round. Travis cites Dan Pena’s words to explain the same. It goes like, “Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future.”
“Invest in yourself with your health, your mental, your podcasting skills, your business skills, and you will grow a lot faster than just endlessly googling and YouTube in circling yourself around.”
6. Having A Cluttered Social Media Account
The best way to promote your podcast organically, according to Travis, is through social media. The social media accounts of many podcasters, however, are confusing, with personal, professional, and podcast-related posts in the same place. It would help to make your profile specific to your podcast content and promotion.
“The less confusion we can create with people, the better.”
7. Setting Unrealistic Targets and Failing to Focus on Growing Slowly
Travis explains that giving yourself an imaginary crushing goal that nobody told you to do and then regretting over not having accomplished it could be incredibly disheartening. You set your focus on the number of downloads, which may not be a good means of evaluating your podcast as you cannot be sure if a person actually listened to your podcast. You start feeling like a failure. Don’t set yourself to feel that way. Instead, use your time to make great content, social media posts, network, read books, and continue growing.
“I think we just get caught up in followers, subscribers, all these numbers that make us feel validated. When I think the real validation for you will come when you can actually get feedback from your audience.”
About Travis Brown:
Travis Brown is the Chief Podcast Producer at Podcast Buddy, where he helps entrepreneurs, authors, coaches, and more start, launch, and grow their podcast audience.
Key Highlights of the Episode:
- Every podcaster needs to think of themselves as a guide, helping their audience grow.
- Travis talks about The Joe Rogan Show and why it appeals to the listeners so much. “You feel like you're sitting at that table with him and the guest. Like you're in the circle. And that's how it feels as a listener.”
- Try creating a specific hook towards the beginning of your episode to increase audience interest.
- Learn how to invest in your skills and expertise to build a better future.
- Allow yourself to go back to your inner creative self and just have fun.
Resources:
- Learn how to successfully launch, grow, and monetize your podcast through our Level 101 and Level 201 course and save 30% with code OPNATION30
- Travis on Instagram @shortcuttopodcasting
- Travis’s Website
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Dan Pena
Connect with Us!
- Operation Podcast on Instagram @operationpodcast
- https://www.operationpodcast.com/
