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Remote recording for interviews and the like has always been a bit tricky and the platforms that provide recording of this type are always trying to improve.

2022 brings us a lot of contenders for the title of "best remote recording platform."

This episode is a handful of recordings of me and my right-hand audio-man, Aaron as we test out the top 11 platforms. You're going to hear about...

• Boomcaster
• Cast
• Cleanfeed
• Clearcast
• Iris
• Remotely
• Riverside
• Squadcast
• Welder
• Zencastr
• Zoom

And we also tried Ringr, which has been around for some time but we got so frustrated trying to get it to work that we dropped the attempt. It could have been a bad day (for both of us?) but we made the call not to move forward with that portion of the recording and moved on.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Boomcaster - https://Boomcaster.com 
• Cast - https://tryca.st 
• Cleanfeed - https://Cleanfeed.net 
• Clearcast - https://clearcast.io 
• Iris - https://iris.fm 
• Remotely - https://remotely.fm 
• Riverside - https://riverside.fm (affliate link here)
• Squadcast - https://squadcast.fm (affiliate link here)
• Welder - https://GetWelder.com/remote-interview-recording 
• Zencastr - https://zencastr.com 
• Zoom - https://Zoom.us 

I have LONG wanted a Podcast Newsletter that provides content for me — an INDEPENDENT PODCASTER.

I mean, it's OK to have industry news about who moved from what bigwig company to another biggerwig company in a higher profile industry-speak position... no problem there.

But it's not relevant to me at all.

So I've created an Indie Podcast Newsletter FOR Indie Podcasters, BY an Indie Podcaster. Abraham Lincoln would have said something like that if he were a podcaster.

I'm calling it "Podawan" (hat tip to the Star Wars universe).

I LOVE the idea of Podawan Learner... and since we are all bootstrapping, do it yourself kind of folks, we can be Podawans.

Each episode or installment of the Podawan newsletter will include...

An Education section that highlights stuff you need to learn or do better

A Success Stories section that tells of Indie podcasters who have actually done it.

An Industry News section where I frame happenings in ways that matter to you.

And an Editorial section... where I write an opinion piece based on issues within the podcast industry (and shock... it will be RELEVANT to Indie podcasters).

Finally... I'll be taking LETTERS TO THE EDITOR... you can write your input about my opinions, industry stuff, something else. I don't care what it is. Send it to me.

I hope you'll subscribe. It's going to be a fun and RELEVANT ride.

Oh yeah... you can also find some fun, spring.com/">Podawan swag here.

Daniel J. Lewis has been building authority in the podcasting space since 2010.

That’s when the very first episode of his show (a podcast about podcasting) “The Audacity to Podcast.” You can hear it here.

Daniel has already been podcasting for about three years when I first came across his content and I can’t express the number of ways he’s helped me personally, both through his content and via personal email interactions we’ve had together.

He’s a regular guy who is as genuine in real life as he seems on his show.

THIS episode featuring Daniel J. Lewis features the story of how Daniel has used his podcast as a launching pad for SERVICES-based businesses - from website development to plugin development, to podcast consulting, Daniel has tried his hand at a wide variety of things — with varying levels of success. On this episode he shares...

▷ His path into podcasting from a job he loved

▷ How he built authority in a niche that was new to him

▷ Choosing from the wide variety of income models

▷ The power of perseverance in finding what fits you

I hope you take the time to listen. Daniel doesn’t hold back and if you apply what he shares, you’ll move WAY forward in your attempts to monetize your show.

How successful can a niche podcast be?

The answer likely depends on the niche. For example, back on episode 154 of this podcast Glenn Hebert, the personality and power behind The Horse Radio Network said this about his niche:

”(Annually) We are well into five figures, and you know, in our niche, we’ll probably never get to six figures. I don’t see us ever doing that.”

But his comments are about an expensive and specific niche, horses. What about if the niche in question is broader but very popular?

Like Bourbon?

While he was still in college, Kenny Coleman became a fan of bourbon (makes sense) and got into the “Bourbon Culture” from there. His interest became a passion and his passion has turned into a multi-six-figure business, all built on the back of a podcast that happened to become very, very popular.

My theory? Kenny pursued something he loved that many others were growing to love at the same time, and he saw an opportunity to serve people like himself.

Kenny and Ryan started their podcast from scratch, just like the rest of us

Go back and listen to episode 1 of The Bourbon Pursuit podcast (you can find it here). There was nothing super special about it. Just two guys with a mic (maybe two) who were talking about something they enjoyed — bourbon. They set the stage, gave listeners an idea what to expect, and asked for feedback. I love what they said at the end of that episode...

“If we suck, let us know, if it’s good, let us know. If you think something else would be cool, let us know. We just want to learn and grow as we go.”

That is KEY: Ask for feedback

No matter what your niche is, you won’t be able to serve your audience well until you know what they want. So figure out ways to ask them...

• What do they want to learn?
• Who do they want to hear from in the niche?
• What kind of skills do they need?
• What are the pains they feel related to the niche?

These days Kenny and Ryan do that through a community that is managed, run, and kept alive by members of their Patreon supporters. But back at the beginning, they had to figure out ways to do it. Annual surveys were a tool they used. Soliciting listener feedback episode to episode helped. And little by little, they were able to dial-in their demographic and know how to serve their audience better.

Quality matters, both technically and in skill level

Kenny and Ryan started their podcast about bourbon back in 2015. Bourbon back then was NOT the thing it is today. Today it’s cool, hip, trendy, etc. , but back then, it was just a hobby for enthusiasts. But that began to change. More bourbon-related podcasts started showing up and Kenny (the Executive Producer of the show) realized he’d have to figure out ways to make their show better than all the rest.

So he up-leveled the equipment they used. He improved their interviewing skills. He shot for higher-level guests and topics listeners said they wanted to hear.

And the podcast continued to grow.

Burnout happens to all podcasters at some point

There was a turning point when Kenny felt he was going to have to give up the podcast. He was working a full-time job, was married, and had a child, and he felt that he was being pulled in too many directions. Between his job and the podcast he was working 80 hours a week and knew that without any payoff coming from his efforts, it didn’t make sense to keep making the kind of sacrifices he was making.

He was open about the situation on social media and a fan reached out and suggested they start a Patreon. Kenny didn’t even know what it was. If you dont, here’s the nutshell: Patreon allows fans to support you on a donation level. You can set it up in a way they donate monthly, or per-episode you produce, or anything else. It’s a cool idea. Another great platform like Patreon that is built especially for scenarios where the creator wants to produce audio as a “thank you” perk to those who support their show, is called partners.supercast.tech/sign_up/r/fc68d1fb811416123ee3">Supercast (affiliate link). I use Supercast for one of my projects and LOVE it.

The Patreon started slow but showed encouraging signs of potential. Over time it grew and Kenny was able to hang on long enough to make his participation in the show pay off tangibly. Today (February 2022) the Bourbon Pursuit Patreon brings in almost $15,000 per month and includes a Bourbon Barrel Club. See the resources below to learn more about it.

Could your niche be successfully monetized?

Kenny believes that whatever you’re interested in, there is an audience out there that is also interested in it. Your job (should you choose to accept it) is to take the time and do the work required to find out what that audience wants... and give it to them.

That idea is the foundation of all entrepreneurial endeavors and every business. Contrary to what those capitalism-haters out there believe, business is about meeting needs and serving people. Your podcast can succeed by meeting needs, too. It just takes work to figure out how to do it and how to gradually slide into that place.

Listen to hear how Kenny and his team have scaled from episode 1 (bad audio quality and all) to an amazing team of 6 people, multiple sources of monthly revenue, and the launch of their own bourbon brand.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Bourbon Pursuit Podcast (all 3 weekly episodes):

Bourbon Pursuit Collection: https://seelbachs.com/collections/bourbon-pursuit-collection

Barrel Club (Patreon): https://www.patreon.com/bourbonpursuit

Kenny on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendrickColeman

Kenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendrickcoleman/

Do you EVER have issues coming up with new topics to cover on your podcast?

If not, it’s only a matter of time. Every podcaster runs into the issue eventually - asking the question, “What ELSE am I going to talk about on my podcast?”

It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or if you’ve been podcasting for a long time. It WILL happen to you.

What then?

How are you going to move forward and continue to serve your audience?

I’ve got a content development exercise you’re going to LOVE!

On this episode, I want to teach you a process I’ve implemented time and time again that enables anyone to have 10 to 15 interesting, helpful, immediately usable topics that can be recorded for individual podcast episodes, in JUST 30 MINUTES.

If it sounds too good to be true, just listen. You’ll see the magic (but it’s NOT magic, just common sense) of taking this approach.

It’s tapping into the knowledge you already have inside that noggin of yours and putting it to work for the sake of your audience.

Ready? Hit the play button!

If you’d like to take the DEEP DIVE into this approach, you can find it outlined in detail on this blog post: https://podcastfasttrack.com/podcast-workflow-step-2-generate-topics-bulk-record/

Every podcaster is looking for ways to grow her audience. Why? Hopefully, it's for reasons bigger than our own ego (if it's not, please — STOP podcasting right now).

The best reason to work toward podcast audience growth is to better serve those who find our show interesting and or helpful. I know you agree with me, right?

Scott Johnson is a guy who does that through a couple of podcasts, but the one we focus on in this conversation is what he calls his "passion project" — "What was that like?" It's an intriguing show that interviews real people about the bizarre and sometimes painful experiences they've had in life. (Check out this episode, "Robert was in a gunfight with pirates" to get a taste for yourself).

Scott and I discuss the MAIN thing he's done to keep his audience growth heading upward — and it comes in THREE forms. He breaks it down on this episode.

You'll enjoy this episode if you're interested in...

• the best ways to discover what kind of people listen to your podcast
• how to find other podcasts that have a similar audience (listen to understand why this is important)
• making connections with the podcasters who host those shows
• partnering with other podcasters to grow your respective shows
• real-life results that come from this strategy
• podcast mastermind groups: their benefits might surprise you

Mentioned on this episode

• "What was that like?" - Scott's podcast discussed on this episode: https://whatwasthatlike.com/
• Scott's The Computer Tutor podcast: https://computertutorflorida.com/

MIDROLL: Podcast Mastermind

If you're interested in growing your podcast by joining forces with other podcasters who are on their way to success (just like you), consider applying for the next Podcast Fast Track Podcast Mastermind. It's one of the best investments you can make in your podcast, hands-down. Not to mention the great ongoing cooperative relationships you'll make with other podcasters like yourself. APPLY FOR THE NEXT GROUP HERE.

Other podcasters who share your audience are NOT your competition

One of the things I've loved about podcasting ever since I started is the reality that it's a very cooperative space. Unlike other industries, podcasters seem more than generous to help others who are trying to grow a show just like they are. This conversation with Scott is an example (he's a very generous guy).

Scott banks on that fact as part of his podcast audience growth strategy. It's an easy assumption to make because you know that other podcasters who your audience finds intriguing or interesting are attempting to grow their listenership just like you. Reaching out to them to investigate cooperative partnerships makes perfect sense.

But it's not easy to do with all the SPAM hitting our inboxes these days. For that reason, I was super interested in finding out how Scott makes the most of his opportunities to partner with other podcasters. As I suspected, he doesn't use a copy-and-paste email template that can be modified for pseudo-personal outreach. He does the hard work required to ensure he's coming across genuinely and that his communication is cutting through the noise. Listen to find out the details because I ask him all the questions.

What elements contribute to your audience growth outreach pitch being noticed?

As I mentioned above, SPAM seems to be at an all-time high. I probably receive 10 to 20 requests a day from people (bots?) looking to USE ME to advance their cause or business. I say it that way because most of them demonstrate in their original outreach that they haven't researched me, my business, or my audience at all. They've just pasted a form letter into an email, input my name and email address, and hit "send." YUK!

You do NOT want to be one of those people when reaching out to potential podcast audience growth partners. You've got to cut through the noise and prove from the moment they see your subject line (if you're using email to reach out) that you are a real person who knows something about them and genuinely wants to help them as a true partner. That's a TALL ORDER, but one Scott has been pretty successful at meeting.

How does he do it? It starts with a non-sensational, boring subject line on his emails... and it gets him some pretty amazing results. Listen to hear exactly what he does and why he believes it works.

Scott's audience growth project works... but it's also HARD WORK

It's one thing to say that you've found a way to grow your podcast audience (like Scott has).

It's still another thing to connect the increase in downloads directly with the efforts you made.

So it was important to me that I verify that Scott's claims are legit. It's not that I don't trust him, but for your sake I want to accurately represent what he's experienced — so YOU don't have any misconceptions about what could happen if you duplicate Scott's approach.

So asking him those questions, he was able to give me NUMBERS of increases in listenership after promotion and then verify that the baseline growth of his show, though it declined after the promotion, remained higher than it was pre-promotion.

But don't take all that to mean it's "easy and fast results" like a lot of the internet hooey you hear out there. It's not easy. It's not fast. It's not even simple. But once you get the process down and apply it in a savvy way like Scott has, you should see similar results.

Don't miss out on this approach to podcast audience growth that Scott has pioneered. Though he's likely NOT the first person to try it, he's the only person I know who has put in the time and effort to perfect it (as much as anything can be perfected),

For the first time ever, podcast show notes display almost the SAME in all podcasting apps (thanks Apple).

That brings up the question... what ARE show notes anyway? And how can I best use them?

On this episode of Podcastification, I'm going to explain what show notes are, what they should contain, and how to create and use them in the MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS.

Keep reading.

What ARE show notes?

There are differing opinions or definitions out there for the term "show notes." Some people feel like it's a blog post length summary of a podcast episode, or maybe even a transcript of the audio.

Others feel the term should refer mainly to the brief description of an episode you might find in a podcast app.

Which is it?

From my perspective as the Founder of a company that creates show notes for podcasting clients, it's both.

Let me explain...

Kill two birds with one stone

To make the most of every episode of your podcast, you really NEED BOTH the longer blog post content that goes on your website, AND the shorter, abbreviated content that pulls into the podcast apps from your media host.

Instead of creating a separate document or post for those two things, I suggest you create one MASTER post that you can use in a variety of ways to fulfill both needs... and social media elements while you're at it.

But before we get to that, there's one last thing I want to say...

Your listeners won't know what you've created for them if you don't guide them to it

You may follow the steps I'm about to give you and create the best show notes on the planet or within your industry or niche.

But if your audience doesn't know they are available, they won't use them.

It's YOUR job to ensure they know about the resources you create.

I suggest you figure out a way to remind yourself to TELL your audience about your show notes EVERY TIME you record a new episode.

• Develop a bullet-point list you use when you record that reminds you of all the important stuff you need to say
• Add references to your show notes to that list

WHERE DO YOU INCLUDE IT?

• Make the mention of your show notes a standard part of your call to action at the end of each episode.
• When guests share a resource, comment that you'll include it in the show notes or description.

Your listeners will become aware of your show notes and become accustomed to looking at them when they need a resource... in time. Just be consistent.

MAKE FINDING THE NOTES EASY FOR YOUR LISTENERS

The last stats I saw (early 2021) said that 85% of podcast listeners are listening on a mobile device. So think about that from a show notes perspective...

If you're saying, "Check out the website for the show notes to this episode," you're making it HARD for your listeners to find them.

Even if you refer to a specific short-link, you're still forcing them to open a web browser and find the show notes.

HERE'S A BETTER IDEA...

Since you know that the majority of your listeners are listening to your show on a mobile device, then point them to the description on their mobile device. I often say something like this...

"That resource can be found in the description for this episode, and you can find that in the listening app you're using to listen right now. Swipe right, left, up, down... something and the description section will be there."

Your show notes master document

First off, create a Google Doc that you can use as a template for your show notes. That way you don't have to recreate the structure every time you produce a new episode.

You'll simply copy the template document, rename it, and away you go.

What should your template include?

I'm going to give you my suggestions... and I'm going to do so in a specific order, for a specific reason. It will make your creation easier to repurpose and reuse.

• Basic intro paragraph(s)

Picture this intro paragraph section this way...

A new potential listener finds your show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your cover art catches their eye and they decide to click through to see your description.

Then they see an episode title that's intriguing (we'll get to that in a moment). And they decide to click through to read the description of the episode.

THIS section is what they see when they do that. It needs to be compelling, interesting, and informative - in as few words as possible.

Start out with something catchy, something that introduces the topic or guest in an appealing way to the reader.

Make it short and to the point. Imagine each sentence tying into the next to lead the reader along.

Some folks include bios here but I find bios to be too boring and too hard to read. I tend to scan them and I think most internet readers do the same. So don't waste your time with long, all-inclusive bios. If you want to include them, do it later in a "guest" section of your notes.

• Time-stamped bullet point outline of content (OPTIONAL but describe use as CLICKABLE)

To be honest, this section is optional — but I always include it if I can. Why?

Because it enables your reader (who tends to scan things) to easily see the main topics and issues covered in the audio. It's like bait, tempting them to listen.

And I include this in the media host (podcast players) because in most podcast players, the timestamps are clickable... meaning the person taps on them and the audio begins playing at that point in the episode.

• Resource section (links to things & people mentioned)

This is where you provide links to resources you or your guest mention in the episode recording.

I don't include things like Google or Youtube because everyone knows about them and how to find them.

But I do include links to apps or software programs, online courses, people, books, and a variety of other things.

If you decide to link to resources that are affiliate relationships (you get paid if people buy using your link) then do the right thing and disclose that it's an affiliate relationship.

• Contact info for guests

Include information about how your listeners can contact your guests. You can either include all social, websites, etc. - OR - you can ask the guest their preferred means of communication with listeners.

If your guest has written books or has an offer for your listeners, provide that link here as well (and refer to it being in the show notes for the episode, so listeners can go get it)

• Contact info for you

Podcast listeners build a one-sided relationship with you, the host of their favorite podcast. So make it easy for them to connect with you.

Include your preferred ways of being contacted... and perhaps even put it near the top of the post in your media host account (apps) so listeners can find it easily.

EVERYTHING TO THIS POINT IS WHAT I'D INCLUDE IN YOUR MEDIA HOST ACCOUNT - BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE THE APPS WILL GET THEIR DESCRIPTIONS FROM.

But for your website blog post, I'd add additional information...

• Keyword conscious content of 500 words or more (SEO)

If you want the blog post that accompanies your episodes to have any chance at all in getting Google's attention when people search for key phrases related to your episodes, you'll need more content on the page.

Google recommends 500 to 600 words minimum, so that's what we aim for AS a minimum.

It's going to include everything I've mentioned so far, so you're only going to need 2 to 3 more paragraphs of content to fill out the blog post.

This is where I place those paragraphs.

I'll include a catchy H2 level header, then write a brief paragraph or two about the topic mentioned in that header.

Make it informative, helpful, and true to the audio content. (NO CLICK BAIT)

Then I'll write a couple more headers and paragraphs following the same pattern.

TIP:

The bullet points you've already created will probably give you great ideas for good headers and the content to follow.

• Images with proper titles and tags for your keywords (Canva, Snappa, Stencil, Easil)

For website posts, images are always optional. But if you're posting for the sake of SEO (which you should be) then you need to have images.

Google says the more "media-rich" your page is, the more likely it is to rank when people search for the topics covered on that page.

Images help you tick that box.

There are lots of free tools out there to help you create attractive images that highlight your content and promote your brand or your guest.

When you use images, be sure the title of the image includes keywords you hope to rank for... and fill out the image "alt" tag with a keyword-focused description for those who are visually impaired.

And don't put the same title and alt tag on every image you use on the page. Title them in relationship to what the images are.

Repurpose your master document even further

Not only are you going to use the top section I described in your media host description to feed the apps (summary paragraph, bullet-point outline, contact info for you and the guest, and resources), you're also going to use the content for social media.

Headers and bullet-point outlines can make great tweets, if you reformat them slightly to be intriguing and appealing to Twitter users.

Don't forget to include relevant hashtags (but don't overdo it)

Your blog post paragraphs can make great social media posts — again, with some reworking and proper hashtag use.

And don't forget to include a link with your social media posts - to your podcast episode blog page (my recommendation)

Resources Mentioned

• Podnews article about Show Notes now displaying consistently
• Canva - graphics creation program
• Snappa - graphics creation program
• Stencil - graphics creation program
• Easil - graphics creation program
• Previous episodes of Podcastification about show notes:
• https://podcastfasttrack.com/20
• https://podcastfasttrack.com/21
• https://podcastfasttrack.com/22
• https://podcastfasttrack.com/23

Contact Carey

https://PodcastFastTrack.com

If you feel you don't know enough about the topics you want to podcast about, you are in good company

Maria Failla began her podcast, Bloom & Grow Radio because she DIDN'T know enough about how to care for her plants and saw it as a great opportunity to talk to experts who did. And by the way, isn't that a GREAT name for a podcast? It comes from a line in Maria's favorite song from the musical, "The Sound of Music" - Edelweiss.

I was eager to talk with Maria about her journey because as a client, I've seen her go from almost no audience to an amazing following and enthusiastic membership community that's quite astounding. The lessons she's learned are ones any podcaster can benefit from, especially if you're looking to serve your audience in bigger ways, build relationships with sponsors that benefit them long-term, and therefore, fuel your podcast, AND make your podcast a full-time living kind of thing eventually.

All of that is true of Maria and it just might be possible for you too. Give her a chance to convince you of what's possible!

What you'll learn from Maria's story

• [2:32] Maria's monetization story: Where she's at now
• [4:32] Niche podcast ad sales | speaking opportunities | membership community
• [7:18] The wandering path: Why Maria thought 10 episodes would be it for her show
• [11:10] The first steps of monetization Maria started taking
• [14:35] How to leverage the power of the fact that you are your target listener
• [19:36] How to move affiliate relationships to sponsor partnerships

🚨 Set up a MEMBERSHIP for your podcast

In this episode, I mentioned that I have a very successful membership once your podcast is rolling. You'll hear Maria speak about how she's doing that if you listen (you ARE going to listen, right?).

I use a platform called Supercast, which I describe at the midpoint of this conversation. HERE IS MY AFFILIATE LINK to Supercast... and remember, if you use my link to sign up for Supercast, I'll send you my "Supercast Walkthrough" video to help you get it set up and get started.

And to see how Supercast works, here is the link I share with my podcast listers that provides more information about my podcast partnership (what I call it instead of a "membership"): https://CareyGreen.com/partners

• [27:17] The membership Maria has created sounds amazing... she shares how you can build one too!
• [33:06] Premium tiers are coming to Maria's membership... here's how she's setting it up
• [36:01] How Maria's self-doubt and ignorance led her to a vulnerable approach to her topics (that has been SUPER successful)
• [38:10] Getting past the fear of asking people for money to support what you're doing
• [42:01] Being friends with your sponsors removes the tension from the financial relationship and makes things more fun
• [44:51] Why "Bespoke" podcast ads are THE WAY TO GO with your sponsor relationships (it's a game-changer for you and your sponsor)

If you're not an expert in your niche, that may be an IDEAL reason to start a podcast

• Maria says that she never expected her podcast to get past 10 episodes. There were a handful of reasons for that but the main one was that she thought she would probably run out of questions and guests by then. But as she got into things, it became clear to her that not only did she have more and more questions as she went along, but the audience was benefitting greatly from the content she was producing.
• That led her to one of the key insights that have served her well throughout her podcasting journey...

Keep the audience in mind always. Serve them. Learn what they need and give it to them.

• When I heard Maria say that, it ran so many bells in my head (I hear bells often). She's onto something that most of my successful clients have discovered as well. As a podcaster, you truly SHOULD BE IN IT FOR YOUR AUDIENCE first, and yourself secondarily.
• Maria's novice status resonated with her audience and her journey became their journey. She discovered that she was her ideal target listener and that revelation helped her to serve them even better.

Affiliate sales may be the first place to start — but you have to do it right

• At the beginning, Maria had no ambition to monetize her show, but the monthly expenses of producing her show and providing resources to her listeners, though small, added up over time. So her first goal was to earn enough money from the show to cover the expenses. It wasn't much, but it was enough that she was motivated.
• Her first monetization attempt, which continues in various forms to this day, was through Affiliate relationships. In short, it means you refer people to products and get paid by the people behind the product for doing so. It's a referral fee, in essence. But she also learned that there are right ways and wrong ways to promote as an affiliate.

THE WRONG WAY TO PROMOTE AFFILIATE PRODUCTS:

• Promote anything that can make you money... and the bigger the payout percentage the better.
• Why is this the wrong way to go about affiliate partnerships? Because it violates the principle Maria learned at the beginning, it isn't keeping your audience in mind. Remember, your audience listens to your show because they are interested in the TOPICS you cover. Your ideal affiliate products will connect to that reality in some way.
• Hawking anything that makes you money communicates loud and clear to your audience that they are a commodity you're willing to take advantage of, not people you truly care about.
• Don't make that mistake if you're going to promote affiliate products.

THE RIGHT WAY TO PROMOTE AFFILIATE PRODUCTS

• In light of what I said in the previous point, find items or services you can believe in and genuinely recommend to your audience. This means you should find a way to try them out. From early on, Maria chose the products she would recommend to her audience from her own experience. She looked around her apartment and asked herself a key question, "Which things do I use regularly that I absolutely love?" THOSE were the things she chose to associate with as an affiliate.
• She was also careful to promote those products in a way that didn't feel gross to her. She wanted to be enthusiastic about the products, not pushy, so she refused to use canned scripts provided by affiliates (or sponsors). She wrote them herself to maintain her own voice and excitement about the item or service.
• Listen to hear how she crafts "Bespoke" endorsements to this day, with the help of your sponsors (who she appropriately refers to as "partners").

How to move your affiliate relationships to true sponsorships

• The products and services Maria promoted through affiliate relationships were the natural first option when it came to starting official sponsorships. She discovered that the track record she had with affiliate partners enabled her to build on the effectiveness of her promotions to pitch them sponsorship opportunities.
• At first, she had to work out the kinks regarding how to pitch them and what they were most interested in. But in the end, the fact that they both wanted the same thing (to help her audience through the products the affiliate had to provide) enabled them to come to terms and begin working at a bigger, more effective level.
• Maria's lessons-learned are too varied and detailed for me to cover adequately here, so make sure you listen to hear how she made this transition, and the kinds of approaches she takes today to ensure her sponsors stay with her over the long haul (THIS PART is pure GOLD, don't miss it).

The benefits of true sponsor RELATIONSHIPS (as friends, not just business associates)

• True product or service sponsorships are based on a trusting relationship. The sponsor has to know that you are as enthusiastic about their success as they are — and both of you need to be committed to driving that success for each other's benefit. One example from Maria's story that I thought was amazing is that her sponsors will sometimes call her up to ask about new products they are creating, new marketing plans they are considering, and she's more than eager to help. She knows that the more she can help them, the more their products will help her listeners and the more beneficial that will be to everyone (her included).
• Maria's sponsors have grown WITH her through the life cycle of her podcast. They have seen the ups and downs and since they've been along for the ride, they are committed to her success.
• Why?
• First, because they like her and enjoy working with her. But additionally, because she makes them money and drives their success forward. There's a legitimate REASON Maria refers to her sponsors as "Partners" — because that's exactly what they are!
• I could tell you so much more about Maria's endeavors... the Membership community she's launched, the upcoming high-tier products and membership that she's working on, and the motivation behind it all. But rather than typing it all out, you should hear it in her own voice. Click "play" and hear it in her own words.

Connect with Maria Failla (Bloom & Grow)

• Maria's show: Bloom & Grow Radio (listen to a recent episode to hear how Maria does her ad spots)
• Maria on Instagram: @BloomandGrow
• Maria's "Plant Parent Personality" assessment (DO IT if you're into plants - or want to be)
• Maria's YouTube channel
• Maria's "Garden Party & Garden Society" membership community

Resources & people Maria mentioned

• Pat Flynn
• John Lee Dumas' "Free Podcast Course" podcast
• Pat Flynn's marketing course
• "What's your ideal avatar" episode from John Lee Dumas
• Patreon - Maria has used and still uses this platform
• Mighty Networks (Maria uses this for her Membership community)
• Survey Monkey (Maria uses this for annual listener surveys)
• SolTech Solutions (one of Maria's show sponsors)

Subscribe Is Gone (on Apple only, so far)

Podcast tech is changing all the time, so we shouldn't be surprised when Apple makes a change (unannounced, as is often the case).

What's the latest change?

Apple's newest version of the iOS app (14.5 update) is now MISSING the "Subscribe" button. It also has no "Follow" button (which we've previously thought was coming).

What users will see now when they click into a podcast they are considering is a button that says "Latest Episode."

When they click that button...

...what happens? It plays the LAST 60 SECONDS of your most recent episode.

Did you get that?

Your MOST RECENT episode is going to be the Costco Sample for potential listeners. That's a big deal.

It's easier for listeners to check out your show than ever before... but Apple is DICTATING how they do that... through the most recent episode.

So you should consider if what you're doing during that first 60 seconds is...

• compelling
• intriguing
• entertaining
• interesting
• provocative
• alluring
• helpful

If it's not, this is a good time to make a change.

What kind of change might you make?

START WITH A TEASER

My episode this time started with what I'd call a "teaser." It's a creative way of introducing the topic.

You can do this like I did, with unique or interesting music underneath.

You could add a quote or clip from your guest that highlights the most interesting or compelling aspects of what they had to share.

You could tell a story from your experience that illustrates the topic of your episode in an engaging way.

There are so many ways to do it.

What should NOT be in the first 60 seconds?

ADS GO SOMEPLACE ELSE

Advertisements or sponsor spots should NOT be in the first 60 seconds of your episodes from now on.

Think about it...

If YOU were a new-podcast-searcher and found a show you thought might be interesting... and you clicked that "Latest Podcast" button... and you hear an...

ADVERTISEMENT for the first 60 seconds...

what would YOU think?

What would you do?

What would you wonder about that podcast and its creator?

Long, boring, canned intros should be moved

You may feel you still need the canned intro you've been using. You know, the radio-announcer-gal who says the same blah-blah-blah at the beginning of every one of your episodes.

That's OK... but don't put it within that first 60 seconds.

You want to use that 60 seconds of audio real estate to its fullest potential.

Give value.

Hook your listeners.

Build interest.

Promise something.

Make them WANT to keep listening.

I don't think I've ever heard a canned intro that has made me WANT to keep listening.

Have you?

Stay tuned... this is likely not over!

Apple is well-known for making unannounced changes like this, and then tweaking the change for weeks, months, sometimes years.

So keep your eyes open. This feature is likely not going to stay exactly like it is.

I'll do my best to keep you informed.