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It's almost impossible to make a good podcast without
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listening to great podcasts.
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But it probably takes more than listening to go from good to great.
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The secret is learning those not-hidden secrets.
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Hello, and welcome to another Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra.
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Okay, I promise you this is about podcasting, but I need
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to set this up first by talking briefly about food and booze.
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Now, I'm a competent cook.
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No one's gonna confuse me for a trained chef or even offer me a job
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as a line cook somewhere, but the kitchen is my domain in my household.
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And I'm a competent cocktail maker.
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My repertoire isn't expansive.
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I don't have an enviable liquor collection, but I'm a passable drink
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slinger when a few guests are over.
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Now, I'm good at both of those things, but I'm not great.
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And maybe that describes you as a podcaster.
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Good enough to make a podcast episode that is good enough for your
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audience to keep listening to you, but look, you know it's not great.
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Perhaps there are certain things about your podcast you know aren't as good as
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they can be and you want to do better.
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It describes how I was feeling about my eggplant parmesan and my Manhattan.
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Yeah, I know it's back to food and booze already, but let me tell you
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how I recently up-leveled my skills on both of those, and I'll relate
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it back to podcasting to help you.
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Now, look, I really like eggplant parmesan.
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If I'm feeling meatless, which often I am, living with a veggie
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wife, I'll order it at a restaurant and I'm rarely disappointed.
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Except when I try to make it at home, then I'm always disappointed.
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Not that it's inedible, just that it fails to taste as good as what
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I get in just about any restaurant.
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And I really like Manhattan cocktails.
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I'm pretty picky about my Manhattans and I'll only order them if the bar feels like
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a place that might make a solid Manhattan.
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But for years, I've been disappointed at the ones I make at home.
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Again, they were drinkable, just not craveable, if you know what I mean.
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But all that changed recently, the eggplant parmesan I made last week was,
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as my wife said, restaurant quality.
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The Manhattans I'm mixing at home are on point now and cause my cocktail
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picky friends to do a double take.
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So what changed?
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Well, little things, believe it or not.
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I found the secret to both.
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Small things I'd been overlooking or, more honestly, rushing past previously.
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Things other people who are great at both of them know.
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Now, for the eggplant parm, I finally took the time to read that 600 word blog
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post that sits on top of the recipe.
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You know, the one you probably skipped through as well.
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It contained two nuggets of info - make smaller slices and use a two
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step cooking process- that made all the difference in the world.
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For the Manhattan, I shared my frustrations with the grizzled
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ex-bartender that works at the booze shop.
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He told me I'd never ever get there with the cheap bottle of vermouth I was using.
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And yeah, he was right.
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So what's the lesson for you, podcaster?
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The lesson is that ordering more eggplant parmesan or drinking more Manhattans
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was never going to fix my issues because I didn't know what my issues were.
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So listening to more and more episodes of podcasts you love probably isn't
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going to fix your issue because you don't know what your issue is.
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The solutions to my issues presented themselves when I finally asked for
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help and stopped going through the motions, motions I'd gone through
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dozens or hundreds of times before.
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I stopped, I took stock, I recognized something was off, and then set
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out to finally find a solution.
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And that's what you need to do.
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Stop going through the motions, motions you've been going through to make
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your episodes dozens or hundreds of times, recognize that something is
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off, and then you go find a solution.
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Now, maybe that means digging deep into training courses or videos or
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books or other things produced by people who have found podcasting
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success where you're struggling.
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Maybe that means seeking out advice from people who've really mastered their craft.
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But adjust your sights properly.
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Note that I didn't ask for an audience with the top chef or the head mixologist
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at the Waldorf Astoria to fix my food and drink problem, nor did I need to really.
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I just needed to ask someone who was more capable and better than me.
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And I also didn't ask them how do I become a great chef or how do
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I become the next top bartender?
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Look, that's way too broad and doesn't deal with my specific pain points.
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Instead, I was focused and, at least in the case of the guy at
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the booze store, I engaged a person who knew more than me in a dialogue
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until a solution presented itself.
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Now you can do the same.
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Podcast Movement 2022 is coming up in Dallas later on this month.
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And if you are attending, you'll have ample time and opportunity to
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get one-on-one time with podcasters and producers whom you admire.
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And I think you'll find most of them quite happy to sit down with you
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and share their secrets that really aren't all that secret with you.
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And the same goes for just about any podcast conference.
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So if attending one is in your realm of possibility, I
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suggest you prioritize that.
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But you don't have to do it in person.
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You can get involved in the podcasting community, social media, various online
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forums, Discord servers, lots of places.
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Be friendly, be curious, be supportive.
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You'll find that many, heck if not most, podcasters are very willing to share tips
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and tricks with others just like you.
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Just be sure you're asking about your personal podcasting humps.
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They may have a secret that's really not-so-secret that might make all
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the difference in the world to you.
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And if you see me at Podcast Movement 2022, please come over and say hello.
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With that, I shall be back next week with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
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Cheers!
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Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra.
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He's on a mission to make podcasting better.
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Links to everything mentioned in today's episode are in the notes
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section of your podcast listening app.
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A written-to-be-read article based on today's episode is available at
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podcastpontifications.com where you'll also find a video version and a corrected
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transcript, both created by Allie Press.
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Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.
