In this episode of The Podmaster, we're taking you hand in hand through the murky world of the all-too-commonly-spotted podcast gurus and explaining why you should avoid taking their advice at all costs.

Hi! I'm Neal Veglio, The Podmaster, and I'm hoping by the end of this episode you'll know the difference between these so-called podcast experts who are actually just fake gurus, and the real deal podcasters like myself who are here to help you.

Until you learn about the tactics used by these self-serving opportunists and hear the 10 signs to help you identify genuine podcast experts, you'd be forgiven for falling for their marketing traps.

From inflated engagement metrics to superficial gains, I'm showing you the red flags to watch out for when seeking podcasting guidance.

Also, another podcasting tip, and the latest download numbers that correspond with global rankings so you can ignore that Listen Notes garbage rating you've seen...

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Our clients get 75% of their leads from their

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podcast. I read this from a so called

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podcast coach on LinkedIn recently. In this

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episode, I'm going to tell you why a lot of what you read

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from the podcast gurus is simply made up

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bullshit.

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The is a guy on LinkedIn who I've stumbled across a few times in

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the feed who makes a lot of wild claims over how awesome he is at

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coaching podmaster, and he offers frankly,

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terrible advice about monetization and growth.

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But because he's in an engagement pod with a well known LinkedIn

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influencer, in fact, this person has him as the

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podcast producer, his followers lap it all

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up. He's got lots of otherwise uninformed

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LinkedIn users validating his every view in the

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comments on autopilot due to their having

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to agree to an engagement requirement which says,

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when stuff's posted, you must like it.

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That is an engagement pod. Those are the rules.

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And various influencers have these in place

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on various platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter,

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Instagram, TikTok, you name it. If it's a channel,

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it's got an engagement pod. Well, anyway, let's go back to that post that I

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mentioned at the beginning of this our clients get

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75% of their leads from their podcasts. I

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can categorically tell you this stat is a fabrication, and

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here's why. Now, look, I'm excellent at what I do.

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I've been doing this since the early 2000s. But even I'm not bringing

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you 75% of your overall leads in your business.

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And this is because that's a hugely unlikely goal to

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reach. Even if you were the biggest podcast on the planet.

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Even John Lee Dumas isn't converting

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75% of all of his listeners into buying

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customers. 75% of all leads

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from a podcast? Are you joking? Even for

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bigger brands who have tried and tested marketing channels that are bringing them

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leads almost every day, that's why this is absolute

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nonsense. Don't believe me? Okay, let me

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dissect this ridiculous claim piece by piece.

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First of all, let me read you the paragraph in full from

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this particular podcast guru. On LinkedIn, our clients

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get 75% of their leads from their podcasts.

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We've made 75% of our prospects podcast

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listeners looking to run this too. Send me a

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DM request. All right, I'm going to give you a breakdown of why this is

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typical made up guru nonsense. First of all, the claim lacks

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specifics. It doesn't specify what kind of leads they're

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referring to, nor does it clarify the nature of these leads. Are

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these sales leads, marketing leads, or something else. Now,

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without context, this claim is too vague to be

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meaningful. The claim is

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unsubstantiated. He makes a bold claim,

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75% of leads coming from podcasts, without

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providing any evidence or context. In the world of

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marketing and lead generation, such high figures are rare and

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usually require substantial proof or case studies to

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be believable. He's obviously relying on most

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people, accepting it on face value and asking no

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further questions. Now this might work because once they're

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following him, they may forget to do the background checks and the due

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diligence, in which case they'll end up in his sales funnel, potentially

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buying from him, in which case it's a decent risk for him to take

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if all he's looking to do is make money from unsuspecting

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victims. The claim is an

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over generalization. It's suggesting a uniform

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result, that is 75% of leads from podcast

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across all their clients, which is highly unlikely

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given the diversity in business models, the audiences, the

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podcast topics. Each podcast and audience is unique,

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so results can vary greatly. Now

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look, this guy is definitely not alone. I'm picking on him

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because he in particular rubs me up the wrong way with his

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nonsense. But there are many others just like him. Or even

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worse, there's the podcast guru from the UK who made

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money in property, capitalized on the rise of clubhouse,

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exploited bored business owners during lockdown with his sales

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funnels, and now rips off sorry charges a small

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fortune for arbitrary podcast coaching at weekends.

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There's the whole slew of Instagram podcast gurus who promise

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you the earth and tell you all you need to do is buy their $97

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course, which invariably is a PDF of bullet

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points that you could find for yourself for free by searching Google or

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YouTube. Then there's the slightly more

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legitimate looking podcast agency.

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These people are usually slick looking gurus who hang

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out in suits, post lots of office photos from their website,

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and then essentially hire editors from the Philippines on Fiverr

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and artificially inflate the success of this content

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using clickfarms in Bangladesh and other areas

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of the third world nations. Essentially pure

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fakery. The mission being to get your podcast

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launched into the charts so you think they have the first idea

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what they're doing. Here's a clue, they don't.

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Now all this is basic level stuff, but I wanted to help you avoid these

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people in case you're at a point where you know you need to invest in

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better results for your podcast, but you don't want to get burned by yet another

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charlatan. So how about this? Here are my ten

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signs. The so called podcast expert you're following on

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social media is just a self serving opportunist

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guru. I'm hoping this will save you a lot of wasted

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time and money.

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Gurus promise overnight success, massive listener

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numbers and top chart positions. Experts

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set realistic expectations, focusing on steady growth and

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quality content. They will encourage you to dismiss

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charts offhand as a main metric.

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Gurus offer generic, one size fits all strategies

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that don't consider your podcast's specific mission and

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goals. Experts provide tailored advice,

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understanding that each podcast has its own audience and

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goals. Gurus have all their content

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funneled to expensive courses filled with total fluff and zero

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substance. Experts share valuable insights, often

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through various channels, sometimes even for free or at a very

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reasonable cost. Gurus like the chat we've

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just mentioned use bold claims and questionable testimonials

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to lure you in. Experts have a proven track

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record with real verifiable success stories

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and satisfied clients all over their comments on the

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regular. I mean, just look at my LinkedIn for an example of this.

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Gurus claim to have secret formulas or hacks for quick

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success. Look out for anyone mentioning 90 days

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in particular. Experts only deal with tried and

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tested podcasting practices and are continuously

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learning. Gurus focus on short term tactics

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that don't offer sustainable growth. Experts help you

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develop long term strategies for consistent growth and listener

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engagement. Gurus often use

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flashy marketing, offering superficial gains.

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Experts concentrate on encouraging quality content,

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strong storytelling, and genuine audience connection,

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not Paidforbot listens. Gurus

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lack personal experience in any successful

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podcasting. Experts possess handson experience

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with a history of wins and failures that have shaped their overall

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knowledge. Gurus offer little to no follow

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up on their offerings. Experts provide

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ongoing support and are fully invested in your

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podcast's growth and success.

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Gurus the primary goal is to sell their courses or

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services. Experts are driven by a genuine passion for

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podcasting and helping others succeed. And

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here's a bonus one for you. Gurus pivoted in from some

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other, totally unrelated industry or space.

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Experts have a trackable history in podcasting, hello,

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podcasting since 2000 2001. So they have a grasp of

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the industry's history and can predict and quickly

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identify trends and best practices.

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Remember, truly successful podcasters didn't get where they are

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because some LinkedIn hack bro with catchy hooks sold them

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a blueprint. Don't be dazzled by false promises from any

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influencer you see on social media. Seek out those who

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truly know their stuff and are eager to help you grow your podcast

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properly and sustainably the so called podcast

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expert who gets all the likes and comments is probably just in an

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engagement pod with some other influencers. So what should

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you be looking for then? When thinking of working with one of these socalled

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podcast experts, look for engagement

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authenticity. Be wary of those with inflated engagement

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metrics. Genuine experts usually have quite

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organic interactions with their audience and clients rather than

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relying on engagement pods, and will have relevant

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comments. Check for their industry references whether

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they're recommended or recognized by reputable figures in the

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industry. Industry endorsements can be a strong indicator

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of credibility. Who are they connected to? If they've not

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been accepted by those credible people in podcasting,

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chances are they're not credible in podcasting.

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Evaluate the depth and relevance of the content they're providing you in

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their courses, their blogs, or their social media. Always

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insist on getting a sample first. Experts

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usually offer insightful, nuanced, and actionable

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advice. Look for adaptability now the podcasting

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landscape is constantly evolving. A credible consultant

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stays updated with the latest trends and technological

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advancements, and if they don't incorporate them into their

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strategies, they tell you why. Ask them about their

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processes. A decent, knowledgeable podcast consultant

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will be able to offer you solutions that match different models

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of podcasts at various stages of their own journey. If they

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try to sell you a one size fits all blueprint, walk

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away. Leverage the

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power of storytelling in your episodes. Okay, you might be thinking

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storytelling. That's common advice, Neal. But here's the

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twist. Integrate micro stories into each episode

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regardless of your podcast's main theme or topic. For

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example, if you're doing a tech podcast, start an episode with

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a brief, personal anecdote about how a particular gadget changed

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your life. Or, if you're discussing history, share a

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short, vivid tale about a lesser known historical figure

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who relates to your main topic. Make that bridge for the

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listener. In their mind, these micro stories achieve a few

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things. They immediately hook your listener with something

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relatable and intriguing that they can visualize. These

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stories stick in our minds much better than facts or figures,

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and they add a personal touch, making you more relatable and your

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podcast more engaging. It's time once again

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for those allimportant download numbers, which will give you an idea

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of the percentage ranking of your podcast compared

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with others. If you want to be considered a top 50%

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podcaster globally, your podcast episode needs

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to be getting 160 downloads within the first

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30 days of its release. You'll want

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3200 downloads within 30 days of release for

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your episode. If you want your podcast to be considered in the top

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10% globally top 5%

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7500 downloads top 2%

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20,000 downloads and if you want to be a

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genuine top 1% podcaster, your latest

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episode needs to get 36,000

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downloads within the first 30 days of its release.

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Well, that's it for this latest episode of the Podmaster

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podcast. If you've enjoyed it, please do leave us a review in

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Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

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from. Make sure you're following the show and you can find out more about the

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show. And stay in Touch at Podmastery Co.

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That's Podmaster Co. Speak to you next

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time. The Podmaster is Podnose podcasting

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production. Find out more about us at Podnose Co.

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UK. That's Podknows.

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Co. UK.