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Not every guest you interview is going to be amazing.
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Not every monologue you write is going to be stellar.
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There's no way to fix that reality.
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What do you do with a subpar episode?
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Don't release it.
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Today's episode is brought to you by the Advancing Podcasting
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community at advancingpodcasting.xyz.
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Because why would I do anything normal?
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It's a special community just for listeners and readers of
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Podcast Pontifications and as populated by like-minded working
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podcasters just like you who also want to make podcasting better.
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You're already listening to the show.
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So why not extend the conversation and your influence
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on the future of podcasting?
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Join us today at advancingpodcasting.xyz.
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Hello, and welcome to another Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra.
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I'm allergic to most forms of platitudes and marketing speak.
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With
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"Crush it" and "Fake it 'til you make it" topping my list of eye-rolling phrases.
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Dropping "knowledge bombs," or dropping "value
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bombs" is another one of those.
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Except when it's
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warranted.
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Mike Carruthers of the
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podcast Something You Should Know did that very thing.
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He dropped a value bomb as we were recording another Podcasters'
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Round Table session last week.
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Podcasters' Round Table, for the uninitiated, is a live show that
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is, well, it's just exactly what it sounds like a group of podcasters
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in a round table, talking about various things related to podcasting.
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Very inside
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baseball like Inside Podcasting, except it's not Inside Podcasting.
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It's called Podcasters' Round Table.
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Anyhow,
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I digress.
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Last week was my fifth appearance on Podcasters' Round Table where
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I joined, oh gosh, longtime podcasters, Dave Jackson and Ray
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Ortega, along with Mike Carruthers, who I just mentioned a moment ago.
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Podcasters' Round Table is just a fun, casual conversation.
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And it's certainly no contest, but all three of us, and Mike
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probably himself included, we agreed that Mike won the episode.
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Again, there is no contest of these episodes, but Mike clearly won the
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episode when he revealed that 20% of the interviews he conducts for
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Something You Should Know, 20% of those interviews don't make it on the show.
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Now, why not?
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Well, simply because the content isn't good enough.
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And Mike cares deeply about the content of his podcast.
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And when a guest doesn't cut it, he doesn't put the guest on.
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Now, that's even with Mike taking the time to record a video that
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details out in exacting detail, what is expected of a guest.
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So when they reach out to guests and they vet guests and they send them this
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video and the guests say, "Yes, I got it.
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I know exactly the kind of energy and entertainment you want me to bring
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to the show," 20% don't make it.
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That's one in five.
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If you do an interview show, perhaps you do that interview show once a week.
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Imagine if every fifth week the guest you had lined up, didn't cut it.
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And then you decided not to air that episode.
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That's quite radical, I think.
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And as I said on the show, I wish more podcasters would take that approach.
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I wish more podcasters cared as much about their show or cared so
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much about their show that they too would refuse to air an episode
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that wasn't of the highest quality.
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Now, that's hard.
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I mean, I get it.
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Especially if your recording schedule mirrors your production schedule, which
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in turn mirrors your release schedule.
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If you do all those things in one week, produce it - you know, record
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that guest, produce that episode and release it all in the same
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week, which most podcasters do, you have no built-in buffer.
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You don't have the ability to do what Mike does for his show and
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that's make sure none of these shows, none of the episodes, ever air that aren't
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of the best quality.
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If you don't have
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that built-in buffer,
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you can't do that.
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So maybe you should have
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that built-in buffer.
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You know, you're the gatekeeper when it comes to the quality of your show,
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or someone on your team is the gatekeeper of quality when it comes to your show
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and the reality is that not every guest you bring on is going to be great.
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Take it again from what Mike
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just told us - 20%.
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So, in a not-great episode with a not-great
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guest, nobody wants to listen to that.
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Literally, no one wants to listen to that.
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I mean, sure, your loyal fans will certainly forgive you if you
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have a not-so-great episode
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every so often.
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But every four or five
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episodes not-so-great?
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Come
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on.
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That's a stretch for your existing listeners.
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Now, think about the
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all-important first-time listeners.
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Do you want their first experience with you and your show
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to be a not-so-good episode?
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Is that what you want them to hear?
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Now look, this is me.
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Only you can answer that question.
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Only you know what your tolerance is for subpar quality.
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So I'll just remind you that every day, podcasters in your niche are
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seriously stepping up and improving the quality of their shows.
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Every day,
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professionals, some with
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years of media experience, are making their shows more attractive
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to their listeners and drawing audience away from subpar shows.
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Every day, people are finding amazing podcasting content that does not,
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in fact, truck with subpar episodes.
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And they find, those people find they have less and less room in
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their media consumption diet for shows with inconsistent quality.
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So don't let your show be a statistic.
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The best way to control
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your podcast's quality
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is you control
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your podcast's quality.
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Now, some quick housekeeping, Podcast Movement '21 is coming
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up in just a few days and no, I will not be attending in person.
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I will be attending virtually.
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However, I've blocked the entire week and plan on watching from the comfort of my
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own living room, where I'll be engaging and interacting as much as I possibly can.
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Now I am, however, planning on attending
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in-person ShePodcasts.
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Yes,
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I will be
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attending ShePodcasts in-person
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in October of 2021.
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So if you're coming to Scottsdale, Arizona, which is just around the
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corner, I would absolutely love to meet up at the event or out for drinks
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after the event or before or whatever.
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Just drop
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me a note, evo@simpler.Media, and
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we shall find a time to meet.
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And finally if my retelling of Mr.
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Mike Carruthers’ value bomb, cheesy
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though, what do - if that was
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valuable to you, please consider lending me
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your support by buying me a
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virtual coffee—or maybe 12 virtual coffees—on BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra.
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That's it.
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I shall be back tomorrow 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.
