Podcast Launch Strategy Episode 8: Podcast Launch and Podcast Production Tips with Mark Savant

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Welcome to the podcast launch strategy podcast, where we take a deep dive into

the latest podcast, launch strategies and tactics to help you launch a

successful show and grow your podcast.

Hi, I'm dimple.

Dang.

I'm an online marketing expert podcast coach.

And the host of the mesmerizing marketing podcast.

I love helping others share their message globally to build

a profitable personal brand.

That is mesmerizing.

All right, let's get this podcast started.

Hello, everybody.

I'm so excited to be here with my good friend, mark Sivan.

And he is with mark Sivant media.

He is an experienced podcaster.

He's been podcasting for a couple of years, and I'm so excited to have him

on the show today we're gonna be talking about podcasts, launch strategy,

secrets, and tips that he's gonna.

share with us and disclose.

So mark, welcome.

Tell the audience a little bit more about yourself.

Thanks.

It's been podcasting for four and a half years, by the way.

So it's been a quite a minute.

I run a podcast production agency called Markson media and I help

business owners automate their podcast.

So we help you elevate your show to the next level and we help you automate it.

So if you fill out a form, you interview the guest, we take care of the.

Pretty simple.

I love that.

That even rhymes.

That's pretty catchy love that.

. So when you think about launching a show, right, there's a lot that goes into it.

You and I both know.

Okay.

You have to pick a name, right.

You know, get a podcast covered, done, preferably you may wanna

have an intro or an outro.

And then also you have to think about, you know, the content, what

type of content are you gonna create?

What are the topics gonna be?

And there's like so many different moving components, right?

So someone's brand new to podcasting.

What are some things you can share that are gonna help them without

letting them feel overwhelmed?

So, so a it's, it's a good idea to work with someone that can kind of give you

some structure and give you a checklist.

But It's really important that your podcast speaks to someone that you,

you know, who you're speaking to.

I think that one of the biggest mistakes that a lot of podcasters and

podcasts say is, oh, well this is a show about everything for everyone.

And, and I don't think that that's a recipe for success.

I think it's generally speaking.

And this is something that I.

Have, and, and still struggle with, to an extent cause there's

so many great topics to cover.

But I think that the more niche down and, and, and specialize your

show, the, the better it will go.

And I think that the other key component to a great podcast is, is having a

great story in sharing great stories.

That there's a reason why books like the Bible or the Quran, or,

you know, there's a reason why those have stead stood the test of.

It's because they tell great stories that are applicable to everyday life.

So if you can implement storytelling and and speak to a

specific audience, I think that's the, the really the core of a great show.

Yeah, thanks for sharing that.

I mean, I agree.

I think it is best to niche down and I think you and I have both hosted,

clubhouse rooms on podcasting for like, you know, almost a year now.

And one of the questions that we get all the time is, oh, I wanna

have a podcast, but I wanna talk about like 10 different things.

And we always say like, no, let's you need to niche down.

You can't have.

all of these different things you're gonna talk about because

who's your audience gonna be.

Right.

And you have to be able to attract your right audience and it's okay.

You repel an audience that doesn't wanna listen to your show because

they're not interested in fishing or, playing volleyball or whatever

your show's about, but it's going to attract a very niche audience.

That are going to be very loyal fans and followers.

Right.

And I think there's a lot of value in building loyal fans and followers.

And I think that, you know, you have been podcasting for four and a half years.

You must have a ton of loyal fans and followers.

So, you know, on my other podcast, I just interviewed you for mesmerizing marketing.

And we were talking about, your first podcast was the one that was

tailored towards an audience for dads.

And then you have.

You know, after hours entrepreneur, did a lot of your audience from

that podcast transition over because they were loyal fans and follow.

Some did, but not, not many, not many.

It was kind of like a hard reset.

Like I had a few people that were supporting me because, you know,

I developed some relationships, but like, it doesn't matter

how good the relationship is.

If the topic doesn't speak to them again, this is why I think

it's really important that you understand who you're speaking to.

Right?

Because most of the dads that I connected with on the awesome dad show, they were

interested in spending more time with their family and spending more time in

you know, spending time with their kids.

Whereas the second show that I launched the after hours, entrepreneur

was more about building your business, building a side business

into your main source of income.

So different audiences.

But I still have relationships from that.

From that first show, I'll give you a perfect example.

You know, five years ago, I, you know, I had a, a small group of

friends on Facebook and, and whatnot.

I would get a few birthday messages this year on my Facebook

page for this year's birthday.

It, it took me hours to respond back.

I got almost a hundred happy birthday individuals.

Right?

Like more than that.

So it was crazy.

But you're right.

When you show up and you provide value to people and you speak to the

right audience and you tell the right stories, you create relationships

that are meaningful for sure.

Yeah.

And I mean, I wanna go back to the whole storytelling concept, because

I think storytelling is so powerful.

Right.

And not enough people actually remember to, to do that, to tell stories.

And I think stories are what captivate people and they draw them in.

Right.

So how can someone.

Who is a podcaster or a future podcaster become a better storyteller if maybe

they're not that good at it to begin with

practice, practice, I told myself this story, I don't know if

you've told yourself this story.

I'm not that interesting.

I haven't done anything.

Like I, you know, I'm not that interesting.

Right?

I did every, I went to high school.

I took a little bit of time off.

I went to college, I got married.

That's not interesting, but I, I promise you, there are things that have happened

in your life that, that are interesting.

I, I recently read this book story brand by Donald Miller, which

gives you a really great framework.

So if you are thinking about how can I tell better stories, I would really

encourage you to pick up that book.

It'll really change the way that you start to format your own stories.

You know,

you look at someone like Gary Vayner, Chuck, He has hundreds of great stories.

It's a skill.

It's a skill you can build.

You just gotta practice and you gotta start implementing stories.

So that's, that's one of my goal this year is, you know, to

learn how to tell more stories.

I love that storytelling is so much fun too.

It just captivates people and draws them in and people remember those

stories years and years later, right.

They re and, and if they associate the story with mark, then they

also remember mark, which you know, which it's a win in itself.

So when people are, you know, let's say they get good at storytelling and they're

able to tell stories for their podcast.

What about, you know, the whole, like having a guest and interviewing a

guest, how should they be coming up with questions to ask, you know, their guests?

Like, what is the process that you use, or you would recommend someone

who's starting out to prepare for an interview for a podcast interview,

whether they're a guest, are there a host?

I think that the best questions are genuinely.

Curious questions.

Yeah.

You know, when I first started my show, I was asking questions that I thought

people might wanna hear the answer to, you know, but I sense of evolved that

to say, what, what am I curious about?

You know, so for me, I think finding guests that you're

curious about and asking them the questions that kind of peaked that

curiosity are really important.

So that's that?

I think that would be my best recommendation for asking great questions.

Another great, just something that's really practical for everyone out there.

If you're bringing on somebody that's written a book, go to

their Amazon page and look at the negative reviews on that book.

What are the negative reviews that could give you some really interesting

topics to ask your guest about?

I love that that is a great idea because it brings up questions that

are gonna be a little bit unexpected but also make for a great conversation.

So when I think about, you know, your current podcast, right?

So it's after hours entrepreneur, right?

So when you were a kid, let's think back to the time when you're like five years

old, six years old, like, was there a time in your life when, you know, you were

entrepreneurial from even a young age?

Or is this something that just came about later in.

That that's, that's a really great question.

And, and the answer is I've always been an employee.

I've never been an employer.

I've never been entrepreneurial because I was, I, I think partially

cuz I was blessed with having.

Parents that were able to give me what I needed.

I didn't have to go out and that Gary V and have to buy my first

pair of shoes type of thing.

But my, my father was entrepreneurial.

He built a business, so I have some jeans in me, I think.

However, when I look back, there were a few things in my life that really,

there were some, some key points in my life that really made me upset.

And that those are the times where I didn't have control.

So I was on this baseball team.

I was probably one of the best players on the team.

I played center field.

I just, I was great at hitting the ball.

I mean, I was just a solid, solid player.

My coach was a jerk and he, he put me at the back of the lineup.

I didn't get the opportunities that I really wanted.

And I was like, this stinks had a similar experience in high school or in

middle school, I was playing basketball.

And I was, I thought, one of the better players on the team, the, you know,

the, the point guard that was on the team, I didn't think was very good.

I did some things I thought were better.

I didn't get any playing.

Because the coach was the one that made the call.

When I was going to college, going to university, I was working

at best buy at the same time.

And I was really involved.

I loved the company, I loved the vibe.

I had so much fun there there's so many great people.

And so I went to my, my bosses and I said, Hey, what can I do to, to move up?

I'd like to move up from like entry level employee to a, to a supervisor,

a floor lead, what can I do?

And they said, join this volunteer team.

Go through this training program start being more involved with the, the staff.

I did everything.

They told me eventually several good positions came up, that

I was a perfect fit for.

I knew the people, I had good rapport.

I was on time.

I had done these volunteer work.

I did everything.

Not only did they pass me up, but they brought in some dufus from another

store to put into that position.

And I was like, that's it.

And so I didn't recognize it at the time, but it became, you know, for me, I

think that, we have a unique opportunity right now to take control of our lives.

And if you are just hoping that somebody else gives you that opportunity,

you're gonna be sorely mistaken because humans are selfish creature.

They don't care.

People don't care about you.

They care about what's in it for them, everybody.

it's time for you to, to make I everyone's on the fence.

Now take the move and start learning and start making those steps forward.

Because it's a good time to take control of your destiny right now.

Yeah.

I mean, it absolutely is.

I mean, we're in 20, 22, we've survived 20, 21.

We've survived 2020.

I mean, we are here and I think it's time to not just survive anymore,

but to really thrive this year.

Right.

I think that's like, yes.

You know, that's the key.

And I think it's, you know, it's a time to like go after your dreams and

to do everything that you want and even do it scared, like who cares?

Just do it and just start.

And you know, when it comes to podcasting.

When you first.

Decided that you wanted to have a podcast?

Like, what was your why?

Because I always say having a, why is so important and some people aren't really

able to identify like their, why, like the people that come into our clubhouse

rooms and we talk about podcasting.

Right.

And I always say, figure out your why first, before you do anything

before you figure out the, official name, all that stuff.

Because if you don't have a Y.

You're probably gonna start and then you're gonna quit or

you're gonna start working on it, but you're never gonna launch.

Right.

you know, we're on podcast launch strategy.

So the goal is to help you to launch your show.

So what was your why and how long was it that you wanted to start a podcast?

Launch your show before you actually did it.

Because for me, I wanted to launch a show many years ago, but then life

got in the way things got in the way timing, wasn't the right timing.

I wasn't able to, but then last year I launched four podcasts.

Right.

All, all together.

I made up for all of those four or five years that I was

supposed to do it four years ago.

so, yeah, I don't have a social life, but you know, we're in a pandemic.

It's okay.

yeah.

I, I mean, I think for my, why like I said, I wouldn take control.

I wanna take control of my destiny.

We talked about this on the mesmerizing marketing podcast I had tried a lot

of different types of businesses.

But while I was on the journey to create different businesses, I was just

learning so much from podcasts I could see the value cause I could see how they

were changing my life in unique ways.

And so I, I started trying it and then it, it's kind of funny.

It's so funny dimple how during life things happen and you don't really realize

it's like we have these blind spots.

We can assess everybody else around us.

We know what everybody else is good at.

We know what everybody else sucks at, but it's so hard sometimes

recognize that in ourselves.

I wish I would've learned this earlier in life, but I remember

in college and university where.

You know, when it was time to do a presentation in front of the whole

class, I thrived, I was like, let's go.

I had my little pointer and I was making PowerPoints and I

was a hundred percent confident.

I loved it.

And

as soon as I got into podcasting, I recognized that this is for me.

I love presenting.

I love discussing challenging topics and making them very simple

so that people can recognize them.

But it's funny that like at the time when I was doing that, I didn't recognize it.

And I wish I would've recognized it sooner, but you know

what, tomorrow doesn't matter.

What matters is the action you take today?

I say this to my team all the time.

Done is better than perfect, you know, because not everything's gonna be perfect.

I know plenty of people that are always about I'll start when this happens.

Now's not a good time, news flash.

It's never gonna be you, you just have to start taking action, you start

failing and then you, and then you learn.

And that that's really where I'm at right now because the

perfect timing is just never.

Yeah.

You're absolutely right, mark.

I mean, there is no perfect timing, even when you think it's

perfect timing, something will happen to make it imperfect.

Yes.

And I think that part of it is that you have to be willing to

launch and do it imperfectly.

You have to be willing to make mistakes.

you know, on my other, Show where I just interviewed you for mesmerizing marketing.

We were talking about the fact that, there's a lot of things

that you failed on in the beginning.

There's a lot of mistakes that you made, but through the experiences that

you went through that was necessary to get you to where you are today.

For your journey because you wouldn't have right.

You know, a podcast production agency where you do editing and you

basically, put the shows out there so people don't have to do anything.

And, if you had not gone through all of that, you wouldn't

be where you aren't today.

If you had not hired 15 wrong people to hire the right, like

next 15, correct people, right.

You wouldn't know what to look for.

You wouldn't know how to share that knowledge with other people.

And I also think that's why it's really important.

Like we're also talking a little bit about masterminds and things like that.

I think it's really important also to have a mentor, to have a coach.

So what are your thoughts on that?

And do you have mentors and coaches?

Yes and no.

I don't have like a specific coach that I, that I pay.

I do.

I mean have people I would consider mentors.

I just joined a local men's group in my area, real life group.

Cause that's another thing in this digital world.

Sometimes it's hard to actually find real physical people in your community.

So I'm joining a men's group that I'm hoping will be great.

One of the things that I've recognized dimple time and time and time and

time again, when I bring these awesome people onto my shows in my

podcast, when I find like successful people, Almost all of them are parts

of masterminds or attribute their success to being part of a mastermind.

So I agree that that's very important.

Yeah.

It's all upside.

I actually I have this men's group the awesome dad show that I started Patreon

for and I still get paid for that.

I don't even produce anything for it.

Just people get signed up and they wanna support what I'm doing.

And so they're still paying me monthly.

It's not a ton, but it's something.

So I think that, when you're first starting a podcast, you're probably

not gonna make a lot of money through sponsorships and stuff like that.

So patron is a really like easy, simple, lightweight way to drive revenue.

I did a group training last year, which I really enjoyed

and I thought went pretty well.

Then I got caught up with servicing clients and things like that.

So it, it kind of dropped off, but I'm at a point now where I just

wanna create a community, again, for podcasters, they're looking for

resources, they're looking for ideas.

They want accountability.

They want people that are gonna help teach them new skills and

connect them with new people.

The goal is you get in and you're transformed.

Yeah.

I'm really glad to hear you're doing that because even for me, those are

some things that I plan on doing this year, because I have a community of

lawyers, I'll have the community of podcasters, things like that.

You know, I'm thinking about doing something , for my lawyers, and

having a community for them and, marketing focus because , they

do now it's different than before people had big budgets and they were

spending 10 K and, pay per click ads.

And that was how they got business.

But now even a lot of business owners, lawyers, doctors, chiropractors,

they are all wanting to learn.

You know how to use social media, how to use Instagram, how to use YouTube, how

to use TikTok, how do you like use all of these platforms to, you know, to be

creators themselves and it's actually really working out well for them.

A lot of them do get business from it.

You know, when I did my reals for lawyers challenge, They get business from it.

They get clients from it and they get recognition.

Yes.

So I think, you know, we're living in a time of the creator economy

and, with all of the stuff that we already have, and then you've got the

metaverse, sneaking its way in here too.

There's gonna be so many opportunities for people to create.

And I think podcasting is one of the, wonderful things that person.

I feel like everybody should have a podcast because it is literally a walking,

talking billboard that represents you.

And one of the things that I can do is I can solidify potential clients signing

up with you because when they see that you have a podcast, it gives you instant

credibility versus somebody like, if somebody was looking to hire somebody

to do editing for their podcast, right.

And they're looking at three people mark, and they look at two other people,

the other two people don't have a.

You have your own show?

I mean, who are they gonna hire?

They're probably gonna hire you cuz that gives you credibility.

Right?

And if you look at somebody like, oh, they're looking to hire someone,

who's like a legal marketing expert or a podcast coach, they're gonna hire

someone who's launched four podcasts.

To coach them rather than someone who's launched zero, right.

Or somebody who has been working in the legal industry for many years.

So I think, having your own show is part of building that personal brand as well.

And you're on YouTube, you have your podcast show.

So it's in a way, I mean, whether you like it or not,

mark, you're kind of a celebrity.

It is pretty cool when I get recognized in public occasionally.

But yeah, I think, the podcast helps you stay top of mind.

It builds trust.

It, it, it helps search.

If you have a website it's great for the search optimization

for your, for your website.

depending on what you're selling, whether, you know, The, the buyer is always gonna

ask themselves, is this the right person?

And if you have a podcast, they can pop in that earbud while they're

jogging, they can put on your show while they're on the way to work.

And they can listen to your voice explaining who you are,

your story, how you can help.

It's a huge advantage.

It makes you much more competitive in the market.

Absolutely.

So this has been wonderful

but if there's anything else you wanted to share, feel free.

I would just encourage everybody to take action.

Take action.

That's what, after hours entrepreneurs do we take action.

So go take action.

Love it.

Love it.

Love it.

Thank you so much, mark.

And it was a pleasure having you on both of my podcasts and if you're ever into

like the girl shows, I mean, feel free to join me on Emily in Paris, you know,

I'm just kidding.

But thank you so much and I will see you soon and thanks for being on both my.

Thanks temple.

Thank you for listening to the podcast launch strategy podcast.

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Happy podcasting.