That episode title right there, that's called a "bait and a switch".
I have no intention of teaching you how to explode anything.
Annoyed? Close the email now, it's cool.
Or don't, your call.
But you see, this is an experiment: will people who don't usually open these Monday emails open this one because of that subject line?
If so, what did they expect to find?
A proven method for podcasting success?
A roadmap to 10x your downloads?
A path to podcasting superstardom?
The more I type this, the more these things begin to feel like subject lines, too - subject lines intended to sell something to you.
Most of these types of subject line are specifically constructed to appeal to your sense of anxiety and are intended to be set alongside an email that introduces scarcity and urgency with a healthy dose of FOMO (fear of missing out) thrown in, too.
Let me show you:
Ready to explode your podcast growth and 10x your revenue with this proven roadmap? The very roadmap that I use myself to lead the life I choose?
You can access that roadmap instantly if you act right now and choose to take action to work with people just like you who are boosting their revenue as we speak!
Access these podcast growth secrets right now (number two will shock you!).
That's hardcore marketing patter with underlying NLP practices included to make you feel like you're understood, you're heard and that the seller is aligning with you in such a way that they must have the answer to why, despite all of your efforts, you're not achieving the success that they have.
95% of the time it's complete BS.
But... I DO want to explode my podcast growth
Hey, doesn't everyone?
The problem is that by its very definition, the word explode isn't so great...
Explode: 1. burst or shatter violently and noisily as a result of rapid combustion, excessive internal pressure, or other process. 2. (of a violent emotion or a situation) arise or develop suddenly. (from Oxford Languages)
Erm... no thanks.
I was in a Twitter chat with two people I admire very much this weekend and we were having a laugh about Clubhouse being full of this type of marketer right now and heck, podcasting being full of this type of marketer period.
A few hours later I was cutting the hedge outside (something I suck at by the way, never ask me for a haircut) and was thinking through the reasons why podcasters want to "explode" their growth.
I came to two logical assumptions.
Firstly, podcasters want to explode their growth because they want to earn a fair bit of money through their podcast. I'm totally in for that. I like money as much as you - there is nothing wrong with wanting to earn good money through your podcast.
Secondly, they don't know how to break the plateau they're seeing in their podcast growth so when they're hit with big, powerful verbs like "explode" it gets them curious - what's the secret that they're missing but that everyone else seems to know about?
Let me tell you an actual secret (no, no, not a time-bound marketing secret that'll cost you $47 (down from $10,000) if you act now)
Most of the people teaching you how to "explode" anything don't really know how to do it.
I'm not just being cynical here, I'm being serious.
The people who know how to explode growth in anything are really busy exploding growth in their thing - not selling courses or spending fifty hours a week on Clubhouse trying to convince people they know how to do it.
I know of entrepreneurs, online celebrities and many more people who sell this type of guff, but who don't know how to actually do it outside of buying Instagram or Twitter followers to get book or TV deals (Don't believe me? Look at a real celeb's account and the amount of engagement on their Instagram, versus an entrepreneur with similar follower numbers - the engagement is tiny and well, just look at their follower list...).
The problem?
It LOOKS like they do know how to do it.
Because their numbers go up quickly. But they're bought, they're not genuine fans.
Secret two: I also know podcasters who buy reviews and downloads.
Seriously.
The downloads don't pass IAB guidelines so don't count, so sponsors don't see them and thus, it's a waste of time and the reviews are clearly "suspect".
Let me ask you...
Why do YOU want to explode your podcast growth?
If you listened to this because of the title, what did you expect? What would you have preferred to be in this episode?
I assume you want to know how to grow your podcast, and you want someone to tell you exactly how to do it.
Well, here's my first tip: buy a book on marketing or consume some well thought out marketing blog posts to help you. And you know what, think about how much time you spend on your podcast each week and more importantly, learn to understand that "exploding" your podcast growth won't lead to monetisation - nurturing relationships with your fans will.
I honestly know podcasters who make six-figures per year from three-figure episode download numbers.
Why?
Because marketing starts with people getting to know you, and you're producing one of the most powerful mechanisms for letting people get to know you that exists in the world right now.
You're a podcaster. It's what you do.
Once people know you, like you and can trust what you say the world gets easier because they're willing to believe that your word is good and that anything that you ask them to do is for their benefit.
You don't need to add made-up scarcity or pretend to teach people how to explode anything just to build your email list. It'll naturally happen.
And if you keep that honesty in mind, you become a sponsor's dream - sponsors only go for "big" podcasts because they're measuring impressions for their ad (how many times it was delivered) but if you have a small, loyal audience, you can do so much more for that sponsor - you can deliver real results and actual leads.
I'm sorry for the bait & switch, actually. But it's important.
Your next steps
I teach podcasting a lot, and usually for free. So, here's what I'd recommend you do next:
P.S. you can start engaging with your listeners using AWeber. It's free, no credit card required: https://www.MarkAsquith.com/AWeber
Mentioned in this episode:
Straight-talking podcast growth tutorials for the busy podcaster
Every week I send out 1,000-2,000 words of completely free, tried and tested podcast education. It's totally focussed on helping you to grow and monetise your audience and has become one of the most trusted go-to places for honest podcasting education in the world. It's all free and you can get it below.
The Podcast Accelerator
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