In today’s competitive landscape, give yourself every advantage to let your voice be heard.
By: Roger L. Brooks
When I think back to the mid-1990’s, the World Wide Web was beginning to take shape and many notable companies were launching the first websites. By the turn of the century, the dot-com boom had fully commercialized into e-commerce and then… the bubble burst. Since that time, what’s been realized, is that in order to be relevant every business—large and small—must have a digital presence.
Fast forward to 2019.
Virtually every business in the modern world has a website. Social media has become the number one way to communicate. The world has become a living flow of realtime information and communication and the choices for consuming content are endless.
So, just how do you get your voice heard today? How do you reach your niche market? How do you connect with the people that want to hear from you directly? Drumroll please… start a PODCAST!
Podcasting today reminds me of the time when I was first introduced to the World Wide Web. It was just something I knew I needed to be apart of. I became familiar with the term podcasting about four years ago. My friend introduced me to a podcast, London Real, and then pointed out the purple Podcasts app that came preloaded on my iPhone. Quickly, I began consuming dozens of podcasts. As with anything new, once I became comfortable with the channel, I felt as if I opened Pandora’s box. There was a podcast for every category within every genre.
In the fall of 2016, I began looking into starting my own podcast. Although the thought of the undertaking seemed daunting, it was also an exciting concept to consider. My goal was to have a platform like London Real. In addition to an audio show, I wanted to take things a step further and offer the episodes in video, as London Real did so well. I took the next nine months to do research and then… woo-la, I received an email from Brian Rose, the host of London Real. He was getting ready to teach a course on how to broadcast yourself. I signed up for the eight-week course, learned the ins and outs, and then what seemed to happen overnight, I launched American Real. It was the single best decision of my life.
10 Reasons to Start a Podcast
Here are the Top 10 Essential Reasons You Should Start Your Own Podcast
I. You WILL Offer Tremendous Value
The top reason to start a podcast is to offer value to your listeners. Give people your best stuff for free. It may sound counterproductive, and against the old way of thinking, but it WILL build trust and credibility. The more you can offer unconditional information and be of service to people, the more will come back to you in return.
II. You WILL Have a Voice
Launching a podcast will certainly give you a voice to set you apart from your peers and competitors. The format you choose will dictate if you want to be the interviewer, or the solo talent. That decision is totally up to you; however, one thing is certain — you will have a voice when you launch your own podcast. Don’t ever discount the value of your voice… your voice matters!
III. You WILL Build Your Brand
By default, as you promote your podcast though your various means, you will also build your brand. Each episode you deliver, each social media post, each e-mail, each blog — all of these touch points will contribute to building your brand and your podcast will be the linchpin of it all.
IV. You WILL Grow Your Network
There’s something about broadcasting that takes your credibility to the next level. When people listen to you, a certain percentage will gravitate toward you. It may be your delivery, pronunciation, accent, or tone. Regardless, people will begin to reach out to you. They will send you emails and messages through LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Your network will greatly expand, which in time will grow your net-worth.
V. You WILL See Doors Begin to Open
As your network grows, doors will open. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you remain consistent with releasing your episodes (at least one per week), the amount of people wanting to connect with you will also increase. In addition, you will notice that people will begin to take your phone calls, return your e-mails and treat you with great respect because of the value you are delivering through the content given from your podcast.
VI. You WILL Build a Database of Prospects
As part of your podcast launch, it’s essential to establish a set of supporting tools in order to capture data. The main input you’ll want to establish is an e-mail audience capture and marketing platform. This will give you the means to capture e-mail addresses and then market back to those names with exclusive content.
VII. You WILL Command Respect within Your Industry
By default, launching a podcast will give you instant industry cred. It won’t happen after your first episode, but it will happen if you remain consistent with the program. Think about this. Launching a weekly episode will keep you in the social media stream with new and relevant content. You will be top of mind every single week.
VIII. You WILL Stand Apart from Your Competitors
As with anything that can have a major positive impact, it won’t come without major resistance. Launching a podcast will take extra work and sacrifice, but what price will you pay to be the leader in your field? While your competitors are sitting home at night watching fake news, you will be working on launching your latest episode, or reaching out to the CEO of the prospect you are looking to land and ask her for an interview. It comes down to how bad you want to be number one.
IX. You WILL Have Influence
I use the word influence delicately, but if channeled properly, influence has huge potential to change lives. With it, comes responsibility to be thoughtful about the content you deliver. Don’t launch a podcast to have influence, rather know that influence is a bi-product of that responsibility.
X. You WILL Become Your Best Self
It’s been exactly two years since I launched my podcast and there’s no greater feeling than being able to come into my own. I’ve become a better husband, father, friend, colleague, neighbor and mentor. I’ve tapped into my most authentic self and there’s no slowing down. I still have lots of work to do. However, I’m finally realizing who I am, what my purpose is and how podcasting my passion can truly make the world a better place.
Launching your own podcast is yours for the taking. You too can do this. It is not rocket science. It is learning the blocking and tackling necessary getting it to a point to where it becomes a habit. Take it from me, launching a podcast just might be the single biggest decision of your life. Now that’s worth broadcasting to the world!
Roger L. Brooks is the founder and host of American Real. He offers an online course, Podcast Your Passion, to help people learn the fundamentals of launch a podcast. E-mail [email protected] to set-up your free 15-minute consultation call, or download his free podcast guide.
