In the words of Mugatu from Zoolander, podcasts are “so hot right now.” And it’s true.
But … is a podcast the right way for you to reach your target audience? In this week’s episode of The Showrunner, we give you three questions that will help you decide.

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This week’s episode of The Showrunner features another listener question. Plus, we announce the reopening of The Showrunner Podcasting Course!

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When he started Hack the Entrepreneur, Jonny had never conducted a single interview before. But during the past two years, he’s hosted more than 350 podcast interviews. He’s also made a lot of mistakes, embarrassed himself a few times, and learned countless lessons.

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Starting a podcast is a lot of fun, has the potential to build you an audience of raving fans, and may earn you the right to become a Showrunner. All of this is excellent, but it may just be the tip of the iceberg.

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Have you ever felt like you weren’t qualified to host your podcast? Ever felt like you were way out of your depth with a certain topic or with a certain guest? Welcome to the club. Most of us have.

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We answer another great listener question this week. The topic: Creating a call-in show. Jerod goes solo to describe why it’s a great way to bring something new to your audience. He also shares from experience that there are plenty of ways to go about doing it.

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We’re back! And excited to begin a series of shows in which we answer questions submitted by Showrunner listeners. This week’s question comes to us from a showrunner who is 75 episodes into her show and wondering how best to make use of her growing archive.

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You want to become a better podcaster.

We know this because you’re listening to The Showrunner.

We also know that you fear becoming a better podcaster.

We know this because you must change to become better and to fear change is to be human.

But what if I told you that you only need to change one thing — one small thing — to achieve your goal of becoming a better podcaster?

Would you believe us?

You should. It’s not just theory; it’s science.

One small step really can change you.

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A few hours before recording this episode, we received an email from a loyal Showrunner listener. It turned out to be the perfect idea for an episode.

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Cue the sounds of fireworks and jubilant marching bands!

This is episode 100 of The Showrunner, and it’s extra special because it’s all about you — our faithful listener.

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Is it possible to step away from your podcast and have downloads numbers go … up?
That might sound crazy to you. Maybe even impossible. But it’s not. And we have the listener email to provide it. What is this showrunner’s secret? It’s actually not any kind of secret at all.

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If you were given a choice, would you create a podcast that took more or less time to create, all else being equal?

Some podcast formats are harder to consistently produce than others. Choose wisely.

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Your audience does not need your ideas. It’s true. What your audience needs — in fact, all that your audience needs — are your best ideas. And you should invest more time distributing these premium ideas further and wider.

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You took the plunge and started a podcast. You chose your format, picked a name for your show, artwork, theme music, everything.

And unlike the many, many podcasters who don’t continue, you’ve published your 50th episode.

Congrats! Now, you have to change what you do.

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We have a special guest on this week’s episode of The Showrunner: David Bain from Digital Marketing Radio. He provides us with five steps that will help you evolve from podcasting to hosting successful live online events.

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One of the four key elements of a remarkable podcast is monetization.

We’ve talked about indirect vs. direct monetization, but today we are going to talk about the pros and cons of two types of direct podcast monetization: sponsorships vs. affiliate marketing.

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In this episode of The Showrunner, we’re going to discuss three big ideas about learning that come straight from Peter C. Brown, the lead author of the Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning.

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We can all agree that producing useful content on a consistent basis is key to building an audience and platform. When we produce content on a consistent basis, we elevate our authority in the eyes of Google, our clients, and our peers.
But …

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We spend a lot of time discussing being a better podcast host. In this episode, we discuss some specific ways that you can become a better podcast listener — and why it’s important that you do so.

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As Showrunners we spend our time honing our interview skills, tweaking our recording gear, and promoting ourselves on social media. What if we are missing out on a crucial aspect of being a Showrunner?

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Jonny recently attended a stand-up comedy show at a venue that seats a grand total of … 18 people. What did he learn from the experience that you can apply to your showrunning? Plenty.

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Sometimes we need to bare our souls to our audience. Today’s episode is one of those times.

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We have a special treat for you this week: an interview with one of Jerod’s favorite podcasters … even though she’s not really a “podcaster.” What she is, undoubtedly, is a remarkable interviewer. And in this episode of The Showrunner, she shares her tips and best practices for conducting better interviews that will make your audience THINK.

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Back at the beginning of 2016, we posted an episode titled 13 Steps to a Better Show in 2016. It was one of our favorite episodes to produce in 2016, and one of our most popular. Well, it’s still the beginning of 2017, so let’s revisit that topic.

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What is your anchor? Is it the podcast you’re creating, the audience you’re serving, or the topic you’re focused on? In this episode of The Showrunner, we discuss the importance of knowing the answer to this question.

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As podcasters, can we get too comfortable hiding behind our microphones? It seems likely, but also avoidable.

Coming out from behind the microphone to meet with your audience in person is valuable to your audience and podcast — true — but it is also extremely useful to you as a Showrunner.
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As you progress as a showrunner, it’s easy to become focused on your end of the headphones. To kick off 2017, we deliver some strategies that will help you maintain your focus where it always needs to be: on the other end of the headphones.

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As we wrap up 2016, Jerod and Jonny are also wrapping up their 3-part series created to prepare you for 2017 by improving yourself and your podcast in 2016.

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What are Jonny’s “4 D’s of Pristine Production?” You’ll find out in this week’s episode of The Showrunner.

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In this week’s episode, our goal is to send you and your shows sailing into 2017. This conversation is the first of a three-part series created with the sole purpose of enabling you to take your podcast to new heights in the new year.

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We’re back! In this week’s episode we explain why we didn’t publish a new episode last week and what you can learn from our mistake, then we discuss a listener question that leads to an important epiphany from Jonny.

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As Showrunners, we understand that the act of creation and publishing brings about detractors — sometimes more aptly referred to as haters.

To thrive in this space, we need to wear our first (and subsequent) negative reviews as badges of honour. This is part of the game and an integral part of being a Showrunner.

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With Jonny focused on preparing to lead his first ever workshop, we took a week off from recording a new episode. Instead, we decided to rebroadcast an oldie but goodie, and one that pairs especially well with last week’s episode about show intros.

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Each introduction to every one of our shows presents a massive opportunity. An opportunity to orient your listener, establish pacing, drive intrigue, and keep them listening … or an opportunity to drag down your show before even starts. In this episode of The Showrunner, we discuss tips to help you achieve the former and avoid the latter.

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Up until today, we’ve exhaustively covered the topic of podcast sponsorships and monetization. But each time we’ve covered it from only one perspective — the perspective we know as showrunners.

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Pamela Wilson just launched a book — Master Content Marketing — and a podcast played a key role in the project from idea inception to launch. She dishes on the details in this episode of The Showrunner.

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What if you knew exactly what your listener was thinking, feeling, and seeing when they listened to your show? To even think about having that kind of deep insight is empowering.

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Have you ever fallen off the podcasting wagon? Or come close? In tough times, it can be useful to consider the idea of the minimum viable podcast. So long as you’re willing to never compromise on producing useful audio, this version of the MVP can be extremely helpful in keeping you moving forward.

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In the past, we’ve laid out how to decide what topic to podcast about and how to decide what your podcast should be about, and we stand behind both pieces of advice.

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Do you want to make more money from your podcast? Rhetorical question. 🙂 Of course you do! We all do. One of the clearest paths to revenue with a podcast is sponsorship, but it can also be the most difficult to tap into it, especially for newer or niche shows. In this episode, Jerod shares three lessons he learned recently when he signed a new sponsor on to one of his shows.

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We’re back! And, we hope, better than ever. In our triumphant return to the mics for the beginning of Season 2 of The Showrunner, we tackle a listener topic idea that we’ve had percolating for a while and discuss the best methods for identifying potential guests for your show.

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Time is of the essence. As Showrunners, we have a finite amount of time to focus on producing our shows.

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Jerod is set to become a parent for the first time later this month. Jonny has been a parent now for 11 years, and podcasting has featured prominently in the development of his relationship with his daughter. Needless to say, Jerod has some questions … and Jonny does his best to provide some answers.

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There are myriad good reasons why you might want to conduct an audit of your podcast archive. But content audits can be messy, complicated, even intimidating. They don’t have to be though — not if you follow these five steps to a useful podcast archive audit. (You should even get done in 30 minutes or less … )

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With Jonny still away enjoying his European “workcation” we decided to dig into the archives and re-run one of our most popular and useful episodes. And our choice was inspired by a listener comment.

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Not all listeners are created equal. Without a proper understanding of your podcasts listener life cycles, you will find yourself fighting an uphill battle to keep every new listener who comes your way.

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What happens when you have a lightning strike of inspiration? What are some possible ways to capture that inspiration before it escapes us? It’s an important concept, because as we all know … lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice.

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As Showrunners, we talk … a lot. We share our expertise, stories, and thoughts — and we do it all ‘live’ on the air. But is this a good thing? In this episode, we share a recent experience Jonny had when he shared something during an interview, and then his mom heard it.

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We have arrived at Part Three of our three-part series on creating a show that has meaningful differentiation — the kind of differentiation that will attract and retain an audience in a time of more and more podcast clutter. This lesson is all about how to display your differentiation visually, and how to use the “Hell Yes” principle to iterate yourself to the best shared show experience for you and your audience.

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This is the third lesson in our three-part mini-course about how to book, plan, and execute engaging podcast interviews.

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This is the second part of our three-episode mini course on creating your unique snowflake in a blizzard of podcasts.

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This is the second lesson in our three-part mini course about how to book, plan, and execute engaging podcast interviews.

In this lesson, Jonny leads a deep dive into the fundamentals of planning a great podcast interview. Not simply a ‘do this next’ discussion, but a look into key mistakes Jonny made in planning his first 200 interviews — and more importantly, how you can avoid these mistakes yourself.

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This is the first lesson in our three-part mini course about how to create a unique podcast that attracts and retains an audience. In this lesson, Jerod leads a discussion about the fundamental question that must be answered at the beginning of every showrunner’s journey.

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There is one way that stands above all others as the simplest way to build an audience of responsive and loyal listeners.

A path that removes the burden of constant content creation, places you at the forefront of a brand, and harnesses the power of experts and their audiences.

This path is an interview-based podcast. But how can you get started finding and booking guests for your podcast?

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There are so many benefits to making mini courses available online, and your podcast is a great place to start from when it comes to prepping (and even recording) your mini course material.

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Last week’s podcast recommendation wasn’t a podcast at all. It was a TV show. And it spurred the idea for this episode, which is about finding ideas for your podcast by consuming media other than podcasts. If you want to feel better about your Netflix binging, this is the episode for you!

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We’re podcasters, producers, and Showrunners. This means we do one thing and we do it well: we create! But is this enough? Your download numbers and audience engagement may tell you otherwise.

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Hosting and running a podcast is (thankfully) a lot of fun. If it wasn’t, most of us probably would have quit our shows a long time ago, because it is a lot of hard work.

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Have you ever felt like you’re not qualified to host your podcast? Ever felt like you were way out of your depth with a certain topic or with a certain guest? Welcome to the club. Most of us have.

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Gary Vaynerchuk delivered the closing keynote on the opening day of Traffic and Conversion Summit 2016, and Jerod was there to see it. The next day, he and Jonny recorded an episode discussing the mindset-altering lessons Gary delivered.

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Whether you are launching a brand new show or you are looking to gain some much-needed attention with a relaunch of your existing show, having a launch plan for your podcast is essential.

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This episode outlines the best practices for recording good audio for yourself, your guest, and your co-host(s). And yes, we have addressed this topic before, but never quite like this …

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We have not one but two renowned Defenders of Humanity on this week’s episode. Sonia Simone, Chief Content Officer for Rainmaker Digital, joins Jerod and Jonny to discuss how your podcast can (and should) fit into your overall content marketing mix.

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Your fellow Showrunners, even those serving the very same niche(s) that you’re serving, are not your enemies. 95 percent of the world has no idea what you’re doing as a “podcaster,” so don’t turn a cold shoulder to the few who do.

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People have been trying to get Darren Rowse to podcast for years. How can the founder of Problogger not have a podcast … right? Now he does. And he joins us for an inside look at the launch strategy behind his long-awaited show.

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