WEBVTT 00:00:00.399 --> 00:00:03.919 Should you keep podcasting even if you have only a small 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:13.839 audience? Thank you for joining me for The Audacity to Podcast. 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:17.574 I'm Daniel J. Lewis. I hear this often, and I see it online. 00:00:17.574 --> 00:00:22.054 Podcasters asking questions like, should I even keep podcasting 00:00:22.054 --> 00:00:26.135 if I only have a small audience or I only have 10 people or only 00:00:26.135 --> 00:00:29.894 a 100 people or only I even see people say things like only 1000 00:00:29.894 --> 00:00:30.135 people. 00:00:30.699 --> 00:00:35.979 And the answer really depends on a lot of things that you have to 00:00:35.979 --> 00:00:37.179 decide for yourself. 00:00:37.179 --> 00:00:39.979 And I have some questions in this episode to help you try to 00:00:39.979 --> 00:00:44.744 figure that out, but I'll spoil it with this basic thought is the 00:00:44.744 --> 00:00:48.184 size of the audience probably doesn't matter. 00:00:48.344 --> 00:00:52.505 A lot of podcasters and people will talk about visualizing that 00:00:52.505 --> 00:00:56.504 many people in a room to listen to whatever you have to say or 00:00:56.504 --> 00:01:00.020 talk about or share with them week after week after week or 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:02.259 whatever your publishing frequency is. 00:01:02.500 --> 00:01:04.739 Certainly, visualizing that helps. 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:10.500 But I know that even sometimes that can feel like, should I even 00:01:10.500 --> 00:01:11.140 keep doing this? 00:01:11.415 --> 00:01:14.935 There have been times in my public speaking career, if you want 00:01:14.935 --> 00:01:17.655 to call it that, but I've been public speaking since I was a 00:01:17.655 --> 00:01:18.295 teenager. 00:01:18.295 --> 00:01:22.614 And there were times when I had a much smaller audience than I 00:01:22.614 --> 00:01:26.069 expected in the room with me, but I still gave it my all. 00:01:26.150 --> 00:01:30.870 And I still spoke to those handful of people in the room who 00:01:30.870 --> 00:01:33.909 wanted to hear the information I wanted to share. 00:01:33.909 --> 00:01:37.750 And I had some fantastic conversations with them afterward. 00:01:37.829 --> 00:01:41.034 So instead of thinking about those, I would call them limiting 00:01:41.034 --> 00:01:43.355 words, like only. 00:01:43.755 --> 00:01:48.475 I have an audience of only 10 people or only 50 people or 00:01:48.475 --> 00:01:50.954 whatever, or it's only a small audience. 00:01:50.954 --> 00:01:52.875 You don't have to apologize for that. 00:01:53.230 --> 00:01:57.549 Instead, I want you to refocus on what actually matters to you 00:01:57.790 --> 00:02:00.670 for your podcast and why you're doing this. 00:02:00.670 --> 00:02:03.390 So that's why I've got 4 questions to share with you. 00:02:03.390 --> 00:02:06.834 And the answers to these are up to you to figure out. 00:02:06.834 --> 00:02:09.634 You don't have to send them to me. You can if you want to. 00:02:09.634 --> 00:02:14.275 Go to podcastfeedback.com/audacity to send me your answers to 00:02:14.275 --> 00:02:17.634 these questions if you'd like, or just answer them on your own 00:02:17.634 --> 00:02:21.419 and use these to help you refocus on what matters most for you 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:22.620 and your podcast. 00:02:22.699 --> 00:02:25.020 If you'd like to follow along in the notes for this episode, 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:26.620 there are simple tap or swipe away. 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:30.060 Look at the chapters powered, of course, by podchapters.com, or 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:34.460 go to the audacity to podcast.com/smallaudience. 00:02:34.835 --> 00:02:37.875 Question number 1, why did you start podcasting? 00:02:38.115 --> 00:02:40.115 This isn't an accusatory question. 00:02:40.275 --> 00:02:44.915 I want this to be a question for you to remember that enthusiasm 00:02:44.915 --> 00:02:48.469 back when you 1st started your podcast, which maybe that was a 00:02:48.469 --> 00:02:50.549 few days ago, maybe it was years ago. 00:02:50.549 --> 00:02:55.030 But think about that enthusiasm. Why did you start that podcast? 00:02:55.030 --> 00:02:56.789 For real, why did you start it? 00:02:56.789 --> 00:03:01.525 Did you start it because you wanted to be popular and famous and 00:03:01.525 --> 00:03:04.884 have this massive audience, or did you start it for some other 00:03:04.884 --> 00:03:10.245 reason? I speak many times about podcasting profit, p r o f I t. 00:03:10.245 --> 00:03:12.245 I make profit stand for something. 00:03:12.485 --> 00:03:17.469 That is popularity, relationships, opportunities, fun, income, or 00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:18.189 tangibles. 00:03:18.349 --> 00:03:22.269 These are the different aspects of profit that you can gain from 00:03:22.269 --> 00:03:25.709 your podcast and that even your audience could gain from your 00:03:25.709 --> 00:03:27.549 podcast. You don't have to have all of these. 00:03:27.549 --> 00:03:30.025 You might just 1 of them that you're pursuing. 00:03:30.025 --> 00:03:33.305 And if you want to learn more about that profit paradigm, listen 00:03:33.305 --> 00:03:37.064 to episode 320 from The Audacity to Podcast where I talk about 00:03:37.064 --> 00:03:39.145 what is podcasting profit. 00:03:39.465 --> 00:03:43.439 But these are the things that you might want to seek after as 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:46.800 your goals, your why for podcasting. 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:51.120 And I think for many independent podcasters, it is the r and f 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:54.960 that matter most to us. The relationships and the fun. 00:03:55.040 --> 00:03:58.385 Many podcasters, independent podcasters especially, just start 00:03:58.385 --> 00:03:59.585 because they wanna have fun. 00:03:59.585 --> 00:04:02.625 They wanna talk about something they are passionate about. 00:04:02.865 --> 00:04:06.544 And probably along the way, they'd love to connect with other 00:04:06.544 --> 00:04:10.770 people, that's the relationships, who are also passionate about 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:11.890 that same thing. 00:04:12.129 --> 00:04:16.610 And does the number of people really matter in that case for you 00:04:16.610 --> 00:04:17.569 to have fun? 00:04:17.649 --> 00:04:21.745 Is it more fun if you have 1000 people listening versus 10 people 00:04:21.745 --> 00:04:24.705 listening if you're getting the same amount of engagement? 00:04:24.865 --> 00:04:27.904 Probably not. Think about just your friendships. 00:04:27.904 --> 00:04:31.345 I remember as a kid thinking, oh, I don't have a lot of friends. 00:04:31.345 --> 00:04:35.490 And as I grew older and matured, I started to more appreciate not 00:04:35.490 --> 00:04:39.409 the number of friends that I had, but the depth of my 00:04:39.409 --> 00:04:41.649 relationships with those friends. 00:04:41.889 --> 00:04:46.370 When I went through my unwanted divorce few years ago, I saw the 00:04:46.370 --> 00:04:50.324 depth of the relationship with several friends and was the 00:04:50.324 --> 00:04:56.324 recipient of so, so much love from so many of my friends who 00:04:56.324 --> 00:04:59.925 supported me and family members who supported me, who loved me, 00:04:59.925 --> 00:05:03.524 who challenged me, who encouraged me, who helped correct my 00:05:03.524 --> 00:05:04.725 thinking many times. 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:09.980 And that was because of the depth of the relationship, not the 00:05:09.980 --> 00:05:10.860 numbers. 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:16.139 So often, we want to think about the numbers of things and how 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:20.379 big, how wide is our reach, but we forget about the depth. 00:05:20.625 --> 00:05:23.504 This is 1 of the things that I think sets apart Podgagement from 00:05:23.504 --> 00:05:24.545 other services. 00:05:24.785 --> 00:05:27.904 When Podgagement 1st launched, it was actually called my podcast 00:05:27.904 --> 00:05:30.305 reviews, and it tracked just your reviews. 00:05:30.305 --> 00:05:31.584 Now it does a whole lot more. 00:05:31.584 --> 00:05:35.079 I really wanted to change it to do more about helping you to 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:37.639 supercharge your engagement with your audience, and that's why I 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:40.600 renamed it Podgagement. I rebuilt it from scratch. 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:44.759 And I tell people that this is not about measuring the breadth or 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:50.204 the width of your audience, but the depth of your connection with 00:05:50.204 --> 00:05:53.485 the audience that you have. How deep does that go? 00:05:53.485 --> 00:05:57.404 And how can we even deepen that relationship with your audience? 00:05:57.404 --> 00:05:59.324 And if that interests you, please try it out. 00:05:59.324 --> 00:06:02.204 You can try Podgagement free over at podgagement.com. 00:06:02.649 --> 00:06:05.050 So why did you start podcasting? 00:06:05.209 --> 00:06:09.449 And I really think this why needs to be the thing you think about 00:06:09.449 --> 00:06:12.810 1st, not only when you're 1st starting your podcast, but even as 00:06:12.810 --> 00:06:16.435 you're approaching different challenges with your podcast, bring 00:06:16.435 --> 00:06:21.074 it back to your why or the profit, p r o f I t, that you are 00:06:21.074 --> 00:06:22.595 seeking for your podcast. 00:06:22.675 --> 00:06:26.035 I spoke about this back in episode 388, why you should put 00:06:26.035 --> 00:06:30.449 podcasting profit 1st, Where previously, said that this framework 00:06:30.449 --> 00:06:33.250 for podcasting was content presentation, production, promotion, 00:06:33.250 --> 00:06:36.050 and profit, and that should be the order that you work through 00:06:36.050 --> 00:06:36.610 things. 00:06:36.850 --> 00:06:41.090 I've since changed that, that now I say profit should be 1st. 00:06:41.250 --> 00:06:45.444 It's not all about money, popularity, relationships, 00:06:45.444 --> 00:06:48.324 opportunities, fun, income, and tangibles. 00:06:48.884 --> 00:06:53.764 Figure out which of those you are going after, the why for your 00:06:53.764 --> 00:06:54.324 podcast. 00:06:54.324 --> 00:06:58.850 Figure that out 1st, and let that then drive your content, which 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:01.810 drives your presentation, which drives your production, which 00:07:01.810 --> 00:07:03.649 then drives your promotion. 00:07:03.889 --> 00:07:07.569 The profit does actually need to come 1st, even if it has nothing 00:07:07.569 --> 00:07:08.370 to do with money. 00:07:08.754 --> 00:07:13.314 So why did you start your podcast in the 1st place, and does that 00:07:13.314 --> 00:07:14.514 still matter to you? 00:07:14.595 --> 00:07:19.154 Then question number 2, are you achieving your why? 00:07:19.394 --> 00:07:23.600 Or whatever that profit is, the p r o f I t, are you achieving 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:25.680 that? Are you reaching your goals? 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:30.160 If your goal, as for many independent podcasters, is to have fun 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.360 and build relationships, are you having fun? 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:34.800 Are you building relationships? 00:07:35.425 --> 00:07:38.384 My 1st podcast that I started called The Ramen Noodle, actually, 00:07:38.384 --> 00:07:40.225 it was called something else when I 1st launched it. 00:07:40.225 --> 00:07:43.345 I did, I think, 2 episodes under a different name, decided I 00:07:43.345 --> 00:07:44.064 didn't like that name. 00:07:44.064 --> 00:07:46.705 It had different connotations I didn't want to associate with, so 00:07:46.705 --> 00:07:49.905 I renamed it to The Ramen Noodle, and it was a clean comedy 00:07:49.905 --> 00:07:55.000 podcast. And my whole goal with that was just simply to have fun. 00:07:55.240 --> 00:07:59.159 I had some funny stories I wanted to share, and I thought maybe 00:07:59.159 --> 00:08:00.839 others would appreciate them too. 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:04.199 Because when I told those funny stories to my friends, they would 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:05.079 laugh at them. 00:08:05.264 --> 00:08:08.625 I just thought this would be fun to share this with other people. 00:08:08.944 --> 00:08:13.665 So my whole goal with that podcast was simply to have fun. 00:08:13.905 --> 00:08:17.185 Over the years, that's why I just kept coming back to is let's 00:08:17.185 --> 00:08:20.410 have fun with this show. Yes. I can experiment with it. Yes. 00:08:20.410 --> 00:08:23.210 There can be some ways I can try to monetize it and different 00:08:23.210 --> 00:08:24.009 things like that. 00:08:24.009 --> 00:08:27.610 But the whole goal of starting that show in the 1st place and the 00:08:27.610 --> 00:08:32.090 whole goal of every single episode was to have fun, and we were 00:08:32.090 --> 00:08:34.009 achieving that goal with that podcast. 00:08:34.524 --> 00:08:39.245 So what is that goal for your podcast? What is your why? 00:08:39.644 --> 00:08:42.125 And are you achieving it? 00:08:42.445 --> 00:08:46.764 Are you even remembering it so that you can try to achieve it? 00:08:46.924 --> 00:08:50.910 If you set out for your podcast to have fun, the audience size 00:08:50.910 --> 00:08:52.750 doesn't really matter for that very much. 00:08:52.910 --> 00:08:54.670 So are you still having fun? 00:08:54.670 --> 00:08:58.670 Could you keep having fun with your podcast even if your audience 00:08:58.670 --> 00:09:01.550 never grew larger than it already is? 00:09:01.710 --> 00:09:02.990 Think about it even like this. 00:09:03.424 --> 00:09:07.584 Even if nobody was listening, could you still have fun talking 00:09:07.584 --> 00:09:08.865 about what you're talking about? 00:09:08.944 --> 00:09:11.664 I think for many of us, that answer is actually yes. 00:09:11.824 --> 00:09:14.464 Because we're so passionate about these things that we start our 00:09:14.464 --> 00:09:15.264 podcasts about. 00:09:15.264 --> 00:09:18.879 Podcasting is just so full of passion, and I love that. Yes. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:22.799 It's the buzzword passion in podcasting, but it's so true because 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:28.799 we take our free time to put together content that we hope is of 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:29.840 value to someone. 00:09:30.274 --> 00:09:34.035 And along the way, we are pouring ourselves into this content. 00:09:34.035 --> 00:09:37.235 Unless you're doing a podcast for your boss or your business, but 00:09:37.235 --> 00:09:40.274 even if you're self employed, most likely you're working on 00:09:40.274 --> 00:09:44.914 something you enjoy. So are you achieving that why? 00:09:45.230 --> 00:09:47.230 Are you actually having fun? 00:09:47.230 --> 00:09:51.230 Are you actually building the relationships with your audience 00:09:51.230 --> 00:09:52.430 for your podcast? 00:09:52.509 --> 00:09:56.509 Or maybe your podcast is there to try to make you popular or to 00:09:56.509 --> 00:09:58.990 help you earn some income. Are you achieving that? 00:09:59.394 --> 00:10:02.754 Are you doing things to help you achieve that? 00:10:02.914 --> 00:10:06.355 And I wanna take this moment briefly to give a special thanks to 00:10:06.355 --> 00:10:09.934 some people who have engaged more deeply with The Audacity to 00:10:09.934 --> 00:10:13.134 Podcast and, in fact, given some income to The Audacity to 00:10:13.134 --> 00:10:13.394 Podcast. 00:10:13.690 --> 00:10:20.250 1st, 1,219 Satoshi streamed from Lyceum and also 1,776 Satoshis. 00:10:20.250 --> 00:10:22.889 That's my favorite number. 17 76 in this case. 00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:26.410 And that was on episode 433, 4 types of podcast niches. 00:10:26.410 --> 00:10:27.290 It's not just your topic. 00:10:27.625 --> 00:10:31.065 And Lyceum said, I will share this episode with 2 cohosts for a 00:10:31.065 --> 00:10:33.065 forthcoming podcast that we are planning. 00:10:33.144 --> 00:10:36.504 We have recorded material for 4 episodes so far, and we will 00:10:36.504 --> 00:10:38.105 launch it in the near future. 00:10:38.105 --> 00:10:43.620 I will talk about this episode as I am celebrating 20 years as a 00:10:43.620 --> 00:10:44.419 podcaster. 00:10:44.580 --> 00:10:48.019 And I plan to publish some new episodes for Ego Netcast, Pluck 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:52.420 the Day, Swing That Gig, and Tea Party Media on my birthday, May 00:10:52.420 --> 00:10:54.179 25, which has now since passed. 00:10:54.179 --> 00:10:59.425 But congratulations on 20 years of podcasting, Lyceum. 00:10:59.425 --> 00:11:02.865 I have mad respect for you on that because I have not been 00:11:02.865 --> 00:11:04.065 podcasting for 20 years. 00:11:04.065 --> 00:11:08.440 I've been listening to podcasts now this month for 20 years 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:11.639 listening, but I didn't start a podcast when I 1st wanted to. 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:15.720 I'm only at about 18 years of podcasting, and I still love it, 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:17.559 still enjoy what I'm doing. 00:11:17.559 --> 00:11:21.160 And also 459 Satoshi streamed from Brian and Smeener. 00:11:21.160 --> 00:11:22.600 Thank you so much for that kind support. 00:11:22.815 --> 00:11:26.095 If The Audacity to Podcast means something to you, if I provide 00:11:26.174 --> 00:11:29.215 valuable inspiration or information to you, would you consider 00:11:29.215 --> 00:11:30.654 whatever that's worth to you? 00:11:30.654 --> 00:11:33.534 And put a number on it, consider giving back over at the 00:11:33.534 --> 00:11:36.495 audacitytopodcast.com/giveback. 00:11:36.909 --> 00:11:40.990 And the reason why I wanted to thank those supporters and those 00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:44.509 fans right now is because this is part of my why. 00:11:44.509 --> 00:11:47.710 Not necessarily the money, although The Audacity to Podcast is 00:11:47.710 --> 00:11:51.105 part of my business, and I do have to think about how I'm 00:11:51.105 --> 00:11:53.665 investing my time and how it promotes my business and different 00:11:53.665 --> 00:11:53.904 things. 00:11:53.904 --> 00:11:56.544 And that's why I try to mention PodChapters and Podgagement 00:11:56.544 --> 00:12:00.384 within my episodes in ways that is fitting and relevant for the 00:12:00.384 --> 00:12:02.225 episodes, not just like an ad break. 00:12:02.384 --> 00:12:08.080 But I love when I see people actually giving back to the podcast 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:12.320 in some way, whether that's feedback or streaming Satoshis or 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:16.000 giving fiat fund coupons as I've heard some people call them, 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.000 dollars through PayPal or something else. 00:12:18.434 --> 00:12:22.914 That tells me that what I'm sharing is resonating with people and 00:12:22.914 --> 00:12:24.514 that they're valuing it. 00:12:24.674 --> 00:12:30.195 And I would so much rather get a dollar here and there from 00:12:30.195 --> 00:12:32.759 different listeners than have a sponsor. 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:36.919 Because even if you're giving me only a dollar per episode, let's 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:39.000 just say that number for now. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:42.759 Even if it's only a dollar per episode, that's a deeper 00:12:42.759 --> 00:12:44.200 connection with you. 00:12:44.735 --> 00:12:49.535 And it's more meaningful to me than if I was getting a $100 per 00:12:49.535 --> 00:12:51.055 episode from a sponsor. 00:12:51.215 --> 00:12:55.935 Because it tells me that you value the information I'm sharing. 00:12:56.014 --> 00:12:57.695 You value the relationship. 00:12:57.695 --> 00:13:03.670 The relationship is deeper, and that's a part of the why for why 00:13:03.670 --> 00:13:07.430 I started The Audacity to Podcast, not to make money, but to 00:13:07.430 --> 00:13:11.830 share things for podcasters to consider and to challenge some 00:13:11.830 --> 00:13:15.865 thoughts, to give some different perspectives on podcasting, to 00:13:15.865 --> 00:13:20.664 educate podcasters in other ways of doing things, to give you the 00:13:20.664 --> 00:13:24.824 guts and teach you the tools to start and grow your own podcast 00:13:24.824 --> 00:13:26.024 for passion and profit. 00:13:26.024 --> 00:13:28.184 That's why I started The Audacity to Podcast. 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:32.240 And I do feel like I am achieving that goal. 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:36.799 And so regardless of the size of the Audacity to Podcast's 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:41.440 audience, I feel like it's a success because my goal is to 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:45.894 educate and inspire and innovate. And I feel like I'm doing that. 00:13:45.894 --> 00:13:49.575 And I'm having fun along the way, and even along the way, earning 00:13:49.575 --> 00:13:53.014 some income from this or from different things I'm able to market 00:13:53.014 --> 00:13:54.375 from the podcast. 00:13:54.375 --> 00:13:58.134 But it really comes down to, I want to give you the guts and 00:13:58.134 --> 00:13:59.014 teach you the tools. 00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:02.579 That is my goal, and I feel like I'm accomplishing it. 00:14:02.819 --> 00:14:05.779 So I feel like The Audacity to Podcast is a success. 00:14:05.939 --> 00:14:11.299 Even if I have, quote, only, unquote, a 100 listeners, I'm still 00:14:11.299 --> 00:14:14.819 having fun with it and still inspiring. So, yes, it's a success. 00:14:15.274 --> 00:14:19.595 How is it for you? How is your podcast working for you? 00:14:19.595 --> 00:14:22.154 Are you actually achieving those goals? 00:14:22.154 --> 00:14:26.955 Are you even pursuing those actual goals why you 1st started your 00:14:26.955 --> 00:14:27.355 podcast? 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:31.289 So that is the next question to challenge you to think about 00:14:31.289 --> 00:14:36.490 this. Number 3, what are you doing to work toward your goals? 00:14:36.730 --> 00:14:40.330 If your goals are to earn money from your podcast, don't just 00:14:40.330 --> 00:14:44.274 expect, like, the field of dreams model that you just put your 00:14:44.274 --> 00:14:47.634 podcast out there and the mattress sponsors and such are going to 00:14:47.634 --> 00:14:51.475 be knocking on your door, begging to sponsor your podcast. 00:14:51.794 --> 00:14:53.794 You have to work toward that goal. 00:14:53.954 --> 00:14:59.639 If you want a large audience, what are you actually doing to get 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:00.840 that large audience? 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:05.480 You could have the most amazing podcast out there and publish it 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:09.605 in all of the places and still not get a big audience because you 00:15:09.605 --> 00:15:14.404 need to do things to bring people to your content. 00:15:14.565 --> 00:15:16.004 And I will be honest here. 00:15:16.004 --> 00:15:20.164 I am horrible at marketing my own products and services like 00:15:20.164 --> 00:15:22.004 Podgagement and PodChapters. 00:15:22.004 --> 00:15:26.049 I feel like I have really good products that rival others who 00:15:26.049 --> 00:15:27.570 have come and gone in the space. 00:15:27.570 --> 00:15:30.370 And and I feel like I'm innovating in certain ways for 00:15:30.370 --> 00:15:33.410 podcasters, doing certain things that no 1 else has done before 00:15:33.410 --> 00:15:36.290 and that podcasters could really benefit from these things. 00:15:36.924 --> 00:15:41.565 But I am terrible at telling people about it and marketing it and 00:15:41.565 --> 00:15:43.325 getting the word out there. 00:15:43.485 --> 00:15:47.325 Like, the people who use these products typically really like 00:15:47.325 --> 00:15:47.884 them. 00:15:48.045 --> 00:15:51.759 I just need more people coming to use the products and getting to 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:53.279 see them and try them. 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.360 So for me, with my business goal of bringing more customers, 00:15:57.759 --> 00:15:59.679 well, what am I doing to work toward that? 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:03.759 I am trying to learn how to bring more customers, how to reach 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:08.534 the ideal customers, how to communicate better with them, how to 00:16:08.534 --> 00:16:11.735 make certain things more obvious to them, to focus more on the 00:16:11.735 --> 00:16:14.215 benefits and not the features, certain things like that. 00:16:14.215 --> 00:16:18.309 So I am working toward my goals, reading books, listening to 00:16:18.309 --> 00:16:21.429 podcasts, even using AI along the way to help me with different 00:16:21.429 --> 00:16:22.789 ideas and tasks. 00:16:22.950 --> 00:16:26.230 So what are you doing for whatever those goals are for your 00:16:26.230 --> 00:16:26.629 podcast? 00:16:26.629 --> 00:16:31.029 The p r o f I t, profit, relationships, opportunity, fun, income, 00:16:31.029 --> 00:16:34.764 or tangibles. What are you doing to work toward your goals? 00:16:35.004 --> 00:16:37.725 And this might be the hard challenge. 00:16:37.964 --> 00:16:41.485 I think some podcasters are doing nothing, and then they're 00:16:41.485 --> 00:16:45.350 getting frustrated that the results just aren't there. 00:16:45.509 --> 00:16:47.990 And it's it's obvious that the results aren't there because 00:16:47.990 --> 00:16:50.230 they're doing nothing to bring about results. 00:16:50.230 --> 00:16:53.990 You have to take action if you want to achieve your goals. 00:16:54.230 --> 00:16:56.710 So what are you doing to work toward those goals? 00:16:56.924 --> 00:17:01.404 And question number 4, how can you invest in what you have right 00:17:01.404 --> 00:17:05.884 now? I know we often want to think about the next stuff. 00:17:06.125 --> 00:17:09.325 We want to think about the bigger dreams where we want to be 00:17:09.325 --> 00:17:11.484 years from now, months from now, whatever. 00:17:11.809 --> 00:17:16.450 But what are you doing right now with what you have in terms of 00:17:16.450 --> 00:17:17.409 your audience? 00:17:17.569 --> 00:17:20.849 Let's say you have 10 people listening to your podcast. 00:17:21.009 --> 00:17:23.089 Do you know their names? 10 people. 00:17:23.089 --> 00:17:25.490 It's really easy to remember 10 people's names. 00:17:26.005 --> 00:17:28.325 Can you learn about them? 00:17:28.484 --> 00:17:31.125 Can you learn about why they listen to your podcast? 00:17:31.125 --> 00:17:34.164 What they're most interested in getting from your podcast? 00:17:34.164 --> 00:17:39.539 The more that you can do things now that do not scale, the deeper 00:17:39.539 --> 00:17:44.019 those relationships will be, and that does help you to grow. 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:47.940 Because as you deepen your relationships with them, they will be 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:51.139 more likely to do things that help you, whether that's telling 00:17:51.139 --> 00:17:53.644 someone else about the podcast, maybe even supporting your 00:17:53.644 --> 00:17:56.845 podcast financially, or whatever those goals are for your 00:17:56.845 --> 00:17:57.644 podcast. 00:17:57.884 --> 00:18:01.164 When you have a deeper relationship with them, when you have 00:18:01.164 --> 00:18:07.085 invested in the audience that you have, when you can scale. 00:18:07.549 --> 00:18:13.470 So go ahead and do those things now that won't scale for 10,000 00:18:13.470 --> 00:18:15.229 listeners for your podcast. 00:18:15.309 --> 00:18:19.630 But what can you do with 10 or 15 or 20 or whatever you have? 00:18:20.204 --> 00:18:21.565 Do what you can now. 00:18:21.644 --> 00:18:25.724 Invite them onto a a Zoom call, maybe, and get to know them. 00:18:25.804 --> 00:18:28.605 Ask them to email you information about them, of course, 00:18:28.605 --> 00:18:32.444 respecting their privacy, but ask them questions and give them 00:18:32.444 --> 00:18:33.644 your personal email address. 00:18:33.644 --> 00:18:36.740 Or maybe you set up a text number, like with Google Voice or 00:18:36.740 --> 00:18:39.779 something else where they can text information to you. 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:42.339 Read their feedback in your podcast. Yeah. 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:45.940 I know it can sometimes feel boring that it's the same names over 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:50.414 and over and over in your podcast, but it's not boring to those 00:18:50.414 --> 00:18:52.654 people who share that with you. 00:18:52.894 --> 00:18:56.255 And then what that does for other people, and I say this often 00:18:56.255 --> 00:18:59.295 when I talk about Podgagement and how to use Podgagement to help 00:18:59.295 --> 00:19:04.070 you grow your podcast, is when your other audience members hear 00:19:04.070 --> 00:19:07.910 someone mentioned in your podcast, their comment read, their 00:19:07.910 --> 00:19:11.029 review read, their feedback answered, anything like that. 00:19:11.109 --> 00:19:12.309 It does several things. 00:19:12.470 --> 00:19:15.670 But the most important thing here in this case is that it 00:19:15.670 --> 00:19:19.864 inspires more engagement because other people often think, hey. 00:19:19.865 --> 00:19:22.264 I want her to read my message too. 00:19:22.264 --> 00:19:28.424 I want him to answer my question. So invest in what you have now. 00:19:28.744 --> 00:19:32.744 Deepen the relationships with your audience now, however big or 00:19:32.744 --> 00:19:36.320 however small that is. Go ahead and do it. 00:19:36.320 --> 00:19:39.440 Don't worry about, oh, there's no way I can scale this. 00:19:39.600 --> 00:19:42.720 You won't scale it, and that's fine. 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:47.840 So how can you invest in what you have right now regardless of 00:19:47.840 --> 00:19:52.984 its size so that you can better serve the audience you currently 00:19:52.984 --> 00:19:53.544 have. 00:19:53.544 --> 00:19:57.304 And as you seek to better serve the audience you currently have, 00:19:57.304 --> 00:20:00.345 I think they're going to become more excited about what you're 00:20:00.345 --> 00:20:04.470 doing and more excited to tell other people about it because then 00:20:04.470 --> 00:20:09.029 in a way, you're kind of niching down, not exactly in the sense 00:20:09.029 --> 00:20:14.869 of narrowing your topic, but you are focusing in on serving the 00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:15.589 people you have. 00:20:15.934 --> 00:20:19.294 Not the people who aren't listening yet, but the ones that are 00:20:19.294 --> 00:20:20.095 listening. 00:20:20.174 --> 00:20:23.934 So these are 4 questions I challenge you to ask yourself. 00:20:24.015 --> 00:20:26.255 And if you want to send me the answers to these, go ahead. 00:20:26.255 --> 00:20:30.130 You can send those through podcastfeedback.com/audacity. 00:20:30.130 --> 00:20:33.089 These 4 questions are, why did you start podcasting? 00:20:33.250 --> 00:20:35.089 Are you achieving your why? 00:20:35.170 --> 00:20:37.730 What are you doing to work toward your goals? 00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:41.884 And how can you invest in what you have right now? 00:20:42.125 --> 00:20:45.325 When you figured out the answers to these and how they apply to 00:20:45.325 --> 00:20:49.724 you, my hope is that you will realize that you are more blessed, 00:20:49.964 --> 00:20:54.365 more if you wanna say the word lucky, that you're more lucky than 00:20:54.365 --> 00:20:55.244 you realized. 00:20:55.404 --> 00:20:59.909 And I hope that this can reenergize you to realize, oh, yeah. 00:20:59.909 --> 00:21:02.869 I really wanted to start this podcast just because I wanted to 00:21:02.869 --> 00:21:06.789 have fun. I'm having fun. So let's just have more fun. 00:21:07.109 --> 00:21:10.285 And forget the numbers. Let's just do this for fun. 00:21:10.285 --> 00:21:12.365 That can be a great perspective. 00:21:12.525 --> 00:21:15.805 Just having fun with it or just building the relationships with 00:21:15.805 --> 00:21:17.244 the audience that you have. 00:21:17.485 --> 00:21:22.445 Or if you had a goal of accomplishing something bigger like 00:21:22.445 --> 00:21:26.579 becoming famous or earning money, or then focus on that goal, 00:21:26.660 --> 00:21:30.980 learn what you need to do to work toward that goal, whatever that 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:33.460 goal is. I'd love your thoughts on this. 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:36.180 If you want to answer these questions and send me those answers, 00:21:36.274 --> 00:21:40.674 feel free over at podcastfeedback.com/audacity. 00:21:40.755 --> 00:21:44.115 And if you think other podcasters could be helped or inspired by 00:21:44.115 --> 00:21:46.595 this, please share it with them too over at the 00:21:46.595 --> 00:21:50.194 audacitytopodcast.com/smallaudience. 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:53.400 Now that I've given you some of the guts and taught you some of 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:56.759 the tools, it's time for you to go start and grow your own 00:21:56.759 --> 00:22:00.119 podcast for passion and profit. I'm Daniel J. 00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:03.835 Lewis from theaudacitytopodcast.com. Thanks for listening.