Pod-Crashing Episode 40: Podcast Listening

I’m embarrassed to admit it. My early days of being on the digital platform didn’t include physically listening to podcasting. I’d say it was too much terrestrial radio confidence combined with a personal drive to not want to sound like somebody else. I literally feared being influenced by others.

Saying that must mean I had to deal with this issue before. My on the air radio approach. I was so addicted to listening to radio air checks from around the nation that I started impersonating those who had made it to the largest cities. I didn’t steal their act. I’d study their approach, pace, volume and inflection.

I honestly wanted to give podcasting a good try by breaking into it unshaped.

And that I did. Wow! Those opening episodes. It doesn’t matter how many years of radio you’ve put in, podcasting is a different beast. Here’s how I see it. Radio plays well in a crowded room while podcasting is every bit one on one.

Being on the air required an energetic approach. I was talking over song intros and going into commercial breaks. You know happy happy let me pick you up! In the beginning that’s how I treated most of my podcasts. I kept telling myself, “People know you for the energy. I can’t sound boring.” My interviews and one on one lifestyle features sounded like a Southern Preacher trying to push his voice into the hearts of anyone willing to listen.

Podcasting sounds better when there’s “less” and it’s directed more toward something.

I picked up on that after turning Howard Stern off. I was disciplining myself to listen to podcasts from The Breakfast Club out of New York, Bobby Bones and Elvis Duran. It’s all radio people not so much trying to pump up the jams. It was real conversations and emotions. Not that Stern isn’t. I needed something to add to the daily diet. Stern’s always been on in the car. I needed something in the house.

You know, for those moments when the episode is done and now you have to socially connect it to listeners. I hung up on listening to music replacing it with content driven by the masters of Broadcasting.

One problem. The more I checked in the further I was from truly listening to podcasting. Charlamagne, Bobby and Elvis were pretty much putting up their daily radio shows. It was time to graduate toward Chelsea Handler, Marc Maron and Joe Rogan. Extremely long episodes that acted like two opposite ends of a magnet pushing everything back. I didn’t have an hour or more to listen to podcasting.

That’s where I had to condition myself. Like real listeners do. Train yourself that take in a little bit at a time. You don’t have to hear the entire Conan O’Brien presentation in one sitting. You’ve heard of graze eating. It was time to grave listen.

The only reason why I bring this up is solely based on my four most recent podcast lectures. Everybody was so excited to get into the rooms. To do nothing more than talk about nothing. I mean it was so inside that nobody outside the speakers could relate with any of their subjects.

I finally had to ask, “Have any of you made podcast listening your daily creative work out?” Two. As much as I want to accuse even Oprah Winfrey for rambling on with Tina Fey, Lady Gaga and others. The talk show queen knows every question evolves into a benefit for the listener.

The Planner. The Performer. The Producer. The Promotor. All four of these personalities need to be fed a river of hope and success.

I get it. Podcasting is about cutting up and having fun. It’s about getting the chance to cuss and keep professional wrestling fans connected to a new age of staying close with other lovers of the sport. I’m not here to judge your content.

When 98% of those at the four lectures admitted that they didn’t listen to podcasting that pretty much said, “Give me the microphone Seymour. I’m hungry!” Only to hear them ask, “How long will it take to start making money?”

The Planner. The Performer. The Producer. The Promotor.

The Planner is the show prep master. You don’t have write out every word. Just have a plan and respect what’s been planned. The Performer can easily get off track. It’s completely human. Refocus. If you liked where you were going while jumping off the path, write it down for a future podcast.

The Performer needs to have a vision and shape. That’s because the Producer has to make sense out of all that’s been delivered. Editing is a huge strength. As a Producer I’ll rip stuff out of the conversation that’s totally a waste of a listener’s time. My good friend Michael did an 80 minute interview with a local preacher about the hard to locate answers from the Bible. The day it was posted all but 15 minutes of it made it to the listener’s ears. The preacher called me. He felt like a lot of his time had been wasted. My only reply was a lack of great content doesn’t win.

The Planner creates the map. The Performer brings life to it. The Producer keeps what’s alive pushing forward. Then the Promoters hits social media.

If the episode earns you few listeners or a major league hit of many thumbs down. Who do you think’s gonna catch a slap on the wrist? All of them. Communication is everything. The Producer should always keep in contact with the Planner so that he or she knows of the where it should be going.

Meetings are a great start. Everybody’s on the same page. Then let’s get busy.

So what’s the moral of the story? Nearly 100% of all podcasts don’t have four people playing out the role of The Planner. The Performer. The Producer. The Promotor. Those hosting the episodes have to wear every hat. Be honest with your podcast. If it’s stumbling and rough on the edges do something about it. We live in the digital age. Everything should be nearly next to perfect. What kind of message does it send out to potential advertisers if it sounds out of rhythm and nobody in tune?