Is Content Really King? – PTC 489 Podcast Talent Coach

CONTENT ISN'T KING
It is often said that content is King.
That isn't necessarily true. Content by itself won't gain you an audience.
Content isn't King. Great content is King.
Anybody can copy information. Your content needs to be infused with story and personality to really connect with listeners.
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BE UNIQUE
It really hit me one time when I was interviewing a musician on the air. I won't mention his name, because he called me out right there in the middle of the interview.
Before our conversation, I went online and read his bio. I went through the news release they sent me about the new album and the tour.
Once the interview began, I felt pretty good. We were rolling along with the standard questions and he was giving the standard answers.
In what city will the tour start? When does the album come out.? What can we expect when you roll through here?
Then I asked him a question about a detail in his bio. I though it was something unique. But he said, "Well, I see somebody read my bio."
That's when I realized I couldn't just ask typical questions and get typical answers. To create great interviews, I needed to get my guests to tell great stories.
Everything I was doing to this point was simply a derivative of someone else. I was a cliché, a poor knock off.
Why would anyone listen to me when they could get the same thing by listening a variety of other interviews with the same guest?
From there, I took my original content and made it great.
CONTENT WITH STORIES
Later in my career I was interviewing Preston Brust of the country band LOCASH. He and Chris Lucas had been working hard for years writing songs for themselves and others while also recording and touring.
LOCASH had a few different record deals, but had never had that big hit they needed to break through. Other artists were recording songs the two had written, but none of those had hit either.
In 2011, country superstar Keith Urban not only decided to record a song written by Preston and Chris, but he was going to release it as a single. When I was talking with Preston, I asked him what it felt like when he got the call that Keith Urban was releasing their song. Here is what he said.
"Things weren't going so good. I get this phone call. I'm in the backseat of my friends car and I get this phone call and it sounded like something was wrong. And he says, 'I'm sitting next to Keith Urban and he just told me that 'You Gonna Fly' is going to be his next single, and he's releasing it next week.' And I literally had them stop the car and I got out of the car and I just let out this yell. It just felt like I'm back."
They were back. That song went to number one on the country charts. Preston and Chris then wrote a hit for Tim McGraw and eventually a top 5 hit for themselves.
I guarantee that question about how it felt to get that call hasn't been asked many times if ever of Preston.
We created such a relationship over the years that he still texts me. They just finished their latest song called "Hometown Home" and he sent me the early version.
That kind of relationship doesn't happen with typical questions and standard answers. Your audience also isn't attracted to typical interviews.
Be different.
BE YOURSELF
Over the years, my style and content developed. I became myself. That is when my show became #1. My content was original and fresh. Nobody else was doing it.
If your content isn't great, nothing else matters. The production of your podcast could be the best available. You could have all the bells and whistles available in your studio, including the best mic. The marketing of your podcast could incredibly creative and unique. However, if the content is average, no one will care.
Don't simply go through the motions creating your content. Find a unique