Podcast Talent Coach Erik K. Johnson

UNIQUE SHOWS COME FROM UNIQUE PERSONALITIES
When you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing. You're not unique.
PICK A SIDE
Focus your topic on what you know best. Be opinionated. Be passionate. Pick a side. Be unique. Most of all, be consistent.
When you try to discuss an industry in general, your audience won't know what to expect when they visit your show.
Let's take Dave Ramsey for example. During the opening of “The Dave Ramsey Show”, Dave would say, "Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice."
Dave's show is a personal finance show. Moreover, it is a show about getting out of debt. Dave helps people find ways to pay off their debt and become financially stable.
"The Dave Ramsey Show" didn't discuss particular stocks or mutual funds. It didn't discuss how to go about investing other than simply suggesting you sock away 15 percent of your income for retirement and then some for college.
Dave's show recommends 7 basic steps to financial security. He has been doing a show on these 7 steps for over 30 years. Every show, everyday, every call. It was all about these 7 steps in some way or another.
When you tuned into "The Dave Ramsey Show", you knew what you would get. Dave was focused.
CHANGING DAVE
As Dave gets older and closer to retirement, he is thinking about the future of the show and company. He changed the name of the show from The Dave Ramsey Show to The Ramsey Show.
To help him ease his way into retirement, Dave incorporates other Ramsey Personalities into the show as co-hosts or hosts when he is gone.
The show isn't just hosted by Dave. When you tune in, it could be hosted by Ken Coleman, Rachel Cruze, Dr. John Delony, George Kamel or Jade Warshaw. It may even be hosted by a couple of them if Dave is not there.
The intro of the show has changed. When it was the Dave Ramsey show, Dave would say, "Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice."
Now with 6 different hosts with different areas of expertise, the intro of the show says, "Where we help people build wealth, do work that they love, and create amazing relationships."
The show has become less focused on getting out of debt and personal wealth and more about life in general.
Before, I knew what I got. I was in financial trouble and needed answers.
Now, I could get anything. Does the show help me with my job search, or my relationship with my in-laws, or getting out of debt, or starting a business, or dealing with my boss, or my kids assuming I will watch the grandkids, or negotiating my credit card rate?
All of it. You don't know what you're going to get or who will be giving it to you.
The show is losing its clarity.
Give your podcast focus. Your audience will appreciate the consistency.
YOU UNIQUE
What makes you different?
When you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. Make people take notice.
You are an expert at your opinion. Give it to people. Take a stand. Pick a side.
Some of the nicest people make the worst podcast hosts. They try to please everyone in the audience. Those people tend to blend into the background and go unnoticed.
I once coached a radio host who was one of the best storytellers I had ever met. When he and I would meet one-on-one for coaching, he would tell me some of the funniest stories I had ever heard. He would tell me stories of his dad that would have me crying from laughing so hard.
He once told me his dad was absolutely convinced the PT Cruiser was the best car ever made. As much as my host would try to explain that the PT Cruiser was simply the Dodge Neon chassis with a different body, his father wouldn't believe it.
The two of them would get in these heated arguments in public about this car. Of all the things in life you could argue about, this happened to be the PT Cruiser.
The way the story

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is, "If you can't find a stage, build your own."
GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE FROM STAGE
To grow your audience, you need to get in front of people who don't know you yet. Then, you need to share your story and how you are different.
Finally, you need to invite them into your world.
When I use the term "stage", I don't only mean a physical riser in front of a live crowd during an event holding a microphone. To me, a stage is any time you can speak in front of two or more people.
Stages could be live events. A stage could also be a podcast interview, a radio or TV interview, a virtual summit, speaking to a mastermind group, doing a Facebook Live, participating in a roundtable discussion, or presenting during an online event such as somebody's workshop just to name a few.
So, which should you choose and how do you find opportunities? That's what I want to help you solve today.
Let's begin with choosing the right stage. There are a few questions to ask yourself in order to find the right opportunity.
THE RIGHT AUDIENCE
The biggest factor in choosing a stage is the quality of the audience.
Most people are concerned with the size of the audience.
I've made more money speaking to a small mastermind group than I have speaking to nearly 100 people at a conference. The difference is the quality of the client prospects in the room. Those members of the mastermind were all my ideal clients.
Ensure you get in front of the right audience.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY?
Next, select the right environment. What speaking activities do you enjoy?
Some people prefer being interviewed on a podcast talking to people you can't see. Others prefer the reaction of a room full of a hundred people.
Do what you enjoy.
INVESTMENT OF TIME AND MONEY
Your stage consideration should also be based on your investment.
Some stages require a fee to speak. It's easy to dismiss paying to speak. But if it is the right room, paying could be well worth it.
The bigger investment is your time. Will you need to travel to the engagment?
Travel can eat up days for a one-hour talk. Not all talks are created equal. Ensure it is worth your time.
CAN YOU PITCH?
What are you allowed to offer from stage?
Some opportunities like TEDx won't let you make any call to action, not even a free download. Others allow you to sell from stage.
Know the rules and how that frames your opportunity.
ARE YOU PROMOTED?
Will the host promote you as a speaker at the event?
Sometimes the promotion of you at the event is more valuable than actually speaking at the event.
WILL YOU MAKE CONNECTIONS?
Who else will be in the room? Sometimes the connections you make at the event lead to other speaking opportunities.
When big connections are possible, the new opportunities could be worth more than the current speaking gig. Consider it an investment in the future.
CAN YOU USE THE CONTENT/RECORDING?
Will the host give you access to the recording to use as you wish?
Maybe you can use it as a podcast episode.
FINDING STAGES
To find a stage, make connections with others. When you see announcements arrive in your inbox, reach out to the host to see if you might be part of their next event.
Ask for opportunities. Email the host and ask, "What does it take to be on your stage?"
If you can't find a stage on your own, let an expert help you. There are many experts around that will help you land a stage.
Steve Eriksen has an amazing platform that will help you land a stage.
STEVE ERIKSEN
When Steve Eriksen hosted a summit for his own coaching business, he couldn't find a good system to help him run his event. So he took his technical background in the events space, combined it with his real-world experience as an event host, and created EventRaptor, a system that makes virtual event management easy - including virtual summits! Steve is the Founder of EventRaptor. His goal is to make Virtual Event Management easy!
 
If you don't have a

Stories connect you to others, because the stories you tell reveal things about you. Those stories let people get to know what you like, believe and value.
VINCE GILL
The way he tells stories is why so many people love country icon Vince Gill. He is so open and transparent with his stories you just feel like you're best friends 5 minutes after meeting him.
Vince released his first album in 1985, but really broke through in 1989 when he signed with MCA Nashville.
When he released Gun Slinger in 2011, he invited a group of us to his house to listen to the album.
His house is pretty amazing. He lives in one of those renovated homes built a hundred years ago.
THE RECORDING STUDIO
At the front corner of Vince's house is a recording studio.
Imagine a large family room. You enter the studio down a couple steps in the middle of the long wall.
To your left surrounding the exterior of the room is his amazing guitar collection. Under the countertop that rings the three walls to the left are about half a dozen drawers. Each holds two guitars.
Hung on the walls above the counters are more guitars as if you were in a music store. There had to be a few hundred guitars in that room. Vince told us most of his collection was in storage with his touring gear.
In the middle of that left half of the room sat the large mixing console facing the far wall with a small recording booth through the door in the close corner.
The right side of the room looked like a warm den. There were oversized chairs, a nice couch, a few end tables and a fireplace. I imagined a lot of songwriting was done in that room.
On wall straight across from the entry stairs was the bookshelf holding his various Grammy Awards, CMA Awards, and other accolades. The Grammys and other awards his wife Amy Grant won were on the shelves as well.
THE STORIES
Above the fireplace hung a destroyed vintage guitar.
I asked Vince about the story behind that guitar.
He said when the floods of 2010 hit Nashville, the storage facility most of the big country artists used for much of the gear was under water. All of the gear in that huge warehouse was destroyed, including many of Vince's prized guitars.
The guitar that hung on the wall was one of the oldest that Vince had in his collection. He salvaged it from the flood and hung it on the wall as a reminder of how precious time is for all of us.
As we made ourselves comfortable in the studio, Vince had his producer cue up the new album. He would then proceed to tell us a story about how a song was recorded or about the inspiration behind a song.
Then he would play it for us. It was amazing.
BREAD AND WATER
One song on Guitar Slinger held a very special place for Vince. He told us "Bread and Water" is loosely based on his brother who had a rough stretch of life.
Vince's brother was in a car accident and almost killed when he was just 21. He never fully recovered.
As he told the story of his brother, Vince said his brother would kind of hobo around. He would often spend time at the mission.
Vince then plays the song for us.
The opening stanza of "Bread and Water" goes like this:
One night he wandered into that old mission
The one out on the poor side of town
He really had no interest in salvation
Just a place to lay his drunk ole body down
Vince got a little choked up when he told the story of his brother as he introduced the song.
Once he played it, the song took on such a different and more powerful meaning for all of us in that studio. Check it out on YouTube. You'll see what I mean.
INTERESTING STORIES
After about four songs, Vince says, "Are you guys enjoying this or are you just getting bored with my old stories?"
Each and every one of us emphatically chimed in that we wanted more stories. I could have sat there for a week and listened to Vince tell stories.
It was truly one of the highlights of my career. When the Eagles recently came to town, I went to see this tour, because Vince was playing guitar and

One of the biggest struggles podcasters face is how to monetize a podcast. They simply rush to the monetization phase without doing the foundational work first.
MONETIZE A PODAST WITH AUTHORITY
Before you can monetize your podcast, you need to have authority and influence in your niche.
In this episode, I will share nine ways to monetize a podcast. But none of these ideas will work without authority.
If you can't influence a room and move the crowd toward action, no monetization strategy will be effective.
To have influence and authority, you need to become well known in your niche. You will become well known by becoming known well. And you become known well by telling your story and building a relationship with your audience.
The rapport you build with your audience feeds that authority. When they are ready to solve their problems, your audience will start with those with whom they have a relationship.
Relationships start with familiarity and grow into trust. It is the foundation of authority and influence.
Once you have influence over an audience, you can motivate them to take action. 
This is where all monetization begins. If you aren't monetizing your podcast, you probably haven't spent enough time building relationships, authority and influence.
If you would like help building that strategy, take advantage of my podcast strategy call. You can find details and apply for a call with me online at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply.
Let's talk about why coaches struggle to monetize a podcast.
PODFADE
I was working with a client creating a strategy to get her interviewed on other podcasts. It's a solid way to grow your audience.
The term podfade has been around for years. A podcast podfades when the host just stops publishing new episodes and the show fades away.
It has often been said that the big hurdle is around 7 episodes. I always thought it was an old wives' tale.
Then she and I opened Apple podcasts and started searching for podcasts that fit the criteria.
To find shows that will interview you, the podcast needs to meet 3 important criteria.
First, the show needs to fit your niche. It should appear that the podcast is talking to your ideal target listener. Not necessarily your topic, but indeed your listener.
Next, the prospective podcast needs to actually interview guests. There is no need to reach out to a show that doesn't do interviews.
My podcast was solo for the first 275 episodes. It didn't stop people from reaching out telling me they would make the perfect guest.
Finally, the podcast needs to be actively publishing new episodes.
FRESH EPISODES
So we searched caregiving in Apple podcasts. Here is what I find today.
12 Step Guide to Caregiving – 1 episode published in May 2018
Twenty-Four Seven: A Podcast About Caregiving – 19 episodes, last in December 2022
Caregiving Coach – 19 episodes, but last was July 2023
The Caregiving Secrets Show – 7 episodes, last published June 2021
Caregiver Storyteller – 18 episodes, last show November 2023
Caffeinated Caregivers – 9 episodes, but only 3 in the first 5 months of this year
Caregiver Conversations – 19 episodes, last published July 2023
Caring for the Caregiver – 4 episodes, last published September 2020
Eye on the Caregiver – 22 episodes, last published May 2023
Caregivers Share – 9 episodes, last published December 2023
The Senior Caregiver Podcast – 8 episodes, last published November 2019
The Purposeful Caregiver – 14 episodes, last published December 2023
Now there are many others that have hundreds of episodes. But these dozen have fewer than 24 episodes. They didn't even make it half a year.
Whether it's 7 episodes or 14 episodes, many podcasts fade away early for 3 reasons.
First, the podcaster realizes that podcasting is more work than they thought it would be. They don't have a system to consistently produce a weekly episode without eating their entire week.
Next, the podcaster discovers the au

FIRST, GET NOTICED
Before you can grow relationships with your audience and become an authority and influencer in your niche, you need to get discovered. Making your podcast discoverable is one of the first critical steps.
So many podcasters struggle to grow their audience. However, they are doing very little to be visible and become discoverable.
You cannot expect people to just show up to your podcast. It takes diligent, deliberate action on your part to get in front of those listeners.
As you build the relationships, many will become fans for life.
CHICAGO GETS NOTICED
I just saw the band Chicago perform Wednesday night. It was a full house even though only 2 of the 10 guys on stage were original members of the band.
Jimmy Pankow on trombone and Lee Loughnane on trumpet were the only two original members on stage. Robert Lamm is still listed as a member, but for some reason he wasn't there.
Even the lead singer is the third replacement after Peter Cetera left the band in 1985.
Chicago has been touring for over 55 years. Over those years, they have been building relationships. They have toured relentlessly for years gaining more and more fans at each show.
In 1971, Chicago performed a week of sold out shows at Carnegie Hall in New York City. They were the first rock band to do it and turned the shows into a 4-disc box set as their fourth album.
Six years later in 1977, Chicago became one of the first acts to receive the Gold Ticket Award from Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a new award given to performers who sold over 100,000 tickets to performances at the venue. Chicago drew over 180,000 people to the venue in nine sold-out appearances there over the years.
On Wednesday night, a full house at the 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater sang, danced and partied with a band that was a shell of its former self. And the fans couldn't have cared less.
It was legacy.
The music holds a special place in the hearts of fans even though the original guys aren't there performing it.
It's all about relationships.
DISCOVERABLE THROUGH PODCASTS
Relationships begin by getting discovered.
There are many ways to get discoverable. Some work better than others.
In studies that have been done, most people discover new podcasts through word of mouth. They hear somebody else mention the show.
Therefore, my favorite way to get discoverable is to get interviewed on other podcasts.
Podcast listeners listen to podcasts. Give them options.
SUMMITS
I find summits a good way to become discoverable. Though all summits are not created equal.
I've been on summits that have 15 people at the session. However, I was on an AI summit a few weeks ago where 350 people were there.
A summit is like a virtual conference. A group of experts give presentations centered around a the theme of the summit.
Summits typically last anywhere from one to five days. The session are usually interviews or presentations.
During the presentation, the presenter will usually offer a free lead magnet to get people on their email list.
When I was on the summit with 350 people in the room, I was able to add 125 people to my email list. Just ensure your presentation and gift match the audience the summit is attracting.
OTHER WAYS TO GET DISCOVERABLE
There are a variety of other ways to get discoverable.
You can get on stage at conferences in your niche.
Find ways to get mentioned in articles.
Do Facebook lives in groups with group owners. Just connect with the owner of the group and see if you can add some value to their group.
I've have huge success speaking to masterminds. These are typically small groups, but they've invested to be there.
You can also create your own virtual events that partners can promote.
DANIEL J. LEWIS
Today, I want to share an interview I did with Daniel J. Lewis. He is a master at getting your podcast discoverable.
As a multiple-award-winning podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis gives you the guts and teaches you the tools

To make your impact on the world, you need attention, authority and influence. A great way to create that rapport is through virtual events.
PROMOTE THE EVENTS
You can promote your virtual events with your podcast. At the virtual event, you can get closer to your audience, build stronger relationships, and demonstrate your expertise.
To be an influencer, increase your visibility.
Virtual events are any online gathering that allows you to present to a crowd and move a room.
Some of the most common virtual events include webinars and summits. You can also create workshops, VIP days, masterclasses, networking events, 3-day events, meet-ups, online conferences, and a variety of other gatherings.
On your podcast, you can discuss the transformation people will experience at your event. Then, make the invite.
At the event, deliver value, help people get results, and make an offer to them.
BEST EVENTS STRUCTURE
There are three things your participants should receive at your events.
First, they need to receive your training. Teach them something that will help them solve a problem.
Next, they need to do something. This could be homework during a 3-day event or simply generating ideas during a webinar. Get your participants to take a step forward.
Finally, participants of the events need to share. They could share the ideas they just generated in the chat during a webinar. During 3-day events you can put them into breakout rooms to share with each other.
Sharing makes the doing real. This is similar to sharing goals. Studies show that when you share goals, you are more likely to achieve those goals.
Learn, do and share is an effective structure of all great events.
POWER OF EVENTS
There are many benefits to doing live events.
Events give you more face time with your prospects. You can build stronger relationships and rapport as part of the sales process. They get to know you better.
These events let you learn more about your prospect and their challenges. The more they do and share during the events, the more you discover how you can help them. It is powerful market research.
Events allow you to make more offers to your prospects. These people are spending good time with you. If you've built your structure properly, you are providing great value. Now you can offer them the next step with you.
Finally, events give you more visibility. You gain by the visibility of promoting the event. There is benefit by the visibility you get during the event. And then you can benefit by continuing the discussion online with participants after the events.
MY EVENTS
When it comes to building my events, I learned by watching those already conducting successful events.
By participating in and helping with their events, I learned what worked and what didn't. I discovered what I should do and what I should avoid.
To make my events successful, I tried to find those who already had authority and influence in their niche. Then, I offered to help them with their events for free. I just wanted to be close enough to learn.
Today I conduct a variety of events including summits, workshops, 3-day events, masterminds and more. It has been a powerful way to build my authority and influence. It can help you as well.
EVENTS WITH JANELLE ANDERSON
Today, I've invited events expert Janelle Anderson on the show to help us learn how to create our own powerful event.
Janelle Anderson is known as the Speaking Confidence Coach for coaches. She is a Certified Professional Coach, author, and renowned speaker.
Janelle is on a mission to empower coaches to launch on a strong foundation of clear messaging aimed at the audience most aligned with their passions and strengths.
She helps coaches grow their business through masterful speaking and storytelling with her business, Emerging Life Coaching.
Her latest event is the Art of Influence Summit where I'm proud to be a speaker. Enjoy my conversation with Janelle Anderson.
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