Branded Larry Roberts & Sara Lohse

Welcome back to Branded: your comprehensive guide to creative branding.

Today, we have a special guest on the show, John Svedese, who brings a unique perspective on personal branding and content creation. Our conversation with John covers the power of short-form videos, the impact of attention spans on long-form content, and the evolving landscape of digital media consumption.

We kick things off by exploring the shift towards shorter videos as consumers gravitate towards quick and engaging content, disrupting traditional long-form podcasts. We discuss the trend of watching YouTube content on television screens, challenging traditional streaming services for viewer attention.

The discussion extends to monetizing podcasts through affiliate marketing and collaborating with local businesses for sponsorships, touching on the branding challenges faced by companies like Chipotle in the era of viral TikTok videos.

As John shares his experiences in approaching Brooklyn businesses for sponsorships for his podcast, "The Basement Surge," we talk about the importance of passion and belief in one's content for successful monetization. John's high standards in content production, marketing, and networking emphasize the dedication required even when starting as a hobbyist.

Key Takeaways:

1. Evolution of Viewing Habits: The shift towards shorter videos reflects changing consumer preferences, highlighting the need for engaging and concise content in the digital age.

2. Nurturing Local Partnerships: Leveraging relationships with local businesses for sponsorships can provide authenticity and support for niche podcasts, driving audience engagement and growth.

3. Commitment to Quality: Maintaining high standards in content creation, marketing, and networking is crucial for successful monetization, even when starting as a hobbyist.

4. Audience Engagement through Passion: Genuine passion for your content can drive audience engagement and loyalty, aligning with John's success in attracting and retaining listeners.

5. Embracing Change and Adaptation: The podcast landscape continues to evolve, requiring creators to adapt to new trends, platforms, and audience preferences to stay relevant and thrive in the competitive media space.

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About John Svedese
John is from Brooklyn, New York and over 40 years later he's still in the same house he grew up in.

John's background is very heavy in graphic design, art and video production. So in 2019 when he started The Basement Surge he put all his skills into the production of the show. Quickly climbing the ranks in the independent podcasting space, BS now resides in the top 5% of podcasts in the world. 

In 2022, John took a break from the show for 6 months and when he returned it was a whole new show. He had upgraded everything from the graphics, format of the show, and his presence on socials.

Today, John is the co-founder of Surge Media with his wife Heather where they help independent creators and corporate companies start or upgrade their podcast. They also offer coaching, digital tools and assets and studio renovations.

John is also in the middle of writing his first book, "Feel The Surge: How To Go From 0 To Trailblazer!" Coming soon!

Connect with John here: https://zaap.bio/surgemedia

Welcome back to Branded: your comprehensive guide to creative branding.

Today's episode is a continuation of last week's AI conversation as technology is changing daily. We're talking about the rapid advancements of AI technology and how they impact branding strategies. While we touch upon AI advancements such as the latest Chat GPT update, our primary focus is on how brands can maintain control and avoid obsolescence in such a fast-evolving digital landscape.

Recorded on May 16, just days after the release of the new Chat GPT update, we discuss the groundbreaking features of the AI tool, including real-time conversations, emotional response capabilities, and its implications for brands that rely on AI-driven services. We also examine the importance of building and protecting a brand in a world where platforms and technologies can become obsolete almost overnight.

With these fast-paced advancements, it's imperative for brands and businesses to be forward-thinking and adaptable. We explore the significance of owning your audience and not just relying on third-party platforms to house your brand’s following.

Key Takeaways:

1. New AI Capabilities and Branding: We discuss the latest Chat GPT update and its significant improvements in real-time interaction and emotional responses. These advancements mean brands using previous versions or third-party AI companions may find themselves outdated.

2. Maintaining Brand Control in Fast-Paced Tech Environments: We emphasize the necessity of having a backup strategy for your brand's online presence. This includes managing your email lists, owning your website, and not overly relying on social media platforms, which can change or disappear.

3. The Role of Social Media and Email Lists: Sara highlights the importance of having a comprehensive strategy for connecting with your audience beyond social media platforms. This ensures that changes in platform algorithms or policies don’t hinder your ability to reach your audience.

4. Adaptability and Forward Planning: We talk about the need for brands to stay adaptable and plan for the future. Larry mentions how AI advancements can make current technologies and platforms obsolete, stressing the importance of building a tech-proof brand strategy.

5. Leveraging Newsletters for Engagement: We underscore the value of newsletters as a more stable and reliable form of communication compared to social platforms. By using tools like Beehive, brands can ensure they maintain direct, unfiltered access to their audience.

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Welcome back to Branded: your comprehensive guide to creative branding.

On today's episode, we're talking about Larry's favorite topic: artificial intelligence. We're looking at the implications of the advancing technology—both positive and negative—and how we can utilize it for our brands while maintaining brand integrity.

We discuss how to "AI-proof" your brand and some of the platforms we're currently using to help with content creation, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Opus. Plus, you'll be first to know about Larry's new upcoming podcast!

Key takeaways:

1. Understanding AI's Pervasiveness: Larry emphasizes how AI has become pervasive, integrating into different aspects of life and across industries. He highlights the swift advancements in AI technologies and their implications for businesses, urging listeners to consider how AI can transform their specific niches.

2. AI-Proofing Strategies: Larry shares his approach to "AI-proofing" various sectors through tailored talks, aiming to help businesses stay relevant despite AI advancements. This involves developing strategies for integrating AI while retaining the human touch that distinguishes brands.

3. The Importance of Human Elements: We discuss the critical role of emotional intelligence and human connection, which AI cannot mimic. We discuss the importance of maintaining human elements in business operations to differentiate from AI-driven solutions and forge genuine connections with audiences.

4. Ethical Considerations and AI Integration: Through examples like autonomous taxis in Phoenix and personal experiences with integrated home systems, we underline the necessity of ethical considerations and the potential socioeconomic implications of AI. We stress the need for accessibility and responsible AI development.

5. Leveraging AI Tools: We share our experiences with various AI tools that aid content creation, from generating text with ChatGPT and Claude AI to video content with platforms like Opus. We emphasize the importance of using these tools responsibly to avoid inaccuracies and to preserve brand integrity.

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Welcome back to Branded: your comprehensive guide to creative branding.

We just returned from Speakonomics in Dallas, so today we wanted to focus a little bit on public speaking. There are different ways to be a speaker, and we both see ourselves more as presenters and facilitators than speakers, which we'll explore further.

We also discuss forced vulnerability and the disconnect that comes from trying to tie an emotional story to a message that really doesn't align.

In an act of true vulnerability, Larry shares his own experience of giving two different presentations just hours after saying his final goodbye to his beloved dog, Buddy. He talks about how his commitment to his brand had to come first in order to follow through on the promise his brand stands for.

Of course, this episode is dedicated to Buddy and we hope his tail is wagging as he chases squirrels across the Rainbow Bridge.

Key takeaways:

1. Impact of Speaking Engagements on Branding: Larry emphasizes the importance of speaking engagements as a tool for building your brand and enhancing credibility. He discusses how speaking can position you as a thought leader and is sometimes a "necessary evil" for reinforcing a brand's authority.

2. Differences in Public Speaking Styles: Sara shares insights on the differing challenges and opportunities between motivational speaking versus educational speaking. She observes that motivational speaking often involves more difficulty in securing stages compared to educational speaking, where content expertise leads to opportunities.

3. The Value of Storytelling in Speeches: Both hosts discuss how powerful personal stories can positively or negatively impact a speech. They note the importance of ensuring personal stories are relevant and well-integrated into the speech’s main objective to avoid it feeling like "forced vulnerability."

4. Strategic Approach to Speaking: Larry advocates starting your speaking career as a facilitator or educator, which can be more straightforward and less intimidating. He also stresses the importance of being specific about the message and target audience when pitching for speaking slots.

5. Resilience and Commitment to the Brand: Larry shares a personal story about dealing with a profound personal loss on the day of a major speaking engagement. He illustrates his commitment to his professional responsibilities and the integrity of his brand, highlighting how crucial it is to fulfill commitments and maintain professionalism, regardless of personal challenges.

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Welcome back to Branded: your comprehensive guide to creative branding.

This episode is doubling as a celebration! Drum roll please... Sara's book is finally out!

We've talked about publishing books in previous episodes, but now we're focusing on the journey and process behind Open This Book: The Art of Storytelling for Aspiring Thought Leaders. We're covering the imposter syndrome that almost derailed it, what it means to be a thought leader, and her approach to writing without a deadline in mind.

Note from Sara: Thank you to everyone who supports our podcast and this book! If you want to order a copy, you'll find it here: https://a.co/d/hZEFey7

Key takeaways:

1. The Value of Personal Stories in Branding: Sara emphasizes the importance of sharing personal stories and experiences as a means to enhance and authenticate one's brand. Her book "Open This Book: The Art of Storytelling for Aspiring Thought Leaders" focuses on storytelling as a powerful tool for thought leaders to connect with their audience.

2. The Process and Challenges of Writing a Book: Both Sara and Larry discuss their individual journeys in writing and publishing their books. Sara shares insights about not rushing the writing process, allowing for inspiration, and the importance of authenticity over adhering strictly to deadlines. This contrasts with Larry’s approach, where he sees value in meeting deadlines to achieve publication goals.

3. Imposter Syndrome and Self-Perception: Sara talks about dealing with imposter syndrome, especially when stepping into roles that they previously viewed as beyond their reach, such as speaking at conferences or publishing a book. Both hosts discuss how their perceptions of being part of an "elite group" changed once they themselves became part of that group.

4. Niche Targeting in Publications and Podcasts: Both the book and the podcast highlight the importance of appealing to specific niches. Sara mentions that her book isn’t for everyone, but for those who are looking to improve their storytelling skills. This is paralleled in their podcasting approach, where they cater to specific listeners interested in personal and professional branding.

5. Role of Books in Credibility and Brand Building: We discuss how authoring a book can significantly boost your credibility and strengthen your brand, regardless of the scale of its deployment (big bookstore presence or self-publishing platforms like Amazon). We highlight that even if the book sells to a small audience, the very act of completing and publishing a book can enhance professional standing and influence.

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Welcome back to Branded: your comprehensive guide to creative branding. 
On this episode, we're talking about an easy way that you can grow your brand, position yourself as a thought leader, and establish your authority in your niche: ebooks!
Publishing an ebook is not hard and we're sharing our methods for creating them. Not only do they help with SEO and credibility, they can be used to grow your email list to turn people into leads.
Sara's eBook Library
Key takeaways:
1. Ebooks as Branding Tools: Larry and Sara stress the importance of ebooks in establishing yourself as a thought leader, branding, and potentially laying the groundwork for writing full-fledged books. Ebooks can serve as authoritative pieces that associate your name with a particular subject matter.
2. Leveraging Speaking Engagements: Both hosts have experience in integrating ebooks with their speaking engagements. They suggest using ebooks as follow-up material for audiences, providing in-depth knowledge on the topics discussed on stage. QR codes are mentioned as a great tool to distribute these ebooks during presentations.
3. Lead Generation: Sara explains that offering free ebooks in exchange for email addresses can be a powerful lead generation tool. This method not only provides value through the ebook but also enables continued marketing through an email series to the recipients, furthering business opportunities.
4. Content Creation with AI: Larry mentions his use of AI tools such as ChatGPT to create ebooks quickly. He describes the ease of generating outlines and full chapters, suggesting that AI can streamline writing and reduce the workload substantially, highlighting the efficiency that technology can bring to content creation.
5. Personalization and Brand Consistency: Discussing ebook designs and themes, Sara emphasizes tailoring the content to the target audience while maintaining her voice and brand identity. Larry also talks about having consistent branding throughout his AI-proof series, thereby reinforcing brand recognition.
Bonus Takeaway: Domain Names for Ebooks: In the wrap-up of the podcast, Sara and Larry discuss purchasing custom domain names for each ebook as a strategy to simplify the sharing process and add credibility. They emphasize the ease and potential low cost of buying domain names aligned with the ebook topics.