In case you missed it, last Wednesday marked the seven-year anniversary of my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast. Had you told me on February 17, 2014, when Episode 1 came out that I’d get up to 367 episodes, I’m sure I would’ve said, “Whoa, slow down!”
But as the medium has exploded over these years, that’s one thing I’ve noticed that you can’t do – slow down.
I’m quite proud of the numbers that the show has put up, but follow me on this. “Now Hear This Entertainment” is one of the top two percent most popular shows out of more than 1.9 million podcasts globally.* The show has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. It has even had multiple placements in the iTunes Top Ten (Music category). Yet, a statistic that I’m just as quick to point to is the fact that a new episode has been delivered on-time, every week for seven years. As we say in podcasting, I have a verbal contract with my listeners – in the case of NHTE, that a new episode will be released every Wednesday – and I’m happy to deliver on that to them week after week, month after month, year after year.
“That’s all well and good, but what’s in it for you,” people will ask. Or, those who only wonder how podcasters make money from their show will say, “Cool. Are you monetizing it?”
I’m here to tell you that I have gotten so, so much from podcasting – and not just money. So, if you’ve ever wondered what having a podcast can do for you, consider the following.
In no particular order…
1. Although I was already a national speaker, primarily at events in the music industry, podcasting has opened a whole new area that has allowed me to be featured on stages from Orlando to Washington DC to Los Angeles. (Some might extract ‘travel’ from that and add it as a separate entry on this list, by the way.)
2. I also went from being “just” a business owner and speaker, to not only a business owner, speaker, and podcaster, but adding ‘author’ as well, thanks to the four-volume eBook series that my podcast spawned (giving tips for indie artists for on and off the stage).
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3. I got hired to do a bi-weekly podcast (for podcasters and streamers) by a major, international company in the recording equipment industry. And yes, kids, that counts as monetizing NHTE because without the success of my podcast I wouldn’t have gotten contracted to do a show for someone else.
4. Okay, to satisfy those who only want to know, “That’s great, but, what about cold, hard cash,” yes, I’ve had paid ads on my podcast, plus I’ve earned through the show via an affiliate banner as well as Patreon and even a source for guests that pays hosts to listen to potential guests’ music. The podcast has also led to business for my company, Now Hear This, Inc.
5. Perhaps the benefit that I can’t put a value on is the relationships that I’ve built. When you look at the guest list that I’ve built up, I challenge you to tell me how I could’ve otherwise met these folks. And, of course, this would also extend to people I’ve been able to connect with that weren’t guests, yet my podcast led me to anyway.
6. I even started a second (weekly) podcast two years ago this month, which in itself has brought its own separate set of benefits and is really more of a “giving back”-type effort than NHTE, which you can see has a direct tie to my business.
While I know that there’s more than ‘just’ those six, this should give you a feel for how powerful podcasting is and why it has been such a big part of my life over these past seven years.
Where are you in the podcast journey? How can I help you with your show or getting one started? Book a private, one-on-one video consultation with me to discuss the questions you have about it. Plus, tweet to me about this blog via @NHT_tweets or post about it on Facebook or LinkedIn. Alternatively, get in touch with me via email.
* - According to Listen Notes dot com