Intuition Over Imitation: Lessons from the Empowered Podcasting Conference
Key Takeaways
- As a podcast host, you are the goalie of your show, which means it is your job to set boundaries and guide your guests to keep their answers focused on the audience.
- Great podcast content combines the right information with your unique delivery, attitude, confidence, and life skills to make listeners laugh, cry, think, groan, educate, or entertain.
- Relying too heavily on AI to rewrite transcripts and generate your content destroys your personal voice and leads to losing your intuition and gut instinct.
- Your ability to listen to your audience and actually accept constructive feedback is one of the most underrated yet critical skills for growing a successful podcast.
- Avoid renting your audience entirely from platforms with unpredictable algorithms by prioritizing direct channels like email newsletters where you own the subscriber relationship.
What I Learned (and Relearned) at Empowered Podcasting Conference
I got triggered at a podcasting conference last week, and honestly? I almost jumped out of my chair. Someone in the room said something that stopped me cold, and it's become one of the biggest lessons I'm bringing back to you this week — along with a story about a $230 million quarterback who won't take feedback, why "cheating off the smart kid" with AI is quietly ruining your podcast, and the subscription I found on my own bank statement that I'd been paying for and not even using. This episode is a mashup of my talk at Empowered Podcasting Conference 3 in Charlotte and everything I picked up just from being in the room. Let's get into it.
It's Your Show. Own It.
This is the one that made me want to stand up. Someone in a session said, "Well, I can't ask my guest to keep their answers short." Yes, you can. It's your show. If you're doing interviews, you're the goalie — it's your job to keep anything that doesn't serve your audience out of the episode. And if a guest rambles, that's usually on the host, not the guest. Give your guest a target before you hit record: who you're talking to, and whether you want short, medium, or long answers. A guest who doesn't get a target from the host should ask for one. Own your show. Set the boundaries. Your audience is who you're protecting.
What Actually Makes Content Remarkable
My talk was about what makes a podcast good, and I focused on what makes any content remarkable. I walked through a few movies to prove it:
Saving Private Ryan — that D-Day opening wasn't new information (we all knew WWII was brutal), it was a new way of presenting it. People talked about it because nobody had seen it shown like that.
The Sixth Sense — a tiny budget that beat big blockbusters like The Lone Ranger because of one twist: we don't find out Bruce Willis's character is dead until the end. People walked out of the theater and called a friend to say "you have to see this." That's the goal — content remarkable enough that it spreads on word of mouth alone.
Gone with the Wind — a 1939 movie with an actual intermission, and people still talk about the burning of Atlanta (a real fire on the studio backlot, no CGI) and that last line — "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" — which had audiences clutching their pearls. Again, something people had not seen before.
Star Wars — I saw it eleven times as a kid, and even when half the theater had already seen it multiple times, everybody still cheered when the Death Star blew up. That's not just about the special effects. That's about how it made people feel.
A podcast episode is content plus delivery — and delivery is you: your attitude, your confidence, your life skills. My rule of thumb for what makes a good episode: laugh, cry, think, groan, educate, or entertain. Save them time or save them money. Try to hit more than one of those in every episode.
The Most Underrated Skill in Podcasting: Listening
Everyone assumes the top skill is a great voice or being funny. It's not. It's your ability to listen — to your audience, and to feedback.
Case in point: The Cleveland Brown's quarterback, the one we paid $230 million despite a stack of off-field allegations. He's not good at his job. When fans booed him, his response was basically "you guys don't like me" — not "I need to get better," not "tell me more." He made it personal instead of taking it as information. I hear the same thing constantly from podcasters. I'll offer to help someone grow their show, ask which episode they want me to listen to, and they'll say "oh, it's not the content." If you're not willing to actually hear feedback, don't be surprised when your show doesn't grow.
The AI Shortcut That's Quietly Killing Your Voice
This is the one I need you to sit with. There's a real strategy going around called the outlier strategy: if you and a competitor share an audience, and one of their episodes way outperforms their normal numbers, you make your own version of that topic. Legitimate strategy.
Here's where it goes sideways — people are grabbing the transcript of that outlier video, feeding it to AI, and saying "rewrite this in my voice." And the whole reason they're doing a podcast in the first place is to be seen as a thought leader — using someone else's thoughts.
It might work about 80% of the time (I'm making that number up), and that missing 20% is the part that's actually, uniquely you. Mark Maron said it best: "You're not thinking your own thoughts. You're a hack with an excuse for why you're failing."
I'm not anti-AI — I use it to organize my own brain dumps into an outline. But when you let it write the content, you get exactly what everyone else already sounds like.
Led Zeppelin became Kingdom Come became Greta Van Fleet. Cinderella became Girl School. The copy is never as good as the original, and eventually the audience notices.
Which brings me to a phrase I have to credit to YouTuber Aprillynne Alter, because she said it better than I could: protect your intuition. When you let AI do all your thinking, you never actually process the information — and you lose your gut instinct for what your audience needs. That's exactly why I watched every single Dolly Parton video myself for last week's episode instead of asking AI to summarize them. I wanted that information in my head, not just in the output.
Cheating off the smart kid might get you the grade. It won't get you the understanding.
Own Your Audience — Don't Rent It From a Platform
I had a great conversation with email marketing expert Paul Gouder about this. I moved my main marketing list from Kit (formerly ConvertKit) over to Substack, and while my subscriber count is actually growing there, I can see in my stats that it's not driving nearly as much traffic to my website. Paul's question stopped me: "
What do platforms do once they get popular enough? They change the rules."
TikTok, Facebook, YouTube — every one of them eventually limits your reach to your own audience unless you pay up.
Email doesn't have an algorithm. Those are people who raised their hand and said "I want more." I'd rather have a 40% open rate on my newsletter than a meaningless "view" on YouTube.
And I export my list every single month just in case, because platforms can turn on you fast — there was a parenting podcast that got pulled off YouTube with zero warning, appealed to an AI system, got denied by that same AI, and only got reinstated after Podnews' James Cridland made it a public story. You don't want your show's survival to depend on someone shaming a platform into doing the right thing.
Audit Your Subscriptions — You're Probably Bleeding Money
My buddy Ralph Eastep Jr. — "the content creator's accountant" — gave the keynote, and his advice was simple: go look at your podcast's checkbook.
So I did. In five minutes I found I'd been paying $57 a month for an SEO mastermind I hadn't attended in ages, plus $10 a month for an email address I don't even use anymore. Close to $100 a month, gone, just from things I forgot to cancel. This is exactly why you want a separate bank account for your podcast — every charge in there is tied to something you're using for the show, and it makes the leaks obvious. If you need a separate account I use both Sofi and Acorns.
Don't Copy the Gear. Be You.
One more story from my talk. We all think if we buy the same mic or use the same host as someone successful, we'll get their results. It's not the gear. The band Extreme had guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, who idolized Eddie Van Halen his whole career — and finally got to play Eddie's actual rig, in front of Eddie. He was sure he'd finally sound like his hero. Instead, he said it was "so horrible," because he just sounded like himself. Same thing happened in early podcasting — we all bought the same expensive mic because we wanted to sound like a famous podcaster. Lean into being you. You're already very good at it.
Bonus: Sometimes "Remarkable" Means Remarkably Bad
A tiny, ultra-low-budget Chinese film (reportedly made for around $200 by a mother and son on an iPhone) got pulled from theaters and mocked online as one of the worst movies ever. The memes were brutal. And because everyone was talking about it, curiosity took over — it ended up making an estimated $9.3 million. Remarkable works both ways.
Quick Update on Episode 1049
In episode 1049, I told you Spotify and YouTube signed onto a shared industry definition of what counts as a "view" or a "play." Well, weeks later, Spotify rolled out a button that lets listeners skip ads entirely, and YouTube quietly changed what counts as a view again — now just moving your mouse over a thumbnail can register as one.
Mark your calendar: in a month or two, expect YouTube to brag about some absurd new view count and hope everyone forgot they moved the goalposts. These are the partners we're all supposed to shake hands and build agreements with.
Thanks to Empowered Podcasting Conference
Big thanks to Mark Ronick, Rich, and Jason for putting on another great Empowered Podcasting Conference, and to everyone I got to hang out with in Charlotte.
Head to schoolofpodcasting.com and use the coupon code LISTENER for a monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscription — backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. You'll get access to the courses, the community, and coaching. And if you want to catch every episode, follow the show at schoolofpodcasting.com/follow.
Research Links
- Empowered Podcasting Conference
- SOFI: Join Checking and Savings | You’ve been invited!
- Acorns Banking - Earn Interest, Teach Your Children about Finances
- Why No One Makes "Original" Videos Anymore
- Newsletters Part 2: How to Start a Newsletter Without Losing You…
- Want More Downloads? Ditch Social Media for Newsletters!
- Aprilynne Alter - YouTube
- A $200 Chinese Movie Just Became the Most Profitable Film in History
- Gone with the Wind Rant - Building a Better Dave
Mentioned in this episode:
Question of the Month: Constructive and Deconstructive Feedback
This month we are talking feefdback. What is the most constructive or deconstructive (or both) piece of feedback you've received. If you haven't asked for feedback, why not? I need your answer by September 25th (late entries won't be accepted) go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question and be sure to mention your show and your website address so I can link to it in the show notes.
Where Will I Be?
I love meeting you when I'm out at events. Here are some of my next events: Podcast Movement September 17-18 Podindy November 7th (use the coupon pacer at podindy.com)
Podpage Email Alerts
Podpage just launched a feature called Episode Alerts. It automatically emails your subscribers the moment a new episode goes live — no third-party email tool needed. When you publish, Podpage sends the email, links listeners straight to the episode, routes replies to your own inbox, and handles unsubscribes automatically. They also run every email address through validation and monitor bounces/spam complaints to protect your sender reputation. It's not meant to replace a full newsletter platform — no drip campaigns or segmentation — just a simple "hey, new episode's up" notification. It's available for Pro and Elite users, with monthly sending caps of 500 emails on Pro and 5,000 on Elite. For more information see https://www.podpage.com/updates/introducing-episode-alerts/
Get Some Feedback On Your Show
“Want honest, helpful feedback on your podcast? At the School of Podcasting, we host ‘Listening Parties’ where members share short clips and get constructive, encouraging critiques from fellow podcasters and myself. It’s a safe, supportive way to hear what’s working, fix what’s not, and make your show stronger fast.”
Free Podcast Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Empowered Podcasting Conference?
The Empowered Podcasting Conference is an annual gathering where podcasters connect, share strategies, and learn about growing and improving their shows.
How can I handle rambling guests on my podcast?
You can manage long-winded guests by giving them a clear target before recording, specifying who the audience is, and letting them know whether you need short, medium, or long answers.
Why is the outlier strategy dangerous for podcast content creation?
While the outlier strategy involves covering popular topics from competitor shows, using AI to simply rewrite their transcripts makes you sound like a clone and strips away the unique perspective that makes your content yours.
What is the most important skill for a podcaster?
The most important skill in podcasting isn't having a great voice or being funny; it is your ability to listen to your audience and actually apply constructive feedback.
00:00 - Untitled
02:46 - It's Your Show
04:46 - What Makes Good Content
13:12 - The Most Important Skill a Podcaster Needs
14:15 - Accepting Feedback
17:25 - Outlyer Strategy
23:14 - You Intuition is at Risk
30:10 - Email Vs Platforms
33:22 - YouTube Booted Someone Off
35:13 - Check Your Bank Account
37:13 - Its not the Gear
41:40 - Update from Episode 1049
43:23 - Join the School of Podcasting
The School of Podcasting with Dave Jackson.
David Jackson:Podcasting Sense 2005. I'm your award-winning
David Jackson:Hall of Fame podcast coach, Dave Jackson. Thanking you so much
David Jackson:for tuning in. If you're new to the show, this is why I help you
David Jackson:launch, grow, and monetize your podcast. The website School of
David Jackson:podcasting.com, courtesy of podpage.com. Hey, look! Your
David Jackson:podcast deserves a better home for your website. Check out
David Jackson:podpage.com. And today, what I'm doing is I'm combining parts of
David Jackson:my talk that I did at Empowered Podcasting Conference Three in
David Jackson:Charlotte, North Carolina, along with some things that I actually
David Jackson:learned at the event, and the first thing I should say is Mark
David Jackson:Ronick and Rich and Jason, the three guys that help run it, did
David Jackson:a great job as always. It's not easy, you know, especially when
David Jackson:you get about a bunch of podcasters together. Keeping us
David Jackson:on time is almost impossible because we like to talk. I'll be
David Jackson:talking about that later in another episode about how to get
David Jackson:speaking gigs and things of that nature. But all in all, my my
David Jackson:favorite thing is like I don't know maybe three blocks from the
David Jackson:hotel in this beautiful part of town. You go into the mall, and
David Jackson:I think there was like a Gucci bag store, and then you walk a
David Jackson:little further, and there's a Rolex store. And I'm thinking,
David Jackson:you know, I don't think we're gonna find a Hot Topic or
David Jackson:Spencer's Gifts store in this mall. But it was a great time
David Jackson:and some some great eating and some great friends. I got to
David Jackson:hang out with Ralph, the podcast creator's accountant. He's got a
David Jackson:new show coming out about becoming financially confident.
David Jackson:Actually, that's out now. He does it every day, daily shows.
David Jackson:Ralph is a glutton for punishment, but he's got a new
David Jackson:co-host, Juliet. Got to hang out with Mark and Krista from
David Jackson:Practical Prepping and a whole bunch of other people. I
David Jackson:shouldn't really name names. Those are people from the School
David Jackson:of Podcasting, but it was a great time. Brad Miller, who is
David Jackson:the man behind podindy.com, use the coupon code SOP for PodIndy.
David Jackson:That's the next one coming up in November, along with Podcast
David Jackson:Movement. I will be there in a couple weeks in New York City,
David Jackson:so that's going to be fun, but the the thing I learned as and
David Jackson:this one was something I learned from the conference, and it it
David Jackson:made me almost jump out of my chair. I was like, wait, wait,
David Jackson:hold hold on a second here. You got that wrong, and somebody
David Jackson:said, well, the first thing is, it's your show. I cannot stress
David Jackson:this enough. It's your show. It's your brand, and I've talked
David Jackson:about this in the past, where you're the goalie. Again, if
David Jackson:you're doing guests on your show and you're doing interviews, and
David Jackson:somebody tries to put a kaka a poo poo towards your audience,
David Jackson:it's your job to edit it out, and somebody was talking about
David Jackson:when guests get a little long-winded, and they said,
David Jackson:"Well, I can't ask my guests to keep their answers short, and I
David Jackson:I just wanted to stand up and go, "Yeah, you can. It's your
David Jackson:show, and really, it's one of those things where that, for me,
David Jackson:in my opinion, it shows you didn't prep the guest to go
David Jackson:look. Here's the deal. Here's who you are talking to. The
David Jackson:interview should be somewhere between this many minutes and
David Jackson:this many minutes. So if you have short, medium, and long
David Jackson:answers, we're looking for medium here, like. Give your
David Jackson:guest a target so they know how to answer. And a lot of times,
David Jackson:if when I get interviewed, I will ask those. So if you're a
David Jackson:guest and somebody didn't give you a clear target, look, your
David Jackson:goal as a guest is to deliver value. And if you don't know
David Jackson:where to shoot the target, ask. And if you are the host, give
David Jackson:your guest a target to hit, because the whole goal is your
David Jackson:audience. So when somebody says, "Well, I can't ask my guest,
David Jackson:yeah, you can. Why? Because it's your show, and the more they
David Jackson:just go on and on and on, the more time you're going to spend
David Jackson:editing it. So it's your show. Own
Unknown:it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:So my talk was about what makes a good podcast,
David Jackson:and I said, you know, let's take a second and take it away from
David Jackson:podcasting. Let's look at what makes good content, what makes
David Jackson:entertaining content, and and more importantly, what makes
David Jackson:people remarkable. And we'll talk about both sides of
David Jackson:remarkable. And I said, "Look, let's talk about the movie
David Jackson:Saving Private Ryan. And a lot of people there had seen it. And
David Jackson:I said, "What's the one thing that you know people were
David Jackson:talking about about that movie? And it's the opening sequence
David Jackson:where the the U.S. troops are you know invading D-Day, that
David Jackson:whole nine yards, and it was absolutely gruesome in terms of
David Jackson:being realistic. I remember there was one where kind of the
David Jackson:the door drops down and and the young soldiers are supposed to
David Jackson:run out, and you just watch four guys take a bullet to the head,
David Jackson:and you're like, "Well, this isn't a comedy, and I remember
David Jackson:them saying that if you were a a veteran, like you probably
David Jackson:shouldn't go, or at least wait 30 minutes before you walk in.
David Jackson:But nonetheless, it was information that we all knew,
David Jackson:but we'd never seen it presented that way. So remember, great
David Jackson:content an episode is made up of content and delivery, so that
David Jackson:was the same old content. We all knew a bunch of guys stormed the
David Jackson:beaches and died, and a bunch of you know that whole nine yards.
David Jackson:But this was the presentation of it. What did it do? It had
David Jackson:people making remarks about it. The Sixth Sense is a movie that
David Jackson:if you've ever seen it once, you've seen it twice, and when
David Jackson:you walked out of the movie, you called a friend and said you
David Jackson:have to come watch this. Now I'm going to spoil this movie if
David Jackson:you've never seen it. It is kind of an inverse Invisible Man, the
David Jackson:Invisible Man movies. Back in the day, we knew who the
David Jackson:Invisible Man was, and often the people in the movie did not, but
David Jackson:we did. We knew where he was hiding in some cases. This was
David Jackson:the inverse. We don't realize that Bruce Willis's character is
David Jackson:dead for the movie, and when this little kid says, "I see
David Jackson:dead people, we're like, sure, but he's talking to Bruce
David Jackson:Willis. Bruce Willis doesn't know he's dead, and it was such
David Jackson:a unique kind of concept. You kind of felt like you got
David Jackson:punked. You're like, wait, what? Oh, and then you're like, wait,
David Jackson:how did I miss this? I have to go watch it again. So you would
David Jackson:call a friend and say, "Hey, come watch this movie with me.
David Jackson:The other beautiful thing about that movie, very low budget at
David Jackson:the time, against these other big blockbusters like The Lone
David Jackson:Ranger, which is a movie that had Johnny Depp in it, and that
David Jackson:movie was just bad. And I mean bad. I saw that movie. I walked
David Jackson:out of the theater telling people don't go see it; it's
David Jackson:bad. So that's the other side of remarkable. Was I talking about
David Jackson:it? Oh yeah, I was telling my friends don't waste your money
David Jackson:on that. Another one is Gone with the Wind. Now this is an
David Jackson:old movie, 1939, and what's really kind of upsetting about
David Jackson:this is if you watch it on Netflix, they have this whole
David Jackson:disclaimer how it's racist and blah blah blah, and yet the
David Jackson:woman that the one black actress won an Oscar for her role in it,
David Jackson:and I believe her character's name was Mammy or whatever. So
David Jackson:we won't go there. But that movie I was dragged to as a
David Jackson:little kid, it was my mom's favorite movie, and she said,
David Jackson:"There's a now. I ask people, and again, even though it's a
David Jackson:very old movie, it's a very, very long. Like there was
David Jackson:actually an intermission, so let's all go to the lobby. Let's
David Jackson:all go. Yeah, that that was definitely in play for that. But
David Jackson:my mom said, "You have to see the burning of Atlanta. Now
David Jackson:again, this is 1939, so there was no CGI, and I kind of looked
David Jackson:into this, and whatever the movie studio was, MGM or Warner
David Jackson:Brothers or whoever, it's on their back lot, and they have a
David Jackson:bunch of old sets sitting there from other movies, and they
David Jackson:needed the space, so they just moved.
David Jackson:Moved all these old, you know, backlot movie stuff into one big
David Jackson:pile and lit it on fire, and then put a you know they filmed
David Jackson:the scene there, and that at the time got people talking. Nobody
David Jackson:had ever seen that kind of film, you know, back in whenever my
David Jackson:mom probably saw it in 1950, and the other thing, of course, the
David Jackson:line that everybody remembered when I asked the class, when I
David Jackson:asked the people there, and thank you to everyone who
David Jackson:attended my session. They said, "Oh yeah, and frankly, my dear,
David Jackson:I don't give a damn. It's the last line of the movie, and my
David Jackson:mom said when she saw it, people, you know, clutch their
David Jackson:pearls, and oh my, he said, "Damn! Oh, so that was something
David Jackson:again that made people go, "What he said, damn! In a movie, so
David Jackson:they went and saw the movie. Plus, they wanted to see the
David Jackson:burning of Atlanta. One more here, that but that was
David Jackson:remarkable, and it is a really good movie. It's it's just good,
David Jackson:and the last one was Star Wars. Now I saw this movie back in the
David Jackson:70s, whenever it came out, and I I believe I saw it 11 times
David Jackson:because when you're I don't know 12 or 13 every weekend we went
David Jackson:sometimes Friday and Saturday whatever we're you know just
David Jackson:ODing on Coca Cola and popcorn, but at the time again, you had
David Jackson:things that you had never seen before, which was the
David Jackson:lightsabers, right? The whole thing going on, and the special
David Jackson:effects at the time were above your typical cheesy kind of
David Jackson:special effects were out, and when the Death Star blew up, I
David Jackson:remember this, and again, I saw this movie a lot. Everybody
David Jackson:cheered. Number one, the theater, the theater was filled
David Jackson:with people, and when that thing blew up, everybody cheered, even
David Jackson:though half the audience had already seen it four times, we
David Jackson:all cheered. And when you walked out of the theater, it was the
David Jackson:way you felt. You're like, "Yay, the good guys won! And so that's
David Jackson:a thing that makes great content. How do you want your
David Jackson:audience to feel? And so when we think about those right
David Jackson:information, we've never information we may have known,
David Jackson:but it was presented in a completely different way, a
David Jackson:totally different spin on a movie like The Sixth Sense that
David Jackson:had people again going, I got to tell somebody about this. Gone
David Jackson:with the Wind, you know, great story presented in a way nobody
David Jackson:had ever seen before, with the burning of Atlanta, and kind of
David Jackson:a little bit of shocking with that last line. Star Wars, yes,
David Jackson:great special effects for the time, but also the way it made
David Jackson:people feel, and so all those things are tied into podcasting
David Jackson:as content plus the delivery, also your your attitude, your
David Jackson:confidence, and your life skills. We're going to talk
David Jackson:about that as we get into the next point. Is this is all about
David Jackson:you, and so that was part of my talk. And then I went into your
David Jackson:typical Davisms. Right? If you haven't heard this before, this
David Jackson:is what makes good content: laugh, cry, think, groan,
David Jackson:educate, or entertain. Save them time or save them money. These
David Jackson:are things that I quote all the time. What makes a good podcast?
David Jackson:Try to do more than one of these in an episode. Laugh, cry,
David Jackson:think, groan, educate, or entertain. Save them time. Save
David Jackson:them money. And if you can do information that you can't get
David Jackson:anyplace else, that's a an added bonus. So that's the second
David Jackson:thing that happened at Empowered Podcasting Conference. Was in my
David Jackson:talk, I got into and it was covering really the same topic I
David Jackson:cover a lot, but in a completely different way, and that is what
David Jackson:makes a podcast remarkable.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah. The
David Jackson:most important skill in being a great
David Jackson:podcaster. Some people think you have to have great pipes, right?
David Jackson:You have to have a great voice. You have to be funny, whatever
David Jackson:it is. And Mark Maron said this. And the further I go into
David Jackson:podcasting and just looking at entertainment, it's none of
David Jackson:that. It's your ability to listen. And here's the thing: if
David Jackson:you look at your childhood, if you look at your successes, your
David Jackson:failures, your relationships, your location, your courage,
David Jackson:your confidence, whatever it is-all those things-we could go
David Jackson:on a whole lot longer than that. There are so many things that
David Jackson:make you you, and those guys. Kind of get rolled up into, and
David Jackson:again, we could make this a much longer list, but it's your
David Jackson:attitude, it's your confidence, and then again, your listening
David Jackson:skills. I'm going to give you a quick example. I live in Akron,
David Jackson:Ohio. We're about an hour south of Cleveland. We have a football
David Jackson:team where we paid a guy with 17 sexual. What's the word here?
David Jackson:People accused him of doing naughty things at massage
David Jackson:parlors, and we hired him anyway. And when we hired him,
David Jackson:we gave him $230 million. The only problem is this guy didn't
David Jackson:want to come here. That's why we had to give him $230 million,
David Jackson:and he's awful. He's not a good at his job, which is throwing
David Jackson:the ball. He's really good at throwing the ball towards
David Jackson:someone and having it land about three feet in front of their
David Jackson:actual, you know, person. And when he came out, because he's
David Jackson:in general, you know, he's got a bit of a reputation. He got
David Jackson:booed a lot. That is feedback right there, and his result was,
David Jackson:"Well, you guys don't like me. Basically, in a nutshell, I'm
David Jackson:paraphrasing. And so, did he say I'm going to get better? Did he
David Jackson:say thank you for the feedback? Can you give me more detail on
David Jackson:that? No, he simply said, "It's not my fault. It's not the
David Jackson:performance. These people don't like me. And so this is where.
David Jackson:And do I think he's going to change? No. His attitude just
David Jackson:proved it. It's not the performance. He just said, "It's
David Jackson:not the performance. And I hear this so often, where someone
David Jackson:will hire me and go, Dave. Can you help me grow my show? And I
David Jackson:will say, sure, great. Which episode do you want me to listen
David Jackson:to? And they say, Oh no, no, it's not the content. Really?
David Jackson:They're again not willing to listen to any feedback. So your
David Jackson:attitude, your confidence, and your listening skills all make
David Jackson:you, and then it's a matter of you listening to your audience
David Jackson:give you feedback, and then implementing that when it's
David Jackson:appropriate. Because there are those people that want you to do
David Jackson:a completely different show that's not in your just business
David Jackson:plan or whatever you want to call it, because it's you want
David Jackson:to inspire, educate, entertain, whatever you want to call it,
David Jackson:your audience in a way to where they cannot help but tell their
David Jackson:audience. So we're trying to inspire our audience to grow,
David Jackson:but also to tell them, their audience, about how great you
David Jackson:are. That's the goal. And to make really good content, you
David Jackson:got to be willing to listen. And I'm going to be honest with you:
David Jackson:the last month or so, I've been working with different people,
David Jackson:and I always kind of joked and go, "It's my art, man, right?
David Jackson:And I understand that that could be the possibility. I'm not sure
David Jackson:most podcasters are willing to go, "Oh, thank you for the
David Jackson:feedback. I'm going to change that, and then they're going to
David Jackson:wonder why their show isn't growing.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah. So this
David Jackson:one. this one I kind of scraped up against
David Jackson:because people are always asking how to grow my show, and I've
David Jackson:been teaching weekly classes on growing your show. And here's
David Jackson:the the scary part: this is kind of a YouTube thing, but people
David Jackson:are also using the idea in audio, and it's called the
David Jackson:outlier strategy. Let me explain it briefly to you. So, if you
David Jackson:look at a YouTuber, and you and another YouTuber share the same
David Jackson:audience, you're talking more or less about the same things. So,
David Jackson:you look at your competition, and you see that wow, out of the
David Jackson:last six six episodes, they all got 10,000. Except that one got
David Jackson:70,000 views, and you're like, whoa, that did whole lot more.
David Jackson:That's called an outlier. And the strategy is this: okay,
David Jackson:since you both share an audience and it resonated with that
David Jackson:audience. You should do a show on that topic, but from your
David Jackson:perspective. And what again is kind of scary is there are
David Jackson:people on YouTube having success with this, and so what happened
David Jackson:is in some cases we're all looking for what's the least
David Jackson:amount of work I can do to do this, and we tend to think that
David Jackson:AI is kind of like Glinda the Good Witch's magic wand. She can
David Jackson:just wave it, and views and downloads will fall from the
David Jackson:sky. So instead of watching the video. And then going, ooh, I
David Jackson:could spin this this way. They actually go to YouTube, where
David Jackson:it's very easy to grab the transcript of a video. Then they
David Jackson:go to their favorite AI tool of choice. They paste the
David Jackson:transcript and say, rewrite this in my voice, and so it comes out
David Jackson:kind of sounding like you. But here's my favorite part that I
David Jackson:just smack my head and go, "Wait, what? And that is the
David Jackson:reason they're doing a podcast is they want to be seen as a
David Jackson:thought leader, using someone else's thoughts, I want to be a
David Jackson:thought leader, and there are a couple things that we have seen
David Jackson:with this, and that is just because it worked for them
David Jackson:doesn't mean it will work for you. Well, why doesn't it?
David Jackson:Because we share the same type of audience, and it's that type.
David Jackson:It's that it's that it works 80% of the time, and I'm just
David Jackson:pulling that stat out of my butt. But realize sometimes it's
David Jackson:that extra 20% That extra 20% of you being you is what makes it
David Jackson:work for you, and consequently, it worked for them. But you
David Jackson:don't have that extra icing on the top that makes them them, so
David Jackson:it doesn't work for you. And then you wonder why. Here's Mark
David Jackson:Maron.
Unknown:You're not thinking your own thoughts. You're a hack
Unknown:with an excuse for why you're failing. Anyway, how's
Unknown:everybody?
David Jackson:And I, I totally understand why. Look, I get it.
David Jackson:There's only so many hours in a day, and if we can take
David Jackson:something that looks like a sure thing and do it, and save time
David Jackson:and get the same results. Why wouldn't you do that? But here's
the thing:if you go to YouTube, and if I don't, this probably
the thing:happens no matter what your genre is. But like for me, I'm
the thing:looking at you know YouTube about podcasting, about you know
the thing:videos and cameras and all that kind of stuff, and after a
the thing:while, you notice that we're all clones. And yes, there's always
the thing:going to be overlap, but it seems like there's more overlap
the thing:because somebody out there will do something original, and it'll
the thing:stand out, and then everybody does the same standout to where
the thing:it's not standing out anymore. My my young niece, who is now
the thing:not young, she I remember when she was in high school, she
the thing:decided she was going to be goth because she didn't want to be
the thing:like everyone else. And then I thought it was hilarious because
the thing:all of her friends were goth and she didn't stand out at all in
the thing:the 80s. Back in the day-oh, I mean, in the '70s, there was Led
the thing:Zeppelin, and then in the '80s, there was a band that sounded
the thing:just like Led Zeppelin called Kingdom Come, and in the 2000s,
the thing:probably there was a band called Greta Van Fleet, who also
the thing:sounded like Led Zeppelin, and it's like a piece of scotch
the thing:tape. You can only stick that thing on so many times till
the thing:people go, yeah, this doesn't work anymore. There was a band
the thing:in the '80s called Cinderella. They had a complete ripoff band
the thing:called Girl School, and the derivative of something else is
the thing:usually not as good. But this a and this makes me sound like I'm
the thing:I'm anti AI. I'm absolutely not. There are things that I do, like
the thing:I did a brain dump of the episode you're listening right
the thing:now, and I said, "Can you pull out the main points and then
the thing:arrange them in a way that might make a little more sense?
the thing:Because I was all over the place, and so I am using a
the thing:bullet points that I came up with, but arranged by my good
the thing:friend Claude, which brings me speaking of AI to our next
the thing:topic.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:I love when have you ever had something you
David Jackson:wanted to say and you couldn't figure out how to say it, and
David Jackson:then somebody said it better than you could say it, and so I
David Jackson:got to give credit to April and Alter. She is a huge YouTuber,
David Jackson:and when she said this, I was like, "That's exactly what I'm
David Jackson:trying to say. So kudos to her. But my next point here is,
David Jackson:again, we have this AI shortcut, and really, what you're doing
David Jackson:when you're using somebody else's transcript, it's like
David Jackson:cheating off the smart kid, and I did that to be honest with you
David Jackson:in college when I got my electronics degree. If I if it
David Jackson:wasn't for Gary being my lab partner, I never would have had
David Jackson:my degree, and so I would kind of just do what Gary did, not
David Jackson:really on. Understanding why Gary did it, and so
David Jackson:consequently, when I got my degree, if somebody had said,
David Jackson:"Yeah, make a circuit like this, I would have been like, "What?
David Jackson:Because I really didn't get it, and so when we're all grabbing,
David Jackson:when we're trying to be a thought leader by grabbing
David Jackson:somebody else's thoughts, you you are losing something. Then
David Jackson:this is where April Lynn said this: your intuition. So why
David Jackson:aren't people doing as much creative things that really rely
David Jackson:on you being you? Is because when we rely too much on AI, to
David Jackson:where we don't really understand what we're saying and why we're
David Jackson:saying it and how it makes people feel. Your
David Jackson:intuition-you're just being a parrot of somebody, and
David Jackson:intuition was the word I was looking for. And how are you
David Jackson:going to then, if you don't really understand this stuff,
David Jackson:you're just mouthing the words, how are you going to be able to
David Jackson:pick what resonates with your audience? You're just going to
David Jackson:go by views and downloads and things like that. That's for me.
David Jackson:I want to know my audience. That's why last week I did that
David Jackson:episode about Dolly Parton. I could have gone to each video
David Jackson:and just asked it to summarize it. Nope, I watched every video,
David Jackson:granted it like two and 2.5 speed, but I wanted that
David Jackson:information to be in my brain so that I have that information. So
David Jackson:be very careful and protect your intuition. the The whole again,
David Jackson:just cheating off the smart kid in the long run is not going to
David Jackson:work, and she's the one that pointed out that this this whole
David Jackson:strategy, the outlier strategy, she goes it it kind of works,
David Jackson:and that's why a lot of people are teaching it, a lot of people
David Jackson:are using it. To me, it's just turning into a giant podcast
David Jackson:circle jerk because I have seen people use AI so much, and
David Jackson:here's the thing you have to remember: you never hear AI say
David Jackson:something in a somewhat confident manner. I've never
David Jackson:seen it go. Well, Dave, you might want to try this. I'm not
David Jackson:sure if it's going to work, but you could do blah blah blah. No,
David Jackson:it always goes. Here's the next step you should do. Do this. Do
David Jackson:that. Do that. It never. It always says it very confidently,
David Jackson:and you're like, okay, so you do it. But realize I've seen AI
David Jackson:completely scrub you out of your podcast to where it just sounds
David Jackson:like everybody else, and that's the part that I think again is
David Jackson:what separates us. Not that every podcast should be story
David Jackson:time with Dave, but it is what separates you from everybody
David Jackson:else's show. Nobody has your stories. Nobody has your
David Jackson:insights. Again, all those things I mentioned, your your
David Jackson:background, your your youth growing up, your parents,
David Jackson:everything that makes your attitude, your courage, and your
David Jackson:listening skills are the things. And if you scrub all of that
David Jackson:out, well, then it's just typically surface level level
David Jackson:information that you could probably just ask AI for. In
David Jackson:which case, why do I need you? So be careful with that.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:Some of my biggest takeaways are still on
David Jackson:their way in just a few minutes. If you're liking this
David Jackson:information, go over to schoolofpodcasting.com/follow.
David Jackson:Follow the show and never miss an episode. And I'll get to
David Jackson:those insights right after this.
Unknown:One
David Jackson:of the biggest, like all kind of moments. I was
David Jackson:talking with Paul Gouder. He's been on this show. I'll put
David Jackson:links in the show notes. He is an email guru. It was great to
David Jackson:see Paul. Super nice guy. And if you want to learn email
David Jackson:marketing, you can't really do much better than Paul Gouder.
David Jackson:Really good guy. And I was telling him how when Pod Page
David Jackson:merged with the School of Podcasting, we kind of had too
David Jackson:many email lists, and so I had one that I really did for
David Jackson:marketing in ConvertKit, which I know is Kit, but you know, old
David Jackson:dog, new tricks. I was using Kit, and I was using Substack.
David Jackson:Substack for me is kind of where ex reporters go to pontificate
David Jackson:about my thoughts on the current situation, kind of not really a
David Jackson:marketing tool, and we decided to use Substack, and it's it's
David Jackson:working okay, right? But it's I can see in my stats where I'm
David Jackson:not driving as much traffic to my website as I used to when I
David Jackson:was using Kit. And so I was talking to Paul. I said it is
David Jackson:weird because my list is growing at Substack. Probably, you know,
David Jackson:a handful of people a week, even if I'm doing nothing, are
David Jackson:finding my newsletter@podcastingobservations.com.
David Jackson:And I was like, it's you know, and they're adding all these new
David Jackson:features. You can now comment, and there's this, and you can do
David Jackson:video. It slices, it dices, it even juliennes. And Paul said,
David Jackson:"Yeah, it's almost like it's becoming a platform. And I go,
David Jackson:"Yep. And he goes, "And what do platforms do? And I go, "Where
David Jackson:are you going with this, Paul? You know. And he goes, "Well,
David Jackson:don't most platforms change the rules once they get to a certain
David Jackson:level of popularity, and I went, yeah, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube,
David Jackson:all of these places. At times, you don't have direct connection
David Jackson:to your audience, right? Facebook, even if you pay them,
David Jackson:it's not going to go to all of your friends. TikTok has an
David Jackson:algorithm. YouTube has an algorithm. You know it doesn't
David Jackson:have an algorithm. Email lists. Those are people who have said,
David Jackson:"I like your stuff. I would like more, please, more, please. Can
David Jackson:I get more? There's no algorithm in an email list, and I went,
David Jackson:"Dang, that's a really good point. So as much as we go, oh
David Jackson:look at me, I've got eight quadrillion views on YouTube
David Jackson:because now it's a millisecond as a view. Okay, hope your ego
David Jackson:enjoys that. A much better stat is I have a 40% open rate on my
David Jackson:newsletter. That was one. Thank you, Paul Gouder. That really
David Jackson:made me. If you can make me think, I am your friend for
David Jackson:life, and so I will continue to ride the wave that is Substack.
David Jackson:But I always export my list every month just in case,
David Jackson:because you know, big four, big platforms tend to do wonky
David Jackson:things like just oh sorry we're not doing that anymore. There
David Jackson:was a parenting podcast on YouTube that got pulled off of
David Jackson:YouTube with no kind of like warning shot. They're just like
David Jackson:nope, you're gone. No explanation as to why. And when
David Jackson:he went over and said hey can I get a reprieve on this. The the
David Jackson:again the the same automation that turned off his show, the
David Jackson:same automation denied his request for hey can we get a
David Jackson:reprieve on that, and for him and this see this doesn't work.
David Jackson:He went to James Gridlin at Podnews.net, an absolutely
David Jackson:amazing resource about podcasting, and James made it a
David Jackson:story because it's a big deal. But here's the thing: YouTube,
David Jackson:Spotify, all these big platforms are removing people for no
David Jackson:reason because they're using again our good friend AI, and
David Jackson:when you go to Appeal the decision. Yeah, you're in front
David Jackson:of another AI judge that puts it down. And after James is able to
David Jackson:kind of publicly shame YouTube, they put that show back. But
David Jackson:James can't spend every day saying shame on you, YouTube.
David Jackson:You shut another person down.
David Jackson:So that's one when we talk about email versus platform. I think
David Jackson:I'm going, you know, email, and like I said, right now I am. I
David Jackson:understand that Substack could be, again, could be a platform
David Jackson:that doesn't do nice things, but I'm going to ride that for a
David Jackson:little bit, and I've already got some systems in place to replace
David Jackson:some of my automation that I got from my email list in another
David Jackson:system that I'll be talking about in the future.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:And this last one was a big surprise to me. But
David Jackson:here's the thing: if you want to build your authority, tell some.
David Jackson:to do something, and when they do it, and it works, they will
David Jackson:believe everything you say. So in this case, I'm talking about
David Jackson:my buddy Ralph Eastep Jr. He was the grand poobah sponsor. I
David Jackson:don't think that was the official title, but he was the
David Jackson:big sponsor. He's the content creator's accountant. He's got
David Jackson:his new show now daily, the becomingfinanciallyconfident.com,
David Jackson:and Ralph did a keynote, and he said, when you go home, look at
David Jackson:your checkbook for your podcast. Now I do. There are two banks
David Jackson:that I really love. One is SoFi because you can earn interest on
David Jackson:your money in there, and I also use Acorns for my business.
David Jackson:Again, Acorns is really cool because when I buy something for
David Jackson:$1.75, they round it up to two bucks and put that into an
David Jackson:investment account. Really cool. Links to both those in the show
David Jackson:notes because they do have an affiliate program. And again,
David Jackson:I'm not recommending them because of the affiliate.
David Jackson:Program. I'm recommending them because I use them. So I go in
David Jackson:and I look at my business checking account, and the first
David Jackson:thing that really pops off is I've been paying $57 a month for
David Jackson:an SEO mastermind that I haven't been attending, and I could go
David Jackson:into the rest because one was $10 for an email address that I
David Jackson:don't use anymore. Long story short, close to $100 a month,
David Jackson:and that's just looking at it for five minutes. And this is
David Jackson:really why you want to have your own bank account for your
David Jackson:podcast because everything in there is a payment for something
David Jackson:you use your podcast for. But that was one that Ralph said,
David Jackson:"Go home and try this. I did it and was like, holy cow! And so
David Jackson:now, when Ralph tells me to do something, I'm gonna be like, I
David Jackson:I gotta go check that out. But that was a quick one. But that
David Jackson:was one that was very powerful.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:And one more quick story. This was in my
David Jackson:presentation. We all think if I get the equipment from this
David Jackson:person and host where they host, and you know, just reproduce
David Jackson:everything they do. That we will be just as successful as they
David Jackson:are. And I've always said it's not the gear. And so there are
David Jackson:two things. There's the band Extreme. You might remember them
David Jackson:from I believe it was the '90s when they hit with More Than
David Jackson:Words, a very mellow song. They sounded like the Everly Brothers
David Jackson:from the '50s, and yet they're really a hard rock funk band,
David Jackson:and so they got famous for doing the wrong type of song, which is
David Jackson:a lot like if you do that outlier strategy they were
David Jackson:talking about, and you end up talking about something that
David Jackson:you're really not that passionate about. If that hits,
David Jackson:you're going to be stuck talking about stuff that you don't
David Jackson:really like, but Nuno is their guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, and
David Jackson:he got to actually play Eddie Van Halen's rig. And as a guitar
David Jackson:player, we all wanted to sound like Eddie. And well, here's
David Jackson:Nuno telling that story.
Unknown:Actually, got to play Eddie's rig in front of Eddie
Unknown:like I did, and he's asking me to play his rig. I'm gonna
Unknown:finally, after decades of a being VH1 and VH2 to my sound on
Unknown:porn graffiti, I'm finally gonna sound like Edward. And I was so
Unknown:disappointed. I sounded just like me. It was so horrible. It
Unknown:was like a horrible nightmare.
David Jackson:And in the early days of podcasting, we all
David Jackson:bought high LPR40 microphones because we wanted to be Leo
David Jackson:Laporte, and it's not the gear. So don't try to be somebody
David Jackson:else. Lean into being you. You're very good at being you.
David Jackson:So be you. Find out what your audience wants. Give it to them
David Jackson:in a fun and educational way, an inspirational way. Whatever
David Jackson:you're trying to do to your audience, have a website and do
David Jackson:something that's remarkable, and that's the last little lesson
David Jackson:that I just discovered today. I started this episode on
David Jackson:Thursday. It's now Saturday night, and I want to share this
David Jackson:story because it's the other side of being remarkable.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:Because we're trying to get people to talk
David Jackson:about our stuff, and there was a movie in the box office growth
David Jackson:in China. It was called, I believe, it's pronounced New
David Jackson:Lie. And the first week when this movie opened, it was made
David Jackson:on a very small budget. Different reports say it might
David Jackson:be as small as $200. It was done by a mother and her son using an
David Jackson:iPhone, and it came out and it actually lost money. And they
David Jackson:started pulling it from all the movie different theaters and the
David Jackson:talk about it online. There were so many memes about this, and
David Jackson:people just called it the worst movie ever. So they were talking
David Jackson:about it, and I believe they're going to have the last laugh
David Jackson:because it was so bad. How bad was it that people started going
David Jackson:to see it? And reports are now saying that it made around $9.3
David Jackson:million. So be be remarkable in one way or another.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:Quick update on episode 1049. I was talking
David Jackson:about YouTube changing their monetization criteria, and I
David Jackson:made a children's story about all the different ways I hate
David Jackson:Spotify for creators as a media host. I love them as a music
David Jackson:service, but I hate them as a media host. And since then,
David Jackson:those two big companies that were in the Amp Accords, which
David Jackson:was where these all these big companies got together to come
David Jackson:up with a definite definition of what a podcast is, and in weeks
David Jackson:of that coming out, Spotify came out with a button to skip
David Jackson:advertising. Which, if you're an advertiser, that hurts a little.
David Jackson:That's got a little bit of a sting. And after going through
David Jackson:all the hassle of having everyone agree that a play or a
David Jackson:view, whatever you want to call it, would be 30 seconds, and
David Jackson:YouTube. Has come out and said, "Nope, a view is now zero. Yep,
David Jackson:if you mouse over a thumbnail on YouTube, that counts as a view,
David Jackson:and they've mu. They've moved to what a what the previous view
David Jackson:number is now has a new name. But I'm just pointing this out
David Jackson:because mark your calendars, give them a month or two.
David Jackson:Somewhere YouTube is going to come out and talk about how they
David Jackson:did however many trillion, whatever bazillion quadrillion
David Jackson:views in a day, and they're going to assume we all forgot
David Jackson:that they changed the definition of views because they did that
David Jackson:with Shorts. So I'm just again saying, are we really? These are
David Jackson:the people we want to partner with. That we come up and we all
David Jackson:shake hands and we agree on something, and then weeks later
David Jackson:they just kind of shoot us in the back. I'm just saying.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David Jackson:schoolofpodcasting.com is the website listener. That
David Jackson:word L I S T E N E R is the coupon you can use when you sign
David Jackson:up for either a monthly, quarterly, or yearly
David Jackson:subscription, and do not forget that that comes with a 30-day
David Jackson:money-back guarantee. Get access to our courses, our community,
David Jackson:and our coaching. It's all there. schoolofpodcasting.com.
David Jackson:Thanks so much for listening. I'm Dave Jackson. I help
David Jackson:podcasters. It's what I do. Been doing it for over 20 years, and
David Jackson:I can't wait to see what we're gonna do together. So until next
David Jackson:week, take care. God bless. Class is dismissed.
Unknown:If you like the show, please share it with a friend.
Unknown:If you like the show, pretty pretty, please share it with a
Unknown:friend right now.
Unknown:Yeah.
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