Dave Jackson - Profit from Your Podcast

Copyright 2020 by Dave Jackson

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Published by Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Allworth Press is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

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Cover design by Mary Ann Smith

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Print ISBN: 978-1-62153-772-4

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62153-773-1

Printed in the United States of America

To Adam Curry and Dave Winer, who invented podcasting, thank you for the global megaphone that enables anyone to reach the world. To my audience (and God), who never lets me down. You are more than download numbers, more than fans; you are friends. You tell me when I need to improve and praise me when I get things right. In life, the one thing I value more than anything is honesty. It is not always easy to find. One of my mantras is Constant Improvement (its the teacher in me), and I love that we push each other to be better people and to change this world one download at a time.

Contents

Preface

Did You Have a Lemonade Stand?

I grew up poor (I know the taste of government cheese). When I was a seven-year-old freckle-faced kid, I remember my first lemonade stand. While other kids collected G.I. Joe dolls, I collected toy banks. In junior high (before there were vending machines in schools) I would go to the local corner store and buy a pack of gum and then sell it by the piece to my friends. It was somewhat humiliating (one step above begging). I always felt like the odd man out. But I saw supply and demand, and you do what you must do. I was the only person willing to sell gum in school, and the profit margins were huge.

I would help my friend with his paper route before getting my own. All through my life, when the doors were closed, I found a way to open them. When my parents struggled financially, I found a way to chip in. I never gave up. I might want to, but I never did.

I found that the bar for excellent service was set low, and when you delivered value (you will hear that word a lot) and created relationships (get comfortable with that word as well), your audience/customers could support you. How else does a sixteen-year-old kid support a car (buying his gas, insurance, etc.) with a paper route? With my paper route I made triple what the kid before me did in tips because I would take the extra four steps to make sure your paper was dry when it was raining out. Why? Because its hard to read a paper when the ink is all smeared, and my customers appreciated it.

You must be willing to do the other little things that others arent willing to do. I didnt know it then, but I was an entrepreneur. It wasnt easy. When I got my first real job bagging groceries, I got fired for not talking to customers. Being the poor kid, I didnt have a ton of confidence (and by that, I mean none), and I was the poster child for introverts. The sixteen-year-old me would laugh if I told him I would grow up making a living talking to groups of peoplebut its true. You do those little things step by step, and you get to where you want to go.

Are you like me? Youre willing to do the extra work, slightly obsessing over the goal in front of you (I saved months for my first real guitar). Youre willing to sacrifice and give up watching reruns of Seinfeld or Friends on TV. You realize life is a classroom, and you like to learn something new every day, and then apply it the next day.

If thats you, and you have a podcast, then youve found the right book. Starting a podcast is not hard. Starting a good podcast takes planning, focus, dedication, and time (lots of time). Zig Ziglar said, You dont have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.

One last thing, as I write this, its February 2020. Things may change by the time you read this. Please keep that in mind.

Introduction

Meet Your Author

My name is Dave Jackson, and I have been teaching technology as a corporate trainer for over twenty years. I have a bachelors degree in education, specializing in technical education. My School of Podcasting show has over 2.3 million downloads. I launched my first podcast on April 4, 2005, and soon after that, I opened the doors of the School of Podcasting (schoolofpodcasting.com). I have helped tons of people launch their podcasts, have been asked to speak at conferences, and have been cited as an expert in other books on podcasting.

In 2017 I won the Best Technical Podcast in the Peoples Choice Awards. In 2018 I was inducted in the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame.

Im writing this book as if you are sitting across the kitchen table from me. Its your typical oval table with one of those vinyl covers with a pattern. The napkin holder is in the middle of the table. Lets stay casual, shall we? Im going to need you to focus, so quit playing with the saltshaker.

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

When I talk with people after theyve been podcasting for a few months, Ill ask, Are you making any money yet? (if that is one of their goals). I often get the response, We havent been approached by any sponsors yet. Every time I explain the different ways to make money with a podcast, people will always say, I didnt know you could do that, or I didnt know that was available. This book is to let you know what is possible and what is available.

LETS BE REALISTIC

The book is titled Profit from Your Podcast . It is not titled How to Get Rich Quick Podcasting . If it were, Id have to triple the price and start talking about how you can escape the cubicle life and live the life of your dreams starting NOW!

If you implement the ideas in this book, I feel that you will make more money with your podcast than you are now. While there are podcasters who are making six-figure incomes, these are currently the exception and not the rule. Like many things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. A podcast about Apple products has a much better chance of making money than a podcast about Frisbee golf. All podcasts have the capability of making more money. Some have more potential than others. If you are looking to get rich quick, you may have purchased the wrong book. Scott Aukerman of Comedy Bang! Bang! (in the movie Ear Buds ) states how it took two years before anyone was interested in sponsoring his podcast. Jeff Sanders of the Five AM Miracle podcast took three years to get his first sponsor. I often hear the phrase three years as an answer about monetization. I believe this is due to the fact that in year one you are figuring it out and finding your voice. In year two, you have a better understanding of your audience and deliver value . By year three, youve got an engaged audience who is ready to act.