I was on the Profits Through Podcasting Podcast

Hours Categories Content, Storytelling

My editor, Joel, has launched a new show called Profits Through Podcasting, where he shows people how to turn listeners into paying customers.

I had the pleasure of going on the show and we talk all about systems, putting the right amount of effort into your show, and more.

Listen to the episode

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Joe Casabona

Podcast Systems Coach

Joe Casabona is a podcast and automation coach who helps coaches, course creators, and authors grow their podcasts into authority-building lead generators. He does that through expert-tested systems that come with 10 years experience podcasting, 15 years teaching, and over 20 years working the web.

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  • Your Podcast Needs a Mission Statement

    Hours Categories Content

    Anyone can make a podcast, right? Just pull up a microphone, hit record, then publish it out to the world. 

    While it can be that easy, it’s not always that straightforward, particularly if you’re looking to use your podcast as a source of revenue. If you’re not considering who you want to reach and what would actually help them, you’re just a person on a mic shouting into the void. With just a little attention to your intentions, you won’t just have a tuned-in, active audience, but you’ll also have an easy pitch for sponsors and affiliates. 

    So how do you come up with your mission statement? There are three basic questions you need to answer to make sure your podcast is hitting the right target:

    These three questions will help you make your podcast profitable:

    • Who are my listeners?
    • What problems do they have?
    • How can I help solve that problem?

    This will help you structure your mission statement into this format:

    My podcast helps [audience] solve [problem] by [goal of each episode]

    Your mission statement is mission-critical

    Look. I know mission statements from a stuffy corporation sometimes get an eye roll. But in podcasting, they’re non-negotiable. 

    Think of your podcast’s mission statement as your road map: Point A is your starting point, and Point B is the ultimate goal of your show — make money, grow your business, etc. A whole lot has to happen in the middle before you get to Point B.

    Your mission statement will help.

    Using this framework to develop your podcast mission statement leaves no room for fluff and drives home exactly what you intend to do. If at any point you lose your way with your content, you can come back to this mission statement as your guiding star.

    If this topic is making you panic and say, “But Joe, I have a mission statement and it’s not working,” fear not. You don’t need to burn the whole thing to the ground. 

    Instead, look for which parts of your mission statement you need to tweak. What key elements are you missing? Is the audience too general? Or maybe the problem you think they have isn’t their biggest problem.

    Another common issue I see with podcasts not providing value is that they’re not giving actionable advice. 

    Sure, it can feel good to vent. But more likely than not, your audience is already well aware of the problems they face. They want to know how to fix their problems.

    I’ve rejected potential podcast guests for just wanting to self-promote and not giving actionable advice to our listeners. Make sure that what you’re providing is actually adding value, not just talking around a problem. 

    3 questions to answer to start monetizing your podcast today

    Let’s dive a little deeper into the three parts of that mission statement format (audience/problem/solution). Here’s a breakdown of how to satisfy your audience and how to get sponsors lining up to work with you. 

    1. Who are my listeners?

    Who do you think you’re talking to? No, really! Think about the ideal listener for your podcast. 

    The answer is not allowed to be “everyone.”

    For Podcast Workflows, my audience is podcasters who know they spend too much time on their podcast, but don’t know how to improve their process. For How I Built It, my audience is busy solopreneurs and creators. These are two separate podcasts for two separate audiences, and they have two different mission statements. 

    2. What problems do my listeners have?

    Think about what your audience needs. What are their daily struggles and pain points? It’s fine if they have many pain points. That’s fodder for future episodes. You could even break down different issues into different seasons to use the topics more effectively.

    🎙 Top tip: I’ve found that the interview format works best for extracting key insights from guests. Two people simply speculating on a problem isn’t particularly helpful to your audience. Having thought-out questions prepared for a guest keeps listeners coming back for more.

    3. How can I help my audience solve those problems?

    This is where the rubber meets the road! Break each problem into bite-sized chunks. Consider the solutions that you or your guests have to offer your audience. 

    Each solution you can think of is a potential new episode for the show. The first 10-20 episodes of your podcast can be born from this thinking. 

    Why mission matters

    If you’ve read this far and you’re still not sure why your podcast’s mission statement is important, let me drive it home with a further thought. 

    If you have a well-defined audience with a well-defined problem, you can also attract sponsors who help solve that problem. The lead-ins are easy: “I help you solve this problem. This is how this sponsor helps you solve this problem.”

    Let’s say your podcast helps people learn about new varieties of apples. A sponsor who might be attracted to your show’s audience would be an apple orchard that ships unusual varieties of apples directly to customers’ homes. 

    Because the audience is primed for wanting to try new apples, the orchard would be a natural fit for sponsorship, helping you (and them) to make money on the podcast. 

    This applies to services or products you provide as well. Want a prime example?

    Look no further than my friend Sam Munoz. I recently had her as a guest on How I Built It, where she shared how she uses her podcast as a sales funnel for her mentorship program. 

    How does she get people lining up to sign up for her program? Sam knows her audience and the problems they face well. By talking about those issues on the podcast, she helps new customers find her mentorship program. 

    Whether your goal is to connect new customers to your services or to gain sponsorships and affiliate programs, your mission statement is your secret weapon. When you keep your audience, their problems, and the solution in mind for each episode you create, you’ll be well on your way to monetizing your podcast.

  • Should You Script Your Podcast?

    Hours Categories Content, Tips

    One of the most frustrating things to me when is calling support and getting the script. You know what I’m talking about — the set of things every support person has to say before they actually get to the part where they can help you.

    To the customer, this is a weird form of gatekeeping that surely doesn’t serve any purpose besides annoying us. But to the support agent, it’s a way to screen and filter the possibly hundreds of calls they get each day.

    To the organization, and likely some large number of customers, that script is crucial for the best overall experience.

    I often get asked if podcasters should use a script for their episodes — especially solo shows. And the answer, unsurprisingly, is, “it depends.”

    Here are a couple of things to consider when weighing the pros and cons of scripting your show.

    Be comfortable in front of the mic

    First, let me say that you should do what works for you, and if scripting helps, then script.

    But the root of this question for many people is whether or not they feel comfortable in front of the mic. Scripting helps you make sure you cover all the bases but no matter what you need to be comfortable talking into a mic or you’ll sound unnatural.

    I recommend getting your reps in and practicing a few times. The more you do something, the better you’ll get, and the more comfortable you’ll feel.

    Are there times you definitely should or should not script?

    I tend not to speak in absolutes1, but there are some times where a script can really help, or harm, a podcast episode.

    If you’re doing an interview or a host/co-host show, it’s probably not best to script. It’s going to sound canned and fake, and it will not be enjoyable to listen to. If there are specific points you want to cover, you can always do another take with your guest, or really iron out the details in the pre-show interview.

    On the other hand, if you have a fictional show, audio drama, or very clear story you want to tell, I’d say it absolutely needs to be scripted. Sure, there are some great unscripted moments in TV and movies, but the vast majority of the great moments have been planned out and set up for the correct emotional impact.

    All that said, you still might be wondering if you should script your podcast.

    Pros of Scripting

    Let’s look at a good, old fashioned pros and cons list. First the pros. These are going to work best when you know exactly what you want to say.

    • You will control the entire story you’re telling, and will be less susceptible to ad-libbing or saying something you don’t want, or don’t mean, to say.
    • There’s a lot more planning, so your recording should require less editing (or at least, it will go more smoothly).
    • No need to pay for a transcript.
    • You will make all the points you want to make, in the order you want to make them.

    Cons of Scripting

    OK so that’s the good. What about the bad?

    • It’s more likely you’ll sound like you’re reading, which can feel unnatural (or at least, it takes a lot more work to sound natural).
    • If you want to read the script verbatim, there will be more “takes” to get it right.
    • It takes more time to do the episode – write the script, record it verbatim, then edit, publish, etc.
    • If you ad-lib, you’ll need to remember your spot, and depending on how true to audio you want the script, go back and modify it (or have the episode transcribed anyway).

    So What Do You Do?

    It depends on who you are and what you like. For How I Built It, I don’t script. I plan a lot, and I go over the story beats with my guest to make sure we’re still telling a good story. But I don’t think a script would be great for interviews, as I record them today.

    What has changed for me in recent years is I do script my solo episodes. I want to make sure I’m telling a good story, and presenting the problem/solution in an easy to follow way. And since they’re usually pretty short episodes, I don’t want to ramble.

    If you write the way you talk, you’re more likely to sound natural because it will be more natural!

    Ultimately, you want to make great content. If writing everything out helps you do that, definitely script your show.

    1. Only Sith do that, after all. ↩

  • What’s Your Podcast’s The Christmas Shoes Episode?

    Hours Categories Content

    One of my mom’s favorite songs is The Christmas Shoes, the 2000 song by Christian vocal group NewSong. If you don’t know it, you’ll get the entire vibe from these devastating lyrics:

    Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please

    It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size

    Could you hurry, sir, daddy says there’s not much time

    You see she’s been sick for quite a while

    And I know these shoes would make her smile

    And I want her to look beautiful if mama meets Jesus tonight

    The song went on to inspire a novel and a made for TV movie.

    But here’s the thing: it’s really polarizing. Some people absolutely hate this song. Perhaps you’re one of them, eye-rolling at the above lyrics, or at the very title of this article.

    While those who love it say it’s a beautiful and crushing story about a boy who wants to do one last nice thing for his dying mother, others say it’s purposefully manipulative. That it’s more about the singer patting himself on the back for giving this boy the money to buy the shoes.

    While I don’t know anything about the band who wrote this song, I’m going to wager a guess that they just thought it was a nice song to write and sing.

    In other words, they didn’t set-out to create a polarizing piece of media. The created something that spoke strongly to a group of people — which generally means everyone eventually forms an opinion on it.

    Podcast Advent is presented by The Unstuck Sessions. Want to start 2025 off on the right foot? What if you had an expert ready to give you the exact steps you need to take to get unstuck — in your podcast, your business, and your process? You can with the Unstuck Sessions. Get the most valuable part of my coaching at an incredibly affordable price. Get Unstuck Today.

    Last Year I Asked, “What’s Your Christmas Song?”

    Kicking off last year’s Podcast Advent, I asked you to find your Christmas Song — something within the scope of your podcast that had wider appeal.

    I likened it to niche artists, like Pentatonix, or even Michael Bublé, finding their most popular work to be Christmas-focused. And while they have fans who LOVE them, Christmas music has helped them breakout into more sustained mainstream success.

    In podcasting, these sorts of episodes can help bring people into your orbit who otherwise wouldn’t have found your show. But much like a Christmas song, you would rather not make that your only thing, or you won’t build a year-round audience.

    Find the Thing That’s not for Everyone

    This year, I’m asking you to consider the other side of the coin: what’s something you can talk about on your show that’s not for everyone — but the people it’s for love it.

    That doesn’t necessarily mean polarizing…just that it’s not for everyone.

    It could be a specific topic within your niche that you cover more than other competing shows.

    Upgrade, a show mostly about Apple, does this really well with their “Lawyer Up” segment. They break down the legal news affecting the tech industry. I think it’s fantastic they’re covering this…but people who only care able Apple’s new shiny thing don’t care for it.

    It could also be the way you talk about something.

    Jomboy Media’s Talkin’ Yanks does extremely well because, while Jimmy and Jake are very knowledgeable, it’s basically a podcast by Yankee fans. And it’s the combo of understanding the sport (not just sounding like some radio caller), their love of the game and of the team, and the access they have — to people like Yankees manager Aaron Boone — that makes the show stand out more than other Yankees, or even baseball, podcasts.

    For me, it’s my focus on parenting. I can’t help but talk about being a dad, and how much that affects the decisions I make when it comes to running — and streamlining — my business. People who aren’t parents may feel like I’m not for them because I’m not relatable.

    But in a world where most advice is for non-parents, people with kids feel seen because we know we don’t have 2 hours in the morning for the perfect morning routine.

    You just want to make sure that you’re not alienating more people than you’re bringing in. This should be a growth tactic…not an attempt to show people how edgy you are.

    Find Something That Resonates

    As you go into 2025, think about this: what’s something that will speak so deeply to your audience that they can’t help but support your show?

    This takes understanding who your listeners are, what problems they have, and why they listen.

    In the past few months, I was told more than once that one of my unique abilities is simplifying complex topics without making people feel stupid. That’s certainly something I will lean into more in 2025.

    Create a Space for Your Most Dedicated Audience

    Looking back on The Christmas Shoes, this is a simple song. It became a book, then became a movie, and still gets played a TON every year.

    The song’s writer even mentioned that there are people who come to their shows because of that song.

    It’s not because it’s an incredibly complex piece of music, or even that it’s one of the best Christmas songs. It’s because it tells a specific story that speaks to a certain type of person.

    The people who hate it can hate it all they want…but the people who love it? Well, they really love it.

    And that’s worth striving for.

  • Workflow Recommendation: American History Tellers

    Hours Categories Content, Storytelling, Workflows

    A recent favorite podcast of mine is American History Tellers from Wondery. After finding History Daily back in April, I followed host Lindsay Graham’s work more closely — I was already a fan of him from American Elections: Wicked Game and 18651.

    One of the great things History Daily does is a “Saturday Matinee” episode, where they publish a full episode of another podcast. And in October of this year, he used that slot to promote the latest American History Tellers series on the Salem Witch Trials.

    But while I strongly recommend podcast swaps, that’s not the workflow recommendation I have.

    See, while listening to American History Tellers, which does 4-6 episodes on a single topic, I had a feeling of deja vu at times.

    The things I was hearing on American History Tellers, I heard on History Daily.

    And that’s the workflow: repurpose content when you can.

    All of Graham’s shows are deeply researched and scripted by a fantastic team of people. That means they have a ton of raw material that they can mold however they’d like.

    American History Tellers goes deep into the stories and covers it from all aspects, hiring voice actors and putting you in the story. Each episode is around 40 minutes long — so there’s lots of content for each topic/series.

    History Daily takes one aspect of an event from that day in history and gives you context around it. Each episode is about 15 minutes long. It’s easy to see how researchers for American History Tellers might take what they learn, extract it, and turn it into a shorter episode for History Daily…or vise versa.

    Perhaps while researching things that happen on specific dates, they come across something interesting and look into if there’s more of a story there.

    But your big takeaway: look for places where you can reuse what you create.

    Oh…and listen to American History Tellers too.

    Slight Clarification here: I’ve since learned that as American History Tellers is owned/managed by Wondery, and History Daily is owned/managed by Airship/Noiser, these two shows don’t actually share any content resources. I’d still encourage you to think about how you can use the work you do in one area for your podcast, though!

    1. Can you tell I’m a fan of American history? ↩

  • Are You Telling Enough Stories?

    Hours Categories Storytelling

    Over the weekend, I was arguing with my 6 year old daughter about why Friday by Rebecca Black is an objectively bad song.

    Nothing against Rebecca Black; she didn’t write or produce it. It was a fun birthday gift/vanity project for a 13 year old. It’s really ARK Music Factory’s fault that it’s a terrible song.

    I built my case using my daughter’s favorite artist, Taylor Swift.

    I’d play clips of Swift’s first major hit, Love Story, explaining why this is a good song, then comparing it to Friday.

    Adobe Firefly’s rendering of a musical battle bwteen two female singers.

    Spoiler alert: I lost, because I was trying to apply logic where logic cannot live.

    Great Songs Tell a Story

    But what makes most of Taylor Swift’s songs great (née, most great songs great) is they tell a story.

    In Love Story, which riffs off of perhaps the most popular love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet, we feel the sadness, tension, and pain that she feels when she believes the guy she loves isn’t coming for her.

    Then we feel the jubilation she feels when he gets down on one knee.

    There’s a build up of them meeting, then the conflict of her dad saying “stay away,” before the crescendo of her about to give up. And of-course, the satisfying conclusion where they end up together.

    Compare that with Friday, which is basically just a list of facts. There’s no emotional connection.

    No tension.

    Not even a conclusion. We’re still in the same spot, relative to the weekend, at the end of the song as we are in the beginning.

    Don’t Make the Same Mistake with Podcasting

    Why is this important?

    Because you might be making the same mistake when podcasting.

    If you’re just rattling off facts, no matter how correct they are (if today is Friday, yesterday was indeed Thursday), you’re not going to connect with the audience.

    For that, you need to tell stories.

    Instead of just telling people “who you are and what you do,” tell a painful story that lead to the transformation into who you are and why you do what you do.

    It gives people something to connect to.

    Instead of telling people a list of 3 things they can do to write better, talk about a time writing saved you career or landed you a gig — and then what it was that was great about your writing, and then how they can apply it.

    When you case lessons in stories, they stick better. The audience remembers them, and they remember you.

    That’s why if you’re not telling stories, you’re missing opportunities. Opportunities you have as a host to grow your podcast and connect with your listeners.

    Opportunities as a guest to win over new audiences, and bring them into your world.

    Because let’s face it: if you don’t write your own stories, someone else will write them for you.

  • Thinking About Spotify, Exclusivity, Call Her Daddy, and Joe Rogan

    Hours Categories Content, News

    Spotify has made a couple of big announcements in the past week:

    First, their second-biggest show, Call Her Daddy, ended exclusively rights1. While the show will still be a Spotify show, it will be widely distributed (though video will still be exclusive to Spotify).

    Then, over the weekend, the same thing is happened with The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE). It will soon be available on other platforms, after being completely exclusive to Spotify for the past 3+ years.

    JRE’s renewal was also apparently a massive deal monetarily2. It’s got me thinking a lot about podcasting and what’s in store for us.

    Read More “Thinking About Spotify, Exclusivity, Call Her Daddy, and Joe Rogan”

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