Just One Thing

Explicit content warning

09/01/20 • 3 min

Podcast Gym

Episode 6: What if you think of your podcast like a Western? Consider this.

Podcasting is a new, untamed frontier.

It can be a fast-paced action story.

There’s archetypal conflict. Good vs. bad, villains vs. heroes, social law and order vs. anarchy. Podcast vs. radio, perhaps?

The podcaster as the hero. A person of integrity and principle, courageous, moral, tough, solid and self-sufficient, maverick character (often with a trusty sidekick), possessing an independent and honorable attitude.

I don’t think it’s too big a stretch. If you’re in podcasting, there’s likely a little outlaw in you. Today’s gunslinger is armed with a microphone.

The Western hero usually stands alone and faces danger on his/her own, commonly against lawlessness, with an expert display of physical skills. Your version of roping, gun-play, horse-handling, pioneering abilities is storytelling, interviewing, editing, and promotion.

In the 1991 American Western comedy film “City Slickers”, Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal) is an account executive for a radio station who’s trying to escape the reality of going through a midlife crisis. His friends, Phil Berquist (Daniel Stern) and Ed Furillo (Bruno Kirby), gift him with a two-week cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado where they meet trail boss, Curly.

I’m particularly fond of the scene when Mitch learns that Curly, despite his tough exterior, is actually a very wise and heartfelt man. Curly advises Mitch to discover the “one thing” in his life that is the most important to him. Because that will solve all of his problems.

***

Curly: Do you know what the secret to life is?

Mitch: No, what?

Curly: This.

Mitch: Your finger?

Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean sh*t.

***

What is your “one thing” for your podcast? Do you have “one thing” for every episode? If not, I think you should. Be thoughtful and strategic. Don’t forget that your words carry great power because you’re a gunslinger.

Now go save the day.

Episode 6: What if you think of your podcast like a Western? Consider this.

Podcasting is a new, untamed frontier.

It can be a fast-paced action story.

There’s archetypal conflict. Good vs. bad, villains vs. heroes, social law and order vs. anarchy. Podcast vs. radio, perhaps?

I don’t think it’s too big a stretch. If you’re in podcasting, there’s likely a little outlaw in you. Today’s gunslinger is armed with a microphone.

***

Curly: Do you know what the secret to life is?

Mitch: No, what?

Curly: This.

Mitch: Your finger?

Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean sh*t.

***

Now go save the day.

Previous Episode

How to be a Better Podcast Interviewer

Episode 5: Great interviewers were made, not born. It takes practice, work, and experience. I'm listing resources that helped me prepare to launch my podcast.

It's worth mentioning that there's not one best way to this. Interviewing is an art. I encourage you to find your voice and an approach that works best for you. Then, lean into it.

My quest to become a better interviewer is ongoing, and I'm always learning. I've created my own master class on conducting interviews by reading, listening, and watching everything that I can find to hone my skills. Whether you are a podcaster, want to be a better conversationalist, or aim to ace your next job interview, these resources can help you.

Be Prepared

I've heard people say that they want their podcast to be natural and conversational so they do not want to over prepare or prepare at all. IMHO, the greatest interviewers make it look easy and natural. One thing they have in common is preparation. This can come in varying degrees that includes reading books or articles, listening to existing interviews, and reviewing a guest's social media accounts. Once you've done your homework, set a plan. Have an idea where you want to go. You are competing for your audience's attention. In response, you need to create the best content possible and preparation plays an important role in doing that.

Be Present

Striving to be a better interviewer is really a set of guidelines because there is no one-size-fits all approach. Rather, there are many approaches and it is highly individualistic. For example, James Lipton, the creator, executive-producer, writer and host of Inside the Actors Studio, typically had a list of scripted questions. Nobody can contest his success with the 94 million American homes that he reached. Find your own approach, do your prep, and then, let it go. I believe in letting it go. Being in the moment is what translates into delivering a "natural" interview. By letting go of all the research that you did, you are well prepared yet free to be present, listen, and flexible to allow the interview to change direction -- naturally.

Be a Great Host

Your job as a host is multi-faceted. First, it's your role to make your guest feel welcome and comfortable. Be gracious and generous. Establish rapport. Push back if needed.

Second, never forget that you are responsible for driving the interview so it's important that you maintain control. Allow interesting tangents to happen but appropriately bring the conversation back on topic.

Use techniques to get the best tape out of your guests. Ask open ended questions... What, How, and Why. As host, you may share a great story but be concise. Let your guest shine. Your ultimate goal is to bring out the best content for your audience, and nobody knows your audience better than you do.

Questions to Ask to Elicit Story

Tell me about the time when...
Tell me about the day/moment that you realized...
Tell me the story of...
You're on the right track when people are talking in dialogue (then he said this, she said that...)
Describe the conversation when...
Tell me the day you realized what we're talking about...
What were steps that took you from A to B

Things You Should Not Do

Never...

Ask a Yes or No question.
Ask more than one question at a time.
Say “...and my next question is...”
Be disrespectful to your audience and the person you’re interviewing.
Forget who you’re serving.

Additional Resources That Helped Me

Read:

Listen:

Next Episode

One-Star Reviews

Episode 7: Have you ever gotten a one-star review? Anything less than five-stars can be a crushing blow when you’ve worked so hard to build your show.

I haven’t received a bad rating yet but kind of wish that I did. Am I a glutton for punishment? Probably, but let me explain. I’ve been thinking about this, and it dawned on me that every great show has haters. Lacking any negative reviews so far, I’m concerned that it could be a sign that I’m not taking a strong enough stand. My show is not great yet.

Think about it. Howard Stern, love him or hate him? Oprah, yay or nay? And the $100+ million dollar man Joe Rogan? Search Twitter and you’ll find thousands of tweets like this one.

Arielle Nissenblatt @arithisandthatMaybe, just maybe... it’s my sole (soul) purpose in life to bring down Joe Rogan. RT if you’re with me.

Successful shows don’t just attract audiences, but they repel a segment of them. If you’re going to cultivate raving fans, you must accept the haters that come as part of the package. There’s often little middle ground. What if we strive to make our podcasts so great that a bunch of listeners hate us? If you have tips for achieving this, please let me know.

TALE OF THE 1-STAR CHEF

Have you ever eaten at Botto Bistro in the Bay area? I’ve only read about it. Restaurateur Davide Cerretini grew tired of feeling beholden to Yelp’s rating system. Even worse, he says that Yelp salespeople inundated him with calls to buy ads or else have some of his restaurant’s 5-star reviews removed. Feeling like Yelp controlled his reputation, he’d had enough. One morning in September of 2014, he placed a sign in front of Botto Bistro: Give us a one-star review on Yelp and get 25% off any pizza! Hate us on Yelp.

In just a few days, Botto Bistro’s Yelp page had more than 2,300 1-star ratings praising its delicious food and good service! Cerretini became an instant celebrity in the restaurant scene and his restaurant was branded with the unique distinction of being the worst-rated restaurant on Yelp.

Cerretini won. Whether we’ve got haters or not, we too can stand out by being different.

Should we start asking for 1-star reviews? I’m very tempted.