Welcome to Podcast Suck, a podcast about starting a podcast, where we dive headfirst into the wild, wacky, and sometimes frustrating world of podcasting. If you've ever sat down with a microphone, hit record, and thought, what on earth am I doing? Or if you're just curious about the magic behind your favorite shows, then you're in the right place. Get ready for laughs, insights, and a whole lot of what not to do advice as we embark on this podcasting journey together. Let's dive in. What's happening everybody. Happy 2024 to everyone. This is the first of many episodes of I'm starting a Instagram live over here before I get it wrong. All right, let me close this window out here. I think, I think we're live on Instagram. Hopefully one of the many episodes that we do this year for podcasts suck are actually going to be live. I'm a buddy Tyler Cox on from a Vayner speakers a couple of weeks ago, completely mangled. The live was ready to go, had the link ready to send them. We were on zoom before the interview and did not send them the link for us to go live. So we started that interview thinking I was going live, but checks and balances people when you're going live using technology, there's a lot of things happening in the background when you're trying to go live and record a podcast episode. So start with what you got. continue to build onto that process is the lesson that we're learning here. So I trust that everybody had a blessed and safe end of 2023 ushered in 2024, very optimistic and excited about what's to come for this brand new year. I'm excited. You should be too. Took the last two weeks of the year off from posting majority of content, recording this show. And let's just face it, I was watching college football, bowl games, spending time with family, hanging out, relaxing, trying to rejuvenate. And then I said, you know what, come the first of the year, we are back at it. So one of the first things I did yesterday was put to another edition of the podcast pulse together over on LinkedIn. That's my weekly newsletter over on LinkedIn that has had a significant amount of growth since we launched it just a short two months ago. We've got almost a thousand subscribers to that. Just a quick plug for LinkedIn newsletters. Anybody can create one of these. You just got to commit to the work. Don't start unless you're actually going to be consistent with it. If you're not going to post at least once a week or every other week or once a month, but whatever your schedule is, just stick to it because how newsletters work is that you start to gain traction based on consistency. So the more consistent you are of putting new additions of the newsletter out, the more people are looking forward to it. Just like anything that people would subscribe to. in the past. It's not like your email list. It's a little different. It's not like a article that you would create on LinkedIn or just a post on social media in general. A newsletter should be jam packed with all kinds of valuable information that you can share with your community. Now, Sebastian, why would I create a newsletter when I post on LinkedIn? Well, chances are most of you are not posting on LinkedIn consistently. So this could be your shot at getting into the LinkedIn game. Welcome to the party. You've only had 22 years to get in the mix here, but Hey, better late than never. But what happens when you create a LinkedIn newsletter, is not only are your connections notified, but your subscribers to that newsletter are notified as well. Now, someone doesn't have to be connected to you and or follow you on LinkedIn in order to subscribe to your podcast. So that's number one, or excuse me, your newsletter pie. I got podcasts on the brain. Can you believe it? I'm shocked. So they don't have to be connected to you or a existing connection in order to subscribe to your newsletter. So they know when, every time you post a new edition of your newsletter, LinkedIn notifies all the subscribers of your newsletter, as well as your connections and followers. So it's a three prong approach here where people are notified because they subscribe, notified because they're connected to you on LinkedIn and notified because they follow you on LinkedIn. Then of course you can take that newsletter, send it out to your email list, post it on Twitter and threads and Instagram and stories and everything else that you are active with to let people know all that to say the first edition of the podcast pulse for 2024 is a topic is the same topic that I've titled this episode, which is, Why 2024 is your year to start a podcast. So all I'm going to do is recap the newsletter here, and then I'll drop a link in the comments everywhere. We're live. So except Instagram links, don't work on Instagram comments. So I'll do that on YouTube. I'll do it on LinkedIn. I'll do that on Facebook where you just shoot me a DM. If you're watching this on Instagram, I don't even know if the replay is going to be on Instagram, but in the event that it is, shoot me a DM and say, Hey, I listened to this episode either on the podcast or I saw it live or whatever the case is. All right. So here are top 10 reasons, in my opinion, that you should launch a podcast this year. Number one, expanding audiences. Podcast listenership continues to grow globally. That means all around the world. So your message, your content, every time you put out a podcast episode is being shared internationally. That's never been easier to be done ever. So my question to you is, do you want to create content that not just goes to your community, that it goes out to the internets and spreads all over the world for people to consume, to listen to, to watch whatever you're doing pertaining to your content. This allows you to build a community worldwide. I don't know about you, but I'd love to be just like Pitbull, Mr. Worldwide, Mrs. Worldwide. Why? The more people that you reach, the more people that you come in contact with, the builder, the bigger your community becomes, the bigger impact that you have, the bigger opportunity that you have, the higher, you increase the odds of being able to make all of your goals, and dreams and ambitions come true because you're reaching more people. Times have rapidly changed and you have never, ever lived in a time where it has been this easy to create this content, get it out to the world and reach people literally worldwide. Number two, improved technology. Advances in podcast technology allow you to make content and distribute content so much easier than ever before. You don't need a fancy studio. You don't need a bunch of expensive equipment. You literally need an iPhone, maybe a plugin microphone or a decent Bluetooth microphone, and you just need to get started. Nothing else. Stop waiting for the perfect moment. You don't need a studio because your friend Billy got one. You don't need the fancy microphone because your friend Jenny has one. You just need to start. Literally. You can start, produce, market, record a podcast from your phone. Quick plug for Spotify for podcasters and their incredible platform to help beginners really get started today. Remember the only thing in between you and starting a podcast or you and your stupid excuses. That's all right. Number three, niche markets. So if you have a niche, if you specialize in underwater basket weaving, There is a community out there that wants to hear more and learn from you and what you know about underwater basket weaving. There's an audience for just about everything out there. It's your job to create the content and draw that audience in to you. Number four, the flexibility in format. Podcasting offers incredible flexibility from interviews to storytelling to suiting various content creators. all around the world. What do you want to talk about? Who do you want to talk to? What topics and subjects get you excited and motivate you to talk about them? Talk about those topics. Okay. The world is waiting. I see that constantly. When you start in that podcast, the world is waiting. Like I've posed many a times before, and I'll continue to ask who's missing out. Because you're not showing up. Great question. Always a great question. Always gets the wheel spinning a little bit when I do pose that question, even for myself. And I do ask myself that question a lot because every time we don't show up, well, we are just choosing to have someone else miss out because we, well, we don't feel like it. Like I often tell my friends and those that I care about dearly. You are absolutely very rarely, probably never going to feel like it. Do it anyway. All right. Number five, enhanced discoverability. There's never been an easier way. Thanks to platforms and algorithms and the way we connect now, which is almost by the way, instantaneously. 10 years ago, if you said you were following me, I'd call the police. Now it's a standard protocol. What's your Instagram? I literally met my girlfriend in the hallway, my old apartment building. And I asked her for her Instagram, not her phone number. Cause I'm a chicken like that. Okay. But she still remembers that you asked me for my Instagram. Well, and the rest is history lady. It's enhanced discoverability. You never really know where you're going to, who you're going to meet, how you're going to meet them. But the opportunity to be discovered based on your content by new people, never been an easier time. networking opportunities. Number six, my absolute favorite reason for starting a podcast is the networking opportunities that it provides. It allows you to literally get in front of any person that you're looking to get in front of, that you want to build a relationship, do business with, sell them something, tell them something, learn from them. My buddy Chandler Bolt, owner of selfpublishing.com. If you're looking to write a book, selfpublishing.com are your people. I wrote podcasts, sucked with them. Incredible platform. Had the privilege of, uh, in my MC days. I am seeing one of their author advantage live events, but in one of his talks, he shared a story of actually it was when he was on my podcast. He said, you know, Sebastian, reading a book is like getting a free mentoring session outside the cost of the book. A podcast interview is the same thing. When you interview someone, you learn from them. And when we learn from them, well, that's a form of what being mentored. networking opportunities are, are a, there's a vast, vast opportunity for them when it comes to having a podcast. So podcast open doors for networking with guests, future sponsors, industry professionals, mentoring sessions. It's an incredible way to build rapport, establish credibility and build relationships with people that you want to actually do business with. So, You want to increase your networking opportunities, start a podcast, people, personal branding. Well, well, well, everyone woke up to personal branding a couple of years ago. Isn't that adorable? My good friend, Gary Vaynerchuk has been talking about this for well over a decade. Him and I have known each other since 2010. So he was preaching out with his very first book, crush it, which I think came out in 2009, maybe 2008. I think it was 2009. Crush It Now is the time to cash in on your passion. It was his first book ever. I think he's written six now. He's working on his seventh. Day Trading Attention will be out this spring, but Crush It's still relevant to today. If you're looking to figure out a personal branding, everyone wants to create a personal brand. Now, before everyone was terrified of it, but now it's like the cool thing to do. I'm going to start a brand. I'm going to open a podcast studio. I'm going to become an entrepreneur, quit my job, move out of my mom's basement. It's all that's happening. I blame 2020 for that. But here we are, ladies and gentlemen, Gary's been predicting it forever. Personal branding is what people do business with. People do business with human beings. There's an old saying, behind every B2B is a C. You know, business to business, business to consumer. Behind every business is a consumer. And what is that consumer? It is a personal brand. People want to know, like, and trust you. How do they do that? Well, they read your book, they hear your talk, they see your content, they read your blog, they see your LinkedIn newsletter, they listen to your podcast. Isn't there too many people already doing that right now, Sebastian? I don't know. Are there too many books already? People are going to stop writing those? Probably not. We're continually adding more and more people to the world. That number is not going down anytime soon. So the more content that's being, the quality, the more quality content that's being put out, the better your life and business is going to be. One of my favorite quotes that Gary taught me when we first met, I'll never forget it. He said, personal branding, your personal brand in perpetuity is your reputation. I never forgot that. And if you don't care about your reputation, well, just hang it up. Your reputation should be everything to you and not from an ego standpoint, but the very fact that how you show up to the world, how you show up in business, how you show up every day for your business, for your, for your employees, for your team, for your family, for whatever it may be is absolutely vital. And it is how people are judging whether or not they want to do business with you or not. Your personal brand allows you to tell people who you are as an individual. In addition to highlighting and complimenting what you do as a business, My personal brand, SebastianRuss.com. I am a speaker, comedian, and podcaster. That's what I do. All of those three things edify and contribute to the Podcast Launch Lab, which is my business and my agency, where we help folks go from idea to iTunes in just 90 days or less. by starting a podcast. You see how those two things work together. Having a podcast is an incredible way to amplify your personal brand. It's an incredible way to build relationships, let people know that you actually are a personal brand. Does that make sense? If you don't have a personal brand, I mean, we need one more of those in the world. So you might as well start today. Listen, there's not too many out there because you're building a personal brand for your community and the community that you're building and the people around you. So don't worry about what Billy's doing or Mary's doing or John's doing or Jack's doing. Don't worry about any of that. Just worry about what you're doing in the community that you're creating around the content that you're providing for that community. Personal branding is no longer a should, it is an absolute must. Number eight, the monetization potential. When you start a podcast, interviewing people you can do business with, going out and identifying unique sponsorship opportunities where people will invest in you and they believe in you and your personal brand and what you're doing with the podcast. Their audience is your audience. Identifying opportunities to generate revenue, selling merchandise, wearing merchandise, doing podcasts at live events. These are all opportunities to monetize your podcast and find new people and find new revenue and make money with your podcast. You get asked that a lot, especially, how do I make money with my podcast? I don't know. How do you, how do you want to make money with your podcast? There's a couple of different ways. If you're trying to set out to be the next Joe Rogan and just get mailbox money of, of, uh, from, from large sponsors, you're probably gonna be waiting a little while because you need to build the show up to 10 to 15,000 minimum downloads a month. I don't think I've been there with any of my shows and I've been podcasting a long time, but that's not what I focus on. I focus on finding the right people for my podcast and I focus on creating content for the right people for my podcast. So the people listen to my podcast and read my book, they see a talk, they go to my YouTube channel, they go, Hey, you know what? I've been thinking about starting a podcast. I don't want to do it on my own. I know you have an agency. Can you help me? Can we set up a time to chat about that? You understand? So is my business referral-based? Yes, it is. It's also content-based. It's also hopping on an airplane and getting in the room-based. It's also being on the stage-based. It's also YouTube-based. It's also podcast-based. It's also LinkedIn newsletter-based. Is that resonating and starting to click with you, that all these things are going to fire off on all cylinders? But these things take time. Start with one thing. Today, I don't have anything right now. I want to start with one thing. I'm going to start a LinkedIn newsletter. And then from that newsletter, I'm going to start a podcast and I'm going to start, I'm going to talk about what I talked about in that newsletter on my podcast. Then I'm going to chop up that podcast into piece, into clips and micro content. And I'm going to share that content on social media. And then I'm going to rinse and repeat that process. I'm going to get really, really, really good at that before I start swinging for the fences. And I'm going to add a YouTube channel and I'm going to write a book and everybody wants to be everything to everybody right out of the gates. Get really good at one thing, add another thing and add another thing and repeat and add another thing. Then repeat. Does that make sense? I hope so. Uh, the last and final is creative freedom. There's nobody telling you what to do and how to do it. Why do you think all these large media personalities are leaving networks, telling them to pound sand and going and doing something independent of their own, whether it's YouTube or Twitter or Tik TOK or whatever the case is, they simply don't need the, the large networks from television or radio that no one's listening to anymore. They just don't need it. We live in a world where creative freedom and independence rule when it comes to creating content, building a brand and getting a community to consume that content. So those are the 10 tips. I'm going to drop a link to the podcast or to the newsletter over on LinkedIn on the comments here as promised questions, thoughts, ideas, concerns about this episode, any episodes on the show, anything pertaining, to podcasting, personal branding. Listen, I don't have all the answers. I just know a little bit about podcasting and a little bit about personal branding, and I'd be more than happy to help you with whatever I can. If you're listening to the podcast, please share this with your friends, people that you care about that could find this information useful. It is how people find how new people find the show. If you haven't done so already, please listen, subscribe and leave us a review. Let us know what you think about the show. That's another great way to increase the exposure for our show and for new people to find it until next time, friends wishing you an incredible 2024. Let's go. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode. We sure do appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show wherever you consume podcasts. It's a way to get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review and share the show with someone you know should start a podcast or may already have one. And remember, podcasts suck if you don't have one. Until next time, friends.