Flyover Podcast Festival 2021 is a wrap, and we’ve got so many podcasting tips to share! But first: thank you so much to our sponsors, Podcasting Business School and WFHB Community Radio. Our speakers were funny, real, and shared a ton of great information. Adam Schaeuble, Jerome Myers, Allison Melody, Laura Powers, and Karl Sona, you guys were fabulous! Most of all, we want to thank our attendees for being enthusiastic, engaged, and lively on chat. You rocked #FPF21!
We’d planned to hold this year’s festival in person, but pivoting to virtual made it possible to open up registration to folks from all over the US. We even had someone in Germany join us!
And by the way… this year’s attendees have some pretty awesome podcasts. And those podcasts that cover a diverse range of topics from science to sports to business to cooking and well beyond. Our attendees were prairie biologists from “The Best Biome,” Chicago Bears fans from “The Chicago Audible,” and comics fans from “The Captioned Life.” “Sister Struggles” is a self-care podcast for black women tired of upholding society’s idea of a strong black woman. On the other hand, “Stronger” brings you pandemic stories from women in Las Vegas, one of the hardest hit economies in the country. Check out all the cool podcasts on the 2021 Podcast Expo.
Mill friend and podcast guru Adam Schaeuble of Podcasting Business School kicked the day off with podcasting tips for how to launch a new podcast. Missed it? Adam says start with at least four episodes, and go live on Instagram and Clubhouse during launch week to build a relationship with listeners. One of the things we love about Adam is his passion for the podcasting life. He always leaves us feeling empowered.
Then Jerome Myers of “Dream Catchers” shared how to lead a great interview. Spoiler alert: there isn’t a short cut. You have to do your homework to learn all about that guest, and then find an authentic point of shared interest. Lead the conversation both to highlight your guest (let the guest talk more than you!) and your own thought expertise. By the time he was done, we all wanted to be a guest on Jerome’s show.
Allison Melody of “Food Heals” shared with her specific, strategic approach to finding sponsors (hint: you need to believe in their product enough to want to promote it). She really blew our minds with her generosity in sharing templates to create a sponsor pitch deck.
(Allison also had our favorite line of the event: “I’m not a lawyer, and I don’t play one on TV, but I’m living in a lawyer’s beach house right now.”)
All kidding aside, building authentic relationships was a running theme of the event. Podcasting tips for how to do this and that are helpful. But real connections with guests, sponsors, and most of all, your audience, are the foundation for finding success. So how do you build that? Start by making an offer, not an ask. Show what you can do for your guest, your sponsor, or your audience first.
And the cool thing was that our presenters modeled that philosophy. All of them offer services, for a fee, to help people create and promote awesome podcasts. But during the festival, what we heard more about was their willingness to answer one on one questions, to share templates and plans, and to give help for free first.
Karl Sona of Streamlined Podcasts delivered helpful tech podcasting tips without the tech jargon. The mic sweet spot? It’s 3 or 4 inches away from the mic, with the mic at a 45 degree angle. We loved Karl’s advice to take it easy on yourself! If something doesn’t sound right, don’t pause the tape—just keep rolling and do another take, or leave yourself a reminder (“Edit that out”).
Celebrity psychic Laura Powers of “Healing Powers” has the go-getter approach we love at The Mill. Get some press—don’t worry if it’s perfect, just get some—and then build on it. It’s easier to get more when you’ve got some, and press will help you get great guests.
Then, when you approach a potential guest, lead with giving. Share how you will support and promote their work if they come on your show. (You’re still waiting to hear more about the psychic part, right? Well, you’ll just have to listen to Laura’s podcasts!)
Whew! We had too many takeaways to share here. Fortunately, we recorded the festival, so Flyover attendees can rewatch the sessions to get all the podcast tips and inspiration they need. Wish you could watch the sessions, too? You shoulda been there!
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