You’re an expert in your industry. You vibe with the guests and love hosting. But when it comes to the backend duties of editing and publishing episodes, everything feels too much.
Sound familiar?
If so, then it’s time to let a podcast producer handle the nitty-gritty while you shine where it matters most – delivering top-notch content to your audience.
In this episode of Mics to Millions, Dr. Ben Rall, host of the Designed To Heal Podcast, shares how he teamed up with his producer to create the show, which now has 300+ episodes and receives 19,000 monthly listeners.
You’ll also learn why having a producer has been so crucial to the show’s success and what podcasters should look out for when sourcing a producer.
Technical skills and an alignment of values are vital when sourcing a producer
When searching for a podcast producer, Dr. Ben advocates that you can’t overlook the importance of a personal connection and an overlap of values.
“I personally believe you have to be aligned. It’s not perfect, of course; we’re different people, but there does have to be a general alignment of values,” says Dr. Ben. “Jeff knows my heart. I know his heart. We want to put out a good product.”
By uniting over a shared mission for the podcast, the pair can bring valuable skills and ideas to the table for every episode. “Jeff will come up with ideas, or stuff that he sees out in public, and he goes, ‘Hey, man, I think this would be a great topic for the show,’ or ‘Somebody just asked me this, and this is some feedback.’”
Dr. Ben admits that a producer like Jeff, who comes with the full package, is “kind of a unicorn.” But can’t deny Jeff’s role as producer is a key ingredient to the show’s success.
Seeking feedback can help you improve your skills as a host
Taking criticism isn’t always easy. But for Dr. Ben, seeking feedback and consequently making changes was an essential step forward to bring the show to where it is today. A specific turning point was when a friend spoke candidly about his approach to interviewing guests.
“There was a hard piece of feedback that a friend told me. He said,’You know, I love you, I’ve known you forever, but you talk too much when you have guests on, and some of your questions are rambling. And I don’t even know by the end of it what you asked.’”
This advice encouraged Dr. Ben to reconsider his approach to interviewing and allowed him to polish up his skills. His only regret is not seeking advice sooner.
“I should have maybe taken more feedback earlier. I should have put myself out there a little more and asked for it, like,’Hey, what do you think of the show? What do you think about this?.’”
You don’t need ads to generate revenue from your podcast
When we think of making money from a podcast, it can be easy to focus on standard methods such as sponsorship or a Patreon page.
But for business owners who have online courses, books, and services, a podcast can be a great way to bring attention to these offers and boost sales.
“I think when you have a business, when you have a book, when you have online courses, when you’re trying to promote other stuff, this is such a fantastic route that people forget podcasting can help with,” says Dr. Ben.
Giving value as a podcast guest can drive sales and listeners to your podcast
If you’re a fan of Mics to Millions, you’ll remember that we’ve spoken before in episode three with Scott Gazolli about the power of podcast guesting to introduce new listeners to your podcast.
But the benefits don’t stop there. As Dr. Ben points out, it can also be a great endeavor to boost sales. “I’ll notice that people will purchase the book when they hear of me on another show,” he says.
However, Dr. Ben advocates that the key to winning new audiences is being authentic and offering genuine value.
“I think most important if you are a guest on a show, is that you’re authentic, meaning you’re not there with this agenda of hawking your goods and telling everybody to come listen to your show and subscribe. I think that’s just a turn-off for people. So I’m there to genuinely give what I think is most valuable for whatever they ask me to talk about.”
🎧Check out the full episode to discover the comprehensive list of lessons Dr. Ben and his producer have learned over the 300+ episodes of the podcast they’ve published together.