WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.899 Why should you attend live events for your podcast? 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:12.140 Thank you for joining me for The Audacity to Podcast. 00:00:12.539 --> 00:00:13.400 I'm Daniel J. Lewis. 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:19.539 No matter your podcast topic, there's probably a conference, expo, live show, concert, rally, 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:25.579 or some other kind of live event with people in person around that niche. 00:00:25.579 --> 00:00:31.339 And besides the topic you cover, there are live events specifically about podcasting. 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:36.399 I'm at one right now, at the time of this episode's release at least, talking about 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:37.600 Podcasting 2.0. 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:41.159 Hope you came to my session if you're listening to this episode later, or maybe you can come 00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:43.399 to a session that I have in a future conference. 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:48.520 And I think you should come to an event at some point, because I think live events can 00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:52.140 be of great value and opportunity to you and your podcast. 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:54.979 It comes down to four benefits I'm about to share with you. 00:00:54.979 --> 00:01:00.100 Keep in mind that any one of these benefits alone could be reason enough to attend a live event. 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:06.900 But the more events you can find in the overlap of these four things, the better that event could be for you. 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:14.239 I've done multiple episodes in the past about events, about things like business cards at events and how to prepare for events and such. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:18.579 So I'll have a list of those episodes if you want to check them out in the notes for this episode. 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:24.640 and you can get those notes a simple tap or swipe away or at theaudacitytopodcast.com/whyattend 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:32.959 Number one, grow your knowledge. The obvious first benefit is that live events, 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:38.599 especially things like conferences, are a great place to grow your knowledge and learn more. That 00:01:38.599 --> 00:01:43.760 could be knowledge about your industry, learning about new trends, discovering resources in your 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:49.120 niche, or learning how to refine your own craft, whatever that craft is that you cover in your 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:55.560 podcast, or even learning to be a better podcaster. I think that the most important way to grow your 00:01:55.560 --> 00:02:02.579 knowledge at events is to take notes and, this is the key, translate those notes into actionable 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:09.620 steps. For example, I often speak about podcast SEO, that's search engine optimization. In such a 00:02:09.620 --> 00:02:14.259 session, I would present lots of advice, demonstrations, and techniques that you could 00:02:14.259 --> 00:02:20.659 try to write down and record everything I say, or ask for my slides, which wouldn't really help you 00:02:20.659 --> 00:02:26.719 that much because of the way I design my slides, but merely collecting the information won't make 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:31.039 you a better podcaster, and it won't make your podcast more findable. Instead, you should take 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:37.879 what you learn and apply it. Decide what you need to do first, and set aside the time to do it with 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:43.539 your podcast as soon as possible, even before your next episode if you can. Otherwise, it's like all 00:02:43.539 --> 00:02:49.719 that knowledge goes in one ear and out the other instead of coming through your hands in what you 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:55.740 do and through your voice in what you say and how you communicate and with whom you communicate. 00:02:56.259 --> 00:03:02.379 Number two, grow your content. Podcasters are content creators. We're telling stories, 00:03:02.379 --> 00:03:08.819 sharing interesting guests, educating, inspiring, having fun, and more. And as such, a live event 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:15.500 could be a great place to help you make more of that content. For example, I've attended events 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:21.020 such as the Consumer Electronics Show, the National Association of Broadcasters, and Podcast Movement, 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:26.960 sometimes with the specific goals of creating content while I was there. It's often been 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:32.180 on-floor interviews with exhibitors. That's, by the way, how I met Deidre Shen from CAPTCHAO. 00:03:32.379 --> 00:03:37.719 but also sometimes bringing a simple audio recording device to record other attendees. 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:45.000 So my peers answering a question that I could then share their answers in an episode of my podcast. 00:03:45.139 --> 00:03:47.379 I've done that before and it's been lots of fun. 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.120 I would come and ask the same question to multiple people. 00:03:50.379 --> 00:03:53.500 Like one of the episodes I did in the past was asking people, 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:57.719 what's a podcast problem that you solved for your own podcast? 00:03:57.900 --> 00:03:59.819 How did you solve that podcasting problem? 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:05.060 and got some really interesting answers from that. And that was a lot of fun. Might do that again 00:04:05.060 --> 00:04:16.892 someday You could do something like that or you could do other things actually creating content there at the event and going with the purpose to create content Trying to grow your content at a live 00:04:16.892 --> 00:04:21.892 event can be complicated though, especially if you want to get into things like video and then 00:04:21.892 --> 00:04:25.492 you have to start thinking about, well, do I need one microphone or two microphones? How am I going 00:04:25.492 --> 00:04:29.912 to light this? What kind of lighting environment will I be in? How noisy will it be? Do I need a 00:04:29.912 --> 00:04:35.432 tripod, a monopod? What kind of camera? Can I use my phone? It doesn't have to be complicated. It can 00:04:35.432 --> 00:04:41.112 get complicated and the higher quality you want it to be, the more complicated the setup will be 00:04:41.112 --> 00:04:46.272 and the more planning it takes. But it doesn't have to be that complicated. Sometimes it could 00:04:46.272 --> 00:04:51.252 be as simple as turning your smartphone upside down and holding it as if it was a handheld 00:04:51.252 --> 00:04:56.272 microphone and talking into the microphone that way. That might be good enough for the audio that 00:04:56.272 --> 00:05:01.972 you need for an audio podcast. Or you could bring things to be able to record video and then publish 00:05:01.972 --> 00:05:09.532 those on the video-first platforms like YouTube, TikTok, X, Facebook, and other places. Regardless 00:05:09.532 --> 00:05:14.832 of the complexity or simplicity of whatever setup that you bring, it can be a lot of fun to create 00:05:14.832 --> 00:05:21.532 content at an event because there's so much energy there. It can be energizing to you, energizing to 00:05:21.532 --> 00:05:27.012 the other people. They're excited. They are there to share information, to learn information. They are 00:05:27.012 --> 00:05:33.032 pumped to be there and you can leverage that in your podcast and it can be a whole lot of fun, 00:05:33.032 --> 00:05:38.192 especially being able to describe things and experience things and talk to people that you 00:05:38.192 --> 00:05:45.032 might not otherwise ever be able to do. And that brings me to my next point. Number three, 00:05:45.732 --> 00:05:52.452 grow your network. People are the greatest value at any event. I've been to countless events where 00:05:52.452 --> 00:05:57.652 I've invested more time talking to people in the hallways and on the expo floor than I spent 00:05:57.652 --> 00:06:04.432 learning in sessions. And I say invested because it really is an investment when you talk to people 00:06:04.432 --> 00:06:10.072 and get to know other people. You're investing in them and maybe also investing in yourself. 00:06:10.912 --> 00:06:15.712 I don't think that I've learned everything that there is to learn, so I'm not skipping the 00:06:15.712 --> 00:06:21.172 sessions because I feel like, oh, I know that all already. No, there is lots of stuff I still want 00:06:21.172 --> 00:06:27.612 to learn. But talking to people is so much more valuable, I think, because most conferences allow 00:06:27.612 --> 00:06:33.232 you to get a virtual ticket so that you can watch or listen to the sessions later. And I always 00:06:33.232 --> 00:06:38.192 recommend that upgrade, especially some of these conferences where there are so many great things 00:06:38.192 --> 00:06:43.652 happening from so many really smart people all happening at the same time. So you can't go to 00:06:43.652 --> 00:06:49.492 all of them, but you can get the virtual ticket and consume that information later. But you can't 00:06:49.492 --> 00:06:55.772 meet the people, especially not face-to-face like this, so easily after the event. That's something 00:06:55.772 --> 00:07:03.132 that can really only be done there, at the event, in person, with other people, in person. Growing 00:07:03.132 --> 00:07:08.092 your network isn't about becoming a business card ninja, shooting your business cards at whoever 00:07:08.092 --> 00:07:12.672 will take them, or even people who won't take them, but it's really about making connections 00:07:12.672 --> 00:07:16.692 with other people. And in fact, speaking of business cards, if you use business cards, 00:07:16.692 --> 00:07:20.152 and I've done an episode in the past about making your own cards for your podcast. 00:07:20.492 --> 00:07:23.392 But here's my challenge to you and what I try to do myself. 00:07:23.892 --> 00:07:29.292 For any business card you request or are given, look it over, ask questions based on it. 00:07:29.492 --> 00:07:31.192 And this is the most important part. 00:07:31.632 --> 00:07:35.552 Write something about that person or your conversation with them. 00:07:35.852 --> 00:07:37.872 It could be as simple as what you talked about. 00:07:38.152 --> 00:07:43.812 For example, I still remember when I first met Dustin Stout at Social Media Marketing World 00:07:43.812 --> 00:07:49.592 And I wrote on his business card that his wife watches Once Upon a Time, the TV show 00:07:49.592 --> 00:07:51.792 that I had a podcast about at that time. 00:07:52.112 --> 00:07:56.732 And now, Dustin is the creator and head of Magi, my favorite AI toolbox. 00:07:57.152 --> 00:08:02.252 And Dustin has become a very special friend, and I've gotten to know him and be encouraged 00:08:02.252 --> 00:08:05.532 and challenged by him through a small mastermind group that I host. 00:08:05.852 --> 00:08:12.732 And all that started from meeting him at a conference and being more memorable because 00:08:12.732 --> 00:08:28.104 I wrote something down on the business card that he gave me But even better than writing only about your conversation would be to write an action that you need to take That could be connecting that person with someone else checking out a resource that they recommended 00:08:28.384 --> 00:08:34.584 or some way you want to follow up with them. And for any card you want to give someone else, 00:08:35.024 --> 00:08:39.784 write something on it for them. It could be one of your episodes that you think they would like. 00:08:39.784 --> 00:08:43.524 Maybe it's a different podcast that you think they should check out. Maybe this one. Maybe you 00:08:43.524 --> 00:08:48.724 I recommend this episode to them, one of my other episodes. Or maybe it's someone else that you want 00:08:48.724 --> 00:08:53.844 them to meet or something that you recommend that they try. Like I was at a conference recently 00:08:53.844 --> 00:09:00.644 where I talked to so many people about the Hollyland Lark M2S. And that was even before I had my own 00:09:00.644 --> 00:09:05.084 one. It was just, I'm such a fan of the design of the microphone. And I was telling other people 00:09:05.084 --> 00:09:08.924 about it. So I was writing it down on business cards saying, you got to check out this microphone. 00:09:09.204 --> 00:09:12.984 It's a portable lavalier microphone that works really well. It's wireless and all of this stuff. 00:09:12.984 --> 00:09:18.544 and you might see me with it at Podcast Movement or at a Podfest or some other event because I just 00:09:18.544 --> 00:09:24.304 love the system. And when I get back to making videos, you might see me using it in videos too. 00:09:24.784 --> 00:09:29.264 And so that's something that I wrote down on my business card that I gave other people, 00:09:29.504 --> 00:09:35.164 and that made my business cards more actionable for them too. Even without business cards, 00:09:35.204 --> 00:09:39.264 you could still do this kind of memorable networking through the conference apps or 00:09:39.264 --> 00:09:43.644 simply by quickly sending each other messages through your preferred channel, whether that's 00:09:43.644 --> 00:09:50.744 social networks, direct messaging, emailing or texting or whatever. Number four, grow your podcast. 00:09:51.504 --> 00:09:57.184 Live events also give you the opportunity to reach a bigger audience and grow your own podcast. 00:09:57.524 --> 00:10:04.224 But unlike my first three points, this one is more effective if you go to the right events and you 00:10:04.224 --> 00:10:09.364 have to be more picky if this is your goal. For example, Podcast Movement and PodFest are my 00:10:09.364 --> 00:10:15.544 favorite conferences about podcasting. I do highly recommend them. But unless you also have a podcast 00:10:15.544 --> 00:10:21.844 about podcasting, don't expect to grow your audience much by mingling among your fellow 00:10:21.844 --> 00:10:28.284 podcasting peers. They have their own shows too. You have your own show. You're probably not going 00:10:28.284 --> 00:10:33.384 to get much of an audience from other podcasters, unless you have a podcast about podcasting. 00:10:33.384 --> 00:10:38.364 This is where and why you should focus on the niche you serve. 00:10:38.764 --> 00:10:44.204 If you have a dog breeding podcast, for example, you could go to dog shows and hand out flyers 00:10:44.204 --> 00:10:48.964 about your podcast as you meet people there, whether vendors or other attendees, anyone 00:10:48.964 --> 00:10:51.164 that you think might be interested in it. 00:10:51.524 --> 00:10:53.484 Don't just spam people with your information. 00:10:53.884 --> 00:10:58.944 Get into conversations, do that networking, and then maybe there are opportunities for 00:10:58.944 --> 00:11:00.244 you to mention your own show. 00:11:00.244 --> 00:11:06.024 And if they are there about the topic that your podcast is about, then they might be 00:11:06.024 --> 00:11:08.344 much more interested in your podcast. 00:11:08.744 --> 00:11:13.704 You could even sponsor the event to get extra attention on what you do or combine a few 00:11:13.704 --> 00:11:18.584 of these top level benefits that I'm mentioning in this episode and consider trying to create 00:11:18.584 --> 00:11:21.384 content while you are there at the event. 00:11:21.784 --> 00:11:28.144 And that act of creating content could open all kinds of opportunities to promote your 00:11:28.144 --> 00:11:35.504 podcast as others see the energy happening around you, especially if you can plan in advance for 00:11:35.504 --> 00:11:40.704 some of these things. Like if there's a vendor that you go to, they have a booth set up, you could 00:11:40.704 --> 00:11:47.684 plan in advance and give them some flyers that say something like, I was featured on the so-and-so 00:11:47.684 --> 00:11:53.204 podcast that you could then give them so they could give it to other people after you've recorded 00:11:53.204 --> 00:11:58.744 your interview with them. Or as you're talking with people and they see you going around with 00:11:58.744 --> 00:12:03.204 a microphone and maybe a camera or lights or whatever your setup is, they might be interested. 00:12:03.344 --> 00:12:08.124 Hey, what are you doing there? Or these days people might actually just ask, hey, do you have 00:12:08.124 --> 00:12:13.904 a podcast about dogs? And then you can say, well, yes, I do. In fact, hey, here's a card. Hey, do you 00:12:13.904 --> 00:12:18.344 have an interesting story you might like to share on my podcast or a question that I could answer 00:12:18.344 --> 00:12:23.024 live right here with you that we record and publish on the podcast? See, you can create 00:12:23.024 --> 00:12:41.676 content you can network especially if you at the right kind of event you can use these things to grow your podcast Because I think what makes this so powerful is that a live event has so much energy around it Everyone is just so pumped up to be there enthused about it 00:12:41.976 --> 00:12:47.616 This is really what helped inspire me and gave me the kick to bring back The Audacity to Podcast 00:12:47.616 --> 00:12:52.876 is I went to Podcast Movement Evolutions in Chicago in 2025. And I really felt like, 00:12:52.876 --> 00:12:59.256 you know what? I just have so much I want to say again. I have got to bring back The Audacity to 00:12:59.256 --> 00:13:04.696 Podcast. And with the 15th anniversary that was this year, I also felt like this was a great time 00:13:04.696 --> 00:13:10.356 to really bring it back. And I've missed it so much. And I want to do the podcast again. And 00:13:10.356 --> 00:13:16.856 it was the energy at the event that got me doing that. And so you can't really grow a dead podcast, 00:13:17.236 --> 00:13:22.456 but I've resurrected the podcast and it is growing again. I'm very grateful for that. I'm 00:13:22.456 --> 00:13:27.596 grateful for whatever you might be able to do to help grow the podcast. But see, that kind of energy 00:13:27.596 --> 00:13:34.936 at a conference is something you can tap into and capture in your own podcast and also tap into those 00:13:34.936 --> 00:13:40.816 opportunities because of that energy. And that's creating content, discovering networking 00:13:40.816 --> 00:13:47.856 opportunities with other people, or discovering audience for your podcast. These four benefits 00:13:47.856 --> 00:13:51.476 are why I think attending live events can be great. 00:13:51.556 --> 00:13:53.156 And it doesn't always mean an event 00:13:53.156 --> 00:13:54.716 that's about podcasting. 00:13:54.996 --> 00:13:56.796 That can certainly help you with a couple of these, 00:13:57.276 --> 00:13:58.496 but more specifically, 00:13:58.916 --> 00:14:01.456 an event about the topic that you cover. 00:14:01.776 --> 00:14:03.736 These four events, again, are number one, 00:14:04.016 --> 00:14:04.776 grow your knowledge. 00:14:04.896 --> 00:14:06.276 Number two, grow your content. 00:14:06.456 --> 00:14:08.056 Number three, grow your network. 00:14:08.376 --> 00:14:10.656 And number four, grow your podcast. 00:14:11.316 --> 00:14:13.676 Thanks to Brian Inspinner from Top Tier Audio 00:14:13.676 --> 00:14:15.516 for supporting The Audacity to Podcast 00:14:15.516 --> 00:14:17.636 with 254 Satoshis. 00:14:17.956 --> 00:14:20.336 He streamed those through a Modern Podcasting 2.0 app. 00:14:20.436 --> 00:14:22.596 And if you get value from The Audacity to Podcast, 00:14:22.956 --> 00:14:24.136 I would love it if you would consider 00:14:24.136 --> 00:14:25.076 what that's worth to you 00:14:25.076 --> 00:14:26.556 and give some of that value back. 00:14:26.776 --> 00:14:29.316 You can do that through a Modern Podcasting 2.0 app, 00:14:29.376 --> 00:14:30.216 just like Brian did, 00:14:30.476 --> 00:14:34.896 or through theaudacitytopodcast.com/giveback. 00:14:35.036 --> 00:14:36.896 Now that I've given you some of the guts 00:14:36.896 --> 00:14:38.136 and taught you some of the tools, 00:14:38.236 --> 00:14:39.036 wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 00:14:39.436 --> 00:14:41.176 I can't end this without teasing something. 00:14:41.576 --> 00:14:42.956 I've got a new app coming up, 00:14:43.056 --> 00:14:44.556 a new brand new product 00:14:44.556 --> 00:14:48.236 that is so much better than the other options out there. 00:14:48.436 --> 00:14:49.816 It's going to be an app. 00:14:50.096 --> 00:14:51.696 Well, not just going to be, it is. 00:14:51.736 --> 00:14:52.796 It's already working. 00:14:52.936 --> 00:14:54.356 It's in beta stage right now, 00:14:54.416 --> 00:14:56.376 maybe even released by the time that you're hearing this. 00:14:56.376 --> 00:14:59.556 But it will help you to better add chapters 00:14:59.556 --> 00:15:01.476 to your podcast episodes. 00:15:01.796 --> 00:15:02.956 And it provides transcripts. 00:15:02.996 --> 00:15:05.036 And it does some really amazing things 00:15:05.036 --> 00:15:07.796 that the first time I got the pieces working 00:15:07.796 --> 00:15:11.056 and then press the button to make it do its magic. 00:15:11.056 --> 00:15:15.876 and that magic was automatically placing my outline 00:15:15.876 --> 00:15:19.556 into timed chapters inside of my episodes. 00:15:19.556 --> 00:15:22.116 The first time I saw that, I got chills 00:15:22.116 --> 00:15:26.136 because it's just like, wow, did it really just do that? 00:15:26.276 --> 00:15:28.976 Did it just save me all that time and frustration 00:15:28.976 --> 00:15:32.736 of finding exactly where those chapters needed to go? 00:15:33.036 --> 00:15:35.976 So watch for my announcements for that new tool. 00:15:36.096 --> 00:15:38.136 I'll certainly mention it here on The Audacity to Podcast 00:15:38.136 --> 00:15:39.716 and also on my social accounts. 00:15:39.716 --> 00:15:42.776 like I'm pretty much everywhere as the Daniel J. Lewis. 00:15:43.176 --> 00:15:45.276 And if you get my emails, I'll announce it there too. 00:15:45.536 --> 00:15:47.096 But it's a brand new tool coming. 00:15:47.576 --> 00:15:49.976 Notice that I haven't mentioned the name or the website yet 00:15:49.976 --> 00:15:52.416 because it's not quite ready for the public to see, 00:15:52.756 --> 00:15:54.196 at least at the time of this recording. 00:15:54.316 --> 00:15:56.196 Maybe it is by the time that you're hearing this. 00:15:56.516 --> 00:15:57.736 But you might even be wondering, 00:15:58.016 --> 00:15:59.816 what's the use of chapters? 00:15:59.996 --> 00:16:00.676 Do I need chapters? 00:16:00.976 --> 00:16:01.696 What are they? 00:16:01.796 --> 00:16:02.856 Even what can they do? 00:16:03.216 --> 00:16:04.396 Why are they beneficial? 00:16:04.816 --> 00:16:06.996 I'll have an episode all about that very soon. 00:16:06.996 --> 00:16:08.676 It will tie in very nicely. 00:16:08.676 --> 00:16:14.436 talking about my new app to help you make chapters for your podcast and what you can do with that. 00:16:14.776 --> 00:16:20.676 So watch for that. And in the meantime, go launch and grow your own podcast for passion 00:16:20.676 --> 00:16:26.696 and profit. I'm Daniel J. Lewis from theaudacitytopodcast.com. Thanks for listening!