05 Oct 🔥Light Your Podcasting Passion at Local Events!
đź‘‹Hey there Podcaster!
I’m back from the Memphis Podbox Festival celebrating International Podcast Day. It was a great opportunity as a speaking event, networking, and a truly eye-opening experience. I have a lot of thoughts! Let’s get right into it!👇
🔥Light Your Podcasting Passion at Local Events!
Last week I was invited by my friend and multi award-winning podcaster Dominic Lawson and his friend, Ena Esco to speak at an in-person podcast event, the inaugural Podbox Memphis Festival to celebrate International Podcast Day. Here are some key takeaways from the event:
đź’ŞThe Power of In-Person Connection
This was my first in-person podcasting event for Internal Podcast Day. Being there in person was an eye-opener. Don’t get me wrong – I love connecting with amazing podcasters online. But meeting people face-to-face gave me new energy! People were asking me questions I’ve heard time and time again. But there was something about them looking me in the eye and really craving the advice that re-lit my fire and provided new energy! There are so many people looking for answers (not just in podcasting) from in-person connections, and it could benefit you and your podcast to think locally.
Consider getting yourself to a local podcasting (or relevant topic) meetup or conference. Making those real connections will remind you why you started podcasting in the first place. It’ll introduce you to new concepts and potential collaboration partners. And you’ll probably meet some cool new friends along the way! You don’t have to rely solely on social media for all of your connections as proof of success. The power of face-to-face connection, a handshake, and a smile can’t be measured.
đź‘žStep Outside Your Comfort Zone
This speaking event was the first of its kind for me. Sure, I have done some online workshops & presentations on zoom, but never in person. I was a bit outside of my comfort zone.
I definitely experienced some nervousness, particularly around making sure the tech was going to work properly; after a half hour of fiddling with it, it worked out great (thanks to Dominic’s HDMI cord!).Â
Other than that, I was almost a little surprised how confident I felt before the presentation. The past online workshops, hosting podcasts over the years and the Podcasting Morning Chat room on Clubhouse helped give me the amount of confidence I needed to reach this next level.Â
Think about what new ways you can put you and your podcast out there. Join a new community? Get on a panel? Teach a workshop? Pushing our boundaries is how we grow!
🤷🏼‍♂️Share Your “Why”
Podbox gave me and the Memphis community so much value and podcasters everywhere can learn from it. In-person connections, sharing your WHY, and challenging yourself can bring exciting new energy to your show!
Another big realization for me was how important it can be to share your WHY.. I judged a podcast pitch competition at Podbox and all of the participants focused on what made their show idea sound unique. And that’s certainly important! But the reality is, most podcasts’ content aren’t truly unique with the exception of one thing- the hosts!
Your WHY is what makes your show special and helps you connect with your audience, not simply the topic or format. So when you’re pitching your pod or introducing yourself, don’t be shy about sharing what led you to podcasting. We all have an origin story worth telling! I know it can be hard to be brave and share personal experiences, but it’s the one thing that truly makes your show unique.
📱Empowered Podcasting Roll Call
đź‘€Check out this post in our Empowered Podcasting Facebook group to share about your podcast with the group. Support and follow other fellow podcasters: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredpodcasting/permalink/521018853565121/Â
Reach out to each other if there is a good fit for collaboration with podcast promo swaps, guest interviews, etc.
🤝Podcast Promotion and Collaboration IRL
We’ve had several in-person meetups of our group members lately (pic above) and more coming up! It is amazing to see! Check out our Facebook Group to see it all!
🚶‍♀️Members of our group are hitting the pavement to promote their podcast locally IRL at relevant events, that is a great strategy, and it’s working (great job Alex)!Â
Dominic shared the story with us how the Podbox event was started, by creating a regular local podcast meetup and collaborating with the local government for resources for the local podcast community and highlighting the community structures, such as the ambience of a reopened historic park and library.Â
After attending such a successful event like Podbox, it really gets my gears spinning, and there is no stopping what we can do as podcasters in our local communities. I know we already heard the whispers of some of our group members getting ready to collaborate IRL.
đź“©Reply and let me know if you have attended a recent in-person local podcast meetup, met a fellow podcaster recently, or are planning to do that soon.
I’m so grateful to be connected with you and a part of your podcast journey.
All My Best,
đź‘‹Marc Ronick
This content was composed with assistance from OpenAI