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The First 10-Minutes of Your Podcast (Insider 230)

Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

Release Date: 05/14/2025

Don't Do This (Insider 236) show art Don't Do This (Insider 236)

Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

Clever (and risky) marketing tricks, the truth about podcast gear and guests, essential pre-interview tips, AI voice options, and free podcast artwork templates in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ... Big Ideas in This Episode The dangerous cost of clickbait podcast titles Why tricking listeners kills your show’s growth Envy alert: how niche podcasters leapfrog celebrities The seductive myth of “perfect” podcast gear How AI voices tempt you—should you resist? Sponsor dollars: easy money or creative handcuffs? Confessions: the lies podcasters tell...

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Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

Zero-budget podcasting truths, signs it's time to quit your show, Spotify's new "Plays" metric, Audacity's 25th anniversary, and a pro trick for getting remote guests to show up in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ... Big Ideas in This Episode Can you really podcast with zero budget? Your community: free content machine or wasted potential? Are you secretly quitting your show already? Audacity: free tool pros secretly rely on Spotify “plays”: will your numbers embarrass you? Doing it only for others? Beware burnout Outsmart flaky guests with this ruthless trick ...

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A wild journey through podcast merch mishaps, creative constraints that boost your show, pin trading for superfans, and what to do when a podcast moment needs a "code red" fix in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ... Why You Should Listen The bizarre afterlife of your podcast merch—why a homeless man might be your brand’s next billboard (and why that’s pure opportunity) How your podcast episode can worm its way halfway across the country—and what to do when you spot it in the digital “used bin” The unstoppable, profit-pulling power of true “fast fashion”...

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Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

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Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

How to spot and fix hidden holes in your podcast, why natural talent is a myth, making your first ten minutes unskippable, plus AI tools for pro-quality audio and automated blogging in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ... Why You Should Listen Why editing yourself—even if it feels painful—could be the missing key to creating podcasts nobody can resist The sinister holes EVERY podcaster has in their show that secretly repel listeners—find them before they ruin you The “SWOT analysis” trick: Truth serum for your podcast that exposes your deepest weaknesses (and hidden...

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Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

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Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

How China tariffs could impact your gear, viral death clock promotions, smarter cross-promotion strategies, storytelling upgrades, and the hilarious bad podcast guest action figure in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ... Why You Should Listen Why China’s tariff hike could quietly kill your podcast dreams unless you act now The death clock trick: what you can learn from a “dark” graphic to make your show go viral (and build your email list) Five storytelling secrets that hook listeners so they crave every episode (and beg for more) Why your competitors want you to...

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Build a Big Podcast - The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters

Late-night recording realities, must-know rules for standout podcast artwork, creative promo ideas, and lessons from HBO's production magic in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ... Why You Should Listen The 5 unbreakable rules for podcast artwork that hook strangers and make your show impossible to ignore (break these rules and watch your show disappear into oblivion!) Why putting your face on your podcast art could be the #1 mistake crushing your downloads—even if you think you’re famous in your niche! How to create irresistible, thumb-stopping visuals—no art degree, big budget,...

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More Episodes

How to spot and fix hidden holes in your podcast, why natural talent is a myth, making your first ten minutes unskippable, plus AI tools for pro-quality audio and automated blogging in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ...

Why You Should Listen

  • Why editing yourself—even if it feels painful—could be the missing key to creating podcasts nobody can resist
  • The sinister holes EVERY podcaster has in their show that secretly repel listeners—find them before they ruin you
  • The “SWOT analysis” trick: Truth serum for your podcast that exposes your deepest weaknesses (and hidden superpowers)
  • What professional dancers and FM radio DJs know about performance that every podcaster envies … and how you can steal it
  • The shockingly simple way to create magnetic vocal variety—no natural talent required (shuts down monotone forever)
  • How letting your “life story” leak out in mysterious, seductive bits gets more listeners hooked and coming back for more
  • The ultimate revenge on boredom: How to banish small talk and compel curiosity in the first 60 seconds
  • A dirty little secret about “natural talent”—and why raw beginners can surpass the so-called gifted with this mindset
  • The overlooked tactic for instant power: Make listeners desperate to keep listening by teasing your juiciest secrets
  • Envy the ultra-smooth pros? Discover how editing your own audio turns you ruthless (and rich)
  • Instant audio upgrade: How AI tools let even the laziest podcaster sound like a million bucks (without the work)
  • Automation greed: Effortlessly turn every episode into a seductive blog post that lures fresh fans to your podcast feast
  • The forbidden formula top podcasters use to get reviews that sell—while amateurs beg for worthless “5 stars”
  • Why your bloated intro is bleeding away listeners by the thousands (and how to steal them back, instantly)
  • The unpopular truth about failure: How the most envied podcasters get rich (and powerful) by failing relentlessly … in public

You want these links ...

Episode Timestamps

  • [00:01:56] Why your podcast has hidden holes you can’t hear—and the surprising way to uncover them before your listeners do
  • [00:04:12] What is a SWOT analysis and why do smart podcasters secretly use it to leap ahead of the competition?
  • [00:07:22] The myth of “natural talent” in podcasting—why even the best hosts sound terrible when they start
  • [00:08:43] The editing trick from a radio legend that instantly makes your mistakes invisible to the audience
  • [00:11:22] The dangerous trap inside your podcast’s first 10 minutes—and four easy steps to keep people listening
  • [00:14:21] “Don’t spoil the surprise”—the invisible art of revealing (not telling) that you can use to make your interviews more interesting to listeners
  • [00:21:15] The worst podcast review ever written, why it goes viral—and the template for reviews that actually gets you new listeners

The Newsletter for Podcasters

This episode of Build a Big Podcast is brought to you by Riverside ...​

Riverside is online recording software that makes it easy for podcasters to record studio-quality interviews from anywhere. Try it free and, if you like it, get 15% off any membership plan when you use the code BIGPODCAST.​​

About this episode of Build a Big Podcast:​

This is the audio companion to Issue 230 of Big Podcast Insider. If you're interested in more info on what I talk about on this episode and also links, that's where to go. On this episode, I dive into where the money is made in podcasting. how to get more reviews (and subscribers) for your podcast, podcast hosting, and more.   ​

Big Podcast Insider is a weekly newsletter on podcasting. If you like the content of this episode, you can subscribe here – it's free and you can unsubscribe at any time with a single click.​

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