Starbucks and Podcasting (Insider 240)

Bold podcast promo strategies, psychological triggers from Starbucks, three essential interview question types, and how to add real impact (and "teeth") to your show in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ...

Big Ideas in This Episode

• Bands bribe radio station with fireworks for airplay
• What would you delete from your podcast—today?
• Is your gear obsession secretly holding you back?
• Starbucks-style choices: why too many repel listeners
• Sunk cost trap: why you keep bad podcasts alive
• Steal “Metal Shop’s” teeth: make your show addictive
• Never let a “hit-and-run” guest hijack your episode

Why You Should Listen

• The shockingly simple “firework effect” for making your podcast utterly unforgettable—borrowed straight from outrageous music industry stunts!
• The single question that reveals what’s secretly suffocating your podcast’s growth (and how to break free, fast)
• The 3 “fear stories” holding you back from podcast riches and recognition—plus, how to silence them for good
• How to instantly ditch the drudgery and force others to do your dirty podcast work for you (editors will secretly envy you!)
• “Pre-interviews”: the lazy man’s way to higher quality, hypnotic conversations—spend 10 minutes and watch your guests spill their best secrets
• The Starbucks psychological trigger that will keep your audience hooked—ignore it and lose your listeners to the competition
• How endless choices can secretly sabotage your show (and the two-option “milk or water” hack that keeps listeners loyal and powerless to leave)
• The sunk cost sin: why both YOU and your listeners will keep returning to your podcast—even when you bore them to tears (use this, get rich)
• The one tiny change that makes people greedily share your podcast with friends—viral growth, the easy way!
• How to sneak addictive self-care into your episodes, so fans lust after every new release (and brag online about your show)
• The “signature segment” strategy: create one killer feature and listeners will come crawling back for more (even if the rest is garbage)
• Why you MUST give your podcast “teeth”—and the 3 mysterious methods Metal Shop radio used to dominate a rabid cult audience
• What 90% of podcasters get wrong about interview questions—and how to ask so your guests hand you gold on a silver platter
• Expose your guests’ hidden greed, fears, and fantasies with these dangerously fun “novelty questions” that make even stone-cold CEOs open up
• The little-known trick for slashing time-wasting “hit and run” guests—gain absolute control, eliminate ramblers, and make every episode binge-worthy

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] The wildest things bands send to radio stations—fireworks, tombstones, and the desperate quest to get played
• [00:04:42] Three brutally honest questions every podcaster should ask to find true “podcasting freedom”
• [00:08:51] Why Starbucks writes your name wrong on purpose—and what that lesson means for your podcast
• [00:12:47] The shocking power of sunk cost fallacy: why podcasters (and listeners) stay loyal long after the fun stops
• [00:16:53] “What are you really bad at that you wish you were good at?”—Uncommon questions that spark unforgettable interviews
• [00:19:59] The Metal Shop secret: How one syndicated show kept listeners on their toes and what your podcast can steal from them
• [00:24:43] The dark side of podcast guests: How to deal with “hit and run” talkers who waste your time and tank your show

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About this episode of Build a Big Podcast:​

This is the audio companion to Issue 240 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.   ​

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