The Truth About Podcast Gurus: 10 Warning Signs to Protect Your Podcast Investment
In this episode of The Podmaster, we're taking you hand in hand through the murky world of the all-too-commonly-spotted podcast gurus and explaining why you should avoid taking their advice at all costs.
Hi! I'm Neal Veglio, The Podmaster, and I'm hoping by the end of this episode you'll know the difference between these so-called podcast experts who are actually just fake gurus, and the real deal podcasters like myself who are here to help you.
Until you learn about the tactics used by these self-serving opportunists and hear the 10 signs to help you identify genuine podcast experts, you'd be forgiven for falling for their marketing traps.
From inflated engagement metrics to superficial gains, I'm showing you the red flags to watch out for when seeking podcasting guidance.
Also, another podcasting tip, and the latest download numbers that correspond with global rankings so you can ignore that Listen Notes garbage rating you've seen...
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Our clients get 75% of their leads from their
Speaker:podcast. I read this from a so called
Speaker:podcast coach on LinkedIn recently. In this
Speaker:episode, I'm going to tell you why a lot of what you read
Speaker:from the podcast gurus is simply made up
Speaker:bullshit.
Speaker:The is a guy on LinkedIn who I've stumbled across a few times in
Speaker:the feed who makes a lot of wild claims over how awesome he is at
Speaker:coaching podmaster, and he offers frankly,
Speaker:terrible advice about monetization and growth.
Speaker:But because he's in an engagement pod with a well known LinkedIn
Speaker:influencer, in fact, this person has him as the
Speaker:podcast producer, his followers lap it all
Speaker:up. He's got lots of otherwise uninformed
Speaker:LinkedIn users validating his every view in the
Speaker:comments on autopilot due to their having
Speaker:to agree to an engagement requirement which says,
Speaker:when stuff's posted, you must like it.
Speaker:That is an engagement pod. Those are the rules.
Speaker:And various influencers have these in place
Speaker:on various platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter,
Speaker:Instagram, TikTok, you name it. If it's a channel,
Speaker:it's got an engagement pod. Well, anyway, let's go back to that post that I
Speaker:mentioned at the beginning of this our clients get
Speaker:75% of their leads from their podcasts. I
Speaker:can categorically tell you this stat is a fabrication, and
Speaker:here's why. Now, look, I'm excellent at what I do.
Speaker:I've been doing this since the early 2000s. But even I'm not bringing
Speaker:you 75% of your overall leads in your business.
Speaker:And this is because that's a hugely unlikely goal to
Speaker:reach. Even if you were the biggest podcast on the planet.
Speaker:Even John Lee Dumas isn't converting
Speaker:75% of all of his listeners into buying
Speaker:customers. 75% of all leads
Speaker:from a podcast? Are you joking? Even for
Speaker:bigger brands who have tried and tested marketing channels that are bringing them
Speaker:leads almost every day, that's why this is absolute
Speaker:nonsense. Don't believe me? Okay, let me
Speaker:dissect this ridiculous claim piece by piece.
Speaker:First of all, let me read you the paragraph in full from
Speaker:this particular podcast guru. On LinkedIn, our clients
Speaker:get 75% of their leads from their podcasts.
Speaker:We've made 75% of our prospects podcast
Speaker:listeners looking to run this too. Send me a
Speaker:DM request. All right, I'm going to give you a breakdown of why this is
Speaker:typical made up guru nonsense. First of all, the claim lacks
Speaker:specifics. It doesn't specify what kind of leads they're
Speaker:referring to, nor does it clarify the nature of these leads. Are
Speaker:these sales leads, marketing leads, or something else. Now,
Speaker:without context, this claim is too vague to be
Speaker:meaningful. The claim is
Speaker:unsubstantiated. He makes a bold claim,
Speaker:75% of leads coming from podcasts, without
Speaker:providing any evidence or context. In the world of
Speaker:marketing and lead generation, such high figures are rare and
Speaker:usually require substantial proof or case studies to
Speaker:be believable. He's obviously relying on most
Speaker:people, accepting it on face value and asking no
Speaker:further questions. Now this might work because once they're
Speaker:following him, they may forget to do the background checks and the due
Speaker:diligence, in which case they'll end up in his sales funnel, potentially
Speaker:buying from him, in which case it's a decent risk for him to take
Speaker:if all he's looking to do is make money from unsuspecting
Speaker:victims. The claim is an
Speaker:over generalization. It's suggesting a uniform
Speaker:result, that is 75% of leads from podcast
Speaker:across all their clients, which is highly unlikely
Speaker:given the diversity in business models, the audiences, the
Speaker:podcast topics. Each podcast and audience is unique,
Speaker:so results can vary greatly. Now
Speaker:look, this guy is definitely not alone. I'm picking on him
Speaker:because he in particular rubs me up the wrong way with his
Speaker:nonsense. But there are many others just like him. Or even
Speaker:worse, there's the podcast guru from the UK who made
Speaker:money in property, capitalized on the rise of clubhouse,
Speaker:exploited bored business owners during lockdown with his sales
Speaker:funnels, and now rips off sorry charges a small
Speaker:fortune for arbitrary podcast coaching at weekends.
Speaker:There's the whole slew of Instagram podcast gurus who promise
Speaker:you the earth and tell you all you need to do is buy their $97
Speaker:course, which invariably is a PDF of bullet
Speaker:points that you could find for yourself for free by searching Google or
Speaker:YouTube. Then there's the slightly more
Speaker:legitimate looking podcast agency.
Speaker:These people are usually slick looking gurus who hang
Speaker:out in suits, post lots of office photos from their website,
Speaker:and then essentially hire editors from the Philippines on Fiverr
Speaker:and artificially inflate the success of this content
Speaker:using clickfarms in Bangladesh and other areas
Speaker:of the third world nations. Essentially pure
Speaker:fakery. The mission being to get your podcast
Speaker:launched into the charts so you think they have the first idea
Speaker:what they're doing. Here's a clue, they don't.
Speaker:Now all this is basic level stuff, but I wanted to help you avoid these
Speaker:people in case you're at a point where you know you need to invest in
Speaker:better results for your podcast, but you don't want to get burned by yet another
Speaker:charlatan. So how about this? Here are my ten
Speaker:signs. The so called podcast expert you're following on
Speaker:social media is just a self serving opportunist
Speaker:guru. I'm hoping this will save you a lot of wasted
Speaker:time and money.
Speaker:Gurus promise overnight success, massive listener
Speaker:numbers and top chart positions. Experts
Speaker:set realistic expectations, focusing on steady growth and
Speaker:quality content. They will encourage you to dismiss
Speaker:charts offhand as a main metric.
Speaker:Gurus offer generic, one size fits all strategies
Speaker:that don't consider your podcast's specific mission and
Speaker:goals. Experts provide tailored advice,
Speaker:understanding that each podcast has its own audience and
Speaker:goals. Gurus have all their content
Speaker:funneled to expensive courses filled with total fluff and zero
Speaker:substance. Experts share valuable insights, often
Speaker:through various channels, sometimes even for free or at a very
Speaker:reasonable cost. Gurus like the chat we've
Speaker:just mentioned use bold claims and questionable testimonials
Speaker:to lure you in. Experts have a proven track
Speaker:record with real verifiable success stories
Speaker:and satisfied clients all over their comments on the
Speaker:regular. I mean, just look at my LinkedIn for an example of this.
Speaker:Gurus claim to have secret formulas or hacks for quick
Speaker:success. Look out for anyone mentioning 90 days
Speaker:in particular. Experts only deal with tried and
Speaker:tested podcasting practices and are continuously
Speaker:learning. Gurus focus on short term tactics
Speaker:that don't offer sustainable growth. Experts help you
Speaker:develop long term strategies for consistent growth and listener
Speaker:engagement. Gurus often use
Speaker:flashy marketing, offering superficial gains.
Speaker:Experts concentrate on encouraging quality content,
Speaker:strong storytelling, and genuine audience connection,
Speaker:not Paidforbot listens. Gurus
Speaker:lack personal experience in any successful
Speaker:podcasting. Experts possess handson experience
Speaker:with a history of wins and failures that have shaped their overall
Speaker:knowledge. Gurus offer little to no follow
Speaker:up on their offerings. Experts provide
Speaker:ongoing support and are fully invested in your
Speaker:podcast's growth and success.
Speaker:Gurus the primary goal is to sell their courses or
Speaker:services. Experts are driven by a genuine passion for
Speaker:podcasting and helping others succeed. And
Speaker:here's a bonus one for you. Gurus pivoted in from some
Speaker:other, totally unrelated industry or space.
Speaker:Experts have a trackable history in podcasting, hello,
Speaker:podcasting since 2000 2001. So they have a grasp of
Speaker:the industry's history and can predict and quickly
Speaker:identify trends and best practices.
Speaker:Remember, truly successful podcasters didn't get where they are
Speaker:because some LinkedIn hack bro with catchy hooks sold them
Speaker:a blueprint. Don't be dazzled by false promises from any
Speaker:influencer you see on social media. Seek out those who
Speaker:truly know their stuff and are eager to help you grow your podcast
Speaker:properly and sustainably the so called podcast
Speaker:expert who gets all the likes and comments is probably just in an
Speaker:engagement pod with some other influencers. So what should
Speaker:you be looking for then? When thinking of working with one of these socalled
Speaker:podcast experts, look for engagement
Speaker:authenticity. Be wary of those with inflated engagement
Speaker:metrics. Genuine experts usually have quite
Speaker:organic interactions with their audience and clients rather than
Speaker:relying on engagement pods, and will have relevant
Speaker:comments. Check for their industry references whether
Speaker:they're recommended or recognized by reputable figures in the
Speaker:industry. Industry endorsements can be a strong indicator
Speaker:of credibility. Who are they connected to? If they've not
Speaker:been accepted by those credible people in podcasting,
Speaker:chances are they're not credible in podcasting.
Speaker:Evaluate the depth and relevance of the content they're providing you in
Speaker:their courses, their blogs, or their social media. Always
Speaker:insist on getting a sample first. Experts
Speaker:usually offer insightful, nuanced, and actionable
Speaker:advice. Look for adaptability now the podcasting
Speaker:landscape is constantly evolving. A credible consultant
Speaker:stays updated with the latest trends and technological
Speaker:advancements, and if they don't incorporate them into their
Speaker:strategies, they tell you why. Ask them about their
Speaker:processes. A decent, knowledgeable podcast consultant
Speaker:will be able to offer you solutions that match different models
Speaker:of podcasts at various stages of their own journey. If they
Speaker:try to sell you a one size fits all blueprint, walk
Speaker:away. Leverage the
Speaker:power of storytelling in your episodes. Okay, you might be thinking
Speaker:storytelling. That's common advice, Neal. But here's the
Speaker:twist. Integrate micro stories into each episode
Speaker:regardless of your podcast's main theme or topic. For
Speaker:example, if you're doing a tech podcast, start an episode with
Speaker:a brief, personal anecdote about how a particular gadget changed
Speaker:your life. Or, if you're discussing history, share a
Speaker:short, vivid tale about a lesser known historical figure
Speaker:who relates to your main topic. Make that bridge for the
Speaker:listener. In their mind, these micro stories achieve a few
Speaker:things. They immediately hook your listener with something
Speaker:relatable and intriguing that they can visualize. These
Speaker:stories stick in our minds much better than facts or figures,
Speaker:and they add a personal touch, making you more relatable and your
Speaker:podcast more engaging. It's time once again
Speaker:for those allimportant download numbers, which will give you an idea
Speaker:of the percentage ranking of your podcast compared
Speaker:with others. If you want to be considered a top 50%
Speaker:podcaster globally, your podcast episode needs
Speaker:to be getting 160 downloads within the first
Speaker:30 days of its release. You'll want
Speaker:3200 downloads within 30 days of release for
Speaker:your episode. If you want your podcast to be considered in the top
Speaker:10% globally top 5%
Speaker:7500 downloads top 2%
Speaker:20,000 downloads and if you want to be a
Speaker:genuine top 1% podcaster, your latest
Speaker:episode needs to get 36,000
Speaker:downloads within the first 30 days of its release.
Speaker:Well, that's it for this latest episode of the Podmaster
Speaker:podcast. If you've enjoyed it, please do leave us a review in
Speaker:Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts
Speaker:from. Make sure you're following the show and you can find out more about the
Speaker:show. And stay in Touch at Podmastery Co.
Speaker:That's Podmaster Co. Speak to you next
Speaker:time. The Podmaster is Podnose podcasting
Speaker:production. Find out more about us at Podnose Co.
Speaker:UK. That's Podknows.
Speaker:Co. UK.