For some people, like today’s guest Alex Sanfilippo, finding a recurring problem in business means fixing the problem permanently. In Alex’s case that meant building a software empire from the ground up. He is the host of the Podcasting Made Simple podcast and founder of the PodPros suite of tools which includes podmatch and podcastSOP. We chat about how he approaches solving common podcasting challenges, including how to manage the myriad tasks in your podcast as it grows. He also shares a bit about his next project.
In this episode:
- What inspired him to start podcasting and his first experience creating a show. “The content wasn’t good, the quality wasn’t good; thankfully I was able to make it all just go away one day,” he remarks.
- Why his Creating a Brand podcast was successful. It launched at just the right time, giving it initial traction. The main reason it enjoyed continual success, however, is because the content was good. “That’s what kept people listening; and it was good because I was curious,” he tells me. “…I was just asking [my guests] very curious questions to learn for myself… I wasn’t trying to be that guide. I was the person being helped when I started and it really worked wonders for me and really helped a lot of other people as well.”
- Sometimes the best way to find your niche is to explore a lot and see what’s the best fit.
- Alex shares some advice he got when he was just starting out: find a community you’re passionate about, find out what problems they’re facing, and offer solutions to those problems.
- PodMatch is like a dating app for podcast hosts and guests. Smaller podcast hosts often have challenges finding guests. PodMatch helps them solve this problem by automatically connecting hosts with ideal guests.
- “Prove the concept before you start building something,” Alex advises. When you’re sure it works, then focus on improving it.
- Creating Podcast SOP to help hosts organize their podcast. “What you’re doing really is teaching systems thinking to someone who may have never encountered it professionally before,” I tell him.
- Helping one another in the PodPros community. Alex comments, “The whole thing is just to answer the questions that we’re hearing a lot of, and I bring on the experts in those spaces… it’s just really helping us all level up in a big way.”
- “We want to keep more people in podcasting on either side of the mic,” Alex says. He describes how his suite of podcasting tools achieves this overarching goal.
- On advice for people considering podcasting: Alex says that you should learn as much as you can about the podcasting medium first. Research, talk to experts, and listen to podcasts. Also, know your Why. I add that having professional sound quality is very important, so you should also consider the financial investment that comes with podcasting.
- The next problem Alex is working on solving.
Question of the Week: How do I Evaluate Pitches for Guests on My Show?
A good podcast pitch includes:
- How they know you and your show.
- Some evidence they have listened to an episode.
- A specific thing they want to talk about.
- Information about who they are, where you can learn more about them, or hear them on other shows.
Action Step From This Episode
Try to find one element of your podcast that you can automate with technology, delegate, or drop altogether if it’s not serving you.
RESOURCES
One Stone Creative | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Alex Sanfilippo Website | LinkedIn | Facebook