10 Thousands Downloads Per Episode in Five Months

Today I talk with Noah Tetzner who starts the History of Vikings five months ago, and when the average podcaster is getting a little under 2,000 downloads per episodes, Noah is getting 10,000 downloads per episodes. I wanted to know what he's doing to grow his audience so fast.

Noah Tetzner Wanted a Show About Vikings But Couldn't Fine One He Liked

1:58

Like many podcasters, Noah found some podcasts that weren't bad, but they didn't really fit 100% of what he was looking for. What did Noah do? He started one of his own. Is he a big tech nerd? No. Did he come with a pre-made audience? No. He found guests that had more than a heartbeat (like some shows) he found guests who could bring value. In this interview you will also hear how:

Noah is buying ads on other history shows to promote his show
How much Noah is spending per show
How reviews seem to be boosting his chart position, but may not do much for downloads
How he appears on shows as a guest even if they are not about history
He is building relationships with fellow podcasters and his audience
His strategy is to do your research and be genuine
Not everything he tried worked
How he overcame Imposter Syndrome to start his show
How he is now pursuing monetization
His main priority is growing his audience.

Check out his show at www.thehistoryofvikings.com

Mentioned: www.newandnoteworthy.info

Podcast Rewind: Where Has Dave Been?

19:15

Big Podcast: Podcast Longevity, Failures, And How To Know If You'll Make It In Podcasting

Podcast Envy: Dave Jackson, School of Podcasting, on Impostor Syndrome and Podcasters Hall of Fame

Unstructured Podcast: Dave Jackson

The Word From Mouth: SEARCH, ADOPTION, AND MOVING THE NEEDLE IN PODCASTING – WITH DAVE JACKSON

Want to interview me on your show? Contact Me

What I Learned From My Podcast Focus Group

24:54

I am in a "Mastermind" with a graphics person, a lawyer, audio editors, and more. We are all podcasters and share our opinions on how to grow each other's podcast. It's free (you don't need to spend 5,000 a day to be in a mastermind - start one today).

Here are some of the things I learned:

I don't expand enough on what people get so they see the value
My bullet points were out of order and I put the best bullet point at the bottom of the list
You're not really saying what people are getting
I had too many options to choose from
I need to take my testimonials and sprinkle them through the sales copy

So What's This Have to Do With Your Show?

Sometimes you need an OUTSIDE opinion to find things that are RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

We Need To Talk: Setting Your Podcast Expectations

31:30

There are people with 10 downloads who want to monetize their show.

There are people with five episodes that want to quit their day job.

Here is another way to think about this and set expectations

A musician has written their first five songs. Can they make a living?

An actor has gone on five auditions and might have a lead on a commercial. Can they make a living acting?

An author has five manuscripts and an agent. Can they make a living as an author?

The answer? It depends. The odds are not in your favor, but it's going to take TIME. Many "overnight successes" took YEARS to get their big break.

If your sole reason is to make QUICK MONEY, and you are bringing NO AUDIENCE, the odds are stacked against you.

STEP ONE OF MAKING MONEY WITH YOUR PODCAST

So many people hear crowdfunding and focus on the funding, and forget that step is one is create a crowd. They put the cart before the horse.

How do you build your audience?

In a nutshell, it boils down to this.

1. Identify who your audience is
2. Listen to them and determine what content they want to hear.
3. Create content that will inspire them to tell a friend (in other words, its good). I refer to this is "deliver value."
4. Go to where your target audience is
5. Make friends with them, and bring value to every conversation, listen for ideas for future episodes.
6. Then tell them about your show

Step 7 would be repeat steps 2-6