Podcasts and Rock Concerts. What do they have in common?
Today, we’re diving into five ways that podcasts are rock concerts.
Today’s podcast episode #229 was inspired by a rock concert that my oldest and I attended for her 16th birthday. She wanted to go to the concert by one of her favorite artists, Jon Bellion, at Usana Amphitheater in Salt Lake City.
The experience demonstrated to me that inspiration is all around and when we incorporate life events into our work, we can gain (and share) fresh perspective.
That brings us to the 5 Ways Podcasts are like Rock Concerts…
#1: It’s ok to be the oldest (or youngest)
Being surrounded by teens and 20-somethings at this concert for a musician I was not familiar with was well, uncomfortable at first.
Was I to act like “an adult” and enjoy the music only internally?
Or was it okay for me to act “like a kid,” dancing the night away with the other attendees?
Interesting how society plants these seeds of “normalcy” within our psyche…
As the concert progressed, these ideals of “normal” melted away as I allowed myself the pleasure of being in the moment and enjoying this special time with my daughter.
Being the oldest (or the youngest) at a rock concert or on a podcast is ok.
You are unique. Your experiences are unique. The way you view the world is unique. Your message has as much right to be shared as anyone else.
#2 Know Your Audience
One of the coolest things at a concert aside from enjoying the music is the banter back and forth between the artist and the audience.
Jon did a superb job connecting with his audience. He knew who was there. He knew what his fans believed. He knew how to get them fired up for this experience we were having together. He voiced his appreciation and his respect for all in attendance and the audience responded with by hooping and hollering, hands in the air, jumping up and down, and dancing the night away.
By knowing his audience, Jon was able to create a deeper connection – to turn his fans into super fans that will continue to support his efforts (and his business). They’ll continue to buy his music, tickets to see him in concert, and purchase merch in droves.
This is no different than a podcast.
When you start a podcast, you may not exactly who you’re trying to reach, though you might have an inkling. The more episodes you create, who you’re talking to and who you can help, will become more clear.
This podcast is a perfect example of that. It’s taken many twists and turns along the way and has taken on numerous iterations. And that is to be expected as you grow as a podcaster. As your experiences, interests, your passions change or evolve, who you want to serve may change as you get closer and closer to pinpointing who exactly you want to serve.
#3: Improvisation and Experimentation is Encouraged
There was a whole section of the concert where Jon brought back on the opening acts to create something a couple of “new” pieces.
One was a song that he disassembled and then put back together in a new way to the delight of his audience. He took something he’d already created and experimented with a new way to present it…More on THIS concept in #5.
The other was created based on rhythms. Jon would vocalize a rhythm and have different people, on different instruments, repeat the rhythm back to him. And then those pieces together. It was magical to watch as the creation process unfolded live on stage. These experiences gave the audiences new ways to enjoy and appreciate Jon as an artist.
At the beginning of my podcasting journey, I was pretty uptight and had a “script” for solo shows and had standard questions for my guests. As time went on, the need to be so scripted was tossed out the window page by page in favor of more freedom to explore what I liked and what I didn’t. I had complete control to:
—> Mix things up.
—> Improvise when things didn’t work as planned or there was a snafu with tech or the like.
—> Experiment with different ways to produce the podcast.
There are essentially no rules (aside from the ones YOU create as a podcaster).
#4: Kids are Resourceful
When I think back to when I was a kid, and how I was at my daughter’s age, I can say with absolute certainty that kids these days have a maturity to them which we, as parents, don’t often acknowledge. The expectation of kids these days is different. The advent of things like smartphones and access to Google means kids have the ability to solve problems at their fingertips.
The fact that all these “kids” were attending this concert was astonishing when considering how resourceful they had to be to get there.
—> They found a way and were willing to pay for tickets, merch, and food. Maybe they got a job. Maybe their parents helped. Regardless of how they paid to get there, they found a way to be there because they were committed to this artist, his message, and what he stood for.
—> They were willing to make sacrifices to be there choosing this concert over other activities.
—> They found a way to enjoy the music and the experience of a live concert.
When you’re thinking about your podcast, it doesn’t have to be just you. In fact, my girls help from time to time now. They help with graphic design, web design, and more.
Whether that means your kids or someone else’s, they can definitely be an asset to your business. In fact, I find that
Kids are so resourceful, and they’re so in tune with technology and devices. Encourage them to use these strengths to help you (or them) share your messages on your podcast with the world.
#5 Use your best stuff again and again
When you go to a concert, or maybe you’re following a particular band from city to city, you’ll find that the setlist for each concert may be similar, if not the same. Do the fans care that they’ll hear the same songs?
Heck, no! Fans will always love certain songs.
They’re happy to listen to the songs over and over again. Each concert presents a new opportunity to enjoy the artist – new surroundings, new people, new opportunities to enjoy the music – all make for novel experiences, despite songs being the same.
As podcasters and content creators, the temptation and pressure (usually from within) to create something new or novel with each episode is real. It can cause lots of unnecessary stress if you let it.
Remember this: If you talk about a particular topic on episode 15, it’s perfectly acceptable to talk about on future episodes – each iteration will be different.
For instance, on this podcast, I’ve done a lot of episodes about Multiplying Your Message – how turning your podcast into different pieces of content can help you reach MORE people. In doing so, you never have to struggle with content to share.
I wanna hear from you!
Now that you know 5 reasons why podcasts are like rock concerts, did I miss anything?
Just comment below and continue this conversation about podcasting.
