Tag Archives: collaboration

Using Original Podcasts to Build Brand Relationships



Podcast pro Steve Pratt, VP and Co-Founder of the multi-award winning Pacific Content, told me his company no longer makes branded podcasts. They haven’t for a few years. They make “original podcasts with brands.” And win awards doing it for brands like Ford Motor Company, Rocket Mortgage, Morgan Stanley, Slack, and Red Hat.

The difference? These are no “thinly veiled infomercials. Instead, Pacific Content works together with their partners to “make a show that’s designed as something that only that brand can make; you give a gift — or create a significant amount of value — for the people that the brand wants to have relationships with.” And that, says Pratt, is how and why a brand makes a show that solves for their specific business problem, AND makes them into “media companies,” too.

But don’t forget about the marketing. Good content that isn’t salesy has to go hand in hand with good marketing that doesn’t just try to “interrupt.” So, excuse me (!), but marketers should listen to this informative conversation all about connecting the dots between business objectives and audience preferences via podcasting. Steve should know: his company of “50 passionate podcast nerds” is focused exclusively on original podcasts that promote brands with authenticity and without compromising quality.

Steve and I also discuss:
  • How Dell Technologies’ podcast, Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson, became a “masterclass” on disruption and innovation, and sold listeners on Dell without selling products (and you can hear Dell Global Marketer, Rachael Henke, talk about this in Epi 6 from 5/20!) 
  • Creating a branded podcast strategy like a Venn Diagram between business goals and listener interests
  • How podcasts drive loyalty
  • Opportunities for “brands as media companies”
  • Branded podcasts vs. Advertising in another podcast: What’s the litmus test? (And when Steve suggests brands call Bart Roselli at VeritoneOne, per episode 41 on effective ad campaigns!)
  • Establishing marketing effectiveness in podcasting
  • Success measurement tactics and KPIs
And, since Pacific Content gives good content themselves, don’t miss Steve’s own musings on the future of podcasting, how he did on his 2021 predictions made in our friend James Cridland’s show…and what he’s projecting for 2022!

Please share the podcast, and if you liked this episode, feel free to show support in my virtual tip jar at https://buymeacoffe.com/mossappeal — and please follow and engage with Insider Interviews on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Find/Follow Steve and Pacific Content at:

Reach out to be considered for an episode — or suggest questions or a guest — or to have your own bespoke podcast series produced and/or hosted by E.B. Moss.

Email us at podcasts@mossappeal.com.  We’re “hear” for you!


Jennifer Grimson On Building Wealth – and a Podcast



Jennifer Grimson was brand new to the podcast space when I met her two years ago at the last in-person Podcast Movement event. Fast forward and she became my spontaneous guest for Epi 34 of Insider Interviews discussing her approach to marketing the now successful Micro-Empires Podcast about her path to rebuilding wealth. And, since podcasting adds such a personal touch, she gives us insights about her very personal story from filing for Chapter 13 twice to being having million-dollar + in assets.

Grimson explains how she taught herself to rebuild her wealth AND how to build a podcast starting at any point in your life. “I’m living proof of that story…I lost everything. No home, no job, no car, no money, no place to live, and two children to raise. That happened to me twice…and the second time I was 41 years old.”

Her A-Ha Moment:

“I realized that if I wanted security and to build wealth, it wasn’t just going to be through one thing,” Grimson explained. “I was going to have to create little pockets, which I call ’empires’. And once I got started I was able to create $1.4 million in income producing assets in four years.”

Moving Past the Shame

“The podcast came about because people kept asking me about how I’d done that; of course I’d kept my story a secret because I was so ashamed of it, like a lot of people who share my story. I wanted to share what I had done, but more importantly, sharing those tools and real steps for anybody to take, whether it’s their mindset or literally taking steps to build wealth.”

Lessons Learned:

“I think the first lesson is you don’t abandon yourself, which is such a powerful thing. Think about it: I treat my friends and family better than I treat myself. I don’t say things to other people that I say inside my head. And I think that’s true all around. So finding a way, whether you believe it or not, whether you think you deserve it or not, of believing in yourself. … I just had to put blinders on and move forward … It’s not actually rocket science. It might be hard. But it’s not difficult to understand.”

After Grimson explained her three lessons of coming from nothing to financial resolution — assess, ask, act — she went on to explain how learning to be a podcaster — or learning ANYTHING — is to dive in.

“You’re going to jump in a pool with a bunch of people that are Olympic swimmers. And you’re going to be in there with your floaties on just trying to keep your head above water, but there’re two things that are going to happen:  Number one, you cannot be in that environment and not learn. And number two, the experts are not going to let you drown. That’s true about wealthy. That’s true about everybody here at Podcast Movement. People who are successful, 99.9% of the time want to help.”

On Creating and Marketing a Podcast?

Grimson did not have a media background: “I didn’t even know how to plug in the microphone. I still struggle with that portion of it. But I’ve never really worried about that because there are those Olympic swimmers you can call. I’m never going to be the best at that. What I have to offer is my experience. So that’s what I wanted to focus on. What I learned was that despite the fact that there’s a million podcasts very few of them are actually successful and that they take work. They’re not easy. You have to commit and be really thoughtful about who you’re talking to.”

That is about the best lesson one can learn when diving in to podcasting.

Does her story have a happy ending? You bet. Right down to her pro-hockey husband, Stu. But it’s all because Grimson, who is fiercely independent, candid, and determined, keeps on swimming. Take a listen. We’ll surface all kinds of tips and inspiration. And like she says, please leave a review for Insider Interviews!

Footnotes: Follow Jennifer and MicroEmpires:


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If I can help you connect YOUR podcast/tv/content dots, or just get started with a good #b2b podcast, please reach out to me at podcasts@mossappeal.com

The Rise and Rise of Bryan and Ryan: Podcast Entrepreneurs



Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable is known for being a guy that explains complicated podcasting ad-tech in a helpful, generous way. Ryan Rose of JoneKiri is an up-and-comer in the industry who has already made a mark by helping talent communicate across multiple platforms. Both started in podcasting. Both quit their day-jobs in podcasting mid-pandemic (!) to launch their own businesses. And both are succeeding wildly.

In this conversation they discuss with host E.B. Moss everything from how advertisers can go beyond traditional podcast ad exposure and pricing, to the implications of a “cookie-less world” to the better mousetrap of content marketing cross screen*. These are smart young turks who share a lot of wisdom.
We discuss:
  • How Bryan went from McDonalds to History Major to a major force in the developer space before landing in podcasting…and starting Sounds Profitable
  • Why this quote from his recent newsletter post sums up Bryan’s mission…and value:

When buyers have a hard time translating tools, metrics, and services between advertising channels we get friction, and friction prohibits more buyers from choosing podcast advertising as a viable channel. But that friction can be soothed with education.

  • How slowing down to focus on that education in the business can help speed up revenue
  • Why Megaphone, Advertisecast and Podcorn got snapped up…
  • And why HotPod and PodNews are read voraciously…
  • The imperative for diverse podcasters and the effort to support them by, e.g., former Insider Interviews guest, Juleyka Lantigua-Williams
  • Our “surprise mystery guest”, Ryan Rose makes his entrance and explains the what (and pronunciation!) of JoneKiri (hint: discipline and passion…)
  • The opportunity for talent to help offer presence across podcasting + + +…all screens!
  • Why a “cookie-less world” is not such a bad thing…especially in the podcasting world. (Guess who answered THAT one?!)
  • Why Bryan thinks Ryan “fits into a category of people that I think are going to be the next and hottest things in the next two years in podcasting” and why Ryan thinks beyond the pre- or mid-roll, and in fact staked his current career on it
  • The world beyond the CPM or CPA
  • Why they think I’m great. (Kind of love that.)

There’s a lot more. These are smart guys. You’ll want to listen. Again. And maybe again.

You can find Bryan on Twitter and https://soundsprofitable.com/

And Ryan and JoneKiri are on LinkedIn

If you found THESE tips valuable from Bryan and Ryan, I don’t mind if you virtually tip ME, and “buy me a coffee“! ( https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal ).

Please let me know if you have a topic or suggestion for a future episode on the business of media, marketing and advertising — or need help creating or marketing your own B2B podcast! *Stay tuned for big news — or ping me — about an upcoming conference I’m coordinating on the intersection of podcasting and all OTHER content screens!  Podcasts@mossappeal.com

Please follow on:

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PS: This episode publishes on #EarthDay2021, so please also check out Epi 28 for all the good that Sustainable Brands has been doing since 2006.


Lantigua-Williams with the Scoop on Launching a Podcast Company



Get the “insider scoop” on how to dive in to creating a place in the podcasting world. The talented Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, Founder/CEO of Lantigua Williams & Co., an award-winning and Peabody-nominated digital media studio, walked us through her anxiety through her achievements. While she’s humble enough to just describe herself as someone who builds teams that create podcasts, those teams have turned out hit after hit in three short years. But Lantigua-Williams has the chops, from 20 years of experience as a writer, reporter, editor, syndicated columnist, book editor/scout, lecturer, and audio producer!
The differentiator for this company? Its mission to support and amplify the creators and stories “from the margins” – which often means by and about women of color. These shows include Latina to Latina, which just passed 100 episodes, 70 Million, and Feeling My Flo. But Lantigua-Williams also does consulting and white-label production services for clients like Macmillan Podcasts (Driving the Green Book), the Phi Beta Kappa Society, WHYY, KQED, and Civil Beat.
Another secret weapon for success is Juleyka’s authenticity and generosity. She’s set a tone of sharing — which you’ll hear candidly in this conversation and can read in her posts on the company site and elsewhere, like this very guide to “centering marginalized people in your podcast.”
Listen and learn the ins and outs of producing a show and starting a company as Juleyka shares her knowledge and expertise including:
    • How Juleyka embraces her BFF, named “Insomnia”, and sidekick, Perfectionism
    • The path from intern to producer to company founder – as a “hyphenated American”
    • The first step to starting any company
    • Staying true to Juleyka’s vision for her company
    • How some shows came about (umm, conversations around astronauts menstruating in space?) and upcoming projects
    • Supporting women of color
    • Getting to “scale” and getting revenue
Follow on Social Media

 

Resources mentioned:

Lantigua Williams & Co

Podcasting Seriously

Truth be Told by Tanya Moseley

 


Claude Silver on Having a Heart at Work

The Scoop on Being Heart at Work – VaynerMedia’s Claude Silver



Phrases with the word “heart” in them are too many to count; it’s our most treasured reference as it aligns with love, soul, happiness…basically anything positive (unless tied to “attack”.) But tie it to “Silver” and you have a whole added meaning for positivity, because then you’re talking about Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer of VaynerMedia, a full service digital agency “built for the now.” It’s a fairly unique title, but trust media trend-shaper Gary Vaynerchuk (AKA Gary Vee) to assign that role to his “number two” person. And so, I couldn’t help but bookend my podcast interview with Silver with a serenade, because her actual job is to encourage “courageous conversations” to ensure the whole company works towards the goals of empathy, heart, speed, hustle, and winning.

Silver’s background in positive psychology and leadership positions in strategy at leading ad agencies in the US and UK make her uniquely qualified to inspire healthy attitudes at work, among all people, and encourage transparency. With that mindset, I braved a tune or two, but in between asked some serious questions. Here are the time codes and topics we covered, but I encourage you to hear all the parts in between, because, as the song goes, one is silver and the other’s gold:

5:50: Silver describes a day in her life as the person in charge of “people and experience”

7:20: The difference between classic “HR” and the VaynerMedia approach

10:30: How to “scale culture”

13:00: The VaynerMedia difference versus other agency holding companies

17:00: What VaynerMedia looks for in candidates

19:00: Ageism – at Vayner? In the industry overall?

21:30: Career Pivots

25:35: Silver’s suggestions for brands in a COVID-19 world – and beyond

31:30: Silver’s (s)heroes and thoughts on leadership

35:10: Personal thoughts on parenting today

And, you might want to fast-forward starting at 36:30, because that’s where I sing to Silver again….


The Scoop On Growing Brand and Work Relationships…Even From Home



Ironically, at a time when we cannot physically touch, adding a human touch is more essential than ever — especially at work, even while we WFH. I turned to Erica Keswin, a “workplace strategist,” bestselling author and advisor to major companies aiming to improve performance by improving relationships.

There are plenty of tech stack suggestions for working from home, but once the software or the scanners are set up, how do we tackle the human side of remote work now and pivot in how we communicate?

Zooming in on Workplace Strategies with Erica Keswin and E.B. Moss

As a deeper dive to her recent webinar with The Female Quotient on some of the tenets of her last book, Bring Your Human to Work, Keswin shared more suggestions that companies can bank on. While her advice spans all industries, frankly everything a brand marketer does in today’s COVID-19 environment has to be run through the lens of humanity.

The following time codes are points in the podcast of particular interest:

  • (2:30) “The definition of being human means honoring relationships — with colleagues, your boss, the people that work for you, your customers.”
  • (4:30) The impact of technology on our relationships – good and bad: “When ‘left to our own devices’ we’re not connecting”.
  • (7:55) Why bringing your human to work helps employee attraction and customer retention
  • (8:30) Why communicating a brand’s values has to “get off the walls and into the halls”; in other words, from a framed set of platitudes to a select set of three or four values that are reflected by all it does and guideposts for marketing decisions.
  • (10:05) The imperative of speaking in a human voice across all mediums of communication and why defaulting to the technological end of the spectrum are not best practices during socially distanced times.
  • (12:00) How to start: tap all employees — and even companies — to gauge if values are resonating
  • (15:20) Why even with the ability to connect these days through Zooms or Teams, it’s still best practices to “mind your meetings” and not be beholden to “business as usual” for the sake of having a meeting.
  • (16:30) A refresher on the “three Ps”: purpose, presence and protocols.
  • (18:25) Finally, Keswin, who will detail this is a forthcoming book, explains why a company needs to have rituals – like a “corporate habit” with a higher level of meaning — which employees can count on.