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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) summary
Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy
A How-To Guide from the First Family of Podcasting
25 mins
Table of Contents
Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You)
Summary of 8 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 8
Make a podcast about something that obsesses you.
So you want to start a podcast. But where do you begin? Think for a moment about what you’re obsessed with. What lights you up when you talk about it? What is it that leads you down countless internet rabbit holes?
For Justin McElroy, it was workplace training videos. For you, it may be the mating habits of moths! Whatever your passion is, enthusiasm can’t be faked. And it’s this genuine inspiration that will engage your audience.
The key message here is: Make a podcast about something that obsesses you.
Once you’ve chosen your topic, do some research to find out what else is out there on the same subject. Podcasting has become mainstream, and there are now some 850,000 podcasts available globally. So if you’ve chosen a well-known topic for your podcast like, say, the reality show Survivor, there’s a very big chance that someone else has had the same idea.
If your research uncovers several similar podcasts, it might be time to go back to the drawing board. Or instead, you could push to find a novel angle. Because even more important than the topic itself is your unique approach to it. So while there may be five other podcasts about Survivor, you could focus on a new angle, like the strategy behind the show and how it’s changed over the seasons.
When trying to decide on your angle, draw on any specific expertise you have. For example, Justin and his wife Sydnee built their show about strange medical history on the strength of her experience as a physician. If you’ve got particular knowledge or training, use it!
Once you’ve got your topic, it’s time to refine it into a one-sentence pitch. You’ll want to make sure that people can understand what your podcast is about in one line so they can tell their friends about it. A recent McElroy brothers podcast can be summed up by the tagline “Three non-celebrities try to con their way into a major motion picture.” That single line is informative enough to let you know if you’d want to listen to the show.
Now that you’ve come up with a topic, angle, and one-line pitch, stop to ask yourself two questions. First, are you willing to devote your most precious commodity – your time – to making this?
And, second, would you love to listen to this podcast if someone else made it?
If the answer to both questions is yes, you’re onto a winner. Stay tuned for the nitty-gritty of pre-production.
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What is Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) about?
Everybody Has a Podcast (2021) is an inspiring, hands-on guide to making your own podcast. From choosing a topic to building an audience, podcasting doesn’t have to be intimidating. Even if you’re short on cash and not particularly tech-savvy, you can create something great with a bit of tenacity and persistence.
Best quote from Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You)
If the answer to Is this five minutes of material worth five minutes of someones life? is No! then cut it.
—Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy
Who should read Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You)?
- Anyone who harbors a secret desire to make their own podcast
- Die-hard fans of the McElroy family
- Would-be podcast hosts who are short on skills and money
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