No one wants a wannabe
Awhile back I featured the great John Lee Dumas on the This Is What We C.R.A.V.E. podcast. Among the things we discussed was how John’s massive financial success with his podcast in the 2013-14 timeframe caused people to (erroneously as it turned out) assume that having a podcast was the secret sauce to making gobs of money. So as a result all sorts of podcasts sprang up with names that were blatant copies of JLD’s now infamous Entrepreneurs on Fire (Listen to my interview with JLD here.)
It seemed like every craft imaginable was suddenly “on fire” as a result. And quite hilariously in hindsight, all these new shows were shameless knockoffs of John’s interview format, right down to things like, “Are you prepared to BLAST OFF TO SUCCESS as an oboist?” which was a knockoff of, “Are you prepared to IGNITE?!”
(I’m fictionalizing this so as not to embarrass anyone for no reason, but this is pretty close to reality as I remember it.)
Even I admit to taking JLD’s format and loosely applying it to musicians and dealing with performance anxiety with a short-lived podcast series in 2017. I let John know what I was doing and he was cool with it. And the series proved to be rather popular, although in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t make it my main creative outlet. Maybe because being a knockoff of something else just doesn’t suit me, but that’s really a story for another email.
Here in 2023, Entrepreneurs on Fire is going strong, with revenue consistently in the low 7 figures annually. That’s impressive, no matter which way you spin it. Those literally hundreds, maybe even thousands of knockoffs? Well, they didn’t make it, let’s just put it that way. And there are several reasons why.
First of all, the copycats made the mistake of assuming it was the act of owning a podcast that made John successful. They didn’t ask themselves even basic questions such as, “Do I feel called to the podcasting medium?” That sounds inconsequential, but it’s really not. If you don’t feel a sense of purpose in doing something that’s going to consume a good deal of your time, it’s just not going to work out. These copycats impulsively threw a bunch of money into high-end recording equipment, put together a list of questions without giving it a whole lot of thought, and outside of that had no real structure in their business (it’s a stretch to call it that, but it will have to do for our purposes here.)
It’s no wonder they burned out after just a few months, even weeks. They didn’t see the massive amount of time and effort put into building the structure of a legitimate business around a podcast before Episode 1 of Entrepreneurs on Fire was even recorded, let alone published. And I would say that planning and building has paid off.
The second reason is people can instantly spot a wannabe vs. the real deal. The other day I bought some store brand Cheetos, but one taste and it was clear they’re not the actual Cheetos. It’s the same with any product, be it a podcast, an album, even a workout routine.
Let’s face it, no one wants a wannabe. But it sure is easier to be a wannabe vs. being or doing something truly unique. That takes creativity, originality and moral courage, all things that in my opinion are in short supply today.
One of the things I teach my podcasting clients (if they’re willing to listen) is to model, but never mimic. As the saying goes, there’s nothing truly new under the sun. Any creative endeavor has to be modeled on something, but to try to outright copy something, make a couple of superficial tweaks and then claim it as your own is problematic. You could potentially find yourself in hot water legally. And if not that, you’re simply not going to earn any credibility or respect out there.
Back to JLD’s business. To create a podcast, call it “Master Blaster on Fire” and then mimic John’s personality, speaking cadence, even public images, asking essentially the same questions of the same guests is crazy. And I’ve seen all of the above happen, I’m not making anything up. I even asked John about this in a private conversation, and he essentially said it’s not worth it to go after them legally because they’re just going to flame out in a few months anyway.
But to model the idea of creating a product of some sort, and then launching a podcast – and doing it in your own way, with your own personality – to get the word out about this product is not only perfectly legal, it’s completely ethical. If anything, someone who follows this route will earn the praise and respect of more established podcasters. They’ll see themselves in your authentic efforts, and will go out of their way to help you.
The wannabes trying to ape their ideas and hard-earned credibility? No respect there; pure tolerance.
If you are thinking of using a podcast to get your name or product out into the Great Marketplace of Ideas, I’ve been doing this for quite awhile, and have been interviewing new clients as of late. At the moment, our Podcast Artistry™ program has space for a few more motivated individuals who are creative and have the chutzpah to make things happen in a way that reflects their own unique style.
If you want to see what we have to offer, then here’s the link to check it out: podcastartistry.com