You need the minors to excel in the majors
Back when I edited Ben Greenfield’s podcast, I would occasionally get approached by people who want themselves or someone they know to be on Ben’s podcast. If you’re not familiar with the name, Ben Greenfield is a legit guru in the world of health and fitness, and his show is listened to by tens of thousands of rabid followers twice per week. It deserves a medal for its consistency and quality.
So of course people want to be on his show.
I want to be on his show.
But would being on a show like that be fruitful if you have no experience doing podcast interviews?
Maybe, maybe not.
I would listen to every single episode all the way through (as a good editor should) and I can always tell those who don’t do that many podcast interviews. They’re caught up in the hype, thinking about 70,000 people listening to them. They’re clearly nervous and not performing at their best.
What if these folks had cut their teeth in the podcasting experience with shows that have 700, or even 70 people listening? Think they’d be better prepared to bring the heat when they’re on a show with 10x or even 100x the audience size?
Of course they would.
It’s why baseball players start out in the minor leagues before being brought up to the big leagues. Even the guys who are earmarked for stardom put in their reps, and won’t get the call until their game – and their mind – is ready.
You make a dumb mistake and cost the team a run in front of 200 people with no cameras, you can live with it, and no one’s the wiser.
Make the same mistake in front of 30,000 people, and then make that week’s Not Top 10 on ESPN – and you’re ruined for life without that invaluable experience in the minors.
It’s the same game, with the same rules at either level; the talent is marginally better in the major leagues.
But the real game is in the mind.
Master that, and you can do anything – mistakes and all.
Speaking of podcasts, I’ve got a new project in the works. I’m creating a “Podcast Playbook” which documents everything about my new Gone Newclear podcast. It’s high time I did this and there’s no better time than with a brand new one.
It will dive deep into everything about the show, including process documents, show notes about the show notes, philosophy and more.
If you’re a podcaster and want to follow my journey with this project, check out this link: https://podcastplaybook.live
It’s just a landing page for the time being, but I’ll let folks know just as soon as it’s ready for public consumption.
Oh, and it won’t be free. Just letting you know now.
Again, the link to sign up for updates is: https://podcastplaybook.live