[Transcript starts at 1:20]
Hello, hello, hello, my podcast people, and thank you for joining me for episode 500 of Maestro on the Mic, my favorite podcast. I know that that intro is a little bit different than I normally do, but that's cause it's a little bit different of an episode. It's episode number 500 and we are celebrating.
We're going to jump right on into the episode. I'm starting it off with a big thank you. Y'all listen, you tune in, you share, you comment, you leave reviews, you leave ratings, you DM me, you text me. Not as much as I thought people would, but you do text sometimes. And I'm just so grateful.
I, the first episode of this, this podcast dropped on Thursday, March 29th of 2018. It was titled Nespresso Makers and the Spice of Life. Unfortunately, you cannot listen to that episode on Apple Podcasts, but I am going to splice it into the episode, this episode, um, and we'll link it in the show notes as well, because you can listen through my website.
But you cannot listen on Apple Podcasts because Apple Podcasts only shows 300 episodes at a time. And I'm kind of like pat myself on the back and I'm like, yeah, what's up? 500 episodes. We got 200 episodes more than Apple Podcasts can even show and I think that's, that's pretty dope. It's actually pretty frustrating as well because there's a lot of guest episodes in the beginning that were just bomb.
But I can link it in. We'll splice it in. I'll link in the show notes and it's just, thank you. That's really what all of that is to say, is to say thank you for listening. Whether you just started today or you're a super OG and you've been here since day one, thank you. I got to give a special shout out to my guy, Jimmy McKay.
He got me started. He is the host of PT Pintcast. He's just an awesome fucking dude. But he was really pushing me to start the podcast and then he guided me to start the podcast once I was like, okay, I'm finally gonna be able to, I'm ready to do this. And a lot of the stuff that I'm doing today and the tech and things that I use, it's what he suggested then.
I'm still using it. As of today when I'm recording this, so I'm recording this before, obviously, this drops. This episode's gonna drop on Thursday, August 10th. I'm recording this on July 24th. Had to batch some episodes cause I got a big announcement that I'll announce, I don't know, when I announce it.
Um, but, uh, this, at the time of this, uh, episode, there, we have 1. 2 million downloads. Like, holy shit. It's been going for five years, four months, so maybe that's not that impressive to some people who get like a million downloads in like… I don't know, three months, but like for most podcasts, that's actually very impressive.
I will say it and I'll pat myself on the back, um, cause most podcasts have like eight episodes and people stop. So 1. 2 million downloads. That is all you folks. You folks are fucking amazing and 242 reviews at the time of this. So just thank you. The podcast has very much become my favorite thing to create.
I love that we've moved into video and I'm stoked to do more. I got to shout out my team as well. Courtney, she's the editor, she's the publisher. Make sure that's, you know, she, she puts the actual podcast up so that you guys, you folks can hear it. Um, Lex make sure that makes sure that it's actually up. She does the episode artwork, um, some logistical things as well.
And Joe does all things YouTube video podcasts and just, it's a phenomenal team and I'm grateful for every single one of them and I'm like amazed that I have this team because I remember when I went to outsource and I was terrified of doing it. I didn't even have, you know, Lex helped me early on. And then, um, Jenny Shih was like, you got to hire it out.
You got to edit, like, you got to bring on an editor for this. Like it's taking so much time. And I was terrified of doing it. And now just, I'm so, so grateful for each and every one of them. So Courtney, Lex, Joe, I know you listen to this. Thank you, you folks are, you three are just, I couldn't do it without you, so thank you.
The rest of you, thank you once again, I, this is, these numbers and me continuing to do this, it's all made possible by you, so thank you. Today's episode, I want to share five lessons that I've learned while recording 500 episodes. But first I'm going to splice in episode number one so that you can hear just how far we've come.
Hey, DJ, can you hook that up?
This is Maestro on the Mic. A podcast designed to help you change your mindset and your life. Join host, Dr. Shante Cofield, also known as the Movement Maestro on a journey to see the bigger picture, find your passion, and discover how movement unites us all. Let's get it poppin. This is Maestro on the Mic. I'm the Maestro. And you're about to get Maestrofied.
Three. Two. Maestro
here. And I wanted to talk to you about something that happened today. I was texting with one of my friends. Because that's what I do all the time. And she was telling me about how she wanted to get a Nespresso maker. And my first reaction was, why in the hell would you want to get one of those? Right? I actually just got a, a, uh, coffee maker that is kind of like a two in one.
It has, uh, one side that you can use for making kind of like your travel mug thing, and the other side that you can use for making multiple cups of coffee. Game changer, right? I had a Keurig before, but it was a single serve Keurig. And then if anybody came over… You know, when your friends came over, my family came over, you would be praying they didn't ask for coffee because it takes like 27 hours.
So, you know, I got this new one, and I was pretty pumped about it. And my friend doesn't have a coffee maker. And so she was like, yeah, maybe I'll get a Nespresso maker. And like I said, first reaction was, why the hell would you want to do that? But, as with everything, I take a step back, and I kinda try to see what the life lesson is with it.
Not to sound cliche or whatever word you may want to use. But I think in this case it speaks to the concept of variety is the spice of life. And that's one of the things that I tell everyone who reaches out to me and is asking about, you know, how should I go about starting to have a social media presence or anything like that. You know, everyone else is out there, everyone's doing things, and how am I going to be any different?
The reality is there are 57 different kinds of salsa on the shelf for a reason. There are three different kinds of gas stations on the corner for a reason. Variety is the spice of life. And while it may seem like just another brand to you, just another way of saying the same thing to you, it's not to someone else.
Perhaps they just like how you say it, they like the analogy that you use, they like your voice, they like the font you use, you know, it can be anything, but it speaks to this concept that variety is the spice of life, and you can succeed simply because of that. I think far too often people really try to start something new and they just sit there beforehand trying to think about how can it be different.
How do I not say the same thing? The reality is, you know, in my field, this movement world, it's all the same thing, it's just that kaleidoscope of movement. And, and Adam Wolf, my good buddy, introduced me to this concept. One of those quotes. I think it's a Benjamin Franklin quote. I may be wrong with that.
But either way, he introduced me to this quote and this concept that it's all just a kaleidoscope, right? It's all the same information and you just turn that dial just a little bit. And you end up with your take, your vision, and you present that to the world. And that will resonate with some people, and those people will become your crew, your cronies, your posse, whatever.
And for other people, it won't resonate with them, and they follow someone else, and that's fine. We need that. We need that variety. So, you know, long story short here, uh, the Nespresso maker giving me some insight to life today and the fact that variety is the spice of life. Don't let the fact that there are others out there doing what you want to do stop you from doing what you want to do.
Your voice may be just what someone needs, your take may be just what resonates with someone. So, go out there, do whatever it is that you're wanting to do, whether it's starting a podcast, starting a social media, uh, following, I shouldn't say media following, starting having, starting to have a social media presence, starting a Facebook page, starting a website, starting a blog, starting whatever.
Go out there and do it. Alright, variety is 100% the spice of life. Till next time, Maestro, out.
Dude, we've upgraded just a little bit. Although, I will say, I'm still incredibly proud of that first episode. That whole, that phrase that's out there, like, if you're not embarrassed about your first work, your early work, you waited too long, fuck that. I'm proud as shit of my early work. I gave it all that I had, and is it better now in different regards?
Yes. That first episode was a little bit echoey. Music was a little bit loud. I don't care. It got out. It got done. The message was still good, still good. The message still resonates and lands today. So I'm super proud of that, but y'all can hear the difference, right? I had a Blue Yeti mic. Not that that was necessarily a worse mic, but it was like on the desk and I move my hands a lot.
You can see. I was banging the desk and you could hear that. I've upgraded. I got a Shure mic now. We're doing this on video, just, things have changed. I have soundproofing and, not soundproofing, um, sound treatment in, in this room, and yes, things have come along, but, uh, Still, I'm proud as shit of that first episode.
So, let's hop on into the five lessons that I have learned, five things that I've learned from recording 500 episodes. Number one, longevity reigns supreme. Do not start a podcast until you can keep one going. Everyone starts a podcast. Very, very few people keep one going. My process, like I said earlier, has not really needed to change that much over these past five years, and I think it's largely attributable to the fact that I waited to start this podcast until I had the capacity to keep one going and to really lean in. I did the research with Jimmy. I sat, I had a call with him. I'm so grateful for him. And I did exactly what he said and I set it up right. I built it into my schedule such that it became a habit. It became a part of the business.
It became part of my identity. Right. I'm a podcaster. I went to conferences and things like that. And that allowed me to keep going. I heard a great quote the other day from my guy, David. Well begun is half done. And I love that. I do not start a podcast until, you know, you can keep on going.
Number two, learn how to do it yourself and then outsource.
Earlier in the episode, I thanked my team. I'm going to thank them again. Lex, Courtney, Joe, y'all are the real MVPs. Just, you really are. But I did wait to outsource things. I waited 150 episodes to truly outsource the editing and the producing of it. I brought on Lex at episode 8 to help with the graphics and teasers.
But I was still doing the podcast hands on, editing the things and making sure that it got up and things like that. Um, and there's a ton of value in that. One, there have been times recently where my skill set has been needed, right? People get sick, like, I don't have some massive fucking team, and nor am I gonna be like, figure it out!
Like, life happens, and it's really great if life happens, for you to be like, it's okay, I got this. Yes, you can also just be like, the podcast didn't go out. It's totally fine. But for me, I would rather throw myself in the road than not show up for something that I said I was gonna do. So, to me, being able to edit these things and put the podcast episodes up and troubleshoot things is hugely valuable, right?
The show always goes on, and for me, there's no stress with that, right? Second thing, when you do it yourself, I said this before, you really start to value how long it takes, how much is involved, and you're way more willing to pay someone because you're like, yeah, this shit is actually, like, really tough or maybe you hate it or it's a long time and you're like, yeah, I will pay someone to do it.
Three, if you do it yourself, you can help that person in terms of what your system is and like the system that you have found to work. Obviously, if you're going to truly outsource then allow that person to do their thing as well, especially if they're coming in with, you know, they're very proficient with this, but if it's someone that you're kind of training, then this makes it even easier.
You can do a screen recording of things and be like, hey, this is how I do it, x, y, z, and then, and get that done. I have zero judgment if you don't want to try to do it yourself. If you're like, no, fuck this, I'm outsourcing it from the get go. Amazing. All right, but most of you listening to this, many of you listening to this have more time than you do money to invest in this business, this online business that maybe is right now just kind of burgeoning.
It's a kind of a hobby kind of thing. It's very, it's early onset and maybe it's a side hustle. To that end, use that time to get in the trenches yourself. I think that doing these things yourself, in addition to all the things I just listed out, is a phenomenal way to ensure the safety, if you will, and the longevity of your podcast 'cause you know that you can always put it out yourself. Push come to shove. Lastly, it's 2023 and a lot of the things that exist now, it didn't exist when I first started. Not to say that I would've gone a different direction, but lean into ai. I did a past episode and spoke about Buzzsprout as a podcast host, uh, and using their ai, it's called, I think it's called like AI Co-producer or something like that.
And that will help you with show notes, and that'll help you with titles and things like that. Lean on that right learn how to do things yourself and then after that you can outsource.
Lesson number three don't do one if you can do two. This may be a little bit counter I don't know counterintuitive a little counter to what I oftentimes say, which is it's not counter to what I say in terms of sustainability but In this case, yes, I am encouraging you to do more, right?
There is something to be said about being prolific. Quantity can absolutely beget quality and also quantity, as long as it's not super shitty, can increase the speed with which you achieve proficiency with something. I started out from the get go doing two episodes a week. It was one guest episode, one solo episode, which was a lot.
But I also had a big network at the time and also I have a large capacity for content creation. If you're thinking about this and you're like, yeah, I think I could do two episodes, I would suggest starting off with two solo episodes a week as opposed to a solo and a guest. Guest episodes are just tough to, they're tough to set up.
They're longer to edit and things like that. Definitely do solo episodes. I'm getting to that for number, step number five or lesson number five, but In, in terms of creating the capacity, making sure that you, in terms of making sure that this, that this is sustainable, um, I would say lean more on the solo episodes.
Right? I did take a break in the middle, but all that that meant was that I went down to one episode for one of the summers. I went down to one episode a week instead of two for a little bit, and then back up to now we're back at, at two episodes a week. Um, when you have more content, it's more touch points for the audience.
Builds trust faster. It's more reps for you, builds clarity quicker. It's more creative space for you, right? So you can talk about more things. You just got more real estate there. It helps you build the metrics faster, right? You have twice the amount of episodes that are going out, twice the downloads.
Right? This is all about capacity, which is very on brand for me. So don't do one if you have the capacity to do two, episodes. I should say that. Two episodes, not two podcasts. Two episodes.
Number four, do not start a video podcast until you have recorded at least 100 audio only episodes. I did a podcast episode about this recently.
It was episode 491, my podcasting process. And I speak about this is vehemently. Like do not start a video podcast until you have at least 100 audio only episodes recorded. Video adds a ton of friction. I started with video around episode 420, I believe, and it was hard for me, right? I already had 400 plus episodes and I'm hugely proficient with this.
I never shut up, easy for me to talk off the cuff, things like that. And this was difficult for me. So I'm thinking about people that just inherently have more difficulty with content creation and the fact that it will very likely stop you and stop them if they add video from the get go. Right. So lesson number one here was that longevity reigns supreme, and I want you to set yourself up for that longevity. I want you to set yourself up for that success. Video podcasts are super cool. They, it's a great way to repurpose content or create short form content from that long form content. But actually having a podcast that you keep going is cooler.
So do not start a video podcast until you have recorded at least 100 audio only episodes. Right. And we will link episode 491, um, which goes into my video podcast- my video podcast. And you can hear about what my week looks like and you can watch it too if you want, we'll put it as a YouTube video as well.
Lastly, lesson number five: Having a podcast is one of the best hacks, quote unquote, for growing your online business. I did a whole episode about why you should start a podcast. We can link that. Thank you, Courtney. Uh, but it is a phenomenal tool and a phenomenal asset for your business. It helps you connect with your people.
When I say connect, yes, podcasting is unidirectional, but it allows for this passive consumption of long form content from your people. They can hear you. They can feel you. You get to share life updates. All right. And it's more than just, and it's just, excuse me, I should say, and it provides a way to share more content in general, along with sharing your, your personality.
Networking, this cannot be denied. You bring people on and you get to talk to them. Ideally, if you're a good host and you, you know, do a good job with the episode, maybe they bring you on to theirs, which is dope. Maybe they actually share the episode because you did such a job, such a good job of seeing them and capturing them.
And they're like, yo, I want to put this in front of my audience. Right? So that's a phenomenon for networking and for growth. It's a creative outlet, and it gives you a lot of space, right, because these episodes can be short, that my first episode was five minutes long. I've had solo episodes that are an hour long.
You get to choose how long you want it to be, and this is especially great if you like speaking, right? It is a lot of real estate. You know, especially you like, you like speaking, you maybe don't like writing as much and it's just, there's just more room for nuanced messaging and really explaining yourself and just having people truly like actually hear you and can hear what you're saying in your voice.
Very, you're very easy to misinterpret things via, via written word and via text, but you say something and people can hear you and it allows for more clarity as well. It allows you to refine your message. Right? Because it gives you that space to really talk things out and hear yourself, right? Outline things and really go over the same things over and over again.
Get in detail with it and be like, actually this is what I'm trying to say. You can use it to monetize. You can get paid traffic on it, you can get ads on it. I haven't done it yet. A bunch of you wrote in or texted me, DM'd and I'm super grateful about that. I still haven't decided what I'm going to do about ads.
But either way, you can monetize the podcast that way. You can use it to advertise other people's businesses, right, which is largely what I do now when I bring the owner on, um, just to hype them up and promote them. Sometimes I get, um, will get product in exchange, not necessarily just an exchange.
Usually I pitch for the product first and then I'm like, Hey, I would love to bring you on so people can hear you and hear about the business and things like that. Um, but that also allows you to just further that relationship because now you're having a conversation with this person for 45 minutes, an hour, and promoting their stuff.
And they'd be like, damn, this person's like cool. This person cares. Lastly, the podcast can serve as advertising for your own products, your own offices, offices, Jesus, your own products, your own offers, your own services, right? You don't have to put paid ads in there or get paid from them. You can actually put your own ads if you want, or you can just talk about your own products and services and, you know, promote those things on this kind of platform. Speaking of, I got two things for you. Number one, if you folks are listening and you want help starting your own podcast, I have a free e book. I've pitched it in a bunch of episodes, namely the episodes that were, that are, um, I don't know, in relation to podcasting things. Um, but we will link that in the show notes.
It's a free e book. It goes over literally everything that you need to know to start a podcast. It has been downloaded hundreds of times. And I know that people have started podcasts. I've been on some of these people's podcasts myself. And I'm like, this is fucking amazing. So if you want to start a podcast, you're like, where do I start?
I want guidance. What kind of equipment do I get? How do I host it? How do I get the podcast like onto the players? What should I talk about? How do I interview people? How do I have remote podcasts? How do I have multiple hosts? It's all in the ebook and it's free. Free 99. Link in the show notes. Lastly. A little reminder that the waitlist is open for round 14 of my Instagram Intensive.
The Instagram Intensive is a six week online group coaching program that teaches health and fitness pro, wow, I almost said programs, that teaches health and fitness professionals exactly how to use Instagram for online business. We will start on September 4th, which is about a month from the day that this episode drops, if you're listening to it that day the waitlist gets priority access to registration and they also get a hundred dollars off the ticketed price. So all of the details will drop that in the show notes You can clicky click tappy tap go check that out DM me if you got any questions I cap the intensive at 50 people to ensure quality.
All right, go check it out. The FAQ section is dense as hell answers all the questions.
But let's bring it back to the episode.
Five things that I've learned from 500 episodes. Number one, longevity reigns supreme. Do not start a podcast until you can keep on going. Number two. Learn how to do it yourself, and then look to outsource.
Number three, don't do one, if you can do two. Number four, and again, I'm talking about episodes, weekly episodes, okay. Number four, do not start a video podcast until you have recorded at least 100 audio only episodes. Number five, having a podcast is one of the best, quote unquote hacks for growing your online business.
If you've been thinking about starting a podcast, folks, do it. It has been an absolute blast recording these 500 episodes and I have no plans on stopping. If anything, I'm obviously going to do more, but there may be, and I've dropped this before talking about this, a different podcast, a new podcast, uh, come about, um, with Jill.
Business and bullshit. That name was already taken, so we gotta like figure something else out, but um, if anything I'm going to add podcasts, um, in addition to the continuing, in addition to continuing to put out podcast episodes for Maestro on the Mic, because I love it. I love all of you, and I am so frickin grateful for every single one of you. I'm not doing a giveaway or a contest or anything like that. Mainly because the audience, you folks, you're international, which is just like mind blowing to me. But also makes it incredibly difficult to do giveaways because I can't send things around the world and it just makes it really hard.
So if I can think of something fun or if you folks think of something fun that you're like, Hey, you could do a giveaway of this thing that you could deliver remotely. Shoot me a DM at The Movement Maestro. Shoot me a text 310 737 2345. That's also my whatsapp number. And let me know. I'm, I'm open to all the ideas because I do want to celebrate all of you and I do want to thank all of you because this podcast happens because of you.
So again, 500 episodes, just thank you. Cheers to 500 MOAR. Until next time friends, Maestro out.
Watch this episode on YouTube!
Get on the Waitlist for my Instagram Intensive HERE!
Listen to the very first episode here!
The FREE How to Start a Podcast Ebook
MOTM #491: My Podcasting Process
MOTM #422: Why You Should Start A Podcast For Your Business
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