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What We’ve Learned from 100 Episodes, Ep. 100

May 30, 2019

This episode is a very special episode of Just the Tips. Despite not really enjoying each other’s company very much, Dean and I have made it through 100 episodes. And at a rate of one listener gained per episode, we have hit triple-digit listeners. In all seriousness, though, Dean and I have had a blast making this show, or else we wouldn’t do it. So today we’re taking a look at what decisions we’ve made and what we’ve learned on this long, strange trip.

Podcasts let you build relationships

The first thing we’ve learned in our time making this show is that you’re not going to become famous overnight making a podcast. You will, however, get to know people, and that’s really the amazing thing about a podcast. You can truly gain access and build relationship with people you want in your circle by putting together a professional podcast (or even one like this one). It’s amazing how the doors open if you have something you can invite someone to, like a podcast.

If you want to be a good podcast guest, be prepared to give value

So every now and then you get a guest who comes onto a podcast strictly to pitch their thing. And that’s fine, everyone is pitching something, but if you’re not there to add value, to help or teach people, then your guest spot is going to ring very hollow. And that’s what happened with an infamous episode of Just the Tips: The unaired “episode 101” that Dean and I killed because the guest only wanted to brag about themselves.

Build the right team around you

A big lesson in making a podcast: You’ll never do anything alone. Dean and I show up, we hit record, and then we have a small team of people who manage the podcast. I don’t think we would have hit 100 episodes if we didn’t have that team. If you’re not very interested in editing a podcast and producing everything around it, it’s going to become laborious for you. So like a lot of things we talk about on this show, you need to find what you love about it, and then get someone to do anything else.

You need persistence

Things never quite work the way you want them to. And sometimes it takes a long time for things to hit their stride, and if you don’t have the persistence to learn from your mistakes and adjust and test, you’re never going to make it. That advice goes beyond podcasts, of course, but you have to be ready to stick with it and persevere at the beginning until you figure out the best way to do it for you.

Outline of This Episode

  • [5:15] What we’ve tried and tested
  • [8:15] Building relationships
  • [12:30] The notorious killed episode
  • [15:00] Build your team
  • [21:20] Persistence is key
  • [27:00] How we found our voice
  • [28:45] What’s next for the show?

Music for “Just The Tips” is titled, “Happy Happy Game Show” by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

Dean Holland: