Podcasting gets people talking!
This post contains affiliate links for Podcasters' Paradise. The Podcasters' Paradise community plays a critical role in my podcasting journey, and I'm honored to share that journey with you now. =)
i didn't set out to start a podcast.
Honestly, I didn't.
I was trying to write a book.
Five months before launching my first podcast, I barely knew what a podcast was.
The only reason I started listening to podcasts in the first place was to learn about entrepreneurship.
the podcast that fired me up
I'd carried an iPhone in my pocket for six-and-a-half years before I finally opened the Apple Podcasts app.
I needed to learn about entrepreneurship, so it only made sense that I typed “entrepreneur” into the search bar.
The first result was a show with bright orange artwork that seemed to jump right off my screen. That show was Entrepreneurs on Fire (EOFire).
At the time EOFire was a 365-day-a-year podcast hosted by an undeniable energy bomb of a human being, John Lee Dumas.
In each episode of EOFire, John chats with a successful entrepreneur about his or her entrepreneurial journey—the triumphs, the failures, and the critical lessons learned.
John launched EOFire in 2012. And without fail, he released an EOFire episode EVERY SINGLE DAY for 2,000 days in a row.
millions of dollars? from a podcast?
As I grew better acquainted with John Lee Dumas, I learned a lot about his podcasting journey.
For example, I learned that John knew nothing about podcasting when he launched EOFire.
He had no broadcasting experience, no social media following, and no listeners.
I was fascinated by the notion that John had taken his idea for a daily podcast and grown EOFire into a multi-million dollar business in just a few short years.
what does podcasting have to do with writing a book?
One of my greatest passions in life is travel.
My love of travel began to grow when I was a teenager traveling the world with my grandmother.
Thanks to my grandmother's generosity, I visited 12 countries on four continents before my 18th birthday.
I know with extreme certainty that those travel experiences inspired a passion in me that would not exist otherwise.
By taking me on those trips, my grandmother had given me a priceless gift.
I set out to write a book that would inspire parents to share the gift of travel with their children the way my grandmother shared it with me.
I also wanted to explore the childhood experiences of other travelers whose passion equals my own. I wanted to know who and what inspired them.
I was fully committed to sharing their stories in my book…if only they would respond to my emails.
I sent dozens of emails to travelers I wanted to interview for my book.
I got one reply. One.
make people pay attention!
I had grown increasingly discouraged by the lack of email responses when I heard John Lee Dumas say something on EOFire that changed my life. His words sent shockwaves through my body.
He said that having a podcast makes people pay attention to you.
People who normally wouldn’t give you the time of day suddenly start paying attention when you have a podcast.
aha!
Right there, in that moment, I knew I was going to start a podcast.
John convinced me that I could connect with everyone I wanted for my book—maybe even some people I thought were untouchable—if only I had a podcast.
jld was right!
That very day, I started sending out emails seeking guests for my newly dreamed up podcast. The text of those emails was virtually identical to what I’d been sending—with one key exception. Instead of asking people for a book interview, I asked them to join me on my podcast.
Changing the word “book” to “podcast” brought the replies pouring in, and almost all of them were positive. To my surprise, (and terror!) I was able book several guests for my podcast without actually having a podcast yet! I’d scheduled about half a dozen interviews without having any equipment—no microphone, no software, no nothing.
Even if I had the right equipment, it wouldn’t have mattered because I had no idea how to publish or even record an interview. I didn’t have any interview questions.
What I did have was guests, so it was time to figure it out.
When it came time to learn how to start a podcast, I turned to the one man I knew could get me to me to the Promised Land. I entrusted my podcasting success to the man who ignited my entrepreneurial spark—John Lee Dumas.
the first 15 days of my podcasting journey
John has a free 15-day Podcast Course.
I enrolled, and my transformation began immediately.
After completing the free course, I joined Podcasters’ Paradise, John's premium course that helps podcasters create, grow, and monetize their podcasts.
My podcast (that I never intended to start) was becoming a reality, and I was fired up!
from zero to podcasting in five months
Here's a quick recap of the timeline:
- October 4, 2017 - Listened to my first podcast.
- December 2017 - Decided to launch my own podcast.
- January 19, 2018 - Recorded my first podcast interview.
- March 5, 2018 - Dramatic Travels podcast officially launches.
- April 17, 2018 - Interviewed John Lee Dumas (yep...really happened!)
but i didn't do it alone
John Lee Dumas did something that great entrepreneurs do.
After his success with EOFire, he created a detailed roadmap others can use to follow in his footsteps.
John took his incredible expertise that came from launching his podcast, producing 2000+ episodes, growing a worldwide audience, expanding his personal network, and monetizing his brand to the tune of millions in annual revenue.
He took all that expertise and poured it into an online course and community called Podcasters’ Paradise.
Podcasters’ Paradise teaches podcasters and aspiring podcasters how to create, grow, and monetize their podcasts—the way he took his idea for EOFire and turned it into a seven-figure business in just a few short years.
the power of podcasting
A search on the word “entrepreneur” led me to John Lee Dumas.
Because of his podcast—and because he had provided me with endless hours of free valuable content—John earned my trust.
Because of that trust, I happily and proudly joined JLD in paradise. Podcasters’ Paradise that is.
That, my friend, is the power of podcasting.
More to Explore
About the author, Aaron Schlein
Aaron's personal mission is to create a freedom-filled life for his family.
His professional mission is to help others do the same.