Podcast Movement is one of our favorite events of the year, and it being in Philly was a real treat!
Not only did we get to meet up with several members of our Podcasters’ Paradise community – along with hundreds of other podcasters both seasoned and new – we also go to sightsee around an incredible city!
Maximizing our time in Philly
It all started Sunday night, and when it came to maximizing our time in Philly, we cut zero corners.
We actually went straight from the airport to the art museum, where the Rocky Steps are, to meet up with our good friends Matt & Alyssa Peet. (Sorry! This link was active when this episode was first published in 2018. This site is no longer available.)
We first connected with Matt & Alyssa back in 2015 when they reached out to us and offered to do some photos and filming for us at Podcast Movement.
We brought them on board and have gone to them time and time again because they’re genuine, hard workers who are amazing at what they do.
Check out the sizzle reel they created for us at Podcast Movement 2015:
We loved working with Matt & Alyssa so much we called them up again in 2016 to film for us on the Podcasters’ Paradise Cruise, and again, they delivered:
But back to the art museum and Rocky Steps in Philly…
We reached out to Matt & Alyssa to help us with a refresh on our photos, and because they were filming the Podcast Movement event, Sunday night was the only time slot they had available.
We were a little tired from our flight and day of travel, but we didn’t let that – or the rain that came tumbling down on us during our shoot – stop us from having a blast with Matt & Alyssa!
Monday brought with it a “pre-conference” day filled with workshops and fun meet ups around Podcast Movement.
While we participated in this pre-conference day last year by presenting a full-day workshop all about how to go from Idea to Launch and Beyond with your podcast, this year we decided to take advantage of the time to explore Philly.
After lots of walking and a bit of rain here and there, we headed back to the hotel to prep for the REAL start of the conference on Tuesday morning.
Podcast Movement begins
Bright and early Tuesday morning I met up with our booth manager, Zach Hesterberg.
Zach has been helping us out with our booth at Podcast Movement for a couple of years now, and we love having him around :)
What was super exciting about our booth this year is that we launched The Podcast Journal LIVE at the event!
It was so awesome to share the physical Journal with Podcast Movement attendees in person.
The Podcast Journal is a step-by-step guide to help you go from Idea to Launch in 50 days with your own podcast.
A huge shoutout to Richie Norton and the team over at Prouduct for helping us make this Journal (and all of our other journals) a reality!
Once the booth was set up and we were ready to rock, it was game on.
From Tuesday morning until Thursday afternoon at about 3pm we were NON-STOP.
John presented on The Million Dollar Podcasting Funnel Tuesday; I presented a Systems Workshop on Wednesday; and come Thursday we were off to New York City for the weekend.
But a lot went on in between that…
The parties at Podcast Movement
Podcast Movement and its attendees throw some of the funnest parties!
We had our own Podcasters’ Paradise meet up on Monday evening; a speaker and sponsor happy hour on Tuesday evening; a Podcast Websites meet up on Wednesday evening; and as if that weren’t enough, we followed that up with the Podcast Movement party at the Reading Terminal Market PLUS shut it down strong at a karaoke bar down the street.
p.s. Podcasters are REALLY GREAT at karaoke!
So aside from spending a lot of time at our booth, speaking on stage, and attending a lot of meet ups and parties, we also took a TON of valuable lessons away from Podcast Movement this year, and we’re excited to share our top 3!
Top 3 Podcasting Lessons from Podcast Movement 2018
1. Your voice and the impact it can have
This is really a lesson learned from two separate sessions: one from Tracy Goodwin (Your Voice, The Most Powerful Tool You Have – If You Know How To Use It) and another from Dan Miller (The Lasting Impact of Your Audio Message).
Tracy broke down the importance of getting rid of voice barriers and focused on how to reveal who you really are through your podcast.
Trying to express anger? BE MAD!
Trying to express excitement? Be Excited!!
When you produce a podcast and all your listeners have to go off from is YOUR VOICE, you have to know how to use it.
It’s how your audience is able to feel something; it’s how they connect with you, your podcast, and your brand.
And during Dan’s session, he truly exemplified the power of the spoken word through several stories and experiences of how audio has impacted his life – and the lives of his listeners.
From listening to Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret as a young kid, all the way to his own kids taking a liking to voices like Zig Ziglar’s, Dan really brought home the impact a voice can have on an individual and their life path.
Dan ended with sharing stories of those he connects with at events and conferences likes Podcast Movement, in addition to those who join his coaching and mastermind programs. He said:
I’ve had New York Times best-selling books, have been on The Early Show, and have spoken at the White House, but I’ve never before experienced the intimacy, responsiveness and loyalty I get from my podcast audience.
2. Intentional content
This was also a lesson learned from two separate sessions: one from our very own John Lee Dumas (The Million Dollar Podcasting Funnel) and another from Kara Lamerato (5 Key Strategies for Intentional Content Creation).
During John’s session he talked about the Funnel UP and the Funnel DOWN process, and throughout he focused on what it actually looks like to have intention when you’re creating content for your audience.
By definition, a funnel is the journey you take your avatar on from the very first time they experience your brand, all the way to becoming a customer, client, or raving fan. But if you’re not intentional about that process – if you don’t guide your listeners down a particular path – then your podcast, your business, your content… none of it is going to be doing anything.
And throughout her session, Kara shared – from her own experience – how critical it is to focus on creating intentional content that is valuable to your audience before focusing on all the other, more glamorous parts of podcasting (like download numbers and sponsors).
Without content that’s intentional – that is crafted specifically with your avatar in mind and that helps you create an intimate connection with them – you’ll never get to the monetization part.
3. Opportunities are abundant
Last, but certainly not least, this is a lesson I took away from the many conversations I had with attendees throughout Podcast Movement.
One of the recurring themes from those conversations was around the opportunities that podcasting has provided these individuals and their businesses.
I absolutely love hearing this, and it’s one of the reasons why we love teaching others how to podcast: we know how powerful the medium is from our own experience and through the experiences others share with us.
What I took away from these conversations: opportunities are abundant, but you’ll not have them unless you put yourself in a place to see them.
Whether that be launching your podcast so you can connect with others, attending live events and meeting new people, or simply engaging and being present in online communities, remember: opportunities are abundant, but you’ll not have them unless you put yourself in a place to see them.
That’s a wrap on Podcast Movement 2018!
If you attended Podcast Movement, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Either way, it’s time to mark your calendar for August 2019: Podcast Movement will be Orlando, FL!
