To put it lightly....the traditional CPM (cost per mil) podcast sponsorship framework really SUCKS! Typically a sponsor will pay podcasters $18-$25 for every 1,000 downloads an episode does. The problem is that only 20% of podcasters even get to 1,000 downloads/episode. In episode 634 of Podcasting Business School I brought THE brand partnerships guru, Justin Moore onto the show to teach us all how to get LUCRATIVE sponsorships and brand deals..... even with a small niche....and a small audience.

Podcasting PROBLEM: Podcasters are giving up because they aren't seeing any growth and they aren't making money! Here's how most podcasters are trying to solve this problem 👉 The Be Everywhere Strategy. Why this isn't working: We are spreading ourselves too thin! Trying to be everywhere tends to lead to not seeing growth/engagement anywhere. ➡️ I've actually noticed faster audience growth by being on fewer social media platforms and in episode 633 of Podcasting Business School I unpack my minimalist social media strategy for maximum podcast growth.

July is normally my lowest month of downloads each year for my show Podcasting Business School. So I decided to mess around and do a podcast SEO experiment.....and it WORKED....massively! On July 6th I hit 1,838 downloads in ONE day. The next day I hit 3,386. The day after that I had 1,636 (screenshots from my Libsyn account attached for proof!). Next week (July 28-30th) I'm hosting a FREE challenge inside of my Podcasting Business School community where I'm going to unpack everything I did and explain how you can give my podcast SEO experiment a try for your show!

Most communities lose people in the first 72 hours. Not because the content was bad. Because nobody 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻. There's a principle in social psychology called identity-based belonging. The short version: people don't stay where they feel like a guest. They stay where they feel like a *member of a category they already identify with*. *𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 👀* This is different from "welcoming" someone. A hotel welcomes you. That's not belonging. Here's the reality. The moment someone can say "I'm the kind of person who belongs here," the retention math completely changes. They start showing up differently. Contributing instead of lurking. Defending the space. Recruiting their peers. I watched this happen at an addictions treatment centre I worked in. The staff who stayed longest weren't necessarily the best-paid. They were the ones who'd started saying "we" instead of "they" within their first few weeks. Small shift. Massive signal. It happens in Skool communities too, and the window is narrow. So here's one thing you can actually do this week. Rewrite your welcome post. Not to say "glad you're here." Write it to 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 your members are claiming by joining. Something like: "You're here because you don't build communities the way everyone else does." That's not flattery. That's a mirror. Give them a sentence that lets them see themselves in it. 🪞 When they can repeat that sentence to describe themselves, you've got something stickier than any course or challenge or gamification point ever built. The belonging comes first. Everything else is downstream of that. What did your own welcome post actually say when you launched?

Mark your calendars because there are three events happening this week that you won't want to miss. Tomorrow (Tuesday), @Katya McEwen and @Des Dreckett are hosting a free masterclass for all members about making your workshops more interactive. Find out more details on the calendar and here. On Wednesday, I will be hosting the PERSONALS for Premium members. This week is Breakout to Breakthrough where we will having a casual, unrecorded conversation about a topic of interest to Skool group owners and since Growth Boost seems to be the hot topic still, we will be discussing how you are using or not using it. Not a premium member yet, become one for only $3/month. That's half a cup of coffee!!! On Thursday, @Faith Adebayo, moderator extraordinaire, is doing me a solid and hosting this month's New Member Onboarding. If you are newish to the community or just want to learn more about what we do, how to do it, and how to make the most of this resource, come along! Check out the calendar for more info on times in your time zone. Want to host a masterclass of your own? It's one of the perks of becoming a premium (or VIP) member. The next round of applications for VIP membership will be going out at the end of August, so keep your eyes open!