How to Make Money at Podcast Conferences
It's Conference Season
In a couple of weeks, I’m heading to Chicago for Podcast Movement Evolutions. Out of the two Podcast Movement offerings, this one is my favorite for a number of reasons. I’m a long-time podcaster and Podcast Movement Evolutions is a great event to meet more advanced podcasters and professionals in the podcasting space.
I don’t attend podcasting conferences just to attend. While I love the parties, hanging out with my friends/peers and being in a new city…nowadays it takes a lot of energy and time to show up at an event and make my attendance make sense for the amount of money I’m spending to attend a conference.
I have to earn that money back.
In fact, I have the rule that I must earn back what I spent to attend a conference with 4-6 weeks of the event. I’m pretty flexible about how I earn that money as long as it’s clear that it’s obvious to me that the income earned is related to my participation at the conference.
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Podcast Tool: Castmagic
I love using Castmagic for podcast editing. I run a number of different shows so having a tool like this is so helpful. It helps me to do the following:
Get rid of filler words (the AI is smart)
Create transcripts for episodes where I have a guest
Audio editing. Video transcript creation.
Need an AI assistant for your podcast? Castmagic may just be it for you and your show! Do you need video editing too? Make sure to check out Descript as well.
Are Podcast Conferences Worth Going To?
Yes, but….
Over the years I’ve attended so many conferences. I go for the comradarie, the professional development, oftentimes the location and to share my expertise whenever possible. I’ve attended conferences specific to my content niche and preferred content platform. Specifically audio podcasts and a written platform (Substack and my website)
I’ve attended the following podcast events:
Podcast Movement
Chicago
Anaheim
Orlando
Denver
Podcast Movement Evolutions
Los Angeles
Las Vegas
Chicago
Then there was a smaller event that was held in Denver before COVID. Why do I share this? Because podcasting can be in some ways a lonely pursuit. Attending these events gives me the opportunity to connect with my community members or be in community with other creators who are mentors to me.
Attending these conferences gives me the opportunity to do the following:
Learn from the best in the industry
Discover trends from the Creator side of the business
Find out about headwinds impacting podcasting as an industry.
How to Make Money at Podcast Conferences
I’m spilling my secrets!
Here are the different approaches I use to attract income during and after attending a podcast conference.
You can make money attending podcast conferences.
Make sure to prepare before your arrival
Stop focusing on your download numbers
Here’s What I Do
Prepare a media kit and one pager-Have these done at least a week before the conference. If you already have these items, review and update them a week prior to an event.
Review and audit the sponsor lists-I look to see who is sponsoring the event, which sponsors have sent a team to attend or have a booth/physical footprint at a conference. Then I make sure to connect with brands that make sense specific to the long-term vision that I have for my work and what I view as a seamless connection between my work and the brand’s work. It has to make sense.
Collect the team’s business cards and take pictures of them. Also, make notes of your interaction with the team. When you follow up, it’s a much more personal and substantive connection.
Review and audit the attendee list-Who is speaking, who is attending? Are there people that you’ve connected with online but haven’t met in-person yet?
Check attendee and brand content prior to and after the event-Typically, I write a post or record a podcast about an upcoming event. These posts will share best practices, tips, etc. Search for other creators who are doing similar work. They are engaged, thoughtful and focused. These are folks you want to connect with.
Design Content Prior to the Conference-Help other attendees have a better conference experience by creating and sharing helpful content on your platform. It has to make sense within the context of the work that you regularly share.
What Do You Want to Be Paid For?
A lack of clarity around this is where many people lose out on opportunities. What product, goods or services would you say “YES!” to? Or, are prepared to deliver on?
Examples:
Talent in content
Sponsorships with aligned brands
Collaborations with other creators
Editing video content
Editing video content
Producing audio content (a podcast)
Producing video content (a podcast)
What Are You Selling?
Do you have a products, goods or services that you would like to share/sell while at your next conference?
Books
A course
Live event
Online conference
Coaching
Caution!
There are a few things that I would advise creators to be mindful of:
Don’t hard sell-Avoid this. You’re focusing on building connections with people Have a long-term view of what could happen as a result of attending a podcast conference.
Keep it simple-Pick one thing to share/sell during an event and that’s it.
Don’t be too casual (initially) with people who you would like to work with-This one is huge. I’m astounded by how casual people are with folks who can say “yes or no” to working with them. Keep things formal until it’s the right time to be casual. This is an important soft skill.
Set your boundaries-Know what you won’t do. This makes it easier on you when opportunities come your way. There’s no confusion.
Know how to say “no” with grace-I’m shocked by some of the language creators will use to turn down an opportunity. Please remember that teams change, opportunities come and go but being blacklisted can last forever. NO MATTER who it is. Lead with grace and keep it moving.
Which Podcast Conferences are You Going To?
Let me know!
Michelle