Don't Waste Their Precious Time

Okay, we've established that you can never be remarkable if your content can be reproduced via voicetracking.

We know great talent walks into the studio with far more content than they could ever use in one show. For them, prep is constant, a conscious awareness and curiosity.

We know remarkable content isn't produced by reading joke services or prep sheets. Remarkable content is personal, authentic and always makes me feel.

And we've agreed that you are surrounded by stories that have the power to be compelling enough; your listeners will really listen to you, actively, if you know how to tell them directly and concisely, with power and emotion.

You know the best way to do this is to write the ending to your story first and work backwards, then to continue to edit and hone until it's as close to perfect as you can make it.

We realize that PPM punishes weak content, but the dirty little secret is that listeners have always tuned out when you ramble, when your content is self-centered and boring, when you try too hard to be funny and fail.

Stick a big sign next to the clock in your studio that says: TIME IS PRECIOUS.

Respect your listeners enough to not waste their time.

Give them a reason to listen - to actively listen - every time you turn on your mic.

Give them content so compelling they want to share it with their family and friends. Every hour, every day. No exceptions. Ever.

Now, make it easy for them to share your content. Make the process easy for the least technically-savvy person you can imagine, just like YouTube does. One click.

The job is tougher than you thought, right?

Next week, we'll look at your relationship with your most ardent listeners. You have a relationship with them, don't you?