Unmeasurable Metrics: Tracking Intangibles

With a few notable exceptions that get all the money, most podcasters aren’t paid by the download. For us (probably you), the intangible benefits of podcasting are the most important thing. How do you track those?

January 16, 2020

Article

Intangibles are, by definition, things that cannot be tracked. At least not easily. They're wispy. They're cloud-like. They're difficult, if not impossible, to wrap your hands around.

Yet to most of us podcasters, they are the most important thing. The intangible benefits you get from your podcast are likely the most important evidence of your success as a podcaster.

In the spirit of brevity, I can take this fairly complex topic and make it more simple to understand by talking about two different intangibles that you need to be tracking.

They are: reputation and resource.

Let's talk about resource first. Specifically, I'm talking about the content you create. Even more specifically, you need to understand whether or not others perceive your content as resourceful.

Is your content referenced by people after you produce it? Is it seen as a resource, be it how-to, inspirational, motivational… whatever. Are you making the type of content people refer back to? Do people say to other people “Hey, I saw that you had this problem, Jane, and here's how a podcast I listen to solved that problem.”?

Do people find your content such a resource that they use it as an example? When I keynote the Outlier Podcast Festival in Salt Lake City at the end of this month, I'm going to reference a lot of podcasts as examples of the things I'm talking about, even if I don't currently listen to some of those podcasts. In fact, some I don't. Some I no longer listen to, but I’ve internalized those shows as a resource in my brain and use them often as examples of excellent content.

So what about you? Are you making content for your show that other people, whether they are listeners or your peers, view as a resource?

Let’s switch to reputation, perhaps even more intangible. Of the two different groups where your reputation is established -- peers and listeners -- we’ll focus on the former, as the latter tends to vanish (or fails to emerge) if your reputation isn’t worthy.

To be clear, I’m talking about your reputation. Not the reputation of your shows or your episodes. This is your own reputation. Are you, personally, seen as someone with a good reputation amongst others in your own industry?

My peers are obviously also deeply involved in the podcasting industry. Your peer group may also be podcasters, but podcasters who make content that appeals to the same or a similar audience as yours. Look beyond that group of podcasters to industry leaders who don’t podcast. Look at the audience who consumes non-podcasted content that’s relevant to what you do on your show or shows. Are you seen as someone with a good reputation in your peer group?

Do you get invited to speak at events? Do people bring up your name in conversation when discussing your industry? And when it does come up, do others say nice things about you?

One of the mistakes I see a lot of podcasters make, especially in my peer group, is being so focused on making sure that their content is seen as a good resource that they neglect to build their own reputation. So much so that they, the person providing the content, oftentimes disappear.

I can't tell you the number of shows that I listen to where I don't know the name of the host, the producer, or anyone involved. I know the name of the show, and I know the content is a good resource. But that person doesn't get any reputation points from me because I don’t know who they are. They failed to say their name enough for me to lock it into my long-term memory. They fail to brand themselves as a part of the content they produce.

Clearly, the content needs to be great. I'm not going to listen to your show unless it's a good piece of content. But you need to find a way to make sure you are blending yourself in with that. So make sure you mention your name at the beginning of each episode. And mention it in a way where it's easy to understand and memorize. I don't come back and say “Evo Terra” five or six times in the middle of my episodes, so don’t do that. Still, my name is pretty prominent during the episode. My show’s artwork has my name in it. The website for the show talks about me enough.

I'm pretty sure I've done a good job of self-branding so that my own reputation can stand on the resourceful content that I make.

So those are the intangibles I want you to think about as you look and listen back to your own content. Is it resourceful? Is it increasing your reputation? Those are the things that I want you to understand.

I also want you to understand that you can go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and leave a nice review. On whatever device you are using, that service will customize the options for you, so check it out.

I also want you to buy me a coffee. BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra is an easy and cheap way to show your appreciation for my content by funneling a few bucks my way. I don't run ads and you're probably, as a working podcaster, are not in need of the services that I provide to my clients.

But if you are in need of some strategic podcasting guidance, check out SimplerMedia.pro for a list of the services we offer to clients all around the world.

Enjoy your Friday tomorrow. I will be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications.

Cheers!

Transcript

With a few notable exceptions that get all of the money. Most podcasters aren't paid by the download for us, which is probably you. The intangible benefits of podcasting are the most important thing. So how do you attract those?

Hello and welcome to another podcast. Pontifications with me, Evo terror. Oh, intangibles. How do you track an intangible, unmeasurable metrics? What's happening here? Fun stuff. Scary stuff. Complicated stuff. Well, not complicated. It's just fuzzy. It's a little blurry, but that's okay. Sometimes. When you think about intangibles, intangibles are things which you by definition can't track.

They're wispy. They're cloud, like they're kind of hard to put your wrap your hands around them. But as I said, for most of us podcasters, they are the most important thing. The intangible benefits you get from your podcast are likely the most important thing that you can do as a podcaster or whether you have one podcast or.

Help dozens of podcasts. It's the intangible benefits that really are important. And I think in the spirit of brevity, I can make this fairly simple to understand, fairly simple by talking about two different intangibles that you need to be tracing, tracking, understanding as easily or complicated as that might be.

They are. Reputation and resource, reputation and resource. Now let's talk about what I mean by that because they're very different things and I'm going to talk about them in reverse. Let's talk about the resource aspect first. Here I'm talking about your content and how others perceive your content as resourceful or not is the content you produce.

Referenced by people after you produce it. Is it seen as a resource that can be a resource for how to type information where people refer back to that. Again, it can be your resource that they refer out to other people. Hey, I just saw that you had this problem. Jane, here's how a podcast or a check that out and, and solve that problem.

They share that around. That's a resource that is, that is shared, but resources don't always mean that. I mean, a resource can be used as example, in a few weeks, less than a week. Well, just just over one week, less than two weeks, I'm going to be giving a presentation at outlier podcast festival, S, L C salt Lake city, and I'm going to be referencing a lot of podcasts.

Those will be resources. Because when I think of these podcasts as examples of the things I'm talking about, I'm going to share what those are, even if I don't currently listen to some of those podcasts. And in fact, some I don't. Some I just know about because they are a resource. I have internalized that as a resource for my brain.

So what about you. Are you making the types of content on your show that other people, whether they are listeners or your peers, find as a resource? The question, are you doing that or not? Now, as I said, there was two things. The other one was resource and what was the other one? Reputation. That's the important one.

Reputation, even more intangible, but nonetheless still important for you to understand and the reputation you have. Like resource is split amongst two groups, reputation amongst your peers and reputation for your listeners. Now, obviously the ladder is easier. If you don't have a good reputation of your listeners, then you tend to not have very many listeners eventually, but still.

You can look at some things to figure out if you, if your reputation, if your reputation amongst listeners is good. Like if you get a bunch of new listeners all the time and you don't get a lot of old listeners and who are making comments, that sort of stuff. Maybe your reputation amongst your listeners isn't great, but this is all on you.

This is not the reputation of your content. This is not the reputation of the show or the shows you have for your episodes. This is your own reputation. Are you seeing amongst these people, listeners, or your peers as someone with a good reputation? Hmm. Now I happened to the industry of my peers who are podcasters also happen to be, you know, like deeply in the podcasting.

That's my peer group. Your peer group is going to be the people who make the kinds of podcasts that you make, the kinds of podcast episodes that you make, the industry that you are in, the customers that you have. That's what your, that's where your reputation matters to those peers. So my peers and your peers are quite different, but are you seen as someone with a good reputation in your peer group?

Do you get invited to speak at events? Do people bring up your name in conversation. When they're talking about, well, you know, the industry that you happen to live in, do you have a good reputation? Now that's an easy thing to, he either have or, or not have. You can, you can waste it away pretty quickly.

But one of the mistakes I see a lot of people who are podcasters make, especially in my peer group, is they are so focused on making sure that their content okay has seen as a good resource. They neglect. To build their own reputation. So much so that the person providing the content oftentimes disappears.

I can't tell you the number of shows that I listened to where I don't know the name of the host of the producer, of anyone involved. I don't. I know the name of the show. I know the content is good as a resource, but that person doesn't get any reputation points for me because. Well, oftentimes I fail to say their name.

They failed to say their name enough for me to get it. They fail to brand themselves as a part of it. Not clearly. The content needs to win out. I mean, if, if, look, I'm not going to listen to your show unless it's, it's a good piece of content. So you need to find a way to make sure you blending yourself in with that.

And I don't have it an easy way to tell you to do that other than, you know, take a listen. Did you mention your name. Beginning of the show. Do you mention in a way where it's easy to understand? Look, I don't come back and say Evo Terra five or six times during the middle of the show, but it's pretty prominent upfront.

My logo for my show has my name in it. The website I put together, I believe, talks about me enough. I'm pretty sure I've done a good job of self branding so that my own reputation can stand on the resourceful content that I make. So those are the intangibles I want you to think about, and I want you to look at your own content and listen to your own content.

Is it resourceful and is it increasing your reputation? Those are the things that I want you to understand. I also want you to understand that you can go to rate this podcast.com/pod DuPont. And leave a nice review on whatever device you are using. It will customize the choices. That's a very cool service rate.

This podcast.com/pod punt. I also want you to buy me a coffee. Buy me a coffee.com/evo Terra is a quick way to funnel a few bucks to this show because I don't run ads and you're probably as a working podcast are not in need of the services that I provide. But if you are in native, the services I provide, check out simpler media.pro for a list of the services we offer to clients all around the world.

Enjoy your Friday. I will be back on Monday with yet another podcast. Pontifications cheers.

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