Podcasting Smarter Podcast Episode 1: The Magic of Turning Your Podcast Audience Into A Community with Mike Rahlmann

Podcasting Smarter is the podcast for for podcasters, by podcasters. Each episode a podcaster comes on to share with us their podcasting journey and lessons learned. The podcast is a personal glimpse into the world of podcasting, from all different perspectives. We have guests in all topic areas with many different paths. Some are small niche shows, some are podcasting as an integral part of their business, others have built huge audiences or gained a lot of influence (and income in some cases) through their podcast…but they’re all having fun!

Episode 1:

Joining us on this episode is Mike Rahlmann, host of the Be Our Guest (WDW) Podcast. With over 5.5 million downloads and more than 1,000 episodes, the Be Our Guest Podcast is a trusted resource for anyone wanting to squeeze all the fun they can out of their Walt Disney World experience.

Mike generously shares his eight-year podcasting odyssey. His enthusiasm for the platform has only grown over the years. He credits the community that grew around his podcast for him finding a new career as a WDW travel agent, running marathons, travelling and conquering his fear of flying.

Listen via the player above or click here to listen on Podbean.

Mike shares his podcasting smarter tips on this episode, including:

• Mike recommends aligning your podcast with a charity to see the power that your podcast has to make a difference. They’ve done podcasting marathons for Give Kids The World. In 2015, their audience helped them raise over $20,000.

• The key to Mike’s podcasting success has been community. He encourages podcasters to connect with our listeners on a deeper level, both online and off. His show has done this by organizing a running team, having annual cruises, being active on social media, and incorporating listeners into the show.

• Mike shares how adding a live show into his podcasting schedule his team opened up a different kind of engagement with their audience. He uses a combination of Mixlr and Skype to make that magic happen.

You can listen to the Be Our Guest Podcast on Podbean, iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. You can also connect with their incredible community on Facebook and Twitter.

For more great Podcasting Smarter podcasts, visit the podcast page and subscribe on iTunes or the Podbean app. We also invite you to join us on the Podcasting Smarter Facebook group, a great community of supportive podcasters!