How to Craft a Million-Dollar Story - Takeaways from Standing Ovation Host Jay Baer
Jay Baer’s binge-worthy podcast, Standing Ovation, does for public speakers what Sound Judgment does for podcast hosts – but he did it first.
On every episode, Jay, a member of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame, and another famous speaker unpack a story from a guest’s keynote speech. The goal: To learn exactly what makes that story work.
Jay is funny, snappy, and — as you can see — wears plaid suits as just one of many deliberate tactics he’s used to build thought leadership in marketing communications. (Read one of his six books on attention and marketing for many more.) He’s also one of the nicest, most thought-provoking, curious podcast hosts I’ve met.
On this episode of Sound Judgment, Jay and I dissect an episode of Standing Ovation. We pull apart a hilarious piece told by top speaker David Horsager. In the process, we uncover some valuable takeaways.
Want the full experience? Listen to Episode 11, “How to Tell a Million-Dollar Story,” with Jay Baer.
Takeaways from Standing Ovation Host Jay Baer
1. Your story could be worth millions. Why aren’t you analyzing what makes it good?
Like the typical podcast host, the typical speaker—no matter how successful— doesn’t know why their material is good. Most simply operate on instinct. My educated guess is that you do too. Which also means it’s hard to know how to improve your work.
According to Jay, a good keynote speaker tells the same story many, many times a year, often for several years running. As he says, that means a single “signature story” could be worth millions and millions of dollars. He’s dumbfounded by the lack of insight most speakers have about their most valuable asset. “To not know how or why it’s good, or how it’s gotten better over time, is amazing,” he says.
That’s one reason he started Standing Ovation and a big reason why I started Sound Judgment and am on a quest to identify the universal skills of hostiness. While it’s unlikely you’ll make millions directly from your podcast, if you use it as the linchpin of your business or your social impact organization, you could count its value in the millions. That’s just one of many superb reasons to continuously study the craft.
Dissect your own episodes, on your own or with a guide. Also, deconstruct podcasts you love. Pull up an episode transcript or make one yourself if need be. Listen closely for several things:
The confidence of the host
Sound quality
A central question (or lack of one)
Relevance of the topic to the audience
How they use the first 30 seconds to three minutes to pull you in
Structure, story format and pacing
Tone—intimate, loud and flashy, casual, formal, etc.
How well or poorly they curate guests and sources
The elegance of the writing
Whether and where they surprise or move you
How they employ archival tape, sound effects and music
To what degree you become immersed in scenes or conversation
Criteria you choose
You’ll learn a ton and your work—your asset—will increase in value in the process.
One last thing, though: Take what works. Make it your own. And leave the rest at the door. Let me know when you deconstruct a favorite podcast episode and what you learn! I’ll be on the edge of my seat.
2. When and why should you tell a personal story, if your podcast isn’t personal?
Say you host a show for small business owners or fitness enthusiasts—when is it helpful to tell a personal story? When is it harmful?
Use these two tests: First, is it relevant to your ideal listener? Can you tie a lesson back to the topic at hand? Second, does it elicit an emotion? As Jay says, if you barrage listeners with data, they won’t remember it. (This is particularly true in audio; listeners can’t re-read.) But they will remember how you make them feel, as Maya Angelou so famously said.
3. Bob Ross had it right.
Millions of people watched Bob Ross teach viewers how to paint on PBS, because he taught by example. Jay Baer loves “living case studies,” because they do what Ross did – they entertain while they inform. As Jay says, if you’re asking someone to invest their precious time listening to your show, “you darn well better both entertain them and improve them in some way.” That’s especially true for business, personal development, and educational shows of all kinds.
4. Invite your audience members to feel like they’re part of a special club.
One way to create community is to name your listeners. Glynn Washington calls Snap Judgment listeners Snappers; Jay calls his Standing Ovation listeners Clappers.
Contest Time!
And here’s where it gets really fun. What should I call you? We are running a contest, inspired by Jay. Dream up the best, most fun name for yourself and your fellow listeners and win a bottle of tequila from Jay’s personal stash. In addition to being a marketing thought leader, Jay is the second most popular tequila influencer in the world. (I didn’t know that was a thing.)
To enter, submit your ideas through the link below. But do it fast: the deadline is Saturday, February 4, 2023. You’ll also get a shoutout in our newsletter, on the podcast and in our social channels. We can’t wait to read your entries!
5. Make your listeners feel like they’re in the room with you.
When you have a personal relationship with your guest, like Jay, the conversation warms up quickly. Jay chose to invite only guests he already knew, because he wanted to give listeners a feeling of eavesdropping on an intimate, candid conversation. He chose a simple way to create psychological safety.
As hosts and producers, we constantly encounter this need to create safe spaces, from the simplest of interviews to the most emotionally laden ones (such as those Stephanie Wittels Wachs has with sources on Last Day, which explores substance abuse, guns, and suicide). Skillful pre-interviews help. So do several other strategies for putting guests and sources at ease. (For some tools you can use in your next interview, listen to my conversation with Crime Show host Emma Courtland, a brilliant oral historian.) I’ll continue addressing psychological safety on future Sound Judgment episodes.
6. Curiosity is non-negotiable.
Jay pulls no punches on this one: “If you're not inherently curious, it doesn't matter how you build the show; the show will be about you, not the guests. And shows that are about you, not the guests, are not podcasts. They’re monologues.”
7. Combine content with emotion.
“You have to have emotionally rich components in your story. It's what Maya Angelou famously said, ‘They will not remember the words that you use, but they will remember how you made them feel.’ That is exactly what you're trying to do.” Earlier in his speaking career, Jay learned this painful lesson: Audiences cannot absorb fact after fact. He trimmed down his data and added stories.
8. Speak in the present tense.
New storytellers often tell stories in past tense: “I went to this rodeo, and this happened.” There’s nothing special about telling a story. In contrast, when we use present tense, we create a world in which listeners can get immersed. Present tense creates immediacy; it calls on our senses: We're at the rodeo. The sand is under our feet. We’re smelling the hay. It’s a simple tweak that makes a big difference. (Also, suggest this to your guests! A guest who can tell a story this way is gold.)
Want the full experience? Listen to Episode 11, “How to Tell a Million-Dollar Story,” with Jay Baer.
More About Jay Baer
Hall of Fame keynote speaker Jay Baer has lost count of the number of podcasts he has produced and hosted. He is also a New York Times bestselling author of six books and founder of five multi-million dollar companies. Filled with real-world case studies, Jay’s programs teach companies how to turn customer experience, customer service, and marketing into their biggest business growth advantage. Jay has advised Caterpillar, Nike, IBM, Allstate, The United Nations, and 32 of the FORTUNE 500. He is the founder of Convince & Convert, a strategy consulting firm that owns the world’s #1 content marketing blog and the world’s top marketing podcast. He is also a tequila sommelier and the second most popular tequila influencer in the world.
Connect with Jay at Jaybaer.com and thebaerfacts.com.
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