What’s David Lee Roth Got To Do With Podcasting? - OnlineMediaTips.com
Back when I worked in “real radio,” one of the first things I learned was that controversy builds audience. Having an “attitude” builds audience. Owning your own positions builds audience.
When you just agree with everyone, take the politically correct position, put politeness ahead of truth, you do NOT build an audience. You build a fan club - one of which you are merely a member, not the object of.
Brian over at Copyblogger has brilliantly illustrated that for us in a wonderful story about David Lee Roth, the original lead singer for Van Halen.
DLR (as his fans call him) has a huge ego. He’s loud, out there and bold ALL THE TIME. And boy do some people hate him. That’s not important. What’s important is that some people love him.
If you ever learn anything from this blog - learn this. You’ll never be a successful online media producer taking the middle ground. You can’t please everyone and it’s a HUGE mistake to try. You have to stake out a position and defend it. You have to own your own opinions and be willing to argue with people who disagree with you. Dare I say it, you have to be willing to offend a few people in order to help others.
My old radio mentor used to tell me, “If you aren’t pissing SOMEBODY off, you aren’t doing your job.” While I do try to avoid actually pissing people off, I don’t hold back on what I think. When I host a podcast, I let it all hang out. If half my audience agrees with me, and the other half doesn’t, then I’m lucky. That’s the same formula that made a guy like Rush Limbaugh famous.
Read the Copyblogger column and ask yourself how David Lee Roth’s approach can apply to the online videos and podcasts you crate. You’ll be better for it.
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Scott Bourne is an author, lecturer, teacher and new media pioneer, and the president of Podango Productions in San Francisco, CA. He is the founder of the world's first Internet-only radio network, Netradio, and is a co-host on several prominent podcasts including MacBreak Weekly, Apple Phone Show, the iLifeZone and GMT. Bourne has also been a featured speaker at events such as Macworld Expo and the Podcast & Portable Media Expo.