EP037 Get PhD-Level Marketing Tips from Professor Pete’s Short Podcasts

Professor Pete holds a Ph.D. in marketing, and uses his main podcast– Winning at Business and at Life– alongside short podcasts to deliver deep marketing insights to professionals and business owners. Stay tuned to the end of the show where host Tiffany Youngren shares some of the Professor’s best methods and tactics for driving his podcast to success!

Hot Seat Series on Next Up Nation Evaluates the Winning at Business and at Life Podcast

Winning at Business and at Life has released 309 episodes from February of 2020 until the day of this recording, which is September 21, 2021. Professor Pete Alexander inspires hard-driving leaders and other working professionals with over 100 innovative and effective stress relief strategies that help overcome their self-imposed obstacles and barriers to success. Pete also hosts his popular seven-minute podcast and has been a frequent guest on other podcasts and radio shows.

Part 1: The WHY Behind Professor Pete’s Podcast, Winning at Business and at Life

So why did Professor Pete start the podcast in the first place? 

Towards the end of 2019, Professor Pete was on LinkedIn looking to cultivate more professional relationships and connections with people. He wanted to find a way to provide more value to the people he was already connected with but found that the platform wasn’t quite conducive to that goal. 

Then the spark hit him— why not start a podcast. Here’s what the Professor had to say when asked about the beginnings of the podcast:

“I was on LinkedIn. And I had a good set of contacts, but I wasn’t really cultivating that. And I thought, well, what can I do to provide additional value? And so I thought about it, and I thought, well, what the heck, I’ll go ahead and I’ll start a podcast, see how that goes.”

The podcast opened up more opportunities for Professor Pete to find what he was looking for back in late 2019. He told Tiffany:

“[N]ot only did I get to make connections with some wonderful people, and extend my connections with some of my peers, but I also found a love for the broadcast booth again, because that was my original major when I went to college back in the stone age…I kind of gave myself almost like paying homage to my inner child by going back and doing the podcast so many years later.”

However, his goal was more than building connections and living out his childhood dreams. He wanted to give his listeners something that could use to improve their personal and professional lives– something that was practical. And one thing he noticed within himself and from the people he speaks to: we’re all stressed. Stressed from life and from work and that’s where he decided to put his focus, which is giving people the tools and methods to help reduce stress levels.

When Tiffany asked why he chose this topic, here’s what he told her:

“When I actually started doing my stress relief work, one of the things that I found was that those of us who are in business are stressed and time is a huge component of that.”

Hence why he focuses on creating a podcast that’s digestible but packed with useful info. He went on to say on the subject:

“And then I thought, Aha, wouldn’t it make sense to have the podcast have something like that as well? Because, once again, people are strapped for time. And if they can get something of value in a short amount of time, then they’re more likely to subscribe.”

That’s how Winning at Business and at Life was born.

Part 2: WHO Professor Pete Considers the Ideal Audience for Winning at Business and at Life

The ideal listener for Professor Pete’s Winning at Business and at Life is any professionals and entrepreneurs that are feeling stressed from their careers. Looking at the demographics data, the Professor says his main audience member falls in the late 20s or early 30s range– so it appears it’s young, fresh professionals who are getting the most value from his podcast.

Part 3: WHAT is Working Now to Get More Listeners to the Winning at Business and at Life Podcast

There are a few things the Professor thinks are driving more listeners to his show. The first is making his setup look more professional and legit, from the sound to the video. He also transcribes his podcast’s question directly into the show’s description, which helps search engines like Google index it properly and helps with the SEO aspect of marketing.

Another tip he gives is that you need to expand the number of platforms you use: put your podcast wherever you can. Make use of different networks like LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify, create your own website, and put links on social media platforms like Facebook (Meta) and Twitter.

Finally, Professor Pete reaches out to his audience to find new guests or ask them to send specific shows to people who they feel will benefit from the information provided.

Tiffany’s Take

Tiffany likes to spend time with her guests to help them figure out ways they can grow and reach new levels of success. To that end, she’s developed the four Ps. 

• You need to know your PURPOSE
• You need to know your PEOPLE and find ways to connect with them
• You need to optimize your PROMOTION to increase your reach
• You need PROCEEDS (or PROFITS) to put back into the podcast and make it better

#1 What is Professor Pete Alexander Doing Well?

The one thing Tiffany says Professor Pete does extremely well is asking for referrals. As mentioned above, he asks people to either refer guests or podcast shows to friends and family of the listener who might get value from the show.  This call to action is powerful to help guide audience members to do something. It can be asking people to go to your website or subscribe. 

And with over 300 episodes, he’s been very consistent in creating his content.

#2: Some Areas of Opportunity for the Winning at Business and at Life Podcast

Tiffany pointed out one area of opportunity for the Professor, and that’s being more clear about what you– as the creator– want out of your show. Everyone wants a payoff for their efforts, so being clear with your goals is extremely important for success. A lot of times, if people don’t see the payoff, they give up and quit. 

#3: The Best Action Step for a Bigger Audience and More Credibility in the Next 30 Days

Tiffany’s action step this time around is having a clear audience promise so they can know that they will be getting out of the show. In Professor Pete’s particular instance, she says he needs to let his audience members know which stress tool they receive during the show and how if they listen to multiple episodes, they’ll learn something new every day. 

About the Hot Seat Series

The Hot Seat series focuses on reaching out to enterprising podcast hosts who interview guests for their audience to share valuable information, have produced MORE THAN 10 episodes, and have a clear vision of what their show is about and their goals. 

This article is based on an interview host Tiffany Youngren conducted with Professor Pete Alexander, the host of Winning at Business and at Life podcast. You can find and listen to the Professor on LinkedIn by searching for his name. You can also find it on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon/Audible. 

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