Latest / Abbey the Podcast Lady / How 'Free With Ads' Nails Authentic Podcasting

Transcript

How 'Free With Ads' Nails Authentic Podcasting · Abbey the Podcast Lady

0:05
Well, hello there and welcome back to another
0:07
episode of Abby the podcast lady This is the
0:10
show for aspiring podcasters business owners
0:12
and visionaries who are ready to get their voice
0:14
out into the world and sound Amazing doing it
0:17
today's episode is our case study where we dissect
0:19
a show that I've been listening to and then we
0:21
chat about what they're doing Well what they
0:23
could improve upon and what things we can take
0:26
from their show to make our own shows better
0:29
today I'm diving into one of my absolute Favorite
0:32
podcast it's called free with ads if you haven't
0:35
heard of it. You're in for a treat I don't know
0:37
if this one's like a lesser -known podcast I
0:39
think it's not one of those that you automatically
0:41
think of when you think of like big podcasts.
0:44
In my world, this podcast is like top dog. I
0:47
absolutely love free with ads. So the show is
0:49
hosted by Emily Fleming, Jordan Morris, and Matt
0:52
Lieb. They are all part of the Mythical Entertainment
0:55
crew. If you're familiar with the YouTube series,
0:57
Good Mythical Morning, they all work for that
1:00
production company. And basically what they do
1:02
is they hop on their podcast every week and they
1:06
watch a movie that is free with ads and then
1:09
they review it. That's it. That's the concept
1:11
of the show and it is so simple yet so perfect.
1:15
So each week they pick a movie that's either
1:17
streaming free on YouTube or Tubi or one of those
1:21
other free streaming platforms and then they
1:23
review it and they share the personal stories
1:25
that they have tied to these films whether it
1:27
was watching it as children or watching it for
1:30
the first time in someone's dorm as an adult
1:32
but then they also rank the movie based on how
1:35
many super loud commercials they'll sit through
1:38
to watch it again because that's the price that
1:40
you have to pay to watch these free movies is
1:42
super loud commercials on a free streaming platform.
1:45
This is one of those shows that when I see the
1:47
notification pop up on Apple podcasts saying,
1:50
Hey, a new episode dropped a free with ads. I
1:53
drop everything I'm doing and I immediately go
1:55
listen to it. I absolutely love this show. I
1:59
am a tried and true freebie. That's what they
2:01
call their fan base. And I can't wait to pick
2:03
this show apart in the case study today because
2:05
I think By the end of it, you're going to want
2:07
to become a freebie yourself. So to kick things
2:09
off, let's get into what free with ads is doing
2:12
right with their show. And to be honest, they're
2:14
doing a lot of things right. There isn't much.
2:17
wrong with this podcast that I could find. And
2:20
maybe there's a lot of bias here. I just really
2:22
like this show. So let's get into what they're
2:25
doing right. One of the main reasons I love the
2:27
show is because there is a real friendship between
2:30
the co -hosts. Emily, Jordan and Matt genuinely
2:33
get along, or at least they're really good at
2:35
pretending they genuinely get along. It doesn't
2:38
feel like coworkers that were forced to be part
2:41
of like some project that they didn't necessarily
2:44
want to do together. Like it It feels like these
2:46
guys willingly spend time with each other outside
2:49
of the workplace. Their chemistry is just off
2:52
the charts. Like there is no filter between any
2:55
of them. all seem to genuinely care for each
2:58
other. They all feel very comfortable telling
3:00
very personal stories on it as well. It doesn't
3:03
feel forced. It honestly feels like you get to
3:06
hang out with this weird little friend group
3:08
that you are automatically welcomed into just
3:11
by being a listener. And I think that is really
3:13
special. It feels really comfortable and welcoming.
3:16
And it's so fricking funny. Like I just, I feel
3:19
like I'm sitting there with my own friends laughing
3:21
and telling stories and getting to watch a movie
3:24
together that we all either love or hate. Another
3:27
thing that I think this show has really nailed
3:29
is that they make it interactive for the listeners
3:32
so each week they pick a movie to watch and then
3:36
review and what's nice is they give you a heads
3:38
up so at the end of every episode they say next
3:40
week we'll be watching XYZ movies so that you
3:43
can be prepared so maybe if it's a movie you've
3:46
never seen before you have time to go seek it
3:48
out on a free streaming service watch it and
3:51
be informed about what they're gonna be reviewing
3:54
next so you kind of have a general idea of what
3:57
they're gonna be talking about, which I think
3:59
is so nice. And I love that there's that element
4:01
of giving someone something to look forward to
4:04
where they know what's coming up, but they don't
4:06
necessarily know what's coming up. Like they
4:10
don't know how the... Hosts are gonna feel about
4:13
the movie next week They just know what movies
4:15
coming so you can be prepared and you can kind
4:17
of be in on The joke when it arrives and speaking
4:21
of the streaming of the movies. I love that.
4:24
It is a free Movie that you get to watch with
4:28
them. There's no cost to entry for being an active
4:31
participant with this podcast It's free. You
4:34
don't have to worry about Logging into your Netflix
4:37
account that you totally forgot that you had
4:39
you don't need to worry about texting your sister
4:40
for the Hulu password to be able to watch something.
4:44
They're streaming things that are on YouTube
4:46
for free, Freebie, Tubi, any of those places.
4:49
There's no cost for you to participate. You just
4:51
get to hang out with your friends and watch a
4:53
free movie, good or bad. and get to be in on
4:57
this secret little club is what it feels like
5:00
to me anyway. I really like that. So the hosts,
5:02
Jordan, Emily and Matt. Well, Matt, I guess is
5:04
technically the producer, but he's on it enough
5:06
that I consider him part of the hosting team.
5:09
I love that they are all comedians because it
5:12
makes the show truly a comedy. at its core. I
5:16
catch myself multiple times spitting out beverages
5:19
when I'm listening to it because it is genuinely
5:22
funny. And what's great about their comedy is
5:25
that they all play off each other so well, where
5:26
it's not like someone stepping on someone else's
5:29
toes in order to get a joke in. Like they all
5:32
make it work. Their comedy just blends so well
5:35
together. And I love that they're so unapologetically
5:38
themselves. They're sharing the embarrassing
5:40
stories. They're being brutally honest about
5:42
their lives. And I think that they're something
5:45
to be said for that level of openness and communication
5:49
with each other that just really makes the whole
5:51
show work in just this beautiful, hilarious fashion.
5:56
It is just genuinely one of the funniest things
5:59
I listen to on a weekly basis. I always laugh
6:02
out loud when I'm listening to it. It's an art
6:05
and they have nailed that art. Comedy is not
6:09
easy. Not everyone can be funny and these guys
6:11
are hilarious to their core. Plus what I love
6:15
is that with their comedy, they let the listener
6:17
in on the inside jokes. So back in, I think it
6:20
was one of their earlier episodes, they reviewed
6:22
one of the Godzilla movies. And now they have
6:25
a running inside joke where they just insert
6:28
Godzilla screams into popular songs or songs
6:31
that are associated with the movie that they're
6:33
watching this week. And it's just this running
6:35
bit where You're almost guaranteed to hear a
6:38
Godzilla scream at some point in the episode,
6:41
no matter what movie that they are reviewing.
6:43
And I love that they have these running inside
6:45
jokes that you get to participate in. Another
6:48
one of them is actually called The Worst Hat.
6:51
So they pick out things in the movie, like who's
6:54
the tallest guy? Who's the oldest teenager? Who
6:57
has the worst hat in the movie? And they have
7:01
a sting that goes, the worst hat. And they just...
7:04
pick a part who has the worst hat in the movie
7:06
and they've taken that inside joke so far as
7:10
to actually make merch of the worst hat and if
7:13
you're watching the video version I will put
7:14
a picture of it right here. This is actually
7:17
my the worst hat, because when they dropped this
7:20
merchandise, there was no way I wasn't buying
7:22
my own the worst hat. I had to have it. So I
7:25
love that the inside joke is inclusive. No matter
7:29
what that inside joke is, you don't feel like
7:31
you're left out when you're listening to this
7:32
show. And I love that they made a merch tie in
7:35
for it as well. I just think that they're absolute
7:38
geniuses with this. So let's take some time here
7:41
and talk about what they could do. better with
7:44
this show and like I said I really had to grasp
7:46
at straws to determine what could be better about
7:50
free with ads because I do genuinely love this
7:53
show and I'm such a huge fan of it and maybe
7:55
I need to pick a show for one of these case studies
7:57
that I don't actually like and maybe that would
7:59
produce a little more constructive criticism
8:01
but I genuinely think that this show is an amazing
8:04
concept I think it's hilarious cast of characters
8:07
I love that there's no barrier to entry to it
8:10
but okay we're talking about what could be better.
8:12
So let's focus on that. So no podcast is perfect,
8:16
but free with ads. I think one thing that I would
8:20
love to see from them is a full video version
8:24
of this podcast. If I'm being honest with you,
8:27
I don't watch video podcasts. I'm making a video
8:30
podcast right now. You can watch my podcast on
8:33
YouTube. but I actually am a little bit of a
8:37
purist. I'm not gonna lie. I like a good audio
8:40
podcast because that's what I listen to. I don't.
8:42
sit down and watch podcasts, I listen to them
8:45
while I'm doing other things. This would probably
8:48
be the exception podcast. I would genuinely sit
8:50
down and watch an hour long video version of
8:53
Free With Ads because the people on it are so
8:56
funny and so captivating that I think it would
8:58
hold my attention for the entire duration. So
9:01
I would love to see a full video version of this
9:04
show. But again, video versions cost more money.
9:07
There's higher production. There's more work
9:09
that needs to be done. You have to have more
9:11
equipment. It's a huge cost barrier for a lot
9:14
of people. And I completely understand why they're
9:18
not doing a video version. They are on the Maximum
9:22
Fund Network, which is a worker owned network
9:25
of artist owned shows, I believe is how they
9:27
phrase that. So like they do fundraisers and
9:29
stuff to help cover production costs for things.
9:32
And I understand why they're not doing video
9:34
versions. But if I had to pick one thing to improve
9:37
about free with ads is yeah I would love a video
9:40
version of it. And if they can't do a full blown
9:42
video version, maybe they set up their iPhones
9:46
and like record while they're recording the podcast.
9:48
And then like we get little mini like reels and
9:51
video snippets of it. I think that would also
9:53
be great promotion wise on their Instagram to
9:56
throw those reels on and have video versions
9:58
just of that, even if they're not doing a full
10:00
blown video version. That is definitely something
10:03
you can do for your own show when you're sitting
10:05
down to record your podcast. Maybe you're just
10:07
doing an audio podcast, which I say just, but
10:11
like that's what podcasts are. They're audio
10:13
at the core of it. So set up a phone, record
10:16
a little video, even if it's just like some video
10:19
of you setting up and then you layer your audio
10:21
over it, just a little bit of. eye -catching
10:24
visual that you can then use on social media
10:27
to promote the show. I think that would be super
10:29
helpful. Another thing that I think they could
10:31
improve would be on the marketing side, maybe
10:34
a little more social media engagement like running
10:36
polls or getting listeners involved in picking
10:38
movies or offering feedback. I think something
10:41
that would be really cool that I would like to
10:43
be an active participant in would be to have
10:46
like a Google voicemail line where once they
10:50
announce the movie, we go and watch it as listeners
10:52
and then we can call and leave voicemails with
10:55
our feedback like who did we think had the worst
10:57
hat who did we think was the tallest guy things
11:00
like that where they could then take those audio
11:03
clips and layer them into the show like at the
11:05
end or something so then we're listening for
11:08
our own voices to be included with the show I
11:11
think that's maybe a selfish thing that I would
11:13
like to see but that's again something that you
11:16
could do with your own podcast is get listeners
11:18
involved through a Google voicemail line where
11:21
you just set up like a number tell people, hey,
11:23
you can call it with your feedback, leave your
11:25
message, and maybe we'll include it with the
11:26
show. It's a great way for people to stay to
11:28
the end of a show, especially if they know that
11:30
there's a chance for their own voice to be heard
11:33
on their favorite show at the end of it. So just
11:35
something to chew on, something to think about
11:37
with your own podcast. So let's break down free
11:39
with ads and what we discussed and how we can
11:41
take what's good and what can be improved and
11:44
apply it to our own shows. First and foremost,
11:46
I think embrace authenticity and chemistry, especially
11:50
if you have a co -host. If you're lucky enough,
11:52
have to have real friends or people you genuinely
11:54
connect with, don't be afraid to let that chemistry
11:56
shine through. Audiences can tell when a bond
11:59
is real and when a bond is forced, and you want
12:02
a real bond. You want people to feel like they
12:04
are in on the conversation that you're having,
12:06
whether it's with your co -host, whether it's
12:08
just with yourself, or whether you have guests
12:10
coming on that you're interviewing. Audiences
12:13
crave that real connection. They want to be sucked
12:15
into the moment with you, and Free With Ads does
12:18
such a great job of that. So I think that's something
12:20
that you can listen to. see how they're doing
12:22
it and take that and apply it to your own podcast.
12:24
Second, I would consider ways to make your show
12:27
interactive. Think about how you can involve
12:29
your audience, whether that's by letting them
12:31
participate in a shared experience, like watching
12:33
a movie together or voting on topics on Instagram
12:37
and Facebook, submitting questions they might
12:40
have for you, or just, you know, engaging with
12:43
them in any way you can. Maybe you have some
12:45
sort of like running contest where if people
12:47
leave you a comment, you're sending them some
12:50
merch. or sending them something for your store
12:52
or just getting them involved in some way or
12:55
another. People wanna be included. They wanna
12:57
feel like they're part of something bigger. So
12:59
I think Free With Ads does a great job of that.
13:01
Definitely listen to their show, get some examples
13:03
and put your own twist on it for your own show.
13:05
Next, remove any barrier to entry that you can.
13:09
Now I know not everyone is gonna be able to review
13:12
free movies on the internet because this concept
13:15
is kind of already being done and it's being
13:17
done very well. So just try to remove. any barriers
13:21
to entry that you can. Say you're running some
13:24
sort of online coaching program and that's all
13:26
you talk about, try to give them something for
13:29
free to let them in. Let them in the door. Don't
13:31
have them approaching a closed door. Have at
13:34
least a cracked open or a window open. Because
13:37
when you keep people out, they're not gonna come
13:39
back to a closed door. They want that open door.
13:41
They wanna be involved. So be sure that you're
13:43
trying to remove any barrier to entry that you
13:46
can. You want people to feel like your show is
13:48
accessible. and made for them. Another key takeaway
13:51
that Free With Ads does so freaking well is just
13:54
embracing your weirdness. It's tempting to want
13:57
to have this polished, perfect presentation of
14:01
yourself, but let's be real. We're all just little
14:04
weirdos at our core and sometimes it's okay to
14:06
let that weirdness shine through because it's
14:09
relatable. When you see other people being weird
14:12
and goofy and silly and telling those embarrassing
14:16
date stories, you relate to it because we've
14:19
all... been there. It's the human experience
14:21
and free with ads has no shame. They literally
14:25
air everything out for all of us to embrace.
14:29
And I think there's something to be said for
14:31
that. Now, if you're producing a show that's
14:33
like for your business and you have this like
14:35
really hoity toity fancy business, you're going
14:38
to have to be a little more careful with that.
14:40
Totally understandable. But don't be afraid to
14:42
let your humanness show sometimes because people
14:46
relate to it and they crave it. And finally,
14:48
I want to touch on the fact that consistency
14:50
in format is so important. I love that I know
14:54
exactly what I'm going to be getting when I tune
14:56
into an episode of Free With Ads. They're going
14:58
to talk about free stuff they found on the internet
15:01
to start the podcast off. Then they're going
15:03
to get into the movie. They're going to review
15:04
it. They're going to drop their little bits about
15:07
the worst hat and tallest guy. And then at the
15:09
end, they're going to rate it based on how many
15:11
super loud commercials they would watch. Like
15:13
I know what I'm getting every single time I tune
15:16
in. And I think that that consistency helps with
15:19
the familiarity. It feels comfortable. It's something
15:22
that I want to come back to every week because
15:24
as humans, we crave patterns and patterns are
15:26
predictable and we like predictable. I think
15:29
when you're thinking about formatting your own
15:30
show, try to have that. consistent format. Like
15:35
for me, we have our case study every first Thursday
15:38
of the month and then we're going to have a tip
15:39
or tool every third Thursday of the month. There
15:41
is predictability in the format that I am creating.
15:45
So think about your own format for your show
15:47
and think about how you can build that consistent
15:49
pattern for your listeners to feel comfortable
15:52
with. To wrap everything up today, I just want
15:54
to say that Free With Ads is such a great podcast
15:56
and I'm such a huge fan of Jordan, Emily and
15:59
Matt. I love their show. I love this concept.
16:01
They really just knocked it out of the park.
16:03
They made everything fun and accessible. And
16:06
I love that I get to revisit some movies from
16:08
my youth. And I love that I get to discover new
16:11
movies through them. And I love that there's
16:13
a really low barrier to entry and internet connection
16:16
is all you need to participate with these guys
16:18
on their show. And I think it's just such a great
16:21
concept, huge supporter of them. And I can't
16:24
wait to keep listening. Honestly, I got to get
16:26
caught up on this week's episode. So that's what
16:28
I'm doing after I record this show. The key takeaway
16:31
here is just to embrace your authentic self,
16:34
make your content accessible and have fun with
16:36
it. The show is fun at its core. And if you're
16:38
looking to build your own show with a similar
16:40
vibe or you need help refining your podcast in
16:43
any way, I would love to work with you. Be sure
16:45
you reach out to me with any questions you might
16:47
have. I offer one -on -one consulting. I offer
16:50
podcast production and I offer speaking as well.
16:53
So if you have an organization that's wanting
16:55
to learn more about podcasts as a whole, I'd
16:57
love to come speak to you guys too. You can check
16:58
out all the details at abbygraves .com. Productions
17:01
calm. I got a link down in the show notes as
17:04
well I want to thank you for tuning in to another
17:05
episode of Abby the podcast lady and I will see
17:09
you next time