Busy week? Here's what you missed...
Hi there!
Looks like you might have missed last week's Listen Up Newsletter so I wanted to send it to you again in case it got lost in your inbox.
Have a great weekend!
Jeremy
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Hey friends, hope you're well since we spoke last week.
It's been a busy one for me, putting the finishing touches on next week's free Roadmap To 5-Figure Podcast Sponsorships workshop but I think everything's set up and ready to go on Monday!
That said, I'm definitely starting to feel the nerves as this live training to 200+ podcasters will be the biggest event I've organized yet 😬
Alright let's get to this week's issue!
💌 Thanks to everyone who reached out over the past week with kind words or shared the workshop with their networks. There are too many of you to name personally this week, but the support is seen and is much appreciated. 💌
It’s not often that you come across a book that is completely engrossing, teaches you something valuable, and–most importantly–leaves you viewing the world differently than when you started it.
For me, Underland, by Robert Macfarlane has been one of those books. It’s a book about Robert’s exploration of past, present and future of the unseen world beneath our feet.
Over the course of the book, we’re taken on a twisting subterranean journey through limestone caverns that served as prehistoric burial chambers, the sprawling catacombs that make up the shadow city beneath Paris, dark matter research laboratories and mines whose tendrils stretch far beneath the North Atlantic Sea, Nuclear storage facilities being designed to last 10,000 years and more.
It’s a fascinating book that, even more than the Underland, is about time, deep time to be exact, and our tiny place in–and yet profound effect on–it as humans.
But while the book is stunningly written and has had a profound effect on my own view of time, this isn’t an article about the contents of the book itself.
Instead, I want to talk about something I was struck by in the Acknowledgements at the very end of the book.
Along with the typical acknowledgments including everyone who helped bring the book to life–his friends, family and supporters big and small, Robert included this line:
“Among the music and musicians whose work has kept me company above and below ground, I could not have done without *AR, Bon Iver, the Duke Spirit, Elbow, Johnny Flynn, Grasscut, Willy Mason, the Pixies, Karine Polwart, Schubert, Cosmo Sheldrake, and Le Tigre.”
Music has played a huge role in my life, I played in bands in and after high school and went to school to be an audio engineer because I wanted to produce records. While I don’t create music at the moment, it still plays a huge role in my life, and–as I realized while reading Robert Macfarlane’s acknowledgments–my work.
This acknowledgment of gratitude got me thinking about not just the musicians, but all the artists, creators, teachers, scientists, and others who have a profound impact on the work each of us does.
Most of these people will never know we exist, let alone the impact they’ve had–big or small–on our work. But I can’t help but feel a deep connectedness at the thought of this cross-discipline, -medium, -professional network of shadow support, inspiration, and encouragement.
Change Or Accompaniment?
I know many of us, myself included, hope that our work will change people, leave them seeing the world differently after consuming it, much like Underland has done for me. But as I think about this less-direct form of support, I realize what an essential role accompaniment plays in our and other’s ability to create work and lives that mean something.
Whatever we’re working towards, we all need teachers, guides, and mentors to show us the way forward. But we also need company along the journey. This accompaniment might be the literal people we work and collaborate with, but more often, they’re the people and their creations that across time and space have the ability to soothe us, steel us, and most of all, keep us moving forward when it feels all but impossible.
I can think of numerous moments in my own life where, without the right album or song or book at the right time, things might have turned out very differently, perhaps leading me to take a different fork in the road. In fact, I often think back to a single moment in junior high home economics class when I was 14 years old where my friend Tyler Lofstrand first introduced me to Metallica and set me off on an entirely new path.
Short detour here, I don’t think I ever realized the irony of being introduced to Metallica in Home Economics class until writing it down here. Anyway, that’s a story for another time.
These accompaniments have the ability to remind us that we’re not alone on our creative quest, that we’re in good company, working together toward a shared vision of the future.
My goal with this newsletter has always been to create something that changes your perspective, leaves you seeing the world a little bit differently. But I’m realizing that I would be equally honoured for it to simply be the background accompaniment to the larger work you’re creating.
As I’m writing this issue, I’ve just passed the 5-year anniversary of my business, Counterweight Creative, and so to close out this article, it feels apropos to share some acknowledgments of the background accompaniment that has kept me company across the world and through the ups and downs, thick and thin of building a creative business. Here goes.
So much love and gratitude to those who have provided the soundtrack to the past 5 years in business, including Hailaker, EDEN, The Republic Of Wolves, Trophy Eyes, Misery Signals, Ben Howard, Gregory Alan Isakov, Bon Iver, Can’t Swim, The Story So Far, Gang Of Youths, Novo Amor, Tyson Motsenbocker, Henry Jamison, Movements, nothing,nowhere. Overgrow, Sights & Sounds, The Tallest Man On Earth, Tall Ships, Enemies, Thrice, Valleyheart, Driveways, Dustin Tebbutt, Ed Patrick, Hayden Calnin, Hundredth, Jack Larsen, Layover, American Football, Avalanche City, Boston Manor, Cape Francis, and CommonWealth. I could not have got here without your work.
Who’s on your list?
Oh, and yes, I made a playlist. It's long, but I'm a full-album kind of guy, and you can listen to a lot of albums in 5 years.
5 Things You Might Dig
1 // Find Of The Week: Ground Yourself
Although I’ve never really sat down and studied it, I’ve had a curiosity about and affinity for buddhism and its teachings for almost as long as I can remember. I think it was something about the idea that the questions matter more than the answers that really resonated with me.
A few months ago, a friend recommended the podcast Secular Buddhism to me. This week, I finally started listening and I’m so glad I did. Each 20-minute episode explores a different teaching of Buddhism in an easily accessible style, typically through a parable or story with accompanying explanation by the host.
If you’re looking for more grounding in your creative life (something I think we could all use), this podcast will help. Also, I love the catchphrase “Use the teachings of Buddhism to be a better whatever you already are.”
2 // New From Me: Recognizing The Signs
One of the most difficult aspects of navigating creative work is knowing whether or not you’re on the right track. When progress is slow, should you keep pushing through a dip? Or give up and try something else?
Learning to recognize the signs is an essential skill for any creator, and is the topic of this short post from me.
Also, I’m honoured to have been featured on a number of podcasts over the past couple weeks, mainly talking about podcast marketing and audience growth.
Content Is Profit: SUPER fun, high-energy conversation with Luis & Fonzi all about podcast marketing strategies. These two always bring the heat and are fantastic podcast hosts.
Marketing That Converts: Another fun one with a lot of laughs as Teresa and I discussed online marketing, podcast guesting, audience growth, and more.
Podcasting For Coaches: I’ve been a fan of what Britany does for a while, so I was honoured to be featured on her show to talk about how coaches can use podcasting to grow their businesses.
Podcastification: Really great conversation between two podcast nerds who’ve been doing this for a long time. We cover production, content vs audio quality, marketing, audience growth and more.
The Podcasters Journey: Allison reached out to me a couple months ago after hearing me on another podcast and we’ve now collaborated a few times with many more to come. This was a great episode talking in-depth about what podcasters need to know about marketing in 2021.
Zero To Travel: To switch things up, my girlfriend, Kelly, and I did our first joint interview, talking about how to maintain work-life balance while traveling full-time.
Phewwww that’s a lot of podcast appearances… If you’re interested in learning my system for getting booked as a podcast guest, I have a free course that you can check out here.
If anyone listens through all of these this week, let me know and I’ll send you a prize 😂
3 // Podcast Tips From The Masters
Gimlet Media (despite their recent internal problems) are some of the best podcast storytellers around. This week I stumbled across Gimlet Academy, a 5-episode podcast series teaching advanced podcasting techniques.
Definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re in the narrative podcast space.
4 // The Most Overlooked & Over-Hyped Marketing Trends Of 2020
This article from Morning Brew looks back and compares what marketers thought was going to be a big deal in 2020, and what actually ended up mattering.
The most interesting takeaway for me was the point about the rise of micro-influencers – creators with 1,000 - 10,000 followers, ie. very realistic goals for all of us.
Personally, I’m seeing more and more opportunities opening up for partnerships and brand collaborations for small creators, and it’s an exciting time to be in the space.
5 // Behind Costco's Treasure-Hunt Strategy
If you’ve ever wondered at Costco’s seemingly nonsensical layout and product selection, this video breaks down the method behind the madness, as well as shining some light on what their business model optimizes for. Super interesting short watch.
"You can survive anything with a sense of humour and a sense of self"
– Kevin Kling –
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Each year, I spend hundreds of hours putting this newsletter together. I think it's worth it, and I hope you do too.
If you've taken anything away from this newsletter or anything else I've created, here are a few ways you can help keep it going:
- Help other creative mavericks find it by Tweeting about it or forwarding this issue to someone who could use it.
- Sign up for an upcoming cohort of Podcast Marketing Academy.
- Do something meaningful with your work and tell me about it. This would mean the most of all.
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This week I’m grateful for: The sun is out and it’s warming up after a week of cold and even some snow. Bring on Spring!
Win(s) of the week: Everything is prepped and ready to go for the Roadmap To 5-Figure Podcast Sponsorships which kicks off tomorrow! With about 200 people signed up, this will be the biggest event I’ve organized so far, which is a huge win.
I’m currently excited about: Teaching 200 podcasters how they can land high-ticket sponsors for their shows this week!
What I’m listening to: Check out my weekly Spotify playlist.
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