Morgan Franklin: I graduated high school in 2011 and it's
weird how that feels like both yesterday and also three
lifetimes ago at the same time, depending how old you were in
2011 you might remember it as the year William and Kate got
married Harry Potter ended or Kim Kardashian got divorced from
Chris Humphries after 70 something days. It was also the
year Verizon started carrying the iphone four, and pretty much
launched us straight into the smartphone era. My dad bought me
an iPhone the day I graduated high school, and I still
remember all my friends and I completely obsessing, huddling
around this thing like it was the monolith in 2001 A Space
Odyssey. From the moment I got that phone, I was obsessed. And
I don't even know if obsessed is a strong enough word, but around
that same time, I remember an adult, maybe a parent, or my own
parent, saying, posting on the internet is like peeing in a
pool. First of all, gross. Second of all, what? It took me
a long time to figure out what that really meant, but today,
it's a phrase I think about almost every day, because once
something's on the internet, you can never get it back. You can
never change it. It is permanently tied to you for the
rest of time. Hello and welcome to podcast for profit. My name
is Morgan Franklin. I'm a Podcast Producer, strategist and
educator. This podcast will help you create and grow a podcast
that cuts through the noise of social media and speaks directly
to your target audience. If you're ready to create a podcast
that will align you with the experts in your industry,
position yourself as a trusted leader and create another source
of revenue for your business, you're in the right place. So
this week, we're going to talk about politics, politics on your
podcast, the pros, the cons, what every podcaster should
consider before discussing politics on their podcast.
Before we get into this episode, I want to share a few
disclaimers. The first one being your podcast is your podcast. I
truly believe intuition is more important than any advice anyone
could ever give you. And if you feel called to share your
opinion or your story or your thoughts, you should do it. The
second one being, I'm American. I was born in America. I've
grown up in America. I currently live in America. If you're
listening to this from anywhere else, I do believe that
information is general enough for anyone to benefit from it,
but I can only speak to my own experience and knowledge of this
government and how politics works in America. The third
being, I will not be sharing my political opinion takes or
stances on this podcast. Not to say I won't share them in other
places on the internet, because I'm sure I will or in other
capacities, but that is not what this podcast is about, and at
the end of the day, me sharing my political opinion on this
podcast does nothing for you the listener. The past two weeks
have been a totally insane time in American politics. We started
with the assassination attempt of FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN dropping out of the race as the
Democratic nominee, and about 400 other subplots in between.
It's been a crazy month, but what's been even crazier are
people's reactions. Right? Some are good, some are bad, some are
downright disgusting. But it brings me back to the
introduction of this episode, when you post something on the
internet, it's like peeing in a pool. You can't get it back, you
can't make it go away, you can only dilute and deflect and hope
eventually to filter it out. Our words have consequences, no
matter which side you're on, the past month has felt like the
chickens coming home to roost on some of the ideologies shared by
both sides. And I truly believe it is the slow and deliberate
branding of both of the major political parties in the United
States that's changing how we see each other. Instead of us
all being proud Americans were now proud conservatives or proud
liberals, and I think that's a really big problem when you
don't believe your neighbor or your community has your best
interest at heart. How is it possible to grow but that's the
situation we're in right now, and it feels terrible because
the stakes feel so high. We're all in this pressure cooker
where it feels like if we don't make the right decision right
now, the United States, as we know it, will cease to exist,
and this will have all been for nothing. And I just want you to
know if you feel like this, if you are feeling this kind. Of
urgency, I want you to know, talking crap on your podcast is
not going to help anything. Sharing your hyped up political
opinion is not going to change anyone's mind. In fact, it will
most likely cause them to not listen to your show. If your
podcast is about anything other than politics, news or current
events, the likelihood of you growing an audience from sharing
your political opinion is incredibly slim. And maybe
you're thinking, Morgan, this is how I educate people. This is
how I educate my audience on what's going on, and if I don't
talk about it, who will? How do I advocate for myself and my
beliefs, if not on my podcast? And you know what I hear you I
do. But here's a few things that I want you to ask yourself, Does
this have anything to do with my podcast, the normal topics of my
episodes, or my audience at large? That's question one.
Question two is, Will what I'm saying give perspective to
others, or is it just an opinion I want to share? Three is what I
have to say worth potentially alienating and upsetting 50% or
more of my listeners. And then lastly, if I waited two weeks,
would I still feel as passionately about sharing this
opinion, and let's talk about that last one. If you waited two
weeks, would this still matter enough to you to bring up on
your podcast? And I think that's a really good question. This is
a good rule of thumb for anyone talking about pretty much
anything ever especially if you're feeling fired up,
especially if what you're saying is controversial or passionate
or divisive, will it matter in two weeks, and if you can wait
two weeks to record it, because, wow, there are so many times as
a Podcast Producer and as a podcast listener, I wish people
would have just slept on it because we all say wacky stuff
in the heat of the moment. You know it, I know it, but that
doesn't mean we want that wacky stuff linked to us forever and
ever in eternity online, you are entitled to your opinion, and
thankfully, if you live in the United States of America, you
have the right to say whatever you want, but I think there's a
difference between a right and a reason, and that's what I really
want you to take from this episode. Is there a reason to
say what you're saying? Is it going to grow your podcast? Is
it going to make you money? Is it going to improve your brand?
Is it actually going to make an impact on someone? If that's
your reason for saying it, I went to a women in business
conference earlier this month, and one of the breakout sessions
was about first impressions. The whole point of the session was
to talk about how to make a first impression on someone that
leads to a lasting professional connection. If you're a business
owner or a creator or a podcaster, you know this is a
very important skill to have, that could be your next client
or sponsor, or connection to your next client or sponsor. And
do you want to know? The first thing this speaker said, the key
to a lasting first impression is listening. Listening. Who wants
to listen? I'm trying to allow someone when I meet them, right?
I mean, I think that most of us, that's our first reaction when
we meet someone, is to think, How can I impress this person?
How can I make a memorable impression? How can I show them
that we are connected, or that we have something in common, or
that we have common values, or that they should remember me.
And you know what I'm hearing a lot of when I say that, I, I, I,
me, me, me. This is not about you. Meeting someone for the
first time is not about you. And you know what? Your podcast is
not about you. And if you want to build a community, you have
to remove yourself and your ego from the equation. Because, yes,
this is your podcast, but you didn't create it for yourself to
listen to. Now, am I saying that you should never share your
opinion or thoughts online? No, especially if you have a solo
podcast. What else would you talk about besides your own
thoughts? What I'm saying is to create room, show respect, be
thoughtful about what you say and how you say it. If you're
endorsing a political candidate, great, say why you love them.
Say why you're proud to vote for them and what you hope they do
for this country, not why you hate the other person, not how
they're gonna burn this whole place to the ground, or why you
think they're a totally incompetent goober. We have to
take the high road. We have to hold ourselves to a higher
standard than the mainstream media, because all mainstream
media wants is to get views. Debate us with entertainment and
crazy headlines to get more advertising dollars. If you want
to blame one side in this country, blame the corporations
and big media that are using our patriotism for profit. It
doesn't matter if it's CNN or Fox News or MSNBC, they're all
owned by huge, multi billion dollar corporations that know
they make more money and get more views when we are fighting
with each other. And I don't know about you, but I don't want
to be part of this cycle, and I don't want to continue
perpetuating the lies that one side is evil, or that just
because you're one party and I'm another, we don't both want
what's best for this country and the world? Do we always agree on
exactly how to do it? No, no, we don't, and that's okay, but we
need to turn down the temperature. We need to listen
to each other. We need to stop the name calling and childish
backstabbing, and even if you're doing it just so that you don't
lose podcast listeners, you know what? That's an okay place to
start, because one habit turns into a lifestyle, and maybe
before you know it, you're actually listening to someone
that's not in your political party, and maybe you don't agree
with them at all. You think they don't really know what they're
talking about, but you're taking a moment to listen instead of
just completely shutting down and falling apart. We all have
so much more in common than we think we do. I've worked with
podcasts and clients on both sides of the aisle for several
years, and I can tell you one thing, they both love America.
They do. They both want what's best, or at least what they
think is best. And no matter what side we could all benefit
from listening more if you haven't already registered to
vote, go ahead and go to vote.gov. And register. Do your
research. Check your sources. Be a good source if you are one.
And as always, I can't wait to listen to your podcast. Hey,
thank you so much for joining me on this episode. If you enjoyed
the podcast and you'd like to hear more episodes like this
one, go ahead and subscribe to the show. New episodes air every
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