If you've ever been a part of a Facebook group, you've probably seen someone post a Poll, usually asking questions like... Who should I host my podcast with? Polls are great if you really are looking for people to vote on the answers, and you want to be able to quickly know the results and find a winner, or a trend, at the end. Unfortunately, neither Facebook or Twitter consider those check-box marking action as "engagement" - at least not enough to give your post any kind of a boost in the algorithm.

I see a lot of new podcasters doing this: They have a website, and they're hosting it with a regular web host like Godaddy or Dreamhost or Hostgator etc. And their current web host is probably promising them unlimited bandwidth and tons of storage space. So they're like: Why can't I just host my podcast audio files on my own web host, and use a plugin like PowerPress to create my podcast RSS feed? Why do I need to pay for a podcast host? On this episode, I explain why. https://CutToTheChase.fm

I recently saw a post on twitter from @Matineegirl, in which she wrote: Read because you want to. Read whatever floats your boat. Read as quickly or as slowly as you do. Read books only with orange covers if you want to. Read 1 book or 500 books a year. There are no rules. Just read. That's so awesome! I loved that tweet. So I re-tweeted that by adding my own little twist for Digital Creators. Listen to the show for the rest at https://CutToTheChase.fm

How can I help you? In general, that's a great thing to say to someone in most situations. Like, if you're a company owner or an employee, and you get a call, you can pick up the phone and say, "Hi, How can I help you?" Except... that's probably the worst thing to say on social media to a stranger who has just accepted your friend request. Listen to the show for the rest at https://CutToTheChase.fm

Think about these 3 lines from that Wikipedia fund-raiser email: * "This is awkward to admit, but I have to be honest: 98% of our readers don't give" * "they simply look the other way." * "You are part of the 2% of readers who donated to support Wikipedia" Listen to the show for the rest. https://CutToTheChase.fm

You know the saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? That rings very true especially when it comes to mission critical systems like your website or computer software. And it is EVEN MORE true when it comes to making big changes - or even small changes - on a Friday. Listen to the show for the rest. https://CutToTheChase.fm

If you are a digital creator, it is absolutely critical that you Own Your Platform. Listen to the show for the rest. https://CutToTheChase.fm

I recently saw someone ask this in a Facebook group: Who will be the king of Podcast Streaming in the battle between Spotify vs Apple? So here's my answer... Listen to the show for the rest. https://CutToTheChase.fm

The saying goes that people judge a book by its cover. That is still true to some extent. But what's even more today in the age of endless stream of content and information and noise, is that your book is no longer being judged by just its cover, it is judged by its table of contents. So if someone were to look past the cover of your life, and look into the table of contents of the content you're putting out there into the world, what will they learn? What will I learn? https://CutToTheChase.fm

When selecting lighting for your home or office, other than just brightness, there's one other very important thing you need to consider: And that's the "temperature" of the light. Warm white lights are those that have a very warm, orangey or yellowey tinge. Also know as soft white. Cool lights are more bright, more white, and have a cool bluish tinge. Also known as bright white or daylight white. So where are and how these used? Listen to the show for the rest. https://CutToTheChase.fm

One of the best ways to overcome anxiety or nerves that you may have when recording a live video on Facebook or YouTube or Periscope, is not to not do a live video at all. I don't mean "don't publish live videos". I'm saying "don't do it live". Confused? Listen to the show for the rest. The 2 biggest tools you need to true live video, or "fake-live video", as I call it, are both actually free! I cover this in my online course titled DOPE: Do Once, Publish Everywhere - https://SubscribeMe.fm/dope

Keep the video short. I call this the micro-tip strategy. Create a short 30 second to 1 minute video with a short and sweet tip about your niche. So for eg, in my niche, which is digital marketing, creating membership sites and online courses, a micro tip would be: "Hey, don't use YouTube for hosting your sales and promotional videos, because starting last September, YouTube made a major change to what shows up at the end of your videos that are embedded on your website." https://CutToTheChase.fm

Ryan has a YouTube channel called Ryan Toysreview , which has 18 million subscribers, and over 26 billion video views, and an article in Forbes, says "earning him $22 million in the 12 months leading up to June 1, 2018". Do you think this little kid started a channel with the intention of making money? Of course not. Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2018/12/03/how-this-seven-year-old-made-22-million-playing-with-toys-2/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChGJGhZ9SOOHvBB0Y4DOO_w

Have you watched Better Call Saul, where the main character Jimmy specializes in Elder Law, befriends the residents of a senior citizen home and plays bingo with them, and turns them all into clients? You could say he is being a bit manipulative there, or you could see the other side of it, that Jimmy is actually genuinely interested in the seniors, he cares for them, wants to protect them and give them the best possible service, and make sure no one else rips them off. https://CutToTheChase.fm

Building influence, and earning the trust and respect of your audience is easier said, than done. There are so many different things you have to do, for an extended period of time, in order to earn those. I'll name a few things here... Listen to the show for the rest. And to listen to older episodes of this show, visit https://CutToTheChase.fm

Influence is not built simply by sharing cool or interesting or funny stuff online. We see this every single day on every single platform - people sharing really funny videos, heartwarming videos, heartbreaking videos, baby and cat and family videos, and crazy memes and breaking news. So what if you got a lot of likes or comments on that 3rd party content you shared? What does that really do for you? To listen to older episodes of this show, visit https://CutToTheChase.fm

During my recent launch of my online course, titled DOPE: Do Once, Publish Everywhere, I did something called a Dime Sale. A dime sale basically means the price goes up every so often. The original concept of the dime sale, was that it would go up by 10 cents every hour. And hence the name dime sale. So I decided to something similar. Listen to the show for the rest. And to listen to older episodes of this show, visit https://CutToTheChase.fm

The name of my new course is DOPE: Do Once, Publish Everywhere - https://SubscribeMe.fm/dope/ So why is it important to publish your content on multiple platforms? The biggest issue facing every digital marketer and content creator today, is getting their message out in front of the biggest possible targeted audience. So if you don't already have a massive email list, or you're not already a celebrity and don't have a huge following on Instagram, or Facebook, how do you build an audience from scratch?

Back when I was still living in India, my late father R.N. Jayagopal was the Vice-President of the (Asian) Indian version of ASCAP, called IPRS - Indian Performing Rights Society. I've seen up-close and personally, what a nasty hassle copyright issues can be, for both the creator and the user. Listen to the show for the rest. And to listen to older episodes of this show, visit https://CutToTheChase.fm

Someone recently asked on Facebook: What's the law around having short clips from songs on a podcast - like a music podcast where we are discussing the songs? I'm not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. There is no black-and-white answer to this. Even with all of my thoughts I'm about to share with you, there's going to be a lot of "it depends", which only goes to show you how tricky this subject is. Listen to the episode for the rest. https://CutToTheChase.fm