Community Building 101 with Bri Leever

Today we start with the news of Marc Maron retiring his podcast, and a possible shake up at the New Media Show (two shows with 16+ years). So who will fill their space you? Bri Leever is a community building strategist at Ember Consulting and host of the show "Dear Bri." I saw her present at a webinar put on by Hearbeat (my favorite community tool) and immediately joined her community (which lead to me asking her on the show). Full show notes at schoolodposcasting.com/987 Mentioned in the Show: Ember Consulting Bri's Community of Community Builders Heartbeat Community Tool Circle Community Tool Mighty Networks Skool Community Tool Honeycomb App Dear Bi Podcast Circle vs Skool Video School of Podcasting Community Takeaways: Marc Maron is hanging up his podcasting hat after 16 years, and that's a big deal. Having both free and paid communities can actually mess up your growth, who knew? If you want a thriving community, you gotta focus on what people actually want, duh! Starting a podcast with a small team is totally doable; you don't need a squad of 20. Don't be surprised if your free community outshines your paid one; it happens more than you'd think. People love talking about themselves, so just ask them questions and you'll be golden. Mentioned in this episode: Get Your Podcast Up and Going in Six Weeks Dreaming of starting your own podcast but not sure where to begin? Podcasting in Six Weeks gives you a clear, step-by-step path to go from idea to launch with confidence. This practical course is designed to help you create, record, edit, publish, and promote your podcast in just six weeks. Whether you're starting from scratch or feeling overwhelmed by the technical side, you'll get the guidance, structure, and tools you need to launch a podcast that sounds professional and reaches the right audience. Ready to stop overthinking and start podcasting? Join Podcasting in Six Weeks today and turn your voice, ideas, and expertise into a show people want to hear. The best part? It's only $1 Classes Start June 3rd Podcasting in Six Weeks Live Appearances I loved connecting with my audience. Here are the next events I will be at: November 11: Podindy.com (use the coupon code SOP) February 23-26, 2027: National Religious Broadcasters nrb.org I'd love to speak at your event. Go to schoolofpodcasting.com/contact Where Will I Be? Question of the Month: The Smallest Amount of Downloads We all want a bigger audience. We all put a lot of work into our shows. With this in mind, what is the smallest amount of downloads you would do the show for? If it drops below a number would you stop, or put effort into finding out why? Does the size of your audience matter? Go to schoolofpodcasting.com/question by August 28th (and don't forget to say a little bit about your show and your website address so I can link to it in the notes) School of Podcasting