Danny Desatnik

Before you start the podcast, answer this question — Is it for my benefit or is it to serve an audience? You shouldn't be ashamed if it's just for you. For eg., want a mechanism to meet interesting people in your industry? A podcast is an awesome way to accomplish that. If it's for you than it's important to realize you're playing a different game than others. Your growth and metrics might be output driven — complete 30 podcasts or meet 30 people. It might even be emotional growth — feel confident running an hour interview without notes. Know the game your playing and don't let anyone make you second guess your decision

Define your own metric. It helps you stay aligned to your mission and it gives you a competitive advantage. Answer this: what's the impact you're looking to create? Let's say you're looking to inspire more people to add running to their lifestyle. You want a metric that will reflect the success of that objective. Maybe you create a metric like this: DMs about being inspired to run / followers Once you define your metric, than share it with the world. It helps to reinforce the impact you're looking to have and gives people a story to engage with.

Start creating. Building empathy for creators is the best thing you can do. Think of it as a signal to the world that you care and you mean it. The conversations you'll have with creators will be more meaningful. You'll be able to pick up the nuances which will help you see the industry in a unique way. Get off the sidelines and plant your feet on the court

When meeting new people in the creator industry, get into the habit of noting: 1) their upcoming projects 2) questions they're trying to answer and 3) their ambitions Don't overcomplicate it to start It's the info you can't scrape on the internet that is usually the most valuable in the long run. Over time you'll be able to support the people you meet through intentional dot connecting. Intentional is the key word

Collaborating with creators shouldn't be limit to products or content. Find thoughtful ways to support creators you believe in with experiences that will support their growth. One of my favourite ways is a co-hosted, curated dinner. Find another industry the creator is interested in and organize a dinner to bring both sides together. For eg. Creators x Retail, or Creators x Sports You're surrounding the creator with people who can further support their journey, helping bring two industries together and offering a thoughtful, in-person experience attendees will remember.