Felipe Engineer-Manriquez Of The EBFC Show On How To Bring Out The Best of Your Niche Podcast
Felipe Engineer-Manriquez, a bestselling author, international keynote speaker, and The EBFC Show podcast host recently shared how it took him five years to believe that there was something valuable he could bring to the podcasting world. His industry experience was so niche, he just wasn’t sure if he could find an audience. What he’s learned since is how much of an asset that really is, when you’re solving real problems and adding to the conversation.
Can we talk about that name for a minute? While it isn’t the name he was born with, Felipe did legally change his name and the fact that his show acronym stands for The Easier, Better, For Construction makes the name change even more perfect.
The EBFC Show loves to talk about construction scrum and scrum in general, which we are going to define because when I said his industry was very niche, I wasn’t kidding. But more than that, we are going to talk about how you can construct an easier, better show.
What is Scrum? “It’s not an acronym. It is borrowed from the game of Rugby, and is a management framework that allows people to reliably and creatively deliver value. The framework is totally free. If you go to ScrumGuides or ConstructionScrum, there are tons of free resources there. The framework is pretty much used everywhere.”
Collaboration Creates Conversation
Felipe admitted his favorite way to record a show is with a guest and that’s for a reason. The episodes always have a topic but they are never one-sided. There is always a sense of collaboration happening, where you’re hearing different perspectives and experiences and this amplifies the conversation. This broader perspective creates a space where your audience feels like they are getting the bigger picture. “We wanted the show to feel like someone had tapped my phone and they were listening in.”
Audience-First Mentality
Felipe is so successful as a host because he knows that every decision he makes for The EBFC Show needs to be done with his audience at the forefront. “ I always think about my guests. Every show and the editing team are like, “We get it.” We know who the audience is but I can’t reinforce it enough. Every decision is always made with the audience in mind.”
Confidence As A Starting Point
One of the things Felipe and I discussed, that I hear over and over again from hosts, is how unsure they were of their own voice when they began. Even the most successful in business or authors or whatever their industry, they still struggled with believing that they had something substantial to say. And when it comes to podcasting, it’s about having something substantial to say every week or every two weeks — however often you record. Hosts who show up with no confidence do not find the success they were hoping for so this is really important. Especially if you are diving into a very niche topic with a very specific audience. They need to know that you know what you’re talking about.
The scariest thing for people is their own internal voice. That voice inside their head that says, “You are not good enough. No one is going to listen.” Tell that voice, “Thank you for the information but there is somebody out there.” There are over seven billion people on the planet and somewhere North of half of the population of the world has access to the internet now. Podcasting has a very low barrier to entry. If you’ve got a story to tell, there are going to be thousands, if not millions or a billion people that would benefit from hearing your story and your take on something. Go out there and share.”
Showing Up Is A Strategy
Your first few episodes can be just okay, people will forgive you for that but you have to show up. The shows that fail are the ones that aren’t consistent. So once you’ve got your niche sorted, and you’ve got your list of dream guests, and you know which technology you’re going to use for recording, and you know what day you want to record or publish episodes — the most important thing you can do is show up consistently. This strategy will beat any marketing plan or long-term goal out there. If you can’t be consistent, your audience won’t be either.
“With a niche podcast, everything starts with a goal. What is the purpose of even having this thing to do? That’s the first question you ask yourself. When you answer that question, that answer becomes your goal. Once I learned this Scrum framework, I stopped saying yes to things that didn’t meet the goal. That allowed me to dramatically increase my workflow, get into a productive flow, and do so many things like a podcast, travel internationally, speak at conferences, work a full-time job, have a family that spends time with me, all these great things and have adventures every day.”
Binge Factor: When it comes to Felipe, he is so in the know. It’s clear that he carries an absolute deep knowledge of where he wants to educate his audience and what they are desperately looking for information on. This makes him capable of guiding conversations, bringing the right people on, and leading them through that in a way in which they are entertained, excited, and learn something from that. He is passionate, he is consistent and he isn’t afraid to answer the tough questions — which keeps the EBFC audience coming back again and again.
You can watch Tracy Hazzard’s full on-air podcast coaching with Felipe Engineer-Manriquez below or listen to The Binge Factor on your favorite podcast player.