13 Learnings From 45 Podcast Mixers

And two new podcast episodes

Hosting Podcast Mixers has changed my life. These interactive and intentional events with a podcast recording in the middle have helped me in so many ways!

Has hosting events changed your life too? Reply back and let me know!

Since July 2022, I have been hosting these consistently and I now wanted to share some learnings for you….

Here are 13 things I have learned from hosting 45 Podcasts Mixers:

1. People want to be at events that their friends are at. Partiful helps people see who else is attending an event before they RSVP. Social proof goes a long way! 

2. Sharing information pre-event helps builds momentum for an event. It also help removes uncertainty for people, hopefully leading to a better overall experience. This is the kind of information that I would like to receive too.

3. Hosting a repeatable event helps people understand your event more and more over time. Posting photos (or podcast episodes) online after the event helps people better understand your gathering. This will likely help encourage someone to attend an upcoming event that they could’ve been unsure about it before!

4. Top authors and creators will come to an apartment and speak at an event without a pre-event call or Zoom meeting. You can go from cold email to a live podcast… which is pretty crazy and amazing! Shoot your shot! 

5. You don’t need to have fancy food. I literally have snacks from Trader Joes most of the time. This can keep your event F&B costs down too. If people are having a good time, they won’t care a lot about your food!

6. Personalized invites lead to higher RSVP and attendance rates

7. The first 5 minutes of an event matter a lot. I often have some kind of prompt or mini-activity for people to do when they arrive. This helps people talk to other people!

8. When you invite people to events, you will get invited to more events

9. There is usually some last minute cancellations and day-of, no-shows. I have tried to start inviting more people and/or inviting people 2-4 days before to try to offset this.

10. Understanding your event RSVP tech stack is helpful. There are a few nuances with Partiful and Luma, event RSVP platforms, that can impact things. For events and just generally, whatever you use repeatedly, try to look for small adjustments that could move the needle. I try to use tech tools to *help* me produce an event, not *rely* on the tools to produce the event.

11. Having an event on your calendar forces me to make it happen. There is a certain kind of internal accountability and accountability to my friends that makes me want the event to be great. A positive forcing function for the win! 

12. Hosting events regularly creates an amazing feedback loop and momentum. When I know I am going to host more events, it takes a little pressure off of *each* event. And when you host regularly, people want to know when your next one is. This makes it easier to host. And a cycle and positive momentum then continues and builds. It’s amazing!

13. Experimentation and evolution has been key to hosting so many events. I started doing interview-only focused Podcast Mixers. But because of a situation, I started adding short-story or mini-interview (e.g. Hot Seat) Podcast Mixers with people already attending the event. This all came about from hosting one event at a time, and learning along the way!

Any questions? Reply back!

also… I am thinking about hosting more open Podcast Mixers. If you want to learn more about this, please opt-in to hearing more about it early here!

So what does this mean for you???

Hosting Podcast Mixers has changed my life. Hosting these kind of intentional gatherings on a regular basis could change yours too!

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🎧 Portfolio Career Podcast Episodes

#315: Overcoming Setbacks, Brand Expansion, and Community Emergence

This episode was recorded live during my Community Builders and Creators mini-conference on 3/30. You will hear from Terry Rice, Tawny Lara, and David Spinks.

#314: The Hot Seat with Taylor, Sara, and Ben

This was another special episode about trying to find balance, transitions, and growing up with two dads!

That is it for now!

Thanks for being here,

-David Nebinski, who wants to know if you are hosting any cool events!

PS: my good friend, Diana Hawk, is looking to be a guest on more podcasts to talk about her book, As Beautiful As It Seems. We recorded a special episode in 2022. Do you have a podcast and want to connect with her? Reply back saying “Diana” and we connect more about it! thank you!