How to Create A Tribe with Steven Pemberton

Josh (00:00:03) - All right. We got five minutes on the clock. What's your name? My friend.

Steven (00:00:07) - Steven Pemberton.

Josh (00:00:08) - And what's the name of your podcast show?

Steven (00:00:11) - So my show is Voice Like a Lion podcast. Awesome.

Josh (00:00:14) - And on today's episode, we're going to talk about how to build an engaged audience, an engaged community, because you have an experience where you saw someone who had millions of followers, but they couldn't get them to do crap. All right, so take us away, man. Give us, give us some idea on what you would like to share with the community today.

Steven (00:00:32) - Yeah. So that is exactly my mindset going into the show is I saw an article where a TikToker had a million followers on TikTok, did a meet and greet, and zero people showed up. Not not even a percent like 0% showed up. So for me, as I'm more in the early stages of building my podcast because I've been mainly a guest, now that I'm building my own podcast, what does that look like? How do you actually build an engaged audience? Who's there not just for the guest that you're having on the show, but for you as the host?

Josh (00:01:01) - Yeah.

Josh (00:01:02) - So what does that look like? So a million followers and from the outside looking in a sponsor could go, oh that's great. We want to throw money at it. And they, you know, they spend all this money and then zero people, not even this guy's mom shows up to this event, right. Like yep. So how do you do it differently. And what are your thoughts.

Steven (00:01:22) - Yeah. So that is my thought process behind is how do you do it differently. What I've seen here in the community that I'm a part of locally is being able to have people that buy into what you are doing is actually giving real value. I mean, being a business owner, have been a business owner for the last four years is it's not about how well you can sell. Selling is a great skill, but more than selling is how do you have real palpable value? So for me, the way that I do that a little bit more uniquely is having vulnerability, being really open and transparent with the walk that I've gone through, because more people can relate to the pain than they can the purpose, then they can the promise, then they can the actual end goal.

Steven (00:02:00) - The mountaintop. So for me, the one way I've had people buy into me, whether in business or on the podcast, has just been through vulnerability.

Josh (00:02:08) - Vulnerability. What was the hardest thing for to become vulnerable? Right. And I believe you because you could talk all day long and, you know, look awesome. And people are like, man, I want to follow that dude. But when you when you start going vulnerable, like people connect with you and that's when a connection happens. And when you do an event, people want to connect with you and be there. What was the hardest part of it for you?

Steven (00:02:30) - Oh man, there's been so many things that I've walked through, especially in my marriage, that being open and transparent has been the hardest thing because I grew up where that wasn't modeled for me, I was. I grew up in a household with two military parents. There was not any vulnerability. They they barely talk to each other, let alone taught me how to talk about my emotions.

Steven (00:02:49) - So especially over the last three and a half years, talking about the affair that I've walked through, talking about the bankruptcies I've gone through, not just the mountaintops of making $3 million online. That's great, but I'd rather tell you about the things I've gone through so you can have a step, a practical thing, to help you through your own situation. So honestly, being able to be free to do that has given me so much freedom. And it's been able to I've been able to see that happen in the community around me. By me speaking freely. They're able to speak more freely.

Josh (00:03:18) - Yeah, I built a bunch of shows and I've done a bunch of stuff like like you have. And it's so hard because especially when you hit record, you're like, oh my gosh, who can hear this? What's going to be the fallout? And it's really hard to do it on a recorded line or in front of people recording. What's your input for that is like, you know, is it better to just kind of put it in the open, or is it better to kind of gauge who hears it? What are your thoughts?

Steven (00:03:44) - Yeah.

Steven (00:03:44) - So when you get on a hot mic things change. So the and I have firsthand experience with this. My wife and I were on a podcast. We talked about an affair. We walked through and my mom heard it. My mother in law heard it, and it was huge fallout. And so what we ended up having to realize was, yes, that is your story and that is your truth, and it is the truth. That's what happened. And it's how do you structure that in such a way where you're not bashing anyone else who was a part of that story, but actually incorporating them into it. So that's been a process, is learning how to bring that full circle?

Josh (00:04:17) - Yeah, I've interviewed thousands of dudes especially like on my show Uncensored Advice for men, and that's a hard topic, especially if they're talking about a new wife or former wife or this or that, or an affair. One final piece of advice that you have for podcasters and for media creators on becoming vulnerable. What's like a good starting point to do that?

Steven (00:04:36) - Yeah, a good starting point to do that is look back in a time and a place where you were really hurt, you were really in pain, and you were able to walk through that.

Steven (00:04:43) - How did you get through that? What was the mindset that you were in? How did you shift that mindset to get to where you are now? So those are really the big steps that I've gone through. And I think that that's a really good spot to start.

Josh (00:04:53) - Cool. What's the name of your podcast? Where can people follow you, connect with you and create a raving review on your show? Where could we go?

Steven (00:05:00) - So a voice like a line podcast. It's everywhere that you can find podcast. And yeah, that's really where you can do it.

Josh (00:05:06) - Awesome job today. You stay on the line guys. Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in to podcast host Ami.