The short answer is because I like money.
But here are some of the specific reasons that may or may not apply to your business:
* I like to walk around when teaching – as I think better, perform better, and teach better
* It’s much easier to just turn on my phone’s recorder app – and then release the Kraken vs diddling around with video production
* I already spend several hours per day tethered to a desk writing – and the last thing I want is to be tethered to a chair, seat, or camera creating and/or editing video
* Health & energy – one reason I like to do Zoom calls & webinars walking around outside looking at nature while getting sunlight, audio only, is because I have long noticed people chained to a desk indoors staring at a screen are more low energy & dull witted than those moving around
* Steve Jobs, incidentally, took his meetings outside on walks – and he did so for similar reasons
* Better customers – this is subjective, but in my experience audio content attracts higher quality customers who listen and pay attention, and not screen zombies
* Talk radio effect – talk radio pulled far better and higher spending customers for Limbaugh and other right wing talk shows back in the talk radio era vs customers gotten by TV, from what I’ve read
* More likely to be consumed – we learned this years ago from our Learnistic mobile app clients… that’s not to say video isn’t consumed too, but nobody has to plan their time around listening if they commute, drive, workout, walk, etc
* Fast – for me to create & edit as there are no real “production” values, and starting with the last couple courses I did (10-Minute Trader and Breakthrough by Breakthrough, Schwartz by Schwartz) I use a special service I talk about in the September Email Players issue to make my hideous phone audio sound almost studio quality
* Better for learning – audio-only forces your brain to pay attention and use your imagination, and makes for convenient re-listening for repetitive learning.
* Watching videos, on the other hand shuts down the part of your brain responsible for logical thought and activates the part that makes you more prone to suggestion – great for selling, not so great for deeper learning, and I know of no other direct marketer who wants to admit this, incidentally, but neuro scientists have known this since the late 60’s
* I prefer audio personally – so I enjoy creating the content, and that joy rolls “down hill” to the listener vs if using a format I dislike, like video, would also then roll down hill
* I am an advocate for Dan Kennedy’s truism: ‘build your business to suit your preferences’
Mine happen to be audio when creating courses.
On a related note:
The September Email Players issue is all about my “Framework” for creating courses. I have multiple such Frameworks for doing them in a quick few weeks, to as fast as a few days or even in a single afternoon, in some cases.
And doing them without losing quality of content.
And, in a way you can often charge a lot for, if you choose.
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Ben Settle
