The Best Merch for Fans (Insider 232)

A wild journey through podcast merch mishaps, creative constraints that boost your show, pin trading for superfans, and what to do when a podcast moment needs a "code red" fix in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ...

Why You Should Listen

• The bizarre afterlife of your podcast merch—why a homeless man might be your brand’s next billboard (and why that’s pure opportunity)

• How your podcast episode can worm its way halfway across the country—and what to do when you spot it in the digital “used bin”

• The unstoppable, profit-pulling power of true “fast fashion” in podcasting (and why your superfan isn’t always your final destination)

• The one thing every podcaster fears: a guest’s secret blurted on-air—then the desperate call begging you to erase it (here’s how to turn disaster into gold)

• Why rejection and resale could supercharge your audience—envy the reach you can’t control

• How to turn podcast pins and stickers into rabid collector’s items—triggering fandom lust you never thought possible

• The forbidden, dirt-cheap podcast setup that rivals the big guns—how your “$100 studio” could earn you kinglike respect (and listeners)

• Little-known tricks to harness limitations and make your podcast infinitely more creative…while your rivals weep

• Why mistakes and on-air blunders spawn cults of true believers—here’s how to harness shame, missteps, and embarrassment for viral growth

• What the most loyal Disney pin traders know that most podcasters don’t (and how you could use it to steal the hearts ... and wallets ... of your listeners)

• The overlooked “Code Red” rule for survival: when the phone rings with a nightmare edit request, how the savvy podcaster turns panic into power

• How to make your merch irresistible—even if it winds up on the “uncool” or the unsuspecting—and why that’s a secret weapon

• Turn podcast events from ghost towns into gold mines: how local, “small-time” networking leaves the mega-conferences trembling

• The grudge you didn’t know you carried: why it’s better to have your logo in Goodwill than in a landfill (and how to twist it for public envy)

• The crazy, backstory-packed secret behind “Baba Booey” and how your own accidental inside jokes could fuel an underground movement of rabid fans

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Episode Timestamps

• [00:04] The bittersweet story of finding your own CD in a dollar bin—and the unexpected life of what you put into the world

• [04:53] The surprising encounter with a homeless man wearing “Call Her Daddy” podcast merch—and what that reveals about your brand’s reach

• [05:49] Why podcast merch isn’t just for superfans—and how it can spread your message in ways you never anticipated

• [08:09] How a $500 endurance car race is a perfect metaphor for podcasting on a shoestring budget—and why creative constraints can make your show better

• [10:07] The hilarious radio origin story of the Howard Stern Show’s “Baba Booey”—and how legendary podcast moments are born from on-air mistakes

• [12:48] The weird world of Disney pin trading, and how podcast pins can turn listeners into obsessed collectors (and what you can learn from music merch