December 20, 2022 • 30 mins
"Yes, I'm an Armcherry!" That identifying marker may sound strange to you if you're not a listener of the Armchair Expert Podcast. But if you listen to the show, you get it.
Today, I'm doing a case study that I've waited for months to share with you. The Armchair Expert Podcast, with hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padma, is one of my top 3 favorite podcasts!
In today's episode, I'm breaking down the significance of their content and how their journey has unfolded. Plus, I fangirl a bit about how their show is produced. (I get a little nerdier than usual. Please bare with me!)
These case studies help all of us creators take a moment to understand how some of the biggest shows in the world do what they do.
Armchair Expert takes the cake in producing raw and honest conversations with their guests while entertaining the audience - and making us all laugh until we pee our pants! It also allowed me to "fact-check" myself in the show notes.
As Dax would say, "Please enjoy this episode..."
Click the "Send Krystal a Text Message" link above to send us your questions, comments, and feedback on the show! (Pssst...we'll do giveaways in upcoming episodes so make sure you leave your name & podcast title.)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro (00:00):
It is officially time for us to do another podcast content
case study. And I'm reallyexcited about this one. Oh my
gosh. So if you're new aroundhere, or you haven't listened to
my previous case studies, you'regoing to have to go check them
out. I did one on onlinemarketing Made Easy. One of the
(00:22):
best podcasts you can listen toif you have an online business
or you're selling digitalcourses, you're trying to build
your email list like, absolutelygo listen to Amy Porterfield
podcast. It is incredible. But Ialso did one on the office
ladies, whenever they werelaunching their show I did What
is so funny because inhindsight, I don't think I said
(00:43):
the word deep dive as much as Idid, before I started listening
to their show because they sayit 1000 times. And I think that
that's where I get it fromright, you pick up these little
quirks when you're hanging outwith all these people all the
time in your head. And doing adeep dive on the office ladies
podcast was so much fun, but itwas all about the launch. So it
(01:06):
was right. Whenever they werelaunching their show, I went
into the promotional marketingcool things that they did, maybe
I should do an updated versionof that. Okay, we're gonna put a
pin in that because today, I amdoing one on the arm chair,
expert podcast, and I'm soexcited. I've had this on my
(01:28):
content calendar for probablytwo quarters, like, two quarters
of the year, I was like, Okay, Ihave to make time for the
armchair expert podcast casestudy, when is it going to
happen and I kept having to moveit because there was a launch
here, there was something else Ineed to do. And it is time, it
is time. I am so excited aboutthis, we're gonna break down
(01:52):
their show what it's looked likeover time, kind of the evolution
of it and the different funthings that they have had the
opportunity to do, but also howmuch their show has evolved.
Because if you are a contentcreator, you're a brand new
podcaster or YouTuber or Bloggerlike wherever you are in your
journey, I want you to thinkabout your content as an
(02:14):
evolution. Because what I dotoday looks drastically
different than when I firststarted in 2018. And it just so
happens to be the same year thatthey got started was in 2018.
And things have changed. So somuch. So let's get right into
(02:35):
it. Here is the case study forthe armchair expert podcast.
Let's get right to it. Welcometo the Prophet podcast where we
teach you how to start launchand market your content with
confidence. I'm your host,Krystal, Proffitt, and I'm so
excited that you're here. Thanksfor hanging out with me today.
Because if you've been trying tofigure out the world of content
(02:56):
creation, this is the show thatwill help be your time saving
shortcut. So let's get right toit, shall we?
Fan of the Show (03:08):
Okay, so one of the first things to note is that
I became officially an armcherry, right, this is what we
are called, if you are a megafan of the show, I officially
became an arm Chery back in2020. And I think it was
probably around COVID, right.
We're all trying to find newthings to watch new things to
(03:34):
listen to. And I think that itwas one of those that I found it
and I was like, Oh my gosh,like, look at all these
incredible people they've had ontheir show. Let me go back and
listen to it. And in doing so, Ijust fell in love with the host.
We're gonna talk about them in asecond. But I just fell in love
with everything about thispodcast. And now today, having
(03:54):
listened to it for over twoyears, I mean, I guess it's
close to two years at thispoint. But I love everything
about it. I love the evolutionof it. I love the direction of
it. I love how successful thisshow has been. Because I
believe, again, as a fan of theshow that it is incredible. But
(04:15):
don't worry, if you're like I'venever listened on that show. If
you don't know anything aboutit, it's fine. That's really not
what we're going to talk abouttoday. Like all the different
guests that they've had, we'regonna break it down by the
logistics of their show. We'regonna break it down by what
they've done with it and theevolution of it.
The Beginning (04:36):
So let's go back to the beginning. So they first
launched episodes on February 62018, with a three minute and 35
second trailer. Now why is thisimportant? Right? Why is this
important? Well, it's usuallyone of the first questions I get
asked Whenever someone's talkingabout launching a podcast or
(04:56):
like Well, should I have atrailer episode shall not have a
trailer Episode What needs to bein it. And I have a lot of
YouTube videos that you can gocheck out about, you know what,
what is involved in a trailerepisode that you'll find in the
show notes to this episode. ButI believe having something that
explains what you can expectwhenever you listen to this
(05:18):
show. And I went back and listento it. And it was so fun to hear
them because they've come a longway and how comfortable they
feel behind the microphone likeyou can kind of tell that
they're a little bit more likelike, buttoned up or maybe a
little bit more just nervousabout getting started, because
here they are. And they're fouryears in at this point, almost
(05:39):
five years into doing theirshow. And they just are so much
more relaxed so much morethemselves. But the host are
DAX, and Monica, and in thetrailer episode, they're
explaining what you can expect.
So from the get go from thevery, very beginning, the host
take two different positions. Soyou have someone who has a lots
(06:01):
of confidence and lots ofconviction, the armchair expert
that is Dax, then you havesomeone to call them out on
their BS, that is the factchecker and that is Monica. So
these two, like have been reallygood friends for a long time.
And it's just been really coolto see their dynamic and how
(06:23):
everything shakes out. So DaxShepard and Monica Patman plays
each of their respective rolesbeautifully in the host
position. So DAX is an actor,comedian, filmmaker and a
podcast host. And my favoriterole that he's ever played was
Cheeto in Idiocracy. Maybebecause maybe you're like, Oh,
(06:46):
who is that? So he was on punkway back in the day. Of course,
I remember punk. Like wheneverthat show came on and hearing
him talk to Mandy Moore. Heinterviewed Mandy Moore, about
one of the pranks he he pulled
Intro (07:01):
like, Oh my gosh, I forgot. Like, I saw that on MTV.
on her. I wasLike when it happened back in
the early 2000s. Or whenever,you know, whatever that episode
aired, I was like, Oh my gosh,like I remember when that
happened. I remember watchingthat as a teenager. And it's so
crazy to think of, you know,I've been following this person
for a really long time, butnever had what I feel like is
(07:21):
such an intimate knowledge ofwho He really is at its core,
because I've listened to himevery single week since 2020. So
that's the power of content.
That's the power of podcasting,you can really get to know who
someone is and a little bit moreof their quirks. And so Monica,
(07:42):
Monica padman is an actorpodcaster and producer, and she
is my age, like if we went tohigh school, the same years
college the same years. Solistening to the show, from her
perspective, and her references,helps me relate even more to
what they're talking aboutwhenever they're interviewing
guests, because DAX is older.
He's in his late 40s. And Monicais I think she's 35. But I'm
(08:07):
turning 36. Very soon, actually,when this episode airs, it'll be
the Friday after this episodeairs. But we just synchronize
like she was a champion statecheerleader. I was never that.
Okay, let's be very clear onthat. But I was a cheerleader.
And just the things that sheadds to the conversation. I'm
(08:29):
like, Yup, I know exactly whatshe's talking about in their
producer and the guy that'sbehind the scenes of it all.
You'll hear him in thebackground from time to time.
But Rob, he is also his name isWabi wahb. He is also our age
too. So he'll chime in with hislittle references. And you know,
(08:49):
Dax will turn around and belike, hey, you know, what do
y'all think about this when youthink about that, so it's cool
to see that dynamic of him beingolder, which my husband is older
than me. So I understand all ofDAX is references, but it's just
a really fun dynamic that theyhave on their show. And they've
had several guests that you'relike, oh, okay, they have some
(09:10):
really high profile people, butit's mostly celebrities. So
dozens, hundreds of celebritiesat this point. And anywhere from
Ashton Kutcher to Mila Kunis toI mean, they just had Edward
Norton. They've interviewedBarack Obama and Bill Gates they
had Richard Branson on recentlythey had Prince Harry, like,
(09:34):
there have been so manyincredible like, you have to go
listen to this show. If you havenot listened to it. You will
love it. It is so fantastic. Butthe premise of their show is to
interview people and they'llenter the conversation. And then
at the end, like so they'll havea segment of the show, which is
the interview and then at theend of it, Monica goes through
(09:55):
the fact check where it juststarts out at is a casual
conversation. And then she goesback through the interview that
they had. And she'll say, oh,you know what we talked about
this, but we were wrong. Like,maybe we made the wrong
reference, or it was the wrongdate that somebody mentioned or
the wrong figure, like she goesthrough, and they talk about the
(10:16):
facts that they needed tocorrect for the episode, which I
think is really fun. I thinkthat having someone fact
checking things after the factis just really cool. And it's
almost one of those things whereI'm like, oh, you know what, I
probably should do that for thisshow, too. Like, after we do an
interview, go back and listen tothe whole thing. And I'll do
(10:37):
that from time to time. Like ifsomeone forgets to mention
something, or we were supposedto talk about the thing that
they wanted to promote, and wejust got so carried away in
conversation and never happened,I'll do those little add ins.
But this is just next level asfar as the facts go. But that is
the overall premise of thedifferent things that they have.
(10:57):
So the interview celebrities,they'll interview experts, which
I think that that's been justreally revolutionary for me,
because here I am, I startedlistening to the show as a form
of entertainment. I've learnedso much. So so much, I've been
introduced to even more reallyincredible minds, like people
that are in academics, or inlike a financial sector that I
(11:22):
would have never been introducedto, because that's not really my
thing to follow those kinds ofpeople. But they come on the
show, and they have honestconversations, and all of a
sudden, I'm like, oh, I want tobuy their book, I want to go see
what I'm gonna go follow them onInstagram, I'm gonna get on
their email list. So it's justreally cool to be introduced to
these different people via thismedium right of this podcast.
(11:43):
And that's typically not whatit's like. It's not just
business and marketing, which iswhat I really enjoy listening to
as well. This is a way for me toget entertainment and education.
So full entertainment for you,right.
Changing & Pivoting (12:00):
Alright, so now let's talk about changing
and pivoting. Because whathappened is, they went from
their original show to multiplesegments and spin offs. And I
actually didn't, I put these inbullet point form, which should
have put them in number form. Solet me count these we have
123456. And I feel like I'mmissing one. But they have six
(12:25):
episode spin off show spin offsthat are under this umbrella. So
they'll call it the arm chairumbrella. And what they've done
is they've created these otherside shows which that sounds
funny, right? They have theselittle sideshows. It's not the
circus promise. It's like it's areally good, really good thing.
(12:46):
But they kind of found theirgroove. And then thought, Well,
what else could we talk about?
Like we enjoy talking to people?
We enjoy interviewing theseexperts and talking to our
friends like what else could wedo with this medium of
podcasting? And so one of thefirst spin offs was Monica and
(13:07):
her friend Jess created apodcast called Monica and just
love boys. And then from there,they started armchair anonymous,
which that's out of order.
Because armchair Anonymous isactually a very recent addition,
like in the last 12 months, thatwas something that they added.
And that's another spin off ofarm chair, umbrella. Then they
(13:28):
have flightless bird, which ohmy gosh, Shaw, I think that that
one is my second favorite isincredible. So it's David
farrier, who is the most uniqueperson. He's incredibly weird,
and just so different. So he'sfrom New Zealand. And he was
(13:49):
stuck here in the US in LosAngeles to be specific, over
COVID Because New England, NewEngland, New Zealand had very
strict guidelines on gettingback into the country, and he
was just never able to make ithappen. So they said that he was
marooned here in America. And hewanted to figure out, like, have
(14:12):
the opportunity to ask peopleabout our weird American quirks
that as someone who is not fromthis country didn't grow up
here. He's very observant aboutall the weird things that
happen. And he wants to dissectlike, why does this happen?
Y'all? He did one recently aboutleaf blowers, and I was dying,
laughing. I was laughing sohard. He was like, why why do
(14:34):
you do this? Why as Americans,do you blow leaves basically
from one side of the street tothe next. And I was cracking up
because like, literally, twoseconds later while I'm
listening to this, they're leafblower like a whole lawn crew
shows up on my street andthey're immediately blowing
(14:56):
leaves everywhere and grow brassand I'm just cracking up so that
so you have to check out thatsegment as well are those
episodes because it's adifferent show, but technically
it's all released under the armchair umbrella, which I think is
just so so fun. So that's agreat, great one to check out.
And that's David farrier, andMonica Patman. Run that show.
(15:18):
Then there's armed haired anddangerous. This is one where
David David Ferrier, I was justtalking about, he started doing
these episodes, and it's wherethey go into conspiracy
theories. And now I'm not aconspiracy theorists and I have
never really been too interestedin them. But whenever it's
(15:39):
served up to you by theseincredible people that can talk
really well and like tell theseincredible stories, they have
this like, cinematic feel tothem, because of the way that
everything is produced andedited. It's just like, it's
really good. Like, it is really,really good to learn about these
(16:00):
different conspiracies. Whenit's presented in this way.
Again, we're going for theedutainment and the ability to
consume something that's in atotally different form of
content. Then, if you were justscrolling through Netflix, and
you saw a documentary oncannibalism, right, you're like,
Oh, I probably wouldn't watchthat. I did listen to their
(16:21):
episode on cannibalism. It'slike, oh, my gosh, okay, this is
really interesting. But ifthat's your thing, conspiracy
theories, that's another one togo check out. Then there's two
more shows that they've done. Soone of them is called Race to
270, where DAX like some of hislike, Bro friends, they all got
together, and one of them wastrying to lose weight to get
(16:43):
down to 270. And the other onewas trying to gain weight to get
to 270. So it was this, theshow, you know, it wasn't really
for me, I'll admit, it wasn'tlike the thing that I ran to
listen to. But it was a reallycool addition to add in their
friends and other people thatare important to their lives
(17:05):
into this really cool atmospherethat they had created within the
podcasting space. But I want totalk about one of the most
recent shows that were a spinoff. And that was race to 35. So
as this is airing, the lastepisode of that podcast just
recently came out, and they'regonna have a bonus episode, but
(17:28):
technically, the whole thing isover. And this one just really
inspired me, because it wasMonica and her friend, Liz, who
is also 35. They decided tofreeze their eggs, like, yeah,
like their, their literal eggs,eggs in their body, they decided
(17:48):
that they wanted to go throughthis process and document it.
And I have to say, as someonewho is a mother of three, right,
and I had kids young, like I was22, when I had our oldest son,
and I was done having kids bythe time I was 29. So I've had
you know, in a span of sevenyears, I had three kids. And
(18:09):
that was it. I didn't have anyfertility problems. I didn't
have any issues that I know,I've seen several of my friends
go through, I've seen friendshave to go to a sperm donor.
I've seen people that deal withIVF. I've seen people that, like
it's all this kind of externalworld to me that I didn't really
(18:30):
feel that I have the right toask a bunch of questions, if
they were struggling, like Ididn't want to put that burden
on them to explain to me exactlywhat was going on. And so having
this podcast to go to was soawesome, because I got this peek
into this world that I've neverknown about never been exposed
(18:51):
to. And it was just reallyinteresting. So if you know
somebody who's thinking aboutfreezing their eggs, or going
through the fertility process,or any of the other things that
have to do with what thosedecisions can look like, and
just y'all they give each othershots. And it's so funny. Like,
it's so funny, because I don'thave to do it, right. I didn't
(19:14):
have to live through it. So I'mlaughing at the fact that they
are doing this together asfriends. And they're talking
about it like actually talkingabout the things that they're
going through. And it was justit was really cool. So I highly
recommend go and check out thatpodcast as well.
Episodes to Date (19:32):
So all of that to say, y'all that is a lot.
That is a lot of content thatthey have put into all of these
different episodes, and I lookedonline to see how many episodes
of all their shows they'vepublished to date. And as of me
recording this episode today,there have been 381 episodes
(19:53):
published. Now. I didn't getclarification. This is where my
fact checked would come intoplace right now. I didn't get
clarification, if thatencompassed all of their spin
off shows, or if it was just themain armchair expert, like the
main ones that they put out allthe time, but 381 episodes in
(20:14):
four years. That's reallyincredible. And it's funny
because like, Here I am, we'reat 383. Like, this is episode
383 today. So we're like, onkind of the same pathway. But I
went through a period ofpublishing a ton of episodes.
And now we're down to once aweek cadence. And so it just
(20:34):
kind of goes to show thatthere's some really cool
similarities and parallels to myjourney in their journey. And I
just love being able to learnfrom them and the incredible
things that they're doing,because this is a really fun
thing that I wanted to tell youabout...
The Spotify Deal (20:51):
The Spotify deal. So if you have heard of
this podcast, it's likely thatyou know, it is exclusive to
Spotify. And this is somethingthat happened. So in May 2021,
the two hosts so Daksa, Monicaannounced on Instagram, that
they were going to be goingexclusive to Spotify starting
(21:15):
July 1 2021. And I have to bereally honest with you. My
initial reaction wasfrustration, I was really,
really frustrated. And thereason why it's not because of
them, it's because I'm not aSpotify first podcast listener,
I don't like the idea ofexclusive shows. And their show
(21:40):
is the only one the only onethat I listen to on Spotify, I
listen to all the other ones ongood pod. So shout out to JJ and
her team over at good pods. Itis my favorite podcast app. But
I just didn't like the idea ofthem going exclusive and going
(22:02):
over there. But you know, Idon't know, they didn't ask me
my opinion, but it's just how Ifeel about it. And I'm just not
a Spotify first listener, Iprefer good pods because I like
the interaction and all the youknow, star ratings, the comments
(22:24):
you can do all that stuff issuper, super fun. But there's
some speculation as to how muchmoney the to made on their
Spotify deal. But it was anundisclosed amount that's easily
in the 10s of millions. Like ifI were to take a guess I would
(22:45):
say it was anywhere from 20 to$80 million. I have no idea how
much it really was. But I justlove that they are doing so
well, like they're doing so CES.
I love these shows. I mean, ifanything has, you've learned
from this today, like I pickedthis podcast to do a case study,
(23:07):
because I love it. So so muchlike I could tell you so many
fun facts and weird things aboutit. But we don't have five hours
for me to sit here and dissecteverything. I just wanted to
share a little bit about whatthe show is what it means to me.
(23:29):
And the reason why that youshouldn't get so bogged down in
how everything is performingtoday in your content. Because
you never know what can happenover time with your content.
It's going to ebb it's going toflow, it's going to go up, it's
(23:51):
going to go down. It's going togo round and round, you may go
in a totally new direction. Butthe thing is, is that if you
love podcasting, like I lovepodcasting, you're going to find
a way to make it work for you.
(24:13):
Because at the end of the day,you know, I think back to
whenever I started my show, Iloved the idea of podcasting. I
just wasn't in love with thecontent that I was creating at
the time. So I pivoted, Ichanged, I did something
(24:33):
different. I've pivoted, I'vechanged since I've made changes,
and it's one of those thingsthat we can't get so stuck in
No Video Podcasts! (24:41):
And one final thought on one of the
things that they do that Ireally, really respect the heck
what we're doing today that wedon't allow for evolution and
out of is they refuse to dovideo for their sessions. Now
changes and taking things to thenext level. You have to be open
hear me out on this becausepeople are gonna be like, Oh,
well video podcasts like that'sthe way to go and all these
to the idea that things willchange in the future. And that's
other YouTube Experts told me, Ihave to have a video podcast,
okay, that's totally okay. Oneof the things that I love about
(25:02):
I'm just going to sit through itand make myself uncomfortable
the armchair expert podcast isthe host get guests to really
and totally do. This is the bestthing that I heard. And DAX said
this, and it was just so sogood. So things get awkward when
open up and be raw and human.
And one of the key phrases thatthe camera is around. And I'm
paraphrasing him, of course, butthey have is the messiness of
being human. I love it. I lovehe said something about video is
so distracting. I don't want youit so much. I think that that
should apply to us as well. Likeworrying about the logo on my
(25:22):
shirt, instead of actuallylistening to the conversation
that we're having. And Ilet yourself be human, let
yourself make some mistakes, letthought, oh, my gosh, I do that.
I do that, like whenever I'myourself just be someone that is
creating a message that can helpwatching a YouTube video, or I'm
watching people on TV. I do,I'll think, Okay, I'm listening
to what they're saying. But alsosomeone else.
Drew Barrymore's hair is reallycute. Or Jennifer Aniston, like,
(25:45):
look at her nails. Did you seethe the bracelet that she's
wearing? Did you see that color?
Like, I want that color? I wantthat nail polish or look at a
makeup like you just do thesethings very differently. you
process information verydifferently whenever it's in a
visual format, as opposed towhenever I'm listening to a
podcast, maybe you right now.
(26:07):
You popped in your earbuds andyou're going on a walk or you're
folding laundry, are you doingdishes, you're cooking, like
you're driving, you're doingsomething totally different, and
you are submerged in this audioworld that we've created. And
you're not distracted? Bywondering what does Krystal have
on? What does she look like?
I'll tell you exactly I have onsweatpants, a hoodie and a hat
(26:30):
with no makeup today. That iswhat I look like. And I can tell
you right now that the audioversion of this is way better
than what it would be if it werethe video version today, because
it's just it's not a prettysight. We'll just say that mom
was looking a little roughtoday. And that's okay. It's
what I love about podcasting. Itis why it is incredible.
Outro (26:55):
But if you want to hear other case studies, send me a DM
on Instagram, because these area lot of fun. It's really I
enjoyed this. So so much doingthese deep dives, looking into
the content, kind of pullingback the curtain even though I
don't own the curtain, right,this isn't my show. But I love
dissecting what other peoplehave done and looking at it from
(27:18):
the sense of how can I takepieces of this and teach other
creators how to infuse their ownbrand their own message in a way
that helps them reach otherpeople as successfully as these
huge shows have, I mean, becausethey're like, they're like top
five in the world. I don't knowif they're number two or number
(27:39):
three, but y'all they're upthere, they are up there as one
of the biggest shows in theworld. And so I think that we
can look at what they're doing.
And if I had to boil all of itdown to one simple thing.
They're having fun, they reallyare, they are truly having fun
with the conversations thatthey're having with people and
the things that they're talkingabout. So that's what I'm gonna
(28:02):
leave you with today is find away to have fun in the content
that you're creating. But ifyou're listening to this right
now, and it is the It's almostthe end of 2022. That's wild,
right? It's 2023 is right aroundthe corner. And it actually
created a free guide that I wantyou to go download. So it's
(28:22):
called the seven steps to createa better content brand. And it's
going to be linked in the shownotes but go to
Krystalproffitt.com/betterbrand.
And I want you to go downloadthis because if you're
struggling with your own brandand your messaging, you're going
to find the seven steps in here.
It will help you get clear onwhat you can do to make a bigger
(28:45):
impact in 2023. But that's all Ihave for you today. So as always
remember, keep it up. We allhave to start somewhere.
It is officially time for us to do another podcast content
case study. And I'm reallyexcited about this one. Oh my
gosh. So if you're new aroundhere, or you haven't listened to
my previous case studies, you'regoing to have to go check them
out. I did one on onlinemarketing Made Easy. One of the
(00:22):
best podcasts you can listen toif you have an online business
or you're selling digitalcourses, you're trying to build
your email list like, absolutelygo listen to Amy Porterfield
podcast. It is incredible. But Ialso did one on the office
ladies, whenever they werelaunching their show I did What
is so funny because inhindsight, I don't think I said
(00:43):
the word deep dive as much as Idid, before I started listening
to their show because they sayit 1000 times. And I think that
that's where I get it fromright, you pick up these little
quirks when you're hanging outwith all these people all the
time in your head. And doing adeep dive on the office ladies
podcast was so much fun, but itwas all about the launch. So it
(01:06):
was right. Whenever they werelaunching their show, I went
into the promotional marketingcool things that they did, maybe
I should do an updated versionof that. Okay, we're gonna put a
pin in that because today, I amdoing one on the arm chair,
expert podcast, and I'm soexcited. I've had this on my
(01:28):
content calendar for probablytwo quarters, like, two quarters
of the year, I was like, Okay, Ihave to make time for the
armchair expert podcast casestudy, when is it going to
happen and I kept having to moveit because there was a launch
here, there was something else Ineed to do. And it is time, it
is time. I am so excited aboutthis, we're gonna break down
(01:52):
their show what it's looked likeover time, kind of the evolution
of it and the different funthings that they have had the
opportunity to do, but also howmuch their show has evolved.
Because if you are a contentcreator, you're a brand new
podcaster or YouTuber or Bloggerlike wherever you are in your
journey, I want you to thinkabout your content as an
(02:14):
evolution. Because what I dotoday looks drastically
different than when I firststarted in 2018. And it just so
happens to be the same year thatthey got started was in 2018.
And things have changed. So somuch. So let's get right into
(02:35):
it. Here is the case study forthe armchair expert podcast.
Let's get right to it. Welcometo the Prophet podcast where we
teach you how to start launchand market your content with
confidence. I'm your host,Krystal, Proffitt, and I'm so
excited that you're here. Thanksfor hanging out with me today.
Because if you've been trying tofigure out the world of content
(02:56):
creation, this is the show thatwill help be your time saving
shortcut. So let's get right toit, shall we?
Fan of the Show (03:08):
Okay, so one of the first things to note is that
I became officially an armcherry, right, this is what we
are called, if you are a megafan of the show, I officially
became an arm Chery back in2020. And I think it was
probably around COVID, right.
We're all trying to find newthings to watch new things to
(03:34):
listen to. And I think that itwas one of those that I found it
and I was like, Oh my gosh,like, look at all these
incredible people they've had ontheir show. Let me go back and
listen to it. And in doing so, Ijust fell in love with the host.
We're gonna talk about them in asecond. But I just fell in love
with everything about thispodcast. And now today, having
(03:54):
listened to it for over twoyears, I mean, I guess it's
close to two years at thispoint. But I love everything
about it. I love the evolutionof it. I love the direction of
it. I love how successful thisshow has been. Because I
believe, again, as a fan of theshow that it is incredible. But
(04:15):
don't worry, if you're like I'venever listened on that show. If
you don't know anything aboutit, it's fine. That's really not
what we're going to talk abouttoday. Like all the different
guests that they've had, we'regonna break it down by the
logistics of their show. We'regonna break it down by what
they've done with it and theevolution of it.
The Beginning (04:36):
So let's go back to the beginning. So they first
launched episodes on February 62018, with a three minute and 35
second trailer. Now why is thisimportant? Right? Why is this
important? Well, it's usuallyone of the first questions I get
asked Whenever someone's talkingabout launching a podcast or
(04:56):
like Well, should I have atrailer episode shall not have a
trailer Episode What needs to bein it. And I have a lot of
YouTube videos that you can gocheck out about, you know what,
what is involved in a trailerepisode that you'll find in the
show notes to this episode. ButI believe having something that
explains what you can expectwhenever you listen to this
(05:18):
show. And I went back and listento it. And it was so fun to hear
them because they've come a longway and how comfortable they
feel behind the microphone likeyou can kind of tell that
they're a little bit more likelike, buttoned up or maybe a
little bit more just nervousabout getting started, because
here they are. And they're fouryears in at this point, almost
(05:39):
five years into doing theirshow. And they just are so much
more relaxed so much morethemselves. But the host are
DAX, and Monica, and in thetrailer episode, they're
explaining what you can expect.
So from the get go from thevery, very beginning, the host
take two different positions. Soyou have someone who has a lots
(06:01):
of confidence and lots ofconviction, the armchair expert
that is Dax, then you havesomeone to call them out on
their BS, that is the factchecker and that is Monica. So
these two, like have been reallygood friends for a long time.
And it's just been really coolto see their dynamic and how
(06:23):
everything shakes out. So DaxShepard and Monica Patman plays
each of their respective rolesbeautifully in the host
position. So DAX is an actor,comedian, filmmaker and a
podcast host. And my favoriterole that he's ever played was
Cheeto in Idiocracy. Maybebecause maybe you're like, Oh,
(06:46):
who is that? So he was on punkway back in the day. Of course,
I remember punk. Like wheneverthat show came on and hearing
him talk to Mandy Moore. Heinterviewed Mandy Moore, about
one of the pranks he he pulled
Intro (07:01):
like, Oh my gosh, I forgot. Like, I saw that on MTV.
on her. I wasLike when it happened back in
the early 2000s. Or whenever,you know, whatever that episode
aired, I was like, Oh my gosh,like I remember when that
happened. I remember watchingthat as a teenager. And it's so
crazy to think of, you know,I've been following this person
for a really long time, butnever had what I feel like is
(07:21):
such an intimate knowledge ofwho He really is at its core,
because I've listened to himevery single week since 2020. So
that's the power of content.
That's the power of podcasting,you can really get to know who
someone is and a little bit moreof their quirks. And so Monica,
(07:42):
Monica padman is an actorpodcaster and producer, and she
is my age, like if we went tohigh school, the same years
college the same years. Solistening to the show, from her
perspective, and her references,helps me relate even more to
what they're talking aboutwhenever they're interviewing
guests, because DAX is older.
He's in his late 40s. And Monicais I think she's 35. But I'm
(08:07):
turning 36. Very soon, actually,when this episode airs, it'll be
the Friday after this episodeairs. But we just synchronize
like she was a champion statecheerleader. I was never that.
Okay, let's be very clear onthat. But I was a cheerleader.
And just the things that sheadds to the conversation. I'm
(08:29):
like, Yup, I know exactly whatshe's talking about in their
producer and the guy that'sbehind the scenes of it all.
You'll hear him in thebackground from time to time.
But Rob, he is also his name isWabi wahb. He is also our age
too. So he'll chime in with hislittle references. And you know,
(08:49):
Dax will turn around and belike, hey, you know, what do
y'all think about this when youthink about that, so it's cool
to see that dynamic of him beingolder, which my husband is older
than me. So I understand all ofDAX is references, but it's just
a really fun dynamic that theyhave on their show. And they've
had several guests that you'relike, oh, okay, they have some
(09:10):
really high profile people, butit's mostly celebrities. So
dozens, hundreds of celebritiesat this point. And anywhere from
Ashton Kutcher to Mila Kunis toI mean, they just had Edward
Norton. They've interviewedBarack Obama and Bill Gates they
had Richard Branson on recentlythey had Prince Harry, like,
(09:34):
there have been so manyincredible like, you have to go
listen to this show. If you havenot listened to it. You will
love it. It is so fantastic. Butthe premise of their show is to
interview people and they'llenter the conversation. And then
at the end, like so they'll havea segment of the show, which is
the interview and then at theend of it, Monica goes through
(09:55):
the fact check where it juststarts out at is a casual
conversation. And then she goesback through the interview that
they had. And she'll say, oh,you know what we talked about
this, but we were wrong. Like,maybe we made the wrong
reference, or it was the wrongdate that somebody mentioned or
the wrong figure, like she goesthrough, and they talk about the
(10:16):
facts that they needed tocorrect for the episode, which I
think is really fun. I thinkthat having someone fact
checking things after the factis just really cool. And it's
almost one of those things whereI'm like, oh, you know what, I
probably should do that for thisshow, too. Like, after we do an
interview, go back and listen tothe whole thing. And I'll do
(10:37):
that from time to time. Like ifsomeone forgets to mention
something, or we were supposedto talk about the thing that
they wanted to promote, and wejust got so carried away in
conversation and never happened,I'll do those little add ins.
But this is just next level asfar as the facts go. But that is
the overall premise of thedifferent things that they have.
(10:57):
So the interview celebrities,they'll interview experts, which
I think that that's been justreally revolutionary for me,
because here I am, I startedlistening to the show as a form
of entertainment. I've learnedso much. So so much, I've been
introduced to even more reallyincredible minds, like people
that are in academics, or inlike a financial sector that I
(11:22):
would have never been introducedto, because that's not really my
thing to follow those kinds ofpeople. But they come on the
show, and they have honestconversations, and all of a
sudden, I'm like, oh, I want tobuy their book, I want to go see
what I'm gonna go follow them onInstagram, I'm gonna get on
their email list. So it's justreally cool to be introduced to
these different people via thismedium right of this podcast.
(11:43):
And that's typically not whatit's like. It's not just
business and marketing, which iswhat I really enjoy listening to
as well. This is a way for me toget entertainment and education.
So full entertainment for you,right.
Changing & Pivoting (12:00):
Alright, so now let's talk about changing
and pivoting. Because whathappened is, they went from
their original show to multiplesegments and spin offs. And I
actually didn't, I put these inbullet point form, which should
have put them in number form. Solet me count these we have
123456. And I feel like I'mmissing one. But they have six
(12:25):
episode spin off show spin offsthat are under this umbrella. So
they'll call it the arm chairumbrella. And what they've done
is they've created these otherside shows which that sounds
funny, right? They have theselittle sideshows. It's not the
circus promise. It's like it's areally good, really good thing.
(12:46):
But they kind of found theirgroove. And then thought, Well,
what else could we talk about?
Like we enjoy talking to people?
We enjoy interviewing theseexperts and talking to our
friends like what else could wedo with this medium of
podcasting? And so one of thefirst spin offs was Monica and
(13:07):
her friend Jess created apodcast called Monica and just
love boys. And then from there,they started armchair anonymous,
which that's out of order.
Because armchair Anonymous isactually a very recent addition,
like in the last 12 months, thatwas something that they added.
And that's another spin off ofarm chair, umbrella. Then they
(13:28):
have flightless bird, which ohmy gosh, Shaw, I think that that
one is my second favorite isincredible. So it's David
farrier, who is the most uniqueperson. He's incredibly weird,
and just so different. So he'sfrom New Zealand. And he was
(13:49):
stuck here in the US in LosAngeles to be specific, over
COVID Because New England, NewEngland, New Zealand had very
strict guidelines on gettingback into the country, and he
was just never able to make ithappen. So they said that he was
marooned here in America. And hewanted to figure out, like, have
(14:12):
the opportunity to ask peopleabout our weird American quirks
that as someone who is not fromthis country didn't grow up
here. He's very observant aboutall the weird things that
happen. And he wants to dissectlike, why does this happen?
Y'all? He did one recently aboutleaf blowers, and I was dying,
laughing. I was laughing sohard. He was like, why why do
(14:34):
you do this? Why as Americans,do you blow leaves basically
from one side of the street tothe next. And I was cracking up
because like, literally, twoseconds later while I'm
listening to this, they're leafblower like a whole lawn crew
shows up on my street andthey're immediately blowing
(14:56):
leaves everywhere and grow brassand I'm just cracking up so that
so you have to check out thatsegment as well are those
episodes because it's adifferent show, but technically
it's all released under the armchair umbrella, which I think is
just so so fun. So that's agreat, great one to check out.
And that's David farrier, andMonica Patman. Run that show.
(15:18):
Then there's armed haired anddangerous. This is one where
David David Ferrier, I was justtalking about, he started doing
these episodes, and it's wherethey go into conspiracy
theories. And now I'm not aconspiracy theorists and I have
never really been too interestedin them. But whenever it's
(15:39):
served up to you by theseincredible people that can talk
really well and like tell theseincredible stories, they have
this like, cinematic feel tothem, because of the way that
everything is produced andedited. It's just like, it's
really good. Like, it is really,really good to learn about these
(16:00):
different conspiracies. Whenit's presented in this way.
Again, we're going for theedutainment and the ability to
consume something that's in atotally different form of
content. Then, if you were justscrolling through Netflix, and
you saw a documentary oncannibalism, right, you're like,
Oh, I probably wouldn't watchthat. I did listen to their
(16:21):
episode on cannibalism. It'slike, oh, my gosh, okay, this is
really interesting. But ifthat's your thing, conspiracy
theories, that's another one togo check out. Then there's two
more shows that they've done. Soone of them is called Race to
270, where DAX like some of hislike, Bro friends, they all got
together, and one of them wastrying to lose weight to get
(16:43):
down to 270. And the other onewas trying to gain weight to get
to 270. So it was this, theshow, you know, it wasn't really
for me, I'll admit, it wasn'tlike the thing that I ran to
listen to. But it was a reallycool addition to add in their
friends and other people thatare important to their lives
(17:05):
into this really cool atmospherethat they had created within the
podcasting space. But I want totalk about one of the most
recent shows that were a spinoff. And that was race to 35. So
as this is airing, the lastepisode of that podcast just
recently came out, and they'regonna have a bonus episode, but
(17:28):
technically, the whole thing isover. And this one just really
inspired me, because it wasMonica and her friend, Liz, who
is also 35. They decided tofreeze their eggs, like, yeah,
like their, their literal eggs,eggs in their body, they decided
(17:48):
that they wanted to go throughthis process and document it.
And I have to say, as someonewho is a mother of three, right,
and I had kids young, like I was22, when I had our oldest son,
and I was done having kids bythe time I was 29. So I've had
you know, in a span of sevenyears, I had three kids. And
(18:09):
that was it. I didn't have anyfertility problems. I didn't
have any issues that I know,I've seen several of my friends
go through, I've seen friendshave to go to a sperm donor.
I've seen people that deal withIVF. I've seen people that, like
it's all this kind of externalworld to me that I didn't really
(18:30):
feel that I have the right toask a bunch of questions, if
they were struggling, like Ididn't want to put that burden
on them to explain to me exactlywhat was going on. And so having
this podcast to go to was soawesome, because I got this peek
into this world that I've neverknown about never been exposed
(18:51):
to. And it was just reallyinteresting. So if you know
somebody who's thinking aboutfreezing their eggs, or going
through the fertility process,or any of the other things that
have to do with what thosedecisions can look like, and
just y'all they give each othershots. And it's so funny. Like,
it's so funny, because I don'thave to do it, right. I didn't
(19:14):
have to live through it. So I'mlaughing at the fact that they
are doing this together asfriends. And they're talking
about it like actually talkingabout the things that they're
going through. And it was justit was really cool. So I highly
recommend go and check out thatpodcast as well.
Episodes to Date (19:32):
So all of that to say, y'all that is a lot.
That is a lot of content thatthey have put into all of these
different episodes, and I lookedonline to see how many episodes
of all their shows they'vepublished to date. And as of me
recording this episode today,there have been 381 episodes
(19:53):
published. Now. I didn't getclarification. This is where my
fact checked would come intoplace right now. I didn't get
clarification, if thatencompassed all of their spin
off shows, or if it was just themain armchair expert, like the
main ones that they put out allthe time, but 381 episodes in
(20:14):
four years. That's reallyincredible. And it's funny
because like, Here I am, we'reat 383. Like, this is episode
383 today. So we're like, onkind of the same pathway. But I
went through a period ofpublishing a ton of episodes.
And now we're down to once aweek cadence. And so it just
(20:34):
kind of goes to show thatthere's some really cool
similarities and parallels to myjourney in their journey. And I
just love being able to learnfrom them and the incredible
things that they're doing,because this is a really fun
thing that I wanted to tell youabout...
The Spotify Deal (20:51):
The Spotify deal. So if you have heard of
this podcast, it's likely thatyou know, it is exclusive to
Spotify. And this is somethingthat happened. So in May 2021,
the two hosts so Daksa, Monicaannounced on Instagram, that
they were going to be goingexclusive to Spotify starting
(21:15):
July 1 2021. And I have to bereally honest with you. My
initial reaction wasfrustration, I was really,
really frustrated. And thereason why it's not because of
them, it's because I'm not aSpotify first podcast listener,
I don't like the idea ofexclusive shows. And their show
(21:40):
is the only one the only onethat I listen to on Spotify, I
listen to all the other ones ongood pod. So shout out to JJ and
her team over at good pods. Itis my favorite podcast app. But
I just didn't like the idea ofthem going exclusive and going
(22:02):
over there. But you know, Idon't know, they didn't ask me
my opinion, but it's just how Ifeel about it. And I'm just not
a Spotify first listener, Iprefer good pods because I like
the interaction and all the youknow, star ratings, the comments
(22:24):
you can do all that stuff issuper, super fun. But there's
some speculation as to how muchmoney the to made on their
Spotify deal. But it was anundisclosed amount that's easily
in the 10s of millions. Like ifI were to take a guess I would
(22:45):
say it was anywhere from 20 to$80 million. I have no idea how
much it really was. But I justlove that they are doing so
well, like they're doing so CES.
I love these shows. I mean, ifanything has, you've learned
from this today, like I pickedthis podcast to do a case study,
(23:07):
because I love it. So so muchlike I could tell you so many
fun facts and weird things aboutit. But we don't have five hours
for me to sit here and dissecteverything. I just wanted to
share a little bit about whatthe show is what it means to me.
(23:29):
And the reason why that youshouldn't get so bogged down in
how everything is performingtoday in your content. Because
you never know what can happenover time with your content.
It's going to ebb it's going toflow, it's going to go up, it's
(23:51):
going to go down. It's going togo round and round, you may go
in a totally new direction. Butthe thing is, is that if you
love podcasting, like I lovepodcasting, you're going to find
a way to make it work for you.
(24:13):
Because at the end of the day,you know, I think back to
whenever I started my show, Iloved the idea of podcasting. I
just wasn't in love with thecontent that I was creating at
the time. So I pivoted, Ichanged, I did something
(24:33):
different. I've pivoted, I'vechanged since I've made changes,
and it's one of those thingsthat we can't get so stuck in
No Video Podcasts! (24:41):
And one final thought on one of the
things that they do that Ireally, really respect the heck
what we're doing today that wedon't allow for evolution and
out of is they refuse to dovideo for their sessions. Now
changes and taking things to thenext level. You have to be open
hear me out on this becausepeople are gonna be like, Oh,
well video podcasts like that'sthe way to go and all these
to the idea that things willchange in the future. And that's
other YouTube Experts told me, Ihave to have a video podcast,
okay, that's totally okay. Oneof the things that I love about
(25:02):
I'm just going to sit through itand make myself uncomfortable
the armchair expert podcast isthe host get guests to really
and totally do. This is the bestthing that I heard. And DAX said
this, and it was just so sogood. So things get awkward when
open up and be raw and human.
And one of the key phrases thatthe camera is around. And I'm
paraphrasing him, of course, butthey have is the messiness of
being human. I love it. I lovehe said something about video is
so distracting. I don't want youit so much. I think that that
should apply to us as well. Likeworrying about the logo on my
(25:22):
shirt, instead of actuallylistening to the conversation
that we're having. And Ilet yourself be human, let
yourself make some mistakes, letthought, oh, my gosh, I do that.
I do that, like whenever I'myourself just be someone that is
creating a message that can helpwatching a YouTube video, or I'm
watching people on TV. I do,I'll think, Okay, I'm listening
to what they're saying. But alsosomeone else.
Drew Barrymore's hair is reallycute. Or Jennifer Aniston, like,
(25:45):
look at her nails. Did you seethe the bracelet that she's
wearing? Did you see that color?
Like, I want that color? I wantthat nail polish or look at a
makeup like you just do thesethings very differently. you
process information verydifferently whenever it's in a
visual format, as opposed towhenever I'm listening to a
podcast, maybe you right now.
(26:07):
You popped in your earbuds andyou're going on a walk or you're
folding laundry, are you doingdishes, you're cooking, like
you're driving, you're doingsomething totally different, and
you are submerged in this audioworld that we've created. And
you're not distracted? Bywondering what does Krystal have
on? What does she look like?
I'll tell you exactly I have onsweatpants, a hoodie and a hat
(26:30):
with no makeup today. That iswhat I look like. And I can tell
you right now that the audioversion of this is way better
than what it would be if it werethe video version today, because
it's just it's not a prettysight. We'll just say that mom
was looking a little roughtoday. And that's okay. It's
what I love about podcasting. Itis why it is incredible.
Outro (26:55):
But if you want to hear other case studies, send me a DM
on Instagram, because these area lot of fun. It's really I
enjoyed this. So so much doingthese deep dives, looking into
the content, kind of pullingback the curtain even though I
don't own the curtain, right,this isn't my show. But I love
dissecting what other peoplehave done and looking at it from
(27:18):
the sense of how can I takepieces of this and teach other
creators how to infuse their ownbrand their own message in a way
that helps them reach otherpeople as successfully as these
huge shows have, I mean, becausethey're like, they're like top
five in the world. I don't knowif they're number two or number
(27:39):
three, but y'all they're upthere, they are up there as one
of the biggest shows in theworld. And so I think that we
can look at what they're doing.
And if I had to boil all of itdown to one simple thing.
They're having fun, they reallyare, they are truly having fun
with the conversations thatthey're having with people and
the things that they're talkingabout. So that's what I'm gonna
(28:02):
leave you with today is find away to have fun in the content
that you're creating. But ifyou're listening to this right
now, and it is the It's almostthe end of 2022. That's wild,
right? It's 2023 is right aroundthe corner. And it actually
created a free guide that I wantyou to go download. So it's
(28:22):
called the seven steps to createa better content brand. And it's
going to be linked in the shownotes but go to
Krystalproffitt.com/betterbrand.
And I want you to go downloadthis because if you're
struggling with your own brandand your messaging, you're going
to find the seven steps in here.
It will help you get clear onwhat you can do to make a bigger
(28:45):
impact in 2023. But that's all Ihave for you today. So as always
remember, keep it up. We allhave to start somewhere.
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