September 2023 TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS

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"Podcasting in the Longhorn Industry: An Interview with Podcasting Innovators"

Written by Molly Clubb

In recent years, podcasting has emerged as a dynamic and influential marketing tool, captivating audiences across various industries, including the livestock industry. This rise can be attributed to several factors that have transformed the way businesses and ranchers alike communicate and engage with their target markets.

Podcasting's surge in popularity can be traced back to the mid-2000s when the technology for creating and distributing podcasts became more accessible. However, it wasn't until the last decade that podcasting truly gained momentum as a powerful marketing strategy. One of the key drivers behind its ascent is the convenience and flexibility it offers to both creators and listeners.

Unlike traditional forms of marketing, podcasts allow businesses and breeders in the livestock industry, to deliver their messages directly to a highly engaged and niche audience. This medium enables industry experts, veterinarians, breeders, and other stakeholders to share their knowledge, insights, and experiences in an engaging and personal manner. As a result, podcasts have become a valuable platform for storytelling, education, and thought leadership.

Furthermore, the widespread use of smartphones and the ease of streaming content have contributed to the podcasting boom. This accessibility has made it convenient for people within the livestock industry to consume valuable information while on the go, whether they're commuting, working in the field, or tending to their cattle.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the impact and potential of podcasting within the livestock industry, we turned to the voices that are shaping the landscape within longhorns. I had the privilege of engaging in in-depth interviews with 3 accomplished podcasters, each making their mark in different corners of the industry and have woven my answers and podcasting experiences in with them as well. Through our diverse perspectives and experiences, these individuals provide invaluable insights into how podcasting has become a transformative force for communication and engagement within the longhorn breed and livestock sector. Let's meet the podcast trailblazers who graciously shared their expertise and firsthand encounters with this dynamic marketing tool:

The Big Iron Podcast

Host: Andrew Shagoury

Location: Randleman, NC

Start Date: January 2023

# of Episodes: 13

Frequency of Episodes: Every other week, every week for special series

Link(s) to listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Buzzsprout

Andrew Shagoury, the host of "The Big Iron Podcast," embarked on his podcasting journey with a clear mission - to support and guide agricultural entrepreneurs, particularly those navigating the field as first-generation individuals. Andrew's podcast serves as a repository of experiences and advice, tailored to empower those embarking on similar paths.

L to R: Brad, Anne, Evie, Camilla, & Andelyn Westmoreland

Iced Tea With The Gang

Hosts: Brad, Anne, Evie, & Camilla Westmoreland

Ranch Name: Gang of 5 Longhorns

Location: Waxahachie, TX

Start Date: January 2022

# of Episodes: 8

Frequency of Episodes: Whenever our cattle afford us a spare moment!

Link(s) to listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

The Westmoreland Family brings their love for storytelling and shared conversations to the airwaves through "Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast." This familial bond, characterized by lively discussions and an abundance of laughter, serves as the backdrop for dispensing advice, anecdotes, and tales from the world of Texas Longhorn cattle breeding. Their platform not only fosters camaraderie among breeders but also aims to inspire a deeper appreciation for this unique sector.

The Tip to Tale Podcast

Host: Bear Davidson

Location: Madison, Virginia

Start Date: December 2022

# of Episodes: 7

Frequency of Episodes: 1 per month

Link(s) to listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Bear Davidson, Eastwind Stock Co and the "Tip to Tale Podcast," recognized the value of podcasts as a convenient learning tool during his travels. Drawing from his interactions covering topics ranging from marketing to operational strategies, Bear saw an opportunity to amplify his impact by disseminating insights to a wider audience. Through his podcast, he aspires to share the wisdom gained from his numerous conversations and discussions.

From the Pasture Podcast

Hosts: Molly Clubb & Jaymie Feldmann, Hired Hand Software/Hired Hand Live

Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa

Start Date: December 2019

# of Episodes: We just celebrated our 100th episode while I was writing this article!

Frequency of Episodes: Every Tuesday with special episodes also dropping randomly

Link(s) to listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Buzzsprout

Molly Clubb and Jaymie Feldmann’s podcasting journey, as portrayed in "From the Pasture Podcast," was a natural evolution from their successful YouTube series, "Pickup Truck Confessions." Moving from in-person interviews to remote conversations, their podcast became a hub for learning, particularly for those new to the Longhorn breed. The addition of spotlighting public Longhorn sales, coupled with insightful interviews of sale hosts, further enhances the podcast's mission of educating and enticing newcomers to join the industry.

Now that you’ve met the Podcasters, let’s get to the interview!

Question: Based on your insights, how has podcasting proven to be an impactful marketing tool for ranchers, breeding programs, and businesses?

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: I truly believe in the significant value that podcasting brings to the table when it comes to building credibility and trust. It goes beyond mere surface-level interactions and allows me to form a genuine connection with potential customers. Through the depth of our discussions, an authentic rapport is established, which ultimately serves as the cornerstone for establishing substantial and meaningful business relationships.

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: Podcasting is a medium that has allowed us to expand on topics and to let our listeners get to know us in ways that other social media platforms simply cannot facilitate. Through podcasting, we can fully detail our program, interview knowledgeable guests (and laugh at ourselves) with no character limits or time limits. It is a valuable marketing tool, because we believe that a customer who knows us, trusts us, and learns from us, is a happy customer likely to seek repeat business from us when their needs arise.

Bear Davidson, Tip to Tale Podcast: Podcasting's effectiveness depends on your target audience. Recognizing your listeners' needs is crucial; resonating with their preferences grows your base and tailoring content aids their growth.

Molly Clubb, From the Pasture Podcast: Our perspective on podcasting's impact in marketing is driven by the evidence. By closely examining podcast analytics alongside our overall business strategy, we substantiate our podcast's value as a meaningful investment of our time and resources. The data further strengthens the case for podcasting as a tool that not only captivates our audience but also seamlessly integrates with our larger marketing objectives.

Question: Could you provide any concrete instances or notable achievements where podcasting has directly influenced and enhanced your marketing initiatives for your herd, breeding program or business?

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: I recently had someone reach out to me on Instagram and say that The Big Iron Podcast was responsible for their interest in Texas Longhorns. They are in the process of buying a new property, and because of the podcast they are now looking at land with the goal of raising longhorns on it. Even if this person doesn't impact the ranch I work for directly, it is a win for the industry as a whole. That’s the goal of my podcast.

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: New friendships are our success story! It goes without saying that most folks like to know about the people they are listening to or following, so we openly discuss our program strategies and goals for the sake of developing credibility with our audience. This requires that we actually study prior to each podcast to ensure that what we are saying is accurate; and this has helped us be better stewards of our growing herd. Also, most of our podcast episodes center around specific ranch-related topics—sometimes with the help of knowledgeable guests—who have themselves helped to educate us as well as our audience. Founding a podcast has also connected us to so many phenomenal fellow ag-related creators whose wisdom we are able to soak up. While these relationships have already opened doors for both sales and ranchland leases, they’ve mainly cemented friendships which will last a lifetime.

Bear Davidson, Tip to Tale Podcast: While I don’t have any success stories for myself, I do have some for the guests who I’ve had on the podcast.

Jeremmy & Lindsey McEntire of McEntire Farms promoted their Moneyball idea with their bull Colluder. They had some wonderful success selling semen and it gave us a platform to explain the idea in better detail.

Jacob & Amy Miles of Tennessee did a podcast of their horrific experience of their barn catching fire. They told that story and we talked a little about the causes. We got some great feedback from listeners saying those causes had never crossed their mind as they're getting ready to build their new barns.

Brain Brett spoke on his successes in finding some great young heifers and, again, folks reaching out and commenting that it helped change their way of thinking on growing their herds.

Molly Clubb, From the Pasture Podcast: Just like with Andrew, we have had folks reach out to us through social media or texting and let us know that they attended a sale or futurity because they learned about it on our podcast series where we interview sale hosts prior to their event. Some of the folks who reached out are new breeders, while some are seasoned breeders who just weren’t aware of that particular event in their area. Bringing new people into Longhorns is always a plus.

Question: Do you have any specific strategies or tips to share with those considering starting their own podcast as a part of their marketing efforts in the Longhorn breeding community?

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: If you're going to do it pick a specific topic and stick to it. Pick a topic you are passionate about, or you will get burned out easily. I also recommend building an audience on social media first, so that you already have a potential listener base.

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: It goes without saying that most folks like to know about the people they are listening to or following, so we openly discuss our program strategies and goals for the sake of developing credibility with our audience. This requires that we actually study prior to each podcast to ensure that what we are saying is accurate; and this has helped us be better stewards of our growing herd. Also, most of our podcast episodes center around specific ranch-related topics—sometimes with the help of knowledgeable guests—who have themselves helped to educate us as well as our audience.

Bear Davidson, Tip to Tale Podcast: Collaborate with others - Rising the tide will lift all ships.

Molly Clubb, From the Pasture Podcast: Getting started is going to be harder than you think. Being mic’d up or on camera is not for everyone and some folks who would make really great guests and have really great stories to share may also be the same ones who are too shy to participate and that can hinder your content production schedule.

It’s also important to be consistent. Whether you’re going to commit to releasing one episode per week or one per month, stick to it so that your audience deems you as reliable.

Always work ahead, especially if you’re scheduling guests. Getting everyones schedules to align can be hard and you don’t want it to delay your scheduled release dates. With our own podcast, we’re usually working 2-3 months ahead with generating ideas and recording content.

Question: What unique advantages do podcasts offer as a marketing medium compared to other forms of content, especially for those in the livestock industry?

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: It is a long form media. Podcasts can be 30 minutes to an hour or more, so it captivates the consumer, as opposed to a short form like an Instagram post or a TikTok. With podcasts, listeners can get into the details and specifics on a topic. This is beneficial for the livestock industry, because there are complicated components.

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: The stories of those in the livestock industry are simply too big and wonderful to be told in any meaningful way through typical social media alone. Yes posts, reels, and websites are crucial pieces of a successful 21st century operation (and we do them all); but podcasts better allow the development of rancher-audience relationships that people are seeking and typically respond to in a favorable way. It’s simple: we can tell you stories, share our lives, and educate through podcasts with much more detail and effectiveness than through any other social media platform.

Question: How do you tailor your podcast content to resonate with fellow Longhorn breeders and their interests? Are there specific topics or trends you find particularly effective?

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: We have made a focused effort to discuss the basics of Texas Longhorn ranching for those who may be new to this industry. We ourselves have learned a lot the hard way, and through our podcast we’ve tried to help others avoid some of those pitfalls while sharing our own funny stories of falling in a pit or two! We’ve also tried to focus on land management and other forms of stewardship. As we see more development in this nation than any other time in history, and more and more people entering this industry who may have never even worked a cow before, we believe that educating our audience on good stewardship practices is not only critical—it’s our obligation.

Molly Clubb, From the Pasture Podcast: I think our podcast is tailored to resonate with Longhorn breeders, just by being mostly about Longhorn events, fellow breeders and our website software. Some of our most popular podcasts are where we just visit and get to know longhorn breeders – whether new or established – because our listeners love hearing origin stories and advice from their fellow breeders. We also try to always throw in some unexpected questions to keep both the guests and listeners on their toes.

Question: Have you collaborated with livestock breeders, suppliers, or industry experts to feature them on your podcast? If so, how has this collaboration benefited both your podcast and the guests' marketing efforts?

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: Yes, I have done a couple. It is a good way to get relative content for me and a good source of advertising for them. In a recent series I talked with Johnny Hicks who is the President of the TLBAA, on some topics that needed that longer form conversation to be effective in teaching and educating the next generation.

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: When we first began the podcast, we knew that we wanted to collaborate with and interview not only fellow longhorn breeders, but folks from other related industries as well. Our first such interview was with a family member who happens to be a world-renowned range management expert. We then decided that it made sense to build a foundation of topical episodes.

Molly Clubb, From the Pasture Podcast: We offer any Hired Hand Website customer or Hired Hand Live sale host the ability to record a commercial that we’ll air on our podcasts free of charge. While it’s not a typical collaboration, we feel that getting additional advertising out there about their breeding programs or events helps the industry overall. It has benefited our customers who choose to participate but also our own podcast by providing relevant advertising.

Question: In the world of livestock breeding, where schedules are often packed and work can span across rural landscapes, a pressing question arises: How do you ensure that your podcast content reaches and resonates with this on-the-go and geographically dispersed target audience?

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: I make sure its streamed on all the major platforms. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, iHeart radio, etc. You can get those on pretty much any smartphone and take them on the go.

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: In addition to making our episodes available on a wide variety of platforms for free, they are also kept available for download indefinitely, so if you happen to miss the original airing of an episode, you can always access it after the fact.

Bear Davidson, Tip to Tale Podcast: I post the links on my website, and I use Instagram, Facebook, and eblast opportunities.

Question: How do you measure the success of your podcast's marketing impact for livestock breeders? What metrics do you consider most important?

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: I would say the best way to judge success is through the feedback I receive from folks who have listened like an Instagram or Facebook message, or a text if they know me personally. Also, podcast reviews are so important and they help promote the podcast from within the podcast streaming app. So, if there is a podcast you like don't be afraid to leave them a good review, it will help them out immensely!

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: We ask our new customers how they came to know us, and many times it is from the podcast! Sales aside though, we honestly try to measure our success by our ability to produce quality educational content and make our audience smile. If we meet those two goals, we will continue to consider our podcast a success.

Bear Davidson, Tip to Tale Podcast: There's certain metrics I like to look at but views/listens are the biggest thing to me.

Molly Clubb, From the Pasture Podcast: We thoroughly examine our download statistics, listenership trends, and analytical data in relation to the subjects of our podcast episodes, their scheduled release dates and times, as well as other relevant factors. This evaluation allows us to cater to the preferences of our intended listeners.

Question: Have you observed any particular challenges or obstacles when using podcasts as a marketing tool within the Longhorn Industry? If so, how do you overcome these challenges.

Andrew Shagoury, The Big Iron Podcast: Pretty much just personal time management. Running a Longhorn ranch is a full time job, so it can be tricky to also produce and publish a podcast every week. As far as the industry, I have only gotten positive feedback so far. That is what will sustain me to keep doing this! I want to help folks and have a positive impact on their Longhorn journey so I also appreciate any feedback that listeners are willing to offer.

The Westmoreland Family, Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast: Aside from learning how to navigate the technologies involved in recording and producing a podcast, the biggest challenge we have faced is reaching existing Texas Longhorn producers, either because they are not familiar with this media or perhaps because they are all so busy—like us. All sales and other business opportunities that have evolved from our podcast have stemmed from those brand-new to the industry. While that’s not a bad thing at all, we are hoping that through printed media efforts like this article, by interviewing well known ranchers in this industry as part of our upcoming series, and by pursuing leadership opportunities in the breed, we can better reach established Longhorn industry producers.

Bear Davidson, Tip to Tale Podcast: While podcasts are new to the Longhorn relm it also makes them something different. And different always catches attention. But I think the challenge then becomes adding value to what you're talking about and not doing the same thing over and over again.

The rise of podcasting as a transformative marketing tool within the livestock industry is undeniable. This phenomenon can be attributed to a convergence of factors that have reshaped communication and engagement strategies for businesses and ranchers alike.

Through insightful interviews with podcasting pioneers, we've unveiled the profound impact of this medium within the longhorn breed and livestock sector. Andrew Shagoury's "The Big Iron Podcast" forges genuine connections with listeners, enhancing credibility and trust. The Westmoreland Family's "Iced Tea With The Gang Podcast" weaves storytelling and camaraderie, building trust and fostering repeat business. Bear Davidson's "Tip to Tale Podcast" navigates the changing marketing landscape by delivering value and resonating with a new generation. "From the Pasture Podcast" by Molly Clubb and Jaymie Feldmann offers a comprehensive learning experience, catering to newcomers and established breeders alike.

Their shared experiences underscore the significance of podcasting's engagement, with Andrew reaching potential ranch buyers, the Westmorelands solidifying friendships, Bear influencing new breeders, and Molly and Jaymie educating and inspiring through their platform.

The road to successful podcasting involves both challenges and triumphs. Embracing a specific topic, building an audience on social media, and collaborating with like-minded individuals emerge as essential strategies. Ensuring consistency, striving for authenticity, and tailoring content to resonate with the target audience are the cornerstones of impactful podcasting efforts.

In essence, podcasts offer a distinctive avenue for sharing stories, disseminating knowledge, and fostering connections within the longhorn breed and livestock community. By embracing this dynamic marketing tool, breeders and businesses can cultivate trust, educate their audience, and amplify their reach, all while forging a stronger bond within the industry.

 

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Molly Clubb is the founder of Hired Hand Software, a company that provides website and marketing services for Longhorn breeders and other breeds. Their marketing services include their “From the Pasture” Podcast that works to inform breeders of upcoming sales and share breeders origin stories as well as cover tech news and tips related to their software. Visit www.HiredHandSoftware.com to learn more.