Brad Nolan

Hello! I'm Brad. I've spent 20+ years helping radio personalities, podcasters, and companies make better content and operate more smoothly. I work every day in the content business, so not a fraud, which is nice.

Subscribe to get anecdotes and lessons in leadership and creativity from two decades of mistakes. Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading.

Pinned post from May 18, 2023

Are you and I a good fit?

This little publication isn't about me. It's about you. But, you should probably know where I'm coming from to see if we are a fit. I'm Brad Nolan. I am NOT a marketer, consultant, get-rich-quick-seller, or even an expert. I AM a dad, radio/podcast personality, executive producer, karaoke legend, pilot and creator of tiny little baby c...

February 10, 2024

Destroy the competition

Let’s talk about competition in content. The media business loves to use war terms. “Crush” “Decimate” “Attack” “Battle” it goes on and on. There’s one problem... It's just content. It’s true deaths have happened in the making of my beloved radio, but I would argue it’s precisely because of this external war mindset. The self fulfillin...

May 29, 2023

Quality non-work

Making a radio show, or a podcast, is a mountain of work. It’s really easy to get caught up in the never ending pressure to produce. It’s really less important than you might think. You’re likely doing yourself a disservice. If you never stop, you’re missing out on valuable perspective. It goes by many names, I’m sure, but I like to do...

May 23, 2023

Your show is actually a startup

Let's dispense some of the nonsense about startups and also help you move your creative business forward. “Your show is a startup - act like it!” - Brad Nolan It’s a cute phrase and has all the trappings of a solid tweet. It’s rude, it’s true, and it’s short. But that’s not why we are here, is it? No. Let’s get into why your show is a ...

May 23, 2023

I’m done spying on you

I’ve been spying on you. I can see when you open my emails and what links you click amongst other things. And honestly I feel gross about it. I didn’t get into writing about radio and podcasting to watch your moves or obsess about whether you like me or not. I got into it to help you out and create a community of talented people doing ...

May 23, 2023

The biggest mindset hurdle for radio people

There is one hurdle I’ve seen over and over again in the transition back and forth between radio and podcasting. The mindset around audience sizes. On the radio, we turn on the microphone and there they are. Maybe you are battling their favorite song, or they are passively listening while in the drive through, but there they are. In po...

May 22, 2023

Radio people are spoiled

Podcasting is harder for radio people I remember when I first mentioned podcasts to radio colleagues (2005). It was always met with phrases like “that’s amateur,” or “it will take our listeners.” We’ve come a long way - but not far enough. Somehow we turned to the mentality of “We are audio. We need to own podcasting!” Yikes. That migh...