We Acquired a Podcast! Discover the Next Chapter of The Higher Ed Geek Podcast

Full Transcript

[00:00:00] Zach Busekrus: All righty. We're gonna play a game, guys. Okay. So first and foremost, get a pen, get a paper, pull out your notes, app on your phone, whatever it might be. Okay? Got it. Great. All right. What keywords does your website currently rank for? Take a couple seconds, right? 1, 2, 3. I gave you a few, not just a couple.

[00:00:22] What doesn't it rank for that you think it should rank for? Okay. 1, 2, 3, 4. Now, what are a few keyword opportunities that you could be winning on if you just simply tweaked some of your existing website? Copy. Got it. Okay. How'd you do? Ooh. Not so hot. Not sure what you can, what you're currently ranking for or not sure what you could be ranking for.

[00:00:45] Well, that's okay because our friends at DD Agency want to help you answer all of these questions. DD Agency is a higher ed Pacific marketing technology agency that's conducted countless SEO audits for colleges and universities across the country. In these [00:01:00] audits, they detail where you currently. What you could be ranking for, exactly how copy should be tweaked on a website, pages and so much more.

[00:01:08] If this sounds like something that you could benefit from, give the guys a ded agency a ping and be sure to mention that enroll I sent you to claim a 10% discount on any of their s e O offerings. So head on over to enroll fify.org/dda seo. That's DDA as in DD Agency seo. Or simply follow the link in the show notes below that will guarantee you get a 10% discount off of your audit.

[00:01:33] Alright, right, head on over to enroll fify.org/dd s e o or simply Google DD Agency. Find Didi Agency's website and be sure to mention that you heard about them through enroll I when you request your audit. All right, folks, back to the show.

[00:01:54] Dustin Ramsdell: So like whatever. Now, you know, if I'm doing a webinar or an in-person, you know, event, like a [00:02:00] panel moderating or whatever, I'm always like, can we like grab and rip the audio from this so I can put it into my podcast feed? Because it was like an incredible conversation and there's always so much going on at conference.

[00:02:10] Like I would hate if this was limited to the like 24 people in the room. And like, and I usually always respect where it's. Yeah, I'll wait like a month or two or whatever. Like that's fine because like if you still obviously want to balance that sort of inclusivity of like being like, well you had to be there, you had to like whatever.

[00:02:26] And that's also like a benefit where it's like, yeah, you could ask the question if you're in the room or like chat with the person after the session is done. But like, Okay, let's sort of like give something on demand after the fact.[00:03:00] 

[00:03:02] Zach Busekrus: All right, Dustin, we are live. Sir, how does it feel to be on the other side 

[00:03:07] Dustin Ramsdell: of the micro? Yeah, it's always a little different cuz I mean, yeah, being in the game for many years, I'm much more used to duna on the other side, but I'm trying to do more of this cause it is fun to kind of, uh, flip the script and kind of turn the tables and all that good 

[00:03:20] Zach Busekrus: stuff.

[00:03:20] Yeah. It's funny, I was actually on a podcast, uh, I was being interviewed on a podcast yesterday and I got like nervous before, before the show. Why am I nervous about this? Mm-hmm. , like, I do this for hours every, you know, almost every single day. And I, it was like a different kind. It was weird, like being in the hot seat, all of a sudden you're not in control.

[00:03:40] Right. And you feel . I don't know, I felt, I felt more scared, uh, which was kind of funny. So. Yeah. Yeah. . Well dude, I am. Pumped for this chat. When this episode releases, it'll be public that the Higher Ed Geek podcast has joined the Enroll five podcast network. You have done an incredible job over the last several years building up this show, [00:04:00] building up this brand.

[00:04:00] You've had incredible people on on your podcast and I'm just super thankful and grateful that we get to have you as a part of our family now. 

[00:04:08] Dustin Ramsdell: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm excited cuz it. You know, it's been five years of doing the Hired Geek podcast. I didn't other show before that for a couple years. So, you know, I've been working for so long, like in this space and just doing everything myself.

[00:04:20] And then we'll talk a little bit more kind of about the future and everything. But, um, it's just feels like a really cool milestone of like always believing that there's been like a lot of potential in something like what you all are doing with Enroll five, you know, the whole network of different shows and, you know, the, the focuses and the voices and such that you're bringing together.

[00:04:37] So, I'm happy to kind of like just be of service to that mission, you know, as much as every, everything else. So really excited. 

[00:04:44] Zach Busekrus: We are very excited as well, man. And uh, I think when I think about like podcasters in higher ed, right? And like the shows, you know, that, that we took inspiration from when we were just getting off the ground.

[00:04:53] Your show was absolutely one of them and it's been cool to see. I, I don't know if you would agree, but from my perspective over the [00:05:00] last like two-ish years, higher ed podcasts are like having a moment where like, it seems like everyone's kind of spinning up, spinning up a podcast, which is, which I think is just very exciting for the entire community.

[00:05:10] And to your point, it's really cool to see this like diverse grouping of people with lots of different perspectives from all aspects of higher ed coming together. Finding opportunities to interview like-minded folks and also folks that, you know, aren't so like-minded and share that content with, with the industry.

[00:05:26] Because I think that the, the industry's going through a very pivotal moment right now. And so the more that we can share, the more resources that we can kind of distill, the more voices that we can, that we can sort of elevate, uh, the better off that we all will be in our, in our respective 

[00:05:39] Dustin Ramsdell: practices.

[00:05:40] Good. Because I, I've always viewed. The podcast that I listen to and the, you know, the ones that I've done as free, consistent, you know, accessible professional development because, you know, without them that it is, you're just trying to kind of keep up maybe with, you know, blogs and articles or the once a year, you know, conferences and things that [00:06:00] go on that might be, uh, accessible to you, but, Those aren't accessible to most people.

[00:06:04] Yeah. So like having just kind of continuous conversations that are engaging and relevant and timely and all of that. Yeah, I mean, it is just good for any sort of space. Uh, and certainly, yeah, higher education is, uh, going through quite the transitions right now. So I think it is, uh, very, very 

[00:06:19] apt. 

[00:06:19] Zach Busekrus: Yeah. On, on that note, real fast, just to, you know, geek out with a fellow podcaster, one of the things I love about this, like medium of.

[00:06:27] is, there have been so many times where I've seen like a 32nd or like a minute clip of somebody particularly like, you know, like a politician or a business leader, right? And I immediately jump to sort of like this like conclusion about like, oh my gosh. Like, okay, they're that kind of person, or they're this kind of person or what have you.

[00:06:43] And then I'll go and I'll like listen to like an hour or two hours, sometimes even three hour podcasts where they're sitting down with somebody. And my perspective on that, individual changes, Entirely. Right? Or at least it's augmented in, in that. And I'm like, oh, okay. Well, the reason Dustin thinks this is because he's had these [00:07:00] three pretty remarkable, crazy, like life altering experiences and that, and that's why he thinks this like, oh, cool, interesting.

[00:07:06] I, I now have a better understanding of the why behind what he says. Right? What's so fun about this medium is you get to know people. Because podcasts tend to be longer, right? Longer format, and you get to really understand how they see the world as opposed to just kind of like a 32nd to even like a three minute clip of how they might see the world.

[00:07:27] The 

[00:07:27] Dustin Ramsdell: punchline is like the inverse can also be true of just like, wow, this person can't go 30 minutes for that. Like just sort of reiterating the same Stu, like they don't have a lot of depth and it's just kinda like they're kind of shallow in that regard. But like, yeah, I mean like the best potential of the medium is just that and.

[00:07:43] I've always kind of led audio first and I'm trying to get more into video, um, just to kind of like work out a different muscle, you know? Yeah. Like, just to kind of, even just like, you know, throw up some stuff on like TikTok and everything, but it's like, yeah. I mean those platforms anymore are built around just a few minutes of, uh, video and [00:08:00] everything.

[00:08:00] Knowing, like obviously like the education space mostly, like when you build in content for courses, like you want it to be shorter as well, you know, if you're doing videos and stuff. So, um, there's certainly like a, a point to that, but like, obviously yeah, like if you're really trying to get to know somebody or, um, so I think like politicians are certainly, uh, very appropriate kind of example.

[00:08:22] But even just for, I think, kind of advancing kind of a, a, a message or something cuz you know, you just had a lot of people. You know, for a podcast where it's like, okay, you wrote a book, you're, you're doing something. Like you're really trying to advocate for something, like you're advocating for a change, you know, in how students finance their education or something.

[00:08:39] So it's like, yeah, let's, like, let's sit down and get into that. Because like, you could, you could cover a lot in three minutes, like if you're like talking quickly or whatever. Like, but it, it deserves more time and you can really like, know why this person cares about it. Know you know what they're doing and what they recommend and, you know, all those sort of.

[00:08:57] Zach Busekrus: One of my favorite things that, um, the New York, the [00:09:00] New York Times has like their daily podcast, which is like a very well produced show, very popular show. And I remember, I guess it was during the 2020, um, elections, they were, they interviewed, I guess like all the Democratic candidates, or at least most of them, if not all of them.

[00:09:14] And in like the longer form, kind of like 30 to 45. Episodes. And I remember like the contrast between that and like the debate stage, right? Like the, it was, it was so palpable. Like I was like, oh wow, okay, this, this individual is, is far more interesting than I had initially thought. Right? And it was, it was cool.

[00:09:35] Like really the only difference, like on a debate stage, I guess you. Debating with your, your colleagues, the format is, is different. So that's not, but even like an interview on, on CNN or, or even on Fox, right? Like they're, they're very, very short bite sized pieces of an of, uh, of context. And, um, I, I just remember like walking away from that series thinking, wow, like I am so just grateful and thankful that I had the opportunity to listen to [00:10:00] this because it actually really did shift my opinion on, on a few of those individuals.

[00:10:05] Mm-hmm. . Anyways, we can stop geeking about, uh, podcasting as a medium and talk a little bit more about you, Dustin. But I wanted to, I wanted to do that cause it's not often I get to like, talk with somebody who's been in the game so long. Most of the people that, you know, we're launching shows with, it's the first time they're launching podcasts and they're, you know, a leader in their respective field in space, but they've never done podcasting.

[00:10:24] Right. So this is a, this is a treat 

[00:10:26] Dustin Ramsdell: for me. Yeah. I mean, and I talk to people about this stuff all the time and I, and I always love talking about it. Whether it's like, oh, I wanna start a show, how do I do it? Or just like, yeah, you know, we're both sort of like knee deep or waist. Just being like, wait, what are you doing?

[00:10:36] Or How do you do this? Or whatever you, so, yeah. Yeah. Always, always fun. 

[00:10:40] Zach Busekrus: Where does your sort of like career start, why did you even start the Higher Ed Geek podcast? Tell us a little bit about your professional career to date and then, and then about the founding 

[00:10:49] Dustin Ramsdell: of the show. I mean, if folks are watching the video of this, they'll see, uh, all of the spider people behind me.

[00:10:55] Um, so I always like tell people what, like the origin story, you know, of like a [00:11:00] conflict character, whatever. So like my higher ed origin story starts when I was, you know, undergraduate student, university of Delaware, got involved kind of somebody tapped me on the shoulder to become a resident assistant, which was.

[00:11:09] Just a huge honor to me. Like I never even really considered it, but doing that sort of catapulted me towards my future career in, in higher education because I was able to start to, you know, put myself out there and find my leadership style, my voice and all those sort of things. You know, up until that point I thought it was gonna be like a high school history teacher, so it kind of like a pivot from one, you know, sector of education to another, but applied to grad school, studied higher education, got my master's at, uh, Rutgers University and.

[00:11:36] So I worked on campus while I was there. Worked in residence life as well. Um, and then when I graduated, work, worked professionally on a campus in residence life. But that was kind of a crucial pivot cause I had started the hired geek blog. In the summer of 2013, 

[00:11:53] Zach Busekrus: which that was like, that was like Blogging's heyday, right?

[00:11:55] If I remember correctly. Yeah. It was like 2013, like it blogging was like having a [00:12:00] moment in the way that I'd say like podcasting is, is now. 

[00:12:02] Dustin Ramsdell: Yes. Because like then just like the general idea of like existing very actively in the social internet, like that was just like peak that time. Yeah. Like as a person who was about to like really fully.

[00:12:16] Embark in my, like, I'm no longer a student that's just like an identity that's gonna be kind of in the rear view mirror. Mirror and like kind of getting out into the world professionally. Uh, I wanted a way to sort of like put myself out there, uh, that I had control over that was sort of independent of anything else.

[00:12:32] So that was, you know, the blog started and I was just kind of playing around with that at that time. Like as I graduated, I did. The first podcast that I did was, uh, student Affairs Collective Podcast, which I ended up doing for over two years. But that sort of like pivoting point of like, so I graduate my master's in 2014.

[00:12:51] I worked for two years full-time professionally as a resident director on a campus, but I knew that it wasn't like the right fit. My wife was in grad school. She finished up. After those two years, [00:13:00] and that's when I got my first position in ed tech and then that first podcast ended. I took several months off and I was like, I really have the itch.

[00:13:07] You know, I've got sort of the hired geek thing really established. So I'm gonna start my own podcast and just kind of have full control over that. Cuz like the Student Affairs Collective one was kind of done in service of someone else in their Yeah. Uh, creation and everything. So, you know, better part of, uh, a decade in, uh, higher education through, you know, all my professional roles, most of that being in ed Tech.

[00:13:27] And now, yeah, I mean, I've been doing the Higher Geek Podcast for just now hitting five years at the end of 2022. 

[00:13:33] Zach Busekrus: That's impressive. Also, just the fact that you've committed and, and stayed true to like a show for five years, people don't do that. Right? Like . 

[00:13:41] Dustin Ramsdell: Yeah, I've seen the like grave's very hard, the graveyard of shows cause like, oh yeah.

[00:13:45] I always like a lot, keep an eye out. As much as, like you said, like there's always been, and certainly na more so now than in the past, you know, five years. But I've seen sort of in that five years just sort of a, you know, a lot of people kind of just trying to like, you know, get something going, maybe spinning their [00:14:00] wheels.

[00:14:01] and stuff like that. That's sort of like on one hand, you know, if I talk to people, I want them to be like really realistic about what, you know, they're trying to plan to do. But also kind of affirms where it's like, yeah, like I'm really committed to this. Like this is something that really gives me a lot, you know, personally.

[00:14:15] Yeah. And professionally. And I know it gives, it gives a lot to other people as well. So like, knowing that it's not easy, but it's very valuable and important and, you know, important. To me, it's been quite the journey. 

[00:14:26] Zach Busekrus: I feel like podcasting is one of those things where like, the idea is so cool and it's like so attractive, and it's like, yeah, I'm gonna have my own show and I'm gonna talk to these people and people are gonna listen to me.

[00:14:36] You know? It, it's almost like, sort of like if, if you're a, a great individual contributor, right? Like, if you're like a really good, like SEO strategist or something like that, and like management, like being, like an executive is like, oh my gosh, I, I just, I, I wanna be there. I wanna be in the C-suite, right?

[00:14:50] Mm-hmm. . And then you get to the C-suite and you're. Oh my gosh. All I do is spend days in, you know, my days in meetings, managing, you know, tons of people managing crises, putting out like [00:15:00] fires and, and you realize like, no, no, no, no. I, I really just like, loved the craft of, of the SEO strategy work. The management stuff is just incredibly difficult and challenging and, and not, not what I love.

[00:15:10] And I feel like a lot of people get into podcasting thinking like, this is gonna be something like, I'm good at this. I love talking to people, you know, this is gonna be a lot of fun. And then they get into it and they realize, oh my gosh, like I love talking to people. . I don't love scheduling with people.

[00:15:22] I don't love coming up with questions to ask individuals. I don't like editing and producing mm-hmm. and then promoting my content. I just, I just really enjoyed talking to people. So It is, it's, it's, it's hard. It's a lot of, of hard work and it takes a long time to get going. Right. And, you know, we, I remember.

[00:15:39] Right. When we started the Ified podcast, my first like, you know, several episodes, I felt like they were like 10 people listening, maybe like pointy and, and most of them were probably like my friends. Right, right. And it was just, it, it, it can be defeating, right? Like, it takes like, I feel like podcasting is, is is like SEO where like it takes a really long time to like build up your listenership and, and then to retain [00:16:00] people.

[00:16:00] Right? So it's not for the faint of heart. Is, is, is what I would say. Yes. Yes. But um, I I wanna hear a little bit more, Dustin, about kind of, you know, where, where you're at right now. I know that you recently took on a, a new job, so I'd love to hear a little bit about that and, and the work that you're doing there.

[00:16:15] Uh, and then I wanna talk a little bit about kind of like your, your vision and your hope for, for the show over the next, let's say the next five years. Um, and, uh, and, you know, some, some things that you've learned maybe from the first five years and, and things you might wanna do a little bit differently.

[00:16:29] Uh, if anything, over these next, over these next 

[00:16:32] Dustin Ramsdell: several. Yeah. So, um, yeah, I guess a quick aside, so, um, as of the recording of this, it's been just, uh, about three months, uh, in the role that I have now. That's my kind of full-time day job at Pathi, which is a higher tech company that creates, you know, what they call an engagement hub.

[00:16:47] Kinda like a student portal that aggregates, um, existing systems at a campus. So they've got kind of their secret sauce in the back end that sort of is able to pull together. Insights and create a really like user-friendly, um, dashboard for students to, [00:17:00] you know, look at their learning management system, look at the student inform Asia system events and groups and all these other really cool things.

[00:17:06] So I just learned about them when I went to South by Southwest edu in March of 2022. Kept in touch and then when I was unfortunately laid off from my other job, uh, they reached out and uh, I was very grateful for that and was able to kind of land there softly. But, uh, my role there is a, uh, community engagement lead.

[00:17:23] So with all of the stuff that I've been doing over the past several years of podcasting and writing and um, just being active on social and everything. I feel like again, it's sort of an interesting season for me in my life is that, you know, it's all kind of been building to wanting to do work like this, where my full-time job is, uh, writing, managing their social, um, just started a podcast for them called Connected Campus and, um, Just being this person who is really empowered to build awareness for the company.

[00:17:49] So it's just really incredible to have this as an opportunity to, you know, work in the space that I, you know, have been in for, again, the better part of a decade and be able to kind of formally, [00:18:00] uh, utilize all the skills and knowledge that I've, uh, you know, kind of built up over all the time of doing stuff like on the side on my own.

[00:18:06] Zach Busekrus: Dude, what a cool job. I, I feel like that's like a, a dream for like many, like creators. Like, it's like how do you go and just create content? Essentially increase brand awareness, uh, you know, do some demand gen for a company that's, that's, you don't, you don't see those roles everywhere, especially in like, you know, the ed tech 

[00:18:24] Dustin Ramsdell: realm.

[00:18:24] Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, I think it was good serendipity. Like they had someone doing sort of similar work before where I think they kind of just like nabbed. Somebody to kind of just be like a, you know, a very prominent, like figurehead, but like this has very like, tangible, like no, you have to, you know, manage our social, make sure that like we're, you know, posting there and those sort of things.

[00:18:41] So I think there's a balance of like, no, there needs to be like a little practical, you know, just like objective contributions versus just kind of being this like evangelist that kind of stands up. But just sort of his spouses and kind of is like floating around or whatever. You know, that that's sort of the like squishy like goal of it.

[00:18:57] It's just like, yes, like make everyone know what path of I [00:19:00] is and whatever, but like Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they. Reached out to me cuz some people on their team knew about me. And, you know, I'd met people when I was at, uh, south by and stuff. So like, it was like just the right time and they knew they needed somebody like me and those sort of things.

[00:19:14] So yeah, I'm, I'm very grateful cuz yeah, it's, it's been like a long time coming to do something like this. But, and also, uh, you know, for the, the second part of your question, like a big part of it that, that I'm really grateful for is, I can continue doing stuff with the hired geek and all the other stuff that I've sort of cultivated independently.

[00:19:31] So yeah, I mean, over the past five years, like I said, I mean like the, one of the biggest things for me that I take a lot of pride in is just like the consistency, like it, and that's even evolved over time where like over the past couple of years I've. Taken summer breaks, winter breaks, went from weekly to every other week, and then just sprinkling in kind of like bonus episodes if I have like the content to get out and everything.

[00:19:52] And that's just because I've done everything. It's like, what do I need to do to keep this sustainable? It's something that's important to me. Yeah. But post a new [00:20:00] episode most of the 52 weeks of the year, like I need to kind of Yeah. Take, you know, sort of a, a, you know, kind of pump the brakes a little bit.

[00:20:07] And what's interesting is that like, I think that's something that I've realized and learned is. That's okay. One, like, just to sort of like talk yourself down from that. And also like, when I've been on breaks, I'll like re-broadcast some of the greatest hits, and sometimes those rebroadcasts do better than the original posting of the episodes.

[00:20:27] So it's just like, yeah, if you're catching people at a different time, like, you know, you're keeping your feet active and it just reservices because it's like kind of presumptuous or kind of, you know, uh, you're assuming almost too much, especially for, you know, Niche creator, not, you know, this big person in the world.

[00:20:43] So it's like where you're like, man, that was like an amazing episode I posted two months ago. It's like, it's presumptuous to think that everyone just like clamor to listen to it right when it posted or whatever. It's like people live a busy life, like they might have missed it. So like just sort of bring it back up and like, you know, say like, Hey, this is an amazing episode [00:21:00] where, you know, on break right now, we'll be back in a couple of months, but check it out.

[00:21:03] And literally not changing it at all. You're just sort of. Retitling it so that it pushes out again into people's feeds to get right in front of them. So, uh, that was like a really interesting lesson is just sort of those kind of tactics that like really balance your, your energy and your time with still sort of wanting to respect kind of the consistency and sort of engaging your audience.

[00:21:24] I 

[00:21:24] Zach Busekrus: love that you brought that up in, uh, on, on sort of like the, the looking back, are there, are there particular like guests and or, and or episodes or topics that you felt like, oh my gosh. These episodes or these guests were just like, fire, right? Like, like, especially, especially moving or compelling. They, they, it might not even be like your most popular episodes, but like things that you're, you're especially proud of when you look back and say, oh, wow.

[00:21:51] Episode 72 was like, you know, one of my greatest, you know, uh, moments as, as an interviewer or anything like that. 

[00:21:59] Dustin Ramsdell: Yeah, I mean when I think [00:22:00] about this, it's sometimes, like, there's certain milestone episodes that I remember like at the time being like, whoa, like I, I got to talk to this person cuz like, you know, and some of them are just people that I respect a lot or, or are, you know, just kind of objectively well known in the, in the field.

[00:22:14] But, um, so some of them are like, um, I've talked to, and this I knew kind of was like one sort of like tipping. Where, uh, it was right in, uh, 2020 when South by was canceled. So there was a lot of people clamoring to kind of like, they wanted to cultivate kind of, you know, content or awareness about whether whatever they were gonna maybe be doing at the conference, if it had happened at that point.

[00:22:35] So I got to talk with, uh, Ben Nelson from Minerva. So I have a lot of respect for him in the space as, you know, creating really, you know, super high quality, kind of innovative, um, you know, higher education opportunities for students. So that one, I think, you know, his PR person was just trying to like reach out and since that point, because I did have sort of like a press pass and I was presenting and all this sort of things.

[00:22:55] I'm in some sort of like PR ecosystem or something ever since that point. So it's been like, [00:23:00] uh, really nice . Um, another one was, uh, Jeff Young from EdSurge. I think I just like cold reached out to him and he was more than happy to give some of his time and kind of just talked shop and I got to meet him when South by, came back, uh, this past year.

[00:23:14] So that was really cool. And then Sarah Horn, who's a co-founder and she was the ceo, but. Since left. So she is kind of the former c e O of Reapp education. So they are kind of leaders. Yeah. In re-engaging stop out students, which obviously is like a huge problem in the United States. So I really like their approach, um, and the work that they do.

[00:23:32] So it was really awesome to be able to talk with her and. Just kind of uplift the work that they're doing. So, I mean, there's been other people like that too, where, like one that are honorable mention, cause I, I thought of it as I was like, like sitting down as, um, uh, BCA Hoy, she runs, uh, bridge to College.

[00:23:48] So they really awesome work with, uh, engaging prospective students to actually find institutions that maybe are like less notable that could be a really awesome fit for them of what they're looking for and could provide like really great funding [00:24:00] opportunities and different things like that. So she has, it's kind of a really interesting.

[00:24:04] d e I plus like higher ed tech kind of organization where, um, I've just been really impressed with what they, what they do. 

[00:24:11] Zach Busekrus: One of the things that I was thinking about as you were, as you were just sharing, is how podcasting is like, Again, not to geek out about podcasting as a medium, but to do it just one last time.

[00:24:20] What's so cool about it is it does give you the opportunity to talk to people who otherwise, not that they have anything against you, just otherwise wouldn't be able to necessarily make time to talk to you. Right. And like some of those people that you, that you name dropped there without a podcast, you probably wouldn't.

[00:24:36] They're not gonna just say, yes, I'll hop on like an hour long zoom call with you. Right. And, and maybe, maybe some of these people are incredibly generous with their time and, and can be incredibly generous with their time. But I think, I feel like by and large, one of the cool things about having a show is that you do get the opportunity to talk to some, some wonderful people.

[00:24:50] Some wonderful leaders in, in this space. And then also I think being on podcasts, right, can be an incredible addition to like your resume. I would imagine that Pathi [00:25:00] before this opportunity, they probably stumbled upon the higher ed geek. They probably understood a little bit more about, you know, oh, Dustin Dustin's incredibly qualified to do something like this because he's doing this independently already, right?

[00:25:11] Mm-hmm. , and I think that like I, I would just plug anyone that's listening to this, if you know you ever have the opportunity or you desire to be on a podcast, one, you can email us at enroll files and you can just email me@zackenrollfive.org and we can talk and see if you might be a good fit for one of our shows.

[00:25:27] But beyond that, like it's just a huge way to, to boost your resume. If you go and you apply to a future gig and you can send them three different podcasts that you were on, who knows if they'll listen to it, but if they're serious, right? If you're a serious candidate, they might take some time to say, oh yeah, like, how does Dustin see the world?

[00:25:42] Like, I am interested in, oh wow. Like what is Dustin's approach to social strategy? So, Again, final plug of the episode, but just plugging the fact that being on podcasts and or hosting podcasts is a great thing, a great way to spend your time in 2023 . 

[00:25:56] Dustin Ramsdell: Yeah. Yeah. Well, no, and again, it's almost like the parallel or [00:26:00] comparison of like conferences and everything where it's like, you know, when I was coming up through grad school, like, you know, again before kind of the heyday of uh, you know, hired podcasts that we're experiencing a bit now, , you know, they've really encouraged all the students to like get out to conferences and present because it sort of like, you know, helps your public speaking and to again, kind of distinguish yourself and those sort of things.

[00:26:19] So in a podcast, like what the benefit is for me so much too is like, it just exists out there and people, yeah, I can check it out versus just being like, Hey, trust me. Like, I presented at that conference two years ago and it was incredible. Yeah, yeah. Like, so like whatever. Now you know, if I'm doing a webinar or an in-person, you know, event, like a panel moderating or whatever, I'm always like, can we like grab and rip the audio from this so I can put it into my podcast feed?

[00:26:42] Because it was like an incredible conversation and there's always so much going on at a conference. Like I would hate if this was limited to the like 24 people in the room. And like, I don't usually always respect where it's like, yeah, I'll wait like a month or two or whatever. Like, that's fine because like you do.

[00:26:57] Still obviously want to balance that sort of inclusivity of like, [00:27:00] uh, being like, well, you had to be there, you had to like, whatever. And that's also like a benefit where it's like, yeah, you could ask the question if you're in the room or like chat with the person after the session is done. But like, okay, let's sort of like give something on demand after the fact.

[00:27:12] And I think that that's gonna be, yeah, certainly like a trend moving forward to just more of that, um, uh, you know, from like conferences that where they can kinda like farm a library of content to provide to people if they were or weren't there. 

[00:27:22] Zach Busekrus: And on that note too, I think even doing, recap, like we did this like special podcast series with Dr.

[00:27:29] Terry Flannery who wrote the book, how to Market University, and the, we did the, we did a master course with her, and that was a paid product. But then we did this podcast series to sort of like promote the, the master course. And what was so cool about that podcast series is we get people like emailing us and sending us dms on social just being like, oh my gosh, thank you so much for doing this.

[00:27:48] Like I, for budgetary reasons or whatnot, they weren't able to like afford the master course, which, you know, uh, not, not everyone. Even any, you know, professional development dollars to spend, like there are many folks that unfortunately don't, don't have access [00:28:00] to that, so that's wonderfully unfortunate.

[00:28:02] But they did get like a taste of Dr. Terry's like, Perspective on, on marketing through the podcast series. And then like to this date, the, you know, best driver of new enrollees for this course is this podcast series. So, you know, it, it's, it's really, and she, you know, of course she wrote her book, right? And so all this is based off of her book.

[00:28:21] So she has done an incredible job of taking. a piece of content, her book, and repackaging it in like all of these different formats. In, in many ways, this has helped sort of like dramatically, uh, accelerate and expand her reach and her thought leadership because she's sort of unpacked these ideas in, in an array of context and an array of formats.

[00:28:40] Mm-hmm. . So, yeah, I lo I love that example. I, I wanna talk a little bit about kind of the future of the show, Dustin. Like what, as you think, , you know, the higher ed geek Moving forward here. What, what's on your mind? What can people who are listening to this episode, uh, expect from, from the show? Why, why should they go and, and, and subscribe?

[00:28:57] Dustin Ramsdell: Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I've been doing this for a while and [00:29:00] I try to bring in, um, a lot of different people, backgrounds and talk about a lot of different things and just came back with some of these episodes to start out this year and already charting kind of new territory, uh, which I'm excited about.

[00:29:12] So, I, I do put a good bit of thought because like, this sounds like a humble brag. Like I definitely have, again, like those PR people, whatever, like there's a lot of people kind of like hustling and trying to, you know, reach out to be on the show. And I'm trying to be Yeah, very purposeful about like not talking about the same thing for like 10 episodes straight, because it's just like, yeah, I mean the, if it's about like enrollment stuff or like a university is like, there's a lot to discuss there and it's like, I would like to sort of like, Sprinkle that throughout a year and it interspersed different things so that like a lot of people feel served.

[00:29:42] Cause that's always, I've always kind of had a broader focus for the show, but I want to sort of honor all the sort of complexities and kind of nooks and crannies of the higher ed experience and, you know, talk with people from, you know, nonprofits and technology companies and institutions and. All those sort of [00:30:00] things.

[00:30:00] So I think expecting more of that. I think just a breath of fresh air for the brand. You know, like I think we'll just be looking under the hood and kind of looking at new opportunities and sort of just create a better show and do things like, you know, but digitally having it be recorded on video, which I've never really done historically, which I'm excited about.

[00:30:18] So, . Yeah. And I mean, and just keeping with the consistency of episodes, at least every other week, if not more often. And you know, I'm hoping to get out to more conferences and, you know, bring those conversations, like I said, into the feed. So I think those are all things that folks can expect and I, and I look forward to, to just being able to kind of, you know, put our heads together and.

[00:30:39] Bring in a lot of different people. Cause it's, you know, on one hand it's like, I lean on the people reaching out, like, I wanna be on your show. And it's like, great. That's half the battle. You know? And if it's like other people that I know where I'm like, Hey, I think you'd be really great, or I want you to come back on the show or whatever.

[00:30:52] Like, you all just have your own sort of community and reach and, you know, connection. It's, I could just be like, oh yeah, yeah. I mean, like, I would never have thought of that person, or, no, I don't even know them [00:31:00] or what they do, but like you're sort of endorsing them and. You know, bridging that gap and those sort of things.

[00:31:04] So I think it's just gonna add such a sort of beautiful diversity of the, the type of people and the type of topics that will be coming up in this season seven, uh, you know, in this year, uh, of the show. So it's very impressive. I'm gonna take a lot of pride in that. Like seven seasons. There's still a lot of new, cool, interesting things to, uh, to talk about 

[00:31:22] Zach Busekrus: that is absolutely worth taking pride in.

[00:31:24] Mm-hmm. . Um, it's, it's a remarkable accomplishment. I wanna ask you a couple final questions here. One, why is just. , what, what do you think makes like a great podcast guest? Because I imagine after, you know, this episode drops and people are listening to it, that there might be several people we've just like, told everyone to go get on podcasts.

[00:31:39] Then there might be people, uh, that are listening that, that wanna be on a podcast. So from your perspective, having interviewed. probably hundreds of people at this point. Like what, talk to us a little bit about like what you think makes a great guest. Uh, 

[00:31:51] Dustin Ramsdell: an ounce of preparation goes a long way, . So even just a couple little thoughts to guide you through the questions.

[00:31:58] Like, so [00:32:00] either as a host give that, or as a, as a guest, you know, ask for it. So, and then a big sort of pet peeve for me is like the same thing of sort of like an ounce of sort of like preparation in the sense of. Using headphones. Mm-hmm. or a microphone or being in a quiet place like that goes a long way where like, I think anymore, so many, so many people are kind of intimidated about like, oh, I need to buy a $200 microphone or nothing.

[00:32:26] It's like your headphones with your smartphone have a little microphone. So like you can hear the person better and be heard better because there's even like, you know, not just like the laptop, microphone, whatever. So that's like a big thing. And I think just like know what you want to talk about. Cause I think that like, that seems kind of silly, but like some people will.

[00:32:45] I've had reach out and they obviously, like I can talk about these things and they're still just like super broad or kind of, yeah, kind of vague or kind of generics. Yeah. It's like being really insightful about like how are you able to kind of, uh, [00:33:00] create sort of a unique conversation about like your background, your, your experience or those sort of things.

[00:33:05] Cuz like would I have people to reach out that have. . It makes my job easier to be like, oh yeah, I get it instantly. I don't have to be like, I have no idea how this would fit on the show. Yeah. I'm not sure, like you said that like a back and forth and you know, or immediately I'm just sort of like, I don't think this is gonna work.

[00:33:20] Yeah. Like, I can't even blame, you know, uh, relevant, you know, kind of topic here. So I think those would be, Three quick tips. Yeah. Uh, to be Yeah. A 

[00:33:28] Zach Busekrus: good guest. Those are, those are super great, dude. Um, on, on that note of like preparation too, one of the things that I found to be helpful is, is to ask folks like, Hey, like is there a story that you can tell about topic X or topic Y or, you know, the things that they say that they wanna talk about?

[00:33:45] Because I have, I can't tell you the number of times I've been on, uh, an interview with somebody, right. And likewise, right? They, they all of a sudden, like, it's scary maybe to be interviewed and they. , a very short, very concise, not very [00:34:00] descriptive answer. And you know, they're a brilliant person and you know, they've done incredible things.

[00:34:05] So you're like, Dustin, gimme more, gimme more Dustin. You know? Mm-hmm. and I, I found that sometimes it's helpful for, to encourage folks to think in the context of story, right? Like, all right, great. You did this. You helped increase enrollment at University X, you know, by 30% over the course of your three years.

[00:34:23] Wonderful. Is there one or two specific stories that you could share that help highlight what happened and how this came to be? Right? Mm-hmm. and I, you know, I dunno, little pro tip for anyone listening to that wants to be a, a better podcast guest is to, to think through your answers maybe in the context of story.

[00:34:39] And, and, and then the people that are listening to this conversation and, and that conversation. People like stories, right? Like our, our brains are wired to love stories. So anyways, I would just add that too. But dude, I am super pumped. Uh, your show and we are just, again, so grateful that you've joined the Enroll five podcast network.

[00:34:56] If you are listening to this and you are not already subscribed to the higher ed [00:35:00] geek, we want you to scroll down to the show notes and we'll have links to Dustin's show there. We'll also drop Dustin's website and his email address if you'd like to get in touch with him, if you think you might be a good fit for his show.

[00:35:11] Dustin, thank you so much, man. Uh, any, any parting words for, for the listeners today? 

[00:35:16] Dustin Ramsdell: One little thing. I think it's a very great final thought to share. Is. . How I came up with the higher ed geek is, it was as simple as just like mashing up the things that I'm into. Hmm. I love higher education. I'm a big geek and I geek out about higher education.

[00:35:29] And it was that simple, like not overthinking the name or sort of like the focus and that has just been this kind of North star to guide me, is just really trying to, uh, nurture that passion, that enthusiasm that I have about the space and the curiosity. So, um, I. For whatever folks are, are looking to maybe get into or talk about on a show or anything like that, try to find that like North Star and just be really kind of like proud of it and Yeah.

[00:35:56] You know, confident about it and, uh, you know, go forth and, you know, do, do [00:36:00] the work. On, on 

[00:36:00] Zach Busekrus: that note, one of the things I have really appreciated about your show is, is it's breadth, right? Like a lot of the enroll high podcasts, a lot of the podcasts that are part of our network are very specific, right?

[00:36:10] Like it. Focused on, you know, uh, think of Jamie Hunt's Show Confessions of a Higher Ed cmo. It's very targeted towards the executive marketing, uh, and communications professional at Ecology University. We've got other shows that are really focused on like enrollment, marketing. You know, one of I thing, one of the things I was, one of the reasons we were so attracted to your show to begin with, Dustin, was just that you, you really have done a remarkable job at like, showcasing, uh, the breadth and depth of, of higher education as an industry.

[00:36:35] And so I think that a lot of folks who are. Not tired of just hearing about enrollment, marketing content, but, uh, you know, folks that might be in a slightly different role, I think we'll find a lot of value from, from the content that you, that you produce. So thanks again man, and um, appreciate your 

[00:36:49] Dustin Ramsdell: time.

[00:36:50] Yeah, thank you.[00:37:00] 

[00:37:00] Hey 

[00:37:00] Zach Busekrus: Zach here from Enrollify. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Enrollify podcast. If you like this episode, do us a huge favor and hit that follow and subscribe button below. Furthermore, if you've got just two minutes to spare, we would greatly appreciate you reading a rating and review of this show on Apple Podcast.

[00:37:17] Our podcast network is growing by the month, and we've got a plethora of marketing admissions and higher ed technology. That are jam-packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks that are all designed to empower you to become a better higher ed professional. But Enrollify is far more than just a podcast network.

[00:37:35] Enrollify is where higher ed comes to learn new marketing skills, discover new products and services, and find their next job. We're a growing learning community of 4,000 members, and we'd love to welcome you into. You can access our free blog, articles, newsletters, e-courses, and more, or purchase our master course on how to market a university with Terry Flannery at enrollify.org.

[00:37:56] We look forward to meeting you soon and welcoming you into the community. [00:38:00] Again, you can subscribe for free at enrollify.org.