What I Learned from BJ Novak at CEX

The closing keynote at CEX last week was an interview with BJ Novak, who you may know as Ryan from The Office. I personally liked him a lot as Bob Sherman in Saving Mr. Banks though.

Throughout the interview (conducted by Anne Handley!), he shared stories of how he got his start, his own creator journey, and some good lessons he picked up along the way. I thought I’d share my favorite lessons as they relate to podcasting:

“If you can talk, you can write.”

BJ said one of his writing teachers said this, and I think it’s a great lesson for podcasters. Writing is crucial no matter what profession you’re in, and if you spend your time articulating ideas on a podcast, you can convert that into written word.

“I can’t recommend my path. It’s a weird…make your own path.”

I love this because while it’s good to borrow ideas, I think we look at very successful people (like Joe Rogan or Alex Cooper) and try to copy them. But we aren’t them, and we need to forge our own path.

Separate inspiration from execution.

BJ said he carries a notebook everywhere, observes things, and writes them down (while asking, “why”). This process is totally different from the writing process for him.

When seeking inspiration for episodes or other content, you don’t need to immediately apply it to your show. Just write down interesting things and let them cook. Have a completely separate process for review.

Focus on your audience. Have a good sense of them. Everything else can be backfilled.

The most important takeaway (and why I push podcast mission statements so hard). If you know your audience, you can focus on helping them. (A) Know their problem, (B) know the solution. Then fill in the path from (A) to (B) with stories and actionable advice.

I’m still more or less processing CEX, and my head in spinning (not literally) from the great sessions and all the fantastic people I got to meet. But these lessons from BJ Novak are definitely worth sharing.