Podcastification - podcasting tips, podcast tricks, how to podcast better
Podcastificating the world, one listener at a time.A fun look at podcasting, its challenges and triumphs, and the tech, tips & tricks, and strategies that impact the world of everyday podcasters like you and me. I'm a regular guy who's been swept up in the podcastificating world of podcasting. I've build a business to support podcasters and content providers and love passing along my hard-learned lessons about podcasting, production, and editing, as well as my take on the technology that's available and the news that's affecting the podcasting space. Short episodes. Fun episodes. Very sparsely populated with interviews here and...
Tue, April 12, 2022
162: The Top 11 Distance Recording Options - Side By Side Comparison - 2022
Remote recording for interviews and the like has always been a bit tricky and the platforms that provide recording of this type are always trying to improve. 2022 brings us a lot of contenders for the title of "best remote recording platform." This episode is a handful of recordings of me and my right-hand audio-man, Aaron as we test out the top 11 platforms. You're going to hear about... Boomcaster Cast Cleanfeed Clearcast Iris Remotely Riverside Squadcast Welder Zencastr Zoom And we also tried Ringr, which has been around for some time but we got so frustrated trying to get it to work that we dropped the attempt. It could have been a bad day (for both of us?) but we made the call not to move forward with that portion of the recording and moved on. RESOURCES MENTIONED Boomcaster - https://Boomcaster.com Cast - https://tryca.st Cleanfeed - https://Cleanfeed.net Clearcast - https://clearcast.io Iris - https://iris.fm Remotely - https://remotely.fm Riverside - https://riverside.fm (affliate link here ) Squadcast - https://squadcast.fm (affiliate link here ) Welder - https://GetWelder.com/remote-interview-recording Zencastr - https://zencastr.com Zoom - https://Zoom.us
Fri, March 11, 2022
A newsletter for Indie Podcasters (finally)
I have LONG wanted a Podcast Newsletter that provides content for me — an INDEPENDENT PODCASTER. I mean, it's OK to have industry news about who moved from what bigwig company to another biggerwig company in a higher profile industry-speak position... no problem there. But it's not relevant to me at all. So I've created an Indie Podcast Newsletter FOR Indie Podcasters, BY an Indie Podcaster. Abraham Lincoln would have said something like that if he were a podcaster. I'm calling it "Podawan" (hat tip to the Star Wars universe). I LOVE the idea of Podawan Learner... and since we are all bootstrapping, do it yourself kind of folks, we can be Podawans. Each episode or installment of the Podawan newsletter will include... An Education section that highlights stuff you need to learn or do better A Success Stories section that tells of Indie podcasters who have actually done it. An Industry News section where I frame happenings in ways that matter to you. And an Editorial section... where I write an opinion piece based on issues within the podcast industry (and shock... it will be RELEVANT to Indie podcasters). Finally... I'll be taking LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ... you can write your input about my opinions, industry stuff, something else. I don't care what it is. Send it to me. I hope you'll subscribe. It's going to be a fun and RELEVANT ride. Oh yeah... you can also find some fun, Podawan swag here .
Tue, March 01, 2022
161: How Daniel J. Lewis built authority from scratch, monetized his podcasting, and makes a life, not just a living
Daniel J. Lewis has been building authority in the podcasting space since 2010. That’s when the very first episode of his show (a podcast about podcasting) “The Audacity to Podcast.” You can hear it here . Daniel has already been podcasting for about three years when I first came across his content and I can’t express the number of ways he’s helped me personally, both through his content and via personal email interactions we’ve had together. He’s a regular guy who is as genuine in real life as he seems on his show. THIS episode featuring Daniel J. Lewis features the story of how Daniel has used his podcast as a launching pad for SERVICES-based businesses - from website development to plugin development, to podcast consulting, Daniel has tried his hand at a wide variety of things — with varying levels of success. On this episode he shares... ▷ His path into podcasting from a job he loved ▷ How he built authority in a niche that was new to him ▷ Choosing from the wide variety of income models ▷ The power of perseverance in finding what fits you I hope you take the time to listen. Daniel doesn’t hold back and if you apply what he shares, you’ll move WAY forward in your attempts to monetize your show.
Tue, February 22, 2022
160: How two friends grew the Bourbon Pursuit podcast to multiple six figure income and started their own brand of bourbon, with Kenny Coleman
How successful can a niche podcast be? The answer likely depends on the niche. For example, back on episode 154 of this podcast Glenn Hebert, the personality and power behind The Horse Radio Network said this about his niche: ”(Annually) We are well into five figures, and you know, in our niche, we’ll probably never get to six figures. I don’t see us ever doing that.” But his comments are about an expensive and specific niche, horses. What about if the niche in question is broader but very popular? Like Bourbon? While he was still in college, Kenny Coleman became a fan of bourbon (makes sense) and got into the “Bourbon Culture” from there. His interest became a passion and his passion has turned into a multi-six-figure business, all built on the back of a podcast that happened to become very, very popular. My theory? Kenny pursued something he loved that many others were growing to love at the same time, and he saw an opportunity to serve people like himself. Kenny and Ryan started their podcast from scratch, just like the rest of us Go back and listen to episode 1 of The Bourbon Pursuit podcast ( you can find it here ). There was nothing super special about it. Just two guys with a mic (maybe two) who were talking about something they enjoyed — bourbon. They set the stage, gave listeners an idea what to expect, and asked for feedback. I love what they said at the end of that episode... “If we suck, let us know, if it’s good, let us know. If you think something else would be cool, let us know. We just want to learn and grow as we go.” That is KEY: Ask for feedback No matter what your niche is, you won’t be able to serve your audience well until you know what they want. So figure out ways to ask them... What do they want to learn? Who do they want to hear from in the niche? What kind of skills do they need? What are the pains they feel related to the niche? These days Kenny and Ryan do that through a community that is managed, run, and kept alive by members of their Patreon supporters. But back at the beginning, they had to figure out ways to do it. Annual surveys were a tool they used. Soliciting listener feedback episode to episode helped. And little by little, they were able to dial-in their demographic and know how to serve their audience better. Quality matters, both technically and in skill level Kenny and Ryan started their podcast about bourbon back in 2015. Bourbon back then was NOT the thing it is today. Today it’s cool, hip, trendy, etc. , but back then, it was just a hobby for enthusiasts. But that began to change. More bourbon-related podcasts started showing up and Kenny (the Executive Producer of the show) realized he’d have to figure out ways to make their show better than all
Tue, February 15, 2022
159: Discover 10 to 15 immediately usable podcast topics in just 30 minutes: The 10-10-10 method
Do you EVER have issues coming up with new topics to cover on your podcast? If not, it’s only a matter of time. Every podcaster runs into the issue eventually - asking the question, “What ELSE am I going to talk about on my podcast?” It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or if you’ve been podcasting for a long time. It WILL happen to you. What then? How are you going to move forward and continue to serve your audience? I’ve got a content development exercise you’re going to LOVE! On this episode, I want to teach you a process I’ve implemented time and time again that enables anyone to have 10 to 15 interesting, helpful, immediately usable topics that can be recorded for individual podcast episodes, in JUST 30 MINUTES. If it sounds too good to be true, just listen. You’ll see the magic (but it’s NOT magic, just common sense) of taking this approach. It’s tapping into the knowledge you already have inside that noggin of yours and putting it to work for the sake of your audience. Ready? Hit the play button! If you’d like to take the DEEP DIVE into this approach, you can find it outlined in detail on this blog post: https://podcastfasttrack.com/podcast-workflow-step-2-generate-topics-bulk-record/
Tue, December 07, 2021
158: How Scott Johnson uses his head to create ongoing audience growth
Every podcaster is looking for ways to grow her audience. Why? Hopefully, it's for reasons bigger than our own ego ( if it's not, please — STOP podcasting right now ). The best reason to work toward podcast audience growth is to better serve those who find our show interesting and or helpful . I know you agree with me, right? Scott Johnson is a guy who does that through a couple of podcasts, but the one we focus on in this conversation is what he calls his "passion project" — " What was that like? " It's an intriguing show that interviews real people about the bizarre and sometimes painful experiences they've had in life. (Check out this episode, " Robert was in a gunfight with pirates " to get a taste for yourself). Scott and I discuss the MAIN thing he's done to keep his audience growth heading upward — and it comes in THREE forms. He breaks it down on this episode. You'll enjoy this episode if you're interested in... the best ways to discover what kind of people listen to your podcast how to find other podcasts that have a similar audience (listen to understand why this is important) making connections with the podcasters who host those shows partnering with other podcasters to grow your respective shows real-life results that come from this strategy podcast mastermind groups: their benefits might surprise you Mentioned on this episode "What was that like?" - Scott's podcast discussed on this episode: https://whatwasthatlike.com/ Scott's The Computer Tutor podcast: https://computertutorflorida.com/ MIDROLL: Podcast Mastermind If you're interested in growing your podcast by joining forces with other podcasters who are on their way to success (just like you), consider applying for the next Podcast Fast Track Podcast Mastermind. It's one of the best investments you can make in your podcast, hands-down. Not to mention the great ongoing cooperative relationships you'll make with other podcasters like yourself. APPLY FOR THE NEXT GROUP HERE . Other podcasters who share your audience are NOT your competition One of the things I've loved about podcasting ever since I started is the reality that it's a very cooperative space. Unlike other industries, podcasters seem more than generous to help others who are trying to grow a show just like they are. This conversation with Scott is an example (he's a very generous guy). Scott banks on that fact as par
Tue, November 23, 2021
157: Podcast Show Notes Best Practices and Strategy
For the first time ever , podcast show notes display almost the SAME in all podcasting apps (thanks Apple). That brings up the question... what ARE show notes anyway? And how can I best use them? On this episode of Podcastification, I'm going to explain what show notes are, what they should contain, and how to create and use them in the MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS. Keep reading. What ARE show notes? There are differing opinions or definitions out there for the term "show notes." Some people feel like it's a blog post length summary of a podcast episode, or maybe even a transcript of the audio. Others feel the term should refer mainly to the brief description of an episode you might find in a podcast app. Which is it? From my perspective as the Founder of a company that creates show notes for podcasting clients, it's both. Let me explain... Kill two birds with one stone To make the most of every episode of your podcast, you really NEED BOTH the longer blog post content that goes on your website, AND the shorter, abbreviated content that pulls into the podcast apps from your media host. Instead of creating a separate document or post for those two things, I suggest you create one MASTER post that you can use in a variety of ways to fulfill both needs... and social media elements while you're at it. But before we get to that, there's one last thing I want to say... Your listeners won't know what you've created for them if you don't guide them to it You may follow the steps I'm about to give you and create the best show notes on the planet or within your industry or niche. But if your audience doesn't know they are available, they won't use them. It's YOUR job to ensure they know about the resources you create. I suggest you figure out a way to remind yourself to TELL your audience about your show notes EVERY TIME you record a new episode. Develop a bullet-point list you use when you record that reminds you of all the important stuff you need to say Add references to your show notes to that list WHERE DO YOU INCLUDE IT? Make the mention of your show notes a standard part of your call to action at the end of each episode. When guests share a resource, comment that you'll include it in the show notes or description. Your listeners will become aware of your show notes and become accustomed to looking at them when they need a resource... in time. Just be consistent. MAKE FINDING THE NOTES EASY FOR YOUR LISTENERS The last stats I saw (early 2021) said that 85% of podcast listeners are listening on a mobile device. So think about that from a show notes perspective... If you're saying, "Check out the website for the show notes to
Tue, November 09, 2021
156: How to monetize a hobby with Maria Failla
If you feel you don't know enough about the topics you want to podcast about, you are in good company Maria Failla began her podcast, Bloom & Grow Radio because she DIDN'T know enough about how to care for her plants and saw it as a great opportunity to talk to experts who did. And by the way, isn't that a GREAT name for a podcast? It comes from a line in Maria's favorite song from the musical, "The Sound of Music" - Edelweiss . I was eager to talk with Maria about her journey because as a client, I've seen her go from almost no audience to an amazing following and enthusiastic membership community that's quite astounding . The lessons she's learned are ones any podcaster can benefit from, especially if you're looking to serve your audience in bigger ways, build relationships with sponsors that benefit them long-term, and therefore, fuel your podcast, AND make your podcast a full-time living kind of thing eventually. All of that is true of Maria and it just might be possible for you too. Give her a chance to convince you of what's possible! What you'll learn from Maria's story [2:32] Maria's monetization story: Where she's at now [4:32] Niche podcast ad sales | speaking opportunities | membership community [7:18] The wandering path: Why Maria thought 10 episodes would be it for her show [11:10] The first steps of monetization Maria started taking [14:35] How to leverage the power of the fact that you are your target listener [19:36] How to move affiliate relationships to sponsor partnerships 🚨 Set up a MEMBERSHIP for your podcast In this episode, I mentioned that I have a very successful membership once your podcast is rolling. You'll hear Maria speak about how she's doing that if you listen (you ARE going to listen, right?). I use a platform called Supercast, which I describe at the midpoint of this conversation. HERE IS MY AFFILIATE LINK to Supercast... and remember, if you use my link to sign up for Supercast, I'll send you my "Supercast Walkthrough" video to help you get it set up and get started. And to see how Supercast works, here is the link I share with my podcast listers that provides more information about my podcast partnership (what I call it instead of a "membership"): https://CareyGreen.com/partners [27:17] The membership Maria has created sounds amazing... she shares how you can build one too! [33:06] Premium tiers are coming to Maria's membership... here's how she's setting it up [36:01] How Maria's self-doubt and ignorance led her to a vulnerable approach to her topics (t
Fri, September 03, 2021
Subscribe Is Gone (Apple only, so far)
Subscribe Is Gone (on Apple only, so far) Podcast tech is changing all the time, so we shouldn't be surprised when Apple makes a change (unannounced, as is often the case). What's the latest change? Apple's newest version of the iOS app (14.5 update) is now MISSING the "Subscribe" button. It also has no "Follow" button (which we've previously thought was coming). What users will see now when they click into a podcast they are considering is a button that says "Latest Episode." When they click that button... ...what happens? It plays the LAST 60 SECONDS of your most recent episode. Did you get that? Your MOST RECENT episode is going to be the Costco Sample for potential listeners. That's a big deal. It's easier for listeners to check out your show than ever before... but Apple is DICTATING how they do that... through the most recent episode. So you should consider if what you're doing during that first 60 seconds is... compelling intriguing entertaining interesting provocative alluring helpful If it's not, this is a good time to make a change. What kind of change might you make? START WITH A TEASER My episode this time started with what I'd call a "teaser." It's a creative way of introducing the topic. You can do this like I did, with unique or interesting music underneath. You could add a quote or clip from your guest that highlights the most interesting or compelling aspects of what they had to share. You could tell a story from your experience that illustrates the topic of your episode in an engaging way. There are so many ways to do it. What should NOT be in the first 60 seconds? ADS GO SOMEPLACE ELSE Advertisements or sponsor spots should NOT be in the first 60 seconds of your episodes from now on. Think about it... If YOU were a new-podcast-searcher and found a show you thought might be interesting... and you clicked that "Latest Podcast" button... and you hear an... ADVERTISEMENT for the first 60 seconds... what would YOU think? What would you do? What would you wonder about that podcast and its creator? Long, boring, canned intros should be moved You may feel you still need the canned intro you've been using. You know, the radio-announcer-gal who says the same blah-blah-blah at the beginning of every one of your episodes. That's OK... but don't put it within that first 60 seconds. You want to use that 60 seconds of audio real estate to its fullest potential. Give value. Hook your listeners. Build interest. Promise something. Make them WANT to keep listening. I don't think I've ever heard a canned intro that has made me WANT to keep listening. Have you? Stay tuned... this is lik
Tue, May 11, 2021
Sponsorships for Niche Podcasts, with Glenn Hebert
Glenn Hebert... is one of those guys who saw the value and power of podcasting early on. His " Horse Radio Network " has been in the podcasting game for a long, long time as a result. I wanted to chat with Glenn about monetization because he's done it well — he and his wife both work full-time for their little media company and have recurring sponsorships for their shows that are long-standing. How does that kind of thing happen? That's what I wanted to know. Glenn is quick to point out that his audience (horse owners) are an obsessive bunch (his words). They are eager and willing to spend lots of money on their horse hobby, so he's got a bit of a built-in "buyer's market" in his niche. But the principles he shares are applicable just the same. Listen to this episode to hear the story of how the HRN came about, how Glenn started monetizing, what the income is like now, and how he recommends you go about doing the same thing in your niche.
Tue, April 13, 2021
How to Uncover Monetization Opportunities, Grab Them First, and Make the Most of Them Long-Term, with Andrew Allemann
Can you see the opportunities that exist in your niche? If so, you'll gain further insight from listening to this episode. If not, you'll REALLY benefit from listening. Andrew Allemann seems to have a knack for noticing the opportunities, taking action on them quickly, and making the most of being first to meet the need the opportunity represents. In this episode Andrew shares... When he started his first business ventures (in college) The lessons he learned from working for a corporation How he noticed the opportunity to become a leading voice in the Domain Name industry What he did to fill that need with what he had, on the cheap The benefits podcasting brought to the table How podcasting revealed another need and Andrew's quick moves to capitalize on it Andrew's advice for wanna-be and already-started podcasters
Tue, April 06, 2021
152: Niche power, Professional Help, And Paying The Price, with Mark Goldman
Podcasting success comes in all shapes and sizes... and in any niche area you can think of. This episode is a case-study of sorts and focuses on a very specific niche podcast and the impact its had on it's creator — Mark Goldman. Mark is an accountant, and a recruiter for the accounting industry. His businesses help others succeed in the accounting field and help companies in need of a good accountant, find one. So why did Mark think it was a good idea to start a podcast for the recruitment side of his business? Because he was looking for a way to make his voice heard in the industry and serve his audience of incoming accountants and business clients. But here's the funny part, Mark barely knew that podcasts even existed when he was introduced to the idea. When he found out about it, did some homework, and realized it might be a good content creation option for his company, he dove in. In this conversation, Mark shares his mistakes, his frustrations, his dashed expectations, and what he's learned along the way. And as powerfully as any guest I've had on the show, Mark drops some gold nuggets about mindset, financing your podcast, revenue generation, and more. You're going to love Mark's unassuming manner and humble demeanor. But more than that, you're going to love the powerful concepts and mindsets he has to share about making your podcast a success, even if it's in a very small niche. Take the time to listen. You can thank me later.
Tue, March 30, 2021
Monetize Your Podcast in 100s of Ways, with Dave Jackson
It's not every day you get to have a "Podcast Hall of Fame" inductee on your podcast. But it's fun when it happens! In this case, it's because Dave Jackson is such a fun guy. He's known as "The Podcast Coach" and has earned the title since he's been podcasting since way back in 2005 and has published more podcasts of his own than most people have lived. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much of one. Podcast Monetization Is THE Topic This episode, Dave and I are talking about how to monetize a podcast — and we're not primarily referring to ad revenue when we say that. There are many, many, many ways to create a revenue channel accompanying your podcast and the limits are only as small as your level of creativity. Join us as we chat about the many examples included in his new book, "Profit from Your Podcast: Proven Strategies to Turn Listeners into a Livelihood." It's exactly what it sounds like. This episode introduces a series of episodes I'll be producing off and on over the next couple of months talking with podcasters who have approached the monetization issue from a variety of different standpoints. Some of them are in Dave's book. Others are not. Dave stuff Find Dave at https://SchoolofPodcasting.com Find his book at: https://www.profitfromyourpodcast.com/ - and I suggest you DO get his book. Check out Dave on the Podcaster's Hall of Fame
Tue, March 23, 2021
150: Marketing Your Podcast And Growing Your Audience the RIGHT WAY, with Jeremy Enns
Get Into Jeremy's Podcast Marketing Course ASAP before it fills up! (Affiliate link) No doubt, marketing and promotion of your podcast, with a goal toward growing your audience with the RIGHT listeners, is a very difficult task. I know because I get questions about it from clients all the time. Are you struggling with the same issues? Dollars to donuts you are… Jeremy Enns has made a study of successful podcasters VS not-so-successful podcasters and he’s found a handful of things those on the plus side of the equation are doing that the others are not — even though it looks like the same thing from the outside. In this conversation, we cover all this stuff Jeremy’s first podcast - an R-rated, Local Ice Cream Review show… really Lessons learned from a co-hosted show (tech and intrapersonal) How Jeremy created his podcast business and began specializing in marketing 5 out of 10 clients were growing their shows effectively. Jeremy’s deep-dive Why you have to view the purpose of your podcast differently to be successful Jeremy’s view of marketing in general — and podcasting specifically What the successful 50% of Jeremy’s clients were actually doing Generative Marketing is Jeremy’s superpower — what IS it? A magic question: “What would make my show something you can’t wait to share?” Are you posting about your show on social in a way that is “me-me-me” centric? Providing value on social media even WITHOUT links back to your stuff (be generous) Think of your podcasting skill like that of learning a new instrument Get Into Jeremy's Podcast Marketing Course ASAP Before It Fills Up! (Affiliate Link) CONNECT WITH JEREMY Find all of Jeremy’s offers at https://CounterweightCreative.co/podcastification Jeremy’s blog (mentioned at the end of the episode) Find Jeremy on LinkedIn Follow Jeremy on Twitter: @iamjeremyenns And on Instagram: @iamjeremyenns RESOURCES MENTIONED <a href="https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/shows/spi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_b
Tue, March 16, 2021
149: The NEW Way to Monetize Your Podcast, with Jason Sew Hoy of Supercast
Podcast monetization may be in your future. Even if you have a relatively small show. Really. How it is possible? By using a friction-free platform that enables you to simply produce bonus content that is available to paid-members-only. Sound like a pipe dream? It’s not. My guest on this episode, Jason Sew Hoy is leading a team that has created Supercast — THE WAY (in my humble opinion) for podcasters to build a membership by giving their audience more of what they already love: audio. In this conversation, Jason and I cover all the topics below in detail: The Supercast backstory - and why paid audio memberships are important Some of Supercast’s original creators make MILLIONS per year from memberships Is your podcast ready for a paid membership model? Supercast’s model shows how Howard Stern and Joe Rogan are getting ripped off! How average podcasters (300 downloads per ep) can make paid membership work What kind of “perks” can you offer your audience to incentivize subscriptions? Jason’s advice to those who wonder if they have adequate “value” to give to members The Candadaland success story Supercast works with any podcasting app your audience uses - easily If you’re at all considering monetization you must, Must, MUST listen to this episode. It will not only provide you with food for thought about monetization in general and explain why private podcast feeds are an amazing opportunity, but it will also give you lots of examples of how other podasters have succesfully done it, with large and small audiences alike. CONNECT WITH JASON Supercast - where Jason serves as CEO Jason’s podcast: Supercasters (worth the membership to get the extended version) Jason on Twitter: @JSewHoy Jason on LinkedIn RESOURCES MENTIONED My supercast page (so you can see how the platform looks to listeners0 Sam Harris Peter Attia Rhonda Patrick Ben Thompson’s newsletter: Stratechery Substack</
Tue, March 09, 2021
148: Niche Domination Formula Step 5: Saturation
Watering My Wife's Plants She asked me to SATURATE some of them... what does that mean? It means entirely soak them... cover them... overwhelm them with water! This episode is about THAT, for your podcast. Here are some of the best ways to do it Syndication (platforms) - my list of "how to" instructions: https://podcastfasttrack.com/podcast-directories-2018-2019-get-submitted/ This is Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, etc. - use my list above to get your show on all the platforms you can! Social sharing / promotion Platform appropriate frequencies Your content and OTHER's content co-schedule shares how often to share on each platform: https://coschedule.com/blog/how-often-to-post-on-social-media Do it the RIGHT way (Jeremy Enns upcoming episode) - empathy and generosity TRULY HELPFUL approach ALWAYS include a link back to the full episode (1st comment?) Other methods Your audience (requires you have a GREAT show they want to share) Ask them to share specifically (pause, ask, resume) Emails to your list asking for shares periodically Other people's social Mention other accounts related to your episode (at mention tag) Libsyn does a "Promote the tar out of yourself" Friday post - join the fun! https://twitter.com/libsyn and https://www.facebook.com/libsyn Tag Apple about your show (with a link to your show ON their platform) and maybe they'll help you promote! https://twitter.com/iTunesPodcasts and https://twitter.com/ApplePodcasts Guests should help you promote their episode, but don't always. Here are tips to help you help them help you. :) Trade magazines or publications/websites/media Requires scrappiness and hustle VA could do with the right instructions (but avoid being SPAMMY) Appropriately leverage relationships / groups Find journalist emails - send articles / pitch ideas EPISODE SWAP / EPISODE PROMOS Identify a similar listening audience first - https://graph.rephonic.com/ Ensure it will be mutually beneficial Two options Plan the date and pull the trigger Scott Johnson, "What Was That Like" <a
Tue, February 23, 2021
147: Niche Domination STEP 4: Consistency
Before we get into STEP 4 can I remind you that these steps will do no good unless you dedicate yourself to applying them? You are doing that, right? If not - are you planning a way to make it happen in the near future? Nothing could impact the long-term success of your podcast like nailing this. STEP FOUR: Consistency / Frequency I can't think of anything more consistent than TIME itself, can you? It ticks away, second after second, never stopping, never relenting. It's why age is a thing. It's why memory and goal-setting even exist. Time is one of the unavoidable constants of life... and your podcasting efforts need to take FULL advantage of it. You want to do your very best to publish your podcast content in a consistent manner - for ONE MAIN REASON: Your audience will trust you more, the more consistent you are with your content That's important. You want to be as reliable as the sunrise for the sake of your listeners. But let's be honest - it's hard to do . Impossible at times. FULL DISCLOSURE: My podcast publication schedule has been less than consistent at times. I have a few shows that are on a semi-permanent-but-hopefully-returning status for some time. That's because life happens . Things come up. Things you can't control or change. Yes, you'll hear podcasters who honestly say, " I haven't missed an episode in 5 years ." Good for them . Really. I'm not bitter. ;) But I have to wonder how many of those episodes were either not all that good OR were only so-so in terms of quality, simply because they felt bound to get an episode out . I'd rather produce content that serves my audience well than produce mediocre stuff just to meet a self-imposed deadline. How about you? THIS is an issue you'll have to decide for yourself. More on that in a bit... My tips for being consistent... Don't over commit yourself in the first place While weekly may be best (it's arguable) it may not be possible. Choose a publication schedule you are 95% sure you'll be able to stick with and do it consistently. Consider your industry/niche Some industries or niches may not appreciate a weekly podcast as much as others, for a variety of reasons. Think this one through. It's a thing. Batch record If you can set aside one day to record 4 or 5 episodes at once, you'll have a backlog that will help you avoid missing a publication date. It requires planning and hard work. But it can be done. It's how John Lee Dumas started Entrepreneur on Fire and kept it up for so long. Learn from his example. Get help A co-host, a VA (virtua
Mon, January 18, 2021
146: Step Three: Originality & Appeal: The Podcast Niche Domination Formula
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ I hope you're putting these steps into action... I know you're busy. I know you have other commitments. If that's the case, file this away and get back to it. But this stuff is important for the longevity and audience building of your podcast. We've already covered the first two steps - (1) Notice / Awareness and (2) Quality / Helpfulness . Now it's time for the 3rd phase - Originality / Appeal In my view, we are right at the tail end of the "interview-someone-famous-in-your-industry-and-get-an-audience" phase of podcasting. Because the podcast-o-sphere is SATURATED with those types of shows. OK - probably not ENTIRELY saturated, but we're getting pretty close. And I'm not the only person who thinks so. Here's this from... @Scott Galloway of NYU... about podcasting in the year 2020... ...the podcasts of the highest quality at the top of the charts will reap the lion’s share of the benefits. Niche podcasts that truly add value will also survive and do well, but reheated Joe Rogan imitators… that sh!# is going to fall off the face of a cliff. If you already have one of "those kind of shows" running and it's doing well, you've got a leg up on the competition. If you are struggling to get an audience with that format... maybe you know why, now. If you are considering starting a show of that nature, I recommend you tweak that decision based on my recommendations below. No matter where you are in your podcasting journey, you can make changes - large and small - that make your show more orginal and therefore, more appealing. Consider these things... + Podcasts are as much entertainment as they are education And entertainment has to be - well, entertaining. Look at what you're doing with your show currently? Can you add something to spice it up? (music, transition sounds, other voices, ambiance or sound effects) You want to be careful here and not overdo it. And you WILL likely get some negative feedback about such changes from existing listeners. But give it time... keep changing things little by little, and overall your listeners will come to LOVE it. One show that does this well... Roger Whitney - The Retirement Answer Man ( <a href="https://click.mlflow.com/link/c/YT0xMzA2MzU0MjQyOTI3MjA0MzIyJmM9bTluNiZlPTE5MjgmYj0yNTM5Njk3MjImZD1tOWM0Yzd6.Q6vg0HUJp9Haww-eUm08tROyQN5m5sMLbGxgvw8UY6Q" rel="noopener norefe
Wed, December 30, 2020
Quality & Helpfulness: Phase 2 of the Podcast Niche Domination Formula
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ AFFILIATE offer for this episode: CAPTIVATE OK, you're working that "awareness" piece from the last installment , right? Be sure you go back and start there if you're not. It's time for STEP TWO of my Niche Domination Formula. Here it is: Quality / Helpfulness This one is best illustrated by talking about movies. There are only two reasons I can think of that people talk about particular movies. 1. It was really good 2. It was really bad And then in the middle are the MILLIONS of movies that nobody is talking about because they are just "so-so." Right? The same is true of podcasts You want people to be talking about your podcast - but for the RIGHT reason... because it's truly GREAT content! That "greatness" exists in either quality or helpfulness - but preferably both. QUALITY Quality has to do with the experience your listeners have as your episode comes through their ear(buds). There are a handful of words (and opposing words) that help us dial this one in. Your show may not be all of these, but it should be some... Is your podcast... Pleasant? (as opposed to painful to listen to) Creative? (as opposed to more of the same) Deep? (as opposed to skimming the surface of your topics) Original? (as opposed to saying what everyone else says) Moving? (as opposed to emotionally uninspiring) Revealing? (as opposed to guarded or inhibited) Engaging? (as opposed to boring, uninteresting) Provocative? (as opposed to bland, unsurprising) Helpful? (Oh, wait... that deserves its own section, later...) All of these are possible for your show, but you've got to decide which ones you're going to make a hallmark of your show. Will you focus on creativity through the sounds you use, the way you mix music, and the perspectives you bring to your topics? OR Will you find guests that are not the run-of-the-mill talking heads, people who bring fresh perspectives that truly help your listeners? There's no one-size-fits-all for this issue - and you've got to decide what you can manage, both in terms of your expertise and in terms of the time you have to devote to your podcast. But know this: If your podcast is not high quality, NOBODY will be talking about it. That means your growth-curve will be slow, slow, slow...
Wed, December 16, 2020
Notice & Awareness - Phase 1 of The Podcast Niche Domination Formula
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ AFFILIATE OFFER MENTIONED: CAPTIVATE - get your free trial! If your podcast is going to be top in its niche, people have to know about it. Obvious, but true. And you don’t accomplish it by posting 10 Facebook posts per day saying, “Listen to my podcast! Listen to my podcast! Listen to my podcast!” Even if you include an audiogram. The awareness step requires what I’d refer to as “guerrilla promotion” techniques. Some involve social media, some don’t. 1 – Get biz cards printed up for your show. Seriously. Sticking with our real estate example from the first article in this series, if you’re actively working in the real estate industry, you meet others who are actively working in the real estate industry all the time . Right? Your podcast can help those people. But only if they know about it. So along with trying to rustle up new clients/customers (and handing out your normal business cards), why not rustle up some new listeners to your show by handing out show-specific business cards? And be sure to include a direct link for the easiest way they can subscribe to your show. You figure out what that is (and it may or may not include a QR code or two). 2 – Find the online and real-life communities that talk about what you talk about on your podcast It only takes one search on Facebook to find groups that are interested in what you have to say. Do it and join the groups that appear to be active and have a decent number of members. But again, don’t immediately start posting “Listen to my podcast! Listen to my podcast! Listen to my podcast!” Follow these steps instead… 1. Watch and listen 2. Notice the common questions or needs that arise 3. Start answering questions with helpful answers (in other words, don’t just show off or promote yourself, truly help people) 4. Make friends 5. When you finally do share your podcast, do in a way that provides topic-specific episodes as a solution to someone’s need Then do the same thing in real life. It takes a bit more work to find these real-life groups, but they are out there. And they are extremely valuable! Google “ my niche groups in my town ” and see what turns up. Go to those groups. Then repeat steps 1-5 above in real life. And don’t forget to take your podcast biz cards! 3 – Take note of where high-profile people in your niche are and copy what they are doing Are there people in your industry who you lo
Wed, December 02, 2020
The Podcast Niche Domination Formula
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There is a specific group of people you want to reach... people who are interested in the topics and themes you address. And there are other podcasts out there that present materials on the same topics. How can you ensure that your show is the TOPS in your niche? By employing the Podcast Niche Domination Formula consistently. Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Wed, November 18, 2020
Trust is the lock and value is the key
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ How are you going to build the kind of engagement with your podcasting audience that generates true success? It's not through gimmicks or cutesy stuff. It's not through Casper Mattress commercials. There's only one way to do it. You have to build trust with them. And how do you do that? This episode explains it. Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, November 03, 2020
How you can do even better than the recent Joe Rogan / Spotify deal
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Let's talk a bit about Joe Rogan... Joe is an American comedian, podcaster, actor, television host, and mixed martial arts commentator Joe is 53 years old (one month younger than yours truly) The Joe Rogan Experience is a talk-show / interview format (like most of the podcastosphere it seems) He's been publishing his podcast (and YouTube versions) for over 10.5 years He typically publishes 3 or more episodes per week > average episode length is just over 2 hours 30 minutes As of October 2020 his show "The Joe Rogan Experience" has published just over 1700 episodes That's 4,360 hours of content > if you listened non-stop, 24/7 it would take you 182 days to listen to all of it (at normal speed) As of April 2019 > 190 million downloads per month He's increased his publications year over year, but 2020 it appears that he'll actually publish less than he has been in previous years Not bad for a guy who started out entirely independent (like you and me) The most recent hype - Spotify The podcast-o-sphere is all abuzz with the news that Joe just signed a multi-year deal with Spotify estimated to be worth $100M. That's one of the largest licensing agreements in podcast history. But there are some not-so-good things in the deal that many of us Indie podcasters wouldn't be too keen about... His show can ONLY be found on Spotify Paying members have no-ads Non-paying members have ads (Spotify generated, presumably) In sPITE of all that, it's Easy to say... Wow, it must be nice to be Joe Rogan! But think that through... The dude has paid his dues He has done the work required He has earned every cent (though there is a way I think he could be making more AND keeping full control of where his show is distributed - watch for an upcoming episode about that) Though we can argue about the lasting value he provides his audience, he's clearly hit on a format and personality mix that is entertaining to his demographic Why you should NOT compare yourself to Joe You haven't been at it as long You haven't published as frequently You haven't build the audience he has You haven't had the same opportunities You are likely podcasting for a different reason than Joe (serving an audience, providing help, building a clientele, selling books/courses, etc.) You have differing gifts, personality, abilities, etc. that make your show and approach intrinsically different than his <br
Fri, October 16, 2020
How to gain huge compound interest-like benefits from your podcast
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ You’ll benefit from listening to this episode if you... You want to know how to compound the impact of your podcast over time Need help devising a strategy for your show that will work Are looking for motivation and method to your madness Albert Einstein reportedly said it. "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world." What in the HECK is good old Al talking about — and what in the HECK does it have to do with podcasting? I'm gonna' splain it to you - on this episode of Podcastification! CONTACT Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, September 08, 2020
Make Bank: Invite Your Ideal Customer To A Podcast Interview
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ One of the most common things you'll hear podcasters ask is "How can I get more people to download my show?" That's an O.K. question... if you're into that sort of thing. OK, I'm being a bit snarky here... downloads ARE important for a number of reasons. But my guest on this episode is not so concerned about downloads because he's making bank in another way. From selling stuff to his guests. Casey Stubbs is a marketing guru (my words, he's to humble to admit it). He's figured out that what all marketers want is what podcasting has to offer. You’ll benefit from listening to this episode if you... You offer a product or service that requires relationship building and marketing The power of relationships is not lost on you, and you know how to make the most of them You don't like the obsession with download numbers and want to find another way It's more important to you to build ongoing relationships than it is to draw a crowd You want to short-cut the marketing process and get right into sales REACH OUT TO CASEY https://tradingstrategyguides.com/casey-stubbs/ On Twitter: @CaseyStubbs On LinkedIn Casey's podcast: How To Trade It Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, August 25, 2020
How To Record An Interview Podcast In High Quality Audio: Squadcast
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Get your free 7 day trial of Squadcast at https://Squadcast.fm OR if you use my affiliate link here you can say “thanks” to me for making the introduction. ***************** Way back when I started podcasting — it was 2013 or so — I recognized very quickly that whoever could solve the problem of recording conversations over a distance and do so with high quality audio, would have a leg up on everyone else. I’m glad to know the two guys who did it. On this episode I walk through Squadcast (affiliate link) with co-founders Rock Felder and Zach Moreno. We dig into the tech they created that makes the app work so well, how they solved for quality and reliability, and even go step by step through the features and how the platform works. You’ll also get to hear what’s coming down the pike that goes WAY beyond recording an interview podcast in audio - High Def Video recording through the same platform. It’s Squadcast, folks. Learn about it on this episode. YOU'LL BENIFIT FROM LISTENING TO THIS PODCAST IF YOU... [2:10] Experience on the Google Chrome team that translates DIRECTLY into this app [8:55] Why Skype-type audio recordings are NOT the best quality [11:45] How the Squadcast team addressed quality and reliability in distance recordings [14:22] The tech details of what these guys did to address distance recording issues [21:08] My Squadcast walk-through with Zach and Rock explaining it to me [29:04] Lots of choices for the host to get better audio for them and guests [41:18] Squadcast pricing: from a 7 day free trial to huge networks [46:10] High quality VIDEO is on the way! Resources mentioned during this conversation Edison Research Infinite Dial Report 2020 Connect with the Squadcast team On Twitter: @SquadCastFM Follow on LinkedIn Check out the Squadcast YouTube Channel
Thu, August 20, 2020
The World’s FIRST Growth Focused Podcast Hosting Company?
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Reasons this episode is for you... [2:40] How Mark Asquith’s blonde highlights led him into the entrepreneurial life [6:36] The “figure it out” mindset Mark has adopted, and he didn’t even know it [10:52] Why Mark came to believe that communication is a sellable skill [19:30] Mark’s first venture into podcasting in 2013 - about DC Comics [25:30] The many podcast related services Mark’s company provides [29:15] What Mark and his team saw missing in the podcast hosting world [34:01] Features found in the Captivate platform - in detail and with specific questions Podcast hosting companies are multiplying more than rabbits these days. Each one believes that THEY have what podcasters really need — and have no problem telling you so. I have no beef with that. If you believe in your service or product, you SHOULD be telling everyone it can help, that it can help them. But most of them don’t impress me very much. One of the newcomers in the last few years that I AM impressed by is Captivate (affiliate link) . I started one of my 5 podcasts on the Captivate service just to try it out and I have enjoyed the way they handle things so much, I plan on moving some of my other shows over to them. Listen to his conversation with Captivate co-Founder Mark Asquith to hear about all the bells, whistles, and cool stuff the Captivate team has baked into their podcast hosting platform. REACH OUT TO MARK Mark Asquith The MANY Podcasts Mark is involved in producing On Twitter: @MrAsquith On LinkedIn www.PodcastWebsites.com RESOURCES MENTIONED Get a 7-day free trial by trying www.Captivate.fm (affiliate link) or a NON-affilaite link - <a href="http://www.captivate.fm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_
Thu, June 18, 2020
Jessica Kupferman: Helping Women Podcasters Everywhere
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ You’ll benefit from listening to this episode if you... >> Feel like you don't always fit in >> Have something to say that is important, but you don't know exactly how to say it >> Are looking for a way to use the gifts you've been given to help others >> Aren't afraid of exploring your talents and how they might be used to add value to the lives of others >> Are (finally) OK being the outsider and are willing to help other outsiders >> Are a woman podcaster who is eager to find your "tribe" "Do you think everyone SHOULD podcast?" "No! Nooo!!" That's not what you'd expect to be the very first thing you hear on a podcast episode that's trying to help you learn how to podcast (or do it better). But it is... because that's just WHO my guest on this episode is - Jessica Kupferman. Jess has an amazing story, one that inspires anyone who will take the time to listen with the belief that THEY can do it too. That's because Jessica is a real-world person who has taken on podcasting with both hands. Click the play button now - and get to know Jessica and the work she's doing to help women podcasters around the world to stand up, speak up, and get their message out to change the world. Connect with Jessica at: https://www.shepodcasts.com/ Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Wed, May 20, 2020
The Best Monetization Strategy: Niche Podcasting, with Ashley Hodge
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ You’ll benefit from listening to this episode if you... >> Wonder of podcasting is something you could do >> Have been trying to figure out how to attract sponsors (Please, don't. Try Ashley's approach instead). >> Are interested in serving others through a podcast and are more interested in relationships than revenue (at least at first). >> Have an area of expertise that you are passionate about that you can't help but share with the world. >> Are eager to find the people who resonate with the topics you are most passionate about >> Would like to know how Ashley generates over $25K per year from 6 hours per month working on his podcast >> Experienced advice about how to get started with your own podcast, including content ideas and creation Sometimes I think of podcasting as “The Great Equalizer.” Why would I say that? Because no longer do giant media conglomerates have exclusive power to decide who gets to broadcast a message or not. We the people get to publish whatever we want to publish. That’s cool. That’s an overall WIN in my book. Ashley Hodge is a perfect example of that reality in action. He’s a self-confessed “academic slacker” who slept through class during his High School years, only interested in playing basketball. Once he hit college, he chose the school he did only because there were cute girls there and a decent football program. Wow. Now THAT is some high ideals, huh? But once he grew up a little bit Ashley realized that he’d been given a tremendous opportunity. He could choose what to do with his life and how to educate himself to accomplish it. So he got busy. In this episode, Ashley shares how he got started as a financial planner, eventually hosted a call-in radio show, and one day made the pivot into podcasting – which has proven to be one of the BEST content marketing channels in his arsenal, consistently leading new listeners to become new clients, which means new (and more) revenue. Reach out to Ashley https://AshleyHodge.com Whole Life Stewardship Podcast Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Wed, April 29, 2020
The Story Behind The Story Behind, with Emily Prokop
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ You’ll benefit from listening to this episode if you... >> Are eager to know what podcasting is and how it can benefit you personally >> Love hearing stories of everyday people who make a life for themselves they never dreamed possible >> Might want to start a podcast of your own someday >> Long to make genuine connections online >> Are trying to find "your people" >> Need a good podcast editor to take on your next podcast project >> Wonder if you could make a living as a podcast editor It's not every day that an Independent media producer in any genre or type of medium gets the opportunity to stand toe to toe with the big names in their space. But Emily Prokop did. Emily's podcast, "The Story Behind" was nominated for a 2019 Webby Award and was up against shows like "Serial," "After Dark," and other big name shows produced by professional production houses. She doesn't like to position it as a "David and Goliath" type story but that's exactly how it seemed to those of us looking on from the outside. Emily's journey into podcasting is pretty typical. But the results of her involvement in podcasting are extraordinary. She's not only been nominated for awards, she got a book deal, build a career for herself, and more. Listen to get the whole story. Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Thu, April 16, 2020
How Scott Voelker Uses His Amazon FBA Podcast To Serve And Succeed
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Scott Voelker produces an Amazon FBA Podcast — and for many of you, that statement was total jibberish. That’s because Scott has discovered that driving deep into a niche topic enables him to attract a very niche and passionate audience. So, just so you have some context… The FBA part of what I said stands for “Fulfilled by Amazon,” it’s a way of selling products you create or source and have Amazon ship them, handle customer service, handle the processing - everything. It’s an AMAZING possibility for those who want to build their own product-based business. But it’s NOT easy, as Scott explains. You’ll hear his story, learn about how he learned online marketing and creative digital product creation, retail arbitrage, Amazon FBA, and serving others to help them succeed. You’ll benefit from listening to this episode if you... Are willing to take action to move forward… no matter where you’re starting from [0:52] Love stories of people who’ve paid their dues to reach success [4:36] Wonder if you can succeed without a college degree [10:48] Are in a situation that feels hopeless or “dead end” [15:35] Have always wanted to start and run your own business [17:30] Are curious about selling Private Label products [30:40] Want to learn how to make your own luck and build an audience [37:10] Would like to know the benefits of creating your own podcast [41:20] Are interested in discovering what you have to offer an audience [43:20] GET NOTIFICATIONS OF NEW EPISODES OF... Podcastification (this show) Scott’s podcast: The Amazing Seller 5 Minute Pitch (Scott’s podcast partnership project) CONNECT WITH: Carey and the Podcast Fast Track Team: https://PodcastFastTrack.com Scott: https://TheAmazingSeller.com Resources and People Scott mentioned: Amazon FBA Subscribe to our FREE weekly podcast coaching series: https://PodcastFastTrack.com Retail Arbitrage Music used in this episode: "Shaving Mirror" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licen
Tue, July 16, 2019
The Future of Podcasting
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ I have no crystal ball - but I work with enough podcasters week in and week out to know something about the future of podcasting. I’m a smart enough guy to see the writing on the wall, so to speak - and I want you to be in the know about what I see coming. This episode of Podcastification is a quick explanation of the near horizon of podcasting. I’m going to take back a bit to understand how podcasting has changed, then look at what’s happening around us right now (it has to do with big dollars entering the podcast-o-sphere) - and why that matters for us as Indie podcasters. I wrap up giving you TWO big things to think about and take action around in order to ensure that the future of podcasting has a place for you. FULL SHOW NOTES AT https://PodcastFastTrack.com/128 What you’ll hear on this episode [1:20] Why I am qualified to talk about the future of podcasting [2:04] A brief summary of the history of podcasting (and why it matters) [4:26] Big dollar organizations make the competition we face much harder [11:02] Why there will always be a market for niche podcasts [12:30] Why fans matter more than subscribers and growth of downloads [14:34] STEP ONE: What does your audience consider valuable? [19:23] STEP TWO: Reconsider your METHOD of podcast production [20:50] The practical ways you can find out what your audience thinks is valuable [21:20] Practical ways you can amp up your podcast production and format Resources I mentioned 2019 Infinite Dial GE’s The Message Podcast Stranger Things on Netflix The Lord of The Rings Trilogy Episode 123 with Nick Loper Episode 127 with Darla Powell The Turnaround Podcast The Retirement Answer Man - at <a href="http://www.rogerwhitney.com" r
Tue, July 02, 2019
PS-Darla Powell - 1 Podcast, 2 Businesses, Endless Possibilities
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Contact: www.PodcastFastTrack.com/contact Every podcast success story is a bit different - because the person who has experienced it has walked a different path to get TO a place of success. It isn’t a bed of roses - or maybe it is - because that would be REALLY thorny - and it’s never simple or complicated. And for most, our journey toward becoming a podcaster begins WAY BACK in the early days of life. That’s how it was for Darla Powell. When she was young, she loved the creative things in life. By the time she graduated high school she had no clue what to do with her natural interests. So she dove into the first real opportunity to come along and stayed with it for 18 years. EIGHTEEN YEARS of doing something she wasn’t in love with. Sometimes it’s necessary - and Darla is the first to acknowledge the benefits her career in law enforcement provided, but she’s still quick to say that she never was truly excited about it. So how did she make the transition into something she loved, something that harkened back to her early days as a kid? You’ll have to listen to find out. But I’ll tell you this - it involves a growing sense of agitation toward law enforcement country-wide AND a mid-life crisis. Darla’s story is a GREAT story. You’re going to enjoy hearing how she made the transition from cop to interior designer and how her podcast played a major role in making it all happen. SEE FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: WWW.PODCASTFASTTRACK.COM/127 Here’s how this one shakes out... PART ONE [0:04] Do you remember the pivotal time we call “high school graduation?” [5:38] Growing up in Florida and loving the creative side of life - YET she became a cop [8:30] Darla was forced to rethink the path she was on after 18 years [10:05] The first interior design gig - and a new path forward opened up [13:06] Questions to ask to help you find a new business opportunity MIDROLL FEATURE [19:44] The story behind this narrative style of podcast production PART TWO [24:01] What makes Darla so good at social media (her tips for you) [26:07] Podcasters - be yo
Wed, May 22, 2019
How to use Audio Equalization (EQ) to make your podcast sound better
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ So... I'm scrambling to get things done, produce this podcast, and continue to oversee a thriving business - so sometimes you just can't do it all. I want to publish to this podcast feed more - and lo and behold, I notice I have this episode with the amazing Chris Curran already recorded but not published. WHAT WAS I THINKING? (I wasn't). So... here it is. You'll find Chris' tips helpful beyond measure. At least I did. So Chris Curran has been on the show before - and when I received a question recently about why none of the podcasts about podcasting ever seem to deal with the issue of audio equalization, I thought immediately of Chris. Chris is the Head Flunkie over at the Podcast Engineering School and knows this kind of stuff backward and forward, so I reached out and he decided to say "Yes." Thanks Chris! Full show notes to come... You can get the lowdown on Chris' Podcast Engineering School by using my affiliate code here . Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, May 07, 2019
PS: Side Hustling His Way To Podcasting Success: Nick Loper
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Successful people never get there overnight. Nick's story is no different Nick Loper is a regular guy, if you've ever met him, you know just how true that is. He's humble, unassuming, and doesn't immediately strike you as the Dynamo that he really is. What's his secret? I'm not sure what he'd say, but I believe it's this: He's smart, ambitious, and he knows how to work hard. That's a combination that makes for great potential. This episode tells Nick's story - of side hustling his way through college, trying out things to see what worked, following some very good advice his college room mate gave him, and then pivoting to start this thing called a podcast. For him, podcasting worked out - tremendously. In just 3 years he replaced the salary he was earning from his corporate job after graduating. And he's learned a LOT about creating a successful podcast along the way. This episode is the first of many "storytelling" episodes to come - where I feature podcasters who have experienced tremendous success that is directly tied to their podcasting efforts. I couldn't think of anyone better to start with than Nick. I hope you enjoy hearing how hard work and persistence paid off for him. FIND THE SHOW NOTES HERE: WWW.PODCASTFASTTRACK.COM/124 get in touch with nick founder of the Side Hustle Show And download Nick's "BEAST" of a guide to side hustle income here . Things Nick shared on this episode What happens when you step through doorways of opportunity Learning eCommerce stuff from a marketing internship Pivoting into podcasting: learning stuff the hard way How Nick build his initial audience, how he grows it now Sponsorships: How they really work and how to structure the deal How to know when you should quit podcasting and when to keep going How to make the most of The Listener Pyramid Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, April 30, 2019
Podcast Social Media Best-Practices with Elsie Escobar
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter Podcast social media is NOT an easy thing to pull off. Why? Because you don’t want to be the guy or gal who’s always posting… “Listen to my podcast!” “Did you know I have a podcast?” “Here’s an episode of my podcast!” “I PODCAST!” So how DO you do social media for podcasting in a way that is both effective and palatable for the people who are seeing it? The amazing Elsie Escobar is my guest to talk about all things podcast social media! WHAT WE TALK ABOUT [1:20] The social media maven of podcasting: Elsie Escobar [3:33] Elsie’s role as “Community Manager” at Libsyn [6:14] Develop rapport on social media that makes people care about your posts [10:19] What it means to be “honest with yourself” about your social media practices [13:10] The general basics of promoting your podcast on social media [19:58] Different social media platforms need different types of content [28:01] My sci-fi fantasy role-play for Elsie to respond to [35:27] How to handle social media platforms you don’t enjoy [38:54] Disclaimers and corrections to Elsie’s podcast social media video [46:42] How to resonate with your avatar with a consistent message Connect with Elsie The website of the great Elsie E . Elsie on Twitter: @TheElsieEscobar Elsie on Instagram: @TheElsieEscobar Elsie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elsieescobarofficial FEATURED RESOURCE: Elsie’s amazing video on podcast social media best practices <br
Tue, November 27, 2018
Podcast Directories 2018-2019 - Get Submitted
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ This episode has a TON of links and practical resources - too many to list here. So take a short jaunt over to the show notes at https://PodcastFastTrack.com/122 and check them out. Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, November 06, 2018
iTunes Problems: The Ones You Know About And The Ones You Don’t
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Have you noticed? iTunes has been having problems lately. It’s not JUST that it’s now supposed to be called “Apple Podcasts” - and we’re all strongly encouraged to make that change yesterday - even though Apple’s own systems still say “iTunes” in multiple places (even in some URLs). There’s are many more iTunes problems going on . This episode isn’t meant to be snarky - just informative. You need to know about issues relating to the Big-A so you can do what’s needed for YOUR podcast. This episode I dig into the facts about recent issues and the best-practices I’ve learned (so far) regarding iTunes / Apple Podcasts OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE [1:21] The is a multi-part episode within an episode. Don’t give up too soon [2:31] The switch from iTunes to Apple Podcasts: best-practices for podcasters [5:03] Show and episode titles: The ban-hammer is coming DOWN! [13:04] An example of the difficulty Apple’s naming policy causing [16:59] The iTunes/Apple Podcasts directory is not updating properly [21:50] Podcasts Connect exists and is very helpful to YOU [26:59] The glitchy nature of the iTunes apps: desktop and iOS [29:59] Why we indie podcasters owe a debt of gratitude to Apple RESOURCES MENTIONED Our Podcast Consulting Services: https://PodcastFastTrack.com/consulting Download a new “Listen on Apple Podcasts button here: https://podcastfasttrack.com/Apple-Button Libsyn’s podcast: The Feed https://thefeed.libsyn.com/ My upcoming show: The Great American Roadshow Watch for it! Or Listen for it! Or whatever! Why iTunes is NOT a chart https://PodcastFastTrack.com/98 The iTunes/Apple Podcast manipulation crisis (Article): https://discoverpods.com/game-hack-manipulate-apple-podcast-charts-itunes/ The Feed episode about the Overcasts Ad (1:15:00 - ish): <a
Tue, October 30, 2018
Sound Treatment Hacks For Any Room - A Step By Step Demonstration
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Effective sound treatment doesn’t have to be pricey. You can do it simply for almost nothing if you already have your basic podcasting equipment with you (software, microphone, etc.). My family has started a new lifestyle - traveling full time - and until we get our RV I’ve had to make do with some pretty unusual and less-than-ideal recording conditions . So I’ve had to get creative - because as they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” For this episode I’m demonstrating my attempts to create my own sound treatment solutions out of nothing - or almost nothing. And I do it step by step so you can actually HEAR the difference in the audio as I go along. It’s a short episode - but I think it will show you that your recording situation may not be as hopeless as you thought. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE [1:18] My situation has changed - and my recording situation is a bit difficult as a result [3:39] Pre-treated room sound - no windscreen - open windows - tile floor - hard surfaces [4:41] Closed the windows/doors - much less ambient sound [6:10] Adding the foam windscreen - often better than a pop screen [7:11] Less hard surfaces by adding a blanket to the table my computer is on [8:06] A tremendous difference from a DIY sound booth using couch cushions RESOURCES Connect to schedule a one-on-one or group training: carey (at) PodcastFastTrack.com Audio Technica 2005 Microphone: http://a.co/d/inaZuSM Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, October 23, 2018
Tell Better Stories To Create A Better Podcast And Increase Engagement, with Jonathan Messinger
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Tell Better Stories? Really? But Carey - I publish a business oriented show. What’s that got to do with me? Everything. All of us tell stories, all day long. Just listen to the conversations going on around you during the course of any normal day. As human beings we LOVE stories. It’s why the movie industry and the publishing industry and the television industries are even in existence. Those are STORY industries. On this episode I want to open the door to an idea - one you likely haven’t thought of before. YOUR podcast can be and should be full of stories too But most of us don’t think of ourselves as storytellers. But we are. We are podcast storytellers. For this episode I decided to chat with a friend of mine, Jonathan Messinger - a podcaster and storyteller for kids. His podcast, “The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian” is a great example of what can be done to leverage storytelling to its fullest… and not just for kids. Stick around and hear how integrating more story into your podcast could make a huge difference. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE [1:26] Who is Jonathan and why did he start a kid’s storytelling podcast? [4:90] Making his storytelling fit the podcasting format [9:16] How music plays into the impact of a fiction podcast [12:02] The original idea of Jonathan’s story idea and how it has morphed [14:01] Jonathan’s son, Griffin serves as his content editor and kid’s voice for the show [17:42] A taste of “The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian” (clip from the show) [20:44] What goes into the production of a mult-sound clip like you just heard [26:30] Podcast storytelling: What Jonathan has learned about the power of stories [33:48] How Jonathan drives audience participation and WHY he does [38:48] Sound effects and music: engagement tips to make your show more impacting [40:45] Jonathan’s tips for getting better audience feedback and interaction [44:05] Jonathan’s role as part of GenZ media CONNECT WITH JONATHAN Jonathan’s show: The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian: http://www.finncaspian.com/ Jonathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JonnyMess RESOURCES BOOK: Out On A Wire: http://a.co/d/hRbk7KE BOOK: Around The World In 80 Days: http://a.co/d/gZ3WduK Sound Toys plugin: Little Alter Boy: https://www.soundtoys.com/product/little-alterboy/
Tue, October 16, 2018
Podcast SEO - Rank Your Show Notes Pages On Google
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Too often we podcasters are guilty of shouting into the crowd that already knows about us, already listens to our show - and we forget all about Podcast SEO - to establish and grow a NEW audience. This episode is about THAT. It’s a long one - BUT FULL OF PRACTICAL GOODNESS ! strap on your seatbelt, grab your note-taking device, and get your show notes rocking for better organic SEO for your podcast. EVERYTHING COVERED ON THIS EPISODE What you’ll hear on this episode about Podcast SEO [2:13] Why our podcasts NEED to be found on Google, etc. - and why what worked in the past doesn’t always work these days [4:16] How show notes serve listeners as a resource and how they leverage SEO [6:58] Ways that Google has changed in the last few years - and why it matters to podcasters [9:26] Let me count the ways your show notes format needs to change - and tell you why [12:33] View your approach like a domino effect - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - BOOM! [17:45] Keywords: They are still relevant but they work differently for SEO in 2018 [21:58] Keyword best-practices and tips learned the hard way [25:48] Titles: Here’s how to make your titles the best they can be [29:05] The text on the page: how to make yours helpful and SEO rich [31:20] Image best practices - and how to pull it off [34:00] You want to use LINKS the right way - Google cares about this stuff [36:07] Rich media resources can make the page BOOM for readers/users [37:30] Commenting and Calls To Action: How you can do it in a smart way! [39:15] Why an embedded audio player makes a HUGE difference. It’s spelled “Dwell Time” [41:14] A non-SEO value page hack: Subscription options! GENERAL RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE See the show notes page here for EVERY link and resource connected to this episode: https://podcastfasttrack.com/118 Podcast consulting that makes a difference. https://PodcastFastTrack.com/consulting Yoast SEO Plugin: https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/ Episode 20: Why You Need Great Show Notes: https://podcastfasttrack.com/20 Episode 21: 1st Step to Epic Show Notes: https://podcastfasttrack.com/21 Episode 22: Step 2 to Epic Show Notes: https://podcastfasttrack.com/22 Episode 23: Step 3 to Epic Show Notes: <a hre
Tue, September 25, 2018
Build Community Around Your Podcast, with Bella Vasta
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ It’s not just a good idea to build community around your podcast - it’s a GREAT idea. It’s just about the only way to get to know your audience, understand their needs , and build trust on a personal level. So I wanted to bring someone to you who is a PRO at doing that through tools that any of us can use. Meet Bella Vasta. Bella is a pet groomer by trade, but she’s built some amazing community and interaction within her industry through Facebook Groups and I know that what she’s done will be of immense value to those of us who are willing to apply it to our own situation. Bella - thanks for sharing. Let the value bombs DROP! EVERYTHING COVERED ON THIS EPISODE [1:21] I’ve TRIED to build community and failed. Can you relate? [2:30] Bella’s experience of saying “yes” to everything led to creating her own FB groups [5:10] What you name your Facebook Group is VITALLY important [10:40] A podcast case study: how to build community around your topics [16:05] Could you take your rabid fans into a private (paid) Facebook Group? [22:27] How you can start a Facebook Group from scratch - Bella takes us step by step [26:14] The ground rules / photos / and entry questions - follow Bella’s advice to do this right [28:11] What NOT to do in your efforts to engage your community [32:11] Facebook paid groups are coming… whoa! This could be big! [33:58] Bella’s best pitch for why a podcaster should start a Facebook Group FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE Bella’s coaching page: http://BellaVasta.com Bellla’s podcast: Bella In Your Business: https://jumpconsulting.net/ MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE The Podcastification Facebook Group: https://podcastfasttrack.com/facebookgroup Facebook’s trials of membership groups: https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/20/facebook-subscription-groups/ Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, September 18, 2018
How To Use Google Podcasts: A Step By Step Review
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ For a VERY long time Android users have not had a native podcasting app - and Google Podcasts is trying to make that problem a thing of the past. I just hope these first steps that I’m going to tell you about in this episode/video are something they follow up on diligently. My hopes for this episode and its accompanying video (find it here: https://youtu.be/Qt-kEOqp3sU ) is that people who use Android devices and have never listened to podcasts before will begin to make use of Google Podcasts. So stick around - I’m going to show you how to use Google Podcasts step by step - and give you my opinion of how it compares to the other podcast apps that have been around for a long time. EVERYTHING COVERED ON THIS EPISODE [1:56] Get started with Google Podcasts via a Google search - look for the play buttons [2:53] What should you do if your show is not available in Google Podcasts? [3:20] Checking out the app for the first time - download from Google Play Store [6:41] Podcast recommendations in the app and how you can subscribe to them [7:45] Keyword searching in the app - it works somewhat… maybe [10:10] Subscribe to a podcast and tweak podcast settings using Google Podcasts [14:00] Text links don’t appear in the app - you need the http:// or https:// [17:48] Is Google Podcasts an app worth trying? [19:06] Why is the icon not native on the home screen? It’s about the Android ecosystem FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE www.PodcastFastTrack.com/consulting You can have Carey bring his 5+ years of multi-client experience to bear on YOUR podcast, to help you make the tweaks that make a difference. Check out the options and make your appointment now! MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE Search for your show in Google Podcasts - and find out how to get it included The Audacity to Podcast The Podcast Engineering School Give a shout to Zack Reneau-Wedeen , one of the head folks at Google Podcasts Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, September 11, 2018
How to know your audience, find them, and speak to them effectively - Tommy Walker
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Every podcaster on the planet wants a bigger audience. Unquestioned. But most of us start out with a great idea for a podcast (at least we think so), grab a mic, plug it in, hit the record button, and we start talking. We don’t start where we SHOULD start - with knowledge of the audience we want to speak to. Why is that so important? To answer the question I’ve asked Tommy Walker to be my guest on this episode. Tommy has vast experience in Content Marketing (which is what podasting is) and the principles he’s learned there apply directly - almost across the board - to podcasting. Listen up. Take notes. Work hard to understand what Tommy’s sharing. It could grow your audience like nothing else. EVERYTHING COVERED IN THIS EPISODE [2:23] Tommy’s journey from acting to content marketing [5:54] Just because you publish something doesn’t mean people are going to find it [8:08] How to find the information and places where your audience hangs out [13:23] Case study: Finding demographics for a D&D Podcast audience [18:30] As long as you keep a spreadsheet, you can keep yourself focused [23:51] Other ways to find your audience: guest posts, talking to people, etc. [27:17] What is psychographics and why does it matter? [31:28] Is community the missing element in your podcast growth and promotion? [33:05] Why you need to analyze your audience like actors analyze scripts [37:08] Tommy’s role as the Global Editor in Chief for Quicken FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE Connect with Tommy on LinkedIn Tommy on Twitter: @TommyIsMyName SPREADSHEET EXAMPLE Tommy mentioned (make a copy for yourself) as well as a detailed breakdown of how he uses it. Podcast Assessment and Consulting MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE BOOKS: Entrepreneur Mind Hacks 1 and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneur-Mind-Hacks-Connect
Tue, September 04, 2018
You Just May Go Viral By Repurposing Your Podcast
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ We’ve seen things go viral - a stupid ice cream pooping unicorn and such. And while fad-ish attention would be a boost to your show, it’s longer-lasting and more powerful if you do something intentionally to make your show go viral. In my view, one of the best things you can do to point your podcast in that direction is to learn effective ways to repurpose the great content you’re already creating. This episode is about that - repurposing your podcast - and covers ideas I’ve come up with or have come across in all my journeys around the internet. EVERYTHING COVERED ON THIS EPISODE [1:21] The ideas that have been percolating in my brain for a while now [2:56] A 20-minute step for you to do NOW: syndication on multiple platforms [5:45] Why you SHOULD be resharing evergreen content forever - social and episodes [8:48] Can you bundle a series of topical episodes into a new episode - or a course? [11:01] Why isn’t anyone doing “quick tip” episodes from old interview or episodes? [15:21] A great idea one of my team members came up with for a client [22:09] What do you think about adding your audio to YouTube with an original graphic? [26:04] Here’s a creative idea from Dave Jackson about spreading the word at events [28:37] No matter how you repurpose, you need to market effectively! Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE The Podcast Fast Track CUSTOM Audiogram Service using Adobe After Effects JOIN my PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://podcastfasttrack.com/facebookGroup RESOURCES My previous episode (79) on getting your show into ALL the directories Hootsuite Buffer Headliner Wavve Jeremy Weisz and <a href="http://www.inspiredinsider.com/" t
Tue, August 28, 2018
Want A Podcast Sponsorship? Here’s How You Might Get One
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ You hear the term “monetization” all the time in reference to podcasting - and the translation is usually “get a podcast sponsorship.” That’s a great option for shows that get thousands of downloads, right? But what about the little guys? What about those of us who have a very passionate but smaller audience? Is there a possibility that we could find an ideal sponsor for OUR show? Trevr Smithlin from Advertisecast says “Yes, it’s possible” and on this episode of Podcastification he’s going to explain exactly how it’s possible. EVERYTHING COVERED IN THIS EPISODE [1:25] Podcast monetization doesn’t work like most people think [2:33] How Trevr got the idea that he could create a company to help podcasters [4:46] Why advertising fits for almost everyone who podcasts [6:46] How can a niche based podcast even hope to get a podcast sponsorship? [8:50] The honest truth about how many downloads you need to land a sponsor [12:03] Super niche shows can demand higher sponsorship fees [17:19] How advertisers can use the do-it-yourself marketplace [19:34] Many sponsors provide samples or trials for podcasters before they endorse [20:42] How to get your podcast listed for advertisers to consider sponsoring you [23:10] Calculating possible revenue at a $25 CPM on the first 30 days [29:06] If you are curious about Advertisecast, try it out - and you can be picky! Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE Advertisecast Trevr (at) Advertisecast.com RESOURCES MENTIONED www.AudacityForPodcasting.com - get my Audacity course (36 videos) for $39 www.SavvyPainter.com - my client referred to who has a niche podcast Subscribe to Podcastification here!
Tue, August 21, 2018
For Better Podcast Interviews Apply These Question-Asking Hacks
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ You know - it really seems that for the average podcaster, interviews are the format of choice. It IS relatively simple to get somebody to agree to come on your show and just ask them questions. But that's not really how interviews work, is it? At least not the really GOOD ones. They're actually very difficult to pull off, especially in a way that makes them engaging for your listeners. And that really is the goal that we're shooting for. So in this episode of Podcastificatsion, I want to tell you some of the things I’ve learned about doing great interviews, making your guest more comfortable, and I want to share some powerfully helpful resources I’ve found that are helping me get better with each interview I do. Stick around. This one is good. EVERYTHING COVERED IN THIS EPISODE [1:19] Why interviews are the mainstay of podcasting formats - and why they are hard to pull off well [2:36] Be truly interested in your guest: Here are 2 things to help you pull it off [4:40] Do whatever it takes to have fun with your guest [6:45] Ask questions in a way that makes the answer actionable [8:36] Let the silence do the work (from Cal Fussman) [14:25] Walk your guest through your format so they know what to expect [17:35] No “gotcha” positions [19:14] Consider your guest’s time constraints so you can plan accordingly (and they will be more comfortable) [20:10] Find out what your guest’s “win” for the interview is [22:32] Ask your guest questions in ways that evoke emotion or stories Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE The Podcast Optimizer Email Series The Podcast Fast Track Lead Magnets Service (get a free sample to see how it works RESOURCES & PEOPLE MENTIONED John Lee Dumas Tim Ferriss Netflix Series: My Next Guest Needs No Introduction Cal Fussman’s podcast: Big Questions with Cal Fussman LeadPages ConvertKit</
Tue, August 14, 2018
How to Use Zoom For Podcasting - Audio Settings, Split Tracks, And More, with Derek Pando
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Grab a pen and paper and take notes on this one. If you use ZOOM or have considered it, you’re going to learn the BEST ways to optimize it for podcast use. And check below for the video of Derek and I poking around in my ZOOM settings. It should help you find the things we talk about on this episode. WATCH DEREK AND I GO THROUGH THE SETTINGS ON VIDEO AT https://youtu.be/pF48bS2l1bU [1:40] The popularity of Zoom has prompted this episode. Here’s why… [3:00] Derek’s history with Zoom and why he enjoys being part of the Zoom team [7:03] Ideas for using Zoom for podcasting - including video promos! [11:10] Bitrates, Frequencies, and adjustments podcasters can make to improve things [18:53] How you can set the platform to “preserve original sound” for better quality audio (see the video for details) [25:24] Setting up split-tracks for conversations so you can do better quality audio edits [28:11] How to set a co-host in Zoom who has direct access to the audio/video files [29:43] A few video hacks for those of you interested in such visual things [31:56] Pricing on Zoom.us - including a full-featured FREE plan! Not only is ZOOM.us a cool platform to use - it’s apparently a great place to work. That matters to me Anytime I consider working with a company, I really want to know what the values and culture of the company are like . I don’t want to be supporting someone (a company’s founder, let’s say) if they treat the people who work for them like garbage. It was cool that as Derek Pando and I began talking about Zoom, he was i nstantly telling me how great of a place it is to work . In his words, “the culture at Zoom is great.” I wanted to know why, so I asked. You’d think all companies would be team-friendly - but that’s hardly the case . Derek says that Zoom’s culture, set by its founder and CEO, Eric Yuan is team-friendly and energizing. Describing Eric, Derek says , “He is just the nicest… he's a servant leader. He's got an open door policy. He’s just a great person to work for. His whole philosophy is, ‘Hey, if I make my employees happy, they're gonna make our customers happy.” That makes ME happy . My company values mirror what Derek is describing. That feels good - like we are on the right track. Distance recording for podcasting has come a long way - Zoom is helping us out I’ve used a lot of video conferencing services in my day - and while Zoom.us is not flawless by any means and doesn’t attain the clear audio quality of Cleanfeed or Zencastr, it’s a VERY good vi
Tue, August 07, 2018
Podcast Listeners Will Stop Listening To Your Show Unless You Fix This
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Okay, so I recorded this episode driving in my pickup truck on the way to Denver. And the issue I’m going to cover was so much on my mind, I decided it was worth recording with substandard audio… on the go… which is kind of ironic considering what I'm going to talk about. GOOD QUALITY AUDIO! In this episode I cover why audio levels are SO important, how you can fix them easily (or for free) and what's going to happen to your podcast if you don't. Main Points : Turn Away Listeners [1:18] The story behind this episode has to do with “ Masters of Scale ” [3:22] NEVER miss leveling and compression. Here’s why [5:29] A very simple way to deal with this issue [9:00] The slow road to the bottom happens just like this [9:55] People are starting to make choices based on audio quality levels Featured On This Episode www.AudacityForPodcasting.com The story goes like this… When I drive places, especially somewhere that's going to be just me in the vehicle driving alone for a number of hours, I binge listen to podcasts. I download lots of stuff. And I listen one after another after another to both increase my learning also just to pass the time. Well, in one of my recent trips to Denver, the very first podcast I listened to was one of my favorite shows. It's called Masters of Scale, hosted by the founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman. It’s a truly great show. The production value on this show is what is amazing. They do all kinds of sound effects and different voices and interview clips mixed in with narration. It's just a really great show, you should listen to it. But that day - the one where I was driving in my pickup - I was listening to episode number 10 of season number two. And something happened that brought this issue to my attention - again. Because YOU are a person who's podcasting and a person who wants your podcast to serve your audience well - so you HAVE GOT to be aware of this issue. Audio quality - in particular, audio levels. The reason I became aware of the issue this time is because of the way that the people behind Masters of Scale do their podcast. Narration - which is usually Reid Hoffman himself, trying to tell a particular story. His narration is integrated with clips from interviews he’s done with the people involved. Th
Wed, July 18, 2018
How To Get Noticed In The EVER NOISER World Of Podcasting
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ In case you haven't noticed - all of the directories, whether it be iTunes or Stitcher or the new Google podcasts app - all of them are getting inundated with podcasts . You go in there trying to find something to listen to and it’s pretty crazy finding the good stuff. It’s kind of hard to know… Should I try this show? Or that show? Or what is it that I should be doing to find a good show to listen to? What I'm going to do on this episode is this: I've recently been looking for new shows to listen to myself, and I've tried to be observant as I've been doing that, asking myself , “What are the things that exist in different podcasts listings and in different directories or apps that have actually been helpful to me?: And on the flip side… “What are the things that haven't been helpful, or that have been detrimental to me choosing a particular podcast to listen to?” So this is my own personal case study of how to get noticed as a podcaster. [1:36] The issue: podcasting is getting noisier. How do you get noticed? [2:58] Why my opinion on what works and doesn’t work should matter… :) [3:52] What are YOU (or your listeners) looking for when searching for a podcast? [8:30] Have you thought about how people actually SEARCH for podcasts? [11:11] Human nature makes visuals, like cover art, stand out to us first [13:57] The power of a good description for your podcast [18:12] Poor quality audio is a turn-off to me - and it will matter more as time goes on [21:00] The terrible consequence of poor interviewing skills [23:02] If you want to get noticed, be professional [27:18] Gone are the days when you could record with little planning or expertise [29:40] Take the time to be strategic: growing should not be limited to small children [31:16] Optimizing your title and author field are imperative. That means important. :) [34:13] Do you want your audience to engage with you or don’t you? [36:49] There is an increasing need for audio editing as the directories get more crowded FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE Chris Curran’s Podcast Engineering School (This IS an affiliate link… that means Chris gives me a little monetary “thank you” for sending you his way) www.PodcastFastTrack.com/101 - my conversation with Chris OTHER GOODIES MENTIONED ON THIS
Tue, July 10, 2018
The Android Podcast App We’ve All Been Waiting For. Sort of.
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ All right. Alright. In the world of podcasting, as most of you know, Apple has been the big player for a long, long, long time. One of the things that points that out to us is that worldwide, more people by a long shot own and use Android phones than Apple phones however, it's almost exactly opposite when it comes to podcast consumption through smartphones. The vast majority of podcast listeners consume their podcasts on Apple devices. Now, why is that? I believe there's one simple reason: it's because Apple has long had a native way for you to listen to podcasts on their devices. And by native I mean, it's built into the device - the podcasting app comes preinstalled on every Apple device. Google, the company really behind the Android operating system has never done that. Until now. Maybe. Hopefully. Find out how Google Podcasts App for Android is moving in the right direction at least, and how you can discover if your podcast is available in it already (it just might be). HERE IS A SUMMARY OF EVERYTHING COVERED IN THIS EPISODE [1:19] The Android iPhone divide - yet podcast listening is upside down by comparison [3:58] How Google has decided to get into the podcasting game at a bigger level [4:41] The best way for Google to impact the podcasting industry: a native app [7:06] My prediction: A new explosion of podcasting is on the way Featured On This Episode Link to your podcast in Google Podcasts: www.PodcastFastTrack.com/GooglePodcasts Resources Google Podcasts (in the Google Play Store) Google Play Music Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter Google always does thing in their Google kind of way <
Thu, July 05, 2018
Podcast Success Formula: Find A Need And Fill It, with Danny Sunshine Bauer
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcast Success is not accidental. It happens through deliberate strategy and dedicated hard work. Danny “Sunshine” Bauer is a former educator and administrator turned life and leadership coach. His podcast is downloaded more than 95% of all podcasts and he enjoys helping individuals launch and grow podcasts in a “sweat” environment. He is the founder of Better Leaders Better Schools and facilitates weekly Masterminds with school leaders from around the globe. A teacher at heart, he also coaches small business owners in running profitable ventures clearly aligned to vision, mission, and values. On this episode of Podcastification, Danny and I chat about the success he’s experienced with his podcast and how YOU can work toward the same kind of results he has experienced. [1:12] Amazing success for Danny’s education focused podcast [5:45] The tactics Danny followed to launch his podcast effectively [8:05] Relational skills aid in the promotion of any podcast, no matter the niche [10:00] How a mastermind played a part in Danny’s podcast success [20:23] What is the best way to find your specific audience? [23:36] The power of providing free stuff that adds tremendous value to users [26:42] Getting past the “hard work” hurdle (none of this is easy) [30:11] How to decide what to work on that will provide tremendous value [34:06] How Danny delivers his free resources (the tech behind it) Featured On This Episode www.BetterLeadersBetterSchools.com - Danny’s site and podcast Danny Sunshine Bauer’s Business Coaching: 4 Steps to Business Freedom RESOURCES BOOK: The Miracle Morning BOOK: Option B Switchfoot song: The Shadow Proves the Sunshine Podcaster’s Paradise Brene Brown Gary Vaynerchuk BOOK: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jab-Right-Hook-Story-Social/dp/00
Tue, June 26, 2018
Does GDPR Apply To Your Podcast? Maybe
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ GDPR (the global data protection regulation) is now in effect. What does it mean for your podcast? That’s a very interesting question - and as with many things in podcasting, the answer is going to be “it depends.” On this episode I break down the GDPR as it relates to podcasting from MY perspective - and keep in mind, I’m not an attorney, European Union official, or compliance officer of any kind. I just read the thing and listened to a lot of people who sounded like they understood it better than me. GDPR could be a big deal for some podcasters - so get the scoop on this episode. Main Points : GDPR as it relates to podcasting [1:19] What the HECK is GDPR? [2:17] At what point does an audience member become covered by the GDPR? [3:10] Most media hosts are on the ball with this thing [4:44] Your listeners can request to be forgotten by you. Really? Yep, really. [5:32] Do you gather data of any kind from your listeners? Then GDPR applies. [9:25] Making sure you cover yourself regarding GDPR (you need a privacy policy) Featured on This Episode The Podcast Optimizer Email Series Resources Mentioned On This Episode Spreaker GDPR stuff Libsyn GDPR stuff Blubrry GDPR stuff Podbean GDPR stuff Iubenda Terms Feed My privacy policy GDPR checklist The GDPR Guy Podcast - Carl Gottlieb’s show (check out his cool accent) Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com <p class="ql-align-center"
Tue, June 19, 2018
One Podcast Conference To Rule Them All
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ I’ve been to a handful of podcast conferences in my day - but there’s nothing quite like Podcast Movement. As my guest, Dan Franks says, “It’s the single largest gathering of podcasters in the world,” and that makes it pretty special in its own right. But there’s so much more than just that it’s big. PM is filled with great content, attended by tons of great people, and offers an education and enthusiasm about podcasting you won’t find anywhere else. No offense, but not even at those other podcasting conferences I’ve been to. In this conversation Dan and I talked all things Podcast Movement - from what different level podcasters might experience to the exhibit hall, to they types of sessions offered, and more. An incredible value at any conference (even a podcasting conference) is in the hallways, not the presentations My first experience at podcast movement was in Chicago back in 2015. It was one of those environments that was truly electric, you can feel the excitement in the air. Everyone who comes is an enthused podcaster, or is interested in becoming one. It's great just to meet people, even if you don't attend all the sessions you are interested in. That first year, I think I only went to two or three sessions because I was so busy talking with people in the hallways. Everyone was so generous, sharing their best practices, explaining how they accomplish some amazing thing on there podcast audio, or walking you down the hall to a vendor that they personally vouch for. It really is a unique atmosphere that I recommend to every podcaster experience at least once. I was curious how Dan and the Podcast Movement team originally came up with the idea to create such a conference so I asked him. And this conversation he shares how he and some of his buddies were very frustrated with another conference - New Media Expo. They attended 2 years straight and both times there were more podcast of New Media publisher, but there were very few sessions about podcasting. In a typical “can do” approach that many podcasters have, Dan and his friends decided to create the conference they wanted to attend. Podcast movement was born. Are you a newbie podcaster? Your mind will be blown (and empowered) at PM18 Both years that I've attended podcast movement I met a number of individuals who hadn't started their podcast yet. But it was clear they were very serious about doing so. You don't spend money to go to a mega podcast conference without being serious. New podcasters who want to attend podcast movement are going to have their minds blown. There's so much content, it is like drinking from the proverbial fire hose. But if you go abou
Tue, June 12, 2018
Podcast Production Workflow: How To Make It Happen Every Episode
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Welcome back to Podcastification - on this episode I’m walking you through the step by step details of what I do to carry out MY successful podcast production workflow every single week. It doesn’t matter if you publish episodes every week, every other week, or once a month - organizationally you’ve GOT to have an effective podcast workflow to ensure two things: Quality AND Consistency What I demonstrate and describe on this episode is not the ONLY way to do this - but it’s the best way I’ve found after 5 years of podcasting. And if you scroll down, you’ll also notice that I ALSO recorded this one as a video - with the workflow mapped out on my whiteboard. The visuals help on this one - honest. If there’s one thing you get out of this episode, this is what I hope it is: Process leads to Success! [1:18] The vital importance of having a well-considered podcast workflow: consistency & quality [3:12] Write down every step of your process - one per sticky note: here’s why [4:01] Beginning the process, one step at a time Choose your topic Research and preparation GUEST EPISODES: Choosing and preparing for your guest GUEST EPISODES: Reaching out to your guest GUEST EPISODES: Your guest schedules a time GUEST EPISODES: Asking the guest to provide you some vital info GUEST EPISODES: Confirm the recording (the day of the recording) [17:41] Do you see how the workflow enables you to be professional and consistent? [21:45] Resuming the steps to your podcast workflow Create a test recording/sound check Record the main audio/conversation Record the intro and outro immediately following the recording: Here’s why Add the audio files to my Dropbox system (I describe it here) Notify the editor (or set a time to edit on your own calendar if you do your own editing) Create an optimized title and send to my VA (because the artwork step is coming) Add to Auphonic (if you don’t use Auphonic, do it now!) Writing the show notes and notify the VA Artwork/graphics are created Post the show notes and artwork to Libsyn and the website Set up social sharing GUEST EPISODES: Send promo info to guest [44:15] Why process equals success RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE YouCanBook.me Calendly <a href="https://www.scheduleonce.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target
Tue, June 05, 2018
Virtual Services Make Perfect Sense For Podcasting - Take The Plunge, with Nathan Hirsch
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ For as long as I’ve been playing around and working on the internet, I’ve heard people touting the benefits of paying for virtual services - you know, VAs and that kind of stuff. From the first time I heard it said, I got the logic of it. Sure, it makes sense to hire someone to do the things I either don’t want to do, am not good at doing, or shouldn’t be doing from a time VS value perspective. But until this conversation, I’ve never been able to bring myself to take the leap and actually hire out some of the stuff that makes my podcast and business run. I’ve invited Nathan Hirsch, co-founder of FreeeUp.com to be my guest on this episode of Podcastification to help convince me - and convince me he did. BTW: The audio quality on MY SIDE of this recording is terrible. Awful. And in all other ways stinky. It’s because I got lazy and didn’t use my podcast production checklist to ensure that everything was set correctly. As a result, my voice was recorded through the built-in mic on my laptop. BAD form. BAD form. My apologies. I guess it goes to show that even those of us who do something on a professional basis make mistakes from time to time. I’m just sorry you have to listen to it. Main Points : Virtual Services For Podcasting [2:06] How Nathan became desperate and turned to virtual services for a solution [4:14] The first things podcasters might consider outsourcing to virtual assistants [5:40] So you see the need, but don’t know if you can afford it. Listen up! [7:35] What should you do if it’s going to take as much time to train someone as it will for you to do it? [13:02] Making it easy: What you’ll experience when you go to the Freeeup website [15:42] Pre-vetted candidates for your job - as many as you want - and keeping up quality [18:14] You could even “steal” a worker from FreeeUp permanently through a buy-out [20:13] Hiring is one thing: managing someone providing virtual services is another Featured On This Episode Nathan Hirsch and www.FreeeUp.com Pricing: www.FreeeUp.com/Pricing Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On <a href="https
Tue, May 29, 2018
Which Podcast Structure Works Best? Here’s the answer!
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ “What’s the BEST structure for a podcast? I mean… one that really engages listeners and keeps their attention throughout the episode?” I am asked that question - and questions like it - all - the - TIME. And while there are no dumb questions , there are questions that haven’t been thought through very well, and that’s ONE of them. Why? Well, it has to do with the fact that you and I and Mary down the street are all podcasting about different topics and trying to reach different audiences . I walk you through the logic and practical steps of discovering YOUR best podcast structure, on this episode of Podcastification. Main Points : Is there a “best” podcast structure? [1:25] The questions I receive all time and why my answer is often “it depends.” [2:01] My walk down main street and how it can help you answer the question yourself [3:10] Who are your ideal listeners? You need to answer that question first [8:09] Look at the top downloaded podcasts in Apple Podcasts - they have differing structures [8:59] How do you discover the structure that will fit your audience? [10:37] The best-practices don’t always translate from one niche to another - so you’ll have to put in some work to figure it out for your niche [13:02] Get out there and talk with your target audience Featured On This Episode Are you listening to this podcast trying to “figure it out” yourself? You don’t have to make the same mistakes others have made over and over. You can learn best-practices that I’ve learned from working with 100s of clients over the lifetime of my podcast production company - through The FREE Podcast Optimizer Series . Is there a “best” podcast structure? Well, it depends… I’m sure there are certain ways of organizing and presenting content within your podcast episodes that are more “effective” (whatever that means to you) than other ways of organizing it. But what I’ve discovered in working with over 100 clients so far is this: THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL podcast structure you can use as a template. That’s because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to reaching niche audiences. Did you get that? The operative word is “niche” - which by definition means a very specific subset of people who are interest in a very specific topic. THOSE particular people are going to respond very differently to one episode framework than they do anothe
Tue, May 22, 2018
Audio Engineering Programs Have NOTHING On This Guy - Chris Curran
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Contact Carey There are lots of high-dollar audio engineering programs out there these days. Lots more than when I was starting college, that’s for sure. I wanted to go into audio engineering but “back in the day” the only way it seemed possible was to learn on the road, touring with some drug-saturated band. No thanks. But I digress. Chris Curran is a guy who’s been there, done that, and has actually printed the T-shirt himself. He’s a self-professed “sound geek.” He loves the audio stuff, the engineering, things like compressors and noise gates and mixers - and their digital counterparts. In this conversation you’ll get to meet Chris , find out why podcasting is such a HUGE thing to him, and what he’s doing to help those audio geeks like himself who want to learn a valuable, lasting skill that will help move the podcasting industry forward. Main Points : [1:35] An online friend I met in real-life: Chris Curran [5:17] How being a drummer in a band led to working in NYC as a sound engineer [9:00] The ultimate podcast hand-holding experience: Chris does it for his clients [11:30] Are you sound-checking your podcast record sessions? Here’s why you should [14:33] What does your listener’s situation have to do with your audio quality? [20:33] Finding clients who are looking for THE professional to produce their podcast [23:56] The only reason audio engineering exists is for the sake of the listener You won’t find many people as passionate about audio engineering as this guy Chris is one-of-a-kind, in a number of ways. When speaking about audio production he says, “I’m nutty that way. ” He loves to get his audio (for himself and his clients) exactly right, every time. He’s the kind of guy you want to be teaching you about audio, because you know he won’t miss anything vital and will probably throw in some things you might not know that you need to know, but will be glad you do . That makes sense, right? This was a fun conversation because Chris and I got to dive into his incredible story of how playing drums in a rock band eventually led him to doing sound engineering for major artists in New York City (how many podcasters can say that?) - and how he’s created a boutique kind of podcast service for large brands and high level entrepreneurs who want the best of the best of the best. Chris is that guy, for many clients. You can hear about some of them on
Tue, May 01, 2018
Podcast Sponsorships: What Nobody Is Telling You
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Contact Carey Podcast sponsorships are a hot topic - because almost everyone and their dog wants to make money from their podcast. It makes sense, if you’re going to invest so much time in something it would be great if there was some kind of financial reward , right? But sponsorships are not all they are cracked up to be - especially if you don’t know what you’re getting into . ON THIS EPISODE I explain some of the things that nobody seems to be talking about when it comes to working with sponsorships - and of course I'm not going to give you an exhaustive list. There are all kinds of things you might run into when working with sponsors or in attempting to secure podcast sponsorships, but the things that I'm going to point out are things I have noticed in working alongside the many clients that we do here at Podcast Fast Track. These are things you should keep in mind when you consider doing podcasts sponsorships. Ready to find out what nobody’s telling you? Be sure to listen. Main Points : Podcast Sponsorships [1:10] Why you need to know the things nobody is talking about regarding sponsors [2:20] Dealing with sponsorships is a lot of work relationally. Yep, really. [5:30] Essential feedback you need to provide to sponsors - and how to encourage them [8:29] Are you ready for the administrative burden of a podcast sponsorship? [12:31] Podcast sponsorships pull out. It happens. What are you going to do then? [15:49] What might cause a sponsor to drop your show? [17:04] Sponsor ignorance when it comes to podcasting and how it impacts you Podcast sponsorships are relationships, not business transactions. If you want any sponsorship to be successful you're going to have to engage in your relationship with that sponsor on a fairly deep level. Work hard to keep up that relationship with your sponsor just like you would work to keep up a relationship with a person in your life who you really, really care about - maybe your spouse or significant other. You need to understand that the person or people on the other end of the sponsor relationship need to feel that they are more than just a paycheck to you, that they are more than just a number or source of revenue. The more you can make them feel that you really care about making them successful, the more they are going to be enthused and excited about
Tue, April 17, 2018
Put Your Audience First For Greater Podcast Success
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Contact Carey I’ve learned the hard way that the typical gimme, gimme, gimme approach to promotion never works - you’ve got to learn how to put your audience first. It’s not an easy concept to grasp even though it DOES sound fairly simple. So in this episode I’m walking through a handful of ways I think every podcaster needs to evaluate their podcasting efforts for the sake of putting their audience first. Main Points : Put Your Audience First [1:26] What makes a podcast really, really successful? Keep in mind who you serve [2:30] Podcasters need to know their USP (Unique Selling Proposition) [9:57] In order to put your audience first, your show needs to be relevant and practical [13:50] Why I encourage you to reconsider the helpfulness of interviews [18:24] Is your podcast and are your individual episodes easy to use? [25:24] Ways to monetize your podcast by putting your audience first You can put your audience first by firmly establishing your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) It is very likely that you have heard the talk and internet marketing in entrepreneurial circles about having a clear USP. The acronym stands for Unique selling proposition and it simply refers to the unique things you offer to your audience that your competition doesn't. When it comes to your podcast, you can determine your USP fairly easily by asking yourself this question: “Why would a listener choose MY podcast over others in my niche?” if you can answer that question in a compelling way, you probably have a pretty good you USP. Some of the reasons it is vital for podcasters especially to do the hard work of clarifying their unique selling proposition is because even though they don't think they are selling anything, they really are. They're selling themselves and the value of the content they produce. No audience will simply flock to a show because it looks cool or sounds cool or has a cool piece of cover art. They may listen initially but they will only keep listening if what is being offered to them through the audio is of value to them. When you take the time, and it does take a lot of time, to establish your own USP with Clarity and specificity, you will discover a handful of great benefits that will serve you for a very long time. You’ll be able to craft content that amplifies your USP Makes a promise to your audience that you can then deliver on Will help you clarify if opportunities and products are a good fit Prevents you from becoming a people pleaser with your content On this episode of the podcast I cover all four of these, explaining why they are important a
Tue, April 10, 2018
iTunes Podcast Rankings: The Metric That Says Next to Nothing
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There’s a lot of hoopla about iTunes podcast rankings: “We are the number 10 business podcast in iTunes!” It sounds impressive. And for those of us who have never shown up on the iTunes “Top 10” chart in our category (me included), it can make us feel a bit insecure. Are we really accomplishing much with our podcast after all? This episode is an expose of what I’ve discovered about the iTunes podcast rankings: They say NEXT TO NOTHING about the impact your show is having, the number of true listeners you have, OR about what you should be focusing on as a podcaster. In fact, I think the iTunes podcast rankings everyone points to as a measure of success is the WRONG thing to be focused on entirely. It’s a ladder leaning against the wrong wall. Listen to find out why I believe that. Main Points : Why iTunes Podcast Rankings are NOT All That [1:17] The iTunes/Apple Podcasts confusion and what it has to do with rankings [3:02] What IS the metric the iTunes rankings for podcasts are tracking? [4:42] Does the ranking say anything about the popularity or benefit of the podcast? [6:49] The only benefit of the iTunes podcast rankings is discovery - and not much of that [8:27] A better use of our time and energy: make your podcast exactly what your listeners need and want [11:08] We podcasters have to learn where our target market is. It’s called market research & content marketing [12:24] The 1000 true fans theory and why it’s pertinent to this issue iTunes Podcast Rankings: A rolling average of subscriptions over the past 24 to 48 hours When somebody claims that their podcast is the top podcast in their category they are likely omitting a very pertinent fact out of ignorance. What is that? They are not telling you exactly what they're podcast is top at doing? Is it the most listened to? Is it the most popular? Is it the most hated? You don't really know, do you? The claim itself is ambiguous and if we are going to make the most of the metrics that iTunes provides to us we need to know exactly what does metrics mean. When you go into the iTunes app on your desktop and navigate to the category that your podcast is in, you will see a list of podcast in the right-hand column that are known as the top podcasts in that category. Here is the truth: those podcasts are not the most downloaded. They are not the most popular, necessarily. They are the podcast with the most subscriptions within the past 24 to 48 hours. Now that sounds pretty significant, after all we want subscriptions, don't we? Yes, we do, but subscriptions alone don't tell us much because anyone can subscribe to a podcast and ne
Tue, April 03, 2018
Will Cyborgs Listen To Podcasts? : My Podcasting Predictions - 2018
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Wanna hear my predictions about where the podcasting industry is headed? You can - on this episode of Podcastification. You know every year Edison Research comes out with what's called The Infinite Dial - isn't that a cool name? The infinite dial looks at survey data that they have gathered from thousands of people. The good folks at Edison are trying to gauge how people are using online media - social media, online radio stations, and podcasting is included. They are trying to understand people's usage habits, interests, adoption of technology and so on. You can also see from the Edison results how various aspects of the media industry are growing. As I read these stats from year to year I see some trends that some people notice and some people don't. I feel like I have some thoughts about this I'd like to share with you because I can see happening in the podcasting industry in particular that I think are action points for podcasters like you and me. They're things that show us a little peek through the keyhole of what's coming - so that we can prepare ourselves in get our podcasts positioned in a way that we will be better off in the future. So let's dig in! Main Points : Be Your Own PR Manager [1:12] How the Edison Research Infinite Dial Report spawned this episode [3:20] Why I believe more and more people will begin listening to podcasts [6:40] Pandora’s “Podcast Genome Project” [8:10] Getting into the smart speaker ecosystem is going to be huge [9:10] Share of ear is going to become more and more competitive [11:00] Why businesses are going to find exposure more and more difficult [11:52] The silver lining for niche and hobby podcasters [14:10] Technological changes and improvements that will happen in podcasting tech [17:01] Why more and more advertisers are going to get on the podcasting train [20:24] Will governments ever step in to regulate podcasting (or try)? [23:31] Why every one of us needs to increase our production values [25:58] Make improvements in the areas you can already - don’t wait for the future [27:21] You need to be leveraging your audience to help you reach others [28:32] Do the hard work of refining your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) [30:37] Learn how to niche-down - the more specific the better [31:56] A quick caveat about download numbers and what really matters [34:05] Keep abreast of the changes and the opportunities as the clock
Tue, March 27, 2018
10 Benefits of Podcasts (Reasons People Listen)
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ As a podcaster, you no doubt have thought about the benefits of podcasts. You wouldn’t be podcasting if you didn’t know at least SOME of them. This episode I’m highlighting 10 of the benefits I see in podcasting and the reasons people these days are listening and learning from podcasts so much. To be really, really, REALLY honest with you here - I have a busy life just like anyone else. And during the pre-publication phase of this episode, I’m on a trip to celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday. I can’t even imagine 90 years of life on this planet, but there she is, plain as day and healthy as can be (thank God!). All that to say, I’m making a decision on this episode. I’m not going to do my standard, more comprehensive set of show notes for this episode. I’m just not - because I think there are more important things going on in my life right now. So, please listen. Please learn. And enjoy your life! That’s what I’m going to do right now! Main Points : Be Your Own PR Manager [1:16] How I got the idea for this episode of the podcast [3:35] #1: Podcast listeners are growing - there are more than ever [5:17] #2: There are more podcasts than ever and more opportunities [6:41] #3: A greater variety of podcasts exist than ever [7:35] #4: The free nature of podcasts increases listenership easily [9:37] #5: You can find up to date information through podcasting [11:30] #6: The mobile nature of podcast listening opportunities is a great benefit [13:15] #7: How does the issue of privacy figure into the benefits of podcast listening? [13:58] #8: Speed listening. Is it beneficial? [15:29] #9: Advertising is a benefit in podcasting… or can be [18:20] #10: Podcasting as a great method for teaching RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.NoHatDigital.com - Chris’ site Get your podcast onto Spotify independently Scott Voelker: The Amazing Seller The Tim Ferriss podcast This infographic proudly brought to you by <a href="https://www.nohatdigital.com/blog/10-
Tue, March 20, 2018
Robots. Reading Audio Books. On Podcasts. Really. With Jim Kukral
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Jim Kukral is quick to say that his new service, Book2Pod is not a service that creates audio books. So I’ll say it for him . ;) Because that’s EXACTLY what it is … except for a few differences… It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of traditional audio books It’s distributed via an automatic feed - RSS - like a…. PODCAST! Jim and his behind-the-scenes business partner have a pretty cool system in place that anyone who has a book, whitepaper, story, series of blog posts, etc. - can make it into a podcast. It’s really interesting - and the possibilities are very intriguing. Take some time to hear what Jim has to say. You can even hear the robots doing their thing! Main Points : Done For You Audio Books To Podcast [1:16] Why you need to know who Jim Kukral [3:10] Jim’s new endeavor: Book2Pod [4:04] The future possibilities with computer generated voices and podcasts [7:25] How are robots being used for reading books? [10:51] What’s the benefit of putting your book out chapter by chapter as a podcast? [17:05] Are there other options you can do besides books? [21:06] Ways to tweak the robot voices to make your audio books better [23:16] Actual examples of Book2Pod books - fiction and non-fiction [27:19] Pricing for the Book2Pod service: two packages Why would you want to turn your book into a podcast? This was one of the very first questions I had for Jim because books are typically made into books in order to sell them as books. Putting them into podcast form and broadcasting them freely via an RSS feed doesn’t seem like a good way to promote book sales. But it’s actually the exact opposite that happens. One of the reasons I believe podcasts are so popular is because they are a low-friction introduction to a topic, resource, or expert . A person can listen and learn and get to know you without ever having to let you know they are interested. No risk of being “sold to.” No email opt-in required. In other words, it’s entirely safe for you, the listener, to check out a content provider by listening to the content they provide (a podcast, in this case). Authors haven’t made good use of this aspect of podcasting… at least most haven’t. That’s because they are focused on selling books - and podcasts OF their books seem a bit non-intuitive at first. But there are ways to make the entire text of your book(s) - fiction or non-fiction - available as a audio book(s) and use them as a lead-in to your sales process. And according to what Jim shares on this episode, <
Tue, March 13, 2018
Alexa Podcasts Are A Thing. Here’s Why You Should Care
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Alexa podcast is a thing. Really, it is. We podcasters need to start thinking about where the industry is headed. Now that podcasts can be listened to on Smart speakers like Alexa, there are a handful of things that I can think of that we need to consider in order to make our efforts more widely usable, which will include those kinds of devices. On this episode of Podcastification I have a few things for you to think about when it comes to Alexa podcasts and the distribution of your show through those platforms. Okay so we're talking about smart speakers on this episode. Do you even know what I mean when I talk about smart speakers? Smart speakers are like Alexa or the Amazon Tap is like a mini version of the Alexa. The Tap is really just a fancy bluetooth speaker. We happen to have one of those that we were actually given through a drawing at a podcasting event that I was at a little while back. But that's all beside the point. We're talking about Amazon Alexa and Google Home and all of the smart speakers they're starting to come out with. They are all connected to the internet and they are able to play audio for you through voice commands. My wife uses our Amazon Tap quite often to play Spotify - the speaker has really good sound so it's a great little application of a smart speaker. But you can also speak to it because the Tap functions in many ways like an Alexa because you can connect through an Alexa app, which then connects to the internet, which you are able then to ask questions just like you would Alexa herself. So, we say things like “Alexa, tell me a story,” and it starts telling us a story. How is this is relevant for us is podcasters? It’s very relevant. We are on the cutting edge of a digital change of behavior for most people in the Western world and we don’t even realize it. The voice command features of these devices are going to make it easier and more common for people to listen to podcasts. So as the title of the episode says, Alexa podcasting is a thing. Will Alexa podcasts work for your particular podcast name? Maybe not. I did some experimentation with my little smart speaker - the Amazon Tap. I tried to get it to play a my particular podcasts - I have quite a few of them. I would say something like this… “Alexa, play Podcastification.” And it actually started playing a podcast but it wasn't a my podcast, it was something else. What I think happens is that because the name of my show is not very clear and distinct and easy to pronounce and understand even for humans, the little smart speaker ain’t so smart. It can't quite find my podcast because the name is not easy to decipher. Could the technology improve in the future to the point that sayin
Tue, March 06, 2018
Ignore This Audio Production Software At Your Own Risk
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Whenever we think about audio production software we typically think about programs that allows to record and edit. Those would be things like Adobe Audition, Hindenburg, and Audacity. But there are other programs out there that enable the new or inexperienced podcaster to get the same quality audio that many who play around with those software programs I mentioned get, without nearly the same amount of headache. One of the audio production software packages that falls into that category is Auphonic. Main Points : Incredible Audio Production Software [1:24] How I came to know about Auphonic in the first place [3:50] The benefits of Auphonic and the basic features of the system [5:50] What you can expect to see within the audio production software [9:30] Chapter marks are possible in Auphonic - here’s how [12:32] Multiple output options possible, even at the same time [15:57] Transcript creation as part of this audio production software [16:42] Send your finished project to many online destinations [17:57] 4 different audio algorithms you can choose from - including LUFS [20:41] Analyzing outputs to see the difference is possible in Auphonic [22:16] Desktop programs available from Auphonic [25:18] If you love doing the audio processing stuff… nevermind. Auphonic is audio production software for the rest of us… it does the thinking so we don’t have to I do this audio production thing for a living and even I don't enjoy thinking about using limiters, high and low pass filters, compressors, noise Gates, and all that kind of stuff. Yes, it's fun to know what they are and how to use them if I have to, but I'd rather not if I can avoid it. That is why Auphonic is such a treasure. The team behind this amazing audio production software have developed algorithms that process audio for you so that you don't have to. You can set up the types of audio processing you want the application to do and it simply does it for you. One of the best things about Auphonic is that there is a free plan that most beginning podcasters would find very useful. In fact, many experienced podcasters may not need to pay for anything and be able to use all the bells and whistles that Auphonic has to offer. This episode is about that. Auphonic. If you have the opportunity to optimize your audio with a shorter process and results that are just as good, why wouldn't you do it? Those of us who have been podcasting for any length of time understand that time is exactly the issue when it comes to producing or episodes. We only have so much of it and we have to use it wisely. The Auphonic audio production software Is available to help us meet that n
Tue, February 27, 2018
Podcasting Tips I Learned From NPR
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ I figure, if I want to learn podcasting tips that can help my show stand apart in the crowded podcastosphere, I might as well go to the people who have made a living from doing audio well. And I also got a little help from a new friend - a guy named Cal Newport. Well, Cal's not actually my friend, but he's like a long-distance mentor via his books and interviews. Cal's book "So Good They Can't Ignore You" inspired me to work at becoming the very best I can be in a chosen field. The field I've chosen: Podcasting. So.... reading a book by the folks at NPR about audio reporting and recording was right up the alley of my learning curve. This episode is about the podcasting tips I learned from the good folks at NPR. Main Points : Podcasting Tips from NPR [4:09] The benefits of audio (why we are audio people) [7:10] NPRs tips for making good recordings [16:28] Best practices for working with a co-host [20:50] Tips for doing better interviews Podcasting tip #1 : Get clear on the benefits of good audio As I said, the folks at NPR are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to recording and producing great audio. We podcasters can learn a ton from them and the book “Sound Reporting” outlines a lot of those valuable principles. Here’s a sampling of the points the author shares about the benefits of good audio… keep in mind, he spoke in terms of audio in general. I changed the points to reflect our particular form of audio, podcasting. Podcasts are portable (for the listener) There’s a benefit to audio that you can’t get with video or theater, or any other form of communication. That’s its portability. People can listen on the treadmill, in the car, in the backyard pushing a lawn mower… anywhere. That makes audio powerful in terms of its ABILITY to be consumed by the end user. Podcasts are intimate (spoken to one) Yes, we want to have more than just one person listening to our podcasts. But when we think in terms of the individual person who may be listening, it opens up a whole new perspective that enables us to be more effective. When you’re recording, imagine yourself speaking to one person - just one. How would your manner change? What sort of voice tone and inflection would you use? How nervous would you be? Do you see the point? This is a tip you can apply to your podcasting that could make your process and actual outcome more effective because it’s more effective. Podcasts are nimble (easy to do anywhere) Few things affect us like the sound of the human voice There are lots of sounds that impact us. The sound of a siren. The bell that rings to end c
Tue, February 20, 2018
RANT: You Could Be Killing Your Podcast Growth Curve
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ 3 Ways to NOT Kill Your Podcast Growth Curve Warning - warning - warning. There's a rant ahead! I have seen this same mistake on podcaster’s websites over and over and over now, so I plead with you… listen to this episode, learn from this episode, and NEVER do this stinkin stupid thing again. Main Points : 3 Ways NOT to Kill Your Podcast Growth Curve [1:26] What I’ve discovered while tooling around the Apple Podcasts website [2:15] It’s INSANE to send people to Apple Podcasts (iTunes) to listen to your show [3:59] You’ve created tons of goodies. Why send your audience AWAY from them? [6:21] There are ways you can tell Google that you have GREAT resources - sending people away from your site is NOT ONE OF THEM! [9:09] How you may be telling Google NOT to send people to your website [11:02] How you can apply this lesson right now. So I spend a lot of time in the Apple Podcasts directory. You know, that place that used to be called iTunes but now is called Apple Podcasts. And what am I DOING in the Apple Podcasts directory? Honestly, I’m looking for clients, for people who are producing great content and want a great production partner to take the podcast time suck off their hands so they can do better things with their time. One of the things I experience while in the directory is that I usually click the little link that says website, right there next to their podcast listing, and I'll go to visit the website. I want to check them out and see their show. Who knows? Maybe there’s a way we can work together. Here’s the problem - the way people are killing their own podcast growth curve. Ready? Podcasters often put a really cool looking show notes page up for particular episode. I go there. I scroll up and down, up and down up, and down that page trying to find a stinkin’ web player so I can actually hear what their podcast sounds like. And do you know what I find? I find that silly little piece of artwork that says “Listen on Apple Podcasts” and that's the only way they have for me to listen to their show. I have to go OFF their site to listen on somebody else’s platform. It’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen and in this episode of Podcastification I walk through 3 important reasons you should not be doing that on your show notes pages. That’s my rant and I’m sticking to it. #1 REASON: You’re forcing people to listen to your podcast in a way many are unable to listen Not everybody has an Apple phone. GASP! It’s true. What’s the point? There are many, many, many people, who will
Tue, February 13, 2018
Good Podcast Names Really Matter: A Case Study
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There are all kinds of crazy names people give to their podcasts in the Apple Podcasts directory, but I don't believe most of them are good podcast names. This episode of the show is all about how to properly name your podcast. When I say properly, I don't mean there is some kind of etiquette around podcast naming, what I mean is there are best practices that make your podcast name work for you instead of against you . Intrigued? You've got to hear what happened in this case study that I didn't intend to be a case study. Main Points : Good Podcast Names Matter [0:53] What do I mean when I say podcast names matter? [3:22] The case study I did that wasn’t intended to be a case study [4:49] Little promotion, one Facebook share per morning, amazing results! [6:42] The name I chose for the podcast is the only thing that made the impact [8:20] The deliberate steps I took to discover a good podcast name [10:01] Why RELEVANT keywords in your name are a HUGE consideration [11:27] The reason I thought a good podcast name would matter: Algorithms! [13:40] The STATS that prove that good podcast names matter [18:50] Why you’re NOT sunk if your podcast name is not keyword rich [19:30] Best practices for episode names - keep keywords in mind! What’s in a name? When it comes to a good podcast name - a LOT! I have to admit that there are a lot of strong opinions in what I have to say on this episode. They're strong opinions I've had for a long time, not just about good podcast names but about a lot of things including company names, brand logos, and other stuff. I'm no expert, so what I have to say doesn't usually hold much water, but in this episode, I'm going to walk you through the statistics of what has actually happened from choosing a good podcast name in order to show you that in this case, I think my opinion does hold some water. Podcast names are not only the way you identify your show to others. They also communicate something about you, your message, the people you have as guests on your show, and the topics you cover. In my view, if your podcast name doesn't express those things clearly, what's the use? Of course, there are many large brands and successful people who have done this whole podcast naming thing differently than what I am going to suggest on this episode, but we are not them. Most of us are average people, without big followings, without the benefit of being a household name or brand that others have known about forever. So we have to go about this a little bit differently. Our m
Tue, February 06, 2018
Podcast Intro Music Dos and Don’ts: A Legal Q&A with Gordon Firemark
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Questions about the proper use of podcast intro music and outro music are some of the most common things people ask me about. Can I use this popular song? What if I only use 20 seconds of it? Doesn't that fall under fair use Doctrine? What if I get somebody to compose music for me, can that work? These are only a few examples of the legal side of what it takes to do a podcast in a way that reflects your personal integrity and keeps you out of trouble. I decided it was time for me to invite someone on the show who could give us clear answers on these kinds of issues. Gordon Firemark is an entertainment lawyer who specializes in helping theater professionals, producers, big media companies, and podcasters do the right thing when it comes to copyright law, legal working agreements, and lots of other things that are important for anyone publishing content. This was a great conversation and I personally learned some things I didn't know, which you’ll hear me admit on the episode. Gordon is very generous guy who has provided some great free resources which you can find in the show notes links for this episode. I only used 20 seconds of a song. Isn’t that OK to use for my podcast intro? If you are depending on the Fair Use Doctrine often mentioned as support for using a small section of a copyrighted music on podcasts, you could be on very shaky ground. In this conversation Gordon addresses the Fair Use issue head-on as it relates to podcast intros and outros. His insight into what Fair Use really means and when it is applicable is very helpful, because it's very complicated. WHAT IS FAIR USE? There are actually four criteria that are used to determine if use of a copyrighted work falls under the Fair Use Doctrine and is therefore oka: How much of the copyrighted work is actually being used? - which is typically the only thing people talk about How substantial is the use of it? What is the nature of the used portion of the work (the most catchy part of the song VS an obscure section) What impact will the use of the work be on the marketing of the original work? As you can see, it's much more complicated than you typically hear about and smarter minds than mine have had a hard time figuring out what actually falls under Fair Use and what doesn't. So what should you do? Unless you have deep pockets filled with cash that you can use in the likelihood that you are sued, I would suggest you steer clear of using copyrighted works for your podcast intro or outro, unless you have clear permission to do so. And what does it look like to have
Tue, January 30, 2018
How To Create A Pinterest Strategy To Promote Your Podcast, with Kathryn Moorhouse
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Pinterest itself has been a mystery to me for a very long long time, so to talk about having a Pinterest strategy for my podcast is like asking me to be a girl. I don’t know anything about it. :) Pinterest is fun to look at - I’ve gone there on occasion to get great ideas for DIY projects or workshop and garage renovation tips, but I kind of view it is this food, clothes and fitness kind of a network. But the more I spend time on the platform, the more I’ve thought it has got to be usable for podcasting on the promotional side of things. So I thought I'd reach out to a gal named Kathryn Moorhouse - she's a self-proclaimed marketing lover and an obsessive planner. She sounds like my kind of person. Her entire business is dedicated to helping people grow and maximize their Pinterest following. So… I think we podcasters have got a lot to learn from Kathryn today. Main Points : A Pinterest Strategy for Podcasting [3:48] Pinterest is powerful because it’s a search engine (isn’t Kathryn’s accent great?) [9:40] How Pinterest helps you know what keywords to use on your posts [14:12] Good news: You can effectively start over on Pinterest if you’ve botched it up [16:04] If you’ve never set up a free Pinterest account: here’s how to do it [25:47] The power of pinning the same image multiple times over time [29:45] Group boards: a powerful way to expose others to your content [33:23] What makes for a good Pinterest image (size, what’s on it, best practices)? [41:10] Templates can save your bacon when it comes to image creation [43:07] What Kathryn does to help people make the most of Pinterest Pinterest is a great platform for promotion because it’s a search engine that focuses on evergreen content - which is exactly what podcast episodes are Think about how you promote your podcast. Social media makes it easy - sort of - but it’s getting to be very crowded. But it is still true that visual content is what catches the attention of the people you’re trying to reach more than anything else. That means developing a Pinterest Strategy to make the most of the visual nature of the platform could be your ticket to getting new eyes on your content. And keep in mind, Pinterest is an evergreen platform. That means that what you share today will be searchable for the keywords associated with it long into the future. So it could be like investing in something now for a tremendous return in the days ahead. It’s priceless. It is so easy for podcasters to actually put content out there in a way that is suitable for their ideal listeners. Kathryn Moorhouse has lots to share about developing a Pinterest strategy for your podcast promotions, so be sure you take the time to listen to this episode. Your ideal lis
Tue, January 23, 2018
Effective Podcast Marketing & Content Creation Anyone Can Do, with Kyle Bondo
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcast marketing - getting your show noticed by the audience you’re trying to reach - is a tough thing to figure out. You don’t want to be the smarmy guy or gal who’s in every channel screaming, “Listen to my show! Listen to my Show! Listen to my Show!” - but you also don’t want to be guilty of a Field of Dreams approach that believes if you build it, listeners will come. It simply doesn’t work that way. But - when you take podcasting seriously a lot of amazing things can happen. My guest today is proof of that - Kyle Bondo is a guy I met Kyle at DC podfest a couple of years ago when I was there to speak and we just hit it off. Kyle has focused on making excellent content and being helpful to the people he meets and its enabled him to market his podcast through the relationships and trust he’s built. Kyle’s got a cool story that should be encouraging to anyone who wants a broader reach for their show. Hit the play button, would ya? Main Points : [2:20] Kyle’s podcast “Merchants of Dirt” and the story of building it [4:10] The story of how GagglePod came to be [7:22] The best feeling Kyle’s gotten from his efforts to help podcasters so far [9:00] Reach a bigger audience with a podcasting strategy [13:20] Content comes first, selling stuff comes second [35:45] How GagglePod can help you (local to D.C. especially) Your podcast can reach a bigger audience if you apply a specific strategy to what you do One of the many lessons that Kyle Bondo has learned in the past three to four years as he's been podcasting is that nothing really happens by accident. You have to plan and shoe towards something specific if results are going to come. He's written an excellent blog post on his Gaggle pod site that is about how to reach a bigger Audience by applying a very specific strategy to your podcast. It's a podcast marketing approach that you wouldn't necessarily think of as a marketing approach, but it makes total sense. In this conversation Kyle and I chat about what it means to apply strategy to your podcast, all the way from the way that you producer episodes to the way you promote them to the audience you're trying to reach. Kyle had some amazing insights for a guy who hasn't been doing this very long and I know you're going to like him, and the advice he has to share. Great content needs to come first. Making money from your podcast has to come second When you think about marketing your podcast there's a foundational mindset that you should make sure is always part what motivates you to do Marketing in the first place. That mindset is this: great content needs to come first. Making money or bigger download numbers from your podcast has to come second. Following that principal will enable
Tue, January 16, 2018
DEMO: Mobile Recording for My Podcast Step By Step
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Mobile Recording can be hard to figure out , especially if you don’t have a money tree growing in your backyard. I’ve given a lot of thought to this from a “lean budget” perspective and have tried a LOT of things over the years I’ve been podcasting . What I demo in this episode is the best MOBILE RECORDING solution I’ve discovered yet . It only requires one piece of software that is app based (phone or smart device) and one additional piece of hardware that is portable and costs less than $100. Interested? Play the stinkin’ episode! Here’s What You'll Learn In This Mobile Recording Demo [0:51] Why I wanted to discover a remote or mobile recording solution for my podcast [2:20] How you can use the Auphonic service to set up for mobile recording [4:49] DISCLAIMERS: Audio quality at the source is still an audio quality limitation [5:55] How you can leave me a question that I can answer on this show! [6:47] The episode within the episode - DEMO of what my mobile recording solution produced (recorded in my freezing cold back yard) [9:02] The mic I used: The Rode VideoMIC ME [9:39] Ahead-of-time steps you need to take within Auphonic (see below for details). [14:35] How to get your smartphone app and connect your microphone - turn on AIRPLANE MODE [18:15] The perks of doing mobile recording this way - inexpensive, easy to transport, easy to pull off [21:51] How the Podcastification team will give you a %10 off discount ongoing First step toward this mobile recording setup is this: you need to connect Auphonic to a storage account - they call it an “external service” Ok, let’s get to it. In order to do exactly what I did in the “episode” within this episode you’ll need to set up some things ahead of time. First, you’ll need an Auphonic account. Relax - Auphonic is free for up to 2 hours of audio a month . That’s pretty generous given that many podcasts are 30 minutes or less. So 4 episodes per month… you do the math. You can find a link to Auphonic below. Then, within Auphonic you’ll need to follow the instructions I explain in this episode to set up a few things… External services like Dropbox or Google Drive #1 - click on the “services” tab at the top of the main page #2 - In the lower section, select the service you want to use to store your intro and/or outro files. Auphonic will pull from that location to use them each time you access the template you’re going to create (I used Dropbox in my example) Once you’ve got that external service set up, all
Tue, January 09, 2018
How To Be An Effective PR Manager For Your Podcast and Brand, with Josh Elledge
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ If I were to insist to you that you are your best PR manager , you would probably think I'm crazy. Why? Because you don't know anything about PR. But my guest today, Josh Elledge says that anyone can be their own best PR manager if they are willing to put in the effort that it takes to do PR the right way and expand their brand through the exposure that comes from promotions to, and through traditional media. This episode is a gold mine for those who know how to work and are willing to do it for the sake of their podcast and brand. I think you're going to love me for giving you this conversation. But I forgot - you love me already, don't you? Be Your Own PR Manager: Here are the Main Points [2:35] Why I invited Josh on the show - his unique path to being a PR Manager [3:35] Why Josh feels a moral imperative to help brands with PR [7:38] How you can pitch yourself to traditional media as an independent podcaster [13:05] What should podcasters include in their media kit to lend authority to their brand? [17:15] The difference between a press kit and a media kit - and why it matters [19:20] The best way to make your pitch to any media outlet - and it works every time [26:08] Why would a podcaster want to take the PR route to get more exposure? [28:58] Where do we start in determining what media outlets to target? [32:01] How can a person with multiple “personas” or areas of specialization build their brands with equal power? [34:32] How Josh turns digital entrepreneurs into digital celebrities - and how you can get his $1200 course for free Exposure is everything, so if you get enough exposure from your PR management, everything else is going to be alright.~ Josh Elledge Most of us who have been podcasting for any length of time understand the importance of exposure. I'm talking about the magic that happens when your name or brand becomes synonymous with the service or products that you provide. THAT is right next door to celebrity status, and Josh Elledge says that's exactly what he does for people like you and me. Public relations is all about that kind of exposure. Josh Elledge is a self-taught and incredibly successful PR manager who teaches digital entrepreneurs how to become media celebrities. And in his words, he has a moral imperative to do exactly that. Honestly, I'm quite astounded at Josh's willingness to share what he knows with peons like us. He's got years of experience doing exactly what he teaches and is willing to put that experience to work for you through giving you an incredibly generous gift. If you want to know what it is - hint: it a $1200 value - you will have to listen
Tue, December 19, 2017
Easy Wins for Your Podcast - OR - 8 Mistakes Podcasters Should Avoid
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There are quite a number of easy wins you can get to make your podcast better. Is there any reason you wouldn't want to do them? I have the privilege of spending a lot of time checking out the resources podcasters are producing, from their podcast episodes to their websites and promotional material. Do you know what I find? Lots of obvious mistakes that I guess aren't so obvious to the podcaster in question. In this episode I share with you 8 of the things I've noticed that many podcasters are messing up when it comes to their websites, the way they present their brand, and the way they interact with their following. I'm certain you will find something in here that you can tweak to get an easy win for your show. Main Points : Easy Wins (by avoiding 8 common mistakes) [1:22] How I come across the obvious mistakes podcasters are making [3:14] Things about your website you need to understand [4:23] MISTAKE 1: Taking people AWAY from your website. It’s an EASY fix [8:02] iTunes ranks podcasts on one thing only. Do you know what it is? [9:05] MISTAKE 2: No subscription options [12:53] MISTAKE 3: Wonky episode titles that ignore keyword optimization [16:52] MISTAKE 4: Where is your contact info? Social only? Really? [19:48] MISTAKE 5: Podcast listens are happening more and more via mobile - can those people easily contact you? [22:18] MISTAKE 6: Cover Art that makes me want to throw up or yawn [27:52] MISTAKE 7: The website link in iTunes should go…. Where???? [30:22] MISTAKE 8: Brand names or Cutesy show names Your podcast player can be like the glue that keeps people on your page It seems like many podcasters don't understand how and why Google chooses the websites it serves up to people who are searching for various things. It all has to do with Google's perceived value of the resources that are provided on that webpage. But Google is a computer algorithm, how does it know? Google's designers, as well as the designers of Bing and Yahoo, have programmed their systems with algorithms that look for certain indications of whether searchers are actually finding the content they discover on web pages to be valuable to them, or not. One of the most important of those indicators is the time a searcher spends "on page" once they make a selection from the search results. That simply means if you want to tell Google you've got valuable content, you need to keep people on your show notes pages as long as possible . In my opinion, a podcast player can be an incredible tool to use simply because it
Tue, December 12, 2017
How To Get More Podcast Guests and Become One Yourself, with Andrew Alleman of Podcast Guests
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ As a person involved in doing podcast production, it is fairly often that someone asks me if my company offers a service to help them discover and book podcast guests. Our company doesn't, but I know someone who does . ;) My guest today is one of my podcasting clients, Andrew Alleman , and for a while now he has been offering a monthly newsletter that highlights opportunities to both be a guest on podcasts and find guests for your podcast. But now he has upped the game. This episode explains the new directory Andrew has created and how you can use it to find the perfect guest for your podcast and how you can be found as a podcast guest for someone else's show. Don't miss out on this one. It's simple, but many of the greatest ideas in the world are simple. Oh no! My podcast guest just canceled! What do I do? Have you ever run into a situation where a person who was booked to be a guest on your podcast has to cancel at the last minute? What do you do when you were counting on that conversation to fill the next slot in your podcasting schedule? Now you have a very real possibility of finding a replacement guest for that episode of your podcast within minutes. Podcast Guests is a website that provides a directory of professional experts in a variety of niches. You can scan through the directory to find the person, or the people, who perfectly fit the audience you are trying to produce content for. In this conversation, Andrew Alleman and I talk about the new service at Podcast Guests, including the various payment options, and all the bells and whistles that are included in each of the plans. If you were looking for an easier way to find guests for your podcast, or a way to be found as an expert guest on someone else's show, this episode is for you. Everybody likes a discount. Here is how you can get 25% off the directory listing service at Andrews new website, Podcast Guests. If you would like to try out the new service at Podcast Guests, Andrew Is offering a 25% off coupon that will continue to give you the discount month after month as long as you stay subscribed. Isn't that a great deal? Andrew is a great guy and it doesn't surprise me that he's being so generous. Look below to get the coupon code that you can use to get this fabulous discount. And please know, Andrew has set up the code to link to my account within his service, which provides me a little bit of change for extra coffee anytime you use the code to receive the discount... and you still pay the same 25% off price. What a deal!
Mon, December 04, 2017
Struggling to Make the Time for Podcasting? This Might Help
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Are you experiencing the struggle to make time for your podcast? You are definitely not alone. Perhaps the most common question I receive for appliance and others who find out that I am a podcast producer and Coach is how they can find time to actually do the work required to put out a great podcast. There are no easy answers. I hope you're not listening to this episode expecting that. But there are approaches you can take to the issue that can help you do better than you're doing now, perhaps. This episode is aimed at the podcaster who is working a full-time job while trying to build and grow a podcast audience. It's my best tips for how to go about making the time for this thing you love called your podcast. Main Points : Making The Time for Podcasting [1:19] The reality of the time-crunch every podcaster faces and why YOU have to figure the issue out for you [2:28] BACKGROUND: I started podcasting while I worked a full time job [3:44] The elephant in the room: something is going to have to go - you have to decide [7:09] The two options I’ve discovered: early morning and late evening [9:12] Make it happen by starting small [11:20] Applying these principles to different types of show formats [15:59] The vital nature of getting your family on board - and my suggestions for how to do it [18:00] Why you need to think through your own tendencies to put off your podcast Almost everybody I know has more time than they think they have for the things that are important to them. You may have heard that said already on other podcasts, and the reason you have is because it's true. We all have the same amount of time in a given week, and some of us accomplish incredible amounts of stuff during that time while others don't. What's the difference? Obviously, it's not that one of them has more time. It's that they have learned what it takes to make the most of the time they do have. This episode is not about productivity, that was episode 78 with Ari Meisel (so make sure you go back and listen to that one to get some great Automation and productivity tips.)This episode is focused more on helping you make the hard decisions you're going to have to make in order to create the podcast that will fuel your vision and serve your audience at the same time. You won't do it by being lazy, and you can't do it by making excuses. Somebody's got to say it like it is, and I'm not shy about that sort of thing, so there you go. Do yourself a favor of listening to this episode. Even i
Tue, November 28, 2017
How to Record Interviews: 2017 Demo of The Best Options
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ How to record interviews over a distance is one of the most frustrating things for many podcasters - and the tech is not quite there yet. But it’s getting better. :) 2017 brings a handful of pretty decent options for recording a conversation, many of them with tech that takes out the “distance” part of a distance recording so you get better quality audio every time. I wanted to make it obvious how good the options are as well as answer some of the questions I get on a regular basis about the best way to record an interview. So my client onboarding guy, Aaron and I took a morning to do some recordings of OUR conversations using all the options that I think are legitimate for 2017. So - How to record interviews: 2017 Demo of the Best Options is what you’ll hear on this episode of Podcastification. Here’s a rough outline of this “How to Record Interviews” episode: [1:44] My top 5 recommendations: Zoom - Ringr - Zencastr - Skype - Cleanfeed and our demos of each of these options, demo’d for you. [3:00] Tips for making a good distance recording, no matter which option you choose Zoom Demo [3:46] My experience using Zoom (my description of what I see) [5:26] The recording of Aaron and I speaking and recording to each other via Zoom along with our impressions and observations of the platform [7:16] The “guest” side of a Zoom call - Aaron’s insights and observations [7:50] Zoom’s details, pricing, method of recording, number of participants, etc. Ringr Demo [10:40] The pre-recording setup and login experience for recording an interview on Ringr [11:10] The actual conversation we recorded and how Ringr works (double-ender) [12:08] The “guest” side of the Ringr connection and some of the cool things we see Skype Demo [14:51] Skype calls must be recorded using a 3rd party app [16:08] The “guest” side of the Skype call - and why Skype is the good-old standby [17:17] Why Skype calls with bad connections are HARD for audio editing Zencastr Demo [18:55] Pre-call setup of a Zencastr recording/call [19:49] Zencastr’s chat feature, timeline footnotes, etc. [20:46] Zencastr’s free plan: features, integrations, bells and whistles [21:40] What is happening when you hear a glitch in Zencastr Cleanfeed Demo [23:52] Counterintuitive things I feel about Cleanfeed [24:38] The guest and host experiences on Cle
Tue, November 21, 2017
Share Audio Files Beautifully on Social: Baird Hall Tells Us About Wavve
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Have you ever tried to share audio files on social media? Man, what a PAIN it can be! Depending on where your audio file link comes from, what format the file is in, which social media platform you’re dealing with, you can get all kinds of bizzare results. The problem Is compounded even more when you realize that social media simply doesn't lend itself to long-form content. Most podcasts are longer types of content so they are hard to share on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other places in a way that can be played, right there, on the spot. My hope is that this episode will change all of that for you. I'm talking with Baird Hall, one of the creators of Wavve, a great new app that enables you to create motion videos with sound clips from your podcast episodes. Please take the time to listen by clicking the player below, and make sure you scroll down to watch my demo video of setting up my own promo through the Wavve app. Here’s a rough outline about this episode: sharing audio files on social [1:32] Who is Baird and how does Wavve highlight audio content on social? [5:20] How the audio wav formations in Wavve can garner greater attention [6:36] What it looks like online to create a Wavve animation [9:02] Edit your audio files online or offline to create your graphic animation [11:03] Baird’s short version of the creation of the platform and how they made the pivot from one business idea to another [13:53] Pricing plans - Free, Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Did you see that, FREE PEOPLE! [19:37] How users are using the Wavve to promote on Instagram [27:45] The other folks on the Wavve team and how the company works [28:40] New features coming soon (you heard it here first)... OK, so you CAN share audio files on social, but… It’s not always something you can do in a way that people will actually click on. First, it’s likely an outbound link… and people typically don’t want to leave the social platform they are on at the moment ( those cute little kittens are too irresistible ). If it IS uploaded directly to the social platform, it’s likely still going to open a pop-up window to make the thing actually playable. Or, you can create a video of it yourself which is one of the biggest time sucks I can think of at this moment. There is an answer, and it even has a free option. Did you hear that people, free! I invite you to listen to what Baird Hall and the team at Wavve have created for people who produce longer-form audio content (like podcasters). It's a way that you can create bite-size pieces that people scrolling through their social media feed would actually want to listen to simply because it's so beautiful and eye-catching.
Tue, November 14, 2017
The 2017-2018 List of Podcast Directories Your Podcast MUST Be Listed In
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ I thought it was about time I did something REALLY helpful and did the research required to tell you exactly - step by step - how to submit your show to every conceivable place you can to increase your podcast’s reach. I’m talking about Podcast Directories, people! But the problem is this: every conceivable place is not always the BEST place (in my humble opinion). Why would I EVEN SAY such a thing? Two reasons: #1 - There are many options that require you to use their hosting/advertising/app/whatever-thingie-ma-bobber-they’re-hawking. So unless you are specifically looking for those kinds of opportunities, they’re not much use to you. #2 - Some of the directories out there don’t appear to be professionally done, which in my mind means it’s likely not truly advantageous for your show to be in them. So… THIS episode is a walk through of the many podcast directory-ish places you can list your show that I deemed were worth the time of doing so. And I should probably ALSO say… The list and instructions I’m about to share DO NOT contain sites that pull directly from Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes). Why? - Because if you submit to Apple Podcasts, you’ll automatically be included in those directories or apps. Which includes MOST IOS or Android podcast apps. Be it known… I have done EXACTLY what I’m telling you to do with all 3 of my podcasts. And will be referring BACK to this episode myself to submit all future podcasts I publish. And before we get too far into this … you can find EVERY directory I mention and the links and processes needed to submit to them, on the show notes page for this episode - www.PodcastFastTrack.com/79 - which is ALSO included in the description of your podcast app or player, in its entirety (as much as I have control over). And ANOTHER THING … These are in ALPHABETICAL ORDER for your sorting convenience... That’s enough of that kind of stuff - let’s get to the directories! LISTED ALPHABETICALLY Acast: Acast is a new app that claims to help podcasters with “discovery” issues (which is debated hotly in podcasting circles), but regardless, it’s a pretty cool and functional app. It includes 3 targets : Listeners - Podcasters - Advertisers. And it does include a hosting option for podcasters who are looking for something different. You can discover more about Acast at www.acast.com There are two ways to add y
Tue, November 07, 2017
Your Podcast Workflow: Optimize, Automate, and Outsource It, with Ari Meisel
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ How much thought have you given to your podcast workflow recently? That much, huh? ;) I've been thinking about mine a lot lately because I have found myself caught up in the minutiae instead of getting the important things in my life and business done. A workflow like it takes to produce a successful podcast can be very tedious to think through, so I wanted to talk to someone who can give me good tips on how to optimize it. Ari Meisel is that guy. If you’ve never heard of Ari you really need to listen to this episode so you can hear his story. An illness literally forced the guy into figuring out how to optimize, automate, and outsource the things in his life that needed to be done in order for him to be truly productive. And he has leveraged it for all it is worth. In this episode, we walk through the basics of what it means to optimize anything, how to take the next up from there to automate things that can be automated, and then as a last resort, outsource things to people who can take many of the remaining tasks off your hands. Yeah, I know, it sounds potentially expensive. But if you'll take the time to listen you'll learn how much of what Ari did when he first started doing it was absolutely free , and what wasn't free wasn't that expensive. So there you go… check out the outline below and give this episode a listen. Here’s a rough outline of this episode about optimizing your podcast workflow [1:28] Who is Ari Meisel? The story of how he was forced into optimizing his life [3:54] What it means to optimize and why it’s important for your podcast workflow [6:14] How to begin the optimization process for your workflow [8:12] What Ari means when he speaks of automation [10:22] How do you know when it’s time to outsource? [13:01] Ari’s podcasting career and his tips for optimizing his podcasting workflow [18:31] What Ari would do if he was starting a podcast all over from square 1 [21:20] What Ari’s doing now and how he can help you optimize your podcast workflow Your podcast workflow needs help, even if you don’t think it does. I have been podcasting for over 4 years now and I felt like I had my podcast workflow refined pretty well. But then I talked with Ari. Man, I was both discouraged and invigorated at the same time. There are so many pieces of my workflow that can be more effectively optimized or automated that I wasn't even aware of. I'm so glad we had this conversation and I believe you will be too - because it will show you what's possible when it comes to getting things off your plat
Tue, October 31, 2017
Want to Monetize a Podcast? Here Are Your Options
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ If I had a nickel for every time a client or potential client or random podcaster has asked me… How can I monetize a podcast? I wouldn’t need to monetize a podcast. It’s a natural question, I guess - there’s nothing wrong with making money from providing value to the world - and podcasts are some of the best vehicles for value-delivery I’ve ever seen. So heck yes, go ahead, monetize your podcast! You should if you can. But… it’s not quite that simple, is it? You can’t simply go out and monetize a podcast. You have to take a little time to figure out exactly what the options are, which one fits you and the purpose you have for your podcast, and so on and so forth and such and such. That’s exactly why I recorded this episode. My goal is to help you understand what I’ve seen as successful or potentially successful ways people have monetized their podcasts. I’m also going to be frank with you (or maybe I’ll be Joe this time) and let you know what I don’t like about each of the methods, what I do like about them, what the pitfalls may be, and whether or not that approach to monetization will make you rich or only pay for your weekly coffee. OK - coffee is more than a weekly expense, I get it . But you get my point, right? Here’s a rough outline of How to Monetize a Podcast [1:25] What do we mean when we talk about monetizing a podcast? [2:53] What are sponsorships? A fancy word for a commercial [8:01] Have you thought about hawking affiliate products to your listeners? [12:16] What would happen if you had a patron (or many of them) support your podcast? [14:24] Could make a membership community for your listeners (and charge for it)? [18:41] YOUR podcast should definitely feature YOUR resources If you want to Monetize your podcast, FIRST focus on delivering value When we talk about monetizing anything we’re talking about making money from it. I hope that’s not too unrefined for you sensitive types, but it’s the truth. You’re trying to figure out a way you can ask people for money in exchange for the value you’re delivering to them - in this case, your incredible podcast content (for example). That means you’ve got to be providing them the VALUE side of that equation. You owe it to your podcast audience NOT to fill their ears with fluff. It’s the people who throw together some quick and dirty (and useless) PDF download piece of junk who give all of us a bad name. Don’t be that girl or guy. Make your offer something worth having. And now that we’ve got THAT out of the way… Idea #1 to monetize your podcast: Sponsorships Whenever I hear people talking about monetization of their podcast,
Tue, October 24, 2017
How to Use Long-Tail Keywords to Get Your Podcast Found
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcasters tend to love their gadgets - microphones (dynamic or condenser), digital recorders (Zoom H6 or the Tascam DP-006) - and more. What we’re not typically very good at is learning and doing the stuff that gets our podcast found by those who are looking for the things we talk about. But if what you have to say is important enough for… You to say it, and Others to listen to what you have to say… I’d say it’s worth you learning and doing the work to let them know it’s there. Do you follow? That means you’ve got to learn the strategies for show notes creation and titling of your podcast episodes that make them “findable.” One of the most powerful ways you can do that is by learning about the use of long tail keywords . This episode is about that. Here’s a rough outline of this episode about using LONG TAIL KEYWORDS… [2:07] What IS a long tail keyword? Here’s an example for you... [5:57] Why optimizing your show notes pages for long tail keywords is important [9:19] There is a downside to a long tail keyword approach [13:19] Keyword research works - but it takes work. Are you willing to do it? [15:32] My terrible pun about the long and short of it on this long tail keyword episode What do I mean by Long Tail Keywords? Don’t let the name throw you off. It’s not some kind of creature from Lord of The Rings. Long Tail keywords mean a keyword that somebody may be searching for on Google, Bing, or Yahoo that is longer than a simple, one word keyword. Here’s the example I use in this episode... Home Based business = a typical keyword Home based Business for Single Moms = a LONG TAIL KEYWORD Do you see the difference? A long tail keyword is going to target a more SPECIFIC search, something more detailed and niched-in. In this episode I give a bit more detail - so you should listen - but suffice it to say that when you use a long tail keyword you’re trying to appeal to a specific person, searching for a specific thing, because you have a specific thing to say about that specific thing. Huh? It’s really not all that confusing, is it? Real quick, before we move on to why long tail keywords are important, I should clarify… Long tail keywords matter when applied to sites or pages where a typical search engine (bing, Google, Yahoo) can find the page. So we are NOT talking about Apple Podcasts descriptions (formerly iTunes). But we ARE talking about… The show notes page on your website The episode listing <a href="http:
Wed, October 18, 2017
How High Quality Backlinks Can Get You More Podcast Listeners
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ If you are not familiar with the term “backlinks,” you’re about to be . ;) I have come to believe that backlinks (among other traditional SEO best-practices ) are among the most powerful ways you can get new listeners. This episode is aimed at teaching you the WHAT, WHY, AND HOW of that statement. Interested? I thought you might be. Here’s a rough outline of this HIGH QUALITY BACKLINKS episode… [2:18] What IS a backlink and why are they important? (An example) [5:08] How your guests are a powerful win-win source for backlinks [8:27] The obvious ways podcasters can create backlinks (websites for resources) [10:05] Email to people who write about your topic(s) [13:03] It takes 3 things you don’t see in ample supply these days: time, know-how, consistency Backlinks - what are they? Every time you surf the internet you see backlinks. You probably just don’t know that’s what they are called. A backlink is any link from a website YOU DO NOT OWN that points back to your website. Let that sink it for a minute. A link, somewhere else on the internet, pointing to your site. That means when I place a link right here to Josh’s incredible podcast recording tool, Zencastr , I just gave him a backlink. You need to get those for yourself , pointing to your website, your podcast episodes, your about page, anything on your site that’s worth pointing to. But backlinks are on someone else’s site! How can I control what THEY do? I get it, other people have to agree to link to your website. But here’s what you need to realize: Very few people will link to your podcast website if you don’t ask them. And there are ways you can ask for those backlinks that are not smarmy, spammy, awkward, or otherwise untoward. I promise. It can be done without sounding like a “Hey, gimme, gimme, gimme!” thing. On this episode I give you a number of ways to do it - including the kind of verbiage you can use to reach out to other people and persuade them to link to your site. In this episode I mention a guy named Neil Patel (there’s a backlink for Neil) who is an SEO expert and who shares all kinds of generous stuff about how to rank in Google. The article he wrote about gaining backlinks (linked below in the resources) is packed with things you can do to get backlinks regularly. In f
Mon, September 04, 2017
Podcast Promotion: A Deep Dive into Content Marketing for Podcasting
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcast promotion is a hot topic these days... but do you see it as a form of content marketing? Everybody (naturally) wants more eyes on their show’s cool cover art and more ears listening to their show. But I have to give you the hard truth about podcast promotion. There’s no silver bullet . There probably never will be. Like anything else in life that’s worth doing, you have to dedicate yourself to learning how to do it well. You don’t get returns without investment. You don’t get crops without planting seeds and cultivating them. You don’t get bulging muscles without some kind of exercise routine. And you don’t get huge download numbers without some kind of dedicated, well-planned promotion of your show. This episode is a deep-dive into content marketing for podcast promotion. Here’s a rough outline of Podcast Promotion as Content Marketing… [1:30] We all need to know how to promote our podcasts well. [2:36] Why podcast promotion is closely related to content marketing. [4:00] The 3 main goals most podcasters have - and why they matter. [6:22] The benefits of viewing your podcast as content marketing. [10:34] Understand: content marketing takes a while to work well. [16:30] Why I recommend written show note summaries rather than transcripts. [20:55] The power of truly great content: and how “lazy” has no place. [26:40] The power of offsite content marketing. [36:50] The key parts of an effective, well-planned content marketing strategy. [41:08] What we know from the history of promoting online resources. My assumption is this: Your podcast is content - great content. Therefore the principles and best-practices that have been learned in the content marketing realm apply to the promotion of your podcast. In this episode I give you the full-scoop as I understand it right now (Sept. 2017) and will continue to do so on future episodes. This stuff is important - and it changes all the time. But one fact remains constant , no matter what changes... resources we talked about in this episode Dave Jackson Show notes that work (episode that tells you everything you need to do) Episod
Thu, July 27, 2017
Updates to iTunes Tags: What Podcasters Need To Know
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ OK, it’s July of 2017 and the powers that be over at Apple have announced that the next version of their software (IOS 11) will introduce a few updated iTunes tags . You may not even know what a “tag” is. :) That’s OK - that’s why I’m publishing this episode. iTunes tags are simply some pieces of data that you are able to add to your podcast OR to each episode (depending on what tag we’re talking about) that enables you to communicate to the iTunes software and store, about your episodes and show, more effectively. That was confusing. Let me say it this way… Now, you get to tell the iTunes store team/software some details about your podcast and its episodes. You do that by using these iTunes tags. There. That was better. So how do you access or use these new iTunes tags? That’s the obvious question, right? So I’m glad you asked it. ;) In most cases these tags will be available for you wherever you host your media (Blubrry, Libsyn, Spreaker, Podbean, etc.). In some cases, they won’t be supported by your media host - in which case I’d say RUN DON’T WALK from that media host. With Apple being the “big dog” in the podcasting industry any host worth its salt should be keeping pace with what they are doing. If they aren’t, then they are a wanna’ be that probably never will be. That’s just MY take on it. Anyway, inside your reputable media host, you’ll find options for these new tags that iTunes has made available And what about podcatchers or podcast players OTHER than Apple’s? This announcement will also impact the way many of the non-Apple podcasting apps out there operate. Some of those apps will offer support for these new iTunes tags - some may not. So… you can decide if that matters to you from a listener perspective. Regardless, I cover this a bit toward the end of the episode. On this episode about iTunes tags I’m going to… Walk you through each of the new iTunes tags Tell you what iTunes intends them for Provide some scenarios for how you might use them Give you a few tips or cautions about each (I’ve already been using them) And explain why they are important (or not) - in each case. So there you have it - the summary of what I’ll be talking about on this episode. Start listening or use the time-stamped outline below to go directly to the section you are most interested in learning about. And go make it a PODCASTIFICATING day! Here’s a rough outline of this 7/2017 iTunes tag
Mon, July 10, 2017
I’m The Poster Child of Terrible Podcast Episodes… But You Knew That, Didn’t You?
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Talk about a TERRIBLE PODCAST EPISODE - episode 70 of this podcast was it …. And it had NOTHING to do with my guest, Dave Jackson . Dave was incredible (as always). It had to do with the EPIC FAIL I did on the edits for that episode. You may not be aware of the fail at this point (I’ve since replaced it). :) But believe me - it was bad. But I also want you to learn from my mistakes. The episode was so terrible because of one simple thing: I stepped away from my normal podcast production process. I was in a hurry. I was already feeling a bit impatient with the time it was taking me to finish up my edits and write my show notes. I wasn’t in good place, mentally. And it was in the midst of that messed up mindset that I made the conscious decision to produce a terrible podcast episode. No, I didn’t think of it that way at the time - you never do! But shortcuts lead to flub-ups - as I’ve so aptly demonstrated. I can’t say it enough - to you and to myself - stick with your process, no matter how long it takes. The process you’ve devised is there for a reason, to keep you from producing terrible podcast episodes. If I had simply ignored the negative, lazy, impatient voices in my head and pressed on, this episode of the podcast would never have been necessary. BUT - I trust that God had something good to come out of it, which means this episode of the podcast is likely EXACTLY what you needed to hear (and what I need to be reminded of). Isn’t that a cool way to think of it? OK, enough of my blather and drivel… go ahead and listen. Here’s a rough outline of the terrible podcast episode [1:32] The terrible podcast I produced (and how it got past me) [3:05] What should you do when you discover your podcast episodes are messed up? [5:09] Mistakes are going to happen. You are going to have terrible podcast episodes. [6:00] Did you know you can go back and fix files you’re already published? [7:13] Don’t take yourself so seriously. You’re not THAT important. Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Mon, July 03, 2017
How YOU Can Be The Trusted Resource Your Listeners Are Looking For
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Are you podcasting as a content marketing move? You know, trying to become the trusted resource in your niche that your listeners turn to for help and advice? I think that’s a good plan. A VERY good plan. But I don’t see a lot of podcasters actually pulling it off effectively. There’s only so much you can benefit personally from interviewing OTHER experts, you know? At some point YOU have got to step out there - YOU have got to let your audience know what you know - and how it can help them. YOU have got to become that trusted resource you’re really wanting to be. Did you get that? YOU have got to BE that trusted resource. This episode of Podcastification is brief, but I think it could be the very thing that could help you position yourself to be that resource for your listeners that they’ve been looking for . Seriously. That’s not an overstatement or smarmy marketing-talk. It’s what I truly believe. I originally learned this idea from a guy named James Schramko (who has NO idea who I am) simply by listening to his podcast. He did this well - and is what put the idea on my radar. I believe once you hear this idea and take the time to think it through - and push down your insecurity and fear about putting yourself in the spotlight - you’re going to see that I’m right . That James is right. That a handful of other podcasters are right. Including one of my clients who I use as an example on this episode. So… get ready to discover a new way to podcast . Well… it’s not a new way, but it’s new to many of you, I know. Just listen. Here’s a rough outline of this episode on being the trusted resource… [1:28] What’s your true REASON for podcasting in the first place? [3:43] Where I first got the idea for making YOURSELF the trusted resource. [7:03] A shining example of a client of mine who did this right. [10:38] How you can get me to help you. Seriously. resources we talked about in this episode Superfast Business with James Schramko Odell’s podcast - Beyond the Whistle with Odell McCants Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PodcastFastTrack/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blan
Tue, June 27, 2017
Stop Worrying About Downloads and Make Great Podcasts, with Dave Jackson
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There are a lot of great podcasts - and none of them just happened or got that way overnight. There’s lots of tweaking involved (that IS the technical term). You’ve got to pivot, iterate, try stuff in order to get things just right. But sadly, most beginning podcasters don’t start with great content. Instead, they start with trying to accomplish great downloads, or hitting the New & Noteworthy list, or some other such nonsense. My guest today has seen it all - including THOSE people who want the big bang at the start with no work to support it or make their podcast great. Dave Jackson is the man. He’s the President Emeritus of the School of Podcasting - the Pod-step-father - the Principle over at the School of Podcasting . Dave Jackson is one of those guys who’s like a breath of fresh air… OK, maybe more like a guy who’s a breath of slightly-less-stuffy air than I’m used to. The reason? He calls himself “The Worst Salesman for Podcasting,” but that’s EXACTLY why I like him so much. He’s not afraid to tell it like it is. So get ready to hear Dave bring it, on this episode. And if you listen closely right around 31:02 you’ll hear a surprise cameo appearance by the newest hairy podcast host on the airwaves - Bernie the Cat. Thanks for being on the show, Dave. Here’s a rough outline of TOPIC OR GUEST… [2:17] Who is this Dave Jackson guy? [3:45] What Dave did because he didn’t want to miss the boat. [11:50] The 3-year approach to building your podcast. [14:43] What IS really a good size for a podcast audience? [19:16] Why you need to focus ONLY on making your show great. [26:49] Bizarre experiences Dave has had because of his podcast. [31:02] A surprise cameo appearance from Bernie the cat! [31:05] Getting to know your audience by hanging out with them. resources we talked about in this episode www.SchoolofPodcasting.com Adam Curry , the “PodFather” www.NewandNoteworthy.info - Dave’s site about N&N Special Mouse podcast Steve Martin’s Comedy Master Class BOOK: <a href="https://www.amaz
Tue, June 20, 2017
In Search of the Best Way to Record an Interview, with Mark Hills of Cleanfeed
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com Interviews, interviews, interviews. I don’t know the stats but I bet a vast majority of podcasts out there are interview-format shows. And it seems like a trouble-free solution for recording long-distance conversations - which is what most interviewers have to resort to - has not been created yet. But... I think we’re getting closer to a great way to record interviews. On this episode, I’m going to introduce you to a new friend, Mark Hills. He and his co-creator (also named Marc) hail from the UK and come from a radio industry background. In their minds, for live radio, connections simply have to work - and they’ve been working on an internet-based solution for both broadcasting high-quality audio from remote locations, AND recording it. Here’s where this radio industry solution becomes of GREAT interest to us podcasters. I invite you to join Mark and me as we chat about the tool they’ve created - Cleanfeed. It’s still in beta but looks very promising. But more important than hearing our banter - which gets into the details of how Cleanfeed works to record high-quality audio - you need to actually HEAR this episode because we recorded it using Cleanfeed. Mark was using a laptop with an XLR microphone and an audio interface that was plugged into his computer. I used a USB microphone, directly into my computer. Sound familiar? It should because those are two of the most common ways podcasters connect to their computers for EXACTLY this kind of use. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of audio Cleanfeed provides and the possibilities it affords for podcasting. But be warned - it IS still in beta and has glitches now and then. But Mark and Marc are working on them continually. And the best part is that Mark has committed to always have a fairly full-featured version of Cleanfeed available for FREE. Yes, free. Have I got your attention? OK - it’s time to listen! Here’s a rough outline of TOPIC OR GUEST… [2:56] What is Cleanfeed? [4:39] How a broadcast radio background led to the creation of Cleanfeed. [15:59] Cleanfeed is now in beta stage. What are the plans for the software? [21:12] What the Cleanfeed interface looks like and how it works. resources we talked about in this episode www.Cleanfeed.net The Cleanfeed blog - http://blog.cleanfeed.net/ Skype <a href="http://ringr.com/pft" rel="noopener
Tue, June 13, 2017
Podcast Setup For Beginners. Seriously, Anyone Can Do This
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ If you’ve ever wondered how technical and complicated it is to get a podcast setup - I’ve recorded this episode to simply say (and demonstrate) - not very. Seriously. I think anyone with half a brain and can follow instructions can easily set up their own podcast, begin recording, post it on the internet, get it submitted to the directories and be LIVE within a week. It’s not a promise because it depends on you, but I’m confident it can and does happen. In fact, I’m confident it WILL happen because of this episode. If it does happen for you, I’d love to hear about it. Your podcast setup doesn’t have to be technically complicated. I know it’s the tech stuff that intimidates most people when they think about starting their own podcast. But the getting started part is really not as difficult as you imagine. It’s simply the unknown (which often looks bigger than it really is) that is making you feel that way. You can do this. I know you can. I’ve done it three times simply by following tutorials I found on the internet - and here’s the cool thing - I’ve learned how to do it without those tutorials and am able to teach YOU how to do it now. Which is what I’m doing on this episode of Podcastification. Do you have a message or body of knowledge or form of entertainment you want to get out there Why not start a podcast? I want to help you do it - on this episode. And there’s absolutely nothing in it for me - except the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to help you. So start at the beginning, pause, take notes, use the resources listed below, whatever it takes to walk you through this step by step - DO IT. You can have a podcast up and running by the end of the month. Granted, it will be basic - but it will be YOURS. You can do this! The highlights of this podcast setup episode [1:37] Why I think I can teach you basic podcast setup for free - and be just as effective. [2:35] The importance of having something valuable to say - and what that really means. [4:03] Before you setup your podcast you need to know who it is you are talking to, specifically. [6:52] Determining the equipment you’re going to use to record. [11:54] How you can determine topics for your episodes. [17:58] The most frustrating part of the process is the actual recording. [22:15] What is a media host and why do you need one? [27:02] Getting your new podcast submitted to directories like iTunes (Apple Podcasts). [31:58] If you’re podcasting and nobody hears it, did you really say anything? [38:21] And finally: how do you record someone else in an interview format? resources we talked about in t
Mon, June 05, 2017
Grow Your Podcast Via Your Own Custom App, with Rob Walch
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ You want to grow your podcast. I want to grow My podcast(s). There’s no question that we all want to reach a broader audience. That’s part of why we podcast in the first place - we have something to share that we believe will help people. So… there are always new things to learn when it comes to promotion, marketing, building an audience, and so forth and such and such. BUT - BUT - BUT - there are some things that I BET you have not considered when it comes to growing the audience for your podcast. What is that mysterious thing? (Yes, I know - you’ve already seen it in the show, but it’s so much fun to say “mysterious,” don’t you think? Or is that just hype-y?). It’s apps. A custom app. For your podcast. For you to provide free of charge to your audience. It’s possible. It’s affordable, and it’s something you should consider yesterday. So - on this episode of Podcastification Rob Walch is my guest again - who is, by the way, the most-frequently-appearing guest on this show. He’s a pretty gracious guy to put up with all of my shenanigans, don’t you think? He’s got the Libsyn solution to the app need to tell us all about - so you can hear what they’ve got for you and your audience, on this episode. You can have your own membership site - right on your listener’s phone! This episode is mainly about audience growth - but there are other aspects to having an app for your podcast that are incredibly powerful. One of the options that THIS humble podcaster thinks is incredibly powerful is to use the app to provide “member only” content to special subscribers (those who pay for the additional content). Libsyn has it all set up for you, takes care of the payment, and handles all the tech issues. It’s pretty incredible and a way that you can make money off your podcast that you likely haven’t thought about. So… what are you waiting for? Listen to this episode to find out more! People who don’t know about podcasting can be added to your podcast audience. An app is a very cool way to find people who are totally, rabidly, incredibly interested in the things you talk about - but do NOT listen to podcasts. Here’s a scenario: Somebody is interested in underwater basket weaving (which happens to be what YOU podcast about. Come on… work with me, here). They get it into their noggin that there might be a pretty cool underwater basket weaving app in the IOS or Google Play store. So they go looking. And guess what? They enter the keyword “underwater basket weaving” and they find YOUR podcast app. They don’t know about podcasting, but it’s an app - and they know about that. So they download it, listen, read, check out whatever you’re offering via your app. And Walah! You’ve just discovered another way to grow your podcast. Find out
Mon, May 29, 2017
Podcast Production Tips, Mistakes, and Funny Client Stories, with Steve Stewart
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcast production gets easier as you do it more. Naturally, right? That’s at least part of the reason I thought it might be helpful for YOU, the listener, to hear from a couple of guys who, between the two of us (and our teams), probably have our hands on over 100 episodes per week. We’ve learned a few things about podcast production (much of it the hard way) and would love it if you did NOT repeat our mistakes. Funny stuff happens during podcast production. Here’s some proof. But I also thought there might be some VERY FUNNY stories we could tell on/about our clients, their guests, and the tech nightmares we’ve seen happen. And I wasn’t wrong about that. There are some truly funny moments in this episode. So, on this episode I welcome my guest Steve Stewart - he’s a peach of a guy (whatever that means to you… unless it means something dirty to you… in which case I retract the statement entirely). You’ll like Steve’s approach to editing, his ability to tell a story, and will also get some great tips from the guy to boot! And I throw in a couple of stories and tips of my own as well. So… will you join us? We’d like to podcastificate you. It won’t hurt, honest. In fact, you might find you like it. ;) Here’s an overview of the podcast production tips Steve and I covered… [1:30] A thumbnail sketch of the amazing Steve Stewart, esquire. OK, he’s not an esquire - but he IS a cool guy. [4:26] Ways you can BETTER help your guest make a better recording (and bring their best game) - INCLUDING microphone options. [14:57] The things you notice when your EDITOR BRAIN kicks in (it can be ugly). [17:26] The things podcasters do that EDITORS LOVE! [20:53] My crazy story of the whining dad trying to control his kid who interrupted his recording. [24:16] If you don’t want to miss things in your podcast production workflow, you NEED a process checklist (bullet point outline). [32:54] The 3 biggest pain points in a podcaster’s life - and Skype nightmares! [43:42] Do you use too much DATED COMMENTARY in your podcast? [48:43] How you can get in touch with the incredible Steve Stewart. resources we talked about in this episode www.SteveStewart.me www.AudacityWorkshop.com Podcast Editors Facebook Group <a href="https://www.amazon.com/PR-40-Dynamic-Studio-Recording-Microphone/dp/B000SOYOTQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_bla
Tue, May 23, 2017
How to Stay Encouraged On Your Podcasting Journey, with Rob Greenlee
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ It is hard to stay encouraged in any pursuit in life - simply because discouraging things come up against your efforts. I’ve found podcasting to be that way - IN SPADES! There seem to be so many things - from the rest of life to the technology hurdles - that make it hard to stay consistent and encouraged when it comes to keeping your show alive and the vision you first had for it front and center. That’s why I invited a podcasting veteran to be on the show today. And he’s not just a veteran, he’s like the Grand-Daddy-Grand-Poobah of podcasting. I’m talking about Rob Greenlee - a guy who was doing podcasting before it was podcasting. Seriously, you need to hear his story to see how that was even possible. It’s all on this episode. I want you to stay encouraged, because you have great things to publish on your podcast. On this episode of Podcastification, Rob Greenlee digs into the archives of his past to share some of the most discouraging and difficult things he faced in those early years - and he follows it up with sage advice for those of us who are coming behind him on the podcasting journey. His advice about how to stay encouraged is practical, down to earth, and stuff you can implement right away, so be sure you take the time to hear what he’s got to say. Rob’s track record proves that he truly cares about you being the success we all know you can be! How Microsoft shut down podcasting WAY before Apple came along. One of the most interesting little bits of trivia Rob Greenlee shared on this episode is a little-known fact about podcasting from the history of a mega-company that is not even remotely associated with podcasting today - Microsoft. Listen in to hear how Microsoft had all the technology in place to make podcasting simple and possible for the average person and then made the decision to pull the plug on it entirely. Oops! You’ll get a kick out of it - and learn a lesson or two from Rob along the lines of - where your mindset is, your actions will follow! Outline of this conversation about staying encouraged [2:09] Rob’s experience with podcasting before it was podcasting. Yep. [5:36] How Rob’s passion for marketing led him to podcasting. [10:44] The obstacles and discouragement Rob faced and how he pushed through them. [13:41] How do you carve out the time to produce a quality podcast? [20:20] The things Rob has seen that most commonly sidetrack podcasters. [26:11] Rob’s role at Spreaker - and what Spreaker is. [28:34] Advice for fairly new podcasters to endure the slog. [31:43] How to determine if your podcast is bringing the ROI you want. [34:28] Why podcasting needs to be seen as a marathon, not a sprint. resou
Mon, May 08, 2017
A Hack For Making Better Connections With Your Listeners
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com The better your connections with your listeners - the better your connection with the EXACT people who can propel your podcast and brand forward. Just think about the way people feel connected to Apple or Southwest Airlines, or Tom’s Shoes - those things don’t happen by accident. And YOU have the opportunity to make it EASIER and MORE CONVENIENT for your listening audience to connect with you… and I’m going to tell you a way that you can do it, on this episode of Podcastification. What I cover on this episode about making better connections: [2:03] Using the description portion of podcast apps to your (and your listener’s) advantage. [6:49] Where do you put all your cool information? This needs some explaining... [9:31] Do you know what feed you fed to iTunes? [12:15] Where do you post all your cool info that will help you make better connections with your audience ? [14:54] My best practices for what to post in your description (but make up your own mind). [19:40] Timestamps can be VERY useful to your listeners. Here’s how to include them. [21:22] Images can help your listeners trust you more. Talk about better connections! Trust is what you want! [23:09] Help your not-so-savvy listeners know HOW they can use your resources (it’s called marketing). [24:59] Helping your listeners help you (and them). Do you know what feed you fed to iTunes? If you’re going to make full use of the process I describe in this episode to better connect with your listeners, you’re going to need where your podcast feed is coming from. What? You don’t know what a podcast feed, is? That’s OK - I’ll tell you on this episode. But MORE IMPORTANTLY, I’m going to tell you exactly how to DISCOVER where your podcast feed is coming from and make use of that information to best effect. Sounds like a super-secret-government-conspiracy. But it’s not. It’s just learning the tech that is at your disposal to give yourself more opportunities to build better connections with your listening audience. What is the point of making better connections with your listeners? Whether or not you are using your podcast to generate money or not, if you think about the connections you make with your listeners from a marketing perspective, I think you will easily see why it's vital that you get this right. Your listeners are not just leads for whatever you are promoting, they are hot leads. They have self-selected to listen to your show and to receive counsel from you as their expert. That means they are chomping at the bit to receive your advice, apply it, and possibly even purchase whatever you create. And they are more likely to take that final step if they know, like, and trust you.
Mon, May 01, 2017
The Art & Skill of Great Conversations With Your Podcast Guests
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com One of the reasons we do interviews at all is because we want the value a great conversation can bring to our show. But there’s both an art and a skill to pulling it off. I’ve learned - through a lot of mistakes and by watching others - that there are some very practical things you can do in order to turn the odds of having great conversations with your guests in your favor. That’s what this episode of Podcastification is all about - my lessons-learned. [2:21] Why you need to show up on time and get off on the right foot. There is never a second-chance to make a first impression - so you want to be sure you NAIL things when you first connect with your guest in person. That means being professional and respecting their time by showing up on time when you said you would. But that’s just one piece of making your conversation truly great. And you’re in luck - I’m going to walk you through those issues, as I see them, on this episode. [4:02 ] Pre-recording small-talk. It’s a valuable thing. I’ve been on a number of podcasts myself as a guest and I’m often surprised at how LITTLE small-talk goes on before some of those conversations. The host doesn’t take time to truly get to know me, understand what’s important to me, or find out how they can best highlight what I’ve got to share in order to be of the greatest value to their audience. I prefer to go another way. In this episode, I’m walking you through what I try to do with each guest to make for great conversations that my audience actually enjoys listening to. I hope you take the time to listen. [6:27] My pre-recording checklist - and why I go through it WITH my guest. If you don’t have a pre-recording checklist that you use every single time you do a podcast interview, you are probably making the same minor mistakes over and over again. I’ve learned that I can’t trust my brain to remember everything, every time - so I have created a checklist for myself to ensure that the important stuff is not overlooked. So… if you want to hear what I include on my checklist, I’m happy to share it - and I do on this episode. [16:25] Once you hit the “record” button - don’t start your conversation just yet. I know you’re eager to get started with that great conversation with your ideal guest - but once you hit the record button, don’t launch into your interview questions just yet. There are a few very small but very key things you need to do to ensure that your conversation actually makes it on-air in the way you are envisioning. It’s part of what makes great conversations as impactful as they can be, so don’t miss this important step! [18:12] How to have great conversations with your guests? Focus on the emotion. <br
Mon, April 24, 2017
How To Get Your Podcast Guest Ready For Your Show
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com In the last episode of Podcastification I gave you my best tips on getting that ideal podcast guest to say “Yes” to your invitation to be your show. Today I’m going to take you to the next step. What do you do once a guest has agreed to be on your show? Are there things you can do to help them prepare, make the most of the opportunity, and get the best recording possible? Is the Pope Catholic? On this episode we’ll be covering a TON of helpful things you can do to make the guest at home on your show, ready to give their best, and able to help YOU promote and publicize it powerfully. [2:43] Step 1: Get the info you need to make it a great interview. Your podcast guest is just that - YOUR GUEST. You need to practice some good old fashioned hospitality and help them do their very best on your show. It’s your responsibility to bring out the great value they can deliver to your audience - and that starts with helping them to help you as you prepare for the conversation. This episode has some very practical tips and tools to help you set up an efficient system that enables your guest to EASILY give you the info you need and set the stage for a great interview and a powerful promotional effort on both your parts. [6:49] The kinds of things you NEED from your podcast guest (stuff to ask for). [15:38] What kind of instructions does your podcast guest need? Whether your podcast guest has ever been interviewed for a podcast before or not, they’ve never been on YOUR show before, right? You have particular things you do and specific things you’re looking to get out of your interviewees - and your guest knows nothing about those. On this episode I’m going to help you think through the things your guest needs to know in order to bring their A-game to your conversation, optimize their side of the recording for great audio, and make it an enjoyable and valuable experience for your listeners. [19:18] Why it’s good to provide your podcast guests with a “best practice” sheet. It’s a great idea to provide your podcast guests with a sheet of some kind that they can keep for easy reference that tells them the best practices for being on your show. What sort of things should go on that list? Here’s a short-list: and you can hear them broken down in detail on this episode of Podcastification. Emphasize that you want to promote them in best light possible. Tell them you will go over some of this again briefly when you connect. Ask them to plan to record in a quiet setting with a low amount of echo. Encourage them to be mindful of sitting still (no activity, driving, treadmill). Let them know to use a hard-wired computer connection (not wifi). <li
Mon, April 17, 2017
How to Get The Influencer In Your Niche To Be Your Podcast Guest
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com What is the best way to reach out to influencers and guests you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to be on your podcast? In this series I’m going to walk you through everything from reaching out to guests to the practical parts of how you get the conversation scheduled, what you can do to make it easy for them to say “Yes” to you, and the promotion and follow-up that needs to happen all along the way. If you want to reach out to influencers effectively, I suggest you take the time to listen to this episode. [2:58] Dream big! Create a list of the influencers you would LOVE to have on your podcast. If you don’t know who you would like to have as a stellar guest on your podcast then you’re never going to reach out to them. You’ve got to think outside the realm of reality to dream a little. What does that mean? You’ll hear my version of getting outside the box of current reality in this section of the episode. You’re going to be challenged to step outside your comfort zone for the sake of growth - to put you into a place of risk and opportunity all at the same time. [6:16] Do your homework about your guests. Homework. In school, I HATED homework. But when it comes to life, business, etc. you’ve got to work hard to create the reality you want. So, as you look at the bullet point list of ideal influencers you want to have as a guest on your podcast, you need to understand exactly why that person is a fit for your audience. You need to know exactly why that guest would bring great value to your show. [8:45] Focus on the benefit it will be to YOUR GUEST to appear on your podcast. Once you understand WHO is the best guest to have on your podcast you have to begin to craft the correspondence you’re going to send to them that invites them to be a guest on your podcast. You need to do this in a way that makes it obvious that you want to add value to what they are doing. In short, you want to help them. Your outreach to influencers in your niche has to be aimed at benefitting those you’re reaching out to. It’s called relationship marketing, it’s called SOCIAL sales - and you’ll get a lot more traction when you approach it that way. I’m walking through the mindset and the practice of doing this well, on this episode. [17:17] How are you practically going to connect with the influencer in your space? When it comes to reaching out to those who are the influencers in your niche, what’s the best way to reach out to them? Email? A contact form? Social media? A phone call? There are LOTS of options but are there specific ways that are better than others? Yes, there are. What are they? My answer is that “it depends.” You knew that was coming, didn’t you? :) On this episode I’m going to unpack that answer to help you think through what it will take to reach those who will bri
Mon, April 10, 2017
Podcast Statistics: What Matters, What Doesn’t, with Rob Walch of Libsyn
www.Podcastification.com Podcast statistics can be one of two things - incredibly intimidating or incredibly intoxicating. Which is it for you? Since there’s so much ignorance and plain old misinformation out there about stats for your podcast I thought I’d invite Rob Walch, V.P. of Podcaster Relations at Libsyn (affiliate) to be on the podcast to tell us the TRUTH about stats. In this conversation we talk about download numbers, what they mean and where they come from, how they impact your iTunes ranking, whether New and Noteworthy is impacted by downloads, myths about podcast statistics, deep level stats and how to use them, Twitter bombing, and more. As always, it’s an entertaining conversation with Rob. You only have to listen to the beginning teaser to figure that one out! [5:06] Checking your stats multiple times a day? You’ve got a problem. ;) There are addictions of all kinds - and podcast statistics can be one of those. On this episode Rob tells us the kind of responses he gets from people when the Libsyn stats system is in maintenance mode for a few hours, why he thinks it’s unhealthy and unproductive for you to check your stats more than once a week, and how you can do that weekly checkup most effectively. It’s worth listening to whether you're the addict or apathetic. I guarantee you’ll learn something. [12:20] How do you REALLY get into the iTunes New and Noteworthy listing? And does it matter? There are tons of theories out there about how you can get your show into the iTunes New and Noteworthy section. But very few of them even hint at the REAL way your show can get into N&N. And it doesn’t really have to do with your podcast stats. Honest. Rob Walch speaks to the issue on this episode and clarifies the kind of “bump” to your downloads you might see if you do happen to get into N&N, and why it’s not what you really need to be focused on. [21:04] Common myths about podcast statistics - and what the truth is. [23:55] Geography, traffic sources, technology: Do those stats matter for your podcast? Libsyn and most other podcast media hosts are going to provide some pretty details statistics for your show. But do you know how to use them? There is a ton of insight in your stats dashboard and on this episode Rob shares how to interpret them and gives some practical examples of how to use them to make more money and understand exactly where you need to improve to gain more listeners. [39:58] What IS twitter bombing and why does it mess up your stats? resources we talked about in this episode You can reach Rob Walch at Rob@Libsyn.com Libsyn (affiliate)
Tue, March 28, 2017
How To Find And Book Qualified Podcast Guests
HTTP://WWW.PODCASTFASTTRACK.COM If you do an interview-based podcast you know the headache of booking qualified podcast guests. The internet (and the world, for that matter) is a very big place. How do you find, connect with, and book the people who your audience will benefit from the most? On this episode, I’m going to tell you how I recommend my clients do this - and I’m going to explain WHY I do. In the end, it’s up to YOU to provide the best content you can to your podcast listeners, and this could be the missing step you need. [2:01] Why you MUST research your podcast guests. There are many people you COULD invite to be a guest on your podcast. But there are only a handful that you SHOULD extend the invitation to. It’s your job to search out that handful of experts who will be of the greatest benefit to your audience. On this episode, I’m going to explain to you what it really means to do your homework when it comes to reaching out to potential guests for your podcast and tell you some slightly easier ways to go about it. [4:54] Focus on your podcast guests and benefits to THEM. Every person you invite to be a guest on your show has their own goals and dreams that they are trying to fulfill. When you contact them to ask if they will be on your podcast, they are trying to figure out if doing so will help them fulfill those goals and dreams. On this episode, I’m going to tell you how you can help them make that decision by inviting them in a way that focuses on THEM instead of on you and your listeners. This tip alone could amplify the quality of your podcast guests if you will apply it. [5:45] Potential guests for your podcast will be more likely to accept your invite if you do this… Want to know the one thing that can make all the difference to a potential podcast guest saying “Yes” instead of “No”? Here it is: You’ve got to give them the opportunity to accomplish everything they would hope might happen by being on your show. That means helping them promote things they want to promote, giving them the opportunity to reach out to your audience and more. Find out what it takes to get the best guests for your podcast AND make it worth their time to be on your show, on this episode. Who knows, you might also build some lasting relationships with professionals and experts in your field in the process. resources we talked about in this episode Interview Valet My conversation with Tom from Interview Valet www.InterviewCo
Mon, March 20, 2017
How To Avoid Technical Glitches When You Record Interviews
Do you record interviews with guests for your podcast? Have you ever run into a situation where something goes wrong with the connection? Skype crashes. The voice of your guest is delayed. Every other word is a stuttering nightmare. It’s not uncommon and it’s not something you can always correct. But there are things you can do ahead of time to make the likelihood of technical problems less when you record interviews. That’s what this quick-and-to-the-point episode of Podcastification is all about. [2:49] Three words: or two if you are a pro-hyphen person: Hard-wired connection. We’re so used to using wifi for everything it’s hard sometimes to remember that there is another (better) alternative. If you can at all arrange for your computer to be connected directly into your router via an ethernet cable, you’ll do away with some possible points of weakness in your interview recording setup. You won’t be sharing bandwidth with other devices in your home, microwave ovens, cordless landline phones, or anything else. You’ll have a dedicated connection that goes DIRECTLY into your internet service that will make things a lot more stable when you record interviews. [4:51] When you’re recording interviews, do you REALLY need those programs open? One of the things I run into during my workday is that the longer I’ve been working, the more tabs or browser windows or programs I have open on my computer. It’s great to have them available so easily, but when it comes to recording interviews over a distance (Skype, Ringr, etc.) those open windows can be a possible failure point. On this episode, I walk you through the “why” behind the issue and give you some suggestions you should consider, including the most common problem programs that work in the background and disrupt the smooth operation of your computer memory while you’re doing your interview recordings. [7:50] Everything on this episode applies to the guest you are recording an interview with. That’s right. You can take everything you hear on this episode of Podcastification and apply it to thing son the other end of the line. Your guest needs to be coached by you - the podcaster - in what THEY can do to ensure that you get the best quality recording possible and avoid things that could disrupt your recording and cause you and them to have to set aside time later to record a second time. Nobody likes to waste time, so be sure to pass this information along to your guests too. When you record interviews for your podcast, you need these tips! resources we talked about in this episode Skype Ringr (affiliate) Zencastr <a href="https://www.dropbo
Mon, March 13, 2017
Use A Podcast Template To Cut Recording And Production Time
We all love our podcasts. But there are aspects of producing them that we HATE (or at least don’t love as much). One of those for many people is the AMOUNT OF TIME it takes to do the actual audio production - from recording through uploading to their media host. On this episode of Podcastification I’m going to teach you how I use what I call a Podcast Template to make my audio recording and editing process even faster - saving me as much as 4 and half hours per year! [2:17] What do I MEAN by a podcast template? What I refer to as a podcast template is a pre-set project in my audio editing software (Audacity) that already contains the ongoing elements of my podcast episodes. So things like intro, outro, transition sounds, sponsor messages - all of those things are preloaded into my template and saved to ensure that I don’t have to re-import or recreate them time after time after time throughout the life of my podcast. This episode is meant to give you a peek into my process so you can develop a process of your own. It’s not the only way to do it, but it’s MY way - and I like it! [4:41] The steps I take to create my podcast template. OK, this section is the practical part. I spare you no boring details here - you’re going to learn what I do, step by boring step, to ensure that my podcast template is setup properly so that I can save time in the future as I record my episodes. Grab a cup of coffee - or something stronger. You’re going to need it. :) [14:25] The most important part of building a podcast audio template. In recording this episode of Podcastification, I not only wanted to teach you how to build your own podcast template for making your audio production process smoother and faster - I also wanted to save you the excruciating heartache that comes from building a template like I’m showing you and then losing it. The most important part of building your podcast template is not building the template. Can you guess what it is? [16:45] Best practices for using your template in the future. A template like I describe on this episode can be used in a variety of ways - and two of the most common are for recording your own “solo” episodes, or live episodes you do using a mixer and additional microphones or audio sources. But you can also use this kind of template with Skype or Ringr recordings. The last thing I teach you on this episode is exactly how a podcast template like this works in those situations. Thanks for listening! You’re the best! resources we talked about in this episode Audacity Free Recording Software Adobe Audition <a href="https://hindenburg.com/products/hindenburg-journalist" rel="noopener noref
Thu, March 09, 2017
Podcasting On The Go - Hacks to Record On The Road
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com It’s becoming more and more common that people need to figure out how they can do podcasting on the go. I can hear Willie singing it now… On the road again, I just can’t wait to get on the road again, the life I love is making podcasts with my friends, I can’t wait to get on the road again! But recording your podcast away from your normal studio is a bit trickier than it may sound at first. You’re going to need some way to get a reliably consistent sound recording that avoids all the potential pitfalls that hotel rooms and other non-treated areas can insert into your recording. This episode is about THAT. How to do it, practically, affordably, and with the things you have around you. OR, if you want to do something a bit more reliable, I’m even going to cover some ways that you can create your own portable podcasting studio to take with you when you are on the go. [2:27] The variables to overcome when podcasting on the go. Anytime you’re outside your normal podcast recording environment you need to open your eyes and ears to discover the variables you need to take into account. If you don’t you’ll have all kinds of unwanted noises in your recording. There’s lots to think about - and this episode covers my best advice for taking care of the most obvious things - and a few things you probably haven’t considered. [4:30] Addressing possible interruptions in your environment. How much echo is in the room? Could the heat or A/C come on unexpectedly? What about the phones? Are they turned off? And what other things might you be missing? You should listen to this episode. I mean, come on - it’s only 18 minutes long. You could do that on your next commute or run on the treadmill. [5:49] You should invest in an “on the go” podcasting microphone. Technology has made such advancements in the past few years there’s no reason that anyone who’s going to be podcasting on the go regularly can’t simply buy an “on the go” microphone. On this episode I give you my recommendation for the two most affordable, simple, GREAT SOUNDING microphones out there. I’ll even tell you where you can go to hear a comparison of these mics alongside the “big boy” microphones like the Heil PR40. [10:14] For podcasting on the go you can “soundproof” your mic. When it comes to removing the possibility for unwanted noise most people think in terms of making the room acoustics better. That’s great. I’ve got no problem with doing that. Except in a hotel room you may have a difficult time figuring out how to hang sheets of acoustic foam. ;) So on this episode I’m going to get you thinking in reverse. Instead of soundproofing the room, how about soundproofing your microphone? I’ve got a
Tue, February 28, 2017
How to Work Effectively With A Podcast Editor
If you are finally able and willing to take the plunge and hire a podcast editor to handle the editing and production of your show - HOLD ON A MINUTE! You don’t want to rush into it without knowing some of the pitfalls that can come with any new working relationship - and there are a few that are unique to the relationship you establish with a podcast editor that could throw you for a loop if you’re not careful. 6 tips to help you interact with your podcast editor EFFECTIVELY. SO…On this episode I’m going to tell you some of my hard-learned lessons regarding the working relationship and communications that make your outsourcing everything you want it to be. I’m including things you need to get right and clear on the front end and another handful of things that you need to know as you develop the relationship over time. These are not things you hear everyday because you don’t deal with them every day - and they are very niched-in to podcasting in specific ways - so it takes somebody like me who’s been in those shoes for a while to tell you about them. And I’m telling you so that you don’t walk in with your eyes closed and get bitten by some of the messed up things that can happen. Ready to go? Here it is! Hit the play button! Outline of this episode [1:14] Why it’s essential to set up your relationship with your podcast editor the right way! [2:55] The value and helpfulness of an Episode Map. [6:40] An easy way to establish the ongoing degree of editing you want done. [9:49] How to clarify your personal “pet peeves.” [11:56] Why it’s vital that you communicate early and clearly. [15:10] Refer to time stamps on adjustments [16:39] Learn to speak TO your editor on the recording. [20:39] BONUS TIP: Give them freedom to make smart edits. [23:30] A service idea I had - would YOU use it? If so, how much is it worth? Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, February 21, 2017
Podcast Editing Services: How To Find The Right One
If you are at the point that you’re considering a podcast editing service, there are many things you need to keep in mind to ensure that you find the RIGHT service to fit your needs. I’ve been running a podcast editing service since early 2013 and know that most people discover what I’m about to share with you - the hard way! But I don’t want that for you. I want you to find the podcast editing service that is a perfect fit for the things you need. Why wouldn’t I just tell you to hire me? A couple of simple reasons: #1 - My podcast editing company is not the only game in town that can do good quality work for you (though I do think we’re the best). And #2 - I know that the way we do business and the values we hold to are not going to be the best fit for everyone. So, it only makes sense for me to help you find the exact people who can best serve you when it comes to editing your episodes week to week. That’s what this episode of Podcastification is all about: 10 Tips To Help You Find The Right Podcast Editing Service. Outline of this episode [1:20] What kind of things should be asking a podcast editing service? [2:05] If you’re not aligned in terms of values, you’re asking for trouble. [3:37] Find out the company’s editing philosophy. [5:21] Do you have to provide guidance episode to episode? [7:24] They have current clients, don’t they? Find out all you can! [8:29] Listen to their work! [10:17] Will you have an editor assigned to your show? [12:14] Does the company have streamlined systems? [14:12] Is there a commitment to clear communication? [16:10] Where is your podcast editing team based? [18:27] The issue of pricing in finding the right podcast editing service. Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter Subscribe to Podfastification Here!
Mon, February 13, 2017
What are GOOD Podcast Download Numbers?
Every podcaster wants BIG podcast download numbers. I mean, we hear about amazing accomplishments when it comes to downloads - like Mark Maron’s episode with President Obama, or the most recent episode of Dan Carlin’s “ Hardcore History ” that got 1 million downloads in 24 hours - and let’s admit it. We’re a bit jealous. OK, not a bit. A LOT jealous. But podcast download numbers are not all created equal. When you hear about a show like Hardcore History that accomplishes such an amazing and impressive number of downloads, you need to know that there are facts about the show, the way the downloads happen, and the behind-the-scenes stuff that you don’t know about - that make it IMPOSSIBLE to legitimately compare your show to that show. On this episode I’m walking through some of those very real issue so that YOU won’t be so discouraged when your numbers are nowhere even CLOSE to that. In fact, there’s a lot of reason for you to be very ENCOURAGED. :) So HOW SHOULD you think about downloads? What really IS a good number of downloads to expect from your normal, niche specific, podcast - a podcast like yours? For the answer to that I reached out to a colleague of mine, Rob Walch who’s one of the outstanding folks over at Libsyn - the big-dog media host in the podcasting space - and as Rob is wont to do, he pulled out the stats to give me the real picture of what are truly good numbers of downloads and what podcast download stats we shouldn’t even be paying attention to. I think you’re going to hear something from what Rob shares that is first of all - unbelievable - but secondly, very encouraging. Really. It is. But, the download numbers are NOT what really matters! I KNOW, I KNOW, Facebook and other social media platforms have us ADDICTED to knowing how many people are liking or tweeting or listening to or reading our stuff. For that reason those kind of numbers are rightly referred to as VANITY metrics because they make us feel good more than anything else. Download stats can become the same sort of self-encouragement. And that’s not ALWAYS a bad thing. But there are OTHER things that the numbers tell us that are MUCH more important than the simple fact of what the number is. It’s what the download numbers represent to a podcaster (like you) who truly cares about his/her audience, who is trying to add maximum value to the people who listen to their podcast. I’ve got an example from my past to help you get a handle on how you should look at your podcast download numbers that I think will help. You can hear it on this episode of Podcastification. Come on, it’s a short episode - what do you have to lose? Outline of this episode [1:18] The allure of high download stats and why they can’t be trusted. [1:54] The things ab
Mon, February 06, 2017
Is A Podcast Editing Service Really Necessary? (To edit or not to edit)
If you haven’t noticed there are LOTS of podcast editing services popping up these days. And no wonder - there are more than 1000 new podcasts being added to iTunes every day! But the reality of more services popping up often brings up the question of whether you really should be doing audio editing at all on your podcast. It’s not a simple issue, but I’m going to tackle it - from my perspective as a podcast editor and show notes creator - on this episode of Podcastification. Should you hire someone to edit your podcast? It really comes down to the time VS money issue for most podcasters. It’s hard to really KNOW if it’s worth the money to have your podcast audio edited every week. After all, it can wind up being a sizeable amount if you’re not careful - or if you get the wrong company or freelancer working on your show. Keep in mind, it’s not just the quality of audio you want to be concerned about - you also need to be conscious of the amount of time you’re having to invest in communication, back and forth file exchanges, etc. Ideally, a podcast editing service should be set up in a “set it and forget it” sort of way so that when you are paying for someone else to do your editing - you’re not having to do ANYTHING from the time you hit the “stop” button on your recording software and upload the file to Dropbox. On this episode, I’m going to give you the formula I use to easily figure out if it’s worth the money to hire a podcast editing service or not. The numbers don’t lie. And what about hiring someone from the Philippines or India to do your audio editing? Isn’t that cheaper? Uh… yes. Cheaper in many ways in most cases. Ways you won’t want to experience. Without getting into the details that I cover in this episode, I’ll just say this: Savings in dollars is not the only consideration. You want to be assured that the quality, dependability, and EASE OF COMMUNICATION between you and your audio editing service is of just as high of an importance as the money you save. So… with that said, you should take the time to listen to this episode. It’s under 10 minutes, so I KNOW you’ve got the time. :) If you are going to resist the urge to hire a podcast editing service or company, here are some resources to help you do a better job on your own edits. Not everyone is ready - either financially or emotionally - to outsource something as important as their podcast audio editing. Knowing that I’ve provided a couple of great resources to help you learn how to edit better so that you can keep doing it yourself with a heightened degree of quality. I cover Audacity, Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, and even Hindenburg. So if you want to do your audio editing yourself - you need to hear about these resources. Outline of this episode [1:18] How much editing should you do on your podcast? 3 editing philosophies. [3:30] The time VS value issue. [4:53] Should you do yo
Tue, January 17, 2017
Is this the best social media app for podcasters?
The best social media apps in the online space had better watch out. There’s a fairly new app on the scene that has integrated a TON of great features into its interface. It’s called eClincher and you need to know about it. (affiliate link) What I love most about eClincher is that it enables you to reshare your older content - think podcast episodes from long ago - and keep it in front of the people who follow you on social media. And if you follow some great social media practices such as engaging with people and actually BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM (imagine that), that following should be growing all the time - so people who never heard your old podcast episode in the first place are able to see it for the first time. I believe eClincher is the best social media app for managing your social accounts that I’ve seen. Another reason I say that is that eClincher integrates the inboxes of all your social accounts into their app so you can see your Facebook notifications, LinkedIn notifications, Twitter stuff, Pinterest (a new platform they added recently), and Google + all at the same time, on the same screen. It’s right there in eClincher, and you can interact with people easily via the app, saving you tons of time. Gilad Salamander is my guest on this episode, highlighting his amazing social media management tool. I think you’ll find Gilad a very generous guy, eager to help you make your social media marketing, promotion, and relationship building more effective in less time. That’s what eClincher is doing for me. I hope you find it to be the same way. Just in case you’re interested - here’s my eClincher affiliate link again . (An affiliate link means I get a cut of your first month’s payment for sending you - but you pay the same you would normally pay). Thanks! Outline of this episode [1:23] The problem most podcasters have - old content getting lost - and how eClincher solves the problem. [3:01] The social platforms eClincher can connect to - and the additional features. [3:53] How eClincher republishes your older content - over and over and over. [6:59] Understanding the power of using queues in the best social media app - eClincher. [8:28] How you can curate content from eClincher - and add it to your queues. [12:20] The unified social inbox to give you greater engagement and save time. [17:07] How the custom search feeds help you monitor certain keywords. [21:01] How you can connect with Gilad and eClincher. resources we talked about in this episode eClincher website Connect with <a href="https:
Wed, January 04, 2017
How to Make Your Podcast Stand Out From the Crowd
If you want to stand out from the crowd as a podcaster, you’re going to have to up your game. I don’t care how professional or expert you are in what you do as a business, if you want to grow your podcast audience you’ve got to give your potential listeners more reasons to listen to your show above all the others in your niche. Make YOUR needle stand out from the haystack You’ve really got to start thinking differently about getting your podcast heard. It’s no longer a “record it and they will listen” world. There are over 2100 NEW podcasts being published every day. EVERY DAY. That’s a lot of noise you’ve got to cut through. The good news is that many of those shows are absolute JUNK. But there are probably just as many that aren’t. And when it comes to the ones that are in your same niche, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd, to be head and shoulders above them in terms of quality, content, and production values. So how do you do it? How do you stand out from the crowd? That’s what this episode of Podcastification is all about. I’m going to share things you can do to improve your podcast in ways that make it better than the other shows in your niche. If you don’t do something, believe me, YOUR COMPETITION WILL! So don’t get left behind. Don’t blend into the the crowd. Don’t let your show sink into the iTunes directory of obscurity (there really IS a category like that. You didn’t know? ;). You’ve got to up your game. Blending in is no longer an option. Here’s how you can up your game. Outline of this episode [1:18] The reality of the competition you face as a podcaster. [2:12] Audio quality matters more than ever these days if you want to stand out. [5:54] The one thing that can get people to click on your show above the others. [8:50] The different types of intros and outros that can make a difference. [10:39] One of the reasons you might consider unique music for your show. [12:02] The REAL power of GOOD QUALITY audio editing. [13:35] Speak directly to your listener - your IDEAL listener. [15:49] How unique is your perspective on your topics? It matters. resources we talked about in this episode Audacity Audio Technica 2005 microphone Audio Technica 2100 microphone <a href="http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com/clients" rel="noopener norefe
Tue, December 06, 2016
Podcast Show Notes That Work!
If the enthusiasm for your podcast is lagging because you are getting stuck in the rut of podcast show notes creation, I feel your pain. Show notes are definitely one of the less enjoyable aspects of putting together a complete production of a show. But it doesn’t have to be such a painful thing - there are ways you can make the process smoother, easier, and more efficient. DC Podfest and the Triple Power of Killer Show Notes I was recently asked to speak at DC Podfest and the topic I chose was, “The Triple Power of Killer Show Notes.” The session was very well received and you know what - since I’m a podcaster myself I decided to record it so you could hear what I had to share with the great folks who were at DC Podfest. By the way, you can meet some of them on my last episode. So if you want to learn how to create your own podcast show notes - exactly like the professionals on my team here at Podcast Fast Track do - I’m going to unload the truck on you in this presentation. Heck, I’m even giving you my slide deck from the presentation in the resources below. Here’s how you really CAN produce your own podcast show notes easier and quicker. Creating show notes for your podcast doesn’t have to be such a pain, so why not take the time to listen? Outline of this episode [1:18] The setting and reason for this presentation. [2:46] 3 purposes of killer show notes. [3:20] Smartphones change everything and make show notes powerful. [4:59] How show notes work as an organic traffic magnet (keyword research). [7:47] Making your show notes an appealing thing to future guests. [8:41] QUESTION: What ARE show notes? [11:34] How the PFT team easily writes show notes quickly, sort of. :) [12:04] The power of high speed playback. [12:50] Why we use Google Docs to create our show notes (it’s powerful). [14:30] The format we use when creating our notes. [16:57] Why it’s VITAL that you clean the HTML of your show notes before it goes to your media host. [19:23] Should you include transcripts in your show notes? [25:05] You’ve GOT to repurpose your show notes for social media. [28:08] The MOST underutilized social media hack for podcasters. [35:49] Tips for making the show notes writing process easier. resources we talked about in this episode See my slide deck for this presentation on the Triple Power of Killer Show Notes right here. Audacity Google Docs
Tue, November 29, 2016
Building Relationships Through Attending Podcast Events
Building relationships with other podcasters is a very cool thing. I’ve experienced it online for a long time with people in various groups I’m a part of. But there’s something even COOLER about meeting people in person and sharing the love of podcasting together. I was invited to speak at the recent DC Podfest (about the Triple Power of Killer Show Notes - I’ll share that presentation in an upcoming episode). And just being at the event made building relationships so much easier. The conversations were natural, the people were great, and it was a lot of fun to boot! So… on this episode I want to help you start building relationships with other podcasters by introducing you to some of the great people I met. I walked around with my digital recorder and got some great clips from some of my new friends and wanted you to hear who they are, what they are doing, and maybe even make a new podcast friend. I hope you enjoy this! Outline of this episode [1:18] The reason I’m doing this episode. [1:51] Jen Hemphill - host of Her Money Matters . [5:49] Jon Harper - host of My Bad [10:26] Kip Clark - host of Stride and Saunter [15:29] Ben & Chris - The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel [26:21] Sean RIchardson - Artup Bootcamp [31:22] Kyle Bondo - Merchants of Dirt [37:51] Amy Young - Future Podcaster [44:26] Vincent Pugliese - Freelance to Freedom (coming January 2017) resources we talked about in this episode DC Podfest Podcast Movement DC Podfest The Her Money Matters podcast The My Bad podcast The Stride and Saunter podcast <a href="http://www.blobfishradio.com/2016/09/14/the-unexplainable-disappearance-of-mars-patel/" rel="noopener noreferrer" targe
Tue, September 13, 2016
Does Your Podcast Have A Subscribe Button? Or two? Or three?
The all important SUBSCRIBE BUTTON. It’s one of the most overlooked things podcasters leave off of their websites. Me included. On this episode I’m responding to a listener comment on the blog. In all honesty, she was very kind in what she said, but didn’t shy away from taking me to task. What was she concerned about? It was the SUBSCRIBE BUTTONS on my own website. She pointed out that on my own website I only provide one subscribe option for my listeners - and it’s the iTunes subscription button. The funny thing about that is that I’m NOT an Apple guy. I use Android. I love Android. And I really don’t like Apple products. resources we talked about in this episode www.iTunes.com www.Stitcher.com Google Play www.PodBean.com My client page - www.PodcastFastTrack.com/clients Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Wed, August 03, 2016
Do I Get More Podcast Subscribers by Sending Them to iTunes or My Website?
Podcast subscribers are important people to us podcasters. They are the ones who make the show possible - I mean, very few of us would be doing a podcast at all if we knew that absolutely ZERO people were listening to our shows. Right? Because we all want to get more listeners we should be continually asking ourselves questions about how to go about getting in front of our ideal audience and how to get them to subscribe. One of the questions I often get from clients about getting more subscribers to their podcast is this? In the things I say on my show and the links I share, should I be sending people to iTunes, to my website, or someplace else? Which is most effective? That is an absolutely GREAT question. On this episode (it’s a very short episode this week) I’m going to answer that question from my perspective after working with over 40 clients over the course of this business (we’ve been in business since early 2013) AND from how I see it as a podcaster. I’ll give you a hint… my answer begins with… IT DEPENDS … Click the play button to find out what I recommend for getting more podcast subscribers … or maybe I recommend that subscribers are not your best goal. Curious yet? It will take less than 6 minutes of your day. I promise. here's and outline of this fun episode for you... [1:19] A question from one of my clients: Where should I send people when I’m promoting my podcast episodes? [2:01] Is more podcast subscribers your most important goal? [2:51] What about promoting your brand? Are you trying to get more buy-in to your stuff? [4:18] A hack to aim at BOTH at the same time? [4:41] What about Stitcher, iHeart radio, and others? resources we talked about in this episode www.iTunes.com www.Stitcher.com www.iHeartRadio.com My client page - www.PodcastFastTrack.com/clients Connect with me… Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com On Facebook On Twitter Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, July 26, 2016
Libsyn: A Deep Dive Into the Features of an Amazing Media Host, with Rob Walch
Libsyn has been around for a very long time… since 2004 to be exact - and has carved out it’s own massive space in the podcast industry. Hosting and delivering media files for some of the most popular and lucrative podcasts in history like Mark Maron , The Nerdist , and Dan Carlin’s Hard Core History , Libsyn is definitely the big dog in the media hosting backyard! I’ve known about Libsyn for a long time. Heck, I’ve worked with the Libsyn interface for over 3 years now since about 90% of my clients are hosting their files on Libsyn. But it wasn’t until this interview that I fully understood some of the amazing things I can do for my podcast using the Libsyn interface. Automated social media sharing I can create premium content to sell in a membership style arrangement Affordable smartphone apps for my podcast Publish to multiple destinations and keep stats on each one individually And the list goes on… Today’s show features Rob Walch, a newly inducted member of the Podcasters Hall of Fame and a very gracious guy to come on my humble show. Rob is the voice of Libsyn, serving as the Podcaster relations guy. In his words… “I have the best job in the world. I get to talk to podcasters all day.” Check out the outline below to see what we talk about on this episode… it truly is a DEEP DIVE into all the wonderful things you can do with your podcast when you host your files with Libsyn. For a long time I’ve tried to experiment on my own shows to be able to talk from experience about how various platforms and options work. As a result, I’m currently hosting my media files in all sorts of places (you don’t want to know) . But in this conversation I was so impressed with the incredible things Libsyn has to offer, I’m in the process of switching my files over to Libsyn for good. I know you’re going to be amazed by at least one thing on this episode. And I almost guarantee you that even if you already host your files on Libsyn, you’re going to learn something you didn’t know. Here goes… enjoy this one with Rob Walch. here's an outline of this fun episode for you... [1:19] My introduction and welcome chat with Rob Walch. [1:50] The summary of what I’m talking about with Rob. [2:40] Did you know that Libsyn is a blogging platform? [6:20] What is a download-only file
Tue, July 19, 2016
Interview Valet: a Full Service Podcast Guest and Promotion Service
Interview Valet is a pretty cool service... Tom Schwab and company are working hard to help people with a... Book to promote A business to run A course to launch A story to tell Get exposure through being a guest on podcasts where the audience is the EXACT people the person is trying to reach. On this episode you're going to hear from Tom about how Interview Valet works. We talk about: The basics of what Interview Valet is How it works for podcast guests The monthly pricing for the service How it works for podcast hosts (it's FREE) And the amazing affiliate program Interview Valet offers to all podcasters (not guests) If you've ever thought that being a guest on a podcast would be a great way to promote your thingie-ma-bob - you're right, and Tom and the team at Interview Valet can help you make it a reality. And if you need quality, vetted guests for your podcast - contact the folks at Interview Valet to get some guests for your show lined up. Resources we talked about www.InterviewValet.com - Go here to sign up to get guests on your show www.InterviewValet.com/Podcastification - the special page designed just for you - the PODCASTIFICATION listener. DIRECT DOWNLOAD OF THE EPISODE AUDIO Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Wed, June 01, 2016
Another perfect audio recording solution – with Tim Sinclair of Ringr
I'm talking today with Tim from Ringer. Ringr is one of the first apps available to do recordings native from each side of a distance conversation, but until now it's only been available as a smart phone or smart device app. But no more. Ringr is now available in a desktop version, which is very cool because that makes it possible now for podcasters or broadcasters of any stripe to record a distance conversation with the ability to include their entire recording "chain" - their own mic, their own mixer, their own processors, etc. As you can tell, that's a great asset to anyone doing a show where quality is of concern. My conversation with Tim today centers around the new desktop app. We chat about: How the desktop app differs from the smartphone app. What you're able to do with the new desktop app. The varying accounts you can get for Ringr. What the service costs (and there IS a free version). The affiliate program Ringr is offering. What Ringr has in store in terms of future upgrades. The "enterprise level" subscription they are working on. How you can get Ringr and try it out for free. It's a great, short little conversation where Tim gives us the clear lowdown on a great option for recording conversations over distance . I think you'll find something very helpful in this one. RESOURCES: http://www.Ringr.com Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, May 31, 2016
Monetize your podcast with Pinecast
There are only so many ways you can MONETIZE your podcast... and my guest today is part of a team that is brainstorming and creating a new way to do it, including the integration of your media host into the monetization act . Today I'm chatting with Matt Basta of www.Pinecast.com and he's going to tell us about all the bells and whistles of their podcasting platform in a way that enables you to "Focus on podcasts not funding." (That's their tagline, by the way). On this episode we're going step by step down the page of their website, so if you want to follow along that would be really peachy and cool. Matt's going to give us the lowdown and I'm going to be asking the questions. Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, May 03, 2016
A new and simple way to get guests for your podcast (or to become a podcast guest)
If you do interview or conversation style podcast episodes, you know the pain and trouble that can come from trying to wrangle up a new guest every single episode. Andrew Allemann felt that same pain and decided to do something about it. In the spirit of Help A Reporter Out , Andrew has put together www.PodcastGuests.com (affiliate link) - a simple and easy way for you to submit your podcast and yourself to an online directory to receive offers for podcast appearances and to make your podcasting guest opportunities known to people who may be interested in sharing their expertise. I think Andrew's come up with a brilliant idea here that's pretty easy to pull off - but most of all it will be very helpful to the podcasting community. Listen to the episode to get all the details. LINKS MENTIONED: www.PodcastGuests.com (affiliate) www.DomainNameWire.com www.IOTPodcast.com Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Wed, March 16, 2016
Yet another incredible audio recording solution - with Josh from Zencastr
As you can tell, I am a huge fan of great audio recording solutions... and there are more and more apps coming out that are so helpful in getting those long distance recordings down with almost flawless sound quality. Technology marches on. This episode covers yet another of those recently developed apps that's proving to be super helpful for the podcast community. I'm talking today with Josh from Zencastr - in my opinion one of the cleanest and easiest to use apps that is out there. On this episode Josh and I talk through how the app idea and development came about, how he created it, what it can do (step by step) and how you can get in on the beta testing so that you can get a discount when Zencastr goes to a paid model in a very short time. You gotta' hear this one. It's a great episode. (Recorded using Zencastr - BTW). Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, February 23, 2016
Multiple podcasts at once: Is it a good idea? with Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity To Podcast
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com/moreshows Is it a good idea to publish more than one podcast show at the same time? Should you produce multiple podcast shows at once? To some of you the idea sounds really exciting. To others, you think I'm crazy even to ask the question. Maybe "crazy" is the right word, because... I have to admit that this particular episode of the podcast is purely a selfish endeavor. That's because I've been considering starting a second podcast or maybe even a third. I've got all these ideas banging around my head, and I wanted to talk to someone who has actually done it and has learned the hard lessons and has good ideas about how to avoid the pitfalls. So... I invited Daniel J. Lewis of " The Audacity To Podcast " onto the show today. Daniel is not only an experienced podcaster in his own right, but for this conversation what mattered most is that Daniel has produced and is currently producing multiple shows at the same time. He's the kind of guy I wanted to chat with about this issue. On this episode you'll be hearing: Daniel's journey into podcasting. The launch of a second show and the mistakes he learned from. His recommendations for making the launch of a second show as good as it can be. Pitfalls to avoid. The benefits of producing more than one podcast at a time. This was a very interesting conversation, especially for me since I'm considering a couple of new shows (yes, I'll let you know what those are in the days ahead). Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Wed, February 03, 2016
A podcast hosting made simple – SHOUTENGINE
Podcast Hosting is one of the basic things you need to get in place if you're going to start a podcast. And there's lots of great services out there. Libsyn Blubrry Amazon S3 (OK, it's not a podcast focused media host, but it can be used) and others Today's episode is focused on a relative newcomer to the growing list of podcast hosting solutions out there, ShoutEngine Chris Hayes, one of the founders of Shout Engine says that he got started building their media hosting platform because he was a bit... uhhhh... miffed about the way stats were counted in traditional platforms. What has resulted is a VERY accurate accounting of downloads and listens for each ShoutEngine hosted episode, an amazingly strong SEO optimization that often gets Shout Engine hosted episodes ranked very, very high in Google and other engines, AND a hosting platform that is very simple, easy to use, and FREE up to a pretty substantial level. They'll also give you a basic but modern-looking webpage that you can use for your podcast website. And if you move into a paid account, you won't pay for your hosting space, only bandwidth. It's a pretty intriguing idea and you'll enjoy hearing how Shout Engine works. You just might want to try out one of their free accounts to take it for a spin (I think I'll be doing that soon). I think this is a great option for anyone, but especially for those who are not sure if podcasting is something they want to really invest in. ShoutEngine's free account option would allow you to try it out on a substantial level to see if podcasting is something you want to stick with over the long haul. Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, December 22, 2015
Podfading: What I’ve learned working with over 20 clients
https://www.PodcastFastTrack.com/podfading The Podfading spectre is alive and well. I've done my share of sporadic publishing of my show. If you've listened for any amount of time, you know that to be true. On this episode of Podcastification I'm going to chat a bit about the things I've learned from my personal experience and the interactions I've had with over 20 clients in my podcast production and show notes business. There's a lot more to podfading than you think, and I think there are even some ways it can be a good thing Find out more on this episode. Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, December 01, 2015
Podcast music that is LEGAL for you to use!
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com/GetSomeMusic Podcast music is something that makes a show stand out... in good ways and bad ways. Your podcast can STAND OUT in a bad way if YOU USE COPYRIGHTED MUSIC AND GET SUED. Your podcast can STAND OUT in a good way if you use music that makes your audience think of you, and ONLY YOU! So where can you find podcast music that is legal and gets you noticed in the good way? That's what I'm going to cover on this episode of Podcastification... here's the links to the sites I mention: ROYALTY FREE MUSIC (means you pay a small fee, download the music, and use it. But others can use it too) www.InstantMusicNow.com www.PartnersInRhyme.com www.Opuzz.com www.NeoSounds.com www.MusicRadioCreative.com CUSTOM MUSI C (means you pay for something that is only for you... often you'll have to pay extra for a license to own it as well) www.PodcastThemes.com www.PodcastFastTrack.com/contact We do custom podcast music based on tracks you like. You get: Two 30 second pieces to choose from You choose one of the pieces They'll never be sold to anyone else You get a license to use it how you want, forever we do with the podcast music track you didn't choose? We keep them in a "hopper" for people to buy at $99 per track. Same usage rights. Same sole ownership rights. If you'd like to listen to them, you can go here to do that ! Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, November 24, 2015
1 thing you should ALWAYS mention on your podcast episodes
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com/AlwaysDoThis Today I'm going to tell you to do something every single time you publish a podcast episode that I have NOT always done. That's part of the force behind why I think this is so important. If I don't always do it, I'm pretty sure you don't either... and it's a powerful way you can help your audience share your episode with people in their circles. 1 thing you should ALWAYS do on your #podcast episodes Are you curious? You should be... this is good stuff. I'll give you a little hint... It has to do with podcast apps. You may not know it even exists. It has the potential to get your show "out there" where people can find it. Want to know more? Listen in... And THANKS for listening... I'd love to hear your comments below. Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, November 17, 2015
Crafting GREAT Episode Titles
Episode Titles are a lot more important than many podcasters think... Most of us are done with: blocking out the time to record scheduling interviews doing the recording post recording work optimizing and tagging the audio uploading to our media host And THEN we think about what to call this thing we just recorded. But episode titles deserve and NEED much more attention than that. In this episode I'm going to give you 5 thoughts on why your podcast episode titles are much more important than you think. I'd love to hear your comments below! Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, October 13, 2015
YET ANOTHER way to repurpose your old podcast audio
Is your old podcast audio doomed to obscurity? As you may know from listening to previous episodes of Podcastification, one of the things I absolutely HATE about podcasting is that I create this great audio content (one of my shows has over 90 episodes of past interviews and instruction) and once it has it's initial blast of buzz, it's gone into the realms of internet obscurity. I hate that. But I love it at the same time. Because it gives ME the opportunity, the challenge, the HIGH CALLING to get those episodes BACK into the light of day - somehow. In this episode of Podcastification I'll be revealing to you ONE MORE way that you and your team can get your old podcast content repurposed to be of benefit to your audience once again. It's short - and worth listening to. And if you'd like to talk to me about doing this very thing for you... it's part of what my team does. You can contact me at Carey(at)PodcastFastTrack(dot)com Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, October 06, 2015
The one hack to “must listen” podcast interviews
If you really want to be a top guest interviewer, this is all you need. Honestly. I've been doing podcast interviews for some time now and this tip somehow alluded my notice. Until I read about it on the Vimeo blog. You can find the post that inspired this mini-episode HERE . So listen in to this episode of the podcast to discover this simple trick to make your interviews engaging and powerful. Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Fri, September 25, 2015
26: Increasing the lifespan of your podcast episodes with social media
One of the things I HATE about podcasting is that my episodes might have a good run of listens when they're first released... And then they seem to drop off the face of the earth. I've come to realize that the content I'm creating deserves a longer life-span than that. And it's up to me to make sure it continues to add value to the lives of the audience I'm trying to serve. In this episode of Podcastification I'm going to explain how I go about using social media, and social media management systems to schedule out my content in a way that keeps it breathing long after the initial "splash" of it's publication date. It's not a perfect system and I'm still working out things every week, but I believe it will help you. Resources mentioned in this episode: Google Sheets Hootsuite Buffer Edgar eClincher Contact me with your tips, tricks and suggestions about reviving your old podcast content. Carey (at) PodcastFastTrack (dot) com. And if you're a social media expert who knows how to make this stuff work incredibly well, contact me. I'd love to feature you on the show!
Tue, September 22, 2015
Who listens to podcasts? Survey results you can use to determine your podcasting strategy!
Podcasts are THE new media of the masses... and it's only growing! That's my interpretation of the results Edison research released from their January/February 2015 survey. Why would I say that? Because the number of people listening to podcasts is growing every year. Because those who do listen, usually listen to as many as 6 podcasts each week. It's a survey filled with insights regarding the general target market of EVERY podcaster... and it gives plenty of info on how you and I can increase the likelihood that our podcast is found and listened to by people who WANT the niche information we have to distribute. In this episode, I outline the findings of the survey, and what I think it means for podcasters. The Podcast Consumer 2015 from Edison Research Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, September 08, 2015
Show notes: Step 3 - Writing social media blurbs to promote your podcast (and how to craft a great title)
This is the 4th of 3 posts on "SHOW NOTES" - hear the previous entries here ( Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 ) Our show notes creation also includes social media blurbs... That's what we call them anyway. These are a combination of tweets and paragraphs, based on the episode content that we'll use to drive traffic to that specific episode. Do you get what we're trying to accomplish here? We've already produced a great audio episode We've already written great SEO-optimized show notes We've got to do MORE than just create it, publish it, and then let it languish in internet obscurity! We've got to promote the show! We choose to do this for every one of our show notes clients WHILE we're creating the show notes themselves because it's the most natural time to do it. And our SECRET SAUCE is that much of our show notes material can be REPURPOSED (one of our favorite words) into the social media shares. So we're not really creating new stuff for social media, just reusing and modifying the stuff we've just made when creating our show notes. Do you follow? Here's an example of how we create our social media blurbs from our already existing show notes content: This example is taken from the show notes we produced for one of our clients - Scott Voelker who does an Amazing show called " The Amazing Seller ." Here's a paragraph and header taken from the show notes we created for one of Scott's episodes : WHY WOULD AN AMAZON SELLER WANT TO SET UP HIS OWN ECOMMERCE STORE? Steve Chou thinks it’s a must for every Amazon seller to eventually move beyond Amazon to set up their own ecommerce store. There are many reasons, but two of the greatest are #1 – the ability to create your own promotional content, and #2 – the ability to capture your customer information and follow up on them during and after the sale. He’s found that ability alone to be a significant source of conversions for his products. If you’ve been thinking about setting up your own ecommerce sales platform for sales outside of Amazon, don’t miss this episode. To create a "social media blurb" for from this paragraph, i
Tue, September 01, 2015
Podcast Show notes - Step 2 to making them epic!
Quality show notes matter! Two episodes ago, I tried to convince you that you need to take the time to create quality show notes. If you missed that episode, you can go to www.PodcastfastTrack.com/20 to hear my reasoning. In the last installment of Podcastification I showed you the first step my Podcast Fast Track team takes to begin the show notes creation process. It included: Audio editing & creation of a bullet point outline of the episode Keyword research If you missed that episode, you can find it at www.PodcastFastTrack.com/shownotes2 Today I'm going to take you into the next step of our show notes creation process - The 500 word summary of the audio content. Remember, if you've followed my formula so far (covered in the last two episodes), you've already got 2 vital steps done: You've got a bullet-point outline of the audio - which will come in very handy at this point. And you've got a list of keywords to focus on when writing - which will also be very instrumental in creating a great summary of the audio. So let's dive in... Why include a 500 (or more) word summary in the show notes? The main reason is really two reasons: ONE: To give your readers a true TEASER (keep that word in mind... )a TEASER of what they will hear in the audio content! You want your show notes to draw you reader IN to becoming not just a reader, but a LISTENER to the audio, which is where the true value is. 500 words is about right to do that in a way that reveals JUST ENOUGH, but NOT TOO MUCH. TWO: 500 words is just about right to get some search engine attention. Any shorter, it might be seen as an invaluable resource. Any longer, it could be TMI (too much information). 500 words is just like the baby bear's porridge that Goldilocks ate ... JUUUUSSSTTTT RIIIIIGGTTT! And before you get too anxious about the word count... let me put your mind at ease: WE NEVER COUNT THE WORDS! 500 is our target. We write what we need to write. We usually go over or under just a tiny little bit. So relax. What to include in the 500 word summary for your show notes... There's a handful of important things you need to include in your show notes. We choose to include most of these in our 500 word summary: Keywords (remember the keyword list from the last episode ?) You're going to include them in your summary. Deep links (that's links to other pages on your website... just in case you didn't know). Outbound links (that's links to other reputable web pages or resources). Why do we include these things? KEYWORDS - it's obvious. We're trying to get the show notes post to rank for organic search traffic which i
Tue, August 25, 2015
Show notes: Step 1 to making them epic
There is a two-fold problem when it comes to writing truly epic show notes Good show notes have to be optimized, which takes a certain degree of expertise. As with any blog post or web page, optimization includes some or all of the following: Keyword research (the most time-consuming part) Formatting that makes best use of those keywords and related phrases Proper use and optimization of images Formatting that is easy to scan, so readers can find exactly what they're looking for. All of that takes extra time, which most podcasters don't have. I know the headaches of being a part-time podcaster. I began doing my first podcast as part of a side-hustle while I was working full time at another job. I also know the headache of having to do something like show notes when there appear to be so many other pressing things to make my full-time business more profitable and effective. So if you want to do quality show notes, there are only two solutions: You figure out a system that enables you to do the job in the least amount of time possible. You outsource it . I don't know any other solutions. This episode of Podcastification is all about the first of those two options. I want to equip you by sharing the system the Podcast Fast Track team uses to write quality show notes. So, here we go into the process... Create a bullet point outline of the episode as you do the edits on your recording. I know there are a variety of approaches to recording a podcast. Some of you create a bullet point outline to begin with that serves as the talking points of your episode. I've talked about how to do that that on a previous episode . You can find that at www.PodcastFastTrack.com/PodcastScript. If that's how you approach your podcast recording, you've already got this step done. Congratulations! The reason the Podcast Fast Track team pulls out a bullet point outline first is because it's the easiest and most effective thing to do while editing. Main topics are easy to hear and write down on fast speed without losing our place (yes, we use fast play speed while editing). This enables us to get a firm grasp of the entire episode's content the first time through, which will enable us to do our keyword research before we write the full show notes. Did you notice that I said we do all this while editing? That may sound like crazy multi-tasking, and in one sense it is. We search high and low to find people skilled at both
Tue, August 18, 2015
Show notes: The top 4 reasons your podcast needs them
Creating quality show notes for a podcast episode takes time... is it worth it? I've heard all kinds of opinions about the subject... In Facebook groups Google Plus communities On actual podcasts about podcasting The truth is there's no one-size-fits-all answer. But as a podcast producer whose company PROVIDES SHOW NOTES for many of my clients, I'm going to try to convince you that there is more reason TO create show notes than there is NOT to have show notes. Here are my top 4 reasons you should consider show notes a necessity. Show notes provide text-based content for search engines to find and display for people searching for the topics you cover in your show. In case you didn't know, Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines don't have the ability to crawl through the audio of your podcast and pull out keywords and topics in order to discover what your episode is about. They rely on YOU to tell them what the audio is about, so that they can in turn tell the people searching for those topics. That's one of the most important things good show notes do. Now that doesn't mean that you can any old thing onto your site as show notes and expect the search engines to feature it. You have to employ proper web-writing techniques that optimize your show notes for search engine ranking... which IS part of the difficulty of writing good show notes (which I'll address more fully in a moment). But if you take the time to do that, you'll be creating the most organic way for people to find your episodes and become familiar with you and your podcasting brand. On a side note, show notes are one more source of content. It's like another hook in the water. The more content you have out there, the greater your chances of landing that big client or raving fan. Show notes provide one of the simplest ways for your listeners to locate the resources you mention. The reason you're producing a podcast in the first place is to provide value to your listeners - right? It's of tremendous value to make it easy for your listeners to benefit from the things you highlight or promote on your show. Here are some examples: Show notes are an incredible opportunity for you to funnel listeners to your own products and services through easily clickable links. It's a great way to include affiliate links to relevant resources , which is a nice source of additional income for you (just make sure you disclose that they ARE affiliate links). Show notes enable you to feature the resources of the guests you have on your show. Not only is that good form, it's a great way to nurture the connections you're making with people, which only serves to advance your cause in the end. Now, some people hav
Tue, August 11, 2015
Better podcast audio from a bad room, 5 Tips to improve it NOW
A bad recording space can ruin your podcast audio. Yes, I said, "ruin" it. What makes a room a bad place to record? There are many things but here's a list of the TOP 3 room issues, that I'm going to help you address in this episode: A large room. Lots of hard surfaces in the room (walls, floors, furniture, glass, windows, etc.). A hardwood or tile floor. All those and more cause the sound waves your voice is producing to bounce around the room, creating echoes and residual noise that your microphone can (and will) capture. Once I've stated these 3 issues so clearly, the solutions to them are pretty obvious - but I'm going to walk through my favorite ways to solve them. Then before we finish, I'm going to cover some extra steps you can take to take serious control of your sound quality. 1. Get out of that large room Think of it this way: The more space there is between your mouth and the walls of your room, the more distance the sound wave has to travel. And as sound waves travel, they get wider, like ripples in a pond. That means by the time they hit that wall 15 feet across from you, they have a LARGER profile. Then they bounce off the wall and head toward another. Eventually you'll have lots of large sound waves, bouncing from wall to wall, and into each other, causing an echoing nightmare from an audio quality perspective. The solution is simple: Move your recording space into a smaller room. The less square footage, the better. 2. Get rid of the hard surfaces Of course you can't remove walls and windows, but you can add things to the room to make them less hard. Simple things like: Wall hangings, tapestries, curtains, canvas pictures, etc. Overstuffed furniture instead of "hard" furniture. Place a thin blanket over your desk surface. Get creative here. Anything you can do to make hard surfaces soft will make your room a better recording space. Some people go all the way and purchase acoustic foam to hang on the walls . And it doesn't have to be expensive stuff. You can use eggshell type foam mattress toppers if that's all you can find. It may not be "studio quality" foam, but it beats the hard wall you have now. In all honesty, that's what I've got hanging on my walls right now. TRUE STORY: When I first began podcasting the only place I could set up my desk and studio was in our walk-in closet. I didn't know it at the time, but that was the best move I could have made, acoustically speaking. The hanging clothes and small space made it an ideal place to record. 3. Cover the floor If the only thing you did to improve your podcast's sound quality was to cover your hardwood or stone floor with an area rug,
Tue, August 04, 2015
A little known shortcut for Libsyn and WordPress users that will save you time
Libsyn is one of the biggest names in podcast hosting. Wordpress is one of the biggest names in websites. Put them together and what have you got? A great combination of experience, efficiency, and effectiveness in getting your podcast audio out to the world. But most of you know that. Most podcasters who host their media files on Libsyn upload their file, add the title and description fields, and then publish the episode, grab the link, and insert it into their Wordpress site. That's great. It works great. No problems. However, if you're doing it that way you might have noticed that you're essentially posting your content twice - once to Libsyn, then you copy the download link and paste it in on your Wordpress site along with another copy of your show notes or blog post? As I said, that's great. It works great. No problems. But what would it do for your workflow if I told you about a way you could publish once on Libsyn, and not even have to touch your Wordpress site - and the content would publish there automatically? For me, a solution like that would cut out an entire step and save me 5 to 10 minutes PER PODCAST EPISODE! That's exactly what Libsyn has created with what they call their "On Publish" solution. The good folks over at Libsyn have created a way that you can publish your entire blog post or show notes on their site, using the Libsyn interface and it will transfer directly to your Wordpress blog when you hit "publish." You can include images using a link from an external site (your website media library?) - and they will transfer over to your WP site. You can include clickable links - and they will transfer to your WP site intact. You can have it post to your WordPress site in "draft" status or according to a scheduled date and time. The post will also include the Libsyn player of your choice (Legacy, standard, or standard mini), customized to the size you want. And I even did an experiment using a the shortcode for the "Tweet This" plugin that I have installed on my WordPress site. Inserted the shortcode in my Libsyn post just like I would on my WordPress site (which requires you know the shortcode), and it worked beautifully. Almost every function you have within the WordPress dashboard can be set up in Libsyn so that when the post publishes on your WordPress site, it's just like you want it. How do you set this up within your Libsyn account? It's a bit to involved for me to walk through every step of it in this episode, but I'll tell you that it is done through the "Destinations" section of the Libsyn interface, and you'll have to install an additional plugin to make the player render properly on your site. But I don't want to leave you in that kind of a lurch, so I'm going to point you to <a href="https://help.libsynsupport.com/hc/en-us/article
Tue, July 28, 2015
Recording Skype calls for podcast audio
**THIS EPISODE CONTENT IS OUTDATED** Skype is one of those applications that has changed the world. Seriously, think about it. Most people listening to this podcast didn't grow up with the ability to video conference with a person across the globe. Now, we do it almost daily. For podcasters, Skype has become a great asset, enabling us to connect with experts around the world for interviews and conversations, all with the click of a couple of buttons. Maybe you're new to podcasting and don't know how to record a call using Skype. Maybe you're an old-timer who is considering a switch to a better option. In this episode I'm going to walk through some of the 3rd party applications that enable you to record Skype - both audio and video - and provide links to all of those resources so you can check them out and make up your own mind. Third party applications to record Skype calls. First, understand that when I say "third party" applications, I mean software programs that are not developed or distributed by the folks at Skype. These software packages come from other folks who have found a way to connect to Skype and record what is going on through it. Here's my list: Amolto Call Recorder for Skype - http://amolto.com/ - Windows only I've never used this program but it appears to be pretty good. With Amolto you can: Record Skype calls automatically Make your recordings any length of time (no limit) Record in lossless or compressed formats And record in split-tracks That's all in the free version. The paid version includes video recording and a bunch of other stuff for $29.99 per user. Find out more at http://amolto.com Callnote Premium Call Recorder - https://callnote.net/ - Windows and OS This program is for Windows and MAC and records video as well as audio. Here's the features: Records Skype, Google Hangouts, Viber, and Facebook Audio and Video calls Can save your recordings to Evernote or Dropbox Can share the call records on Facebook, Youtube, or Email Can record a shared screen or chat from Skype calls You can manage your recordings on your computer Limited to 30 audio/video recordings per month on the free version Paid version is $9.95/year after a 14-day free trial Ecamm Call Recorder for Skype - http://www.ecamm.com/mac - OS only There are two versions to this one - demo and full. The demo version is free, but puts a "DEMO" watermark across your screen. The full vers
Tue, July 21, 2015
How to eliminate filler words in your podcast without editing
Um.... You know, like, those filler words.... uh... we all, like... use when we speak... are uh... practically... like, the worst! Almost every person who speaks uses filler words of one kind or another. It's mostly done out of habit and without us even realizing that we're doing it. When it comes to your podcast... those filler words can really become, like, irritating to your, um.... uh... those people who listen to your show! So how do you cut out those habitual filler words? That's what this show is all about. Most of you don't know my whole story. But that's OK, I'm about to fill you in on some of it. For over about 20 years I spent my life serving as a Pastor in a local church. The only reason that's important is that if you add up all the times I've spent before audiences, speaking, teaching, preaching, leading meetings, and all that... it's probably pretty close to the amount of words a woman uses in one day . Almost. :) So I've had a lot of practice learning how NOT to use filler words. That doesn't mean I'm in any way... uhh.... cured of the problem. It just means that I've learned some tricks to help me keep the filler words from filling those gaps in my speech that often get filled by filler words. And I'm about to tell you my top 6 ways to get rid of them. Getting rid of filler words Tip #1: Assess your use of filler words You can't get rid of something or stop doing something if you're not fully aware of its existence. So here are some ways you can go about analyzing how much you use filler words, and what filler words you're using. Ask someone close to you to point out how you use filler words. And don't get angry with them... you asked. Start paying attention to your conversations and make note of the frequency of your filler words. Make a mental list of the words you use to fill in spaces. Prioritize those words: Which one do you want to get rid of first? Make a choice and file it away in your brain as the first candidate for your "Filler word elimination project." Once you've got this figured out, you're ready to move on to tip #2. Tip #2: Take a moment to understand the REASONS behind your filler words It's obvious that we don't use filler words because they are needed. So why do we use them? At times, our brains need time to catch up with our mouths. In other situations, we use them to communicate that we're still thinking. "Well, uhhhhhhh... I'm not too sure about that. Hmmmm.... can I get back to you?" But a third reason, and the one I think is most common among podcasters and other public speakers is this: We're uncomfortable with si
Tue, July 14, 2015
2 Simple ways to get the best sound quality on guest interviews
Sound quality really, really, really matters for your podcast show. If you want to know how much I believe that to be the case you should go back and listen to Podcastification episode #2 - www.PodcastFastTrack.com/2 One of the most difficult places to ensure that the sound quality is the best it can be is when you are doing guest interviews or having a conversation with a guest to the show. When you introduce a person to your show who is not familiar with audio production or sound quality issues - you've just introduced a whole slew of variables into your show that can seriously impact the sound quality. Some of the more common sound quality issues a guest can introduce to your show are: They don't have a good microphone. The only microphone they have is a "phone" mic and it keeps rubbing against their shirt. They keep bumping the desk the mic is setting on or the microphone itself. Dogs, doorbells, cell phones, children, email sounds, etc. They don't speak into the microphone. They are too close to the microphone (pops, harsh "S" sounds, and other plosives - yes, that's what they're called). Their input volume is turned up too much. Etc., etc., etc. In this episode I'm going to take just a few moments to run through some of the simplest remedies to most of those problems. Remedy #1: Prepare your guests If your guest doesn't know anything about sound quality and what it takes to get good sound quality in an audio recording, it's your job as the host to kindly and briefly educate them. Now I know this is a contested point. I heard one podcaster say just a week or so ago that he doesn't want to add any additional burden to his busy guest's schedule by asking them to do anything extra before the recording. I get that - but I disagree. If the people you're interviewing care anything about their own brand and image, they will appreciate you helping them sound the very best they can for your audience - which may at least in part, become their audience after your interview. So what I usually do to prepare my guests is this: I send them a one-page PDF document that outlines some of the issues that I need them to take care of BEFORE we start recording. I know other podcasters who create a page on their website with the same information, to which they point their guests ahead of time. You can find a copy of my PDF document which you are free to tweak and make your own, HERE . But so you don't have to wait to download it... here's a quick blast through the document to give you an idea of the kinds of things I include: FOR MY GUES
Tue, July 07, 2015
How to create call to action links for your podcast
It's frustrating when you're listening to a podcast while driving or jogging and the host mentions a link of interest or a call to action and you have no way of grabbing it for later! You know what I mean? You've got to go back and listen to the episode or go to the podcast website and hunt down the shownotes in order to find that link. What if there were an easier way? As you might imagine, there is. It's a method that makes the links mentioned in a podcast episode LIVE, so the listener can click on them immediately and go right to the site! How do you get this great functionality? You've probably already got it and may not know it. It's in the description that you add to the tags of your actual mp3 file, or in the description that you include when you post the file on your media host. How does it work? I'm about to tell you... But before I get into that I want to thank someone who left a rating and review on iTunes - NancyBeginnings - thanks so much for your kind words. It's my prayer that the show continues to be helpful to you! The power of links within your media file description Most podcasting apps, or pod-catchers as some folks call them, have developed the functionality to allow links that are included in an audio file's description, to be "live" within their app. That means that if someone hears a link you mention on your show - say it's your show notes page - and they want to check it out, all they have to do is check out the description of that episode and there are the live links they can click to go directly there. No more waiting! No more jotting down notes to remind you about links you need to visit later! You can go right to the link the minute you hear it. But what does this mean for YOUR show's call to action? It means that if you're smart - and you're listening to this show so I know you are - you'll add links to your mp3 file descriptions and media host accounts so that your listeners can go directly to your links. It means... It's really a pretty simple thing, wouldn't you say? Here are my "best practice" tips for including these kinds of links in your show's call to action #1 - Be sure you have a call to action Don't just pump out audio - encourage your listeners to do something with it. Some of the best things they can do center around community and interaction. Take action on one point you gave in the show and let you know about it on the show notes page (Here's a link you can provide in the description). What would they add to your list of tips (Provide the link for them to tell you). What is their experience regarding the topic you've covered (Provide a link in the description for them to tell you about it). What was helpful about what you shared? (Again, provide them a link to let you know). <
Tue, June 30, 2015
How to use and set explicit tags for your podcast and its episodes
The explicit tag for your podcast is a really big deal Free speech is a big deal in the U.S. - which is where I'm broadcasting from, and I'm not one to say that you or anybody else can't say whatever you want to say in whatever way you want to say it. BUT it's only common sense to realize that people or companies who provide the platforms upon which you say what you want to say in the way you want to say it have THEIR right to limit what you say over THEIR platform. Did you get that? It's THEIR platform. They get to make the rules - and they do. They have created criteria you must agree to if you're going to use their platforms to make your content available to people. For some reason it's easy to forget that web services like Apple Podcasts and Stitcher, and even Facebook for that matter, are THOSE kinds of platforms. But they are. Today's episode is focused exclusively on the "explicit" tag in Apple Podcasts. You may think this doesn't apply to you... after all, you keep your show clean all the way around. That's great. You may be right that you'll never have to deal with this issue at all. But what if some day you have a guest on your show who's native language in the 4-letter-word? What are you going to do then? Some folks would beep out every instance. That's cool if that's what you want to do. But what if it's not as bad as all that? What if they only use one or two colorful words and they actually lend to the emphasis or context of what they're saying? That might be a good time for you to know how to use the "explicit" tags the right way, on an episode-level. That way you can label that ONE episode "explicit" and the rest can keep their "no rating" or "clean rating" tag intact. Did you know you could do that? Label JUST ONE episode with "explicit" and leave the rest of your show non-labeled or clean? You can. Keep listening and I'm going to tell you how to do it using two of the most popular avenues - Libsyn and Blubrry. Before we get into the details, let me say this: I'll be referring to some very specific functions inside the Libsyn interface and the Blubrry PowerPress plugin - and being an audio podcast I'm going to do my very best to describe exactly how you can find them. But in case you need to see the visual or re-check what I say, you can find all those sorts of things in the show notes for this episode. They'll be at www.PodcastFastTrack.com/13 OR www.PodcastFastTrack.com/explicittag. OK - let's get going Why the "explicit" tag is important I covered this a bit in the last episode but let me quickly sum up... The "explicit" tag's main use is two-fold: It's a "heads-up" to potential listeners that they may get an earful of colorful language or topics in your show But more importantly: It's used by the iTunes search filters to make the "parental controls" of the directory work. I'm
Tue, June 23, 2015
Get featured in Apple’s podcasts app – maybe
The content on this page is outdated. Apple has a NEW approach to this topic that is shrouded in mystery. Sorry ): How would you like your podcast to be featured in Apple's " Podcasts" app ? It could be. Maybe. Possibly. Of course the powers that be at the big fruit-endowed building in Cupertino, California are not about to let common mortals like you and me know exactly how they go about determining which shows are featured in their inbred... I mean, native podcast app. But did you know... DID YOU KNOW that they do in fact tell us how we can increase the chances of our shows being featured there? Really ... I found everything I'm about to tell you on one of their LONG, SMALL-PRINT, IMAGELESS web pages. ( https://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/specs.html ) But to save you the endless scrolling and the fine print - yes, it is VERY fine print on those Apple webpages... I'm going to give U the skinny on how 2 get UR podcast featured on Apple's "Podcasts" app How to get your show featured in Apple's "Podcasts" app Everything I'm about to cover has to do with the information and items you provide to Apple when you submit your podcast. The good news is that if you've already submitted your podcast, you can always go back and update it. Yes, you can. So if you hear something in the following tips that you think will enhance your podcast listing, get to it! Here we go! Produce compelling, new, or unusual content Compelling: evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way. In other words, your show has to be interesting. So don't put together a ho-hum, run-of-the-mill podcast and then hold your breath waiting for it to show up in the features section of the Podcasts app. You'll pass out before it shows up. Here's a great example of something compelling, new, or unusual . Granted, it's produced by a Public Radio station with a staff, and budget, and other stuff you may not have. But maybe instead of viewing those as obstacles, you could look at them as opportunities for you to get creative and excel in new ways. Anything's possible... Take my situation as an example: Just over two years ago I was a full-time employee. Now I'm a self-employed podcast producer , <a href="
Tue, June 16, 2015
Batch recording your podcast – save time, record better
How to do batch recordings to stay organized and save time This episode is hands-on practical. If you apply the information you find in this episode, you'll find yourself having more time to do other things. So... enough is enough Here's my tips for doing batch recordings effectively 12 steps to effective batch recording Refresh your mindset about your podcast . Before you start any of this work, remind YOURSELF why you are doing the podcast in the first place. What is it you are trying to accomplish - for your listeners and your business? You need to be in that mode when you record. Scheduling matters a lot. Examine your weekly schedule and block out the time to do the number of episodes you desire to do each time. Set it at a realistic time during the week, and make it non-negotiable. Make sure you schedule enough time to record and edit (I'll explain why you should do both a bit later) Outline each episode. Your style is relaxed enough, you don't need a script. But an outline will give you the peace of mind to know you're not going to miss important things. Insert your ratings/reviews, announcements, etc. Think ahead as you write the outline. When will the episode you're outlining actually publish? Is there anything date-specific you'll want to mention on that episode? What about show notes links? Do they need to be mentioned? Have you set those up so that you have the specific links to mention? Do you have all your resources available (stats, listener recordings, links you want to mention)? You get the idea. Save your outline as a template. You know about templates. It's an incredible time-saver for batch recording. That way you don't have to re-write our re-outline your intro/outro, or things that are the same most of the time. Let others in the house/building know you'll be recording. Obviously, you want as few inturruptions and outside noises as possible. Do some push-ups before you start batching . Sit-ups, jumping-jacks, whatever. I've found the adrenaline helps me get into an excited, "ready" mode that makes for great recordings. #PODCASTING TIP: Do some push-ups before you start your recordings. Find out why? Before you record, pause and get your mind right. Once you get started, you'll get into a flow. But between episodes take a second to pause, take a deep breath, look over your outline for the upcoming recording, and get your mind centered on that content. Pause when needed as you record. There's no reason you have to get everything right in one take. Pause if you need to in order to collect your thoughts (without pressing the pause or stop button on your recorder). The blank space you see visually will e
Tue, June 09, 2015
How to go about repurposing your old podcast episodes
You've created so many episodes of incredible content over the years: Guest interviews Teaching segments Tricks of the trade Step by step tutorials All of that and more... such great content you've produced over the years. It's a pity that it could be sitting on some server, at the bottom of your archives, seldom being heard any longer. How do you jump-start all that great, older content you have in your archives? Through repurposing! What is repurposing? I don't want to assume that you know what I'm talking about, so here's my best stab at a definition: REPURPOSING: The re-use of older content or material. So, imagine looking through your podcast show archives... you might have 100, 200, or even 900 shows in there. You want to figure out how to get the evergreen stuff (the content that still applies and will always apply) - into the airwaves again so that more people can benefit. And I've got just the way for you use your old podcast audio in new ways. I want to walk you through this idea I've had for reusing older podcast audio - and I want to challenge you to consider doing it yourself. I'm even going to include an example of what it might sound like, using some audio from one of my old podcast episodes. So stay tuned... you're going to love this! Repurposing old content can be challenging Before we move ahead, we need to be honest about the difficulties you're going to face if you try to repurpose your old podcast episodes. You don't want your current audience to feel like you talk about the same things over and over... and repurposing sounds kind of like that. What if they've heard the episode before? What if it seems like "old stuff" to them? Those are very real concerns. But you also have to realize that there are also people who haven't followed you for very long. For them, repurposing could enable them to hear that content for the very first time. You don't want to withhold valuable, helpful information to potential new customers, clients, or listeners, just because you're afraid someone else might have heard it before - do you? Could there be a way to walk that balance between boring the old timers and inspiring the new ones? I believe there is. The Quick Tips podcast repurposing strategy I call this the "Quick Tips" strategy because I picture repurposing that old content in short, powerful, inspirational sound bytes. Imagine quotes from past guests, from yourself, from webinars or teachings that motivate and inspire people. They can serve as reminders, quick calls to action, productivity prompters that your listeners need to hear again. If you're willing to serve as an inspiration and motivation to your listeners in an whole new way... keep listening. <h
Tue, June 02, 2015
More about Spotify podcasts and getting your show known, with Rob Walch of Libsyn
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Wed, May 27, 2015
Spotify podcasts… how can you get on board?
The content of this post is now outdated! See current status of getting your show onto Spotify here. Subscribe to Podcastification Here!
Tue, May 19, 2015
Should you use a podcast script?
When I was 8 years old I didn't know anything about a "podcast script." I mean come on, podcasting didn't even exist then. But that's when I first learned what a script was. I was in my first "real" play. A drama my church was putting on and somehow I got the lead children's part. To me, the script was like a road map - a very clear outline of exactly what was going to happen in the play. Who does what, when. Who stands where. Who says what and when they say it. Can you imagine what it would be like if you tried to put on a drama but didn't have a script? How would the actors know what it was about? How would they know how to act in conjunction with each other? How would they know where the play was headed? For a play, a script is a "must have." What about for your podcast? Should you use a podcast script? There's a lot of debate about whether podcasts should be scripted and I understand why. Everybody has their own idea of what makes for a "good" podcast. But I think you and I should approach the issue from an entirely different angle. Whether or not you use a podcast script has nothing to do with what will make your podcast "good" or "bad." It depends solely on the PURPOSE of your podcast. Let's look at a handful of podcast "types" to see if a podcast script would be helpful in each case THE LAID BACK PODCAST There are shows out there that are intended to be informal, laid back, and easy going. Often there are a couple of hosts who banter back and forth to make for a "fun" and relaxed atmosphere to the show. There's a certain appeal to those shows because they tend to be more entertaining. If a show like that may feel like it doesn't have much structure, but you can be sure they're at least going by an outline, but not a script. That sort of loose direction allows for the free-flowing nature of the show that listeners enjoy. THE INTERVIEW PODCAST You know about these shows... there are thousands of them out there. Somebody is featured as a "guest" and someone else asks them questions. It's similar to the "laid back" show in that the outline is in the questions the host asks the guest. Good interview shows benefit from the structure of the questions/outline while allowing for the flexibility that makes the show interesting and interactive. If you need some tips on how to be a better interviewer, I've written about that before. If you're doing an interview podcast, a script may be helpful, but could also serve as a straight-jacket, making the show far too wooden and inflexible. THE "SALES" O
Mon, May 11, 2015
My top 5 Interviewing tips for podcasters
Are you doing an interview podcast? Could you use some interviewing tips? You're in luck... 'cause I'm about to give you some (and point you to some great resources to help you even more). Interviewing seems like a pretty simple thing. You ask a question. Your guest answers. But there's a lot more to good interviewing than that... and it's not so much about what you KNOW as about what you DO. I've carried on over 100 interviews on my previous podcast and have done other interviews live in various settings. You've got to be able to "think on your feet" and keep the conversation flowing in a positive direction. And in the back of your mind as you interview every guest, you have to be thinking, "Does this interview benefit my listeners?" My interviewing tips I'd love for my experience to be of benefit to you, so if you want to know how to interview - here are my top 10 interviewing tips! Get organized before you contact your guest Most people you're going to have on your podcast are professionals. They've got a busy life and shouldn't have to suffer through your lack of organization. So make sure you get your ducks in a row before you reach out to them. Your guest will greatly appreciate a handful of things from you before you start. Here's my short-list: Clarity on what you want to talk with them about An accurate estimation of time requirements for the interview (be sure to include time before and after to leave room for technical issues) A list of possible questions (you don't have to go exactly by questions you send, but as a courtesy this is helpful to your guests) Clarity regarding time-zone issues. To avoid these problems altogether use a scheduling app like http://meetme.so Technical requirements for a good interview (use headphones, use an external mic, hard-wired connections VS wireless, etc.) You're welcome to tweak my "For my guests" email I send to every interview guest. GET IT HERE What do you need to add to it? Set a goal for your interview Too many interviews are rambling romps through memory and anecdotes. That can be fun but if you want your guest interviews to be tremendously helpful to your audience, I'd suggest you map out the end result you have in mind. Why are you interviewing this particular person? What do they have that your audience needs? What would be the ideal, best-in-the-world end result to come of your interview? Answer those questions and you're well on your way to making them happen. That
Thu, May 07, 2015
A DIY Way To Get A Sponsor For Your Podcast
Get a sponsor for your podcast... go ahead, I dare you! As you probably know by now, getting a sponsor for your show is not such a simple thing to do. There are tons of shows The competition is getting tougher Not all potential advertisers have bought into podcasting as an advertising medium - yet Not all advertisers will fit your niche audience You have to have a show worth advertising on And on top of all of that... how do you actually get in touch with the actual decision-maker who can actually pull the trigger to sponsor your show? In this post I'm going to walk you through an idea I had about how anyone can take their best shot at getting a sponsor for their podcast ONE DISCLAIMER FIRST: I've dreamed up the scheme you're about to read. I have not tried it. But given the many clients I've worked with and the stories they tell about getting sponsors, I believe with all my heart this idea will work. And it's not for the "faint of heart" who aren't willing to take risks. How about it, are you game? What's a great sponsor for your podcast worth to you? If you decide to try this approach, I'd love to hear from you. The "get a sponsor for my podcast" experiment: Have a show worth sponsoring It should go without saying, but it doesn't - so I'll say it. If your show quality is below average you don't have a hope of getting a sponsor. A quick check-list to ensure your show has quality standards that any sponsor-to-be would be proud to endorse: You use a good quality microphone ** (they don't have to cost a lot). No excessive background noise or harsh "S" and "P" sounds (these are called " plosives "... really, they are). Music and spoken word segments are balanced and easy to listen to. Your audio levels are, well, level. That means you've done appropriate loudness normalization (to industry standards... my service includes this at no extra charge). You know how to talk, speak, interview, explain without boring your audience to tears. Your content is good stuff, relevant to your specific niche. If U don't have these basics, don't hold UR breath about getting a sponsor 4 UR podcast. Pick a company you'd like to see sponsor your podcast</e
Fri, May 01, 2015
Configuring Blubrry PowerPress to optimize Apple Podcasts search
What about PowerPress? In my last post I told you all about optimizing the ID3 tags in your actual mp3 files to benefit you in iTunes search. UPDATE: Much of this post uses old terminology - just translate it in your head > "iTunes = Apple Podcasts" But if you're using a WordPress site and are also using PowerPress from Blubrry , there are all kinds of options in your PowerPress plugin settings that iTunes can and will pull. Make sure you fill those out well. Setting up your powerpress settings right can help you get found in iTunes search Here's my take on it... FEEDS TAB - make sure the "Feed Title" and "Feed Description" are filled out with additional keywords. Here's an example of what mine looks like ( http://goo.gl/lzjRMl ). You should also make sure your "rating" is set to the appropriate level (G, PG, etc.) ITUNES TAB - This is the most important page for metadata. Make sure you get these things right. Here's what I suggest... iTunes Subscription URL – This is the URL that you are given by iTunes. It's something like https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/name-of-your-great-podcast/idXXXXXXXXX . If you have lost your subscription URL, go into iTunes and search the store for your show. Once you find it, click the "view in iTunes" button. Once your program opens and your show comes up, right-click over your cover art (for Windows users) and choose “Copy URL”. Paste the URL into this field and remove the “?mt=2″ at the very end. iTunes Program Subtitle – This is your Tag line or mission statement for the show. This is another good place to insert some keyword rich description. But again, be sensible about it. iTunes Program Summary – Give a punchy, powerful, keyword-rich summary, but don’t get spammy about it. Make sure it fits your podcast and the keywords are used in full sentences. iTunes Episode Summary – Leave “Optimize iTunes Summary from Blog Posts” unchecked. iTunes Program Keywords – You can only insert 12 keywords separated by commas. Choose wisely. You can always come back and switch them out if you decide to. iTunes Category – This is the genre of your show. Make sure you pick the best appropriate category for your show. Do Not choose "podcasting" or "podcast." That's for shows that are about podcasting. iTunes Category 2 – Secondary category that fits your show. iTunes Category 3 – Yet another category. Make sure you fill in all three categories. iTunes Explicit – Choose "Yes" if you use cursing or speak about sexually explicit or violent topics in your episodes. If y
Thu, April 16, 2015
Why audio editing and professional sounding audio really, really, really matter.
Audio editing is a MUST for your podcast You'd expect to hear this from a guy who edits podcast audio for a living, but I'm going to say it anyway - your audio quality matters . Why ? Like it or not, people make quick estimations about the resources they find on the internet, which means that their first listen to a less-than-quality podcast might easily be their last. In my experience (and the experience of many people I speak with), it's exactly that. Compare your podcast to a movie Think about the last "C" grade movie you saw. Did you rush out to find more films by that producer or director? Doubtful. Did you immediately begin gushing about the movie to your friends and family? Laughable. You probably told everyone how terrible the movie was. The same thing can happen to a podcast with less-than-great audio. Your goal should be to make your podcast audio of the quality that people will eagerly rave about it in nothing but glowing terms. Audio editing is about setting yourself apart There are so many podcasts to choose from. Last time I checked iTunes (for example) there were over 250,000 shows on iTunes! How are you going to make YOUR show one of those 5 or 10 that a person wants to listen to regularly? Settling for poor quality audio is an unnecessary wedge between you and a potential fan. And why settle at all when great sounding audio is not all that difficult to attain. There might be a niche audience in some obscure realm of the internet that really doesn't give a hoot whether you record in a studio or a cave, but you know as well as I do that's the exception rather than the rule. The average podcast listener will not endure hissing, echo-y rooms, pops, and harsh "S" sounds for very long. Not only is it irritating, it can literally cause pain to the ears when headphones or ear buds are being used. Then there's the "ummm" and "uhhhh" filler-words that are common. I'm not throwing stones, we all do it (yes, even me). But why settle for the amateur feeling those speaking habits give to your show when you could remove them? You'd sound more authoritative and professional and make the listening experience easier and more enjoyable. Who are you podcasting for, anyway? Approaching it that way is keeping the end-user in mind. THAT is what drives the "connection economy" nowadays. If you stick to your guns about "not doing any audio editing" simply because you don't care about it (or you're too lazy), you're way too self-absorbed. Get outside yourself. Think about your listener. But that's a LOT of editing And I know what some of you are thinking:
Thu, April 16, 2015
Introducting Podcastification: The best podcast education money can’t buy
The best podcast education money can't buy... what does THAT mean? It's my not-so-clever way of introducing you to this, my new podcast about podcasting. Yeah, I know there are a lot of great podcasts about podcasting already going. Let me assure you, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just trying to let you in on the lessons I've learned on my podcast journey. And it is a DIFFERENT kind of journey. More on that in a bit... Before we move on, let me pause to say a tiny bit about the podcast educators who are ALREADY out there... The best podcast education out there is actually pretty good. There are some powerful personalities and very knowledgeable coaches out there who are doing truly helpful, consistent work to help us all get a little bit further down the road. Since you're listening to a podcast about podcasting right now, you probably know all the people I'm going to mention. But I need to pay tribute to them for all they've done to help me along... so hold your horses while I wax eloquent here... These are the guys who have rocked my podcasting journey Cliff Ravenscraft - AKA: The Podcast Answer Man Cliff is the first guy to really make it big as a podcast instructor for podcasters. He's really done it well and I give him high marks. He's a man of integrity and I've enjoyed getting to know him through his podcast. If I ever have he opportunity to thank him in person, you can be sure I will. If you've never listened to Cliff's show, Podcast Answer Man , you've just dispelled my doubts about extraterrestrial life... because you must be from another planet. David Jackson - AKA: The original podcast coach I've had a handful of email interactions with David over the years and he's a swell guy. He's really the very first guy who saw the need for education about podcasting and has occupied a very important place in the podcasting space for years. He runs www.SchoolofPodcasting.com if you're in need of help. When was it Dave, 1995 that you started teaching people about technology and the internet? And he started "School of Podcasting" in 2005. As you can see, Dave has been at this podcasting thing a long time and has a thing or two to tell you about it. If you've never heard David's shows (yep, he's got more than one... your classic overachiever), you're missing out. His relaxed manner and wonderful sense of humor are refreshing. Check out School of Podcasting , and Ask th
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