ASK BOB - Podcasting Q&A

I get this question a lot. So, in the next few video's, I will attempt to answer it!

There is too much to cover in just one video. So you will need to watch the next couple as well to get my answer to "Why Should I Start A Podcast?"

First, podcasting is the new "wave" in media communications.

Second, car makers and even airlines are now offering podcast connectivity to their customers.

Podcasting has an easy entry barrier and allows businesses to build their brand and grow their client list as well.

Podcasting may not be here forever - but it is the growing trend right now!

In the next few episodes, I will go over some additional points that will make this clear to you. I will also explain how you can use podcasting to establish and grow your brand and your business.

If you have a podcasting question, send it along to me. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and click on the contact tab. Fill out the form and be sure to send me your questions.

If your question is used on this podcast, I will be giving you credit for bringing it to our attention and you will receive a FREE download of my book, “The Complete Guide to Podcasting.” That is a $37 value and you will receive it for FREE if you send along your questions and used on this “ASK BOB” program. If you include your website or podcast information, I will be referencing that as well and putting your information in the show notes of the podcast.

Who knows, you may see some increased traffic to your website, your podcast, etc. just from asking a question. If I get asked the same question, the first person to ask it will be getting the credit.

So IF you have a question, don’t wait! Ask today. Just go to

https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and fill out the contact form.

Next time, we will talk about how “Podcasts Are Better Than Blog Posts.”

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you can be notified every time we release a new episode and answer someone’s question!

So, until we talk again, “Keep Listening, You’re Awesome!”

This question was sent to me by Gerald R. (thanks for the question!): "Why do I find this so difficult to do?"

So, I decided to demonstrate that you do not need any special equipment to do a podcast. I recorded this episode on my iPhone while on a morning walk with my dogs!

All you need to do is hit RECORD on your smart phone! I used FB Live in this episode, then downloaded it to my computer and uploaded it here to the YouTube Channel for the podcast. I also converted it to audio mp3 and uploaded it to my podcast website.

SIMPLE! You can do this!

You do not need special equipment, a studio or anything else. I know of several people that record their podcast episodes from their car with their smart phone!

YOU CAN DO THIS!

If you have ANY questions about podcasting, please let me know. Send me your questions by using the contact form on our website: www.podcast-training.com or email me directly at [email protected]

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to this channel and be notified when new videos are posted here. AND SUBSCRIBE to our podcast on our podcast website at www.AskBobPodcast.com

Until next time - Keep Talking, You're Awesome!

What Kind of Podcasts Are the Most Popular – Part Five

Story Telling and Hybrid Formats

Story Telling: This is kind of like the NPR stories. It takes A LOT OF TIME to prepare! Do not underestimate the time involved to do a quality program when you are trying to tell a story.

NPR may spend weeks gathering audio commentary, conducting interview and fact finding. They may record hours and hours of interviews and audio. Then spend hours more editing quotes from the many audio files and putting them into a sequential story that gets their message across.

Unless you have the time, ability and finances to put together a quality story that will hold your listeners attention, this is podcasting method that you may find hard to do. But if you can establish a routine that works for you – you can develop a listener base that will be loyal to you for years.

Think about the “Serial” podcast series and how popular that became. Why? Because of the amount of time they took to gather the facts, do the interviews, double and triple check the information. It was not accomplished in just a couple of days. Those podcasters worked for many, many months putting this information together. But, when done properly, you see how successful it can be.

One drawback to this type of podcast preparation is never airing the podcast! You may start gathering the information with the full intent of telling the story you set out to do. But the information you gather in the process may not lead down the path you thought you would follow. Until, ultimately, you decide NOT to go with the story. Then all of the work, time and money was wasted.

So before you venture down the path for this type of podcast, make sure you have the resources, time and desire to follow through.

Fictional Story Telling: This is kind of like writing your own fictional book. But you are talking it out in audio. You can have different voice actors read the lines of various characters. If you are good at doing this sort of thing, you could find yourself with a lot of listeners. And who know, maybe a future book deal?

This is a great way to promote your book if you have already written it. It is an awesome way to generate interest in your book. You may even offer it in the podcast for sale to your listeners!

You can also develop a HYBRID podcast: This is where you may do a combination of various formats, depending on the message you are trying to communicate. You could do the solo program on some topics. Bring in a guest to interview about the topic later. And maybe hold a panel discussion after you interview a couple of guests. So you do not have to be “stuck” in a mold. As a podcaster, you have the ability to develop your podcast anyway you want! Just remember, it is about the listeners –not you!

Whatever format you choose – just remember one thing. Do it well. That is the only way you will become successful. Quantity over quality will only you doom you to failure. It would be better to put out one MONTHLY podcast of high quality than 30 daily podcasts that nobody would want to listen to.

If you find these videos helpful, please give us a rating and a comment below. It helps others to find this information as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to get the word out!

Over the course of these videos and articles, I want to answer any questions you may have concerning podcasting. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to

What Kind of Podcasts Are the Most Popular – pt 4

Panel Discussion

The Panel Discussion: This type of format is little more complicated to manage. Not only are you going to giving commentary, you will also be asking questions of your multiple guests. One type of podcast in this method, is to have two or more guests with differing views or opinions on a particular topic.

I would recommend not more than three panel guests. Otherwise, it will be to easy to lose control of the interview.

With two people, you can easily balance the time each person is talking. With three, it cuts down on the time each person can have to make their points. Plus, if one is a more dominant personality than the other two, it will hard to control the reactions and comments of the other person if they feel a comment was made they disagree with.

The important part here is the podcast is not about YOU. You must remember that. It is not even about your guests! It is about your listeners! You must keep that as the center of your focus. You are brining guests on the panel to add value to your listeners.

In that regard, you must continue to highlight your guests over yourself. Make them feel it is about THEM (but keep the conversation centered around providing value to your listeners).

It is a delicate tight rope to walk. But those podcasters who can pull it off will see a dramatic rise in listenership!

Next time, I will be discussing the final three types of podcasts: Story Telling; Fictional Story Telling and the Hybrid Podcasts!

If you find these videos helpful, please give us a rating and a comment below. It helps others to find this information as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to get the word out!

Over the course of these videos and articles, I want to answer any questions you may have concerning podcasting. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and click on the contact tab. Fill out the form and be sure to send me your questions.

If your question is used on this podcast, I will be giving you credit for bringing it to our attention and you will receive a FREE download of my book, “The Complete Guide to Podcasting.” That is a $37 value and you will receive it for FREE if you send along your questions and used on this “ASK BOB” program. If you include your website or podcast information, I will be referencing that as well and putting your information in the show notes of the podcast.

Who knows, you may see some increased traffic to your website, your podcast, etc. just from asking a question. If I get asked the same question, the first person to ask it will be getting the credit.

So IF you have a question, don’t wait! Ask today. Just go to

https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and fill out the contact form.

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast in order to be notified when a new episode is being published and a new question is being answered.

Remember, Keep Talking – You’re Awesome!

If you would like to watch the associated video for this article, please click HERE:

https://youtu.be/Gaopm40EY5Q (https://youtu.be/Gaopm40EY5Q)

What Kind of Podcasts Are the Most Popular – pt 3 Solo Commentary

The Solo Commentary Podcast: This is probably the easiest type of podcast you can put together. It is basically the format I am using for this podcast, “Ask Bob.” It may be the easiest to do, but is also harder to accomplish.

Many people are not able to do this type of podcast, because you actually have to carry on a conversation with other people, even though you are talking to nobody at the time! That is what I’m doing right now. I’m talking to you – even though you are not here with me at this time! I’m talking to the computer screen!

Some podcasters will write out the script to use on their podcast commentary. This is ok – but you need to be skillful enough to read without it sounding like you are reading! Nobody wants to listen to you just reading a script on the air! That would be more like an audio book!

Personally, I do type out notes that I use to guide my conversation. That way I don’t waste time trying to remember what it was I wanted to talk about or forget to mention something I wanted to share. But you must be careful. DO NOT make it seem like you are only reading.

The best thing about the solo podcast is you can talk about whatever your passion is. I can guarantee you, somebody out there is interested in the same topic you are passionate about as well. It could be car repair, golf, landscaping, crafts – the topics are limitless!

Next time, we will be discussing “Panel Discussions.”

If you find these videos helpful, please give us a rating and a comment below. It helps others to find this information as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to get the word out!

Over the course of these videos and articles, I want to answer any questions you may have concerning podcasting. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and click on the contact tab. Fill out the form and be sure to send me your questions.

If your question is used on this podcast, I will be giving you credit for bringing it to our attention and you will receive a FREE download of my book, “The Complete Guide to Podcasting.” That is a $37 value and you will receive it for FREE if you send along your questions and used on this “ASK BOB” program. If you include your website or podcast information, I will be referencing that as well and putting your information in the show notes of the podcast.

Who knows, you may see some increased traffic to your website, your podcast, etc. just from asking a question. If I get asked the same question, the first person to ask it will be getting the credit.

So IF you have a question, don’t wait! Ask today. Just go to

https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and fill out the contact form.

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast in order to be notified when a new episode is being published and a new question is being answered.

Remember, Keep Talking – You’re Awesome!

If you would like to watch the associated video for this article, please click HERE:

https://youtu.be/XPbyLggZYz0 (https://youtu.be/XPbyLggZYz0)

What Kinds of Podcast Are the Most Popular – Part Two

The One on One Interview

The One on One Interview: This is the most common form of podcasting. If you can book an interview with a very well known person who can give tremendous value to your particular niche audience – you can grow tremendously! There are a lot of podcasters who use this particular format. But, you must be a good interviewer!

There are many podcasts out there where the host is not a good interviewer, and it shows. I use an interview format on my podcast, “The Kingdom Cross Roads Podcast.” I usually take at least as much time to prepare for the podcast as the length of the podcast – and usually longer!

What do I mean by that? If the interview is 45 minutes in length, I usually take an hour to 90 minutes in preparation! I have an interview form that is part of the scheduling process. This form has all the basic contact information, of course. It also asks for the main topic of the interview the other person wants to discuss.

The reason for that, they may be the owner or manager of a huge non-profit that is doing tremendous work. But the person wants to talk about a new book he has just published! So that is what I need to focus on during the interview! I will, of course, discuss the non-profit and ask a couple of questions along those lines. But it is just to establish background for the authority of the interviewee. THEN, I jump into the questions about the book.

In doing my preparation, I will take the information they provide, including the website, and start there. The best place to look, for me anyway, is the ABOUT ME page! I look for some interesting fact that is on the page that has almost nothing to do with the book, the business or anything else.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not spend a lot of time on that one question. But I will insert somewhere during the interview! It may be something like, “One question I have for you, did you really get lost for two days in the jungle while in the Amazon rain forest?”

I usually get a chuckle and a comment like, “Yeah! That was an awesome time!” or something like that…and then they explain what happened! After the interview, I’ve almost always been complimented by my guests about the quality of my questions and my interview skills. Some are icons in their areas of influence! They will tell me that it has been a long time since they had someone interview them that had actually taken the time to learn about THEM!

This is how I know I am following my passion for these podcasts. I spend the time to adequately prepare for each guest individually. If I do not have the time to adequately prepare, I will try to reschedule the interview so as not to waste my guests time (which would probably cause them never to come back on again in the future).

You can do this as well. But you must MAKE THE TIME to adequately prepare!

Next time, I will be discussing the Solo Commentary Podcast!

If you find these videos helpful, please give us a rating and a comment below. It helps others to find this information as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to get the word out!

Over the course of these videos and articles, I want to answer any questions you may have concerning podcasting. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and click on the contact tab. Fill out the form and be sure to send me your questions.

If your question is used on this...

What Kinds of Podcasts Are The Most Popular - Part One

So, the question for today is, “What kind of podcasts are the most popular?”

Over the next few episodes, I will be giving you the most popular methods of podcasting in use today. There may be a couple others that are used but not that popular. But I’m going to focus on the major ones.

A quick summary, and remember, this is only a summary because beginning with the next episode, we go into detail. But so you can have the types here, they are:

One on One Interview

Solo Commentary Interview

Panel Discussion

Story Telling Podcast

Fictional Story Telling Podcast

Hybrid Podcast

If you find these videos helpful, please give us a rating and a comment below. It helps others to find this information as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to get the word out!

Over the course of these videos and articles, I want to answer any questions you may have concerning podcasting. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and click on the contact tab. Fill out the form and be sure to send me your questions.

If your question is used on this podcast, I will be giving you credit for bringing it to our attention and you will receive a FREE download of my book, “The Complete Guide to Podcasting.” That is a $37 value and you will receive it for FREE if you send along your questions and used on this “ASK BOB” program. If you include your website or podcast information, I will be referencing that as well and putting your information in the show notes of the podcast.

Who knows, you may see some increased traffic to your website, your podcast, etc. just from asking a question. If I get asked the same question, the first person to ask it will be getting the credit.

So IF you have a question, don’t wait! Ask today. Just go to

https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and fill out the contact form.

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast in order to be notified when a new episode is being published and a new question is being answered.

Remember, Keep Talking – You’re Awesome!

To watch the associated video with this article, please click HERE:

https://youtu.be/X6G4JVW8Ulc (https://youtu.be/X6G4JVW8Ulc)

Today, I want address the question, “How Can I Build an Audience?”

The processes are wide and varied for this. I cannot cover all of the possibilities. But let me cover some of the more popular methods of building your podcast audience.

First and foremost, you should be podcasting to a specific person or group. This is called your “avatar.” Every episode should be designed to bring value to that one, perfect person. The perfect individual that needs the information you are going to share.

There will be others that get great value from your podcast. But your podcast should be talking to ONE INDIVIDUAL. That will make you more personable. It will make it seem as if you are talking directly to the person listening.

Next, be sure to tap into the vastness of social media! Share and promote your podcasts across social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube all have unique audiences. All of them will help you to reach their specific users. But if you do not share and promote your episodes, there is a very high chance nobody else will either!

Next, be consistent in your publishing schedule. If you publish once per week, be sure you continue to do so on the same day. Do not publish on Monday this week and Thursday next week and Friday the week after and Tuesday the week after that. Use a system to make sure your episodes are published the same day (and preferably the same time) each episode! Your listeners will begin to expect to hear from you!

Reach out and become guests on other podcasts! That is a way to leverage someone else’s audience! People that you would never interact with immediately. These podcasters have built up their loyal audience. If you guest on their podcast, you will be exposing your brand to their audience!

If you find these videos helpful, please give us a rating and a comment below. It helps others to find this information as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to get the word out!

Over the course of these videos and articles, I want to answer any questions you may have concerning podcasting. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and click on the contact tab. Fill out the form and be sure to send me your questions.

Today, I want address the question, “Will anybody listen?”

The simple answer, in my best lawyer voice is, “That depends…”

I know, I know, that is not really an answer. But it definitely applies to podcasting.

Someone who is just starting out may end up thousands of downloads per episode. Someone who has been doing this for years may only have a handful of downloads per episode.

But, one thing that is for sure – if you do not have a podcast, NOBODY will be listening!

Now, that being said, there are certain things that will help you to build a listening audience.

One is your friends and relatives. I know, I know, that is not who you are trying to reach (or maybe it is in a limited way, I don’t know). But, by asking your friends and relatives to like and rate and leave comments on your podcast, that will actually help your podcast to grow.

If you get your friends and family and coworkers, etc. to “do you a favor” and like and comment on every episode, and SHARE the episode on their social media, you will increase your reach! You will have people you do not even know coming to your page and being impressed. This will only help you to grow!

But, you need to leverage you existing contacts. Which is your friends, family and coworkers. This is a great starting point.

Makes sense, right?

If you find these videos helpful, please give us a rating and a comment below. It helps others to find this information as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to get the word out!

Over the course of these videos and articles, I want to answer any questions you may have concerning podcasting. You can leave your questions in the comments section below. But a better way of communicating with me and making sure I am able to see your questions rapidly is by using the contact form on my website. Go to https://podcast-training.com/contact (https://podcast-training.com/contact)and click on the contact tab. Fill out the form and be sure to send me your questions.

Today, I want address the question, “What will I talk about?”

This is topic of concern to many who are thinking of starting a podcast. It is also a topic of concern for many who already have a podcast!

But it doesn’t really have to be that hard! Let me ask you a question?

What is it that people ask you to help them with? It could be your profession. That is a definite possibility. But let’s also say you have a hobby that you are passionate about. Your podcast could be about your hobby.

You could be a medical doctor who likes to tinker with old cars on your weekends. It helps you to relax. Maybe some people are asking you questions about restoring classic cars or rebuilding their engines. Or how to find parts. You could have a podcast about that hobby, even though your profession is in something completely different.

You can also do a podcast about your profession. Many businesses have podcasts that provide value to the listener and serves as source of promotion for their business. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that aspect of podcasting.

The next part of this question I want to cover is how to keep track of what you have talked about during your podcast. There is nothing worse than discussing a subject today and then cover the same exact topic in a couple of months. Unless you are taking live calls or answering questions, that is.

But to schedule an entire episode, let’s say, “How to order tail lights for a classic car,” today. And then forget that you talked about that and come back six months from now and provide the same information, shows you are not being professional in your podcast topics.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it is needful to go over the same topics again. Sometimes the details do change and you want to bring everyone up to date. That’s ok. But to do a repeat simply because you forgot is not very professional.

To help you with this, and to help me with this, I use what I call a 10 x 10 matrix. This is simply a spread sheet. Across the top, in the first ten columns, list the major topic discussions you would like to teach on. For our example with the classic car restorations, it might be topics like, “finding classic cars for sale; how to bid on classic cars; how to transport classic cars that not operational; how to disassemble a classic car; how to find parts for a classic car; how to restore parts of a car you cannot find parts for; how to overhaul an engine; how to prepare a car for painting; how to paint a car; how to add clear coat; etc. etc.”

You can have 15 or 20 columns across the top. Or six or seven. I use 10 just as a guide.

Now you have the major topics, under each topic, put ONE item in the block that you could teach on in that section. List them down the column. If you have 10 across for major topics and you have 10 down under each topic, that is 100 possible episodes you could have! That is the equivalent of an entire year of podcasting if you did two episodes per week and still took two-week vacation! You could have your entire year planned out in just a matter of a few hours!

After you teach on a topic, cross it off or highlight it so you know you have already covered that topic. You can even list the episode number you taught on. That way, if you need to reference it in a future episode, you have the information right there in front of you!

https://youtu.be/dR_6RdKnnzI (I have a short video where I demonstrate how to use this 10x10 matrix. You can watch the video at this link HERE.)

I hope this helps you in planning out what you will teach on. It has worked for literally hundreds of people that have used this system. It is the easiest and the most efficient way I know of to control what you are teaching on.

I hope this has...