During my last episode about sonic tactics, I talked about the different audio strategies that animals have developed for hunting prey and escaping predators, whether they're orcas using tail slaps to stun schools of fish or moths evading a bat's sonar with their clicks. As it turns out, some of those strategies are surprisingly similar to the sound tactics we've been using on the battlefield for centuries. This week I'll be delving deeper into how those same sonic strategies have played an important role throughout the history of war, from ancient Roman war pigs to inflatable army tanks.

Since animals already rely so much on sound to survive, it may be no surprise that one of the first uses of sound as a battle plan was to try and scare off the other side’s animals. Perhaps the most fearsome mount ever faced in antiquity was the war elephant: they were the tanks of the ancient world, massive and nearly unstoppable during a charge. But elephants are skittish, and it didn’t take long for their enemies to stumble upon a sound that would send even the bravest pachyderm running: the squeal of a pig. “War pigs,” as they came to be called, were sent stampeding among the approaching war elephants to make them panic and trample their own riders. To counter this gambit, elephant trainers began to raise pigs alongside their war elephants so they’d grow accustomed to the sound.

The idea of using sound to evoke fear among the enemy isn't limited to animals. One of the most distinctive sounds on the battlefields of ancient Japan is the kabura-ya (kah-burr-ah-yah) arrow, which literally translates as "turnip arrow." They're often called whistling arrows because, thanks to their hollow, turnip-shaped heads, that's just what they did. The sound of a kabura-ya flying through the air was believed to dispel evil influences, and they were used as signals to announce each army's arrival on a battlefield. While their use by samurai started to fade after the twelfth century, such arrows were also used by bandits to signal their approach all the way through the twentieth century.

Want to hear what one sounds like? There’s a video link on my blog so you can listen and imagine that ghostly whistle just before a battle, or while walking alone in a forest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maMnRvJVih8

While the sound of a kabura-ya arrow relayed honest, if unsettling, information about an approaching army or nearby bandits, wartime audio strategies often involved using sound to confuse the listeners. Just as some animals use sonic camouflage to disguise themselves, ancient armies learned to use sound to conceal their numbers and deceive their enemies. One of the oldest and most famous accounts of audio misdirection is the Biblical story of Gideon, who, around three thousand years ago, used horns, torches, and a scattered group of three hundred soldiers under the cover of darkness to trick an enemy camp into thinking they were under attack by a massive army and retreating.

That’s a strategy we’re still using today, even as we’ve replaced horns and torches with speakers and spotlights. During World War II, a top-secret group of American soldiers officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops arrived in Europe. They were nicknamed the “Ghost Army,” and their ranks included artists, architects, actors, and other creative professionals who could think on their feet. Their goal was to trick the German army into thinking their thousand-man unit was, in fact, an army of more than 30,000 soldiers, and draw their attention away from the Allies’ actual targets.

The Ghost Army did this by using inflatable prop tanks, trucks, and airplanes, by faking radio messages for the Germans to intercept, and through the use of sound in ways that never would've been possible before the twentieth century. They drove sound trucks equipped with massive amplifiers that could play and mix separate sound effect recordings to give any impression they liked, from marching troops to rumbling convoys. Anyone within fifteen miles could hear them, and they would assume they were hearing thousands of soldiers, not a handful of men with a loudspeaker. The Ghost Army's existence remained a secret until 1996, and just this past February its members were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their "unique and highly distinguished service."

If you’d like to see more, including a firsthand look at the Ghost Army’s sound trucks and inflatable tanks, check out my blog for a link to a short video by CNN’s Great Big Story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A5UgFAi6p0

Sonic deception has proven vital when it comes to conflict, whether it’s animals surviving in the wild or human beings using sound tactics to turn the tide of a battle. And as audio technology becomes more and more sophisticated, its importance is only growing. In the third and last episode about acoustic stratagems, we'll take a look at the future of warfare, from sound cannons to directed audio, and whether Havana syndrome might mark the start of a new age of sonic weaponry.

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

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Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

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Five years ago, the first stories broke about a mysterious syndrome affecting American and Canadian diplomats in Cuba. Each case began with the victim hearing inexplicable grating sounds that people around them couldn’t detect, which then developed into headaches, hearing loss, vertigo, and even brain damage. New cases began to appear in embassies all around the world, with the most recent reports occurring just last year, and the phenomenon came to be known as Havana syndrome.

To this day, we still don't know what might be causing it. Theories range from secret government weapons to the power of mass suggestion, from exposure to harmful pesticides to the sounds of noisy tropical crickets. One of the earliest speculations was that it might be a sonic weapon, since we know that sound can be directed to a single listener without anyone else noticing, and that sound can do just as much harm as it can good. The secret behind Havana syndrome, whether it's an acoustic attack or something else, is still waiting to be uncovered, but sound's potential as a weapon is nothing new. Animals have been shaping soundscapes to their advantage for millions of years and we've used sound as a wartime strategy for just about as long as we've had wartime strategies.

This episode’s the first of a three-part series where I’ll be taking a look at how sonic tactics are used by everything from sperm whales to tiger moths, from Bronze Age battles to the now-famous “Ghost Army” of World War II, and just what the future of sonic warfare might hold.

We’re all familiar with the roar of a tiger, the howl of a wolf, or the hiss of a snake: animals use sound to not only communicate with each other but with their natural enemies, to warn them away and hopefully avoid a fight. But can animals use sound itself in a fight? The answer turns out to be yes, especially underwater where sound waves can be louder and more destructive than in the air. One such animal is the pistol or snapping shrimp, and I’ve talked about them before. Despite being barely an inch long, the pistol shrimp can create the loudest sound on Earth by snapping its claw to throw a literal bubble of sound at its prey, a bubble that’s as hot as the Sun and louder than a blue whale.

The title for the world's loudest animal arguably goes to the sperm whale, and it might also use sound as a weapon. Its clicks, which it uses for echolocation, are 230 decibels, so loud that they can be fatal to a diver who gets too close. Check out this link for a short video from author James Nestor about a diving team's awe-inspiring encounter with a pod of sperm whales, and how one diver found his left hand paralyzed for several hours after reaching too close to one of the clicking whales.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsDwFGz0Okg

Being around a sperm whale who's blasting away at full volume can be deadly for humans, but are their sounds also a weapon that they can aim and fire to stun giant squid? Biologists still aren't sure. For a long time, the answer seemed to be yes, but some more recent studies suggest that might not be the case: perhaps sperm whales are just loud because they're so big. Regardless, as one of the biggest and loudest animals to have ever lived, keeping our distance is probably a good idea.

Another cetacean (seh-tay-shan) that definitely uses sound to attack its prey is the killer whale, which hunts just about everything it can eat, from sharks to seals to other whales. When it comes to feeding on large schools of fish, a pod of orcas will often surround them and use slaps of their flukes, and the shock wave the sound makes, to stun the fish and keep them from swimming away. While the fish are left reeling from the blasts, the whales are free to eat as many as they like.

Here's a link to a rare underwater recording of such a feeding event, called “carousel feeding,” so you can see – and hear – their tail slaps for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETL1fwcDUQ4

On the land, animals use colors and shapes to camouflage themselves: leaf insects look like leaves at a glance, and owl butterflies have wings that look like owl eyes. It turns out that some animals also use sound to disguise themselves. Certain palp-footed spider species don't just look like velvet ants at a glance, they actually mimic the sounds of a velvet ant to trick geckos that'd normally prey on them into letting them go. A recent study also found that some species of clearwing moths not only look like stingless honey bees, but they buzz exactly the same way as a buzzing bee.

But the most dramatic use of sonic tactics among insects might be the tiger moth. They're eaten by bats who hunt them using echolocation, and many moths use their own clicking sounds to warn each other that they've heard a bat so they can scatter. One species in particular, though, takes it further. Their clicks disrupt the bat's sonar so that it essentially goes blind when it gets too close to the moth, letting the moth fly safely away while the bat tries to regain its bearings. Here's a link to a short video clip on my blog so you can see a tiger moth using that trick to escape from a hungry bat.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrZ2hNZsCuE

Some of those inventive uses of sound in the animal kingdom bear a striking resemblance to the audio tactics we've also come up with over the years, whether it's using sound to trick an enemy army or loud music and noise to disperse a crowd. Next time we'll explore some fascinating examples of how sonic warfare has changed the course of history, and where its future might lead us.

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

“Do you know what I think makes a compelling podcast? It’s a podcast that doesn’t sound like a podcast. And I know that’s a really goofy answer, but if it sounds like two people talking or three people talking and they’re having this conversation, that there’s a genuine back and forth of information, that’s what makes the best podcast.” -- Joe Pardavila

This episode’s the second half of my interview with radio personality, producer, podcaster, and author Joe Pardavila, as we talk about unexpected interview answers, how improv training helped him learn how to live in the moment, and what makes a compelling podcast in his experience.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

A Polarized World

As the second half of the interview starts, we continue our talk about some of the most surprising interview answers Joe's received, including an offhand but revealing inside look at Chris Martin's family life. The key, he says, is to care about what people have to say, and to give them an opportunity to share their stories. “A lot of people like to hear themselves talk,” he explains, “but they need the opportunity.” And, he humorously adds, “that's why I'm here Jodi, just to hear myself talk. Just that.” We also discuss how polarized the world’s become these days and how much extra effort it can sometimes take to empathize with each other’s perspectives. “We can at least try to get to know each other better,” Joe tells us, “and that just means putting ourselves in the other person's shoes.”

Getting Out of Your Head

Joe goes on to tell us how he ended up learning improv from the Upright Citizens Brigade and joining a sketch comedy group, and the most valuable skill he learned from those experiences. “I was always on,” he recalls, “and just needed something to turn off, because the one thing you learn from improv is it's important to live in the moment and get out of your head.” We discuss how modern technology and social networks have made concentrating on the moment more of a challenge than ever, and the discipline it can take to keep ourselves focused and resist the urge to try and multitask. “It's so easy to be distracted,” he adds, “that we have to be really focused on not being distracted.”

Make Sure You’re Proud

When asked about the most common issues facing podcasters, Joe has a ready answer: editing and overlooking the sound quality. “Someone's dog starts barking like crazy,” he answers, “and they just keep going with the podcast... you can press pause, stop, let things pass, and then continue.” We talk about the limitations of Zoom when it comes to podcasting, ways to work around a limited audio budget, and his latest work on everything from recording audiobooks to interviewing CEOs and business leaders. As the episode comes to a close, he reflects on the staying power of podcasting, something that's often easily overlooked “The great thing about podcasts,” Joe says, “you put your podcast out there, it's going to be out there for eternity. So make sure you're proud of it.”

Episode Summary

• Joe’s most surprising interview answers and how to plan for a conversation
• How learning improv and comedy helped teach Joe to focus on the present
• Why the best podcasts are the ones that don’t sound like podcasts
• Podcasting’s most common issues and Joe’s upcoming projects

Connect with the Guest

Connect with Joe Pardavila on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepardavila/

Follow Joe Pardavila on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joepardavila/

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“You have to create this environment that the person’s comfortable in, that’s a big part of it. And I don’t actually like to use the word interview, especially when I coach people or advise people who are starting podcasts. You don't ever want to use the word ‘interview’ because interview implies question answer, question answer, question answer, whereas a conversation is a back and forth, it’s people sharing ideas.”-- Joe Pardavila

My next guest has produced over ten thousand hours of audio content over the course of his career in podcasting and terrestrial radio. He was a radio personality and producer on the legendary New York City radio station, 95.5 PLJ, where he was part of the iconic Scott & Todd in the Morning. He studied Sketch & Improv Comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and was a founding member and actor in the New York-based sketch comedy group Clip Show. The group performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and the People’s Improv Theater, and their video sketches have been featured on Funny or Die and the Huffington Post. He’s also the co-director, writer, and producer of the award-winning horror satire The Witches of Bushwick and currently serves as the director of podcasts for Advantage Media Group/ForbesBooks.

His name is Joe Pardavila and, as you can probably tell, he’s spent much of his life understanding good audio and good conversation. His book Good Listen talks about the secrets behind creating compelling conversations and powerful podcasts.  Sounds like he’ll fit right in here, so let’s get to it!

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

In Love with Radio

As the interview starts, we talk about Joe's early memories of sound and how he used to stay up late at night as a child to secretly listen to sports news on the radio, "I would be in my bedroom underneath my blankets," he recalls, "listening to my little radio till 3 o'clock in the morning to see what the Mets had done." That radio under the blankets, he says, was a lifeline in the days before the internet and news on demand, and it changed the way he thought about sound, media, and particularly the power of radio.  "That was sort of my connection," Joe says, "to the way I fell in love with radio."

Opening Up the World

Joe goes on to tell us how he came to work for WPLJ and Scott & Todd in the Morning, as a college internship turned into a surprise job offer. "I didn't have to think twice about it," he says. "I was like 'sure, who needs school?' And then that sort of opened my world up." He quickly progressed in his newfound career and, as he explains, "I ended up running the morning show by the time the morning show was blowing up in 2019." We talk about his mentors and how they influenced his career, and how a mentor can sometimes be just as valuable for the mistakes they teach you to avoid as the advice they offer. "One thing people don't realize about mentors and mentorship," he notes, "is it's not only the good things you can learn from your mentors. It's also the bad things."

Good Listening

Next, we talk about his foray into podcasting and writing his first book. "I was like 'I want to do podcasting,'" Joe reflects, "'but I don't want to do the same thing I'm doing on the air.'" His first podcast ended up being a collaboration with renowned sex researcher Zhana Vrangalova in part, he says, "because that's something I would never be able to discuss on the radio." Podcasting soon led him to an unexpected new creative venture, his new book Good Listen. “It turns out as I was teaching folks to be podcasters,” he explains, “I was like ‘this could be useful for other people.’”

A Guest in Your House

As the first half of our interview comes to a close, Joe tells us about a "magic moment," as he calls them in his book, that happened in his own life while running a marathon to help raise awareness of Huntington's disease. We talk about his unforgettable run through the five boroughs of New York, and he tells us how an awkward interview question with Taylor Swift early in his career taught him a valuable lesson when it comes to helping turn interviews into genuine conversations. "Create the safest place for your guest," Joe advises, "because you want them to be able to feel like they're a guest in your own house... You want to create this interview, conversation, podcast experience, what have you, to the point where that person feels comfortable to go into your fridge and grab a soda."

Episode Summary

• How Joe’s childhood memories of the radio led to his broadcast career
• Joe’s start in radio, from college intern to show producer and radio personality
• How radio led to his podcasting career and his first book
• Magic moments and one such moment from Joe’s everyday life
• What Taylor Swift and the Ebola virus taught Joe about interviewing

Tune in next week for the second half of our interview as Joe tells us his strategy for asking the right interview questions, his history of improv training with the Upright Citizens Brigade, what he believes makes a compelling podcast, and the one person he’d most like to someday interview.

Connect with the Guest

Connect with Joe Pardavila on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepardavila/

Follow Joe Pardavila on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joepardavila/

 Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“When you hear that person on the other end, you can put yourself, as a prospective client, you put yourself in their shoes. You hear what their thought process was and you feel connected to that person, you understand exactly what their struggles are because I have the same concerns, I have the same hesitations, and that's very impactful.”-- Nora Sudduth

This episode continues my interview with marketing and conversion strategist and Hello Audio co-founder Nora Sudduth as we talk about sound-based lead magnets, strategies for facilitating and encouraging testimonials, and the future of social audio in a post-Clubhouse world.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

Making It Easier

As the second half of our interview starts, we discuss the three types of lead magnets that Nora has found work well, and how private podcasting fits into each one. "You're positioning yourself as an amazing guide to help them through that workbook,” she says of one strategy, combining workbooks and private audio feeds. “So the workbook in and of itself could still be valuable, but now you're taking things to the next level as their companion.” She tells us about Hello Audio’s most popular private podcast, a collection of success stories from clients, and how private podcasting has doubled some of their conversation rates. “They didn't change anything,” Nora says, “other than adding this private podcast to make it easier for people… it's a game changer when people actually consume that content."

A Desire for Connection

We also talk about the uncertain future of Clubhouse, and what it might mean for the growth of social audio as a trend. “That connection,” Nora assures us, “and that desire for connection, and to be able to listen to others and learn and be able to get to know them, that's not going to go away anytime soon.” She also reflects on the barriers new content creators can face and how social audio’s created more room at the table. “A lot of times,” she says, “starting as a video digital creator can be very difficult. It can create a lot of anxiety and it can prevent folks from getting themselves out there.”

What’s Old is New Again

Our interview wraps up with a lighthearted look at social audio's pre-internet past, at the days of teleseminars hosted over old-fashioned party lines. “I think what is old is new again,” Nora remarks, “and we're only going to see it expand.” We talk about some of the new features that are being developed by Hello Audio, and how they’re helping companies tap into the marketing opportunities that social audio and private audio feeds now offer. “If companies don't make the shift,” she adds, “or create opportunities to connect with their audience through audio, I think they're going to struggle.”

Episode Summary

• Three strategies for combining private podcasting and lead magnets
• The future of Clubhouse and the continued growth of social audio
• The pre-internet roots of social audio and its perennial value
• Hello Audio’s upcoming features and the future of private podcasts

Connect with the Guest:

Website: helloaudio.fm

Connect with Nora Sudduth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noradannersudduth/

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“There are so many benefits to using audio that will ultimately help people consume the content you want them to consume. You're spending all this time creating it, you're putting all this love and energy into creating it – why not put it in a format that makes it easy for them to consume?” -- Nora Sudduth

This episode's guest is the co-founder of Hello Audio and is a leading marketing and conversion strategist who's helped businesses sell over $500 million worth of products and services online, and she’s designed several courses, coaching, and certification programs that have generated millions more. Her name is Nora Sudduth, and if you’re looking for ways to use audio for your business – especially when it comes to private podcasts, a concept that was new to me — this is the episode for you.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

An Accidental Podcaster

We start with a look at Nora's early memories of sound, at the importance of family in her life, and how her dad's favorite songs helped her see him in a whole new light. “From that age on,” she reflects, “music and, just, sound, it changed everything.” The conversation turns to how her marketing work led to a focus on the advantages of audio. “For me,” Nora says, “audio was about mobility and convenience and accessibility, and being able to incorporate that into an otherwise very busy lifestyle.” As she puts it, “I'm an accidental podcaster, I guess is kind of how I thought of it.”

Love and Energy

“Private podcasts enable you to be more relevant with the content you’re dropping per listener,” Nora tells us, “which is something public podcasts can’t do.” She explains the difference between traditional podcasting and private podcasts, the unique ways in which our brains and even the rest of our bodies respond to sound, and the advantages of being able to reach out to clients on a more individually tailored level. “You’re spending all this time creating it,” she says, “you’re putting all this love and energy into creating it, why not put it in a format that makes it easy for them to consume?”

Reaching Your Audience

Next, we talk about how private podcasts are transforming the employment sector and reshaping everything from employee handbooks to onboarding materials. "People are putting that information into audio," she explains, "and it comes to life." We discuss how social media and modern mobility, especially after the pandemic, have created new marketing challenges and opportunities. “You have to reach your audience where they're at,” Nora says, “and they're on their phones, on their mobiles.”

A Pattern Interrupt

As we come to the end of the first half of our interview, Nora tells us about how private podcasts can dramatically boost engagement numbers and overturn the traditional PDF lead magnet. “It can be an amazing piece of content,” she says about those old-fashioned marketing documents, “but it actually removes folks from the sale cycle.” We discuss how personalized audio feeds can replace or enhance other marketing strategies, and how audio’s often-overlooked role in marketing can turn into an advantage for companies willing to invest in it. “It’s kind of a pattern interrupt,” she says. “How many people do you know that are offering that audio private podcast version of it?”

Episode Summary

• Nora’s memories of sound and her father’s favorite music
• How marketing led Nora to discover the potential of private podcasts
• The differences between public podcasts and private podcasting
• Private podcasting’s value for new hires and company communications
• How private podcasting can transform lead magnets and boost engagement

Check back next week for the second half of our interview as we talk about different lead magnet strategies that incorporate sound, discuss some of Hello Audio’s most memorable success stories, and consider the future of private podcasting and audio-first social media like Clubhouse.

Connect with the Guest:

Website: helloaudio.fm

Connect with Nora Sudduth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noradannersudduth/

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“My goal from the very very beginning was some are going to make take their spouse or partner to dinner money some people are going to make car payment money some people may make house payment money and some people may make life-changing money if I can get podcasters to the point of making enough money that gives them enough incentive to say yes this is possible to go bigger and grow bigger and to have the resources to pay for an editor and some of those things so I think the average podcasters now challenge unless they're a niche show or they've gown a significant audience is how do I get that initial taste of some cash and, really, the answer's going to be programmatic." -- Todd Cochrane

This episode’s the second part of my interview with author, CEO, and pioneering podcaster Todd Cochrane as we discuss strategies for improving podcast sound, the keys to monetizing and building on a podcast brand, and the importance of audio branding when it comes to podcasting.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

A Compelling Story

As the second half of our interview starts, Todd gives us his first piece of advice for improving podcast quality: "If you’re going to invest in anything, invest in a decent mic.” We discuss microphone options for different budgets, some of the other kinds of studio equipment he recommends, and a less technical, but no less important, suggestion on starting a podcast. “Have a compelling story,” Todd says. “Don’t go chasing topics: have something that you’re excited to talk about.” As he puts it, “lots of people are chasing categories now, and if you’re not in tune with that category, why would you do that?”

The Goal of the Show

When it comes to building a podcast, Todd has one driving question: "What is the goal of the show? Is the goal to have fun? Is the goal to have lead generation, is it to monetize?" We talk about different strategies of monetization, and he shares an account of one podcaster whose very precise niche turned out to be a gold mine. “If you’re a neurosurgeon,” he explains, “and you reach a thousand of the top neurosurgeons every episode, you can probably charge about $20,000 for that.” For most of us, however, Todd says the key is to build a wider audience: “You have to have a big audience for big money. Some people will fight me on this, but fundamentally, for most shows, that’s true.”

Let Your Voice Be Heard

As the episode comes to a close, we discuss audio branding and how it intersects with the world of podcasting, such as an early opening theme that proved too much for his listeners. “I was bombarded,” he recalls. “People said ‘I stopped, I couldn’t listen any further, that intro was horrible.’ It lasted one episode.” As he puts it, “you really have to find, you know, those elements” that work best for your particular audience. We discuss some of his current projects, and Todd offers one last piece of advice: "The main thing I want people to do is to start a podcast. That's the key: let your voice be heard."

Episode Summary

• The best microphones and sound equipment for podcasting
• Finding your own distinctive voice as a podcaster
• Strategies for monetizing content and building a podcast brand
• The synergy between audio branding and a successful podcast

Connect with Todd:

Website: https://blubrry.com

https://rawvoice.com

https://geeknewscentral.com/

https://www.podcastawards.com/

Follow Todd Cochrane on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cochrane/

Connect with Todd Cochrane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcochrane/

Follow Todd Cochrane on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeekNews/

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

“And what really struck me from that was that not only was this audience a fan of the show, they were more like family, and it really changed my appreciation for the listener, so I really took a lot of care following that to understand their value. So, even though we’re creating great audio, great content, we’re putting out consistently, I didn’t realize how tight [that connection] was until that particular episode. So I think, from my perspective, that one stands out in a big way, not only in the ability to talk about what’s happening but also, at the same time, just this whole community element that goes along with creating podcasts and the power of audio.” -- Todd Cochrane

This episode's guest is the CEO of Blubrry Podcasting and the author of a book on podcasting, "Podcasting: The Do-It-Yourself Guide." He's the founder of the People's Choice Podcast Awards and the Tech Podcast Network and is credited with introducing the first advertisers into podcasting, GoDaddy. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2015, but perhaps his biggest influence on podcasting is Blubrry Podcasting and its parent company RawVoice, which offers a directory of more than three million shows, the number one podcasting plugin for WordPress, and much more. A United States Navy Veteran who served for twenty-five years and retired with the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer, he now lives in Quincy, Michigan after spending the majority of the past 25 years in Honolulu, Hawaii, with his family.

His name is Todd Cochrane, and I think you’ll agree he knows a thing or two about podcasting. We’ll not only be discussing that but also getting his perspective on what it takes to really make a mark in podcasting and in sound these days.  I definitely learned a thing or two from our interview, and you too might want to take notes.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

Times Have Changed

We start things off with a look at Todd’s formative memories of sound and his first experiences with sound and internet radio back during the turn of the millennium. “In the early days, sound was largely music,” Todd explains. “It wasn’t talk, that’s for sure. But times have changed.” The topic turns to how BBSes, FidoNet, and a brief stint as a blogger led him to find his calling as one of the first podcasters in 2004. “My introduction into podcasting was really just wanting to communicate verbally,” he says. “For me, it was the perfect venue. It just felt natural for me to pull up a mic and talk.”

Forgiving Bad Audio

“If you think about what was different,” Todd tells us as we continue our look back at the early days of indie podcasting, “there was no podcast host, so we were on our own for our media.” We discuss how improvements in online audio helped pave the way for podcasting as we know it today, and how his firsthand experience with the importance of editing and audio quality to an audience:  “I’ve always said that they'll forgive you for bad video,” Todd says, “but they won’t forgive you for bad audio.”

More Like Family

Next, we talk about one of Todd's most memorable podcast episodes, and how a personal tragedy gave him new insights into the bond between podcasters and their listeners. “What really struck me from that,” he notes, “was that not only was this audience a fan of the show, they were more like family, and it really changed my appreciation for the listener.” He also gives us a startling reminder that we never quite know who might be listening to a show, as he found out for himself after an episode in which he gave the Mac Mini a scathing review: “Two weeks later,” Todd recalls, “I get a phone call, and it’s Steve Jobs’ secretary who says ‘I’ve got Steve on the line for you.’”

A Diversity of Content

As the first half of the interview comes to a close, Todd tells us about his ongoing podcast New Media Show with co-host Rob Greenlee. “Kind of our tagline,” he jokes, “is that you can get a Ph.D. in Podcasting if you listen to the show." We also talk about how independent podcasters have continued to dominate the online audio landscape, providing a wealth of diverse voices and perspectives. “I never could have imagined in the early days,” Todd adds, “when it was really just a bunch of geeks... that the medium would grow into what it has grown into and the diversity of content.”

Episode Summary

• Todd’s first impressions of sound and music as a teenager
• His podcasting debut during the pioneering days of streaming audio
• How Todd’s early experiences helped shape BluBrry and RawVoice
• The future of open-source podcasting and the indie podcast field
• The growing diversity of podcast voices around the world

Check back next week for the second half of our interview as we discuss some simple steps for improving your podcast, as Todd offers advice on everything from books to sound quality to overcoming procrastination, and as we take a peek at some of his upcoming projects.

Connect with Todd:

Website: https://blubrry.com (use promo code Founder for a 60-day free trial)

https://rawvoice.com

https://geeknewscentral.com/

https://www.podcastawards.com/

Follow Todd Cochrane on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cochrane/

Connect with Todd Cochrane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcochrane/

Follow Todd Cochrane on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeekNews/

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/

When was the last time you turned on the subtitles while watching a movie? Does it ever seem like the music and sound effects, especially the explosions, are as loud as ever, but the dialogue’s barely above a whisper? Does it seem like older movies, movies like Jaws and Star Wars, were easier to understand? Are we just getting older and losing our hearing? That’s one possibility, but if the sound quality of your last moviegoing experience resembles the “Empire Strikes Back meets Christopher Nolan” parody video posted on my blog, your ears probably aren’t playing tricks on you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWAOM3XC9Q

Cinematic sound has changed dramatically over the past few decades, in some ways for the better and in other ways maybe not so much. Those changes can tell us a lot about the value of sound, all the different moving parts and new technologies that can be involved in creating just the right audio experience, and how even the biggest names in Hollywood can overlook its importance.

One of those big names is director Christopher Nolan, and his films in general, and the movie Tenet in particular, sparked debate about whether his distinctive use of muted dialogue and booming music is a good or bad thing. But that question didn't start with him: a Los Angeles Times article from 1996 about the teen horror movie The Craft raises some very familiar-sounding complaints about the trend of music and sound effects drowning out the dialogue, and it suggested that teenagers and new media are to blame. "New media" back then meant loud music videos and the younger generation was Generation X, which just goes to show how long this trend's been developing.

Christopher Nolan is, however, something of a unique case, and his movies are often at the forefront of cinematic audio trends. According to sound editors who’ve worked with him, he believes in actively engaging the audience and focusing their attention through the use of sound, and his actors, like many Hollywood actors these days, tend to forego theatrical performances for a more soft-spoken, naturalistic style of speaking that isn’t always easy to pick up on a microphone. He’s also very enthusiastic about digital audio’s potential for crafting ambient soundscapes, and his movies often rely on a unique auditory illusion called a Shepard tone to set the pace and create tension.

A Shepard tone is a sequence of tones on three octaves layered together: the highest octave seems to fade as it ascends while the middle and lowest octaves seem to grow louder. Since two out of three octaves are growing louder at any given time, our brains combine them into a single tone that seems to be getting higher and higher, or lower and lower if the tones are played the other way around, without ever really changing. Listening to it can be a dizzying experience, and there’s a link on my blog to a video that lets you hear the effect for yourself. You might also recognize it as a sound that shows up pretty often in Christopher Nolan’s movies, from The Dark Knight to Dunkirk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShclPy4Kvc

One quote from the director in Tom Shone’s book The Nolan Variations, however, gives us a clue about some of the other reasons cinematic sound’s changed in recent years. “I was a little shocked to realize how conservative people are when it comes to sound,” Nolan says, “because you can make a film that looks like anything, you can shoot on your iPhone, no one’s going to complain. But if you mix the sound a certain way, or if you use certain sub-frequencies, people get up in arms.”

Some of my listeners might remember a recent interview with author, guitar coach and session composer Nick Morrison. He also talked about how recent studies have shown that sound can be the most important thing to an audience: changing it affects their experience even more than changing the video. "Once you get better," he said, "you can't go back with audio. There's something in the human ear that, if you hear poor quality audio, it immediately turns off your brain and you stop listening"

Sound has a way of getting lost in the shuffle, even when research tells us that it's often the most important part of a multimedia experience. As special effects have improved and filmmaking has become more dynamic, with cameras constantly on the move, it’s easy for filmmakers to lose sight of the audio aspect of a film. Sound mixers don't usually have much authority on the set, and digital audio editing has come a long way, so it can be tempting for directors to settle for an inferior audio take because they know it can be fixed in post-production. And they're right: it usually can be fixed. But that adds another layer of complexity to the processing and can mean that the dialogue’s being reworked long after it was recorded, when the editor's probably already memorized it. And once they know what they're supposed to be hearing, it's that much harder to tell how it'll sound to everyone else.

Curious about just what a location sound mixer’s day on the set looks like? There’s a YouTube link on my blog to a very quick behind-the-scenes look at just how hectic things can get:

Once the sound makes it through production, though, it still has a few more hurdles to jump on the receiving end, the theaters and home systems where we'll be watching the movie. Movies are recorded with a dynamic range between the loudest and quietest sounds, such as a crash of thunder and a low whisper, and that range has grown wider over the years: if it seems like you're always turning the volume up and down between loud noises and low dialogue, that's the reason.

Not every movie theater has the latest sound equipment or sets its Dolby volume to the industry standard of 7, which means some theaters will sound worse than others, and there's no accounting for all the different setups people might have while watching it at home. Even the streaming service you use can make a difference since each one has its own way of compressing the audio data.

So what can we do to create a better listening experience, other than turning down the volume and turning up the subtitles? We have a few options. Many smart devices have an audio leveling feature in their options menu: some call it "night mode," others call it a "volume leveler," and others label it "dynamic range compression." The audio quality will probably take a hit, but it can also mean no more room-shaking explosions.  A sound bar can help, as can any audio setup with a center speaker since the dialogue's usually played separately through it. If nothing else, a pair of headphones will at least bring the dialogue closer to your ears – but it'll bring those eardrum-rattling kabooms closer too.

There’s really only so much that we can do to fix things at home. As with a lot of things when it comes to sound, it’s up to the industry to realize its full potential, from theaters working to provide an ideal listening experience to studios making sure that audio gets the attention it deserves. When it comes to watching a movie, sound can end up being the one thing we remember most.

** You'll notice there's new music!  From Episode #150 onward, we have some new - created just for us - music by Saw & Sine's Nicolae Bogdan Bratis (he was interviewed on this podcast just a little while back!). I love it. :)  This episode has a bit of a longer ending outro so that you can hear some more of it, but future episodes will have a shorter outro.  Thanks for listening!

Would you consider giving this podcast an honest review? You can do that here: https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding.  And if you like what you hear (and read!) – please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

And if you’re interested in crafting an audio brand for your business, why not check out my FREE download – Top 5 Tips For Implementing An Intentional Audio Strategy at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

“We go through all these things and talk about all these problems with annoying sounds and how important it is for the bellows sounds to be informative. And all this just hearkens back to the point where the essential goal here of these so-called auditory ‘alarms’ isn't to alarm, it's to notify. And I think if we can use better sounds like that, whether it's those bellow sounds or some of the ones Judy came up with, for the new standards, we can accomplish the same goal, which is communication and notification without the annoyance.” -- Professor Michael Schutz

This episode continues our Clubhouse discussion as Professor Michael Schutz, Professor Judy Edworthy, Dr. Elif Özcan, and Dr. Joseph Schlesinger lead a variety of questions and comments about medical alarms, hospital soundscapes, and creating a more healing auditory environment.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

No Cause for Alarm

The second half of the discussion starts with a look at alarms, and whether we might be using the wrong word to describe them. “We call them ‘alarms,’” Mike notes, “but for the most part I don't think they’re actually intended to be alarming.” The panelists take a question from Andrea about whether industry rating systems, such as the UK-based Quiet Mark certification, might help prompt a change, and Judy talks about how deep our expectations about the way hospitals are supposed to sound can run. “It’s completely embedded in our culture,” she says, “this whole idea that pieces of equipment have to make a lot of noise and alarms have to be really loud and they have to sound a certain way.”

Breaking the Silence

We continue with a talk about how modern, silent equipment like electric hospital ventilators now use digital sound effects, such as the classic "bellows" sound of a mechanical respirator, to help reassure users.  As Judy explains, "we expect things to make a noise, and we have very particular expectations about alarms.” We also look at how individual tendencies can influence the perception of sound, and at striking the right balance between different needs. “We want people to get the most out of the work,” Dr. Özcan says, “and that they are also happy. Maybe there is some room for that as well.”

Soundscapes of the Future

As the discussion comes to a close, we take a question from Max about associating alarms with their function, and our panelists reveal that this is precisely one of the directions their research has taken. “Indeed,” answers Judy, “the new sound in the standard for the ventilation sound is the breathing sound with some adaptation and the oxygen sound is a bubbling sound.” “Not only have we done that,” Dr. Schlesinger adds, “but we’ve shown benefit.” We talk about what grown-up hospitals can learn from the ambient sound design of children's hospitals, and about the importance of considering every auditory perspective, not just the staff who work there every day. “I think it’s very interesting to look at soundscapes of the future, at hospitals,” Dr. Özcan says, “from the patient’s perspective too.”

Episode Summary

• The purpose of medical alerts and whether they’re really alarms
• How pop culture helped establish our idea of the hospital "soundtrack"
• Silent devices and creating the sounds that we expect to hear
• Making hospitals look and sound more like a healing environment

Connect with the Guests

Connect with Judy Edworthy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-reed-edworthy-56b88a87/

Connect with Dr. Elif Özcan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elifozcanvieira/

Connect with Dr. Joseph Schlesinger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-schlesinger-md-fccm-ba38774b/

Follow Dr. Joseph Schlesinger on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drjazz615/

Professor Michael Schutz's website: https://michaelschutz.net/

Connect with Professor Michael Schutz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michael-schutz/

MAPLE Lab: https://maplelab.net/

“Death By Beep” on TEDx Talks: https://youtu.be/Ap8geRll6F0/

Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:

Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals https://voiceoversandvocals.com

Tweet with me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JodiKrangle

Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/

Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding

or leave a spoken review at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/talktome/ (Thank you!)

Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy

https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/