Big Podcast Playbook - Grow Your Podcast. Build Your Audience.

Last week, I was in middle of KCRW's Radio Race, a 24-hour audio production content very similar to The 48 Hour Film Project.   The task: Make a non-fiction radio story of 4-minutes or less within 24 hours.   This week, I'm sharing my experience with you.   I hope this episode is helpful to those who are curious about getting into narrative non-fiction podcasting as well as podcasters interested in getting better guests and telling better stories on their current podcasts. Topics:

• KCRW's Radio Race (and why I decided to enter...)
• Working from a production brief
• Jumping into podcast production
• How to find a great story for your podcast
• Podcast editing tricks from a standup comic
• Why so many NPR-style shows have narration
• What many NPR-style shows get wrong (in my opinion – don't hate me!)
• Lessons from hosting hundreds of radio interviews
• A 5'7" fashion model who is "Big in Japan" – REALLY!
• How I used my dog to build guest rapport (twice)
• Black man in a white neighborhood
• White kid in a black neighborhood
• The "just a DJ" curse (and how to break it)
• Helpful podcast production advice from my "NPR Friend"
• How I'd spend $1000 on a mobile recording rig
• 32-bit Float – WTF?!
• What Back to the Future has to do with recording great podcast audio
• Counterfeit microphones (and how to make sure you don't get stuck with one)

Links To Things I Talk About:

• KCRW's Radio Race
• Izotope
• Audacity
• Zoom F6 Field Recorder
• Shure SM58 Microphone
• How to spot a fake SM58

     

This is the audio companion to Issue 52 of Big Podcast Insider. If you're interested in more info on what I talk about on this episode and also links, that's where to go.   Big Podcast Insider is a weekly newsletter on podcasting. If you like the content of this episode, consider subscribing – it's free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Topics:

• Podcasting Isn't Easy – We Just Make It Look Easy
• The next big thing in podcasting...
• How to grow your podcast using influencers
• The beer company that wants to advertise on your podcast...sort of.
• A $50 broadcast microphone
• $100,000 podcasting advice

Links To Things I Talk About:

• Big Podcast Insider - Podcasting Newsletter
• Electro-Voice RE20 Microphone
• Audio-Technica BP40 Microphone
• Zoom ZDM-1 Dynamic Microphone

     

Want more podcast ad revenue? Get more podcast listeners.   That makes sense. And it works if you charge per listener.    The problem is that the relationship listeners have with you and your podcast is completely different from the relationship they have with something that isn't personality driven, such as Facebook, or Google, or Spotify.   This is why I reject CPM deals for advertising.   On this episode, I talk about a different want to look at advertising on your podcast and the value you provide to those who want to advertise with you. You can use this as a "pitch" to get more money from the people who approach you about advertising on your podcast. Topics:

• Why "CPM deals" suck
• The top-rated business author who screwed up advertising on his podcast (and later fixed it)
• The problem with radio clusters
• The minimum amount you should charge for a podcast ad, even if you only have 100 listeners per episode
• What podcast advertisers are really paying for (and how to deliver it)

  Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

This is the audio companion to Issue 51 of Big Podcast Insider. If you're interested in more info on what I talk about on this episode and also links, that's where to go.   Big Podcast Insider is a weekly newsletter on podcasting. If you like the content of this episode, consider subscribing – it's free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Topics:

• Is your podcast hosting actually hurting your podcasting career?
• The podcasting job I lost (due to hosting)
• A new podcast in just 24 hours?
• "Less = More" with this new social media app
• How to make better podcast episodes with a single sentence
• Try this if you need new podcast episode ideas
• One of the top podcast (and radio) mics is now on sale – this almost never happens

Links To Things I Talk About:

• Big Podcast Insider - Podcasting Newsletter
• Shure SM7b Microphone
• Electro-Voice RE20 Microphone
• Audio-Technica BP40 Microphone

     

Something interesting happens when you become known for something – people ask you about non-related things. For example, you're known for money or career advice, but people start to ask you about relationships.   Why? Because people think if you have one thing together, you have everything together.   This isn't like that, but it's close. It's a question I received about podcast introductions (which I know about), but specifically about using pronouns during an introduction (which I've never had to do myself).   I've got an answer on how to handle this, which I'm confident will work for your situation, regardless of your gender identity or the pronouns you use. Still, I don't know everything about this topic and, because "pronouns" are a non-issue for me and I've never had to deal with this situation directly, I may be missing something here.   Take a listen and, if you have thoughts, feel free to reach out to me.  Topics:

• Podcast introductions
• How you want to be known in the world
• Podcast pre-interviews
• The world we live in and the world we share via the media we create

Links To Things I Talk About:

• Big Podcast Book

  Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

This is the audio companion to Issue 50 of Big Podcast Insider. If you're interested in more info on what I talk about on this episode and also links, that's where to go.   Big Podcast Insider is a weekly newsletter on podcasting. If you like the content of this episode, consider subscribing – it's free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Topics:

• Cats on steroids
• 5 YouTube Trends Podcasters Shouldn't Ignore
• "Theater of the mind"
• TikTok stats podcasters should be aware of
• Best Brands on TikTok: 12 Examples To Inspire Your Content Strategy
• 17 Types of Video Content That People Actually Watch
• Get More Money for Your Podcast Ads with this "Instagram Trick"
• 5 Ways to Copy a Successful Podcast (and Still Be Original)

Links To Things I Talk About:

• Big Podcast Insider - Podcasting Newsletter

     

Audacity 3.1 has been released and it includes three brand new features that will help you to edit your podcast. Topics:

• Why podcasters should consider Audacity for recording and editing
• Why I prefer Audacity to other popular DAWs, including Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, and Hindenburg
• Looping content in Audacity
• "Smart Clips" and non-destructive editing in Audacity
• Two recommended "add-on" programs I use to create my podcasts

Links To Things I Talk About:

• Audacity

  Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

Jeni Wren Stottrup of The Podcasters' Forum returns for a deeper conversation on women (and general diversity) in podcasting and media.
Topics:

• Male/female dynamics in podcasting
• Is this why you don't like female voices as much as male voices?
• Country radio
• Call Her Daddy
• Things to consider when interviewing women for your podcast...

Links To Things We Talk About:

• The Podcasters' Forum
• Big Podcast Book

  Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.

     

This is the audio companion to Issue 49 of Big Podcast Insider. If you're interested in more info on what I talk about on this episode and also links, that's where to go.   Big Podcast Insider is a weekly newsletter on podcasting. If you like the content of this episode, consider subscribing – it's free and you can unsubscribe at any time.   Topics:

• What a sick cat has to do with your podcast
• Gas pump scam?
• 3,500,000 subscribers (and how to get them)
• 615-488-4321
• Making it easy to subscribe to your podcast
• Mobile podcast subscription pages
• Why is nobody subscribing to your podcast?
• Market research for your podcast
• A podcast hijack
• Izotope RX9

  Links To Things I Talk About:

• Big Podcast Insider - Podcasting Newsletter

     

There are a lot of small and genre-specific podcasting conferences. Unless you're in a specific niche or demographic, you may not know about these events or the value they can bring to you and your podcast.   On this episode, I talk with Jeni Wren Stottrup about her experience at a recent podcasting conference designed for women podcasters, She Podcasts.
Topics:

• Niche and genre-specific podcasting conferences
• Getting "back on the bike" after COVID-19 lockdowns
• COVID-related travel issues
• Networking with masks
• Women in podcasting
• Knowing your audience

Links To Things We Talk About:

• She Podcasts Live
• The Podcasters' Forum
• RocknPod Expo

  Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Podcast Growth Toolkit" to double your podcast audience.