Good morning, Podcasters! This is a rather introspective episode. You'll have to listen to get the full experience (though the transcript is below).

In the episode, I talk quite heavily about a few books and blogs:

• The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin
• Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling, by Eric Nuzum
• The Interestingness of Everyday Experiences - a post by Jeffrey Saddoris

Thank you for listening to Good Morning, Podcasters!

On yesterday's episode, I spoke the need to collect first-party data since third-party data is not long for this Earth. On today's episode, I talk about some simple ways you can update your website in order to optimize it for growing your email subscriber list.

Here are 9 ways you can optimize your podcast's website in order to grow your email subscriber list:

1. Make sure your sign-up form is prominent. A lot of people bury their newsletter sign-up at the bottom of the page or on the “Contact Us” page. Give it the prominence it deserves.
2. Reduce the fields in your sign-up form. Research shows that the more fields you have, the fewer people will sign up. Unless you require specific information to segment your audience, I recommend starting with just the email address OR name and email address.
3. Give something away for every subscriber. If you want to grow your list fast, offer something like a free sticker, custom piece of art, shout out on the pod, etc. for signing up. Remember that if you go with something physical that you have to mail, you’re going to need to mail it. And in the U.S., postage is at 60¢ plus the cost of the envelope, sticker, and your time. It can get pricey, but it may be worth it depending on how you monetize your show and your email list.
4. Add a timed pop-up or exit-intent pop-up on your homepage. You’ve all seen this before. The box pops up after a few seconds on the site asking you to sign up for the newsletters. You’ve seen them so often because they work. An exit-intent popup works by triggering when the site detects the mouse moving to the top of the screen (signaling that the visitor is about to bounce).
5. Add pop-ups on your most popular content. If you don’t want everyone getting hit with a pop-up, you could only put it on pages that are high performers.
6. Require registration for blog comments. If you take comments on the show, you could require that the visitor registers first. In that registration process, you could include an opt-in box. Just be sure you’re following GDPR/CCPA/etc. guidelines.
7. Test & update your CTAs. Have you not been getting many sign-ups? Maybe the copy isn’t landing with your audience. Try changing up your Call-to-Action and button copy.
8. Make a quiz. People like to interact with fun quizzes and polls. Put one on your website and require the user to sign up in order to see the results.
9. Create a survey. Ask your listeners to give you feedback about your show and at the end, give them an opportunity to sign up for your email list.

There you go! Nine ways to grow your subscriber list. Thanks for listening to GMP!

Man, I've been waiting to use this title for a long, long time!

Third-party cookies have been a vital tool for advertisers and websites for years. These cookies are used to track users, gather data, and help advertisers provide more targeted ads to the right people. However, many consumers feel that data tracking is an invasion of privacy, and the increasing trend towards data privacy has led to the sunsetting of third-party cookies.

In 2024, Google plans to eliminate third-party cookies on Google Chrome, the world's most popular browser, with a 68% market share. This move will make it harder for advertisers to get their ads in front of the right audience and almost impossible to retarget users. First-party cookies, on the other hand, will not be affected. These cookies are set by the website that the visitor is on and include preferences such as dark mode and shopping carts.

This change will have a significant impact on advertisers and marketers, as there will be a new focus on gathering as much first-party data as possible. The emphasis will be on email newsletters and other data-gathering promotions, and creating useful, authentic content that people will want to interact with and share.

Large websites with massive datasets will still benefit from first-party cookies. For example, Facebook has a lot of first-party data because people provide them with every bit of information about who they are and what they like. This means that advertising on the platform will still be an easy way to reach people. However, it won't be possible to retarget people who visited your website on Facebook.

This is going to be a significant change that will impact the world of online advertising and marketing. However, it also provides an opportunity for you to focus on gathering more first-party data and creating authentic, useful content that people will want to interact with and share.

I absolutely love trying new social media platforms. When Bot Sentinel's new social media platform, Spoutible, became available to the public, I signed up as soon as I could.

For those who have used Twitter, Spoutible has a very familiar interface:

• Tweets = Spouts
• Retweets = Echoes
• Quote Tweets = Quote Spouts
• Likes = Likes

Spouts are limited to 300 characters, but your are able to edit your Spouts for up to 7 minutes after they've been, uh, Spouted. You can only edit a Spout once.

Unlike Twitter, there is no algorithm. Everything is currently chronological. Only "Echoing" a Spout will make it seen by others that aren't currently following you. Also, since it is run by Bot Sentinel, each Spout has a bot score. So far, I've only seen "Normal 0%" on posts.

At the moment, Spoutible lacks the ability to create Lists, upload videos, and there is currently no mobile app—but they're working on it.

Will Spoutible be a viable alternative to Twitter? Time will only tell. But for now, I'm having fun in the social media platform du jour.

Links to the things we discussed this episode:

• Spoutible

Twitter: @GMPodcasters | @FuzzMartin | @Podcast_Father

Good Morning, Podcasters! is a product of Snoring Dog Media, LLC. Podcasting Sucks! is a product of Snoring Dog Media, LLC & Jeff Townsend Media.

Have you ever wanted to send out a press release and thought, "Hey, there are distribution services that can push this out to all the news outlets. I could be on CNN! I could be in the New York Times! I could be EVERYWHERERERERE!!!"

Before you go wasting your money on a wire service distribution, let's talk about what newswire releases are and whether or not they're worth it.

On today's episode, I'm joined by EPIC Creative's Content Director and Head of PR, Scott Covelli.

A newswire is a tool you can use to distribute press releases to media outlets and journalists. These distributions come with a fee that is usually determined by the size of the audience, number of images or logos accompanying your release, and often by word count. Wires are typically used to send news to large audiences of journalists—though they often are themed by industry (e.g., automotive, oil & gas, food & beverage, etc.) and geography.

If you're sending a newswire release, it should be written in a standard press release format. This will ensure it's easy for journalists and news outlets to quickly assess whether the information you're sending them is relevant to their audience. The release typically includes a headline, a dateline, a lead paragraph, the body of the release, and media contact information. On Episode 6 of GMP, I walk you through the standard format of a press release.

As with any press release, the information included in the release should be newsworthy and not just an ad written in a press release format.

The biggest benefit of a newswire service is the wide reach it can provide. Newswire services have established relationships with a variety of media outlets, making it likely that your release will be picked up and published by multiple sources. This can help to increase the visibility of your news, and can also give you the appearance of credibility by landing placements on multiple sites.

Newswire releases certainly have their limitations. Since they are sent out to such wide audiences, it can be difficult to ensure that your release is targeting the right news organizations.

Distributions are "pay-to-play." Your news will most likely get picked up, possibly on hundreds of sites, but it will generally be a straight copy/paste of your press release. The placement of these releases, however, is usually in the utter depths of hell of a news site. Even if you are getting picked up on MSNBC or the NYT, it's almost always in a place that is not ever going to be seen by a human. Also, the links in your release will likely be given the rel="nofollow" HTML tag, stripping you of the possible SEO benefits from the host site.

News releases sent via a wire service are also quite costly. Even the most basic services charging a few hundred dollars at a minimum. If your release includes additional elements such as images and your podcast's logo, the cost can easily exceed $1,000. It's important to keep in mind that the cost of the service does not guarantee that your release will be picked up by specific media outlets.

It may be worth exploring other cost-effective options for distributing your release, such as sending it directly to targeted media contacts or posting it on your podcast's website and social media channels.

However, if that $1,000 is burning a hole in your pocket, you could spend it on Facebook or Instagram ads and potentially reach even more people than you would with a newswire distribution.

Newswire-distributed press releases are popular for a reason—but that reason is mainly self-gratification. If you're going to use a service like this, make sure your news is legitimately newsworthy, and only use this tool sparingly. A newswire release cannot replace genuine relationships with journalists, which are key to meaningful and ongoing media coverage.

As a podcaster, you want to engage your audience and keep them coming back for more. Running promotions is a great way to do this, but it’s important to know the difference between a contest, sweepstakes, and an illegal lottery. You don't want to end up getting sued, so let's dive into the world of promotions and how to run them legally.

In case you're wondering, I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

First and foremost, let's get one thing straight—gambling is illegal unless you are a licensed casino. When you make someone exchange something of value for a chance to win something, that is considered a lottery or, simply put, "gambling." The rules are in place to ensure fairness and to prevent people from starting their own illegal casinos.

The three key elements that determine whether a promotion is gambling or an illegal lottery are Prize, Chance, and Consideration.

• Prize is the thing that a person (or people) wins.
• Chance means there are odds involved in winning.
• Consideration is the requirement that something of value be given up in order to be “considered” for the promotion.

If you have all three elements, you risk legal trouble.

To avoid holding an illegal lottery, simply eliminate one of these elements.

Prize is the hardest element to remove since you want to be incentivize your listeners to enter. You could skirt the prize by having a prize with no value. For instance, you might name one of your random paid subscribers as, "The Good Morning Podcasters listener of the week."

You can remove Chance by turning the promotion into a contest where winners are chosen based on certain criteria rather than by chance, or into a giveaway where everyone who enters wins a prize.

Consideration is the easiest to get rid of - just don't require that listeners pay to play.

So what exactly are the different types of promotions?

• Sweepstakes: A sweepstakes is a promotion that has Prize and Chance but no Consideration.
• Contest: A contest is a promotion where there is Prize and could be Consideration but no element of Chance and winners are chosen based on certain criteria.
• Giveaway: A giveaway is similar to a contest, but with the element of Chance removed by giving everyone a prize.

When running a promotion, it's important to have official rules detailing how a listener can win and how the prizes will be distributed. To reduce the appearance of impropriety, it's best to have a third-party draw the random drawings. Don't forget to put an end date for the contest and consider asking a lawyer for advice, as rules vary by location.

Running promotions is a great way to engage your audience and keep them coming back for more. Just make sure to know the difference between a contest, sweepstakes, and illegal lottery, and to follow the rules and regulations to avoid any legal trouble. And remember, never refer to your promotion as a raffle or lottery unless you are properly licensed to run one.

As a podcaster, you should really know the rules and regulations surrounding promotions, so you can run them legally and fairly for your listeners. Don't risk getting sued—follow these guidelines and the advice of your actual legal counsel, and you'll be able to run successful and exciting promotions for your audience.

If your podcast has some news to share, figuring out the right journalist to pitch to can seem daunting, but it's a crucial part of getting your news in front of the right people. The last thing you want to do is spam journalists, as this will result in them blocking you faster than an NFL offensive tackle. Instead, you need to have a strategic approach to PR list building.

Start by determining who your target audience is and make a list of journalists and podcasters who cater to that audience. If you have a strong niche, you likely already have an idea of who those journalists are. For example, if you are a podcaster focused on renewable energy, you would want to target journalists and podcasters in the renewable energy space, as well as those who write about sustainability and the environment.

In this example, let's say your solar energy podcast just raised $100,000 to put a solar roof on an underprivileged school.

Next, contact the right people at the right media outlets. For TV stations, you want to reach the news desk. Find the email addresses of the local TV stations near the underprivileged school that you want to put a solar roof on, and reach out to the news desk. If it's for a specialty like sports or weather, reach out to the specific reporter.

For radio stations, reach out to the news director, a morning show producer, or the radio personality if it's a small local station.

For newspapers, reach out to the education reporter in a bigger city or the general news reporter in a smaller paper.

For blogs, reach out to the writer of similar stories, and for podcasts, reach out to the podcaster.

But that's not all. In this example, you'll also want to make a separate list of journalists in the solar space and in the broader renewable energy space. This includes magazines, industry websites, and podcasts in those categories. For magazines, pitch the editor in charge of your topic, and for websites, look for the people who wrote articles in your niche.

If it's really big news, you can also pitch journalists in the podcasting industry. However, your goal is to get more listeners in your niche, not more listeners who are podcasters.

PR list building is a strategic approach to getting your news in front of the right people. Start by determining your target audience and make a list of journalists and podcasters who cater to that audience. Reach out to the right people at the right media outlets and make a separate list of journalists and publications in your niche. By following these steps, you'll increase your chances of getting noticed and building credibility for your website and brand.

I don't know if you know this, but sometimes people aren't nice on the internet. Mind-blowing, right? So what do you, as a podcaster, do when someone leaves a really bad comment?

How handle negative comments on social media as a podcaster:

1. Stay active: Regularly monitor your social media pages; your Slack, Discord, subreddit, or Patreon comments; and other forums and respond promptly to inappropriate comments.
2. Have a policy: Establish clear guidelines for appropriate and inappropriate comments, and use them as a reference for moderation.
3. Handle criticism professionally: Don't delete comments that are critical to you or your show, but instead address them in a polite and professional manner.
4. Remove offensive comments: Delete comments that are racist, homophobic, bullying, or otherwise offensive to your listeners.
5. Don't allow political comments: Unless you have a political podcast, delete comments that are overly political, contain misinformation, or are meant to be inflammatory. Ban repeat offenders.
6. Eliminate spam: Delete spam comments as they make it appear that you don't pay attention to your page.
7. Avoid commenting about deleted comments: Unless the community is actively talking about it, don't make a big deal about it when you delete a comment as it may attract more trolls and bullying. Besides, most trolls love the attention.

Here's my general rule of thumb:

• If you're deleting a comment for YOU - don't delete it.
• If you're deleting a comment for YOUR COMMUNITY - delete it.

Twitter: @GMPodcasters | @FuzzMartin | @Podcast_Father

Good Morning, Podcasters! is a product of Snoring Dog Media, LLC. Podcasting Sucks! is a product of Snoring Dog Media, LLC & Jeff Townsend Media.

Good morning, Podcasters! I want to introduce you to a new podcast, today, from Arielle Nissenblatt & Tim Villegas.

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Welcome to the Park! Trailer Park is a podcast that showcases podcast trailers. Whether those trailers never became fully-realized podcasts, were made as creative proof, are part of a larger body of work, or were created just for fun, they're welcome here at the park! On each episode, hosts Arielle Nissenblatt and Tim Villegas hit 'play' on a podcast trailer. 

Why the trailer park?

• As a podcast discovery tool
• To help creators get their projects funded
• To create learning opportunities for audio creators

Listen here: Trailer Park: The Trailer Park Podcast (podlink)

Learn more here: Trailer Park: The Trailer Park Podcast (website)

Welcome to the 43rd episode of "Good Morning, Podcasters!" Today, we are going to dive into the analytics of the show and see if there is a specific day of the week that performs better in terms of downloads. My name is Fuzz Martin, and I took over the show on Halloween in 2022. In this post, I'll share my analysis of the performance of the episodes, and how you can apply these insights to your own podcast.

The show is posted three times a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There are five main content pillars that the show is sorted into - marketing, social media, public relations, advertising, and general podcasting topics. To perform these analytics, I used a Google Sheet to analyze my release date, release day of the week, episode title, episode content category, and downloads within 3 days, 7 days, and 30 days of publication.

Let's start by looking at the day of the week performance. First, I sorted the data by the number of downloads within 3 days of publication. Wednesday was the most downloaded day, followed by Monday, and Friday had one episode in the top 10.

Next, I pulled the data for 7 day downloads. In the top 10, Monday and Wednesday each had 4 downloads, and Friday had 2. When I increased the sample size to the top 20 episodes, Wednesday had 9 downloads, Monday had 6 episodes, and Friday had 4 episodes.

In the top 20 7 day downloads, Wednesday had 8 downloads, Monday had 6, and Friday had 5. Although Friday was in last place, the sample size may have been small. To find out, I'm going to change my launch schedule to Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday for the next month or two to see if it affects listenership.

Next, I analyzed my content pillars. It was difficult to analyze because some technically cross over between categories, like advertising and social media, or marketing and pretty much anything. So far, I've posted 14 episodes about general podcasting, 8 about marketing, 10 about social media, 5 about advertising, and 5 about public relations. In the top 20 7 day downloads, general podcasting, marketing, and social media had the most downloads, while PR was almost non-existent. However, this may not be a scientific conclusion as there are too many variables to consider and only 5 PR episodes were posted.

To find out, I'm going to experiment by creating some more PR episodes this month and see if they continue to underperform or if it's just a result of when they were posted.

Finally, I took a look at my most discovered episodes. These are the episodes that had low early downloads but increased the most from week 2 through today. Episodes on Podcast Trademarks, Merchandise, and What Gen Z is listening to all underperformed upon launch but were later discovered. This data can be used to create more episodes like these, as they might perform better with time.

Analyzing the performance of your episodes can give you valuable insights into your listenership and how you can improve your podcast. If you're interested in checking out my OP3 analytics, I've made them public. You can view them at gmp.fm/stats. Don't forget to stay tuned for the next episode, and let me know how you're using analytics to improve your podcast.