Mike Murphy Unplugged

Episode Summary: What Medium.com is, how it actually works, and 5 concrete ways it can help a podcaster or content creator build authority and exposure.

What You'll Learn

• What Medium.com actually is: part blog, part social network, part self-publishing platform
• The mechanics: how recommending, responding, and publications work
• 5 concrete ways Medium can benefit a podcaster or content creator
• Why Medium is a genuinely good place to start writing a book, chapter by chapter

What Is Medium?

A site where anyone can write articles of any length on any topic — a genuine hybrid of blog, social media channel, online magazine, and self-publishing platform, popular with both internet personalities and major brands.

Facts & Figures

Launched in 2012 by Ev Williams (co-founder of both Twitter and Blogger). Unlike Twitter's character limits, Medium has no writing length cap, and pulls in an estimated 40–50 million monthly visitors.

How to Use It

Log in with a Twitter or Facebook ID, customize the profile and bio, click "New Story" and start writing. A small + icon appears in blank space for adding photos; pasting a YouTube URL anywhere embeds the video automatically. Standard text formatting — headlines, block quotes, lists, bold, italic — is all supported by highlighting selected text.

The Social Side

Clicking the heart icon "recommends" a story (Medium's version of a like) and turns it green — the author gets notified (can be disabled). Responding to a story surfaces that response on your own main feed. Other features include bookmarking favorites and creating publications (essentially a personal, curated magazine). Popular topics skew heavily toward tech, design, entrepreneurship, and self-development/lifestyle content.

Why Use Medium

It's become a genuine daily reading habit — subscribing to topics of interest delivers articles straight to the inbox. It's also a place to build writing muscle, gain brand exposure, and establish real authority around podcasting and content creation.

How Medium Can Benefit a Podcaster or Content Creator

Medium functions like any other social channel for promotion and marketing, but with a more thoughtful, "expert-in-the-room" feel — a genuinely strong place to stand out in a specific topic area.

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Episode Summary: Facebook Live 101 — just how big Facebook actually is, what Facebook Live is and how to start one, the gear that helps, and real content ideas to get started.

What You'll Learn

• Facebook usage stats as of late 2016: users, engagement, and security trivia
• How to actually start a Facebook Live broadcast on mobile or desktop
• The gear that upgrades a basic Facebook Live setup, mobile and desktop
• 6 concrete content ideas for using Facebook Live as a podcaster or creator

Facebook Facts (2016)

Over 1.71 billion active monthly users, 1.1 billion logging in daily, 1.5 billion on mobile — mobile users check Facebook roughly 15 times a day. Traffic peaks mid-week between 1–3pm, with Thursdays and Fridays running 18% higher engagement than the rest of the week. An estimated 83 million fake accounts exist, so scam awareness matters. Tech tip: if an email account starts sending strange messages, check Facebook first and change that password immediately — roughly 600,000 hacking attempts hit Facebook accounts daily. (China has blocked Facebook and Twitter since 2009, for context.)

Other numbers: 300 million photos uploaded daily, 20 minutes average time spent per visit, 100 million hours of video watched daily. Facebook's monthly active user base exceeds WhatsApp (500 million), Twitter (284 million), and Instagram (200 million) combined. Trivia: the first face ever on Facebook was Al Pacino. Facebook remains the #1 social network; YouTube is #2.

What Is Facebook Live?

A feature letting any user broadcast live video from a smartphone, tablet, or computer (the computer route takes an extra step). Followers see the stream at the top of their feed, and the video posts to the page afterward, with title/description editable or fully deletable.

Tip: switch the phone to Airplane Mode before streaming to avoid interruptions. Call to action: while live, actively ask viewers to subscribe so they're notified next time — growing that subscriber base directly grows brand visibility.

Equipment to Get Started

• iPhone/iPad: the Live icon appears right on the camera screen.
• Computer: OBS Studio, Wirecast, vMix.
• Mobile: MeFoto Sidekick 360, Manfrotto Pixi Mini, Rode Smartlav+, Rode VideoMic Go, Rode VideoMic Me, and an extension cable for the Smartlav+.
• Lighting: LumeCube, Manfrotto Lumimuse LED.

Facebook Live Content Ideas

Promotion — a podcast, website…

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Episode Summary: A behind-the-scenes look at building PodcasterToolkit.co — why it exists, the steps taken to go from idea to live site, and the monetization plan behind it.

What You'll Learn

• Why PodcasterToolkit.co exists and what it was originally meant to be
• The full launch checklist: hosting, theme, domain, branding, and photo organization
• The affiliate monetization plan behind the site
• Why starting beats endless planning, every time

Got a favorite tool or resource? Send it to [email protected] to get added to the kit. Vendors and product creators are also welcome to reach out for testing consideration, as long as it's genuinely useful to listeners.

This Week's Podcaster's Toolkit Pick

The Zoom H4n Pro — an audio classic. A handy portable recorder that accepts 4 XLR microphones, with a built-in stereo mic on top for when nothing else is plugged in. Records to a memory card, and doubles as an audio interface. A high-confidence recommendation.

Why PodcasterToolkit.co Exists

A quick history lesson: the whole reason for starting Mike Murphy Unplugged was to share knowledge of tools, gear, and resources, and help fellow one-man bands and creative entrepreneurs figure things out together. PodcasterToolkit.co was the site that existed in idea-form from the very beginning — a well-organized home for carefully curated tools and resources, built as a one-stop shop for creators to get things done. No fluff, just the good stuff.

The Big Picture Plan

The blog will be loaded with practical, instructional how-tos about podcasting and related topics — repurposing podcast scripts into blog entries along the way. The shop will feature podcasting and content-creation gear, linked directly to Amazon. The tools section will cover business and productivity software actually used and loved, like FreshBooks, Scrivener, Elegant Themes, and Lynda.com. Tutorials & videos will build out a YouTube library over time.

Steps to Launch

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Episode Summary: How to install WordPress with the Divi or Extra theme and launch a new website or blog in 8 steps — the exact process used to build PodcasterToolkit.co from zero.

What You'll Learn

• The full 8-step process for launching a WordPress site from scratch
• How to properly point a GoDaddy domain at Bluehost nameservers
• Why Divi (or its sibling Extra) was chosen as the go-to premium theme
• FreshBooks' pricing tiers for invoicing and business accounting

Got a favorite resource or tool worth sharing? Send it to [email protected].

This Week's Toolkit: FreshBooks

FreshBooks — a web-based accounting and invoicing tool used to run MikeMurphy.co. Invoice clients and vendors, track expenses and time, create projects, take payments, and generate reports for a bookkeeper or accountant. Pricing: Lite $15/month, Plus $25/month, Premium $50/month.

The Web Design Show

"To begin, begin." — William Wordsworth

The steps taken to launch PodcasterToolkit.co as a new WordPress site from ground zero:

Step 1: Buy a Domain Name

Register something like podcastertoolkit.co at GoDaddy, roughly $8.99 for a new domain.

Step 2: Sign Up for Web Hosting

Bluehost is the choice here, with an affiliate rate around $3.95/month; HostGator is another commonly used option.

Step 3: Buy a Premium Theme

Elegant Themes at $69/year is genuinely the only theme used — MikeMurphy.co runs on Divi, PodcasterToolkit.co runs on Extra (its magazine-style sibling). Other podcast website options worth knowing: Appendipity Themes and PodcastWebsites.com.

Step 4: Organize a Master Folder

Keep all assets, logos, and theme files in one place on the hard drive before starting.

Step 5: Change Nameservers

Sign into Bluehost, assign the domain, and copy the nameservers (ns1.bluehost.com and ns2.bluehost.com). Sign into GoDaddy, delete the existing nameservers, and paste in the Bluehost ones. Propagation is quoted at 24 hours but usually only takes 5–10 minutes.

Step 6: Install WordPress

Back in Bluehost, confirm the domain is verified, then run the one-click WordPress install. Important: choose the desired username at this step — it's difficult to change later in WordPress.

Step 7: Sign In to the Site

Add /wp-admin after the domain (e.g., yoursite.com/wp-admin).

Step 8: Install Divi or Extra

In WordPress, go to Appearance > Themes > Add New, and upload the theme's zip file from the master project folder created in Step 4.

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Episode Summary: Part 2 of the Audio 101 series — editing and post-production, from noise reduction through final export, with the glossary terms every podcaster eventually needs to know.

What You'll Learn

• The full post-production glossary: noise reduction, normalization, EQ, compression, and more
• The exact settings used for noise reduction and high-pass filtering on every episode
• How to hit broadcast loudness standards using LUFS and the Match Loudness panel
• 2 one-click tools (Essential Sound panel, Auphonic) for a faster editing pass

Part 1 covered pre-production and recording fundamentals. This episode covers what happens after the recording is done.

Editing

The goal is shaping the story, cleaning up gaps and mistakes, and producing a naturally sounding episode — fixing "ums" and "ahs," deleting dead air. Work left to right, start to finish. Keep it simple and avoid over-cleaning.

Post-Processing: Plugins, Filters & Effects

1. Noise Reduction

Usually applied right after editing. Tip: record 3–5 seconds of quiet room tone before anything else, giving the noise reduction plugin a clean sample of ambient noise to work from. In Audition: capture a noise print from that room-tone section, then apply Noise Reduction (a common setting used here: 60%). Noise reduction filters measure ambient room noise and scan the full recording to remove it — doing this early matters, since raising overall volume before noise reduction also amplifies the noise itself. Use sparingly — aggressive reduction makes voices sound distinctly strange.

2. Normalization

Pulls overall volume up to a target decibel level without affecting dynamic range (the gap between the loudest and quietest moments). In practice: normalizing an entire track to -3dB pulls up the whole track proportionally, so even the quietest parts get a little louder.

3. EQ (Equalization)

Equalizers work across frequencies: low end on the left, mids in the middle, highs on the right. The approach used here: apply a high-pass filter at -80dB on every episode (often called "rolling off the low end"), removing low-end rumble picked up as room noise. A slight high-end boost via a shelf adds a bit of air/treble to the voice, and sweeping through the mids catches trouble frequencies for subtle cuts (around -4dB) when needed. Great resource: the EQ cheat sheet from The Podcaster's Studio.

4. Dynamic Range

Simply the gap between the loudest and quietest parts of a recording.

5. Compression

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Episode Summary: Part 1 of the Audio 101 series — the fundamental audio terms and concepts for the pre-production and recording stage that make podcasting far less intimidating once they click.

What You'll Learn

• Mono vs. stereo, and why mono is right for almost every podcast
• Gain, levels, and decibels explained without the jargon
• Why headroom (-18dB to -9dB) matters when setting recording levels
• 4 real people/channels to learn audio engineering from

Goal of this series: simplify the audio engineering side of podcasting that overwhelms so many new podcasters — the stuff worth understanding clearly from day one. Part 2 covers post-production and editing.

This Week's Toolkit

The Cloudlifter CL1-A Mic Activator. Adds 25+dB of clean gain via phantom power to a dynamic microphone, so the mixer's preamps don't have to work as hard.

Audio 101: Part 1 vs. Part 2

Part 1 (this episode) covers pre-editing basics. Part 2 covers editing and final export.

The Basics at the Recording Phase

Tip: keep iPhones and iPads away from speakers and the recording interface — they can introduce RF interference and static that's easy to miss live but maddening on playback.

Mono vs. Stereo

Mono means a single sound channel — left and right speakers play identical audio. If recording from one microphone, mono is all that's needed. Stereo has separate left/right channels, useful when capturing multiple sound sources (a band, for instance). Unless a podcast leans heavily on music or effects — like an audio drama — mono is the right export choice in nearly every case. File settings used here: mono, 44.1kHz, 32-bit float.

Gain, Levels & dB

Gain is the input level set on a mixer or interface. Levels are the bouncing meter lights (green/yellow/red) shown while recording or playing back — mostly green, with louder moments hitting yellow, is the target. Red means clipping or peaking, which is bad and should always be avoided. Decibels (dB) measure where those levels sit — 0dB is where clipping begins, so anything positive is unusable. Tip: aim for input levels between -18dB and -9dB to leave headroom — the cushion between -9dB and 0dB that gives room to edit and add effects. Finished audio might land closer to -3 or -1.5dB, but headroom during recording makes that possible.

Audition keyboard shortcuts: Option+I to view levels, Shift+Spacebar to start recording.

Waveforms

The mountain-range-shaped green lines seen in any audio editor — a visual representation of the audio itself, useful for reading loudness and dynamic range at a glance.

Resources for Learning

Mike Russell / Music Radio Creative — by far the best Audition tutorials available. Paul Figgiani fro…

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Episode Summary: What Adobe Audition is, what it costs, and the exact recording-through-export workflow used to produce every episode of this podcast.

What You'll Learn

• What Adobe Audition is and how it compares to alternative DAWs
• The full hardware chain: microphone, mixer, and computer routing
• A step-by-step recording and editing workflow, start to finish
• Broadcast loudness standards and how to hit them with the Match Loudness panel

This Week's Toolkit

Stanley PowerSquid 5-Outlet Flexible Multiplier (not a surge protector, worth noting). Discovered via YouTuber Caleb Pike, whose channel is a genuinely excellent resource on video production.

What Is Adobe Audition?

A digital audio workstation (DAW) — the software used to record and edit every episode of this podcast. Per Adobe: "a professional audio workstation for mixing, finishing, and precision editing," with multitrack, waveform, and spectral display tools designed to accelerate both podcast and video production workflows.

Alternative DAWs: Audacity (popular, free, less robust than a pro DAW), GarageBand (free on every Mac, widely used by podcasters), Hindenburg Journalist Pro (browser-based), Logic Pro X (GarageBand's big sibling), Reaper, and Avid Pro Tools — the heavyweight choice for musicians.

How Much Does Audition CC Cost?

Included in the full Adobe CC bundle at $49/month (every Adobe product — still one of the best values available for creators at any level), or standalone at $19.99/month like most Adobe apps. Tip: the 30-day free trial of the full bundle is a good way to test-drive everything before committing to just Audition.

Podcast Workflow in Audition

Hardware chain: a Shure SM7B microphone plugs into an Allen & Heath mixer, which functions as the audio interface — connected to the computer via USB.

In Audition's preferences: audio hardware preferences map the default input and output to the USB interface (the mixer). Default input is the microphone/device recording into Audition; default output is where playback sends sound (headphones, speakers). Mac tip: hold Option and click the volume icon in the menu bar to set system-level input and output quickly.

The Simple Version of the Workflow

For each episode:

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Episode Summary: The one-year anniversary of Mike Murphy Unplugged — 10 real lessons and takeaways from a full first year of weekly podcasting.

What You'll Learn

• 10 real lessons from a full first year of weekly podcasting
• Why "done is better than perfect" became a guiding principle
• The skills podcasting sharpened, from writing to audio engineering
• An honest admission about weak spots: self-promotion and engagement

Happy one-year anniversary — and a very big thank you to everyone listening. Mike Murphy Unplugged launched Friday, September 25, 2015.

10 Lessons From Year One as a Podcaster

1. Podcasting is a big commitment and hard work. (Duh.)
2. Being a one-man band is something to be proud of. Being yourself is a lot easier than the alternative.
3. Podcasting made me better at nearly everything. Teaching, thinking, organizing thoughts, writing, graphic and web design, photography, animation, video, and audio engineering — Mac, iOS, and the full Adobe suite (Audition, InDesign, Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, mobile apps) all got real practice.
4. Podcasting built genuine confidence. Competent enough to teach, a real voice and style, more trust in instinct and gut, better communication, better decisions, more getting done. Just better, because of the podcast.
5. Podcasting can be genuinely fun and creative. Recorded a podcast on a nude beach under the Golden Gate Bridge — check. On an airboat surrounded by alligators — check. On the beach looking out at the Gulf of Mexico — check.
6. Scripts are not the fun part. Writing the episode remains the least favorite step — but an important one regardless.
7. Done is definitely better than perfect. Audio, artwork, show notes — none of the minutiae matters as much as it feels like it does on launch day. Do your best. Podcasting isn't a competition with other podcasters; an audience tunes in for the host, not for the things the host is privately hard on themselves about.
8. Templates are a big productivity win. Show notes, cover art, episode art — having a repeatable template makes everything easier.
9. Self-promotion and engagement remain a genuine weak spot. Part of the package, and part of the uniqueness too.
10. Feedback and reviews mean a lot. Not a ton comes in, but every piece makes the whole thing worth it.

Closing Thoughts

Year one wasn't all rainbows and unicorns — some tweaks are needed to the process, since the podcast ate up more time and mental energy than expected at points. Hard work has never been the concern, but health and happiness are the real priorities, and the show tested both from time to time. Figuring things out is the whole point, and this will be no different.

Thanks for listening.

Show Notes & Links

No external resources referenced in this episode.

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Episode Summary: The basics of starting a legal business entity — sole proprietorship vs. LLC, what each costs, and how to set yourself up for long-term success once you're official.

What You'll Learn

• The Pomodoro Technique and the free Tide app for staying focused
• The real difference between a sole proprietorship and an LLC
• What it actually costs to legally start each type of business entity
• 5 operational habits that set a new business up for long-term success

This Week's Toolkit: Tide

Tide — a free iOS/Android app built around the Pomodoro Technique. Work in 25-minute blocks ("pomodoros") on a single task, all notifications off. A gentle alarm signals the end of each block, followed by a 5-minute break to stretch or check distractions, then back to work for the next block. Hipster Sound is worth trying too, for ambient café sounds in-browser.

Legal Entities: The Two Main Options

Sole proprietorship — the simplest, cheapest way to start. No legal distinction between the person and the business: all profits belong to you, but so does all personal liability for debts. Pros: easy and cheap. Cons: personal assets are on the line if anything goes wrong.

LLC (Limited Liability Company) — a hybrid between a corporation and a partnership. The key difference from sole proprietorship: personal liability protection. Personal assets (savings, car, home) stay protected in most cases. This is the structure chosen here, as a single-member LLC.

What Does It Cost?

Sole proprietorship: $50–100. No state paperwork required; a DBA (Doing Business As) filing runs $50–100 if needed for an EIN or business accounts.

LLC: $300–1,000 using an attorney. State filing fees run $150+, a lawyer $200+, an accountant $100+. (Real example: the accountant bill came to $110, billed at $220/hour for a half-hour setup.)

Operating Tips

1. Set up a dedicated business bank account.
2. Hire a bookkeeper or accountant.
3. Run everything non-personal through the business.
4. Save every receipt, and log expenses and income into one simple ledger or program.
5. Stay on top of tax deadlines and pay annual fees as soon as the bill arrives.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Show Notes & Links

• Tide
• Hipster Sound

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Episode Summary: Livestreaming 101 — what live video actually is, the 5 platforms leading the space in 2016, and real topic ideas to start exploring.

What You'll Learn

• What livestreaming actually is, in the simplest possible terms
• The 5 popular livestreaming platforms as of 2016
• 5 concrete topic ideas for a first livestream
• Why Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and vlogging make great livestreaming warmups

Got a favorite resource or tool worth sharing? Send it to [email protected] — also open to testing vendor products or services that would genuinely benefit listeners.

Product of the Week

Manfrotto Articulated Arm and Oben Ballhead.

What Is Livestreaming?

Simply real-time video recording broadcast over the internet — whether from an ESPN studio or an iPhone held up on a beach.

5 Popular Livestreaming Services (2016)

• Periscope — owned by Twitter, released in 2015.
• Google Hangouts on Air — now part of YouTube.
• Firetalk TV — home of "Open Mike Night: Ask A Podcaster Anything," every Monday at 9pm ET.
• YouTube Live
• Facebook Live

Topic Ideas

Tip: come prepared with an outline or bullet points.

• Tutorials — teach and share knowledge; builds trust and authority.
• Q&A sessions — an "Ask Mike Anything" format works well for networking and genuine helpfulness.
• Behind the scenes — people consistently want to see how the work actually happens.
• Promotion & marketing — podcasts, products, services, courses.
• Practice first — Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and vlogging all make good low-pressure warmups before jumping into full livestreaming.

Show Notes & Links

• Manfrotto Articulated Arm
• Oben Ballhead
• Periscope
• Google Hangouts on Air
• Firetalk TV
• YouTube Live
• Facebook Live

Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.

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