Podcast Editors Mastermind

Are you a podcast editor wondering about how to differentiate yourself? Or maybe how to serve your clients more deeply so that you can earn more while working on fewer shows?

If that's the case, podcast management may be for you.

Listen as Lauren Wrighton - the host of the Podcast Manager Show shares what it takes to be a great podcast manager and how it can benefit both us and our clients.

Listen to Discover

• What a podcast manager does (or could do).
• Some characteristics that can position you as a great podcast manager.
• What to do when you want to take on areas where you aren't able to deliver the work yourself.
• How to grow into a podcast manager role.
• The value of open and candid customer conversations.
• Ideas for how to transition clients from editing to podcast management.

Links & Resources

• Podcast Manager Show
• Free Podcast Manager Masterclass
• If you enjoyed this, you may want to check out episode 6 with Dave Visaya, where we talked about some other ways that podcast editors could expand on what they deliver to their clients.
• If you're looking for ways to find your first client, you might benefit from episode 3, where Jennifer, Daniel, Carrie and Bryan shared the stories of their first clients.

About Lauren Wrighton

Lauren Wrighton is a podcast strategist and producer who helps female business coaches launch and grow a podcast that makes an impact on their audience and their business. She also uses her expertise in podcast production to teach freelancers how to become podcast managers and develop their own clientele.

Guest Editor

This episode of the Podcast Editors Mastermind was edited by Daniel Abendroth of Roth Media.

Be a Guest

If you're a podcast editor, we'd love to see if you'd be a fit for a future episode. Fill out this form to let us know you're interested, and we'll contact you to see if it's a good fit.

Your Yetis Are

• Daniel Abendroth | Roth Media
• Jennifer Longworth | Bourbon Barrel Podcasting
• Carrie Caulfield Arick | YaYa Podcasting
• Bryan Entzminger | Top Tier Audio

About the Podcast Editors Mastermind

The Podcast Editors Mastermind is for professional podcast editors who want to grow their business and get more clients. We’re creating a community of like-minded professionals that are passionate about the art and science of editing podcasts.

Our goal is to help you build your business by providing tools, resources, and support so you can focus on what matters most—your craft. This isn’t just another group where everyone talks about how great they are at podcast editing; we show our work!

Follow or subscribe and take the Podcast Editors Mastermind with you today!

• Follow the Podcast Editors Mastermind
• Share your love for the Podcast Editors Mastermind

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

As podcasters, we sometimes joke about people trying to game the system - the "podcast promoter" constantly messaging on LinkedIn, the host buying guest spots on other shows, and more. But the fact is, it's no laughing matter.

Not because people are gaming the system. But because when things go wrong, it could be our clients who take the hit. Their shows could be removed from directories. Their reputations could be tarnished or ruined. They might just want to give up.

We don't want that.

We want our clients to succeed. We want to see their shows grow organically, and it can be done. But if they don't know what to look out for, they could fall victim to someone else's black hat without even knowing it.

Thankfully, Leslie Martin joined us to share his experiences with the dark side of marketing so that we can know EXACTLY how some of these scams work.

You'll discover:

• How Leslie unintentionally got involved with a black hat marketer.
• How the entire system was set up to generate consistent cash flow and keep customers from leaving.
• How the scammer managed to get control of websites so that his customers COULDN"T leave.
• Some of the red flags to look for (hint: one of them is SECRET KNOWLEDGE that NOBODY else knows.)
• The story of three authors, a voice modulator, and more.

Leslie shared some incredible knowledge and insight with us and you won't want to miss this.

About Our Guest

Leslie Martin is a podcast engineer at GreatLand Media and a graduate of Podcast Engineering School. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska and has long had an interest in audio, ranging from old-time radio style audio theater programs, to audiobooks, to music.

Leslie was also the editor of episode 24, with Chris Trew.

Guest Editor

This episode was edited by Bryan Entzminger of Top Tier Audio. He was also on this show, so if he doesn't sound smart, it's his own fault. And he wrote this, so there...

Interested in being a guest on the show?

If you're a podcast editor, we'd love to see if you'd be a fit for a future episode. Fill out this form to let us know you're interested, and we'll contact you to see if it's a good fit.

Resources:

If you found this valuable and want some ideas for how to help your clients market effectively without having to go to some black hat promoter, check out some of our previous episodes:

• Planting Seeds for Your Business: Marketing Challenge Results — PEM0023
• Igniting Success Through Effective Email Newsletters with Tammey Grable-Woodford —PEM017
• Make Yourself Indispensable: Offer Podcast Marketing with Coach Chris Hines — PEM014

Your Yetis Are:

• Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio
• Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting
• Carrie Caulfield-Arick: https://yayapodcasting.com | @thekeldakitty
• Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Conferences are a great way to network and learn new tricks of the trade, but the return on investment isn't often obvious. We'd argue conferences are underutilized by podcast editors. The Podcast Editors Survey tells us that conferences can translate into higher earnings. It's critical that use you use these industry events to create opportunities for your business. But HOW? Which conferences? And how to attend them without eating up all your profits?

Marcus de Paula of Me Only Louder & Podcast Audio Lab share his pro tips and strategies that answer those questions and how he gets the most out of any conference on a budget. Who is Marcus? He's an audio engineer turned podcast editor, sound consultant, audio teacher, who also builds Squarespace sites. Oh and he has a podcast.

Solid AI-generated advice: The first thing you should do is create a goal that lists all the things you want to accomplish. This can be something simple like "I want to meet more people in my industry" or "I want to get feedback on my work." After you have your list, think about what events and conferences are happening.

Highlights:

• How Marcus found his first client
• Marketing... or lack thereof... for editors
• Tech Tuesday at Podfest Global
• How many conferences are worth going to each year? (and how does COVID change that?)
• What types of sessions are valuable to editors and why?
• The lowkey conference marketing practice that generates leads
• Are virtual conferences worth attending?
• Hallways: where the magic happens
• How to get a podcaster to talk to you
• Budget hacks
• All I wanted was a normal-sized soda!!! (and I'm still mad about this)
• How to create an amazing speaker pitch

Yeah, you should totally subscribe to the newsletter.

Links:

List of Podcast Conferences

Molly Ruland

Compression Workshop by Podcast Audio Lab April 23rd

Be a guest or an editor or both!

This episode was edited by Bekah for YaYa Podcasting. We were missing a track and Bekah made it work. Want to hire Bekah? Send us a message.

Are you having a problem in your business you need workshopped? Or are you doing something incredible you think our audience needs to know about it? Be a guest on the show!

Appearing in this episode:

Marcus de Paula: https://www.meonlylouder.com/ | @meonlylouder

Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio

Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting

Carrie Caulfield-Arick: https://yayapodcasting.com | @carriearick

Sorely missed:

Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

When you're talking with prospective clients about your editing and production services, what do those conversations feel like? Do they feel natural? Do they feel forced or uncomfortable? Are you constantly "in your head" wondering if you're saying the right thing.

If so, you're not alone, but it doesn't have to stay that way.

While you might not normally think of improv as something valuable for "behind the scenes" people like podcast editors, https://hellyescreative.com/ (Chris Trew of Hell Yes Creative) has a different perspective based on his YEARS of practicing and teaching improv. As he shares, you'll discover that what improvisation teaches is incredibly valuable to us (maybe as important as knowing how to capture a great recording) especially when it comes to those critical client conversations.

After all, owning a podcast editing or production business isn't ONLY about editing a podcast or knowing how to add music to a track or even knowing what microphone to recommend. It's also about relationships...because our clients are people.

As you listen, you'll discover a few things:

You'll hear how Chris handles unexpected events that interrupt his train of thought mid-conversation.

You'll learn why "Yes, And" can still be a valuable approach, even when some conversations feel like they should be "No, But" dialogs.

The reason a "Yes, And" approach can be valuable, even when you'd rather steer the conversation a different direction in order to save time.

You'll discover why questions are sometimes lazy and how you can make them more valuable (an odd concept for hosts of interview shows).

One exercise that can help kick off brainstorming and create an environment for lateral thinking.

The key to comfortable, relaxed conversations.

Oh, and you also get to hear https://rothmedia.audio (Daniel), https://toptieraudio.com (Bryan), and https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com (Jennifer) try to keep up with the amazing pace and energy Chris brings as he takes us through a few exercises right on the show. Even https://miti5audio.com/services/ (Michael Jerry) hopped into the comments to share a few things.

Chris will also be hosting a two-week improv workshop starting February 23, 2021. Check it out at https://hellyes.samcart.com/products/two-week-february-improv/ (https://hellyes.samcart.com/products/two-week-february-improv/).

More About Chris TrewChris Trew is on a mission to bring improv to those who wouldn't ordinarily engage with it. Not only is he the author of https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V6VXKDR (Improv Wins) and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V6VXKDR (How to Build a Comedy Scene From Scratch), he also offers improv training to large companies and small groups alike - even groups of podcasters and podcast editors. You can find Chris on Instagram at https://instagram.com/christrew (@ChrisTrew) and if you want to find out what improv can do for you, check out what Chris offers at https://hellyescreative.com/ (Hell Yes Creative).

Guest EditorThis episode was edited by Leslie Martin. If you like what you hear and you're looking for an editor, you can find him at https://greatland.media/ (Great Land Media).

Interested in being a guest on the show?If you're a podcast editor, we'd love to see if you'd be a fit for a future episode. https://podcasteditorsmastermind.com/be-a-guest/ (Fill out this form )to let us know you're interested, and we'll contact you to see if it's a good fit.

Resources:https://hellyescreative.com/ (Hell Yes Creative)

https://instagram.com/christrew (Chris on Instagram)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christrew/ (Chris on LinkedIn)

Email Chris

https://amazon.com/dp/B087FDLQ3C (Improv Wins)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V6VXKDR (How to Build a Comedy Scene From Scratch)

https://www.facebook.com/podcasteditorsmastermind/videos/336515064225873 (Check out the video recorded live on Facebook)

Appearing in this episode:Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio (https://rothmedia.audio) |...

Marketing. Do you hate it? Do you think it's gross? What if you change your relationship AND get clients with marketing? We kicked off 2021 with a 5-day marketing challenge to encourage you to put yourself and your business out there. It’s served with a dash of how to make marketing less overwhelming and not creepy. (Dare I say fun?)

Find out what happened when we did our own challenge and what our biggest takeaways from the experience was. Plus, get some marketing tips even if you didn’t do the challenge.  

Listen to discover:

• Why did we do this challenge anyway?
• Why Carrie isn't worried about SEO
• The Benefits of Google My Business
• Do Google Ads work? (Carrie tested it!)
• Scheduling social media posts (what scheduler do you use?)
• You don't need to be a graphic designer to make pretty art
• Who really loved the challenge?
• What industry are we technically in?
• What to do when you don't actually want new clients.
• Creating an avatar when you're doing more than one thing
• How content (and this challenge) pays off a year later
• Market research is important, ya'll!
• Why the pre-work was so critical (and will always help you!)
• What would you do in this listener's situation?

Resources:

Marketing Challenge

https://SocialBee.io

https://canva.com

Adobe Spark (comes with a Creative Cloud subscription)

Podcast Editors Club

Podcast Editor Academy

https://www.bonnielfrank.com/

Shout out to Kimberly of Werker Bee Media: http://werkerbeemedia.com



This episode was edited by Michael Safwat of YaYa Podcasting

Appearing in this episode:

Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting

Carrie Caulfield-Arick: https://yayapodcasting.com | @carriearick

Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

Sorely missed… Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Have you ever wondered how you can differentiate yourself as a podcast editor? Or how you can stand out from your competition and have a more meaningful sales conversation than, "I can save you time?"

Jon Gay of JAG Podcast Productions offers something that is incredibly valuable to his clients, draws on his 15 years of experience in radio, and even sets him up for ways to expand his business offerings to better meet the needs of his clients.

Listen to discover:

• What took the life out of radio and could do the same in podcasting
• How a spreadsheet could keep the love of podcasting in our businesses
• What Jon does that's different from his competitors
• Why what he offers sets Jon up to discover his clients' needs more deeply
• Why a Rodecaster Pro has helped him land sales
• How Jon is considering expanding his business
• The value of having a group of trusted business colleagues
• The most embarrassing way each of us have ruined a podcast episode

If you want to change your sales pitch from "I'll make you sound good and save you time" to something that is more meaningful and really meets your clients' needs, you'll almost certainly find some incredible ideas in this episode.

Editor

This episode was edited by Bryan Entzminger of Top Tier Audio. You is one of the four slightly irregular Yetis of the Podcast Editors Mastermind and can find him at https://toptieraudio.com, where he offers courses, consulting, and editing services.

Interested in being a guest on the show?

If you're a podcast editor, we'd love to see if you'd be a fit for a future episode. Fill out this form to let us know you're interested, and we'll contact you to see if it's a good fit.

Resources:

• JAG Podcast Productions
• Podcast Editors Club
• Carrie's RX Course
• Daniel's Reaper for Podcasting YouTube Channel
• Alejandro Ramirez
• Rodecaster Pro

Appearing in this episode:

• Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio
• Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting
• Carrie Caulfield-Arick: https://yayapodcasting.com | @thekeldakitty
• Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Can the Podcast Taxonomy benefit you as a podcast editor?

If you've ever found yourself struggling to explain your true value as an editor and all that you do to a potential client, it might just help you. And you'll definitely want to spend some time understanding what's going on, how it can benefit you, and even some gaps that it doesn't address in what indie podcast editors do.

If the Podcast Taxonomy is done well, it can be a HUGE benefit to podcast editors like us. It has the potential to bring some much-needed clarity to the podcasting space - as long as we and what we are represented well. And as long as we understand how we can use it to communicate with our clients, most of whom will NOT have a large staff of writers, engineers, editors, managing editors, and more.

Listen to discover the Yetis' initial thoughts on some strengths and weaknesses in the work that's been done, as it relates to indie podcast editors. Along with Steve Stewart, the leader of the Podcast Editors Club and co-founder of the Podcast Editor Academy, who joined in the chat, we share some insights, questions, gaps, and more about:

• What the Podcast Taxonomy is and where to find it
• What we see as a heavy influence on what's been developed so far
• Our thoughts on how well indie podcasters have been represented
• Our thoughts on what might be missing or need more clarification
• One way that we can use the taxonomy RIGHT NOW to better communicate the value we bring our clients
• How we can use the Podcast Taxonomy to help clarify roles and responsibilities with our clients

Supercharging Business Growth

And if that wasn't enough, because we want you to be able to grow your business, we also shared one thing that has the potential to help you break through roadblocks and grow your business. We share our experiences and even some reasons we (the Yetis) sometimes avoid the very things that could help us grow.

While we hope this will encourage you, there's another reason we're sharing this: we have something coming up that we want you to be a part of because we truly believe that it can help you grow our businesses and yours as well.

But you'll have to listen to find out more about that. :)

Guest Editor

This episode was edited by Xyclicks Joy. If you're looking for an editor and like what you hear, please consider reaching out to Xyclicks Joy.

Interested in being a guest on the show?

If you're a podcast editor, we'd love to see if you'd be a fit for a future episode. Fill out this form to let us know you're interested, and we'll contact you to see if it's a good fit.

Resources:

• Podcast Taxonomy
• Podchaser
• Staff Me Up
• Steve Stewart
• Podcast Editor Academy
• Podcast Editors Club
• Get the Yeti Letter to stay in the loop
• Get the Podcast Editors Mastermind delivered for free
• Join our Facebook Group

Appearing in this episode:

• Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio
• Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting
• Carrie Caulfield-Arick: https://yayapodcasting.com | @carriearick
• Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Mark Deal and Steve Stewart, co-founders of the Podcast Editor Academy, expand on the surprising findings from the 2020 Podcast Editors Survey. The good news is that the rates and the value in this post-production industry are trending upward. If you haven’t seen the reveal, watch it now. 

We also discuss the limitations of the survey, what DAWs are correlated to higher income and why, and what else we’d like covered in the 2021 survey. 

Podcast Editor Academy students can access the survey with their membership. If you use this affiliate link, it costs you nothing and support the production costs associated with this show. It’s a win-win. :) But more than that, you get all the tools you need to run an efficient editing business, whether it’s a side-hustle or full-time gig. Not to mention the support through regular office hours. Plus, you’ll get exclusive discounts on courses on technical skills, DAW training, content marketing, and more!  

Highlights:

• The DAWs that makes money and why we think that is
• Why is there a gender pay gap?
• Why did they track gender?
• Will ethnicity and race be included in future surveys?
• The reason Carrie wants that information included
• The limitations of the survey and ya’ll, it’s hard getting people to take a detailed survey
• How conferences and events impact rates (and finding clients)
• Get outside the #podcast bubble and into your niche
• Extra services that command higher rates
• We don’t talk about customer service enough
• Britany Felix is AWESOME
• How long you’ve been in business matters, apparently
• But where do you find clients?

Guest Editor

This episode was edited by YaYa Podcasting’s Alejandro Ramirez (Even though I don’t want to share him, he is available for hire currently)

Resources:

Podcast Editor Survey Results 2020 (must be a member of the Podcast Editors Club)

Podcast Editor Academy

Just Busters: Femxle Podcast Editors

Steve’s newsletter (is fantastic) 

Appearing in this episode:

Mark Deal: https://podcastguestacademy.com | @markdealpod

Steve Stewart: https://stevestewart.me | Podcast Editors Club

Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio

Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting

Carrie Caulfield-Arick: https://yayapodcasting.com | @carriearick

Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

Dirk the Cat

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Setting Goals Part 2 for your audio podcast editing business.

What do you truly want to achieve with your career as an editor? How will you take a side-hustle to a full-time job? Or do you even want to? Are you ready to scale-up your freelancing operation? Whatever your goals, you're going to need a plan. The time is NOW to create it!

Daniel, Bryan, and Jennifer take stock, talk about dreams and pet peeves. They begin setting quarterly goals thinking about the action steps behind them.

Note from this Yeti: In this series, we may not work on budgets publically, but we do encourage you to both review the 2020 fiscal year and use that to make a plan and model scenarios based on your goals and timelines in 2021. It doesn't have to be complicated and can be done with a simple Google Sheet.

Grab the Podcast Editors Master Plan here FREE to work alongside us as we review our past year in business.    

Thank you for sharing your time with us in the past year! Here’s to an amazing 2021 for all podcast editors!!!

Appearing in this episode:

Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio

Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting

Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Work alongside us as we review our past year in business in part one of this planning session.  

In order to know where to go in the future, you have to understand where you've been, especially when you're an entrepreneur. We're doing our end of year goal planning sessions out loud with you. We start by reviewing our wins, losses, and themes of 2020, including the financial ones. What worked, what failed and why?

Grab the Podcast Editors Master Plan here for FREE by subscribing to our not-spammy newsletter.

The next episode will focus on figuring out what to do with what you learned in 2020 so you can create goals for 2021.

Appearing in this episode:

Daniel Abendroth: https://rothmedia.audio | @rothmedia_audio

Jennifer Longworth: https://bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com | @KYPodcasting

Carrie Caulfield Arick: https://yayapodcasting.com | @carriearick

Bryan Entzminger: https://toptieraudio.com | @toptieraudio

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy