Podcast Insider

You can never truly predict the outcome of your podcast, and that stands true for Serial, as Adnan Syed was released from prison earlier this week, the focus on season one of a hit podcast from 2014. MacKenzie joins Todd this episode to discuss the effects of a podcast, a bit on the history of the RSS feed, and editing and marketing tactics.

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

Live Facebook recording.

News

Adnan Syed, whose story was the focus of the hit podcast Serial in season one, has been released from prison. Syed’s story was kicked off by Serial and then again thoroughly discussed in the podcast Undisclosed. This is not the first case podcasting has shed light on that had a profound impact in real life, but it is known as the first true crime podcast to bring in millions of new podcast listeners back in 2014.

Apple wants your website address for podcasting (in the EU).

Open podcast prefix project.

RSS 2.0 is 20 years old! View the RSS timeline here.

Spotify has added audio books to their platform.

Best Practice

Trial runs. Don’t skimp out and decide it’s unnecessary to test out your equipment, even those that have done this before. Podcast equipment is best tested multiple times and with multiple people.

Blubrry News

Blog Post: How Radio Experience Can Translate to Podcasting - by Meryl Klemow

Getting Started in Podcasting, a webinar - Tuesday September 27th at 4:30pm. Register here.

Blubrry Pro Tip

Marking edit points in your recording

Question of the Week

Question: What is a good (unorthodox) way that can help you grow your community/listeners? 

Answer: A variety of options such as: billboards, call into the radio, tables/booths small local events, etc. Many of our partners and friends such as Pro-Production, Podcast Academy by Proudmouth, Produce Your Podcast, and more have lots to say on this subject.

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group.

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the New Media Production Studio in Coldwater, Michigan & the Blubrry Studio in Columbus, OH.  Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

Podcast growth can be difficult and overwhelming for new podcasters. Travis Brown, an avid user of social media for podcast growth, shares his wisdom and experience as a digital creator overall in today's interview.

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

Live Facebook recording.

News

ShePodcasts Live has been moved to June 2023. Kudos to their team for making a hard decision for the best of the attendees and show.

iOS 16 is out now (iPadOS is delayed).

Trying to run Auphonic Desktop on Mac M1 or M2? Re-download it here so you can re-install. It’s still marked as version 1.8 but it will work now.

The Brookings Institute has found that conservative podcasters release more episodes than liberal podcasters.

Best Practice

Podcast promotion isn’t one size fits all. Give some of these ideas a try and see what works best for you.

4.5 things everyone wants to know about podcast promotion

Blubrry News

PowerPress webinar on Sept. 20

International Podcast Day is Sept. 30th and Blubrry is a sponsor. Check out their site https://internationalpodcastday.com/ and the live stream schedule here.

Blubrry Pro Tip

The dark side of podcasting tech

Interview

Travis Brown - Digital Creator Extraordinaire. Use his wisdom to grow your podcast on social.

Instagram

Social Boom -- free webinar!

Question of the Week

Question: If I want to buy an existing podcast, how can I value it in a dollar amount? (Kurt from The Leading Saints Podcast)

Answer: 

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group.

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the New Media Production Studio in Coldwater, Michigan & Mike Dell’s World Studio in Traverse City, Michigan.  Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

One of the great things about podcasting is that there is no one way to do it. But there are some preferred or more accepted ways, according to listeners and ad agencies. That brings us to our main topic today, podcast ads: host-read or pre-recorded, what is better?

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

Live Facebook recording.

News

Podcast ads: Host read or pre-recorded ads. Which is better?

Apple sends welcome email to already listed shows. Whoops.

Video and YouTube is changing podcasting

Cumulus splits with Podcast Movement

New Canadian podcast newsletter: Pod The North

Happy Star Trek Day! 56 years ago today, Star Trek premiered on NBC.  https://www.startrek.com/day

Here are some Star Trek related podcasts to check out

http://www.trek.fm/ (A network of a lot of good shows)

https://www.womenatwarp.com/

Best Practice

Pre-recorded intros and outros

Short versions of these are useful for editing and continuity. Listeners enjoy a quick sentence or two getting into the new episode to learn about today’s topics, but a reliable in and out can be helpful as a creator.

Blubrry News

We are in ‘polish’ mode on all our new services and some old ones. If you see anything you think needs a tweak, let us know! 

Dragon Con recap

Looking for some Podcasters of the Month to feature before the end of the year; let us know if you’d like to be one of them.

Blubrry Pro Tip

Guest Podcasting part 2. See episode 309 for part 1.

Question of the Week

Question: I keep hearing podcast hosts say “Find us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.” What is the BEST way to promote subscribing or following in my podcast?

Answer: Have your own website and promote that. Make sure you have all the links to destinations your podcast is syndicated to on your site (or at least the main ones).

Like we say here, go to PodcastInsider.com and subscribe or follow us there. Or something like that.

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group. 

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the New Media Production Studio in Coldwater, Michigan & Mike Dell’s World Studio in Traverse City, Michigan.  Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

There are a few new places to listen to podcasts, and you're probably already familiar with these platforms. YouTube and Twitter have taken another step forward in podcast discovery. While Mike and MacKenzie chat about podcast directories and platforms, they catch up on Podcast Movement a bit, reusing and repurposing content and, of course, offering their take on what to do with a problematic microphone situation.

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

News

                   New places to listen to podcasts:

                   - YouTube is rolling out a podcast section.

                   - Podcasts coming to Twitter? A full circle moment for Twitter.

Apple is updating its RSS requirements in 2023

Podcasting market to grow 30% through 2026

Comedy is the #1 Genre in Podcasting (for Q2-2022)

New podcast app Fountain has a new chart “Hot on Fountain” 

Six things podcast listeners love about podcasts (and 4 that drive them crazy)

Zoom takes over podcasting

Best Practice

Taking care of your voice. If podcasting or any type of audio is part of your regular content, it’s in your best interest to take care of your voice / health.

Blubrry News

Getting back into the groove after Podcast Movement.

Todd will be at DragonCon this weekend in Atlanta, GA. 

It’s Sept. 1, the first day of International Podcast Day month. They’re coming back this year for a live stream, only 8 hours instead of their longest, 32 hours.

Blubrry Pro Tip

Repeating ideas for new content

Question of the Week

Question: My recording is getting a lot of background noise. How do I reduce the background noise coming into my microphone?

Answer: The main thing is to NOT record any background noise. I know, that sounds too simple.

Simple things you can do that will help:

Make sure you are in the quietest place you can be. 

Turn off fans, A/C and other noise-producing things in your recording area.

Soundproof behind you.

Put a rug on the floor if you are in a room without carpet.

Close curtains / blinds so the noise doesn’t echo off the windows.

Get closer to the microphone and turn down the gain.

You can boost it in post-production with something like auphonic.

If you have a dynamic mic, use that instead of a condenser mic.

Remember, a little bit of ‘ambiance’ doesn’t hurt sometimes. AND, sometimes, you just can’t help it.

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group. 

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the Blubrry Studio in Columbus, Ohio & Mike Dell’s World Studio in Traverse City, Michigan. Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

Coming to you from the podcast recording studio at Podcast Movement Mike Dell, MacKenzie Bennett and Chau Pham chat about Blubrry's booth and meeting new podcasters and how the event is going overall. They're excited about some mics from Shure, a new service from ecamm and more. It's a short episode, but a fun recap of the event. We can't wait to come back next year.

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group. 

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the HubSpot podcast studio at Podcast Movement 2022 in Dallas, Texas. Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

NEW! Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

You can now make money on Blubrry with Programmatic Ads! Our development team and the rest of the team have been putting in long hours getting this and another BIG thing ready for Monday.  Watch for an announcement on Monday. Otherwise, Todd and Mike talk about what is going on in the news and the need for a backup strategy for your show.

News

Ads may be coming to Apple Podcasts 

Latino Listener Report released by Edison Research 

Step into the Podcast Bus   

Kind of like the Podcast BUG - (Mike Wilkerson) 

Congratulations to Jame Cridland of Podnews for being named one of the thought leaders in podcasting

Libsyn buys German ads company Julep 

Audacy layoffs touch it’s podcasting business - 

Best Practice: Backups - Have a Backup Strategy! 

Back up your media files JUST in case

Get a removable hard drive and back up there. (Or just a thumb drive. You can get them 1tb or bigger now!) 

Backup to the cloud somewhere like Google Drive, Dropbox or AWS cold storage.

Back up your RSS feed as a text file.

Load you feed in Chrome.  (other browser won’t work the same) then, select all and paste it in a text doc.  

If you host with Blubrry and use PowerPress, we also keep a copy of your feed for you. 

Blubrry News: 

Make Money! - Programmatic Advertising available to all hosting customers 

Blog Post:  Connecting with your local community by Meryl 

More releases coming next week and we’ll see you at Podcast Movement the week after that.

Todd, Mike, MacKenzie and Chau will be at Podcast Movement in Dallas next week. IF you are there, drop by and say HI and pick up some swag.  

This show will be from the Podcast Movement show floor next week (different format I’m sure) 

Blubrry Pro Tip: Private Podcasting

Question of the Week:

From Ethan:  Our podcast network started with one show. These days we have 7 shows in the network, but we’re storing all those shows in the same Blubrry folder. Not great for content management. Can we re-organize our Blubrry catalog of shows into different folders? Would that affect the URL of the MP3s? Will PowerPress show us the new folders?

Answer:

Yes!

With our pro hosting plan and “Multi-program mode” in ​​PowerPress you can separate which folders you upload shows to. This keeps the media separate and it also keeps the stats separate.  Put in a ticket at blubrry.com/support and we can setup a time to help you get that setup. 

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group. 

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the New Media Production Studio in Coldwater, Michigan & Mike Dell’s World Studio in Traverse City, Michigan.  Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

Summer is coming to a close (in America at least) and here at Blubrry we think that podcasts are under utilized by educators. Podcasts are an amazing component of education and all kinds of learning. We encourage educators of any kind to look into podcasting, including private podcasting. We also talk about podcast guests paying to be on shows, Soundcloud and more.

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

Live Facebook recording.

News

As reported in Podnews, Art19 adding stats redirect for PodTrac and making podcaster’s stats public 

Podcast guests paying $50k to be on popular shows

Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey Are Jumping Into Podcasting

Soundcloud lays off 20% of global workforce. We wish those employees good luck.

Sinclair Broadcasting is getting into podcasting

Best Practice

Podcasting is most likely under utilized in the classroom.

As the school year starts up again, we urge teachers or instructors of all kinds to use podcasting alongside their in person lessons and courses. For those worried about content being released to the general public, our private podcasting is a great solution to satisfy your team’s needs.

Blubrry News

Blubrry partners with PodRocket Academy for podcast training

Blubrry partners with Descript for editing and transcripts

More releases coming next week and we’ll see you at Podcast Movement the week after that

Blubrry Pro Tip

The unsung hero of podcast equipment

Interview

Kimberly Cain

Podcasts - The Naked Vibes Show and Deeper Connections from The Daily Motivator

Contact Kimberly

Question of the Week

Question: From Kurt - After I publish an episode, is it possible to make a change to that episode file and swap the files without messing up the analytics for that episode?

Answer: Yes, make your edits on the file and name it exactly the same as the original file. Then, re-upload the file to Blubrry and you will be all set. The new version of the file will replace the old one on the server.

Note: It may take a while for the CDN cache to clear and start playing the new version of the file.

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group. 

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the New Media Production Studio in Coldwater, Michigan & Mike Dell’s World Studio in Traverse City, Michigan.  Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

NEW! Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

This will be a quick episode, the entire Blubrry team (minus two team members) have gathered in Columbus for the first time in a few years. Todd, Mike, Cathy and MacKenzie tease a bit more on Blubrry's new programmatic advertising, which will be released soon, as well as a few other integrations that will be released before Podcast Movement in the upcoming weeks. Thanks for joining us for a short episode . . . a day late.

No live show this week.

Thanks for listening, if you'd like to be a guest on Podcast Insider, let the team know.

Coming Soon

Programmatic Advertising

A new feature, another integration

Podcast Movement -- Todd, Mike, MacKenzie and Chau will be in attendance

When should you publish your episodes? There might be a best time to publish podcasts, but it requires a bit of digging to find out what is best for you. This episode we discuss publish times, Spotify podcasting progress, Value 4 Value in podcasting and mistakes to avoid when starting your podcast.

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

Live Facebook recording.

News

Spotify earnings meeting: They’re getting rid of Car Thing as they could never come to a solid price, podcast engagement grew ‘double digits’ year over year, podcasts generated €200 in 2021, and lots more, read a different article here.

Podcasts to the MetaVerse via iHeartRadio

Most podcast listeners also listen to radio (says this survey)

New, very different, podcast “Shameless Acquisition Target” hosted by Laura Mayer

Todd and Mike both are experimenting with Value 4 Value.  

Best Practice

Investigate the Best Time to Publish Your Podcast

You have at least an inkling of when people are listening to your new episodes simply because you have a feel for your audience. But, to get an even better understanding, take a look at your Blubrry stats. Our stats can make it clear the time of day and make adjustments accordingly.

Blubrry News

Blog Post: Tips for Networking by Meryl Klemow. Definitely read this if you’re headed to Podcast Movement next month.

Support might be a bit slower than normal next week. The whole team is meeting (in person). We will try to get to you as best we can. Thanks for understanding!

Episode might be a day late next week, we’ll see when the team finds the time to record.

4-5 major announcements leading up to Podcast Movement

Blubrry Pro Tip

Avoid this Podcast Mistake that a Young Start-Up Owner Made

Question of the Week

Question: How important is good audio for a podcast?

Answer: Very important. Do your best, but the main thing is do not make it painful to listen to. Bad audio will screw up good content, but good audio will make bad content sound almost good.

Make sure your levels are such that if someone is listening to your show on a play list and it goes to the next show in their list, that the levels do not jump or drop too much. The standard is -16 lufs. If you don’t have a way to check lufs, then -3 to 0 db on a standard meter is close. Auphonic is a good tool to level your audio before the final mp3 output for your podcast.

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group. 

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the New Media Production Studio in Coldwater, Michigan & Mike Dell’s World Studio in Traverse City, Michigan.  Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

NEW! Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235

Privacy concerns in podcasting have a history of not only being addressed, but the industry has been pro-active about addressing those concerns as well. The IAB Tech Lab released a document about podcast privacy concerns and laid out how they plan to tackle the issue.

Please excuse our technical difficulties today; these things happen to everyone once in a while, even podcast companies.

Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Emails are listed at the bottom of show notes.

News

IAB Tech Lab releases a document about Podcast Privacy Challenges

Acast bought Podchaser for $34 million

LivexLive is going to spin off Podcast One 

Jame Cridland from Podnews reveals the podcast industry’s biggest spammer 

5 Radio Produced Podcasts up for Marconi Awards

Best Practice

Data Driven Decisions

All podcasters have the opportunity to take a moment to thoroughly review their podcast statistics and determine how to move forward. Was it the title, the topic, the guest, the longer or shorter episode?

Blubrry News

Blog Post:  Show Me The Monetization by Tara O'Brien

Preparing for Podcast Movement

We’re meeting for a company gathering soon - let us know if there are any big features or ideas or problems you’d like us to consider for early August

Blubrry Pro Tip

Crucial elements of your podcast

Question of the Week

Question: What happens if I change the file name on a published episode?

Answer:  A few things, but nothing terrible. 

You will have to re-upload and re-link the file in your post

The apps and directories will just start playing the new file just as they played the old one. 

A new entry will be in your stats for the new file name. 

Got a question you’d like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to [email protected] (audio, text, video) and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group. 

The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls.

______________

Coming to you this week from the Blubrry HQ in Columbus, Ohio & Mike Dell’s World Studio in Traverse City, Michigan.  Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. 

NEW! Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider 

Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email [email protected]

Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package.

Our mailing address is:

Blubrry – MacKenzie

150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180

Columbus, Ohio 43235