Podcast Pontifications

I’m a big fan of keeping podcasting simple. That word is in the name of my podcast consultancy, after all: Simpler Media Productions. Truth be told, podcasting is (or at least can be) pretty simple. If, that is, you know what you’re doing or have the time to learn all the ins-and-outs and avoid the pitfalls. The clients who hire my firm don’t have the time or inclination to do that.

But not so with hobbyist podcasters, artistic podcasters, or even businesses who do want to learn what it takes to make podcasting magic of their own. I applaud their efforts! But I also see them get bogged down in the minutia and tripped up on making things way to complicated.

That’s why I asked my buddy Mike Dell on the program. As the customer support manager for podcast hosting company Blubrry, Mike has seen more than his share of noobie podcasters making things way too complicated. Mike’s going to focus on these key areas:

• Not overthinking your episodes notes
• Not overthinking your media file encoding settings
• Not jumping from hosting company to hosting company to get listed on a brand new platform (that everyone will eventually be able to submit their shows to)
• Keeping your website integration with your episodes simple
• His thoughts on episode-level artwork (which I disagree with)
• Why “good enough” really is good enough when it comes to mic selection
• Not overcomplicating (or force-feeding) social media is bad

In the episode, you’ll hear me cut in at a few points to offer my own modifying thoughts (or downright disagreement). But I think it’s important to give room for dissenting opinions. Because The Evo Way, while being a very good way to podcast, isn’t the only way to podcast. As with so many things in life, your mileage may vary.

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Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/e11fa6fc-91d4-45eb-b965-1f0b390e8b6b

Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Almost by definition, podcasters have to be good at sharing. I mean, that's kind of the point. Just like I'm sharing my show with Ma'ayan Plaut. She's RadioPublic’s podcast librarian (of all crazy job titles) and she thinks you, the working podcaster, can share your podcast better.

In a nutshell, or at least in the text of an in-app episode description, she wants you to do three things:

• commit to sharing your show smartly with the world
• commit to sharing elements of your process so we can better understand your work
• commit to sharing the load of your work with others

Of course, she goes into much greater detail in the audio. And it’s in that audio where she goes into detail about 

• how to apply SMART goals to your podcast work (not just your show or your episodes
• the One Shot rule pioneered by Amanda McLoughlin
• why it’s so important to credit the other people who make your show possible
• some solid reasons why you need to write more, not just talk more
• the importance of building your own personal network
• … and why being more strategic leads to being more efficient

Give it a listen. I promise you’ll learn a lot.

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Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/a8ef5959-ee5d-4652-bac0-9583e7496a49

Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Today’s topic is relevancy, and the conversation is led by Mark Asquith. Not only does Mark host his own PAP (podcast about podcasting) called the Podcast Success Academy, but he’s the CEO and co-founder of the UK-based technology company Rebel Base Media. They make a lot of podcast-specific services and products, including PodcastWebsites, Poductivity and Captivate.fm. (Disclaimer: I sit on the advisory board of Captivate.)

Why talk about relevancy and what it means to working podcasters of today and tomorrow? How about:

• The podcast landscape is vastly different than it was just a few years ago, and the pace or rapid change is increasing.
• Big entertainment brands are entering the space, and that impacts how smaller shows present themselves
• While consumers are growing more demanding, they’re also finding more ways to engage with their favorite things and passions via podcasting
• Those consumers don’t care how they get their content, only that they get what they want
• Why podcasters need to hold their heads high as they beat their drums.

And when you hear the last set of bumps, be sure to stick around to the end of the file for a little special something… that Mark probably wished I had edited out.

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Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/5b28dc3f-2a5b-4c93-bf6f-4f566bb4b63f

Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Today, we’re going to have a conversation about the press and the relationship it has with podcasting. It’s led by guest-host Elena Fernández Collins, a freelance podcast critic and journalist who writes primarily for indie podcast-focused outlets like The Bello Collective and the Podmass column at the AV Club. 

Some things Ely will cover as she guest-hosts this episode while I continue my winter slumber:

• The value (and lack thereof) of “listicles”, which we’re about to be flooded with because it’s the end of the year.
• Why these listicles and other poorly-researched pieces rarely get picked up by big media outlets
• The benefits of pitching to smaller outlets and individual journalists
• Some insight into the mind of critics & journalist that will help you better fine-tune (or overhaul) your pitch
• Why you should ask (nicely) those same critics and journos to cover podcasting overall as it relates to their own special interests, 

Elena Fernández Collins is a podcast critic, journalist, and an overworked graduate student. You can find them yelling about podcasts on Twitter or at ElenaFernandezCollins.com. And if you’d care to help this freelance journalist continue to eat and pay rent while they work towards writing about podcasts at bigger places, you can support her at Patreon.com/ElenaFernandezCollins.

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Share this with a friend: http://podcastpontifications.libsyn.com/the-press-your-podcast-and-all-of-podcasting

Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Guest host: Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting. 

For all the similarities podcasting shares with radio, there are just as many ways in which the two mediums are radically different. None bigger, perhaps, than how each views “the competition”.

Radio stations and their subsequent shows are in direct competition with every other radio station and show that broadcasts in that time slot. If you’re listening to WXYZ’s Jocko’s Morning Madness at 7:30a on your commute to work, it’s impossible for you to also listen to the antics of Binky & The Whiz over on WZYX also broadcasting at 7:30a. One radio station per radio dial, please. 

But that’s not the case in podcasting. Navigating a radio station’s website to find this morning’s broadcast of Wombo The Snowchimp is problematic at best. But it’s a snap to listen to another podcast episode once the one you’re currently listening to is over. Hooray for time-shifted distribution and consumption! 

No, other podcasts/podcasters aren’t your competition. Yes, even if you focus on the exact same topics. Because you each have a unique take.

Here’s what Dave and I both know: Getting to know “the competition” in podcasting often, assuming no absolute jerks are involved, leads to friendship. Collaborations. And yes, even a few new business leads.

How weird is that? 

This isn’t a new phenomenon. But it may be a fleeting one, as more money pours into podcasting and thereby changes podcasting. Will a scramble for money and resources pit podcasters of similar topics against each other? I hope not, but time will tell. 

Your best course of action is to take Dave’s advice and make friends amongst your podcasting peers. If Dave and I don’t think we’re competing with one another, you shouldn’t see your podcasting peers as “the competition” either.

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Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/0ccbfe18-389f-47a2-8370-777620c67667

Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Social media is a powerful tool. We, as podcasters and as listeners, use social media quite a lot. I often find myself turning to social when I want more information about the people who produce or voice the shows I’m interested in.

I’m not alone in this. So what I would like for you to do -- today, if you can, and if not, by the weekend, so set yourself a to-do item if necessary -- is to clean it/them up.

Recently I went on a big following hunt, adding lots of accounts by people from the podosphere. And I was largely disappointed.

• Links to show websites often 404’d. If there was a link listed at all.
• A depressing number of bios still used the word “iTunes”.
• Most didn’t even have any mention of their involvement in podcasting.

I get that social media is 100% a personal choice. Just like with your podcast, you can do whatever you want. 

But dammit, if you’re going to have a public social presence for yourself and/or your show, you should make it a little easier on the people who might wish to follow you there. 

I’m eating my own dogfood and, right after this posts, will get on my own. I tend to (or at least I think I tend to) keep mine pretty clean always, but it never hurts to double-check. I hope you will join me and do the same.  

Now, as you know, this is my final episode of Podcast Pontifications for 2019. I’m taking a long winter's break from the program over November and December. But that doesn't mean episodes of the show will stop. 

I have a few special guests and other material lined up for people who follow/subscribe to the podcast. I won’t write extensive articles like this for those bonus episodes. They will be podcast-only exclusives until I return in January 2020. But if you’re reading this now, that means you’re already subscribed. You’ll still get them. Yay!

While I rest my vocal cords, I hope you’ll also join me an ~100 others in our private Flick group. On your mobile device, go to Flick.group/PodcastPontifications and sign up. It’s free to join and I may have some special goodies from me that go out to only this small community. 

You can also follow my thoughts and pontifications on Twitter, my social channel of choice. And if you think my diatribes worthy of your support, BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra is for you.

I'll be doubling down on client work while I’m off. If you are a business and you would like some strategic guidance on your podcasting efforts, get in touch with me: [email protected] or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see how my team can help ease your burden when it comes to podcasting so you can stay focused on your business.

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Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/social-scrubbing-for-a-pristine-podcast

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Today I’m turning my (and hopefully your) attention to your website in an effort to make sure that you’re maximizing your podcast’s exposure to your website visitor with three simple links. Even if you think you're doing these right... you might be doing these wrong. So it’s worth a re-check.

Some people will disagree with me on the importance of a website/page for a podcast. They’ll often cite how other mediums, like radio and TV, don’t rely on webpages that magically integrate with your living room television.

But webpage-to-TV integrations just aren’t necessary for TV or radio programs. Why? Because everyone knows how to work their TV or radio to tune into the station that broadcasts the show they want to watch/hear. 

Not true for podcasting. Yes, the technology gap is shrinking every day. But still, a lot of people still don't know how to listen to podcasts.

That’s a foreign concept to you, the working podcaster. And that’s having a negative influence on the decisions you make on your website. If you think about your website at all. Because chances are, you probably don’t visit a website of a podcast prior to listening.

But you’re not a normal human. You’re a podcaster. 

You don’t (or you shouldn’t) build your show’s website or webpage for podcasters. You build your show’s website or webpage for normal humans. Your website for your podcast, or the web page on your website for your podcast, needs to feature -- prominently -- three links for those normal humans.

1. Apple Podcasts - Around 60% of podcast consumption happens via Apple Podcasts. So clearly, you need to list it. 
2. Google Podcasts - Because of some tech vagaries that aren’t important, it’s hard to get a true grasp on how popular Google Podcasts is. But since the listening app is on every Android phone (and Apple Podcasts is not on any Android phone), you need to list it.
3. Spotify - Spotify is gaining ground, currently enjoying some 14% of overall consumption. In many European countries, it even outperforms Apple Podcasts. That trend will continue. List it.

And here’s my special offer just for you, the Podcast Pontifications audience: I’ll do this for you.

Seriously. If you don't know to add the links (and the proper graphics) to those destinations on your webpage or website, I’ll do it. If your IT department won't help you, I’ll do it. If you’re stuck in some crazy quagmire and have no idea where to start, I will do this for you.

No tricks. No hidden agenda. No trying to get you to sign up for something. Something I probably don’t even offer! This is me helping you. And since I won’t have episodes to put out for the next eight weeks, I should have some free time!

This is honestly my give-back to my audience. ByMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra. And please be sure to put something in the comments so I know you’re asking for help, OK? 

Let's make your podcast page better. Let's make your website better with at least these three links.

There’s still one more episode coming out tomorrow. So I shall be back then with another Podcast Pontifications. 

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Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/driving-downloads-from-drive-bys

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Today, I'm going to walk you through something very simple that you probably think you're doing right… but it’s highly likely that you might not be. Good news: This is an easy fix!

I’m talking about “show notes”, a term that is often abused. Specifically, I’m talking about the “show notes” that appear in the podcast app on the device that your listener is using to listen to your episode. Not a webpage or an article. But the textual content that listeners can view while they're listening to your episode.

Right now, as you’re listening to me talk to you, get to the most recent episode of your own show. (Because you're subscribed to your own show, right?) Once you have it, click through to get more info. Each app has a different UI, so I can’t tell you exactly how to do this. But it should be fairly obvious. 

Look at the text that displays here. Yes, you (or someone on your team) wrote that text. That’s the in-app episode-level details -- show notes -- I’m speaking of.

Done correctly, in-app episode details -- microcopy, as I call it -- can be invaluable engagement conduits for your listeners. If you tell your listeners “more information is available in the app you're listening on right now”, some will check. They don’t have to go to your website for more info. They don’t have to remember your episode number so they can visit your website later to find the info they were looking for. 

But only if you tell them that you’ve put in-app context-rich content inside their listening app. 

Yes, I recognize that some listeners are driving. Others are doing activities that don’t allow them to drop everything and click through for in-app details just because you told them to.

But what about all the people who aren’t doing other things and actually do have time to take action RIGHT NOW, as you said it? That’s who you’re doing this for.

You need to see what you’re doing right now with episode details. Whether you or someone else is responsible for publishing your last episode, go look at the episode details on that episode. Is it contextually rich? Does it contain the names of and links to anything mentioned during that episode? Because that’s what this is for. This is how you should encourage engagement with your show.

I’ll have two more tips to help make your content more shareable this week. But after this week I’m taking a little break. New episodes of Podcast Pontifications will resume in January 2020.

But that’s just the show. I’m still here, and you can still talk to me via the Flick.group/PodcastPontifications app. I may even release some special content just to that audience. So if you haven’t yet download that free app for your phone, click that link! 

You can still buy me a coffee over at BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra if you’d like. 'm not disappearing from life. I’ll still be tweeting sharing good advancing-podcasting stuff in other areas.

And, of course, if you are in business and you need help with your podcast, get in touch with me: [email protected] or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of what we're doing right now for clients just like you all over the globe. 

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Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/sharing-sharable-info-in-show-notes-for-your-podcast

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

It’s all about cozying up to people this week: The big aggregators, the keepers of the data, or the people who might provide you a way to earn serious money for your next show. Today, I want to talk about another class of people who you should cozy up to help your next podcasting project be even better: Other podcasters who are better than you.

Tennis players know they can improve their skills by hitting the ball against the wall and drilling on the fundamentals of the game. Buy to really get good at tennis, they have to play people better than themselves.

The same self-induced skills-limitation holds true in podcasting. 

Many of us, if we’re collaborating at all, tend to podcast with friends or peers at or near our same skill level. Many join online groups or attend conferences with the hopes of gaining some insight or tricks from better podcasters. And while that certainly can help, it’s a far cry from actually collaborating with other podcasters who are better than you.

I’m doing that. By fate, luck, or just the randomness of the universe, there are two people in Phoenix who fit the bill for me. Wil Williams, long-time podcast critic and podcast fiction force-of-nature, is transitioning out of her day job to focus on freelance podcasting life. And I recently met up with Sam Walker, the award-winning broadcaster and podcaster recently transplanted from Manchester in the UK to Phoenix with, among others, BBC chops.

These ladies are great at what they do. Both of them approach podcasting from a totally different angle than I. They are true podcasting professionals and, most important to this angle of this article, are better than me. 

The conversations on how the three of us will work together have just started, so you’ll have to wait for the exciting Wil-Sam-Evo collaboration announcement. Heck, we haven’t even scheduled our introductory dinner meeting.

My challenge to you is to do what I have done. Find the people (hopefully locally, but virtually can work as well) who you get along with, have some share thoughts and ideas, but -- and this is the important part -- are better than you. Suggest a collaboration. Find ways to work together. Heck, volunteer to work for them if that’s what it takes.

Because the best way to get better at anything is by playing with people who are better than you.

No new article on Friday, because that’s how I roll. But If you want to show your support for what I’m doing, you can do that at BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra.

And if you're in business and you need a strategic partner who's better at the podcasting game than your business, I am sure that my firm could help you. Send me an email: [email protected]. And you can check out PodcastLaunch.pro to see how we work with our clients.

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Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/what-podcasters-can-learn-from-tennis-players

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

This week, I’m talking about cozying up to various places and players to make your next podcast better this week. I’ve already covered why it’s smart to get closer to the big dogs in podcast distribution and how big data will drive podcast creation in the future (like it is already).

Today, want to talk about a different group of people who are responsible for the biggest money flow for podcasters.

Podcast advertising revenue is somewhere north of half a billion dollars annually. And most of that is funneled through advertising agencies and sales representation firms. These companies work with lots of advertisers who want to spend lots of money on podcast advertising. These advertisers typically don’t have a single show in mind, but instead are looking for a very specific audience to advertise to.

But here's the thing:  These advertising sales agencies often don’t have enough inventory to meet the demand. Lest there be any confusion: 

Podcast ad revenue in 2019 isn’t limited by advertisers willing to spend money. It’s limited because there aren’t enough podcast episodes to run ads on.

And that's why you should be cozying up to these agencies and sales reps as you’re thinking about starting your next show. It’s in their best interest to tell you exactly what audience you should target so they can bring you revenue. (Because they make money when they do that.) 

Clearly, this new show you’re making that targets the audience podcast sales reps love probably isn’t going to make money out of the gate. It takes time to build a show’s audience, and in an ad sales relationship, you’re compensated based on the number of downloads episodes of your shows can provide to those advertisers. And that takes time to build.

Cozying up to a podcast advertising agency or sales rep firm can remove a lot of uncertainty when planning a new show. They’ll give you real numbers that you can then apply to your efforts to maximize your chance for success. Yes, you’ll still have to execute. There is no guarantee that those same advertisers will be around when your show finally reaches the numbers it needs to play. But at least you know what current companies are looking for today.

I'm curious what you think about this idea. You can hit reply to this email, or you can download the Flick app, a private and free group just for listeners of Podcast Pontifications: Go here on your mobile device: Flick.group/podcastpontifications 

Speaking of advertising, I don't run ads and have no intention of running ads on this show. You can support me by going to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra. 

And if you need some help with your podcast, my agency, Simpler Media Productions, provides strategic podcasting services for business clients all over the globe. Give me an email: [email protected] and check out PodcastLaunch.pro to see some of what we do. 

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Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-to-make-a-podcast-worth-paying-for

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.