PodCraft by Alitu: Honing the Craft of Podcasting

It's part two of our dive into the Podcaster Cares Survey data. This time around, we're talking NFTs, measuring success, social media, loudness, and bitrates.

We also take a look at some interesting differences between podcasters of five years or more, and folks who've been doing it less than five years.

Podcasters of 5 years or more have stronger opinions on Apple Podcasts and RSS Feeds

• 67.5% of the 5 years or more group agreed that a podcast isn’t really a podcast if it doesn’t have an RSS feed.
• Of the folks in podcasting for fewer than five years, 39.8% agreed, whilst 38.9% didn’t care. 
• 25.3% in the 5 years or more group didn’t care about RSS feeds.
• 44.6% of the 5 years or more group believe that Apple could and should be doing more to help podcasters. This is compared to 34.9% of the newer podcasters group.
• 53% of the newer podcasters have no real opinion on Apple either way, compared to 34.9% of the 5 years or more group. 

Newer podcasters pay less attention to podcast loudness & bitrates

• 60.2% of podcasters of 5 years or more have a set and consistent loudness level for their show.
• This is compared to 31.4% of folks podcasting for 0-5 years. 
• 29.7% of newer podcasters don’t worry about loudness levels.
• This is compared to only 15.7% of the 5 years or more group. 
• 42.9% of newer podcasters have no idea what bitrates are. Only 15.7% of the 5 years or more group thought the same. 

Get the full Podcaster Cares Survey Report right here. 

The more podcasting grows, the more people talk about it. Some of it is genuine news, and some of it is gossip or clickbait. Rather than waste your time with articles about irrelevant topics, we want to know what the average podcaster cares about most.

So, we put up a survey and invited our entire audience to take part through the blog, email and social. We offered a few prizes to say thanks, including a 1st prize gift voucher and a few of our own books (The Podcast Host Planner and Podcast Growth manual). 

We were delighted to see responses from over 500 podcasters (537 in total!) who generously shared their opinions with us. Let’s take a look at what podcasters think of the topics that spark debate in the content creation community.

Get the full Podcaster Cares Survey Report right here. 

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about choosing a format for your episodes.

The format you choose is really personal, and depends on who’s involved. If it’s just you, you’re not doing a co-hosted show any time soon, for example.

None of this is set in stone, either. So whilst it’s good to have an ‘average’ format, so your listeners know what to expect, you don’t have to stick to it every single time.

You might do your first few episodes using a certain format – for example, solo - then decide it isn’t for you. In this case, you could pivot and start doing interviews. Or, you could bring on a regular co-host.

The first format you try might feel perfectly natural to you, in which case, great. Or you might opt for a ‘mixed bag’ approach where you never stick to any one set format. The beauty of it is that it’s your podcast, and you get to make the rules.

We’re going to dig into the pros and cons of each podcast format in the next few episodes, so make sure you’re subscribed to the show on your listening app of choice!

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker.

And on this episode, we’re talking about niches (nitches?) and narrow topics.

There’s a bit of a misconception in podcasting that, the wider and more open your topic, the bigger your audience will be.

I know, it makes sense because covering lots of ground means there's loads more people who might be interested in your show.

The reality, though, is that listeners love podcasts that feel like they were made just for them.

So instead of our personal trainer doing a podcast about general health, diet, or exercise, it might be “the fitness podcast for single parents”, or “the keto diet podcast for vegetarians”.

In other areas, niche podcasts could be “The travel podcast, for D&D players”, or “The business startup podcast, for military veterans”.

You might have a fear that this'll limit your audience, but, actually, the opposite is true. When your target listeners find your show, and see how closely it scratches their itch, they’ll think “this is perfect!”, hit subscribe, and go on to become fanatical fans. On the other hand, if keep it general, everyone just sees it, goes 'meh' and moves on. When you try to target everyone, you really target no-one in particular.

So what would you rather have - a tight, defined group of fanatical listeners, or a big group who just might be interested in listening?

For a really detailed look at defining your niche topic, go to ThePodcastHost.com/topic

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about giving your audience a no-brainer reason to listen.

This, my friend, is all about supplying value in your very own unique way.

But what does that actually mean?

Well, let’s take the example of our personal trainer, I mentioned last time. If they’re serving up content that helps their listeners to, let's say, complete a couch to 5k, then they're providing value. If they can help a listener lose a few stone, or run a faster race, then that's a LOT of value!

Or what about our zombie podcaster? They might do an in-depth interview with a top author in the space. They'll dig in to unearth some anecdotes and insights that you've never heard anywhere else before from that writer. In that, they're providing some really unique value.

If you do something similar on your show, not only have you given your audience a reason to listen, you've also given them a reason to come back for more, every week.

This is absolutely vital for you to think about in the planning stages. So can you write down 10-15 potential episodes that you think your target audience would love to listen to? If you're teaching, it's often about considering the most common problems you can help them solve. And if it's entertainment, it's finding new content, or entertainment that scratches that person's personal itch.

And, for a more detailed look at giving them a reason to listen, go to ThePodcastHost.com/unique

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. On this episode, we’re asking a big question: Who are you making your podcast for?

The thing is, unless you know exactly who you’re making your show for, and why you’re doing it, you’ve got no chance of growing an audience.

Let’s imagine a personal trainer who’s making a health and fitness podcast to market their business. Their target audience might be people who are interested in healthy eating, weight loss, or HIIT training, or bodybuilding.

Or, let’s imagine a hobbyist who loves zombies and post-apocalyptic fiction. Their target audience would simply be folks with the same really specific passion. They might be fans of TV shows like The Walking Dead, and video games like Resident Evil.

It's a good idea to sketch out what’s known as your “avatar”. An avatar is a made up person that represents your ideal listeners in the real world. You make this detailed - with a name, age, job, background, likes, dislikes. You make this as real as you can, so it's someone you can know, deeply. The benefit then is that, with each episode you plan out, you can ask yourself the question “would Jane (my avatar) like this?” Asking that question is the key to making really compelling content, every time.

For a really detailed look at how to create your avatar, and a bunch of examples, go to ThePodcastHost.com/listener

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker.

And on this episode, we’re asking the question “Why?”

Why do you want to make a podcast?

Are you a freelancer?  A business? Or working for a company? Whatever you do, you'll know that podcasting's a great way to build trust and authority. Plus, of course, give your customers or your audience a whole bunch of valuable and entertaining content.

The other option is that you're in podcasting as a hobbyist? That could mean you'll be creating a show in your spare time, and on a subject you're passionate about. Anything from knitting, to craft beer, to horror movies.

Either way, figure out your why. It could be making more sales. Or growing a community. Or getting famous! They're all valid. And they're important to keep in mind so that you can stay motivated, even when life throws you those inevitable curveballs. Podcasting isn’t always easy, but if your “Why” is worth it, you’ll push on through.

New episodes of Pocket-Sized Podcasting will be released daily, Monday through Friday. Subscribe on your listening app of choice so they’re delivered to you automatically. Thanks so much for listening.

Daily podcasts are a lot more common than they used to be. You might find the thought of running one appealing but also think to yourself "there's no way I'd have time to podcast every single day". Well, the good news is that you don't have to. 

You can actually create a short sharp 1-2min episode a day podcast in only a few hours a week. We've found that the scripting, recording, production, and publishing take us approximately 3 hours for a week of content (a week being Monday-Friday). As these tasks are "batched" we're not tending to this podcast every single day, even though new episodes are always dropping. 

There are a lot of benefits of doing short daily episodes. If you teach something then it'll give you the ability to deliver your lessons in bite-sized (or pocket-sized!) chunks. You can take a real deep dive over a period of time, rather than trying to pack together one huge lesson or talk. You might even turn your daily podcast into an Alexa Flash Brief. 

Short episodes are also great for repurposing. This works well if you're active on YouTube, social media, or taking a Content Stacking approach to your show. 

On this episode of Podcraft, we talk more about the benefits and workflows of running a daily podcast. We'll also help you answer the question of whether you should make one yourself. 

And as for our own case study, it's something you'll hopefully be interested in checking out, too... 

Our Daily Podcast - Pocket-Sized Podcasting

Pocket-Sized Podcasting is the ‘how to podcast’ series for busy people. You’ll get one short sharp tip delivered to your feed Monday through Friday, all aimed toward helping you build and grow your own life-changing show.

Brought to you by Alitu, the Podcast Maker, it’s our aim to make the entire process of podcasting as simple and accessible as humanly possible. Find us anywhere you get your podcasts, and be sure to hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

We talk a lot about audience growth in our articles. In fact, promotion and growth is the number 1 thing podcasters struggle with, according to our recent podcaster problems survey. 

One of the tips we've recommended for years is to see the other podcasters in your space as collaborators, rather than competition. Cross-promotion is a great example of the old saying "a rising tide lifts all boats". After all, this medium is on-demand, and it isn't like your listeners have to choose between your show and someone else's. 

We had the opportunity to get involved in a podcast episode swap recently with the excellent Evo Terra and his industry essential Podcast Pontifications show. It's a show I'm sure you'll love, and this episode is an ideal taster of what you can expect to hear, 4 days a week, if you hit the subscribe button. 

Here's the episode of Podcraft that was featured over there too - it was all about question research and how this strategy can help you create episodes to pull in new listeners.

Podcast Pontifications

Before we jump into the episode content, let's take a quick look at the show's description so you can get a better idea of what it's about and who it's for. 

"Where plenty of podcasts about podcasting (PAPs) tell you what to do, Podcast Pontifications gives you what to think about in podcasting. These daily, insightful forward-looking episodes have one central tenet: Podcasting needs to be made better, not just easier. Designed for the working podcaster, these short-form episodes get you thinking about the future of podcasting and how you can better prepare yourself -- and your shows -- for the future. The goal is simple: help you develop critical thinking skills needed to make the best future-proofed podcast you can with the tools of today. Plus a few sneak previews of what might be coming tomorrow."

And now to the episode itself, here's the question that Evo is pontificating on... 

"Nearly twenty years in, and many podcasters still have trouble thinking of podcasting as an industry. But our problem does not plague cash-flush brands looking to enter our industry. Who's perspective will win out? "

Key Links

• 2021 IAB podcast advertising revenue $1B
• 2021 global podcast advertising revenue $1.37B
• 2021 overall podcast industry marketing size $1.4B

There's no shortage of things to focus on when it comes to planning, launching, and running your own podcast. 

From buying the right mic and choosing a hosting platform, to coming up with a show name and sorting out your cover art, these all fall under the umbrella of "podcasting". But all podcasting tasks aren't created equally. Some of the things you do can have a huge impact on your show's success, whilst others can be little more than a distraction. 

On this episode of Podcraft, we decided to reflect on a combined 20+ years of podcasting. Of all the podcasts we've launched and ran between us in that time, which factors do we feel helped move the needle? 

Also mentioned on this episode were our Podcraft community and the Portuguese translations of some of our top articles. 

Podcasting Factors That Move the Needle (Or Don't)

We both scored each of the following out of 10 (10 for very important, 0 for not important at all), added up the scores, and ranked them into an overall list. The aim was for new and aspiring podcasters to help decide whether they were spending too much time on one thing, or not enough time on something else. 

1. Defining Your Target Audience

The most important factor was identifying who you want to reach, and why. Not spending some time nailing this down in the planning stages can lead to your content being directionless and vague. You want new listeners to hear your podcast and think "this is exactly what I've been looking for." 

For more help with this, check out the following articles:

• What's Your USP?
• Demographics Vs Psychographics
• How to Create a Value Proposition
• How to Create Your Avatar
• How to Come up With a Unique Topic

2. Deciding on Your Podcast's Name

Naming your podcast can feel like a tricky barrier to overcome. It's also a very important one. If potential listeners don't immediately know what your show's about when they see it, then many of them will skip past it without even reading the description. With podcast names, there's no such thing as "boring". If you come up with an ultra-descriptive "as it says on the tin" name and it isn't already taken - grab it. 

For more on this, check out How to Name Your Podcast. 

3. Your Episode Titles

This is another huge factor in turning traffic (your target audience, searching for your topic) into listeners. Descriptive and compelling episode titles will help your show be found, and they'll also encourage those searching to hit play. Don't waste this important space by putting the word "episode" in there. You don't need to write your podcast name beside every episode title either. 

For more on this, check out How to Title Your Episodes. 

Want to See the Full List?

Head on over to the shownotes at ThePodcastHost.com