Pump Up Your Pod

As we wrap up the year that was 2021, I take a look at some predictions for the podcasting space in 2022.

There has been a huge amount of growth in the podcasting space in 2022, and in fact more broadly since 2018/19. It's been a very interesting time to be developing in this space, and developing a business that is in such a growth heavy industry.

The focus for 2022 from what I can see is going to be on increasing audience size for existing shows. Yes, there are a lot of new podcasts coming onto the scene, but for those of you that already have a show, you might be starting to see a bit of a plateau and you're wondering how to expand into new markets.

I touch on the value of our Pod Lovers Community and the "Premium Experience" that will be coming for growth strategy specifically in 2022. Stay tuned for that.

I also touch on the way advertising it set to ramp up in 2022, and how the listener feels about the ads that are currently being presented to them via podcasts.

This year also saw the dawn of the podcast subscription model for major players like Apple Podcasts. Can we call this a success for the independent podcasters, at this point - my response is a big fat no. The subscription model still doesn't quite sit right with podcast listeners and needs further development.

With Facebook and YouTube both entering into the world of podcasting, and major media networks expanding into audio content, 2022 is set to be a big one for the industry.

What a great time to be a podcaster!

Links:

Join The Pod Lovers Free Community

Our website

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Resources:

Podcasting Predictions from Omnystudio and Triton Digital

Nielsen & Acast Report

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we approach the Christmas and New Year holiday season and we start thinking about taking some time off, it's also important to think about whether your podcast should take some time off.

Listenership really drops from as early as the 12th of December. There's a little spike around those few days between the 27th - 29th of December, but then drops way down again after that.

So with that in mind, if you were thinking about taking some time off - December is the time to do it and feel okay about it. Be back to releasing though by the 5th of January or thereafter because podcast listenership goes WAY UP from there. It stays consistently higher than usual up until the school holidays are over.

For the November - December period the big winners are Education, Leisure and Music related podcasts. Makes sense right? When you're not in your normal routine - you want to be learning something new, or listening to something fun.

This should help you make some decisions about your release schedule for December. If you are going to take a break, this is a perfect time to PROMOTE PREVIOUS PODCAST EPISODES. 

Have a look back through your statistics and see what episodes have been the most downloaded, and share those ones again. Why do you re-share what was already popular? Because if it's popular once, there is a HIGH probability that it will be popular the second or even third time around.

It's also an opportunity to look at what episodes perhaps you didn't get a chance to even really promote the first time.

Links Mentioned:

The Pod Lovers - free online podcasting community

Bamby Media Website

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you struggling to keep up with the release frequency of your podcast?

You begin to start chasing your tail, become out of sync and are constantly feeling the pressure to keep up releasing but it’s just not happening.

Firstly, don’t give yourself a hard time. I understand how super hard it can be to keep coming up with episodes when you’re balancing all the other aspects of your business.  

In this episode, I’m going to help you reflect and reassess the purpose of your show to motivate and give you a kick to keep producing. 

When you’re feeling like you can’t find the drive, come back to your ‘why’.

Why did you start podcasting in the first place? 

What were you trying to achieve? 

When we forget our purpose and mission, it can be easy to stray off track and stop releasing episodes. After all, if you see the value in something, you’ll make sure it’s at the top of your priorities. 

In my podcast, I know that it’s okay if I’m not releasing every week because I’ve devised specific topics for the show that aren’t impacted by frequency and are in alignment with my mission.

However, if your podcast was set up to drive traffic to your business and stay in the top downloaded charts, then you need to be consistent with it. 

Podcast listenership is huge in Australia! It has gone from 5.8 million in April to 9.5 million in October/November alone. That’s a 3.7 million increase in only 5 to 6 months. 

So I would strongly recommend for you to keep podcasting. It’s an amazing tool for your business. 

Use this wonderful time of year to reflect on 2021 to determine the frequency of episode releases to support your strategy, overall mission and purpose. 

And, above all, have fun with it!

LINKS

Our websites:

www.bambymedia.com

Join The Pod Lovers free community:

www.thepodlovers.com

Our socials:

Bamby Media YouTube Channel

@bamby_media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is definitely an art to being a great interviewer and it’s a skill that takes quite some time to develop.

Anyone who’s done a bit of research can ask questions but often we’re not asking questions that prompt a meaningful response.

There is a huge difference between an "interview" and a "thought-provoking conversation". The latter of the two is the kind of podcast I remember and tell my friends about. 

So how do you ask questions that will keep your listener interested, and achieve that deeper connection that you should be striving for?

In this episode, I share some hot tips on how to be an awesome interviewer. I talk about establishing a goal for your podcast, doing research on previous interviews and how to get more juicy information out of your guest. 

How could your guest episodes be more interesting? Are you asking the same old questions? Or could you go deeper in some way?

LINKS

Our websites:

www.bambymedia.com

Join The Pod Lovers free community:

www.thepodlovers.com

Our socials:

Bamby Media YouTub

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I get a little nerdy in this episode because who doesn’t love a good pie chart and statistic, right?

Stats don’t lie people and it’s super fun to track the growth of your podcast over time to see how things are going. Make sure you’re with a podcast host who provides good statistics because there are some really useful things you can do with them.

In this episode, I list some of the things to take note of when checking out your stats. I talk about downloads per episode, what platforms your listeners are tuning in on, your most popular episodes, targeting your demographic and more.

Now don’t get obsessed with it. It’s all about tracking your growth over time and if you see a theme happening with particular episodes, start doing more of them. Have fun with it!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Buzzsprout:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1281877

OmnyStudio:https://omnystudio.com/learn

LINKS

Our websites:

www.bambymedia.com

Join The Pod Lovers free community:

www.thepodlovers.com

Our socials:

Bamby Media YouTube Channel

@bamby_media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a really great thing to have guests on your show but if the audio is dodgy, your listeners might struggle to keep tuning in.

So what’s the best way to record your guest episodes to get killer audio?

There are many ways to go about it so in this episode, I run you through a few of them and break down some of the differences. From basic methods using free software to more high tech solutions for all you savvy podcasters, there’s something out there for everyone. 

I talk about some of the practical things to remember when recording guest audio, how to record your guests using the same software you use for your solo episodes and I share a rave review of Riverside, which is a software I highly recommend.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun! Listen intently to what your guests are saying so you can keep a conversation going that your listeners will enjoy.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Riverside:Sign up using my affiliate link here

Garageband:Mac and PC

Audacity:https://www.audacityteam.org/

Podcast mentioned: SmartLess

LINKS

Our websites:

www.bambymedia.com

Join The Pod Lovers free community:

www.thepodlovers.com

Our socials:

Bamby Media YouTube Channel

@bamby_media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To swear, or not to swear...that is the question.

At the end of the day, it's always going to come back to your personal preference.

You make up your own rules when it comes to the content that you distribute on your podcast, but there are certainly things to consider when it comes to using profanities in your show.

Who is your target audience?

What industry are you targeting?

Is there a specific niche that you need to be considering?

Do you have a sponsor relationship that may not take kindly to having their brand associated with a bunch of expletives.

If swearing is a part of who you are (ahem...Gary Vee) then it makes sense for you to keep the swears in there. It would be weirder almost not to hear them.

Just make sure you've considered why the swear words are there, and whether they're necessary.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Sign up to Buzzsprout here 
• Microphone used to record this podcast episode: Rode NT-USB Mini
• Recording software: Pro Tools

Links:

Instagram: @bamby_media

Website: www.bambymedia.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So you’ve got your super awesome podcast episodes recorded and ready to go. What’s the next step?

How the heck do you get your episodes on a platform so that people can hear them?

This is where a podcast host comes in. You’ll need one of those to get your podcast onto all the platforms for all the ears to hear. 

There are a lot of podcast hosts out there and my pick of the litter is without a doubt, Buzzsprout. Trust me, I’ve used them all. Some are free, some cost a bit of money. Some are great and give you a whole bunch of other benefits and some are pretty clunky and annoying to use. 

In this episode, I tell you all about why I love Buzzsprout so much and some of the great features it has. I definitely recommend you go sign up if you haven’t already.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Sign up to Buzzsprout here 
• Microphone used to record this podcast episode: Rode NT-USB
• Recording software: Pro Tools

LINKS

Our websites:

www.bambymedia.com

Join The Pod Lovers free community:

www.thepodlovers.com

Our socials:

Bamby Media YouTube Channel

@bamby_media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love hearing from people who have begun their podcast, are really excited about their message, and are now wondering how to make money from their show. 

There are different methods to earning money from your podcast, but the one I want to talk about today is finding sponsors. 

Unfortunately, the reality is if you are not reaching 2,500 downloads within the first 7 days of a podcast episode release date, you will struggle to get sponsorship brands to come to you. 

So, I encourage you to be bold and approach sponsors! 

The key is to make it super enticing for the sponsor to partner with you by having a following across different platforms and a sizable mailing list. 

You can achieve this by negotiating a midroll ad, or state that the sponsor will also be featured within your mailing list, or use a sponsored post on Instagram. There are many different and effective ways to market your partnership. Get creative! 

My advice - Don’t try to go for big sponsors. 

Choose a smaller brand that really appeals to you and your business. 

In this episode, I share my insights on the pricing models available for determining your sponsorship amount. 

But remember, the final amount is a collaborative effort between you and the brand, so make your presentation really attractive to them.

I also always encourage my clients to make sure they choose their sponsors wisely. 

Find sponsors that are in line with your brand and your message and keep the ads in your show to a minimum. 

Come and have a look at my website and join The Pod Lovers community if you are interested in beginning your own podcast journey. It is an amazing community that is full of support and a wealth of information for podcasters. 

Thank you for listening!

LINKS

Our websites:

www.bambymedia.com

Join The Pod Lovers free community:

www.thepodlovers.com

Our socials:

Bamby Media YouTube Channel

@bamby_media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More often than not, when you're a new client joining the Bamby Media client roster and you submit your first recorded audio to us, we get this question...

"Do I Really Sound Like That?!"

You think you sound terrible. You're not used to the sound of your own voice and you feel so nervous about having other people listen to you. 

It's not a normal thing for us to hear ourselves in our own headphones right?

Understandably, it makes you feel a little uneasy.

But don’t stress - you don’t sound terrible! You are just not used to the way your voice sounds. 

I am so excited to give you some really useful tips that you can easily perform when you’re recording your podcast to help ensure that your voice is sounding amazing. 

Whether you are worried about your voice sounding monotone, shrill, high pitched, nervous or you’re using filler words like ‘um’ or ‘ah’ too much, I will give you practical methods to improve the quality of your audio and ensure your podcast sounds impressive and professional.  

And if you still can’t stand the sound of your voice - it’s simple, don’t listen to it! Send it off to an editor who can work their magic and listen and edit it for you while you sit back and relax.

LINKS

Rode NT-USB Mini

Listen to:

The best microphone for recording your podcast with your phone 

Our websites:

www.bambymedia.com

Join The Pod Lovers free community:

www.thepodlovers.com

Our socials:

Bamby Media YouTube Channel

@bamby_media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.