School of Podcasting: Expert Tips for Launching and Growing Your Podcast

Podcast Industry Leaders Gather in NYC

I attended the On Air Festival in NYC in New York City where what some might describe as "Procasters" were in attendance. When I went to talk to people instead of finding people who spoke into microphones I found:

• Producers
• Editors
• Writers

and I was amazed to find that:

• Some episodes of Radiolab take up to two years for ONE episode
• Missing Richards Simmons took one year to produce
• You can create an entire season of a podcast using 5% of the budget of a TV pilot.
• Advertisers want more stats even though podcasting is providing more data than they've ever received.

Start With the Story

Dan from Sporkful had a great talk and explained how it took him nine years to make his podcast his full-time job.

Kristen Meinzer from By the Book podcast (which reviews self-help books) explained how she took a book review and worked a story into it.

Special thanks to Monica Rivera from the You Wanna Do What Podcast for being my tour guide

SPONSOR: Alitu Web Based Podcast Maker

It's a web app, where people can log in on their web browser and then use it to edit and produce their podcast episodes. Mobile app coming soon too.

Podcasters record their show as normal, then upload their recordings to Alitu. Alitu then processes, levels, converts them all, pieces the clips together, adds your theme music automatically, and publishes the episode, direct to your podcast host. If you need to edit out any mistakes, then you can use Alitu's custom podcast editing tool to do just that, before creating your finished episode.   The idea behind Alitu is to make Podcasting and quick and simple as possible, removing a bunch of the tech barriers and to let you concentrate on the bit you do best – talking about something you love!   It can take an interview where each person records their side of the conversation, and it will combine them together (how cool is that?)   Check it out at www.alitu.com check out this video   Mp3 Chapter Marks

I mentioned how I started adding chapter marks in the mp3 file, and I wasn't sure if any apps even used these chapters. It turns out there are more software titles that recognize these than I originally thought Overcast used them (and not much else). It turns out that MP3 chapters can be displayed with Instacast, Overcast, Downcast, Podcat, Pocket Casts and iCatcher!.

On Android you can use Podcast Addict, which supports chapters in all file formats (MP3, M4A/MP4, Opus, Ogg, etc.), uPod to display chapter marks with URLs and images in MP3 and MP4 files, the open source AntennaPod supports chapter titles with URLs in MP3, Opus and Ogg Vorbis files and Pocket Casts supports MP3 chapters. Apple Has Too Much Power?

With Apple threatening (and then rescinding) to pull people from Apple podcasts some people were really upset and stated we should take steps to remove Apple of it's power.

I've been around long enough to remember podcasting before Apple added podcasts to iTunes, and that gave podcasting a boost in the arm. When they added the podcast app to be native to their operating system. Yahoo, Microsoft, Odeo, Google (multiple times) have created and deleted a podcast directory.

With Spotify spending a TON of money, I say if you want to "topple" Apple I have a two-word plan: STEP UP. Don't create software that doesn't have half the power of the current leading titles step up and provide all the current features AND THEN SOME. Create something that makes it easier for the listener (Which is what Apple did).

For those that think Apple has too much power, feel free to remove your show from their directory if you hate it so much. Apple is giving best practices on how to get the most out of their software and they are complaining. Back in 2012 some consultants came up with a "file for download only" strategy that was REALLY STUPID in 2012 (and just Hideous in today's terms) and Rob Walch from LIBSYN said, "This is a bad way to use LIBSYN," and some people didn't listen. Those are the people I am helping today and they say, "Wow, I didn't realize I was missing so much syndication...."

Apple is giving us suggestions on how to use their software, and some people are going to listen, and some people are not.

Question of the Month

What is your crutch word, and what did you do to get rid of it? Contact me and let me know (Preferably in audio format)

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Join the School of Podcasting or let me be your podcast mentor

I was on the Podcasters roundtable with Ray, Bandrew talking burnout. We talk about

• The Signs of Burnout
• The Sources of Burnout
• Solutions to Burnout

SPONSOR: Alitu Web Based Podcast Maker

It's a web app, where people can log in on their web browser and then use it to edit and produce their podcast episodes. Mobile app coming soon too. 

Podcasters record their show as normal, then upload their recordings to Alitu. Alitu then processes, levels, converts them all, pieces the clips together, adds your theme music automatically, and publishes the episode, direct to your podcast host. If you need to edit out any mistakes, then you can use Alitu's custom podcast editing tool to do just that, before creating your finished episode.   The idea behind Alitu is to make Podcasting and quick and simple as possible, removing a bunch of the tech barriers and to let you concentrate on the bit you do best - talking about something you love!    Check it out at www.alitu.com    Mentioned in this Episode 660   Video of A Star is Born being filmed   Bandrew's YouTube Channel   Ray's Podcasters Studio Podcast   Podcasters Roundtable Podcast   Bandrew Says Podcast

Podcast Pet Peeves 2019 06:13 A peeve is defined as "a source of annoyance or irritation." Today we are talking Podcasting Pet peeves, but not just pet peeves but your TOP pet peeves. When you listen to a podcast and you hear this you reach for the unsubscribe button.

Contributors:

Stephanie - Ex Pat Rewind at stephfuccio.weebly.com

Jonathan - Weekly Awesome

Scott McCarthy - Moving Forward Leadership

Bill from Youth with a Mission

Trish - Honest Nurse Podcast

Scott - What Was That Like?

Issa Fears and Desires

Brian - Conspiracy Theoryology

Emmanuel Laroche - Flavors Unknown

Anna Seawalt - Authentic Parenting Podcast

Marc - Resourceful Designer

Justin - Optimal Living Daily

Laura Reviews and Randomness

Matt - The Author Inside You

Scott – Code 3 Podcast

Moxie – Your Brain On Facts

Brian - Engaging Missions

Ryan - My Perfect Podcast

Win Charles - Ask Win

C.L. - Plantrama

Your Podcast Consultant - NEW SHOW 2:00

I launched a new show in January for those who want to learn about podcasting in bite-sized chunks. It's called "Your Podcast Consultant" and you can find it at www.podcastconsultant.com you can subscribe to the show in Apple or Google, Spotify

Episodes include:

Why start a podcast

How long should my podcast be?

How to overcome your fear of technology

Starter Podcast Microphones

How do I pick my subject?

9 Strategies to get on other podcasts

Update on Anchor Advertisers 43:24

In the past when I created three test shows on Anchor, the only sponsor I was offered was Anchor (so what was described as a way for Anchor to make money, seemed to be yet another way for Anchor to lose more money). I mentioned this in an article and video I created.  When I logged into my Anchor Sucks (IMHO) show, I was surprised to see that Squarespace and the Black Tux wanted to sponsor a show that only had 70 downloads. Black Tux is .02 per downloads. Squarespace is .0175 per download and Anchor is .01 per download. If I included all three (which would mean a minute of 90 seconds of ads in my show) I would make almost .05 per download. Assuming an audience would sit through so many commercials. A show with 150 downloads would make $7.13 per episode.

Work With Me Join the School of Podcasting or let me be your podcast mentor

What are the things that make you unsubscribe from a show? My audience shares their pet peeves.

As valentines was this week so we have a special edition of "Because of My Podcast," and speaking of finding things, today we talk about some tools to help you be found in Google.

Because of My Podcast We Found Love:

John Bukenas from Audio Editing Solutions is dating Samantha from I Shake My Head With Lisa and Sam

Chris and Krissie from I Am Salt Lake share their story of dating, marriage, and BABIES!

Jeremy from Podcast We Listen To and Dina Marie from the Twisted Philly podcast

Podcast Rewind: Podcasts We Listen To

I appeared on the Podcast We Listen To podcast talking about my show and the early days of podcasting. This podcast also has a great Facebook group filled with podcast listeners, but it's NOT A PLACE TO PROMOTE YOUR SHOW (this group does that).

I Was Wrong About M4a Files

13:57

I published an article on the Podcasting Busines Journal website and mentioned how mp3 files are more reliable then m4a when it comes to pressing play. In the past, I've seen m4a files just spin and spin and not play in Apple Podcasts. When I went back to see if this is still true, it's not.

Free SEO Tools To Help You Be Found in Google

18:11

As the search in the podcasts app chokes on the huge amount of shows coming into the podcasting space, there are times when it seems you just can't be found. So if you've done all there is to do, another strategy is to make sure you can be found in this other tool that helps people be found called Google.

I've taken SEO For Podcasting by Daniel J Lewis

SEO Courses from Yoast

Podcast SEO Marketing from Ploymash (Juergen Berkessel )

Tools I've Added and Started Using

Monster Insights Wordpress Plugin that allows you to see Google Analytics in Wordpress.

Neil Patel's Ubersuggest

Domain Authority Checker

Another great suite of tools is Mongools SEO Suite

Question of the Month: What is your TOP Pet Peeve?

You can only pick one. Please send them in by 2/22/19

Alexacast For Sale

31:26

I've come to the conclusion that I can't continue (or in this case bring back) the Alexacast. This is a show about the Amazon world, and especially what is happening with Alexa. If you'd like to take this show over, please contact me. You'll need to pay for your media hosting and web hosting. I prefer you host it at www.coolerwebsites.com 

 

Podcasting For Fun

34:00 Just a reminder you can podcast for fun. You do NOT have to make money with a podcast.

Work With Me

Join the School of Podcasting or let me be your podcast mentor

Spotify Buys the Best and Worst in Podcasting

Spotify bought Gimlet and Anchor. Does this have any effect on "Joe Independent podcaster?" not immediately, but it is a big company, with big pockets, who will spend money to promote podcasting (and that's is a good thing). As for Anchor, I will be making a video to explain the many things wrong with that system in the future. Spotify my want their money back.

She Almost Quit Her Podcast

8:39

For nearly two decades, Carolyn Cole was a Fortune 100 and Fortune 200 Senior Company Trial Attorney. In that role, she worked with over 10,000 clients, witnesses, and experts, for over 25,000 collective hours. Today, Carolyn make the case on behalf of your life, business or career dreams – happiness too.

A while ago Carolyn contacted me for some one on one coaching. She was ready to quit. She had heard that the way to have podcast success is to launch with a boatload of episodes, ask people for rating and reviews, and get into New and Noteworthy. She had followed the "recipe" but it hadn't worked and she was ready to quit. I told her not to quit, that podcasting takes time to build up her audience. It's a marathon - not a sprint. She didn't quit.

Check out her show at www.boomtank.com

In our talk you will hear:

How she almost missed an opportunity with Steve Harvey How her show and tagline have changed since she started How she used her podcast to boost her business How networking with your local chamber of commerce can help you How 250 Devoted people can work. How "being small" allows you to do things "bigger" shows don't do. Behind the scenes of working with larger companies The Lessons of editing your own stuff How her audience has changed over the years Why Millenials should be podcasting There is no such thing as a "small" podcast The best and worst parts of podcasting The book "How to be a Power Connector" help to change her life

Rode Is Giving Away 150,000 in Podcasting Prizes

43:41

Submit a 2-minute podcast and enter a chance to win 150,000 worth of podcast equipment. Check it out at www.myrodecast.com

Question of the Month: What is Your TOP Podcasting Pet Peeve?

Record your answer and email it to [email protected] Or go to my contact page (please put "February Question" in the subject line). I need your answer by February 22nd, 2019.

Work With Me

Join the School of Podcasting or let me be your podcast mentor

If you're looking for a podcast mentor, this is the best deal (one day only) on the planet

Last week we spoke about making sure you have great content, today we have tips on building your community.

Because of My Podcast - I've Got press Passes to the On Air Festival

On-Air Fest is advancing the culture of audio. We bring together an expansive range of emerging and established voices to explore the creative possibilities of sound.

Across multiple spaces in Brooklyn's Wythe Hotel, over 100 talent will share innovative ideas and showcase new work. Join us for a weekend of intimate conversations, performances, art installations, listening parties and live podcasts.

FEB 28-MAR 3 2019 BROOKLYN, NYC

Building Community - Starts Slow, Takes Work, and Then You Have 1000 Members

Jeremy Enns is the Storyteller In Chief of podcast agency Counterweight Creative, fearless leader of the Cut The Bullshit Podcasting Community, and creator of the Podcast Power Pack. He loves the outdoors, long distance cycle touring, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements.

Is there BS in the podcast Space? How do you grow your community? There hasn't been much moderation needed in his group Set rules and ensure people follow them He was working with Women's health world and noticed how well this niche networks together

Podcast Power Pack

A collection of 20_ contributors who are combining all their products and selling them at 90% off on February 25th - Friday, March 1

The Podcast Power Pack is a collection of some of the best online courses, eBooks, membership communities, digital products, and software.

The pack is designed to help you refine your process and grow your podcast in 4 key areas.

check it out at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/podcastpowerpack

Mentioned in this Episode

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Podfest Multimedia Export in March

Win 150,000 worth of Podcasting Gear From Rode See https://www.rode.com/myrodecast

This interview was recorded using Squadcast the best way to record remote interviews

Work With Me

Join the School of Podcasting or let me be your podcast mentor

Before you start promoting your show, how do you know if it's good? How do you know if it will connect with your audience?

Ready to Start Podcasting?

Imagine you want to start a lawn mowing business and the only way you know how to cut the grass is one blade at a time. That's how I felt about my podcast until the coaching session I had last night with Dave Jackson. I'm Zita Christian host of Ritual Recipes. A podcast filled with practical magic to nourish your inner life. 

I had a coaching session with Dave Jackson last night. He used a screen sharing technique to walk me through the problems I had with my podcast and with my gear and with my website. I am not technically savvy, and that's putting it mildly. But with Dave, that's not a problem. The man is a born teacher. His approach is clear. His attitude is always encouraging and above all, and at least for me, he's patient.

So I asked you do you want to start a podcast? Do you want to fix the one you have? If you answered yes to either one. Get the kind of help that will make a difference.

Work with Dave Jackson. Give your podcast a real chance to succeed.

Zita Christian Ritual Recipes moonriverrituals.com

How Do You Know Your Show is Good?

According to Jay Soderberg, great content contains the "Three E's" Entertain, Educate, and Emotional (leads to engagement). I've always said contact that you can't get any place else is always a boost (which I guess would fit in under educational)

I posed this question to a few people:

Participants

Jay "Podvader" Soderberg from Next Fan Up

Jayson Sacco: The Ankylosing Spondylitis Podcast

Lee Silverstein: We Have Cancer

Andrea Klunder: The Creative Impostor

Natalie Eckdahl: Biz Chix

Super Joe Pardo: Business with Super Joe Pardo

David Steele: Steele Empire

Gene Monterastelli: Tapping Q and A Podcast

Jeremy Ends: Podcast Powerpack

Darwyn Dave: Dealing with My Grief

You NEED to connect with your audience wherever they are. Quit staring at the Apple podcast charts and focus on your audience (which leads to you moving into the charts if done consistently).

Realize what works for one podcast does not mean this will work for your show, so you may need the courage to try something new. Natalie uses coaching calls as part of her show. Lee changed the name of his show from The Colon Cancer Podcast to "We Have podcast." 

Gene and Natalie have VERY SPECIFIC ideas of who they want listening, and how they will gauge success (and it has nothing to do with rankings and reviews). Jeremy has helped clients who are happy they tried surveys. Andrea helps people define who their target audience is. 

When you know who your target audience is, and you understand the goal of your show, you can start to chart a path between the two. 

Mentioned in this podcast

Google Forms

Type Form

 

2019 Prediction

I see more and more people getting into podcasting who

• Want to spend zero money
• Spend very little time on creating content
• Make large amounts of money - quickly

My prediction is 98% of the people who get into podcasting for the SOLE reason of making money fast will quit and say podcasting does not work. This episode is to educate you with knowledge so you can make an educated decision.

Keep mind, you DO NOT have to make money with your podcast. Many, many, many podcasters do it for the love of the topic.

Because of My Podcast: Emily Prokop Will Be on TV

1:50

Emily Prokop from The Story Behind Podcast and EPodcast Productions has had "Because of My Podcast" Stories in the past (as she got a book deal). Now because of her podcast (which brought her a book deal), she is going to be on Inside Edition. How cool is that? Congrats Emily

Update on Rode Rodecaster Pro

4:10

Last week we had three people share their insights into the Rode Rodecaster Pro, and I had not tied the unit into Skype yet. I agree when you use the phone, it sounds like, the phone. I had Jonathan Bloom from Weekly Awesome and Miss Ileane Smith join me on Ask the Podcast Coach via the wired TRRS cable, using Skype and out sounded much better. Johnathan was on Skype in his phone and Ileane was using an ATR2100 and sounded awesome.

The Potential Harm of Launching Your Podcast With a Patreon

7:28

While I realize that starting to promote a patreon account the minute you start podcasting may seem like a great idea, my worry is this is another criteria (like your download stats) to gauge your process. I'm not saying it's wrong, but I want you to go into this with your eyes wide open.

How Do We Get Sucked In?

There are people on patreon making thousands of dollars a month. In the same way, that ice skaters, musicians, comedians, and athletes make their craft look easy, so do these podcasters. You talk into a mic, ask people for money, and watch the cash roll in.

Nothing could be further from the truth

How Do You Feel About PBS Pledge Drives?

Think about how you feel when watching a PBS pledge drive. You’re enjoying the smooth tones of James Taylor as you reminisce about the first time you heard this song on the radio. The memories make you feel warm and then BOOM! We need some money.

If you don’t have a relationship with PBS, (and found this while channel surfing) I’m going to bet these interruptions are quite annoying. Without a relationship, pledge drives make you want to change the channel (at least for me it does).

So does this mean that your pledge drives in the early days of your podcast is a bad idea? I guess it all depends on how entertaining and creative you are in asking for support.

Things To Consider As a New Podcaster

While launching with a Patreon campaign allows you to practice your pitch, and gets your audience used to hearing your pledge drive in episodes, there are a few things to consider:

• You may find yourself focusing more on your Patreon rewards instead of focusing on making great content that inspires your audience to tell a friend.
• You can practice your pledge drive pitch in the basement.
• You don’t have a relationship with these your audience and yet you're asking for a favor.
• Unless you organized a focus group, you may not be delivering value (and yet you are asking for value in return). Your Mom is not a focus group.
• If you are doing great you can expect 3% of your audience to join your campaign. If you have 100 listeners this means you MIGHT get 3.
• According to graphtreon.com in January of 2019: 704,041 creators received a total of $1,512,275. That's a little over $2 per patron.
• The lack of patrons can damage your attitude and make you want to quit your podcast. If your sole reason for starting your podcast was for quickly getting money, you should stop.

The Pressure of Patreon

20:20

Jordan Harbinger gave up being a lawyer to do a podcast where he interviews people and talks about communications and social dynamics. On Friday he answers questions from his audience. One other thing, Jordan gets millions of downloads for this show. A listener of his was having a hard time finding the courage to launch his content. The person was already worried about the business side of his content, and he had been sitting on it for two years.

Jordan brings up a great point of the pressure of running your podcast as a business right out the door. That pressure could hinder your creativity, affect your attitude in a negative way and hinder you from creating a great show that will attract an audience. Keep in mind, no audience - no money.  With this added pressure, the podcast might not be fun. Also, keep in mind when you first start out you're not going to be as good as you will be in a few years.

He brought up a great point about how easily we can talk to people we would normally be attracted when we are in a relationship. Why? No pressure.

He explains that when he first started he just liked talking about it to his friends. That lead to him talking to others in bars, which lead to... being known as the Larry King of Podcasting.

You can't help, serve, or entertaining anyone with your files on your hard drive. Just launch.

Check out Jordan's Show at www.jordanharbinger.com and check out his level one FREE Human Dynamics course. Check out my interviews with Jordan here and here.

But Shouldn't You Treat Your Podcast Like a Business?

32:50

I've had people who have businesses that sell ads in their show who treat their podcast as a business. They have to. While you are starting out, you may not be in this situation. It may be smart to plan ahead, but it is a bit like buying a crib for your future child when you are still a virgin.

Most businesses the podcast is not the business. It is the part of the marketing arm of the business to promote their products. When your product is Patreon, that is fine but realize that most podcasters who are doing it for a living have multiple streams of income (products, ads, affiliate sales, live events).

Also, if your podcast is not a business or promoting a business - it leads me to my next point.

Shut Up and Have Fun With Your Podcast

If you are doing a podcast for fun, and meet like-minded people or friend and family - then do that. Pay no attention to the podcasters chasing a buck. There are SO MANY WAYS to benefit from podcasting (see because of my podcast) and money is just ONE of them.

When you compare your podcast to another it - unless it someone doing the same exact show with the exact same background, it is NEVER a fair comparison.

Don't worry about the money, the downloads, new and noteworthy, Apple charts, and just HAVE FUN doing your podcast and see where it leads you.

Canva Vs Snappa

Graphics can help attract attention to show notes, your episodes, etc.

I was working on making a new image for my YouTube channel and found Snappa. I had heard about it. I have been using Canva.com for a while. After banging my head against the wall to have my image show up correctly in YouTube, Snappa seemed to have the edge. They have more photos, and when making a YouTube channel artwork Snappa worked better. However, you typically make a YouTube Channel artwork once or twice a year. Other items I make weekly.

Canva has multiple folders you can create, they make copying and resizing images easier, and while you will still probably occasionally have to pay for an image even if you are paying for their $12 a month "business" package, I found it better thought out. You can crop images while you are using them. With Snappa, you had to crop it before bringing it into your graphic (how do I know how much I need to crop it if I haven't seen it with the other items?).

A Free Image Strategy

Canva.com, Snappa.com, and Adobe Spark all have free versions. If you're on a tight budget and don't mind taking more time to browse through multiple portals (along with places like pixabay) you might try signing up for a free account on all three. For me, I live Canva. The offer tutorials to help you get the most out of the service.

Work With Me

If you're ready to start your podcast, I have multiple plans for multiple budgets. I want to help you build a successful podcast. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I also have a podcast quick start program for those who are looking to get up and running quickly and then have a brief mentorship.