The Podcast Fast Track

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

How to record interviews over a distance is one of the most frustrating things for many podcasters - and the tech is not quite there yet.

But it’s getting better. :)

2017 brings a handful of pretty decent options for recording a conversation, many of them with tech that takes out the “distance” part of a distance recording so you get better quality audio every time.

I wanted to make it obvious how good the options are as well as answer some of the questions I get on a regular basis about the best way to record an interview.

So my client onboarding guy, Aaron and I took a morning to do some recordings of OUR conversations using all the options that I think are legitimate for 2017.

So - How to record interviews: 2017 Demo of the Best Options is what you’ll hear on this episode of Podcastification.

Here’s a rough outline of this “How to Record Interviews” episode:

• [1:44] My top 5 recommendations: Zoom - Ringr - Zencastr - Skype - Cleanfeed and our demos of each of these options, demo’d for you.
• [3:00] Tips for making a good distance recording, no matter which option you choose

Zoom Demo

• [3:46] My experience using Zoom (my description of what I see)
• [5:26] The recording of Aaron and I speaking and recording to each other via Zoom along with our impressions and observations of the platform
• [7:16] The “guest” side of a Zoom call - Aaron’s insights and observations
• [7:50] Zoom’s details, pricing, method of recording, number of participants, etc.

Ringr Demo

• [10:40] The pre-recording setup and login experience for recording an interview on Ringr
• [11:10] The actual conversation we recorded and how Ringr works (double-ender)
• [12:08] The “guest” side of the Ringr connection and some of the cool things we see

Skype Demo

• [14:51] Skype calls must be recorded using a 3rd party app
• [16:08] The “guest” side of the Skype call - and why Skype is the good-old standby
• [17:17] Why Skype calls with bad connections are HARD for audio editing

Zencastr Demo

• [18:55] Pre-call setup of a Zencastr recording/call
• [19:49] Zencastr’s chat feature, timeline footnotes, etc.
• [20:46] Zencastr’s free plan: features, integrations, bells and whistles
• [21:40] What is happening when you hear a glitch in Zencastr

Cleanfeed Demo

• [23:52] Counterintuitive things I feel about Cleanfeed
• [24:38] The guest and host experiences on Cleanfeed
• [26:21] Why you need to stay in the platform until things are done uploading

SUMMARY

• [27:10] Review of platforms and features
• [29:11] Another option as an “honorable mention” - www.Tryca.st
• [29:58] OUR RANKINGS OF THE TOP 5 PLATFORMS FOR RECORDING AN INTERVIEW
• [31:49] Browser-dependent issues some of the platforms will experience from time to time

I’m not only going to tell you how to record an interview, I’m going to demo it for you 5 different ways… with a little help

This episode of podcast application has been in the works for a long time. Maybe we were putting it off because we knew how much work it would do. But it was worth it!

My client onboarding guy, Aaron and I are going to demo all the options we think are worthwhile when it comes to recording in your interview conversation.

Some facts you might find interesting about these recordings:

• We are 823 miles and 3 states apart as we speak to one another so you should keep that in mind when you consider the sound quality of each other recording platforms.
• We are both PC users, not Mac users, so the various features and platforms may look different on Mac then they do from what we describe in this episode.
• You're going to get to hear both sides of the calls on each platform. When I remember to do it, I will tell you what I see coming into the platform as a host, describe how easy or difficult it is to get into the platform and get a call set up, and then Aaron will describe what he experiences from the guest side of each of the platforms.
• And finally, we will outline the features and costs of each one of the platforms and give you our ranking of these five options for recording an interview at the end of our demonstrations.

This is 36 minutes of audio that is well worth your time if you ever have been curious how to record an interview with the best quality possible.

Our experience recording an interview with ZOOM

Zoom is a recording option that many podcasters are using these days, I know because I see files from Zoom coming in from our clients fairly often.

As you listen to our demonstration of what it takes to set up a call on zoom and get it recorded, downloaded, and actually usable for your podcast, keep in mind that Zoom was not created for podcast recording in particular, it is a video conferencing software. That means it includes screenshare capabilities, video, chat features, and much more.

Aaron and I used the free plan that Zoom offers to record the call you will hear on this episode end it offers the following features:

• Records 1, premixed mono file (mpeg4)
• Can record audio & video
• Can record to cloud (Zoom) or computer
• You can select the microphone of your choice
• Participants can mute their microphones at any time
• You can host up to 100 participants (group meeting) - what a nightmare of a podcast episode THAT would be
• The free plan offers unlimited 1 to 1 meetings/recordings per month
• If you do a group meeting (more than 2 people) there is a 40 minute limit per meeting
• When finished, you have to wait a short time for a download of the audio

The Ringr demo

Ringr is a top-of-the-line app brought to us by its founder, Tim Sinclair, who I have interviewed on this podcast before in episode 41. That particular episode was recorded back in June of 2016 and Ringr has come a long way since then.

One thing I did not mention in my conversation with Aaron that you will hear on this episode is that Ringr is not only a web-based app, it also has a smartphone app that enables you to connect with people who are not at their computer at the time you need to do your recording. In a situation like that, you need to keep in mind that recording quality will depend on the quality of the microphone that is being used - either the internal microphone of the phone in question, or an external microphone that might be plugged into the phone.

You can hear from the recording on this episode that recording interviews with Ringr gives you great quality and a good overall experience.

Here is what Ringr offers:

• Free Trial (30 days) that includes all the premium features
• After that, you choose a plan: Basic $7.99/mo :: Premium $18.99/mo :: Enterprise
• You can pause and resume a call/recording
• Conference calling (more than 2 people) is now available
• Ringr offers both a mobile app & a web-based app
• Recordings can be downloaded in either Mp3, OGG, or FLAC
• You can choose between mono, stereo, split-track (on the premium plan or higher)
• You can choose any bit rate (premium plan or higher)
• There is unlimited storage of previous recordings (premium or higher)
• Unlimited calling/recording
• You must wait for all files to finish before exiting the browser and receiving your download options

The Skype recording process

One of the things you will hear me mention at least a couple of times on this podcast episode is that recording with Skype requires a third-party application of some kind. Skype itself does not offer call recording.

In this demonstration, I used a pc-based application called MP3 Skype call recorder. The link for that free software is in the resources section below.

I believe that one of the reasons Skype has become the go-to resource for people who want to record an interview is because it was one of the first internet-based call solutions any of us knew anything about. So, it's the same as if you had read the book and then gone to see the movie, and the book always seems better. It's simply because you read the book first.

These days, Skype is still in the auction and it does a decent job, but it has its limitations and drawbacks when it comes to podcast recordings. I believe there are much better options for you to offer your listeners that don't cost any more than Skype - and that is free.

Here is what Skype offers:

• A free option (there IS free 3rd party software also)
• Requires 3rd party software
• You can call and record a person who is using the Skype app
• You will have to pay when calling a landline
• Records directly on your computer
• No limitations on the amount of recording you can - other than your time

Our Zencastr Demo - just the facts

Zencastr is one of the first browser-based recording options I became aware of when they first became a thing. It records each person in the conversation inside their own internet browser, then uploads those files to the cloud, the Zen Caster cloud, and sinks them together into a downloadable set of files.

Can you see the advantage of that kind of recording?

It enables you to avoid all of the long distance issues like delays, glitches, warbles, line noise, and anything else that would come from trying to record something over a very long distance. It's only fair at this point to also say that Ringr and clean feed which will be featured next, offer the same kind of technology of a sort, so the quality you get from them should be the same as you get from sin caster.

Here are the features you get from Zencastr’s free plan

• Up to 3 people per session
• 8 hours free per month
• Receive a high quality mp3
• Must wait for all files to upload, then have the ability to download
• Can automatically save to your Dropbox account

Our final contestant: Cleanfeed

I hope you were able to hear my conversation with Mark, one of the founders and developers behind Cleanfeed, back in episode 69. If not, stop everything you're doing and go listen to it right now you insensitive person who seems to enjoy hurting my feelings.

Just kidding. ;)

One of the things that Aaron said during a recording about the Cleanfeed interface is that it is very clean. It is fairly unobtrusive, has very little in the way of controls and knobs that you can see, and overall is pretty pleasing to the eye.

But there is a downside to that. Some of the controls are a little bit difficult to find. Especially on the host side of things. But like anything, once you've gone through it a few times you get used to where things are and are able to work it into your interview recording workflow with no problems.

I've even created a video to show you how to use clean feed which you can find in the resource section below.

Here are the details about Cleanfeed

• Always free
• Web-based
• Unlimited number of guests
• Unlimited number of hours you can record
• Unlimited number of sessions
• You can set the type of file you want (joint stereo or combined)
• Receive wav files
• Must wait a short time for files to upload and download options to appear

One very good “honorable mention” platform that was NOT included in our demo

There is one other service that records interviews with the same kind of technology that Ringr and Zencastr use, but I did not include it in this demo session because it is much more than just a recording solution.

Cast is a media host and podcast publishing solution very similar to Libsyn or Podbean. And more...

It has all kinds of bells and whistles, including editing software online, including audio optimization software, and more than I can even tell you right now.

Since it is not really a comparison of apples to oranges for me to include cast in this demo, I didn't.

AND THE WINNER IS…

Near the end of our conversation Aaron and I both ranked these 5 platforms for recording an interview according to ease abuse, price, features, and sound quality.

I could tell you exactly what each of us think right here in the show notes, but I think you'll enjoy it a lot more if you take the time to listen. :)

resources mentioned in this episode

• MP3 Skype Call Recorder
• All of the reliable 3rd party Skype recording apps
• My previous conversation with one of the developers of Cleanfeed
• My interview with Josh, developer of Zencastr
• My video about how to use Cleanfeed (embedded below)
• My video about how to use Zencastr (embedded below)

 

Connect with me…

Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com

On Facebook

On Twitter

 

Subscribe to Podcastification here!

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

Have you ever tried to share audio files on social media?

Man, what a PAIN it can be! Depending on where your audio file link comes from, what format the file is in, which social media platform you’re dealing with, you can get all kinds of bizzare results.

The problem Is compounded even more when you realize that social media simply doesn't lend itself to long-form content. Most podcasts are longer types of content so they are hard to share on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other places in a way that can be played, right there, on the spot.

My hope is that this episode will change all of that for you. I'm talking with Baird Hall, one of the creators of Wavve, a great new app that enables you to create motion videos with sound clips from your podcast episodes. Please take the time to listen by clicking the player below, and make sure you scroll down to watch my demo video of setting up my own promo through the Wavve app.

 

Here’s a rough outline about this episode: sharing audio files on social

• [1:32] Who is Baird and how does Wavve highlight audio content on social?
• [5:20] How the audio wav formations in Wavve can garner greater attention
• [6:36] What it looks like online to create a Wavve animation
• [9:02] Edit your audio files online or offline to create your graphic animation
• [11:03] Baird’s short version of the creation of the platform and how they made the pivot from one business idea to another
• [13:53] Pricing plans - Free, Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Did you see that, FREE PEOPLE!
• [19:37] How users are using the Wavve to promote on Instagram
• [27:45] The other folks on the Wavve team and how the company works
• [28:40] New features coming soon (you heard it here first)...

OK, so you CAN share audio files on social, but…

It’s not always something you can do in a way that people will actually click on.

First, it’s likely an outbound link… and people typically don’t want to leave the social platform they are on at the moment (those cute little kittens are too irresistible).

If it IS uploaded directly to the social platform, it’s likely still going to open a pop-up window to make the thing actually playable.

Or, you can create a video of it yourself which is one of the biggest time sucks I can think of at this moment.

There is an answer, and it even has a free option. Did you hear that people, free!

I invite you to listen to what Baird Hall and the team at Wavve have created for people who produce longer-form audio content (like podcasters). It's a way that you can create bite-size pieces that people scrolling through their social media feed would actually want to listen to simply because it's so beautiful and eye-catching.

This is the episode that tells all about the Wavve platform and what it can do to help you share audio of your episodes more effectively.

It's less than 35 minutes long, so take a listen, would you?

Even though Wavve creates beautiful videos for you to share, you’ll have to put in a little work of your own.

I know it's tempting to think that some new app like Wavve is going to come along and make your podcasting workflow simple, easy, and automatic.

Yes, in the previous episode with Ari Meisel we did discover a lot of ways that you can automate your podcast workflow, but that doesn't mean you're going to have 0 work left to do.

With an application like Wavve you've got the opportunity to make something incredible that will help you promote your podcast. But it won't happen by itself.

You're going to have to sit down and do the hard work of figuring out how to use the tool most efficiently and effectively to reach your listening audience. Just throwing a Wavve motion video with your audio underneath onto social media isn't going to do the trick all by itself.

You were going to have to learn the best times to post them, how to do it without a lot of effort, and best practices for how to use the online application to create your videos in the first place.

I'm just being real here. I'm tired of all the “ 6 easy steps to…” posts that you see these days.

Being successful at anything, including podcasting, means you have to do the work in order to make things work.

This episode about sharing audio files on social media is a great step in the right direction. Baird and the folks at Wavve have given us a beautiful tool. But it's only that, a tool.

You have got to be the one to make it work.

In this episode, Baird shares some of the best practices he has seen users of the app apply to their podcast promotion. He also tells us about a few hacks you can put in place to make it easy to share on Instagram stories. You’ve got to hear this one!

resources we talked about in this episodeConnect with Today’s guest

• Wavve.co - Check out the FREE program, at least!
• Wavve’s Facebook Account
• Wavve on Twitter
• See the cool stuff Wavve is doing on Instagram
• And the every-professional LinkedIn presence for Wavve

Additional resources mentioned

• Linktree - automatic Instagram bio link changes
• Bit.ly - URL shortener
• Meet Edgar - Social media scheduling tool
• Vimeo - video platform
• LinkedIn Video
• Libsyn - THE best media host out there

Connect with me…

Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com

On Facebook

On Twitter

Subscribe to Podcastification here!

 

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

I thought it was about time I did something REALLY helpful and did the research required to tell you exactly - step by step - how to submit your show to every conceivable place you can to increase your podcast’s reach.

I’m talking about Podcast Directories, people!

But the problem is this: every conceivable place is not always the BEST place (in my humble opinion).

Why would I EVEN SAY such a thing?

Two reasons:

#1 - There are many options that require you to use their hosting/advertising/app/whatever-thingie-ma-bobber-they’re-hawking. So unless you are specifically looking for those kinds of opportunities, they’re not much use to you.

#2 - Some of the directories out there don’t appear to be professionally done, which in my mind means it’s likely not truly advantageous for your show to be in them.

So…

THIS episode is a walk through of the many podcast directory-ish places you can list your show that I deemed were worth the time of doing so.

And I should probably ALSO say…

The list and instructions I’m about to share DO NOT contain sites that pull directly from Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes).

Why? - Because if you submit to Apple Podcasts, you’ll automatically be included in those directories or apps.

Which includes MOST IOS or Android podcast apps.

Be it known…

I have done EXACTLY what I’m telling you to do with all 3 of my podcasts. And will be referring BACK to this episode myself to submit all future podcasts I publish.

And before we get too far into this… you can find EVERY directory I mention and the links and processes needed to submit to them, on the show notes page for this episode - www.PodcastFastTrack.com/79 - which is ALSO included in the description of your podcast app or player, in its entirety (as much as I have control over).

And ANOTHER THING… These are in ALPHABETICAL ORDER for your sorting convenience...

That’s enough of that kind of stuff - let’s get to the directories!

LISTED ALPHABETICALLY

Acast:

Acast is a new app that claims to help podcasters with “discovery” issues (which is debated hotly in podcasting circles), but regardless, it’s a pretty cool and functional app.

It includes 3 targets: Listeners - Podcasters - Advertisers. And it does include a hosting option for podcasters who are looking for something different. You can discover more about Acast at www.acast.com

There are two ways to add your podcast to the Acast directory.

Non-hosted

You provide the Acast folks with your RSS feed and they’ll make your show searchable and listenable on their app platform. This means no monetization and no hosting.

Hosted

In this scenario, Acast hosts your show. Yes, you’d have to leave your current host.

When you do, Acast will provide opportunities to monetize your show (ads or sponsorships) and you’ll have access to the Acast publishing tool and stats.

So… if Acast sounds like a place you’d like to list your podcast - or a partner you might connect with for hosting/monetization.

Submit to the Acast Directory

• Scroll down to the “Add Your Show” option near the bottom of the page.
• Choose your adventure (non-hosted, hosted, hosted with a brand new show)
• Give them the info requested
• Hit the “send” button
• Scroll UP on the resulting page to see the confirmation message

That wasn’t too painful, was it?

Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)

As you know, iTunes - I mean, Apple Podcasts - is the big dog, 500 pound gorilla, place-to-be when it comes to podcast search. It’s one you definitely want to put high on your priority list.

Many people, including Rob Walch of Libsyn fame (previous guest on my show here, here, and here), say that if your show is not in the Apple Podcast directory you’re really not podcasting.

I don’t know about that - but I do know that if Apple Podcasts is not on your radar - you’ve got the wrong radar.

So get into the directory. Here’s how.

Submitting to Apple Podcasts

Some things you need to know about submitting…

• Your show needs to have at least one episode published and “live” on your feed
• Your cover art needs to meet the minimum 1400px X 1400px requirement
• And if your cover art is over 500kb in size, you’ll likely have problems (you can reduce the size by using a tool like this - https://www.reduceimages.com/ )

To submit

• Go to Podcasts Connect
• Click the plus sign at the top of the dashboard
• Enter your RSS feed URL into the field provided and click the “Validate” button
• If your feed is OK (no errors) a feed preview will appear
• Then click the “submit” button

It typically takes the folks at Apple 6 hours to 48 hours to respond via email to let you know that your show has been approved.

The process for submitting a podcast to Apple Podcast changed in the last year or so (it’s now 10/2017) so it’s good that I didn’t teach you how to do this prior to the change.

Audio-Podcast.fm

No super cutesy logo to represent this podcast directory, just a generic title at the top of the page. BUT the claims made on the homepage are pretty impressive…

“Download from over 6.5 million audio podcast episoded. Choose from over 88 thousand podcasts in one of the largest audio podcast directories worldwide.”

I’m not exactly sure HOW to go about verifying that kind of claim. I guess I’ll just have to take their word for it! ;)

I’m not absolutely sure but I suspect this directory does NOT pull from Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes). The reason I think that is because I did a little experiment with my 3 podcasts.

All 3 of my podcasts are listed in Apple podcasts - so I searched for each of them in turn, by name, on Audio-Podcast.fm.

NONE of them came back in the search results.

So I decided to submit them.

Here’s how you can submit your show(s) to Audio-Podcast.fm

If you go to the home page you have to scroll WAYYYY to the bottom of the page and find the TINY LITTLE TEXT LINK at the bottom (see the image).

But if you use the link I provided in the title above, you’ll go right to the submission page.

Here’s what you do…

• Paste in your RSS feed URL
• Choose 3 categories for your show
• Tick the box saying you’re the producer and have read and agree with the terms and conditions (I DARE you to actually read it)
• Provide your contact email address
• Enter the infamously-troublesome CAPTCHA code
• Click the green “Submit your podcast” button

You’ll be taken to a greenish page that promises your show will be reviewed within 24 hours.

The site will also give you the opportunity to embed an icon on your website that links to your podcast on their directory. A clever way to get backlinks from a reputable website like yours, don’t you think?

Blubrry Podcast Directory

The good folks at Blubrry are most widely known for their podcast hosting services and the PowerPress plugin used on many Wordpress sites.

However, they have a pretty impressive podcast directory too.

Here’s what they say about it…

The creators of Blubrry are podcasters as well, and recognize the importance of other podcast directories including iTunes. Blubrry podcast directory does not try to compete with other directories, our main goal is to offer additional distribution points that otherwise are not available to podcasters. With this philosophy, we believe the Blubrry Podcast Directory fills the void where iTunes and podcasting is otherwise unavailable.

Did you notice that bolded section?

THAT is why the Blubrry directory is significant in my mind. Some of the places the Blubrry directory can list your show are…

• ROKU TV
• GOOGLE TV
• Android
• Samsung SmartTV

For just a few examples…

So, how do you get your show into the Blubrry podcast directory? I’m glad you asked ;)

Submit your show to the Blubrry directory

• Create an account on the Blubrry Platform
• Once that’s done, add your podcast at this link
• You’ll be asked for you RSS feed URL
• You’ll be asked to create a “web friendly” name for your show
• You’ll be asked to choose one category for your show
• And you’ll have to agree to the terms and conditions
• Then you can hit the blue “Submit” button

Not too difficult that can get your podcast onto TV boxes and the like. Well worth the effort.

doubleTwist

This one is not exactly a podcasting app or directory. It’s a media player.

BUT, it’s also got a directory you can submit to so that people who use it can easily find your podcast.

I’ve long been recommending to people that they submit to doubleTwist. And it’s an easy process.

How to submit your show to doubleTwist

• Go to the contact page on the doubleTwist.com website
• Enter your name
• Enter your email address
• In the drop-down for “subject” choose “Request New Podcast”
• Enter the title of your podcast
• Enter the CAPTCHA stuff and hit the blue “Submit” button

You’ll get a message that says the following…

They seriously have JEDIS working for them? That’s way cool… ;)

Google Play Music

After a very long time of NOT supporting or listing podcasts, Google Play Music is finally onboard with podcasting.

Sort of.

The app still has MUCH to be desired when it comes to being good for podcast search and use (as of 10/2017) but I’m hopeful Google will get the importance of podcasting and create something native to Android that works for podcasts. Maybe a rework of Google Play Music. Maybe something new.

I don’t care what. Just do something Google.

So… if you’re ready to submit your show to Google Play Music, I think it’s a good idea.

Submit your podcast to the Google Play Music directory

• You’ll have to create a Google account, first
• Go to the Google Play Music podcast page
• Click the orange “Publish Button”
• Click on the blue “ADD A PODCAST” button.
• Supply your information - including your RSS Feed URL and all requested info

A brief word of caution on this one:

Rob Walch, Podcaster Relations guy at Libsyn says that he wouldn’t be surprised if some day Google and Apple go toe to toe and make it hard for the other’s stuff to be used on their platforms.

It’s not an inconceivable idea since Apple is already pretty proprietary in the things it does. (Just try to charge an iPhone with a non-iPhone charging cord to see what I mean).

For that reason, the good folks at Libsyn have devised a way that users of their interface can create a “Google Play Music” only feed - so you can submit to Google Play Music in a way that won’t be influenced in any way by the big Apple gorilla should it decide to throw its weight around as regards your podcast feed.

If you’re a Libsyn user, just go to the “Destinations” tab in your dashboard and create a new one. You’ll see the button for “Google Play Music.” Click it and do the dance.

The result is a new RSS feed URL you can submit directly to Google Play as I’ve just instructed.

iHeart Radio

iHeart Radio is a podcasting app and SO MUCH MORE. It’s actually (as the name implies) a way to stream internet radio of all kinds, including events of various sorts.

Here’s the scoop on iHeart Radio. You can’t submit your show to it directly and it does NOT pull from the Apple Podcast ecosystem.

So how do you get into iHeart Radio?

You have to have a relationship with someone (a company) who CAN get you into iHeart Radio.

At this point, I only know of two options.

#1 - Libsyn

If you are a Libsyn user, you’re in - almost. Your show has to be regularly publishing for at least 2 months before you are eligible to be submitted to iHeart Radio.

You also have to be using the Libsyn destination feed functionality to make it work.

Once you’ve been publishing long enough, you’ll see iHeart Radio as an option in the destinations tab.

Click the “Add” button and jump through the hoops.

#2 - Spreaker

I have to say right up front that I’m not a Spreaker customer or user so the following instructions could be a bit wonky.

But after researching things this is what I understand you need to do to submit to iHeart Radio through Spreaker...

• From your show’s settings, go to Spreaker’s Content Management System.
• Choose your show, and click the yellow EDIT button.
• Select iHeart in the menu that appears on the left and click the SUBMIT button.

After clicking it, you'll be asked to accept the Terms and Conditions, and then submit your show to iHeartRadio.

And if you’re a visual type person, here’s a great screencapture-style tutorial of how to do it from the good folks at Spreaker.

So that’s how to use your connections to get into iHeart Radio.

Lisn

This is a pretty interesting directory. It’s been described as Podcast Directory meets Pinterest.

Interesting indeed.

And from first glance it has a TON of well-known and popular shows in the directory.

And I didn’t even know about this one until I began researching.

And the submission process couldn’t be simpler.

Submitting your podcast to Lisn

• Go to the Lisn homepage
• Click on the top right-hand “hamburger” menu
• Choose the “Upload” option
• In the big, black field that says “Paste URL here” - paste your RSS feed URL there ;)
• Click on the upload cloud icon below the field
• You should see a green text success thingie that tells you to wait 12 to 24 hours for your show to appear

Lisn up - that was EASY!

Listen Notes

I checked out the ListenNotes.com page during October, thus the site had a pumpkin in its logo. Funny. Reminds me of stuff Libsyn does around holidays.

Anyway…

Listen Notes is a fairly new podcast search engine that claims to be “...like Google, but for podcasts.” A self-funded software engineer from San Francisco, Wenbin Fang created the directory and it appears to be working fairly well (the site touts over 380,000 podcasts listed as of October, 2017).

So, it seems beneficial to me to get listed on the directory. Who knows, it could become my #1 means of being discovered!

How to get your podcast listed in the Listen Notes directory

• Go to www.Listennotes.com
• Choose the “submit” option way at the bottom (see image
• Once the page that opens, add your ITUNES URL for the podcast you want to submit (and be sure to copy over the http:// that’s already in the field so you don’t have problems)
• Enter your email address if you want to be notified when your podcast is added to the directory
• Click the blue/green-ish “submit” button

That. Is. it.

Player.FM

Player FM is a multi-platform app for podcasting that even works offline. You can connect it to your TV. You can access its curated catalogue (not sure exactly HOW its curated) to find niche topics and interesting stuff.

And the app costs nothing. Zilch. Nada. With no ads. There is an upgrade but with a free app this good, there are already tons of subscribers.

But you’re a podcaster… so it would be great for you to get your show in front of all those people.

Here’s the submission process for the Player.FM directory.

• Go to this link: https://player.fm/importer/new
• Enter your RSS feed URL in the big box (see image below)
• Hit the “Import” button.

That was the easiest thing I’ve done all day.

Podbean

If you don’t know about 

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

How much thought have you given to your podcast workflow recently?

That much, huh? ;)

I've been thinking about mine a lot lately because I have found myself caught up in the minutiae instead of getting the important things in my life and business done.

A workflow like it takes to produce a successful podcast can be very tedious to think through, so I wanted to talk to someone who can give me good tips on how to optimize it.

Ari Meisel is that guy. If you’ve never heard of Ari you really need to listen to this episode so you can hear his story.

An illness literally forced the guy into figuring out how to optimize, automate, and outsource the things in his life that needed to be done in order for him to be truly productive. And he has leveraged it for all it is worth.

In this episode, we walk through the basics of what it means to optimize anything, how to take the next up from there to automate things that can be automated, and then as a last resort, outsource things to people who can take many of the remaining tasks off your hands.

Yeah, I know, it sounds potentially expensive.

But if you'll take the time to listen you'll learn how much of what Ari did when he first started doing it was absolutely free, and what wasn't free wasn't that expensive.

So there you go… check out the outline below and give this episode a listen.

 

Here’s a rough outline of this episode about optimizing your podcast workflow

• [1:28] Who is Ari Meisel? The story of how he was forced into optimizing his life
• [3:54] What it means to optimize and why it’s important for your podcast workflow
• [6:14] How to begin the optimization process for your workflow
• [8:12] What Ari means when he speaks of automation
• [10:22] How do you know when it’s time to outsource?
• [13:01] Ari’s podcasting career and his tips for optimizing his podcasting workflow
• [18:31] What Ari would do if he was starting a podcast all over from square 1
• [21:20] What Ari’s doing now and how he can help you optimize your podcast workflow

Your podcast workflow needs help, even if you don’t think it does.

I have been podcasting for over 4 years now and I felt like I had my podcast workflow refined pretty well. But then I talked with Ari.

Man, I was both discouraged and invigorated at the same time.

There are so many pieces of my workflow that can be more effectively optimized or automated that I wasn't even aware of. I'm so glad we had this conversation and I believe you will be too - because it will show you what's possible when it comes to getting things off your plate and producing your podcast faster and with better results.

What does it mean to optimize something… in this case, your podcasting workflow?

When I think about optimizing something I often think of NASCAR.

Just watch 1 pit stop and you'll see how obviously those racers and their pit crews have done everything they can to optimize their speed as a team and the performance of their car and driver.

We are podcasters - we're not zipping around the track at hundreds of miles per hour. But what we are doing is still important. We've got lives to live, clients to serve, and families to love, so optimizing the work we need to do in order to publish a podcast episode is vital... so we can have the time for those things.

That means we need to learn how to optimize the processes that we use to publish our shows.

In this conversation, Ari made it pretty clear that in order to optimize anything you have to first take a very hard look at the details of how that thing functions. You won't know where to make tweaks that will run a process smoother until you know the status the process is in to begin with.

What I'm discovering as I apply what I learned from Ari is that the analyzation process takes time. But it is time well spent. That's because once you know where the weak links in your chain are, you can do what is necessary to fix them.

Sometimes the fix will come through refining the process itself, eliminating steps, or consolidating things into one step instead of 3. Other times, it will mean learning how to connect the dots between the applications you are using with some sort of automation.

And to me, that's where the fun really begins.

Automation is like magic. Stuff gets done without you doing it.

Before speaking with Ari on this episode, I knew there were lots of ways to automate things. I just didn't know how many ways.

As you listen, pay close attention to all the places in his workflow that he was able to connect one app or piece of software to another, so that he didn't have to touch his process once he started the ball rolling. It's an amazing example of automation that almost all of us could put into practice for our podcast workflow.

I'm starting to get very excited about the possibilities that flow out of this concept of automation.

My podcast workflow is going to be running much smoother in the future because it's going to be automatically happening through computer interactions, not my mistake-prone attempts at making the process happen.

But, there comes a point in the process where things have been optimized and automated as much as possible but there are still things that need to be done. That is where outsourcing comes in.

What does it mean to outsource something?

Outsourcing sounds potentially expensive, but it doesn't have to be. It could be as simple as finding a person on Fiverr who can do the artwork for your show, and like the name implies, the job could as little as $5.

Outsourcing is all about having things done for you that are not as valuable so that you can invest your time in things that are. And having a human being involved in the process brings a necessary human element to some of the more detailed tasks that computers simply can't do yet.

In this conversation, Ari describes how he utilized a random set of contractors to produce his audio week after week, and it allowed him to go from producing one episode every four to six weeks, to 2 episodes every week. He was amazed at the difference it made, and I am certain you will be too.

Optimizing your podcast workflow could change your life. Really.

That may sound like an overly dramatic statement, but it's absolutely true. You only have to hear Ari's experience to know the impact a good workflow can have on your productivity and effectiveness.

And that doesn't even take into account that once you do, you'll have time to invest in other things that can move your business forward more rapidly, or build better relationships with the people closest to you.

If you don't know where to start, might I suggest you begin by listening to this episode? You will get a very clear idea of what it could mean for you.

Do you need help figuring out how to optimize your podcast workflow?

Toward the end of this episode, I asked Ari to explain to us what he's doing to help entrepreneurs and business leaders maximize their businesses and lives.

My company has provided show notes for both of his podcasts for the last 5 months so I have gotten the opportunity to hear his philosophy and results repeatedly, in detail, and I can attest to how effective he is at what he does. If you need help addressing the sticking points in your podcast workflow, I recommend you get in touch with Ari right away.

You can find his website at www.Lessdoing.com and go from there.

So what do you say? Are you ready to optimize, automate, and outsource everything you can to make your podcast workflow more smooth and trouble free?

Get started by listening to this episode.

resources we talked about in this episode

• www.LessDoing.com - Ari’s website
• RescueTime App
• Time Doctor App
• Monkey Learn
• IFTTT
• Zapier
• Wufoo Forms
• Dropbox
• Wapwolf
• Fiverr
• Rev
• Hootsuite
• Gravity Forms
• Typeform
• Slack

Connect with me…

Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com

On Facebook

On Twitter

Subscribe to Podcastification here! 

 https://podcastfasttrack.com/

If I had a nickel for every time a client or potential client or random podcaster has asked me…

How can I monetize a podcast?

I wouldn’t need to monetize a podcast.

It’s a natural question, I guess - there’s nothing wrong with making money from providing value to the world - and podcasts are some of the best vehicles for value-delivery I’ve ever seen.

So heck yes, go ahead, monetize your podcast! You should if you can.

But… it’s not quite that simple, is it? You can’t simply go out and monetize a podcast. You have to take a little time to figure out exactly what the options are, which one fits you and the purpose you have for your podcast, and so on and so forth and such and such.

That’s exactly why I recorded this episode.

My goal is to help you understand what I’ve seen as successful or potentially successful ways people have monetized their podcasts.

I’m also going to be frank with you (or maybe I’ll be Joe this time) and let you know what I don’t like about each of the methods, what I do like about them, what the pitfalls may be, and whether or not that approach to monetization will make you rich or only pay for your weekly coffee.

OK - coffee is more than a weekly expense, I get it. But you get my point, right?

Here’s a rough outline of How to Monetize a Podcast

• [1:25] What do we mean when we talk about monetizing a podcast?
• [2:53] What are sponsorships? A fancy word for a commercial
• [8:01] Have you thought about hawking affiliate products to your listeners?
• [12:16] What would happen if you had a patron (or many of them) support your podcast?
• [14:24] Could make a membership community for your listeners (and charge for it)?
• [18:41] YOUR podcast should definitely feature YOUR resources

If you want to Monetize your podcast, FIRST focus on delivering value

When we talk about monetizing anything we’re talking about making money from it.

I hope that’s not too unrefined for you sensitive types, but it’s the truth. You’re trying to figure out a way you can ask people for money in exchange for the value you’re delivering to them - in this case, your incredible podcast content (for example).

That means you’ve got to be providing them the VALUE side of that equation.

You owe it to your podcast audience NOT to fill their ears with fluff.

It’s the people who throw together some quick and dirty (and useless) PDF download piece of junk who give all of us a bad name. Don’t be that girl or guy. Make your offer something worth having.

And now that we’ve got THAT out of the way…

Idea #1 to monetize your podcast: Sponsorships

Whenever I hear people talking about monetization of their podcast, they usually mean gaining some kind of sponsorship.

What’s a sponsor? It’s a fancy way of saying a person who wants to pay you to put commercial advertisements on your show.

The ads could be pre-produced or they could be something you read. Either way, it’s a commercial, plain and simple.

Sponsorships DO have benefits:

• Someone with deeper pockets than you is paying the bills for your show, at least partially
• It can be a type of recurring revenue for you
• If you/they can track sales directly from your listener base, it could be a long-term relationship

But there’s also the drawbacks (the things I don’t like about sponsorships)...

• It’s a commercial. On your podcast.

Part of what I LOVE about podcasting is that I get to listen to a topic I’m interested in WITHOUT interruption.

• Many of the companies that are getting into podcast sponsorships may not be directly related to your topic (Audible, Casper Mattress, etc.)

When I have commercials from a mattress company, or an email list company - on my show about Christian Homes and Families - https://www.ChristianHomeAndFamily.com it seems pretty obvious that I’m just trying to make money.

Nothing wrong with that… but does it build trust? That’s what I care about - and what I think you should care about.

• The legalities of doing a sponsorship right can be a bit sticky at times.



One tale I heard told was how a podcaster had to provide multiple months worth of “free” sponsorship to a sponsor because of supposed mistakes he was making in the way he read the ad copy. In his mind, the HOW of it wasn’t covered sufficiently to warrant the claim, but he didn’t want to lose the sponsor so he continued to consent to their demands.

And that brings me to the biggest deal about sponsorships that I don’t like…

• Somebody BESIDES YOU has influence over your show

You may say they don’t. But they do.

If you’re concerned about what a sponsor might thing regarding what you say, or how you say it, or how it might reflect on them - they ARE having influence on you.

The beauty of podcasting (again, in my mind) is that you get to do YOUR thing with nobody telling you that you can’t.

So there.

Naturally, you can do what you want when it comes to sponsorships. I’m sure there are good experiences out there to go alongside the bad ones I’ve heard about. It also has to do with the “type” of show you’re publishing. Some lend themselves to sponsorships more than others.

In the end, you’ve got to do what you believe is best for you, your listeners, and the sponsor.

Monetization idea #2: Affiliate relationships

In case you’re new to this whole internet thing (like some attorneys I know), it would be a good thing for you to know what affiliate relationships are before I tell you to establish them…

Affiliate (according to Entrepreneur Magazine): https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/affiliate-marketing 

A way for a company to sell its products by signing up individuals or companies ("affiliates") who market the company's products for a commission.

Get it?

#1 - You find a company that sells products or services your listening audience needs

#2 - You make those products available to your listeners through an “affiliate link” on your website or show note

#3 - When somebody clicks on that link, the company’s website is setup with a “tracking code” that recognizes that person as coming from your link.

#4 - When/if they purchase, you get a commission.

Simple enough, right?

Affiliate relationships can be a gold mine for podcast monetization… sometimes. Maybe.

It depends on a lot of things… but to me it’s an issue of whether your niche has legitimate products/services that you can offer to your listeners.

Yeah, yeah, you can technically offer anything as an affiliate product - related or unrelated to your audience - but I don’t think you should.

Here’s why…

Your audience has done YOU the incredible favor of self-selecting you as their go-to resource for the topics you address.

They feel like they know you (or are getting to know you). They like you (at least you’d better hope they do). They are starting to trust you.

And trust is a valuable thing.

My recommendation is that you do everything in your power NOT to violate that trust in any way. You want to build on it, make yourself a valuable, indispensable resource to your listeners.

In my thinking, a big part of that is NOT trying to get them to buy any old thing. That goes back to making them feel you’re “just trying to make money.”

Instead, why not offer them things that further connect them to you and your topic?

That seems like a winner to me - and when you do it well, it really CAN be a gold mine.

As an example: You’ve probably heard of a guy named Pat Flynn. https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/ One of his most successful affiliate relationships has been with a web hosting company called Bluehost. In September of 2017 he made $18.655.00 by referring people to Bluehost. That figure was even down by $815.00 from the previous month.

The reason I know such details is because Pat publishes his income reports every month. 

https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/income-reports/my-september-2017-monthly-income-report/ 

It’s a great idea - transparency to show people what’s possible by building your own thing online like he has.

The point I want to make is this… that relationship with Bluehost is a hand-in-glove thing for Pat, it’s a service 99% of his listeners will need eventually, so he offers it to them with a full disclaimer that it’s an affiliate relationship.

And it banks for him. Month after month after month.

So… if you’re going to do affiliate relationships, go for it. Just make sure you’re offering things that are truly of benefit to your listeners and do it consistently and genuinely, like Pat does.

But there’s another way to offer affiliate products to your listeners… Guest resources

If you do guest episodes - conversations with experts in your niche or industry - you have a very natural, incredible opportunity to make some income through no more work than recording and publishing a great conversation with that person.

Here’s how…

Many people who are guest on podcasts regularly are established in their niche and have already created their own stuff - books, courses, coaching packages, events, etc.

Before you hit the “record” button, stop to discuss what your guest wants to offer your audience. Yes - offer them the opportunity to highlight what they have to sell.

And find out if there’s an affiliate-type relationship you might be able to establish with them.

You’ll find many such people already have an official affiliate program setup. All you have to do is sign up and place the link in your show notes page. Then, during the interview, disclose that you have that relationship and make the offer.

Better yet, let your GUEST make the offer since they know the product much better than you do. Then you get to simply endorse their offer and recommend it to your listeners.

And keep in mind… podcast episodes are out there forever (as long as you keep paying your hosting bill). This kind of partnership could be a long-term cash cow for you if you do it effectively.

It benefits you.

It benefits your guests.

It benefits your audience (at least it should).

A caution about affiliate offers: Do it right

Remember that trust thing I spoke of earlier? It’s vital that you maintain trust when it comes to affiliate offers.

You don’t want your listeners to in any way feel that you’ve tricked them into doing something that will benefit you directly - even if the supposed “trick” was that you forgot to disclose an affiliate relationship.

So don’t forget.

Always, Always, ALWAYS tell your listeners - both in writing on your show notes page or website - AND verbally on your podcast audio, that you have an affiliate relationship with any product you’re recommending, if you do in fact have such a relationship.

It’s honest. It’s clear. And I believe if you do it right, it can build trust with your audience even more.

And… it’s the law. 

https://www.ftc.gov/policy/advisory-opinions/letter-commercial-alert-concluding-respect-type-amplified-word-mouth 

#3 Podcast Monetization Idea: Donations

Let me ask you a question…

What sort of compulsion do you feel when somebody does an amazing thing for you? You want to do something for them, right?

It’s what social psychologists refer to as “the law of reciprocity” and there’s something to it. When somebody does good to/for you, you naturally want to do good for them.

Take that concept and apply it to your podcast…

If you are truly adding value to the lives of your listeners, don’t you think some of them are going to start feeling like they want to say “thank you” in a more tangible way than listening to your next episode?

It’s natural. And it’s OK to make a way for your listeners to support your show.

It’s called a Donation Model - and it works. You can see a sterling example of it here - on Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Site. 

http://www.dancarlin.com/dc-donate/ 

He offers 3 ways to donate - via PayPal recurring donation, via old fashioned snail mail, and via Bitcoin (yes, Bitcoin).

And I could be a bit off on this, but I recently heard Dan interviewed at Podcast Movement 2017 and I believe he said that he only asks $2 per episode - and that the approach does VERY WELL for him.

So… if I were doing this for my “Live Build Change” https://www.LiveBuildChange.com podcast (which I may do someday), I’d say something along this line…

The Live Build Change podcast is my effort to help you live your faith in an authentic, genuine way, to build a business either part time or full time, and then to integrate those two things in a way that enables you to truly change your world. If you’d like to make a donation (one-time or recurring) to ensure I can continue to do so, you can find out how to do that at (website link).

That’s it.

No high-pressure tactics or begging. Just giving listeners an opportunity to reciprocate and moving on.

A similar but different way to accomplish it… Patreon

Back in the olden days… when Kings, Lords and Ladies, and Dukes ruled the lands… there was such a thing as patronage.

For example: The famous artist Michelangelo had two primary patrons who supported him so that he could produce his artistic works: Pope Julius II, and the Medici family.

Patreon is a fairly new approach based on the idea of patronage - it’s where your fans can intentionally set up a recurring payment to you SO THAT you can continue doing what you’re doing with your podcast.

It’s really what I spoke of earlier - but again you’ve got to set it up in order to make the opportunity for your listeners/fans.

Here are the details as I understand them:

• You set up the account
• Patreon gets 10% of what you receive (administrative costs at 5% and profit at 5%)
• Your fans can choose to send you any amount on a recurring basis
• Patreon takes care of credit card issues, chargebacks, etc.
• And the site claims to have funneled over $150 million to its users so far

 

My #4 Monetization idea for Podcasters: Memberships

We’ve all done the membership thing at one time or another…

When I was a kid I got into the Columbia Record and Tape Club. For one penny the Columbia people (whoever they were) sent me 14 albums I selected and I committed to buy 20 more in the next three years.

I loved it. It was a membership I was happy to participate in.

Today we have Netflix, Health Clubs, Spotify, etc.

You get it. You understand memberships.

But have you thought of the benefits received by the company OFFERING the membership?

• Fairly consistent recurring income

Sure, a subscriber can cancel their subscription at any time (in most cases). But how often does that happen in comparison to the big number of subscribers an outfit like Netflix has?

That dynamic is a reality that makes the income of a company like Netflix consistent. In fact, because of new subscribers, their revenue goes up over the long run. 

Check out this graphic of Netflix profits: https://ycharts.com/companies/NFLX/revenue s

And don’t miss the RECURRING part of the setup - people pay over and over and over for what Netflix has to offer rather than a one-time purchase.

That. Is. Bank.

• Set-it-and-forget-it payments (they don’t have to invoice monthly)

When I first got this concept it was a game changer for my business.

Invoicing on a monthly basis is a hassle. There are costs associated with it both in time and in tangible goods like paper, etc.

But recurring payments - subscriptions - do away with all that (with the exception of credit card processing fees). A one-time setup BY THE CUSTOMER starts a potentially never-ending source of revenue.

• Forgettable fees

I don’t remember where I first heard the phrase “forgettable fees” but it’s brilliant - and important to understand.

Think about it: How many of us even THINK about our $14/mo Netflix subscription?

We just watch Netflix. We enjoy the service. We hardly give the monthly charge a thought when going through our credit card statements.

Why? Because the amount is so reasonable compared to other expenses we have to pay - like a car payment or mortgage or rent.

It’s a forgettable fee - and companies like Netflix count on that as a big part of why people will buy into their subscription service and STAY in.

What does Netflix have to do with monetizing a podcast?

SO...

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

Podcasters tend to love their gadgets -

microphones (dynamic or condenser), digital recorders (Zoom H6 or the Tascam DP-006) - and more.

What we’re not typically very good at is learning and doing the stuff that gets our podcast found by those who are looking for the things we talk about.

But if what you have to say is important enough for…

• You to say it, and
• Others to listen to what you have to say…

I’d say it’s worth you learning and doing the work to let them know it’s there.

Do you follow?

That means you’ve got to learn the strategies for show notes creation and titling of your podcast episodes that make them “findable.” One of the most powerful ways you can do that is by learning about the use of long tail keywords.

This episode is about that.

Here’s a rough outline of this episode about using LONG TAIL KEYWORDS…

• [2:07] What IS a long tail keyword? Here’s an example for you...
• [5:57] Why optimizing your show notes pages for long tail keywords is important
• [9:19] There is a downside to a long tail keyword approach
• [13:19] Keyword research works - but it takes work. Are you willing to do it?
• [15:32] My terrible pun about the long and short of it on this long tail keyword episode

What do I mean by Long Tail Keywords?

Don’t let the name throw you off. It’s not some kind of creature from Lord of The Rings.

Long Tail keywords mean a keyword that somebody may be searching for on Google, Bing, or Yahoo that is longer than a simple, one word keyword.

Here’s the example I use in this episode...

Home Based business = a typical keyword

Home based Business for Single Moms = a LONG TAIL KEYWORD

Do you see the difference? A long tail keyword is going to target a more SPECIFIC search, something more detailed and niched-in.

In this episode I give a bit more detail - so you should listen - but suffice it to say that when you use a long tail keyword you’re trying to appeal to a specific person, searching for a specific thing, because you have a specific thing to say about that specific thing.

Huh? It’s really not all that confusing, is it?

Real quick, before we move on to why long tail keywords are important, I should clarify…

Long tail keywords matter when applied to sites or pages where a typical search engine (bing, Google, Yahoo) can find the page.

So we are NOT talking about Apple Podcasts descriptions (formerly iTunes).

But we ARE talking about…

• The show notes page on your website
• The episode listing on your media host (it is what supplies the podcast apps in most cases)
• And even on Youtube if you’re repurposing your content there (and you should be - an episode on THAT is coming soon).

Why are Long Tail Keywords important for your podcast show notes pages?

The real difference long tail keywords make for your podcast episode pages (show notes) is that they increase your ability to be shown higher in organic search rankings.

How?

By drilling into the exact things people who are searching care about, relating to the things you’re talking about.

When you can rank in Google search for the topics people are ALREADY SEARCHING FOR… you’re going to find very interested, potentially rabid fans for your podcast.

But wait, there’s more…

There’s a lesson to be learned from Amazon (yes, Amazon) when it comes to long tail keywords.

Search Engine Guide says that Amazon makes 57% of their on-site sales from people who come on the and search using long tail keywords and phrases.

But you’re not selling anything… how does that relate to you?

You’re trying to build a subscriber list, aren’t you?

You’re trying to build a listenership, aren’t you?

So you ARE selling something - your podcast.

People searching for what you talk about are searching SPECIFICALLY for what you talk about. You’ve got to make sure you’re using the keyword phrases THEY are using to make it easy for them to find your podcast episodes.

A smaller number of people will find your posts overall - but you’re not trying to appeal to everyone, you’re trying to appeal to your specific audience.

Who cares if people interested in “Grooming long haired cats” find your page if you’re talking about “Breeding Chameleons” (like my friend, Bill Strand).

Your goal is to do everything you can - including the use of long tail keywords - to make sure your people are finding your page(s).

That’s how you’ll find your IDEAL LISTENER - and you’ll be more likely to get a subscriber as a result.

Conversions (fans/listeners) ALWAYS happen more from the use of long tail keywords. ALWAYS.

The downside of using long tail keywords

The problem with being specific, as you have to be when using long tail keywords, is that you’re unable to be general.

Duh.

Hang on a minute and follow the logic…

If you’re writing a show notes page about Getting Lost in Ultrarunning (like my friend Kyle did here), you’re probably going to cover the topic on an in-depth level, because ultrarunning is a specific, niched topic.

That means you’re not likely going to be able to do much more content on that topic - at least for a bit.

So you’ve got to make your best effort on THAT post, THAT one time. And continue improving THAT content as you can.

Should things change in the industry regarding ultrarunning - you could do another episode on the topic. But it’s likely going to be a while before you can.

So… niche topics mean limited opportunities to write about them. It’s just the way it is.

So you’ve got to get creative when it comes to niche topics like that… learn to use what I call “verticals” - related things that are not exactly the same thing.

Make sense?

So instead of doing a second episode about ultrarunning, you might do another episode about “An Amazing training regimen for ultrarunning.” (I know NOTHING about ultrarunning, so give me a break Kyle.)

See what I mean?

How do you KNOW what people are searching for?

By learning how to do keyword research.

“Seriously! Are you telling me I’ve got to spend the time to learn how to do ANOTHER thing????!!!!”

Well… yeah. If you want your podcast episodes to be found by the people who can benefit from them.

OR, you can hire someone to learn it and do it for you.

I don’t really care how you get it done - you just need to get it done.

On this episode I explain how keyword research works and I even recommend a tool (an affiliate link in the resource links) that you can use to make it easier.

But in the end, you’ve got to do it.

It takes work - plain and simple.

But it’s necessary to make what you’re doing matter.

And you want it to matter, right?

And what if you absolutely don’t want to do this?

That, among other reasons - is why my company exists - to help you get your message out effectively.

EFFECTIVELY, PEOPLE!

We don’t slack on this stuff. We do keyword research and focus on using long tail phrasing others in your niche are not targeting.

Because we want to make sure that if you’re taking the time to podcast, you’re reaching the people you’re trying to reach.

We can’t guarantee it will happen with every post we write, but we CAN guarantee that you’ll have a much greater chance of the people you’re trying to reach if you do so with proven methods that work WITH the search engines instead of against them.

resources we talked about in this episode

• Article on Search Engine Guide that references Amazon’s observations about long tail
• Tool my team uses and I recommend - Keyword Finder: https://goo.gl/egvCQd (affiliate link)

Connect with me…

Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com

On Facebook

On Twitter

 

Subscribe to Podcastification here!

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

If you are not familiar with the term “backlinks,” you’re about to be. ;)

I have come to believe that backlinks (among other traditional SEO best-practices) are among the most powerful ways you can get new listeners. This episode is aimed at teaching you the WHAT, WHY, AND HOW of that statement.

Interested? I thought you might be.

Here’s a rough outline of this HIGH QUALITY BACKLINKS episode…

• [2:18] What IS a backlink and why are they important? (An example)
• [5:08] How your guests are a powerful win-win source for backlinks
• [8:27] The obvious ways podcasters can create backlinks (websites for resources)
• [10:05] Email to people who write about your topic(s)
• [13:03] It takes 3 things you don’t see in ample supply these days: time, know-how, consistency

Backlinks - what are they?

Every time you surf the internet you see backlinks. You probably just don’t know that’s what they are called.

A backlink is any link from a website YOU DO NOT OWN that points back to your website. Let that sink it for a minute. A link, somewhere else on the internet, pointing to your site.

That means when I place a link right here to Josh’s incredible podcast recording tool, Zencastr, I just gave him a backlink.

You need to get those for yourself, pointing to your website, your podcast episodes, your about page, anything on your site that’s worth pointing to.

But backlinks are on someone else’s site! How can I control what THEY do?

I get it, other people have to agree to link to your website. But here’s what you need to realize:

Very few people will link to your podcast website if you don’t ask them.

And there are ways you can ask for those backlinks that are not smarmy, spammy, awkward, or otherwise untoward.

I promise. It can be done without sounding like a “Hey, gimme, gimme, gimme!” thing.

On this episode I give you a number of ways to do it - including the kind of verbiage you can use to reach out to other people and persuade them to link to your site.

In this episode I mention a guy named Neil Patel (there’s a backlink for Neil) who is an SEO expert and who shares all kinds of generous stuff about how to rank in Google. The article he wrote about gaining backlinks (linked below in the resources) is packed with things you can do to get backlinks regularly.

In fact, I think I’m going to reach out to Neil to see if he might be willing to link to THIS page. There you go!

What makes a high quality backlink?

If you search the internet you’ll probably find some bozo on Fiverr (yeah, that’s a backlink… though they don’t deserve it) who will take your money in exchange for getting you lots of backlinks.

Be careful. No, BE VERY CAREFUL!

The “high quality” part of this whole backlink thing is vitally important. That’s because Google and the other search engines are getting smarter all the time.

The algorithms can tell if the sites linking to you are…

• Relevant to your industry/niche/topic OR NOT
• Reputable sites to begin with
• Linking to you in a “natural” way because of an established relationship with you
• And more…

So trying to game the system by paying for backlinks will likely bite you in your behind sooner rather than later.

You want to make sure you’re steering clear of those kinds of shenanigans. You do that by sticking with high quality backlinks.

That means you’re working to get backlinks that are…

1. From sites with a good reputation
2. Sites that actually get a decent amount of traffic
3. Sites that provide content that is truly valuable (not just words on a page)
4. And sites that have something to do with what you have something to do with. I think.

This episode is an audio version of all the things having to do with getting high quality backlinks.

Podcasters have some very natural ways to get high quality backlinks

Does your podcast feature guest interviews?

 

Wait for it....

 

BOOM! Those people are your number one target when it comes to you reaching out to people who might be willing to link to your site.

They are likely reputable in their field.

They likely have a fairly substantial web presence.

And you KNOW they want to expand that web presence because they were on your podcast!

It’s a natural fit to ask them to link to the exact show notes page where they are featured in all their glory (you DO create show notes pages for your episodes, don’t you?).

You also mention resources that will be helpful to your listeners, right?

Those resources are things companies are spending big money to promote.

You can offer them a way to do so for the cost of a tiny bit of text and a link on their website.

Yep, a backlink.

I know it sounds a bit intimidating, but anything is scary the first time.

Don’t give in to the fear! The future of your podcast depends on more people being able to find it - and backlinks help make that a reality.

You can do this. I really believe that. I wouldn’t have recorded this episode if I didn’t.

So - you’re going to hear how I suggest you go about reaching out to those companies - including examples of verbiage you can use in your emails to ask for the backlink.

You need to position it as a win-win situation - because it is. On this episode I give you some of the tools you’ll need to do it.

Then there are those other people out there in internetland who talk about the same things you talk about…

I’m not talking about your competition. I’m talking about the people who operate in areas that are aligned with what you talk about.

Here’s my example from the episode…

Suppose you do an episode on your podcast about the joys of underwater basket-weaving for pregnant women. Google it, I dare you!

Who are the people who may talk about such things? People who talk about...

• Women
• Pregnancy
• Basket weaving
• Water sports or activities

You get the point… right?

It only takes a Google search to find out who the big names are in any of those areas. And it only takes a couple of clicks to find contact info on their websites.

You can reach out to them, explaining that you recently published a podcast episode about one of the subjects they cover. Would they mind checking it out - and possibly linking to it?

“But that’s not me. I’m not the kind of person to ask someone I don’t know for a favor.”

Oh, really.

Then what kind of person ARE you?

Oh yeah, you’re the kind of person who doesn’t do the work to make their podcast what it could be.

Come on - think this through!

Isn’t it worth conquering your fears about reaching out (email is a lot easier than in person, trust me) so you can bring greater benefit to more listeners?

So… off my soapbox now. Just listen. It’ll probably take you less time to hear what I have to say than it did for you to read this post about it.

Just sayin’.

resources we talked about in this episode

• Episode 74: About good SEO for Podcasters to employ
• Interivew Connections
• Cleanfeed
• Libsyn
• Zencastr
• Ringr
• Podbean
• Neil Patel article: How to Build High Quality Backlinks in a Scalable Way

Connect with me…

Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com

On Facebook

On Twitter

 

Subscribe to Podcastification here!

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

Podcast promotion is a hot topic these days... but do you see it as a form of content marketing?

Everybody (naturally) wants more eyes on their show’s cool cover art and more ears listening to their show. But I have to give you the hard truth about podcast promotion. There’s no silver bullet. There probably never will be. Like anything else in life that’s worth doing, you have to dedicate yourself to learning how to do it well.

• You don’t get returns without investment.
• You don’t get crops without planting seeds and cultivating them.
• You don’t get bulging muscles without some kind of exercise routine.

And you don’t get huge download numbers without some kind of dedicated, well-planned promotion of your show.

This episode is a deep-dive into content marketing for podcast promotion.Here’s a rough outline of Podcast Promotion as Content Marketing…

• [1:30] We all need to know how to promote our podcasts well.
• [2:36] Why podcast promotion is closely related to content marketing.
• [4:00] The 3 main goals most podcasters have - and why they matter.
• [6:22] The benefits of viewing your podcast as content marketing.
• [10:34] Understand: content marketing takes a while to work well.
• [16:30] Why I recommend written show note summaries rather than transcripts.
• [20:55] The power of truly great content: and how “lazy” has no place.
• [26:40] The power of offsite content marketing.
• [36:50] The key parts of an effective, well-planned content marketing strategy.
• [41:08] What we know from the history of promoting online resources.

My assumption is this:

Your podcast is content - great content.

Therefore the principles and best-practices that have been learned in the content marketing realm apply to the promotion of your podcast. In this episode I give you the full-scoop as I understand it right now (Sept. 2017) and will continue to do so on future episodes. This stuff is important - and it changes all the time. But one fact remains constant, no matter what changes...

resources we talked about in this episode

• Dave Jackson
• Show notes that work (episode that tells you everything you need to do)
• Episode 20 - Why you need good show notes
• Episode 21 - Step one to epic show notes
• Episode 22 - Step two to epic show notes
• BOOK: Mastery
• PODCAST: Thinking In Public
• Episode 23 - Creating social media elements FROM your podcast show notes
• Thinking In Public - a show I love
• Episode 59 - How to get influencers to be guests on your show
• Neil Patel article about backlinking strategy

Connect with me…

Carey(AT)PodcastFastTrack.com

On Facebook

On Twitter

Subscribe to Podcastification here!

Where oh where has my podcastification gone?

https://podcastfasttrack.com/

OK, it’s July of 2017 and the powers that be over at Apple have announced that the next version of their software (IOS 11) will introduce a few updated iTunes tags.

You may not even know what a “tag” is. :)

That’s OK - that’s why I’m publishing this episode. iTunes tags are simply some pieces of data that you are able to add to your podcast OR to each episode (depending on what tag we’re talking about) that enables you to communicate to the iTunes software and store, about your episodes and show, more effectively.

That was confusing. Let me say it this way…

Now, you get to tell the iTunes store team/software some details about your podcast and its episodes. You do that by using these iTunes tags. There. That was better.

So how do you access or use these new iTunes tags?

That’s the obvious question, right? So I’m glad you asked it. ;) In most cases these tags will be available for you wherever you host your media (Blubrry, Libsyn, Spreaker, Podbean, etc.). In some cases, they won’t be supported by your media host - in which case I’d say RUN DON’T WALK from that media host. With Apple being the “big dog” in the podcasting industry any host worth its salt should be keeping pace with what they are doing. If they aren’t, then they are a wanna’ be that probably never will be.

That’s just MY take on it.

Anyway, inside your reputable media host, you’ll find options for these new tags that iTunes has made available

And what about podcatchers or podcast players OTHER than Apple’s?

This announcement will also impact the way many of the non-Apple podcasting apps out there operate. Some of those apps will offer support for these new iTunes tags - some may not. So… you can decide if that matters to you from a listener perspective. Regardless, I cover this a bit toward the end of the episode.

On this episode about iTunes tags I’m going to…

• Walk you through each of the new iTunes tags
• Tell you what iTunes intends them for
• Provide some scenarios for how you might use them
• Give you a few tips or cautions about each (I’ve already been using them)
• And explain why they are important (or not) - in each case.

So there you have it - the summary of what I’ll be talking about on this episode. Start listening or use the time-stamped outline below to go directly to the section you are most interested in learning about.

And go make it a PODCASTIFICATING day!

Here’s a rough outline of this 7/2017 iTunes tags episode…

• [1:28] Do you even know what tags are when it comes to iTunes?
• [2:19] Episodic or serial show type?
• [4:15] iTunes keyword tags? Really?
• [5:20] There is now a specific “iTunes title” you can use.
• [6:50] A 512 character iTunes summary is coming soon for each episode.
• [7:44] What “type” of episode is the episode you’re publishing?
• [11:23] What if I WANT to have episode numbers on my episodes?
• [12:01] Ratings tags are still around.
• [14:22] You can change the author tag for each episode.

resources we talked about in this episode

• The video of Apple’s announcement about tags
• A PDF of Apple’s explanation of said iTunes tags (kind of technical)
• Blubrry
• Spreaker
• Podbean
• Libsyn
• Stitcher
• Google Play
• Gimlet Media’s show Startup

Subscribe to Podcastification Here!