Your Podcasting Questions Answered and a Year End Break - EP 89

How are your values guiding your voice, schedule, and future plans for your show? The holiday season is upon us, and that makes this the final 2024 episode of The Podcaster’s Guide to the Visible Voice! Throughout the year, Mary fields tons of questions about all things recording, speaking, and producing. So, here’s a round-up of some of the impossible-to-Google questions most podcast creators ask at some point.

From embracing the volume of your voice to easy-to-implement recording hacks for guest episodes, wrap up your year and feel empowered to launch or continue your show in 2025 with these practical tips from a seasoned podcast strategist and voice coach.

Get inspired for your upcoming podcast season:

• How to reframe the “professional” voice in podcasting
• Consider capacity: taking breaks as a solo creator
• The future expectations of adding video
• Easy tips to take your recording process to the next level

Listen to this year’s guest episodes:

• Accessibility in Podcasting for Hard-of-Hearing Listeners with Kellina Powell, Episode 88: https://www.organizedsound.ca/accessibility-in-podcasting-for-hard-of-hearing-listeners-with-kellina-powell-episode-88/
• Warm Up to a Healthier, More Confident Voice with Nic Redman, Episode 86: https://www.organizedsound.ca/warm-up-to-a-healthier-more-confident-voice-with-nic-redman-episode-86/
• Simplify Your Workflow to Keep Your Podcasting Passion Alive with Craig Constantine, Episode 84: https://www.organizedsound.ca/simplify-your-workflow-to-keep-your-podcasting-passion-alive-with-craig-constantine-episode-84/
• Start a Ripple Effect of Continuous Learning with Beth Cougler Blom, Episode 81: https://www.organizedsound.ca/start-a-ripple-effect-of-continuous-learning-with-beth-cougler-blom-episode-81/
• Making Accessibility Possible in Podcasting with Joel McKinnon, Episode 79: https://www.organizedsound.ca/making-accessibility-possible-in-podcasting-with-joel-mckinnon-episode-79/
• Why We Need To Highlight Our Humanity In Podcasting with Erin Moon, Episode 77: https://www.organizedsound.ca/why-we-need-to-highlight-our-humanity-in-podcasting-with-erin-moon-episode-77/
• Writing For Your Podcast with Shannon Kirk, Episode 75: https://www.organizedsound.ca/writing-for-your-podcast-with-shannon-kirk-episode-75/
• Crafting a Consistent Brand Story with Brigitte Bojkowszky, Episode 73: https://www.organizedsound.ca/crafting-a-consistent-brand-story-with-brigitte-bojkowszky-episode-73/
• Voice Health: Treat Your Podcasting Instrument With Care, Episode 85: https://www.organizedsound.ca/voice-health-treat-your-podcasting-instrument-with-care-episode-85/
• Organic Discovery for Podcasts, Episode 67: https://www.organizedsound.ca/organic-discovery-for-podcasts-episode-67/
• Learn more about Spotify for Creators: https://creators.spotify.com/

Connect with Mary!

• Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com
• Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com
• Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter
• To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca
• Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/
• Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions

Show Credits:

• Podcast audio design, engineering, and edited by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions
• Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio
• Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA
• Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co.

Transcript with Audio Description:

[MUSIC IN - GHOSTHOOD FEATURING SARA AZRIEL “LET’S GO” BEGINS]

MARY: Over the course of the year, I get plenty of podcasting and audio or voice related questions, as you could guess from the work that I do. And like we've talked about on the podcast before, no question is a dumb question. Podcasting questions come up all the time. Whether they might be a bit more foundational, like, what mic do you buy? How do you record online, how do you get the best sound? Those are more technical questions, but for this episode I wanted to go beyond that, because if you can google it, does it really make for an interesting or exciting podcast episode? Probably not. So I wanted to get under those almost superficial layers. So as we wrap up the year, I'm going to answer three very common questions that I get a lot. And as always, touch upon your podcasting values as we close out this year. 

This is episode number 89, the last episode for 2024, on the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. 

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Hey, thanks for listening to the show, but before we get to the questions, a little Q&A. I wanted to share a voice note with you first, from someone's voice story. 

[INTRO MUSIC ENDS]

This is back in episode 85 about your voice health and treating your podcasting instrument with care. I asked you to say and complete the following sentence stems. The first time someone said something about my voice, it made me feel, dot, dot, dot, fill in the blanks, and then end with the second sentence stem, today, what I love about my voice is, dot, dot, dot, so this is one of the voice notes I got.

[VOICE NOTE AUDIO]: I'm calling from New York City, New York. The first time someone said something about my voice, it made me feel very self conscious. Today, what I love about my voice is that I've learned to speak slower. My ideal voice is that of many hosts on NPR public radio, which I listen to all day. And I've often been reprimanded by friends and family for having a very loud voice when I become excitable. And I don't notice that I have such a loud voice. So I'm always really thrilled to listen to voice coaches and experts when it comes to voice. Thank you so much. [VOICE NOTE AUDIO ENDS]

MARY: Thank you so much for sending the voice note. I love it. I wish more people would send voice notes. Honestly, I talk about them all the time and a lot of people don't have that bravery. And so the voice notes that do come into my inbox, I love them. So thank you so much for sharing. 

Now, when I heard that voice note, I do have to say I heard the words loud voice, and I too was reminded about how when I was a kid or, you know, even when I was working in radio, when other people use their voices for a living, I was told I was too loud. My coworkers would do that, if you kind of squish your fingers trying to pinch together with your thumb that pinching together to tell me to be quiet, softer, I'm like, no. Because that's when, you know, I am passionate about something. [LAUGHTER] But what I have to say is that it's okay to be loud because it is that passion coming through. It can be. 

When I get loud that way, I am passionate about something. But that doesn't mean you have to speak that way all the time, right? It's when we can play with our voice to be loud and passionate, but also soft and vulnerable when we need it. So thanks again for your note. Thank you so much for recording it and sending it. I'm glad you have a loud voice when you need it, as I do as well, because loud doesn't always equal bad. 

[MUSIC IN]

So this leads to my first question for this little Q and A episode. How do I sound more professional? I get this one all the time because, yes, I worked in radio, as you know, and so when people hear my voice, they're like, oh, you've got a great radio voice. And I'm like, yeah, well, been in the business for like 20 years. Like, this isn't the way I started out. This is not how I sounded when I started. So, how do I sound more professional? My short answer is, you don't. Not exactly at least, for podcasting. Like, even in that voice note earlier, she mentioned NPR. For me, it's CBC in Canada or in Europe, it might be the BBC voice. Those are broadcast voices. And even those are slowly changing. 

But when we podcast, listeners are looking for someone to connect with. So that means also sounding like them, not someone sitting behind a big desk with a microphone. I think the deeper question that someone is actually wanting to ask, when they ask about that professional sounding question, it's that confidence piece with their voice. Like, how do I know when to bring the emotion? Or when should I sound like that journalistic voice? But I think that's the key, though, in podcasting you're not reporting a story or being a journalist. That's a totally different kind of podcast. So unless you are creating a true crime podcast, we really need to reframe this. 

The professional, quote unquote sound in podcasting is essentially that confidence in your voice. Because in the podcasting industry, most of the popular podcasters don't have a broadcast background. The podcasters, they sound like you, or your friends, or your family. It's when you have confidence to play with your voice, to bring out the anger when you need it, or that sadness when it comes to share your happiness, your excitement, and joy. We're along for that ride with you. 

So as I said earlier, it's not a one note show. As humans we have many emotions and expressions to play with, and that can also be expressed through your voice. Your listeners are going to get it when you're loud and excited, like I said before, because they'll be there with you. How do you want them to feel? How do you want your listener to feel? Feel that way too. Because we're sharing the feelings. We're not just talking heads. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

The next question is a big question I get all the time. It's usually around taking breaks. Do I take a break from my podcast? Can I take a break on my podcast? The productivity aspect in us, in our society, that accountability part where we hear everyone saying, you need to create content, you need to have a weekly show, podcast once a week, post something once a week, or twice a week at this specific time, et cetera, et cetera. You know, you got to work ahead, so you never take a break. But you know, that doesn't work for everyone, especially if you don't have a team behind you. In all honesty, podcasting is a lot of work. 

So producing a weekly show on top of if you have your own business, your work, your family life, personal life, taking time to have some fun, there's not a lot of time in one person's life to produce that much content, you know, to have that many episodes. So we have to look back at what our podcast means to us. Why are we building this show? Does your ideal listener expect this productivity from you? Or is this something that you've absorbed from, I don't know, reading something on the Internet that, you know, society is kind of saying to you, this is what you need to do. 

But I truly believe any creative pursuit. Podcasting, yes, is included as a creative pursuit has their own cycles. So for me to create my best show, I need to include breaks or else burnout is going to set in. So these breaks include the year end break. This is the last episode before 2024 ends. As I told you, I always take a break roughly around the last two weeks of December, and then I come back sometime after Chinese New Year. And Chinese New Year moves, right? It's either in January or February, anywhere between mid-January to early mid-February, because I take that time to go over to Vancouver, see my family, celebrate with everybody. 

In the summer as well. I take a break usually in July and August because it's the summer here. It's amazing where I live, I want to be outdoors. I'm an outdoorsy person. I want to go out there and really experience the environment that I am in. And so there's not a lot of time for podcasting. I mean, there could be, but honestly, I don't really want to, [LAUGH] right? Podcasting isn't the end all and be all. It is really fun to do though. And I get it too. Like some people might say, you need to keep podcasting or else you'll lose your listeners. But I also understand if your listeners know where you're coming from, they understand your values for your podcast. They will come back. 

So take a look at those foundations for your podcast again, what was the point of your podcast? Why are you creating the show? And for me, it's not about making money. So my podcast goals are not to monetize and make money, but it is to establish my thought leadership, showcase my work so that down the line I can have clients and make money, right. People hear what I can do and they're like, oh yeah, you know what you're talking about. I'd love to hire you. So it's a long term marketing strategy. This podcast of mine is a marketing platform. But yes, I do love sharing my knowledge and that is fun for me. So that thought leadership aspect of the podcast really works. But that also means I don't have to produce a weekly podcast. That is not important. 

So what is your plan to take a break as the year is winding down? I challenge you to think about what your production schedule is like and how does that fit into the capacity of your life? What do you need to tell your listeners so that they are kept in the loop and they'll come back, when you're back from your break? 

[MUSIC IN]

This next question is a recent one, because it's a recent discovery. It's what's with Spotify for Creators? If you haven't heard what Spotify for Creators is yet, maybe you don't read the industry news like me, or you don't check your email from Spotify. That might not be your main question actually. When I get that question asked, to me, it's really around the idea of videos in podcast. Because Spotify has been making huge investments into podcasting in recent years, buying up podcast shows with big names. But then also buying up podcast businesses to integrate those platforms and those solutions onto the Spotify platform. 

So their latest is Spotify for Creators, which really is just a rebrand of Spotify for Podcasters, which you might be familiar with. That's where you go to upload your show, your RSS feed, to put onto Spotify for people to listen to. And originally, like most podcasting, it all starts as audio-only. But because the podcasting landscape is now blurring with video, this rebrand is to incorporate video content creators too. So it's not niching down to podcasts only and making sure that they're getting more than just podcasters, meaning they want to include video podcasts. 

Last year, October, actually in 2023, I had the episode Organic Discovery For Podcasts. That was episode number 67. This one was about when YouTube made a huge shift in their podcasting landscape to announce that they were shutting down Google Podcasts and integrating podcasting into YouTube. So a whole year later, now we see Spotify going head to head with YouTube to try and compete in this space with Spotify for Creators. So really, the question that I also get is, do I have to do video now, too? You hear it in their voice. They're like, oh, not one more thing, [LAUGHS] right? Like I said, podcasting is a lot of work. Now we have to do video, too. Short answer, no, you don't. 

So here's where that line gets blurred again. When listeners or viewers on the video side, see, there's already a distinction in the wording, at least viewers versus listeners, they understand that a podcast is a show where essentially there's a microphone and people talk to each other. So when you think of podcasting, you might think of the really big shows that have video. But you also have to remember that these big shows, they were also paid big bucks to be on Spotify. And some of them to, then when they got on Spotify, to include video in their strategy to compete all with YouTube. That was Spotify's whole grand plan. 

So now people think that a successful podcast must have video because those big names have video. But again, you also have to remember, those quote, unquote, successful podcasts, they have a big team behind them, they understand video and how to integrate that video audience, the viewers, into the goals of their podcast. So you might want to ask yourself, do you have the resources to make a highly produced show? So, I mean, highly produced, because it's not just a basic video call like over Zoom, and then you put it out on the Internet, if you have those resources, then good on you. Go and make that podcast on video happen. You will use Spotify and YouTube to their fullest advantage. 

But for most podcasts, consumption is still mostly done on a podcast listening or audio only app. And as I hinted earlier, audio only is a very different medium and listener type than a video watcher. You need to be mindful to cater to either one of those. So, if you're doing both, not just to cater to the video side or not just to cater to the audio side, because then the video side loses out or the audio side loses out, right? No one is a winner. So the other platform will always suffer. If you're only catering to one and thinking like, oh, we'll just do the video, because YouTube has so much algorithm that we'll just strip the audio from the YouTube and then we'll just post it for audio only, that's great but, your audio will suffer because you're not focusing on that. And the audio only listeners will probably not listen to the show as much as watching it on YouTube. 

But for a lot of podcast listeners, they're like, I don't want to watch a podcast, I won't be able to take it with me. I haven't paid for a YouTube subscription, so why do I want to listen to a podcast there? There's a totally different medium, right? The listeners is doing something different than a video viewer. But what I'm also not saying is not to use video. There's a double negative there. Yeah, I'm saying not only to use video, right? Like, I think there is a place for video on the promotional side of an audio only podcast. You can create clips of the conversation or create audiograms, which is what I do. It can be still very effective in reminding your audience to listen to the show or give that discoverability piece on social media. But just because you don't create a video for your podcast doesn't mean you can't be on YouTube, right? Remember I was saying YouTube has now integrated podcasts so you can have a static image of your podcast and still post it onto YouTube and still get some views from there. 

The other strategy could be making your audiograms a portrait vertical layout and posting it as a YouTube short to still get discoverability from YouTube. So, there's many ways to go about this video strategy and it doesn't mean you have to also create a video podcast now. So don't disregard video. But also don't think that you need to have video for your podcast either. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

The last question I have is, what's your recording process like for recording your guests for your episodes? This was something that was actually highlighted to me a few times now when I have a guest on a show or when I'm interviewing someone for, like, my networking groups and overall, just doing what I normally do on a podcast with a guest, and they're always like, wow, this is such a great idea. I'm stealing it. And now I'm like, wait a minute, have I not talked about it on my podcast yet? So, I'm going to share this little tidbit with you if you don't know yet. 

Okay, so when you have a guest on your show and it doesn't matter, could be in person, could be online. When you are doing an interview, hit record as early as you can. And, of course, let them know that you've hit record so that they know that everything is recording. But this does two things. One, it gives your guests time to relax and get comfy before the conversation ever starts. Because most of the time, when you're like, okay, we're going to get ready to record now. I'm going to hit record. You hit record. And then they get all like that deer in the headlights, [GASP] like, oh, my god, we're recording now. Okay, I'm going to talk about myself, right, okay, here we go. [STRAINED VOICE AND SIGH] But, if you record a lot sooner, you can just get right into the conversation, and they're like, oh, right, we're just continuing what we had just chatted about. So this is fine. I find that really, really helps. 

Two, this also gives you a chance to ask them to pronounce their full name, to just basically say their name of how they would like to be presented. So, whether or not you know how to pronounce their name, there's always different ways to pronounce names or regional pronunciations that you might not be aware of. So my main reason for making sure you record them saying it themselves is so that if you have trouble enunciating and pronouncing the name, you can practice along while listening to the playback. 

So you can just have them say their name, it's recorded, and then when you play it back after the fact, when you're recording your intro, or if you need to re-record their name or something like that, you can hit play, listen to them say it, practice it yourself, hit, stop, rewind, hit play, listen to it again, and just make sure that you pronounce their name the way they would like it to be pronounced. This way your lips and your tongue gets comfortable with it. And you can say it because at this point, you know it, you're not just going to struggle with how to pronounce the person's name. So, I hope this little quick, amazing tip is helpful for you in the recording process for your guests. 

[MUSIC IN]

So really, that's it as we wrap up the year. What are your podcast plans for 2025? What are you looking to improve with your show, whether you have launched one or not? Remember, this is all part of the values of your podcast. Think about your own needs and what you want out of your podcast. Let me know your plans, of course, by leaving a voice note. That would be awesome. You can do that on my website, VisibleVoicePodcast.com and look for the purple Send Voicemail button. Essentially, if you ask me a question, I'll answer it for you too. So, like, you get a quick answer for a little podcasting question you might have. 

And then normally, of course, at this time of the year, I always talk about values and celebrating. And if you're like me, I don't celebrate enough. That is still a practice that I am working on. Much better this year than last, but still working on it. So in terms of my own podcast, celebrating that, which sometimes could fall to the bottom of the list because I'm so focused on all the client work. So, I wanted to thank all my guests from this past year. I'm really grateful that they made time to share space with me and allowing me to be a part of their podcasting journey and sharing those views and messages and experiences with you. 

So I'd like to thank Brigitte Bojkowszky, Shannon Kirk, Erin Moon, Joel McKinnon, Beth Cougler Blom, Craig Constantine, Nic Redman, and most recently Kellina Powell. If you haven't listened to their episodes yet, please, please do. We covered a lot this year, from accessibility to voice and writing techniques, the humanity of podcasting and AI, and of course, asked about their individual lessons from their own podcasting journey. So I hope you learn a lot from them as I have. 

[MUSIC ENDS]

Oh, and since we're on the point of celebrating in gratitude, I realize I've never done this on the audio side of the show, but they are always in the show notes. So if you don't always read down to the bottom of the show notes, my team that makes this podcast happen, I started this as a one woman show and eventually over the years, I added a person, added another person. And so, like I was talking about, podcasting is not easy work. I do have a team behind me.

So, Shannon Kirk, thank you for all the writing that you do for the show notes. Kristalee Forre, who is behind the scenes with all the post-production, so that's creating the graphics and accurately cleaning up all the transcripts, that's always a tough job, but she loves the details. And Emily Johnston, who designed the podcast logo and the templates for all the graphics that Kristalee gets to make that's associated with the show. So thank you to you. You've made the podcast possible.

And also thank you to you, you, the listener, thank you for listening to the show. Because if really I only got, what, two listeners, then it's not worth it. I'm thinking that's me, and maybe me again on a different podcast. [LAUGHTER] You know, like, I'm not looking for hundreds of listeners, but just that idea of what I teach for others, too, is that if you think about each podcast episode as being in front of the room with someone. You know, I've been on networking groups where they're like, oh, yeah, ooh, we've only got eight people today. I'm like, you know what? My podcast episodes reach more than eight people. And so you get to spread your message, you get to share your voice, and you get to speak with spirit, and people are here listening like you. 

So thank you so much for being a podcast listener. And as I always say at the end of the show, if you love the show, if you got something from it, even if you don't love, love the show, but you're listening to this one episode and you got something from it, I'd appreciate it if you shared it with someone. And sharing could mean finding one of my social media posts and reposting it, or sending the link to a friend, or even from your phone, hit the share button and send it to a friend and say, hey, you might be interested in this. I really, really, really, really would appreciate that. So thank you. 

So here's to your podcasting journey. May the rest of the year be restful. Yes, for your show and your voice and to have a safe, but also adventurous 2025. I'll be back after Chinese New Year because I'll be celebrating with my family at the end of January this year. And so I'll be back around February 10th, early to mid February this year for Chinese New Year we're welcoming the Year of the Snake. It will be a year of wisdom, transformation, and power to your voice, so looking forward to 2025. All right, thank you again and we'll talk to you soon. 

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MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you share it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to VisibleVoicePodcast.com. Until next time.

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[MUSIC ENDS]