School of Podcasting - Podcast Tips to Plan, Launch, Grow Your Podcast

Who is Kristin Molenaar? Kristin is an entrepreneur-enthusiast who lives by the mantra "work less + make more". She enjoys helping entrepreneurs ditch vanity metrics for true, profitable connections. She's the CEO of YesBoss, an agency that helps 2b2 entrepreneurs increase their visibility and credibility through profitable podcast guest features. Kristin Molenaar's Tips For Getting Booked on Podcasts There are almost 2 million podcasts. Where do you begin? Find someone in your niche, and use a tool like Podchaser, Podsearch, Google, or any podcast app and search for their interviews. This may lead you to podcasts that would also be interested in interviewing you.  Kristin likes to pitch a show with the question, "Are you open to being pitched." Another strategy is looking for hashtags.  When looking for a show to appear on, look further than the interview. Kristin looks for someone that can be a partner, and develop a long-term strategy.  Sending a "look how great I am" email is not a good strategy. The True Power of Podcasting One of the biggest complaints I hear from people that have been a guest on podcasts is "it has never produced any results for me." They will say, "I've been invited to be a guest on people's podcast. I showed up and I talked about what I knew and it didn't go anywhere. I didn't get any traffic or business from it. It felt like a waste of my time." This is what Kristin says that people need to remember when they're becoming a podcast guest. The biggest benefit you're going to get out of podcast guesting is the relationship with the podcast host. I think that there are a lot of false hopes or false narratives around what I'm calling one-hit wonders. I think people think, "If I go after the biggest podcast that I possibly can, it's going to change my business. Here's the thing about being a podcast guest just like every other marketing strategy, just like every other networking strategy, it snowballs on itself. But you have to treat people, like people. Your job as a podcast guest is to show up and be in service to the objective of the podcast host. You need to show the podcast host, "Hey, I appreciate you allowing me to show up in your space.  I am here to really provide as much benefit as I can to you. I want this to last beyond a recording." When people come in without that mentality. I think that the benefits are just severely limited. Being a podcast guest has tons and tons of benefits. But you're just missing out if you're not looking at this as an opportunity to meet really incredible people who are connected to other really incredible people and building a business that you can have fun together. That's what I love about podcasting and I wish more people came into it with that frame of mind because I think out of that we would get better pitches. We would get better research. We would get better conversations. We would get better results on the back end.    Want More Tips On Getting Being a Guest and Booking Guests? See this episode The Ultimate Guide to Hosting and Guesting Podcast Interviews   Podcast Rewind: The Show Business Show I appeared on episode 2 of the Show Business Show with Billy and Simon for a marathon session on my book Profit from Your Podcast Need Help With Your Podcast? Join the School of Podcasting? Are you afraid of sounding bad (or stupid)? Worried about buying a bunch of stuff you don't need? Feeling overwhelmed swimming in a sea of jargon?  Join the School of Podcasting and get access to: Step by step tutorials Live group coaching Private Facebook group filled with  Join worry-free with my 30-day money-back Guarantee  Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/joinMentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

You might be thinking, "I'm not a business, what do I care about branding? Well, if you have one download, congratulations you are a brand. Today I talk with Dr. Andrea Wojnicki from the Talk About Talk Podcast about developing and implementing your personal brand (and how it can help grow your audience) Sponsor: The School of Podcasting Join the School of Podcasting and never worry about sounding bad, spending too much money on gear, and being all alone to be frustrated and angry. When you join the School of Podcasting you get: Step by step tutorials A Private Networking Group Live group coaching Priority email support Join today worry-free with my 30-day money-back guarantee.  www.schoolofpodcasting.com/join What is a Personal Brand? Your personal brand is your identity or your reputation. A definition that Dr. Andrea loves is, “Your personal brand is what others think and say about you when you're not in the room.” Click Here to get the workbook to walk you through the exercises discussed in today's episode. Step 1: What differentiates you? Step 2: Email 10 People Step 3: Take a Personality Test Where Your Brand Appears in Your Podcast Your podcast brand includes:● What people read (show notes). Your emails (and have ONE thing in your email signature). ● What people hear (your episodes, and the quality of audio). ● What people see (artwork). Come up with a color scheme (for example two colors) and two fonts that you use consistently and it will build your brand How This All Works: Identifying your strengths, and a personal positive message that has deep personal meaning to you, delivered in a unique way allows you to BE YOU. It will come naturally. Leaning on your strengths can help reduce burnout as you’re not doing things that don’t come naturally. It can clear up situations by identifying what you can and can’t do. When you identify the verbiage you want to use, and how you want to appear and deliver your message, you provide your audience with the tools to tell their friends. If their friends ask, “What podcasts are you listening to, they can easily explain what your show is about, who it’s for, and what the benefit it. They also can explain the motivation of the show. Connect with Dr. Andrea Wojnicki Podcast: Check out the Communicate with CONFIDENCE – The 4Ps: Practice, Proverb, Pep talk, and Pirate episode Website: www.talkabouttalk.com Newsletter with Free Tips LinkedIn Facebook Group Coaching & Courses Online Corporate TrainingMentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

In talking with new and seasoned podcasters I often hear questions that lead me to believe that people think they can "break" their podcast.  Today I talk about a few questions I've heard and how 99% of the time you're not going to break your show.  We also have a question of the month The Separate Track Challenge I have recommended Squadcast for years. The ease of use and the ability to have separate tracks of you and your guest makes it my go-to choice for remote recordings. then later I got a Rodcaster Pro which ( Along with the Zoom P4, and the Zoom P8) allow you to record separate tracks. I can be on track one, and my guest can be on a separate track. The question then is: Does the separate track recorded locally on the guest's computer (and uploaded to Squadcast) sound that much better than the same track that has traveled over the internet? I also had my guest join me on Zoom as I know a lot of people are using Zoom to record interviews. Nuts and Bolts of Remote Recording The zoom recording is sampled at 32 kHz where Squadcast records at 48 khz. (This is how many times per second a picture is taken of your audio - the higher the number the better the sound). For me, the zoom recording while listenable sounds "fuzzy" compared to the Squadcastrecording (which makes sense as it has a higher sample rate. Also, Squdcast provides a WAV file that is better than the m4a (variable bit rate - another "no-no" for podcasting) from Zoom. If you're going to use the m4a from Zoom, be sure to edit it, and export as an mp3 with a contact bit rate. When I compared the original Squadcast file to the one I recorded (after coming across the Internet) and there again was a slight degradation of the file (not quite as crisp). Another Benefit of Squadcast In my test, as my guest was talking the Internet slightly broke up the audio is it made its way to me. If I had been using the recording on the Rodecaster this "Glitch" would be in the recording. With the original Squdcast fie, the glitch is not there (as that recording goes from their microphone to their hard drive, and then uploaded to Squadcast. Always Have a Backup Recording Of Your Interview The other advantage of using a tool like Squadcast is in the event the recording has an issue with the Rodecaster I have Squadcast as a backup. If there is a glitch with Squadcast, I've got my hardware option as a backup. No matter what you are using to record your remote interviews, always have two systems recording. It's not a matter of if one will fail, but when. For me, Squadcast is the most reliable. School of Podcasting Moving to a New Platform Thinkific is charging me per student (and I'm not a fan of that) so I've looked at Kajabi, Teachable, and Podia . Currently, I feel Kajabi is cool, but I'm not a fan of their limits to the number of products, and I'm learning more about Podia as they allow you to sell digital products, membership sites, and courses. They also have an affiliate program. With Teachable if I use their affiliate program, I have to pay them 2%, and with Podia you pay your monthly fee, and that is it. No extra fees. Free Coaching Calls? I'm pondering trying something new. This would be to offer coaching calls at a deep discount that would then be used in episodes (which is why they are discounted). If you're interested, contact me and I'll send you an application. Join the School of Podcasting Get access: Step by step tutorials Live group coaching Private brainstorming/podcasting group You don't have to worry about sounding bad, buying the wrong equipment and wasting your time. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start Mentioned In This Episode 764 Podcast Gear Guide Webinar(free - no email address needed) Squadcast Samson Q2U Rodecaster Pro Zoom Podtrack P4 Talk About Talk Podcast Podcasting Resources PodcastMentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

We've All Pushed Through Awkward Moments of Being Vulnerable Do you remember your first real kiss? I was with my first girlfriend. I was probably 14? I was scared to death. There was no internet, and for me, nobody to ask? So I went in for the kiss and kissed her in a very TV-friendly way. I stopped and said, "Let's try that again" and I figured out what to do. I tried everything I could to avoid falling in love with my first wife. I had told her over and over that I didn't want anything serious, but here we were a year later and a year later I was in love with her. Sitting in front of her house I said, "I need to tell you something," and then proceeded to tell her I liked her a lot. I backed it up, and then said, "I love you." These are scary things to do. You put yourself out there, and if you do it wrong you get some feedback, and you tweak yourself.  Over the past two weeks, I've had meeting after meeting with members of my audience (one at a time). Some of them were current or past members of the School of Podcasting, and others I had never met (but they were listeners to my show). Today I talked about what I learned and why you should seriously consider it. If the Words "Focus Group" Makes You Uncomfortable, then Think of It as Coaching So many people who are experts in their field still used coaches. Hank Haney served as Tiger Woods' coach from 2004-2010. During that span, Woods won six of his 15 career major championships. The two were very close while they worked together, and Woods credits a ton of his success to Haney's teachings. Here are some more people who even after their enormous success still have coaches: Richard Branson  Oprah Winfrey Tony Robbins Leonardo DiCaprio Serena Williams Metallica We all need people who give us feedback. That is how we improve. - Bill Gates Is This Just a Plug To Get Me To Hire You As A Coach? While I have the Podcast Rodeo Show which looks at your first impression and the Podcast Review Show that looks at your whole episode, website, and we have you fill out a form to discuss the goals of the show, if you want to know what content your audience wants and needs, the best place to go is your audience.  I'm Still A Shy Guy at Heart People don't believe it, but underneath it all I'm fairly shy. So the thought of reaching out to my email list and asking them for their input made me a little nervous. This was especially true if someone was a current or previous member of the School of Podcasting. This is where you have to change your attitude.  When I went to college for my first degree, I was a waiter. To be a good waiter, you listen to your customer and give them exactly what they ordered. As I got on zoom, I just said to myself it's like being a waiter again.  I Should've Done This Years Ago I sent out an email with the subject line of, "I need your help...." and explained that I was going to rebuild the School of Podcasting from the ground up and I wanted to talk to them. Here are some of the things that I gained from doing this exercise: I have a visual of what my audience looks like.  I got two people who will be future guests I got to see what was working in my show In regards to the School of Podcasting, I'm glad to say that the things people want, are often already being delivered. I learned that I might want to reorganize some of the content in the School of Podcasting. I heard some answer repeated. This is proof of concept that the tutorials I have are the right tutorials. I got a couple of great questions that I will be using for the "Question of the Month" in the future. There is nothing to be afraid of as these people are your listeners. If anything they might "fanboy" out a bit which is flattering.  When You're Too Close to the Subject There was one comment that came up twice that in one way surprised me, and yet upon thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. When I asked if there were any lessons in the School of Podcasting that they found confusing. Most people were so much confused, but wanted me to go deeper into subjects, The lesson? My lesson on Libsyn.com. What is this surprising? Because I've worked there for over five years. Why does this make sense? The curse of knowledge. I went too fast.  This was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.  Don't Do This on a Group Call While I could've held this as a "Town Hall" type of meeting, I enjoyed connecting one on one and giving my listener my undivided attention. I know for many of us who are introverts, podcasting is a great way to reach many people without meeting many people, but I'm here to tell you that time is too important to waste. If you were headed in the wrong direction wouldn't you want your GPS to alert you? Well, your audience is your GPS on the road to delivering value.  Start Your Podcast Today If you want to learn how to connect with your audience by creating great content that inspires them to tell a friend, JOIN the School of Podcasting.  Because Of My Podcast: I'm an Advisor in Hollywood Jerry Williams is the producer and host of the FBI retired case file review podcast. She's on a mission to show you who the FBI is and what the FBI does through her interviews with retired agents about some of the FBI biggest cases, and some investigations you've never heard about.  She said, "A couple of years ago, I wrote a book called FBI myths and misconceptions, a manual for armchair detectives, which uses quotes and snippets, from my podcast interviews to debunk cliches about the FBI, and books, TV and movies. Because of that book and because of my podcast, last summer I was contacted by two different Hollywood Studios. Now I am under contract with FX network, which is owned by Disney, and Warner Brothers and Bad Robot as a technical consultant on two TV shows that are going to be released later this fall. Now, I'm not going to name-drop, but if you look up Bad Robot, you'll get to see who I get to hang out with talking to the writers on zoom or the phone a few hours a week as a lot of fun and good pay. Now, I think this is pretty cool because of my podcast story. When I started FBI retired case file review five years ago, the purpose of the podcast was to help me sell more books. I am an author, getting ready to publish my fifth book, crime fiction and nonfiction about the FBI. However, based on my own experiences as an FBI agent, and because I've now interviewed more than 222 former colleagues, I'm pretty knowledgeable about most of the FBI violations. But I never thought of myself as a technical consultant. But now I am. Thanks, Dave for letting me share my because of my podcast story, love your show." Transcribed by https://otter.ai Scott Johnson's What Was That Like Connecting With His Audience Thanks to Scott for letting me clips from his latest episode of What Was That Like? Podcast. It showed over and over how engaged your audience is with your content. You hear everyone spreading your show via word of mouth and downloading ALL of your episodes when they find it. Glad to hear your hard work is paying off and I wish you continued success. Mentioned In This Episode What Was That Like Podcast No Agenda Show Podcasters Roundtable Jerri Willams Check out Jerri's Amazon Page Zoom Meeting Software Talk about Talk Podcast Podcast Rodeo Show (Review Your Show) Podcast Review Show Time Table 02:57 Because of My Podcast:: Jerri Williams 06:53 Everyone Needs a Coach 10:47 What Was That Like - Examples of Engaged Audiences 16:19 What I Gained (and you can too) 19:44 You're Too Close 23:48 THEY SAID MY NAME! 26:38 Clubhouse App Is Spying On You? 32:46 My Dad's Podcast 35:01 Bloopers  Mentioned in this episode:I Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey2025 Audience Survey

Are you looking to grow your audience? Get more engagement with your audience? Today I have Valerie Geller the author of the book Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age—News, Talk, Information & Personality for Broadcasting, Podcasting, Internet, Radio which is also available on Audible  Meet Valerie Geller Valerie Geller, president of Geller Media International, a broadcast consulting firm, trains broadcasters throughout the world by Creating Powerful Radio seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching for news, talk, information, and personality programming for radio and television. She's worked with top stations and personalities throughout the world at more than 500 stations in 27 countries.  You can find Valerie's Books on her Amazon page, as well as beyondpowerfulradio.com and creatingpowerfulpodcasts.com Find her on twitter at @vgeller and @vgeller on the clubhouse app (iOs only). Thre Simple Rules To Make Your Podcast Successful Tell the Truth Make it Matter Never Be Boring Questions to Help You Edit Why should you listen to this? Why would someone want to hear this? The Best Podcasts: Inform Entertain Inspire Persuade  Connect The best conversations come from listening. When doing an interview listen and make the interview more of a conversation. Making Engaging Content When you are telling the truth and being transparent, you can share your opinion on a topic and ask your audience to share theirs. By asking a specific question it's easier than "send me some feedback."  When delivering content you should be doing one of the following: Inform Entertain Inspire Persuade  Connect Place Your Listener in the Movie Try to work visual words into your podcast. Help trigger the theater of the mind. There is a framework called the Story Spine from Kenn Adams that is used by many storytellers it is: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. (and so on) Until finally ___. And every day after that ___. For more on storytelling check out Episode 745. Growing Your Podcast When you are on other platforms, be amazing and leave them wanting more.  So many people go to other platforms (like Clubhouse) and tell them to come to the podcast.  If you bring amazing content to the conversation those same people will ask you where to find more of you.  It all starts with being Amazing. Ready To Start You Podcast If you're worried about sounding stupid, getting lost in technology, spending too much money, the School of Podcasting can help you avoid all that with: Step by step tutorials A private Facebook group filled with brilliant podcast minds willing to help Live group coaching sessions Direct access to me via email (and I often will respond with a video) Join worry-free with a 30-day Money-back Guarantee Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start and pick the plan the works best for you. Mentioned In This Episode Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age—News, Talk, Information & Personality for Broadcasting, Podcasting, Internet, Radio The Powerful Radio Workbook: The Prep, Performance & Post Production Planning Kenn Adams Story Spine Synergy Theater on YouTube Peabody's Down Under See Valerie's Video from the Next Radio Event Join the School of PodcastingMentioned in this episode:I Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey2025 Audience Survey

Your brand is how your show is perceived. Perception is reality. So today I have tips on making your episode one that gets your audience coming back. I also share three tools that you can use to boost your podcast brand.  Don't Leave Your Audience Hungry Can you imagine if a new restaurant opened in your neighborhood and was serving your favorite food? You get all dressed up and bring a date and go to the new place looking forward to eating some of your favorite food.  You show up and the menu just mentions what will be available next week. The problem is you are there NOW and you're hungry.  So often I see a first episode delivers nothing more than what amounts to be a table of contents for future episodes. I've read a lot of books but I've never highlighted the table of contents.  Tidy Cal $20 Lifetime Deal Tidy Cal is a brand new scheduling tool that makes it easy to book guests or clients (your appointments can be free or you can charge). Check out this video I made giving you an overview. Telbee is Speakpipe on Steriods I've used Speakpipe for years, but the makers of Telbee listened to the wants of speakpipe users and developed a new, morse customizable platform.  One thing that can make your podcast better is to understand your audience. Telbee makes it easy to get feedback, and create a widget that looks great. You can even direct people to a website after they leave a message.  Channels are the feature that I could use when I do my "question of the month" episodes. I could have a channel where all the responses are tied and organized to that one channel.  Check out this quick video of me using Telbee for the first time Less Annoying CRM I've been looking for a place to organize my information where my coaching clients, my audio editing clients, my guests, or hosts where I have been on their show.   I can see my calendar, I see all the communication, set reminders, set up pipelines, and it's only $15/month.  It truly lives up to its name. "Less Annoying CRM" check out this "Drive By video" of me playing with Less Annoying CRMMentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

Life is going to kick you in the teeth from time to time (see 2020). Today we talk about your attitude (the only thing you have control over) and we interview Shane Whaley of the Tourpreneur podcast. Shane shares how many people in the travel space just folded up everything just going out of business. This is not the approach Shane has taken, and he not only didn't shut down in 2020, but added more sponsors to his show.  Your Attitude The Longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” ― Charles R. Swindoll Podcast Rewind I appeared on the Pharmacist's Voice   I also appear on the Trust cast talking why podcasting is the next big thing. If you'd like me to appear on your show, you can contact me here. Shane Whaley Tourpreneur Podcast Interview 04:55 Shane Whaley Tourpreneur.com 07:29 Shane Decided to Start Touorpreneur 10:48 The "Glenn the Geek" Strategy with Events 15:26 Take Advantage of the Extra Time COVID Created 17:50 Choosing Sponsors 19:34 Join the School of Podcasting 20:32 Going for the Win, Win, Win 22:44 Starting a Daily Email 24:37 Dealing with being a "Thought Leader" 26:58 Advice on Interviews 28:55 Dealing with a Boring Guest 30:37 Shane's hobby Podcast Spybrary 32:34 How Long Did it Take to Monetize 33:31 Getting Proof of Concept 35:09 Why he Stayed Niche 36:10 Don't Undersell Yourself 37:19 How He Came Up With Prices 38:47 Tips on Running a Community 41:00 Policing Your Group 42:28 Shane's First Podcast 44:34 Shane the Shock jock 45:43 Shiny Object Syndrome 47:30 What HASN'T Worked? 49:26 Final Advice for the "Wanna Be" podcaster Connect with Shane Whaley Tourpreneur Podcast Spybrary Podcast East Germany Podcast Ready To Start Your Podcast? If you're worried about sounding bad, planning your podcast, buying the wrong equipment, and being lost in a sea of tech, DON'T. Join the school of podcasting and get access to: A private Facebook Group for Networking Step by Step Tutorials Live Group Coaching Priority Access to Dave.  Join today at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/startMentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

FOMO In Action I was at Social Media Marketing World in 2018 enjoying a networking event on an aircraft carrier in San Diego California. I was contacted by Michael Oneil as he and a few friends were going to go to a club called Prohibition and wanted to know if I would want to attend. Did I say it was a club? Prohibition is a speakeasy. I have never been to a speakeasy. The door that you go through shows "LAW OFFICE Eddie Onare, ESQ."  When we arrived there was an actual velvet rope. We had to wait. It myself, Michael O’Neal, Harry Durran, and Natalie Jennings. The anticipation was mounting. How long will I have to wait? Are we going to get in at all? Finally, the bouncer unclipped the rope and let us in. I remember walking through a door and going downstairs. It was getting darker and darker as we went on. When I finally get to the bottom and look around, I see a bar in front of me. I see a bench to the left of me. I see a few chairs to the right of me. It is dimly lit, with red lights in the ceiling. I think to myself. "Someone turned their basement into a bar." Don't get me wrong, it was cool. Michael and I ended up playing and singing that night with the saxophone player from Pink Floyd. But I can't underestimate the buzz and anticipation by the scarcity. This is a tactic called Fear of Missing Out (FOMO for short), and today we are going to talk about Clubhouse. This is an app (currently only available for iOs) and one of the things that is fueling the buzz about this app is their use of FOMO.  Clubhouse: Drop-in audio chat Don't get me wrong, this app is cool. However, it's zoom without video and better moderation. Why is it so popular? You have to be invited in (OOOOOH!). It is only on iOs (sorry android people) so here again, only certain people can get in, and for those on the outside when you hear others talking about it, you have fear of missing out. Does it work? I'm doing an episode about it knowing that 75% of my audience can't use it.  What Clubhouse is Good For Why I like clubhouse is I'm finding my target audience, and more importantly, my target audience who doesn't know me yet.  Then I can LISTEN, and take notes of what is being discussed and take notes as these might be future episodes.  I have found a few people I want to connect with due to the details in their profiles, and the value they brought if they actually spoke.  Mistakes in Clubhouse If you don't have an answer to a question and someone asks you, just say, "That's a good question that I don't have an answer to." If you don't, often the answer you spew is not helpful and makes you look like an idiot in love with their own voice.  Not filling out your profile with your website, your interests, and keywords to help you get found.  Ask ing a question that is three seconds long followed by self-promotion that is three minutes long.  Most of the true networking happens outside of the app so be sure to check your Twitter and Instagram for DMs. I'm on Android - I Feel Left Out If you look at what clubhouse is at its core is its a group of people (in rooms) that are joining hoping to talk about their favorite subject, meet people, and learn new insights.  So do it on zoom. Reach out to other podcasts like yours and pick a date to all get together on Zoom. Assign a moderator, and promote for weeks in advance.  Everyone and their brother knows how to connect to zoom. The goal here is not to get podcast ready quality (cause the quality on Clubhouse is "ok"), but more the connection.  There are also other tools like Slack, Discord. There are tools like Mastodon where you can setup your own social media network.  There will be Copycats - There Always Is Twitter Spaces is coming The issue with Android (from what I understand) is while all the different phones are running Android operating systems, there is enough differences between phone manufacturers to create headaches for app developers.  Android Apps Like Clubhouse Connect Club ( maybe? it shows a Google Play Version) Bag Chat This is either another clubhouse or something creepy Michael Stelzner's Awesome Clubhouse Tutorial Great tutorial see https://youtu.be/o7gv7U-rZl8 How Are You Pulling Clubhouse Into Your Podcast? First, this is not entirely compliant with their terms of service. Their terms say I need written permission from participants. I make a notice in the show name, the show description, and when I pull someone on the stage, I ask for their permission to record them. This is still not written, but it is verbal. Please remember, I'm a teacher - not a lawyer.  These Devices Make It Easy The Zoom Podtrak P4 ($200) The Zoom Podtrak P8 ($499) The Rodecaster Pro ($599) How? All of these make it super easy to connect a phone. I have three things in my Ask the Podcast Coach. I have myself, clubhouse, and a co-host.  I plug my microphone (RE320) into the Rodecaster. I plug my iPhone (via a connector) into a TRRS cable that goes into the Rodecaster.  When I connect the Rodecaster via USB I am able to send and receive audio to my cohost who I connect with via Streamyard. Everybody can hear everyone.  Using Streamyard. I stream live to my YouTube Channel. I record on the Rodecaster using the separate tracks option (as the audio from clubhouse can have a wide variance).  See video https://youtu.be/BsG9UD6nzlE I Almost Lose 15 Years of My Podcast I had my WD 4 Terabyte crash and with it 15 years of podcasting files (all my sound effects, artwork, music, EVERYTHING). It was going to cost me between $700-$1000 to have someone rescue my Drive. Luckily I use Backblaze who walked me through. I am paying $189 to have them save all my files (which are online) to a hard drive and ship it to me. Then I will copy my files to a new hard drive and then ship their hard drive back. I will then be refunded the $189.  Backblaze is my hero. For more details on this story, see this video.  Because Of My Podcast - I'm Staying Sane Josh from the Saving Elephants podcast sent in a "Because of My Podcast" story and shares how during the trying times of covid, and elections, and protests, he feels podcasting to be a powerful platform for alleviating the symptoms of depression. It's been wonderful to be able to talk to so many like-minded people from all over the country and even the world to have important meaningful conversations. The podcast provides Josh with a platform where he feels like He's not a helpless bystander forced to do nothing more than complain about the lack of substance and civility and depth in our national political dialogue. Instead, through the podcast, he feels like an active participant in that conversation.  He is grateful for podcasting for providing me this platform. podcasting has been for me, a real lifesaver. Got a Because of My Podcast Story? Let me hear it at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/contact Dog Podcast Network - Liftoff! Today we connect with James who shares what "Launch week" felt like and how he is feeling now that Dog Edition is officially available to the public. One thing I did was make a video of me listening to it (before it was published) James found this very useful as he could tell if jokes were landing, and the extra body language. If you're launching a podcast you might want to throw a listening party on zoom so you can watch your "focus group" as they listen.  James is still giving away $5000 on the Dog Podcast Network Work With Dave With 15 years in podcasting and decades helping people harness technology, I love helping people plan, launch, grow and monetize their podcast. Here are some ways I can help School of Podcasting - tutorials, networking group, and live group coaching. Podcast Quickstart -Three months of the School of Podcasting and three hours of additional consulting Podcast Consulting - Get your questions answered quickly in a one-on-one coaching session. Podcast Review Show - Get a full audit of your show, your website, your goals, by two podcast/media experts. Podcast Rodeo Show - Have Dave take the temperature of your first impression as he listens to the first few minutes of your show.Mentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

Would you like 300,000 downloads per episode? Are you willing to work for three weeks to get media exposure in 2% of the outlets you contact? Are you willing to work for months on your first episodes and ask others to give you HONEST feedback on your show? Are you willing to ask questions that might potentially show you that your show is boring? Jack has, and he has created a great show. Today on episode 758 of the School of Podcasting I have the honor of looking into how Jack has grown his Darknet Diaries podcast. Jack was looking for a podcast about hackers/hacking and couldn't find any (especially in a narrative format). The solution? Create the podcast YOU want to hear and see if anyone else would be interested in listening to your podcast.   Jack Rhysider's Favorite Marketing Books Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable - Seth Godin Gary Vaynerchuk Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth -Gabriel Wineberg Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, And Build a Successful Business - Pat Flynn Dave added: Will it Fly Pat Flynn Connect with Jack Darknet Diaries Lime.Link Podcast Blog Jack's Patreon Page Dog Podcast Network Final Week Before Launch The Dog Podcast Network is launching a new show on their network called "Dog Edition" and today we talk with James Jacobson about the final preparations. You can earn money sharing stories that include dogs.  TIMELINE 00:03:34 How Many Downloads Does Jack Get 00:04:44 Jack's Launch 00:07:04 Jack Sent Out a Survey 00:08:03 What Part is Boring? 00:08:37 Why Did You Use a Survey? 00:10:01 Negative Feedback 00:10:30 Do have any kind of focus group? 00:10:59 How do you find these stories? 00:12:58 Your Podcast On Auto Pilot 00:15:03 How did your early listeners find you? 00:16:36 10,000 Stickers in a day 00:17:30 Reaching Out to the Media 00:20:10 How long did this strategy take? 00:21:33 How Long Had You Been Blogging? 00:22:34 Secret Weapon: Your Attitude 00:23:06 Marketing Strategies 00:23:57 Early Monetization 00:25:32 How Long Did it Take to Go Full Time 00:26:16 How Did You Grow Your Numbers 00:26:54 Don't Gloss Over Your Ask 00:27:16 How Did You Know It Was Time to Start a Patreon? 00:27:56 Deep Dive Into Patreon 00:32:20 Using Castbox as a Benchmark 00:34:29 The Curiosity Headline Approach 00:37:52 He Has Good Descriptions 00:40:03 A Deep Dive Into The Apple Charts 00:43:20 Favorite Marketing Books 00:45:49 Is there any Downside to a large audience? 00:48:57 Jack Got Tracked 00:50:53 Meeting Fans With Divulging Your Identity 00:51:51 Advice For Wanna Be Podcasters 00:56:19 Dog Podcast Network 01:02:02 Please Share The Show Mentioned In This Episode Graphtreon - See how much people are making on Patreon What Was That Like Podcast Dave's Patreon Page Episode on Podcast Surveys Castbox app Subscribe to the School of Podcasting Podcast (free) School of Podcasting Affiliate Program Podcast Rodeo Show Podcast Review Show Podcast Consulting Join the School of PodcastingMentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

If Ron Howard Uses Focus Groups... Ron Howard has been in the entertainment industry since he was a little boy on the Andy Griffith Show, Later he was on Happy Days and since then has been making phenomenal movies. He's been nominated for 114 awards and won 39 times for a percentage of 34%, In 2002 he won with A Beautiful Mind for Best Picture and Best Director. One might say, "Not too shabby." Rob was on the true stories show on Satelite radio talking about always screens his movies and checks in with the audience to see how the content is connecting with his audience. In the interview, he said, "We did our first previews, and I was so defensive about it and against it, and I wound up learning so many important truths about our story, that to this day, even the Beatles documentary, even though I have Final Cut, I screened the movies and I know how to ask the questions and I ask people to fill out questionnaires. I find it very, very useful. It's difficult but I always think that it's like the playwright getting to see the show out of town before you take it to Broadway. I don't think it's really any different than that. I have the confidence of having done it a lot, and the power of Final Cut, so that this is about me understanding how the movie works. It's comforting on the one hand, but I think it's really important to understand how the movie is communicating with an audience. That's what entertainment is: Is something is communicated to you and do you enjoy it? Why Podcasters Skip The Focus Group If this is your first podcast, you probably spent much more time on their episodes than they originally planned, so the last thing you want to hear is that you need to go back and do some work. While understandable, if the goal is to grow your podcast, constructive feedback is something that is essential to growing your podcast. Most of us are familiar with the story of Thomas Edison doing 1000 attempts at the light bulb that didn't work. When asked about it these "failures" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps." In some cases, people see their episode as art. If that is you, then skip this episode. Your goal is to not grow your audience but to just put the podcast out there. The podcast is not for your audience. It's for you. Just Like Your Podcast, Creating Your Survey Starts With Why Today you will hear from Glenn the Geek who runs the Horse Radio Network. His primary income is sponsorship and a membership site. We will hear from Scott Johnson from the What Was That Like? podcast that has been steadily growing since it launched. Scott was looking for feedback on his content. The Process of Creating a Survey Identify why you're doing your survey (and what you're trying to learn) Choose your questions Deliver your survey Collect your feedback Organize your data and look for trends Implement changes based on feedback. Follow up to ensure you've achieved your goal. Potential Questions Demographics: This is where you ask age, sex, income. Where they hang out: Where else do they get information like yours? What other podcasts, forums, magazines, etc do they consume? By knowing where your audience is you can go to where they are and make friends. Content Questions: How long do they listen? Favorite parts of the show? Parts they wish would be different? Audio quality? The top thing they've gained from listening? Advertising Questions: Have you purchased any products from sponsors on this show? Who do you think would be a good sponsor? Do you skip the ads? What was the last thing you purchased? If You're Just Launching Take the episode you feel is ready for the public and get specific. As about the audio quality, and how far people listened. If they say they listened to the whole thing, give them a quiz to prove it. If they didn't listen far found out why. There is no sense going any further until you get your content resonating with your audience. Special Thanks to: Scott Johnson from What Was That Like? (a great podcast) Glenn Hebert from the Horse Radio Network Jack Rhysider from the Darknet Diaries (Check out  episode 27 about hacking the Apple Charts) James from the Dog Podcast Network Need Help With Your Podcast? If you need help with: Planning Launching Growing Monetizing Troubleshooting Gear Selection It is all there at the School of Podcasting Mentioned in this Podcast Video on Using Google Forms episode 27 of Darknet Diaries about hacking Apple Charts Profit From Your Podcast Book on Monetizing Your Podcast School of Podcasting  - Plan, Launch, and Grow Your PodcastMentioned in this episode:I Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey2025 Audience Survey