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

It's the first episode of the years and in the same that I have the last episode of the year look at why people listen, today we talk about how to start. Ten Years ago I did an episode called "27 steps to launch a podcast and today I am going to update it. As you might imagine things have changed in 10 years. If you already have a podcast I have some items for you. Over the years there have been some ingredients of podcasting that we know add value, but like any recipe, if you use an ingredient in the wrong way you can ruin the final product. Keep it Real I hear the phrase, "Keep it real." This should stay authentic. You should be talking from your heart and your beliefs. Don't say what people want to hear because it's popular, if your opinion differs let's hear it. Let's also hear why you believe those thoughts. We just might learn something. How this phrase is abused is when "keeping it real" means I'm not going to edit my podcast at all. There are editors who work in movies, television, books, magazines, and newspapers. However, your podcast is perfect with no room for improvement. There is always room for improvement. I read on Facebook where someone took 26 minutes to answer ONE question. The final version of the podcast had that answer trimmed to four minutes. Fishing is Boring I haven't fished in 20 years. If you're into fishing check out the Fish Nerds show with Clay Groves. For me, half the fun was getting to play with a boat and get out on a lake. In some cases, if the boat had a motor it was even more fun. Then you bait your hook, throw your line in and wait. Then you wait some more. This part of fishing is really boring. Every time I hear someone start off an interview with "Tell me a little bit about yourself," the person is fishing. They are listening just like watching their bobber float on the lake, looking for a nibble. Reeling in a Fish is Exciting I don't watch fishing on TV, but if I'm clicking through the channels and a fishing show is on, they don't show two people in a boat watching their bobber. They show someone standing up with excitement as they have caught a great fish and they are bringing it into the boat. When you have a guest and you find something that YOU KNOW is going to RESONATE with your audience that's exciting and in the same the fisherman does everything they can to get the fish into the boat, you do everything you can to get that content into your recording. Stories are Great Half the time we ask, "tell me a little bit about yourself" we are fishing for a story. Somehow we are lead to believe that knowing someone's back story is going to help us. If I started my podcast with "Today we are going to interview Gern Blanston who has a proven strategy of growing your audience by 200%, but first, let's find out what his parents did for a living..." you would be yelling at your device to get to the good stuff. Stories are great when someone shares a story that we can learn from, or it makes you laugh, cry, think, groan, or educates us or entertains us. When I was sixteen years one night I was trying to look cool in front of a girl and climbed a sign at the front of the mall that showed the names of the movies in its three theaters. We figured out that we could change the title "Desperately Seeking Susan" to Desperately Sucking Suzan. As I was a hard rock fan, I was not a fan of Madonna and thought this would be hilarious. It took some effort to get up there, and once up there changing letters was not as easy as it looked. In the end, the sign read Desperately Seeting Susan. Is this real? Yes. Is it a story? Yes. Does it help you with your podcast? No. Just because something is real and it's a story, doesn't mean it's good. It might be really boring. The story of Glenn the Geek from the Horse Radio Network asking to get a booth at the largest Horsing Event was a great story as it has helped many people grow their podcast. Fishing Takes Patience - And We Live in a Microwave Society People want good stuff. They want the band whose name is on the ticket (skip the warm-up act). GET TO THE GOOD STUFF. Tell a four-year-old kid you brought them candy and then tell them they first have to listen to you recite some Edgar Allen Poe. They will start screaming, "GIVE ME THE CANDY." Netflix just added the ability to speed up movies. If you are watching a series on Netflix, at the end when you click "Go to next episode" it skips the end credits of the current episode and in intro of the next episode. It gets right to the good stuff. Conversations Are Great This is another thing I hear that is taken out of context. What you want to avoid is an interrogation if you are interviewing someone. Just because something is done in a conversational style does not mean it's not boring. All You Need is Consistency People are taking the word consistency and spinning it as "If I just release a show on a consistent basis, I will have success." I see people in Facebook groups saying things like, "I've been podcasting for seven months on a weekly basis, why aren't my numbers higher?" They feel consistency in publishing is the key. It is important. When you publish on a regular, predictable basis, you become part of their routine. HOWEVER: What really matters is consistency in delivering value. I remember Jason Sudekis from Saturday Night Live. Troy Heinritz from the blacklist exposed told me the show LEd Lasso on HBO was really good (notice word of mouth) and so I check it out and Troy was right. I then saw Jason had a movie called Kodachrome on Netflix. The movie was predictable, but again the acting of Jason Sudekis was impressive. Consequently, I would watch another Jason Sudekis movies because he was in it. The same goes for the actor Paul Giamatti who I originally saw in Howard Stern's private parts. He is an amazing actor. I love John Cusak movies from the '80s. I loved behind John Malcovich cause it was so outside the box. Something happened and John's movies started being more and more "Meh" and while I'm still a fan, it's not automatic that I will watch a movie because John is in it. When it comes to with consistency it boils down to this, I would rather have a GREAT episode one day late, instead of a "Meh" episode on time. How To Start a Podcast in 2021 Know why you're starting a podcast Know your audience What can you talk about to hold the attention of the WHO and get them to do your WHY. Determine your format Purchase your equipment Practice recordings and get to know your gear Identify your Intro and Outro Record an episode that you feel is good enough for the public Get feedback from trustworthy people Get artwork Order Media Hosting Create Your Website Submit your show to directories (all of them) Join The School of Podcasting The School of Podcasting has step-by-step tutorials that walk you through all these steps along with lessons on making great content, growing your audience, and monetizing your show. You can join worry-free. Join and if you're not happy within the first 30 days, I will refund your money.  JOIN TODAY Mentioned In This Show Fish Nerds Podcast Blacklist Exposed Horse Radio Network Glenn the Geek Episodes Podpage (take the free class on Podpage) Podcast Branding Second Line Themes Cooler Websites Web Hosting Social Subscribe and Follow Plugin Podcasting Resources Join The School of Podcasting Podcast Consulting  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

Every year I ask my audience what their favorite podcast is and why it is their favorite. They can also plug their website. This exercise then helps us understand why people tune in, as well as hear about some great podcasts.  In general, I say good content will make us: Laugh Cry Think Groan Educate Entertain So pay attention and here how most of these shows are not just doing one of those, but multiple emotions and strategies. Timeline 01:26 Dave love Podnews.net 03:16 Steve Stewart from the Money Plan SOS loves the Stacking Benjamins Show (Steve was just on Episode 752 talking about his Podcast Editor Academy) 05:59 Joe Saul Sehy from Stacking Benjamins loves the Be Our Guest Podcast 09:10 Shane from the Spybrary Podcast  loves the Ask the Podcast Coach  show 11:03 Anthony from the Route 66 Podcast loves the Space Shot 13:32 Bill watches movies - The Secret History of Hollywood 16:10 Brandon from The Florida Focus Podcast - The Art of Manliness 17:18 Craig from InglesPodcast lovesThe Week Unwrapped 20:02 Glen from Caratere Books  loves the 20 thousand hz 21:00  CG from the Rocketry Show also loves 20 thousand hz and Invisibilia with Roman Mars 23:49 Harris from Wild Talk love Revisionist History 25:20 Gary from the Content Gardener Loves the Disrupt Yourself from Whitney Johnson 26:24 Kevin from Grow the Show loves Three Clips 27:27 Patrick from the Big Seance podcast loves Straight Talk with Ross Mathews 28:26 Letitia from Rooted and Overflowing loves the Productive Woman 29:27 Geoge Excelsier journey's podcast loves Saturday Night Movie Sleep Over 30:17 Effie Parks from Once Upon a Gene loves the Jordan Harbinger Show 32:51 Louis Love Thy Lawyer loves All the President's Lawyers 33:57 Scott from What Was That Like loves Bill Gates and Rasheda Jones Ask Big Questions 35:52 Scott from the Amazing Maine podcast loves the Riskory podcast. 37:31 Scott from Moving Forward Leadership loves Habs Unfiltered 40:11 Sufeah loves the 85 South Show 41:04 Greg from Indie Dropin Network loves Just N/A Science 42:53 Kim from Beekeeping Today loves Revive Our Hearts 44:30 Zita from Ritual Recipes loves the Wedding Ceremony Podcast  Homework: Pretend Your A Listener 46:43 In some cases I had to go looking for these podcasts and in some of those cases it wasn't easy. My advice for you is to go to Google and search for the name of your show "podcast."  In many cases people sign up and their media host (because they don't know your website) will use the built in website that comes with their hosting. Look for the "website" field and make sure it points at your website. If you don't have a website (one of these shows had a .podwits address - classy) the go buy a domain at www.coolerwebsites.com and point it the site you are using (and preserve your first impression).  Dog Podcast Network Update 48:55 I'm following the launch of the podcast network. In the past they have solicited stories for their contest, hired a producer. In this segment, we hear their trailer and learn about their press release. Check them out at www.dogpodcastnetwork.com End of Show 52:36 Let Me Help You 53:58 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

We know that when you give value, your audience can feel like they "owe you" and when you give them the opportunity they will return the favor. Today we hear about a covert operation pulled off to deliver a box of presents to Glenn the Geek Hebert of the Horse Radio Network as he was recovering from not one but TWO surgeries. The story is amazing. We also have a tool to reward your superfans for sharing your show with their friends. We also catch up with the Dog Podcast Network. Glenn the Geek's Audience Comes to the Rescue Glenn had cancer removed from his colon (and needs to kemo - get your colonoscopy), and ended up getting an infection in his body that got very, very, serious. He ended up having his gallbladder removed and was down for the count (losing thirty pounds in four weeks). 01:32 Gleen The Geek Got Really Sick 04:05 Glenn's Supporters Came to the Rescue 06:27 How They Organized The Surprise 07:51 Let People Return the Favor 09:33 Have a Backup Plan 14:21 You Audience Feels Like They Know You Another Example of Building and Audience Taking Three Years 15:37 Erik Johnson of bumblecast.fm shares on the "Audience" podcast how his already famous client with a social following still took three years to build their audience. SPONSOR: School of Podcasting 16:45 Join today and be worry-free. Learn to sound great, create great content, and join the free mastermind with other brilliant podcasters as you go through the step by step tutorials, and get your questions answered at the Live Group Coaching calls. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start If you just have a few questions, schedule a coaching call. Build Your Own Ambassador Program With Refer.fm 17:40 Today we talk with Amira Valliani of Glow the makers of refer.fm a tool where you get to pick your own rewards, and you get a landing page where people can get their own unique link and refer.fm tracks the number of people they refer to your podcast. You get notified with the name and email person of the “super fan” who wants to refer their friends (they are stored in a spreadsheet making it easy to import into your system) and when they reach a goal you are notified. You can see my page for the School of Podcasting at refer.fm/schoolofpodcasting Dog Podcast Network Update: A Producer has been hired James Jacobson has hired a producer to help put his ideas into action as he is still collecting dog stories at www.dopodcastnetwork.com/101 and he hopes to have a great trailer next week to start promoting his flagship show launching in January. Keep in mind that you can always change your trailer (description, artwork, and more) any time you want with no consequences. Mentioned In This Episode Carey Green gets 8600 downloads per episode Horse Radio Network School of Podcasting Profit From Your Podcast Book Dog Podcast Network Earn points referring the School of Podcasting refer.fm/schoolofpodcasting There is also the School of Podcasting Affiliate programMentioned 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

When I searched for the word "Random" in a podcast directory, there were over 50 shows, with many of them talking about "whatever." Today I'm going to share why I think this is a bad idea and how being focused has help Carey Green get 8000+ downloads per episode for his Morning Mindset Daily Christian Devotional podcast.  How I've Seen Random Fail As a teacher for decades, I can say I've seen how humans are not fans of change. They like things to stay the same and be predictable. As a musician, I saw establishments that had comedy on Monday, Metal on Tuesday, Country on Wednesday.... in trying to have something for everyone, they alienated everyone as you never know what night it was.  I had a dog for 14 years, and for many years all of my friends made up their own nickname. The dog heard random name after random name. Consequently, he wouldn't come when you called him as he had not connected with his actual name.  The Power of the Niche On the Podcast Review Show (where you can get TWO consultants' insights for the price of one), Jason Sacco from the Ankylosing Spondylitis show shared how this podcast is attracting people who have this disease. This brings HUGE relief as many people have nobody to talk to who truly understands what it's like to have this pain-causing disease.  Jaspon has a focused niche, but that doesn't stamp out all creativity. He has been trying some live roundtables and hopes to continue to grow his audience as he moves forward. While Jason would like to monetize his show, currently building the community and the lack of feeling alone is quite a bonus already.  He has also been getting some press for his show.  Carey Green Gets to 8600 Downloads Per Episode  Carey Green hosts The Morning Mindset Daily Christian Devotional. When I hear about people with large amounts of downloads in just a few years (Carey is just under three years), I typically wonder if they had a large social following, email list, or built-in audience. In Carey's case, he had none of those. Here are some key points we covered in our interview: 20:10 Carey Green Getting 8600 Per Episode 21:43 Why Carey Started His Show 23:17 Daily Podcast Tips 24:34 Dealing With Haters 25:36 Polarizing People 25:59 Feedback From the Audience 26:58 Giving Your Audience What They Want 27:43 What Makes His Show Different 28:21 Starting a Premium Podcast 29:56 How is He Marketing His Show? 31:20 A Better Call To Action 32:05 Your Back Episodes in Stats 32:33 The One Different Thing 33:11 Teach Your Audience Your Slogan 35:43 Promoting the Show is Key 37:31 Carey Starts a Non-Profit 40:00 The Importance of Integrity What About Jordan Harbinger? Isn't His Show Filled With Random Guests? 40:54 If you listen to Jordan Harbinger's show opening, it sounds like he's just interviewing random interesting people. He mentions, "astronauts and entrepreneurs, spies in psychologists," which sounds like many random people. However, all those people are used to cover the topic of becoming a better critical thinker.  You Can Have Predictable Randomness Both Carey and Jordan do something different on Friday. While this is a different format than other episodes, by doing it in a consistent, predictable fashion, the audience can adapt. Jordan has mentioned that his "Feedback Friday" episodes are top-rated, and Carey's longer Prayer episodes were built on his audience's requests.  Getting Your Audience Subscribing and Returning For More When you deliver a message that the audience can identify with and say, oh, wow, that person really gets me, or I can use this information to transform myself and achieve that success. They're going to connect with you, and when they hear the call of a new episode, unlike my lovable little shi-Tzu Dudley, they are going to come running back to subscribe for more. The Launch of the Dog Podcast Network 12:15 I will be interviewing James Jacobson (a consulting client of mine) who is launching the Dog Podcast Network. Currently, James is running the 101 Dog Stories Contest. Submit your 5-15 minute segment to win a place in 101 Dog Stories, and you could win our grand prize of $5,000 USD. (Up to one hundred winners will take home $100 each.) It's pretty simple to enter the 101 Dog Stories Contest. Just record your very best dog-angle story and submit! Simple, not necessarily easy: your best dog-adjacent story should be polished, fully produced packages that are ready for broadcast. We're not taking pitches; we're taking up to 101 segments. Do your best work, and be proud of it before you submit! Check it out at www.dogpodcastnetwork.com/101  Start Your Podcast Today I would love to help you create a podcast that connects with our audience, makes you sound professional, positions yourself as an expert, and gets your message out on a global scale. You don't have to spend a million bucks to sound like a million bucks.  Join the School of Podcasting today Mentioned In This Episode Episode 752 with Steve and Mark The Morning Mindset Daily Christian Devotional Dog Podcast Network Ankylosing Spondylitis Podcast Jordan Harbinger Join the School of Podcasting Schedule a Podcast Coaching Call  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

Today we talk with Mark and Steve from the Podcast Editor Academy. While there are other resources that dive deep into audio, this website covers audio editing and goes deep into the "growing your editing business" side. If you're wondering how you get clients? They have sales scripts and insights from over 6000 editors. You don't have to know everything there is to know about audio to be an editor, and this website can help you start and grow a podcast editing service. My Favorite Podcast Is - DEADLINE December 14th, 2020 02:30 Every year the last episode of the year is made up of listeners (like you) sharing what their favorite podcast is and why (and be sure to mention your podcast as well). The deadline is December 14th, 2020 (next Monday) as it takes me some time to edit them all together. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question Podcast Editor Academy Founders Steve Stewart and Mark Deal Mark Deal has been helping businesses (especially lawyers) out of Atlanta and is the head of Podcast Atlanta (a HUGE group of podcasters). Steve Stewart started a financial podcast and started editing his friend's podcasts. This lead to another friend, and another friend which lead to Steve putting his podcast on pause and doing editing full time. He wanted a Facebook group that only talked about post-production so he created one (see http://podcasteditors.club/ ). Please note that the power of this group is it is clearly defined what they will (and more importantly will not ) talk about in the group. This makes it stand out from other groups, and it is growing at a rapid rate. The Podcast Editor Academy started with a conference of editors and continues to grow with special speakers, presentations, and roundtables. When I logged in, I was impressed with the smooth transition of content and resources. If your not sure if you should join the Podcast Editor Academy or Podcast Engineering School. Join the Academy as there is a HUGE discount for the Podcast Engineering School that will pay for the price of the Academy. So you could start with the Academy, and then if needed take a deep dive into audio using the discount for the Engineering School (along with many other discounts). If you want to start small, join the Facebook group and see what the discussions are like, and then joined the Academy when you're ready and keep up to date by signing up for their newsletter. Audio Editing Survey I'm thinking of launching my own editing service (or maybe include it as part of a package). As I always talk about giving your audience what they want, I need to know what you want when it comes to an audio editor (so I can decide if I want to pursue this or not). There is a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Go to www.audioeditingservice.com YouTube Video: Set it and Regret it? If you're using a "show player" from your media host, did you know you're not using blog posts for episodes you are missing a TON of Google Juice and SEO? Check out this video. Podpage Updates I interviewed Breden from Podpage back on episode 728 and since then there have been some new features added: Added a "host section" that sows bios of host(s) Added a guest(s) feature so you can see all the guests who have been on the show Added a store to sell products from different resources Added episode signature where you can add text/images/links that appear at the end of every episode. Update it in one place and it updates your website everywhere. SEE DEMO OF EPISODE SIGNATURES Want to see more tutorials on Podpage? Join my free class at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/learnpodpage Start Podcasting Join the School of Podcasting and get access to step by step tutorials, a mastermind of brilliant podcasting minds, live group coaching, and priority email access to me.  Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start Podcast Mentorship Program Looking to get started quickly check out the three-month mentoring program with full access to the School of Podcasting with additional one on one consulting. see https://www.theschoolofpodcasting.com/bundles/podcast-quick-start Got Podcast Questions? Schedule a coaching call and get your questions answered quickly, and get going in the right direction.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

Is Your Podcast Future Proof? I was asked by one of my editing clients to go back and edit some of their episodes and remove discussions that were about specific events at a specific time. In listening to their episodes there are a couple of strategies you can do to make your show future-proof. Always Use the Year The deadline for the question of the month is December 14th, 2020. By adding the year into the discussion, a listener knows that the episode has passed. But what about outdated information? If the episode consists of nothing but information that is outdated you can always delete that episode form your host and within 24 hours it will be removed from most apps. When I watch a movie and one of the characters says, "Why didn't you page me?" I can figure out that the movie is from the 1980's. I don't hold the movie studio responsible for outdated references. (Just my opinion). As always if you are delivering value to your audience, then keep it up and available. Use Timeless Landing Pages For example, I could say, "I'll have a link to the question of the month in today's episode at schoolofpodcasting.com/XXX, or just go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question. Every month when I do a question of the month I always have the same landing page. This way if someone goes to answer an older question that is outdated, while they are too late to answer the question from two months ago, they are in the right place to answer the current question. Another example of this is from Jordan Harbinger. Jordan gets mountains of downloads and makes a living with ads on his podcast. Jordan often has pages on the manufacturer's site such as hostgator.com/jordan but he also mentions that you can find more by going to jordanharbinger.com and clicking on the deals page. Here again, if there was a time-sensitive deal in place for the sponsor it may be too late, but you are now in the right place to find a deal from another sponsor that will help Jordan. If you're doing webinars you can say something like, "My webinar on the perfect gear is at schoolofpodcasting.com/perfectgear or just see the schedule for all of your webinars at schoolofpodcasting.com/webinars (where you would use your website - not mine.... :)  I realize you might say, "But I only have the one webinar. While this is true TODAY, in the future you might be doing one a week." When Glenn Hebert of the Horse Radio Network started it was a network with one show, but Glenn knew there would be more so he founded the Horse Radio Network. Reinforce Your Band By using your website you reinforce your brand, and you keep control of your content. For example, I have a Patreon account that I promote on the Ask the Podcast Coach where you can be an Awesome Supporter. Do I tell people to go to www.patreon.com/davejackson ? No. Why? Because what if something better comes along? Then I have a bunch of podcasts with mentions of a website I don't use. An example of this is web hosting. Over the years I've used Hostgator, Siteground, and Cooler Websites. Did I promote that company by mentioning their website? No, I told people to go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/hosting, and in the early days of my show that link went to Hostgator, and for years it went to Siteground, and then Cooler Websites. I might direct that at Podpage in the future. While this might confuse someone expecting a Hostgator link, but in the end, if the person is looking for hosting and you direct them to a hosting page, I feel (again an opinion) they should trust you, and if they have questions they can always contact you. Tools To Make Redirects If you are using WordPress, you can use the PrettyLinks plugin. There is a free version and the premium version starts at $49/year. It's been downloaded over 2.5 million times. Thirsty affiliates is a very similar plugin for about the same price ($49/year). If you're using Podpage Pro, redirects are one of the many features. (Check out the free "Learn PodPage" course ) While some people use bit.ly, I prefer Rebandly. Tools To Help Follow Your Money And.co In the past I used Freshbooks, but they charged their pricing (costing more if I had morse customer) and many of their features I didn't use (I just need to create invoices and track income and expenses). I found and.co and this does exactly what I want. There is a free version to allow you to kick the tires, and if you go with the pro plan it's $18/month (you get a discount when you purchase a year in advance).  I love their "shoebox" feature. When a bill comes into my email, I can forward it to an email at and.co and it adds it to my account where I can easily add it as an expense and categorize it for tax purposes. It is super easy, and I love it.  Check it out at https://supportthisshow.com/andco (aff link) You Need a Budget (YNAB) YNAB is a web-based tool that makes it sooo easy to track every penny you make (and more importantly every penny you spend). You can even integrate it directly with your bank so you don't have to do data entry (I import mine manually). It uses a different philosophy as you give each dollar "a job" so you can see exactly where you money is going. You can set up savings goals, and I attended a webinar to learn the software and was up and running quickly. It's $12/month of $89/year.  Check it out at https://supportthisshow.com/ynab Mentioned In This Show Profit From Your Podcast Book Join the School of Podcasting How to Fix a Mistake Episode My Podcast Reviews Ask the Podcast Coach Dave's Patreon Account Jordan Harbinger's Deal Page Schedule a Podcast Coaching Call Join the School of Podcasting Avoid sounding unprofessional, buying the wrong equipment, and creating content that isn't good.  The School of Podcasting has step by step tutorials, Live Group Coaching, and a private Facebook group filled with brilliant podcasting minds.  Join worry-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.  Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start  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

Today we talk about the 1.7 billion dollar mistake that was Quibi and how we can learn from their mistake. We also take a look at the power of follow up questions, and the best place to buy gear.  Table of Contents 01:22 Your Favorite Podcast - Send in Your Answer 02:56 Now That's A Good Question: Howard Stern and Wolfgang Van Halen 06:35 Join the School of Podcasting 07:33 Lessons From Quibi 13:24 They Blew Their Launch 16:12 Big Name Celebrities 19:02 Make It Easy To Share Your Content 21:05 It's Not the Tech 23:28 Clueless About the Competition 29:49 Who is the Audience? 33:29 The Best Place to Buy Gear: Sweetwater 36:07 Your Audience Awaits Exercise How to Avoid the 1.7 Billion Dollar Mistake that Was Quibi Quibi is an over-the-top American short-form streaming platform that generates content for viewing on mobile devices. It was founded in Los Angeles in August 2018 as NewTV by Jeffrey Katzenberg (chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994) and is led by Meg Whitman ( She is a board member of Procter & Gamble and Dropbox. Whitman was previously president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise), its CEO. In 2019 Variety reported that Quibi had secured 100 million dollars in advertising before the service had even launched. On February 2, 2020, they spent $5.6 million for 30 seconds on an ad in the Super Bowl that was seen by a reported 99.9 million viewers.  That is $18 per person if you round up. This for a service where subscribers can get the service for $5 per month with ads, or $8 per month without them.  That $5.6 million was a drop in the bucket. The commercial was really stupid and didn't really answer or explain what the heck it was. You just knew it was less than 10 minutes. They explained what is was, but not so much why it was or how you would benefit. It raised $1.75 billion from investors. It had a variety of shows featuring originals with Jennifer Lopez, Chrissy Teigen, Chance the Rapper, Liam Hemsworth, Sophie Turner, Lena Waithe, Nicole Richie, Reese Witherspoon. Quibi offered a 90-day free trial to those who sign up on its website before April 6. Overall, it plans to release 175 original shows and 8,500 episodes in the first year. Their lineup has a ton of stars, celebrities, etc It launched on April 6, 2020. It is set to shut down "on or about" December 1, 2020. December 1 is 239 days. That is $7,322,175.73 a day. Here is my thoughts on why this was such an epic fail. They Blew Their Launch When you spend $5.6 million dollars on a Super Bowl ad, they should have an idea what you do and what is in it for them. In the event, the ad inspired people to check out the service (it didn't), you should be able to go check it out and not have to wait four months. Yes, you can build buzz, but for me, I never heard from quibi again. Putting All Their Faith in Celebrities Here are some of the names that appear on shows: Jennifer Lopez, Kristen Bell, Nick Jonas, Tracy Morgan, Aaron Rodgers, Yara Shahidi, Gabriel Iglesias, Anthony Davis, Kevin Hart and Karlie Kloss. Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Dapper Dan, Jay Leno, and Wolfgang Puck (and that's just some). The people involved had experience Phil Abraham has directed the Sopranos, Madmen, Daredevil, Ozark. No Compelling Content Yet, there was no breakout show that inspired the people who had found Quibi to tell a friend about Quibi. Nobody was compelled to tell a friend. They did recaps of the previous days news or sports updates. WOW what revolutionary content! They Made it Hard To Share According to Media Analyst Josh Consine there was no sharing capability (no screenshots) which limited your ability to go viral. When it first launched you could only watch it on your phone. There were no apps, not Fire TV, Chromecast. They made it "hard" to consume. They took away choices from the consumer. They Put Their Faith in the Tech One thing that set them apart was a feature called Turnstyle. This meant that if you rotate the phone horizontal to verticle, you would get a different camera angle. Neat? Sure. Something so cool I had to tell my friends? Apparently not as I had never heard of it until I started researching how you blow 1.7 billion and lose. In a nutshell, Turnstyle served you two video streams simultaneously and “stitches them together” with a single audio track. Since we're talking about the Tech, a company sued Quibi shortly after their launch company called Eko alleged that Quibi stole the technology after Eko demoed it to employees of the company, including founder and chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. Even when you have billions in funding, lawsuits are expensive. Clueless About the Competition They were charging $5/$8 a month for new content. Look at Disney, Netflix, Hul. While they have original content, they all have old favorites as well. They also have a way to add more than one person under your account (so when your kids login under your account your recommendations don't all turn into cartoons). This was not the case to Quibi. It figured each person was watching on their phone. One person per account. This gets expensive and now anyone who wants to see what you're talking about has to use your phone. It is reported that CEO Whitman repeatedly said "We're not competing with Netflix." Think about that one for a minute. That's like a radio station saying, "All of our songs are under four minutes long. We don't compete with other stations." Lack Of Focus Group? In one article that was published right after they launched it stated, "Quibi’s executives have hinted that the company will deliver on a TV experience if customer feedback and data warrant it. " Well they did add support for Apple's airplay and Chromecast, but at the expense of the Turnstyle technology. They did release an app for Roku and Fire TV - the day before they announced were closing down. It seemed like they didn't understand how people used their phones or consumed content. Did they think that because the average length of a YouTube video is 11 minutes that making "short" videos would be the key? Meanwhile, TikTok was taking off with all sorts of celebrities making their own channels. TikTok is free. Did Quibi follow the Facebook strategy and buy them or "borrow features" and add them to their platform? No. They were doing something different and nobody cared. They Didn't Answer the Number Question: WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE The idea was people could watch these short clips while waiting in line, or on the bus. When you think of people consuming content on their phone you might think it would be younger people. Yet you're trying to attract those people with Steven Spielberg and Jay Leno? Sure Cardi B appeared in an episode, but they needed to define. If the content is for busy people, who are the busy people and what do they want to watch? According to an article in Forbes, Katzenberg and Whitman said, "We created a new form of mobile-first premium storytelling." They did. But the stories weren't any good. Now That's a Good Question 02:56  Today we listen to Howard Stern ask a great follow-up question to Wolfgang Van Halen. While he started off with a yes/no question, but then asked a few follow-up questions lead to the information you can't get anyplace else, and listen to how Howard shuts up and lets Wolfgang wrestle with a potentially uncomfortable topic.  Sweetwater is My New Favorite Place to Order Gear 33:29 My co-host for Ask the Podcast Coach Jim Collison ordered something from Sweetwater and told me about their INSANE customer service. I recently saw where they were one of the few people to have the new Zoom Podtrak P4 IN STOCK and I see what he means. I was called to let me know my order had shipped, and to let me know if I had any issues I could call them. So here is why I think they are the best: Prices are just as good (and in some cases better) than Amazon Free shipping (even on small stuff) Built-in two-year warranty  Free tech support  Payment plans available if needed. My goal is to build more of a relationship with Sweetwater (as I have a dedicated rep) which should keep me in touch with podcasting technology going forward. In full disclosure, I earn a referral reward (but that's why I ordered something as I wanted to see for myself)  Your Audience Awaits Exercise I'm listening to the book Unhackable: The 30-Day Elixir for Creating Flawless Ideas, Leveraging Superhuman Focus, and Achieving Optimal Performance Through Flow its a very interesting book that you can listen/read to one chapter per day. The one exercise was to write yourself an email from your future audience as is these people who are waiting for you to start your show. SO MANY TIMES I hear people worried about having trolls or people say negative things. I say, What about ALL THE POSITIVE that could happen? Think of going to your inbox and see an email with the title, "Just wanted to say Thank you." You open it and it starts, "Hello, I just wanted to reach out. You may not believe this but due to your podcast....  and the listener explains how you made them feel. How they no longer felt alone. How they were taken to a place where the stress of work, life, and more melted away.  This could happen. But your podcast can't help people if you don't start your podcast. You can't update a show that doesn't exist. Please let me help you, as your audience is waiting. 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

The show is filled with "Because of My Podcast" stories. We also have a great example of a good question, and a reminder that Apple is going on Holiday soon (very important if you wanted a podcast ready to go in January 20201). SPONSOR: SCHOOL OF PODCASTING Ready to start your podcast? Got a podcast and you need to grow it? Join the School of podcasting and get instant access to: Step by step tutorials Live group coaching Access to a private (spam-free) Facebook Group filled with other brilliant podcasting minds Premium access to Dave. Join worry-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start Because of My Podcast, I Got a Book Published, that Inspired a Podcast I was contacted by a publisher to write the book Profit from Your Podcast: Turn Your Listeners Into Livelihood and it took a lot of work, but it's getting very good reviews. This lead David Hooper (author of the book Big Podcast, and host of Red Podcast and Big Podcast) along with Jeff Sanders of the 5 AM Miracle podcast (author of the book with the same name) got together to create a series called Podcast Profits which promotes my book. The podcast is called Podcast Profits: Make Money (and more) With Your Podcast Dave called me to let me know what he was planning, and to make sure it was OK to have "Because of My Podcast" stories. As they were talking about me, I was fine with that. I was really surprised that they didn't mention/plug their podcasts or their company Voxphonix until the last episode (and it was very minimal). Because of My Podcast, Leslie Eiler Thompson Got to Participate in the Iditarod Dog Race in Alaska 05:39 Leslie is a Multimedia Producer & Creator in Nashville, and she shares the story of not only being able to interview one of the top champions in Sled Dog Racing, but she eventually ended up as part of his team and participated in the race. Rick Coste Interview: Audio Drama Podcast Leads to Bigger Things Because of His Podcast, Rick Coste Got to Work with Marvel Rick Coste approached me with a "Because of My Podcast" story. He's got an agent who wants to turn his podcast Evolution Talk into a book. He's been on TV and got to work with Marvel on their This Week in Marvel podcast as well as their Women of Marvel podcast. He does sound design and post-production as well as producing other shows (see https://www.rickcoste.com/podcast-production/ ) His first crack at audio drama the Behemoth is still getting very impressive downloads. Rick shares how he creates his soundscapes, his technology, and insights into sound effects. 17:12 Rick Coste Interview 17:54 When did Rick get into podcasting? 19:39 Getting into audio dramas 20:50 How did you find actors? 22:25 Impressive Downloads 24:10 Getting to work with Marvel 26:40 Tips for Starting an Audiodrama 28:27 What software Rick Uses 28:45 Sound effects resources 29:21 Struggling with perfection 30:53 Giving notes to actors 34:06 Passion Project? Check Out Rick at: https://www.rickcoste.com/ https://modernaudiodrama.com/ Now That's a Good Question 08:53 This is a new segment I am adding today. While I hear people say "That's a good question" when IT'S JUST NOT. So now, when I hear an actual good question, I thought I would spotlight it. This example is from an interview by Lars Ulrich (the drummer for Metallica) who is interviewing Noel Gallagher (of Oasis) and Lars asks him how he feels about doing some of the older songs that were mammoth hits in the 90's when he has his own solo songs now. Noel starts to answer the question on how it makes his audience feel, Lars interrupts and asks, "But what do they mean to YOU." Lars then does something brilliant and Noel takes a deep breath. He shuts up and lets him think. The longer he lets him think - the better the answer. Eventually, Noel explains how those songs mean the world to him. Noel wasn't really answering the question, and Lars pointed him in the right direction. Catch the who interview on YouTube Thanks to Wayne Henderson of mediavoiceovers.com for his awesome tones. Podcast Rewind: Where I've Been 13:58 I appeared on The Author Inside You Podcast talking about listening to your audience and the book Profit From Your Podcast 16:26 I appear on Podcasting Experiments talking about the book Profit From Your Podcast What Is Your Favorite Podcast and Why? Every year the last episode is you answering the question, "What is your favorite podcast and why." Now I want to know about your show as well, so if I answered the question it would sound like this: Hey this is Dave Jackson and I host the School of Podcasting show where I help you plan, launch, and grow your podcast. You can find me at schoolofpodcasting.com. My favorite show is (name of show ) at (their website address) where they (what they talk about on their show) and the reason I love it is (as a detailed answer as you can provide). I need the answer by December 14th. Apple Holiday Schedule 10:40 The door to have a show ready on all the platforms come January 2021 is closing. Dont' forget Apple goes on holiday twice between now and then. Here is their holiday schedule: November 22 to December 2 December 23 to January 2 Which means you should submit your show to them almost immediately. If you have questions, let's schedule a coaching call. Mentioned In this Podcast Profit from Your Podcast: Turn Your Listeners Into Livelihood Dave on the Business of Podcasting Show Part 1, Part 2 Leslie Eiler Thompson Check out Leslie on the Podcast Review Show Big Podcast 5 AM Miracle podcast Voxphonix modernaudiodrama.com 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

I had someone ask me about starting a podcast. They wanted to "Stand Out" without "Niching Down." The easiest way to stand out is to Niche down. When you do a show like We Have Cancer, Adoptees On, or the Chameleon Breeder, you get providing information that people can't get anyplace else. You end up with a smaller audience size, but a more engaged audience. Podcasting is Closer to Cable Television Than Radio In this clip of "The Loudest Voice," you will hear actor Russel Crowe as Roger Ailes explains how he doesn't want a wide audience. He's is going to purposely make content for a demographic that is being underserved. Roger went on the grow Fox news which dominated cable news for decades. When you turn on cable, you get channels on cooking, animal sports, outdoors, and none of the channels will get anywhere near the audience of the major networks. However, you will have people like my ex-wife who watch HGTV like her life depended on it. COVID Took Natalie Kennedy's Job - Podcasting Delivered Her Dream Today I talk with Natalie Kennedy who is the host of the Anxious Love Podcast. The podcast is where Natalie covers relationship anxiety, ROCD, and upgrading love partnerships-- how to go from DOUBTING your relationship to LOVING it and gushing about your man. You can see where she already has gone from the wide topics of relationships and she niched down. Just like a cable channel.  The show is for women. The show is for women having an issue with their relationships. The show is for women who are doubting their relationships and worried about commitment. Today you will hear: 00:58 Podcasting is Closer To Cable TV Than Radio 06:09 Natalie Kennedy Interview 07:13 Natalie Knows Her Niche 09:53 How She Picked Her Niche 11:07 Natalie's Transparency and how she describes her services 12:03 Dealing with Impostor Syndrome 13:37 Proof Of Concept - She had people asking for her services before she offered them. 15:45 Starting Her Podcast 16:41 How Many Episodes Does She Have? - This all happened really fast. 16:55 Is the Podcast Bringing in Clients? - ( spoiler - yes it is !) 17:21 Coaching Insights - How she gets people to open up. 18:45 You Don't Have to Know Everything - Just more than your clients. 19:37 How is Her Business Doing? 20:19 Pivots Don't Kill You  21:00 When Your Message Differs From Mainstream ( this is how you stand out).  Find Natalie at https://www.anxiouslovecoach.com/   23:05 Apple Holiday Break  November 22 to December 2 December 23 to January 2 Mistakes Breed Confidence 24:20 If you wait until things are 100% perfect, you'll never launch. Mistakes (are still something we want to avoid) leave to growth. I just moved, and the house is old, and I learned how to fix holes in walls. I hired a contractor who makes a mistake. Did I freak out? No. My experience with fixing previous holes help me stay calm, and I knew what to do. When you make a mistake, realizing you are growing as a person (or you can hire a mentor to help you avoid them, and learn that way). How Long Does it Take To Make Money with a Podcast? 25:22 I get this question all the time. In my travels, I started seeing an answer that start to appear, and reappear over and over. That answer is three years. Obviously Natalie today beat that record. Why do I tell people three years? I started making snippets every time I hear that answer. I forgot to write down who the first clip is. The other three are from Content Heroes Podcast. (Alex Nerney episode) The Business of Podcasting (Gert Mellak interview ) Dave from the Cigar Authority, on Ask the Podcast Coach.  Dave's book David VS Goliath What To Do When You are Face to Face with Your Audience 28:33 Just a quick clip showing that I practice what I preach, and when you have a listener in front of you take advantage. Zoom Podtrak P8 Follow Up 30:23 I talked about the Zoom Podtrak P8 in my last episode. I had mentioned that there was an issue with a noise in the headphones. That is definitely an issue. Also, there is no timer count down for the jingle buttons. This makes "talking up" any kind of music a real challenge. Join the School of Podcasting Worry Free 33:20 You can try the private Facebook group, go through the step-by-step videos, and even attend one of the group coaching sessions, and any time in the first 30 days if you're not happy, you can stop and I will refund your money. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start Natalie's Top Relationship Tip 33:22 I asked Natalie what she sees the most when it comes to her clients in regards to relationship issues. She has a really, really good answer. Coming Attractions 36:15 I will be showing you how to convert your RSS feed into an Excel Spreadsheet on my YouTube Channel I will be interviewing Rob Coste who ended up working with a MAJOR company that will make you say WOA!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

Your Podcast is A Steam Train I often say that when you start out, your show is rolling slow. As it keeps moving, it gets faster and faster. It just takes time, consistency (of schedule, and value). Kim Krajci of Toastmasters 101 pointed me toward this YouTube video from Box Angeles. This video shows Mellisa Hunter who has a hilarious series of Adult Wednesday Adams and how one video in that series went viral and her back episodes starting taking off with the original video.  More Cool Podcast Gear For Podcasters One of the great things about podcasting getting more and more popular, is more and more products are coming to the marketing Specifically for podcasters. Zoom Recently came out with the Podtrak P4 (for me this is THE go-to piece of equipment). Now they've come out with the Podtrak P8 which is a direct competitor of the Rodecaster Pro from Rode. Neither one of these units is a bad purchase. They both make it easier to create great sounding podcasts. Who Is This For? The Zoom Podtrak P8 (and the Rodecaster Pro) allow you to: Record up to six people in the same room. Report a remote interview via SB Connect and record a smartphone Play live sounds via touch buttons. Comparing Different Features of the Units. For me, I am always connected to my computer via a USB cable. This is for zoom calls, or recording directing into software. Keep this in mind when I talk about different tests. I do one live show on Saturday morning where I record to the internal card, or if I'm doing an interview (I use it as a back up).  Power Both the Zoom and Rode can be operated via batteries (The Rodecaster has an optional DC-USB-1 cable that enables you to plug in a USB battery). The Zoom P8 uses double-A batteries or can be powered via a USB cable. So with the Rode, you will have a USB and a power cable. With the Zoom P8, you can power it with just your USB cable. Advantage Zoom P8 Price The Rodecaster Pro currently lists for $599. USB Power Cable for RODECaster Pro $20 Total: $619 The Zoom P8 is listing for $499. Zoom BTA-2 Bluetooth Adapter $49 Total: $548 Advantage Zoom P8 Input Channels ZOOM P8 This is an interesting one, as the Zoom P8 has six XLR inputs. It has a dedicated channel to the phone input. This means you have a total of seven inputs. The USB interface on the zoom is used in place of one of the XLR inputs. You could have five XLR inputs, one USB, and One phone. Rodcaster Pro The rodecaster pro has four XLR inputs. Then it has a dedicated channel for a phone. It has a dedicated channel for the USB interface. It has another channel for Bluetooth. This means you have a total of seven inputs. You could have four XLR, one USB, One Phone and one bluetooth. Comments: The blue tooth is built into the Rodecaster, and the P8 has the ability to have one more XLR input. Advantage? Tie. Number of Outputs The Zoom has six headphone outputs, and a stereo output. The Rodecaster has four headphone outputs and a stereo output. The plugs are on the back of the Rodecaster where the inputs on the Zoom are on the face. Advantage: Zoom. Marker Feature Both units have the ability to add markers. Advantage? Tie Normalization While there is no normalization in the hardware of the Rodecaster, using the additional software on your computer you can have the files normalized with multiple settings with presets for Apple, Audible. The P8 has a normalizing feature built into the unit. There are no details on if this is peak normalization or loudness normalization. It appeared to be peak. Advantage Rodecaster Recording Mode Both units provide each individual tracks along with a stereo mixdown of the whole recording. The Rodecaster provides the ability to turn off the individual track recording and just provide the stereo mixdown. This enables you to not have a ton of extra tracks when you don't want them, which doesn't take up as much storage on your storage card. Advantage: Rodecaster Effects Both units provide effects for each track. Zoom P8: The Zoom provides bass and treble controls. It was one combination compressor/De-esser. There is also a limiter and low cut. Rodecaster: Each track has Aphex effects built-in. This includes a de-esser, compressor, big bottom (bass), and aurel exciter (treble), high pass filter (low cut), reverb, and what my favorite feature - a noise gate. Neither unit provides the full slate of effects to the USB channel (which is frustrating). Advantage: Rodecaster (by far much more control). File Management Zoom: The zoom uses an SD Card and allows you to delete and rename files on the unit. Both units have a card slot on the back of the unit. The Rodecaster uses a microSD card. In my case, I have to put the microSD card into an adapter to insert it into my computer. Advantage (due to ease of use): Zoom P8 Sample Rate The Rodecaster Pro has a sample rate of 48 khz The Zoom P8 has a sample rate of 44.1kHz For me, this is no big deal, but if you're doing video it probably is (video people love a sample rate of 48 khz) Advantage: Rodecaster Transfer Speed I took a wave file and put it on both cards. It was 557M and then copied and pasted it to my computer. The Rodecaster tool one minute 14 seconds, the Zoom P8 took one minute two seconds so it appears to be slightly faster. One thing I do like more on the Zoom is when you put it into transfer mode, it doesn't make you confirm. I do not understand this on the Rodecaster as you have to somewhat hunt to get to it, so why do I have to confirm it (both on and off). Advantage: Zoom P8 PreAmps The specs show that: Rodecaster: 0dB – 55dB Zoom P8: 0 – +70 dB I recorded on both units and found the difference in noise was almost nonexistent. If you have to listen that hard to see if there is noise, you're fine. Advantage: Footprint (Dimensions) Rodecaster Pro: 350 x 275 x 82 mm (13.8 X 10.8 X 3.2 inches) Zoom P8: 295 × 248  × 61 mm  MM ( 11.6 X 9.7 X 2.4 inches) The big difference here is the XLR inputs are on the face of the Zoom P8 and on the back of the Roadcaster. This extends the height to by 2.5" (64 mm). Likewise all the headphone/output jacks also on the back s0 the Rodecaster does take up more space on my desk. Sound Pads With the Rodecaster you have to use the free additional software to bring your files on to the Rodecaster. With the Zoom P8 you can drag them on to the card and bring them into the unit. It even converts the files if needed. The Zoom had 9 pads where the Rodecaster has 8. Both allow you to scroll through the screen to switch between multiple pages. Advantage: Zoom P8 Quality of Outputs/Headphones In going back and forth between the two units, I did notice more noise in the headphones when using the Zoom P8. This noise wasn't on the recording, but a bit of a bummer when what you're hearing is not what you're recording. Advantage Rodcaster Noise Gate Vs Noise Reduction One of the KEY features of the Rodecaster is the ability to add a noise gate to channels (sadly not the USB). The Zoom has a feature called, "Noise Reduction" When multiple mics are being used to record sound, the noise reduction function of the P8 suppresses background noise to a constant level by automatically reducing the levels of the mic inputs not being used by people. Sadly, I tried to test this, but living alone, I couldn't really put the Noise Reduction into practice and Zoom doesn't talk about it much in their videos. Advantage: Rodecaster (as a gate is better than reduction) Mic Modeling This is a feature only available on the Rodcaster. For example, you can use presets for the Rode Podmic, EV RE20, and with a push of a button, your channel is set to your microphone (video). Combining Files / Editing You can combine files into one, you can trim files, add fade-ins and out. (Basic editing without a computer). This is only available on the Zoom P8 Summary: When you look at the features I covered: Power: Zoom P8 Price: Zoom P8 Input Channels: Tie Number of Outputs: Zoom P8 Quality of Outputs: Rodecaster Marker: Tie Normalization: Rodecaster Recording Mode: Rodecaster Effects: Rodecaster File Management: Zoom P8 Sample Rate: Rodecaster Transfer Speed: Zoom P8 PreAmps: Zoom P8 Sound Pads: Zoom P8 Noise Gate/Reduction: Rodecaster Mic Modeling: Rodecaster Combining/Editing: Zoom P8 There are 17 items and the Zoom Podtrak P8 had eight of these, with two ties and the Rodecaster having an advantage in seven of them. You can see that its very close, but for some, they may argue as the areas where the Rodecaster comes out on top is on boosting the sound (the Aphex Processing) and in that area, the Rodecaster is much better. HOWEVER, keep in mind that you can use something like the Schepps Omni Channel plugin on sale for $69 (and sometimes even less) and you can all this processing in post-production. So Again, It Depends So if you're doing a ton of live streaming, you may want the extra processing (and noise gate) to keep things sounding great as you go live. However, if you have large fingers and hate having to take out that tiny MicroSD card and having to deal with adapters and confirmation prompts, the ease of use of the Zoom Podtrack P8 may provide you a better experience than the Rodecaster. Conclusion: As I said at the beginning if you are having (Let's pretend there is no COVID) multiple people in the studio with you, both of these machines make it easy. The P8 gives you two more mic inputs (which, for me is a lot of guests for one podcast). If you like ease of use, and are not going to obsess about your sound then the Zoom P8 is a good fit for you. If you don't mind having to do a bit more searching through menus to find what you are looking for (to enable you to sound better) then the Rodecaster might be the way to go. Mentioned In This Episode Join the School of Podcasting Rodcaster Pro from Rode Zoom Podtrak P8 Zoom Podtrak P4 Electrovoice RE20Mentioned 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