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

Simply Sound Company SS1 PreAmp Review While I've never used any preamps like the Triton Audio Fethead Microphone Preamp or the Cloudlifter CL-1, I was really impressed with the amazing amount of boost to the sound. The large dose of extra gain can make help a budget microphone/preamp combination sound clean and more professional. Some microphones such as the Heil Pr-40 and the Sure SM7B are known for really low outputs. This creates a situation where you have to turn the gain up on your mixer or recording device. This can leave the door open for added hiss depending on your mixer or recording device. The Simply Sound SS1 is designed for dynamic microphones only. More Clean Gain Triton Audio Fethead provides 27 db of clean gain with a price for $89 Cloudlifter CL-1 provides 25 db of clean gain for $149 The Simply Sound SS1 - provide 27 db of gain for $99 The Simply Sound website shows the Fethead at a $149 price tag, but at BNH, I show a price of $89 My Opinion As I had said, never using any preamp (besides the one in my mixer, and I've also used the DBX 286,  and the Aphex 230) even without a preamp, I never thought I sounded bad. With that said, the concept makes sense. I know that when I turn the gain up on any mixer there comes a point where noise is introduced. Using the SS1, I basically turned my gain all the way down. The construction is super rugged and resembles the Cloudlifeter all-metal casing (but cooler looking in black) you're not going to break this. You do need some phantom power (so a typical route might be to plug your microphone into the SS1. Then plug the ss1 into your mixer. The mixer would need to have the Phantom Power Turned on. For my recording today I had my EV Re320 going into the SS1 and that went directly into the Zoom H5. It was an amazing amount of boost. How I did the test. I set my levels using the H5 recorded some audio, removed the SS1 from the chain, and plugged it back into my Zoom H5 without touching any knobs. Do you NEED this? As with all things podcasting, it depends. If you're happy with your audio, no. If you struggle to get enough signal into your recorder, or the sound has a fair amount of noise, then this is well worth the money. Check it out at simplysound.co Second Line Podcasting WordPress Theme I no longer recommend Appendipity themes. This is a theme I loved and have on most of my websites. The face of the company Joey Kissimmee was last seen online in late 2016, and they are no longer replying to any support emails that I send. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I've done this. Semiologic was a cool theme until Thesis came out. Then they went from needing no knowledge of code to having to know a ton of code. I really like Appendipity themes as there was a lot of flexibility (and no need for knowledge of code). I love the Divi theme, but they come close to having too much flexibility and people can get overwhelmed because it does everything (and the learning curve can be a bit large). Divi is a well-managed theme, with a huge community and awesome support. You can join Elegant Themes (the creators of Divi) for $89 a year. I did the one time fee of $249 for lifetime access. In addition to their themes, they have some cool plugins. One thing I just discovered is when you purchase a Second Line Theme, you can only use it on one website. This puts it int the "Depends" situation. The good news there is a one time fee. On the Evanto market, it shows six months of support with extended support for $17.63 a year. If you have multiple sites (for me I have at least four) that can add up ($59 X 4 = $236). Second Line Theme Support So far Second Line support has been great answering all my questions. The theme I'm using (Dixie) is skewing my featured image. When I informed this of the problem, they told me exactly what to do if I wanted to edit some files. The means you're going to need to understand FTP, and not be afraid to edit some code (always make a backup of any files you are editing when it comes to theme code). I was surprised that the theme allowed a featured image to be skewed disproportional as I don't know ANY designer that would allow an image to be reshaped (and if you have any text on your image it makes it blurry). The Power Of Elementor While the Second Line theme makes it easy to set colors, headers, and the theme seems to make it possible to adjust everything (except a skewing featured image...) what I also found amazing was a free plugin that they recommend you use (and they have some built-in features for it ) called Elementor. This is an open source page builder (That looks a lot like, Divi). This will work with most themes, and its a super easy drag and drop page builder. The cool thing is you can use that plugin on any theme.  Always Consider Your Source I hear people that advise new podcasters and they try to sell people packages and strategies that work for them. The problem is they are not you. For example, as I have multiple websites, I might lean toward Divi over Second Line. If you had one website, then a like Dixie or Satchmo might be just the trick if you only have one website. It might be a better fit for you. What Is Up With Libsyn Stats? Libsyn rolled out new stats back on September 18th. Here are our blog posts that go over the stats changes: https://blog.libsyn.com/2017/09/18/stats-overhaul-iab-compliance-podcasts-stats-libsyn-company-announcement/ https://blog.libsyn.com/2017/09/18/libsyn-stats-overhaul-need-know/ NOTE:  Libsyn sent out an email to all Libsyn users on September 18th - if you did not see that email - you might want to check your spam folder.  It would have gone to the email registered to your Libsyn account. Rob Walch  also talked about it more on our latest episode of the Libsyn Podcast: http://thefeed.libsyn.com/105-stats-follow-up-and-apple-podcasts-feed-tags The conversation starts right after the promo at the 52 Minute mark. My Poker Game Analogy Picture yourself at a poker game (a really, really big table) Ben Robins, Audible.com Lindsay Lawrence, WideOrbit Ilwira Marciszek, AdLarge Media Eurry Kim, New York Public Radio Earl Swigert, WideOrbit Yukifumi Touya, Digital Advertising Consortium Inc. Hirofumi Kanda, Cyber Communications Inc. Dan Misener, Pacific Content Mohammad Al-Abdullah, RhythmOne Jose Alvarez Muguerza, BlogTalkRadio John Zoephel, Pandora Kevin McCaul, Acast Stories USA John Rosenius, Acast Stories USA Ilham Elkatani, DoubleVerify Steve Mulder, National Public Media Stephen Haptonstahl, National Public Media Candace Williams, BlogTalkRadio David Marple, Triton Digital Conrad Trautmann, Westwood One Robert Peterson, Westwood One Bob Charish, BlogTalkRadio Jason Cox, Slate Bosko Milekic, AdGear Technologies, Inc. Francois Fortin, AdGear Technologies, Inc. Andy Toh, BlogTalkRadio Bruno Nieuwenhuys, Adswizz Inc Rob Walch, Libsyn Joel Withrow, Slate Erik Barraud, Adswizz Inc Erik Diehn, Midroll Media Robert Freeland, Podtrac Dan Jeselsohn, New York Public Radio Angelo Mandato, RawVoice Hugo Martel, Triton Digital Tim Clarke, Cox Media Group Greg Batusic, PodcastOne Hernan Lopez, Wondery LLC Allan Bressler, CBS Local Norm Pattiz, PodcastOne Kit Gray, PodcastOne Jim Kott, WideOrbit Rob Kass, Nielsen Millie Mrvica, Westwood One Jaime Singson, Sizmek Kelli Hurley, Westwood One Brian Lynch, Westwood One Ryan Granner, ESPN.com Joe Mead, ESPN.com Skyler Tobey, ESPN.com Jennifer Susalis, CBS Local Silvia Mihailescu, Adswizz Inc Stefan Olson, Minnesota Public Radio Karim Rayes, RhythmOne Todd Cochrane, RawVoice Jean-Luc Wasmer, Triton Digital Peter deVroede, Midroll Media Todd Pringle, Midroll Media Yi Huang, Condé Nast Gregg Rogers, Sizmek Alixandra Liner, New York Public Radio Brett Robinson, National Public Media The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership is comprised of more than 650 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital advertising or marketing campaigns. They were up to deal the next hand and they stated that "downloads are wild" and everyone went "WHAT?" at the table and they didn't want downloads to be wild. For the industry to be able to move forward, the table had to come together and decide on what would constitute a download. Their answer can be seen in this report. They are currently working on a second version.  If you were going to "Sit at the table" you had to agree to the terms and they all did. Much like when the music industry went from Cassettes to CD's it was a pain. This meant we had to buy all of our favorite music again. But the audio was better. As a music listener, I had no choice but to buy a CD player. It's the way the industry went. Could Libsyn communicate better? I guess so, there is always room for improvement. It gets tough as no podcast company is going to peel back the curtain 100% as if they tell you how they do their stats, you open the door for people to game the system. I personally don't know the formula (I just help you "drive the car" as a Libsyn support person, I don't build it). This is similar to the guy who throws the chicken in the Fryer at KFC. He knows hows to cook the chicken but has no idea what the 11 herbs and spices are. The numbers are lower as the INDUSTRY (remember to poker table above) decided to move toward a number closer to the unique downloads This is an Industry-Wide Situation I did a test over the last few weeks, and I released an episode that had tracking from Libsyn, Podtrac, and Blubrry. In a recent episode of Podcast Ninja, Todd Cochrane explained how years ago Podtrac, Blubrry, and Libsyn came up with specs for an organization for the Association of Downloadable Media (it starts at the 11:44  mark ). So for years, Podtarac, Blubrry, and Libsyn were close in numbers. Fast forward to today and due to how apps are now consuming media it appears that the larger the file size, the greater your numbers were being inflated. So last week I sent out a file that I encoded at 320 kbps (DO NOT DO THIS) and here are my numbers after 24 hours. Libsyn: 1193 Podtrac: 991 Blubrry 1748 If you click into the episode on Blubrry you will see the number of 1247 unique downloads which is closer to the IAB standard that Libsyn and Blubrry are using. You Didn't Lose Your Audience I know it is quite a blow to your ego to have the total number of downloads decline, in some cases, people are losing large amounts of their audience. The truth is the same people that listened to your last episode are listening to your current episode. The way it is reported is different. In a way, it's like if we all told time in minutes. There were 1440 minutes in a day, and then everyone decided to tell time in hours and agreed there are 60 minutes in an hour. So now there are 24 hours in a day. That sounds like a lot less than 1440, but I didn't lose any time. I just changed the way I report it. Obviously, those who have CPM deals with advertisers are in a completely different situation. Remember that some of the people on the IAB technical board were from companies like Midroll, Adswizz and other advertising companies. It doesn't make it any better, but they should have an idea of why this is happening as they were they during the planning. Yes it Sucks As I said, any time your numbers go down, it hurts. Hang in there, they will go back up (if you look at the Edison research on podcast listenership on the graph there is one year where it shows the numbers went down - why? They changed the criteria). In the long run, the podcast industry will benefit from this move. It Will Get Better I was recently in the Libsyn headquarters in Pittsburgh PA, and I got a brief tour of the new stats. It looked very impressive as libsyn continues to bring you the best media hosting in the industry. Use the coupon code sopfree. Start Podcasting in Six Weeks  I'm bringing back the six-week group coaching class where we meet live on Saturdays and we walk through the whole process. You can start with zero, and by the end of February have a well researched, properly planned, properly executed podcast. To be first in line go to www.startpodcastinginsixweeks.com Where Will I Be? Big Podcasts - Nashville, TN October 21st I will be attending the Big Podcast Event put on by David Hooper and Rik Roberts about growing your audience in Nashville Tennessee see bigpodcasts.com DC Pofest - Washing DC November 10-11, 2017 I will be in DC at DCPodfest speaking on "Is Your Podcast Making These Mistakes?" Podfest Multimedia Expo - Orlando Fl February 8-10 I will be presenting at the Podfest Multimedia Expo in Orlando Florida see podfest.us Social Media Marketing World - San Diego, CA The ultimate event on Social Media. I will be leading a panel on Podcast Monetization See Social Media Marketing World Ready to Start Podcasting Now? Step by step tutorials Private Facebook Group Priority Email Support Live Group Coaching $49/month or get two free months when you sign up for a year. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start

In honor of International Podcast Day, I went to the local mall (that's still open) and asked people, "Have you have of podcasting?" If they said yes I would ask, "Have you actually heard a podcast?" Many people said NO. The people who had been listening to podcasts were really into podcasting. This show originated from www.schoolofpodcasting.com/586 School of Podcasting Wins The People's Choice Podcast Award in the Technology  I've been nominated NUMEROUS times for the different shows I create such a the Logical Weight Loss Podcast, Feeding My Faith, and others, but I've never won an award. The School of Podcasting won this year in the technology category. Thanks so all of my listeners. It is DEEPLY Appreciated. Because of My Podcast - Douglas  3:45 Douglas from Zerobooks.com got a job, and is now podcasting as part of this job! Check him out at www.zerobooks.com His podcast is called Zero Squared. Looking For Podcast Listeners at the Mall 5:28 I went to the mall to ask random people if they knew about podcasts?  Most people had not heard of podcasting, those who had listened to a podcast, really loved them. There are some people who need some help in understanding what a podcast is.  You can always send your audience to www.learntosubscribe.com Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone If took me 40 minutes to get up the nerve to talk to complete strangers. I may appear outgoing, but underneath I can be pretty shy.  As I moved along, it got easier. It was funny watching people put up their guard when I would ask, "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?" You can see their defenses go up. If I do this next year I need to find people who are bored (laundromats, or maybe set up a table at an Apple store). I'm not sure if Apple would allow this, but all they can say is no.  Podcasting Does Not Waste Your Time 10:45 I had a talk this week with a potential podcaster who wants to build an audience and monetize his podcast. He wanted a step by step approach that would ensure that he was making a full-time living in the future. While there are people out there who are happy to charge you $4000 to tell you to believe in yourself, get into New and Noteworthy, and your dreams can come true, I prefer a more realistic approach. That is to say Gimlet Media producers super popular shows, and yet not every show they launch makes the cut a few months later. There are great shows like Action that was on a major network with A-list celebrities making appearances and yet the show was canceled.  You can follow their footsteps and do a pilot episode, get feedback and shape your content accordingly. In the same way, you can't practice comedy in a basement (you have to tell your jokes in public to know if they are funny) you need to publish your episodes to the audience to get feedback.  Even if your show doesn't end up doing as well as you had hoped, you will gain new friends, you will learn new skills, and you will benefit from the experience (I've had people say they are better speakers due to creating a podcast). You can get started with a small investment of $100 - $300 for equipment. See http://www.bestpodcastinggear.com/kits/ Common Audio Issues 15:02 The podcast sounds weird on a phone or single speaker (mono) - your recording may be stereo and out of phase. The solution is to copy one of the channels and copy and paste it into a new file and save it as mono. Check out this video to better understand My podcast is not displaying properly - This is almost always a case where you are exporting your podcast using a Variable Bit Rate (VBR). This will cause the episode to not display properly, and in some cases, if you press pause, and the podcast goes back to the beginning when you press play again.  My podcast doesn't display the artwork in iTunes/Apple Podcasts - iTunes/Apple Podcasts does NOT display episodic artwork. It only displays the artwork for your show Growing An Entertainment Based Podcast 23:30 One strategy is to go to imdb.com and use their 30-day free trial to get the information on actors, directors, producers, for your show. Free Media Host Opinion Podcasting Goes Out of Business 26:30  I wrote an article about free media hosting on my blog and in it I look at six different podcast media hosting that have gone out of business. It turns out that the average lifespan of a podcast media hosting company that does not charge is 31 months. I do not recommend free media hosting for your podcast. It is building your podcast on very thin ice.  Free Podcast Tutorials How Much Storage Space Do I Need For My Podcast? Busting Podcasting Myths The Truth about New and Noteworthy Join the School of Podcasting Check out the 19 courses, live group coaching, private facebook group at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/live

Hello, everyone, I realized in my last episode I didn't talk about International Podcast Day. If you haven't checked out their site it is www.internationalpodcastday.com They have cool tools to help you promote the power of podcasting check them out at https://internationalpodcastday.com/promotion/ Check out the Podcast Success Summit as well

The fastest way to connect with your audience is face to face. You may be thinking of creating a meetup, or a workshop, or yearly event around your topic/show. How do you go about doing it? Today we have Chris Krimitsos who is the organizer of  Podest.us, Nick Seuberling of Cincinnati Soccer Talk, and Darryl E. McCullough who just organized his first event National Podcast Power.  Darryl also hosts the Full Circle Podcast. In today's episode you will hear: About Nick taking his audience on a four-hour bus trip to Pittsburgh Darry'ls reflections the day after National Podcast Power conference Chris shares his insights as someone who has organized thousands of events.  The risks and deposits that may be involved with an event. How to negotiate with hotels.  How to choose speakers for your event.  The dangers of food around your event.  How to shop for a bus. Free places for a casual meetup. What was Chris's biggest trainwreck and how he handled it What to do with negative feedback Building Routines When you create an event for your audience, you are making memories with your audience. With the right event, people can start building their schedule around your events, and you become part of their routine.  Mentioned In This Episode Acuity Scheduling National Podcast Power Cincinnati Soccer Talk Full Circle Podcast Ivy Envy Podcast Podfest.us Join the School of Podcasting Sign up for a Coaching Call  

The podcaster attitude can be a tricky one to juggle. You care about your content, you care about your audience, but at times you might want to try something new, and that means your audience may not like it. If you like it, should you do it? Amy Pohler says yes. Success is achieved through Ambivalence This episode originate at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/584 Because of My Podcast - Dave Jackson My podcast has opened many doors over the 12 years I've been podcast. When I got home from Podcast Movement, I got an email from Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner stating he wanted to talk to me about the Social Media Marketing World 2018. In talking with Michael (and I so wish I had a copy of this ) he stated that he had people involved with his conference like John Lee Dumas, Daniel J. Lewis, and he's good friends with Cliff Ravenscraft. Michael said he turned to his crew and asked "Who is missing on the podcasting end, and they all said, "Dave Jackson." So here again, it's not who you know, but who knows you. So because of my podcast, I will be speaking at Social Media Marketing World 2018. The event is February 28th - March 2nd in San Diego. Shortly after talking with Michael, I received a call from Chris Krimitsos, and I will be involved again with Podfest.us in Flordia February 8-10 in Orlando Bay. This weekend, September 23rd I will be the closing keynote of the first-ever National Podcast Power in Perrysburg Ohio.  While I'm talking about speaking today (9/18) I will be running the gathering of Northeast Ohio Podcasters where we meet, talk podcasting, gear, and whatever you would like to talk about. Check it out at www.neohiopodcasters.com Podcast Gear Yellowtec iXm Microphone Recorder At Podcast Movement Shawn Park from The Be Your Own Nerd show let me play with his Yellowtex iXm microphone/recorder. Here is a little about the microphone/recorder: "iXM was designed to become the finest reporter microphone ever. One of the most challenging requirements was a perfect auto leveling. Our engineers managed to develop an excitingly innovative procedure: the LEA engine. Whether whisper or cry, you will always enjoy a perfect level. LEA lets you do amazing recordings even under stressful conditions. No AGC and no artifacts. Try it out, you will be amazed."  The price is $761. (so this may not be for the hobbyist, but it's always interesting to see pro gear like this as a more affordable version is probably in the works that will hit the shelves in a few years. Check out Shawn at beyourownnerd.com Ambivalence Is the Key To Success -Amy Pohler In the past I've mentioned there are three things a podcaster needs that have nothing to do with the tech. Support of your family - without it, there is stress and pressure Your health - without it you don't function well, if at all Your attitude - You actions follow your attitude. As the old Henry Ford saying goes, whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. If you look at the above three, that if one is removed, the other two suffer. Today I Want to Focus On The Attitude I've mentioned in previous episodes how Jerry Seinfeld had to wait four years to get on the Tonight Show. He then kept killing it on every appearance for the next nine years before he got his own show. The television show Seinfeld did awful for the first four years of its existence. I've been reading alot of autobiographies lately (or to be honest listening to them). My most Recent were Martin Short and Amy Pohler. In both cases, they kind of knew what they wanted to do (entertain people and be in "Show Business"). They started with small theater groups and immersed themselves in their local scene. They worked with people who were better then they were, and learned. They performed in theaters that were housed under a supermarket. They were in buildings where you put things over the bathroom drains to keep the rats out. They suffered through these horrible situations because they loved their craft, and they knew that these experiences would only help them get better.  In Martin Shorts book he explained how he was doing a live TV show in Canada. Tony Bennet (one of his heroes was on the show, but due to a snowstorm was very late - again live TV). Martin was supposed to sing near the front of the show with Tony closing the show. With the staff scrambling to fit pieces into the live TV show puzzle, they finally heard that Tony was going to make it. As soon as he arrived, they put him on and in true Tony Bennet fashion, he was awesome. There was only one problem, this meant Martin had to follow  Tony Bennet. Here is an excerpt from his book, "So I started singing: “Here we are, on earth together… . It’s you and me!” Already, I was wrong. The lyrics are “It’s you and I.” That’s because the song I was singing, by Stevie Wonder, is called … “You and I.” This little slip was enough to knock me completely out of orbit. I suddenly forgot the rest of the lyrics—and worse, for reasons I still cannot fathom, I started to impersonate Tony Bennett while improvising new lyrics. " Later Martin would bump into Tony in the bathroom, to which Tony looked him square in the eye and said, "“You froze good, kid." Both Martin and Amy knew, especially as they were often in groups doing improvisation that some nights you are the bug and other nights your windshield. You don't get better without practicing your craft. Martin Short who only did one season of Saturday Night Live (and yet Ed Grimly lives on forever) had (and has) serious imposter syndrome as about every seven years thinks his career is over, then he gets a new job. Amy said something that I think we all need to strive for, "Ambivalence is key to success. This means you have to care about your work. But not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are. Or how good people think you look. I realize this is extremely difficult. How I take this is we have to care about our content, and deeply care about our audience, but in the event, we try something to better our show and it fails, we need to able to learn from it, and move on. As I've heard many shows (including some of mine) lead off with an apology (a pet peeve of mine) this is easier sad than done. If you are driving and accidentally cut someone off, they may wave at you in a particular fashion using one finger. Does this stop you from driving the next day? No, we go out, learn from our experience, and move on. 30/30/30 Thirty percent of your audience will LOVE you Thirty percent will like you Thirty percent won't be "your target audience" Ten Percent are still trying to figure out what a podcast is... To Care or Not To Care You will always care about your podcast content, but there may be times when you don't care about the result. You need to do what is best for you, and for the show, and if you're audience doesn't like it, they will have to deal with it, until your new target audience catches up with your show.  Mentioned In This Show Start the School of Podcasting Northeasy Ohio Podcasters Building a Better Dave International Podcast Day Logical Weight Loss Podcast National Podcast Power Social Media Marketing World 2018

Glenn the Geek Hebert (from horseradionetwork.com )shares what he learns from talking to "Radio People" from Podcast Movement. We discuss being more focused with our podcast, so I bring on Addy Saucedo who is the author of The Podcast Planner ($37.99 on Amazon) and we talk about how you have less stress and more downloads by having a better plan for your podcast. This is episode 583 of the School of Podcasting and originates from www.schoolofpodcasting.com/583 Dr. Ryan Gray Stops Practicing Medicine to Do Podcasting Full Time Dr. Ryan Gray shares how he has left his medical career after his website and podcasting that has grown over and over the years, and he is now doing consulting full time on helping people survive medical school, and he published his first book, "The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview: Be Prepared, Perform Well, Get Accepted."  His goal is to change the culture around medical school so it's not so competitive. Check out his podcast at www.mededmedia.com and medicalschoolhw.com Glenn Hebert on What He Learned from Radio Veterans at Podcast Movement 5:44 In today's discussion with Glenn we hear how: Radio veterans are jumping into the podcast pool The current issues with automated advertising How podcasters who want to podcast for profit need to learn from radio people and be ready, be prepared before pressing record. How Glenn keeps his integrity with sponsors How Glenn uses his audience to make decisions on what happens and is featured on his show. Podcasting With Laser Sharp Focus with The Podcast Planner - Addu Saucedo Interview 22:25 Here is the description of the Podcast Planner from Amazon: The Podcast Planner: Podcasting Guide With Templates To Help Podcasters Consistently Plan, Record and Publish Finally, a planner for Podcasters! It provides everything a Podcaster needs to be organized, motivated and happily podcasting. Successful Podcasters know how to consistently plan, record, and publish their podcast, and with The Podcast Planner, you can too! Buy it at Amazon Check out Addy's website at www.thepodcastplanner.com  In today's chat we learn: Addy was helping people start and edit podcasts, but they keep podfading (quitting) How podcast planning can help you ensure your content resonates with your audience. How podcasting is hard, but it can be less stressful with a plan. A podcast compass guides you to your goals and purpose What to do if you're not sure who your audience is How the podcast planner can help with an Interview show How using a podcast to promote her book has brought more sales, and more email subscribers, and more speaking gigs. The importance of reviewing past episodes Why paper may boost brainstorming activities Find her show in iTunes or on Stitcher   Start Your Podcast Today The School of Podcasting Offers: Step by step tutorials that will help plan, launch, and grow your podcast. Live group coaching Private Facebook Group Priority Email Support Join Today

Every month I ask my audience a question. This month is have you ever been approached by someone who OBVIOUSLY has NO CLUE about your show? Special Thanks To:  Bernie from Bernie the Cat Show Lee Silverstein from the Colon Cancer Podcast has people wanting to talk about Cancer conspiracies. Glenn Hebert from the Horse Radio Network had someone ask for a donation if he didn't want to be on the show. Matthew McClain does an audio drama (obviously no guests) but still gets solicited to have guests be on his show. His show is "A Scottish Podcast" I had someone contact me about the Healing Our Marriage show (which is defunct) and I "Played" with them, and asked why they loved my show Jason Bryant from Matt Talk Online Podcast Booking Resources Interview Valet - Find and/or be a guest Interview Connections - Rock both sides of the microphone (one of the oldest podcast booking agents) PodcastGuests.com - A free resource for finding guests Help a Reporter - Reports looking for Experts How to Get Radio Interviews (Course)  More Resources at PodcastingResources.com I'll Be Speaking at: Podcast Midatlantic September 8-9 in the greater Philadelphia Area National Podcast Power September 23rd in Perrysburg, Ohio Start Podcasting Today! Get immediate access to our online courses covering Podcasting from A to Z, start to finish. Priority Email Support Live groups coaching twice a month) Private Facebook Group Join today at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start

I'm back from podcast movement, and I had a blast. I also have insights from one of the hardest assignments I've done in a long time. My Impression of Podcast Movement 2017 Nothing cooler than being picked up at that airport by fellow podcasters Marcus Couch from WordPress Plugins A to Z. We haven't seen each other face to face in about 10 years. We cranked some cool metal on the way to the Marriot and it was like old times. Then I get the then Marriot and I get to meet my co-host Jim Collison from the Average Guy network, and I go over to his table and there sits the one and only Steve Stewart and Mike Dell. So for me, the Summar Camp aspect of Podcast Movement is in full effect. The coolest line I heard all week was relayed by Paul Colligan (another person' I've known for 10+ years) and it came from a Dan Klass session. Dan (who is a former comedian) shared how often at comedy clubs you will have multiple comedians perform in an evening - and yet they all use the same microphone. The point? It's not about the tech. I roomed with Erik K Johnson from podcasttalentcoach.com, and he had stated that it would be awesome if he could meet a web developer who needed help with his podcast, as he was a podcast consultant who needed help with his website. I get into the elevator, introduce myself to everyone in the elevator and it turns out that one of the people is a web designer thinking of starting a podcast. When we get out of the elevator, on of the first people who see is Erik. I felt like I was in a Christmas movie and it was going to start to snow. I saw Harry Durran from Podcast Junkies and Dr. Ryan Gray who has given up his practice to do podcasting full time and Harry introduces me to Natalie Jennings who happens to be taking head shots at a reasonable price. She shows me a few samples of people, and I'm hooked. I can't wait to see how they turn out. The few peaks I saw of what she did was amazing. See her at http://www.nataliechampajennings.com/ I found out in Paul Colligan's session that if you are in Google Play Music, you are also on the Google Home portable audio speaker. I also know of a cool double secret project that is going to make recording double-enders via a browser very cool. I was on a panel with Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, and Addy Saucedo on what is inside an RSS. This was an insanely nerdy topic, but due to the recent Apple announcements we had some interested parties and I thought we pulled it off well. The bonus is I got to hang out with some cool friends. The Coolest Thing I Saw At Podcast Movement 2017 While there were tons of great sessions at PM17, as a vendor (I work for Libsyn.com - use the coupon code sopfree to get a free month) I don't get to attend any sessions. I did see something that was way cool. I met Alissa Daire of the Maximize Your Strengths show. I see her the first night, and she is in a group of people and we get talking about Strengths Finder, and she becomes a ping pong ball bouncing off the ceiling with energy. She's super nice, and it was great to catch up with her as I had met her last year. The next night, I'm standing at the Luau event, and here she comes. She explains how "I'm done." She's tired (as many people are), and she is considerably less energetic. Pat Flynn walks over, he's very witty and a super nice guy. Then the subject changes to strengths finder results, and it was like watching a time release video of a flower blooming. Her energy came back, her smile came back, her body language completely changed. It was amazing to watch. I saw this a few more times. It's late, and people have had a few adult beverages, then I ask them about their show, and BOOM, the body language picks up, the eyes are open a bit wider, the voice is a little louder. Later, Paris from Gamertag Radio got star struck when Cara Santa Maria from the Skeptics Guide to the Universe walks by. I offered to go bring her over. He got shy, so I did my best Steve Austin (the six million dollar man, not the wrestler) imitation across the showroom floor. I had no idea she was an Emmy Award winning journalist. I bring her over and embarrass Paris. Danny Peña is there, Jim Collison is there, and the minute Paris explained that he really did listen to her show the body language changed.  For me, I think of it as being in your "first impression" mode and then finding out that you're among family. For the Best Content - Put a Time Frame On it I spoke about how I got lucky to be able to induct Dan Klass from the Bitterest Pill into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame. The presentation should last three minutes. I had hoped that three minutes would be longer than I thought. I wrote out my first draft. It had some bits about history and podcasting in 2005. It had examples of how the show made me feel. I made a joke about how the more I talk about his show, the more I sound like a stalker. I listed his accomplishments. I started the stopwatch and went into the presentation, about half what through I glanced at my phone and I was already at 5 and a half minutes. Oh boy...... What Was the Purpose of This Presentation? I had to go back and ask myself, what was the purpose of this presentation? The purpose was for the person sitting in row 7 who had been podcasting since 2015 and had no idea who Dan Klass was. It wasn't about me. It wasn't about being funny. I was about answering the question, "Why is Dan Klass in the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame." For me, this was a big opportunity, on a big stage, and I didn't want to mess it up for myself, or Dan. It was time to edit. Anything about me went out the door. The history lesson of iriver portable players and synchronization cables went up in smoke. Most of the stories I had about Dan might not go over if you didn't listen to his show. Only the things that HAD to be said would stay. I listed his accomplishments. I thought of the funniest thing I had heard on his show (he referred to his two-year-old daughter as Princess Tirade for quite some time), and the most memorable episode (of ALL podcasting) is episode 102 Mass Murder where he talks about what it's like when your Uncle is murdered, and you're walking past TV cameras escorting your mother to the funeral. It's at the end, I highly suggest you listen to it. I had pointed out that Dan was one of the first to try premium podcasting (this was YEARS before Patreon) and it didn't work well. That was negative, so I just pointed out that he was a pioneer and not afraid to try new things. I HAD TO POINT OUT, that Dan had been sharing stories a DECADE before Serial was on the scene. Dan was creating engaging stories in a box in his garage, and he did it without a team of 19 people. That had to stay. To make it entertaining, I thought of throwing in some old Baptist preacher tricks of getting people to repeat words. This came to me in the shower. It would make me stand out, but I was deeply worried about being too entertaining (again, this was all about Dan). Looking back, that was a dumb thought (you're not going to outshine Dan Klass). Just Because There Are No Time Limits in Podcasting Doesn't Mean There Shouldn't Be To fine tune my presentation I had to: Identify my audience Identify the purpose Make it entertaining I know some of us want to record it and publish it. I truly, always believe a podcast can benefit from editing. This is especially true if you are doing interviews. Because of My Podcast Devin Caroll Devin from the Big Picture Retirement podcast shares how he didn't' want to start a podcast but sure is glad he did. He just released episode 34, and his co-host has already billed $10,000, and Devin has billed $6,000 and has a client who will bring in $20,000. I bet you might think, they have a huge audience, right? Nope, according to Devin, they are averaging 534 downloads an episode. Podcast Rewind I appeared on Podcast Ninja talking about the pros and cons of the different podcast media hosting companies. Check it out at podcastninja.com Where I am Speaking Next National Podcast Power - Keynote Podcast Mid Atlantic - Podcast Artwork - September 8th in Philadelphia Area DC Podfest November 10-11 Mentioned in This Show Podcast Gear Group Steve Stewart Go Tell Somebody - King's X Podcast Talent Coach (Get Your Podcast Reviewed at www.podcastreviewshow.com ) Natalie Jennings Photography Alissa Daire of the Maximize Your Strengths Harry Durran Podcast Junkies Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, and Addy Saucedo Alissa Daire of the Maximize Your Strengths Devin from the Big Picture Retirement Episode 102 Mass Murder - the Bitterest Pill Marcus Couch from WordPress Plugins A to Z. JOIN THE SCHOOL OF PODCASTING Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/start

Full show notes can be seen at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/580 Why Keeping It Simple is a Good idea I do a show every Saturday call Ask the Podcast Coach with Jim Collison from theaverageguy.tv and at one point I decided to connect with Jim over Google hangouts, as well as have a Call In Number for the phone. I had to send a mix to Jim that had myself and the caller (but not Jim) while sending a mix to the caller than had myself and Jim (but not the caller). For those up on the lingo, I had to configure two mix minuses. I needed a mixer with two auxiliary outs. I found the Behringer X1832.  It did the job well. I had a ton of extra channels, and effects that I never used. Then we switched and instead of using a phone (using CallinStudio.com) we went to a chat window to take questions. This was simple and free (using chatwing.com) . So now I have a giant mixer taking up half my desk, and I was looking for an alternative. I have a Yamaha MG102c Mixer (which has been replaced by the MG10XU) that would do the job. For whatever reason, I just didn't like it. It seemed like I had to crank everything up to the max. It still had a clean sound, but it seemed like I really had to push everything. I realize this is stupid (cause you should vote with your ears, not your eyes) but I've been hesitant to go back to it. The Other Problem with Recording Levels I use a Zoom H5. A great device with a giant screen. However, due to the way the studio is setup with the majority of the light coming in from Behind the Zoom H5 I cant' really get a clear reading. While there are lights to let me know when things are peaking, I tend to feel those are too sensitive. Then I heard about the Sound Devices MixPre-3. This might solve all my problems. Bad Time for a Product Review I received the Sound Devices MixPre-3 this week. It's horrible timing as I'm getting ready to run off to Podcast Movement, and I'm busy packing, buying Dramamine, recording podcasts and won't have time to do a super deep dive. So here is what I want it to do: Power my Electrovocie RE320 without a ton of his I want to do a mix minus for when I do shows with a co-host via skype or Google hangouts I want to plugin my ipad to play sound effects. First Impressions Of the Mix Pre-3 WOW IS THIS THING SMALL. I have an iPhone 6s, and it might be an inch wider, but it is the size of an iPhone on steroids. VERY COOL. At first, I was worried about the touchscreen display. But the display is super clear, and you can adjust the brightness. I had no problems reading it. I was worried about the touchscreen is small. That didn't seem to be an issue (I'm a guitar player with long fingers and not very fat). I almost didn't need the manual. I plugged in a microphone, hit record and was up and running. Using it as an Interface - WHY AM I DRUNK? I went into Hindenburg Journalist and did a recording. it was nice and clear, but I sounded slightly drunk as my voice was lower (as if the sound had been slowed down). I launched Adobe Audition and got the same issue. Hmmm. As I'm on a PC, I right-clicked on the Speaker in the bottom right-hand corner of my screen and went to the Properties of the Mix Pre-3. I had to set the recording and playback to 2 channel 24 bit, 48K. This solved the issue, and everything sounded fine. How Do I Setup a Mix Minus? I was able to set the input of Channel 2 to USB-1, and I could now hear my Skype caller. I was on Channel 3, and life was good. How do I go about making sure that the sound of the caller does not go back to the caller? I look at the output, and all the output routing is for the stereo out mix. Where do I adjust what goes back to the caller? I looked, and looked, and headed to YouTube. They have a video on the Sound Devices website, but they just said, "Set the input and out to the MixPre-3. My thought was, Yeah, but then what. Finally, I saw a video that explained you can't route what is going back to the USB output, and that you don't need to setup a mix minus, as IT JUST DOES IT. Well, that's cool. I'm definitely stopping by their booth at Podcast Movement and asking some questions about this as (and this is important) I'm not sure I'm 100% right on that. If I wanted to use the Stereo Output jack into another USB device (in my case I use a Griffin imic) than I could get into more advanced setups. What Would I Fix About it? The On/Off switch is placed in a not so great spot, but then again because this thing is so tiny, any place you put the switch it's going to be right on top of something. It seems like having the SD card behind the battery pack is a bad idea. However, when I push a button and turn on file transfer, it was super fast to copy the files from the device to my computer. I originally was somewhat bummed that it doesn't have a "Marker" feature, but using the wingman app (free) I can lookup and see what time the boo-boo happened and make a mental note. Not as cool as a marker (especially if you wanted to pass your audio to someone else), but it's a hack for the lack of marker. While I would almost always be using USB to power the unit, I think charging $40 for an AC power adapter (not included) is BS. If they didn't have the wingman app (which is very cool) trying to rename something would be a joke. I love that I downloaded the app, and it just connected. So the short answer of what would I change? - Not almost nothing. What About the Price? The price for the unit Pre-3 Unit is $699, the Pre-6 is $899, and the price of the adapter (AC) is $40. Sound Devices MixPre-3 Audio Recorder/Mixer and USB Audio Interface Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Recorder/Mixer and USB Audio Interface Sound Devices MX-Charge AC Power Supply for MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 Who Should Buy This? Someone who is going to be traveling alot, and wants to create great audio without having to worry (too much) about breaking the unit. The person wouldn't use the built-in microphones of a Zoom H5, and will always be traveling with a mic to record, and headphones to listen. Someone who has a small space, and they don't want their kids messing with a mixer. These units allow you to create presets, so you can fire up the unit press a button and everything is set. Also, it is super easy to plug stuff in. The person who understands that any tweaking of sound (more bass, treble,) will be done later in post production (where a mixer allows you to add it while you record) Fun Things To Check Out Mike Russel's YouTube Channel (AMAZING ADOBE AUDITION TUTORIALS Answer the Public - Interesting keyword/question tool (don't use the visualization view) Zoom H6 Course - Want to get the most out of your H6? Check out this course from my friend Daniel J. Lewis This video show an insane test on which device has the best preamps

Darren Dake of the Coroner Talk podcast started a podcast in 2013, and started a podcast, but it didn't last. He really  loves being a death scene investigator so he started the Coroner Talk podcast 2014. This lead to numerous opportunities: He started to make connections with people He now gets around 15,000 download a month He was asked the be the trainer supervisor for his state. He wrote a few books that has lead him to speak at conferences multiple times He includes going to different states to talk He created online courses for his "Coroner School" and is now taking off and now he is on track to make a six figure income from his speaking and his online courses. Please Notice: This wasn't overnight This wasn't easy. Your audience must always come first. Some Thoughts On Opportunities “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ― Winston S. Churchill “We often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work” ― Thomas A. Edison “Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to begin again.” ― Henry Ford “I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.” ― Oprah Winfrey Unfortunately, there seems to be far more opportunity out there than ability.... We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation. Thomas A. Edison There comes a moment in every life when the Universe presents you with an opportunity to rise to your potential. An open door that only requires the heart to walk through, seize it and hang on. The choice is never simple. It's never easy. It's not supposed to be. But those who travel this path have always looked back and realized that the test was always about the heart. ...The rest is just practice. Jaime Buckley Spend eighty percent of your time focusing on the opportunities of tomorrow rather than the problems of yesterday. Brian Tracy Missed Opportunities I do a show called the Alexacast that is all about getting the most out of your Amazon Echo, Dot, etc. So I have an audience that is tied to Amazon. One might say they are Amazon "Super Users." Yet then Amazon Prime day came, and I have an audience that is tied to Amazon, and I barely promoted it. I should've made a big deal about this, and made it an event.  Know What Opportunities Are Coming Up I found two sites that show special days. These are: https://www.daysoftheyear.com https://nationaldaycalendar.com By knowing when all these special days that come up, you might be able to make a special event to encourage your audience to interact with the show.  Sometimes You Need To Ask I heard Dan Klass from the Bitterest Pill is being inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame. I'm a HUGE Dan Klass fan. So I asked if I could do the induction speech to introduce Dan to an audience that may not know Dan like I feel I do.  Sometimes Opportunity Are Based on Previous Actions Because Jared and Dan from Podcast Movement had called on me in the past and I delivered "the Goods," and I had acted professionally in the past when I worked with them, I was given the opportunity to induct Dan. This puts me on a big stage. If I show people that I can handle the big stage (I've been a keynote speaker at some conferences) I can show the world that I can bring value to your event.  Mentioned in This Podcast Podcasters Roundtable Grammar Girl Podcast Philip Keller from Blind Faith Live (here Phillip on last week's show) Podcast Awards Order the Messengers Documentary on iTunes go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/themessengers then send me an email with the subject link "I have a message - your name " (dave "at" schoolofpodcasting.com) I will give you a coupon for 40% off your first six months (this offer expired 8/24/17)