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

Today I share my story on how I secured a sponsor for my show. I'm doing this as an experiment as I prepare to update my book More Podcast Money Next year. I also share the behind the scenes of what it was like to take on a sponsor. There are some things that I have to tackle mentally. Emerald City Productions - Our Sponsor 1:15 Emerald City is running a special go to www.emeraldcitypro.com/sop and tell them you are from the School of Podcasting and have your first four podcasts done for $15 an episode. My Favorite Podcast Is 2:50 I'm working on the last episode of the year where we all share what our favorite podcast is (you can only pick one, and no, it can't be yours). Then be sure to tells us a little about it, and WHY you like it. Also, be sure to tell us a little bit about your show and where we can find it. So its free promotion for your show, and later I get these transcribed and turn them into a book. The deadline is October 31. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/favorite16 Getting A Sponsor For Your Show 4:30 Today I share my story on how I secured a sponsor for my show. I'm doing this as an experiment as I prepare to update my book More Podcast Money Next year. I also share the behind the scenes of what it was like to take on a sponsor. There are some things that I have to tackle mentally. Getting A Sponsor For Your Show Today I talk with Jessica Kupferman who has been selling advertising for a very long time (back in the day on banner advertising) and has been podcasting since 2013. I know her best for her Shepodcasts.com show which she does with Elsie Escobar (it's a fascinating take on podcasting from a Women's point of view). Jessica just launched jkmagency.com an add agency that helps sponsors find podcasters, and podcasters find sponsors. Here are some of the insights from today's discussion You need to know how many downloads you get per month If you don't have a ton of downloads, but you have an active community, that may enable you to secure a sponsor You don't need a media kit if you don't have one. Jessica can create one for you. If you're pricing per episode, you might as well flush your money down the toilet. The smallest contract/campaign she sells is three months. She will go two months if there are no other options. Podcasters should be open to having the sponsor on the show to help create content. In regards to platforms, sponsors are looking at Twitter and Instagram followers. You just need to create a report once a month Never lie about your stats. Not only does it make you look bad, but it also makes podcasting, in general, look bad. How do you figure out what to charge for your podcast? The current standards for CPM is $15-$100 which is why it doesn't work for most podcasters and is the worst way to sell your show Can unique genres get a sponsor? (i.e. Science Fiction movie reviews) To be considered for adds go to jkmagency.com/considerme She also is a co-host for She Podcasts The Mental Side of Podcast Advertising 34:00 When you take on an advertiser, you have a couple of things to consider. You need to make sure your sponsor fits your audience and is something you can talk about honestly. When you promote something that you don't believe in, that is (in my opinion) the definition of selling out. Make sure you are aware what you will be delivering, and then deliver it. Remember who your TRUE audience is. Having multiple audiences can be a struggle. My audience is you. You've been with me for almost 12 years. If I pay too much attention to promoting the sponsor, I lose the true audience (again, you). If I don't pay enough attention to the sponsor, I lose the sponsor. The problem is I'm being paid for a 15-second spot. I recorded the spot four times last night, and the first one went over two minutes long. I figured out what I needed to say, and figured out how to see it as quickly as possible. This first ad was a bit longer as I needed to introduce you to the sponsor. I've always liked he way Gimlet media does their advertisements, and I plan on borrowing as much as I can. If you are a regular listener, you know I like to think outside the box. Just know, this can mess with your brain. Remember you worked hard to get an audience, and advertisers will come and go. I have never heard one, but I've heard stories about Leo Laporte going on for what seems days when he does a spot for Audible. If you don't pay attention to your listeners, then there will be nobody to hear your advertisements. What if you have a Patreon account? Well if you are delivering extra value to your patrons, then this shouldn't be a problem. They are getting what they pay for. Also, Patrons are people who want to support you. When they hear, you are benefiting from an advertiser they may be all for it. Just don't be surprised if someone stops being a patron because "You don't need us." Speaking of that, realize that someone will not like the fact that you have advertisements. There is nothing you can do about that. Focus on the one who stays. Podcast Rewind 38:18 I appeared on the Rock Your Retirement show talking about Alzheimer's disease I appear on the new Cut to the Chase from the friend Ravi from Digital Access Pass. This is business advice with not fluff (hence cut to the chase ) so it is some of my best podcast advice in one quick blast. While I have appeared on Podcast Junkies, I wanted to point you to the episode with Jonathan Oakes of Triva Warfare (who I've been on his show). It was just a great show where you hear Jonathon talk about how he shaped his show over time, and ever has a cool because of my podcast story. Check it out Podcast Glossary 43:08 BlubrryBlubrry is a media hosting company (use the coupon code sopfree to get a free month). They are also the people who make the PowerPress plugin. The PowerPress plugin will work with any media host (although it does full integration with blubrry) such as Podbean, Libsyn, Soundcloud. We will talk about PowerPress later when we get to the P's, so for now Blubrry is a media hosting company. Compressor A compressor is an effect you can add to your audio. In its simplest form, it makes louder things softer, and softer things louder to ensure a level audio output. These can be applied in software, or they can be physical pieces of hardware such a DBX 286 CPM CPM is a pricing model used by the Radio industry. With CPM you get paid a certain amount for 1000 listeners. So if you have a CPM rate of $6, and you have 20,000 listeners you would pay the radio station 6 X 20 = $120. CPM rates in Podcasting typically start at $20 and go up. Some reporting as high as $60 or more. For most podcasters (without thousands of downloads) CPM is not a viable model to making money with your podcast Mentioned in This Show Cast Interview Recording Service Ready To Start a Podcast? Join www.theschoolofpodcasting.comMentioned 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

Comments" Call 888-563-3228 I've spoken about Corey Fineran before and how his Chicago Cubs podcast Ivy Envy helped get a rule changed in Major League Baseball. Corey's boss saw the impact podcasting creates and talked Corey into starting a podcast for his job. Corey's podcast helps high school students with special needs transition into the workplace. It went over well. It lead to him starting Next Up (His own business) Here are some key points: They tried it to see if it would work. They got feedback from their audience, and listened to it, and acted on it. They updated their equipment after they proved the concept. Corey's goal is to help as many students as possible. His niche (students with special needs) is often overlooked, or has no budget. So he created the content that was needed. One night it was speaking with his brother in law (who is well versed in running a business) and they realized that he could reach more students and have a larger impact if he did this on his own, and start his own company. So Corey: Used his brother as a resource to launch the business Converted his current employer into his first customer Used his mother (an accountant) to help with taxes Growing His Business Corey found that educators are not used to being "pitched." The tried and true strategies of mass emails, cold calling, etc were not going to work. So he did what any good podcaster would do: He went to where his audience was. He started attending events where he could talk face to face about his products and services. Common Podcast Lessons and Truths Translate to Business Listen to your audience and be open to suggestions When you have a great podcast people will spread the word about your show When you can, the best way to get feedback from your audience is face to face. It is also the best way to start building those relationships. While your audience can become your brand advocates, so can your family (so make sure they know what you are up to). Save at Podfest Us the coupon code earlybird at www.podfest.us Mentioned In This Show www.dcpodfest.com Submit Your My Favorite Podcast Is Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/favorite16   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Membership Guys Podcast  Marketing School Podcast  Audio Technica 2100 (Dave's Preferred Microphone)   Launch Your Own Podcast 30 day Money Back Gaurentee go to http://www.theschoolofpodcasting.comMentioned 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 have some lessons from fast food that apply to podcasting, and I talk about zagging when everyone is zigging, Bernie's Greatest Hits 1:58 My cat is pretty popular on this show as he chimes in all the time. When I went to Pittsburgh last week apparently he got a record deal. He's releasing "Bernie sings the hits" Someone Is Doing a Show Like Mine - So I Didn't Start my Show 3:07 One of the most frustrating parts of being a consultant is seeing someone who has the right stuff to create a podcast, but they are more skilled at finding reasons not to press record than actually pressing record. Today I have two points I want to make Someone will come to me and say, “I want to do a podcast about ______” but someone is already doing a show like that. The first thing I say is to go to iTunes and see when their last episode was published. Many times the person has already hung up their microphone. But what if they haven’t? Let’s look at McDonald’s. Here are some interesting facts (well facts according to Wikipedia). McDonald’s was not the first hamburger chain. A&W was first in 1919 followed by White Castle in 1921. McDonald’s didn’t come about until 1940. Fun facts: McDonald’s started as a barbecue joint. They found that hamburgers were more profitable. So they started in one direction, and then followed what their audience wanted. I always say your podcast is a recipe not a statue. You can change it any time you want. White Castle developed the supply chain and automation to have a nationwide food chain way before McDonald’s did. But when McDonald’s did, they didn’t recreate the wheel. They looked at what others were doing, and borrowed the best, and tweaked the rest. Now when burger king came along in 1953 did they say, “I would open a restaurant but someone else is doing “Assembly line” hamburgers? No. They didn’t recreate the wheel, and they tweaked it (adding flame broiling and “have it your way” at Burger King). What is the one thing that is common here? Well in the US apparently we can’t get enough of hamburgers. If you throw some meat on a bun and squirt some ketchup on it, we will eat it. In America I think if you put enough ketchup on anything we will eat it. They saw their competition and looked at ways to innovate. Breakfast was introduced. Bigger hamburgers like the Big Mac were introduced in 1967. Later the innovation of the drive through window. So if someone is doing a show like yours, WHO CARES! If you think it will be fun, if you think people will enjoy it, DO IT. The WORST thing you can do for yourself in podcasting is COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. Podcasting is like golf, while there is competition, you are really only competing against yourself. Now to my second point, and this builds on innovation. Todd Cochrane recently launched a new Podcast Legends show and it is interviewing podcast pioneers (people from 2004 - sorry Chris Hardwick is not a Pioneer) and one of the things I forgot about (I started in 2005) was the WHACKY shows that just made you go WHOA!?! Yeast Radio was by Madge Weinstein and was one of the most subscribed to podcast in 2005. Madge would say outrageous things about the government, about her hygiene (she was often bloated), and in general said things often people only think. She was an angry, jewish, fat, Lesbian. There was one other small twist. Madge was a dude (Richard Bluestein ). One other thing, if you could handle the language, Madge was pretty darn funny. Madge was the queen of tuning in because you didn’t know what to expect. The really cool thing was there was NO WAY that this would EVER be on radio or TV. It’s kind of what made podcasting special, unique, and intimate. Madge is still going strong at yeastradio.com One person did a show called the daily download where he recorded his thoughts while using the bathroom... Dave Slusher from the Evil Genius Chronicles mentioned how one podcaster had a show called Podcat where he would play clips of other shows intermingled with clips of his cat. Why did people do this? Because THEY COULD. There was no radio, no FCC, no program directors, and it was YOURS. If people didn’t like it, WHO CARES. Podcasting was much more of an art form. People grabbed their stick microphone and press record, because they had something to say, and they could be creative. I think we’ve gone too far from those days. Now we over-think podcasting as if our lives depended on it. We are all preparing as if this is going to be a full time job some day because it might be. That is true. Maybe We Should Zag? I was listening to the Start Up Podcast where they have a team of 18 people per podcast (roughly), and when they launch a show it sounds painful. It sounds like there so up tight about it. I guess they should be as they are doing this as a business. But let's look at women singers. Back in the day Madonna stood out for singing in her underwear. No EVERYBODY sings in their underwear. So now there is  someone sings with a bit more passion, keeps her clothes on, and has oodles of talent that lead to her selling 31 million records (Adele). She stands out because she's not doing what everybody else is doing. Maybe, just maybe it's time to stop doing a "This week in," or "On Fire", or "Three guys one brain" shows. Maybe, just maybe we should all spend that extra time figuring  out if there is something we can do that might make us stand out (realizing that there is no way to do something 100% original) Fun Fact: According to a CNBC story 60% of restaurants fail in their first year. This is a company that is serving FOOD. That is something every single person on the planet NEEDS (not wants). Now we have podcasting that only roughly 30% of the planet even knows we exist, and people think they are going to make six figures talking about their love of Barbarella and other fun movies. I hate to be skeptical, but that might be a tough road. This is what is bothering me. Just because you can’t make a living with your podcast shouldn’t stop you from starting it. If you would have fun with it, then start it and have fun. When you look at the people making big bucks in podcasting, and you stress our about it you take the fun out of, well, FUN. That my friends is a crime My Favorite Podcast Is (2016 Version) 22:52 It's that time where I ask you to answer a very hard question. What is your favorite podcast? You can only pick ONE (no ties). Then (more importantly) WHY IS IT YOUR FAVORITE? You can CLICK HERE, and let me know (and be included in the last episode of the year, and in the 2016 version of the book). Podcast Glossary "B" 26:25 Bit Depth, Sample Rate, Export or Encoding Rate I want to use the analogy of a camera here. Let's say you are taking pictures at a Nascar Race, and there is a wreck. One person has a camera that takes 10 pictures per second, and the other person takes 5 pictures per second. Who has the better representation of the wreck? The sample rate is how many times your recording device (computer or portable recorder) "takes a picture" of your voice. The standard is 44.1 which means it takes a picture 44,000 times per second. Can you go higher? Sure, but there is a minor problem. Most everything is created at 44.1, and when you mix with other sample rates, those will need to be re-sampled. Not the end of the world, but in the end remember most people are going to listen to this in their car or ear buds. The details you gain are not really worth the hassle (in my opinion). So what is Bit Depth? If we stick with the analogy of the camera, the Sample Rate is how many times per second the recording device "takes a picture" of your voice, the Bit Depth is the megapixels on the camera. Most people record in 16 bit. Can you record in 24? Sure. Is it needed? Not in my opinion, but if you ask engineers who do music they will disagree.  In photography bit rate it is how many colors are used to make up a picture, so more bits would be a better reproduction of your audio (but again, we are getting into overkill). You want to record in a "lossless" format. Lossless means the sound you record is what you hear back. It does not lose any quality. That's the good news. The bad news is these files are HUGE. So when you record you want to record in WAV on a PC or AAC on a Mac. This keeps the best quality. But you don't want to force your audience to use these big giant files that destroy data plans. So we encode them as MP3 files which are much smaller and still sound good. So I want to use the analogy of painting a house now to explain encoding. The sample rate is how much pain it on your brush. The encoding rate is how fast you move the brush across the house. If you go too fast no paint gets on the house. If you go to slow, you get too much paint, and it may run. There are three formats that are used frequently. 128 Kbps Stereo. This is sometimes referred to as "CD" quality. That is debatable, but it is the highest acceptable rate (IMHO). Meaning anything above this is too much, and you are just wasting storage space, bandwidth, and the difference in audio is almost unnoticeable. (So anything above 128 is too much paint on the brush) 64 Kbps mono. This file is half the size of the 128 kbps but has no stereo separation (which if your show is mainly talk, is not a big deal). 96 kbps mono. This is used for people who feel the extra bits make the files sound better. You could also say that 64 mono / 128 stereo "Cover with one coat" of paint. Anything below 64 (32 kbps ) you don't have enough paint on the brush (and you get hiss, and bad audio). Podcast Rewind Ham Radio 360 had a listener download his back catalog and listened to him for two weeks. Mike Murphy Unplugged - Has the Adobe Audition listening to his show (last week we mentioned that you never know who is listening) Glenn Hebert from Horse Radio Network Podcaster's Roundtable -Listeners to Subscribers Join the School of Podcasting Worry Free Click here to join   Need One on One Consulting? Book at session at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/scheduleMentioned 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 in this episode: We have a great because of my podcast story that has someone getting paid to do something they would do for free We tackle some of the podcast jargon starting with the A's We revisit the File For Download debate in a podcast smack down! A tale of sleazy guests And we remind you that you never know who is listening. Because of My Podcast Lucas Apps Podcast leads to relationships, and those relationships lead to opportunities. Those opportunities can lead to more relationships (you get the idea). Lucas ended up getting paid to do something that he loves - because of his podcast. Check out Lucas’s show at triangletactical.com Can I Podcast With a Built-in Microphone? 8: 53 If someone invites you to go golfing. The host shows up with their golf club, and another friend shows up with a pool stick, and you show up with a hockey stick. Sure you can attempt to golf with a hockey stick and a pool stick, but compared to the other people who are using the proper equipment it is going to be obvious that you are not using the right equipment. This doesn't mean you need to spend $1600 on equipment. You can start with an Audio Technica 2100 with a pop filter and mic stand for $93 (full disclosure bestpodcastinggear.com is my amazon affiliate site). The Wrong Podcast Gear Can Mess With Your Head I did an hour session for International Podcast Day and to make a long story short, I brought along a microphone (as I was on the road) and then locked it in an office. I HAD to use my built in microphone. I was embarrassed. While I think most of my presentation was OK, I would be the first to admit that this was not my best presentation. I had notes in front of my, but in my head, I just kept hearing a voice in my head shouting that I sounded like a hack using a built-in microphone. Had I had access to the Audio Technica 2100 with a pop filter, I would've been relaxed and more focused. I Can't Believe ____ Is Listening to my Podcast! 14:20 Try not to use the word "only" when talking about your audience. I "only have" 20 downloads. Check out Podcast Legends by Todd Cochrane Here is the Episode where he talks about his phone call with Steve Jobs. I share a story about talking with Michael Hyatt at the New Media Expo and finding out Michael Hyatt listens to my show. Check out Michael's Book Platform Sting explained on the Tonight Show how he had three people in the audience of a "the Police" show. He interacted with them and made it very intimate. It turns out two of them were DJs who started playing their music. Cal Nelson of Ham Radio 360 had Adam Curry (one of the people who helped invent podcasting) listens to his show. The Libsyn File For Download "Discussion" 24: 15 A few episodes ago Mike Dell (a friend of mine who I've known for years) stated my advice about when and when not to use "File for Download" on the Libysn platform was "bad advice." Mike is a great guy, and we are going to have to agree to disagree on this. The fact that I work for Libsyn as a support person and he works in support for blubrry.com is probably not a coincidence. Two years ago (roughly) I had severe problems with my Wordpress install. One of the things I did was move my RSS feed (which was getting pounded at the time). Luckily at the time I had been publishing my episodes on Libsyn (and copying and pasting the link) into Powepress. Now because I set these episodes up using the "Add New Episodes" in Libsyn, when I switched my feed from PowerPress to Libsyn, my Libsyn feed looked just like my PowerPress feed. Last week I talked about how using File For Download option in PowerPress is not a great idea. People Like Pat Flynn and Cliff Ravenscraft have recommended that strategy. That makes sense for them as they have multiple podcasts and they are using ONE libsyn account and using their Powerpress. But they are missing out on some automation that would not hurt their WordPress install. So here is my point, if you go to Libsyn and create an episode as an episode (not a file for download) you are not hurting your podcast at all. Some might argue that you are creating a second feed and that could be confusing. To this I say, for 11 years I've been having to hand hold people to subscribe to ONE feed, let alone two. Some might say that this might damage my SEO. To this I say, I've been using the Internet almost since it was invented, and I have NEVER pulled up an RSS feed in a search result. Google Chrome doesn't display RSS feeds in a way that makes then readable, so why would Google pull up something you can't read? A file for download is meant for people who want to restrict access to a file. A classic example is someone who has a podcast, and they also have a membership site. They only want members to have access to this file. In this case, they can upload the files as a "File for download only" and only the people who have the direct link can access that file. So when you upload a file in Libsyn, you CAN use the Add New Episode option and have it do zero harm to your Wordpress feed. You can copy the direct link into PowerPress. Much a like driving around with a spare tire doesn't harm your car, having a second feed available doesn't hurt your Wordpress install (you'll only use it if you need it). PLUS you can also have that episode go to Twitter, Facebook, LikedIn, YouTube, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Tumblr, and more. When you make a file for download, you now have to promote to those sites using another tool. So you are missing out on a TON of automation. To those who think, "Who would watch an audio file on YouTube?" according to Tory Heinritz of the Black List Exposed podcast people who are deaf. Because YouTube attempts to transcribe the audio in the video,  deaf people can now read your podcast (with some noticeable imperfections). Get a free month of hosting at Libsyn.com or Blubrry.com using the coupon code sopfree Podcast Glossary 36: 46 Today we will tackle the terminology beginning with A Audio Interface (XLR to USB/FireWire) You will hear phrases like XLR and quarter inch, 3.5 MM USB, and Firewire. So let's cut off the fat. Firewire was a connector used on old Macintosh computers and no longer is used on new equipment. XLR and Quarter inch are typically ways to plug things into a mixer. An XLR has three holes in it to line up the plug. A quarter inch is a thick plug about the size of your pinky finger. A 3.5 MM connector is better known as a headphone jack. If you are looking to purchase a mixer you want an XLR input jack for every person. USB is another way of connecting things primarily with computers. To use these in a sentence, the Sure SM58 microphone plugs into your mixer via an XLR jack. You can connect the Audio Technica ATR2100 microphone using its XLR jack or via its USB jack. If you think of extension cords, some have two prongs and others have a third prong. Audition/Audacity Audacity is a free software that runs on Mac or PC that is used by many podcasters to create podcasts. It has many, many options. Most of them you will never use. Audition is a software from Adobe that runs on a Mac or PC that you rent to use each month. It has some features that make it easier to use than Audacity, and it is considered by some to be "More Professional" but that is up for debate as both are very powerful. Audition has many, many options. Most of them you will never use. Auphonic/Levelator Auphonic is free software (for PC or Mac) with premium options that you can run your audio through, and it will remove noise and adjust audio levels. Auphonic is great for interviews where one person is louder than the other, or you recorded yourself, and you were too quiet. Find it at www.auphonic.com The Levelator software is free (for PC or Mac) that adjusts the volume of your file to be equal. So if you have two people and one is quieter, it will boost the quiet person to match the volume of the other person. You can find it at http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator Sleazy Guest Who Hijack Your Website 44:27 Jon Buscall shared a story on episode 48 titled "Integrity" of his Online Marketing and Communications podcast about a guest who kind of used a special link to overly promote themselves on Jon's website. It was so intrusive that Jon eventually pulled his episode. It's a very fascinating story. Maybe in the future we will have to spell out the common sense details to guests who come on our show and explain how they are allowed to link to our websites. School of Podcasting is Now Open with New Options to Meet Any Need You can purchase courses separately, or you can order a monthly membership You can also purchase a yearly subscription (and it's like getting two months free) Mentioned in This Episode Platform by Michael Hyatt Podcast Legends by Todd Cochran Podcast Junkies Podcast XV - King's XMentioned 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

Becuase of My Podcast - Rick Seizemore of VRStudio Workforce  Rick Seizemore from VRStudio Workforce shares how your podcast will help you land guests, and those guests can then point people to your website. Your site then becomes an audio business card that can capture people’s attention. This is what the VR Workforce Studio Podcast Does   Is Podcasting A Ponzi Scheme? I got an email from a friend of mine who has kind of "had it" with podcasting. He said, " I have recently done some calculations and have come to the conclusion that the hours spent podcasting would be better spent doing other things, like narrating audio books and maybe even some work around the house. I am doing a weekly video show via Skype, being streamed live on YouTube. I use Wirecast to make it look professional, and I have been releasing the audio as a podcast. I stopped the podcast side this week. I said when I started podcasting a couple of years ago, I would do a serious review at the two-year mark, and have concluded that while I have learned much I will be using for audiobooks, and am glad I did it, to continue would be a waste of time. Here's the part you probably won't agree with:   In the 80's Amway came through this area, and a lot of people joined and got hyped up (me included). After a while, it became clear that a lot of people at the top were making money, but it depended on a constant supply of fresh "believers" to fuel their incomes. People who started early were making money, but the thousands below were being Nickle and dimed and were doing nothing but financing those above. It worked as long as everyone believed they could make it.   Podcasting today is a similar type of pyramid structure, where everyone who started before 2007 or 2008 are making an income off of the believers below. (I find your motives pure, and I appreciate that.) It is VERY important for those below the median numbers (Around 120 according to Rob), to believe there is no discovery problem. That way they keep paying their $20 a month to Libsyn, buying books, Wordpress plugins, and tools for podcasting and going to conferences.   No matter how good your content is, the average basement independent has about 0% chance of ever being heard the first time by hardly anyone who doesn't know them already or is only 1 or 2 degrees separated. This is simply due to saturation.   The main people who make it now either are famous already, are starting a full-time business that happens to involve podcasting and has 6 figures to invest, like JLD, or are part of the corporate invasion. There may be an isolated incident here and there where it happens, but it so rare it doesn't bear mentioning. It is simply too late for the average independent show by a person working a full-time job to make an impact beyond a few niche listeners.   I was also dismayed to find the same "entrepreneurs," using many of the same books, and the same hype milking the same types of people. There is a sucker born every minute. They find them, use them, discard them, and move one since there are always more suckers on the internet. An example: a well-known personality in podcasting who was putting out yet another book solicited all of us to submit articles for it. We of course, had to buy the book to see if were in it. We weren't. Not one of us. The book had already been written and included older interviews that happened long before he solicited for articles. He simply lied to get us to buy the book. It worked, and we were the suckers. Well, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.   I calculated how many listeners I would have if gained one new one each month, and how many hours I would spend editing and putting out the content I already have from the video show. My conclusion: I hope to retire in 3 years or so.  36 new listeners. Over 600 hours of podcast editing during that time.  BTW, I am not getting 1 new listener a month.   Contrast this with the one audio book I have narrated so far. It didn't sell. Only 11 copies so far. I have made $50 from that. What would happen if I spent those 600 hours over the next 3 years doing audio books that don't sell, and get royalties for the next 7 years on each?   Allow me to soften this by saying I have always found you and your efforts on behalf of the little guy podcasters to be the most honest and trustworthy of all. Your human-ness and transparency is wonderful, and I would love to spend time with you in person but neither of us have that time to devote to it. Thank you for all you have done and you continue to do for us bottom feeders. POWER TO THE SHRIMP!!   My Response   In looking at your stuff here would be my comment.   I'm not I would've put everything into one stream. I understand the extra cost, but I wouldn't have done it that way. I knew the name of your show and couldn't find it because all of your shows were under the name of the network in iTunes. That is a recipe for failure. It's hard enough to find a show when the name is correct.   I'm sure you found putting out so many episodes was a LOT of work. Anyone who starts out and gets no money in return (if that is the goal) means, "lots of work with $0 = burnout."   The bottom line (boiling it down) is the same reason I do podcasting over playing in a band. The band is days (months) of work for $50 if I'm lucky. If I practice two hours a week for six months to learn enough songs and do that for year that is 104 hours of practice. But wait, each gig is 4 hours. If we play every other weekend for ten months that is twenty gigs so another eighty hours (184 hours total). Those twenty gigs pay $50 each (20X50 )= 1000.   1000/184 =$5.34 an hour. If I say I "play for free" and remove the 80 hours of performing (and loading gear) that is still $9.64 an hour.   I'd rather stay home, not put up with drunks, and save my back and make more (or less) the same kind of money.   Some reports that 80%, 90% of businesses don't make it, others say 33% don't make it.   When I look at someone like John Lee Dumas he is the poster child for "Yes you can make money with a podcast." In the same way that the Beatles are the "Yes you can make money in music," not everyone with a guitar and long hair is the Beatles.   I don't believe there is a discovery problem. There wasn't a discovery problem for the Serial Podcast. Liz Covert at Ben Franklin's World has over 1 million downloads and she only has 100 episodes.  She doesn't have a team.   I agree that a ton of podcasts are coming out each week, but when a horse race starts, there are tons of horses coming out of the gate. Someone is going to win.   The Recipe of a Successful Podcast 1. Know who your audience is and what they want. 2. Give it to them on a consistent basis 3. Go to where they are (get out from behind the microphone) 4. Make friends with them. 5. Tell them about your podcast.   You said, "It is simply too late for the average independent show by a person working a full-time job to make an impact beyond a few niche listeners. " Podcast is only consumed by 30% of the planet. We are just getting warmed up.     Used in this Episode (in no order ) Hall of Fame Podcaster Godfree from Gamertagradio.com Jessica Rhodes of Interviewconnections.com Harry from podcastjunkies.com Daniel J Lewis from theaudacitytopodcast.com Ray Ortega from the Podcaster's Studio (courtesy of the Podcast Engineering School) Erik K Johnson from Podcast Talent Coach Paul Colligan from the Podcast Industry Report John Lee Dumas from Eofire.com Glenn "the Geek" Hebert from Horse Radio Network Brian from Profitcastuniverse.com Adam Ragusea from The Pub podcast Jordan Harbinger from the Art of Charm Dan Benjamin from http://5by5.tv/podcastmethod The Wolf's Den Podcast Eric Fisher from Beyond the ToDo List Mark from Late Night Internet Marketing Rob Walch from The Feed Podcast and Today in iOs Elsie Escobar from She Podcasts Jessica Kupferman from She Podcasts Michael Sharky from The Talent Show   Nick Seuberling http://spnt.tv/  Jared Easley and Starve the Doubts ( Check out Stop Chasing Influencers) George Hrab of the Geologic Podcast   See Me Speak I will appear at the following events CD Podfest Novmber 5-6 Washing DC http://www.dcpodfest.com/  Pofest in Tampa Florida February 2017 See www.podfest.us Northeast Ohio Podcaster's Meeting see www.neohiopodcasters.com Ready To Start Your Podcast? Join the School of PodcastingMentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

Rachel Smets is the author of Awaken Your Confidence and stops by to share some insights into building your confidence. You can find her at Racehsmets.com as well as @rachelsmets and Facebook. and YouTube We talk about overcoming imposter syndrome, and how telling someone "just start" doesn't work. Here are three things you can do to help boost your confidence: Don't compare yourself to others. Start Small Failure is Feedback On this Week's taping of the Ask the Podcast Coach show Carlos asked, "how do i become a popular podcaster when i was the most unpopular kid in high school?" to this point to the following people who were not popular in school: Steven Spielberg says, " “I was a nerd in those days. Outsider, like the kid that played the clarinet in the band and in orchestra, which I did.”" Taylor Switft says, " I remember when I was in school, the whole reason I started writing songs was because I was alone a lot of the time. I’d sit there in school and I’d be hearing people like, ‘Oh my god, this party that we’re going to is gonna be so awesome on Friday. Everyone’s invited except for Taylor Charlize Theron - “I didn’t have any boyfriends in high school. I had a massive, massive crush on this one guy. He was a couple of years older than me and I did not exist in his world. Selena Gomez " “I was bullied every second of every day in elementary and middle school.” Lady Gaga " “Being teased for being ugly, having a big nose, being annoying. ‘Your laugh is funny, you’re weird, why do you always sing, why are you so into theater, why do you do your make-up like that?’" Jessica Alba " “I’d eat my lunch in the nurses’ office so I didn’t have to sit with the other girls. Apart from my being mixed race, my parents didn’t have money so I never had the cute clothes or the cool back pack.”" Cameron Diaz " “I’m a dork! When I was high school, I was a total goon! All the kids used to make fun of me. I was like all skinny and gangly and guys were like no thank you.” Jennifer Garner - I was a real nerd. I wasn’t the popular one, I was one of those girls on the edge of the group. I never wore the right clothes and I had a kind of natural geekiness. I was in the school band and I think that has a bit of a stigma at the age of 13. If you’d asked me what I wanted to be, I would have said something like a librarian. Kate Winslet - Winslet was bullied and teased for being chubby. Her nickname at school was Blubber, and she was once even locked in the art cupboard Miley Cyrus - At school, there was an “Anti-Miley Club” full of “big, tough girls” who were “fully capable of doing [her] bodily harm” and went above and beyond in their bullying pursuit. Cyrus was once locked in a bathroom during class: “They shoved me in. I was trapped. I banged on the door until my fists hurt. Nobody came.” Other incidents included challenging Cyrus to a fight, which only ended when the principal stepped in. And when Cyrus wasn’t being physically abused, she was being teased, with classmates telling her, “Your dad’s a one-hit wonder. You’ll never amount to anything — just like him President Bill Clinton - As a junior high schooler, he was picked on relentlessly for being a “fat band boy” with bad taste in clothes. He was also known as a band geek. Michael Phelps - He was taunted for his “sticky-out ears” and lisp, as well as his long arms, which ultimately took him to greatness. Tom Cruise - His Dad had the family moving a lot to find work. Tom says, " I was always the new kid with the wrong shoes, the wrong accent. I didn’t have the friend to share things with and confide in.” And at each school, he faced the fresh experience over and over again. He was small for his age and easily pushed around." Walt Disney He was fired by a newspaper editor because, "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn't last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked. COMMENTS: 888-563-3228   A Podcast Can Be A New Start When you start a podcast all of the stupid people who didn't know the "true" you are gone, and you can start from scratch. Don't let your past dictate you future. Podcasting has boosted the confidence of many leaders in their field who say the practice of talking into a microphone. It has helped people be better speakers as they are familiar with coming up with presentations. So jump into the podcasting pool. The water is warm and friendly. File For Download Only and Other Mistakes Others are Making If you are using Libsyn.com (if you're not use the coupon code sopfree to get a free month) there is an optoin called "File For Download Only." This is useful for people who have membership sites, or VIP groups and they don't want the general public to have access to the file. The only want certain people to have access. The problem is two very popular consultants are telling their clients to use this all the time, and that is just bad advice. While this works for them (where they have multiple shows, and other outside circumstances) its not a good idea for most. Here is why: If you want to use any of the automation at libsyn, you've somewhat shot your self in the foot If you go back later and want to add this feature it's not easy. So as you Mom use to say "If Johnny Johnson jumps off a bridge are you?" I ask, "Just because Cliff Ravenscraft uses file for downloads only, doesn't mean you should as well).  Keep Your Wordpress Website and Plugins Updated I had a handful of people contact me this week when the name of their podcast changed to "No Title" in iTunes. The reason? They were running an older version of the PowerPress plugin. Now the PowerPress plugin is not bad, but you HAVE TO keep it up to date alone with your Wordpress install. If you don't you are asking, no, BEGGING people to hack you and give you headaches. Then always have a backup of your website. I use Backup creator. I've used Backup Buddy.  I'm looking into ManageWP which just joined Godaddy. Why I'm Changing the School of Podcasting I recently changed the School of Podcasting to try a "Scarcity" strategy. To make a long story short, it didn't work for me. I apprecaite all those who wanted to help my business, but as a teacher the one thing I want is eager students. Now when I get them I have to tell them to wait 9in some cases months) until the site reopens. For more details, read this post on my blog International Podcast Day is September 30th Check out the Gratitude Award we you can get an award for having a wide variety of Review (Via My Podcast Reviews - free). For more information check out https://internationalpodcastday.com Ready to Start Podcasting? Visit www.theschoolofpodcasting.comMentioned 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 I'm fresh back from a trip to Podcast Midatlantic where I spoke on a panel about podcasting. On Sunday I had some time before I flew home so Rob Greenlee and I Went to see the Liberty Bell in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. There are some things that learned in this visit that I thought we could apply to podcast. - When there is no great entertainment, people will flock to ANYTHING. Case in point the Liberty Bell, an old large bell with a giant crack use to go on tour and people would FLOCK to see it. In today's society, the bar is set pretty low in regards to content so you can stand out pretty easy - The Liberty Bell was flawed. Yet, people came out in droves to see it Did it sound impressive? No, I watched a video, and no it didn't but what it did do was stand for something. People came to the event, but more importantly, wanted to pay tribute to it's ideals. The ideals of the liberty bell is what is strong and stirs emotions. It's not the technology. The creators of the Liberty Bell has never made a bell so large. It shows, x-rays show how there are cracks throughout the bell (and that's why you won't here it ring) when you ring the bell you only make it worse. The lack of knowledge didn't stop the creators from doing their best. In the end, I'm sure they felt they failed, but by creating something, they gave their audience a gift. - After a tour of independence hall (where a large amount of the early forming of America occurred), I learned how they all collaborated together to put together the declaration of independence. Article Five of the United States Constitution detailed the two-step process for amending the nation's frame of government. The constitution was put into place on March 4, 1789. If they had waited until it was perfect, the Constitution wouldn't have been adopted t until May 7 1992 (the date of the last amendments). As of 12/2014 approximately 11,539 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress since 1789. The point being you can "Amend" your podcastwhenever you want. - The bell first cracked when rung after its arrival in Philadelphia, and was twice recast by local workmen John Pass and John Stow, whose last names appear on the bell.  When I was there on 9/11/16 reflecting on 9/11 there were people there all over the world. There are probably millions of bells across the world. Some of them are bigger, sound better, and yet here people flock to see an old broken bell because of what itstood for Liberty. More Great Take Aways From Podcast Mid Atlantic I was greeted by Heather from Craflit who presented me with a custom t-shirt that has *psbs and my logo. What does PSBS stand for? Podcasting since before serial. Heather was just as cool in person as she is online. The fact that someone would go out of their way to make me a custom t-shirt was amazing. It these tings that leave me speechless. Heather is a truly amazing person. A mind like hers you don't find often in this world. Mich O'Neil from the solopreneur hour had a great top for interviewing people. How do you avoid having a seasoned guest come on your show and NOT spew the same lame answers? You put their answers in your introduction. You disarm them. Now they can't reference those "traditional answers" and they have to dig deeper into their bag of answers for something new. Mark Asquith from podcastwebsites.com took what I've been saying, "Ask your audience what that want" and sharpened it. Ask them what they NEED. Awesome. Jessica Kupfeman of She Podcasts who help people get sponsors through her www.jkmagency.com showed that people love an underdog. Poor Jess had lost her voice, but we were all pulling for her as she tried to present with her lack of pipes. Her content made up for the lack of tone and quality of voice. This works in person, I'm not sure it would work as a podcast. Your might have a perspective that nobody else has. On Sunday 9/11/16 I had breakfast with Rob Greenlee from Spreaker, and Heather Ordover from Craftlit. We kind of shared some thoughts on 9/11 as it was the 15 year anniversary. Heather's perspective was like no other I had ever heard in 15 years. Why? Because she lived it. The plane engine from the second plane fell on the roof of her school. At one point, she turned to see the second dust cloud as it covered her. Her husband knew she was in the cloud. He was watching it on TV. You are a unique person. Only you have your history, perspective, and experiences. It gave me goosbumps. Christian Lee and CJ - What My Son is Learning From Podcasting Chrisian Lee does a podcast with his 10-year-old son. It's called What are we watching. Chrisitan (a standup comic) was very entertaining and dropped some great knowledge including: His son is learning how to push on when technology lets your down. He is getting to talk to celebrities. Their podcast has lead to some conversations that were needed. They opened the doors to some much-needed conversations. He is comfortable with technology, and working in his school. He is building his confidence. Because of My Podcast: Jim Collison (Starts at 1:56 )Jim Collison does show for his job (how cool is that). Jim was recently given an award for his work on the podcast (demonstrating that his podcast is making him a more valuable employee), and when Jim goes out to meet his audience he is somewhat swarmed. Congrats to Jim. Dave and Jim do the Ask the Podcast Coach show every Saturday Morning at 10:30 AM EST at www.askthepodcastcoach.com/live Jim's show for his job are at Http://coaching.gallup.com Jim also is the man behind the Average Guy Network Dave Jackson Talking Podcast Success I appeared on episode 19 of the Podcast Fiend show talking podcast success Check it out at http://podcastfiend.com/show/19 Podcast Questions? Call them in 888-563-3228 Get Podcast Consulting Find an available time at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/schedule Get the Show Notes Delivered To You www.scoolofpodcasting.com/newsletterMentioned 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 I am excited to have Jen Briney of the Congressional Dish podcast on my show. Jen reads legislation that is going through the house of representatives. She then reports back to you with no slant on democratic or republican slant but more of a intelligence vs moron slant. Her passion to help people understand what is happening right under our noses oozes out of her. Any conversation about politics will make it obvious. Congressional Dish is so good that at times I have to turn it off. It makes me upset and I need to punch something. Yes, it's that good. Jen also makes it entertaining. While she tries to restrain herself she does have any cursing replaced with the sound of a golf club. This stops her show from being explicit, and adds just a pinch of comedy to the show to keep it light. Her goal is to have the people use the control we have as American voters and vote these losers out of office. Here are some of the reasons why I wanted Jen on the show. Her success didn't happen over night. She's been doing this for four years. She hasn't been afraid to try new things and new formats She realized that she could do a great show, or go crazy. This meant no reading EVERYTHING. She realizes that if there is no Jen, there is no show. Consequently, the show is better, Jen is better, and we all win. She started with horrible equipment, and later upgraded. She didn't let equipment stop her from launching her podcast She is a great example of taking control of her show, and doing it the way she wants to do it. She shares today that dealing with haters takes long term vision. It's also easier said than done. She wants to have a paywall where she can do more experimental episodes for her die hard fans without potentially costing her new listeners. Her content has lead to getting almost 10,000 downloads per episode - and she's just now starting to promote the show. We talk a little politics and play a clip that Dave found very funny. As Jen explained it, we all have buttons that can be pushed. A listener wrote to the show and began telling Jen how she could grow the show to a much bigger audience if she would work on "her tone." Well this is something she heard growing up and set her off. She grabbed a microphone and off she went. She liked the raw emotion of the clip and got a lot of support from her audience (When Dave did this he almost got sued). Check out Congressional Dish at www.congressionaldish.com as we as in iTunes, or download the Congressional Dish iOs App as well as Android App Because of Her Podcast Jen has been on the Jessie Ventura show on TV, and she has been asked to speak at Podcast Movement.  Mentioned In This Show Please support The Messengers Podcast Documentary. They are sooo close to reaching their crowdfunding goal. Goal chip in a few bucks, and then tell a friend to go to www.supportthemessengers.com Podcast Consulting Need some podcast consulting? Book a session at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/schedule sessions start at 15 minutes. This is show #530 of the School of Podcasting and originated at www.schoolofpodcasting.comMentioned 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 can handle some people explaining their strategies of launching a podcast, but there are some things that are just blatantly WRONG. Here are a couple that get my goat. Episodes Get Downloaded When People Subscribe If you simply launch with only one episode on your first day, and someone subscribes to your podcast, then you only get one download. BUT, if you launch with five episodes and they subscribe, then you get five downloads, which will help to raise your rankings within iTunes. This is not true, and easy to test. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/itunes and subscribe and see if my back catalog automatically downloads. You Only Get 8 Weeks to be in New and Noteworthy Podcasts based on TV shows go in and out of New and Noteworthy all the time 50+ Honest Reviews Will Get You Into New and Noteworthy Nope. It's subscribers that really count. Not that reviews don't mean anything, but subscribers appear to carry more weight. Also boosting people to the top of the charts before they have found their own voice doesn't work. Case in point Philip Phillips. Who? Exactly (season 11 winner of American Idol). They talk about generating buzz, and getting people to talk about your show. You want to do this every week you are podcasting. You want to bring value on a consistent basis. Here is a video that explains why I know these are not true https://youtu.be/gp1T4aj3ucw Rob Walch at Podcast Movement said the following things about New and Noteworthy His KC Startup podcast was featured (front page) of iTunes and saw a bump of about 300 His son's podcast Porter's podcast saw a bump of about 1000 He said a front page listing will get a bump of anywhere from 200-a couple thousand. Podcasters who game the system to be #2 in the Education category and rarely got over 200 downloads per episode (most were around 100ish). The sad thing is people are never launching because they can't get the recommended number of podcasts (3,5,8, 30) ready to launch. Just launch. Losing Your Audience in Jargon and Inside Jokes We are all too close to the trees to see the forest and depending on who you audience is, we need to remember that we get new listeners all the time. When we start using jargon (words that only people with experience in you field, or potentially an inside joke ) you can leave them confused. This makes them feel like an outsider, and potentially tune out. Recently on an episode of the Podcast Review show both myself and my co-host Erik K. Johnson were lost in the hosts use of big words and inside jargon. Now, maybe we aren't their target audience but it really took away from the experience.  Being a person who grew up in the church Christian people who are trying to reach the world when they start spouting things like "Lion of Judah, Bathed in Blood, Alpha and Omega, evangelical, Holy Ghost, born again, unspoken prayer requests (which just means someone in my family messed up again). Be a "Proverbs 31 woman". The list goes on.  I asked my buddy Cale Nelson from HamRadio360 to come in and share some jargon.  Tascam US-32  Tascam MiNiSTUDIO Personal US-32 Audio Interface for Online Broadcasts is a brand new interface for podcasters who are looking to broadcast live and have the ability to mix in (up to) three sounds. There is also the ability to add effects. Most of the effects are pointless (make your voice deeper, higher, reverb, echo, distortion).  This is kind of exciting as this particular  https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1263856-REG/tascam_ministudio_personal_us_32.html/BI/5223/KBID/5977 Mentioned On This Episode Podcasters Roundtable Round 76 State of Live Streaming Hamradio360.com Black List Exposed Milaminthemiddle.com Book a Podcast Coaching Call With Dave Jackson Sessions start at 15 minutes and go up. See www.schoolofpodcasting.com/schedule for availability  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

How Do I Grow My Audience? Know Who Your Audience Is Know What They Want Go Where They Are Make Friends With Them and Bring Value to Your Conversations Tell them About Your Show Make it Is To Find, Share, and Remember How Long Should My Podcast Be? Don't do the "Dave Jackson Power Hour" if you only have 18 minutes of content. There is no such thing as too long , only too boring (Valeria Geller - Beyond Powerful Radio) How Do You Handle Headlines When You Have Multiple Topics in a Show? For me, I've just been taking the topic that I think reached my audience the best and use that as the "Main" Headline Do I Have Any Tips For Doing a Live Show? If you're worried about looking stupid don't go live I use firetalk.com to stream live. Realize you will have people who want to ruin you show. You MIGHT get 5% of your audience live. Live is addicting because it's instant feedback If you are looking for your audience to provide the content, remember when you start you don't have an audience. Should I put My Face Out There? If you are the brand it might be a good idea I might think twice if I was a woman as guys are creepy What Do You Think About Regional Podcast? I would love to start a local podcast I think getting local advertisers would be easy What is the Biggest Mistake When it Comes to Making Content? Guessing What Your Audience Wants Including personal family details You need to know WHY you are doing your podcast. You can talk about what your audience, but if that topic doesn't line up with your goal it could cause issues. What Are the Beginning Stages of Podcasting Like - What Can I expect? You can answer every email, every comment, every tweet You are "the host" and that carries weight when you reach out to your audience 50% of people get more than 150ish downloads and 50% get more. The average is around 2000. Mentioned The 27 Steps to start a Podcast What I Started a Podcast About Topic A, and Your Audience Wants to Hear About Topic B? If you want to talk about that subject, and that topic aligns with your goal then follow your audience If the topic is something you DON'T Want to talk about then don't. It will come through to your audience, and if you're not excited about the subject it will come through. When you try to do something that is not yourself it is hard, and you will start dreading creating your podcast. I'm an Accountant, and sometimes People Don't Want To Hear What They Need to Hear... Not everyone can handle the truth. Those people who like you will like you, and those that don't won't. When delivering not so great information back it up with your research,  and facts that you are using to shape your opinion. How Do I Come Back After a Long Hiatus? The same way you started. Know what your audience wants, and press record. Don't start off your show with an apology. Troubleshooting Your Podcast Sound - Separate Your Gear Into Pieces I have not been happy with my sound for the last few months. I seemed to pick up some hiss along the way. I went direct into my Zoom H5 recorder and the his was reduced. I then knew it was something in the mixer. From there tried using a different channel (it didn't fix it). I then switched the cabled from going to the 1/4" out of my Behringer Xeynx 1832 mixer (into the line in of the recorder) to the XLR out of the mixer into the xlr in of m mixer. I'm going to be slimming down my mixer as I don't need anything that beefy anymore (I used a big chunk of it when I have the live phone call in show). What is it Like To Have a Film Crew Come to Your House The crew from the Messengers Documentary came to my apartment to interview me. It was pretty crazy. The crew is so professional. They hit a snag when their flight got delayed, but they came through running on fumes. These guys have full time jobs and are fitting this movie into their schedule by (more or less) not sleeping at all. They got done filming here and drove to Kansas City to do more filming before flying back home to Florida. Amazing group of guys. Support the documentary at www.supportthemessengers.com I also go to hang out with Angelo from blubrry.com and Daniel J Lewis from the Audacity to podcast. At the North East Ohio Podcasters Meetup the crew showed off some footage and I got to me Scott Sykora from the Beardcaster. Scott does a podcast about professional competitive "bearding". I have got to go checkout a competition they sound fascinating. Upcoming Speaking Gigs I will be speaking at Podcast Mid Atlantic (go to www.podcastmidatlantic.com/sop to save $10). DC Podfest in November 4-5 I will also be speaking at Podfest in Florida in February 2017.  I will be having a meetup at Podfest. Need Podcast Consulting? Hire Dave for podcast consulting by going to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/schedule sessions lengths can be as short as 15 minutes (great if you have just a few questions).  This episode 528 appeared first at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/528 Mentioned in This Show www.podcastgeargroup.org Beyond Powerful Radio Book by Valerie Geller Free Book at Audible.com      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