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

Episode 900 (as was 800, 700, etc) has me breaking format. In this episode, I share why all the not-so-great things that happened to you grow up help make you, YOU. Your uniqueness may be the EXACT thing that resonates with people who need to hear your content.  After coming back from the Spark Ignite Christian Podcast Conference, I was able to book Jesus as a guest. Not to talk about the benefits of believing in him but more about his marketing practice. He started with 12 followers, and 2000 years later people are still talking about him. He is the author of the Bible, and has a new series on Amazon called "The Chosen" (highly recommended). You can also listen to the audio drama on Audible (aff) featuring Samuel L Jackson as God. Join the School of Podcasting Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and expert instructors, you'll create high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting Topics 00:00:23 - Episode 900 Special Format  00:00:24 - You Don't Know Who Listening 00:01:08 - What Shapes You Make You Special 00:05:31 - I Still Wonder if People Are Listening 00:06:18 - Have I Peaked? 00:06:57 - Top Podcaster Influencer 00:09:41 - Join the School of Podcasting  00:10:43 - Boost Reminder  00:10:55 - Weather  00:11:08 - Invisible Sky Buddy Alert: Jesus Interview  00:12:14 - When Did Jesus Get Into Content Marketing? 00:12:45 - Is Your Message Hard To Understand?  00:14:13 - The Rebrand  00:14:46 - 10 To 2 Simplification  00:16:24 - Did you start off with 12 Follows?  00:17:21 - The Jesus Marketing Strategy  00:18:47 - Speeding Up Growth  00:19:32 - How Did You Get Your Audience To Share?  00:20:34 - Get Your Audience Involved  00:22:19 - Get Your Core Values Set  00:22:51 - Fame Isn't Cool?  00:23:08 - Nepotism at Your Job  00:23:34 - Pricing Products  00:24:16 - What's The Deal With Bono?  00:24:52 - Anything Else From the Book?  00:25:10 - Last Question  00:25:30 - Take Aways From the Interview  00:26:20 - The Proverb Effect  00:27:28 - The Red Hat Guy  00:29:33 - Marketing is Never Ending  00:30:54 - Question of the Month  00:31:55 - Live Appearances  00:32:24 - Check out the Website  00:33:55 - A little Guitar to Play Us Out  Mentioned In This Episode: The School of Podcasting The Proverb Effect  Ask the Podcast Coach: Chat GPT For Podcasters Bible The Chosen listen to the audio drama on Audible (aff) featuring Samuel L Jackson as God.Mentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

Branden Mullen from Podpage talks about Podpage Elite, a new plan that helps your podcast get found, provides stats on links, and notifies guests. They discuss advanced features like SEO analysis, reviews, guest alert emails, and pretty link click data. They also mention upcoming features and integrations, such as podcasting 2.0 tags and private feeds.

Today we are diving into the strategy of "feed drops" in podcasting. Some special guests are joining us, including York Campbell, Randy Black, and Zoe Richardson. In this episode, we'll explore the concept of feed drops, where a show drops an episode into the feed of another show to gain new listeners. Our guests will discuss their experiences with feed drops and share their perspectives on whether it's an effective strategy. Join the School of Podcasting Community Risk-Free Are you looking to start your podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll be creating high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting. Use the coupon code schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save on a monthly or yearly subscription.  Feed Drops:  Feed drops can be a powerful strategy to gain new listeners and broaden your reach in the podcasting realm. By dropping an episode into the feed of another show, you not only introduce your content to a new audience but also establish connections with other podcasters. Just make sure the dropped episode aligns with the tone and subject matter of the host show to keep your listeners engaged. Participants: Randall Black from Work From The Weight Zo Richardson from Backlook Cinema York from Welcome to Earth Stories Consider Your Source: There are a number of different types of podcasters. Here are just a couple: Fun Seekers Serious Hobbyist The Side Hustle-ist There are also many ways to monetize your show. The Value Four Value model is gaining steam, and everyone talks about podcast advertising. With the above types of podcasters they have different motivations and metrics.  People who work in the advertising end of podcasting focus on making sure advertisers are happy.  With this in mind, when you hear news, insights, and ideas about podcasting you might consider evaluating what persepctive they are coming from. There is no "wrong" perspective as there are many ways to plan, launch, grow, and monetize your show.  For example one recent written by Steve Goldstein on the Three Eras of Podcasting seemed to hint that podcasting started when advertising arrived. This makes sense coming from Steve who works in the advertising side of podcasting.  Podcast Rewind I appeared on The Flow by Ecam, talking about how to start a podcast. I shared a story about the gear I used when I first started podcasting. QUESTION OF THE MONTH Each month I ask you to chime in on the show so we all can learn together. Be sure to tell use about your show, and mention your website. Leave Your Answer at  www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question Mentioned In This Episode Join the School of Podcasting Community Profit From Your Podcast Book Power of Podcasting Network Dave's YouTube Channel Dave's Podcasting Newsletter Buy Dave a Coffee Put Dave In Your Pocket Where Will Dave Be? Question of the Month   Follow the Show and Never Miss an Episode on: Apple - Google - Spotify - Amazon Check out New Podcast Apps for apps to stream bitcoin to podcasters. Did You Get Value From This Episode? Enjoy the Show? Buy Dave a Coffee and give some of that value back.   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

in today's episode, number 897, we'll dive into the crowdfunding world and discuss the best platforms to use. We'll discuss various crowdfunding platforms like Patreon, Glow, Supercast, Spotify and more, comparing their features and implementation. But crowdfunding comes with its own set of challenges and concerns. We'll address these issues, including worries about not making enough money, the time and effort required for promotion, and potential restrictions on speech. So, whether you're just starting out or looking to explore new opportunities for monetizing your podcast, this episode is packed with insights and strategies to help you make informed decisions.  Join the School of Podcasting Community Risk-Free Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll be creating high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting. Use the coupon code schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save on a monthly or yearly subscription. You can get a free PDF report that summarizes all of this information HERE. Tables and a much deeper dive on the website at schoolofpodcasting.com/897 Check out Dave on Buy Me a Coffee Dave's Stripe Donate Option   Mentioned In This Episode Join the School of Podcasting Community Keith Fong Because of My Podcast: Way to the Quality Warrior Profit From Your Podcast Book Power of Podcasting Network Dave's YouTube Channel Dave's Podcasting Newsletter Buy Dave a Coffee Put Dave In Your Pocket Where Will Dave Be? Question of the Month Glow.fm Supercast (aff) Supporting Cast Buzzsprout (aff) Captivate (aff) Stripe Paypal  Storyworthy Book Set Up Your Show to Value For Value Video Podcasting 2.0 Eric Bennet Interview From Supporting Cast on Podglamorate Podcasting 2.0 ShowMentioned 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

What works for one podcast may not work for another podcast because their audiences are different. Think of the two female singers, Adele and Pink. The are both authentic, talented singers. One tends to stand on stage, tell stories, and perform in a dress. The other does gymnastics that include floating around the entire outside stadium. Could you see Adele flying around a stadium?  Instead, know your "WHY" and your "WHO" so you can figure out your WHAT and deliver it authentically in a way that doesn't bore your audience.  Plus, we'll tackle the ever-elusive topic of measuring success. I'll reveal the strategies and tools I use to track traffic and engagement and the importance of creating engaging content that keeps listeners coming back for more. Tools To Use To Help You Identify What Works With Your Podcast Instead of just linking to your website, you can add UTM parameters (this isn't as geeky as it sounds). A UTM is Urchin Traffic Monitor (we really don't care). These parameters can be thought of as leaving a breadcrumb so that when you check Google Analytics you can see where the audience specially came from. I'm currently using Fathom Stats, which are not free but are easier to read and a bit more privacy-focused. Add UTMs to a Link using the Google UTM Creator the Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder for generating URLs to websites the Google Play URL Builder for generating URLs to apps on the Google Play Store the iOS Campaign Tracking URL Builder for generating URLs to apps on the Apple App Store There are parameters you can add that will be seen in your Google Analytics. I have been using Fathom stats as they are easier to understand (it's not free, but I prefer checking out my stats without the frustration of digging through Google Analytics).  Why I Like Switchy Switchy is a tool that is currently available for a lifetime deal on App Summo. Not only does this create easy-to-remember links like www.supportthisshow.com/q2u (which is my affiliate link for the Samson Q2U microphone), but it creates trackable QR codes, and the ability to set UTM parameters and save them as a template.  When You Can See What Works, You Can QUit Doing Those Actions That Don't For a while I was putting videos on twitch (primarily known for gaming) and I just didn't any reaction (so I quit wasting my time for now).  I have videos and screenshots at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/896 Join the School of Podcasting Community Risk-Free Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll be creating high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting. Use the coupon code schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save on a monthly or yearly subscription. Live appearances? I look forward to seeing you all, please come up and say hi. To see my full itinerary, go to schoolofpodcasting.com/where QUESTION OF THE MONTH Each month I ask you to chime in on the show so we all can learn together. Be sure to tell use about your show, and mention your website. Leave Your Answer at  www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question   Mentioned In This Episode Join the School of Podcasting Community Profit From Your Podcast Book Power of Podcasting Network Dave's YouTube Channel Dave's Podcasting Newsletter Buy Dave a Coffee Put Dave In Your Pocket Where Will Dave Be? Question of the Month Bitly Google Analytics Switchy Fathom Website Stats    Mentioned in this episode:2025 Audience SurveyI Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey

Alex Sanfilippo, co-founder of PodPros and host of Podcasting Made Simple, shares 10 factors of podcasting success after interviewing 1600 podcasters. Topics include self-discipline, self-care, displaying value to listeners, clear strategy for growth and monetization, consistent planning, and improving podcasting craft. Other topics cover keeping the show organized, having conversations with the audience, delegation, and accountability partners.

In this episode of the School of Podcasting, we dive deep into time-saving tips for podcasters. I discuss my own experiences and lessons learned, along with a lineup of fantastic guests. We cover a wide range of strategies to improve productivity and efficiency in podcasting. From utilizing second screens and mastering keyboard shortcuts to automating tasks with templates and transcription tools, we explore ways to streamline the podcasting process. Throughout the episode, we highlight individual stories and hacks from our guests, showcasing their unique approaches to saving time in podcasting. Overall, this episode is a treasure trove of practical advice for podcasters looking to make the most of their time and create high-quality content. Join the School of Podcasting Community Risk-Free Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll be creating high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting. Use the coupon code schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save on a monthly or yearly subscription. Participants and Efficiency Tips Scott from What Was That Like is speeding up editing using keyboard shortcuts and a Red Dragon M908 Gaming Mouse (aff) Craig from Live Well and Flourish is speeding up editing by using iZotope plugins. I use Dialogue Enhance 2. Jill from Fit Stong Women Over 50 eliminates editing by doing more research for your interviews. Branden uses the sound pads on the Zoom Podtrak P4 to help identify edit marks (he assigned tones from Audacity to the pads) Karin from Just Grow Something uses templates where she adds all of the files she uses for her show and saves it as a template. Then opens the template and chooses "Save As," and gives it a new name (so the blank version of the episode stays blank). Kim from the Pharmacists Voice also uses Templates for her audio, her images (using Canva), and anything else. Jim from Home Gadget Geeks ensures any online tools (like auphonic) he uses take advantage of any integrations. Tools like Active Pieces and Zapier can tie two products together. Mark Vinet from the History of North America and Historical Jesus batch records. Steve Steward from the Podcast Editors Academy and his own Editing Service uses two monitors, which speed things up and make things less stressful. Tips To Speed Up Your Podcast From Dave Use the playback speed option in Audacity. It will make people sound like chipmunks, but every little bit helps. Use Text Expander to create templates or anything you type over and over (Libsyn.com has a snippets feature as does Captivate, which has episode defaults (templates). Podpage is a set-it-and-forget-it website tool. You create an episode, and it just appears on your website. You can learn Podpage for Free. Podpage also has an episode signature at the bottom of every episode on your site. A Transcription service like Otter or any AI Transcription tools can be used for editing. I use Evernote to organize my thoughts to avoid wasting time looking for things. A cheap alternative to Notedex. Use a calendar scheduling tool like Acuity Scheduling, Tidycal (although it's having an issue), or Calendly. Using these tools takes the stress out of scheduling guests. I Use Brandy to manage my Press kit. Use your audience, who often have time, treasure, and talent, to help you with your show. Pin a folder to the left navigation in Windows Explorer and the Finder on a Mac so you don't have to dig down to get to the folder. Pay someone to do your editing. Join the Newsletter For More Podcast Tips Want more podcast insights, tips, tricks, and strategies? Sign up for my newsletter at  www.podcastingobservations.com    Where I Will Be? I look forward to seeing you all, please come up and say hi. To see my full itinerary, go to schoolofpodcasting.com/where   QUESTION OF THE MONTH Each month I ask you a question. This gives you a chance to promote your show and participate in the community. Leave Your Answer at  www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question   Follow the Show and Never Miss an Episode on: Apple - Google - Spotify - Amazon Check out New Podcast Apps for apps to stream bitcoin to podcasters. Did You Get Value From This Episode? Enjoy the Show? Buy Dave a Coffee and give some of that value back.   Mentioned in this episode:I Want Your OpinionI am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey252025 Audience Survey2025 Audience Survey

Are you running out of hard drive space due to the large files associated with your podcast, especially if you're playing with video? Worry not, because in this week's episode of The School of Podcasting, Dave Jackson provides a solution to this common problem.Dave discusses the benefits of using cloud storage services like Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage to free up space on your computer. He shares his personal experience with Backblaze, emphasizing its reliability and the peace of mind it offers when it comes to backing up your files. Whether you want to save your podcast episodes, old YouTube videos, or any other large files, Backblaze B2 could perfectly fit you. Even better, the first 10GB of storage is free! And the pricing is incredibly affordable, with Backblaze charging only half a cent per gigabyte. So, you can upload many files without worrying about exceeding your budget. See supportthisshow.com/backblaze Join the School of Podcasting Community Risk-Free Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll be creating high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting. Use the coupon code schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save on a monthly or yearly subscription.   It's Not As Hard As You Think I just returned from speaking at the 40th high school reunion, where they asked me to speak. Speaking always makes me nervous, but due to this talk NOT being about podcasting, I was REALLY Nervous.  I followed my own advice and figured out who I was talking to, and what the goal of the talk was (point out that we survived), and then I found people to give me honest feedback before I had to deliver it. It worked. I got a fair amount of compliments.  The stress and hand shaking worry was not needed. I had done my homework. So I'm here to tell you from the other side, that the worry is more than likely not necessary (I know, easier said than done).  Spotify Video Experiment So Far  while I received hundreds of downloads of the audio of the ASk the Podcast show, and a decent amount of video views on YouTube. I have not received a single play on Spotify. Granted I have not promoted it (I promote my Youtube Channel) . I wanted to see what kind of organic traffic Spotify would bring. So far I haven't received any. I do have a niche show, but I wanted you to know.  Mentioned In This Episode Join the School of Podcasting Community Backblaze Backup  Profit From Your Podcast Book Power of Podcasting Network Dave's YouTube Channel Dave's Podcasting Newsletter Buy Dave a Coffee Put Dave In Your Pocket Where Will Dave Be? Question of the Month CHAPTERS 00:00:12 - Topics 00:00:32 - Opening 00:01:12 - Video Files are Bigger 00:01:51 - Backblaze 00:05:16 - How Much Is It? 00:07:39 - What Should I Keep? 00:08:44 - File Structure  00:13:05 - Join the School of Podcasting (https://learn.schoolofpodcasting.com) 00:13:52 - Studying Mr. Beast 00:14:03 - Free Podcasting Tips Newsletter (https://www.schoolofpodcasting.com/daily) 00:15:10 - Editing Old Titles  00:17:03 -   00:18:21 - Overcoming Your Podcast Fear  00:25:33 - Question of the Month (https://www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question) 00:26:35 - Live Appearances (https://www.schoolofpodcasitng.com/where) 00:27:08 - Spotify VIdeo Experiment 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

Jeff Sieh, a man wearing many hats, found himself in the heart of the digital world, not by chance but by curiosity and sheer determination. His journey wasn't a straight line. Jeff kept evolving from dabbling in corporate video production and website building to exploring social media. During one of these explorations, he stumbled upon Pinterest on a podcast. Hearing about the surge of traffic it brought to a blog stirred his interest. His first foray into Pinterest was a blog post, Manly Pinterest Tips #1, that resonated among the masses. That's when he realized the potential of Pinterest, not just as another social platform but as a visual search engine. BUT I DIDN'T BRING JEFF ON TO JUST TALK ABOUT PINTEREST Jeff has been shooting video for decades and does all of his shows LIVE. If you think about it, you can take this content and repurpose it in ANY format you want, but how do you do that without losing your mind? Jeff shares that today. Check Out Jeff Sieh jeffsieh.com socialmedianewslive.com manlypinteresttips.com/ Topics Include Using Pinterest as a Visual Search Engine Best Practices and Myths of Pinterest Creating Eye-Catching Pins How Jeff Landed Big Guests How Jeff Landed a Big Sponsor The Benefits of Building Relationships Repurposing Content for Maximum Value Why He Uses Descript The Difference Between Streamyard and Ecamm Live The Big Attraction of Going Live Growing Your Audience Through Consistency Mentioned In This Episode Jeff Sieh's Website Manly Pinterest Tips Social Media News Live Ecamm Live Software Streamyard Live Streaming Tool Repurpose.io Social Warfare Sharing Plugin Profit From Your Podcast: Proven Strategies to Turn Your Listeners Into Livelihood Join the School of Podcasting! Canva The YouTube Formula Book (aff) Dave's Appearance on Jeff's Show Descript Streamyard and Ecamm Tailwind Pinterest Scheduling Tool The School of Podcasting This is episode 892 and originates at schoolofpodcasting.com/892 This show is part of the Power of Podcasting Network changing the World One Download at a Time. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Other links may result in me earning a small commissionMentioned 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

In this podcast, the host shares stories from their personal life, including a car accident they were in. They discuss the aftermath of the accident and reflect on the importance of gratitude in the face of tragedy.