Streamlined Podcaster: Tips to Help Solopreneurs Improve Their Podcast Systems

I’ve decided –  with a push from my new video editor, Zach – to create short-form videos for episodes. This required me to do a couple of things.The first is actually recording video. I’ve toyed with this in the past, and with other podcasts, but I’ve never done it consistently for How I Built It.Part of it was that I never thought straight interviews were compelling videos. But the other part was I didn’t think the effort for short form was worth it.It still might not be. But now I’m willing to try. More on that in a minute.The other thing I needed to do was update my guest notes. I made it pretty clear in the notes that it was an audio-only podcast – so I updated that to say “Video will be recorded, but only for social media.”This wasn’t crucial, but courteous, as some folks want to make sure they’re camera-ready.So what’s my strategy?Right now, I’m mostly testing. I’ll post 3-4 videos per week on TikTok, X (neé Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube Shorts and see what happens.I also made a discovery about TikTok as it relates to podcasting. I’ve added a new video for members of the Foundry and will be more open about my experiments there.For now, I’d love to know if you have a short-form video strategy. If so, respond to this email and let me know! ★ Support this podcast ★

Earlier this year, I had 2 conversations that really shaped how I view making content moving forwardThe first was Tim Stoddart of Copyblogger. He’s a prolific writer, a fantastic business owner, and super down-to-earth.He told me he doesn’t like the term “build in public.” He prefers to say, “Share your journey.”I love this because you’re not giving people a blueprint to follow (despite what the Thread Bois says).You’re telling people what you’re doing, and what’s working for YOU.Then I did a deep dive on Justin Jackson and John Buda’s Build in Public podcast.They shared their own journey of building a SaaS in a crowded market in 2018. And the podcast took off.I’m definitely focusing on long-form content more. But when I’m stuck, especially when I want to deliver for my members, I’m going to share my journey.Do something. Tell people you did it. Tell people how you did it.Rinse.Repeat.Unless you’re literally doing nothing, you’ll always have something to share. ★ Support this podcast ★

Here are 5 things you can do to grow your podcast:1. Get a Decent Mic. You don’t need to spend $400, but you should use a decent USB mic. I recommend the ATR-2100x2. Don’t just record and release. Too many people just record a Zoom call and release it as a podcast. Listeners expect more than that these days.3. Do a little research. Don’t go in cold. If you’re interviewing someone, do some background work on them and don’t have them introduce themselves — get right to the heart of the interview. If it’s a solo show, fact-check yourself and have an outline.4. Make it easy to share episodes. Have an easy-to-remember URL, and have the share buttons on the episodes page! Help people help you!5. Make helpful social media posts. Don’t just point a link to the episode. Create useful content on the platform, then link to the episode for more context.Each of these shows your listeners that you've decided to go the extra mile and put a little more effort into your show for them. ★ Support this podcast ★

Today I want to talk to you about DAI, or Dynamic Ad Insertion. DAI is a way for you to automatically insert ads (or any audio clip) into your already produced podcast episodes. There are lots of services that allow this, like Transistor and Buzzsprout, which makes it super easy. The way it works is this:You upload your episodesYou upload the audio clip you want dynamically insertedYou mark whether it’s a pre-roll, post-roll, or mid-roll ad You can also (based on the service) set an expiration date, or manually turn it on or off. This allows you to do a few things, but the two I’m using it for are:Selling a limited run ad-campaign (so a 30 day mid-roll on specific episodes)Dynamically changing my call to action depending on the time of year. I got the latter idea from my guest Sam Munoz . Most of the year, I’m promoting my newsletter (this very newsletter, in-fact). But when there's some time-based event or special, I’ll be promoting that instead, without have to re-edit every episode. What do you think of DAI? Can you see it being useful for your podcast? ★ Support this podcast ★

This podcast explores the myth of forming a habit in 21 days and emphasizes the importance of choosing the right format and topic for a daily podcast. It provides tips on batching content, selecting topics, and generating ideas. The podcast also discusses the workflow for recording and editing episodes, as well as monetization approaches for daily podcasts.

In an episode of the now-retired show Podcast Pontifications, Evo Terra drops a truth bomb for all the “record to tape” or “record and release” podcasters:But if you look at the larger universe of podcasting, which is now millions of podcasts strong, you’ll see that podcast listeners are voting for the kinds of shows that take more time and care than can be put into a linear record and release style of podcast.He was talking about people who record a show and then release it as is (known as record and release, or record to tape). But from that ailment comes another symptom: people using Zoom to record.You need to stop using Zoom.Similar to Evo’s point above, listeners today more than ever expect quality. They want you to sound like you’re in the room with your guest.And that’s easier than ever with great tools like  Riverside.fm, which records everyone’s audio locally, and separately. No weird robot video from bad internet connections here.This is important because bad audio can erode trust, which could stifle your podcast’s growth, and your ability to establish expertise.One of the reasons I feel my show grew quickly is because I’ve added a commitment to the best possible audio quality from the very beginning.If you’re not sure where to start, I strongly recommend  Riverside.fm. It’s affordable, well-made, and the most reliable of the tools I’ve used. ★ Support this podcast ★

Does anyone know you so well, they can describe you in a single sentence?When I was at Craft + Commerce, Mike Pacchione gave some great advice for when you tell stories:When describing someone, use a single sentence that instantly tells the listener who they are. Here’s an example:My dad always told people, “Joe would argue with Jesus Christ if he came off the cross.”You probably think I’m…opinionated, to put it nicely.You should do the same thing with your podcast, and episodes.What would that look like?If I’m describing my show  How I Built It , I might say, “You get free coaching sessions from the best creators.”I can then extend that out to specific episodes. “You get one coaching session from Mike on Public Speaking,” for example.For this show, I can say, "Bite-sized tips to help you improve your podcast process."As you figure out the best one-liner for your podcast, keep your show’s mission in mind.The one-liner can be based on the mission, or even define it. ★ Support this podcast ★

One way to grow your podcast audience is to leverage the audience you have on other platforms. Short-form video can be a particularly effective medium here because many of those platforms, like TikTik, prioritize discovery over followers. So here's what you do: 1) Record a short-form video (vertical, 60 seconds long) taking about one thing from a recent podcast interview or episode. I try to do this right after I record the episode so it's fresh in my mind. 2) Upload it to TikTok, Instagram Reels (which can also post to your Stories and Facebook), and YouTube Shorts. 3) Include a CTA and link to subscribe to your podcast or newsletter so they don't miss the episode. This will add 5-10 minutes per episode, but if it doesn't right, can funnel people to your show and create new fans.  ★ Support this podcast ★

One low barrier for entry these days is asking for donations from listeners. It likely won’t be a huge money maker at first, but it’s an easier sell than a membership. When a listener really enjoys your content, they can send you a few bucks.So what are some platforms that make it as easy as possible for listeners to donate? Here are three: Buy Me a Coffee : Popular among podcasters, Buy Me A Coffee allows you to create a profile, connect a Stripe account, and start accepting donations (usually in $5 intervals) super fast. ConverKit: ConvertKit is the ESP for creators, as evidenced by the fact that they have a ton of features to help creators. That includes a “tip jar” on a custom domain for people to send you money – on the free plan GiveWP : If you use WordPress for your website, GiveWP is a fantastic option. It’s free, you can set your own donation levels, and everything neatly integrates with your WordPress site.Once you select your donation platform, you can add it to your show notes (a big benefit of GiveWP is embedding the form on the show notes page), make it your CTA, or include it in your newsletter. ★ Support this podcast ★

The #1 question potential listeners will ask when they find your podcast is, "What's in it for me."Optimize for that question and that experience and you will get more listeners.This was the crux of what we covered when Hollie Arnett  hired me for a podcast audit of her show, Brand Your Podcast. In this episode we'll cover the Top 8 takeaways from that audit, as well as what Hollie should do next. If you want to get your own Podcast Growth Audit, you can do so here: https://podcastliftoff.com/auditAnd if you want to watch the entire, unedited audit, check out this video.  ★ Support this podcast ★