PodCraft | How to Podcast & Craft a Fantastic Show

Hey folks, Colin here from thePodcastHost.com and bringing you a special short series on podcraft, starting today and continuing another 3 weeks. The aim of the series is to cover something I call the content stack. This is a concept around creating much more content, much more easily. Specifically that means making planning super simple, and creating a podcast episode, a blog post and at least 1 video, all in one process - often in the same time it takes you right now to create your podcast, so you're getting tonnes more benefit out of the time you spend creating. So, I'm going to cover the whole process over the next 4 weeks - all actionable, showing you exactly how to do it. This was originally recorded for the brilliant Boagworld podcast - one of the first shows I ever subscribed to and still going strong, so when I mention Paul, that's who I'm talking about, over at Boagworld.com.  Before we jump in, I just want to say thanks to Memberful for supporting this episode. They make membership sites really, really easy, and they just launched private podcasting too. So you can do private website content, private newsletters AND a private podcast now, for all your members. Pop over to memberful.com to read more about them. Support the show

In this series on video conferencing for remote or big teams, we're looking at how best to setup, prepare for and run your online calls. On this episode, it's the final step: running the call! What's the etiquette, online? How does it differ from in-person meetings? That's what we explore here. We'll show you how to think about it differently, so that you get the most value from the time you spend with your team, and keep everyone engaged throughout. Support the show

In this series on video conferencing for remote or big teams, we're looking at how best to setup, prepare for and run your online calls. This episode is all about the preparation. What can you do, ahead of your online meeting, to make sure it runs smoothly? In some ways it's no different from an in-person meeting, but in others, there are some very specific things you can do in the online context. Let's find out what!Support the show

Video conferencing and online calls have rocketed in the past couple of months, for obvious reasons!For many this new way of working is yet another steep learning curve in amongst all the other craziness that has happened since the start of 2020….. moving from face to face to remote working and virtual meetings.Life is stressful enough for many people at the moment, without needing to figure the best ways of working online, whilst broadband is being shared amongst a household and you’re working from the kitchen table!So, I got together with Maryanne Johnstone from the Agile Speaker podcast to do a joint series on how to communicate online, whether it's for work - your own team or clients - or for home - family and friends. In this short series we'll cover the logistics, including software, gear and setups. We'll cover how to prepare for these calls, so they go well. And we'll cover how to deliver them - how to make sure they run smoothly. This time around it's the logistics. So, let's find out what's the best setup for online calls, including microphones, headphones, software and location. Support the show

We recently ran a listener survey, exploring the discovery and listening habits of 780 podcast consumers. 41% of participants have never run their own show before. Read the full reportSome of the key takeaways were40% prefer to search their listening app's directory to discover new podcastsPodcasts are judged mostly on the description, and then their episode titlesPeople don't care if they've never heard of the podcaster, or their guest28.9% of listeners will give a show up to 15 minutes to “hook” them27.5%, on the other hand, will only give it 5 minutesThe vast majority of listeners are fine with ads in podcasts, within reasonGoing too long can lose you more listeners than going too shortSupport the show

This week, we're bringing you a final bonus episode, coming from a new show that Colin's just released, called the Podcasting Tools show. It's a podcast all about gear, gadgets, resources and tools for podcasters, something that Colin's super geeky about, and something that's always gone down well with readers of thePodcastHost.com. The aim is short reviews, comparisons and tutorials that'll help you improve your show in just 10 minutes each week. Listen to this episode to see if you like it and subscribe over at:https://www.ThePodcastHost.com/podcastingtools.Support the show

This week, and for 1 more week, we're bringing you episodes from a new show that Colin's just released, called the Podcasting Tools show. It's a podcast all about gear, gadgets, resources and tools for podcasters, something that Colin's super geeky about, and something that's always gone down well with readers of thePodcastHost.com. The aim is short reviews, comparisons and tutorials that'll help you improve your show in just 10 minutes each week. Listen to this episode to see if you like it and subscribe over at:https://www.ThePodcastHost.com/podcastingtools.Support the show (https://pod.academy)

This week, and for the next 2 weeks, we're bringing you episodes from a new show that Colin's just released, called the Podcasting Tools show. It's a podcast all about gear, gadgets, resources and tools for podcasters, something that Colin's super geeky about, and something that's always gone down well with readers of thePodcastHost.com. The aim is short reviews, comparisons and tutorials that'll help you improve your show in just 10 minutes each week. Listen to this episode to see if you like it and subscribe over at:https://www.ThePodcastHost.com/podcastingtools.Support the show

Podchaser is often referred to as “the IMDb of podcasting”.The company was founded in 2016 with the goal of creating the “ultimate, platform-agnostic podcast database.” On this episode of Podcraft, Colin is joined by founder Cole Raven to talk about the various ways podcasters can utilise Podchaser.The platform enables you to create your own profile. Then, you can link that profile it to all the shows and episodes you've ever been involved in.Podchaser lets other users “follow” your show, so they'll never miss an update from you in their feed. They have a great ‘lists' feature too, so you can create themed lists of your favourite podcasts or podcast episodes. There's also a rating and review system. Cole points out that many podcasters ask for iTunes/Apple reviews on their shows, which excludes the huge number of folks listening on non iOS devices. With Podchaser, anyone with an account can leave your show a rating and review.Users can even review individual episodes. You could start to leverage this by asking your listeners to review each episode on Podchaser to let you know exactly what they think. This could be a good way to determine what content really hits the mark, and what stuff you might want to consider dropping in future.Podchaser is a fast growing platform that's becoming a great place to discover new shows. Users can keep up with what their like-minded friends are listening to, following, adding to lists, and reviewing.For the interview show podcaster, it's also a really good place to seek out interesting and relevant new guests for your show.As the platform is still relatively young, it's a good time to get on there, create your profile, and ‘claim' your podcast/podcasts. Cole and the Podchaser team are very supportive, receptive to feedback, and constantly adding new features and tweaks to the service.Support the show

New mics turn up on our doorstep all the time here at The Podcast Host. Which is handy, because our ‘best podcast microphones' article is one of the most popular on the entire site.Many podcasters love equipment and gear. And, though it's far from the most important factor in making a great podcast, who doesn't like to try out some brand new kit?So what exactly did we try out mic-wise in 2019? I thought I'd put together the sound samples recorded for each individual review, so you could listen through and compare them in one easy-to-listen place.What You'll HearHere's what we'll be listening to, along with links to their full reviews on the site.AKG Lyra USB – $150Electro Voice RE20 – $400Aston Stealth – $400Zoom SSH-6 Shotgun Attachment – $150Rode Wireless Go – $210AntLion ModMic USB – $70Rode Procaster – $200Rode Rodecaster – $600It's worth saying up front, that if you don't listen to this episode with over-ear headphones on, the subtle differences between each one might be lost on you.That said, listening through earbuds in a busy, noisy place, is exactly how most listeners consume podcasts. So if you don't notice any difference at all, that could be a great reason to spend a lot less on your recording gear.Need More Gear-Choosing Help?The above mics are the ones we tried out in 2019, but there are plenty other great options on the market.If you'd still like to shop around a bit, then be sure to check out our best podcast microphones and best USB mics roundups.For more help on the audio and recording front, check out our ultimate guide to podcast equipment. This'll run you through everything you need, as well as everything you don't need.And, if you'd prefer a bit more tailored assistance, check out The Podcast Host Academy. There, you'll get access to our community forums, live Q&A sessions, courses, resources, and much more!Support the show (https://pod.academy)