PodCraft | How to Podcast & Craft a Fantastic Show

On the episode, I talk to David Bain, a long time and very prolific podcaster, the one I remember most being Digital Marketing Radio. David is also the author of Marketing Now (available very soon on Amazon!), which is a book which had it's genesis in a podcast. David is in good company with this type of repurposing, one of the biggest examples being Tim Ferriss and the Tools of Titans book. Tim created that book based on the hundreds of hours of content he's produced as part of his interview-based podcast. So, I thought I'd get David on the show, incase you want to follow in the footsteps of David and Tim. Here he talks about the 6-step process he used to create Marketing Now, and how you can create your own book. You'll find out:How David came up with the idea for the book, and how he created previous ones using the same method.How to think about book structure, and how that boils down into planning the audio content to base it onHow a live broadcast is a natural extension of a podcastHow he turned a live broadcast into the content for a bookWhere he decided to publish his book and whyHow he solved the design problem, and made it easy to create a great bookYou can find David over on twitter, and you can see more about the book, and sign up for the live launch stream here: Marketing Now. Support the show

Interviews are a big part of podcasting, and for good reason.They break up the potential monotony of one voice talking for too long, they add expertise and gravitas to your episode, and it's a chance to tap into your interviewee's own following – a tale of two audiences!You'll want to get the most out of your interviewee and maximise their contribution to your cause. That boils down to the conversation you have, and the questions you ask. No pressure.We've covered how to record an interview extensively, so now it's down to what you should be asking them! That's what we cover on this episode.Read the full articleThere are two parts to this.First, we'll go into how to formulate interview questions focused on your own topic, and on the interviewee themselves. Every good interview should be mostly tailored to the person you're interviewing after all.But, second, we'll look at the types of more general questions you can use to dig deep and get some interesting, unexpected responses.  Bear in mind, of these, some questions will be more relevant to your show than others. Please use responsibly!Work with us in The Podcast Host AcademySupport the show

Every successful podcast has to be unique in some way. If there's no uniqueness, then there's no draw. There's no reason to listen.And with over 700,000 podcasts in Apple Podcasts, you have to give people a reason to listen.Read the full articleTaking on a new podcast, as a listener, is a commitment. Don't underestimate that. It's giving up 20 minute of your time, at a minimum, to find out: is this any good? Is this going to make my life better?Dramatic? Yea. But true? Undoubtedly.They want a problem solved. Anything from the deep three – health, wealth and happiness – to the surface one – fighting boredom. They pick their problem, and they search a topic based on that. So, when they find your category, the question becomes: “Why should I listen to this particular show, and not one of the other squillion shows on video games?”That's where your uniqueness comes in. It's what makes you stand out from the crowd. It's what attracts listeners to you like a moth to the flame.Do you know what your uniqueness is? Or your unique selling proposition, as some call it? That's what we're here for.A big thanks to NameSilo for sponsoring this episode. Use our coupon code podcraft to get $1 off your first order.Support the show

We've run our annual Grand Gear Survey to find out what podcasters are using to record their shows in 2019? We also found out a bit about how they're recording. Read the full article - complete with graphs and chartsIn this episode, we talk through the results in full. You'll hear stats from our sample of 330 podcasters on the following;Top Microphone BrandsTop Microphone ModelsMicrophone TypesMic StandsPop FiltersMonitoring HeadphonesPost-ProductionRecording DevicesRecording MethodsVideo RecordingLive RecordingA big thanks to NameSilo for sponsoring this episode. Use our coupon code podcraft to get $1 off your first order. Support the show

In a world of YouTube views and Twitter followers, we've become accustomed to figures in the hundreds of thousands, and even millions.Read the full articleIt's important to realise though, these numbers are completely irrelevant to podcasting. The time and effort it takes for someone to click ‘Follow' on Twitter, or watch a few seconds of a Youtube video, should never be compared to podcast listening.Podcast listening is a commitment, and an investment. It's long form content that isn't immediately accessible via shiny sidebars and viral social media clickbait.So comparing your downloads to someone else's Instagram followers is like comparing the number of rooms in your house, to the number of trees in the Amazon. It's completely irrelevant and utterly pointless.Does it (as usual) Just Depend?Of course it does.Could a podcast about breeding Russian white dwarf hamsters realistically expect to see the same downloads as a podcast about Game of Thrones? Absolutely not.Does this mean that the podcast with more downloads is the more successful one? Again, absolutely not.If you ran a podcast about a topic that was only interesting to literally 10 people in the world, and you were getting 7 downloads an episode, statistically, you'd be running the most popular show in history.It's the size of your potential audience that's the big factor. Here are a couple of things to consider.Firstly, how many folks out there are interested enough in your topic to actually want to consume content about it?Secondly, how many of those people are current podcast listeners?Thinking along these lines will help bring you closer to seeing what those cold hard download stats tell you. They can help you set realistic goals, that don't involve drawing comparisons with viral videos and celebrity social media accounts.A Good Gauge One of the easiest ways to get a snapshot of podcast download stats as a whole, is to listen to Libsyn's official podcast The Feed.Libsyn are one of the biggest podcast media hosting platforms in the industry.Naturally, they can only provide stats based on the shows that host there. But there's over 50,000 of them, which makes it a pretty significant sample size.Their show – The Feed – is also essential listening for any podcaster – even if you don't host with Libsyn. They provide great statistical data every other week. This can help you to see how your numbers measure up in the grand scheme of things. Remember, though, that it's far from the whole story.At the time of writing, here were the latest figures. These are based on the number of downloads in the 30 day period following the release of a new episode.If your new episode gets, within 30 days of its release:more than 136 downloads, you're in the top 50% of podcasts.more than 1100 downloads, you're in the top 20% of podcasts.more than 3200 downloads, you're in the top 10% of podcasts.more than 7,700 downloads, you're in the top 5% of podcasts.more than 20,000 downloads, you're in the top 2% of podcasts.more than 36,000 downloads, you're in the top 1% of podcasts.Source: The Feed – Episode 145A big thanks to NameSilo for sponsoring this episode. Use our coupon code podcraft to get $1 off your first order. Support the show

Podcast advertising is just one of many ways to grow your show's audience.Growing an audience, ultimately, starts with creating good content on a consistent basis though. Then, if you make it easy to find and share, you'll struggle not to grow your audience.However, many early-stage and aspiring podcasters don't like to hear that it can take months, or even years, to build an established listener-base.Podcasting is a long game though, and “overnight success” is a myth in this medium.Getting More PlaysThere's no getting away from the above facts. But, for those willing to spend some money, it is possible to get more ears on your podcast in a short period of time.Of course, your content will still need to do its job in making these listeners stick around to hit subscribe. But, you're listening to this podcast, so naturally, you've already got that part nailed down!So, where can you actually run some podcast advertising? And which options are the most suited to you and your target audience?What are the Paid Podcast Advertising Options?The following list is ever-changing, ever-growing. At the time of writing, here are the best options available to you.They're in no particular order, because in podcasting it's rarely ever a case of “the best”, and almost always a case of “it depends”.Read the full articleSocial MediaGoogle AdsOvercastSpotifyPrint MagazinesPodnewsSponsor a BlogSponsor Another PodcastA big thanks to NameSilo for sponsoring this episode. Use our coupon code podcraft to get $1 off your first order. Support the show (https://pod.academy)

In this episode I'm talking to Kennedy and Rob Temple from Responsesuite. Their speciality is using surveys to get your know your audience, and particularly to in using them to create great products or services that suit exactly what your listeners need. So, if you've been looking to grow your listeners, and start using your podcast to sell a product or a service, this episode is right up your street. You'll learn how Rob and Kennedy think about listener avatars, how that helps you create better content and grow awareness around your show, how that then leads to great products and services, and how surveys can be used throughout this to get the real detail that makes a difference.Support the show

Some might call this a "Pet Peeves" episode, but you can also think of them as "Growth Opportunities". Are you doing some things that might be costing listeners to drop off and unsubscribe? Or is your show set up in the way that it's really hard to even find listeners in the first place? Then you might want to check yourself against our 10 Commandments of podcasting (of which there's actually 14. Thou shalt not be able to count to 10, and all that...) Thou shalt not have an extra long theme tuneThou shalt not spend 10 hours editing an episodeThou shalt not do a podcast that's "for everyone" about "all sorts of stuff" Thou shalt not cram too much into your cover artThou shalt not make your listener adjust volume levels more than once in an episode Thou shalt not ask an interviewee to introduce themselvesThou shalt not open your episode with an apologyThou shalt not over-complicate your gear too early (or ever!)Thou shalt not ask for reviews or Patreon support before delivering any contentThou shalt not use copyrighted music for "7 seconds" or for "fair use" Thou shalt not only share links to places like Apple Podcasts or Facebook Thou shalt not call your episodes "podcasts"Thou shalt not put the onus of growing your show on othersThou shalt not "wing it"Resources MentionedIf you've realised you're doing any of the above, and are won over to changing your ways, here are some useful resources... Designing Great Podcast Cover ArtFinding Podcast MusicWhat's The Minimum Equipment I Need to Podcast?The Minimum Effective Editing ApproachHow to Make Your Podcast UniqueHow to Prepare for an InterviewIntroducing & Ending Your EpisodeMy Guests Don't Share My EpisodesHow to Promote Your PodcastHow to Build a Podcast WebsiteBest Podcast Hosting ServicesAlitu - The Podcast Maker AppThe Podcast Host AcademySupport the show (https://pod.academy)

A bit of a bonus episode to bring down the curtain on our Podcast Equipment Series. You put a lot of work into creating your episodes, so let's have a chat about where (and how) your end product is actually consumed. This episode starts with a discussion about why you should consider listening to less podcasts too. It was prompted by a great article by Greg Campion titled The Problem With Podcasts (thanks for the heads up, PodNews) and, for a deeper dive on this, check out the excellent Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. On to the listening apps, Colin uses BeyondPod (Android) whilst Matthew uses Overcast (iOS) and both were in agreement that things like playlist and playback-speed customisation, as well as individual show and download settings were key factors here. From a podcaster perspective, you'll be listed in these apps (and most other apps) simply by being listed in iTunes/Apple Podcasts. You'll still need to submit to Stitcher and Spotify independently though. For more on this, check out our Best Podcast Directories roundup.And, if you've enjoyed this episode, this season, or our content in general, remember you can work directly with us inside The Podcast Host Academy. That's where you'll find all our courses, community forum, downloadable resources, and can join in on our regular live Q&A sessions! Support the show (https://pod.academy)

There are a few good reasons why you might want to broadcast the recording of your episodes live - and maybe even film them too. Doing live episodes can help build and harness community, as your listeners can feel more directly involved with your content. And the content itself can benefit from that immediate feedback. The ability to answer questions and offer help and advice in real time can really enhance your podcast. You can also double up your content output without doubling up your workload, by uploading the video recording to Youtube afterwards. The live approach isn’t for everyone though. Especially if you’ve just started out in podcasting and don’t have an audience yet. Try to keep things as simple as possible in those early days. However, if you feel you’re ready to jump in and start doing live shows, then this episode is for you. Resources MentionedHow to turn live broadcasts into podcasts that don’t suckBest Podcast making appsThe Podcast Host AcademyAlitu – The Podcast MakerSoftwareSpreaker LiveMixlr – Broadcast Live AudioEcamm LiveManyCamEquipmentLogitech C920 Pro WebcamRode SmartLav + SetupSamson Q2URode RodecasterSupport the show (https://pod.academy)