PodCraft | How to Podcast & Craft a Fantastic Show

First thing's first, you're going to need something to record into, aren't you?  On this episode we take a deep dive into the world of microphones for podcasting.  The Best Podcasting Microphones Here, you'll learn The difference between XLR and USB mics The difference between Dynamic and Condenser mics What are Polar Patterns, and which one do you need? Can you use built-in mics to podcast? And, what are OUR favourite mics?  Also Mentioned in This Episode Samson Q2U (USB and XLR) Blue Snowball (USB) Blue Yeti (USB) Rode Procaster (XLR) MXL 990 (XLR) Shure SM58 (XLR) Alitu: The Podcast Maker

Welcome to our new and updated season on podcasting gear and technology. We last recorded this one back in 2019, and a lot has changed in that time.  Or has it?  You can easily keep track of every resource, tool, or product mentioned on our Resources page, and on the Podcraft Equipment Season page. 

Affiliate schemes are a great way for podcasters (even completely new ones) to earn some income. On this episode, we dive into what affiliate programmes are, how they work, which ones to choose, and how to get the best from them. Check out our full guide to affiliate programmes for podcasters, the Alitu affiliate scheme, and the IndiePod Community.  

In a world of AI chatbots, it's easy to have your shownotes drafted up in an instant. But how do you create shownotes that are actually good?* That's one of the questions we'll be answering on today's episode, along with considerations around audio ads, variety shows, and email list signups.  Thanks to our listeners who sent in this week's voice questions. Why not submit one yourself?  Listener Podcasts Family Histories Podcast She Needs Grit All About Home Construction Tweet Trends Resources Mentioned The guide to podcast trailers Where to advertise your podcast How to create great podcast show notes The IndiePod Community Rephonic's 3D audience graph SparkToro *Alright, so these shownotes aren't exactly mindblowing. But they do the trick, do they not? ;-)

We love getting voice questions from our listeners and members of the IndiePod Community. On this episode, we've four more to answer, courtesy of:  Matt Hepburn - Interview Bookers James C Taylor - My Amazing Woman Flloyd Kennedy - Am I Old Yet? Michell Harris - The Conversing Nurse Podcast

In our last episode, we talked through some of our podcast shortcomings. This time around, we dig into two voice clips where listeners Marty and John highlight some areas they'd like to improve. John's podcast is called Build a Presentation Muscle, whilst Marty's is Nepal Now.  Please send us your own voice clip and tell us what "podcasty stuff" YOU'RE not very good at. We might even be able to help!  And, for Matthew's charity appeal, here's a link to the JustGiving page. 

If you're going to teach others how to podcast, does that mean you need to be brilliant at everything yourself? Well, hopefully not. Colin and Matthew can think of a few gaps in their skill sets. On this episode, they talk through them and explore ways they might be able to improve.  They're also asking the question, what are YOU not very good at? Please send us your voice feedback, and we'll try our best to feature it on a future episode! 

Following on from our previous episode, some of the advice given was "do less". But what if you want to do more, in the most efficient way possible? That's precisely the purpose of this episode, where we talk through some of our top tips to ship your show.  Also mentioned: Our Podcast Show London review  Working in Seasons Read about how to plan a season, along with every b enefit you’ll get. Sailing Solo Read about the solo format, and its p ros and cons. Then, find out how to create a great monologue.  Smart Repurposing Your first step here is to try recording a blog post in audio form. Give it a go! Then, find out how to script & present content for smart repurposing in future.  Read how to create a blog post that’s easy to repurpose smartly.  Going Live the Right Way Try recording a live session with the following structure: 1. Welcomes and content sourcing, 2. Solid content, directed by audience feed in section 1, 3. Q&A and Goodbyes. During sections 1 and 3, you run audience interaction, and during section 2, you just deliver content, no interaction. Then, repurpose section 2 alone for a great audience directed, smartly repurposed podcast episode! Interview Booking Systems See how I run my interview booking routine.  I use Book Like a Boss for all my book ings. Planning in Notion Use Notion.us, like me , to create well structured content series plans, and to organise all the material around it, from interviewee research to sponsor deals. Interview Prep Read Out on the Wire by Jessica Abe l for great advice on how to get great stories from people. Plus, read the following article: How to prepare for a great interview  Live Recording You can record right into the Alitu Podcast Maker app, and have it do the cleanup and add your music, automatically. Vocal Warmups Our guide to the best vocal warmups for podcasters.  

Do you ever find yourself thinking, "I have so much time to work on my podcast, I struggle to even fill it"?  No?  Well, let's see what we can do about that, then. Here are nine great podcasting time-saving tips for you to try out.  Batch recording  Use fewer tools Do fewer things Don't multitask (and, time block) Click/MEE editing  Speeded-up editing Use templates Utilise dynamic ads Automate and outsource wherever possible

Download numbers can vary from platform to platform, which causes frustration and confusion among podcasters. Why do some services show much higher numbers than others? Are they interpreting downloads differently? And what else can we do to measure the performance of our podcasts?   We'd also love to get some voice questions in for future episodes. Go to thepodcasthost.com/question to submit. If we play yours on the next episode, we'll send you a copy of The Podcast Host Planner and our Podcast Growth book.