

PodCraft | How to Podcast & Craft a Fantastic Show
Alitu via The Podcast Host
Podcraft is your weekly, no-nonsense guide to honing the art of podcasting, hosted by veteran creators Colin and Matthew. With over 30 years of combined experience, they cover everything from choosing the right mic to growing your audience and making money from your show. Some episodes dive deep into one topic, like titling episodes or using live events to build your brand, while others feature real-life case studies from podcasters who've been there and done it. Whether you're just starting out or levelling up an existing show, Podcraft gives you the practical advice and honest insights you need to make it work.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 5, 2023 • 49min
How to Treble Your Content Output: Top Tips to Ship Your Show
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.

May 19, 2023 • 32min
9 Super Podcast Time Saving Tips
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

Apr 18, 2023 • 36min
Do Downloads Mean Listeners? How Accurate Are Podcast Download Stats?
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.

Apr 5, 2023 • 33min
What is Open Podcasting & Why Does it Matter?
Open podcasting has always been vitally important to how the industry works. Still, it’s hard to talk about without getting super technical or glazing over in the middle of the conversation. This is because those conversations often start with the most tech-savvy industry folks – not your average podcaster – and certainly not your average podcast listener.
But open podcasting is crucial to our industry, and the way things are moving, it’s at threat. So much so that a coalition known as the Podcast Standards Project has assembled on a mission to protect it.
In this episode, we’ll look at why open podcasting is so important to independent podcasters and what we can do to protect it.
Check out our full blog post: Why We Need To Protect Open Podcasting (& How You Can Help!)

Mar 22, 2023 • 27min
Locative Media: GPS Tools To Grow Your Podcast in 3D
If you’ve ever used a smartphone to take a GPS-enabled audio tour, such as one available through Voicemap, you’ve used locative media. Locative media is a way to share digital content via GPS triggers in the real world to increase personal interaction. It puts digital content and real places together to make an experience greater than the sum of its parts. On this episode, we talk about how you can utilise it to help enhance and grow your podcast.
Link to our full guide on Locative Media & GPS Audio
Season 17 of Podcraft
Submit a Question to Podcraft

Mar 9, 2023 • 41min
Should I Start a Second (or Third, or Fourth) New Podcast?
No podcaster in history has ever just run one show. In fact, many find their biggest or most successful podcasts to be a second or third attempt. They’ll learn the ropes on the topic they think they want to discuss, then start a new one later on, on a completely different subject.
If you already run a podcast, then starting a second (or third, or fourth) is inevitable. BUT, if you’re just constantly starting new shows, you probably won’t get any momentum or success with any of them.
SO, if you’ve got an idea for a new podcast and are itching to dive in, this episode provides you with a checklist of questions you can run through first.
Resources
The 10-10-10 Podcasting Challenge
Alitu: The Podcast Maker

Feb 17, 2023 • 38min
60% Of New Podcasters Fear Marketing. And Are New Podcasts Dying Off?
It’s a bit of a data discussion this week, with a few numbers to break down and analyse. Some of this data came via our own sources, whilst others have been the topic of much discussion in the mainstream media recently.
Do Spotify layoffs and new podcasts dropping by 80% since 2020 mean podcasting is on the way out? And why do 60% of new podcasters worry about marketing their shows?
Also mentioned on this episode: The Trailer Park Podcast, how to make a podcast trailer, 43% of new podcasters plan to go solo, how to run a podcast survey, what’s your podcast USP?, Podcast Growth (book), The Podcast Host on YouTube, and The Podcraft Community.

Feb 10, 2023 • 31min
How Can Podcasters Leverage AI & Tools Like ChatGPT?
There’s been a lot of chat about artificial intelligence (AI) in the podcasting industry recently. In most industries, in fact. Since the launch of ChatGPT – an insanely sophisticated AI chatbot that’s generating buzz and fear in equal measures – everyone’s got something to say about it.
Episode Resources
How Can Podcasters Use AI & ChatGPT to Their Advantage?
Which AI Podcasting Tools Are Worth Using?
AI-powered fiction podcast - FantasAI

Jan 27, 2023 • 34min
How Using a Drone Can 10X Your Podcast Content
What do drones have to do with podcasting, you ask? Well, if my visit to the Podcast Show 2022 is any measure, then I’m not the only person (by a long way!) interested in adding video to their podcasting workflow. And if we’re going to make video, we might as well explore every angle. Even the vertical.
So, I thought I’d delve in and figure out whether drones have a place in helping create better video around your podcast. These things aren’t cheap, and they aren’t for everyone. But if you have a show that suits, and the budget to buy, then they might be a way to create amazing video to help engage your listeners, and grow your show.
Let’s take a look at why you might use one, what you might create with it, and finish with a recommendation on what to buy. Time to fly!
Read our full guide to Drones & Podcasting

Jan 12, 2023 • 26min
Taking a Journalistic Approach to Your Podcast
What does it mean to take a journalistic approach to your podcast content? In this episode of Podcraft, we're joined by Katie, who is the driving force behind our new topical content offerings. Katie explains that a "journalistic approach" involves taking time to research your subjects and using a structured workflow to build stories. Some of the tips and suggestions here include using newsletters and Google Alerts as a way to source stories and using Trello boards and spreadsheets to organize content and ideas.
When it comes to fact-checking and sourcing stories, Katie recommends using multiple sources and tracing back to the original source. She also talks about the importance of citing sources, and how to contact people for comment and quotes. Finally, Katie and Matthew discuss the importance of considering what value the content will provide to listeners. They suggest using the acronym WIIFM (What's In It For Me) to help stay focused on providing value to listeners.


