94: How to Get Good Sound for Your Podcast, Part 6: Talk Through Audio Gear with Your Guests and Co-Hosts Before You Start RecordingGood sound quality isn't the only thing you need to be successful in podcasting, but bad audio quality will cost you listeners. It only takes a few minutes to talk to your guest or co-hosts about their recording setup, but it can help you identify and prevent potential audio issues.The good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money or have an expensive studio to record quality audio. You just need to know a few things about recording audio, and follow the tips and the recording checklist I'm sharing in this episode.This is part 6 of a 7 part series about how to make sure your podcast sounds good. You can listen to the other episodes at podcastingwithaaron.com, or watch the video on Youtube here.Today's podcasting tips:1. Talk to your guests and/or co-hosts about their audio recording setup before you start recordingIt only takes a few minutes to talk to your guest or co-hosts about their recording setup, but it can help you identify potential audio issues and prevent them. I'd recommend doing this a week or at least a couple days before the recording. For example, maybe your guest didn't know that they need to wear headphones or use some kind of microphone.2. Be prepared to provide gear recommendationsNot everyone knows what kind of gear they need to sound good on a podcast, so keep a list of affordable recommendations handy! I have my podcast gear recommendations listed on the kit.co website, so I can share it with anyone who asks.(Pretty much anything is better than a built-in computer microphone.)3. Podcasting with a co-host? Make sure you're on the same page about gear and audio qualityIf you're starting a podcast with a co-host, talk to them about investing in a good recording setup. If you're recording from different locations, you'll both need a microphone and headphones. If you're recording in the same room, buy an audio interface and a couple of microphones as well as headphones.It's always a good idea to record a couple practice episodes to make sure you can dial in your settings and record audio that sounds good. You want your first episode to sound good!4. Podcast Recording Checklist for Guests or Co-Hosts Wear headphones or earbuds while recording. Double check that the correct audio input device is selected in your recording software. If possible, find a quiet room to record in. Turn off fans, AC units, heaters,or anything else that creates noise in your room. Disable system notifications and/or set your phone to silent (Airplane Mode works best). Put any pets in a place where they won't make noise or disturb you while you're recording. Quit or pause Dropbox, Google Drive, Backblaze, or any other file syncing or bandwidth-heavy tasks before the call. Recap:Talk to your guest or co-host about their recording setup in advance.Give them recommendations: Record in a quiet room, use a microphone, wear headphones, set cell phone to airplane mode.If you're starting a podcast with a co-host, ask them to invest in a microphone and record a couple practice episodes to make sure you can record audio that sounds good.Follow the podcast recording checklist and sharing it with your guests and co-hosts.Talk to your guests and co-hosts about audio quality! You don't have to make a huge deal about it, but it does make a difference in the success of your show.That's all for this week's episode. Next week will be the final topic in this series, I'll be talking about learning the basics of audio editing, mixing and mastering.Thanks for listeningIf you have any feedback or questions, visit my website at podcastingwithaaron.com. I've got links to the social media accounts and my email address there. I'm back on Twitter and Instagram as aarondowdtx, so you can follow me there and ask questions if you'd like.Connect with me here: website: podcastingwithaaron.com twitter instagram linkedin music: kolton moore &amp; the clever few music: the band laredo Ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts and Spotify are always appreciated as well.Till next time, happy podcasting.Aaron DowdSeptember 28, 2022

<h2>94: How to Get Good Sound for Your Podcast, Part 6: Talk Through Audio Gear with Your Guests and Co-Hosts Before You Start Recording</h2><p>Good sound quality isn't the only thing you need to be successful in podcasting, but bad audio quality will cost you listeners. It only takes a few minutes to talk to your guest or co-hosts about their recording setup, but it can help you identify and prevent potential audio issues.</p><p>The good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money or have an expensive studio to record quality audio. You just need to know a few things about recording audio, and follow the tips and the recording checklist I'm sharing in this episode.</p><p>This is part 6 of a 7 part series about how to make sure your podcast sounds good. You can listen to the other episodes at <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com/episodes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a>, or <a href="https://youtu.be/GhmD2zykKcQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">watch the video on Youtube here.</a></p><h2>Today's podcasting tips:</h2><h2>1. Talk to your guests and/or co-hosts about their audio recording setup before you start recording</h2><p>It only takes a few minutes to talk to your guest or co-hosts about their recording setup, but it can help you identify potential audio issues and prevent them. I'd recommend doing this a week or at least a couple days before the recording. For example, maybe your guest didn't know that they need to wear headphones or use some kind of microphone.</p><h2>2. Be prepared to provide gear recommendations</h2><p>Not everyone knows what kind of gear they need to sound good on a podcast, so keep a list of affordable recommendations handy! I have my podcast gear recommendations listed on the <a href="https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron/best-gear-for-podcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">kit.co</a> website, so I can share it with anyone who asks.</p><p>(Pretty much anything is better than a built-in computer microphone.)</p><h2>3. Podcasting with a co-host? Make sure you're on the same page about gear and audio quality</h2><p>If you're starting a podcast with a co-host, talk to them about investing in a good recording setup. If you're recording from different locations, you'll both need a microphone and headphones. If you're recording in the same room, buy an audio interface and a couple of microphones as well as headphones.</p><p>It's always a good idea to record a couple practice episodes to make sure you can dial in your settings and record audio that sounds good. You want your first episode to sound good!</p><h2>4. Podcast Recording Checklist for Guests or Co-Hosts</h2><ol> <li>Wear headphones or earbuds while recording.</li> <li>Double check that the correct audio input device is selected in your recording software.</li> <li>If possible, find a quiet room to record in.</li> <li>Turn off fans, AC units, heaters,or anything else that creates noise in your room.</li> <li>Disable system notifications and/or set your phone to silent (Airplane Mode works best).</li> <li>Put any pets in a place where they won't make noise or disturb you while you're recording.</li> <li>Quit or pause Dropbox, Google Drive, Backblaze, or any other file syncing or bandwidth-heavy tasks before the call.</li> </ol><h3>Recap:</h3><p>Talk to your guest or co-host about their recording setup in advance.</p><p>Give them recommendations: Record in a quiet room, use a microphone, wear headphones, set cell phone to airplane mode.</p><p>If you're starting a podcast with a co-host, ask them to invest in a microphone and record a couple practice episodes to make sure you can record audio that sounds good.</p><p>Follow the podcast recording checklist and sharing it with your guests and co-hosts.</p><p>Talk to your guests and co-hosts about audio quality! You don't have to make a huge deal about it, but it does make a difference in the success of your show.</p><p>That's all for this week's episode. Next week will be the final topic in this series, I'll be talking about learning the basics of audio editing, mixing and mastering.</p><h2>Thanks for listening</h2><p>If you have any feedback or questions, visit my website at <a href="http://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a>. I've got links to the social media accounts and my email address there. I'm back on Twitter and Instagram as aarondowdtx, so you can follow me there and ask questions if you'd like.</p><p>Connect with me here:</p><ul> <li><a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website: podcastingwithaaron.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/aarondowdtx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aarondowdtx/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarondowd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">linkedin</a></li> <li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/14V8ZRhL66NIzXAmYtQ8Vj?si=S9Jig6ATQiG_xglH1sT_9w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">music: kolton moore &amp; the clever few</a></li> <li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7m5r7YRaDJ3hdvw7hYRPF0?si=ShkhgynqRcChxd8QnEgXTg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">music: the band laredo</a></li> </ul><p>Ratings and reviews on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcasting-with-aaron/id993044464" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7fCoX0IWeIc7xUc1bz6Km5?si=ee2bc51c795f422d" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a> are always appreciated as well.</p><p>Till next time, happy podcasting.</p><p>Aaron Dowd</p><p>September 28, 2022</p>

94: How to Get Good Sound for Your Podcast Part 6: Talk To Your Guests and Co-Hosts

If you only need to record your own voice, or maybe a couple people in the same room, you won't have a hard time ending up with a podcast that sounds good.However, if you want to record interviews or episodes with guests or co-hosts that are in different locations, getting good sound becomes harder. You won't have any control over which microphones the other people are using, if they use good mic technique, if they know how to set input gain levels correctly, what kind of room or location they're recording in, and so on.It's always a good idea to have a conversation about someone's recording setup before you sit down for an interview or start a new podcast with a friend who lives in a different place, and that's something I'll be talking more about in the next episode.But the the software you use to record the interview or conversation is going to play a big role in whether or not you end up with audio that sounds good.You have three options for recording audio for a podcast:1. Talk with your guests or co-hosts using a chat app like Zoom or Skype, and have everyone record audio locally on their computer or phone, then put the audio files together afterwards for editing. This is easy enough for shows with the same co-hosts every time, but not always an option if you're doing interviews with new people every week. Your guests might not be willing or able to record an audio file to a computer or phone.2. Use the recording functionality from a chat app like Zoom or Anchor, where you end up with a single audio file that has everyone's voice in it. This is easy, but often causes issues with sound quality (more on that in a moment). This was very common in years past because there weren't any good apps that made it easy to talk to and record multiple people at the same time and get an individual audio track for each person.3. Use an app specifically made for podcast recording, like Squadcast or Zencastr. This is the best option for most people in my opinion, as these apps allow you to talk to multiple people and will also record an audio file for each person on the call that you can put together and work on in your audio editing software later.The pros and cons of recording everyone to a single trackPros: It can be simpler, easier Less friction or work for your guest(s) Editing is less complicated (this isn't always a good thing, though) Cons: Less control over editing and mixing You can't adjust the volume levels for each speaker without doing lots of editing to move them to their own tracks The pros and cons of recording a track for every personPros: Far more control and flexability You can edit out more You can adjust any person's gain level (how loud they are) You can do unique audio processing on each track if you need to Cons: It's a little more time consuming and complicated to edit three audio tracks at the same time instead of one If you do want to do processing for each voice, you'll need to know about EQ, compression, noise removal, and limiting (although I'd recommend learning about those things anyways if you're going to be editing your podcast) Good software costs money ($20/month for Squadcast, plus whatever software you use for multi-track audio editing, Logic Pro or Audition) So which should you choose?I believe Squadcast is currently the best and easiest way to record conversations remotely. It's not free, but it's worth the cost.If you disagree or if you have a different solution you like (there are many remote chat and recording options, like Zencastr, Cleanfeed, Zoom Pro, and so on), leave a comment on the YouTube video and let the other listeners know, or send me an email, aaron@thepodcastdude.com.Thanks for watching or listening, be sure to subscribe if you'd like to get future episodes as I publish them. If you're finding this show useful, please tell a friend about it or leave me a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.You can find more at podcastingwithaaron.com.Next time I'll be talking about what you should discuss with your guests and co-hosts before you start recording.Till then, be well and happy podcasting.Aaron

<p>If you only need to record your own voice, or maybe a couple people in the same room, you won't have a hard time ending up with a podcast that sounds good.</p><p>However, if you want to record interviews or episodes with guests or co-hosts that are in different locations, getting good sound becomes harder. You won't have any control over which microphones the other people are using, if they use good mic technique, if they know how to set input gain levels correctly, what kind of room or location they're recording in, and so on.</p><p>It's always a good idea to have a conversation about someone's recording setup before you sit down for an interview or start a new podcast with a friend who lives in a different place, and that's something I'll be talking more about in the next episode.</p><p>But the the software you use to record the interview or conversation is going to play a big role in whether or not you end up with audio that sounds good.</p><p><strong>You have three options for recording audio for a podcast:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Talk with your guests or co-hosts using a chat app like Zoom or Skype, and have everyone record audio locally on their computer or phone, then put the audio files together afterwards for editing. </strong>This is easy enough for shows with the same co-hosts every time, but not always an option if you're doing interviews with new people every week. Your guests might not be willing or able to record an audio file to a computer or phone.</p><p><strong>2. Use the recording functionality from a chat app like Zoom or Anchor, where you end up with a single audio file that has everyone's voice in it.</strong> This is easy, but often causes issues with sound quality (more on that in a moment). This was very common in years past because there weren't any good apps that made it easy to talk to and record multiple people at the same time and get an individual audio track for each person.</p><p><strong>3. Use an app specifically made for podcast recording, like Squadcast or Zencastr.</strong> This is the best option for most people in my opinion, as these apps allow you to talk to multiple people and will also record an audio file for each person on the call that you can put together and work on in your audio editing software later.</p><h2><strong>The pros and cons of recording everyone to a single track</strong></h2><p>Pros:</p><ul> <li>It can be simpler, easier</li> <li>Less friction or work for your guest(s)</li> <li>Editing is less complicated (this isn't always a good thing, though)</li> </ul><p>Cons:</p><ul> <li>Less control over editing and mixing</li> <li>You can't adjust the volume levels for each speaker without doing lots of editing to move them to their own tracks</li> </ul><h2><strong>The pros and cons of recording a track for every person</strong></h2><p>Pros:</p><ul> <li>Far more control and flexability</li> <li>You can edit out more</li> <li>You can adjust any person's gain level (how loud they are)</li> <li>You can do unique audio processing on each track if you need to</li> </ul><p>Cons:</p><ul> <li>It's a little more time consuming and complicated to edit three audio tracks at the same time instead of one</li> <li>If you do want to do processing for each voice, you'll need to know about EQ, compression, noise removal, and limiting (although I'd recommend learning about those things anyways if you're going to be editing your podcast)</li> <li>Good software costs money ($20/month for Squadcast, plus whatever software you use for multi-track audio editing, Logic Pro or Audition)</li> </ul><h2><strong>So which should you choose?</strong></h2><p>I believe <a href="https://squadcast.fm/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Squadcast</a> is currently the best and easiest way to record conversations remotely. It's not free, but it's worth the cost.</p><p>If you disagree or if you have a different solution you like (there are many remote chat and recording options, like Zencastr, Cleanfeed, Zoom Pro, and so on), leave a comment on the YouTube video and let the other listeners know, or send me an email, <a href="mailto:aaron@thepodcastdude.com">aaron@thepodcastdude.com</a>.</p><p>Thanks for watching or listening, be sure to subscribe if you'd like to get future episodes as I publish them. If you're finding this show useful, please tell a friend about it or leave me a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.</p><p>You can find more at <a href="http://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a>.</p><p>Next time I'll be talking about what you should discuss with your guests and co-hosts before you start recording.</p><p>Till then, be well and happy podcasting.</p><p>Aaron</p>

93: Good Sound Part 5: On Recording Remotely

Last episode I talked about mic technique and how to set gain levels. This week I'm going to talk about how the room you're recording in might affect the quality of your sound.The most important thing is to pay attention to how you sound in your room.The room you're recording in is probably only going to cause problems if there are a lot of hard surfaces that reflect your voice back enough to make it hard to understand what you're saying. If you hear an echo in your recording that bothers you, figure out how to address it.Example: When I started recording podcasts back in 2013, I was recording in my “office”, which was just a small dining room with a standing desk in it.It was a small room with almost no furniture in it, so there was a fair amount of echo in my recordings. I tried to compensate for this by bringing in some big couch cushions. That helped a little, but I ended up moving my desk and recording set up to my bedroom and building some sound absorbing panels to help reduce the echo more.The ideal room for recording will be a room with quite a bit of soft stuff in it. Furniture like chairs, couches and bookshelves can all help absorb and break apart sound waves so you don't hear as much echo. This is why bedrooms can actually be ideal rooms for recordings. You've got a bed and a closet, and probably a carpet; all things that can help absorb sound.Important Things to Remember: The room you're recording in is only a problem if there are a lot of hard surfaces that reflect your voice back enough to make it hard to understand what you're saying. The most important thing is to pay attention to how you sound. If you hear an echo that bothers you, figure out how to address it. The solution to this is to add more soft surfaces or things to absorb some of that sound: Blankets, pillows, couch cushions, clothes from your closet, foam sound absorbing panels, carpets, etc. Just a reminder: Eliminate potential distracting background noises before you hit record. Turn off fans, AC, or heaters, and set your phone to airplane mode, put your pets in a different room, etc. It’s possible to improve sound quality a little bit with post production, but it's pretty hard to remove echo from a recording in a way that sounds natural. It’s better to fix the problems before you start recording. Finally, don't stress too much about your room. If you follow the tips I shared last week about mic technique and setting gain levels correctly for your recording, you probably sound good. Recommend Reading: How podcasts powered through the pandemic—and what comes next - Chartable Room Echo and Background Noise: Sound Proofing and Absorption for Podcasters Thanks for watching or listening to this week's episode. If you have questions, please leave a comment on my YouTube channel or send me an email, aaron@thepodcastdude.comIf you like this episode, please give it a thumbs-up on YouTube or leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to subscribe to get future episodes for free and as soon as they come out.You can find more episodes and other cool stuff at podcastingwithaaron.com.Next week I'll be talking about why you should record an audio track for each person that's going to be on your podcast, and some easy ways to do that.Till then, have a great week, and happy podcasting.Aaron

<p>Last episode I talked about mic technique and how to set gain levels. This week I'm going to talk about how the room you're recording in might affect the quality of your sound.</p><p>The most important thing is to pay attention to how you sound in your room.</p><p>The room you're recording in is probably only going to cause problems if there are a lot of hard surfaces that reflect your voice back enough to make it hard to understand what you're saying. If you hear an echo in your recording that bothers you, figure out how to address it.</p><p>Example: When I started recording podcasts back in 2013, I was recording in my “office”, which was just a small dining room with a standing desk in it.</p><p>It was a small room with almost no furniture in it, so there was a fair amount of echo in my recordings. I tried to compensate for this by bringing in some big couch cushions. That helped a little, but I ended up moving my desk and recording set up to my bedroom and building some sound absorbing panels to help reduce the echo more.</p><p>The ideal room for recording will be a room with quite a bit of soft stuff in it. Furniture like chairs, couches and bookshelves can all help absorb and break apart sound waves so you don't hear as much echo. This is why bedrooms can actually be ideal rooms for recordings. You've got a bed and a closet, and probably a carpet; all things that can help absorb sound.</p><p><strong>Important Things to Remember:</strong></p><ul> <li>The room you're recording in is only a problem if there are a lot of hard surfaces that reflect your voice back enough to make it hard to understand what you're saying.</li> <li>The most important thing is to pay attention to how you sound. If you hear an echo that bothers you, figure out how to address it.</li> <li>The solution to this is to add more soft surfaces or things to absorb some of that sound: Blankets, pillows, couch cushions, clothes from your closet, foam sound absorbing panels, carpets, etc.</li> <li>Just a reminder: Eliminate potential distracting background noises before you hit record. Turn off fans, AC, or heaters, and set your phone to airplane mode, put your pets in a different room, etc.</li> <li>It’s possible to improve sound quality a little bit with post production, but it's pretty hard to remove echo from a recording in a way that sounds natural. It’s better to fix the problems before you start recording.</li> <li>Finally, don't stress too much about your room. If you follow the tips I shared last week about mic technique and setting gain levels correctly for your recording, you probably sound good.</li> </ul><h2><strong>Recommend Reading:</strong></h2><ul> <li><a href="https://chartable.com/blog/2020-year-in-review" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How podcasts powered through the pandemic—and what comes next - Chartable</a></li> <li><a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com/episodes/room-echo-and-background-noise-sound-proofing-and-absorption-for-podcasters" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Room Echo and Background Noise: Sound Proofing and Absorption for Podcasters</a></li> </ul><p>Thanks for watching or listening to this week's episode. If you have questions, please leave a comment on my YouTube channel or send me an email, <a href="mailto:aaron@thepodcastdude.com">aaron@thepodcastdude.com</a></p><p>If you like this episode, please give it a thumbs-up on YouTube or leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to subscribe to get future episodes for free and as soon as they come out.</p><p>You can find more episodes and other cool stuff at <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a>.</p><p>Next week I'll be talking about why you should record an audio track for each person that's going to be on your podcast, and some easy ways to do that.</p><p>Till then, have a great week, and happy podcasting.</p><p>Aaron</p>

92: Good Sound Part 4: Your Room

Last week I talked about how to connect your microphone and headphones and make sure you're ready to start recording.This week I'm going to walk you through the basics of microphone technique and how to set the input gain levels (or recording levels) so you can sound good anytime you want to record some audio.Just a heads up: If you're listening to this episode in a podcast app, I'd recommend switching over to the YouTube video, as I believe it's easier to understand mic technique and input gain levels if you can see what I'm doing and talking about.Watch the video version of this episode here: https://youtu.be/hn09tFzJ0PQ1. Mic TechniqueGotta be close to the mic (but not too close).Make sure the right side of the mic is pointed at you.You don't have to speak directly at or into the mic. Try putting off to the side a bit (still keep it pointed at your mouth).For most mics, the closer you are, the more bass the mic will record. (This is called the proximity effect, if you want to do some research on it.) So if you have a naturally loud, low, bassy voice, you might want to keep the mic a little further away. In most cases, keeping your mouth 3-6 inches away from the mic should probably work great for you.This is also something you'll want to play around with. Make some practice recordings to hear how you sound at different distances from the mic.2. Setting Input Gain LevelsMost USB microphones and audio interfaces have input gain knobs or sliders that allow you to control the strength of the signal your microphone is picking up.The goal is to get a recording that is loud enough but not too loud.The best way to do this is to position the mic close to you and start talking like you'll be talking on your podcast. Then watch the input gain meters in your recording software and adjust the gain knob or slider on your mic or interface until the peaks of the signal are getting up to about 75% of the way to the top of your meter (or the red zone in most software gain meters).(If the gain meter in your software is vertical, that's the top, if it's horizontal, like in GarageBand, that's the right side.)Here's another way to think about it: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being way too quiet, and 10 being too loud, you want your signal to average around 6 or 8. So not always hitting that top limit of 10, but probably somewhere about 5.If you find your recording is a little too quiet after you're done recording, you do have the option to add more gain to increase the level of your audio track later.Important Things to RememberYou don't have to speak directly into the mic. You can talk past it. As long as it's close enough to your mouth, you'll still sound good.Make test recordings to see how you sound! Try recording just to play around with mic technique and input gain levels. This will help you get comfortable with how your gear works, and how your voice sounds at different distances from the mic and at different gain levels.Recommend Reading:Gain Staging Like a Pro from SweetwaterPodcasts and Capital from Justin JacksonThanks for watching or listening to this weeks episode. If you have questions, please leave a comment on my YouTube channel or send me an email, aaron@thepodcastdude.comIf you like this episode, please give it a thumbs-up on YouTube or leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to subscribe to get future episodes for free and as soon as they come out.You can find more episodes and other cool stuff at podcastingwithaaron.com or aarondowd.com.Next week I'll be talking about how the room you're recording in can affect how you sound, and I'll share a few tips about how to fix a few common issues related to that.Till then, have a great week, and happy podcasting.Aaron

<p>Last week I talked about how to connect your microphone and headphones and make sure you're ready to start recording.</p><p>This week I'm going to walk you through the basics of microphone technique and how to set the input gain levels (or recording levels) so you can sound good anytime you want to record some audio.</p><p>Just a heads up: If you're listening to this episode in a podcast app, I'd recommend switching over to the YouTube video, as I believe it's easier to understand mic technique and input gain levels if you can see what I'm doing and talking about.</p><p>Watch the video version of this episode here: <a href="https://youtu.be/hn09tFzJ0PQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/hn09tFzJ0PQ</a></p><h2><strong>1. Mic Technique</strong></h2><p>Gotta be close to the mic (but not too close).</p><p>Make sure the right side of the mic is pointed at you.</p><p>You don't have to speak directly at or into the mic. Try putting off to the side a bit (still keep it pointed at your mouth).</p><p>For most mics, the closer you are, the more bass the mic will record. (This is called the proximity effect, if you want to do some research on it.) So if you have a naturally loud, low, bassy voice, you might want to keep the mic a little further away. In most cases, keeping your mouth 3-6 inches away from the mic should probably work great for you.</p><p>This is also something you'll want to play around with. Make some practice recordings to hear how you sound at different distances from the mic.</p><h2><strong>2. Setting Input Gain Levels</strong></h2><p>Most USB microphones and audio interfaces have input gain knobs or sliders that allow you to control the strength of the signal your microphone is picking up.</p><p>The goal is to get a recording that is loud enough but not too loud.</p><p>The best way to do this is to position the mic close to you and start talking like you'll be talking on your podcast. Then watch the input gain meters in your recording software and adjust the gain knob or slider on your mic or interface until the peaks of the signal are getting up to about 75% of the way to the top of your meter (or the red zone in most software gain meters).</p><p>(If the gain meter in your software is vertical, that's the top, if it's horizontal, like in GarageBand, that's the right side.)</p><p>Here's another way to think about it: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being way too quiet, and 10 being too loud, you want your signal to average around 6 or 8. So not always hitting that top limit of 10, but probably somewhere about 5.</p><p>If you find your recording is a little too quiet after you're done recording, you do have the option to add more gain to increase the level of your audio track later.</p><h2><strong>Important Things to Remember</strong></h2><p>You don't have to speak directly into the mic. You can talk past it. As long as it's close enough to your mouth, you'll still sound good.</p><p>Make test recordings to see how you sound! Try recording just to play around with mic technique and input gain levels. This will help you get comfortable with how your gear works, and how your voice sounds at different distances from the mic and at different gain levels.</p><h2><strong>Recommend Reading:</strong></h2><p><a href="https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/gain-staging/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gain Staging Like a Pro from Sweetwater</a></p><p><a href="https://justinjackson.ca/podcasts-and-capital" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcasts and Capital from Justin Jackson</a></p><p>Thanks for watching or listening to this weeks episode. If you have questions, please leave a comment on my YouTube channel or send me an email, <a href="mailto:aaron@thepodcastdude.com">aaron@thepodcastdude.com</a></p><p>If you like this episode, please give it a thumbs-up on YouTube or leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to subscribe to get future episodes for free and as soon as they come out.</p><p>You can find more episodes and other cool stuff at <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a> or <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com%0A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aarondowd.com</a>.</p><p>Next week I'll be talking about how the room you're recording in can affect how you sound, and I'll share a few tips about how to fix a few common issues related to that.</p><p>Till then, have a great week, and happy podcasting.</p><p>Aaron</p>

91: Good Sound Part 3: Mic Technique and Setting Input Gain Levels

Watch the video version of this episode here.Welcome back to another episode of Podcasting with Aaron.I hope you're having a good week so far. I know I certainly have. This past week has been one of the better weeks in recent memory. Possibly the best week since 2016, actually.Last week I talked about the importance of getting good sound for your podcast. I talked about why good sound matters, what it means when something sounds good, and why you should get yourself that nice podcast microphone you've been looking at.This week I want to talk about something that might seem basic to you if you've been podcasting for a while. I want to talk about connecting your microphone and headphones, and making sure you have your microphone (or audio interface if you're using one) set as the input source for whatever recording software you're using.I remember the first time I bought a microphone and a little audio interface. I probably spent close to an hour trying to figure out how to record an audio file because I didn't know that I was supposed to set the audio interface as the input source for the recording software I was using, and then also that I needed to select the channel my mic was plugged into (channel 1) as the audio source for the audio track in the program.You'd be surprised at how many podcasts are recorded where someone forgets to set their good microphone as the input source, and ends up with a recording that was made with the built-in microphone on their desktop computer. Which makes them sound far away and thin and not good.And the goal here is to sound good.The Essentials: Connecting Your Microphone and HeadphonesStep 1: Is everything plugged in and turned on?USB MicrophonesIf you're using a USB microphone: Is it plugged into your computer? Yes? Good.Now, which program are you going to use for recording? You need to make sure your microphone is set as the audio input source for that program. Usually you select your audio input source in the settings, or the preferences area of the software.If you're having a hard time finding how to set your mic as the input source for your recording software, do a quick search on Google or YouTube.Next: Does your USB microphone have a headphone port on it? (A place to plug in your headphones.)If so, plug your headphones into that. This is a good idea because it will allow you to hear what you sound like in real time. You'll hear people refer to this as "monitoring yourself".You'll also need to choose the audio output source for whatever recording software you're using. Essentially, where should the audio from your computer go? If you're interviewing someone, and your headphones are plugged into your USB mic, you don't want the audio from your computer going to your computer speakers. You want it to go to your USB microphone.Quick recap:Make sure your recording software is using the right mic before you start recording, and also that your software or computer is sending audio to the right place.It's pretty easy once you've gone through this a couple times, but I've seen many podcasters struggle with this set up when they're first getting starting, and also it's important to get in the habit of double-checking your input and output settings before you start interviewing someone or recording an episode.XLR Microphones + Audio InterfaceIf you bought an XLR microphone and an audio interface (like I'm using here), the set up process is going to be similar, but there's a few additional things to keep in mind.Step 1: Plug your microphone or microphones into your audio interface using an XLR microphone cable.Next, plug the audio interface into your computer. Your interface should have come with a right cable for your computer, but it's possible you might need an adapter.Like if the cable for your audio interface is a USB-C cable, and your computer only has USB-A ports and no USB-C ports, then you'll need to buy a USB-C to USB-A adapter. Make sense? Google has answers for you if you're not sure what kind of adapter you need.Quick note here: If you're using a Windows computer, I've heard that sometimes you have to update the driver for an audio interface before your computer will "see" and be able to use the interface.A driver is just a little bit of software that tells your computer how to work with a piece of hardware like an audio interface. So if you open up your recording software and you don't see the option to select your audio interface as the input or output source for audio, you might need to download and install an updated driver for your interface.Ok, so now you've got your mic or mics plugged into your audio interface, and the interface plugged into your computer.Now: I'd recommend plugging your headphones into the headphone port on your interface. Also, you might need an adapter for your headphones, as a lot of audio interfaces have big 1/4" headphone ports, and normal headphone jacks are smaller, 1/8" or 3.5 mm.Let's recap one more time. You've got your mic and your headphones connected to your audio interface, your audio interface connected to your computer. Great.Now open up your recording software, and set the audio interface as the input and output source for your audio. You will also want to set the audio interface as the output source for your computer's audio. Make sense? The recording software should send audio to your interface where your headphones are plugged in, and your computer should send audio to your interface too.With any luck, you'll hear everything you should be hearing through your headphones, and no sound will be coming out of your computer speakers.One other important thing to know here.If you're recording multiple tracks with multiple microphones:If you have multiple microphones plugged into your audio interface and you want to record each microphone to it's own track in your recording program (as you should), you'll need to set the audio interface as the input source for the software, but also choose which channel (microphone, essentially) should be the audio source for each track.So let's say you have two microphones plugged into your audio interface, channel 1, channel 2. Make sure you have two tracks created in your recording software, and select channel 1 as the audio source for track 1, channel 2 as the audio source for track 2.Got it?I hope that all makes sense, and I hope this walk-through helps you understand how these different pieces of audio hardware and recording software work together.If you have questions: Please leave a comment on my YouTube channel.If you like this episode, please give it a thumbs-up on YouTube or leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to subscribe to get future episodes for free and as soon as they come out.You can find more episodes and other cool stuff at podcastingwithaaron.com or aarondowd.com.Thanks for watching or listening, and I'll be back next week with more podcasting tips and tricks. I'm going to be talking about setting input gain levels and good microphone technique.Till then, have a great week, and happy podcasting.Aaron

<p><a href="https://youtu.be/CJEEano28YM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch the video version of this episode here.</a></p><p><br/>Welcome back to another episode of Podcasting with Aaron.</p><p>I hope you're having a good week so far. I know I certainly have. This past week has been one of the better weeks in recent memory. Possibly the best week since 2016, actually.</p><p>Last week I talked about the importance of getting good sound for your podcast. I talked about why good sound matters, what it means when something sounds good, and why you should get yourself that nice podcast microphone you've been looking at.</p><p>This week I want to talk about something that might seem basic to you if you've been podcasting for a while. I want to talk about connecting your microphone and headphones, and making sure you have your microphone (or audio interface if you're using one) set as the input source for whatever recording software you're using.</p><p>I remember the first time I bought a microphone and a little audio interface. I probably spent close to an hour trying to figure out how to record an audio file because I didn't know that I was supposed to set the audio interface as the input source for the recording software I was using, and then also that I needed to select the channel my mic was plugged into (channel 1) as the audio source for the audio track in the program.</p><p>You'd be surprised at how many podcasts are recorded where someone forgets to set their good microphone as the input source, and ends up with a recording that was made with the built-in microphone on their desktop computer. Which makes them sound far away and thin and not good.</p><p>And the goal here is to sound good.</p><h2><strong>The Essentials: Connecting Your Microphone and Headphones</strong></h2><p>Step 1: Is everything plugged in and turned on?</p><h2><strong>USB Microphones</strong></h2><p>If you're using a USB microphone: Is it plugged into your computer? Yes? Good.</p><p>Now, which program are you going to use for recording? You need to make sure your microphone is set as the audio input source for that program. Usually you select your audio input source in the settings, or the preferences area of the software.</p><p>If you're having a hard time finding how to set your mic as the input source for your recording software, do a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&amp;q=how+to+set+the+audio+input+source+in+GarageBand" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">quick search on Google or YouTube.</a></p><p>Next: Does your USB microphone have a headphone port on it? (A place to plug in your headphones.)</p><p>If so, plug your headphones into that. This is a good idea because it will allow you to hear what you sound like in real time. You'll hear people refer to this as "monitoring yourself".</p><p>You'll also need to choose the audio output source for whatever recording software you're using. Essentially, where should the audio from your computer go? </p><p>If you're interviewing someone, and your headphones are plugged into your USB mic, you don't want the audio from your computer going to your computer speakers. You want it to go to your USB microphone.</p><p><strong>Quick recap:</strong></p><p>Make sure your recording software is using the right mic before you start recording, and also that your software or computer is sending audio to the right place.</p><p>It's pretty easy once you've gone through this a couple times, but I've seen many podcasters struggle with this set up when they're first getting starting, and also it's important to get in the habit of double-checking your input and output settings before you start interviewing someone or recording an episode.</p><h2><strong>XLR Microphones + Audio Interface</strong></h2><p>If you bought an XLR microphone and an audio interface (like I'm using here), the set up process is going to be similar, but there's a few additional things to keep in mind.</p><p>Step 1: Plug your microphone or microphones into your audio interface using an XLR microphone cable.</p><p>Next, plug the audio interface into your computer. Your interface should have come with a right cable for your computer, but it's possible you might need an adapter.</p><p>Like if the cable for your audio interface is a USB-C cable, and your computer only has USB-A ports and no USB-C ports, then you'll need to buy a USB-C to USB-A adapter. Make sense? Google has answers for you if you're not sure what kind of adapter you need.</p><p>Quick note here: If you're using a Windows computer, I've heard that sometimes you have to <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&amp;q=updating+audio+interface+driver+for+windows" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">update the driver for an audio interface</a> before your computer will "see" and be able to use the interface.</p><p>A driver is just a little bit of software that tells your computer how to work with a piece of hardware like an audio interface. So if you open up your recording software and you don't see the option to select your audio interface as the input or output source for audio, you might need to download and install an updated driver for your interface.</p><p>Ok, so now you've got your mic or mics plugged into your audio interface, and the interface plugged into your computer.</p><p>Now: I'd recommend plugging your headphones into the headphone port on your interface. Also, you might need an <a href="https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron/best-gear-for-podcasting/1621895-ugreen-635mm-1-4-inc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">adapter for your headphones</a>, as a lot of audio interfaces have big 1/4" headphone ports, and normal headphone jacks are smaller, 1/8" or 3.5 mm.</p><p>Let's recap one more time. You've got your mic and your headphones connected to your audio interface, your audio interface connected to your computer. Great.</p><p>Now open up your recording software, and set the audio interface as the input and output source for your audio. You will also want to set the audio interface as the output source for your computer's audio. Make sense? The recording software should send audio to your interface where your headphones are plugged in, and your computer should send audio to your interface too.</p><p>With any luck, you'll hear everything you should be hearing through your headphones, and no sound will be coming out of your computer speakers.</p><p>One other important thing to know here.</p><h2><strong>If you're recording multiple tracks with multiple microphones:</strong></h2><p>If you have multiple microphones plugged into your audio interface and you want to record each microphone to it's own track in your recording program (as you should), you'll need to set the audio interface as the input source for the software, but also choose which channel (microphone, essentially) should be the audio source for each track.</p><p>So let's say you have two microphones plugged into your audio interface, channel 1, channel 2. Make sure you have two tracks created in your recording software, and select channel 1 as the audio source for track 1, channel 2 as the audio source for track 2.</p><p>Got it?</p><p>I hope that all makes sense, and I hope this walk-through helps you understand how these different pieces of audio hardware and recording software work together.</p><p>If you have questions: Please leave a comment on my YouTube channel.</p><p>If you like this episode, please give it a thumbs-up on YouTube or leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to subscribe to get future episodes for free and as soon as they come out.</p><p>You can find more episodes and other cool stuff at <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a> or <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com%0A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aarondowd.com</a>.</p><p>Thanks for watching or listening, and I'll be back next week with more podcasting tips and tricks. I'm going to be talking about setting input gain levels and good microphone technique.</p><p>Till then, have a great week, and happy podcasting.</p><p>Aaron</p>

90: Good Sound Part 2: Connecting Your Microphone and Headphones

I've been obsessed with things that sound good for as long as I could remember. I've always loved music and the effect it has on my body and brain, so I got interested in the process of creating and capturing sound when I was young.The first podcasts I started listening to back in 2008/2009 were professionally produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by folks who had been working in radio for a long time. So they sounded really good.Then I started listening to some shows produced by normal folks, what you'd call independent podcasters. I liked the content just as much, but I noticed that the sound quality was usually a lot lower, and sometimes so bad it made me stop listening to the show.So I started wondering, can you make a podcast that sounds good even if you don't have a lot of money to spend? Is it possible?I figured out that there were a few key things that made a big difference. So I'm going to make a series of episodes where I share what I've learned about audio recording and sound quality, and how to make a podcast that sounds good.Q: Does it really matter how good you sound?Yes! The quality of an audio recording affects how trustworthy and credible listeners think you are.As a podcast host, you want people to be able to hear you clearly and understand you. If they have a hard time hearing and understanding you, they're not going to stick around for very long. The same goes for any co-hosts or guests you have on your show as well.There's a research article by Eryn Newman and Norbert Shwartz from the University of Southern California published in 2018 that demonstrates the importance of good sound quality.The articles references a study in which two groups of people were shown a video of a scientific talk and asked to rate the credibility and trustworthiness of the presenters.The first group got a version of the video with high quality audio.The second group got a version of the video with low quality audio.When the video was difficult to hear, viewers thought the talk was worse, the speaker less intelligent and less likeable and the research less important.“As soon as we reduced the audio quality, all of a sudden, the scientists and their research lost credibility.” - Eryn NewmanThe quality of audio influences whether you believe what you hear - news.usc.eduIt's important to learn how to record and publish audio that sounds good.Q: When you say something sounds good, what does that mean?I use to talk a lot about sounding good, but I never really broke it down in a way that was easy to understand.I know because I got a 2 star review in Apple Podcasts last year from Red84604.Red wrote:I can appreciate that the podcast dude is a musician. So am I. But his obsession with audio quality made me look for another podcast to reach me how to podcast. Even if I came to this podcast exclusively for advice about audio, it wouldn’t be useful for that because, from the very beginning, his advice assumes that the listener already knows a whole lot about the subject (more than I know and I actually was a professional musician for a while). I couldn’t follow it. And he went on for episode after episode. I want to produce a podcast with great audio. But even after listening to several episodes I am still not sure how to do that because his advice was so technical. And his snobbery on the topic was off-putting. Sorry.That's fair criticism. So really, you can thank Red for this whole 7 part series I'm about to make and share with you.When I say a podcast sounds good, it means each voice that you hear in the episode is clear and easy to understand, and not difficult to listen to because of distracting background noise or other factors that make it hard to hear and understand someone who is speaking.Let's break that down even further.Clear and easy to understand means:* You've got a microphone that works well for recording a human voice, and you're relatively close to that microphone when you're speaking.* Your voice doesn't sound muffled, or far away, or distorted in any way.* The volume level of your recording is loud enough, but not too loud.* That volume level doesn't change dramatically during the recording. It's consistent, or gets louder when you get speak louder, and quieter when you speak quieter.* Your audio recording is free of distracting background noise (hums, buzzes, pops, beeps, echos, reverb that makes it hard to understand you, etc).* The volume level of your voice is roughly the same as the other voices in the recording (if there are other voices).There's other things that can enhance the quality and impact of an episode, like sound design, music, pacing, and so on, but I want to stay focused on the basics for now.Q: So how do you get this good sound quality?I believe there are 7 important things to know and keep in mind when recording audio if you want your show to sound good.I'll be covering each one in detail over the coming episodes, but this week, I want to talk about why you should invest in a nice microphone.Step 1. Invest in a nice microphoneYour microphone is the single most important part of sounding good. It's a solid investment if you plan to start a podcast, or if you have the kind of job (or want the kind of job) where you'll be talking to people a lot from your home.The good news is you don't need an expensive mic to sound good. Even a $60 USB microphone like the ATR 2100 or Samsung Q2U will work just fine.What doesn't usually work fine is trying to share a single microphone between multiple people, or using bluetooth headsets, or using the built-in microphone on your laptop or desktop computer.(These microphones will technically work, but I've heard plenty of recordings made with bluetooth headsets and built-in computer mics that didn't sound very good, so I don't recommend using them.)I've got a full list of the gear I recommend at https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron, so let's take a look.A few key things to keep in mind:* If you'll mostly just be recording by yourself or talking to other people over the internet, a single USB mic will work fine.* If you plan to record multiple people in the same room, you'll need multiple mics (get XLR mics ) and a way to record them all to the same device or computer (via an audio interface) at the same time. Don't try to share a single mic.* I didn't mention it in the episode, but I don't like listening to phone calls (cell phone or land line), so I don't recommend trying to record them. But there are tutorials online if you're really set on it.* Lav mics: Great if you want to do video presentations and don't want to have to stand in one place like I do here. But if you're mostly going to be talking to other people or staying in place, a regular mic like the ones I recommended will probably be a better option.Recap:* Sound quality, sounding good, matters. It affects how much people will believe and trust you.* A good microphone is a solid investment, especially now, and especially if you plan to spend a lot of time talking to people over the internet.* As a podcast host, you want people to be able to hear you clearly and understand you. If they have a hard time hearing and understanding you, they're not going to stick around for very long. The same goes for any co-hosts or guests you have on your show as well.In the next episode, I'll be talking about the importance of learning how to set input gain levels and always checking your audio settings before you start recordings.As always, thanks for watching and/or listening! Reviews in Apple Podcasts are always appreciated, and you can find more at podcastingwithaaron.com or aarondowd.com.Till next time, be well and happy podcasting.Aaron

<p>I've been obsessed with things that sound good for as long as I could remember. I've always loved music and the effect it has on my body and brain, so I got interested in the process of creating and capturing sound when I was young.</p><p>The first podcasts I started listening to back in 2008/2009 were professionally produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by folks who had been working in radio for a long time. So they sounded really good.</p><p>Then I started listening to some shows produced by normal folks, what you'd call independent podcasters. I liked the content just as much, but I noticed that the sound quality was usually a lot lower, and sometimes so bad it made me stop listening to the show.</p><p>So I started wondering, can you make a podcast that sounds good even if you don't have a lot of money to spend? Is it possible?</p><p>I figured out that there were a few key things that made a big difference. So I'm going to make a series of episodes where I share what I've learned about audio recording and sound quality, and how to make a podcast that sounds good.</p><h3><strong>Q: Does it really matter how good you sound?</strong></h3><p>Yes! The quality of an audio recording affects how trustworthy and credible listeners think you are.</p><p>As a podcast host, you want people to be able to hear you clearly and understand you. If they have a hard time hearing and understanding you, they're not going to stick around for very long. The same goes for any co-hosts or guests you have on your show as well.</p><p>There's a research article by Eryn Newman and Norbert Shwartz from the University of Southern California published in 2018 that demonstrates the importance of good sound quality.</p><p>The articles references a study in which two groups of people were shown a video of a scientific talk and asked to rate the credibility and trustworthiness of the presenters.</p><p>The first group got a version of the video with high quality audio.</p><p>The second group got a version of the video with low quality audio.</p><p>When the video was difficult to hear, viewers thought the talk was worse, the speaker less intelligent and less likeable and the research less important.</p><p>“As soon as we reduced the audio quality, all of a sudden, the scientists and their research lost credibility.” - Eryn Newman</p><p><a href="https://news.usc.edu/141042/why-we-believe-something-audio-sound-quality/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The quality of audio influences whether you believe what you hear - news.usc.edu</a></p><p>It's important to learn how to record and publish audio that sounds good.</p><h3><strong>Q: When you say something sounds good, what does that mean?</strong></h3><p>I use to talk a lot about sounding good, but I never really broke it down in a way that was easy to understand.</p><p>I know because I got a 2 star review in Apple Podcasts last year from Red84604.</p><p>Red wrote:</p><p>I can appreciate that the podcast dude is a musician. So am I. But his obsession with audio quality made me look for another podcast to reach me how to podcast. Even if I came to this podcast exclusively for advice about audio, it wouldn’t be useful for that because, from the very beginning, his advice assumes that the listener already knows a whole lot about the subject (more than I know and I actually was a professional musician for a while). I couldn’t follow it. And he went on for episode after episode. I want to produce a podcast with great audio. But even after listening to several episodes I am still not sure how to do that because his advice was so technical. And his snobbery on the topic was off-putting. Sorry.</p><p>That's fair criticism. So really, you can thank Red for this whole 7 part series I'm about to make and share with you.</p><p>When I say a podcast sounds good, it means each voice that you hear in the episode is clear and easy to understand, and not difficult to listen to because of distracting background noise or other factors that make it hard to hear and understand someone who is speaking.</p><p>Let's break that down even further.</p><p>Clear and easy to understand means:</p><p>* You've got a microphone that works well for recording a human voice, and you're relatively close to that microphone when you're speaking.</p><p>* Your voice doesn't sound muffled, or far away, or distorted in any way.</p><p>* The volume level of your recording is loud enough, but not too loud.</p><p>* That volume level doesn't change dramatically during the recording. It's consistent, or gets louder when you get speak louder, and quieter when you speak quieter.</p><p>* Your audio recording is free of distracting background noise (hums, buzzes, pops, beeps, echos, reverb that makes it hard to understand you, etc).</p><p>* The volume level of your voice is roughly the same as the other voices in the recording (if there are other voices).</p><p>There's other things that can enhance the quality and impact of an episode, like sound design, music, pacing, and so on, but I want to stay focused on the basics for now.</p><h3><strong>Q: So how do you get this good sound quality?</strong></h3><p>I believe there are 7 important things to know and keep in mind when recording audio if you want your show to sound good.</p><p>I'll be covering each one in detail over the coming episodes, but this week, I want to talk about why you should invest in a nice microphone.</p><h2><strong>Step 1. Invest in a nice microphone</strong></h2><p>Your microphone is the single most important part of sounding good. It's a solid investment if you plan to start a podcast, or if you have the kind of job (or want the kind of job) where you'll be talking to people a lot from your home.</p><p>The good news is you don't need an expensive mic to sound good. Even a $60 USB microphone like the ATR 2100 or Samsung Q2U will work just fine.</p><p>What doesn't usually work fine is trying to share a single microphone between multiple people, or using bluetooth headsets, or using the built-in microphone on your laptop or desktop computer.</p><p>(These microphones will technically work, but I've heard plenty of recordings made with bluetooth headsets and built-in computer mics that didn't sound very good, so I don't recommend using them.)</p><p>I've got a full list of the gear I recommend at <a href="https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron</a>, so let's take a look.</p><p>A few key things to keep in mind:</p><p>* If you'll mostly just be recording by yourself or talking to other people over the internet, a single USB mic will work fine.</p><p>* If you plan to record multiple people in the same room, you'll need multiple mics (get XLR mics ) and a way to record them all to the same device or computer (via an audio interface) at the same time. Don't try to share a single mic.</p><p>* I didn't mention it in the episode, but I don't like listening to phone calls (cell phone or land line), so I don't recommend trying to record them. But there are tutorials online if you're really set on it.</p><p>* Lav mics: Great if you want to do video presentations and don't want to have to stand in one place like I do here. But if you're mostly going to be talking to other people or staying in place, a regular mic like the ones I recommended will probably be a better option.</p><h2><strong>Recap:</strong></h2><p>* Sound quality, sounding good, matters. It affects how much people will believe and trust you.</p><p>* A good microphone is a solid investment, especially now, and especially if you plan to spend a lot of time talking to people over the internet.</p><p>* As a podcast host, you want people to be able to hear you clearly and understand you. If they have a hard time hearing and understanding you, they're not going to stick around for very long. The same goes for any co-hosts or guests you have on your show as well.</p><p>In the next episode, I'll be talking about the importance of learning how to set input gain levels and always checking your audio settings before you start recordings.</p><p>As always, thanks for watching and/or listening! Reviews in Apple Podcasts are always appreciated, and you can find more at <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a> or <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aarondowd.com</a>.</p><p>Till next time, be well and happy podcasting.</p><p>Aaron</p>

89: How to Get Good Sound for Your Podcast, Part 1: Why It Matters

My goal for this episode is to give you a big picture roadmap for how to start a podcast. You give me 30 minutes of your time, I'll tell you everything I know about starting a podcast.This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive guide that covers everything you’ll need to know (that would take awhile longer and I'd like to keep this pretty short), but my hope is that it gives you enough information to help you start making progress on starting your own podcast.If you’re listening to this in a podcast app, I’d recommend pausing it and switching over to my YouTube video. I’ll be showing some screenshots and other visual aids that I think you’ll find helpful. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/4zfglqqHHtAI also plan to publish a more detailed version of this episode as an affordable downloadable PDF and video and checklist, so I’ll include a link to that in the episode notes as well whenever it’s ready.A Few Pieces of Advice Before We Get Started:Anyone Can Start a PodcastAnyone can start a podcast! Yes, even you!To do it well does cost some money and a fair amount of time and effort, but it’s not extremely expensive, and you don't need anyone's permission to do it.The hardest part (from what I've seen) is growing an audience and getting people to listen to your podcast and share it with other people.Try to make a show that other people will find valuable and interestingA common mistake I see a lot of people make is starting a show where they just talk about whatever random subject they feel like talking about.It can be fun to do that for awhile, but it’ll be hard to convince strangers to listen to you unless you're already known for something.Everyone has an opinion, and most strangers probably aren't going to be interested in hearing yours. To stand out, you’ll need to figure out how to provide something valuable, useful, or interesting to them.Aim to make your show entertaining, educational, or inspirational. If you can make it be all three, even better.If you don’t feel like you have anything important or interesting to say, it’s ok to put off podcasting for awhile. Focus instead of becoming an interesting, experienced person who can talk about a topic or tell stories in a way that makes people notice and pay attention.Don't give up when the going gets tough.You’re going to encounter road blocks and get stuck sometimes.There are answers to every question out there on the internet in blog posts, YouTube videos, books, podcasts, etc.Be patient and learn to enjoy the process of learning. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t accomplish a task right away.Podcasting is a marathon, not a sprint.Success comes to those who stick with it for a long time, so don’t give up if you don’t achieve all your goals right away. Stay focused, keep working, keep iterating and getting better.If you have questions, please feel free to send them to me, or you can find more information out there on the internet if you search.The Ultimate Goal: End up with an awesome podcast you loveMy goal with this episode and show is to help you end up with a podcast you’re proud of and that other people love, listen to, and share with their friends.One of the best ways to do this is to learn from other people who have already created podcasts that people love. This is why I recommend checking out the top shows in Apple Podcasts and Spotify for inspiration. Pay close attention to their podcast cover artwork and their show descriptions. Look for shows that are similar to the show you want to make. Learn from them, get inspired by them.4 Key Parts to PodcastingThere are four main parts of making a great podcast. They are: 1. Planning &amp; Pre-Production 2. Recording &amp; Production 3. Editing &amp; Post-Production 4. Launching &amp; PromotingLet's go through each of these steps in more detail.1: Pre-Production / Planning the ShowThe Goal: Come up a title, theme, short description, branding/visual style, and format for your show, and choose a time in your schedule to work on it.The first step is to decide: What your show is going to be called (the title) What it's going to be about (the theme) What your branding or visual style is going to be (the look of your artwork) What the format is going to be (Interviews? Fiction / Story telling?) When you're going to work on it (In the mornings before work? In the evenings after work? Weekends?) The Title: Check Apple Podcasts and social media to make sure the title you want isn’t already taken.The Theme/Format: Will you do interviews? Chat with a friend about a new topic every week? Tell a story in a narrative style? Do something weird and bizarre? There’s no rules here, so you have freedom to create the kind of show that you want. I’m guessing you have a few ideas based on shows you already listen to and enjoy. Make a show you’d love to listen to, and have fun!The Branding/Visual Style: Eventually you’ll need to create or hire someone to create cover art for your show. Your podcast cover art needs to be a square image, 3000x3000 pixels, a JPG or PNG file format.The Schedule: Decide what your recording and publishing schedule will be. Can you produce and publish new episodes every week? Every two weeks? Want to record a season of 12 episodes all at once and then release them? You’ll want to block off some time on your calendar to work on producing new episodes, but also time to promote your show and episodes and invest in your existing listeners and also on getting new listeners. (Podcasting can take a lot of time, so give yourself more time than you expect when you're just starting out.)Don’t worry about getting it perfect right away!Don’t worry about getting everything perfect, just make a plan and keep making progress. You can always change things later if you decide you really need to.For more information about planning a show, check out: So You Want to Start a Podcast How to Write a Podcast Description That Attracts New Listeners How to Design Stunning Podcast Cover Art That Stands Out 2: Recording &amp; ProductionThe goal: Get some recording gear and plan and record some episodes.Recording GearThere are ways to make a podcast using only your smartphone, or you could spend thousands of dollars on professional microphones, cameras, and accessories. There are good options for pretty much every budget.I recommend starting off with gear on the cheaper or affordable side, and then upgrading later if you decide the extra sound quality or utility is worth it to you. You want to avoid spending $2000 on gear only to decide a few months later that podcasting isn’t for you.Questions to consider: What is your budget? What gear do you need for the format you’ve chosen? How serious are you about podcasting? I keep a list of my favorite gear at kit.co/podcastingwithaaron. (Those are affiliate links, so I get a small cut of the sale if you buy something using the link on that site).Recording and Editing Software/AppsThere’s software and apps for recording and editing audio (Garageband, Audacity, Reaper, Logic Pro, Audition), and also software and apps for recording interviews (Squadcast, Zoom, Zencastr, Descript, Cleanfeed, etc).I prefer the paid software, but there are plenty of people who record and publish using free software.For best results, you’ll want to get an individual audio track for each person that’s on the podcast. This is why I like and use Squadcast.You don’t want to start off with one single audio track that has everyone’s voice on it, it makes editing and balancing the volume levels of each voice much harder.Practice recording to get comfortable with your gear and software before you start trying to record episodes that you plan to publish.I recommend doing at least couple of test/practice episodes that you don’t plan to publish, just so you can learn how to use your gear and the software without pressure to get everything right. This is especially important if you plan to do interviews.Creating EpisodesFor each episode, you'll need: An episode title/theme A short description of the episode (What is the episode about? Why should someone listen to it?) An outline for the episode (What are you going to talk about in the episode?) Episode notes or a script (You can write this before, or after. It can be as short or long as you like) Episode artwork (optional, but can be a nice touch) At the very least, you’ll need to have a title for the episode, how you’re going to start the episode, what you’re going to talk about, and then how you’re going to end the episode.Create / gather all this information, and then start recording! Be sure to save your recording when you're done.3: Editing &amp; Post-ProductionThe goal: Edit your episodes and get them ready for publishing, and choose a hosting platform for your show.Editing a Podcast EpisodeEditing a podcast episode is definitely a topic that deserves it’s own episode or video, but the goal is to get all the audio files for the episode together, and then cut out anything you don’t want in the episode. Add music, sound effects, whatever else you want.I definitely encourage creativity with editing, but be aware that many new podcasters I’ve talked to find editing to be the hardest and most time consuming part of podcasting.If you’re just starting out, you might want to keep it simple. Only edit out really noticeable/terrible mistakes, and try to get the volume levels of the audio tracks roughly the same (this is known as mixing).Editing and mixing can take years to master or get good at, so be patient with yourself while you learn! Watching YouTube videos of other people editing will help.Once you’re done editing your episode, export an MP3 audio file. This is what you’ll upload to your podcast hosting platform.Choose a Podcasting Hosting Platform for Your ShowYou don’t actually upload episodes to Apple Podcasts or Spotify or the other podcast apps people use to listen to podcasts. Instead, you’ll sign up for an account on a podcast hosting platform that will provide you with an easy interface for adding information about your show and episode to an RSS feed.The RSS feed is essentially a text document that is hosted and updated by your podcast hosting platform. It will contain all of the information about your show, as well as links to where your episode audio files are hosted.You’ll give the URL or link for your show’s RSS feed to Apple, Spotify, and the other podcast apps and directories. That’s how you get your show listed there.Once those apps/directories have the link to your show’s RSS feed, they’ll get any updates or new episodes you publish in your podcast hosting platform automatically.Which hosting platform should I use for my podcast?There’s plenty of options for podcast hosting platforms: Anchor, Simplecast, Buzzsprout, Transistor, Captivate, Fireside, and Megaphone, just to name a few. The podcast hosting platforms also provide you with a website for your show (important) and analytics so you can see things like how many downloads and plays your episodes get, where your listeners are, and which devices they’re listening on.Remember: You can always move your show to a different hosting platform any time you want. 4: Launching &amp; PromotingThe goal: Launch your podcast and start promoting it.Getting Ready to Launch Your ShowAt this point, you should have your show title, show description, and artwork, and at least one episode ready to be published (I'd recommend having 2-3 full episodes ready to publish before you officially launch).Create a Short Teaser Trailer Episode for Your ShowI also recommend writing and recording a teaser trailer episode. This is where you introduce yourself and the show, talk a little bit about it and who it’s for, why you’re making it, etc.I recommend making this trailer shorter than 2 minutes (but you can make it longer if you want).Getting Your Show into Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Other Podcast AppsOnce you've added the information about your show into your podcast hosting platform, and added your trailer or first episode, they’ll provide you with the link/URL to your show’s RSS feed.You’ll submit the URL/link to your show’s RSS feed to Apple Podcasts and Spotify and the other podcast apps.Some will take a few days to review and approve your show, some will approve and publish it pretty much right away or within a few hours.There’s a great help article from Simplecast that has links and instructions about how to submit a show’s RSS feed to every major podcast app or directory.Visit How to Publish Your Podcast on the Popular Podcast Apps.Publish Your Trailer Episode First, Then Your Full Episodes LaterI recommend publishing your trailer episode first, then submitting your RSS feed to Apple and the other places, then publishing your first few real episodes a week or two later.This gives you time to make sure your show is everywhere you want it to be before you publish full episodes, and having a trailer out allows you to begin promoting your show and getting people to subscribe to it before you publish the full episodes.Start Promoting Your ShowAt this point, you’ll want to create social media accounts for your show if you don’t already have some you plan to use.You don’t have to be on every social media platform: Focus on the ones where your target audience are the most active.Tell your friends, family, social media followers, etc.If you know of any magazines or blogs or publications that might be interested in featuring your show, reach out to them as well.Basically, you gotta get the word out and convince people to listen to your show.For more information about promoting a new podcast, check out: Buffer: We Didn’t Know How to Promote a Podcast. So Here’s All We Learned Podcast Marketing: 50 podcasters share the tactics they used to grow their shows Hack Your Way to 10,000 Podcast Downloads with These 15 Tips Want to know what worked for a real podcast (Darknet Diaries)? Check out this post.  There's tons of other articles online about promoting and marketing a podcast, so plan to spend a few hours reading tips. Mostly it comes down to creating something people will want to listen to, and then convincing them to give you a chance. Easier said than done!What's Next?By now you should know just about everything you need to know to get started, but I have a few more tips to share before you go. Keep creating and publishing new episodes. Keep improving. Experiment. Have fun. There are hundreds of helpful articles, tutorials, videos, books, and online courses about everything related to podcasting and growing an audience. Google search is your friend here! If there’s something you’d like to learn more about, put your question in a search box and start reading or watching. Ask questions if you need help or if you get stuck. Connect with MeI’m going to keep making episodes about podcasting, and I’m happy to answer questions. Leave them in the comment section on my YouTube videos , or email me at coldwaraaron@gmail.com. You can also find me on Twitter, i'm @aarondowdtx.I hope this was helpful. Good luck with your show, and happy podcasting!Aaron DowdGranbury, TexasDecember 20, 2020(Last updated September 28, 2022)

<p>My goal for this episode is to give you a big picture roadmap for how to start a podcast. You give me 30 minutes of your time, I'll tell you everything I know about starting a podcast.</p><p>This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive guide that covers everything you’ll need to know (that would take awhile longer and I'd like to keep this pretty short), but my hope is that it gives you enough information to help you start making progress on starting your own podcast.</p><p>If you’re listening to this in a podcast app, I’d recommend pausing it and switching over to my YouTube video. I’ll be showing some screenshots and other visual aids that I think you’ll find helpful. Here's the link: <a href="https://youtu.be/4zfglqqHHtA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/4zfglqqHHtA</a></p><p>I also plan to publish a more detailed version of this episode as an affordable downloadable PDF and video and checklist, so I’ll include a link to that in the episode notes as well whenever it’s ready.</p><h2>A Few Pieces of Advice Before We Get Started:</h2><h2>Anyone Can Start a Podcast</h2><p>Anyone can start a podcast! Yes, even you!</p><p>To do it well does cost some money and a fair amount of time and effort, but it’s not extremely expensive, and you don't need anyone's permission to do it.</p><p>The hardest part (from what I've seen) is growing an audience and getting people to listen to your podcast and share it with other people.</p><h2>Try to make a show that other people will find valuable and interesting</h2><p>A common mistake I see a lot of people make is starting a show where they just talk about whatever random subject they feel like talking about.</p><p>It can be fun to do that for awhile, but it’ll be hard to convince strangers to listen to you unless you're already known for something.</p><p>Everyone has an opinion, and most strangers probably aren't going to be interested in hearing yours. To stand out, you’ll need to figure out how to provide something valuable, useful, or interesting to them.</p><p>Aim to make your show entertaining, educational, or inspirational. If you can make it be all three, even better.</p><p>If you don’t feel like you have anything important or interesting to say, it’s ok to put off podcasting for awhile. Focus instead of becoming an interesting, experienced person who can talk about a topic or tell stories in a way that makes people notice and pay attention.</p><h2>Don't give up when the going gets tough.</h2><p>You’re going to encounter road blocks and get stuck sometimes.</p><p>There are answers to every question out there on the internet in blog posts, YouTube videos, books, podcasts, etc.</p><p>Be patient and learn to enjoy the process of learning. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t accomplish a task right away.</p><h2>Podcasting is a marathon, not a sprint.</h2><p>Success comes to those who stick with it for a long time, so don’t give up if you don’t achieve all your goals right away. Stay focused, keep working, keep iterating and getting better.</p><p>If you have questions, please feel free to send them to me, or you can find more information out there on the internet if you search.</p><h2>The Ultimate Goal: End up with an awesome podcast you love</h2><p>My goal with this episode and show is to help you end up with a podcast you’re proud of and that other people love, listen to, and share with their friends.</p><p>One of the best ways to do this is to learn from other people who have already created podcasts that people love. This is why I recommend checking out the top shows in Apple Podcasts and Spotify for inspiration. Pay close attention to their podcast cover artwork and their show descriptions. Look for shows that are similar to the show you want to make. Learn from them, get inspired by them.</p><h2>4 Key Parts to Podcasting</h2><p>There are four main parts of making a great podcast. They are:</p><p> 1. Planning &amp; Pre-Production </p><p>2. Recording &amp; Production </p><p>3. Editing &amp; Post-Production </p><p>4. Launching &amp; Promoting</p><p>Let's go through each of these steps in more detail.</p><h2>1: Pre-Production / Planning the Show</h2><p>The Goal: Come up a title, theme, short description, branding/visual style, and format for your show, and choose a time in your schedule to work on it.</p><p>The first step is to decide:</p><ol> <li>What your show is going to be called (the title)</li> <li>What it's going to be about (the theme)</li> <li>What your branding or visual style is going to be (the look of your artwork)</li> <li>What the format is going to be (Interviews? Fiction / Story telling?)</li> <li>When you're going to work on it (In the mornings before work? In the evenings after work? Weekends?)</li> </ol><p>The Title: Check Apple Podcasts and social media to make sure the title you want isn’t already taken.</p><p>The Theme/Format: Will you do interviews? Chat with a friend about a new topic every week? Tell a story in a narrative style? Do something weird and bizarre? There’s no rules here, so you have freedom to create the kind of show that you want. I’m guessing you have a few ideas based on shows you already listen to and enjoy. Make a show you’d love to listen to, and have fun!</p><p>The Branding/Visual Style: Eventually you’ll need to create or hire someone to create cover art for your show. Your podcast cover art needs to be a square image, 3000x3000 pixels, a JPG or PNG file format.</p><p>The Schedule: Decide what your recording and publishing schedule will be. Can you produce and publish new episodes every week? Every two weeks? Want to record a season of 12 episodes all at once and then release them? You’ll want to block off some time on your calendar to work on producing new episodes, but also time to promote your show and episodes and invest in your existing listeners and also on getting new listeners. (Podcasting can take a lot of time, so give yourself more time than you expect when you're just starting out.)</p><p><strong>Don’t worry about getting it perfect right away!</strong></p><p>Don’t worry about getting everything perfect, just make a plan and keep making progress. You can always change things later if you decide you really need to.</p><p>For more information about planning a show, check out:</p><ul> <li><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S9b584KMVyzhJx7N6-BjZFIkkMmshd1i/view" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">So You Want to Start a Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com/episodes/how-to-write-a-good-podcast-description" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to Write a Podcast Description That Attracts New Listeners</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/10-tips-create-awesome-podcast-artwork" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to Design Stunning Podcast Cover Art That Stands Out</a></li> </ul><h2>2: Recording &amp; Production</h2><p>The goal: Get some recording gear and plan and record some episodes.</p><h2>Recording Gear</h2><p>There are ways to make a podcast using only your smartphone, or you could spend thousands of dollars on professional microphones, cameras, and accessories. There are good options for pretty much every budget.</p><p>I recommend starting off with gear on the cheaper or affordable side, and then upgrading later if you decide the extra sound quality or utility is worth it to you. You want to avoid spending $2000 on gear only to decide a few months later that podcasting isn’t for you.</p><p><strong>Questions to consider:</strong></p><ul> <li>What is your budget?</li> <li>What gear do you need for the format you’ve chosen?</li> <li>How serious are you about podcasting?</li> </ul><p>I keep a list of my favorite gear at <a href="http://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">kit.co/podcastingwithaaron</a>. (Those are affiliate links, so I get a small cut of the sale if you buy something using the link on that site).</p><h2>Recording and Editing Software/Apps</h2><p>There’s software and apps for recording and editing audio (Garageband, Audacity, Reaper, Logic Pro, Audition), and also software and apps for recording interviews (Squadcast, Zoom, Zencastr, Descript, Cleanfeed, etc).</p><p>I prefer the paid software, but there are plenty of people who record and publish using free software.</p><p>For best results, you’ll want to get an individual audio track for each person that’s on the podcast. This is why I like and use Squadcast.</p><p>You don’t want to start off with one single audio track that has everyone’s voice on it, it makes editing and balancing the volume levels of each voice much harder.</p><h3>Practice recording to get comfortable with your gear and software before you start trying to record episodes that you plan to publish.</h3><p>I recommend doing at least couple of test/practice episodes that you don’t plan to publish, just so you can learn how to use your gear and the software without pressure to get everything right. This is especially important if you plan to do interviews.</p><h3>Creating Episodes</h3><p>For each episode, you'll need:</p><ol> <li>An episode title/theme</li> <li>A short description of the episode (What is the episode about? Why should someone listen to it?)</li> <li>An outline for the episode (What are you going to talk about in the episode?)</li> <li>Episode notes or a script (You can write this before, or after. It can be as short or long as you like)</li> <li>Episode artwork (optional, but can be a nice touch)</li> </ol><p>At the very least, you’ll need to have a title for the episode, how you’re going to start the episode, what you’re going to talk about, and then how you’re going to end the episode.</p><p>Create / gather all this information, and then start recording! Be sure to save your recording when you're done.</p><h2>3: Editing &amp; Post-Production</h2><p>The goal: Edit your episodes and get them ready for publishing, and choose a hosting platform for your show.</p><h3>Editing a Podcast Episode</h3><p>Editing a podcast episode is definitely a topic that deserves it’s own episode or video, but the goal is to get all the audio files for the episode together, and then cut out anything you don’t want in the episode. Add music, sound effects, whatever else you want.</p><p>I definitely encourage creativity with editing, but be aware that many new podcasters I’ve talked to find editing to be the hardest and most time consuming part of podcasting.</p><p>If you’re just starting out, you might want to keep it simple. Only edit out really noticeable/terrible mistakes, and try to get the volume levels of the audio tracks roughly the same (this is known as mixing).</p><p>Editing and mixing can take years to master or get good at, so be patient with yourself while you learn! Watching YouTube videos of other people editing will help.</p><p>Once you’re done editing your episode, export an MP3 audio file. This is what you’ll upload to your podcast hosting platform.</p><h2>Choose a Podcasting Hosting Platform for Your Show</h2><p>You don’t actually upload episodes to Apple Podcasts or Spotify or the other podcast apps people use to listen to podcasts. Instead, you’ll sign up for an account on a <strong>podcast hosting platform</strong> that will provide you with an easy interface for adding information about your show and episode to an RSS feed.</p><p>The RSS feed is essentially a text document that is hosted and updated by your podcast hosting platform. It will contain all of the information about your show, as well as links to where your episode audio files are hosted.</p><p>You’ll give the URL or link for your show’s RSS feed to Apple, Spotify, and the other podcast apps and directories. That’s how you get your show listed there.</p><p>Once those apps/directories have the link to your show’s RSS feed, they’ll get any updates or new episodes you publish in your podcast hosting platform automatically.</p><h3>Which hosting platform should I use for my podcast?</h3><p>There’s plenty of options for podcast hosting platforms: Anchor, Simplecast, Buzzsprout, Transistor, Captivate, Fireside, and Megaphone, just to name a few. </p><p>The podcast hosting platforms also provide you with a website for your show (important) and analytics so you can see things like how many downloads and plays your episodes get, where your listeners are, and which devices they’re listening on.</p><p>Remember: You can always move your show to a different hosting platform any time you want.<br/> </p><h2>4: Launching &amp; Promoting</h2><p>The goal: Launch your podcast and start promoting it.</p><h3>Getting Ready to Launch Your Show</h3><p>At this point, you should have your show title, show description, and artwork, and at least one episode ready to be published (I'd recommend having 2-3 full episodes ready to publish before you officially launch).</p><h3>Create a Short Teaser Trailer Episode for Your Show</h3><p>I also recommend writing and recording a teaser trailer episode. This is where you introduce yourself and the show, talk a little bit about it and who it’s for, why you’re making it, etc.</p><p>I recommend making this trailer shorter than 2 minutes (but you can make it longer if you want).</p><h3>Getting Your Show into Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Other Podcast Apps</h3><p>Once you've added the information about your show into your podcast hosting platform, and added your trailer or first episode, they’ll provide you with the link/URL to your show’s RSS feed.</p><p>You’ll submit the URL/link to your show’s RSS feed to Apple Podcasts and Spotify and the other podcast apps.</p><p>Some will take a few days to review and approve your show, some will approve and publish it pretty much right away or within a few hours.</p><p>There’s a great help article from Simplecast that has links and instructions about how to submit a show’s RSS feed to every major podcast app or directory.</p><p>Visit <a href="https://help.simplecast.com/en/articles/2698480-how-to-publish-your-podcast-on-the-popular-podcast-apps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to Publish Your Podcast on the Popular Podcast Apps</a>.</p><h3>Publish Your Trailer Episode First, Then Your Full Episodes Later</h3><p>I recommend publishing your trailer episode first, then submitting your RSS feed to Apple and the other places, then publishing your first few real episodes a week or two later.</p><p>This gives you time to make sure your show is everywhere you want it to be before you publish full episodes, and having a trailer out allows you to begin promoting your show and getting people to subscribe to it before you publish the full episodes.</p><h3>Start Promoting Your Show</h3><p>At this point, you’ll want to create social media accounts for your show if you don’t already have some you plan to use.</p><p>You don’t have to be on every social media platform: Focus on the ones where your target audience are the most active.</p><p>Tell your friends, family, social media followers, etc.</p><p>If you know of any magazines or blogs or publications that might be interested in featuring your show, reach out to them as well.</p><p>Basically, you gotta get the word out and convince people to listen to your show.</p><p>For more information about promoting a new podcast, check out:</p><ul> <li><a href="https://buffer.com/library/promote-a-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buffer: We Didn’t Know How to Promote a Podcast. So Here’s All We Learned</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/podcast-marketing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast Marketing: 50 podcasters share the tactics they used to grow their shows</a></li> <li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/grow-your-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hack Your Way to 10,000 Podcast Downloads with These 15 Tips</a></li> <li>Want to know what worked for a real podcast (Darknet Diaries)? <a href="https://darknetdiaries.com/stats/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Check out this post.</a> </li> </ul><p>There's tons of other articles online about promoting and marketing a podcast, so plan to spend a few hours reading tips. Mostly it comes down to creating something people will want to listen to, and then convincing them to give you a chance. Easier said than done!</p><h2>What's Next?</h2><p>By now you should know just about everything you need to know to get started, but I have a few more tips to share before you go.</p><ul> <li>Keep creating and publishing new episodes. Keep improving.</li> <li>Experiment. Have fun.</li> <li>There are hundreds of helpful articles, tutorials, videos, books, and online courses about everything related to podcasting and growing an audience. Google search is your friend here!</li> <li>If there’s something you’d like to learn more about, put your question in a search box and start reading or watching.</li> <li>Ask questions if you need help or if you get stuck.</li> </ul><h2>Connect with Me</h2><p>I’m going to keep making episodes about podcasting, and I’m happy to answer questions. Leave them in the comment section on my YouTube videos , or email me at coldwaraaron@gmail.com. You can also find me on Twitter, i'm <a href="https://twitter.com/aarondowdtx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@aarondowdtx.</a></p><p>I hope this was helpful. Good luck with your show, and happy podcasting!</p><p>Aaron Dowd</p><p>Granbury, Texas</p><p>December 20, 2020<br/>(Last updated September 28, 2022)</p>

88: How to Start a Podcast (2021)

Why are you procrastinating?This is an important question, and is worth considering, reflecting on, and writing about.It could be a few different things.You've decided that something else is more important.What are you doing (or what should you be doing) that's more important than your podcast?Maybe a podcast isn't what you're supposed to be focusing on right now.That's ok! You can come back to podcasting later.I'd suggest prioritizing sleep and rest, exercise, time with family and friends, and time addressing any major issues or distractions in your life before you invest time in podcasting. Basically, get your shit together first before spending time and energy on a podcast.Make sure you are in a good place mentally and physically. It's very hard to create and share something with the world if you're overwhelmed, stressed out, exhausted, or distracted. Not impossible, but difficult.The main reasons I procrastinated on podcasting:1. I prioritized the wrong things2. I was burned out3. I was scared that what I was making wasn't good enoughMaybe you don't know what you need to do next.Write a to-do list with action steps. Make it as detailed as possible, but give yourself a 20 minute time limit.Maybe you do know what you need to do next, but you haven't decided when you're going to do it.Once you know what the next steps are, you need to decide when you're going to work on them.I found it helpful to pair actions together until they become a habit. This is commonly called Habit Stacking.For example, everyday after I wake up, I do yoga for at least 20 minutes. After yoga, I make coffee. As soon as coffee is done, I walk the dogs.Having those three actions linked together like that has made it extremely easy to do them every day. I've only skipped this morning routine one or two days in the past 4 months (Thanksgiving and the day after) thanks to habit stacking.Do something like this with your podcast production and make it easier on yourself to make podcasting a habit. For another example, after I've done recording and publishing this episode, I'll be going on a long bike ride. After the bike ride, I'll watch the latest episode of the Mandalorian with a friend.Habit Stacking. It works.You decided when you're going to do it, but then did something else that felt more important.There's two questions I think are the most important questions to consider when it comes to making a podcast.What do you hope to get out of the podcast?What do you hope the listeners will get out of it?If you don't have a clear and concise and compelling answer to both of these questions, it's going to be very easy for you to make something else a priority.Remember, your brain doesn't want you to do work. You're only going to invest the energy if you know the work is important and that it will result in some kind of reward.Get clear on why you're making a podcast instead of doing something else.Maybe you tried, didn't like the results, then gave up.It's easy to talk about or think about having a podcast. It's safer than actually making one and putting it out into the world.Making a podcast will cost you time and money and effort. Our brains try to do as little work as possible, and podcasting is work, so your brain will try to keep you from expending the energy.You also might struggle with the voice in your head that's doubting your ability to succeed.”What if no one likes it?” the voice asks. ”What if no one listens? What if you're no good? What if you waste your time? What if people make fun of you? What if you make a mistake or say something that's incorrect?”It's easy to let these fears keep you from making a podcast.Forget about making it perfect.Focus on making it, doing the best you can now, and improving as you go.I promise you that you probably have much higher expectations for your work than anyone else does.Set realistic expectations. What can you actually accomplish today, or this week?How much time can you invest in the show on a daily or weekly basis?If you're working a full time job and have a family to take care of, you'll need to be very focused and honest about how much time and effort you can invest in the show every week.Maybe you can only devote 2 hours to recording and publishing the show once a week on Saturdays. What can you finish in two hours?The Goal should be to finish and publish something.(Or just finish and not publish. That's ok too.)Recap:Get clear on why you want to make a podcast. Talk to someone you trust about why you want to podcast.Ask yourself if a podcast is really what you want or need to be spending time and energy on right now. Make sure you're taking care of yourself so you can create something to share with others.Make a list of things you need to learn, and things you need to do.Get clear on when you're going to make a podcast. Block off time on your calendar to work on it. You'll need to make a commitment to show up and do the work.Get clear on how much time you can devote to making a podcast.Don't try to make it perfect. Finished, not perfect.It's good to set big goals, but be honest and realistic about what you can accomplish and finish right now.Helpful Resources:So You Want to Start a Podcast? (Slide Deck)What Does It Cost to Make a Podcast?Finished, Not PerfectHabit StackingQ&amp;AQ from Matt G (Food Under Fire podcast):I've been having a lot of fun with my show. I have dedicated myself to getting better and better with every part of the process. Yet, I still feel like there is a lot to be improved.For example, the thing that's driving me the craziest right now is volume. It always seems kinda off to my ears? It sounds one way on Logic, but then I upload it, and the dynamics seem off (my voice is too quiet/loud, same with music).What part of the process would rectify that? Better mixing?While equipment does play in a role in getting good sound quality, from what you've told me about yours (Shure SM58s mics into a Zoom H6), I think better mixing and mastering should be what you focus on learning.If you're doing the best you can in the recording stage (good mic technique, setting input gain levels correctly, etc), then the mixing and mastering stage is where you'll fix any issues and polish up the sound.I'd recommend investing time learning about noise removal, compression, limiting, and using a loudness meter. I have a video introduction to these topics called How to Process Podcast Vocals in Logic Pro X that should help you get started.Fixing the "music being too loud" issue is easier than you might think. If the music sounds too loud to you, turn it down. (Watch a tutorial video about automation if you're not already familiar with it, and trust your ears.)Try downloading an MP3 file of a podcast that you think sounds really good, and then start comparing your finished MP3 files against it. It'll take time and experimentation for sure, but you'll get better with practice and effort.Good luck Matt, and thanks for the question!News / RecommendationsIAB Measurement Guideline UpdatesFrom Pacific Content: 14 Podcast Predictions for 2021 from Industry LeadersConnect with me:podcastingwithaaron.com. Links to social accounts and more there.Email aaron@thepodcastdude.com or visit if you have questions you'd like me to answer on the show.

<h2><strong>Why are you procrastinating?</strong></h2><p>This is an important question, and is worth considering, reflecting on, and writing about.</p><p>It could be a few different things.</p><h3><strong>You've decided that something else is more important.</strong></h3><p>What are you doing (or what should you be doing) that's more important than your podcast?</p><h3><strong>Maybe a podcast isn't what you're supposed to be focusing on right now.</strong></h3><p>That's ok! You can come back to podcasting later.</p><p>I'd suggest prioritizing sleep and rest, exercise, time with family and friends, and time addressing any major issues or distractions in your life before you invest time in podcasting. Basically, get your shit together first before spending time and energy on a podcast.</p><p>Make sure you are in a good place mentally and physically. It's very hard to create and share something with the world if you're overwhelmed, stressed out, exhausted, or distracted. Not impossible, but difficult.</p><p>The main reasons I procrastinated on podcasting:</p><p>1. I prioritized the wrong things</p><p>2. I was burned out</p><p>3. I was scared that what I was making wasn't good enough</p><h3><strong>Maybe you don't know what you need to do next.</strong></h3><p>Write a to-do list with action steps. Make it as detailed as possible, but give yourself a 20 minute time limit.</p><h3><strong>Maybe you do know what you need to do next, but you haven't decided when you're going to do it.</strong></h3><p>Once you know what the next steps are, you need to decide when you're going to work on them.</p><p>I found it helpful to pair actions together until they become a habit. This is commonly called Habit Stacking.</p><p>For example, everyday after I wake up, I do yoga for at least 20 minutes. After yoga, I make coffee. As soon as coffee is done, I walk the dogs.</p><p>Having those three actions linked together like that has made it extremely easy to do them every day. I've only skipped this morning routine one or two days in the past 4 months (Thanksgiving and the day after) thanks to habit stacking.</p><p>Do something like this with your podcast production and make it easier on yourself to make podcasting a habit. For another example, after I've done recording and publishing this episode, I'll be going on a long bike ride. After the bike ride, I'll watch the latest episode of the Mandalorian with a friend.</p><p>Habit Stacking. It works.</p><h3><strong>You decided when you're going to do it, but then did something else that felt more important.</strong></h3><p>There's two questions I think are the most important questions to consider when it comes to making a podcast.</p><p>What do you hope to get out of the podcast?</p><p>What do you hope the listeners will get out of it?</p><p>If you don't have a clear and concise and compelling answer to both of these questions, it's going to be very easy for you to make something else a priority.</p><p>Remember, your brain doesn't want you to do work. You're only going to invest the energy if you know the work is important and that it will result in some kind of reward.</p><p>Get clear on why you're making a podcast instead of doing something else.</p><h3><strong>Maybe you tried, didn't like the results, then gave up.</strong></h3><p>It's easy to talk about or think about having a podcast. It's safer than actually making one and putting it out into the world.</p><p>Making a podcast will cost you time and money and effort. Our brains try to do as little work as possible, and podcasting is work, so your brain will try to keep you from expending the energy.</p><p>You also might struggle with the voice in your head that's doubting your ability to succeed.</p><p>”What if no one likes it?” the voice asks. ”What if no one listens? What if you're no good? What if you waste your time? What if people make fun of you? What if you make a mistake or say something that's incorrect?”</p><p>It's easy to let these fears keep you from making a podcast.</p><h2><strong>Forget about making it perfect.</strong></h2><p>Focus on making it, doing the best you can now, and improving as you go.</p><p>I promise you that you probably have much higher expectations for your work than anyone else does.</p><h2><strong>Set realistic expectations. What can you actually accomplish today, or this week?</strong></h2><p>How much time can you invest in the show on a daily or weekly basis?</p><p>If you're working a full time job and have a family to take care of, you'll need to be very focused and honest about how much time and effort you can invest in the show every week.</p><p>Maybe you can only devote 2 hours to recording and publishing the show once a week on Saturdays. What can you finish in two hours?</p><h3><strong>The Goal should be to finish and publish something.</strong></h3><p>(Or just finish and not publish. That's ok too.)</p><h2><strong>Recap:</strong></h2><p>Get clear on why you want to make a podcast. Talk to someone you trust about why you want to podcast.</p><p>Ask yourself if a podcast is really what you want or need to be spending time and energy on right now. Make sure you're taking care of yourself so you can create something to share with others.</p><p>Make a list of things you need to learn, and things you need to do.</p><p>Get clear on when you're going to make a podcast. Block off time on your calendar to work on it. You'll need to make a commitment to show up and do the work.</p><p>Get clear on how much time you can devote to making a podcast.</p><p>Don't try to make it perfect. Finished, not perfect.</p><p>It's good to set big goals, but be honest and realistic about what you can accomplish and finish right now.</p><h2><strong>Helpful Resources:</strong></h2><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S9b584KMVyzhJx7N6-BjZFIkkMmshd1i/view" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">So You Want to Start a Podcast? (Slide Deck)</a></p><p><a href="https://www.marketingshowrunners.com/blog/what-does-it-cost-to-make-a-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Does It Cost to Make a Podcast?</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRtV-ugIT0k" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finished, Not Perfect</a></p><p><a href="https://jamesclear.com/habit-stacking" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Habit Stacking</a></p><h2><strong>Q&amp;A</strong></h2><p>Q from Matt G (<a href="https://foodunderfire.buzzsprout.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Food Under Fire</a> podcast):</p><p>I've been having a lot of fun with my show. I have dedicated myself to getting better and better with every part of the process. Yet, I still feel like there is a lot to be improved.</p><p>For example, the thing that's driving me the craziest right now is volume. It always seems kinda off to my ears? It sounds one way on Logic, but then I upload it, and the dynamics seem off (my voice is too quiet/loud, same with music).</p><p>What part of the process would rectify that? Better mixing?</p><p>While equipment does play in a role in getting good sound quality, from what you've told me about yours (Shure SM58s mics into a Zoom H6), I think better mixing and mastering should be what you focus on learning.</p><p>If you're doing the best you can in the recording stage (good mic technique, setting input gain levels correctly, etc), then the mixing and mastering stage is where you'll fix any issues and polish up the sound.</p><p>I'd recommend investing time learning about noise removal, compression, limiting, and using a loudness meter. I have a video introduction to these topics called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Wm5VwRMtQ&amp;t=1s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to Process Podcast Vocals in Logic Pro X</a> that should help you get started.</p><p>Fixing the "music being too loud" issue is easier than you might think. If the music sounds too loud to you, turn it down. (Watch a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNPtW1BrrIg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tutorial video about automation</a> if you're not already familiar with it, and trust your ears.)</p><p>Try downloading an MP3 file of a podcast that you think sounds really good, and then start comparing your finished MP3 files against it. It'll take time and experimentation for sure, but you'll get better with practice and effort.</p><p>Good luck Matt, and thanks for the question!</p><h2><strong>News / Recommendations</strong></h2><p><a href="https://soundsprofitable.com/update/iab-podcast-measurement-v21" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IAB Measurement Guideline Updates</a></p><p>From Pacific Content: <a href="https://blog.pacific-content.com/14-podcast-predictions-for-2021-from-industry-leaders-60e2b63f477e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">14 Podcast Predictions for 2021 from Industry Leaders</a></p><h2><strong>Connect with me:</strong></h2><p><a href="http://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a>. Links to social accounts and more there.</p><p>Email <a href="mailto:aaron@thepodcastdude.com">aaron@thepodcastdude.com</a> or visit if you have questions you'd like me to answer on the show.</p>

87: How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Podcasting

Hey friend! Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you're having a good day wherever you are.If this is your first time hearing or seeing me, welcome! I'm glad you're here! My name is Aaron Dowd and I'm here to help you learn about podcasting and connect you with other great podcasters in the podcasting community.If it's been awhile since you heard from me, I'm sorry I've been absent for so long, but thanks for giving me another chance!If you've been following for more than a couple years, you know I used to host a podcast and YouTube channel called The Podcast Dude. I'm renaming and relaunching that show and calling it Podcasting With Aaron.My Two Goals for This ShowFirst, to share everything I've learned about podcasting so far.I've been making podcasts and helping people make podcasts for about 8 years now. I don't know everything, but I'd like to share what I have learned, and hopefully it will be helpful to you. Let's learn together!Second, I want to introduce you to other podcast producers and people working in the podcasting.I know that it's hard to do things alone, and finding other people who share your enthusiasm for podcasting can be challenging.Fortunately there's an amazing community of people who are passionate about podcasting, and I think we should all be friends. I want to help facilitate those friendships and make introductions through this show.New Episodes Every SaturdayThat's right: New episodes every Saturday! I know how important it is to have something to look forward to, and a weekly cadence is what I'm committing to.The format for the show will be simple, to prevent me from overthinking it and procrastinating.I'm going to record a video for YouTube first, and export the audio from the video to publish in my podcast RSS feed.I think you'll enjoy the video version the most, but I understand if you like listening in your podcast app better.I'll try to make sure the audio-only version is just as good as the video version, and include links to anything I show in the video in the podcast show notes.I'll have a few different segments that I'll be doing regularly: Q&amp;A, where I answer your questions Tips &amp; tricks, where I talk about a specific topic related to podcasting Interviews, where I talk to podcasters and people making useful things for podcasters Recommendations, where I talk about things I think you should know about or check out (news, videos, blog posts, gear, etc) Personal updates, just to give you a peek into my life and what I've been up to I'll aim for 15 minute episodes, and try to keep them under 30 minutes unless I'm doing an interview (sometimes it's nice to let those go a little longer). I'll bring an outline and notes, but I'll try not to script it too much.I'll make sure to have the next week's topic ready and share it at the end of every episode.What I Need From You:I do have a favor to ask: Please leave a comment in YouTube or a review in Apple Podcasts and tell me about yourself and your show.I'd like to know how you found me, how long you've been listening or watching, and what your podcast is about, and if you have any questions or things you're currently struggling with related to podcasting.This helps me get to know you a little better which will help me make this show better, but it will also help other people connect with you as well.And if you have any feedback, suggestions, or encouragement you'd like to share, I'd love to hear those too.The website for this show is podcastingwithaaron.com, that's where you can find links to my social media accounts and other resources and stuff related to me and this show.If you have a question you'd like me to answer on the show, record a voice memo and email it to aaron@thepodcastdude.com.DedicationsI'd like to dedicate this show to a few people.To Sofia, for always inspiring me to get better, and to my nephew Silas: I hope this show inspires you to start your own helpful YouTube channel or podcast someday.And finally, I dedicate this show to you (you reading, watching, or listening). Thank you for joining me and following along. Podcasting is definitely more fun with friends, so I'm thankful you're here.RecommendationsThere's a YouTube channel and a podcast that both inspired me to get back into making videos and podcasts. The YouTube channel is Yoga with Adriene, and the podcast is Deep Questions with Cal Newport.I'm not exaggerating when I say they changed my life this year. They're both made by incredible people and absolutely worth your time.Next Week on Podcasting with Aaron:Next week's topic will be How to Stop Procrastinating and Make a Podcast. This was a question from Chris B. on Twitter, and a topic I have YEARS of experience with. If you've been procrastinating on starting a podcast or making new episodes, leave me a comment or send me a message and tell me about it so I can talk about it in next week's episode.Happy podcasting, and I'll see you next week!Aaron Dowd Granbury, Texas December 5, 2020

<p>Hey friend! Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you're having a good day wherever you are.</p><p>If this is your first time hearing or seeing me, welcome! I'm glad you're here! My name is Aaron Dowd and I'm here to help you learn about podcasting and connect you with other great podcasters in the podcasting community.</p><p>If it's been awhile since you heard from me, I'm sorry I've been absent for so long, but thanks for giving me another chance!</p><p>If you've been following for more than a couple years, you know I used to host a podcast and YouTube channel called The Podcast Dude. I'm renaming and relaunching that show and calling it Podcasting With Aaron.</p><h2><strong>My Two Goals for This Show</strong></h2><p><strong>First, to share everything I've learned about podcasting so far.</strong></p><p>I've been making podcasts and helping people make podcasts for about 8 years now. I don't know everything, but I'd like to share what I have learned, and hopefully it will be helpful to you. Let's learn together!</p><p><strong>Second, I want to introduce you to other podcast producers and people working in the podcasting.</strong></p><p>I know that it's hard to do things alone, and finding other people who share your enthusiasm for podcasting can be challenging.</p><p>Fortunately there's an amazing community of people who are passionate about podcasting, and I think we should all be friends. I want to help facilitate those friendships and make introductions through this show.</p><h2><strong>New Episodes Every Saturday</strong></h2><p>That's right: New episodes every Saturday! I know how important it is to have something to look forward to, and a weekly cadence is what I'm committing to.</p><p>The format for the show will be simple, to prevent me from overthinking it and procrastinating.</p><p>I'm going to record a video for YouTube first, and export the audio from the video to publish in my podcast RSS feed.</p><p>I think you'll enjoy the video version the most, but I understand if you like listening in your podcast app better.</p><p>I'll try to make sure the audio-only version is just as good as the video version, and include links to anything I show in the video in the podcast show notes.</p><p><strong>I'll have a few different segments that I'll be doing regularly:</strong></p><ul> <li>Q&amp;A, where I answer your questions</li> <li>Tips &amp; tricks, where I talk about a specific topic related to podcasting</li> <li>Interviews, where I talk to podcasters and people making useful things for podcasters</li> <li>Recommendations, where I talk about things I think you should know about or check out (news, videos, blog posts, gear, etc)</li> <li>Personal updates, just to give you a peek into my life and what I've been up to</li> </ul><p>I'll aim for 15 minute episodes, and try to keep them under 30 minutes unless I'm doing an interview (sometimes it's nice to let those go a little longer). I'll bring an outline and notes, but I'll try not to script it too much.</p><p>I'll make sure to have the next week's topic ready and share it at the end of every episode.</p><h2><strong>What I Need From You:</strong></h2><p>I do have a favor to ask: Please <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epDT7aSbGwM&amp;feature=youtu.be" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">leave a comment in YouTube</a> or a <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcasting-with-aaron/id993044464" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">review in Apple Podcasts</a> and tell me about yourself and your show.</p><p>I'd like to know how you found me, how long you've been listening or watching, and what your podcast is about, and if you have any questions or things you're currently struggling with related to podcasting.</p><p>This helps me get to know you a little better which will help me make this show better, but it will also help other people connect with you as well.</p><p>And if you have any feedback, suggestions, or encouragement you'd like to share, I'd love to hear those too.</p><p>The website for this show is <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a>, that's where you can find links to my social media accounts and other resources and stuff related to me and this show.</p><p>If you have a question you'd like me to answer on the show, record a voice memo and email it to <a href="mailto:aaron@thepodcastdude.com">aaron@thepodcastdude.com</a>.</p><h2>Dedications</h2><p>I'd like to dedicate this show to a few people.</p><p>To Sofia, for always inspiring me to get better, and to my nephew Silas: I hope this show inspires you to start your own helpful YouTube channel or podcast someday.</p><p>And finally, I dedicate this show to you (you reading, watching, or listening). Thank you for joining me and following along. Podcasting is definitely more fun with friends, so I'm thankful you're here.</p><h2><strong>Recommendations</strong></h2><p>There's a YouTube channel and a podcast that both inspired me to get back into making videos and podcasts. </p><p>The YouTube channel is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yoga with Adriene</a>, and the podcast is <a href="https://www.calnewport.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deep Questions with Cal Newport</a>.</p><p>I'm not exaggerating when I say they changed my life this year. They're both made by incredible people and absolutely worth your time.</p><h2><strong>Next Week on Podcasting with Aaron:</strong></h2><p>Next week's topic will be How to Stop Procrastinating and Make a Podcast. This was a question from Chris B. on Twitter, and a topic I have YEARS of experience with. </p><p>If you've been procrastinating on starting a podcast or making new episodes, leave me a comment or send me a message and tell me about it so I can talk about it in next week's episode.</p><p>Happy podcasting, and I'll see you next week!</p><p>Aaron Dowd <br/>Granbury, Texas <br/>December 5, 2020</p>

86: Relaunching My Show to Help You Learn Podcasting (Introducing Podcasting with Aaron)

Juleyka Lantigua-Williams shares her strategy for audience growth and how it's put her shows on the path to reach 1 million downloads by the end of the year.Here's what I learned in this episode: Audience growth isn't something that magically happens once you start publishing episodes. If you want to grow your audience and get more listeners and fans, there's three important questions to ask yourself. These questions are important regardless of how long you've been podcasting.The three questions are:1. Who is the ideal listener for my show?2. What needs do they have that I'm trying to address and fulfill with my show?3. Where is my ideal listener spending their time and attention, and what's my plan for getting their attention?•••Juleyka Lantigua-Williams is the founder of Lantigua Williams &amp; Co, an audio production company. She describes her role as building teams that make podcasts and films.So a little more about Juleyka:Juleyka is the Founder/CEO of Lantigua Williams &amp; Co., an award-winning and Peabody-nominated digital media studio that builds teams that create beautiful experiences in digital audio and film. She is a journalism veteran with 20 years of experience as a writer, reporter, editor, syndicated columnist, book editor/scout, lecturer, and audio producer. Lantigua Williams &amp; Co. produces original shows like Latina to Latina, 70 Million, and Feeling My Flo, and provides tailored consulting and white-label production services for clients that include Macmillan Podcasts, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, WHYY, KQED, and Civil Beat.Juleyka says she first fell in love with podcasts after hearing Serial. After devouring that show, she became fascinated with the way story-telling techniques were being used in audio. She got the chance to work on Code Switch at NPR, and fell in love with the process of making podcasts.I met Juleyka last year when Lantigua Williams &amp; Co started using Simplecast for hosting. After several interesting and insightful conversations about podcasting, I asked her if she would be willing to be a guest on my show to talk more about her approach to audience acquisition.Couple quick things to mention before we get into the interview:First, Juleyka is hosting a series of webinars about working in podcasting she's calling Podcasting Seriously. If you're interested in getting into working in the podcast industry, or if you'd like to take your podcasting skills to the next level, I'd encourage you to check it out and sign up. Visit https://www.podcastingseriously.com/ to learn more.Second, we recorded this interview using Squadcast, which dropped the call multiple times. Kind of a bummer, but that's how it goes sometimes. Next time I'll be sure to record locally as well. Luckily I was able to edit the show in a way that the drops aren't noticeable.Alright, let's get into my conversation about audience acquisition (and more) with Juleyka Lantigua-Williams.Tip #1 for Audience Growth: Know as much about your ideal listener as possible without violating their privacy.Q: Who is the ideal listener for your show? If you're like me, you might answer that question with something slightly vague, like, ”My ideal listener is someone who is interested in making a great podcast.”That's a decent start, but let's dig deeper. Let's get specific.So where do you start? What are the fundamentals?So many people start podcasting before they've identified their show's number one biggest fan. You've probably heard about creating for an ideal listener before, but Juleyka takes the idea to the next level.Juleyka looks for factual evidence for what she believes is true about her ideal listener, who even has a name and a face (check out the website).Things you should know about your ideal listener: Age Education level Career level Relationship status Family info Where she lives Digital experience habits Hobbies Purchasing habits How many other people like her are there? Juleyka's ideal listener even has a name: Kenya.Why this matters: Knowing your ideal listener gives you a target. It will help guide your decisions as you're planning out your content and pitching the show to advertisers.If you're thinking about starting a show, answer this question:"Will my ideal listener listen to this show?"If you know that she will listen, then pursue the idea.Tip #2 for Audience Growth: Meet the needs of your ideal listener.Once you've figured out who your ideal listener is, start thinking about what their needs are. What podcasts do they listen to and why? What are their needs? How can you make something that addresses those needs?These can be difficult questions to answer, but if you know a few people who match the profile of your ideal listener, you should ask them which podcasts they listen to, and why. I think you'll find the answers interesting and thought-provoking.Tip #3 for Audience Growth: Once you know who your ideal listener is, go where they are."Once you know who she is, you need to figure out where she is and go there. Where is she? How can I take the show to her?""Where is your ideal listener spending their time and attention?Don't wait for them to discover you. Take the show to them.Juleyka mentioned looking for consumer data about her ideal listener, which is something I've never really looked into getting before. I didn't get a chance to ask her for more details, but here's a link I found on Google that might be a good place to start: Where Can You Buy Big Data? Here Are The Biggest Consumer Data BrokersShows mentioned in this episode: Code Switch Latina to Latina Feeling My Flo 70 Million Follow and Support Juleyka: https://www.lantiguawilliams.com/ @juleykalantigua on Twitter @LanWilCo Podcasting, Seriously with Juleyka Lantigua-WilliamsWhether you’re an independent creative or someone looking to make a career move to podcasting, this series is for you. With so many excellent 101 resources available about HOW TO podcast, it’s time to take a deeper look at skills and ideas that will take you a step further into podcasting as an industry. Let’s talk, seriously.Get your tickets now!•••Connect with me at https://www.aarondowd.com, and get more podcast episodes at podcastingwithaaron.com.Thanks for listening!Aaron DowdJuly 23, 2020Fort Worth, Texas

<p>Juleyka Lantigua-Williams shares her strategy for audience growth and how it's put her shows on the path to reach 1 million downloads by the end of the year.</p><p>Here's what I learned in this episode: Audience growth isn't something that magically happens once you start publishing episodes. </p><p>If you want to grow your audience and get more listeners and fans, there's three important questions to ask yourself. These questions are important regardless of how long you've been podcasting.</p><p>The three questions are:</p><p>1. Who is the ideal listener for my show?</p><p>2. What needs do they have that I'm trying to address and fulfill with my show?</p><p>3. Where is my ideal listener spending their time and attention, and what's my plan for getting their attention?</p><p><strong>•••</strong></p><p><strong>Juleyka Lantigua-Williams</strong> is the founder of <a href="https://www.lantiguawilliams.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lantigua Williams &amp; Co</a>, an audio production company. She describes her role as building teams that make podcasts and films.</p><p>So a little more about Juleyka:</p><p>Juleyka is the Founder/CEO of Lantigua Williams &amp; Co., an award-winning and Peabody-nominated digital media studio that builds teams that create beautiful experiences in digital audio and film. She is a journalism veteran with 20 years of experience as a writer, reporter, editor, syndicated columnist, book editor/scout, lecturer, and audio producer. Lantigua Williams &amp; Co. produces original shows like Latina to Latina, 70 Million, and Feeling My Flo, and provides tailored consulting and white-label production services for clients that include Macmillan Podcasts, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, WHYY, KQED, and Civil Beat.</p><p>Juleyka says she first fell in love with podcasts after hearing Serial. After devouring that show, she became fascinated with the way story-telling techniques were being used in audio. She got the chance to work on Code Switch at NPR, and fell in love with the process of making podcasts.</p><p>I met Juleyka last year when Lantigua Williams &amp; Co started using Simplecast for hosting. After several interesting and insightful conversations about podcasting, I asked her if she would be willing to be a guest on my show to talk more about her approach to audience acquisition.</p><p>Couple quick things to mention before we get into the interview:</p><p>First, Juleyka is hosting a series of webinars about working in podcasting she's calling Podcasting Seriously. If you're interested in getting into working in the podcast industry, or if you'd like to take your podcasting skills to the next level, I'd encourage you to check it out and sign up. Visit <a href="https://www.podcastingseriously.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.podcastingseriously.com/</a> to learn more.</p><p>Second, we recorded this interview using Squadcast, which dropped the call multiple times. Kind of a bummer, but that's how it goes sometimes. Next time I'll be sure to record locally as well. Luckily I was able to edit the show in a way that the drops aren't noticeable.</p><p>Alright, let's get into my conversation about audience acquisition (and more) with Juleyka Lantigua-Williams.</p><h2>Tip #1 for Audience Growth: Know as much about your ideal listener as possible without violating their privacy.</h2><p>Q: Who is the ideal listener for your show? </p><p>If you're like me, you might answer that question with something slightly vague, like, ”My ideal listener is someone who is interested in making a great podcast.”</p><p>That's a decent start, but let's dig deeper. Let's get specific.</p><p>So where do you start? What are the fundamentals?</p><p>So many people start podcasting before they've identified their show's number one biggest fan. You've probably heard about creating for an ideal listener before, but Juleyka takes the idea to the next level.</p><p>Juleyka looks for factual evidence for what she believes is true about her ideal listener, who even has a name and a face (<a href="https://www.lantiguawilliams.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">check out the website</a>).</p><h2>Things you should know about your ideal listener:</h2><ul> <li>Age</li> <li>Education level</li> <li>Career level</li> <li>Relationship status</li> <li>Family info</li> <li>Where she lives</li> <li>Digital experience habits</li> <li>Hobbies</li> <li>Purchasing habits</li> <li>How many other people like her are there?</li> </ul><p><strong>Juleyka's ideal listener even has a name: Kenya.</strong></p><p>Why this matters: Knowing your ideal listener gives you a target. It will help guide your decisions as you're planning out your content and pitching the show to advertisers.</p><p>If you're thinking about starting a show, answer this question:</p><p>"Will my ideal listener listen to this show?"</p><p>If you know that she will listen, then pursue the idea.</p><h2>Tip #2 for Audience Growth: Meet the needs of your ideal listener.</h2><p>Once you've figured out who your ideal listener is, start thinking about what their needs are. What podcasts do they listen to and why? What are their needs? How can you make something that addresses those needs?</p><p>These can be difficult questions to answer, but if you know a few people who match the profile of your ideal listener, you should ask them which podcasts they listen to, and why. I think you'll find the answers interesting and thought-provoking.</p><h2>Tip #3 for Audience Growth: Once you know who your ideal listener is, go where they are.</h2><p>"Once you know who she is, you need to figure out where she is and go there. Where is she? How can I take the show to her?""</p><p>Where is your ideal listener spending their time and attention?</p><p>Don't wait for them to discover you. Take the show to them.</p><p>Juleyka mentioned looking for consumer data about her ideal listener, which is something I've never really looked into getting before. I didn't get a chance to ask her for more details, but here's a link I found on Google that might be a good place to start: <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/09/07/where-can-you-buy-big-data-here-are-the-biggest-consumer-data-brokers/#ff6a5496c278" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Where Can You Buy Big Data? Here Are The Biggest Consumer Data Brokers</a></p><h2>Shows mentioned in this episode:</h2><ul> <li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Code Switch</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.latinatolatina.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Latina to Latina</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.feelingmyflo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Feeling My Flo</a></li> <li><a href="https://70millionpod.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">70 Million</a></li> </ul><h2>Follow and Support Juleyka:</h2><ul> <li><a href="https://www.lantiguawilliams.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.lantiguawilliams.com/</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/juleykalantigua" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@juleykalantigua on Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/LanWilCo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@LanWilCo</a></li> </ul><h2>Podcasting, Seriously with Juleyka Lantigua-Williams</h2><p>Whether you’re an independent creative or someone looking to make a career move to podcasting, this series is for you. With so many excellent 101 resources available about HOW TO podcast, it’s time to take a deeper look at skills and ideas that will take you a step further into podcasting as an industry. Let’s talk, seriously.</p><p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/podcasting-seriously-with-juleyka-lantigua-williams-tickets-106500931152" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get your tickets now!</a></p><p>•••</p><p>Connect with me at <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a>, and get more podcast episodes at <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a>.</p><p>Thanks for listening!</p><p>Aaron Dowd<br/>July 23, 2020<br/>Fort Worth, Texas</p>

85: Juleyka Lantigua-Williams | How to Grow Your Podcast Audience

If you're interested in learning about podcasting, this show is for you. My goal for this show is to share what I've learned about podcasting since 2008 and introduce you to other podcast producers, software and hardware tools, and various rad people working in the podcasting industry. Visit podcastingwithaaron.com or aarondowd.com to connect or learn more. Check out chartable.com to see what I've been working on recently.Thanks for listening. - Aaron

The usefulness and integrity of this show is fantastic. Love it. Thanks.

Great Show

Aaron is the best. I have learn so much from this guy. The best place to get podcasting value.

Tons of podcasting value!

If you're interested in learning about podcasting, this show is for you. My goal for this show is to share what I've learned about podcasting since 2008 and introduce you to other podcast producers, software and hardware tools, and various rad people working in the podcasting industry. Visit <a href="http://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastingwithaaron.com</a> or <a href="http://aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aarondowd.com</a> to connect or learn more. Check out <a href="http://chartable.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">chartable.com</a> to see what I've been working on recently.<br>Thanks for listening. - Aaron

Podcasting with Aaron

Mathew Passy

Topics: When is the right time to start looking for sponsors for a podcast? How does having a niche audience help you with finding sponsors? 3 things you should include in a proposal to a sponsor Why getting brands excited about sponsoring podcasts needs to be a community effort Questions to ask yourself before you start looking for sponsors What Podcorn is, and how it works And more If you'd like to support this show, please share it with a friend, leave a review in Apple Podcasts or your podcast app of choice, or become a paying member of The Podcast News.Links: Podcast Me Anything - Mathew Passy How Do I Build an Audience for My Podcast? - Dan Misener, Pacific Content Podcorn | A marketplace for podcasters and sponsors Tips on how to get podcast sponsors - Buzzsprout How to make great podcast ads - PodSchool Podcast •••If this is your first time hearing this show, welcome! You can learn more about the show here: A Podcast About Podcasting, for PodcastersYou can find more episodes, links to cool stuff, and everything else at thepodcastdude.com.Thanks for listening, and happy podcasting!

<h2>Topics:</h2><ul> <li>When is the right time to start looking for sponsors for a podcast?</li> <li>How does having a niche audience help you with finding sponsors?</li> <li>3 things you should include in a proposal to a sponsor</li> <li>Why getting brands excited about sponsoring podcasts needs to be a community effort</li> <li>Questions to ask yourself before you start looking for sponsors</li> <li>What Podcorn is, and how it works</li> <li>And more</li> </ul><p>If you'd like to support this show, please share it with a friend, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-dude/id993044464" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">leave a review in Apple Podcasts</a> or your podcast app of choice, or <a href="https://thepodcastnews.substack.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">become a paying member of The Podcast News.</a></p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li><a href="https://podcastmeanything.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast Me Anything - Mathew Passy</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.pacific-content.com/how-do-i-build-an-audience-for-my-podcast-c78f1152957c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How Do I Build an Audience for My Podcast? - Dan Misener, Pacific Content</a></li> <li><a href="https://podcorn.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcorn | A marketplace for podcasters and sponsors</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/get-podcast-sponsors" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tips on how to get podcast sponsors - Buzzsprout</a></li> <li><a href="https://rachelcorbett.com.au/podschool-podcast/podcast-ads" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to make great podcast ads - PodSchool Podcast</a></li> </ul><p>•••</p><p>If this is your first time hearing this show, welcome! You can learn more about the show here: <a href="https://thepodcastdude.com/episodes/a-podcast-for-podcasters" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Podcast About Podcasting, for Podcasters</a></p><p>You can find more episodes, links to cool stuff, and everything else at <a href="https://thepodcastdude.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thepodcastdude.com.</a></p><p>Thanks for listening, and happy podcasting!</p>

83: How (and When) to Find Sponsors for Your Podcast: Talking Sponsors, Podcorn, and More with Mathew Passy on Podcast Me Anything

Steph Colbourn

My guest today is Steph Colbourn, founder of Edit Audio, a podcast consultation and production company.In this episode, we discuss how she got into podcast editing and production, how she connects with and on-boards new clients, her process for working with them and helping them be successful, what she's learned about launching and marketing shows, how she manages money and scheduling, why she's optimistic about the future of podcasting, and so much more.About Steph and Edit AudioSteph is passionate about creating high-quality podcasts, driven to get more womxn and LGBTQ+ people behind and in front of the mic, and working to ensure more voices are heard and to create media more representative of the world we live in.Her company, Edit Audio, is a team of womxn working to record, produce, and market high-quality podcasts. She started the company in Toronto in 2012 and quickly expanded into the US and UK markets. Their clients include Harpers Baazar, Stack Overflow, Element AI, Cosmopolitan, If These Ovaries Could Talk, Glossier, Postlight, Tinder, and more.Connect With Steph: Edit Audio website Follow Edit Audio on Twitter Follow Steph on Twitter Follow Steph on Instagram Connect with Steph on LinkedIn More Cool Stuff to Check Out: Please check out my new weekly show, The Podcast News Recommended Podcasting Gear Subscribe on YouTube Simplecast Blog (Helpful Articles About Podcasting) If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, or share the episode with a friend. Thank you! 💙

<p>My guest today is Steph Colbourn, founder of Edit Audio, a podcast consultation and production company.</p><p>In this episode, we discuss how she got into podcast editing and production, how she connects with and on-boards new clients, her process for working with them and helping them be successful, what she's learned about launching and marketing shows, how she manages money and scheduling, why she's optimistic about the future of podcasting, and so much more.</p><h3>About Steph and Edit Audio</h3><p>Steph is passionate about creating high-quality podcasts, driven to get more womxn and LGBTQ+ people behind and in front of the mic, and working to ensure more voices are heard and to create media more representative of the world we live in.</p><p>Her company, <a href="https://editaud.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Edit Audio</a>, is a team of womxn working to record, produce, and market high-quality podcasts. She started the company in Toronto in 2012 and quickly expanded into the US and UK markets. Their clients include Harpers Baazar, Stack Overflow, Element AI, Cosmopolitan, If These Ovaries Could Talk, Glossier, Postlight, Tinder, and more.</p><h3><strong>Connect With Steph:</strong></h3><ul> <li><a href="https://editaud.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Edit Audio website</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/editaud_io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Follow Edit Audio on Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Follow Steph on Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/editaud.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Follow Steph on Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-colbourn-52b11212a/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Connect with Steph on LinkedIn</a></li> </ul><h3><strong>More Cool Stuff to Check Out:</strong></h3><ul> <li><a href="https://thepodcastnews.simplecast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Please check out my new weekly show, The Podcast News</a></li> <li><a href="https://kit.com/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Recommended Podcasting Gear</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe on YouTube</a></li> <li><a href="http://blog.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast Blog (Helpful Articles About Podcasting)</a></li> </ul><p>If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-dude/id993044464" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">leave a rating and review in Apple Podcasts</a>, or share the episode with a friend. Thank you! 💙</p>

82: Steph Colbourn | Professional Podcast Production Q&A

Cool Stuff to Check Out: podjobs.net  Without Fail: Ira Glass: The Man Who Launched a Thousand Podcasts (That Gimlet podcast interview I mentioned, real good) Most Jobs Don't Have An Official Job PostingNot everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. - Anton Ego, RatatouilleThe best jobs are never advertised. - UnknownThe jobs I linked to in that Twitter thread just the ones I found easily on job boards with a quick Google search.I know there are more podcasting jobs that aren't being shared on job boards because I've landed a few of them myself over the past 5 years, and that was before the big podcasting boom of 2017.Podcasting is still a relatively new field, and many people, companies, and brands are only now beginning to think about starting a podcast.They might want to hire someone to produce a podcast, but they may not know how to put together a job posting, or they may not want to. They might not know which skills are required or what kind of person they need to hire in order to end up with a good podcast.This is a time of opportunity for motivated podcast producers at all levels.Q: If I want to be a professional podcast producer, what do I need to know and be good at?I took a look at the job postings again to get a sense of the most commonly listed skills and requirements, and here's what I think are the essential skills for podcast producers.Essential Skills for Podcast Producers:  Content creation and direction: You should have experience developing shows and episode content, writing scripts and stories, participating in brainstorming sessions, etc  Audio recording and editing: You should know how to record audio that sounds good, how to put a project together and edit it in audio software, how to write narration (if necessary), add music, mix and master, and whatever else the production requires  Working well with others: You should be able to work with—and possibly manage—producers, writers, audio engineers, editors, freelancers, guests, and so on  Ability to work under deadlines: You can get stuff done and shipped on schedule (time management skills)  Proactive problem-solving skills: There's going to be stuff they don't know, stuff you don't know, so you should be able and willing to figure it out  Leadership skills: This means you have opinions and taste and are comfortable with setting goals and identifying how you'll measure success Q: What if I don't have all those skills yet?That's ok, I didn't have all those skills when I started producing podcasts either, and I'm still working on getting better at all of them.Study those podcast producer job postings for insights into what you should study, but remember that you don't need to be a master of everything to produce a great podcast, and the best producers are always learning on the job anyways.The important thing is to have a firm grasp on the basics and a willingness to work hard, experiment, take feedback and criticism, and keep learning.But since this is a prescriptive advice podcast, here are a few things I believe you should focus on if you want to increase your chances of landing a job producing podcasts.How to Increase Your Chance of Landing a Job Producing Podcasts1. Learn everything you can about recording and working with audioStudy all the various options for capturing audio in studio and live environments: Microphones, audio interfaces, soundboards, etc.Practice recording with different gear and in different locations. Learn how the gear and the room or environment changes the sound of a recording.Learn everything you can about how to manipulate and work with audio once it's been recorded. Learn about editing and post-production: EQ, compression, noise removal, limiting, and loudness metering.Learn how to organize and share your audio files, and how to backup and archive your finished projects.You can learn the basics in a few hours, but mastering recording and working with audio is a life-long project. That might sound intimidating, but I promise that it's actually a lot of fun (doing the same thing every day sucks).2. Learn pro audio software like ProTools, Logic Pro X, or AuditionMany people get started with podcasting using the free or easy tools like GarageBand or Audacity, but if you want to be a powerhouse podcast producer, you should acquire and master a professional DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like ProTools, Logic Pro X, or Audition.While it's true that you can make a successful podcast with almost any editing program, the professional DAWs have useful (maybe even essential) features that the free or cheap DAWs don't, including non-destructive and multitrack editing and other features for tweaking or enhancing audio once it's been recorded.Professional production studios and other podcast producers are also likely using the one or more of these pro DAWs, so if you're serious about producing podcasts, try to master at least one of the three DAWS I listed above (Pro Tools, Logic, or Audition).3. Learn the most popular technology and software tools used by podcastersIn addition to your DAW of choice, you should also learn and be familiar with (if not good at) all the various apps and software used by podcasters and podcast producers.That includes: Recording gear &amp; software Writing apps and other collaboration software for communicating with co-workers, developing episode ideas and scripts, show notes, and so on Graphic design apps for developing visual assets Content management systems (websites) and podcast hosting software (like Simplecast) Social media platforms and whatever else podcasters are using to make or grow their shows You don't have to master every single app or software in each of the categories I listed above, but you should be able to learn and use them quickly if needed.If you tell yourself you can't (or don't want to) learn new software tools, you're right, and you'll probably have a hard time being successful as a podcast producer. Keep an open mind and be willing to learn.4. Study and learn from other producers (especially the great ones)Producing great audio is a craft, and there are many great audio producers to learn from.Keep your eyes open for them. Seek them out. Follow them on social media, subscribe to their shows, read their articles and books, and take their online courses.Ask them questions when you get the opportunity, but analyze their work either way. It's a great way to learn about how things are done and may give you some ideas about things to improve or how to do things differently (and hopefully better).5. Don't wait to get hired, start your career as a producer todayDon't wait for someone to hire you: Go out and start your own show, or help your friends start shows and try to figure out how to make them successful. Do the best you can and try to make work you can be proud of.A good self-initiated portfolio will go a long way towards convincing other people to hire you, and you'll gain more experience (and probably even learn more) by doing instead of just reading or watching tutorials.Q: What if I don't live in one of the big cities where these jobs are?Good news! While it can certainly help to live near a large city like New York City or Los Angeles where there are podcast companies or businesses looking to hire podcast producers, you can help produce podcasts from almost anywhere.The internet has made it possible to connect with people all over the world and the rise of broadband and fast internet means you can collaborate in real time or easily send audio files back and forth over Dropbox or Google Drive. And you can certainly learn everything you need to learn about podcast production as long as you have access to the internet and a library.If you'd like to land a gig producing podcasts, I'd encourage you to invest time in developing the skills I listed earlier, but also in networking and connecting with other people in the industry or similar industries. For example, I've learned a lot from writers, web designers, programmers, marketers, managers, folks who work in the film and book industries, and many other kinds of professionals.Again, don't wait to get hired as a producer. Start studying and producing shows today.Have a question, or just want to say hi? Send an email to aaron@thepodcastdude.com. I love connecting with other podcasters.Happy podcasting!

<h2>Cool Stuff to Check Out:</h2><ul> <li><a href="https://podjobs.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podjobs.net</a></li> <li> <a href="https://www.gimletmedia.com/without-fail/ira-glass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Without Fail: Ira Glass: The Man Who Launched a Thousand Podcasts</a> (That Gimlet podcast interview I mentioned, real good)</li> </ul><h2>Most Jobs Don't Have An Official Job Posting</h2><p>Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. - Anton Ego, Ratatouille</p><p>The best jobs are never advertised. - Unknown</p><p>The jobs I linked to in that Twitter thread just the ones I found easily on job boards with a quick Google search.</p><p>I know there are more podcasting jobs that aren't being shared on job boards because I've landed a few of them myself over the past 5 years, and that was before the big podcasting boom of 2017.</p><p>Podcasting is still a relatively new field, and many people, companies, and brands are only now beginning to think about starting a podcast.</p><p>They might want to hire someone to produce a podcast, but they may not know how to put together a job posting, or they may not want to. They might not know which skills are required or what kind of person they need to hire in order to end up with a good podcast.</p><p>This is a time of opportunity for motivated podcast producers at all levels.</p><h2>Q: If I want to be a professional podcast producer, what do I need to know and be good at?</h2><p>I took a look at the job postings again to get a sense of the most commonly listed skills and requirements, and here's what I think are the essential skills for podcast producers.</p><h2>Essential Skills for Podcast Producers:</h2><ul> <li> <strong>Content creation and direction:</strong> You should have experience developing shows and episode content, writing scripts and stories, participating in brainstorming sessions, etc</li> <li> <strong>Audio recording and editing:</strong> You should know how to record audio that sounds good, how to put a project together and edit it in audio software, how to write narration (if necessary), add music, mix and master, and whatever else the production requires</li> <li> <strong>Working well with others:</strong> You should be able to work with—and possibly manage—producers, writers, audio engineers, editors, freelancers, guests, and so on</li> <li> <strong>Ability to work under deadlines:</strong> You can get stuff done and shipped on schedule (time management skills)</li> <li> <strong>Proactive problem-solving skills:</strong> There's going to be stuff they don't know, stuff you don't know, so you should be able and willing to figure it out</li> <li> <strong>Leadership skills:</strong> This means you have opinions and taste and are comfortable with setting goals and identifying how you'll measure success</li> </ul><h2>Q: What if I don't have all those skills yet?</h2><p>That's ok, I didn't have all those skills when I started producing podcasts either, and I'm still working on getting better at all of them.</p><p>Study those podcast producer job postings for insights into what you should study, but remember that you don't need to be a master of everything to produce a great podcast, and the best producers are always learning on the job anyways.</p><p>The important thing is to have a firm grasp on the basics and a willingness to work hard, experiment, take feedback and criticism, and keep learning.</p><p>But since this is a prescriptive advice podcast, here are a few things I believe you should focus on if you want to increase your chances of landing a job producing podcasts.</p><h2>How to Increase Your Chance of Landing a Job Producing Podcasts</h2><h2>1. Learn everything you can about recording and working with audio</h2><p>Study all the various options for capturing audio in studio and live environments: Microphones, audio interfaces, soundboards, etc.</p><p>Practice recording with different gear and in different locations. Learn how the gear and the room or environment changes the sound of a recording.</p><p>Learn everything you can about how to manipulate and work with audio once it's been recorded. Learn about editing and post-production: EQ, compression, noise removal, limiting, and loudness metering.</p><p>Learn how to organize and share your audio files, and how to backup and archive your finished projects.</p><p>You can learn the basics in a few hours, but mastering recording and working with audio is a life-long project. That might sound intimidating, but I promise that it's actually a lot of fun (doing the same thing every day sucks).</p><h2>2. Learn pro audio software like ProTools, Logic Pro X, or Audition</h2><p>Many people get started with podcasting using the free or easy tools like GarageBand or Audacity, but if you want to be a powerhouse podcast producer, you should acquire and master a professional DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like ProTools, Logic Pro X, or Audition.</p><p>While it's true that you can make a successful podcast with almost any editing program, the professional DAWs have useful (maybe even essential) features that the free or cheap DAWs don't, including non-destructive and multitrack editing and other features for tweaking or enhancing audio once it's been recorded.</p><p>Professional production studios and other podcast producers are also likely using the one or more of these pro DAWs, so if you're serious about producing podcasts, try to master at least one of the three DAWS I listed above (Pro Tools, Logic, or Audition).</p><h2>3. Learn the most popular technology and software tools used by podcasters</h2><p>In addition to your DAW of choice, you should also learn and be familiar with (if not good at) all the various apps and software used by podcasters and podcast producers.</p><p>That includes:</p><ul> <li>Recording gear &amp; software</li> <li>Writing apps and other collaboration software for communicating with co-workers, developing episode ideas and scripts, show notes, and so on</li> <li>Graphic design apps for developing visual assets</li> <li>Content management systems (websites) and podcast hosting software (like <a href="http://simplecast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast</a>)</li> <li>Social media platforms</li> <li>and whatever else podcasters are using to make or grow their shows</li> </ul><p>You don't have to master every single app or software in each of the categories I listed above, but you should be able to learn and use them quickly if needed.</p><p>If you tell yourself you can't (or don't want to) learn new software tools, you're right, and you'll probably have a hard time being successful as a podcast producer. Keep an open mind and be willing to learn.</p><h2>4. Study and learn from other producers (especially the great ones)</h2><p>Producing great audio is a craft, and there are many great audio producers to learn from.</p><p>Keep your eyes open for them. Seek them out. Follow them on social media, subscribe to their shows, read their articles and books, and take their online courses.</p><p>Ask them questions when you get the opportunity, but analyze their work either way. It's a great way to learn about how things are done and may give you some ideas about things to improve or how to do things differently (and hopefully better).</p><h2>5. Don't wait to get hired, start your career as a producer today</h2><p>Don't wait for someone to hire you: Go out and start your own show, or help your friends start shows and try to figure out how to make them successful. Do the best you can and try to make work you can be proud of.</p><p>A good self-initiated portfolio will go a long way towards convincing other people to hire you, and you'll gain more experience (and probably even learn more) by doing instead of just reading or watching tutorials.</p><h2>Q: What if I don't live in one of the big cities where these jobs are?</h2><p>Good news! While it can certainly help to live near a large city like New York City or Los Angeles where there are podcast companies or businesses looking to hire podcast producers, you can help produce podcasts from almost anywhere.</p><p>The internet has made it possible to connect with people all over the world and the rise of broadband and fast internet means you can collaborate in real time or easily send audio files back and forth over Dropbox or Google Drive. And you can certainly learn everything you need to learn about podcast production as long as you have access to the internet and a library.</p><p>If you'd like to land a gig producing podcasts, I'd encourage you to invest time in developing the skills I listed earlier, but also in networking and connecting with other people in the industry or similar industries. For example, I've learned a lot from writers, web designers, programmers, marketers, managers, folks who work in the film and book industries, and many other kinds of professionals.</p><p>Again, don't wait to get hired as a producer. Start studying and producing shows today.</p><p>Have a question, or just want to say hi? Send an email to <a href="mailto:aaron@thepodcastdude.com">aaron@thepodcastdude.com</a>. I love connecting with other podcasters.</p><p>Happy podcasting!</p>

80: How to Get a Job Producing Podcasts

Q: What is an RSS feed? An RSS feed is a formatted text document that contains all the important information about your show. It's hosted on a server somewhere (usually public) and has a URL so anyone can view or access its contents. It contains info about your show and your episodes: Things like your show’s title, description, episode titles, and links to the audio files for the episodes. It is possible to write and update an RSS feed yourself, but it’s time consuming and errors or typos can break things, so managing the RSS feed is usually handled by a podcast host. Q: Why do I need an RSS feed? The RSS feed is basically your show. Without it, you’ll just have blog posts or audio files, but no way for people to subscribe and get new episodes unless they visit your website (or SoundCloud page or Youtube channel, etc). Your show’s feed is what podcast apps and directories (like Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, and so on) will use to display your show and episodes in their apps. People can also bypass the podcast directories and subscribe to your feed directly using any compatible app. Since RSS is an established standard, there are many apps that can subscribe to and display info from RSS feeds. In fact, I use a mac app called Reeder to subscribe to the RSS feeds for multiple blogs and websites. Q: How do I make sure my new episodes get into Apple Podcasts and the other directories? In order to get your show into Apple Podcasts and the other podcast directories, you’ll need to submit your show’s RSS feed URL to them. This is almost always done via a web portal, like Apple’s PodcastsConnect website or Spotify’s Podcasters.Spotify.com portal. Once the podcast directory approves your feed (most places will within 48 hours), they will use the info in the feed to display your show in their directory. They’ll also check the feed regularly for changes and new episodes. Here's how it works: Your show has an RSS feed and you’ve already submitted the feed url to the directories. You publish a new episode in your podcast host, and some new lines that contain info about the episode are added to your show's feed. Since the directories are checking your show's feed for updates and new episodes, they see that a new episode has been added, and they use that info in the feed to display the episode in their app. As soon as the directory gets the new episode and adds it to their app, anyone who has subscribed to the show through that directory will get the new episode as well. Q: What do I do if my new episodes don’t show up in the directories right away or at all? As long as you included the required info about your episode when you published it, the directories and apps should see the changes and update pretty quickly, although Apple says it can take them up to 24 hours to update their podcast directory. If you can’t see the new episode in any of the podcast apps or directories, then it’s likely an issue on your end. Check with your podcast host or whoever manages/updates your show’s feed. If you can see the episode in all the apps/directories except one, then it’s likely an issue with that directory and not anything wrong with your feed. If you’re concerned, reach out to that directory’s support team and ask if they would mind taking a look. Q: Can I change podcast hosts or RSS feeds without breaking things or losing my show’s subscribers? You can move hosts anytime, although it’s easier with some hosts than with others. Most hosts will copy an existing RSS feed and audio files over to their service. After you have the URL for the new feed that was setup for your show, you’ll need to update the podcast directories so they check your new feed for updates and new episodes instead of the old one. This is usually done through the same web portal that you used to submit the show, although some places require you to send an email. Your host should be able to help if you have questions. You can check out this article for links and instructions for submitting and updating feeds. Q: What is a 301 redirect? The 301 redirect directs anyone who visits the old feed URL over to the new feed URL for your show. It’s kind of like setting up a mail forward. Your podcast host should allow you to add a 301 redirect to your old feed if you’ve moved your show to a new host and gotten a new feed for your show. If your podcast host doesn't make it easy for you to easily redirect your feed to a new feed, your host sucks. Q: I’ve read or heard about an iTunes new-feed tag that needs to be added to a new feed. What’s that? The iTunes new-feed tag just lets Apple know that this is a new feed URL for your show. I’m not sure why they ask for this if you also have to log into PodcastsConnect and update the feed URL for your show there, but they do. Your host should handle this for you (Simplecast adds this tag automatically whenever a show is imported). Recap:  You don’t have to be afraid of RSS feeds. They are just formatted text documents that contain info about your show. You can access or copy them anytime. If you move your show to a new host and get a new feed, you’ll need to redirect your old feed over to the new feed, and also update the podcast directories so they check the new feed for updates instead of the old one. You won’t lose any subscribers if you follow these steps.  Cool Stuff to Check Out:  Recommended Gear Podcast Twitter Youtube Successful Podcasting Simplecast Blog A Podcaster’s Guide to RSS (from Apple)  Have a question, or just want to say hi? Send an email to aaron@thepodcastdude.com. I love connecting with other podcasters. Happy podcasting!

<h2>Q: What is an RSS feed?</h2> <p>An RSS feed is a formatted text document that contains all the important information about your show. It's hosted on a server somewhere (usually public) and has a URL so anyone can view or access its contents. It contains info about your show and your episodes: Things like your show’s title, description, episode titles, and links to the audio files for the episodes.</p> <p>It is possible to write and update an RSS feed yourself, but it’s time consuming and errors or typos can break things, so managing the RSS feed is usually handled by a podcast host.</p> <h2>Q: Why do I need an RSS feed?</h2> <p>The RSS feed is basically your show. Without it, you’ll just have blog posts or audio files, but no way for people to subscribe and get new episodes unless they visit your website (or SoundCloud page or Youtube channel, etc).</p> <p>Your show’s feed is what podcast apps and directories (like Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, and so on) will use to display your show and episodes in their apps.</p> <p>People can also bypass the podcast directories and subscribe to your feed directly using any compatible app. Since RSS is an established standard, there are many apps that can subscribe to and display info from RSS feeds. In fact, I use a mac app called Reeder to subscribe to the RSS feeds for multiple blogs and websites.</p> <h2>Q: How do I make sure my new episodes get into Apple Podcasts and the other directories?</h2> <p>In order to get your show into Apple Podcasts and the other podcast directories, you’ll need to <a href="https://help.simplecast.com/getting-started/how-to-publish-your-podcast-on-the-popular-podcast-apps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submit your show’s RSS feed URL to them</a>. This is almost always done via a web portal, like Apple’s PodcastsConnect website or Spotify’s <a href="http://Podcasters.Spotify.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcasters.Spotify.com</a> portal.</p> <p>Once the podcast directory approves your feed (most places will within 48 hours), they will use the info in the feed to display your show in their directory. They’ll also check the feed regularly for changes and new episodes.</p> <p>Here's how it works: Your show has an RSS feed and you’ve already submitted the feed url to the directories. You publish a new episode in your podcast host, and some new lines that contain info about the episode are added to your show's feed.</p> <p>Since the directories are checking your show's feed for updates and new episodes, they see that a new episode has been added, and they use that info in the feed to display the episode in their app.</p> <p>As soon as the directory gets the new episode and adds it to their app, anyone who has subscribed to the show through that directory will get the new episode as well.</p> <h2>Q: What do I do if my new episodes don’t show up in the directories right away or at all?</h2> <p>As long as you included the required info about your episode when you published it, the directories and apps should see the changes and update pretty quickly, although Apple says it can take them up to 24 hours to update their podcast directory.</p> <p>If you can’t see the new episode in any of the podcast apps or directories, then it’s likely an issue on your end. Check with your podcast host or whoever manages/updates your show’s feed.</p> <p>If you can see the episode in all the apps/directories except one, then it’s likely an issue with that directory and not anything wrong with your feed. If you’re concerned, reach out to that directory’s support team and ask if they would mind taking a look.</p> <h2>Q: Can I change podcast hosts or RSS feeds without breaking things or losing my show’s subscribers?</h2> <p>You can move hosts anytime, although it’s easier with some hosts than with others. Most hosts will copy an existing RSS feed and audio files over to their service.</p> <p>After you have the URL for the new feed that was setup for your show, you’ll need to update the podcast directories so they check your new feed for updates and new episodes instead of the old one. This is usually done through the same web portal that you used to submit the show, although some places require you to send an email. Your host should be able to help if you have questions.</p> <p>You can check out this article for <a href="https://help.simplecast.com/getting-started/how-to-publish-your-podcast-on-the-popular-podcast-apps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">links and instructions for submitting and updating feeds.</a></p> <h2>Q: What is a 301 redirect?</h2> <p>The 301 redirect directs anyone who visits the old feed URL over to the new feed URL for your show. It’s kind of like setting up a mail forward.</p> <p>Your podcast host should allow you to add a 301 redirect to your old feed if you’ve moved your show to a new host and gotten a new feed for your show. If your podcast host doesn't make it easy for you to easily redirect your feed to a new feed, your host sucks.</p> <h2>Q: I’ve read or heard about an iTunes new-feed tag that needs to be added to a new feed. What’s that?</h2> <p>The iTunes new-feed tag just lets Apple know that this is a new feed URL for your show. I’m not sure why they ask for this if you also have to log into PodcastsConnect and update the feed URL for your show there, but they do. Your host should handle this for you (Simplecast adds this tag automatically whenever a show is imported).</p> <h2>Recap:</h2> <ul> <li>You don’t have to be afraid of RSS feeds. They are just formatted text documents that contain info about your show. You can access or copy them anytime.</li> <li>If you move your show to a new host and get a new feed, you’ll need to redirect your old feed over to the new feed, and also update the podcast directories so they check the new feed for updates instead of the old one. You won’t lose any subscribers if you follow these steps.</li> </ul> <h2>Cool Stuff to Check Out:</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://kit.com/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Recommended Gear</a></li> <li><a href="https://thepodcastdude.simplecast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube</a></li> <li><a href="http://successfulpodcasting.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Successful Podcasting</a></li> <li><a href="http://blog.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simplecast Blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://help.apple.com/itc/podcasts_connect/#/itcb54353390" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Podcaster’s Guide to RSS (from Apple)</a></li> </ul> <p>Have a question, or just want to say hi? Send an email to aaron@thepodcastdude.com. I love connecting with other podcasters.</p> <p>Happy podcasting!</p>

RSS Feeds Explained: How to Get Your Podcast Into All the Podcast Apps & Directories

Sidney Evans

Questions Discussed in This Episode: How do you find your first clients? Do you need a website and/or tutorials to attract clients? What are people hiring podcast editors looking for? Should we be making tutorials and content to attract clients? Should you invest time in trying to convince people to start podcasts? Should you only work with shows that are aligned with your goals and values? How much should you charge for your services? Links: Connect with Sidney Open Convo Podcast Podcast Editor's Club (Facebook Group) If you enjoyed this episode, check out my conversation with Dan Powell, producer and editor of audio dramas Archive 81 and Deep Vault. Have a question or just want to say hi? Send an email to aaron@thepodcastdude.com. I'd love to hear from you.

<h2>Questions Discussed in This Episode:</h2><ul> <li>How do you find your first clients?</li> <li>Do you need a website and/or tutorials to attract clients?</li> <li>What are people hiring podcast editors looking for?</li> <li>Should we be making tutorials and content to attract clients?</li> <li>Should you invest time in trying to convince people to start podcasts?</li> <li>Should you only work with shows that are aligned with your goals and values?</li> <li>How much should you charge for your services?</li> </ul><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li><a href="https://linktr.ee/sidaevansjr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Connect with Sidney</a></li> <li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/openconvopodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Open Convo Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/podcasteditors/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast Editor's Club (Facebook Group)</a></li> <li>If you enjoyed this episode, check out <a href="https://thepodcastdude.simplecast.fm/dan-powell-interview-archive-81-deep-vault" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my conversation with Dan Powell</a>, producer and editor of audio dramas Archive 81 and Deep Vault.</li> </ul><p>Have a question or just want to say hi? Send an email to <a href="mailto:aaron@thepodcastdude.com">aaron@thepodcastdude.com</a>. I'd love to hear from you.</p>

How to Be a Podcast Editor: Q&A with Sidney Evans

Ryan Monette

Ryan Monette | A Day In the Life of an Audio Engineer

Shawn Blanc

Shawn Blanc | Improving Your Productivity and Creative Output

Shawn Blanc | Content Strategy and Growing an Audience

Martine Ellis

Martine Ellis joins me to share her podcasting journey and how she created a detailed checklist to help streamline her podcast workflow. We discuss how niching down can help you attract a dedicated audience and how to spend less time creating a podcast without sacrificing quality. We also walk through Martine’s 9 step podcast workflow checklist and discuss our favorite podcast tools and tricks.You can find Martine at https://martineellis.com/. The link to her 9 Step Checklist is currently broken (I'll email her), but you can grab a PDF of my process here.

<p>Martine Ellis joins me to share her podcasting journey and how she created a detailed checklist to help streamline her podcast workflow. We discuss how niching down can help you attract a dedicated audience and how to spend less time creating a podcast without sacrificing quality. We also walk through Martine’s 9 step podcast workflow checklist and discuss our favorite podcast tools and tricks.</p><p>You can find Martine at <a href="https://martineellis.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://martineellis.com/</a>. The link to her 9 Step Checklist is currently broken (I'll email her), but you can <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/48f7otlo8y04jz1/The%20Podcast%20Dude%20-%20Podcasting%20Process.pdf?dl=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">grab a PDF of my process here.</a></p>

Martine Ellis | Streamlining Your Podcast Workflow

I’ve been watching an online audio mastering course on Creative Live called DIY Mastering (by Jesse Cannon). In it, he was talking about how he always checks his work on cheap speakers and Apple earbuds, since that’s what most people use to listen to music. It got me thinking about the importance of good headphones, and how much they really matter. Are expensive headphones really necessary for mixing podcasts? Do you really need the best gear to make great work, or are you just procrastinating?My goal for this episode is to encourage you to do more with what you have and not fall into the trap of believing that better gear is the secret to success.Key Takeaways: Don’t fall into the trap of believing that better gear is the secret to success. You don’t need expensive headphones or speakers that are made for mixing music to make a podcast sound good. The difference between cheap and expensive headphones is subtle, but some people want and need that subtlety. Quality gear usually lasts longer than cheap gear. Terrible sound quality can ruin great content, but great sound quality won’t make terrible content interesting or compelling. Invest in educating yourself at first rather than investing in better gear. All the expensive gear in the world doesn’t make a difference if you’re not creating stuff. Constraints can help you create great things. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that better gear is the secret to success.I’ve been going through an online course about audio mastering from a mixing and mastering engineer, Jesse Canon. In this course (DIY Mastering) he talks about how he always checks his work on cheap speakers and Apple earbuds.He said, “It’s because that’s what most people use to listen to music these days.” He mixes the music on expensive speakers and headphones, but then he checks on cheap headphones because he wants to know what it sounds like. This set a lightbulb off in my head, and made me wonder: Do you have to have expensive gear when you’re making podcasts? And are expensive headphones really necessary for mixing podcasts?Why Do People Recommend Expensive Headphones and Speakers for Mixing and Mastering music?Mixing and mastering are all about making choices about how to make audio sound. Better headphones and speakers let you hear more detail in your audio so you can make more informed decisions about how to shape those sounds, how to do EQ, compression, reverb, and special effects.Podcasts are not that complicated. Most of the time, a podcast is just a single person talking. You don’t use a bunch of effects (unless you’re making a show like Radiolab or Deep Vault). There aren’t a bunch of changes in volume and dynamics. It just needs to be consistent and pleasant to listen to. Much of that comes down to recording with a good mic, setting input gain levels correctly, using good mic technique, and not recording in a noisy room or a room with a ton of natural reverb or echo.What Headphones Are Your Listeners Using?Most people listening to podcasts are probably either using Apple earbuds, cheap earbuds, less than $100, or listening in a car. I would be very, very surprised if the number of people listening to podcasts on audiophile quality, expensive gear was higher then 5% or 10% of the overall population. I don’t think you need great headphones or speakers that are made for mixing music to make a podcast sound good.I’m an audio nerd. Before I got into editing podcasts, I was studying recording, mixing, and mastering music. I want great audio gear, but these days, I mix a lot of podcasts on $10 Panasonic earbuds.Even though I mix a lot of the seanwes podcasts I work on on cheap earbuds from Amazon, we haven't gotten complaints from listeners.In fact, in most cases, people talk about how great the sound quality is. That’s because Sean invested money in some great mics, like the Shure SM7Bs, and some pre-proccessors, the DBX-286s. He knows how to set input gain levels correctly and he uses pop filters.The only bad thing I can say about the recordings that Sean makes is that he doesn’t have sound treatment in his room. I can hear a little bit of the room sound, but it’s not enough to bother the majority of his listeners. I don’t think most people even notice it. I notice it because I’m a nerd, and I pay attention to things like that.Why Do People Want to Buy Expensive Gear?Everybody is different in their motivation and what they want, but if I can break it down a little bit, I think that beginners want expensive gear because they see their idols using it. They see a pro using it, that pro is doing great work mixing for great bands or doing great podcasts, and they think, “If I get the same gear that he/she has, I’ll be successful like him/her.”They think the gear is why the pro has had success. So they drool over the gear, over the expensive microphones, the expensive computers, the expensive headphones, the expensive plugins, or whatever the pro is using. They’re forgetting the years that the pro invested in learning everything, making mistakes, going through processes, putting out work, trying, experimenting, failing, and trying again.Why do the pros buy expensive gear and headphones? People who listen to a lot of audio develop their “ear” over the years, so they can hear subtle differences in the headphones—in the way that music sounds and in the way that podcasts sound. It’s nice to be able to hear everything really clearly. The $300 pair of Sennheiser HD 600 headphones that I have sound better than the $10 earbuds.Here are the top four reasons I think pros invest in quality headphones: They sound great They’re comfortable They usually last longer than cheap headphones You get to feel fancy Do expensive headphones sound way better? Maybe. Will they help you make a podcast that sounds drastically better? Probably not.The difference between cheap and expensive headphones is subtle, but some people want and need that subtlety.More expensive headphones are often more confortable. These HD 600s I have are stupid comfortable. I can wear them for 12 hours, they sound great, feel great, and they’re pretty lightweight. They’re a joy to wear.Also, quality gear usually lasts longer than cheap gear. The cheap $10 headphones that I buy will often break after six or eight months. A good pair of headphones should last you for years, maybe even decades.If you’re going to spend some money, ask yourself, “Should I buy three pairs of $10 earbuds or a pair of $30 headphones that will last the same time as the three pairs of cheap headphones?” I think that’s a tossup, but reliability and quality are worth paying for.Finally, you also get to feel fancy when you have expensive headphones. That’s more about your ego, but it does feel good to have great gear.I like having nice things, and it’s fine for you to want that too. It says something about you, that you’re willing to invest in quality gear for whatever kind of work you do. If it’s audio work, it’s nice to be able to have this gear, and there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of showing off, taking pride in the stuff that you invest in.What’s More Important: Great Sound or Great Content?Terrible sound quality can ruin great content, but great sound quality won’t make terrible content interesting or compelling.Crappy gear can ruin great content, but great gear isn’t going to make average or boring content interesting or compelling. Time spent looking at and lusting over fancy gear you don’t have is time you could have spent making stuff with the gear you do have. It’s a distraction. It’s procrastination.Time spent looking at fancy gear is time that you’re not spending creating. The thing you’re giving attention to is taking up your headspace, so it blocks out everything else from your life.Let’s use notebooks as an example. I know a lot of people write and a lot of people draw. What benefit does a $40 notebook have over a $3 notebook? They’re both paper, and you can write on either one of them. Will a $40 notebook help you write better than a $3 notebook?What about writing apps? Do you have to pay $40 or $50 for Ulysses or $100 for Scrivener, or could you write a book or a blog post in the TextEdit app in your Mac? It might not look exactly how you want, but you could get the job done.When I started podcasting, the microphone I had was a $150 Shure PG27 USB microphone. I thought I was fancy at the time. I have $250 BETA 87A now, running into a $500 interface… I have so much more now than when I started.The point is that I got started with something, with what I could afford at the time. It didn’t sound amazing, but it sounded okay. I had to go through the process of learning all the different pieces that make up podcasting.Eventually I got to a point where I wanted to get better at my craft and I invested in a better microphone. But what really made the difference in my sound quality was learning how to do things like EQ and compression, mixing and mastering.If you have to choose, invest in educating yourself rather than investing in better gear.Don’t get distracted by the gear. Don’t procrastinate by spending a bunch of time reading reviews and drooling over expensive gear.At the end of the day, all the expensive gear in the world doesn’t make a difference if you’re not creating stuff.If you don’t have an audience now, buying super expensive gear isn’t going to magically bring you a ton of listeners, viewers or readers.I do believe that there is a minimum threshold of quality you should strive to meet, but it’s in the range of hundreds of dollars, not thousands or tens of thousands. If you’re just getting started or you’re a year or two into it, buying a $10,000 mic is not going to make your podcast better than buying a $250 microphone. You’re not going to know how to use it to the best of of your ability. You may have other problems with your podcasting setup and your workflow that you’re not even aware of yet.Improve what you can, and don’t spend all your time looking at gear.Examples of People Who Create Great Work Without Great GearI’m sure some of you have heard of Tim Farriss before. I don’t like the way he starts off his episodes with five minutes of ads, but that’s my only complaint. Other than that, he has a lot of great content. It’s not always stuff I’m interested in, but you can’t argue that he’s a very interesting person, and he’s producing very interesting content, especially on self improvement.That being said, based on his sound quality, it sounds like he’s using a $100 USB microphone.Most of the time it sounds like he uses a Skype call recording when he interviews people. He doesn’t have the most amazing sound quality on his podcast and he starts every episode with minutes of ads, which is kind of annoying, but it doesn’t matter that much.Tim Farriss has a huge audience because he’s producing interesting content all the time. He’s focused on making great content and not having the best gear or sound quality, and he’s doing well because of that.Another example is Robert Rodriguez. I heard him on an episode of Marc Maron’s podcast. He was talking about how he made his very first movie (El Mariachi) with a $7,000 budget. It was a tiny, tiny budget, but the movie blew up and ended up making $2,000,000 in the US. I watched it, and it was obviously low budget—but it was enough to kickstart his career.He said that because he had so little money, he only shot a take or two for each scene. He did the best he could with the constraints he had, and he didn’t wait until he could afford the best movie gear.You can create great work with constraints, and oftentimes it even helps.If I had access to all the most amazing microphones, the best headphones, computers, audio interfaces, and all that stuff, I still couldn’t sit down in a studio with a band and make a record that sounded as good as someone who’s been doing it for 20 years. There’s too much that I don’t know. The gear isn’t what’s holding me back, it’s the knowledge. It’s practice and years of experience.Remember that most people are listening on affordable headphones or Apple earbuds. You don’t need expensive headphones to make a podcast that sounds good.It’s ok to get to know the gear and invest in good gear if you want to, but don’t trick yourself into believing that good gear will guarantee you success. You have to put in the time to learn and hone your craft.

<p>I’ve been watching an online audio mastering course on Creative Live called DIY Mastering (by Jesse Cannon). In it, he was talking about how he always checks his work on cheap speakers and Apple earbuds, since that’s what most people use to listen to music. It got me thinking about the importance of good headphones, and how much they really matter. Are expensive headphones really necessary for mixing podcasts? Do you really need the best gear to make great work, or are you just procrastinating?</p><p>My goal for this episode is to encourage you to do more with what you have and not fall into the trap of believing that better gear is the secret to success.</p><h2>Key Takeaways:</h2><ul> <li>Don’t fall into the trap of believing that better gear is the secret to success.</li> <li>You don’t need expensive headphones or speakers that are made for mixing music to make a podcast sound good.</li> <li>The difference between cheap and expensive headphones is subtle, but some people want and need that subtlety.</li> <li>Quality gear usually lasts longer than cheap gear.</li> <li>Terrible sound quality can ruin great content, but great sound quality won’t make terrible content interesting or compelling.</li> <li>Invest in educating yourself at first rather than investing in better gear.</li> <li>All the expensive gear in the world doesn’t make a difference if you’re not creating stuff.</li> <li>Constraints can help you create great things.</li> </ul><p>Don’t fall into the trap of believing that better gear is the secret to success.</p><p>I’ve been going through an online course about audio mastering from a mixing and mastering engineer, Jesse Canon. In this course (DIY Mastering) he talks about how he always checks his work on cheap speakers and Apple earbuds.</p><p>He said, “It’s because that’s what most people use to listen to music these days.” He mixes the music on expensive speakers and headphones, but then he checks on cheap headphones because he wants to know what it sounds like. This set a lightbulb off in my head, and made me wonder: Do you have to have expensive gear when you’re making podcasts? And are expensive headphones really necessary for mixing podcasts?</p><h3>Why Do People Recommend Expensive Headphones and Speakers for Mixing and Mastering music?</h3><p>Mixing and mastering are all about making choices about how to make audio sound. Better headphones and speakers let you hear more detail in your audio so you can make more informed decisions about how to shape those sounds, how to do EQ, compression, reverb, and special effects.</p><p>Podcasts are not that complicated. Most of the time, a podcast is just a single person talking. You don’t use a bunch of effects (unless you’re making a show like Radiolab or Deep Vault). There aren’t a bunch of changes in volume and dynamics. It just needs to be consistent and pleasant to listen to. Much of that comes down to recording with a good mic, setting input gain levels correctly, using good mic technique, and not recording in a noisy room or a room with a ton of natural reverb or echo.</p><h3>What Headphones Are Your Listeners Using?</h3><p>Most people listening to podcasts are probably either using Apple earbuds, cheap earbuds, less than $100, or listening in a car. I would be very, very surprised if the number of people listening to podcasts on audiophile quality, expensive gear was higher then 5% or 10% of the overall population. I don’t think you need great headphones or speakers that are made for mixing music to make a podcast sound good.</p><p>I’m an audio nerd. Before I got into editing podcasts, I was studying recording, mixing, and mastering music. I want great audio gear, but these days, I mix a lot of podcasts on $10 Panasonic earbuds.</p><p>Even though I mix a lot of the seanwes podcasts I work on on cheap earbuds from Amazon, we haven't gotten complaints from listeners.</p><p>In fact, in most cases, people talk about how great the sound quality is. That’s because Sean invested money in some great mics, like the Shure SM7Bs, and some pre-proccessors, the DBX-286s. He knows how to set input gain levels correctly and he uses pop filters.</p><p>The only bad thing I can say about the recordings that Sean makes is that he doesn’t have sound treatment in his room. I can hear a little bit of the room sound, but it’s not enough to bother the majority of his listeners. I don’t think most people even notice it. I notice it because I’m a nerd, and I pay attention to things like that.</p><h3>Why Do People Want to Buy Expensive Gear?</h3><p>Everybody is different in their motivation and what they want, but if I can break it down a little bit, I think that beginners want expensive gear because they see their idols using it. They see a pro using it, that pro is doing great work mixing for great bands or doing great podcasts, and they think, “If I get the same gear that he/she has, I’ll be successful like him/her.”</p><p>They think the gear is why the pro has had success. So they drool over the gear, over the expensive microphones, the expensive computers, the expensive headphones, the expensive plugins, or whatever the pro is using. They’re forgetting the years that the pro invested in learning everything, making mistakes, going through processes, putting out work, trying, experimenting, failing, and trying again.</p><p>Why do the pros buy expensive gear and headphones? People who listen to a lot of audio develop their “ear” over the years, so they can hear subtle differences in the headphones—in the way that music sounds and in the way that podcasts sound. It’s nice to be able to hear everything really clearly. The $300 pair of Sennheiser HD 600 headphones that I have sound better than the $10 earbuds.</p><p>Here are the top four reasons I think pros invest in quality headphones:</p><ol> <li>They sound great</li> <li>They’re comfortable</li> <li>They usually last longer than cheap headphones</li> <li>You get to feel fancy</li> </ol><p>Do expensive headphones sound way better? Maybe. Will they help you make a podcast that sounds drastically better? Probably not.</p><p>The difference between cheap and expensive headphones is subtle, but some people want and need that subtlety.</p><p>More expensive headphones are often more confortable. These HD 600s I have are stupid comfortable. I can wear them for 12 hours, they sound great, feel great, and they’re pretty lightweight. They’re a joy to wear.</p><p>Also, quality gear usually lasts longer than cheap gear. The cheap $10 headphones that I buy will often break after six or eight months. A good pair of headphones should last you for years, maybe even decades.</p><p>If you’re going to spend some money, ask yourself, “Should I buy three pairs of $10 earbuds or a pair of $30 headphones that will last the same time as the three pairs of cheap headphones?” I think that’s a tossup, but reliability and quality are worth paying for.</p><p>Finally, you also get to feel fancy when you have expensive headphones. That’s more about your ego, but it does feel good to have great gear.</p><p>I like having nice things, and it’s fine for you to want that too. It says something about you, that you’re willing to invest in quality gear for whatever kind of work you do. If it’s audio work, it’s nice to be able to have this gear, and there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of showing off, taking pride in the stuff that you invest in.</p><h3>What’s More Important: Great Sound or Great Content?</h3><p>Terrible sound quality can ruin great content, but great sound quality won’t make terrible content interesting or compelling.</p><p>Crappy gear can ruin great content, but great gear isn’t going to make average or boring content interesting or compelling. Time spent looking at and lusting over fancy gear you don’t have is time you could have spent making stuff with the gear you do have. It’s a distraction. It’s procrastination.</p><p>Time spent looking at fancy gear is time that you’re not spending creating. The thing you’re giving attention to is taking up your headspace, so it blocks out everything else from your life.</p><p>Let’s use notebooks as an example. I know a lot of people write and a lot of people draw. What benefit does a $40 notebook have over a $3 notebook? They’re both paper, and you can write on either one of them. Will a $40 notebook help you write better than a $3 notebook?</p><p>What about writing apps? Do you have to pay $40 or $50 for Ulysses or $100 for Scrivener, or could you write a book or a blog post in the TextEdit app in your Mac? It might not look exactly how you want, but you could get the job done.</p><p>When I started podcasting, the microphone I had was a $150 Shure PG27 USB microphone. I thought I was fancy at the time. I have $250 BETA 87A now, running into a $500 interface… I have so much more now than when I started.</p><p>The point is that I got started with something, with what I could afford at the time. It didn’t sound amazing, but it sounded okay. I had to go through the process of learning all the different pieces that make up podcasting.</p><p>Eventually I got to a point where I wanted to get better at my craft and I invested in a better microphone. But what really made the difference in my sound quality was learning how to do things like EQ and compression, mixing and mastering.</p><p>If you have to choose, invest in educating yourself rather than investing in better gear.</p><p>Don’t get distracted by the gear. Don’t procrastinate by spending a bunch of time reading reviews and drooling over expensive gear.</p><p>At the end of the day, all the expensive gear in the world doesn’t make a difference if you’re not creating stuff.</p><p>If you don’t have an audience now, buying super expensive gear isn’t going to magically bring you a ton of listeners, viewers or readers.</p><p>I do believe that there is a minimum threshold of quality you should strive to meet, but it’s in the range of hundreds of dollars, not thousands or tens of thousands. If you’re just getting started or you’re a year or two into it, buying a $10,000 mic is not going to make your podcast better than buying a $250 microphone. You’re not going to know how to use it to the best of of your ability. You may have other problems with your podcasting setup and your workflow that you’re not even aware of yet.</p><p>Improve what you can, and don’t spend all your time looking at gear.</p><h3>Examples of People Who Create Great Work Without Great Gear</h3><p>I’m sure some of you have heard of Tim Farriss before. I don’t like the way he starts off his episodes with five minutes of ads, but that’s my only complaint. Other than that, he has a lot of great content. It’s not always stuff I’m interested in, but you can’t argue that he’s a very interesting person, and he’s producing very interesting content, especially on self improvement.</p><p>That being said, based on his sound quality, it sounds like he’s using a $100 USB microphone.</p><p>Most of the time it sounds like he uses a Skype call recording when he interviews people. He doesn’t have the most amazing sound quality on his podcast and he starts every episode with minutes of ads, which is kind of annoying, but it doesn’t matter that much.</p><p>Tim Farriss has a huge audience because he’s producing interesting content all the time. He’s focused on making great content and not having the best gear or sound quality, and he’s doing well because of that.</p><p>Another example is Robert Rodriguez. I heard him on an episode of Marc Maron’s podcast. He was talking about how he made his very first movie (El Mariachi) with a $7,000 budget. It was a tiny, tiny budget, but the movie blew up and ended up making $2,000,000 in the US. I watched it, and it was obviously low budget—but it was enough to kickstart his career.</p><p>He said that because he had so little money, he only shot a take or two for each scene. He did the best he could with the constraints he had, and he didn’t wait until he could afford the best movie gear.</p><p>You can create great work with constraints, and oftentimes it even helps.</p><p>If I had access to all the most amazing microphones, the best headphones, computers, audio interfaces, and all that stuff, I still couldn’t sit down in a studio with a band and make a record that sounded as good as someone who’s been doing it for 20 years. There’s too much that I don’t know. The gear isn’t what’s holding me back, it’s the knowledge. It’s practice and years of experience.</p><p>Remember that most people are listening on affordable headphones or Apple earbuds. You don’t need expensive headphones to make a podcast that sounds good.</p><p>It’s ok to get to know the gear and invest in good gear if you want to, but don’t trick yourself into believing that good gear will guarantee you success. You have to put in the time to learn and hone your craft.</p>

Do You Need Expensive Headphones to Mix a Podcast?

I got a question from a Community member about recording audio away from home, so I grabbed my Zoom H4N and a few mics and headed to a local Starbucks to test out the different mics in a real world setting.If you’d like to invest in an affordable, portable recording setup, this episode will help you get started.Links: Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron  Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd  Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com 

<p>I got a question from a Community member about recording audio away from home, so I grabbed my Zoom H4N and a few mics and headed to a local Starbucks to test out the different mics in a real world setting.</p><p>If you’d like to invest in an affordable, portable recording setup, this episode will help you get started.</p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron</a> </li> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcastingwithaaron.com</a> </li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting</a> </li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd</a> </li> <li>Blog: <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a> </li></ul>

Portable Podcasting Setup

How to Write a Podcast Description That Attracts New Listeners

Dan Powell

Dan Powell | Creating a Radio Drama Podcast (Archive 81, Deep Vault)

Marc Sollinger

My guest this week is Marc Sollinger. Marc is one half of Dead Signals, a podcast production company that produces the modern radio drama podcasts Archive 81 and Deep Vault.In this episode, we’re going to take a deep dive into what it takes to plan, write, and produce a modern radio drama.This is part one of a two part series: Next week I’ll be interviewing Dan Powell, who handles a lot of the editing, sound design, and music for Dead Signals.Key Takeaways: The most important part of the writing process is collaboration. Audio storytelling is a powerful medium. Work with people you trust and ask them for their feedback. The hardest part of creating a modern radio drama is making time for all the work required. If you’re into podcasting, create stories that can only be told through sound. Aaron: Marc Sollinger: Thanks for joining me. Tell me what you do at Dead Signals. My understanding from our brief conversation previously is that you work more on the writing side of things?Marc: Both Dan and I write and contribute to the creative process equally, so both of our roles are really creative. We’re both the “idea person.”Aaron: You do a lot of the writing and he does a lot of the editing, but you both contribute equally to the writing process, yeah?Marc: Yeah, and we’re both audio professionals. He’s an engineer and works at a sound effects library, I work in public radio for Innovation Hub. We both work with sound for our day jobs. It’s really fun.The Most Important Part of the Writing Process: CollaborationAaron: I brought you on because you and Dan recently launched a modern radio drama podcast called The Deep Vault. I like the description you guys wrote: “The Deep Vault is a serialized, seven-episode audio drama set in in the almost-post-apocalyptic United States.“The story follows a group of longtime friends as they journey from the uninhabitable surface world into a mysterious underground bunker in search of safety, shelter, and answers to their past. Robotic servants, tooth-filled monsters, and terrible computers collide within the claustrophobic, steel-reinforced walls of The Deep Vault, a modern day homage to the golden age of sci-fi radio drama.”I want to hear about your background and how you got into audio and radio. Before we get into that, I have to say that the Audible ad read at the end of the first episode of The Deep Vault is one of the most genius things I’ve ever heard. Good job on that, whoever had that idea.Marc: Listen to the second episode, because it gets crazier. With podcasts that are more host-driven and not fiction, it’s usually the hosts talking about how much they love Blue Apron or Squarespace. For us, it felt a little weird to break the world and say, “Hey, it’s Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell, and we’d love you to try out Audible or Blue Apron,” so we came up with the idea of a robot that’s not a character in the show. It’s just a random robot that’s gradually gaining sentience and is really pissed off at his masters. It’s fun and hopefully people will enjoy listening to it. The main thing is we wanted it to be fun.Aaron: Mission accomplished. So when did you get started with audio?Marc: I fell in love with audio in high school when I was driving around in my car and I heard a This American Life episode. It was one of those proverbial driveway moments, where I stayed in my car for 30 minutes because the story was so good.(Audio storytelling is a powerful medium.)I feel in love with it and I adore the power of audio documentary and public radio. That’s my day job now, but I started listening to older radio dramas like Orson Welles’ The Mercury Theatre on the Air. That’s really good; start with War of the Worlds.If you’re looking for other great audio drama podcasts, AV Club has a good list of creepy radio dramas from the 40s, 50s, and 60s you can check out.Aaron: So you were listening to those and you thought, “I have to figure out how to do this for myself?”Marc: Yeah, I noticed when podcasts were getting big in 2007 that there weren’t a lot of audio dramas. There were a couple and there were a lot of audio books released as podcasts, but I didn’t feel like there were a lot of podcast audio dramas that were at the same level as stuff from the 40s and 50s.For my college thesis, I made a 10-episode audio drama that I released as a podcast. This was before Dan and I started collaborating, but he was featured as the main actor, playing a nebbish anthropologist who crash lands on an alien world and has to discover a bunch of secret stuff.It’s called Transmission and it’s still something I’m proud of, but I didn’t do any promotion. I fell into the trap of thinking, “This is really good, obviously it’ll get big,” which is not a good mindset to be in. It’s a Patreon reward for our Patreon page now.Aaron: So you dove in and made a 10-episode podcast series. What kind of experience did you have with audio at that point?Marc: I interned for a summer at Chicago Public Radio’s Youth Vocalo, and I studied radio, television, and film in college. I did some work for Nick van der Kolk of Love + Radio. I interned for my local NPR station and I learned a lot about sound from the incomparable Douglass Quinn of Syracuse University. I fell in love with audio by listening to This American Life and old radio serials, but I became someone who could do audio through learning from Douglass Quinn. That shows the importance of having a really good mentor.Aaron: When does Dan come into the picture?Marc: We met in college (Douglas Quinn was his mentor too). Quinn kind of forced our heads together and it turns out we really liked each other. After college, we went our separate ways; I worked for the PBS News Hour and then I moved to Boston to work for Innovation Hub and Dan went to Brooklyn to work for a sound effects library.He came to Boston to visit and we talked about projects we had been thinking about. Then I went to New York to visit him and he was talking about wanting to do an audio drama, something where he would be listening alone to a bunch of weird, freaky tapes. It was a really good idea so I said we should do it together. We brainstormed and came up with an outline. I wrote it, he edited it, but it was a very collaborative process. There’s a bunch of really dumb ideas that would have gone into it if he hadn’t told me to take them out.Work with people you trust and ask them for their feedback.Aaron: You’ve got to have someone you can trust to curate and edit what you come up with.Marc: It’s a matter of trust. If I really like something and Dan isn’t sure about it, even if I don’t understand why he doesn’t like it, I trust him enough to know that there’s something wrong, something that needs to be fixed.Archive 81: Writing, Editing, &amp; CastingAaron: This podcast you’re talking about–where Dan listens to freaky tapes–is called Archive 81. The description for this show is, “Three months ago Daniel Powell vanished. These are the tapes he sent me.” How long did it take you to get all these episodes written, recorded, and edited? What was the preparation process like for Archive 81?Marc: For the writing process, I can write about two episodes a week.Aaron: Part-time on nights and weekends?Marc: Yeah, and I’ve been a hermit. It’s a lot of work. After the episodes are written, we have a two or three week period where we heavily revise it. We script everything out and we usually do a table read over Google voice and we pause and re-write when anything sounds weird.Aaron: Once you’ve got the script for the episode in a good place and you feel good about it, what happens after that? Studio time?Marc: We recorded all 10 episodes at the same time. I’m glad we did that instead of writing an episode and then recording it, writing an episode, and then recording it. That saved us a lot of time and money.For Archive 81, we got our cast together and then one of our friends let us record in her bedroom. For The Deep Vault, we went to an actual studio. With Archive 81, since it’s tape-based, it’s a lot of two people talking to each other, so the bedroom worked fine for that. With The Deep Vault, it’s more action, adventure-y and there were going to be five people in a room at the same time. You need an actual studio if you have five people in there at the same time.Aaron: So you recorded all 10 episodes of Archive 81 in a bedroom. Were all the voice actors friends of yours?Marc: A mix—some friends, some Craigslist, some family. We pay all our actors, which is something we think is really important. We didn’t pay them as much as we would have liked to but we did pay them.Aaron: I noticed that the guy that plays Dan’s boss has the same last name as Dan. Is that his father or one of his brothers?Marc: His father. It has a bunch of creepier overtones when you realize it’s Dan’s actual dad, who turns out to be a really really good actor.The Hardest Part of Creating a Modern Radio Drama: Making TimeAaron: Were there any struggles or hurdles you overcame that stick out to you during producing or recording either one of those shows?Marc: The biggest one is how busy Dan and I are. We’re both working full-time jobs or more than full-time jobs. We started Archive 81—writing it, promotion for it, and releasing it—and then as soon as we began to release the episodes, we started to develop The Deep Vault, so there would be no pause between shows.Episode 10 of Archive 81 was released at the same time as the teaser for Deep Vault, then episode one of Deep Vault went out the next week. It’s just a lot of work, managing time and pulling through it. We’re working on Archive 81 season two now while Dan is still finishing edits for the Deep Vault. We’re doing promotion, starting an LLC, working with advertisers, and responding to fans on Twitter. It’s just a lot for two people to do.For the most part, we’re been really lucky and blessed to work with wonderful actors, and Dan is a wonderful partner. The studio we worked in for the Deep Vault was really great. It comes down to time management and knowing when to say yes to stuff and when to say no to stuff.Aaron: Is one of your goals to take Dead Signals and make it a full-time job?Marc: Maybe. I really enjoy my full-time job, but if the audience was there…The trouble is that it’s very difficult to do it unless you’re Welcome to Night Veil or you have the backing of Panoply or Giblet. It’s something we’ve discussed, but right now we’re not at a point where we could do that.What Would You Do If You Had a Million Dollars in the Bank?Aaron: I was talking to my friend Sean the other day, and discuessed a question: “If we had a million dollars in the bank, what would we do?”Let’s say you and Dan had a million dollars in the bank. Would you want to spend most of your time on podcasting, or do you think you’d be happy keeping your day job and working on podcasts on nights and weekends?Marc: If money was no object, I think most people would say, “Let’s go to Belize and surf!” For me, it’s all about weird creative projects. If we had a million dollars, we’d probably work on creating more interesting things. We’d be able to rent out more time at studios. We’d be able to do a weekly thing instead of a bi-weekly thing (I hate bi-weekly).Aaron: Weekly is great, but with all the work you guys have to do for each episode, I understand why you do bi-weekly. I have a hard time keeping up with my podcast and it’s not anywhere close to the kind of work that your shows are.Marc: Maybe if we were doing it full-time we could do it weekly. If I had a million dollars it would be nice to work with other writers and sound designers to do more weird stuff.What’s Next for Dead Signals Productions?Aaron: I had a related question, which was, “What are your plans for the future?” but it sounds like you’re just going to keep pushing forward. You’re working on season two of Archive 81. Are there plans for a season two of Deep Vault?Marc: It depends on how it’s received. Deep Vault definitely has an ending. It leaves open the possibility for a season two, but we’re very happy with leaving it as a mini series. If everyone is crying out for a season two and gives us a million dollars, we’ll make season two. We also have other projects in the pipeline that we’re thinking about doing after season two of Archive 81.We’re probably going to do something new before we do a season three of Archive 81, if we do a season three. We really like doing new things.One of the reasons why we didn’t just plan for four seasons of Archive 81, or even do things in the same universe, we want to broaden the possibilities of audio drama and do interesting new things. We want to make stories that can only be told through sound.Q&amp;A:Michal Wdowiak asks: “When recording the actors separately (even remotely) for a dialogue scene, how do you manage to keep the flow of the scene so it sounds like a real conversation? Do you ever record dialog scenes separately (remotely)?”Marc: No, we don’t. If it’s supposed to be a conversation, they’ve got to be in the same room. That’s one of our big priorities for our actors, they have to be in New York.You can splice stuff in, but I really don’t think you get the same performance when two people are not talking to each other. The actor’s performances feed off each other and having them in the same room is really important.Virginia Houser asked: “How much effort and planning do you put into creating your own sound effects for your stories, if at all? Is it worth the time to create or add sound effects? If the go-to is using pre-recorded effects from online, what resources do you use to find those sound bites?”Marc: We do a mix between creating our own sound effects and using effects from sound libraries. Dan is a manager at an online sound effects library called Soundsnap, which is helpful. He can get whatever he needs there, but we do prefer making our own sound effects so we can get the exact sound we want.Before we wrap up, I want to say that it’s a really interesting time for audio drama and podcasts. I think we’re on the cusp of something. Welcome to Night Veil, The Black Tapes, Lime town, The Message, and The Truth were all the first mainstream audio dramas to be released as podcasts, and it’s a really good time to start one yourself. If you want to start an audio drama, don’t just do it because you want to start a TV show and you don’t want to spend a lot of money. If you’re really passionate about it, get started now; companies are starting to invest money in these podcasts. It’s a lot of work, though, so be prepared to put some time into it if you want to succeed.You can head over to their Patreon page to learn more about Marc and Dan and their podcasts.Stay tuned, next week I’ll be talking audio production and sound design with Marc’s podcasting partner, Dan Powell.Links: Dead Signals Productions Archive 81 Deep Vault Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd  Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com  Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron 

<p>My guest this week is Marc Sollinger. Marc is one half of Dead Signals, a podcast production company that produces the modern radio drama podcasts Archive 81 and Deep Vault.</p><p>In this episode, we’re going to take a deep dive into what it takes to plan, write, and produce a modern radio drama.</p><p>This is part one of a two part series: Next week I’ll be interviewing Dan Powell, who handles a lot of the editing, sound design, and music for Dead Signals.</p><h2>Key Takeaways:</h2><ul> <li>The most important part of the writing process is collaboration.</li> <li>Audio storytelling is a powerful medium.</li> <li>Work with people you trust and ask them for their feedback.</li> <li>The hardest part of creating a modern radio drama is making time for all the work required.</li> <li>If you’re into podcasting, create stories that can only be told through sound.</li> </ul><p>Aaron: Marc Sollinger: Thanks for joining me. Tell me what you do at Dead Signals. My understanding from our brief conversation previously is that you work more on the writing side of things?</p><p>Marc: Both Dan and I write and contribute to the creative process equally, so both of our roles are really creative. We’re both the “idea person.”</p><p>Aaron: You do a lot of the writing and he does a lot of the editing, but you both contribute equally to the writing process, yeah?</p><p>Marc: Yeah, and we’re both audio professionals. He’s an engineer and works at a sound effects library, I work in public radio for Innovation Hub. We both work with sound for our day jobs. It’s really fun.</p><h3>The Most Important Part of the Writing Process: Collaboration</h3><p>Aaron: I brought you on because you and Dan recently launched a modern radio drama podcast called The Deep Vault. I like the description you guys wrote: “The Deep Vault is a serialized, seven-episode audio drama set in in the almost-post-apocalyptic United States.</p><p>“The story follows a group of longtime friends as they journey from the uninhabitable surface world into a mysterious underground bunker in search of safety, shelter, and answers to their past. Robotic servants, tooth-filled monsters, and terrible computers collide within the claustrophobic, steel-reinforced walls of The Deep Vault, a modern day homage to the golden age of sci-fi radio drama.”</p><p>I want to hear about your background and how you got into audio and radio. Before we get into that, I have to say that the Audible ad read at the end of the first episode of The Deep Vault is one of the most genius things I’ve ever heard. Good job on that, whoever had that idea.</p><p>Marc: Listen to the second episode, because it gets crazier. With podcasts that are more host-driven and not fiction, it’s usually the hosts talking about how much they love Blue Apron or Squarespace. For us, it felt a little weird to break the world and say, “Hey, it’s Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell, and we’d love you to try out Audible or Blue Apron,” so we came up with the idea of a robot that’s not a character in the show. It’s just a random robot that’s gradually gaining sentience and is really pissed off at his masters. It’s fun and hopefully people will enjoy listening to it. The main thing is we wanted it to be fun.</p><p>Aaron: Mission accomplished. So when did you get started with audio?</p><p>Marc: I fell in love with audio in high school when I was driving around in my car and I heard a This American Life episode. It was one of those proverbial driveway moments, where I stayed in my car for 30 minutes because the story was so good.</p><p>(Audio storytelling is a powerful medium.)</p><p>I feel in love with it and I adore the power of audio documentary and public radio. That’s my day job now, but I started listening to older radio dramas like Orson Welles’ The Mercury Theatre on the Air. That’s really good; start with War of the Worlds.</p><p>If you’re looking for other great audio drama podcasts, AV Club has a good list of creepy radio dramas from the 40s, 50s, and 60s you can check out.</p><p>Aaron: So you were listening to those and you thought, “I have to figure out how to do this for myself?”</p><p>Marc: Yeah, I noticed when podcasts were getting big in 2007 that there weren’t a lot of audio dramas. There were a couple and there were a lot of audio books released as podcasts, but I didn’t feel like there were a lot of podcast audio dramas that were at the same level as stuff from the 40s and 50s.</p><p>For my college thesis, I made a 10-episode audio drama that I released as a podcast. This was before Dan and I started collaborating, but he was featured as the main actor, playing a nebbish anthropologist who crash lands on an alien world and has to discover a bunch of secret stuff.</p><p>It’s called Transmission and it’s still something I’m proud of, but I didn’t do any promotion. I fell into the trap of thinking, “This is really good, obviously it’ll get big,” which is not a good mindset to be in. It’s a Patreon reward for our Patreon page now.</p><p>Aaron: So you dove in and made a 10-episode podcast series. What kind of experience did you have with audio at that point?</p><p>Marc: I interned for a summer at Chicago Public Radio’s Youth Vocalo, and I studied radio, television, and film in college. I did some work for Nick van der Kolk of Love + Radio. I interned for my local NPR station and I learned a lot about sound from the incomparable Douglass Quinn of Syracuse University. I fell in love with audio by listening to This American Life and old radio serials, but I became someone who could do audio through learning from Douglass Quinn. That shows the importance of having a really good mentor.</p><p>Aaron: When does Dan come into the picture?</p><p>Marc: We met in college (Douglas Quinn was his mentor too). Quinn kind of forced our heads together and it turns out we really liked each other. After college, we went our separate ways; I worked for the PBS News Hour and then I moved to Boston to work for Innovation Hub and Dan went to Brooklyn to work for a sound effects library.</p><p>He came to Boston to visit and we talked about projects we had been thinking about. Then I went to New York to visit him and he was talking about wanting to do an audio drama, something where he would be listening alone to a bunch of weird, freaky tapes. It was a really good idea so I said we should do it together. We brainstormed and came up with an outline. I wrote it, he edited it, but it was a very collaborative process. There’s a bunch of really dumb ideas that would have gone into it if he hadn’t told me to take them out.</p><p><strong>Work with people you trust and ask them for their feedback.</strong></p><p>Aaron: You’ve got to have someone you can trust to curate and edit what you come up with.</p><p>Marc: It’s a matter of trust. If I really like something and Dan isn’t sure about it, even if I don’t understand why he doesn’t like it, I trust him enough to know that there’s something wrong, something that needs to be fixed.</p><h3>Archive 81: Writing, Editing, &amp; Casting</h3><p>Aaron: This podcast you’re talking about–where Dan listens to freaky tapes–is called Archive 81. The description for this show is, “Three months ago Daniel Powell vanished. These are the tapes he sent me.” How long did it take you to get all these episodes written, recorded, and edited? What was the preparation process like for Archive 81?</p><p>Marc: For the writing process, I can write about two episodes a week.</p><p>Aaron: Part-time on nights and weekends?</p><p>Marc: Yeah, and I’ve been a hermit. It’s a lot of work. After the episodes are written, we have a two or three week period where we heavily revise it. We script everything out and we usually do a table read over Google voice and we pause and re-write when anything sounds weird.</p><p>Aaron: Once you’ve got the script for the episode in a good place and you feel good about it, what happens after that? Studio time?</p><p>Marc: We recorded all 10 episodes at the same time. I’m glad we did that instead of writing an episode and then recording it, writing an episode, and then recording it. That saved us a lot of time and money.</p><p>For Archive 81, we got our cast together and then one of our friends let us record in her bedroom. For The Deep Vault, we went to an actual studio. With Archive 81, since it’s tape-based, it’s a lot of two people talking to each other, so the bedroom worked fine for that. With The Deep Vault, it’s more action, adventure-y and there were going to be five people in a room at the same time. You need an actual studio if you have five people in there at the same time.</p><p>Aaron: So you recorded all 10 episodes of Archive 81 in a bedroom. Were all the voice actors friends of yours?</p><p>Marc: A mix—some friends, some Craigslist, some family. We pay all our actors, which is something we think is really important. We didn’t pay them as much as we would have liked to but we did pay them.</p><p>Aaron: I noticed that the guy that plays Dan’s boss has the same last name as Dan. Is that his father or one of his brothers?</p><p>Marc: His father. It has a bunch of creepier overtones when you realize it’s Dan’s actual dad, who turns out to be a really really good actor.</p><h3>The Hardest Part of Creating a Modern Radio Drama: Making Time</h3><p>Aaron: Were there any struggles or hurdles you overcame that stick out to you during producing or recording either one of those shows?</p><p>Marc: The biggest one is how busy Dan and I are. We’re both working full-time jobs or more than full-time jobs. We started Archive 81—writing it, promotion for it, and releasing it—and then as soon as we began to release the episodes, we started to develop The Deep Vault, so there would be no pause between shows.</p><p>Episode 10 of Archive 81 was released at the same time as the teaser for Deep Vault, then episode one of Deep Vault went out the next week. It’s just a lot of work, managing time and pulling through it. We’re working on Archive 81 season two now while Dan is still finishing edits for the Deep Vault. We’re doing promotion, starting an LLC, working with advertisers, and responding to fans on Twitter. It’s just a lot for two people to do.</p><p>For the most part, we’re been really lucky and blessed to work with wonderful actors, and Dan is a wonderful partner. The studio we worked in for the Deep Vault was really great. It comes down to time management and knowing when to say yes to stuff and when to say no to stuff.</p><p>Aaron: Is one of your goals to take Dead Signals and make it a full-time job?</p><p>Marc: Maybe. I really enjoy my full-time job, but if the audience was there…The trouble is that it’s very difficult to do it unless you’re Welcome to Night Veil or you have the backing of Panoply or Giblet. It’s something we’ve discussed, but right now we’re not at a point where we could do that.</p><h2>What Would You Do If You Had a Million Dollars in the Bank?</h2><p>Aaron: I was talking to my friend Sean the other day, and discuessed a question: “If we had a million dollars in the bank, what would we do?”</p><p>Let’s say you and Dan had a million dollars in the bank. Would you want to spend most of your time on podcasting, or do you think you’d be happy keeping your day job and working on podcasts on nights and weekends?</p><p>Marc: If money was no object, I think most people would say, “Let’s go to Belize and surf!” For me, it’s all about weird creative projects. If we had a million dollars, we’d probably work on creating more interesting things. We’d be able to rent out more time at studios. We’d be able to do a weekly thing instead of a bi-weekly thing (I hate bi-weekly).</p><p>Aaron: Weekly is great, but with all the work you guys have to do for each episode, I understand why you do bi-weekly. I have a hard time keeping up with my podcast and it’s not anywhere close to the kind of work that your shows are.</p><p>Marc: Maybe if we were doing it full-time we could do it weekly. If I had a million dollars it would be nice to work with other writers and sound designers to do more weird stuff.</p><h3>What’s Next for Dead Signals Productions?</h3><p>Aaron: I had a related question, which was, “What are your plans for the future?” but it sounds like you’re just going to keep pushing forward. You’re working on season two of Archive 81. Are there plans for a season two of Deep Vault?</p><p>Marc: It depends on how it’s received. Deep Vault definitely has an ending. It leaves open the possibility for a season two, but we’re very happy with leaving it as a mini series. If everyone is crying out for a season two and gives us a million dollars, we’ll make season two. We also have other projects in the pipeline that we’re thinking about doing after season two of Archive 81.</p><p>We’re probably going to do something new before we do a season three of Archive 81, if we do a season three. We really like doing new things.</p><p>One of the reasons why we didn’t just plan for four seasons of Archive 81, or even do things in the same universe, we want to broaden the possibilities of audio drama and do interesting new things. We want to make stories that can only be told through sound.</p><h2>Q&amp;A:</h2><p>Michal Wdowiak asks: “When recording the actors separately (even remotely) for a dialogue scene, how do you manage to keep the flow of the scene so it sounds like a real conversation? Do you ever record dialog scenes separately (remotely)?”</p><p>Marc: No, we don’t. If it’s supposed to be a conversation, they’ve got to be in the same room. That’s one of our big priorities for our actors, they have to be in New York.</p><p>You can splice stuff in, but I really don’t think you get the same performance when two people are not talking to each other. The actor’s performances feed off each other and having them in the same room is really important.</p><p>Virginia Houser asked: “How much effort and planning do you put into creating your own sound effects for your stories, if at all? Is it worth the time to create or add sound effects? If the go-to is using pre-recorded effects from online, what resources do you use to find those sound bites?”</p><p>Marc: We do a mix between creating our own sound effects and using effects from sound libraries. Dan is a manager at an online sound effects library called Soundsnap, which is helpful. He can get whatever he needs there, but we do prefer making our own sound effects so we can get the exact sound we want.</p><p>Before we wrap up, I want to say that it’s a really interesting time for audio drama and podcasts. I think we’re on the cusp of something. Welcome to Night Veil, The Black Tapes, Lime town, The Message, and The Truth were all the first mainstream audio dramas to be released as podcasts, and it’s a really good time to start one yourself. If you want to start an audio drama, don’t just do it because you want to start a TV show and you don’t want to spend a lot of money. If you’re really passionate about it, get started now; companies are starting to invest money in these podcasts. It’s a lot of work, though, so be prepared to put some time into it if you want to succeed.</p><p>You can <a href="https://www.patreon.com/archive81" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">head over to their Patreon page to learn more about Marc and Dan and their podcasts</a>.</p><p>Stay tuned, next week I’ll be <a href="https://thepodcastdude.simplecast.com/episodes/creating-a-radio-drama-podcast-with-dan-powell" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">talking audio production and sound design with Marc’s podcasting partner, Dan Powell</a>.</p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/archive81" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dead Signals Productions</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/archive81" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Archive 81</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.deepvaultpodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deep Vault</a></li> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcastingwithaaron.com</a> </li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting</a> </li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd</a> </li> <li>Blog: <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a> </li> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron</a> </li></ul>

Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 1 (With Writer Marc Sollinger)

If you podcast long enough, you're going to get criticism or negativity. You can't create work and share it with the world without experiencing it.  I say you haven't really made it until you've got haters. If people feel strongly enough about what you're doing to love it, then someone is going to feel strongly enough to hate it, or at least severely dislike it.  I'm still pretty unknown, and I know that because I've only ever received negative feedback once (ok, a couple times now). I could say that I just brushed it off, but it did affect me. Instead of letting it get me down, I sat with it. I thought about it. I analyzed why it made me feel the way it did, and I asked myself why.  I want to share what I've learned about feedback and criticism to help you learn how to process it when it comes to you (and it will), but also to help you give feedback more effectively and waste less time engaging with people or on feedback that doesn't really matter.Highlights, Takeaways &amp; Quick Wins: Being negative or hurtful is not an effective way to give criticism. When you receive criticism, stop for a second and see if there’s any truth to it. Don’t argue with strangers on the internet. People who are open to changing their mind will listen instead of arguing. Great criticism is rare—seek it out from people you trust. If you continue to blame your negativity on other people all the time, you’re missing an opportunity to feel happiness and gratitude. I want to start this episode off by sharing a blog post about criticism that Seth Godin published the other day, called The Paradox of the Flawless Record.He said, “If your work has never been criticized, it’s unlikely you have any work. Creating work is the point, though, which means that in order to do something that matters, you’re going to be criticized.*If your goal is to be universally liked and respected and understood, then, it must mean your goal is to not do something that matters. Which requires hiding. Hiding, of course, isn’t the point. Hence the paradox. You don’t want to be criticized and you do want to matter. *The solution: Create work that gets criticized. AND, have the discernment to tell the difference between useful criticism (rare and precious) and the stuff worth ignoring (everything else).”What Is the Intention of the Person Criticizing Me?When someone gives you feedback or criticism, ask yourself: what is their intention?Hearing negative feedback sucks. It sucks to hear, “This thing you made isn’t very good and here’s why.”That’s hard and it hurts our egos. We like to think that everything we do is great. But stop for a second and see if there’s any truth to the criticism. Regardless of how negative the person is being, see if there’s any useful information you can pull from it and apply to make your thing better. Your goal should always be to make your thing (blog post, podcast, writing, or video) better.When I Provide Criticism, What is My Intention?Think about the last time you reached out to someone to talk about their work. Be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that sharing how much you hate something will somehow make your life better.A wise man once said, ”The shit you hate don't make you special.”So there’s someone creating work you don’t like: What does telling that person they suck do besides make them doubt their abilities or make them feel bad?Why is it necessary for you to tell someone that you don’t like what they do?I want to make it clear that I’m talking about creative work here, like design, podcasting, making video, making music, and so on. I’m not talking about the many injustices happening in the world.If someone is hurting someone else, then I do think it is fair to tell them that’s not acceptable. But if you’re just telling someone else that you don’t like their art, why are you wasting your time on that? What are you trying to accomplish?If your goal really is to help someone make something better, being negative or hurtful is not an effective way to do that.Great criticism is rare. Seek it out from people you trust.Seek out constructive criticism from people you know and trust.Go to a friend or mentor you trust and say, “I made this thing. I want to know what you think about it. Please be honest about how you think I could improve it, if you think I could improve it. I appreciate your time.”But keep in mind that you’re asking them for a favor, you’re asking them for time, so sometimes they may say no or just you a brief or unhelpful answer.Five questions to ask yourself when someone gives you negative feedback: Is this person trying to help or just trying to hurt? Is there anything useful I can learn from this feedback? If this feedback upsets me, why does it upset me? Have I accepted that not everyone will agree with me or love my work? Do I give feedback in a similar manner? Don’t Argue With Strangers on the InternetIt never ends well. It’s one thing to have discussion with a friend who you know and respect. Things can get heated and that’s fine. But when you argue with strangers, especially online, neither of you have any reason to be kind or respecting. It’s really more about proving who is right. It’s a complete and total waste of time because neither person is looking for more information. Yelling at people you disagree with doesn’t get you anywhere.People who are open to changing their mind will listen instead of arguing.I want to encourage you to be kind to other people. If you’re the kind of person who speaks unkindly to or about other people, I want you to ask why. What is it about their work that bothers you so much? Why do you feel the need to express that feeling to them?If you blame your negative feelings on other people, you’re missing an opportunity to feel happiness and gratitude. Expressing those feelings will amplify them in your mind. You’re giving someone else permission to make you feel a certain way. Some people just like to complain. They like to find things they don’t like or disagree with and just spend a bunch of time explaining why.I like to find awesome things in the world. I like to find things that are beautiful and make me happy. I like to focus on those things and give my time to those things, because I believe the emotions we choose to feel and choose to express publicly will be amplified through that expression. You only have so much time. Do you really want to spend it telling other people they aren’t good at something? Do you really care about those people?Why not spend your time helping the people you do care about? Why not help them with what they’re struggling with and teach them what you know in a kind and encouraging way instead of discouraging them?Focus on encouraging the people you care about. Let go of jealousy and anger and speak positivity to the people who are creating work that you love. You’ll be much happier if you do.Links: Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd  Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com  Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron 

<p>If you podcast long enough, you're going to get criticism or negativity. You can't create work and share it with the world without experiencing it.  </p><p>I say you haven't really made it until you've got haters. If people feel strongly enough about what you're doing to love it, then someone is going to feel strongly enough to hate it, or at least severely dislike it.  </p><p>I'm still pretty unknown, and I know that because I've only ever received negative feedback once (ok, a couple times now). I could say that I just brushed it off, but it did affect me. Instead of letting it get me down, I sat with it. I thought about it. I analyzed why it made me feel the way it did, and I asked myself why.  </p><p>I want to share what I've learned about feedback and criticism to help you learn how to process it when it comes to you (and it will), but also to help you give feedback more effectively and waste less time engaging with people or on feedback that doesn't really matter.</p><h2>Highlights, Takeaways &amp; Quick Wins:</h2><ul> <li>Being negative or hurtful is not an effective way to give criticism.</li> <li>When you receive criticism, stop for a second and see if there’s any truth to it.</li> <li>Don’t argue with strangers on the internet.</li> <li>People who are open to changing their mind will listen instead of arguing.</li> <li>Great criticism is rare—seek it out from people you trust.</li> <li>If you continue to blame your negativity on other people all the time, you’re missing an opportunity to feel happiness and gratitude.</li> </ul><p>I want to start this episode off by sharing a blog post about criticism that Seth Godin published the other day, called <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2016/09/the-paradox-of-the-flawless-record.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Paradox of the Flawless Record.</a></p><p>He said, “If your work has never been criticized, it’s unlikely you have any work. Creating work is the point, though, which means that in order to do something that matters, you’re going to be criticized.</p><p>*If your goal is to be universally liked and respected and understood, then, it must mean your goal is to not do something that matters. Which requires hiding. Hiding, of course, isn’t the point. Hence the paradox. You don’t want to be criticized and you do want to matter. *</p><p>The solution: Create work that gets criticized. AND, have the discernment to tell the difference between useful criticism (rare and precious) and the stuff worth ignoring (everything else).”</p><h2>What Is the Intention of the Person Criticizing Me?</h2><p>When someone gives you feedback or criticism, ask yourself: what is their intention?</p><p>Hearing negative feedback sucks. It sucks to hear, “This thing you made isn’t very good and here’s why.”</p><p>That’s hard and it hurts our egos. We like to think that everything we do is great. But stop for a second and see if there’s any truth to the criticism. Regardless of how negative the person is being, see if there’s any useful information you can pull from it and apply to make your thing better. Your goal should always be to make your thing (blog post, podcast, writing, or video) better.</p><h2>When I Provide Criticism, What is My Intention?</h2><p>Think about the last time you reached out to someone to talk about their work. Be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that sharing how much you hate something will somehow make your life better.</p><p>A wise man once said, ”The shit you hate don't make you special.”</p><p>So there’s someone creating work you don’t like: What does telling that person they suck do besides make them doubt their abilities or make them feel bad?</p><p>Why is it necessary for you to tell someone that you don’t like what they do?</p><p>I want to make it clear that I’m talking about creative work here, like design, podcasting, making video, making music, and so on. I’m not talking about the many injustices happening in the world.</p><p>If someone is hurting someone else, then I do think it is fair to tell them that’s not acceptable. But if you’re just telling someone else that you don’t like their art, why are you wasting your time on that? What are you trying to accomplish?</p><p>If your goal really is to help someone make something better, being negative or hurtful is not an effective way to do that.</p><h2>Great criticism is rare. Seek it out from people you trust.</h2><p>Seek out constructive criticism from people you know and trust.</p><p>Go to a friend or mentor you trust and say, “I made this thing. I want to know what you think about it. Please be honest about how you think I could improve it, if you think I could improve it. I appreciate your time.”</p><p>But keep in mind that you’re asking them for a favor, you’re asking them for time, so sometimes they may say no or just you a brief or unhelpful answer.</p><h2>Five questions to ask yourself when someone gives you negative feedback:</h2><ol> <li>Is this person trying to help or just trying to hurt?</li> <li>Is there anything useful I can learn from this feedback?</li> <li>If this feedback upsets me, why does it upset me?</li> <li>Have I accepted that not everyone will agree with me or love my work?</li> <li>Do I give feedback in a similar manner?</li> </ol><h2>Don’t Argue With Strangers on the Internet</h2><p>It never ends well. It’s one thing to have discussion with a friend who you know and respect. Things can get heated and that’s fine. But when you argue with strangers, especially online, neither of you have any reason to be kind or respecting. It’s really more about proving who is right. It’s a complete and total waste of time because neither person is looking for more information. Yelling at people you disagree with doesn’t get you anywhere.</p><p>People who are open to changing their mind will listen instead of arguing.</p><p>I want to encourage you to be kind to other people. If you’re the kind of person who speaks unkindly to or about other people, I want you to ask why. What is it about their work that bothers you so much? Why do you feel the need to express that feeling to them?</p><p>If you blame your negative feelings on other people, you’re missing an opportunity to feel happiness and gratitude. Expressing those feelings will amplify them in your mind. You’re giving someone else permission to make you feel a certain way. Some people just like to complain. They like to find things they don’t like or disagree with and just spend a bunch of time explaining why.</p><p>I like to find awesome things in the world. I like to find things that are beautiful and make me happy. I like to focus on those things and give my time to those things, because I believe the emotions we choose to feel and choose to express publicly will be amplified through that expression. You only have so much time. Do you really want to spend it telling other people they aren’t good at something? Do you really care about those people?</p><p>Why not spend your time helping the people you do care about? Why not help them with what they’re struggling with and teach them what you know in a kind and encouraging way instead of discouraging them?</p><p>Focus on encouraging the people you care about. Let go of jealousy and anger and speak positivity to the people who are creating work that you love. You’ll be much happier if you do.</p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcastingwithaaron.com</a> </li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting</a> </li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd</a> </li> <li>Blog: <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a> </li> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron</a> </li></ul>

Dealing With Haters

It's been said that in basketball, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. The same is true for getting guests on your podcast or being a guest on other podcasts: If you don't ask, it's not going to happen.So getting over your fear of rejection is step one, but today I want to talk about things that you can do to increase your chances of getting a yes from the guests you want, and how you can ask to be on someone else's podcast without feeling awkward.Key Takeaways: Most people who want to be contacted will make it pretty easy for you to contact them. It’s important to have a good reason when asking for someone’s time. People make time for the things they care about, so make sure that you are offering something they want. Don’t be afraid to ask. You’ll never get a yes if you don’t ask. Always be looking out for people who share your passion. Those are the people you should be podcasting with. Finding Guests: First, Keep Your Audience In MindWhen it comes to finding guests for your show, your first goal should be to provide something interesting to your audience.Put yourself in their shoes: What topics are they interested in hearing about? What kind of people would they enjoy hearing from?Try to find people who would be a good match for your audience.Who’s Out There Already Trying to Build an Audience?If you don’t already have someone in mind (if you’re looking for interesting new people to talk to), try to find people who are already trying to grow an audience online.These people will be actively putting out content and engaging on social media. They’d probably be happy for an opportunity to talk about what they’re passionate about.Step 1: ASKThe next step is to reach out. There are many different ways to do this, but a safe bet is to choose the place that they seem most active.If they’re a hardcore Twitter user, reach out there. If they’re into Snapchat, hit them up there. Lots of people have a contact page on their website, often with an email address.Most people who want to be contacted will make it pretty easy for you to contact them.If you can’t find contact info for someone, it might be because they aren’t interested in being contacted by strange people asking them to come on a podcast.Ask Yourself: Why Do I Want to Talk to This Person?Before you reach out to these people, you need to write down why you are interested in talking to this person. Did they publish a really great book or article lately? Have them been consistently sharing great ideas online? Is it someone you know in person who has a lot of great things to say, but they’ve never had a platform to say them on? Do they work on products that you love? It’s important to have a good reason when asking for someone’s time.Email Template for Reaching Out to GuestsStart by proving you’re a real human who is familiar with their work. You don’t have to know everything about them, but you should at least have listened to a few of their podcasts or read a few of their blog posts.Tell them which thing they did that you like and why. Don’t say “all the great shows”. Be specific.Tell them what you’d like to talk to them about on your podcast. It’s ok to ask them if there’s anything they’d like to talk about as well, but you should lead by explaining why you want them specifically on your show.Briefly give them any other important information, like the length of your podcast and what they’ll need to show up with. Don’t make them guess; tell them how much of their time you want and if they’ll need to record a local audio file (always a good idea).Suggest a calendar date but make sure they know you’re flexible to meet their schedule (hopefully you are). If you have a scheduling app like Calendly, include a link.Don’t assume they are going to say yes. That is wrong. Don’t ever assume people will say yes.Thank them for their time and let them know that you’re looking forward to hearing back from them.Overcoming Objections:I do believe that when people say “No”, you should respect that, but I want to talk about some of the common objections you might hear and how you can overcome or at least understand them.Objection #1. “I’m too busy” or “I don’t have time.”Are they really busy? Have they committed to a large project at work? Are they writing a book? Do they have a family to take care of?The real problem may be that your offer wasn’t attractive enough to them.You should have something to offer that they are interested in, whether that’s exposure to your audience, a chance to promote a book or recent project, or even just an opportunity to nerd out about a topic they love for awhile.Don’t make it all about you and what you want. If you’re a small fry (as so many of us podcasters are), and you’re reaching out to someone who already has hundreds of thousands of followers, there’s probably not a good reason for them to come on your show.People make time for the things they care about, so make sure that you are offering something they want.Objection #2. “I don’t know how to podcast” or “I’m not good at talking.”Some people may have never been on a podcast before. If that’s the case, you need to be willing to take the time to explain the whole process to them and make sure they know that you will take responsibility to make sure that everything goes smoothly.Respect Their NoIf someone says no, don’t get angry, don’t try to talk them into it, just thank them and move on.Charli Prangley said in the chat before the show: “I’ve had a few requests from people to be on their show or be interviewed for their blog that I’ve turned down because they hadn’t actually launched them yet and I wanted to see what the quality of their output was like, and the care and attention they give to it before I gave up my time to answer their questions. Does that seem fair to you?”Sure, that’s reasonable. If you’ve never launched a podcast before and you don’t have an audience, and you’re reaching out to people who do, they may look at your email and wonder if you’re just going to waste their time. They may wonder if you’re even going to publish the episode or if you do, how good it will be.Remember, it’s ok to say no to people who are asking for your time if there’s nothing in it for you.But don’t be afraid to ask. You’ll never get a yes if you don’t ask.Being a Guest on Another PodcastAgain, don’t be afraid to ask. Other podcasts need to have guests on too. If you have something valuable to share, then say so.If it’s a show that doesn’t normally have guests, it’s ok to ask, but don’t get your hopes up.Remember that “I’m a huge fan, so I’d like to ask you questions for an hour” is probably not something their audience will find interesting, unless it’s the kind of show that welcomes Q&amp;A like that.Find Your Podcasting CommunityAre there other podcasts out there similar to yours? Who are the people that are making them? What are they talking about? These are the people who you should be talking to.Always be looking out for people who share your passion. Those are the people you should be podcasting with.Recap: Know why you want to talk to someone, why you want them to be on your show Explain your “why” clearly to them, and give them any other details they might need Respect their decision if they clearly say no Don’t be afraid to ask, don’t psyche yourself out Look for the people who are already putting themselves out there and trying to grow an audience Q&amp;A:Charli asked: If you’re starting an interview podcast, how do you get your first guests?Start with your friends and immediate network, work outwards from there. If you want people with larger followings who don’t know you to come on your show, you need to have some kind of track record that shows you know how to produce quality content. So start publishing podcast episodes, start writing blog posts or videos, start defining your niche.I don’t want to discourage you from trying to get people who are more famous, but I would encourage you to reach out to the people who are more on your level or slightly above it, if you’re just getting started.Links: Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd  Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com  Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron 

<p>It's been said that in basketball, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. The same is true for getting guests on your podcast or being a guest on other podcasts: If you don't ask, it's not going to happen.</p><p>So getting over your fear of rejection is step one, but today I want to talk about things that you can do to increase your chances of getting a yes from the guests you want, and how you can ask to be on someone else's podcast without feeling awkward.</p><h2>Key Takeaways:</h2><ul> <li>Most people who want to be contacted will make it pretty easy for you to contact them.</li> <li>It’s important to have a good reason when asking for someone’s time.</li> <li>People make time for the things they care about, so make sure that you are offering something they want.</li> <li>Don’t be afraid to ask. You’ll never get a yes if you don’t ask.</li> <li>Always be looking out for people who share your passion. Those are the people you should be podcasting with.</li> </ul><h3>Finding Guests: First, Keep Your Audience In Mind</h3><p>When it comes to finding guests for your show, your first goal should be to provide something interesting to your audience.</p><p>Put yourself in their shoes: What topics are they interested in hearing about? What kind of people would they enjoy hearing from?</p><p>Try to find people who would be a good match for your audience.</p><h3>Who’s Out There Already Trying to Build an Audience?</h3><p>If you don’t already have someone in mind (if you’re looking for interesting new people to talk to), try to find people who are already trying to grow an audience online.</p><p>These people will be actively putting out content and engaging on social media. They’d probably be happy for an opportunity to talk about what they’re passionate about.</p><h3>Step 1: ASK</h3><p>The next step is to reach out. There are many different ways to do this, but a safe bet is to choose the place that they seem most active.</p><p>If they’re a hardcore Twitter user, reach out there. If they’re into Snapchat, hit them up there. Lots of people have a contact page on their website, often with an email address.</p><p><strong>Most people who want to be contacted will make it pretty easy for you to contact them.</strong></p><p>If you can’t find contact info for someone, it might be because they aren’t interested in being contacted by strange people asking them to come on a podcast.</p><h3>Ask Yourself: Why Do I Want to Talk to This Person?</h3><p>Before you reach out to these people, you need to write down why you are interested in talking to this person.</p><ul> <li>Did they publish a really great book or article lately?</li> <li>Have them been consistently sharing great ideas online?</li> <li>Is it someone you know in person who has a lot of great things to say, but they’ve never had a platform to say them on?</li> <li>Do they work on products that you love?</li> </ul><p>It’s important to have a good reason when asking for someone’s time.</p><h2>Email Template for Reaching Out to Guests</h2><p>Start by proving you’re a real human who is familiar with their work. You don’t have to know everything about them, but you should at least have listened to a few of their podcasts or read a few of their blog posts.</p><p>Tell them which thing they did that you like and why. Don’t say “all the great shows”. Be specific.</p><p>Tell them what you’d like to talk to them about on your podcast. It’s ok to ask them if there’s anything they’d like to talk about as well, but you should lead by explaining why you want them specifically on your show.</p><p>Briefly give them any other important information, like the length of your podcast and what they’ll need to show up with. Don’t make them guess; tell them how much of their time you want and if they’ll need to record a local audio file (always a good idea).</p><p>Suggest a calendar date but make sure they know you’re flexible to meet their schedule (hopefully you are). If you have a scheduling app like <a href="https://calendly.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Calendly</a>, include a link.</p><p>Don’t assume they are going to say yes. That is wrong. Don’t ever assume people will say yes.</p><p>Thank them for their time and let them know that you’re looking forward to hearing back from them.</p><h3>Overcoming Objections:</h3><p>I do believe that when people say “No”, you should respect that, but I want to talk about some of the common objections you might hear and how you can overcome or at least understand them.</p><h3>Objection #1. “I’m too busy” or “I don’t have time.”</h3><p>Are they really busy? Have they committed to a large project at work? Are they writing a book? Do they have a family to take care of?</p><p>The real problem may be that your offer wasn’t attractive enough to them.</p><p>You should have something to offer that they are interested in, whether that’s exposure to your audience, a chance to promote a book or recent project, or even just an opportunity to nerd out about a topic they love for awhile.</p><p>Don’t make it all about you and what you want. If you’re a small fry (as so many of us podcasters are), and you’re reaching out to someone who already has hundreds of thousands of followers, there’s probably not a good reason for them to come on your show.</p><p>People make time for the things they care about, so make sure that you are offering something they want.</p><h3>Objection #2. “I don’t know how to podcast” or “I’m not good at talking.”</h3><p>Some people may have never been on a podcast before. If that’s the case, you need to be willing to take the time to explain the whole process to them and make sure they know that you will take responsibility to make sure that everything goes smoothly.</p><h3>Respect Their No</h3><p>If someone says no, don’t get angry, don’t try to talk them into it, just thank them and move on.</p><p>Charli Prangley said in the chat before the show: “I’ve had a few requests from people to be on their show or be interviewed for their blog that I’ve turned down because they hadn’t actually launched them yet and I wanted to see what the quality of their output was like, and the care and attention they give to it before I gave up my time to answer their questions. Does that seem fair to you?”</p><p>Sure, that’s reasonable. If you’ve never launched a podcast before and you don’t have an audience, and you’re reaching out to people who do, they may look at your email and wonder if you’re just going to waste their time. They may wonder if you’re even going to publish the episode or if you do, how good it will be.</p><p>Remember, it’s ok to say no to people who are asking for your time if there’s nothing in it for you.</p><p>But don’t be afraid to ask. You’ll never get a yes if you don’t ask.</p><h3>Being a Guest on Another Podcast</h3><p>Again, don’t be afraid to ask. Other podcasts need to have guests on too. If you have something valuable to share, then say so.</p><p>If it’s a show that doesn’t normally have guests, it’s ok to ask, but don’t get your hopes up.</p><p>Remember that “I’m a huge fan, so I’d like to ask you questions for an hour” is probably not something their audience will find interesting, unless it’s the kind of show that welcomes Q&amp;A like that.</p><h3>Find Your Podcasting Community</h3><p>Are there other podcasts out there similar to yours? Who are the people that are making them? What are they talking about? These are the people who you should be talking to.</p><p>Always be looking out for people who share your passion. Those are the people you should be podcasting with.</p><h2>Recap:</h2><ul> <li>Know why you want to talk to someone, why you want them to be on your show</li> <li>Explain your “why” clearly to them, and give them any other details they might need</li> <li>Respect their decision if they clearly say no</li> <li>Don’t be afraid to ask, don’t psyche yourself out</li> <li>Look for the people who are already putting themselves out there and trying to grow an audience</li> </ul><h2>Q&amp;A:</h2><p>Charli asked: <strong>If you’re starting an interview podcast, how do you get your first guests?</strong></p><p>Start with your friends and immediate network, work outwards from there. If you want people with larger followings who don’t know you to come on your show, you need to have some kind of track record that shows you know how to produce quality content. So start publishing podcast episodes, start writing blog posts or videos, start defining your niche.</p><p>I don’t want to discourage you from trying to get people who are more famous, but I would encourage you to reach out to the people who are more on your level or slightly above it, if you’re just getting started.</p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcastingwithaaron.com</a> </li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting</a> </li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd</a> </li> <li>Blog: <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a> </li> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron</a> </li></ul>

How to Invite Guests to Your Podcast

Charli Prangley

Charli Prangley is a designer by day and a content creator by... well, pretty much the rest of the time. In addition to her day job, she produces two high-quality Youtube videos and a podcast every week, and also runs an online apparel shop. I was so impressed with the consistency and quality of her output that I knew I had to get her on the show to share how she creates so much while still working a full-time job.If you've ever struggled with creating consistently or trying to get everything 100% perfect before shipping, you need to listen to this episode.Key Takeaways: You don’t have to have the best camera or microphone to get started. Use what you have or what you can afford, and upgrade later. If you want someone to invest time in what you’re creating, show them a little bit of your personality but make sure you share content they’d be interested in. Sometimes you do have to “beat people over the head” to get them to check out a link. You might have to post a link multiple times in a week before someone actually sees it and clicks on it. Look for communities and people to collaborate and work with. It’s a great way to share and grow audiences. If you want to be successful in video or podcasting, make creating content a habit and not just something you do when you have “free time”. Don’t try to fine-tune your content to perfection; give yourself a deadline and ship it. Aaron: It seems like you’re constantly putting out content. I always see you tweeting about editing vlogs or your latest podcast episode. You post two videos to your YouTube channel every week in addition to your weekly podcast, Design Life. How do you manage to create so much while still working a full time job?Charli: When you create a lot of content online (like I do), everything in your life becomes an opportunity to create content and tell a story. If I go to an event, I think about what I’m going to learn that I can share with other people. This provides a constant stream of ideas that I can share in my videos or podcast episodes.Aaron: So you put a lot of content out consistently, and you’re seeing results; you’re almost to 25,000 subscribers on Youtube. Can you take us back to the beginning and share how and why you got started?Charli: I started my Youtube channel back in 2013 because I wanted to see into the lives of other designers, but I wasn’t finding the kind of content I was looking for. There were a lot of tutorials, but I wanted to get to know the people behind those tutorials.I decided to start my own YouTube channel so I could create lifestyle content from the perspective of a designer. Other designers discovered my channel because they were looking for the same thing. Having that unique point of view from the start really helped my channel grow.Aaron: So you made the show you wanted to watch, and it turned out that there are a lot of other people who wanted that show as well?Charli: Exactly. I try to think about what I would have found valuable in my early days of getting started as a designer, and then I create that content. It’s really rewarding when I hear from young designers who tell me how my content is helping them.Charli’s Gear SetupAaron: What kind of gear were you using when you started back in 2013?Charli: When I first started, I was using a Nikon D5000. It’s a DLSR but it can only record video for 5 minutes at a time and only in 720p. It didn’t have a flip-out screen or auto-focus in video mode, so there were a lot of challenges to overcome to get my video content made, but I stuck with it. It was about a year before I could afford an upgrade.Aaron: I started a video show recently, and I’ve been using my iPhone and a Shure MV88 mic, and I’ve already got better gear than you had (because I’ve got the front-facing screen to see myself). With smart phone cameras being as good as they are now, anyone can shoot video. What did you end up upgrading to?Charli: I got a Canon 70d which I really like. It’s a great all around camera for the price.You don’t have to have the best camera or microphone to get started. Use what you have or what you can afford, and upgrade later.Charli’s Tips for Growing an AudienceAaron: When you started producing video, did you have any kind of online following?Charli: Not really. I think I had around 1,000 followers on Twitter because I was pretty active in my design and tech scene in Wellington, NZ, so I suppose that’s where my first views came from.Aaron: Did you have a strategy for growing your audience?Charli: I knew a little bit about search engine optimization (because I was doing it at my job), so I thought about how I could apply that to my videos, but it was mostly trial-and-error. I paid attention to what worked, what thumbnails people preferred and what content they were interested in. But something I’ve done from the start was to make sure my videos were tagged well so that they come up in search. Today, about half of my views come from people searching YouTube. Don’t underestimate the value of SEO.Aaron: SEO is important. The way I like to explain it is just think about what people would search Google or Youtube for, and then use those words in your podcast or video title, or in headlines on your blog post. There’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s a great place to start.How to Get People to Pay Attention to Your ContentJordan Newhouse asks: I produce new content every week. How do I get people to realize the content is there and get them to check it out?Charli: Start by looping in all of your social media to the content you’re creating. You don’t want to be talking about yourself non-stop online, that’s not the way to have an interesting account.If you want someone to invest time in what you’re creating, show them a little bit of your personality but make sure you share content they’d be interested in.You have to share your content more than once. You can’t send out a tweet and expect everyone to notice. Some people might not be paying attention or they might be half-asleep; you have to share it anywhere and everywhere you can, in different ways. Try different titles to see what works.I create so much content so often that by the time I’m finished with a video, I’m already thinking about the next one, but I should be thinking about how to best promote the video I just made.Aaron: I used to feel weird about sharing links to my content more than once. I used to think people would be annoyed if they saw me post multiple links to content. I finally realized that most people just aren’t paying that close of attention to their social media streams.Sometimes you do have to “beat people over the head” to get them to check out a link. You might have to post a link multiple times in a week before someone actually sees it and clicks on it.How to Promote Your ContentCharli: One of the best ways to promote your content is in response to questions you see your audience asking. If one of your followers is discussing a topic you covered on your podcast, send them a link to that episode if you think they’d find it valuable.Aaron: I love doing that. Some of the podcasters I follow have their own hashtags, so I’ll use Twitter search to find people who are asking podcasting questions and send them links to my episodes where I answered their questions. If someone wants to learn, you would be doing them a disservice by not sending them a link to your content if it answers their question or would help them in some way.Participate in Your CommunityAaron: I talk a lot about the importance of participating in your community, inviting guests on your podcast and collaborating with other people. You participate in an active Youtube community, right?Charli: That’s something I love about Youtube, there’s a very active community there. Everyone’s very collaborative, it’s easy to create video with other people and combine your audiences.Look for communities and people to collaborate and work with. It’s a great way to share and grow audiences.Create Content in Multiple Mediums and Build a Creation HabitAaron: You started a podcast recently. Did you find it easier since you’ve been creating video for a couple years?Charli: There was definitely a learning curve, just like getting started with video. There were all these new things to learn like what kind of microphone to buy, how to record and edit, and how to get your show into iTunes. It seems like it should be easy, just hit record and make a podcast, but it’s really not that simple.Aaron: One of my friends wants to start a podcast, but he wants to get everything perfect right away. That’s just not how it works; you have to be willing to jump in and create something, give yourself a deadline, and ship it. Otherwise you’re going to be talking forever about how you want to do something but you’ll never actually finish anything. You have to be ok with not being awesome at something for awhile. You’ll get better over time.Charli: That’s really the key to producing content consistently; get used to not being perfect and learn as you go. You could wait until you know everything and get everything absolutely perfect, but then you wasted time you could have been building the habit of producing content.If you want to be successful in video or podcasting, make creating content a habit and not just something you do when you have “free time”.Charli: People ask me, “You’ve put out a video every Saturday for two and a half years, how do you do it?” I don’t even think about it anymore; it’s non-negotiable. A video will go up every Saturday because it’s just a habit.Aaron: Do you find yourself getting faster and more efficient as time goes on?Charli: Definitely, but you don’t want to settle in a rut. Your audience will get bored if they see the same thing every week. When things are getting too easy, that’s when I try to learn something new to add to my process.Tips for Getting Started with Your First VideosAaron: We got another question from Jordan. She asked, “I’m about to make my very first video ever (it’s going to be part of my product launch). What are some things I should keep in mind?”Charli: Think beforehand about what the content of the video is going to be so that you can get all the right shots for it. You might even want to make a storyboard.You might end up needing to reshoot a few scenes because that’s just how it goes. You might get to the editing part and realize that you need another shot or you need to re-record something. That’s ok, it’s just part of the process.Aaron: Do you create storyboards for your videos?Charli: Not all the time, but sometimes, usually if I’m doing a fashion video that requires a bunch of different angles, I’ll just draw some rough sketches on a notebook to help me make sure I get all the shots.Aaron: I saw my friend Alex Cespedes (sorry I butchered your name in the show, dude) post a really interesting picture on Instagram showing how he outlines his podcast episodes on paper. I think that’s a great way to plan a show or podcast episode.Charli: People plan in different ways. I create a rough script or outline for my video in the notes app on my phone and that’s enough to get my mind thinking about what I’m going to say and how I need to say it.How to Create ConsistentlyAaron: What are your biggest struggles with creating consistently, and how do you overcome those?Charli: Time is always going to be a struggle. Even if you want to put something out every week, not every week is the same. In my life, I’ve got my day job, but that’s also things to do in the evenings and I travel a lot, so I have to make sure I make enough time to create a video I’m proud of. It’s always a struggle, but that’s where building the habit comes in. Planning definitely helps with the time constraint as well; I break the process down into little steps so I can get things done whenever I have time.Don’t try to fine-tune your content to perfection; give yourself a deadline and ship it.Aaron: One of my struggles is that there are always more projects that I want to do. I shoot myself in the foot by taking on too many things and not giving any one thing the focus it needs to be as successful as it can be. I try to do six things in a week and because I’m trying to work on all of them, I don’t make much progress on any of them.Charli: You have to pick which thing is most important to you and make sure that one gets done. Then you can worry about the other things.Collaboration Can Help You Produce ConsistentlyAaron: You’ve got a co-host for your podcast. Does that help you get the show done every week? You do a lot of videos by yourself, so you’d probably be ok on your own, right?Charli: I don’t think I would, no. I would not have a podcast if it wasn’t for my co-host Femke. Since I do two videos every week, we split up the duties so that she does the editing and I do the show notes and our newsletter. But she does a lot more work than I do, which is really helpful.Aaron: It is really helpful to have someone hold you accountable and help you do the work that it takes to put a show out every week. Podcasting is a lot of work and there’s nothing better than having a co-host who is really invested and willing to help with the work and keep you on track with producing.Q&amp;A:Adina asked: How do I avoid looking awkward or sounding boring on camera?Charli: That’s a question that everyone asks and something that everyone goes through.. The answer is just practice. You’re going to make a lot of awkward videos before you start to feel comfortable.I don’t know if I can pinpoint the exact moment where I started feeling comfortable talking to the camera, but it happened. After I made enough videos, it stopped being a weird thing. Vlogging really helped for me, just picking up the camera and talking to it as I went through my day. It felt more casual and less stressful then sitting down in front of lights to film.Aaron: It’s the self-imposed pressure, right? We want to be as good as someone else we’ve seen. We see all these people making videos and podcasts and they always seem so fluid and cool and they’ve always got funny things to say. They’ve got 600,000 views and 300,000 likes and we think that’s the level of quality we have to achieve, but it doesn’t happen overnight. You won’t get there in the first couple tries.Also, being a better speaker and communicator is something you can teach yourself. Unless you slow down and think critically about the way you talk and how you can improve, you won’t improve. You can improve the way you talk. You can change the way that you talk and it will start to become the natural way that you talk with practice and time.Charli: When you first started podcasting, did you find listening to your own voice awkward?Aaron: Definitely.Charli: When I started making video, it was hard for me to watch and listen to myself, but now, I feel like I sound exactly like I do in my head. I don’t know what changed, but it’s not awkward anymore.Aaron: Part of it is just getting comfortable hearing yourself on recordings. You just get used to it after awhile. But I listen back to old episodes I’ve done and there are things I don’t like about the way I sound, so I think about what I could have done differently to sound better. I try to learn from my mistakes and improve, and I have, slowly over time and with practice.Charli: When I listen back to my first 6 months of video, I don’t sound like me; I sound like someone trying to make a video. Now I feel like I just sound like me, like I sound when I’m having a normal conversation.Aaron: We got a followup question: What about filming in public? I feel painfully embarrassed when I shoot video in public.I absolutely know what that feels like. I feel super weird about holding a phone or camera out and shooting a video in public. I don’t even like people seeing me taking pictures of other people or myself in public. But I’m going to let Charli talk about this since she’s gotten comfortable with recording video in public.Charli: I still feel awkward sometimes, like if I’m going to be sitting on a train with people on the way to work, I won’t pull out my camera and talking to it. But if I’m walking down the street, I’m probably never going to see any of those people again. If I know I need to get a shot to explain something in my vlog later, then I just have to get over feeling weird and get the shot that I need. And it comes back to practice.Aaron: And really, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Someone makes fun of you or looks at you like you’re an idiot?Charli: Exactly, and don’t think of it as you’re talking to your phone or camera, you’re talking to the person on the other side who is watching you later. You’re not really talking to yourself, even if it looks like you are.Aaron: Now I’m thinking about how funny it would be to make a show where you just walk around in public all day, talking to yourself and catching people looking horrified or disgusted in the background.Charli: Even if you do feel self-conscious, do it anyway and at least you’ll have all the shots you need.You can find Charli online at CharliMarie.com. Her Youtube channel is Charli Marie TV, and you can find her on Twitter and Instagram as well. She is also the co-host of Design Life, a fantastic podcast about design and side projects for motivated creators.Links: Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd  Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com  Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron 

<p>Charli Prangley is a designer by day and a content creator by... well, pretty much the rest of the time. In addition to her day job, she produces two high-quality Youtube videos and a podcast every week, and also runs an online apparel shop. I was so impressed with the consistency and quality of her output that I knew I had to get her on the show to share how she creates so much while still working a full-time job.</p><p>If you've ever struggled with creating consistently or trying to get everything 100% perfect before shipping, you need to listen to this episode.</p><h2>Key Takeaways:</h2><ul> <li>You don’t have to have the best camera or microphone to get started. Use what you have or what you can afford, and upgrade later.</li> <li>If you want someone to invest time in what you’re creating, show them a little bit of your personality but make sure you share content they’d be interested in.</li> <li>Sometimes you do have to “beat people over the head” to get them to check out a link. You might have to post a link multiple times in a week before someone actually sees it and clicks on it.</li> <li>Look for communities and people to collaborate and work with. It’s a great way to share and grow audiences.</li> <li>If you want to be successful in video or podcasting, make creating content a habit and not just something you do when you have “free time”.</li> <li>Don’t try to fine-tune your content to perfection; give yourself a deadline and ship it.</li> </ul><p>Aaron: It seems like you’re constantly putting out content. I always see you tweeting about editing vlogs or your latest podcast episode. You post two videos to your YouTube channel every week in addition to your weekly podcast, Design Life. How do you manage to create so much while still working a full time job?</p><p>Charli: When you create a lot of content online (like I do), everything in your life becomes an opportunity to create content and tell a story. If I go to an event, I think about what I’m going to learn that I can share with other people. This provides a constant stream of ideas that I can share in my videos or podcast episodes.</p><p>Aaron: So you put a lot of content out consistently, and you’re seeing results; you’re almost to 25,000 subscribers on Youtube. Can you take us back to the beginning and share how and why you got started?</p><p>Charli: I started my Youtube channel back in 2013 because I wanted to see into the lives of other designers, but I wasn’t finding the kind of content I was looking for. There were a lot of tutorials, but I wanted to get to know the people behind those tutorials.</p><p>I decided to start my own YouTube channel so I could create lifestyle content from the perspective of a designer. Other designers discovered my channel because they were looking for the same thing. Having that unique point of view from the start really helped my channel grow.</p><p>Aaron: So you made the show you wanted to watch, and it turned out that there are a lot of other people who wanted that show as well?</p><p>Charli: Exactly. I try to think about what I would have found valuable in my early days of getting started as a designer, and then I create that content. It’s really rewarding when I hear from young designers who tell me how my content is helping them.</p><h3>Charli’s Gear Setup</h3><p>Aaron: What kind of gear were you using when you started back in 2013?</p><p>Charli: When I first started, I was using a Nikon D5000. It’s a DLSR but it can only record video for 5 minutes at a time and only in 720p. It didn’t have a flip-out screen or auto-focus in video mode, so there were a lot of challenges to overcome to get my video content made, but I stuck with it. It was about a year before I could afford an upgrade.</p><p>Aaron: I started a video show recently, and I’ve been using my iPhone and a Shure MV88 mic, and I’ve already got better gear than you had (because I’ve got the front-facing screen to see myself). With smart phone cameras being as good as they are now, anyone can shoot video. What did you end up upgrading to?</p><p>Charli: I got a Canon 70d which I really like. It’s a great all around camera for the price.</p><p>You don’t have to have the best camera or microphone to get started. Use what you have or what you can afford, and upgrade later.</p><h3>Charli’s Tips for Growing an Audience</h3><p>Aaron: When you started producing video, did you have any kind of online following?</p><p>Charli: Not really. I think I had around 1,000 followers on Twitter because I was pretty active in my design and tech scene in Wellington, NZ, so I suppose that’s where my first views came from.</p><p>Aaron: Did you have a strategy for growing your audience?</p><p>Charli: I knew a little bit about search engine optimization (because I was doing it at my job), so I thought about how I could apply that to my videos, but it was mostly trial-and-error. I paid attention to what worked, what thumbnails people preferred and what content they were interested in. But something I’ve done from the start was to make sure my videos were tagged well so that they come up in search. Today, about half of my views come from people searching YouTube. Don’t underestimate the value of SEO.</p><p>Aaron: SEO is important. The way I like to explain it is just think about what people would search Google or Youtube for, and then use those words in your podcast or video title, or in headlines on your blog post. There’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s a great place to start.</p><h3>How to Get People to Pay Attention to Your Content</h3><p>Jordan Newhouse asks: I produce new content every week. How do I get people to realize the content is there and get them to check it out?</p><p>Charli: Start by looping in all of your social media to the content you’re creating. You don’t want to be talking about yourself non-stop online, that’s not the way to have an interesting account.</p><p>If you want someone to invest time in what you’re creating, show them a little bit of your personality but make sure you share content they’d be interested in.</p><p>You have to share your content more than once. You can’t send out a tweet and expect everyone to notice. Some people might not be paying attention or they might be half-asleep; you have to share it anywhere and everywhere you can, in different ways. Try different titles to see what works.</p><p>I create so much content so often that by the time I’m finished with a video, I’m already thinking about the next one, but I should be thinking about how to best promote the video I just made.</p><p>Aaron: I used to feel weird about sharing links to my content more than once. I used to think people would be annoyed if they saw me post multiple links to content. I finally realized that most people just aren’t paying that close of attention to their social media streams.</p><p>Sometimes you do have to “beat people over the head” to get them to check out a link. You might have to post a link multiple times in a week before someone actually sees it and clicks on it.</p><h3>How to Promote Your Content</h3><p>Charli: One of the best ways to promote your content is in response to questions you see your audience asking. If one of your followers is discussing a topic you covered on your podcast, send them a link to that episode if you think they’d find it valuable.</p><p>Aaron: I love doing that. Some of the podcasters I follow have their own hashtags, so I’ll use Twitter search to find people who are asking podcasting questions and send them links to my episodes where I answered their questions. If someone wants to learn, you would be doing them a disservice by not sending them a link to your content if it answers their question or would help them in some way.</p><h3>Participate in Your Community</h3><p>Aaron: I talk a lot about the importance of participating in your community, inviting guests on your podcast and collaborating with other people. You participate in an active Youtube community, right?</p><p>Charli: That’s something I love about Youtube, there’s a very active community there. Everyone’s very collaborative, it’s easy to create video with other people and combine your audiences.</p><p>Look for communities and people to collaborate and work with. It’s a great way to share and grow audiences.</p><h3>Create Content in Multiple Mediums and Build a Creation Habit</h3><p>Aaron: You started a podcast recently. Did you find it easier since you’ve been creating video for a couple years?</p><p>Charli: There was definitely a learning curve, just like getting started with video. There were all these new things to learn like what kind of microphone to buy, how to record and edit, and how to get your show into iTunes. It seems like it should be easy, just hit record and make a podcast, but it’s really not that simple.</p><p>Aaron: One of my friends wants to start a podcast, but he wants to get everything perfect right away. That’s just not how it works; you have to be willing to jump in and create something, give yourself a deadline, and ship it. Otherwise you’re going to be talking forever about how you want to do something but you’ll never actually finish anything. You have to be ok with not being awesome at something for awhile. You’ll get better over time.</p><p>Charli: That’s really the key to producing content consistently; get used to not being perfect and learn as you go. You could wait until you know everything and get everything absolutely perfect, but then you wasted time you could have been building the habit of producing content.</p><p>If you want to be successful in video or podcasting, make creating content a habit and not just something you do when you have “free time”.</p><p>Charli: People ask me, “You’ve put out a video every Saturday for two and a half years, how do you do it?” I don’t even think about it anymore; it’s non-negotiable. A video will go up every Saturday because it’s just a habit.</p><p>Aaron: Do you find yourself getting faster and more efficient as time goes on?</p><p>Charli: Definitely, but you don’t want to settle in a rut. Your audience will get bored if they see the same thing every week. When things are getting too easy, that’s when I try to learn something new to add to my process.</p><h3>Tips for Getting Started with Your First Videos</h3><p>Aaron: We got another question from Jordan. She asked, “I’m about to make my very first video ever (it’s going to be part of my product launch). What are some things I should keep in mind?”</p><p>Charli: Think beforehand about what the content of the video is going to be so that you can get all the right shots for it. You might even want to make a storyboard.</p><p>You might end up needing to reshoot a few scenes because that’s just how it goes. You might get to the editing part and realize that you need another shot or you need to re-record something. That’s ok, it’s just part of the process.</p><p>Aaron: Do you create storyboards for your videos?</p><p>Charli: Not all the time, but sometimes, usually if I’m doing a fashion video that requires a bunch of different angles, I’ll just draw some rough sketches on a notebook to help me make sure I get all the shots.</p><p>Aaron: I saw my friend Alex Cespedes (sorry I butchered your name in the show, dude) post a really interesting picture on Instagram showing how he outlines his podcast episodes on paper. I think that’s a great way to plan a show or podcast episode.</p><p>Charli: People plan in different ways. I create a rough script or outline for my video in the notes app on my phone and that’s enough to get my mind thinking about what I’m going to say and how I need to say it.</p><h3>How to Create Consistently</h3><p>Aaron: What are your biggest struggles with creating consistently, and how do you overcome those?</p><p>Charli: Time is always going to be a struggle. Even if you want to put something out every week, not every week is the same. In my life, I’ve got my day job, but that’s also things to do in the evenings and I travel a lot, so I have to make sure I make enough time to create a video I’m proud of. It’s always a struggle, but that’s where building the habit comes in. Planning definitely helps with the time constraint as well; I break the process down into little steps so I can get things done whenever I have time.</p><p>Don’t try to fine-tune your content to perfection; give yourself a deadline and ship it.</p><p>Aaron: One of my struggles is that there are always more projects that I want to do. I shoot myself in the foot by taking on too many things and not giving any one thing the focus it needs to be as successful as it can be. I try to do six things in a week and because I’m trying to work on all of them, I don’t make much progress on any of them.</p><p>Charli: You have to pick which thing is most important to you and make sure that one gets done. Then you can worry about the other things.</p><h3>Collaboration Can Help You Produce Consistently</h3><p>Aaron: You’ve got a co-host for your podcast. Does that help you get the show done every week? You do a lot of videos by yourself, so you’d probably be ok on your own, right?</p><p>Charli: I don’t think I would, no. I would not have a podcast if it wasn’t for my co-host Femke. Since I do two videos every week, we split up the duties so that she does the editing and I do the show notes and our newsletter. But she does a lot more work than I do, which is really helpful.</p><p>Aaron: It is really helpful to have someone hold you accountable and help you do the work that it takes to put a show out every week. Podcasting is a lot of work and there’s nothing better than having a co-host who is really invested and willing to help with the work and keep you on track with producing.</p><h3>Q&amp;A:</h3><p>Adina asked: How do I avoid looking awkward or sounding boring on camera?</p><p>Charli: That’s a question that everyone asks and something that everyone goes through.. The answer is just practice. You’re going to make a lot of awkward videos before you start to feel comfortable.</p><p>I don’t know if I can pinpoint the exact moment where I started feeling comfortable talking to the camera, but it happened. After I made enough videos, it stopped being a weird thing. Vlogging really helped for me, just picking up the camera and talking to it as I went through my day. It felt more casual and less stressful then sitting down in front of lights to film.</p><p>Aaron: It’s the self-imposed pressure, right? We want to be as good as someone else we’ve seen. We see all these people making videos and podcasts and they always seem so fluid and cool and they’ve always got funny things to say. They’ve got 600,000 views and 300,000 likes and we think that’s the level of quality we have to achieve, but it doesn’t happen overnight. You won’t get there in the first couple tries.</p><p>Also, being a better speaker and communicator is something you can teach yourself. Unless you slow down and think critically about the way you talk and how you can improve, you won’t improve. You can improve the way you talk. You can change the way that you talk and it will start to become the natural way that you talk with practice and time.</p><p>Charli: When you first started podcasting, did you find listening to your own voice awkward?</p><p>Aaron: Definitely.</p><p>Charli: When I started making video, it was hard for me to watch and listen to myself, but now, I feel like I sound exactly like I do in my head. I don’t know what changed, but it’s not awkward anymore.</p><p>Aaron: Part of it is just getting comfortable hearing yourself on recordings. You just get used to it after awhile. But I listen back to old episodes I’ve done and there are things I don’t like about the way I sound, so I think about what I could have done differently to sound better. I try to learn from my mistakes and improve, and I have, slowly over time and with practice.</p><p>Charli: When I listen back to my first 6 months of video, I don’t sound like me; I sound like someone trying to make a video. Now I feel like I just sound like me, like I sound when I’m having a normal conversation.</p><p>Aaron: We got a followup question: What about filming in public? I feel painfully embarrassed when I shoot video in public.</p><p>I absolutely know what that feels like. I feel super weird about holding a phone or camera out and shooting a video in public. I don’t even like people seeing me taking pictures of other people or myself in public. But I’m going to let Charli talk about this since she’s gotten comfortable with recording video in public.</p><p>Charli: I still feel awkward sometimes, like if I’m going to be sitting on a train with people on the way to work, I won’t pull out my camera and talking to it. But if I’m walking down the street, I’m probably never going to see any of those people again. If I know I need to get a shot to explain something in my vlog later, then I just have to get over feeling weird and get the shot that I need. And it comes back to practice.</p><p>Aaron: And really, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Someone makes fun of you or looks at you like you’re an idiot?</p><p>Charli: Exactly, and don’t think of it as you’re talking to your phone or camera, you’re talking to the person on the other side who is watching you later. You’re not really talking to yourself, even if it looks like you are.</p><p>Aaron: Now I’m thinking about how funny it would be to make a show where you just walk around in public all day, talking to yourself and catching people looking horrified or disgusted in the background.</p><p>Charli: Even if you do feel self-conscious, do it anyway and at least you’ll have all the shots you need.</p><p>You can find Charli online at <a href="https://charlimarie.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CharliMarie.com</a>. Her Youtube channel is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/charlimarieTV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charli Marie TV</a>, and you can find her on <a href="https://twitter.com/charliprangley" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/charliprangley/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> as well. She is also the co-host of <a href="https://www.designlife.fm/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Design Life</a>, a fantastic podcast about design and side projects for motivated creators.</p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcastingwithaaron.com</a> </li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting</a> </li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd</a> </li> <li>Blog: <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a> </li> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron</a> </li></ul>

Getting to 20,000 Subscribers with Charli Prangley

Talking music today! Where are the best places to find music for podcasts? Can you use copyrighted materials in your podcast if you keep the clip under 30 seconds? And is podcast music even necessary?Key Takeaways: Don’t use copyrighted music in your podcast unless you have permission from whoever holds the copyrights. Finding music on a free music site doesn’t mean it’s automatically legal to use in your podcast. The best way to be sure is to buy music from a reputable seller like AudioJungle.net. The first thing you should know is that you should not use copyrighted music in any part of your podcast unless you have permission from the rights holder. Period. It’s not ok.Now that that’s been said, here’s my list of the best places to get music for your podcast:  AudioJungle.net (this is my favorite place to get affordable music for podcasts)  YouTube Audio Library (the best place I’ve found for free music) Creative Commons tag on Bandcamp FreeMusicArchive.org Note: some of the songs on the free music sites will require you to give attribution (a link to the original author) somewhere on your website or in your show notes. Make sure you double check the requirements before using free music in your podcast and always give a link back if the usage license requires it.Can I Use Copyrighted Music in My Podcast?Don’t use other people’s copyrighted music in your podcast unless you have permission to use it.The only exception is if you are discussing or critiquing that piece of music. If that’s something you plan on doing regularly, you need to read up on Fair Use and get familiar with what you can and can’t do with copyrighted music or other materials.Also, I’m not a lawyer or even an expert on fair use, so please don’t sue me for any reason at all. I’m not rich, anyways, so you wouldn’t get much.Don’t use copyrighted music in your podcast unless you have permission from whoever holds the copyrights.You might hear other people using copyrighted materials in their podcast, but that doesn’t make it ok. Just because they haven’t got caught or sued yet doesn’t mean they never will.Tips for Using Music in Your PodcastKeep your intro music short. Don’t make the music in your intro long, especially if your show starts with music. Keep it less than 10 seconds.If you have a talking introduction before you play the music (like I do), then your music can go a little longer, but try to limit it to around 30 seconds. Even if you think your music is really great, most people are there to listen to you talk, not to listen to music. They have Spotify and Apple Music for that.You don’t have to use music in your podcast at all. Some of the podcasts I regularly listen to don’t have music, and it’s fine. Also, not using music in your podcast can cut down on post production time.I read an article from Paul Jarvis last week where he explains how he plans, records, edits, and publishes episodes in under an hour. (Note: I said Justin Jackson in the podcast. Sorry, Paul.) Not having music reduces the amount of time he has to spend in post-production, and I think that’s great for him.Be careful with free music. Finding music on a free music site doesn’t mean it’s automatically legal to use in your podcast. The best way to be sure is to buy music from a reputable seller like AudioJungle.net.Automating Music VolumeIf you want to include music in your podcast and you’re not paying for a professional radio-style intro (I’m not a fan of those, honestly), you’ll need to learn how to automate volume changes.In Garageband and Logic, you can automate volume changes in your tracks by hitting “A” and clicking to add points on the horizontal line that you’ll see overlaid on each track. This allows you to drop the volume of a music track when you start talking, or fade the music out at the end of your podcast.Check out Youtube for automation tutorials for your software.Additionally…One of the listeners shared a story about how he used copyrighted music in his early Youtube videos and eventually had to take them down. He lost out on a lot of views because of that bad decision, so again, don’t use copyrighted materials in your stuff. He now uses a subscription service called Epidemic Sound that provides a big library of royalty free songs to creators. Prices start a $15/month, so check that out.Listener Mikael wrote in to remind me that Logic Pro X comes with a ton of loops and synths, so you can totally put together a song with those. I think that’s a great idea, but I would be careful not to use the full songs that come with Logic or Garageband, as those are overused in videos and podcasts.Links: Best Royalty-Free Music Websites Posting Cover Songs on YouTube: Music Licensing Law Explained Answers from an actual lawyer: Can I use that music, image, or clip? Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd  Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com  Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron 

<p>Talking music today! Where are the best places to find music for podcasts? Can you use copyrighted materials in your podcast if you keep the clip under 30 seconds? And is podcast music even necessary?</p><h3>Key Takeaways:</h3><ul> <li>Don’t use copyrighted music in your podcast unless you have permission from whoever holds the copyrights.</li> <li>Finding music on a free music site doesn’t mean it’s automatically legal to use in your podcast. The best way to be sure is to buy music from a reputable seller like <a href="http://AudioJungle.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AudioJungle.net</a>.</li> </ul><p>The first thing you should know is that you should not use copyrighted music in any part of your podcast unless you have permission from the rights holder. Period. It’s not ok.</p><p>Now that that’s been said, here’s my list of the best places to get music for your podcast:</p><ul> <li> <a href="https://audiojungle.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AudioJungle.net</a> (this is my favorite place to get affordable music for podcasts)</li> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music?nv=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube Audio Library</a> (the best place I’ve found for free music)</li> <li>Creative Commons tag on Bandcamp</li> <li><a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FreeMusicArchive.org</a></li> </ul><p>Note: some of the songs on the free music sites will require you to give attribution (a link to the original author) somewhere on your website or in your show notes. Make sure you double check the requirements before using free music in your podcast and always give a link back if the usage license requires it.</p><h3>Can I Use Copyrighted Music in My Podcast?</h3><p>Don’t use other people’s copyrighted music in your podcast unless you have permission to use it.</p><p>The only exception is if you are discussing or critiquing that piece of music. If that’s something you plan on doing regularly, you need to read up on Fair Use and get familiar with what you can and can’t do with copyrighted music or other materials.</p><p>Also, I’m not a lawyer or even an expert on fair use, so please don’t sue me for any reason at all. I’m not rich, anyways, so you wouldn’t get much.</p><p>Don’t use copyrighted music in your podcast unless you have permission from whoever holds the copyrights.</p><p>You might hear other people using copyrighted materials in their podcast, but that doesn’t make it ok. Just because they haven’t got caught or sued yet doesn’t mean they never will.</p><h3>Tips for Using Music in Your Podcast</h3><p>Keep your intro music short. Don’t make the music in your intro long, especially if your show starts with music. Keep it less than 10 seconds.</p><p>If you have a talking introduction before you play the music (like I do), then your music can go a little longer, but try to limit it to around 30 seconds. Even if you think your music is really great, most people are there to listen to you talk, not to listen to music. They have Spotify and Apple Music for that.</p><p>You don’t have to use music in your podcast at all. Some of the podcasts I regularly listen to don’t have music, and it’s fine. Also, not using music in your podcast can cut down on post production time.</p><p>I read an article from Paul Jarvis last week where he explains how he plans, records, edits, and publishes episodes in under an hour. (Note: I said Justin Jackson in the podcast. Sorry, Paul.) Not having music reduces the amount of time he has to spend in post-production, and I think that’s great for him.</p><p>Be careful with free music. Finding music on a free music site doesn’t mean it’s automatically legal to use in your podcast. The best way to be sure is to buy music from a reputable seller like <a href="http://AudioJungle.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AudioJungle.net</a>.</p><h3>Automating Music Volume</h3><p>If you want to include music in your podcast and you’re not paying for a professional radio-style intro (I’m not a fan of those, honestly), you’ll need to learn how to automate volume changes.</p><p>In Garageband and Logic, you can automate volume changes in your tracks by hitting “A” and clicking to add points on the horizontal line that you’ll see overlaid on each track. This allows you to drop the volume of a music track when you start talking, or fade the music out at the end of your podcast.</p><p>Check out Youtube for automation tutorials for your software.</p><h3>Additionally…</h3><p>One of the listeners shared a story about how he used copyrighted music in his early Youtube videos and eventually had to take them down. He lost out on a lot of views because of that bad decision, so again, don’t use copyrighted materials in your stuff. He now uses a subscription service called <a href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Epidemic Sound</a> that provides a big library of royalty free songs to creators. Prices start a $15/month, so check that out.</p><p>Listener Mikael wrote in to remind me that Logic Pro X comes with a ton of loops and synths, so you can totally put together a song with those. I think that’s a great idea, but I would be careful not to use the full songs that come with Logic or Garageband, as those are overused in videos and podcasts.</p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/videoblocksreview/best-royalty-free-music-wesites" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Best Royalty-Free Music Websites</a></li> <li><a href="https://diymusician.cdbaby.com/youtube/posting-cover-songs-on-youtube-music-licensing-law-explained/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Posting Cover Songs on YouTube: Music Licensing Law Explained</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.simplecast.com/can-i-use-that-music-image-or-clip/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Answers from an actual lawyer: Can I use that music, image, or clip?</a></li> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcastingwithaaron.com</a> </li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting</a> </li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd</a> </li> <li>Blog: <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a> </li> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron</a> </li></ul>

Where to Find the Best Music For Your Podcast

I got this topic from a question that I read in Gary Vaynerchuk’s recent book, #AskGaryVee. The question was this: “What’s the best way to grow a following or community from nothing?”For some people, an audience means ad revenue. For some people, it means enough people to buy your product or work to support you. Some people just want the attention because they feel empty inside and need to feel like people love them. Hey, I get it, I’m not judging. I love feeling loved.So how do you grow a following from nothing? That’s what I'm exploring in this week's episode.Key Takeaways If you want to grow a following, put out quality content every day and engage around it. – Gary Vaynerchuk If you want to be known for something, spend more time talking about it publicly and less time talking about other things. If you’re not solving a clear problem with your podcast, then it’s going to be difficult to get people to pay attention. Talking with people online can be time consuming, but that’s how you build an audience in the beginning; one person at a time. Two great ways to build an audience for your podcast; invite people to come on your show, and be a guest on other related podcasts. Putting out average content on an average schedule will get you average results. – Ed Williams I’m going to share with you what Gary Vaynerchuck said first, because I think it’s a simple answer that is absolutely the truth.“If you want to grow a following, put out quality content every day and engage around it.” – Gary VaynerchukIt sounds simple, but it’s not actually that easy. Let's break it down a little further. The outline looks like this:1. Create content Have an idea or something valuable to share Communicate that idea with some tool medium (writing, podcasting, video, public speaking) Learn the tool or medium, get better at it, create more content 2. Engage Around That Content Ask for comments or feedback Respond to comments or feedback Make more content in response to that feedback 3. Build Your Community Define your audience Invite people to come on your show Be a guest on other people’s shows Introduce your audience members to each other and foster connections Let’s dive in and explore each of these steps.1. Creating ContentJeremiah asked: How do you make sure that you’re targeting the right audience?Know What You Want to Be Known For, and Be All About That ThingIt’s easier for people to understand you when you’re all about one thing.If you’re all about virtual reality and that’s all you talk about, write about, and publish podcast episodes about, when someone in your audience has a friend who wants to learn about VR, they’re gonna send them to you.If you want to be known for something, spend more time talking about it publicly and less time talking about other things.Gary Vee said you should be putting out valuable content every day and engaging around it. And while he’s right, daily output is very hard. If you can’t put out something every day, then at least try to share something valuable related to your topic everyday. Curate the valuable content you come across.Be Patient – Growing an Audience Takes YearsIn the beginning, you’re going to struggle with knowing what content to put out and how to use the tools available to put it out there.It’s easy to say “I’m going to put out a video or a podcast every day”, but things get a little harder once you actually pick up a camera and or sit down to record.You have to think about things like, “Should I write a script? Where do I shoot the video? What about intros and outros, what about microphones, what about hosting?”There are so many things to learn when it comes to any kind of content creation, so be patient and don’t give up when you hit a roadblock. Buy books. Watch webinars and youtube tutorials. Buy online courses. Learn the tools and get comfortable with using them to create stuff.Stop Focusing on Numbers and Start Focusing on QualityInstead of asking “How do get more people to check out my show?”, you should be asking, “How do I make a show that more people will be interested in checking out?”Can you see the difference there? It’s subtle, but it exists. Worrying about numbers will not get you more listeners, but figuring out ways to make your podcast better will.If you’re just starting out, the idea of working on something for hours and then publishing it to an audience of no one is scary. I get it, I was there not too long ago.You have to overcome the part of you that wants to quit because you think that not enough people are paying attention to the thing you’re making. If you don’t push through the beginning phase, you’ll never get to the part where the stuff you're making is good enough to get and hold people's attention.Focus On Delivering Value EverywhereIf you really want to grow an audience for your podcast, you need to be all about it everywhere. It needs to be featured on your website, on your Twitter profile, you need to talk about it constantly. Otherwise people aren’t going to notice, cause there’s a lot of stuff going on in their lives.People will find your show if it solves a problem they’re having, or if one of their friends loves it and thinks it’s great enough to share.If you’re not solving a clear problem with your podcast, then it’s going to be difficult to get people to pay attention.If you’re making a show purely for entertainment, you’re competing with a lot of other podcasts. It’s not impossible to get people to pay attention, but it’s hard. There are a lot of options for people who want to be entertained.Be Proud of Your Show, Get Excited About ItIf you don’t love your show enough to talk about it and be excited about it, then most people aren’t going to pay attention.Create something that you can get excited about and other people will see that and get excited about it too.2. Engage Around Your ContentEngaging around your content is pretty straightforward. Ask for comments or feedback and respond to any comments or feedback that you get.It’s strange to me that some people don’t ask their audience for feedback at the end of the show. Just say, “Let me know what you think; email or find me on Twitter.” It only takes a couple of seconds but it shows your audience that you’re willing to talk with them.Talking with people online can be time consuming, but that’s how you build an audience in the beginning; one person at a time.After you hear from people in your audience, go make more content based on what you learned from those interactions.Jeremiah asked: I’ve been asking my audience questions but I’m not getting replies. What should I do?Sean responded: Reasons you’re not getting replies when you ask for them: No one hears you asking. You haven’t offered a compelling lead magnet or positioned it in a way that is seen as valuable to your target audience. You haven’t established yourself as an authority. People need to see you as an expert before they ask you questions. You’re not asking the right way. You’re either asking too many things, asking ambiguously, or asking in a way that is not clear and is making people think too much. You’re asking the wrong people. 3. Building CommunityBuilding a community starts with defining your audience. People want to be part of tribes, groups of people who share a similar interest.Jordan Newhouse asked: Where do you go to build your audience? Social media? Guest posts on other blogs? Or is it true that “if you build it, they will come”?Building an audience involves a little bit of everything. Talk about what you care about on social media, make sure you link to your website in your various online profiles. Anywhere there’s an about page, tell people what you’re all about (bonus points if you do it in a way that describes what they’re going to get out of following you or listening to your podcast).And yes, writing blog posts for other people’s blogs or being a guest on other podcasts is a great way to build an audience.Collaborate With Your "Competition"One of the best ways to get new audience members is to collaborate with the people who are already speaking to the audience you want to speak to.If you’re a designer who is passionate about sports design (Hi Adam), find the people who are writing blog posts and doing podcasts and making videos about sports design and invite them to be on your show. Send them an email and ask if you can join them on your show.Two great ways to build an audience for your podcas are: Invite people to come on your show Be a guest on other related podcasts You should also be introducing your audience members to each other. Use your network to make introductions and foster connections.Be Willing to Share Your Story, Your Goals, and Your DreamsPart of growing a follow involves sharing yourself. You’re going to have to be comfortable with talking to people, sharing your opinions and thoughts surrounding the topic you’re talking about.In the beginning, it’s especially important to invest in your early fans. These are the people who are going to help you spread the word about your show and the people who are going to give you honest, helpful feedback (if you let them). Invest in them. Give them access to you.As your audience grows, it might become difficult to create and maintain connections with new audience members. You can’t really be good friends with 150 people, but you can always respond to people and say thanks and be grateful for their attention.Recap: If you want to grow an audience, put out valuable content everyday and engage with people. Know who you’re creating for and what they want and need. Make stuff for those people. Don’t be afraid to ask your audience members to share your show with a friend. Make yourself available as much as you can. Be polite and respond if people ask you questions. Be patient. Remember that the people you look up to (the people with the huge audiences) have been working on growing their audience for years, if not decades (and maybe multiple decades). The best time to get started is now. Q&amp;A:Daniela Anne asked: If you had to pick between quality and consistency in terms of growing an audience from scratch, which would you say is the most important?You really should aim for both, but if I had to pick one, I’d say consistency. You need to show up and create often. If you commit and show up, you’ll probably get better over time. Most people don’t get worse at something over time if they’re paying any attention at all to improving. I know it’s hard, but try not to compare yourself to anyone but your past self. Try to be better than you were last week.Matthew Kocanda asked: I’ve been building my business for over five years. I have a few friends that always support what I do, but now that I’m trying to branch out and really try to make this commission/design business lucrative, how do you FIND the audience? I feel like I’m starting from scratch on something that’s been 5 years in the making.The question you have to ask yourself is, “Am I solving a problem people have, or am I creating something that’s a nice to have?”If you’re creating something that’s just a nice-to-have, it’s a lot harder to make money than if you’re solving a problem. People are willing to pay money to make their problems go away, but we have endless free options for nice-to-have’s and entertainment.Something I heard on a podcast the other week made a ton of sense: If you want to make real money, solve “my house is burning down” problems.And I know some of you are thinking, “I just want to make my art and enjoy what I’m doing, I’m not doing it to make money.”Well, then we aren’t talking about business, we’re talking about art. There’s no guarantee that you’ll make any money with art you make just for yourself. It’s possible, but not promised. It’s easier to make money in business when you solve a problem or create something valuable for someone else in exchange for money.Ayah Abdul asked: What is the single most important call to action I can give my listeners at the end of an episode?I can’t tell you what the most important call to action is, you’ll have to decide that for yourself. Spend a little time thinking about it.Remember that the more call to actions you give someone, the less likely they are to do any of them, so try to keep it to one or two. Give some kind of call to action, don’t just leave people hanging when they finish an episode. Give them something to do or somewhere to go.Jeremiah Tutwiler asked: Do you have to create content daily? I know that this is the “Holy Grail”, but can you build an audience if you are consistently creating content on say a weekly basis?You can definitely grow an audience if you create content on a weekly basis, but I think you should supplement it with other things, like writing blog posts and engaging in your community and posting things your audience will find interesting or valuable to Twitter and other social networks.Links: Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd  Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com  Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron 

<p>I got this topic from a question that I read in Gary Vaynerchuk’s recent book, #AskGaryVee. The question was this: “What’s the best way to grow a following or community from nothing?”</p><p>For some people, an audience means ad revenue. For some people, it means enough people to buy your product or work to support you. Some people just want the attention because they feel empty inside and need to feel like people love them. Hey, I get it, I’m not judging. I love feeling loved.</p><p>So how do you grow a following from nothing? That’s what I'm exploring in this week's episode.</p><h2>Key Takeaways</h2><ul> <li>If you want to grow a following, put out quality content every day and engage around it. – Gary Vaynerchuk</li> <li>If you want to be known for something, spend more time talking about it publicly and less time talking about other things.</li> <li>If you’re not solving a clear problem with your podcast, then it’s going to be difficult to get people to pay attention.</li> <li>Talking with people online can be time consuming, but that’s how you build an audience in the beginning; one person at a time.</li> <li>Two great ways to build an audience for your podcast; invite people to come on your show, and be a guest on other related podcasts.</li> <li>Putting out average content on an average schedule will get you average results. – Ed Williams</li> </ul><p>I’m going to share with you what Gary Vaynerchuck said first, because I think it’s a simple answer that is absolutely the truth.</p><p>“If you want to grow a following, put out quality content every day and engage around it.” – Gary Vaynerchuk</p><p>It sounds simple, but it’s not actually that easy. Let's break it down a little further. The outline looks like this:</p><p><strong>1. Create content</strong></p><ul> <li>Have an idea or something valuable to share</li> <li>Communicate that idea with some tool medium (writing, podcasting, video, public speaking)</li> <li>Learn the tool or medium, get better at it, create more content</li> </ul><p><strong>2. Engage Around That Content</strong></p><ul> <li>Ask for comments or feedback</li> <li>Respond to comments or feedback</li> <li>Make more content in response to that feedback</li> </ul><p><strong>3. Build Your Community</strong></p><ul> <li>Define your audience</li> <li>Invite people to come on your show</li> <li>Be a guest on other people’s shows</li> <li>Introduce your audience members to each other and foster connections</li> </ul><p>Let’s dive in and explore each of these steps.</p><h3>1. Creating Content</h3><p>Jeremiah asked: How do you make sure that you’re targeting the right audience?</p><h3>Know What You Want to Be Known For, and Be All About That Thing</h3><p>It’s easier for people to understand you when you’re all about one thing.</p><p>If you’re all about virtual reality and that’s all you talk about, write about, and publish podcast episodes about, when someone in your audience has a friend who wants to learn about VR, they’re gonna send them to you.</p><p>If you want to be known for something, spend more time talking about it publicly and less time talking about other things.</p><p>Gary Vee said you should be putting out valuable content every day and engaging around it. And while he’s right, daily output is very hard. If you can’t put out something every day, then at least try to share something valuable related to your topic everyday. Curate the valuable content you come across.</p><h3>Be Patient – Growing an Audience Takes Years</h3><p>In the beginning, you’re going to struggle with knowing what content to put out and how to use the tools available to put it out there.</p><p>It’s easy to say “I’m going to put out a video or a podcast every day”, but things get a little harder once you actually pick up a camera and or sit down to record.</p><p>You have to think about things like, “Should I write a script? Where do I shoot the video? What about intros and outros, what about microphones, what about hosting?”</p><p>There are so many things to learn when it comes to any kind of content creation, so be patient and don’t give up when you hit a roadblock. Buy books. Watch webinars and youtube tutorials. Buy online courses. Learn the tools and get comfortable with using them to create stuff.</p><h3>Stop Focusing on Numbers and Start Focusing on Quality</h3><p>Instead of asking “How do get more people to check out my show?”, you should be asking, “How do I make a show that more people will be interested in checking out?”</p><p>Can you see the difference there? It’s subtle, but it exists. Worrying about numbers will not get you more listeners, but figuring out ways to make your podcast better will.</p><p>If you’re just starting out, the idea of working on something for hours and then publishing it to an audience of no one is scary. I get it, I was there not too long ago.</p><p>You have to overcome the part of you that wants to quit because you think that not enough people are paying attention to the thing you’re making. If you don’t push through the beginning phase, you’ll never get to the part where the stuff you're making is good enough to get and hold people's attention.</p><h3>Focus On Delivering Value Everywhere</h3><p>If you really want to grow an audience for your podcast, you need to be all about it everywhere. It needs to be featured on your website, on your Twitter profile, you need to talk about it constantly. Otherwise people aren’t going to notice, cause there’s a lot of stuff going on in their lives.</p><p>People will find your show if it solves a problem they’re having, or if one of their friends loves it and thinks it’s great enough to share.</p><p>If you’re not solving a clear problem with your podcast, then it’s going to be difficult to get people to pay attention.</p><p>If you’re making a show purely for entertainment, you’re competing with a lot of other podcasts. It’s not impossible to get people to pay attention, but it’s hard. There are a lot of options for people who want to be entertained.</p><h3>Be Proud of Your Show, Get Excited About It</h3><p>If you don’t love your show enough to talk about it and be excited about it, then most people aren’t going to pay attention.</p><p>Create something that you can get excited about and other people will see that and get excited about it too.</p><h3>2. Engage Around Your Content</h3><p>Engaging around your content is pretty straightforward. Ask for comments or feedback and respond to any comments or feedback that you get.</p><p>It’s strange to me that some people don’t ask their audience for feedback at the end of the show. Just say, “Let me know what you think; email or find me on Twitter.” It only takes a couple of seconds but it shows your audience that you’re willing to talk with them.</p><p>Talking with people online can be time consuming, but that’s how you build an audience in the beginning; one person at a time.</p><p>After you hear from people in your audience, go make more content based on what you learned from those interactions.</p><p>Jeremiah asked: I’ve been asking my audience questions but I’m not getting replies. What should I do?</p><p>Sean responded: Reasons you’re not getting replies when you ask for them:</p><ul> <li>No one hears you asking.</li> <li>You haven’t offered a compelling lead magnet or positioned it in a way that is seen as valuable to your target audience.</li> <li>You haven’t established yourself as an authority.</li> <li>People need to see you as an expert before they ask you questions.</li> <li>You’re not asking the right way.</li> <li>You’re either asking too many things, asking ambiguously, or asking in a way that is not clear and is making people think too much.</li> <li>You’re asking the wrong people.</li> </ul><h3>3. Building Community</h3><p>Building a community starts with defining your audience. People want to be part of tribes, groups of people who share a similar interest.</p><p>Jordan Newhouse asked: Where do you go to build your audience? Social media? Guest posts on other blogs? Or is it true that “if you build it, they will come”?</p><p>Building an audience involves a little bit of everything. Talk about what you care about on social media, make sure you link to your website in your various online profiles. Anywhere there’s an about page, tell people what you’re all about (bonus points if you do it in a way that describes what they’re going to get out of following you or listening to your podcast).</p><p>And yes, writing blog posts for other people’s blogs or being a guest on other podcasts is a great way to build an audience.</p><h3>Collaborate With Your "Competition"</h3><p>One of the best ways to get new audience members is to collaborate with the people who are already speaking to the audience you want to speak to.</p><p>If you’re a designer who is passionate about sports design (Hi Adam), find the people who are writing blog posts and doing podcasts and making videos about sports design and invite them to be on your show. Send them an email and ask if you can join them on your show.</p><p>Two great ways to build an audience for your podcas are:</p><ol> <li>Invite people to come on your show</li> <li>Be a guest on other related podcasts</li> </ol><p>You should also be introducing your audience members to each other. Use your network to make introductions and foster connections.</p><h3>Be Willing to Share Your Story, Your Goals, and Your Dreams</h3><p>Part of growing a follow involves sharing yourself. You’re going to have to be comfortable with talking to people, sharing your opinions and thoughts surrounding the topic you’re talking about.</p><p>In the beginning, it’s especially important to invest in your early fans. These are the people who are going to help you spread the word about your show and the people who are going to give you honest, helpful feedback (if you let them). Invest in them. Give them access to you.</p><p>As your audience grows, it might become difficult to create and maintain connections with new audience members. You can’t really be good friends with 150 people, but you can always respond to people and say thanks and be grateful for their attention.</p><h2>Recap:</h2><ul> <li>If you want to grow an audience, put out valuable content everyday and engage with people.</li> <li>Know who you’re creating for and what they want and need. Make stuff for those people.</li> <li>Don’t be afraid to ask your audience members to share your show with a friend.</li> <li>Make yourself available as much as you can. Be polite and respond if people ask you questions.</li> <li>Be patient. Remember that the people you look up to (the people with the huge audiences) have been working on growing their audience for years, if not decades (and maybe multiple decades). The best time to get started is now.</li> </ul><h2>Q&amp;A:</h2><p>Daniela Anne asked: If you had to pick between quality and consistency in terms of growing an audience from scratch, which would you say is the most important?</p><p>You really should aim for both, but if I had to pick one, I’d say consistency. You need to show up and create often. If you commit and show up, you’ll probably get better over time. Most people don’t get worse at something over time if they’re paying any attention at all to improving. I know it’s hard, but try not to compare yourself to anyone but your past self. Try to be better than you were last week.</p><p>Matthew Kocanda asked: I’ve been building my business for over five years. I have a few friends that always support what I do, but now that I’m trying to branch out and really try to make this commission/design business lucrative, how do you FIND the audience? I feel like I’m starting from scratch on something that’s been 5 years in the making.</p><p>The question you have to ask yourself is, “Am I solving a problem people have, or am I creating something that’s a nice to have?”</p><p>If you’re creating something that’s just a nice-to-have, it’s a lot harder to make money than if you’re solving a problem. People are willing to pay money to make their problems go away, but we have endless free options for nice-to-have’s and entertainment.</p><p>Something I heard on a podcast the other week made a ton of sense: If you want to make real money, solve “my house is burning down” problems.</p><p>And I know some of you are thinking, “I just want to make my art and enjoy what I’m doing, I’m not doing it to make money.”</p><p>Well, then we aren’t talking about business, we’re talking about art. There’s no guarantee that you’ll make any money with art you make just for yourself. It’s possible, but not promised. It’s easier to make money in business when you solve a problem or create something valuable for someone else in exchange for money.</p><p>Ayah Abdul asked: What is the single most important call to action I can give my listeners at the end of an episode?</p><p>I can’t tell you what the most important call to action is, you’ll have to decide that for yourself. Spend a little time thinking about it.</p><p>Remember that the more call to actions you give someone, the less likely they are to do any of them, so try to keep it to one or two. Give some kind of call to action, don’t just leave people hanging when they finish an episode. Give them something to do or somewhere to go.</p><p>Jeremiah Tutwiler asked: Do you have to create content daily? I know that this is the “Holy Grail”, but can you build an audience if you are consistently creating content on say a weekly basis?</p><p>You can definitely grow an audience if you create content on a weekly basis, but I think you should supplement it with other things, like writing blog posts and engaging in your community and posting things your audience will find interesting or valuable to Twitter and other social networks.</p><h2>Links:</h2><ul> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://podcastingwithaaron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcastingwithaaron.com</a> </li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting</a> </li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd</a> </li> <li>Blog: <a href="https://www.aarondowd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aarondowd.com</a> </li> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.co/podcastingwithaaron</a> </li></ul>

How Do I Grow an Audience for My Podcast?

It seems like some people can get on a podcast or video and sound so effortless and natural. How is this possible? What's the secret? I got a question from a listener asking how they could improve their speaking voice when reading from a script. Since most of my episodes are scripted, I decided to share everything I've learned about improving my speaking voice and how I read from a script without sounding monotone or boring. Key Takeaways:  If you want to get better at something, do it everyday, even if it’s just 10-30 minutes. Telling yourself you’ll never be good at something only keeps you from getting better at it. Instead, try saying, “I’m not good at this yet, but I’m going to put in the time and get better at it.” Get comfortable with talking out loud and listening back to your recordings. It’s how you get better. I believe that success comes with skill, so don’t worry if you don’t have a great voice yet. Work on improving and you’ll grow a bigger audience as you improve. Remember that not everyone is going to like the way you talk. You gotta learn to be ok with that.  The first (and I’d say most important) piece of advice I have for you if you want to improve your ability to read out loud is: Practice Reading Out Loud Every Day Jay Britton said this in episode 48, and it’s the best advice I’ve heard: Reading a script out loud is a skill. If you want to get better, practice. Like all skills, you aren’t born with a natural ability. As you do it more often, you’ll get more comfortable with it, you’ll get better at it, and people will start to notice. They’ll tell you you’re good at it which will increase your confidence and make you want to do it even more. If you want to get better at something, do it everyday, even if it’s just 10-30 minutes. Learn to Read Ahead Another great piece of advice Jay Britton gave was learn to read ahead while you’re reading something out loud. Reading ahead will feel unnatural at first, but after you do it for awhile it will get easier and you’ll start making less mistakes. You’ll make fewer mistakes because you’ll know which words are coming, and you’ll be less likely to mess up the intonation of a sentence. Don’t Worry About the Type of Voice You Have, Worry About How Well You Can Use It We can’t all sound like Ben Toalson or Barry White. Instead of being sad that you don’t have a deep sexy voice, focus instead on being a confident and dynamic speaker. Learn how to use your voice to the best of its abilities. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re speaking:  Use emotion in your voice. Don’t talk like a robot. Project your voice. Not too loud, but clear and full. If you mess up, stop, relax, and say the word or sentence over correctly. Don’t freak out or apologize. Don’t rush. It’s ok to talk a little slower than average if you speak intentionally. Speak clearly, make sure you say every word correctly (enunciate).  Stop Telling Yourself “I Can’t” We all have things we’re good at, right? We all have things we’re comfortable with. If you’re telling yourself that you’ll never be good at reading or talking out loud, I need you to stop doing that. You can get better. It just takes practice. Telling yourself you’ll never be good at something only keeps you from getting better at it. Instead, try saying, “I’m not good at this yet, but I’m going to put in the time and get better at it.” Work on Your Podcast Voice You aren’t stuck with the voice that you have. You aren’t stuck with the way that you speak right now. You can practice speaking in a way that people will find interesting. I think of podcast voice as kind of like Will Farrell’s character’s voice in Anchorman. You want to speak in your voice, just a little slower (if you’re a fast talker), and a little clearer. Mimic the People With Voices You Like For Practice, But Try to Find Your Own Unique Voice When you’re just starting out, it’s ok to imitate people who have voices that you love listening to. Don’t steal their lines, but pay close attention to the way they speak. How fast do they talk? How do they emphasize certain words? What do you like about the way they speak? You Might Have to Suck for Awhile. You can either practice and get better in public, or in your bedroom. It’s ok to make test recordings that will never be published (I’m doing this with video right now, actually). Play around with your voice and see what sounds good to you. Experiment. Turn on your microphone and just talk for awhile. Read a book out loud. Get comfortable with talking out loud and listening back to your recordings. It’s how you'll get better. Listen Back to the Recordings You Make his will be painful when you’re just starting out. It’s weird, I know, but you need to get familiar with the way you sound in recordings and learn what you need to change. If you don’t know what mistakes you’re making, you won’t know how to fix them. Try Standing While You Read I have a standing desk, and I love it. Standing while you talk will make you a better speaker. Look into power poses as well. Apparently there are certain stances that make you feel more confident. Weird, but science backs it up. Do Breathing Exercises to Calm Down Before You Read I used to freak out before live shows, and it showed in my recordings. I started doing breathing exercises before shows to calm my nerves, and I started sounding less stressed. I started feeling more confident. Even just two minutes of slow breathing helped calm me down. Try it. Read Your Script Through Ahead of Time. Rewrite Anything That You Struggle With. If you’re doing a podcast, you should take a few minutes and practice reading out loud your script. If you’re writing the script, read it out loud while you write it. It’s ok to get an outline and a rough draft down before you do that, but reading what you write out loud will help you identify the parts that will give you trouble. Rewrite those parts in a way that sounds natural when you speak them out loud. Remember That in the Beginning, Not That Many People Are Paying Attention If you don’t already have a huge audience, there probably aren’t going to be that many people critiquing the way you talk. I believe that success comes with skill, so don’t worry if you don’t have a great voice yet. Work on improving it and you’ll grow a bigger audience as you improve. Embrace Your Natural Voice We all have a certain style of talking. Play to your strengths, but learn how to overcome your weaknesses. I’m thinking about a couple characters from the Silicon Valley show. There’s a variety of different characters on this show, and they all have different styles of speaking. Some of them are not confident speakers, some are introverts that prefer to use very few words. Some talk to much without having anything of true value to say. I was imagining what it’d be like if a few of these characters made podcasts. I’m thinking about Gilfoyle, particularly. His intensity and dry humor are his strengths, but he would need to work on being more dynamic with his delivery. If you’re not very dynamic either, you should work on injecting more emotion, adding some melody to your speaking voice, and changing up the rhythm of your voice, but embrace your strength too. Remember that not everyone is going to like the way you talk. You gotta learn to be ok with that. The whole world isn’t your audience. There are going to be some people who like the way you talk, and some that don’t. If someone gives you feedback about the way you talk, accept it and see if there’s any truth to it. Take the feedback and improve where you can. Be comfortable with who you are. We all have unique voices, and that’s a good thing. It’d be boring if everything talked the same way and said the same things. Embrace your voice instead of being ashamed of it. Recap:  You might suck at talking for awhile in the beginning. The way to not suck is to practice everyday, forever. Practice reading out loud every single day. Every single day. Don’t worry about the way your voice sounds now, focus on making your voice sound better. You define better. Imagine the way you want to sound in your mind, and work on getting there. Read your script out loud before it’s time to record. Identify any problem spots and fix them if you can, practice them if you can’t. Listen back to your recordings to identify problems that you need to fix. You’ll have to suck for awhile before you get good. You can either do this in private or in public, but it is kind of fun to have a public record of how far you’ve come.  Q&amp;A: Jordan asked: Script vs outline: Do you write out what you’re going to say word-for-word, do you write down a simple outline with points you want to cover, or something in between? How does this affect how natural you sound? I usually write out a pretty detailed outline for my episodes. I’ll write a main point or takeaway as a headline, then write a couple paragraphs for each headline. I do go off script sometimes, and that’s something I’ve gotten better at through time and practice. In the beginning, the more you write, the better you’ll sound. Reading from a script and sounding a little robotic is still better than fumbling around for ten minutes, trying to find the right words and not making a point (or making your point poorly). It just comes back to practice. Rob Williams asked: How do you find the right way to say things when you go off script? Sean responded: “The best tip is to know your message. Think about the times you’re passionate about something and you’re talking to a friend about it. You don’t need a script. It sounds natural. It sounds fluid. That’s what you want to emulate.” That is so true. The things that you really care about, the things you’re passionate about, those are the things you know best and that you can talk about comfortably for hours. You want to really know your message before you start talking. I’ve discovered that writing about something multiple times really engrains the words, sentences, phrases, and information into my brain. (This is why writing is so helpful and important for podcasters.) If there were only two things I want you to takeaway from this episode, they would be:  Write about the things you’re going to be talking about Practice, practice, practice  Cool Stuff to Check Out:  Recommended Gear: https://kit.com/thepodcastdude Podcast: https://thepodcastdude.simplecast.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepodcastdude Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thepodcastdude Successful Podcasting: http://successfulpodcasting.com Simplecast Blog: http://blog.simplecast.com/

<p>It seems like some people can get on a podcast or video and sound so effortless and natural. How is this possible? What's the secret?</p> <p>I got a question from a listener asking how they could improve their speaking voice when reading from a script. Since most of my episodes are scripted, I decided to share everything I've learned about improving my speaking voice and how I read from a script without sounding monotone or boring.</p> <h2>Key Takeaways:</h2> <ul> <li>If you want to get better at something, do it everyday, even if it’s just 10-30 minutes.</li> <li>Telling yourself you’ll never be good at something only keeps you from getting better at it. Instead, try saying, “I’m not good at this yet, but I’m going to put in the time and get better at it.”</li> <li>Get comfortable with talking out loud and listening back to your recordings. It’s how you get better.</li> <li>I believe that success comes with skill, so don’t worry if you don’t have a great voice yet. Work on improving and you’ll grow a bigger audience as you improve.</li> <li>Remember that not everyone is going to like the way you talk. You gotta learn to be ok with that.</li> </ul> <p>The first (and I’d say most important) piece of advice I have for you if you want to improve your ability to read out loud is:</p> <h3>Practice Reading Out Loud Every Day</h3> <p>Jay Britton said this in <a href="https://thepodcastdude.com/episodes/how-to-get-started-as-a-voice-over-artist-with-jay-britton" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">episode 48</a>, and it’s the best advice I’ve heard: Reading a script out loud is a skill. If you want to get better, practice.</p> <p>Like all skills, you aren’t born with a natural ability. As you do it more often, you’ll get more comfortable with it, you’ll get better at it, and people will start to notice. They’ll tell you you’re good at it which will increase your confidence and make you want to do it even more.</p> <p>If you want to get better at something, do it everyday, even if it’s just 10-30 minutes.</p> <h3>Learn to Read Ahead</h3> <p>Another great piece of advice Jay Britton gave was learn to read ahead while you’re reading something out loud.</p> <p>Reading ahead will feel unnatural at first, but after you do it for awhile it will get easier and you’ll start making less mistakes. You’ll make fewer mistakes because you’ll know which words are coming, and you’ll be less likely to mess up the intonation of a sentence.</p> <h3>Don’t Worry About the Type of Voice You Have, Worry About How Well You Can Use It</h3> <p>We can’t all sound like Ben Toalson or Barry White. Instead of being sad that you don’t have a deep sexy voice, focus instead on being a confident and dynamic speaker. Learn how to use your voice to the best of its abilities.</p> <p>Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re speaking:</p> <ul> <li>Use emotion in your voice. Don’t talk like a robot.</li> <li>Project your voice. Not too loud, but clear and full.</li> <li>If you mess up, stop, relax, and say the word or sentence over correctly. Don’t freak out or apologize.</li> <li>Don’t rush. It’s ok to talk a little slower than average if you speak intentionally.</li> <li>Speak clearly, make sure you say every word correctly (enunciate).</li> </ul> <h3>Stop Telling Yourself “I Can’t”</h3> <p>We all have things we’re good at, right? We all have things we’re comfortable with. If you’re telling yourself that you’ll never be good at reading or talking out loud, I need you to stop doing that. You can get better. It just takes practice.</p> <p>Telling yourself you’ll never be good at something only keeps you from getting better at it. Instead, try saying, “I’m not good at this yet, but I’m going to put in the time and get better at it.”</p> <h3>Work on Your Podcast Voice</h3> <p>You aren’t stuck with the voice that you have. You aren’t stuck with the way that you speak right now. You can practice speaking in a way that people will find interesting.</p> <p>I think of podcast voice as kind of like Will Farrell’s character’s voice in Anchorman. You want to speak in your voice, just a little slower (if you’re a fast talker), and a little clearer.</p> <h3>Mimic the People With Voices You Like For Practice, But Try to Find Your Own Unique Voice</h3> <p>When you’re just starting out, it’s ok to imitate people who have voices that you love listening to. Don’t steal their lines, but pay close attention to the way they speak. How fast do they talk? How do they emphasize certain words? What do you like about the way they speak?</p> <h3>You Might Have to Suck for Awhile.</h3> <p>You can either practice and get better in public, or in your bedroom.</p> <p>It’s ok to make test recordings that will never be published (I’m doing this with video right now, actually). Play around with your voice and see what sounds good to you.</p> <p>Experiment. Turn on your microphone and just talk for awhile. Read a book out loud.</p> <p>Get comfortable with talking out loud and listening back to your recordings. It’s how you'll get better.</p> <h3>Listen Back to the Recordings You Make</h3> <p>his will be painful when you’re just starting out. It’s weird, I know, but you need to get familiar with the way you sound in recordings and learn what you need to change. If you don’t know what mistakes you’re making, you won’t know how to fix them.</p> <h3>Try Standing While You Read</h3> <p>I have a standing desk, and I love it. Standing while you talk will make you a better speaker. Look into power poses as well. Apparently there are certain stances that make you feel more confident. Weird, but science backs it up.</p> <h3>Do Breathing Exercises to Calm Down Before You Read</h3> <p>I used to freak out before live shows, and it showed in my recordings. I started doing breathing exercises before shows to calm my nerves, and I started sounding less stressed. I started feeling more confident. Even just two minutes of slow breathing helped calm me down. Try it.</p> <h3>Read Your Script Through Ahead of Time. Rewrite Anything That You Struggle With.</h3> <p>If you’re doing a podcast, you should take a few minutes and practice reading out loud your script. If you’re writing the script, read it out loud while you write it.</p> <p>It’s ok to get an outline and a rough draft down before you do that, but reading what you write out loud will help you identify the parts that will give you trouble. Rewrite those parts in a way that sounds natural when you speak them out loud.</p> <h3>Remember That in the Beginning, Not That Many People Are Paying Attention</h3> <p>If you don’t already have a huge audience, there probably aren’t going to be that many people critiquing the way you talk.</p> <p>I believe that success comes with skill, so don’t worry if you don’t have a great voice yet. Work on improving it and you’ll grow a bigger audience as you improve.</p> <h3>Embrace Your Natural Voice</h3> <p>We all have a certain style of talking. Play to your strengths, but learn how to overcome your weaknesses.</p> <p>I’m thinking about a couple characters from the Silicon Valley show. There’s a variety of different characters on this show, and they all have different styles of speaking. Some of them are not confident speakers, some are introverts that prefer to use very few words. Some talk to much without having anything of true value to say.</p> <p>I was imagining what it’d be like if a few of these characters made podcasts. I’m thinking about Gilfoyle, particularly. His intensity and dry humor are his strengths, but he would need to work on being more dynamic with his delivery.</p> <p>If you’re not very dynamic either, you should work on injecting more emotion, adding some melody to your speaking voice, and changing up the rhythm of your voice, but embrace your strength too.</p> <p>Remember that not everyone is going to like the way you talk. You gotta learn to be ok with that.</p> <p>The whole world isn’t your audience. There are going to be some people who like the way you talk, and some that don’t. If someone gives you feedback about the way you talk, accept it and see if there’s any truth to it. Take the feedback and improve where you can.</p> <p>Be comfortable with who you are. We all have unique voices, and that’s a good thing. It’d be boring if everything talked the same way and said the same things. Embrace your voice instead of being ashamed of it.</p> <h3>Recap:</h3> <ul> <li>You might suck at talking for awhile in the beginning. The way to not suck is to practice everyday, forever.</li> <li>Practice reading out loud every single day. Every single day.</li> <li>Don’t worry about the way your voice sounds now, focus on making your voice sound better. You define better. Imagine the way you want to sound in your mind, and work on getting there.</li> <li>Read your script out loud before it’s time to record. Identify any problem spots and fix them if you can, practice them if you can’t.</li> <li>Listen back to your recordings to identify problems that you need to fix.</li> <li>You’ll have to suck for awhile before you get good. You can either do this in private or in public, but it is kind of fun to have a public record of how far you’ve come.</li> </ul> <h2>Q&amp;A:</h2> <p>Jordan asked: Script vs outline: Do you write out what you’re going to say word-for-word, do you write down a simple outline with points you want to cover, or something in between? How does this affect how natural you sound?</p> <p>I usually write out a pretty detailed outline for my episodes. I’ll write a main point or takeaway as a headline, then write a couple paragraphs for each headline. I do go off script sometimes, and that’s something I’ve gotten better at through time and practice.</p> <p>In the beginning, the more you write, the better you’ll sound. Reading from a script and sounding a little robotic is still better than fumbling around for ten minutes, trying to find the right words and not making a point (or making your point poorly). It just comes back to practice.</p> <p>Rob Williams asked: How do you find the right way to say things when you go off script?</p> <p>Sean responded: “The best tip is to know your message. Think about the times you’re passionate about something and you’re talking to a friend about it. You don’t need a script. It sounds natural. It sounds fluid. That’s what you want to emulate.”</p> <p>That is so true. The things that you really care about, the things you’re passionate about, those are the things you know best and that you can talk about comfortably for hours.</p> <p>You want to really know your message before you start talking. I’ve discovered that writing about something multiple times really engrains the words, sentences, phrases, and information into my brain. (This is why writing is so helpful and important for podcasters.)</p> <p>If there were only two things I want you to takeaway from this episode, they would be:</p> <ol> <li>Write about the things you’re going to be talking about</li> <li>Practice, practice, practice</li> </ol> <h2>Cool Stuff to Check Out:</h2> <ul> <li>Recommended Gear: <a href="https://kit.com/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kit.com/thepodcastdude</a></li> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://thepodcastdude.simplecast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://thepodcastdude.simplecast.com</a></li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thepodcastdude</a></li> <li>Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/thepodcastdude" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/c/thepodcastdude</a></li> <li>Successful Podcasting: <a href="http://successfulpodcasting.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://successfulpodcasting.com</a></li> <li>Simplecast Blog: <a href="http://blog.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://blog.simplecast.com/</a></li></ul>

How to Sound Natural When Reading a Podcast Script

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