Today’s episode is full of news, and even some advice!
Even though my neighbour might start drilling any moment, I’ve decided to start recording. I want to have enough time between the recording date (Friday) and release date (Monday). If you’re releasing weekly and it’s stressing you out a bit, change your schedule. If you’re releasing every 2 weeks, and you’re still finding it stressful, release every 3 weeks! Podcasting should be a pleasure, don’t let it stress you out.
Today’s episode has many bits and pieces, some of them have come through the various newsletters I’m subscribed to. (And this is the point at which I had to stop the recording to go and get my Remarkable tablet because I’d forgotten to pass the notes to the Trello board I work from when recording.)
Exclusivity in podcasting
The article from The Verge Joe Rogan, confined to Spotify, is losing influence, caught my eye just before Rogan was all over the news because he’d got covid. The article mentions that Rogan is losing his influence – but what’s interesting is how that influence is measured: by the number of Twitter followers his guests gain after they’ve been on the show.
But the point of talking about this article is not Rogan: it’s to think through how much exclusivity (mainly the possibility of putting our show behind a paywall, because, let’s face it, I’m not going to be signed up by Spotify any time soon) you want at the expense of having fewer listeners. Something to think about.
Your influence as host
Something else to think about is the influence that you might have as a podcaster. In another article (which for some reason I didn’t save and now can’t find), in the middle of the covid story, Rogan mentioned that he was just “some guy” and that people were not going to take anything he said seriously (regarding his treatment of covid, etc).
Of course he’s influential. Come on. But more relevant to us, so are we. Regardless of the size of our audience, regular listeners will listen out for our opinions and might be influenced by us – or affected by them in some way. In this episode I tell of the time I lost a listener, because they felt offended. Of course this wasn’t at all my intention, and the time of recording was a turbulent time in the UK, but it did remind me that people listen. Really listen. And sometimes, now more pleasantly, I’ve heard people who I know listen to my show 21st Century Work Life podcast share my ideas.
Using music to cover your difficult edits
As I do in this episode, music is a great way of covering difficult edits or transitioning between eggy moments. Of course you can always avoid this with great preparation, but for the more spontaneous solo episodes, or conversations with guest and co-hosts, it’s a good “repair tool”. Here’s an example at 08.45mins.
Autoduck in Audacity is a good effect to use.
Amazon Music promotion assets
The podcast platforms are all competing for listener attention, which is great, because they’re going to help us promote our shows! Check out their presentation.
But don’t rely too much on those platforms, do have a space where you can connect with people directly. What if you’re kicked out from a platform, for no reason? A website and even an email list can come in handy. (For a website host, I recommend BlueHost (affiliate link).
New feature from Zencastr removing long pauses
I’m not sure how I feel about this… I totally believe in using tech to smooth things out, but long pauses can form part of the rhythm of a conversation. Of course, you will say how long a “long pause” is, and still have control over it. Anyway, check it out, see what you think: Introducing Smart Filters: Remove Long Pauses
New App!
Samsung is building their own podcast app. Make sure your show is in it. I need to get mine in there soon, but I’ll wait to see if the media hosts have a new destination to send it there. Here’s the link ti the Samsung Podcasts Platform: https://developer.samsung.com/podcasts
The podcast industry is growing and there are lots of jobs out there now. I’m particularly happy to see this one: Head of Podcasts at the Prison Radio Association in the UK. Check out the job in the PodJobs.net website, and do subscribe to the Podnews newsletter from there.
My own updates!
I’m starting a new show, “Gastronostalgia” with my friend Tomás as co-host! I’ll tell you more about it soon, as well as how we’re playing with the format. And it’s in Spanish! The only other time I podcasted was with Craig Wealand, for the bilingual show En clave de podcast, which is still going and you are welcome to check out.
The show is all about food – which is great because I love eating food, but not cooking. And Tomás is an excellent cook!
I now have an email sequence to help you plan your podcast:
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/a7x2c7
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