It’s Sunday, May 10th. Here’s the latest in podcast news and tutorials.
Podcasting’s Opportunity Amidst a Global Pandemic
From Jeanine Wright on Simplecast’s blog:
This is podcasting’s moment. Fueled by widespread new technology adoption, increased media consumption and advertisers looking to make smarter bets with their budget as a result of COVID-19, podcasting’s already impressive growth rate will only accelerate. Despite the global pandemic, podcast creators are creating, listeners are listening, advertisers are advertising, and enterprises are turning to podcasting to solve new problems–and they’re not turning back.
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How to Structure Your Podcast in 4 Steps
From Buzzsprout:
Structuring a podcast episode is like any other creative process: the individual elements have to be in the right order and cadence to make an impact on your audience.
Podcast structure refers to the framework of your show, the flow of its segments, and how you arrange each element to fit together.
So how do you structure a podcast in a way that keeps people listening without sacrificing your creativity and unique style? How can you make each episode entertaining from start to finish, without losing listeners along the way?
Here's a step-by-step guide to crafting the best possible podcast episodes, so each one is as effective, entertaining, and profitable as it can be.
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The Ultimate Guide to Remote Recording: Part One
From Alexandra Blair on PRX’s Medium blog:
Content creators of the world, rejoice! It’s finally time to dust off that podcast idea you’ve been putting on the back burner for years.
For the first time since COVID-19 related lockdowns took effect worldwide — throwing podcast consumption and creating habits into disarray — both listenership and downloads seem to be inching back up.
Those trends, coupled with a dramatic surge in episode uploads on streaming services, are the signs you’ve been waiting for.
But recording remotely can stump even the most seasoned audio pros. That’s why we’ve put together this quick start guide to help demystify that signal flow and keep your show running as smoothly as possible.
This part will cover general equipment needs and best practices to follow when setting up your recording space at home. Part two delves deeper into those recording setups— ranging from a simple phone call to a fully-kitted home studio — and addresses their technical demands. Everything else may be in flux, but the basics of getting good tape haven’t changed. Let’s dive right in.
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Google Podcasts will give podcasters more data about their listeners
From Ashley Carmen on The Verge:
Google Podcasts is going to give podcasters a better idea of how their episodes perform. The Google Podcasts Manager tool will provide more data on listeners, potentially helping podcasters sell ads, figure out what their audiences want to hear, and help them structure their shows more effectively. It’s a feature that podcasters have been pushing to access.
The information includes metrics around how their shows do on the platform, including retention data, like where people dropped off in an episode, how long they listened, and the total amount of time people listened.
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Google Podcasts Manager: How To Add A New Show
From Mike Murphy on his YouTube channel:
You can now add shows, manage shows, add users, (and) view analytics about your podcasts on Google Podcasts Manger.
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Your Show’s Premise: A Map to Your True North
From Molly Donovan on the Marketing Showrunners blog:
Are you here for the right reasons?
This is not just a question asked by every contestant on ABC’s The Bachelor/Bachelorette since the history of time. It’s also one that marketing showrunners should constantly ask themselves.
Why am I here? What am I trying to accomplish with this content? What journey do I want to go on with my customers?
It’s our belief that each of these sub-questions should have a common answer: you’re here to make your customer’s favorite show, so you can be their favorite brand.
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The Really, Really Short Podcast
From Caroline Crampton on the HotPod newsletter:
Maybe it’s my diminishing attention span, or the seemingly endless supply of available podcasts these days, but whatever the reason, I’m finding myself gravitating more and more these days towards shorter episodes whenever I’m queueing up something to listen to. And by “shorter,” I mean significantly shorter, as in under seven minutes, often under five. A conventionally “short” episode probably lasts between 10 and 15 minutes, but to earn that extra status of “really short” for me, it’s got to be under five or nearly so.
I’ve been thinking about what my show would be like if I gave myself a 5 minute limit for episodes.
If you’re not currently making 5 minute episodes, how do you think it would change your show?
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PodSchool Podcast | How to make great podcast ads
From Rachel Corbett’s PodSchool podcast:
Podcast ads shouldn’t be something you think about as separate from your content.
Since you’ll be reading the content in your ads (more on that below), the words you say have to match what you say in the parts of the show no one is paying for.
On why podcast ads should be read by the host(s):
Your podcast ads should feel different to the main show so people know they’re listening to paid content but they shouldn’t be so different they’re jarring.
One way to do this is by making sure your podcast ads are read by voices your audience know and trust.
That way they’ll sound more like a recommendation than a pushy sales pitch which will be more palatable for your audience and more effective for your advertisers.
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Narrative Podcast Basics: 5 Core Tips I Lean on Daily
From Cherie Turner on Podcast Movement's website:
Creating narrative podcasts is at once immensely rewarding and immensely difficult. You get to weave so many elements together: interview tape, scripted narration, ambient sound, music, historic recordings. But you also have to weave that all together in a way that keeps your listener engaged and on track.
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Squadcast Review & Tutorial: How to Remotely Record a Podcast with Squadcast
From Jacob Bozarth on Resonate Recording's blog:
When it comes to quality remote recordings, Squadcast does it right.
More often than ever podcasters are asking what is the best way to record high quality remote recordings.
In the past we have looked in detail on how to record remotely, but if you have an emphasis on quality audio and ease of use for your guest, we encourage you to take a look at Squadcast.
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Off Topic
The best advice I’ve ever been given?
Not about podcasting but still relevant to podcasters. From Rhian Jones on musicbusinessworldwide.com:
"When it comes to production, the biggest thing you have do is not ruin or obscure the emotion — the feeling, energy and electricity buzzing in the room. I always say to artists, when it comes to drum sounds, keyboard sounds, vocal production, harmonies… that’s the easy stuff. It’s really about creating that environment where everybody feels like they can make something honest, trying not to mess it up."
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68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice
From Kevin Kelly on his blog:
It’s my birthday. I’m 68. I feel like pulling up a rocking chair and dispensing advice to the young ‘uns. Here are 68 pithy bits of unsolicited advice which I offer as my birthday present to all of you.
Here’s a couple of my favorites (the whole list is great):
When you are young spend at least 6 months to one year living as poor as you can, owning as little as you possibly can, eating beans and rice in a tiny room or tent, to experience what your “worst” lifestyle might be. That way any time you have to risk something in the future you won’t be afraid of the worst case scenario.
Friends are better than money. Almost anything money can do, friends can do better. In so many ways a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat.
Following your bliss is a recipe for paralysis if you don’t know what you are passionate about. A better motto for most youth is “master something, anything”. Through mastery of one thing, you can drift towards extensions of that mastery that bring you more joy, and eventually discover where your bliss is.
Closing Thoughts
Nothing to add here except I hope you are safe and well, and I hope you have a good week.
Happy podcasting,
Aaron Dowd
Los Angeles, CA
May 10, 2020
Thanks to the folks supporting this newsletter: Kato, Alexander, and Norman, and Don.