Podcode blog posts: Recent Episodes

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The term “show notes” is confusing. Let’s take a loser look at show notes, and how to write ones your listeners will love.
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Links

• Transistor
• Podchaser
• Podcode+

Take the guesswork out of making, launching, and growing a successful podcast. Join the Podcode School.

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I started a show in 2019 called List Envy. Each week I featured a new guest, and we had a conversation on a topic they chose. I started by chatting with my improv performer friends, which meant getting us both in the same room.
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Links

• Zoom H4n handheld recorder
• SquadCast
• Riverside

Take the guesswork out of making, launching, and growing a successful podcast. Join the Podcode School.

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Notion is a knowledge management app, with a generous free tier and flexible features. You can use Notion to build just about anything, and share it with the world. Here’s how you can create a rich and interactive press kit for your podcast, using Notion.

What is a podcast press kit?

A podcast press or media kit is a document that provides vital info about your podcast, to those who need it. Typically these are people you hope will promote your podcast. A good press kit makes this job easy, by asking as little of the reader as possible. The more content a reader can cut-and-paste from our press kit, the easier we make it for them to spread the word.

Who is a podcast press kit for?

Newsletter authors, bloggers, journalists, influencers… anyone you hope will help spread the word about your podcast, but who isn’t a fan. Your website should already do a great job of introducing your show to new listeners – your press kit is the professional face of your show.

What should you include in a podcast press kit?

• The name of your podcast
• A summary of the show
• A link to your website
• A link for each of the apps/directories your podcast is listed in (here’s an up-to-date list of where to submit your podcast)
• The highest-quality version of your artwork you have
• Contact details for whoever is
  • in charge of the podcast
  • going to be responsible for handling media enquiries
• An embed player for your trailer, or a good gateway episode

Some nice-to-haves include

• A full list of upcoming episodes with release dates
• Photos and bios of everyone involved, including social media links

A note on your show summary

The summary you write for your press kit might differ from the description people read in Apple Podcasts. The language should communicate why your show will be a good listen, but without making the copy too salesy. We already assume your show is amazing, so just stick to the facts and let readers know why it’s so good.

If your show is new, add that to your summary. Likewise if you’re relaunching for an interesting reason, add that context.

Why build a podcast press kit in Notion?

Press kits are often static files, like PDFs. You can use Notion to create a PDF for you, but it’s far better to be able to point people towards a live document. As press coverage starts to come in, or as you start to garner five-star reviews, you can add them to your press kit in seconds. Reviews and testimonials are great social proof – put them to good use!

Notion pages are far easier to share than Google Docs. Google can be finicky about who can see which pages, and sometimes ties itself in knots. Notion pages, on the other hand, have easy-to-access links, and you get to decide who – if anyone – can edit or leave comments.

They’re also far more interactive an Google Docs, as you’ll see below.

What does a podcast press kit made in Notion look like?

Check out this video for a full reconstruction of a real-life press kit that was released for a podcast in 2021.

What to do with your podcast press kit

• Send it along to podcast newsletter writers and journalists (here’s a list of podcast newsletters to submit and subscribe to)
• Pitch to mainstream or local press, if you have an angle that would make your podcast newsworthy
• Add it as a link when talking to any gatekeepers about your podcast (these are people who probably aren’t going to become listeners, but will help you find them… people like influencers, or people whose podcast you want to be a guest on)

Don’t just send people a link to your Notion page and tell them you have a new podcast. Use the email to explain why your podcast should be of interest to each recipient’s readers. Maybe even reproduce the show summary – or a variation of it – in your email. Then you can link to the Notion page so they have all the info. This should strike the right balance between overloading writers’ inboxes and giving them more work to do.

Dive deeper into Notion

If you’d like to use Notion to manage your podcast workflow, our full session is available in Podcode+.

Take the guesswork out of making, launching, and growing a successful podcast. Join the Podcode School.

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Pundits have been suggesting video’s rising importance in podcasting for years. And they’re not wrong. For short-form marketing, you can’t beat the human face. We click on thumbnails with people’s faces more than we do those without. That’s why you see your favourite vloggers gurning at the camera. That, and the Algorithm.

Which brings us to the new trend in short-form video. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and whatever Facebook is trying today, want to grab attention and hold it. They do that by learning what keeps you from scrolling, and feeding you more of it. Scroll past something within a second, and the algorithm considers that a personal down-vote. The more you watch a clip, the more personal up-votes you give it.

We are not a short-order cook

Unless you meet one of these conditions, video marketing is probably not for you:

• you already have a huge social media following and people know your face
• you have a celebrity guest people will recognise
• you have a compelling (probably true-crime) story you can tell in pictures

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use video to encourage listeners to your podcast, but that it’s probably going to be an uphill battle. And we’re increasingly discovering that audiograms – those little videos with animated waveforms – don’t convert to new listeners.

Podcasting is long-form content

As a podcaster, you’re in the business of creating deep connections with listeners, building trust, and reaching a thousand true fans. You’re not in the business of making short, attention-grabbing video edited to within an inch of its life. You’re taking the long way round.

Every episode you create is building upon a body of work, making your podcast that little bit more valuable and noteworthy each time.

Videos demand more attention from your audience. That might sound like a good thing, but ask yourself “when was the last time I did any of these?” with a video:

• Listen in the shower
• Go for a walk
• Listen on the way to work
• Fall asleep
• Do the dishes
• Listen while gaming

I’m betting you do that for more with podcasts (which are audio) than you do with YouTube videos. And it’s precisely the fact that we consume podcasts while doing other things that make them so vital.

Your audience folds your content into their daily life and routine. You’re along for the ride in what can be some deeply personal moments. That’s where the idea of intimacy in podcasting comes from. It’s about the time you spend alongside your listener. And you simply can’t do that with video.

How to succeed in audio when the world seems obsessed with video

I’m not down on video. I can lose hours to TikTok, and I also enjoy popping on a Twitch stream and letting it burble way to itself. What I’m writing here isn’t to denigrate video. It’s intended to give you some comfort, if you’re worried that video is somehow “the future” of podcasting, or is going to majorly affect your success. It isn’t, on both counts. Not for the kind of work we do.

Video can convert quickly. That’s one reason people in money-making podcasts like it. But those big podcasts are dealing with scales of audiences we don’t yet have. So how can we compete?

• Firstly, stop trying to compete. Instead of competing, you define your own category. It’s called the blue-ocean strategy.
• Next, do the things that don’t scale.
• And finally, prepare for this to take a while.

But everyone’s doing video

Most of what we see in podcasting is skewed towards larger shows with larger budgets. That’s because they can pay for scale, or they’re built on pre-existing audiences. They’re not doing anything special, but they’re able to do it on a bigger stage. That means you’re likely setting yourself an unattainable goal.

Remember that blue ocean strategy. Think about what makes your show different from the larger shows that can afford to make beautiful videos, and spend the time editing them. Ask your listeners why they’re listening to you, rather than to someone with a bigger following. If it’s because they’re your friend, think about what it is in your communication style that would attract others.

You’re already on the right track

Did you ever watch one of those “gigs in your front room” that were big during the 2020 lockdown? I watched a few, and was grateful for them. But as much as we might have needed to be with other people, to hear the crowd and feel the warmth of all those bodies, the performers needed it more.

We need feedback to tell us if we’re doing a good job or not. I used to do improv, and I was always listening out for audience reactions. If what we were doing got laughs, we kept doing that thing – or a variation on it – until the audience started to get bored.

A lot of early-stage content creation involves putting work out and not getting feedback. We don’t even have the luxury of seeing all those muted Zoom faces in the crowd while we do our gig from home. We just have to put in the hours, and keep making good stuff.

I tell you that not to dishearten you, but to reassure you that there is no secret. It really is just about putting in the time.

Video podcasting is largely a marketing issue for podcasts at scale. It may be an important aspect of their work, and if it’s something that interests you, go for it. But don’t feel you have to chase it, just because some industry person told you it’s “the future”.

Don’t go it alone

Slow and steady growth is by far the best approach, but it can be disheartening. It took months of recording, writing, pivoting and improving before I gained any search traffic for this blog. It took about a year for my Hitchhiker’s podcast to attract fan mail.

The Internet is strewn with the projects I’ve abandoned because they didn’t get the traction I wanted, in the time I thought they would. Unless you’re one in 10,000, everything will take longer than you think it will, or should.

So my advice is to be with people who get it. To find like minds who also want to go the long way round, because they know what lies at the end is o much more rewarding than a quick sale. If that sounds like you, our community is here and waiting to meet you.

Take the guesswork out of making, launching, and growing a successful podcast. Join the Podcode School.

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“Hey guys! Today I’m going to be talking to you about podcasting”. You might not have given it much thought, but why do so many YouTubers refer to their audience as “guys”? Gender element aside, the plural (”guys” instead of “guy”) is something we borrow from TV.

TV presenters know it’s common for two or more people to come together to watch a show. Families have been ding it since before you or I were born.

Radio is much more personal. Lots more of us listen to radio on our own, so we expect to hear good presenters refer to us in the singular: “the listener”, as opposed to “all our listeners”.

Intimacy in podcasting is a cliché because it’s real

When someone starts talking about the intimacy of podcasting, you can guarantee someone else’s eyes will start rolling. But that cliché exists for a reason. The Guardian have set down in pixels what those of us who studied radio have known for years:

When you listen to the human voice through headphones, you feel more intimately connected to that voice.

But that intimacy doesn’t just come from the distance between their voice and your ears. It’s in the language. When you refer to me as “everybody”, I’m no longer connected to you. You’ve just severed that bond by reminding me I’m just one of hundreds or thousands of other people hearing your voice. Every time you say “all the listeners”, you’re telling me I’m just a number.

Speak to one person

You might talk about having a community of listeners. But you can also create a unique bond between you and every person who downloads your episodes.

Every time you want to refer to your listeners, stop. Talk to them, not about them. I don’t want to hear how all your listeners are appreciated. I want to be appreciated. If you want to thank me for listening, thank me. You don’t have to know my name, where I’m listening, or what I look like. But just by saying “thanks for listening” rather than “thank you all for listening” or “bye, everyone”, you’re helping create that cosy connection.

And that connection makes me much more persuadable. So now I’m much more likely to be on your side, and to take the actions you recommend. Because I know it’s just me you’re asking. Yes of course I know I’m one of however many thousands of other people, so don’t remind me. Let’s just have this moment for ourselves.

What if I’m talking about my community?

This is where it gets subtle, and you’ll likely find the right balance yourself, over time. My recommendation is to speak to an individual, and about a group. So here’s a couple of examples:

• Thank you for listening. Don’t forget you can join our community where you’ll find other likeminded listeners.
• I asked our Patreon supporters to supply some questions, and they’ve given me some great ones. If you’re not already a Patreon supporter, you can join now.
• Thank you for following the show, and to everyone who turned out to our live show last week.

In summary, we add distance when we talk about groups, and reserve closeness for the individual.

Audiences, co-hosts, and interviewees

If you have a co-host and an interviewer, this can start to feel like a juggling act. If it isn’t obvious who you’re talking to when you say “you”, be explicit. Use the person’s name when you ask them a question. If you then need to switch and talk to the listener, just say “you, the listener”. Yes, it’s OK. I know you don’t know me by name, but you’re still acknowledging that it’s just me sat here with my earbuds in.

Picture the scene

Good podcasts are like eavesdropping on a conversation between friends. Yes it’s another cliché, but let me offer a tweak.

Imagine you’re on-stage at a convention, and being interviewed by a good friend. This is what we used to call a “fireside chat”. There’s an audience watching, and occasionally you might tip them a nod or a wink. But most of your attention is focused on your friend who’s asking the questions.

When you record your audio, remember that most of the time, you’re talking to your friend, not to the audience. Picture them in your mind. Remember to speak clearly so the audience can hear you, but address that single person across from you.

Once you’re in the habit, it’s as easy as falling off a log.

Once heard, can’t be unheard

The next time you listen to a podcast, think about how it makes you feel when you’re referred to in the plural. You probably never noticed it before, and maybe there isn’t that much of a shift. And you wouldn’t notice it in the other direction. You probably can’t think of the podcasts that refer to you in the singular. But I bet they’re among the ones you’ve listened to the longest. And their hosts are likely the ones you have the strongest connection with.

If you have a question on this or another aspect of podcasting, What’s Your Problem? is the place to bring that question. You can book a slot to be a guest on the next episode, and essentially get 30 minutes of podcast coaching for free!

If you know someone who should have a podcast but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to start, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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If you’re thinking about making a podcast, there’s a lot to consider and it get overwhelming pretty quickly, even before you’ve got to grips with the tech. So let’s start by looking at what you need to buy, and how much everything costs.

Microphone

A good mic is essential for creating a warm, cosy environment for you to nestle into your listeners’ ears. Although your computer comes with a mic built-in, you’ll always make a better-sounding podcast by plugging a mic in.

The Samson Q2U is the safest bet. It’s a versatile dynamic mic (dynamic mics sound warm, pick your voice up well, and are good at ignoring background noise). You can pick a new one up from Amazon for less than $100. That’s a good deal for a high-quality mic.

Headphones

Headphones are important for two reasons. Firstly, they help you hear if you’re drifting off mic or coming in too loud. Secondly, they stop you and your guest from creating feedback when you’re on a call together. If anyone on your call isn’t wearing headphones, the other person’s voice will be picked up by their mic and bounced back to you… it sounds horrible.

Any pair of headphones you can plug into your computer will do, but closed-back headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-M20X are better. You can pick up a pair for around $50.

And speaking of calls

You’ll probably be speaking with guests over the Internet. The best way to do this is to use SquadCast, as their browser-based software records each participant on their computer. That means if someone’s Internet drops out for a second, the recording is unaffected. Plus, it sounds much better than recording over Zoom. Like, much, much better. And SquadCast costs only $20 a month.

Editing your podcast

If you’re new to editing audio, there’s no better tool than Descript. Instead of starting with a whole bunch of confusing waveforms, you work through each episode by editing the words. Descript transcribes your audio, so you can edit your episode just like editing a Google doc.

Transcripts are essential for making your podcast accessible to deaf listeners. They’re also handy for SEO, and Descript even has tools to help you promote your content with audiograms. It’s a no-brainer. All that from $12 a month. Bonkers.

Hosting your audio

You’ve probably heard about Anchor, and it’s tempting to think that free hosting is the way to go, especially as it’s powered by Spotify. The problem is, they’re moving ever closer to isolating Anchor from the podcast ecosystem, meaning they want your show to only be available to Spotify listeners (most people use other apps).

Captivate is the best option for the newbie podcaster. It provides industry-standard analytics so you can be sure of your download numbers. They bundle in a customisable website which you can hook up to your own domain name. They help you manage guest bookings, and make it super-simple to submit to all the major podcast directories… and a few emerging ones too.

Plus, they integrate with both SquadCast and Descript. All for $19 a month.

Your grand total: $100 to get started + $50 a month (or thereabouts)

$50 sounds like a lot to pay out each month, no question. But consider how you bill out your own time. Even if you don’t charge people by the hour, your time still has value.

By using Captivate to manage your guest bookings and setting up the recording in SquadCast, you’re saving time that would otherwise be spent doing admin.

By using Descript to edit your podcast, you’re retaining full ownership over the project and not handing it off to someone else, who would charge you a lot more than $12 a month. Plus, Descript’s filler-word removal tool means you can get rid of pesky umms and uhs in a flash, then just spend a bit of time finessing the edit.

A great start, but there’s so much more

If you want to create impact with your voice, our Unmute program is your best way forwards. You’ll join a squad of likeminded social entrepreneurs, change-makers and leaders, starting from scratch, and launching a compelling podcast in 13 weeks.

If you know someone who should have a podcast but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to start, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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Mark announces a change to this feed coming soon, reminds you to check out a newly-added show, and introduces yet another podcast!

• What's Your Problem?... with Mark Steadman
• Introducing Ear Brain Heart

If you know someone who should have a podcast but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to start, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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On February 10th 2008, I released episode one of my very first podcast. Now 14 years later, I'm revisiting it with a director's commentary.

Check out this episode for

• mismatched volume levels
• bad stereo panning
• unauthorised use of music
• background hiss
• sound effects
• awful off-colour jokes
• lacklustre presentational style
• MiniDisc chat

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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There’s lots written about podcasting’s apparent “discoverability problem”. This is a bit like saying that books and TV shows have a discoverability problem. What we have is a problem with building networks.

But with the idea of network comes the idea of rigid systems, or back-scratching agreements. So what if, instead of thinking about networks, we thought about creating huddles? What if we could band together with people we like, who have audiences that would enjoy what we do, to help spread the ideas that need to be spread?

In this episode, Mark borrows a concept from the late 90s and early 2000s, and applies it to our current landscape.

Links

• Grow your business with dynamic ad insertion
• Webrings on Wikipedia

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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I'm a big fan of switching things up. Here are some ideas for your episode audio, your website, and your promotion, to keep things fun and spicy, but also to give you some valuable data.

Here are some things you can try with your episode audio:

1. Episode duration
2. Music
3. Cold opens
4. Calls-to-action
5. Dynamic ads (via Captivate or Transistor)
6. Switch up the host order
7. Change the format
   1. Record a diary episode
   2. Do a listener feedback episode
   3. Time of day or weekday
8. Change your presentation style

Here are a few things you can try with your website:

1. New themes
2. Placement of subscription buttons
3. Placement of email signup form

Some ideas for experiments you can conduct within your episode promo:

1. Sharing platform-agnostic URLs
2. Sharing video clips instead of links
3. Tagging in your guests
4. Investigating non-podcast hashtags
5. Pay attention to one specific app

Key to running experiments

1. Make a guess as to the outcome
2. Know the situation beforehand
3. Implement the change
4. Wait 4 or 5 episodes
5. Note down what changed
6. How did it match up against your guess?

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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This week is a cross-post with the Buy Grow Sell podcast, with Simon Bedard. It was recorded in the time between Mark selling his previous business to Castos, and setting up Podcode. Simon’s goal with the show is to share the stories of business owners who’ve bought or grown a business, and sold it, to get to the heart of what drives success

Turning a Passion Project into a Profitable Exit

Mark’s serious about podcasts, and his passion for the industry and for his fellow podcasters took him on an incredible, decade long journey of discovery. After creating, in his words, “the world’s most technically advanced podcast that no one listened to,” Mark decided to change lanes and begin his own hosting platform.Dive deeper into how he discovered his competitive edge in the market, as well as some of the big mistakes he made along the way.

Not only will you learn the fundamentals of how to set up a great podcast for your business (we’re taking those tips to heart, Mark), but you’ll also learn how he turned a passion project into the perfect acquisition for every party involved, all within six years.

His biggest takeaway: Don’t do it alone!

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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There are many imitators in the App Store, but Josh Wardle’s little web app Wordle is the one catching on fire. Josh hasn’t made a penny from the game and doesn’t intend to. What can we as podcasters achieve when we do the Internet a favour? This is Podcode.

Wordle

Launched around November last year, Wordle is a five-letter word guessing game. You type a word. If you have a letter in the right position, it shows up in green. If the letter exists in the word but in the wrong place, it shows in orange. If the letter does not exist in the word you're trying to guess, it shows in grey and you can no longer select that letter. You get 6 attempts to guess the word, and you only get a new word every 24 hours, meaning you have to wait for the next one.

You can share how well you did with a tweet showing emojis indicating your progress through each guess. There are no links in the tweet, just the word “Wordle” and your score.

It's a web app, so you load it in your browser or add it to your Home Screen. It's not an App Store app, and Apple have taken down several money-grubbing clones.

Josh Wardle made this as a present for his wife It’s a simple page that takes few resources so costs him very little to run, needing almost no Internet connectivity.

What makes this relevant to podcasting?

Josh created this for one singular purpose: fun. He’s done this in the past with The Button on Reddit. He works for an art collective called Mschf, in Brooklyn, NY.

Josh did the Internet a favour. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t get to profit or that others don’t take advantage – but the joy is purely in the thing

As a result of Wordle

• we know who Josh Wardle is
• we know we might want to see his next conference or convention talk
• if he had a newsletter, we might want to might subscribe

That’s all very well and good for him
Sure, but this didn’t take long to build. It's something that can be done over evenings or weekends, especially in this time when fewer of us are commuting.

This doesn't mean you have to learn to code and build a game, but you could make a Twitter bot. @CraigWeekend is a Twitter bot that tweets Daniel Craig saying "Ladies and gentlemen, the Weeknd" in reverent tones. You can Google “no code Twitter bot” to find out how you might make something like this yourself... all it takes is a bit of imagination.

Things to watch out for

• Be prepared never to get that time back
• There have to be no stakes
• Do it just because it would be fun to do
• Avoid naked ambition or the urge to make it an ad

Some traps I’ve fallen into

• Commercialising them directly
• Bailing before giving it a chance
• Putting pressure on the project to deliver
• Making it overly slick or polished

Try monthly experiments

Put something fun out into the world. Make it known to the curious who made it. If someone thinks you’re “missing a trick” with promotion, you’re probably doing it right.

Evaluate it after a month.
Is it still fun?

• If yes, keep doing it
• If no: Is it sucking your time?
  • No: keep doing it
  • Yes:
    • is it sucking your energy?
      • If yes, move on to another experiment
      • If no, you’ve just discovered a hobby!

Other links

• Pacific Content
• Hackable?

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Welcome to Podcode. My name is Mark Steadman, and I will be your podcast guide for this the first in a retooled Podcode podcast. This is what I laughingly refer to as the podcast about podcasting for people who aren't podcasters. If that feels like you, then you're in the right place.

• Who gave you permission to make a podcast?
• Why “how do I grow my podcast” is the wrong question

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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This podcast has appeared to have changed its name again. It's January, 2022 – what the hell is going on? 

I unveil my plans for the Podcode podcast (formerly Ear Brain Heart and also sort of formerly the Podcode Briefing and also sort of formerly the Iceberg and... you get it). Let's eliminate some of that confusion and get back to basics - just you, me, a mic, and a pair of headphones.

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Evo Terra is a podcast stalwart of the 2004 era and beyond. I wanted to demonstrate the power of the asynchronous interview, so I used a conversation we'd conducted, where I sent him a bunch of questions and he recorded his answers.

You can read a full explanation of the asynchronous interview technique at podcode.co/async.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Committed podcasters are so often all about the gear. We like to try out new mics, mixers, or USB interfaces. For one thing, it's a great way to avoid having to prep the next episode or edit the last one.

There's a lot of hay made about whether you should buy a dynamic microphone or a condenser. Should it have a cardioid pattern? What about noise rejection? Frequency response? These things matter when you're recording in a treated room. They mean a lot less when you're being played back in the bath, on the train, or via a smart speaker.

That's not to say sound doesn't matter

It absolutely does. There's science to back up the claim that the better your audio quality, the smarter you sound. But if your job is to show up to the same mic each week, there are simple things you can do to improve your sound, before you shell out for a new mic. And they're free.

Remove the reverb

Reverb is what happens when sound waves bounce off surfaces and ricochet back. The more reverb you produce, the further away from the listener you sound.

Our goal is to create a connection between us and the listener. We do that by removing anything distracting, and getting as close to the mic as possible.

Get under the covers

I used to record audiobooks, and I achieved consistently high ratings for my performances, and the audio quality. When I started, I was on a Røde NT-1A. It's not a cheap mic, but it's meant for capturing lots of sound accurately, not isolating the human voice.

Dynamic mics (like the ones you sing into at karaoke) are better for home studios. But I like condenser mics, because they sound crisper. The Røde NT-1A is that sort of mic, and I was recording in my spare bedroom. That meant lots of hard surfaces for sound to bounce off.

So, I took the quilt from my bed, draped it over myself and my screen, and recorded my audition. And then the entire book.

I have never sounded better. The client loved it, and the audiobook achieved a 4.4 out of 5 for performance.

Keep the noise down!

Whatever you can hear, a mic can pick up three times as much (that's not a scientific number, just a rule-of-thumb). If you can hear a noise while you're recording, it's safe to assume the mic will pick it up. The mic and your audio interface can also pick up things you can't hear. This could be sound from outside, or electrical buzz from bad cables, line interference or grounding issues.

You can use software to remove regular noise like hissing or buzzing. A better approach is to isolate the source of the noise, and remove it before you record.

Proximity is everything

When you're in the sub $400 range of microphones, the biggest factor that differentiates one sound from another is distance. The simplest rule of thumb is to be a fist's distance away from the mic.

I now typically record with a Røde NT-USB. I drop my chair down so I'm at eye-level with the mic, then get right up close to the built-in pop filter.

[embed https://podcode.co/record/]

Why not use a dynamic mic instead of a condenser?

It's easier to find cheaper condenser mics that sound good, as there's a lot more variance in dynamic mics. They're also less flexible in how you can use them. I like that I can use my NT-USB for informal Zoom calls and for podcasts.

The Samson Q2U is an excellent dynamic mic at an affordable price. I found it picked up way more unwanted noise than the Røde, so I switched back.

If you're on a budget, a USB condenser mic is the better option, as long as you can cut down on the reverb.

Sound matters

Podcast listeners have a higher tolerance for noise than with audiobooks, so don't feel you have to aim for perfection. But equally don't fall into the trap of thinking "it's just a podcast, it doesn't really matter". Your audience won't thank you for crystal clear audio, but they're more likely to leave if your sound is consistently poor.

No-one can see you

The great thing about audio is that no-one can judge your recording setup. If you find you get the best sound from the cupboard under the stares, that's your new studio! Just make sure no-one's going to interrupt your recording to grab their coat.

As long as your recording space is easy to setup and dismantle if it's not permanent, it really doesn't matter if it looks silly. A soft, warm-sounding space that's free of noise will take you much further than a $400 mic.

Consistency. Good for you, good for your listeners

It can be tempting to switch your setup and try new gear. But the more you do that, the more you have to debug later. There's no shame in sticking with what works, for as long as it works. If you need to feel like you're switching things up, try new music, a new intro, or a new format.

A new mic won’t make your podcast sound all that different, because it’s all about where the sound waves go. Give them as short a distance to travel, and don’t let them get mixed up with any interference.

Over to you

What’s the biggest thing you’ve changed in your audio setup, aside from your mic? Leave me a comment below.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

First, let's dispense with the moral argument about swearing. Partly because it's off-topic, but mostly because it isn't a moral choice, it's an artistic one. The choice to allow – or not allow – swearing on your podcast should be based on your audience.

But it's not a simple on/off switch, and there are a few things to consider. So, let's get into them. (And yes, this post will contain some swearing.)

What even /is/ a swear word?

North Americans tend to consider words like "hell" and "damn" as swearing. The UK (where I'm from) is a little more liberal on those religious "curse" words. That said, "bastard" and "pissed off" make it to mainstream TV in the States, but Brits can usually only hear them after 9pm. That's thanks to a thing called the watershed.

If you're unsure of where you want to draw the line, check out George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on TV bit. Alternatively, Google the movie rating you want to hit ("PG-13" in the US, for example). The key is to think about categories rather than specific words.

Even with a list, there's context to consider, so if you want to keep a hard line, you might need to take each case on its merits.

Set some ground rules

Once you've found where you draw the line on swearing, it's important to remain consistent. Imagine a teenager playing your podcast. If a parent walked by, could they hear something that might be of concern? If your show isn't made for kids, is it safe for them to hear it on the school run?

Of course, you can't police every situation. It's the listener's responsibility to determine what's safe for the ears around them. But having a policy and enforcing it will make your life easier. it also gives the listeners some consistency.

The ground rules you set for guests or co-hosts might be different from your own. For example, I try not to swear when I'm recording my Hitchhiker's show. This policy forces me to think more creatively when I speak. Instead of going for the easy F-bomb, I try to swerve around it to see what funnier expression might be lurking behind it.

These are your rules only

Apple and other podcast directories don't care about swearing in your show. You can tag an episode or a whole podcast as explicit. This places a little red E next to the relevant title in player apps. It doesn't have any other meaning, and your podcast won't be treated any differently. That's the luxury of having a system where the money isn't controlled by one company, as is the case with YouTube.

Apple would rather you be honest if your show is dirty, than try to hide it. It's the deception that's more likely to get you delisted, should it ever arise (it won't).

But what are the /right/ rules?

It's completely up to you, but if you're unsure, try this rule-of-thumb for a show that isn't intended for kids:

Let everything through, bar the big F and the big C. Those are the two words most commonly understood to be "explicit".

Don't make judgements based on whether a word has religious connotations, as that's a tad condescending. For example, it's common to hear podcasts with plenty of "shit"s but where the host says "heck" instead of "hell". That's just weird.

Preventing swearing before it happens

Whatever your policy, your guest and contributors will appreciate knowing about it. Plus, it'll remove the awkward "can I swear?" moment, which should never be part of an episode.

If your policy is restrictive, reassure your guest that you can catch anything in the edit. Otherwise you'll risk them tightening up and not being themselves. Also, telling someone not to say a certain word is a great way to guarantee that'll be the only word they can think of.

But if you're concerned about swearing, you should avoid having to make a decision in the edit, and the worst thing you can do is censor your content.

If you don't want swearing on your show, don't bleeping swear

You might have made a policy on swearing and made everyone in the recording aware of it, but still you can end up with filthy words in your audio. If this is a problem for you: remove the word entirely. Tools like Descript make this an easy task. If you can't take it out cleanly, consider whether the whole sentence needs to be in there.

This is far better than trying to have your cake and eat it. Papering over a swear word with a bleep sound is a cop-out. It indicates that you want the impact of the word but without taking responsibility for it.

That said, if it’s a comedic point and it genuinely makes the joke funnier, leave it bleeped. The Bugle does this well. If you have a category 1 swear word (like the dreaded C bomb), the line will probably land better bleeped. That’s because it won’t carry the same blunt resonance as the naked word might. But top-tier swears like this are the only ones you should consider bleeping. People who bleep words like “ass” and “damn” are making podcasts for vicars’ wives from the 1800s.

Swearing and money

If you work with sponsors, don’t let them dictate the content that goes around the ad. It’s not uncommon for a brand to advertise with a sweary show, but ask that the hosts not swear during the ad reads.

That’s perfectly reasonable – they’re paying for that portion of the time, after all. But you shouldn’t have to make a decision about the rest of your show because of a touchy sponsor.

Dealing with complaints

Feedback and criticism are valuable to any creative field. However, if you’ve made a creative choice to allow swearing in your show and you can stand by that decision, don’t let a negative comment sway you. “This podcast has filthy language” isn’t a valid criticism for a piece of art that isn’t intended for kids.

It’s OK (not) to swear

Whether you want to run a clean show or make it so filthy the listener could write “wash me” on your feed, it’s up to you. Both are entirely valid, as is everything in between. Just make sure you know what your policy is, and be consistent. If you break it, have good artistic grounds to do so.

Where’s your line?

Where do you fall on the swearing spectrum? Do you allow swearing, or have you been bleeping it? If so, have I convinced you otherwise? Leave a comment and let’s get the discussion going.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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The idea of approaching a total stranger – especially someone high-profile – can seem daunting. It can feel especially hard if you’re new or if you don’t have many listeners. That’s even assuming you’ve started publishing episodes yet.

New podcasters often shy away from booking guests because they worry they’re wasting the other person’s time. Yes, high-profile people are often busy, but there’s a fundamental fact that unites us all.

We love talking about what lights us up

If you’re inviting someone to talk on a subject they love, their reward is just that. You’re giving them the time and space to talk about something they care about, and don’t always get the chance to. It might be a topic the guest talks a lot about, but without the depth a podcast conversation can offer.

I’ve recorded with comedians, world-touring musicians, and at least one Hollywood writer. The best discussions were on topics they loved, which is why they all said “yes”.

I’ve had far more yeses than nos. That’s down to good research – being sure the guest is right for the show – and one simple realisation:

High-profile people are just busy

If you’re approaching someone high-profile, it can be tempting to jump into a low-status role. For you, “high-profile” might mean they’re a household name or that they’ve written an important book. When it comes to the subject of your podcast, it’s all relative.

Higher-profile people may not think of themselves as such, and some might even bristle at the idea. What is true, and is more relatable, is that they’re busy. Even if they’re not, it’s polite to assume they are.

If you put your guests on a pedestal, you set the conversation up for awkwardness from the get-go. If you’re bringing them on to talk about a topic you both love, you’re on an equal footing.

Getting in contact

Finding a person’s contact details might not be an easy task. Check out a recent podcast episode, scrub to the end and wait for the host to ask “where can people get in touch?” This is common in thought-leader spaces, and especially in the business world.

Of course, LinkedIn is an option too. If you’ve got a tenuous connection to the person you want to interview, see if you can follow that chain through private messages.

Website contact forms can be useful, but some people put their email addresses on their websites too. In that case, prioritise the email address. You may need to scan the page closely as lots of people try to avoid spam by not linking their email address, or using things like “jo[at]website[dot]com”. Again, if you see an address like that, decode it and use that over a contact form.

If your guest has representation, you might find their info on the person’s Twitter bio or on their website. Use these contact details as a last resort. I’m not sure agents actually pass on your messages to their clients, but they’ll tell you they will. Don’t take “I’ll pass it on” for an answer if it’s come from an agent.

Speaking of Twitter, some people keep their DMs open, so you can drop them a message there. A “TL;DR” approach is particularly useful here. You can make the initial ask and then quickly follow up with “If that sounds interesting, I can give you a bit more info”. (I’ll go into the “TL;DR approach” in more detail shortly.) I’ve used this to good effect before, with people who don’t follow me. Be aware that some higher-profile people don’t use DMs, or have accounts managed by other people.

Getting to “yes”

My approach is the “TL;DR” method. “TL;DR” stands for “Too long; didn’t read”, and is why lots of Internet writing goes unread.

We tend to want to cram our introductions with lots of context, to show thoughtfulness. That’s good practise, but if you’re approaching someone busy, you need to give them an ejector seat.

The best way to do this is to start your email with a quick greeting, then the short version of your ask. This assumes you’ve already written a subject line like “A podcast about fly-fishing”. In this case, the guest we want is all about that fly-fishing life, so we’ve piqued their interest.

“Hi Jo. I know you’re busy so here’s the short version: I have a podcast about fly-fishing called FlyTime, and I’d love you to be on it.”

What we’re doing here is acknowledging the person is busy, and that we’re going to ask them what we want upfront. We’re also giving them an easy way to bail if they’re not interested. Using their first name, even for someone high-profile is a better approach than trying to be too formal. Again, you’re both talking about a thing you love, so on that score, you’re of equal status.

If you want to link to your podcast website or better yet, your pod.link page in your TL;DR version, that can’t hurt.

Then you can go on to give some context and further detail.

The longer version is that I found your details through a mutual friend, Alex Bloggs. I know both of you are into fly-fishing so I thought you’d be a great fit. On my show, I speak with fly-fishers about their favourite techniques, best places to fish, and fondest memories. I also love to ask guests about the weirdest or worst thing they’ve ever caught!

You don’t need to prepare anything, and I do all my recordings over Zoom, so all I ask is that my guests wear headphones as it helps with noise cancellation. It’s audio only, so feel free to turn your webcam off, but I like to keep mine on as it helps with eye-contact. We typically record for an hour, but we can go shorter if you’re really busy.

If you’re up for recording an episode, you can pick a time that’s convenient to you via my Calendly link. All times should be in your local timezone. If you’ve got any other questions, let me know.

Thanks so much. I hope you’ll join me on the show, as I know we’ll have loads to talk about.

Here we’re answering the question “how did you get this number?” in case the person doesn’t make their contact details public. Another good line is simply “I was thinking about who to have on the show and couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather chat with about this”.

We then add a little more detail about the show. If the reader was interested by the TL;DR version and reads further, this will help them decide if they want to make a hole in their diary. It’s also nice to add a bit of colour, and maybe get some ideas percolating.

Then we get onto logistics: how we record, how long you usually go for, and any requirements you have. It’s always good practise to remind people to wear headphones, as it will make your audio sound so much better. Here we’re using Zoom as an example, but it could just as easily be SquadCast or Riverside. In that instance, it’s important to let them know they don’t have to download anything special.

Using a service like Calendly is vital if you’re dealing with people in timezones other than yours. And even if you’re inviting someone from the same city, it saves the back-and-forth dance of figuring out availability. If someone is very far away from you, make sure you have some slots at times more convenient for them. You can always remove them later, but remember if you’re in the UK and your guest is in Australia, you have very little overlap.

We finish up by thanking them for their time. We close by letting them know we want to speak to them because of the interests we share, not because they’re famous.

Dealing with “no”

While I’ve had good success with this approach, it’s not going to work every time. Sometimes the pitch just won’t be right, or your guest really is too busy to make the time. You’ll usually get three types of negative response, but they’re rarer than you might imagine.

The first type of response is no response at all. In that instance, it’s worth waiting. My first ever notable guest took months to reply, and I’d assumed they’d ignored the email or it hadn’t landed. If it’s been a few weeks and you haven’t heard back, send a follow-up. You can do this by forwarding the original email with a brief sentence to reset the context and remind them. But I’d only do this once.

The second type is “I don’t have time right now”. Sometimes the person will offer to let you know when they’re free again, but I wouldn’t count on it. In this case, I’d give them a couple of months and check in with them again. You’ll have to judge how warm or cold you think their response is before deciding to risk a third follow-up.

The last type is “thank you but I’m not interested”. If you’ve done your research and you’re contacting someone relevant to your topic, you should find this is the rarest response. In that instance, thank the person for their consideration, and chalk it up to a loss. You can’t win ‘em all. If you think there’s a really good reason why they might be wrong to say no, you can try your hand at persuasion, but don’t overdo it.

In all cases, remember to be polite. They don’t owe you their time, whether they’re famous, busy, or otherwise. Especially if it feels like an important contact to you, it’s better to have the door slightly ajar than to have it forcefully closed on your foot. Oh, and don’t take it personally.

Emailing en masse, one at a time

If guests are what make your show work, then you need to put in the time and effort, and contact as many people as possible. But it’s a repeatable process, and one you’ll get quicker at over time.

Start with a template email, but make sure to tweak it and adapt it to each person. Never cold-email someone via a list or by BCCing their name and a bunch of others. If you’re adapting your email from a template, make sure that whatever app you copied your text in from isn’t going to mess with your formatting. It will look pretty rubbish if the boilerplate text is in 12pt Times New Roman and the personalised bits are in 16pt Helvetica.

Setup a Trello board (or a Board database in Notion), with columns like this:

• Considering: Any time you think of a new guest, add their name to a card and put it in this default first column.
• Researching: When you’re ready to find out how to contact them, move their card to this column and start digging for contact details.
• Approached: Once you’ve got their email address (or you can fill in a contact form), do so and move them to this column.
• Scheduled: As soon as the guest has said “yes” and you have a date in the diary, move them to this column.
• Needs follow-up: Move them here if you haven’t heard back from them in a few weeks, or they’ve given you “not right now”.
• Recorded: Once your episode is recorded, move them to this column.

If you’re certain you won’t get to record with someone you’ve approached, you can archive or delete their card.

If your podcast hinges on a new guest per episode, this is a great workflow for managing your content schedule. You can add info like show notes, recording dates, publishing deadlines, and all sorts of other things that will help you produce each episode.

Go forth and bag a whale

Now you’re all set. You can find your guests’ contact details, make an empathetic approach, and get organised.

The last thing to remember is that guests – even higher-profile ones – aren’t responsible for your episode’s marketing. We’ll cover this in another post, but don’t try and bag a great guest for their profile alone. A big name can add legitimacy, but you have to do the heavy lifting when marketing the episode. Remember, they’re busy people!

With that said, it’s easier than you think to book a great guest, and it’s a repeatable process. Work your way up the chain, dropping previous relevant names in your pitch to higher-profile guests. Then, most importantly, enjoy the conversation!

Let’s talk

This post came from a couple of conversations I’ve had with people in our Podcode+ community. You can join them to discuss this post, ask questions, or bring your ideas to our next Office Hours session. Check out Podcode+.

If you’re ever starved for a guest, I’m game. I can talk about tech, running a small, calm company, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, or writing for kids. My email address is mark[at]origin[dot]fm!

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

Some of this episode covers aspects of mental health. If you're struggling with something serious, close this tab and contact the Samaritans. Your podcast can wait.

Is there a good reason you're distracted?

Try not to minimise what you're feeling, as it might have a solid basis in reality. If so, don't amplify the thing that's bothering you by heaping on judgement. Just say to yourself "no wonder I can't focus right now".

✂️ Here are some scissors. Go cut yourself some slack.

Today might not be the day

If your next episode deadline is fast approaching, consider taking the week off and delivering a little later than planned.

For some of us, publishing 52 times a year is more important than publishing every Wednesday. A good example is ATP. They post roughly the same time each week, but during the summer the hosts are juggling family stuff. That might mean they publish two episodes over seven days, but somehow they always manage to put out one for every week of the year.

New podcasters are often told that consistency is important, and that's true. But part of that is to help with discipline and momentum. Showing up on time means showing up at all, which in those early days can be hard.

Who decided that today was the day you had to deliver your podcast? Who loses out, or what ball gets dropped if you don't publish this week?

Show up in a different way

Putting out a normal episode of your podcast isn't the only way you can show up to your listeners. You can write a blog post or a tweet, or post something to Instagram. If you don't feel like you know where your listeners hang out, write something brief or record a video. Then, if you can, take a few minutes and record a mini episode. Point your show notes at that piece of content you've made, and rest easy.

Hold that thought

While you work on your show, be mindful of those moments of distraction. Make a mental note, then gently shift your focus back to the task at hand. If you find your brain keeps drifting off to the same place, write down exactly what you're thinking. You can do it on a scrap of paper, a napkin, your computer or your phone. Chances are, that'll close the open loop in your brain for a while, and let you get back to your show prep.

Deal with the problem at hand

If there's a problem hanging over your head and you can deal with it, do that before planning your episode. Creative work can be a useful way of putting off less fun, but more mission-critical jobs. Also, there are more important things than your podcast. Tending to them doesn't show a lack of commitment.

Whatever's on your mind, if it's a problem within your power to solve, go and solve it. It might feel like a pain – that's why you've been avoiding it after all – but you'll feel much better afterwards. And that good feeling will transfer to your work.

Again, if your problem is serious, contact a friend or professional, or call the Samaritans.

If you can't deal with it, check in later

If you're distracted by something you can't change, book a time to check in with it later. If it's one of those niggling little issues, set aside some time later in the day to focus on it. That might help clear some space for you to get on with something more creative.

Use it

If there's something bothering you, can you find a way to channel it into your work? Can you write or record something you need to hear right now? The message might not fit your normal format, but can you take a detour? Sometimes a break from the format can be re-energising. That's especially true if means your listeners can connect on a more intimate level with you.

This post exists for that reason alone. I had a few things on my mind the day I wrote this, so I started with what I needed to read, and worked out from there.

I always used to beat writers' block by writing about how blocked I was. See if you can judo-flip the problem and use its strength to power you through.

Ask for support

You don’t have to be dealing with something big for it to be worth having a chat with a friend. They might be able to help break a small rock into tinier pebbles, or set your brain off in a different direction.

Airing the problem might be the very thing that pops the balloon and gets it out of your way. Who in your friend group, mastermind, or wider community will let you go off on a rant for a minute?

Being part of a community can help. I started Podcode+ to provide a space where the tech and process could meet the human and squishy.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

"We don't make movies to make money"

Walt Disney said his company "makes money to make more movies", rather than making movies to earn a profit. You can take that with as big a pinch of salt as you like, but there's truth in there too.

You might think "I don't plan on (directly) monetising my podcast", and you'd be right. Starting a project with the aim of selling ads gets you nowhere. But having a podcast that furthers a bigger mission is a good goal to aim for. That mission could be to get more speaking gigs, attract new clients, or land a job. It could be to spend more time with your friends, or because you have a story you need to tell.

Think of that mission – however big or small – and ask yourself "what is it worth to me?"

The best thing I ever did for my work

In the summer of 2020, I was thinking about renewing my investment in Podiant, my previous company. Then I heard about a business development programme called 2020 Vision. At their open day, the co-founders Carlos and Laurence talked about avoiding growth for growth's sake and getting back to why we start businesses in the first place.

Being a working-class creative nerd and "not a businessperson", I was intrigued but sceptical. Still, I signed up to their September cohort. At the time I was busy rolling out the next big updates to my hosting platform, so I wasn't committing. Then we started having buddy-group sessions over Zoom, and everything changed.

Connecting with a small group of people each week who understood my story was a revelation. I felt seen and heard, and that my problems were understandable, even surmountable.

Laurence, our buddy group's leader and mentor guided us through the process. He helped us champion our buddies' ideas and spot when one of us was getting in our own way. I asked Laurence for his take on my progress from then to now, and here's what he said:

I’m in awe of the Mark I now know versus the one that I first met a year ago. That chap was nice. But this one is a whole different beast.

I see someone who has shifted their mindset and shedded some limiting beliefs. This transformation whilst rapid, hasn’t felt like a new identity, but rather being more comfortable in your own skin and sharing your voice.

I now see you leading, coaching, teaching and facilitating with confidence and a swagger that I knew was there, but just needed some love and belief.

You don't have to join a programme like 2020 Vision to invest in your work (although I'd recommend it). You can start by making some commitments to yourself, and not trying to bear the load of your podcast alone.

Don't look at your stats for 100 days

I often speak to podcasters disheartened by low numbers. They're usually at the start of their journey, so their expectations are unrealistic.

First off, don't feel bad about those expectations – you weren't wrong to overshoot. It's easy for us to compare our work to those from people way further along than us. But Lore, Sleep with Me, and Darknet Diaries are three indie success stories that all started from 0.

What could you make if you just focused on crafting something compelling?

Make commitments and track your progress

With each episode, think about how you can make it a little bit better. This might surprise you, but the easiest way to do that is to make it shorter. By shortening your episode, you tighten it, leaving less in your audio that causes people to drift off. Check your Apple Podcasts episode stats to see how long people usually listen.

Chart the progress you’ve made or the experiments you’re running to help improve your show. A bullet-point in your Notes app or a line on a spreadsheet is fine. Again, this isn’t about tracking downloads, but about seeing how tiny changes build up.

Hold yourself accountable

I started learning the guitar in January 2020, using apps and YouTube videos. After a few weeks I became frustrated and gave up. Then a friend recommended a guitar teacher. I’m now taking my grade 5 rock exam, and our weekly appointment keeps me from slacking on my practise.

Even when life gets in the way and I’m unable to practise, my guitar teacher is supportive because I showed up. An accountability buddy can do the same for you, as long as you’re both committed.

What matters is the energy you put in, and whether you’re directing it in the right way. Focus on what you’re doing to improve, rather than hoping you’re doing the right thing to reach a distant goal.

Find someone else who’s in a similar spot, and buddy up. Hold yourselves accountable to each-other, and check in once a week to share how you’re getting on. Start from a place of support, and it soon becomes a nurturing and encouraging way to grow, rather than homework to be avoided.

Who has the time?

This can all sound like a full-time job, but a few small tweaks to your process could make all the difference. Can you spare an hour every two weeks to have a virtual coffee with your buddy? What about the time spent trawling Facebook for growth tips, only to get the same tired answers?

Breaking this cycle won’t happen overnight. It takes time, and you might end up with some surprises as a result.

I no longer run Podiant, because running a tech startup was making me depressed. I had a panic attack last Christmas at the thought of the year ahead. Working with people brings me joy, so I needed to spend time with those who shared a sense of purpose, but with different perspectives.

Investing in yourself like I did doesn’t mean you’ll have a similarly dramatic outcome. But you might get closer to the show only you can make, if you’re willing to invest some time and energy.

If you want to join others who are betting on themselves, Podcode+ is now open. It’s a place to meet mission-driven people like you, with guided activities to keep you on track. I’m also opening up regular drop-in sessions to programme members.

I’m going to give the last word to Laurence, my buddy group leader and “business dad”:

”Your future looks bright. Keep on this path and the sky is the limit.”

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

There is a lot of bad advice and worse examples when it comes to podcast intros. The result is usually the same across the board: uninspiring, repetitive, and inauthentic.

Podcast listeners come to your show for one of two reasons: to spend time with you, or to take away an idea. For a new listener, your intro is a way to show them the best version of you, not a version that you can't maintain.

Your intro is unique, just like everyone else's

Podcasters, especially entrepreneurs, often have a slick, professional-sounding intro. This then sets an expectation that's dashed when the host comes in with their laptop mic.

There are tools on the web for putting episodes together like building blocks. This can create a couple of problems:

1. the transitions between segments are awkward
2. the host forgets what's in their pre-recorded intro months ago, so deliver all the same spiel again

Here are some common mistakes podcasters make with their pre-recorded intros:

• Making them too long
• Hiring a voice actor
• Using generic corporate music
• Leaving the music running for too long
• Keeping the same intro for more than a few months

We don't need your podcast's life story

Starting each episode in the same way is no bad thing. It can be comforting to listeners to know everything is in its right place. Overdo it and you can lull them to sleep, so try ditching the reusable intro, and record a new one for each episode.

That doesn't mean writing a new script each time, but it does give you the chance to tweak it as you go. A short, tight sentence that explains the premise is way better than a 90-second life-story.

At the very least, a new listener will see the artwork or read your show name, so will have a vague idea of what's on offer. If your podcast name doesn't give that away – eg "The Jo Bloggs Show" – then it's time to pick a better name.

Try not to spend too much time explaining the show – it makes binge-listening more repetitive. One short sentence should do it.

Let's hear some examples

Here's a made-up example to show lots of the common mistakes people make. It's not fair to call out specific examples, so here's a reconstruction. If your intro has elements that sound like this, they're easy to fix.

What did you spot in this intro? Things to look out for are:

1. It's too long
2. The music is boring and it goes on for too long
3. It doesn't match the main body of the episode
4. All the calls-to-action are at the beginning, before we've delivered any value

How can we improve our intro?

If your podcast is interview-based, a great way to start is with what the TV calls a "cold open". In podcasting, this is a short snippet of audio that creates tension we can resolve later in the episode. You can take a piece from the conversation that never made it to air – as long as the guest was happy for this to be used. Maybe your guest had a funny comment or quip that sounds weird out-of-context. Maybe there's a common belief people have that your episode is going to subvert.

Here's an example from a show that's currently on hiatus:

In this example, the show description is based on a script, but it's never delivered exactly the same way each time. This makes the show more bingeable, because the intros are less repetitive.

After the intro, the next voice you hear is that of the guest. This is an old radio journalism trick, and works wonders to help you sound professional without being over-slick. Instead of starting the interview with the pleasantries, tee it up in your intro. Set out the first question as part of a statement, and then let the interviewee take the reins. For example:

"This week's guest is Sith Lord Darth Vader. He'd just got back from lunch, so we got into talking about food and I asked him what snacks they had in the vending machines on the Death Star."

If you want to stick with an intro you record once and re-use, keep it brief and explain the premise of the show quickly. The main body of the episode should pick up right where the intro left off, and start with something unique to that episode. You've already welcomed the listener, so no need to do it again. Start with "this week's guest is" for example, or "on this episode I wanted to talk about".

This example takes the cold-open from the blog post summary. The music loops underneath so the opener and the intro feel like one piece. The main body of the episode is taken from the video above, but without the "Welcome to Podcode" spiel.

Also, the music overlaps very slightly with the main body of the episode. This isn’t hard to do as long as you’re using a real podcast editor, rather than a site where you assemble your episode like Lego blocks.

A little effort goes a long way

A little bit of effort signals to a listener that they’re important to you, and that their time and attention is valuable. Episodes that feel like they’re factory-produced are less likely to connect with a listener on a level that builds trust.

Of course, you might listen to podcasts that have intros that make the “mistakes” listed above. They might be wildly successful, and so worth imitating. But if you do that, you won’t stand out.

If introducing your own show makes you feel uncomfortable, that’s completely understandable… it’s a weird thing to do. But, rather than hire a voice actor to bring you on-stage, invite a friend over and record your intro to them. You can even do this over Zoom. Setup your recording equipment as normal – they don’t need a mic or headphones – and look at your friend in the same way you would if you were having a chat. If you feel silly doing it, or the words start to feel too formal, that’s a good signal for you to loosen up a bit.

If you want your intro to sound professional but you don’t have a good mic at home, instead of scheduling time at a recording studio, get a Samson Q2U. It’s an inexpensive mic that plugs directly into your computer. Get about a fist’s distance away from it and you’ll be amazed how good you sound.

Remember, your job is not to sound perfect or polished – it’s to sound human. By all means, do your best and sound as good as you can, but don’t try to be too slick about it.

Hook your listener in as early as possible. Create tension with a cold-open clip that you can release later in the episode.

Whatever music you pick, don’t play it safe. If you’re not a little bit excited by the music you pick, or it feels like “this is what a professional podcast sounds like”, ditch it and move on.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Netflix doesn't share viewing figures – not even with its creators

Commercial TV stations often use surveys or set-top boxes to find out how many people are watching a show. They want to know if enough people are watching the ads, so they can figure out whether to order another season.

Netflix is a subscription product, so it doesn't rely on advertising for revenue. They want people to watch their shows, talk about them, and recommend them to their friends.

Of course Netflix knows how many people are watching each of their shows, and they've even hinted at it before. But they don't share these numbers with the people who make them.

Podcasters get less data than Netflix does. We only know how many people have downloaded our episodes, not whether they enjoyed them or even listened. Plus, there isn't a universal thumbs up/down system like there is with Netflix.

At this point it's tempting to want to benchmark your show against others in your category. Don't try and compare a long-running show with yours. The numbers won't stack up for the simple reason that you haven't been around long enough yet.

The podcast industry gets things wrong too. Earlier this year, Apple stopped downloading episodes until the listener wanted to play them. We saw huge drops in numbers, but all it showed was that downloads mean nothing if people aren't listening.

Words and attention are what matters

It might come as a surprise, but not everyone who hits Play on an episode listens to the whole thing. Some won't even make it past the first 30 seconds! That's normal. That said, you need to know how far people make it through on average, so you can judge where you might be losing them. Knowing that can give you a great sense of how to improve.

Comments, messages and reviews are also a great way to judge how well your podcast is doing. Just like attention levels, the numbers themselves aren't important – it's whether they go up or down that matters.

If you're stuck in that prepare-produce-promote cycle, it's hard to remember to put yourself in your listeners' shoes. Here's what you can do.

Track your listener engagement

If you're a few weeks in and each episode has more than 25 listeners:

1. log into your Apple Podcasts Connect account,
2. head to Analytics,
3. pick an episode of your podcast,
4. look for the graph that shows listeners over time.

You'll see your episode split into 30-second chunks, so you can get an idea of where listeners drop off.

This graph only shows listeners on the iPhone's default podcast player, but as it's the most popular platform, it gives you a useful gauge. It's also what the pros do.

You might expect to see the biggest drop-offs right at the beginning. This is when listeners figure out if this is the episode that's right for them. You might also see them near the end, since people can get used to knowing when you're wrapping up and skip to the next episode.

If you've got important info or you're asking listeners to do something, consider doing that earlier in your episode.

If you're getting good comments and reviews from listeners, note them down in a Google doc or your phone's notes app. These are gold dust. It takes a lot for people to send feedback to a podcast they've listened to, so celebrate each one.

Read the comments and reviews on your podcast. We love hearing someone say our name, and it shows other listeners that they can join in too.

Track, measure, improve, repeat

• Create a new a Google spreadsheet or a Notion or Airtable database.
• Start keeping track of how well your episodes are doing, from week to week.
• Take a look at the episode metrics from your hosting company and note them down. This is just to help establish a baseline.
• Log any comments or reviews you've received, including private messages on social networks or text.
• Better yet, create a scale from 0 to 10. Score each comment based on how energised it makes you feel, then add up all the scores and track that number.
• Ignore likes and re-shares, as they're not an accurate measure of engagement.
• Note down your episode lengths and the points at which people tend to drop off.

Give it another few weeks, and once you feel like you have some meaningful data, commit to one thing that will improve your most important numbers.

If you see lots of drop-offs around the last third of your episodes, are they too long? Could you get some editing help, or spend a bit more time trimming the fat? If your listeners are busy people, they'll thank you for getting to the point quickly.

If you see your feedback slowing, can you ask a friend to review your podcast? Once they have, read that review on your show, and keep that momentum going. If your show is relies more on listener feedback, don't be afraid to fake it. Successful shows in the past have done it: got producers to call in and pretend to be guests. If the questions are useful and you have good answers, everyone wins.

What to do if you don't have that kind of data

You don't need hundreds of comments or reviews to gauge how well you're doing, and you certainly don't need hundreds of downloads. If you're in your first few months of production and you're not seeing meaningful data, that's fine. Not only is it fine, it's completely normal.

Podcasting is a crowded space, and it takes time to make headway. It also takes time for you to warm up and to get comfortable. Even if this isn't your first podcast, it's a new chair and it'll take time for you to make that groove in the upholstery.

If you’ve been going for longer and you’re still not seeing meaningful engagement, you can check out our post on getting your first 100 downloads. If you’re still struggling, it’s time to go back to your Listener Story, or if you don’t have one, create one.

It’s a marathon

It’s a cliché, but this is a long game. No-one says your show has to be a smash success from episode one.

The original version of The Office was tucked away on BBC Two and it only got traction when it was repeated some months later.

Similarly, NBC threatened the US version with cancellation many times. It’s now one of the best and most beloved examples of the 22-minute American sitcom.

No-one had heard of Dido before Stan came along

The pop singer Dido put out an album in the late 90s which ended up being quite successful in the States. She was a Brit, but no-one in the UK had given her airtime. Then Eminem released Stan, which sampled Dido’s Thank You, and suddenly – and for a couple of years – we fell in love with her.

You might make something that catches fire next week. You might make something that catches fire in a year. Or you might make something that never catches fire. What matters is whether you believe in the work, and whether it touches someone else.

Success on your terms

If you’re creating a podcast to make money, you’re better off buying a lottery ticket. But if you want to use it as a stepping stone to a lucrative career or your own business, a podcast is a great way to do that. And it doesn’t matter how many people have listened in the past as no-one can see that data. If you’re doing this for a niche hobby, it doesn’t matter how many Patreon subscribers you have. Again, no-one else can see that.

What people can see is what your listeners have said about the show. And the feedback you get helps make the next episode better. That’s how you know it’s working.

If you’d like help growing your show or you’re wrestling with something, our membership programme opens next month.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

Podcode episodes are recorded in video format, edited, uploaded to YouTube and exported to our podcast host. That makes the process of generating content across different platforms much easier, especially given that many people consume podcast content via YouTube and it's far better to have authentic video than a piece of static imagery or a wobbling waveform.

With podcast coaching being done primarily over Zoom, being able to put a face to the name from an early stage is useful, but with that comes a tonne of potential pitfalls.

Theatre of the mind

It's easy for us to become distracted by the scene around us: the pictures on a person's wall, the cat heaving into view, or the way the light changes when the sun moves across a window. But there are also personal insecurities that can be exposed on video that simply aren't an option in audio: things about our appearance – or our own self-perception of our appearance – or our mannerisms. These can lead us to feel like video isn't always a safe way to produce content. It can feel exposing in a way that is separate from imposter syndrome, which tends to focus more on our work and contributions than more personal aspects of our physical appearance or demeanour.

Audio doesn't suffer from these problems to nearly the degree that video does. Not because we're hiding our "face for radio" behind a mic and a pair of headphones, but because audio goes with us to places video doesn't. Audio also protects us from looking nervous, uncomfortable, bored, tired, and helps the listener focus on what matters: the messages.

Zoom-fatigue fatigue

And If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we’ve done video to death. So many of us have opened our homes to the people we work with, people we buy from, potential job prospects, and complete strangers we’ll never see again. It’s quite possible we’ve had enough of video for a bit, and it might be nice just to hear a voice.

Hands up who likes the sound of their own voice

Of course, for most of us, the sound of our own voice heard back through a speaker is at best a little offputting. That’s because of the way our voice resonates within our skull, but the good news here is that this is a completely universal experience. Every single person’s voice sounds less resonant – and perhaps less authoritative as a result – than we hear. So that’s no reason to feel bashful about using your voice to convey a message that others need to hear.

Unperfectionism

Imperfections – mistakes, stumbles, miscommunications – can feel exposing, but a good thing to remember is that, especially with audio, you’re always able to make corrections and adjustments after the fact, either by appending something to an episode, or re-recording a section. You don’t have to match the lighting, your clothing or your camera setup; just pick up the mic, and as long as you’re in roughly the same conditions, you can stitch in your correction.

From blog to podcast

You have the potential to offer your content to more people, and give your existing subscribers an easier, more personal, and more impactful way to engage with your work. So if you’re ready to take one small step outside your comfort zone and bring your tribe along on a journey from ear to brain to heart, pick up a mic, take the words in your blog or newsletter and turn them into a podcast.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

Firstly, let's take a moment to acknowledge something. You've done something that maybe 0.1% of the global population has. Think about how rare that makes you.

And by reading this, you're already taking more care and putting more thought into your work than most indie podcasters. It's one thing to speak your thoughts into a microphone, even plan ahead, book guests, and network with others to help spread the word. But to be brave enough to evaluate your work?

For that, I take my hat off to you. 🎩

Return to your purpose

You get to define your podcast’s metric of success. Hopefully you did that before picking up a mic, but either way here are some questions you can ask yourself or your team:

• If you had SMART goals, which of them did you achieve?
• If your strategy was more emergent, what changed in your environment, or what new things did you learn that informed how you feel about the success of your podcast?
• What outcomes did you achieve?
• What outcomes did you want to achieve, but didn’t?
• What outcomes would you like to pursue, that previously didn’t occur to you?

It's entirely likely you had aspirations you haven't achieved in your first season. That's normal.

That doesn't mean you were wrong to have them, or that you've failed if you haven't attained them. It might mean they need adjusting for next time, but if you have help in putting your podcast together, this is something you can check in with them about (we'll come to that in a bit).

Download numbers: the elephant in the room

Even if it’s not your primary measure of success, let’s not pretend that download numbers aren’t important to us, even if just on a personal basis.

But it’s highly unlikely that after 12 or even 36 episodes you’ll be seeing download numbers in the 20k+ range that most advertisers say they look for, let alone anything in the low thousands. I have some words of encouragement for you there.

Don’t feel disheartened.

Almost all of the online courses I see promise download numbers or lead people to think that podcasting inherently opens doors to new audiences. That's because they're often made by entrepreneurs who had help building a podcast to address an audience they already have, or they're just cynically trying to take your money.

What makes podcasting special is the way we can communicate with those audiences once we’ve found or built them, but in my 13+ years of podcasting – working with authors, TV personalities, passionate hobbyists, and entrepreneurs – I’ve learned that large download numbers mean very little when they’re reached, and what matters is the engagement level of the listeners you have.

I won’t tell you not to look at the analytics at the end of your first season. It’s human nature to want to see a marker of your progress. But when you do, I don’t want you to start applying judgement.

The response you get from your listeners: the organic comments – not just likes and RTs – and the enthusiastic reviews... those are the things to judge your success by. They're measured by how you feel when you read them, not by whether a line on a graph is going up and to the right.

Do you still have more to say?

Regardless of the reason for taking a break, and even if you feel you said everything you planned to in your first run, is there something more – or something entirely new – you want to talk about?

• Are there guests you never got to interview?
• Are there addressable audiences that need to hear your voice, but haven’t yet?

When thinking about the “addressable audience” question: here I’m defining that as an easily-definable group that could, for example, be targeted in a Facebook ad (I’m not advocating that as a marketing strategy, more just defining the term).

And in evaluating whether there are still people in that group who need to hear what you have to say – which is almost definitely true – is what you’ve said so far enough, or do you need to make more?

If you’ve said all you have to say on your topic but there are still people who’ll benefit from the message, then your podcast has a significant shelf-life.

Preserving your work

You can preserve a podcast for free by moving it to Anchor. Importing content from another feed is easy, and your previous host will forward existing listeners over, and ensure directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify know your feed has moved. This means new listeners can check out the show and binge your back-catalogue.

But here you run the risk of seeing new downloads decline over time, as people find your podcast, and notice it hasn’t been updated in x months. We still mostly think of podcasts as being in some way timely, and podcast apps are biased towards what’s new – checking feeds less frequently as new releases decline – so it might be time to pivot.

Would the audiobook format work for you? Lots of benefits and expectations are shared between podcasts and audiobooks, and in fact, the wildly-successful mid-2000s Ricky Gervais Show pivoted from podcast to exclusive paid-for audiobook. Whether you want to charge for your work is up to you, as is how you distribute it.

There’s no single audiobook file format, so how you hand it out to people is up to you.

• You could go through Amazon’s audiobook portal, which will help you package up your audiobook and distribute it within its network (Amazon and Audible) plus the iTunes Store.
• Zip up a bunch of MP3 files and sell them for $1 + pay-what-you-can via Gumroad (the $1 minimum is imposed by Gumroad for files larger than 250mb, which would give you somewhere between 4 and 8 hours of audio).
• Upload your files to your website and point people there. Distributing the package yourself means you can choose to collect email addresses, payment, or nothing in exchange. Just check your hosting company's pricing page to make sure you're not going to be penalised for moving large files.

I suspect you’d have an easier time selling an audiobook for $10-$25 than convincing people to listen to a podcast whose feed hasn’t been updated in a year. An audiobook is a finished product, whereas a podcast feels like it should be ongoing.

Check your relationship status

How are your current working relationships panning out? This is a question that should go in all directions.

• If you’re working with a producer or editor, are they getting what they need from you?
• Are you starting to develop a shorthand with your editor, or did you still need multiple revisions, even towards the end? If the latter – assuming your editor is good at their job – are you trying to assert too much control, or are there communication barriers?
• Is your co-host puling their weight? If they’re sharing airtime with you, it’s not unreasonable to expect some help in putting the show together, or helping spread the word. The edits for my Hitchhiker’s show are time-consuming, so I seldom have the energy to do the marketing too, but my co-hosts have got my back.
• What's your relationship like with your listeners? If this is your first season, you might not be drowning in fan mail, but you might be able to get a sense from your network of what people would want from a subsequent season. Spin up a Google form and post it to your social media, or if you haven't yet published your final episode, add it to your show notes and mention it on mic.

You should aim to book a meeting with everyone involved in your podcast's pipeline... you don't have to bring them all to the same room or Zoom call together at the same time, but it's important to check in with everyone to get clear on expectations, past and future.

Evaluate your hypothetical next season

Let's travel to the future and to the end of your next season. What does success look like? How much engagement have you had? How many email signups have you had? How many new contacts have you made? What have you learned?

Now think about what happens if you aren't successful. What are the consequences? Sure, it's easy to say "it's only podcasting!" but this season may have cost you money, and it'll almost certainly cost you energy if not just time. This isn't negative thinking or a ham-fisted attempt at "being realistic"; it's simply about helping you get a plan in place.

Think about some "good", "better", "best" outcomes, or set a baseline of what you'd like to achieve from the podcast, and set some stretch goals, a la Kickstarter.

Remember: download numbers aren't outcomes. They're simply a measure of how many times a particular MP3 file has been requested by a device. Think about what those download number signify for you.

What have you learned, and what can you do with it?

I have a podcast development programme that helps leaders and entrepreneurs to make a 12-episode podcast season in around 15 weeks. Maybe you've done something like this, where someone has taken your words and made them into a podcast.

Is producing your own audio something you can make the time for, or can you budget for ongoing episode production so you can keep exploring your ideas?

Could you train someone on your team to do the production work? It's easier than it looks.

We're waiting to hear from you

Hopefully at the end of this season you're up for making more episodes. If you've worked with me, I would hope some of my enthusiasm has rubbed off on you.

But I suspect – in fact, I know – that people still want to hear from you. If that doesn't feel accurate, it's most likely because you haven't found them yet. When we put ourselves out there, indifference can feel so much worse than outright rejection. But silence doesn't equal indifference.

Stick at it. That never feels like the right advice, but maddeningly it is.

Stick at it because your thing might not be the best thing yet. So as Seth Godin says, ship.

Stick at it because you might not have reached the right audience yet. That takes time and consistency, but I promise you, it works. It just won't feel like it does, until it does.

Stick at it because it's fun, interesting, enlightening, or otherwise worthwhile.

Don't stick at it because other people have a podcast so you should too. Do stick at it for a few weeks when it feels like a burden. That's what breaks are for.

You'd be surprised who's listening. I recorded a show to keep people company in the first UK lockdown in 2020, and no-one ever said they liked or wanted it online. Then I met up with a cousin – who I had no idea even knew what a podcast was – who told me they and their college friend listened and felt less alone.

Keep showing up. We're listening.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

There's a lot of good advice online to help you set your podcast up for success:

• emailing your mailing list
• linking your episode or your podcast in your email signature
• pitching your show to journalists, etc

However, much of this advice fails to tell tell the whole story. You may have followed all the advice you've seen but are still not quite getting the numbers you'd hoped for. The first thing to do, is not to panic.

Throwing the ball

Carlos Saba, co-founder of the Happy Startup School offered this advice in a conversation on the Beams app:

If you were in a tube station and loads of people were on their way to work, commuting and running around, and you threw a ball into the crowd, I would say more often than not, no-one's going to catch it. But if I was in that crowd and you said "Carlos, catch this ball!", I'd probably catch it... and then if I wanted someone else to catch the ball, I'd probably shout out and say "Hey Frances, catch the ball".This teaches us that the way to get attention for new things is to do it one known, named person at a time. Each person you contact might be inclined to contact someone else and help the chain continue, or they might not. But they're more likely to, if you start by contacting the people who are closest to those you're making your podcast for.

The playwright George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying

If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.This means that each person you throw the ball to has the opportunity to multiply the ball as they pass it on. It's the basic "I told two friends, and they told two friends" concept.

So if you tell five people about your latest episode, a few iterations on, you could end up with 160 listeners. This probably won't happen linearly, and it almost certainly won't happen on the timescale you're hoping for, but if you start with the right five people to begin with, you'll be on the right track.

Who do you throw the ball to?

Go back to your Listener Story and look at your "who". Who are you making your podcast for, and how can you demonstrate to five of those people that what you've made is for them? If you don't have a Listener Story for your podcast, now's the time to write one.

All marketing starts with "who", not "what".

• Your business podcast is for a particular sector or customer interest group
• Your news show focuses on a particular area of interest: a place, industry, demographic, etc
• Your true crime podcast covers particular types of stories, focuses on a local area, or is concerned with a moment in history
• Your comedy show is for people who like a particular comedian, Netflix series or film franchise

If your podcast fits into one of these categories but the statement doesn't ring true, your market may be too broad to easily address. That doesn't mean your podcast won't grow, but it will be a much harder experience. Remember: hit podcasts with a broad appeal from the last few years became hits based on pre-existing audiences. Longer-running successful broad-appeal podcasts grew their audiences while podcasting was still small. You don't have that advantage, so get focused.

Get personal

Once you've identified the five people you want to contact, reach out to them in person with a specific, bespoke message. Tagging a bunch of friends on Twitter or LinkedIn is like throwing a ball, yelling for those people to catch it and then walking away.

If you've got a few episodes under your belt, pick the one episode that'll resonate with each person, and explain to them why you're sending it to them. If you're genuinely adding value to their day, it won't be a sales pitch, so you don't have to have a wash afterwards.

The ask

The tricky part here is asking your five to share the episode with someone they think will enjoy it. Realistically, not everyone is going to respond, but remember that – in marketing and sales alone – no doesn't always mean no: it may mean "not now", "maybe later" or "I'm not yet convinced". Most successful podcast ads run multiple times before they see any kind of success, because people rarely jump at the first call-to-action. We need to hear a message a few times... not repeated five times in a row out of some misguided adherence to a 50 year-old formula, but over a period of weeks or even months.

That doesn't give us permission to badger our friends or to put our relationships in jeopardy over a podcast that's unlikely to outlast those relationships, but it can give us pause to remember that a lack of response may just mean now's not the right time, or the pitch wasn't quite right. You can probably take another swing at it later, but take care to protect the relationship with that person and not prioritise it over your podcast's growth.

Remember also that each time a ball is dropped – each time someone isn't up for recommending your show to someone else or even listening to it – that doesn't mean the end of the game. There are still other balls in the air, and if one drops, you can always find someone else to throw the ball to.

"I don't know why we only try ideas once"

It’s easy for us to try a tactic once, see little to no result, and then move on to the next. And while this approach isn’t guaranteed to work, it’s worth sticking with for a considered period – three months is a good time to evaluate how something’s working – before making a judgement.

Public social media posts

If the private approach of reaching out to individuals doesn’t work for you, can you write public posts on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter, that can demonstrate who the podcast is for and why someone scrolling through their feed should listen?

Don’t expect these posts to convert to direct downloads, as that rarely happens. Think of it instead in the same way we discussed advertising: you’re building up consistent messaging over time that begins with awareness and ends with loyalty, as per the basic marketing funnel. Even if your podcast is part of a wider marketing funnel, it’s still a piece of content in its own right that needs and deserves its own mini-funnel, with attention at the top, and following or subscription at the bottom.

Advertising

If the messaging isn’t right for your podcast or it doesn’t provide what your target audience needs, paid advertising may be an expensive way to find out. However, if you’re clear on who you’re targeting but you need help reaching that audience, there are a few options to help build that initial awareness and interest.

• Leave a classified ad in a podcast recommendation newsletter
• Pay for ads in Overcast, Player FM, Castro, or other podcast player apps
• Buy Spotify and/or Facebook ads

Why it’s easy for the big players, and hard for you

We often see established networks doing the sorts of things that might seem counter to the advice in this piece. For some, an automated tweet with the title of the episode and a link to the website will be enough, because they have a sizeable, mobilised audience. Tech YouTube legend Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) can tweet “uploading…” and then the URL of his latest video and have followers flocking to see it, because he’s spent over a decade building that audience. Larger podcast outlets can take shortcuts only because they spent years building an audience who are primed for new content.

Your biggest challenge is not marketing your podcast, it’s building an audience. Your podcast is one way of serving that audience, but it all begins with “who”, not “what”.

A note for entertainment podcasts

All of this marketing stuff might feel a bit tacky if your goal is simply to entertain, but the same rules apply, so think of a group of friends you want to make an episode for. If that feels difficult, imagine you were doing a gig with a sketch group (not a podcasting recording in front of an audience, but a live performance in a comedy club). Who would you want to put on the guest list? Try not to think about just the friends who’d be there to support you, but those who’d enjoy the gig even if they didn’t know you were on-stage.

Now, as you record, make the show for those friends you’ve put on the guest list. Avoid using in-jokes and shared personal info as you don’t want to exclude the rest of the audience, but think about what they’d enjoy and how it overlaps with what you want to make.

Then, once the episode is up and published, contact them individually and say “I was thinking of you when I made this episode, I really think you’d like it”. If they were already a supportive friend, maybe they already follow your show and will hear the episode without getting a nudge from you. And the chances are, if you’ve made the show for them, it’ll resonate with them and they’ll want to share it with their circle. But if not, here’s a good opportunity to get in touch with a link to the episode, and your request for them to pass it along.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

The core components of a good podcast website are:

• A gateway episode
• A list of all your episodes, with links to each
• A "how to listen" page
• A page with reviews and press coverage
• Host and guest bios

Gateway episodes

A gateway episode might be your most recent one, but it could be your most popular over time, or the most evergreen. You can ask your existing audience what they think would make a good gateway episode, and you can read more about how to create gateway episodes in more detail.

Your homepage should ideally feature an embedded player for that gateway episode. If your website is configured to use a static homepage – as opposed to showing a list of all your most recent blog posts or episodes – then you can consider adding a manual list of starter episodes, and/or your most popular ones.

A visitor should be no more than 3 clicks away from hearing your voice

This is of course assuming you have a website dedicated to your podcast. If your podcast exists as part of a larger web presence, feel free to add another click into the pipeline.

It's common for podcast websites to feature no audio at all on the homepage, and instead put it all behind an "Episodes" page which lists links to episodes, that then have to be clicked in order to get to the player... if there is one. With each click, you test your visitors' patience just a little bit more, and as web users – and especially as mobile search engine users – we're impatient beings. It might have taken a few tries to get to your website, or people just might not have the time to tap and scroll around, so try and pick any point within your website – on desktop or mobile – and make sure a visitor is no more than three clicks or taps away from hearing an episode, whether that's your latest one, or one you recommend.

A quick hack for this is, if you have your logo or artwork at the top of every page, link that through to your homepage, where you prominently feature your latest or gateway episode.

Obviously every web visitor is different, and has differing needs and expectations. It might not be appropriate or desirable for one visitor to listen to your latest episode from their web browser; instead they might to go straight to their podcast app, so make sure those "Follow the show" buttons are nicely prominent on your homepage, and in a "How to listen" page.

Add subscription buttons to your most prominent pages

Here we're using "subscription" in the old-world sense, meaning "following the podcast", but differentiating it from following your work on social media. If you can put subscription buttons (links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, with nice imagery) on every page of your website, that's great. If you can't, they should feature on your most prominent pages, ie the pages new visitors are most likely to discover you from. For example:

• Your homepage
• Each episode page
• Your blog page (if you have a blog)
• Each blog post page

Creating a "how-to-listen" page

This is simply a page of links to your podcast in all the apps and directories where you're listed, linked to from your website's main menu, and/or your homepage. If you don't have your subscription links to hand, you can search podnews.net for your podcast name, right-click the images and copy the URLs, removing all the bits after ?utm_ and so on, as you don't need that info. pod.link is also a useful service for gathering your most important podcast app links. Just search for your show, then follow each link, and copy the address from your browser's address bar.

Armed with all these links, put them in a list at the top of your how-to-listen page, in alphabetical or popularity order (you can judge what "popular" might mean for your audience, but if that takes too long, just go from A to Z). This should also include your YouTube channel, if you publish entire episodes to it, as that's another way that the visitor can subscribe to and consume your podcast.

Underneath the list, add some step-by-step instructions for the most popular apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google.

You might consider adding a link to your podcast's RSS feed. It's not unusual for podcasters to feature a "Subscribe via RSS" or "RSS feed" button, which lets those in-the-know ∆ump straight to your podcast feed. But beware: if you make this a link, it will confuse people. In most cases, your podcast feed will present as a bunch of code to your visitors, so they're going to think something's wrong (people tend to think seeing code means they've wondered into a bit of the Internet that's broken). If you have the means, put your feed URL in a box on your website, with a button next to it that can copy the RSS feed URL into the visitor's clipboard, then show a little message to say "It's in your clipboard". If you don't have the means to do this, feel free to leave the feed off your website. Dyed-in-the-wool podcasters will be upset, but they're not your target market (if they were, you wouldn't be reading this).

Show off your reviews

If you've got some nice reviews from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser, don't be afraid to showcase them on your homepage, and a separate "Coverage" page. This should also include any positive press coverage you've received, even if you've just sent out a press release and had it picked up by a local newspaper.

You can use Podrover to help you keep track of, and easily embed reviews from around the world. This is especially useful given that you might not see the reviews your podcast has received outside of your jurisdiction, since Apple maintains separate iTunes Stores (which is the engine behind Apple Podcasts) around the world, which all carry disparate copies of your podcast, and thus disparate reviews. If you're outside of the US, Podrover is especially useful because it'll help you pick up a bunch of reviews you might well be missing.

Tell us a bit about yourself

Put a photo of you and your co-host(s) on your homepage, with a link through to a page on your website that has more info: a bigger photo, a bio, and a set of links for each host. You might also consider listing everyone who's involved in putting the podcast together, linking through to their Podchaser profile. Podchaser is the IMDb of the podcast world, so as your work grows, you could be helping those who work on your show find more work, as a Podchaser Creator page can act as an interactive CV.

If your podcast has guests, you could create a Guests page. This is a bit more hard work if your host doesn't support this out of the box, but Fireside is one that does, provided you upgrade to one of their higher plans. If you've had prominent guests, feature their names and faces on your homepage, with links through to their episodes.

Don't put your best work inside a carousel

You know the sort. A bit of information with an image behind it, some arrows or dots to indicate there's more, and just as you're about to click the link, the whole thing swipes away to reveal something else entirely.

Designers like them because they're a good way of turning lots of pieces of content into one... effectively by hiding that content from view. Their automatic animations are disruptive to readers, and it can be unclear how they can be interacted with, especially on a desktop, whereas on a mobile we're more familiar with swiping left and right.

Prioritise the information that should be on your homepage, and put the most important stuff at the top, not inside a carousel.

Your website's main menu

Here's a suggested set of links for your menu (which should be easily accessible on mobile as well as desktop or laptop):

• Homepage and/or "episodes" page if they're different
• Potentially a page for each season, if that's important to your show
• How to listen
• Guests
• Hosts or cast and crew
• About the show
• Contact us

Everyone's tastes are different

Aesthetics are different from informational hierarchy, so we're not looking to make any judgements on what looks pleasing to the eye. That can change from culture to culture, and is somewhat (a little) dictated by current trends. What is evergreen however, is a good structure and priority of information, starting with the mission-critical stuff up top, accessible without needing to scroll.

Think about the needs of a mobile user. They’re on the go, and they might be checking out your website while doing something else, or waiting for something or someone. Your artwork might look beautiful when shown front-and-centre on a big iMac screen or even on a laptop, but on a mobile, it just means the visitor has to scroll past it to get to the important stuff. If you – or a friendly developer – are proficient in a little light coding for the web, you can look up responsive web design techniques, to help you structure your site differently (removing extraneous images for example) on mobile or tablet, while keeping them in tact on larger screens. This might sound complex, but it usually isn’t.

Your website is here to serve the listener, not just you

We talked in previous episodes about how important it is to have a website for your podcast, because it’s an area where you have control over the experience, and you can guide the visitor in actions that benefit you. That’s important, but it’s also crucial to remember that the priority is to serve the listener’s needs, to help a new potential subscriber experience your work, and build up that trust. Then when they’re ready, they’ll be interested in your newsletter.

Try and avoid time-based popups that invite people to subscribe to your newsletter after a visitor has been reading for a few seconds, or worse still the ones that try and infer when you might be heading for the Back button. Put prominent invitations to sign up to your newsletter in the flow of your content, rather than interrupting their scrolling behaviour or obscuring the text they were reading. It’s just a bit rude, really.

Examples of good podcast webistes

• Darknet Diaries
• 99% Invisible
• Twenty Thousand Hertz

Wrapping it up

• Put your most inviting work on your homepage
• Never let your visitors be more than three taps away from hearing you
• Have a “how to listen” page
• Put your best reviews and press coverage on your homepage
• Check the visitor experience on mobile and laptop

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

You’ve started a podcast, released 12 episodes and nobody apart from a handful of LinkedIn contacts, a couple of Twitter followers and your mum has downloaded them.

Good.

Keep going.

You’re doing it right.

So, you’ve been auto-posting each episode to Twitter and nobody’s engaged?

So maybe stop doing that.

But keep making your show.

You’re doing great.

You have my permission to stop looking for growth hacks. To stop worrying about whether you should be posting to YouTube or making audiogram for your Insta stories.

Stop telling people about your show while it’s this early in its stages of development.

You’re putting too much pressure on it, and you run the risk of being distracted from the two things you can do right now and every week:

1. Make your stuff brilliant, and
2. Learn out loud.

What you’ve got is probably pretty bloody good. It might even be pretty great. But does it make people think “wow that was brilliant!”, or did they just have a pleasant time?

Making something brilliant sounds like a lot of pressure. Surely you need a big budget and staff writers and an expensive sound effects library and award-winning producers and —

Stop.

Breathe.

What you need, and probably the only thing you need to make your show better, is time.

Time to get more experience. Time to hone your craft. Time to learn some tricks to shave off a few minutes here and there in editing. Time to connect with others who are on a similar path. Time to discover what other great things people are making. Time to work on collaborations.

You can do all of that and make your podcast, because you’re not wasting time promoting it. Instead you’re focusing on making it the best thing you’ve ever made. That’s learning out loud.

Your podcast doesn’t have to be the best right now. It doesn’t even have to be all that good. But can you stick it out for another 10 episodes until it gets good? Another 20 until it’s great? Can you get to 50 episodes?

If so, and if you’ve spent that time learning, honing, polishing, connecting, then my friend, you’ll be on to something brilliant. And brilliance cannot be ignored.

So you’ve got no downloads. That’s fantastic. You’re just donned your lab coat and are about to embark on weeks of secret experiments.

Like any scientist you need to note what works and what doesn’t. Check your work back and ask what could be improved. Ask a friend for honest feedback; even ask a Facebook group, but don’t ask for likes or shares.

You don’t want to be discovered, you’re not ready yet.

Discovery probably won’t happen when you’re ready. It’ll probably happen the week you release an episode where the guest’s audio was a mess. I fell in love with one of my favourite bands by obtaining a copy of an album the band leader was too embarrassed to release.

Now is not the time to blow your cover. Build in secret, and when it’s ready… it probably won’t be discovered. Like I said; it’ll come when you least expect it, but it won’t come if you don’t spend the time making your thing the best it can be, and having as much fun doing so as you can.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

A podcast website does three important things:

• helps you preserve your work
• improves the shareability of your podcast
• guides the listener through actions you want them to perform

Your hosting company may provide you a website, but only in rare occasions is that good enough. You need a service that lets you choose your own domain name to point your website to, and ideally this shouldn't cost you extra. This rules out anchor.fm since they don't provide full websites, only a single page at the address anchor.fm/your-username. (Anchor is still fine as a media host, it just doesn't allow you to build a website.)

Hosting options and considerations

• Fireside offers a blog and individual host pages, but templates are limited and those features – including hooking up your own domain name – come at a higher price.
• Captivate is especially good for customisation, and for SEO, so if you're looking for a podcast host and you don't intend on building a website yourself, Captivate is the best option.
• Transistor and Castos offer attractive web players and ease-of-use, but their website provisions are limited, so you'll need to setup your own website.

Podcasts as part of a complete media diet

If you're making a podcast to supplement the work you're already doing, you probably don't need a separate website for your podcast, nor do you want one, as this can confuse Google. For example, if your podcast features audio versions of your blog or newsletter, a host like Anchor, Transistor, or Castos will do just fine, as you can upload your audio and then embed the episode player into the body of your blog post, or link to it from your email newsletter.

If this is a completely new venture, or you want to create a separate brand for your podcast, read on.

First things first: a domain name

We've covered domain names previously, but the basics you need to know are:

• iwantmyname.com and hover.com are good places to buy domain names
• Avoid ambiguity, plays on words, using numbers instead of letters
• Longer and easier-to-remember is better than quicker-to-type but harder to say aloud

Once you have your domain name, it's time to setup a website.

Option 1: Setup a website for your podcast in under an hour with PodPage.com

Once you've chosen your podcast host and you have your feed, recorded your trailer, and submitted it to Apple, you can navigate to PodPage.com and enter your podcast's feed URL or search for the podcast as listed with Apple. PodPage will check out your feed, and create a website for your podcast using a template you pick. It will create a separate page for each episode, complete with the audio player your hosting company provides. This is your episode's permalink, and by far the best address to share on social media.

Linking your domain name to your podcast website is as simple as adding two pieces of data to your domain name settings, then within an hour, your podcast website will be live, and will automatically update when new episodes are published.

Tightly-coupled vs loosely-coupled

Because PodPage is a separate service that's technically unconnected to your podcast, it has to check your podcast feed every so often to see if there are new episodes. Under their basic plan, PodPage will do this every 4 hours, but you can pay more to have them do it every hour. Technology exists to do this in realtime, but at the time of writing, PodPage isn't using it. This approach of having a website that uses information from your feed but is not hosted on the same service is what we call "loosely-coupled".

If you use Captivate or Fireside for your podcast website – or you're relying on the website provided by another hosting service – the relationship between website and feed is "tightly-coupled", because the data is coming from the same place. The only downside to a tightly-coupled relationship between your website and your podcast is that any changes you make to your podcast metadata have to work across listening apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and also work on the web, so you can't have a different episode title on the website from the one displayed in a listener's app.

Option 2: Generic hosted websites

Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow are three popular WYSIWYG site builders, each offering different levels of flexibility and technical features. Essentially they work in roughly the same way: when you upload a new episode of your podcast to your podcast host, you copy the details of that episode and create a new page on your Squarespace/Wix website, remembering to embed the audio player for the episode so people can get straight to it. If you have a transcript, you can upload it or add the full text to the webpage. When you share your new episode on social media, you'll share the page you've just created on your Squarespace site.

Next up, we have the self-hosted version of WordPress, which has a vast array of themes, and a number of great plugins for SEO. WordPress.com isn't a viable option as it doesn't let you embed audio players from third-party podcast hosts, so let's just stick with the version of WordPress that you can get if you sign up for a host like Bluehost. Some podcast hosts provide WordPress plugins that make the process of creating episode pages easier, but you can also create a Zapier recipe that will post to your WordPress blog when a new episode turns up in your podcast feed.

A more modern alternative to WordPress is Ghost. If you can borrow a nerd for an hour, they can set a Ghost installation up for you, or you can pay for a hosted Ghost account, which doesn’t have the same content restrictions as WordPress.com. If you’re familiar with Substack, you can consider Ghost a similar system, but one that – if you host it yourself – gives you greater ownership and control over your data, and means you keep more of any money you raise through paid memberships. Because Ghost is a blog, publishing a new episode to your website is a simple process, but as a newer system, the plugin ecosystem isn’t nearly as vibrant. There are lots of good themes for Ghost however, and it does have good SEO tools built-in.

Option 3: Build it yourself

If you’re particular about design and you want a website that won’t look like anyone else’s, or you have certain needs that PodPage, Squarespace and the like can’t address, you can build your own podcast website. You don’t necessarily need a full content management system, but something that can check your feed periodically – or use WebSub to keep the site in-sync within seconds – and build a page for each episode. Here’s an example.

If you’re not technically minded, the task of creating a site like this is a simple one for most web developers with a year or two of experience in PHP, NodeJS, Ruby, or Python. You could hire a developer to build the site as a gig, but you should always have someone you can call if the website breaks. If that’s a concern, a managed service like PodPage, or a generic CMS like Squarespace is a better fit.

But if you have a techie on hand, a custom-built website can give new and prospective listeners a unique experience. A custom-built, custom-hosted site is probably going to be faster than those hosted on larger services, and can run for as little as $5 a month, since they’re not all that technically demanding.

In conclusion

There’s no question that a podcast needs a website, whether episodes are supplemental to an existing blog or newsletter, or they’re full-fledged media entities in their own right. Depending on your fiscal or time budget, your level of commitment, your technical prowess, or your network, you could have something up and running for as little as $5 a month, or get going with a website for your podcast that’s live in under an hour.

As long as each episode has its own webpage you can share to the world, and the website is easy to navigate and use, you’re on the right track. The specifics of what goes into the website are topics for another post.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

The former Podcode podcast, which shares a name with the Podcode Briefing but which is entirely different – see what I'm dealing with? – is now Ear Brain Heart, a space to talk a little more freely about how messages travel from our mouths to listeners' ears, into their brains, and then through generosity and commitment, eventually to their hearts.

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

A typical podcast episode is planned, recorded, released, and promoted in a cycle that repeats with regularity. The promotion step usually involves a variation on this formula:

• Post a link to TWitter
• Post a guest photo or clip to Instagram
• Share an audiogram on Facebook

This churn is healthy for consistency in output, and the focus on the next episode is the right approach to help us ensure each episode is better than the last. But in that cycle, we lose something fundamental to this medium of podcasting, and to the medium of blogging on which it's built: the permalink.

Permalinks – the canonical home of your podcast content

A permalink is a URL pointing to a specific piece of content on the web. It's made up of three parts: a protocol (usually http or https), a domain (for example podcode.tv), and a path (in this case /website/).

A domain name is something you rent, from a domain name registrar, and which you own for a fixe period of time (every 2 years, for example), and can then renew. Hosting companies like Squarespace or WordPress.com can act as a registrar and help you buy a domain name, but it's usually best to keep your domain name separate from your website hosting account, in case you want to move, say, from Squarespace to your own self-hosted WordPress site. Bundling the two makes this process a little more complex.

A domain name ends in something like .com, .org, .net. .fm, .tv, etc. If your domain name ends with your hosting company's name, for example, .libsyn.com or .captivate.fm, you don't own that domain, it's owned by your hosting company.

Having your own domain name is important for several reasons, but mostly it allows you full control over your intellectual property.

You can buy domain names from places like iwantmyname.com or hover.com, both of which offer a hassle-free experience with no upsells (unless many other companies).

With your website's domain in place, the last part is the path, which is the signifier for an individual piece of content – a page or post – on your website.

A permalink is the canonical home on the web for each episode of your podcast. Even in this case of Podcode in which each episode has three different media (video, audio, and this written article), they all convey the same basic information or answer the same question, so they all share the same canonical home. In a sense, the permalink points to the answer to a question (ie: "Why should podcasts have a website?"), not the specific medium in which that question is answered.

Your podcast, your rules

When sharing your permalink to your episode – as opposed to the Apple Podcasts URL – you're giving the visitor control over how they want to consume the content. If you have a written version of your podcast – either detailed show notes or a full transcript – your visitor might prefer to consume your work that way. They may choose to play the episode using the player on that page, or they might click one of the buttons on your site to check out the podcast in their favourite app. By pointing the visitor to your episode's canonical home on the web, you're letting them choose how to interact with it.

It also gives you more control over the experience, allowing you to guide the visitor or encourage them into certain action. If you share a Spotify link to your latest episode, the listener lands in the Spotify app and you're unable to direct them to your newsletter, or show them where they can follow you on Instagram. All they can do is listen to the episode and read some basic details about it. They can follow your show – which is great – but they can take no further action that benefits you.

By sharing a platform-specific link (like Apple Podcasts or Spotify), you're also making assumptions about your listener. In the Apple case, you're assuming they have an iPhone, and ignoring the vast majority of people who use Android phones.

Record, release, promote, repeat

Podcasts are tricky to search for in apps, and isn't something we can rely on for attracting new listeners. But with a good podcast website, you have the opportunity to capture a potential listener when they need you most: when they're searching for an answer to a question.

A website where each episode has its own page with rich show notes (useful links and supplementary information, Images, headings, a transcript) will start to gain authority within Google and other search engines. The more people link to this content from other authoritative sources, and the more authoritative those sources are, the higher your content will rank within Google. But if people only link to your podcast using Apple Podcasts or Spotify links, that authority goes to those domains, not yours.

Preserving your work

After a while, links to episodes in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Player.fm which you may have come across when searching for podcast episodes, become stale as no-one’s linking to them (ideally, the only links to those pages should come from your website). As Google indexes your site over time, it builds up a picture of your website’s structure, and will rank pages based on relevance to certain keywords (essentially scoring your content on how well it answers visitors’ queries). If you’ve ever searched for an article to reference in a blog post, you’ll likely have picked one of the first few results for your search term. That cumulative behaviour is what will help to preserve your podcast episodes, as the pages hosted on your website – along with other useful information about the topic, and about yourself – all inform Google and, more importantly, provide valuable content that others want to link to.

Finally, if you ever move your website to a new domain or change the structure, it’s vital to make sure each permalink – each canonical URL pointing to a specific episode, blog post, or page – redirects to its new home, so you don’t lose the ranking you’ve built up over time.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

Let's assume you have an MP3 file ready to upload, and you want the world to hear it. If you want your show played in apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, there are some concepts you'll need to know about first, but we can do this without a bunch of complex jargon, pinky promise.

What is a podcast, really?

A podcast is a series of episodes, usually audio, but sometimes video, that drop at a certain point in time. That could be all at once, Netflix style, but more commonly they come out regularly (eg: weekly). You can upload a bunch of episodes ahead of time, and they'll only come out when you say they should.

Remember, "podcast" refers to your whole series of episodes, just like – despite the common misconception – "blog" means a series of blog posts, not an individual post. If you're announcing episode 20, you haven't just "uploaded a new podcast", you've uploaded a new episode, just as if you were on blog post 20, you haven't "written a new blog". OK, pedantry over.

Each episode has a title, a publication date, a description and a media file, which is usually your MP3 file. The stuff outside of that MP3 file is called metadata, which loosely means information about stuff, the "stuff" in this case being your MP3.

In order for podcast players to know when new episodes of your podcast are available, we use a podcast feed, which is a document written in a language designed for humans and computers to read and edit, that tells apps and directories about your show and where to find each episode. Every time you publish a new episode, that document gets updated automatically for you by your podcast hosting provider (we'll get to that in a bit). It has the title, publication date, description, and other metadata, as well as a link to your MP3 file. Podcast players check that feed document regularly to see if there is a new episode available, in which case they download it or notify the listener.

Because any human or computer can read a podcast feed document, anyone can make a podcast, anyone can make a player, and anyone can create their own directory. At the time of writing, Apple Podcasts is still the de-facto primary directory, closely followed by Spotify, but an increasing number of web and Android developers along with bitcoin enthusiasts are using the Podcast Index, which launched in 2020 and was founded by one of podcasting's initial inventors, Adam Curry.

What's not a podcast?

YouTube shows often get mistaken for podcasts, which is completely reasonable since they feel like roughly the same thing. Plus, lots of podcasters upload their episodes to YouTube, and increasingly people report that YouTube is one of their favourite places to listen. However, YouTube is not a podcast hosting provider and it doesn't use the feed format we looked at in the previous section, so if you only distribute your show via YouTube, it cannot be played in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcast player, even if you're just uploading audio and adding an image. If you want your podcast to be available in YouTube as well as podcast players, that's a separate step we'll cover to in another article.

Podcast hosting

Podcast hosting

1. gives you a content management system where you can upload your file and add your metadata
2. keeps your MP3s online and tracks how many people have downloaded them
3. produces and hosts your podcast feed (the document that describes your show and points to the episode files)
4. helps you submit your podcast feed to apps and directories

Eo elaborate on the second point: podcast hosts can give you some basic info about who downloaded your episode audio, such as the type of device they used (iPhone, PC, smart speaker, etc) and the player (Overcast, iTunes for Windows, Alexa), and a guestimate of the listener's location, based on their IP address (this really is only a guess, as IP addresses aren't reliable ways of keeping track of location).

As mentioned in point 4, some podcast hosts can help submit your podcast to directories on your behalf, but it's not a bad idea to do it yourself, since that puts you more in control of your content (we'll get to that shortly).

Which podcast host should you use?

Ultimately, this comes down to the features you want, and what you prioritise. Your podcast should have a website, for example, so does your host give you a decent-looking site, or are you happy to handle this yourself via Squarespace? You won't know how many listeners you're going to have to begin with, so you might want to pick a hosting provider that's got a reasonable pricing structure which space to grow.

You can host your podcast for free, but if you do that, you're putting your content in the hands of a company whose priorities don't match yours. Free hosts either need to make money from your content – which means you might have to agree to put ads in places you don't want, or to advertise things you don't want to advertise – or are willing to lose money until they're acquired by a larger corporation, or go bust. Anchor is a safe bet right now, but their priority is Spotify's market share, rather than growing your audience. A paid host will prioritise your show's growth because, as your show grows, you have more downloads, which likely means you'll need to start paying them more. And they won't want to lose your business to a competitor, so they'll work harder for you (or at least, they should).

A handful of services have been around for a long time, and in some cases they show their age, so look for screenshots when making a choice, if ease-of-use and efficiency are important to you.

To help you make an informed decision on podcast hosting, check out the Podcode podcast hosting comparison tool, which helps you pick between hosts known to provide a solid service.

Once you've choose a podcast host, you don't want to be stuck with them forever, so make sure to read their FAQ section to find out how to move or migrate your feed to another provider. We'll cover that in a future article, but for now just know that you want to pick a host that makes it easy to move away to another service, if you need to, and preferably without you having to contact their support staff. All of the hosts reviewed on Podcode allow you to migrate away to another service, so this caveat only applies if you're going outside that list of recommendations.

Why not host your podcast yourself?

Podcast hosting is, after all, just about keeping some MP3s and a handful of other files online, so if you have your own website, why not host a podcast yourself?

You can use Squarespace to do this, but since it's not built for podcast hosting, it doesn't have the features you'll need, and its analytics are harder to navigate. If you host your podcast elsewhere however, Squarespace and Wix are great choices for creating podcast websites, a topic we'll cover in more detail in a future article.

WordPress is also not a bad option for self-hosting your podcast. The Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin is clean, clear and simple, allowing you to upload your audio and even host multiple podcasts on the same WordPress website. It's owned by a podcast hosting company, and you can choose to use their hosting if you like, but you can just host your MP3s yourself.

Be aware though that if you do host your own MP3s, your bandwidth costs are likely to fluctuate, especially if you have a wildly popular episode. Hosting providers aggregate the bandwidth cost for you, so you'll probably pay much less than if you were to host a popular podcast on a WordPress site, since your WordPress host will charge you a few cents for every x seconds of audio downloaded. If an episode of your show goes viral and your download numbers spike, a third-party host might notice that and may ask you to upgrade to a higher tier, but they won't cut you off or charge you an exorbitant fee without consultation. The same can't be said if you host the MP3s yourself.

Also, consider whether you want to be responsible for all the other technical stuff necessary in keeping a podcast online, like correctly counting the downloads, keeping a copy of your feed document in memory so your server doesn't overheat when lots and lots of apps start regularly checking it for new episodes. You're already doing the work of making a podcast; do you want to add IT support to that workload? Probably not.

Submitting your podcast to apps and directories

Once you’ve chosen a podcast host, uploaded your MP3 and added some metadata, your host will give you the web address of your podcast feed (it might looks something like https://feeds.mypodcasthost.com/mypodcast/rss), which you can submit to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the like.

But why do we need to “submit” anything? Well, while YouTube is the single source of truth for all YouTube videos, there is no such place for podcasts. The Apple Podcasts directory powers the Apple Podcasts app as well as others like Overcast, but many others maintain their own directories, like Podcast Addict and Pocket Casts. Then there’s Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, and more.

But don’t be daunted by the long string of names. Submitting your feed is a free, one-time process, and it doesn’t take long. Once these apps have your feed document, they’ll keep checking it regularly to see if you’ve uploaded anything new, so you don’t have to do anything special each time you upload a new episode to your hosting provider.

Most directories will list your podcast within minutes and give you a link you can add to your website that points directly to your show within that app. However, your show won’t be searchable by name for a day or so, as it takes longer for search indexes to update. It’ll take still longer before your podcast is found on google.com (which is separate from, but influenced by the Google Podcasts directory). The best way to accelerate this process and make your podcast searchable in Google, Bing, and other search engines – yes, other search engines exist! – is to have a great podcast website. Again, a topic for another article.

Here’s a list of everywhere you can submit your podcast, along with step-by-step instructions.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Timing is an art and a science, and even if some of it comes naturally to you, it takes practise, so read this guide and make a space for the ideas, but don't feel you have to cling too closely to them, especially right away; these are just useful rules-of-thumb.

Think of planning and recording an episode a little like pitching a tent. The bullet-points in your recording notes, your episode plan or your running order – whichever terminology you feel more comfortable with – are like the poles holding up the fabric of the tent, or in our case, the conversation. The structure is there to aid the conversation, but shouldn't impede it.

As your show evolves, each tent will have a slightly stronger structure, with poles planted firmly in the ground, keeping the canvas from blowing away, but not holding it down too tightly.

Fine, but how do you actually plan an episode?

As we covered in the piece about episode length, the object is to communicate an idea efficiently but comfortably, rather than filling a half-hour time slot. So start with a single topic or idea, and use that as your springboard. We'll call this your "main concept".

If you're covering the week's news, then your main concept is the news of the week, whereas an evergreen podcast about dog fostering might have dog-walking as the main concept for its first episode, dental hygiene for the next, caring for the coat as the next, and so on. The idea is to give each episode a clear focus.

Solve a listener's problem

If your podcast imparts knowledge, imagine what a prospective listener might Google in order to find the episode you're planning, and try and base your episode around that question.

At this point we're not thinking in terms of SEO, but instead about the knowledge gap that your episode will bridge. For our dog fostering podcast, let's think about the sense of loss a foster carer might feel once their dog has found a new home. What would someone search if they foster dogs and they're worried about this aspect? How can our episode tackle or at least define that problem?

Most questions don't have a simple answer, so don't feel pigeon-holed or forced into having to create some sort of super-keyword-optimised listicle in audio form. Instead, work backwards, look at the context or the underlying factors someone needs to address before even asking the question.

So often, the answer to a complex question is "it depends". So, what does your answer depend on? What are the different ways that question could be asked, for people under different circumstances? What are the related questions?

Make space for the guest

If you have a guest, give them the space to answer these questions, and to solve your listeners' problem. Here, your job is to set your guest up for success, and give them the tools to address your episode's main concept. You probably already know this, but it's worth stating that when you have a guest, your job is to make the guest look their best, not for you to demonstrate how much you know.

When you have a guest, you become the listener's advocate – you're asking the question the listener can't. Yes, you, the listener and your guest all know you know the answer to a particular question, but we want to hear the guest answer it. Don't be afraid – in fact, be thoroughly encouraged – to ask the dumb questions. No-one will think you're dumb for asking the simple questions, because in this instant, you'r not the expert, you're the guide, leading us to the top of the mountain, where the expert lives.

Make a note of the guest's name and how to pronounce it, take a copy of their photo – making sure they're happy for you to use it – and a short bio. Also ask for their preferred pronoun before you hit Record or start promoting the episode ahead of time.

An onboarding form can help with these tasks. A simple TypeForm or a Google Form connected to a Google Sheets document works. Even an email with a list of bullet-points. Just don't make your guest fill in a Word document and send it back, as that's too much hassle. If you use a tool like Calendly for scheduling, you can build this onboarding into the process of arranging your recording time.

Taking notes as you go

This one might feel like a bit of an advanced method, so don't feel you have to do this if it feels like too much to worry about while you're maintaining an entertaining conversation with another human being. But, some people like to take notes about the episode they're recording, to help them in the editing process later. This is especially useful if you're working with an editor, or it might be a number of weeks before you sit down to edit the episode.

Whatever tool you use to record your episode, be it Quicktime player on your Mac or a remote recording tool like SquadCast.fm, note down the timecode of the moment you need addressed. Maybe someone said something you think should be cut, or there was a loud noise or a stumble that can be removed. Not everyone edits by listening through the entirety of the episode, so giving clear notes to your editor – or helping your future self – will make the process more efficient.

If messing around with timecodes feels like too much hard work, just note down the time, then when you're finished with your recording, spend a moment going back through your notes and adjusting them so that they're relative to the recording timecodes. But try to be as exact as possible. Of course, you can always listen back to the recording over a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake, make some notes while you're feeling more relaxed, and then you've saved yourself and/or your editor a lot of future headaches. And you've had a slice of cake to boot.

Committing it to paper

Your episode plan needs to live somewhere outside of your head, because it's really easy for simple things to be forgotten when you're in the middle of a call with a guest or a co-host. Plus it gives your other participants a chance to follow along, to know when they might be able to chime in, or when you're looking to bring the episode to a close.

The level of detail in your notes will depend on your particular style, and the style of the podcast itself. Some shows work well with just a list of links as a prompt for things to discuss, other shows use a skeleton script (like This is Spinal Tap or Curb Your Enthusiasm), and some – even non-fiction – are fully-scripted. Ultimately it's about what makes you the most comfortable.

The video that accompanies this article, for example, uses a skeleton script. Bullet-points keep the basic shape and stop the episode from diving down a rabbit hole; it's then edited to keep it relatively tidy. Most of the work for each piece is writing the article, turning the slightly meandering speech into more purposeful text.

If you plan to intro or outro each episode in the same way, make sure to put that in your notes, making the wording as close as possible to what you'll actually say on mic. If there are certain calls-to-action you want people to take note of – like rating and reviewing the podcast or visiting your Patreon – add these to your document to be sure you're going to hit them.

Some note-taking apps like Bear and Notion support tick boxes, that don't have any particular semantic meaning (maybe they'll put a line through the proceeding text if the box is ticked). Ticking off an item once you've recorded it feels surprisingly good, and will help you see at a moment's glance how much you've covered, and what there still is left to do.

From recording notes to show notes

Good notes can turn into good episode descriptions, or as they're often referred to, "show notes". This is the text that appears in podcast apps when listening to an episode, and should be on the canonical webpage for each episode (we'll cover that in a later article).

Any links you gather along with quotes or snatches of text, any bullet-points that hint at an episode structure can all inform the description you compile for your episode. A well-written, well-structured description makes your episode more attractive to search engines, as they still largely prefer text over speech.

If you cover a particular news story or you have a book recommendation, make sure to link it in your show notes, along with links your guests recommend or want to promote.

It's a process

There feels like a lot to consider, but again, don’t feel this is stuff you have to implement from day one.

Do start by planning your first episode in as detailed a manner as you can stand – before it feels like you’ve planned the joy out of it, or you’re super-bored. Your first episode doesn’t have to be perfect, regardless of what people say about first impressions. Once you’ve got a plan that feels workable, each week you can make tiny adjustments to it, based on what you’ve learned, and what works best for you and your team.

In other words, treat the plan for episode one like a template. Each week is an opportunity to adjust that template just a little bit so that it becomes both more solid and foundational, but at the same time more flexible. You’ll get a feel for it, the more you record.

And if a session doesn’t go to plan, don’t sweat it. You might plan a thoroughly interesting discussion with a guest on topic A, only to find you end up talking entirely about topic B, never addressing topic A at all. If the conversation was informative and engaging, you’re about 90% of the way to a great episode. If it didn’t work out, no-one says you have to use the audio, just because you recorded it.

A structured episode plan is a north star to aim for, not a set motorway markings you have to stick to in order to avoid a crash. Just keep an eye on the road and a hand on the wheel, and make tiny adjustments to keep you on course.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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This is a question you already know the answer to, because you know what you want to say, and you're probably aware that you need to edit your show.

We edit because our listeners are busy people, but they're spending time with us, so we want to repay the investment. New listeners who aren't familiar with your schtick will also appreciate an episode that starts on-point, and gets to the point. Much of this comes down to planning, which we'll cover elsewhere.

Entirely new to podcast editing? Start with Descript

If it's not something you're familiar with – and in some cases, even if it is – audio editing can feel like a real slog. With so many apps and techniques to learn, it's tricky to know where to begin. But this is where an app like Descript can help. With this app, you upload audio and you get back text, which you edit just like you would a Google Doc. You can also add music and a limited number of effects, or export your audio out to an app like Adobe Audition or Logic. You can even edit video using Descript.

Did you know: the video and audio accompanying this article were edited in Descript? Even this article is adapted from the original video transcript.

So if you're completely new to podcasting and podcast editing, Descript is a great app to try because it uses paradigms you're already familiar with.

Trimming the fat

Regardless of your editing system of choice, the main goal is to trim the fat: reducing repetition, and removing the bits the audience doesn't need to hear. (For example: if you're interviewing a guest, your listener doesn't need to know what the weather was like on that day, or what the guest is planning for their weekend. This works great for a live event like a Crowdcast or a Zoom webinar, where the conversation is more in-the-moment, but unless it's pertinent to the topic at hand, the listener probably doesn't need to know how what your guest had for breakfast.

Now, there is a limit to all of this. The tech journalist Tom Merritt uses the phrase “everything in moderation, including moderation”. For us, this means trimming the fat off your episode, not removing it completely and leaving nothing but skin and bones. Some professional podcast editors make it their business to remove as many natural parts of speech – umms, ahhs and hesitations – as possible. That leads to an unnatural-sounding episode, and holds the listener at arms’ length, preventing us from traveling from the ear, to the brain, to the heart.

Whether you edit your own show or someone else edits it for you, someone’s time has to be accounted for. If you spend too much time editing each episode, you’re probably not going to want to keep doing this for very long, because it’s just going to fell it too much of a hassle. If, on the other hand, you you’re a good notetaker, you can save time in the edit by prepping in advance.

“You, but on a really good day”

The effervescent, medicinal tasting orange drink Berocca uses this slogan, which succinctly captures the goal of the podcast editor.

Editing is essentially about saying “no” until you end up with something that is the shape of the episode that you want, much like the aphorism about the sculptor, chipping away at the big block of marble until it looks like a person.

Final notes

Your episodes don’t have to be all the same length. If it takes you 15 minutes to communicate a concept one week, but it takes you 45 minutes the next, as long as the conversation feels natural, you’re good.

And don’t worry if this doesn’t come naturally to you from the beginning. If you’re just starting out, you’ll get a feel for it and gradually, over time, it’ll become second nature.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Whether you're editing audio yourself or handing it on to someone else to edit, you'll probably need to record your own voice. The good news is that all it takes is a microphone, a pair of headphones, and a bit of software.

Microphones

There are two types of mics: condenser and dynamic.

Condenser mics

• pick up more room noise
• have a brighter sound
• require a little trickle of power, known as Phantom power

Dynamic mics

• have high noise rejection
• have a warmer sound
• need lots of gain (in simplest terms, the signal they record needs boosting)

Signal vs noise

Signal is the sound we want to record; noise is the stuff we want to get rid of, but comes along for the ride. Noise might come from your computer's fan or be electrical in nature. Mobile phones can interfere with your recording and create noise (Although they're better at this now).

Some dynamic mics are "gain hungry" in that the equipment you use (typically called a pre-amp) needs to boost the signal coming from the mic.

Digital to analogue

We need to convert our analogue voices into a digital signal for our computer to record. We typically connect a mic to a computer using an XLR cable and a USB audio interface, or by plugging in a USB mic directly into our computer.

The gear you need

Depending on how adventurous you're feeling, you can opt for the XLR setup, which gives you greater flexibility in mic choice, or the simple route (which won't reduce your audio quality).

Either way you'll need headphones, such as the Sony MDR 7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones.

If you want to go XLR, consider these:

• Røde Procaster Broadcast Dynamic Vocal Microphone
• Behringer UM2 Computer Audio Interface
• Foam pop filter

If you just want to keep things simple, the Røde NT-USB is the mic to go with.

Regardless of your mic choice, you always need a pop filter or shield: a piece of cloth or foam either fitted over the microphone head, or attached to a stand or arm. The Røde NT-USB comes with a built-in pop filter, whereas most professional or prosumer mics don't, so you need to add one to your shopping list (they're only a couple of bucks, it doesn't matter which one you get, and they make all the difference in trapping the air that escapes when you make popping P sounds [we call these plosives]).

If, later down the line you want to record more people in person, you'll need to invest in XLR mics and a mixer, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Find the mic that's right for you

You might like the sound of one mic over another. Maybe your voice sounds tinnier in a condenser mic, or too muffled with the dynamic mic you're using. As you progress along your podcasting path, you'll settle on the mic that fits your voice exactly, but if you're in doubt, stick with a condenser mic.

Again, USB mics help keep things simple, but it's worth spending more than the price of a Blu-Ray on them. Most USB mics don't require any drivers. Cheaper ones will be labeled something like "USB audio codec" whereas mics like the Røde show up with their model number.

Addressing the mic

Dynamic mics have high noise rejection, which means you don't have to move far away for your voice to become inaudibly quiet. Condenser mics pick up more of the room around them, so you'll still be clear as you back off the mic, but you'll hear more reverb (the effect of sound waves bouncing off hard surfaces).

Reverb is much more noticeable in recorded audio, since our brain doesn't edit out this information as it would if we were speaking to someone in person.

So, start by getting as close to the mic as you can, then put up your first in-between you and the mic. A good rule-of-thumb (or fist) is to maintain that distance from the mic. You can also try putting up your hand in a karate-chop pose, lining up three fingers between you and the mic, and using that to judge the distance.

The closer you are to the mic, the warmer the sound, and the more pleasant the experience for the listener, allowing them to become more immersed in your words.

Most microphones have a logo on the front. That's the direction you need to speak into. Some mics like the Røde Procaster are top-address mics, meaning you speak into the top of the microphone head, but most mics are side-address, so you speak into the biggest side, where the logo is. In the case of the Røde NT-USB, you have a huge pop filter to address.

If you're finding your Ps popping unpleasantly, tilt your head ever-so-slightly away from the mic so you're not dead-centre. That'll help deflect a little of the wind.

If your mic is on a desk and you're having difficulty getting close enough, prop it up on some books. They don't even have to be good ones. You can also buy a boom arm that will clamp to your desk, but you might have to take various elements of your USB mic apart in order to fit it, so this approach is best used with XLR mics, or USB mics that don't have any integrated pop filters or stands.

Again, keep your headphones on to monitor your audio levels. If you're about to shout or laugh, if you can think to do so beforehand, tilt your head away from the mic; otherwise you'll end up with a horrid, distorted blob of noise. Of course we want to capture the sound of laughter; we just don't need it to sound too aggressive for our listeners.

Treating your recording space

You can further reduce reverb and create a warm space for your audio through sound dampening (or baffling). You can buy acoustic foam, but the simplest way to achieve this is to surround yourself with soft furnishings: curtains, bedding, clothing... or build a pillow fort.

Soft fabrics absorb sound and help prevent it from bouncing back into the mic. Professional podcasters recording on-the-road have been known to sit in broom cupboards or under duvets. If you're not on camera, no-one will know how you look. Just make sure it's not too hot in there.

Digital audio workstations

A DAW is a piece of software used to edit your audio. You can use it to record your voice too, but sometimes it's simpler to use a dedicated app, and import your audio into it later.

• On a Mc, you can use Quicktime Player to record your audio, and then save it as a WAV or AIFF file for later editing.
• On a PC you can use Audacity to record your audio, then export the project as a WAV or AIFF file.

We use the WAV or AIFF formats because they're lossless, meaning they're not compressed. Your finished podcast audio will be a compressed MP3 file, and it will sound its best if you or your editor is working with raw materials at their highest quality (otherwise you end up with strange audio artefacts that result from audio that's been "stepped on" multiple times).

Going for a take

If you're new or relatively inexperienced in recording audio, you'll be grateful to your future self if you do a test recording each time you come to make an episode. This will help you make sure everything sounds consistent, and of a high quality.

Before you start, get yourself comfortable and relaxed, put on your headphones, make sure your mic and recording app settings are correct, then record a bit of sample audio. If you're working from a script, read a bit of the script aloud in the same tone and at the same energy level you would if you were doing it for real.

It can be easy to be a little quieter in the test recording, so try and make sure to match the energy you'll use when recording the real thing, or even go a little bigger to give yourself some headroom.

Then, hit Record, and you're ready to go.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

View Details

A podcast trailer is a piece of short audio that introduces your new podcast to potential listeners. It serves two purposes: marketing your show, and getting you listed in Apple Podcasts and other apps.

Step one: Introduce yourself and set the context

Start by introducing yourself and explaining why you’re making the podcast you’re making. This draws the listener in and elicits a little empathy, helping them Identify with you and think “they’re talking about me!”

Here’s an exmaple:

I’m Mark Steadman. I love the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, so every week my friends and I get together and…Step two: Demonstrate value

For this, we go back to our Listener Story, a simple sentence that helps you crystallise what your podcast is about, who it’s for, and how the listener benefits as a result. Your trailer should communicate that listener benefit, to let them know why they should listen and what they’re actually going to come away with.

As you’re describing who the show is for, try and use active language that talks directly to the listener. Try not to talk about people in abstract or in the third person, if you can avoid it. Instead, imagine you’re directly addressing a friend or colleague, and explaining why your show is for them.

With this we go from 👂 to 🧠 to ❤️.

Step three: Set expectations

How frequently are you publishing new episodes? When does that first episode drop? If you know this already, use this moment to give us an idea of what we can expect from those first initial episodes.

If you already have some clips – either from episodes you’ve already recorded, or from a pilot you made to help you test the show – now’s a good time to drop them in, so the listener gets a sense of what to expect: your energy, co-host banter, guest chemistry, and so on.

Step four: Bring it home

Now you’ve set out who you are, why you’re the right person to make this podcast, what it is, what the listener can expect to hear and how they’ll benefit, it’s time to lock them in as a subscriber.

Here, you need to tell them where they can find the podcast (what to search for in their app), remind them of when the first episode is going to drop, and where to go for more details.

So for example:

Join us on August the fourth, just search for Beware of the Leopard in your podcast player, and find us on the web at btlpodcast.com.or:

That’s List Envy. New episodes every Tuesday from July 1st, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find more info at listenvypod.com.Step five: Adding music

The music you use in your episodes may differ from what’s in your trailer, but it should match the overall energy and brand that you’re creating. For example, if your normal theme tune is jazzy and downplayed, you probably don’t want to use dubstep in your trailer.

A good way to find the right music is to record the voice part for your trailer, then as you’re auditioning music (via a service like Envato Elements), match the music to your presentational style, energy, and speech pattern. Does the music swell or dip at a certain point where you’ve taken a breathe, that when put together sound particularly satisfying?

Always make sure you have explicit permission to use any music included in your podcast. “Fair use” almost never applies.

For a short trailer, you can use the music throughout, whereas longer trailers might benefit from a hit of music at the beginning and end. Using the same bit of music at the end is a great way of signalling to the listener that the trailer is coming in for a landing.

If you do use music, don’t overdo it: a couple of seconds at the beginning is all you need before you bring in the voice.

How long should a trailer be?

Like a podcast episode, a trailer should be long enough to fit in all the pertinent information, not too rushed, and not dragging its feet. Attention spans are short, so think of it like a reverse bank job: get in, dump all the money into the safe, then get out as quickly as possible.

Plan in advance. Way in advance

At the end of this process, you should have a short piece of audio you can upload to your podcast host. Your host will then give you an RSS feed URL you can submit to Apple for validation. “Validation” simply means checking to make sure the feed is working, the artwork is in place, and the audio is downloadable.

Apple can require anywhere between a few days and a couple of weeks to approve your feed, which is one reason it’s important to do this a month before you launch to the public.

You will also want to submit your podcast to other directories which, depending on the hosting company that you’re using, may be instantaneous or may also require a few days.

You might feel like you want to get everything ready before you submit to Apple, in case anyone finds the show before it’s ready. In reality, Apple is not going to put you front-and-centre in the Podcasts app, and people rarely idly browse categories, so having your trailer sitting somewhere within the Podcasts app is better for you than to try and hold everything until the last minute, and risk Apple not approving your feed in time (we’ll cover that in a moment).

You don’t need to have your website, social media handles and first episode ready until the time comes to share your trailer.

Sharing your trailer

Once your trailer is uploaded to your host, submitted to Apple Podcasts and your listing is approved, it’s time to share your trailer, which you should do on your website and social media.

If you’re sharing the audio, link to the player embedded on your website. Don’t use app-specific links like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, because your next listener might not use that app, and you’ve just created more hassle for them. Instead, embed the player on your website, and make sure there are lots of links for people to subscribe to the show. Also consider using pod.link to generate a short URL to make it easy for people to subscribe in their favourite app.

You can also consider making a video trailer, using the audio you’ve already posted, and an animated waveform and transcript via Headliner. You could also cut a video trailer together yourself using stock footage from services like Envato Elements or StoryBlocks.

Video trailers work well for services like Instagram that making link-sharing hard. Just make sure your call-to-action is clear, so viewers know exactly what to do after watching your trailer.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Understanding how your podcast benefits listeners is a thing #1 when it comes to developing a new podcast. Before you've figured out your name, artwork, branding, theme music or social media handles, you need to be able to understand what listeners get out of following your show.

The "So what?" question

So you've got a new podcast or an amazing guest, but how does that affect the people you want to listen? Journalists have to tease this out, and the answer will vary based on the beat that that journalist covers. It can feel brutal because these podcasts are our babies; we spend time working on them, and to many of us, they're passion projects, so it can be difficult to look at them dispassionately and to ask "so what?", but it's important question.

Chicken wings and beer

There are a few podcasts that have a similar name, so we're not talking about one specific show, but a genre of podcast: a couple of mates cracked open a bottle or with a cocktail on the go, shooting the breeze about whatever comes to mind. It's how many people start podcasting, and it's a great way of understanding the medium and dipping a toe in.

But as it is ultimately a show for you and your mates, if you want to reach a larger audience, you'll need to work hard to demonstrate your value to someone who's completely new to you.

Yes, the combination of personalities could be a draw, but how can you demonstrate that value to someone who's never heard your show before? Entertainment format shows a really, really competitive, so you need to consider whether you're up for competing with My Brother, My Brother and Me, or Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, or the Dax Shepard podcast.

It starts with the audience

Do you want 1,000 people to have a nice time listening to your show, or do you want 10 people to be deeply impacted by the message you've conveyed? Now, in order to impact those 10 people, we still need to be able to reach the thousands, so we need to think about who our audience is.

Imagine that you're running a Facebook ad campaign. If you're targeting an audience for an ad, think about the interests shared among those you want to see that ad. Be as granular as you can, pinpointing specific authors or film franchises, or more broadly in terms of hobbies.

Also think about how old your ideal listener is, or what kind of job they might have. Do they normally listen to podcasts? this could be an important question as it might affect how you approach them later.

It doesn't mean that you're going to exclude potential listeners who don't fall squarely or neatly into the boxes you've defined, but figuring out your audience will help answer this next question.

Where do these people hang out?

Are they part of Facebook groups? Do they follow Twitter or Instagram hashtags? Do they hang out on Reddit forums or a particular Discord server? Are they newsletter commenters? Do they go to local meetups? Do they come from a specific area or visit certain types of venues?

Once you know who they are and where you can find them, you're halfway to a marketing plan for your new podcast. And once you've got some episodes under your belt, you'll be ready to show these people how they benefit from listening to your show.

How does your audience win?

If you have an entertainment show, think clearly about how the listener benefits from spending time with you. Do they gain deeper insight into the topic you’re covering, or do you have knowledge they’re unlikely to find elsewhere?

If you’re podcasting to support a wider marketing effort, consider how the listener specifically by listening to the podcast, not how they might benefit from a future business relationship with you. For a completely new listener, the podcast is the product – they don’t want to feel like they’re just another person falling into a marketing funnel.

To help you hone your benefit, imagine speaking to a busy friend about your podcast. They like you, they want to support you, but their time is limited. How can you help them understand quickly what’s on offer and why they’ll like it? Imagine you’ve got one chance to send a quick text or WhatsApp message, so you’ve got to get the pitch right. What would you tell them so that they tap the link to episode one you’ve shared?

The Listener Story format, with examples

The format goes like this:

I make [my podcast], about [a subject matter], for [my audience], so they can [benefit].

Here are three entertaining podcast pitches that would be fun for anyone to listen to, but where the purpose and market fit is clearly defined:

I make Spit the Dummy, a funny modern parenting podcast for busy, British, single mums, so they can feel seen, heard and supported.This could be made by a consultant specialising in infant nutrition.

We make Six Seasons and a Movie, a Community rewatch podcast for budding TV writers, so they can learn how to structure a 22 minute story.This might be made by a script doctor: someone who helps new and established screenwriters neaten up their work, fixing third-act problems and so on.

I make ”Be a Dentist” They Said, a discussion show for dentists so they can share anonymous horror stories about their worst patient experiences.This could be made by a dental equipment supplier, and should probably not be heard by anyone outside of the dental sphere.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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Like blogs, everyone’s got one. You might be asking yourself “am I just adding to the noise?” When faced with a question like this, experienced podcasters and pundits often point to TV and books. Turns out we haven’t completed books, and TV isn’t finished. We still keep writing books, and we still keep making TV.

Yes, anyone can make a podcast – you can edit it yourself, or engage the services of an editor. You can hire a consultant or coach, or turn to Facebook groups for help. Making a podcast is easy; making the right show for the right audience, and getting that show in front of that audience is much harder.

That’s why this question feels important to us. It’s not because we think podcasting’s full, it’s because it can feel daunting to differentiate ourselves. So, taking the subset of podcasts about podcasting as an example, let’s survey the competition. If you search for “podcasts about podcasting” you end up with names such as

• The Audacity to Podcast.
• Podcasting Step by Step
• Better Podcasting
• Podcasting, Q&A
• Ask the Podcast Coach
• The Podcast Accelerator
• Podcasting Simplified
• Build a Big Podcast
• HowSound
• Podcast Talent Coach

All of these shows are educational, just like the podcast and YouTube channel backing this article. And yet we still keep making new podcasts about podcasting. Why is that? Mostly it’s about audience fit.

"Podcast listener" isn't a demographic

It's certainly not one that interests us, since that amounts to 100% of our listenership, just like "TV viewer' isn't a demographic to those who make TV shows.

Not everyone listens to podcasts, not everyone watches TV, and not everyone reads books. Being a podcast listener is not a niche among podcast listeners, so we have to narrow down our scope and figure out exactly who we're making our podcast for.

This website is for people who are at the very start of their podcasting journey, and who wants to take it a little bit further. But that's not a unique audience, so let's look again at what's already on offer. A few of the shows I've listed above are no longer putting out regular episodes. There's a lot of Bible stuff in podcast education, which isn't going to be to everyone's tastes.

Some are nice and short, but have long or repetitious intros that make them hard to binge. And sometimes it just might come down to the tone of voice or style of this presenter. These aesthetic considerations have an impact on us because, while we might cover the same ground as others, the way you deliver a message could suit your audience way more than someone else's.

We come from the future (sort of)

Starting from episode one of a podcast in a fast-moving industry means we can cover old ground from a new perspective. It doesn't invalidate others' past work; it just means we can draw on what we know now, that a competing podcast didn't know when it launched episode one, however many years ago.

We get to choose our focus

There may be certain aspects of your industry you don't want to cover in your podcast. Breaking news coverage is good for an immediate hit and a shot at something that might spread quickly, but if you're looking to deliver something more instructional, perhaps a more evergreen approach is the way to go, where you eschew trends and focus more on longer-term developments or elements that will seldom, if ever change.

Podcasting as part of a broader offering

Podcode episodes are recorded live and streamed to Twitter, Twitch, Facebook and beyond, edited for YouTube, mastered as audio podcast episodes, and written up in article form. Your podcast may form part of a larger media strategy, or you might have the germ of an idea you can take from live video all the way through to written article in the span of a day, that can then be delivered across your various touch points within a week. If you want to see this done really well, check out Podcast Pontifications.

I left Evo Terra's podcast-about-podcasting off the initial list because it's less of an educational resource for beginners as it is a series of think pieces for already working podcasters. So although the method of delivery is similar between Podcode and Podcast Pontifications, we're aiming at different markets, and we have different delivery styles.

Nothing lasts forever

Death comes to all podcasts. Podfading is the slow death of a podcast over time, whereas some shows just end, whether through neglect or because they've said everything they need to say. So while your incumbent might have great SEO and standing within directories right now due to their depth and breadth of content, you have the potential to grow into that space since there's no more growing that dead show can do.

From 👂 to 🧠 to ❤️

As podcasters, we get to occupy a little space in the brains of our listeners, which we get to via the ears. After time, through honest, authentic and generous communication – sharing our knowledge and a little piece of ourselves – we can end up in our listeners' hearts, and we can capitalise on the trust we've built, genuinely and without cynicism.

Of course you're not too late to podcasting. You have something to say that other people haven't said yet, and still more haven't heard. You just need to find the people who want to hear what you've got to say, in the way that you say it.

Where to go next

• Get help to make your own podcast
• Hire Mark to produce your podcast
• Get one-to-one podcast mentoring
• Find Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Also don't forget to check out

• Podcast Editing in Descript – For Beginners
• Plan your podcast with the Podcast Designer

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If you manage more than one podcast, or you’re busy, it can be difficult to keep all the balls in the air that keep a podcast thriving. Over the years I’ve developed some techniques and workflows that help keep the process somewhat on the rails. Now I’m lucky to have some preproduction help, but when I started List Envy, my top-five list-building podcast in 2019, I knew I wanted it to be weekly, and that I wanted each conversation to be with someone new. I also knew that I was a fallible fleshy meat sack who would forget things… important things like dates, times, and names. These are things you need to know if you’re going to have a weekly guest-based podcast.

Thanks to my production assistant Stuart, my process is different – and a little less automated – but I wanted to put this out as these are still really relevant today.

Hello Trello

So, back in 2019, once I’d contacted the few friends I had who I thought might be up for guesting on the show, I put their names into a Trello board, with four columns:

• Inbox
• Asked
• Interested
• Confirmed

Trello is an app that uses the kanban approach, where you have columns that can represent the state of a job, and cards – originally physical cards or PostIt notes stuck to a wall – that relate to each job. It’s a great visual representation of repetitive or replicable work.

Any time I had an idea for a guest to ask, I’d add a card with their name on it, to the Inbox column. When I was ready to contact them, I’d write them an email or send a WhatsApp message, and move their card to Asked, just by dragging it over to that column. If they got back to me and said they were up for it, they got moved to Interested, then once we’d fixed a date, I could move them over to Confirmed.

Nowadays I manage all my episodes in Notion, and I’ll be doing a Crowdcast on that topic in the coming weeks.

But managing my episodes in Trello means I didn’t have to try and remember who was in or out, who was a maybe, or whether there was a recording scheduled for tomorrow, as I could see it all in one place. But there’s lots more to do than just asking guests… I had to schedule them.

Enter Calendly

With Calendly, I could – and still do – hook in all my calendars and let the app show my guests a bunch of recording time slots for them to choose from, safe in the knowledge the app would never recommend a time when I was doing something else, traveling (lol) or recording another episode. And because it works across time zones, I never had to do the maths to work out when would be a good time for us both. Once a time was confirmed, it was automatically added to my Recordings calendar, and I’d get an email confirmation.

The booking form also allowed me to ask the guest a few important questions, like the name of the list they wanted to build, and their Skype handle. Now in 2021 I’ve pivoted to Riverside [affiliate link], which makes the recording process much easier, but does introduce a wrinkle in that each session has a separate webpage to send to the guest, and there isn’t currently a way to automate that.

Enter Zapier

Because there’s usually something filling my brain up at any given moment, I knew I didn’t want to trust myself to track the whole process of guest acquisition through to scheduling and recording, without a bit of help. So I built some Zapier workflows, that linked my Trello board and my Calendly account.

Zapier is a web app that connects other web apps and services together, so that when something happens in app A, you can trigger something to happen in app B, without writing any code.

With a Zapier workflow, whenever guests picked a time, their Trello card with their name on it would be moved to the Confirmed column for me, and some items would appear on my todo list, scheduled for a day before our recording time (so I could send them an email, asking them to record their end of the call, and so on). I use Things as my todo app, but they don’t have an API for automation. However, you get a secret email address you can use to ping tasks into your Things inbox, so that’s what would run when a guest was confirmed.

All of this is achievable in Zapier with no code. It’s a little technical, but you don’t have to be a wizard to do it.

Humans are inefficient machines

Some guests found the Calendly thing a challenge, not because the app is difficult to use (it isn’t), but I think because they just want to give me a time that works for them, and the whole purpose of the app is to cut the back-and-forth. Some just want to use it as a guide, then message me to say “let’s pick this time”. I didn’t care what time they’d picked, because I’d setup the app so that it would only ever give viable options, so invariably I’d ask them to actually click the time and fill in the form.

It helped when I explained that this wasn’t for automation’s sake, but that it kept a number of other things in check: like making sure I didn’t double-book myself, or forget to research their topic, since I was often scheduling more than one call per week, and I wanted to give a couple of days’ time for research.

Taking the time to get my Trello, Calendly, Google Calendar and task manager setup was one of the key things that made recording List Envy a less stressful proposition. Nowadays there’s a little more manual back-and-forth, since my beloved Notion doesn’t have a public API (although I’m on the waiting list for the private beta), but I can do my planning, research, script writing and show note gathering all within Notion, and I can bring others in to help.

But if you’re a one or two person operation, I’d look into this setup. And if you’ve got questions, come and chat to me on Friday at 6pm GMT, where I’ll be running open office hours.

If you know someone who should have a podcast but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to start, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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Every good album you love has that killer track – even albums with wall-to-wall bangers, you’ll usually find the best bops around track 9 (sorry for the language; I’m too old to talk about music now). If you’re new to a band, the hope is that the single is what gets you into the album. At least that’s how it used to be, before algorithms and TikTok. Again, I’m old.

The same can be true of TV shows, especially half-hour sitcoms. Maybe there’s an episode of The Office you were recommended, or perhaps you caught the soup nazi episode of Seinfeld back in the day.

In some cases it’s not a matter of quality, but of how well a part reflects the whole. For me, it’s the episode of Fawlty Towers with Mrs Richards, the troublesome guest with the hearing aid she won’t turn on because it wears the batteries down.

Mrs Richards in Fawlty Towers

We can take this principle and adapt it to podcasting. Every podcast has an episode that typifies it; that says “if you like this, you’ll probably like the whole thing”. That might be your most recent episode, but it probably isn’t, especially if your most recent episode was a bonus show or you went off piste from what you normally discuss.

I have a podcast about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, except since March last year it’s not really been about Hitchhiker’s at all, but about coming up with writings that fit Douglas Adams’ style. Our episodes are less frequent and often a bit raucous, because they feel like special occasions and the chance for the four of us who record it to get together (virtually) and share a drink… or twelve.

I’m really proud of each episode we put out, because each one is prepared, with pre-written material, and then edited to trim the fat. But if I’m telling people I have the definitive Hitchhiker’s podcast, should I be pointing them to my latest episode?

A gateway episode is a great way of showcasing the episode you feel best shows off your work. It’s better than a trailer because it’s a full episode, and you can chop and change your gateway episode as you see fit.

So how do you make a gateway episode?

The bad news is there isn’t a standard for it. There’s currently no way in your podcast feed to specify that a particular episode is the one you want new listeners to try first, and I’d strongly advise against doing any kind of tinkering with your episode dates or numbers to try and force it to the top of Apple Podcasts, because that’ll just cause endless headaches.

The good news is it’s something you can do on your website. Your podcast does have a website, right?

This week we at Podiant released a new feature that pins featured episodes to a podcast’s homepage with a special label that says “Featured episode” (which of course can be changed to say anything), but if you maintain your own podcast website, you should already be able to do this, and if you haven’t considered it, give it a go… it might just be a matter of adding a widget or dragging and dropping a block.

Make sure the episode is featured as high up on your homepage as possible, and that listeners can play it directly from the page. You don’t want them to have to click a link to another page, as you’ll start to lose the thread. Get a big, bold, embeddable player for that episode – Apple and Spotify both provide them if your hosting company doesn’t – and put it above the fold (above the bit where most people have to scroll down the page). Make sure it works well on a mobile, as that’s probably where most of your visits will come from.

What should be in your gateway episode?

Don’t make a special episode just for new listeners. A trailer is a good way to give people a sizzle-reel of best-bits. Your gateway episode should be one you’ve already picked, that you think really shows off your best work. Think about the episode you’d submit if you were applying for a podcasting award, and you had to submit just one episode.

Pick one that doesn’t lean too heavily on prior knowledge or in-jokes… maybe pick one that establishes a joke you call back to in later episodes. It should be one of your best-sounding episodes from a technical perspective, too.

For my Hitchhiker’s show, I’ve picked our “42nd anniversary special” as my gateway episode, because it bridges the gap between our previous episodes where we covered Adams’ universe in alphabetical order, and our new format where we write new entries for the Guide. It also has the added benefit of making us look good, because we were able to plug my appearance on BBC Radio 4. (It’s also our last pre-pandemic episode, and gosh, you can hear the difference!)

What’s your gateway episode?

I’d love to know what you’re using as your gateway episode, and if you already have one, how you’re promoting it. Hit Reply or tag @amarksteadman on Twitter with the episode you’re using to get new listeners to hit that Follow button.

If you know someone who should have a podcast but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to start, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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The next version of iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system, brings a change to the in-built Podcasts app that is significant to all podcasters who want to promote their show via Apple’s platform. You may have already heard or read that the language is changing from “Subscribe” to “Follow” (so all the call-to-action buttons are changing their text which means we need to tell our listeners to “follow us on Apple Podcasts”), but that’s not nearly the most important thing about the change.

Previous versions of the Podcasts app placed the word “Subscribe” as the primary call-to-action. You always had the option to audition the show beforehand by playing an episode or two, but “Subscribe” was what Apple wanted you to do. It’s also what we as podcasters want our listeners to do, because once the listener is subscribed to our podcast feed, that’s one less person we have to market each individual episode to, because they’re already going to get it. It’s good for our egos, it’s good for our numbers, and it’s good for our position within the Apple Podcasts store, since our ranking is based on the number of new subscribers we have (although that’s set to change too… more on that in a bit).

With iOS 14.5 however, the main call-to-action is to play the latest episode. That’s great because it gets the listener one step closer to checking out and enjoying our show. But when it comes to subscribing to the show — or to use the verbiage, “following” the show – that action is relegated to the top-right-hand corner of the screen, which is incidentally one of the hardest parts to reach if you have a newer iPhone.

Since the button isn’t labeled, if we want new listeners to follow our show in Apple Podcasts, we have to say something like “Find us on Apple Podcasts, and click the plusbutton to follow the show”. Because at least for now, simply saying “follow us on Apple Podcasts” isn’t enough.

See my rough mockup of an improvement I’d like to see

I think the move to unify the language around subscribing to podcasts is good. I think follow is a better word than subscribe, because it’s far less ambiguous – I’m just a little worried that we’ll lose iPhone users who aren’t podcast geeks.

So maybe as well as thinking about the amending the wording in your outro, replacing the word subscribe with follow, consider borrowing from the YouTube playbook and inviting users to “tap the + button”.

If you know someone who should have a podcast but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to start, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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An interview podcast — a host speaking with a guest or two, over Zoom or in-person — is the easiest way to start building your authority, and get to grips with the medium of podcasting. In the countless hours of podcast editing I’ve done, hearing the work people want me to advise on, and being a rabid listener with a large backlog, I’ve found some common principles, tips, and mistakes that will apply to just about any podcast in the genre.

These tips will apply to you whether you’re the host of a podcast, someone who helps in pre-production, or a podcast editor at any level. When I refer to “you”, I’m talking about anyone with ownership over the success of the podcast.

How to conduct a podcast interview

The person conducting the interview has essentially one job: set the guest up for success. That means making them feel comfortable beforehand, ironing out any pre-production issues, and confirming how much time they have available.

PROTIP: Contrary to the title of this piece, you’re not conducting an interview, but more a conversation: an exchange of ideas, knowledge, viewpoints. The host isn’t pumping the guest for information, there are no consequences for giving the wrong answer, other than it being cut in the edit, so loosen up.

Some other things to consider:

• Be communicative over email or DM in the days running up to the interview.
• Show up early, so you can set everything up at your end before they join.
• Make sure you know how to pronounce the guest’s name. If there’s any doubt, ask the guest to say their name while you’re recording, as part of a sound check.
• Find the guest on social media and check if they specify a preferred gender pronoun. Many people declare their pronoun within their social media bio or their profile name. If you don’t have that info, try and normalise asking for it. It’s ruder and more uncomfortable to make a bad assumption than it is to ask.
• If the guest is using wired earbuds, help them clear anything that might brush against the cable, like shoulder-length hair, shirt buttons, or a scarf. Apple EarPod mics are pretty serviceable, but that rustling sound — we’ve all heard it — is pretty maddening, and really hard to treat in post.
• Make sure the guest is wearing headphones. If you can, insist on it. You don’t want you or your editor trying to compensate for Zoom or Skype trying to compensate for the feedback created when their mic picks up your voice and ping-pongs it back and forth between you. Everyone has headphones — /everyone/ — so there’s no excuse not to pop them on for the interview.

How to structure an interview podcast

Let’s assume your podcast has one host, and each week you have a new guest. You’ve recorded your interview, so now what to do with it?

The best format I’ve found is the host-read wrap-around. That’s where the host delivers an intro to the episode, hands over to the interview, then back to the host for the outro. These bits should be recorded after the interview, and as close to publication of the episode as possible.

PROTIP: After the host’s intro, the next voice the listener hears should be the guest. This is an old radio journalism trick, and works wonders. An example transition is “I began by asking my guest how he got started making widgets”. If you have transition music, put it there, then open with the guest answering that question.

My show List Envy deviates very slightly from this formula. I start with what the TV industry calls a /cold open/: a brief snippet of audio, usually from the guest, with a punchy end that takes us into the short theme tune. I do my intro, hand over to the guest, then instead of doing my outro right at the end of the episode, I record a segment where I thank the guest, handle my listener calls-to-action, do any ad reads or paywall plugs, briefly push the next episode, and then hand back to the pre-recorded chat for the last segment of the episode, usually giving the guest the final word.

Some podcasts do an intro, mid-section, and outro, some do an intro and no outro, some have pre-recorded bits. Your mileage may vary, but a host-read intro and outro will serve you well if you’re just getting started.

How to start each episode of an interview podcast

This is really simple and often mishandled by newcomers. Simply welcome the listener to the show, explain briefly what the show is, introduce the guest, then hand over to the interview. That’s it. No “hey guys”, “what is up my peeps”, “this one’s for all you MailChimp fans out there”.

PROTIP: Podcast and radio listeners like to be referred to in the singular, not the plural, so when you record your intro and outro, imagine you’re sat in a comfy chair on stage in a tiny theatre, and you’re having a chat with a friend. The audience can hear your conversation and are enjoying it, but all your attention is focused on your friend: a single person, rather than the audience as a group.

In this scenario, the friend you’re talking to is your listener. It’s a way of helping you think about the way you address that person, and avoiding phrases that feel unnatural or slipping into an approximation of a radio voice… something I’m still guilty of from time to time.

A good structure works like this:

1. Hello and welcome to the podcast, where we talk about the stuff.
2. This week’s guest is this person, who does this thing or has this specific knowledge.
3. I started by asking them a question.

If you’re the host, then you’re in charge, and you should do what feels natural and fits your audience and personal style best. These are just guidelines.

And finally, no voice-over artist should come anywhere near your podcast in any professional capacity, other than as a guest. This is the host’s space, and the listener is here for the authority the host brings. Intimacy is based on authentic connection, and an over-slick intro, however good the voice artist is, puts a barrier up between the host and the listener. (I often work with voice-over artists, and love doing so. They do great work — they just don’t belong in podcast intros.)

How to end each episode of an interview podcast

Just as with the intro, it works best if you transition from one person to another, so let the guest have the last word before you insert any transition music and wrap up with your closing remarks.

Podcast listeners are used to the transition, and understand — if subconsciously — that the intro and outro are probably recorded separately from the interview, so don’t feel you have to fake a smooth transition. In many cases, it actually sounds unnatural to thank the guest as if they’re still on the line and then carry on with your calls-to-action without the guest getting another word in. Put a full-stop in as soon as possible, politely closing the metaphorical door on the guest, and then handle the admin.

If you have ads, it might be that a middle section works best for you here. It’s entirely possible listeners will skip the outro, especially if it’s formulaic, so if you have something you want to mention in the outro that is important to you and of value to the listener, tease this in your intro.

Each valuable nugget of conversation between the host and guest builds a little trust capital, so spend this wisely. Try and leave the listener having received more value from the episode than you have from them listening. You also don’t want to dilute any calls-to-action you want them to perform, by asking too many things of your listener. Focus on the best outcome you’d like from the episode (subscribing to a newsletter, buying the accompanying book, etc) and make that your main ask.

A good structure for an outro works like this:

1. Thanks to my guest for being on the show. Links to their work are in the show notes, which you’ll find at mywebsite.com.
2. You can support me by doing this thing (backing this Patreon, going to buymeacoffee.com etc). If you can’t do that, tell a friend about the podcast.
3. (If you like, and if it’s applicable) Next week I’ll be talking to so-and-so about such-and-such.
4. Thanks for listening, and talk to you next time.

Again, this is a guide, not a collection of rules to live and die by. Of course, you don’t have to have the same call-to-action each week, and running an experiment over a few weeks, then switching your call-to-action can be a handy way of finding out which ones work best.

How to edit an interview podcast

Preferred editing software and styles differ across the board, but here are some useful rules-of-thumb.

If you use music, have no more than 5 or 6 seconds before the host’s voice comes in. You want just enough to set the tone, and not so much that the listener is drumming their fingers waiting for the show to start.

Although not an interview podcast, the best example I have of this is Back to Work, with Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin. Each episode starts with a drum hit and two strummed electric guitar chords, then straight into the discussion.

If your music is longer, it should duck (reduce in volume) by a few decibels just as the voice comes in, then fade out over a few seconds. You can do this manually or using dynamic compression. You can hear a good example of this in the design-focused podcast Presentable.

Finding a natural point at which the music should duck out of the way of the host will vary entirely on the piece of music, and the style of the intro. Editors with a good grasp of music theory can usually find this point, as it’s about locating a phrase in the music that suits. This is very much an art rather than a science.

Apply enough EQ and effects to make the sound uniform between the people speaking, and to promote clarity of speech. Interview podcasts are about packing knowledge and insight into a relatively tight space, so make the voices as loud as they can go, without causing distortion or making them sound over-processed. Again, this is a sweet spot and needs to be judged by ear, and it will differ depending on who’s speaking, and the platform you’re recording on.

Being able to hear every word is more important than creating a beautiful soundscape, so don’t overly stress about sound quality, as long as the words are clear through inexpensive headphones, and the listening experience is comfortable. Background noise reduction is good, but should be used sparingly so it doesn’t make the person speaking sound like they’re underwater.

When it comes to editing the meat of the interview:

• Reduce the satellite delay effect you get with remote calls by looking for gaps of longer than half a second where no-one’s talking, and trim them back, just a bit.
• Like a sculptor carving a statue out of a block of marble, the editor’s job is just to chip away the bits of the call that don’t serve the episode. That doesn’t mean removing every “um”, “err” or stumble; just giving the conversation a little buff and sparkle.

What you should end up with is an MP3 file between 64kbps and 96kbps, in mono (stereo episodes waste bandwidth, and there’s no benefit to having each person on a different channel — sometimes it’s a detriment).

Around 45 minutes to an hour is a great length for an episode, but really the duration should be served by the content of the episode, not the other way around. If it takes two hours to have the discussion, then the episode is two hours long. Again, your mileage may vary.

How to publish and promote an interview episode

I’ll cover writing show notes in more depth another time, but good show notes — the descriptive text that accompanies an episode — should

• be visible on the web and in-app,
• link to the guest’s bio and to relevant topics of discussion,
• describe briefly the content of the episode,
• optionally include quotes from the guest,
• have artwork that uniquely identifies the episode or the guest.

Each episode needs its own home on the web, what techies call a canonical URL or permalink. That URL points to a page that contains an embedded player for the episode, and all the accompanying show notes. I’ve seen podcasters host their show on one platform, and then put show notes on an entirely different website. All the relevant content for each episode should be in one place, that can easily be referred to. Also, show notes should always appear in full — as much as possible — in the listener’s app. Your hosting company can help with this, if you’re unclear.

Once you have that URL for your episode, pass it to your guest so they can help you promote it. Their social proof, and the proof of other listeners, is your most valuable marketing asset. Audiograms (videos with animated waveforms) are fun, but they don’t really move the needle in terms of driving listenership.

As with many of the marketing techniques pushed at podcasters with smaller audiences, social audio clips can suck up a not inconsiderable time that could have been spent on the show itself. After all, sometimes the best podcast marketing tool is making a really good episode in the first place.– Caroline Crampton, Hot Pod

The best way to promote episodes on social media is with short, concise, enticing posts that link directly to the episode’s canonical URL (not Apple Podcasts, or Spotify or any other platform — you should always link directly to the webpage with the episode player and the show notes, and encourage others to do so).

Episode promotion is an ongoing experiment. In my years working on my own podcasts, I find that the occasional tweet or Facebook message can drive a little interest, but what really helps is your friends and fans sharing your content. People — and I suspect algorithms — are weighted against self-promotion, even when humble and well-meant, and weighted heavily towards social proof. So if your podcast is small, concentrate on asking your listeners to share your episodes, and make your episodes truly worth sharing.

There are many like it, but this one is yours

This is your podcast, your audience. You have the knowledge, as do your guests. I’m not trying to fundamentally change the personality of your podcast, but suggest formulas and practises that I know work. Ultimately you’ll choose the ones you feel are worth implementing, and discard those that don’t apply.

Also don’t feel you have to implement all of these things from the get-go, especially if you’re new to podcasting. You can apply them in layers, building up bit by bit, until your podcast is a well-oiled machine.

I wish you loads of luck in your continued podcast journey. Let me know if I can help in any way.

If you know someone who should have a podcast but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to start, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.