The PodShop: Recent Episodes
Josh Hale
Prep calls are a pain in the ass, right? They take extra time. They can be awkward. If you already know what you're gonna talk about with the guest, why bother?
Because ... Doing a well-structured prep call will result in a much better interview, better episode, and better content.
In this scintillating episode of The PodShop, Casey Cheshire, founder and lead podcast architect of Ringmaster, drops a payload of knowledge bombs about the how and why, the ins and outs, the ups, downs, and sideways(es) of the prep call.
If you wanna learn from Casey, you gotta listen to the episode.
Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, here are a few tidbits ...
- The prep call actually starts with the podcast guest invite -- keep it short, to the the point, and DO NOT include a call to action beyond "Are you interested". Why not? Listen to the damn episode to find out!
- The prep call is only partly about discussing the topic. It's also about establishing rapport with your guest and giving them a feel for how you operate as a host, your vibe, so to speak.
- Of course, the prep call is also about honing in on the beating heart of the topic. Casey suggests asking the guest about something that really pisses them off. Good strategy! Also consider asking for the top 3-4 things they definitely want to talk about.
There's much more. But like I said, if you wanna get it, you gotta listen!
Connect with Casey on LinkedIn
Check out Ringmaster!
Subscribe to Casey's podcast, Creating the Greatest Show
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
Planning, launching, and running a podcast is a lot of work. But if you have a solid plan and are willing to learn the basics of recording, editing, and producing audio and video, a B2B brand can produce a podcast to grow brand awareness and create lots of high-end content.
In this episode of The PodShop: Your Comprehensive Guide to B2B Branded Podcasting, Jeremy Shere, founder and CEO of Connversa Podcasting, talking with Alan Silvestri, founder and CEO of Gorilla Growth, about how and why Alan started his company’s podcast, “Promote or Die!”
In this episode:
- The concept behind the Promote or Die! podcast: content must be promoted or it will die
- Alan started a podcast to increase brand awareness and spread the word about what they do
- Alan’s systematized process of recording, editing, creating social material, and distributing which takes him two to three hours per week
- Recording episodes in advance to build a backlog
- Using Riverside to record audio and video
- Editing the audio with Descript, using the transcript to take out parts, mute words, and sounds
- Creating a final composition in a music recording software with intro and outro music and voiceover
- Uploading the podcast to Buzzsprout and creating a blog post for each episode
- Posting the transcript on the blog post for SEO benefits
- Find a gap in the market to fill with a podcast.
- Try to get some big names as guests but focus primarily on other SEO agency people
- In-house people make great guests due to their unique stories
- Focus on day-to-day work stories for listeners
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
In this scintillating episode of ThePodshop, Connversa CEO and Grand Poobah Jeremy Shere dives deep into audio with Josh Hale, Connversa's Head of Production and all-around good guy.
We dive deep, people! We get into why great audio matters in the first place ... microphone basics (including great mics you can get for less than $100) ... the difference between USB and XLR mics and which is best for you ... and the difference between dynamic and condenser mics.
Remember: anyone can buy a mic and plug it in, but to get great audio you need to know how to use your gear!
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
Welcome to The PodShop. In this episode, Host Jeremy Shere is joined by Steve Miller, Content Producer at ServiceNow. Steve shares how ServiceNow uses podcasting to engage members of the ServiceNow Community. Through TechBytes, ServiceNow's official podcast, Steve and his team provide an inside look at the products and useful tips and tricks for experienced users. Additionally, Steve explains how podcasting can be a powerful promotional tool without being overt.
Things we talk about:
ServiceNow uses podcasting to engage members of the ServiceNow Community
How the podcast provides an inside look at the products and useful tips and tricks
Podcasting can be a powerful promotional tool without being overt
Podcasts have the advantages of personal interaction and are more engaging than written media.
Podcasts are a more efficient medium than videos.
Recording video can be repurposed into promo videos and micro videos.
Conversations have an element of surprise and can take detours.
For more information about Steve Miller and ServiceNow, check out the following links:
Steve's email: steve.miller@servicenow.com
TechByte podcast
ServiceNow
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
In this scintillating episode, Jeremy, Josh, and Michael--otherwise known as the Connversa Triumvirate--explore the art and science of the scripted narrative podcast, and why B2B brands should create them. Unlike interview shows, scripted narrative podcasts use interview sound bites, voice over narrative, music, and sound design to tell gripping stories. Which is why B2B brands that want to stand out from the crowd by doing something new and, frankely, better than the average branded podcast, need to explore scripted narrative podcast storytelling.
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
Whether you're creating an audio podcast or a video, or just participating in a Zoom call, you want your audio to sound as good as possible, right?
But just hooking up a microphone isn't enough. You need to know which kind of mic is best for your situation, and you need to know how to use the mic.
In this episode of ThePodshop I get into:
🎤 How much to spend on a mic
🎤 The difference between condenser and dynamic mics and which is best for you
🎤 Mic settings
🎤 Mic positioning
🎤 The ideal recording space
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
ChatGPT. Jasper. Rytr. You've probably been hearing and reading a lot about these and other AI content generating apps that have taken the Internet by storm. Educators are worrying about how (of if) to stop students from using these tools to cheat on writing assignments. Marketers are getting acclimated to AI content apps and starting to figure out how to best use them.
Needless to say, these apps raise many questions about the future of B2B content marketing. In this episode, Connversa CEO Jeremy Shere talks with Adam Robinson, a fractional CMO and founder of Strategexe (a marketing consultancy) about all things AI, how Adam has begun using the apps to create content for his clients, and what the advance of this technology means for B2B marketing.
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
It can be hard to know if starting a podcast is a good move. It takes a lot of planning and groundwork, and to get real value you have to commit for the long haul.
In this episode, Connversa founder Jeremy Shere offers some tips to help B2B marketers evaluate the pros and cons of starting a podcast, including:
- Check to see what sorts of podcasts already exist in your industry. Look on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or simply Google "podcasts about [your industry]" and check out how many podcasts there are, how many are still actively publishing, and what they're about.
- Do you have someone in mind at your company who would be a good podcast host? If not, then podcasting might not be a good fit, since the host is so important for the success of a podcast. But if you do have someone who might be a great host, that's another positive sign.
- Finally, does your audience include podcast listeners? Consider asking them via polls on social media or email surveys.
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
As B2B marketing teams continue to evolve and function more like media production teams, content marketers need to keep developing a crucial skill: working with subject matter experts.
Subject matter experts--both internal and external--are equivalent to a journalist's trusted sources ... The provide credibility, knowledge, and perspective that content marketers need to produce content that's trustworthy and credible.
In this episode, podcast producer Jen Richler, who produces Can We Talk, sponsored by the Jewish Women's Archive, talks about the strategies and techniques she uses for working with subject matter experts, including preparation, drafting good questions, making interviewees feel comfortable, and guiding discussions.
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
In this insightful episode I talk with my good friend Adam Robinson, a fractional CMO and founder of Strategexe, a marketing strategy consultancy, about how to know if starting a podcast is a good move for your brand.
We discuss a number of factors, including:
- The importance of starting with your audience and understanding how, when, and where they consume content
- The important first step of checking to see which podcasts in your field are already out there and how your show can add something new to the conversation
- How podcasting is a great platform for not only sharing expertise but also for being vulnerable and authentic and connecting with people in a way that feels natural and organic
Connect with Adam on LinkedIn
Learn more about Strategexe
Watch the video episode: https://youtu.be/GbiM3Uh2kBI
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands create branded podcasts to connect with prospects, grow brand awareness, and create better content.
If you’re on the fence about starting a branded podcast in 2023, one reason you’re hesitant might be fear of failure.
Because while it’s relatively easy to get a podcast started, it’s much harder to keep it going. And you don’t want to put a lot of time and effort into starting a show only to see it die on the vine after only a handful of episodes.
That’s a bad look for your company … and a bad look for you. I get it.
Maybe it’s better to not take a chance on podcasting and just stick with what you know.
Or … Maybe it IS worth giving podcasting a shot. Because if you go about it the right way and avoid the mistakes that doom some shows to failure, a branded podcast can be a really powerful weapon in your content marketing arsenal … And bolster your reputation, and your company’s reputation, as an industry leader.
In this segment I’ll break down the most common reasons why branded podcasts sometimes fail, and how you can avoid the mistakes that lead to failure and make the moves that result in branded podcasting success.
I’ll cover:
Having unrealistic goals … And what realistic goals look like
Focusing your show too broadly … And how to find the right niche
Choosing the wrong name … And tips for finding the right name
Getting stuck with the wrong host … And how to find the right host
Failing to publish consistently … And how to stick to a publication schedule
Starting a podcast is harder than it looks. Which is why many B2B brands that get into podcasting work with a podcast production agency.
But when you search for "podcast agency" you'll find several dozen companies, all of whom claim to be the best, all of whom offer similar services at a similar range of prices. Do you just choose one and hope for the best?
Nope. In this episode I get into the weeds on what you should look for in a podcasting agency and how to work with a podcast producer to get the most value out of the experience.
The PodShop is brought to you by Connversa, a podcast agency that helps B2B brands start branded podcasts to connect with prospects, create higher-quality content, and grow brand awareness.
Podcasts are primarily an audio medium. But more and more shows are offering video versions, too. In this episode, we explore the how video podcasting works and the value it can add, with video editor Liv Snyder.
Watch the full episode to learn more!
Related blog post: https://connversa.com/video-podcasting-is-it-beneficial/
Socials!
Website: https://connversa.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connversa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connversapodcasting/
Now that we've discussed what kind of audio equipment you need in our Fact or Fiction episode, it's time to take it a step further and up your sound quality in editing! Here to explain more on what audio mixing and mastering is our expert Josue Gonzales!
Watch the full episode to learn more!
Blog: https://connversa.com/resources/
Socials!
Website: https://connversa.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connversa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connversapodcasting/
Hello and welcome back to the Podshop! In this episode, Jeremy and Kaitlyn bring on one of Connversa’s Producers, Michael, to discuss the ins and outs of podcast producing! What is a producer? When should a podcast get one? What do they do?
Find out in this episode of The Podshop!
Blog: https://connversa.com/the-art-science-of-hosting-a-podcast/
Socials!
Website: https://connversa.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connversa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connversapodcasting/
Welcome back to The PodShop with our talented team at Connversa! Today our co-hosts Kaitlyn and Jeremy bring on Director of Pre-Production Kelcey to battle it out in this Great Debate. When is the best time to post your podcast? How long should your podcast be?
Find out in this episode of The PodShop!
Blog: https://connversa.com/when-is-the-best-time-to-publish-your-b2b-podcast/
Socials!
Website: https://connversa.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connversa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connversapodcasting/
Welcome to our newly named podcast show, The Pod Shop with our team of talented producers at Connversa! Today our co-hosts Kaitlyn and Jeremy bring on audio genius Josh to talk about the myths and truths of podcast equipment. Do you need a full studio to start podcasting? What's the difference between USB and XLR mics?
Find out in this episode of The Pod Shop with Connversa!
Blog: https://connversa.com/podcast-equipment-101/ Video Version: https://youtu.be/EdaJr2Mjz7k
Socials!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connversa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connversapodcasting/