Podcast Launch Pad: Recent Episodes
Serena Gay
A weekly podcast for grown up business people. It's delivered in bite-sized episodes to help you launch straight into the business podcasting stratosphere. Hosted by former BBC radio reporter and international satellite TV journalist Serena Gay.
A podcast is not a random piece of audio that upload onto your website.
A podcast is just a tad more involved than that.
In this episode, Serena explains not just the definition of a podcast but the commitment required when you launch one.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
There are some outstandingly good free tools out there to help you put your podcast together for free - or for very little.
The providers of these tools are, of course, hoping that you might take up their paid plans sometime in the future - but there is no pressure on you to do this.
Given the stormy economic times that we are promised lie ahead, it's good to know that you can still launch a podcast for relatively little money.
Here are the featured podcasting tools:
Audacity - free audio editing software
https://www.audacityteam.org/
Canva (for desiging graphics)
https://www.canva.com/
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/musicpremiumBBC Sounds
https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/Buzzsprouthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/ About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Most podcast guest interviews go well. But sometimes, your podcast guest is a disappointment and you just cannot publish the episode.
What do you do?
How do you break the news to them?
This episode provides help with finding the most diplomatic solutions. After all, you don't want to hurt their feelings or earn yourself a reputation as a time-waster.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
How many of my lovely clients say to me .... "but Serena, we wouldn't have any confidence in front of the mic".
I totally get it.
It feels so alien to listen back to your own voice.
But thousands of people every day from all walks of life (who have no more right than you do to speak into a mic) warble away happily on their podcasts.
It is all partly about mindset but there are also some valuable tips that I think are worth resharing from an episode earlier in the series.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Lots of people hang back from pursuing their podcast creation ambitions for fear of the technical obstacles. Not Linda Leverman of Lindy's Audio Cafe - and she's a grandmother!
Some people set their mind to achieving a certain goal and just persevere until they achieve it and Linda is just that sort.
Listen to how she did it on this episode and find out what equipment and software she recommends.
What podcast interviewer has not experienced that heart sinking moment when you realise a podcast interview is disappointing?
But there are post-recording tricks you can play to save the day.
Software programmes like Descript can be helpful by removing all the ums and ers for you or allowing you to visualise the parts that can be cut thanks to the side-by-side layout of the transcript with the audio.
If your own interviewer performance is to blame, you can always simply remove your live questioning input and replace it with voiceover links.
But my advice is only go to these lengths if you think there is real value in the interview worth saving. Sometimes, a bad one just has to hit the cutting room floor.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
We've all heard podcast or radio interviews that have hit the buffers. And it's excrutiating!
The monosyllabic answers to questions. The desperate rephrasing of questions by the interviewer. The sense that everything is imploding. You literally live the participants' panic with them.
Fortunately, a pre-recorded podcast interview is nothing like as traumatic as a live radio interview and on this episode Serena gives plenty of tips for what to do during the interview if your guest seizes up or if they appear offended.
In part 2 next week, we'll look at how to rescue an awful interview in the editing process.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Setting correct podcast volume levels both at the start of recording and in the editing process is pretty important.
No one like having to tweak their volume controls while listening to a podast.
And if they ARE inconsistent, it is a sign of sloppy post-production work... so don't let anyone accuse you of that!
Besides which, it is not a difficult issue to sort - as Serena explains on this episode.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
In this episode, Serena sets out the pros and cons of podcasting solo or with a co-host.
As with all such decisions, it ends up being a personal one to suit the individual.
You might really enjoy and benefit from the input of a co-host and your conversations with guests might be livelier, better informed ... funnier even.
On the other hand, unless you are completely certain you can rely on your co-host - it might prove to be a disaster if they drop out after a while.
What's more, the vibe between you might not work terribly well.
And podcasting solo allows you to be completely in control of the material, the interview questions and the time and place of recording.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Ouch - that was a hard lesson to learn.
What happened? I needed a break after a year's worth of uninterrupted weekly podcast editions and the podcast itself needed a refresh.
I promised my following that I would be back in just a couple of weeks.
In the end, it took me about 7-8 weeks to revamp the podcast and to re-energise myself while working all the while on some important client accounts.
But some of my followers simply turned elsewhere.
They are slowly returning to the fold along with new ones but it's not a mistake I intend to repeat - and I hope you learn from it too.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Launching a podcast is fun and rewarding. But there are new skills to learn and sometimes it saves you time to seek help elsewhere.
Most podcasters are naturally gifted with the talking bit! Otherwise, they wouldn't have started one.
But the technical aspects of editing, mixing and mastering audio can be time-consuming and possibly not as much fun as interviewing your peers.
So, consider outsourcing that. You can also seek professional help in the marketing of your podcast. It's really all about saving time while making the maxium impact.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
In this super short episode, Serena implores podcasters to focus on getting straight down to the content of their production.
There's nothing worse than listening to the podcast host or hosts rattle on about how their week was, or about insignificant stuff that has nothing to do with the podcast theme.
This is especially true for business podcasters because people are making the time to listen to you to learn something.
Generally, they are not interested in people's mundane lives unless they are really well-known in which case, they seem sadly to be completely fascinated.
But most of us are not famous!
Listen for a useful tip on how you can combine a little bit of the personal with a whole lot of useful input.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
We used to think we had to record our podcasts in sound-proofed booths. Maybe we thought about hiring a sound engineer too to make sure everything ran smoothly.
But the pandemic changed everything, as this podcast episode makes clear.
Listeners are now more accepting of the kind of noises you might expect to hear at the end of any telephone line. Like dogs barking or children playing.
This podcast episode discusses what that might mean for podcasters, old and new and what measures you still need to maintain to ensure respectable audio quality.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
In this episode, I bring you news of exciting new trends apparent from entries in the first round of the British Podcast Awards which I helped judge in April 2022.
Exciting new trends, yes, but also evidence that some podcasters are still making basic errors which I also report on.
It was a huge privilege to be involved in the British Podcast Awards and I loved to see how podcasters are becoming more inventive, experimental and imaginative in their productions.
There were some amazing entries from the LGBTQ+ communities which really stretched the podcasting envelope. Equally impressive were the podcasts which gave voice to those fleeing barbarism in all its forms.
There was some awesome interviewing skills on show this year which left me full of admiration.
And sound design is becoming much more of "a thing" in podcasts in 2022 with some excellent work on show.
On the negative side, there are still too many podcasts out there with semi-celebs and poorly prepared hosts. And it was a pity to find the odd podcast that reinforced stereotypes or whose hosts never got the "sound energised" memo. There was even the odd painful technical issue.
It will be fascinating to see who wins this year - there are some great contenders.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
More than a rant - this episode makes it crystal clear how to leave a podcast review on Apple for your favourite podcasts.
Go on - have a quick listen and then do as Serena suggests! Follow the easy steps she outlines and leave a nice review for the podcasts you love to listen to.
You really will be doing the podcast teams behind the productions a huge favour.
Up to now you may have found it tricky to work out how to leave reviews. This is because it is easy to confuse the podcast landing page (where there's space to leave reviews) with the individual episode pages (where there's no space to leave reviews).
As you'll hear in the very short rant section - this is a problem that Apple could easily resolve and it's a mystery to Serena as to why they haven't.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
There are important decisions that have to be made when you first launch a website. And one of them is where to host information about your podcast.
Hosting a podcast on your existing website will take up too much band width. That's what podcast hosts like Buzzsprout are for.
But you do want to host links to each new episode as well as information about the podcast and its producers in addition to news about your services and special offers.
So this episode supplies a handy solution to the problem - which is how to host a dedicated podcast tab on your existing website.
You can also easily create a podcast website through your podcast host. They make designing it super easy and although the end product is relatively limited, it might be just what you need at the start of your podcast journey.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Are there enough podcast-savvy older listeners to make it worth launching a targeted podcast?
You bet.
A bunch of reliable statistics from established market researcher such as Edison Research show that older listeners are huge audio fans - and they're fast catching up with the number of younger podcast listeners.
As ever, it's all down to nailing your ideal podcast listener and catering exactly for their needs.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
There are good and bad ways to introduce a podcast guest - but, in my experience, the podcasts that pull in listeners bother to do it right.
In this episode, Serena literally spells out - word for word - an introduction lasting about 45 seconds that achieves the following:
- pronounces the name of the guest correctly (disastrous when you can't even get that right!)
- chooses a few relevant details to highlight your guest's impressive background and relevance to your ideal listener
- helps establish a rapport and eases your guest into the first question
This sort of introduction doesn't take half a day to write and research but it does require a little effort from the podcast host. Honestly, it's worth it - both for the sake of your show and the impression it leaves with your guest (who you'll want to help promote the show when it's published).
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Sounding confident is something that concerns many would-be business podcasters - especially older ones.
They worry that podcasting is either for professionals or the young and brazen!
But this couldn't be further from the truth - especially for niche business podcasters whose ideal listeners are more interested in first class content than in slick celebs or youth for youth's sake.
This episode tackles that mindset and - hopefully - puts it to rest once and for all.
It's business expertise, great content and warmth of delivery that wins listeners, not youthful sounding vocal chords.
Listen in for useful tips on how to banish your concerns and strengthen your self-belief in the way your sound.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
You can literally hear the birds tweeting as I use my smartphone to record this episode outside on a glorious sunny spring day.
As long as you use the right microphone, it is definitely possible to use your smartphone in the recording process.
But beware of using the smartphone's inbuilt mic. I carry out a little comparison to show you the difference between using a good external mic, the phone's inbuilt mic and the sound I normally produce in my recording booth.
My much-loved Rode's SC6-L Mobile Recording Kit for use with an iPhone has now been discontinued but replaced with something that you can use with any phone, laptop or computer. TheAI Micro costs around £70 and is the interface through which you link your mics to record you and your guest to your recording device. You have to buy lavalier mics separately (those are the ones that you attach to your lapel).
You don't need to buy the AI Micro if you just intend to record your voice - you could purchase Rode's smartLav+ lavalier mic. There are plenty of other makes on the market too.
Rode also supplies a free app called RodeReporter that you can use to record into. Alternatively, you could try the Hokusai Audio Editor for this purpose.
Recording into your smartphone is one thing - editing your material on it is quite another and not recommended by me to grown up businesspeople who might struggle with the intricacies of working on a tiny screen. Listen in for how I manage it.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
People often think a business podcast format is simply a one-to-one interview set-up. But it can be made to be more exciting with a panel discussion.
Don't get me wrong - a one-to-one interview podcast can be amazing - but you do get a different vibe with several good contributors rather than just two.
This episode is about the practicality of recording several people remotely. The app I recommend using is Cleanfeed.net because it has served me well.
What I like particularly about it is that it delivers excellent audio quality and records voices on separate audio tracks which makes post-interview editing a cinch.
There is a free version which allows you two tracks - one for you and the other for any guests although if you have more than one guest all their voices will be recorded together on one of those tracks. So it is better to pay for the pro version to ensure all the voices can be edited independent of each other.
A month's payment is not expensive - depending on which version you choose, it will cost you between £15-£22 and you only have to sign up for one month.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
You don't want to leave your podcast fans hanging around aimlessly after the end of each episode. You want to entice them to take action!
So you need to devise a short but sweet call to action (or CTA).
It might be visiting your website to find out about new offers, leaving you a review on Apple Podcasts, following up on an affiliate link or simply getting in touch with you.
Regular listeners are important assets! And if they're listening frequently to you it is because you have built up a rapport and they like and trust you. So make the most of it!
On this episode I talk through the "history" of CTAs on Podcast Launch Pad and how and why I've changed things around a bit recently.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
When I first began to host and publish my own podcast (a few years back) I hadn't yet worked out the short cuts.
Writing my script took a while - because I was always referring back to this and that.
And cutting in all the recurring audio (like the intro, call to action and outro) and mixing it afresh with the music took foreeeeeeeeever.
Over time, I improved my act and learned how to deploy a podcast script template and a podcast audio template during the mixing process.
The time-consuming work need only happen at the very inception of a new podcast or podcast series (if you are making big changes to an existing podcast). But once it's done, it's done and the use of templates - as this episode explains - is the key to all that precious time saving.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
My guest this week is a woman honoured by the Queen for her outstanding fund raising efforts and services to charity.
The MBE honour was presented to her by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, at Windsor Castle.
But has Julie sat back, put her feet up and told herself she's done her bit for her community? Hell no.
Julie Kent never does anything by halves. She is forging ahead raising more money and awareness for her charities with her podcast What's in the Goody Bag .
Find out why she launched a podcast and how she tackled the tech as she pushed past her 60th birthday.
I think you'll agree - the world is a brighter, happier place with people like Julie around.
https://juliekentmbe.com/charity-consultation/
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Welcome back to the second series of Podcast Launch Pad. Hope you like the new music and the new artwork.
This series is for grown up business people for whom the moving parts of a podcast are a complete mystery.
My aim is to demystify it all for you.
Because if a woman like me in her 60s who's never been especially techy can get her head around it (I'm speaking of myself) then so can you. Obviously.
Need I add that podcasting is the most amazing creative fun and such a satisfying way to stay in touch with your ideal listener and attract new ones.
What do you think of Podcast Launch Pad's new look and new sounds? Please tell me on serena@made4u-podcasts.co.uk.
In this episode you will find out how podcasting for your business can win you:
- new clients
- amazing new business contacts
- confidence on a public stage
- and loads of material to repurpose
Now couldn't be a better time to start a business podcast with everyone discovering the accessibility of niche podcasts and the enjoyment they can bring as you carry out mundane tasks.
This episode brings to an end Series 1 of Podcast Launch Pad. Series 2 launches very shortly with a new "look" - or should that be "listen" (!) It will also be targeted more clearly at my ideal podcast listener who I define as the more experienced entrepreneur who may lack the confidence on the technical side to start up their own podcast.
Until then - bye for now.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
There are podcast-makers who quail at the thought of interviewing their business peers.
But if you get to grips with the 9 secret tips I discuss on this episode, you'll soon be totally at ease with it all.
In this revisiting of one of the most popular episodes of Podcast Launch Pad you'll find out how preparation is key to success.
It's also important to read the conversational clues - to know when to push further for a better answer and how to phrase it.
Treating each interview like a friendly but useful conversation should be your starting point but listening to this edition will arm you with a few more useful tactics.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
What have you done in the past when you weren't sure how to cope?
Did you brazen it out?
If the answer is yes, and surely it was at some point in your life, then rest assured, you can do exactly the same on your business podcast.
Get in front of that mic, prepare what you have to say carefully, and then....?
Well, pretend you are the master/mistress of all you survey.
Of course, the truth is, you ARE in control of all you survey - you know your business and you know what your listeners need from you.
Take a deep breath and infuse your voice with that knowledge and confidence.
Pretending is much underrated!
This episode revisits number 7 in this series "7 Ways to Sound Good on Your Podcast" and can be neatly summarised in the following points:
-
Pretend to be cool, collected and confident. It’s what all the professionals do!
-
Follow my suggested practical tips to avoid beginner’s mistakes
-
Adopt the right mindset and tell yourself you simply can’t fail to be engaging
-
Use your imagination to help your vocal presentation strike a really personal note with your listeners to encourage them to “talk” back to you
-
Protect your voice and remember to hydrate
-
The more you plan your content the more professional you will sound
-
Smile and inject your voice with energy
Let me know if these tips help you with your podcast presentation. It would make my day to hear from you – email serena@made4u-podcasts.co.uk
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
We could all do with a little PR help to promote our podcast episodes.
But if you're launching a new business podcast, wise use of PR is a must.
In a re-run of episode 16, I'm bringing you a very popular interview with Kerryn Fields - who definitely knows a thing or two about PR for business.
On this epsode we cover:
- what sort of coverage you should aim for
- which platforms you should target
- how to find the right contacts to send out your press releases to
- how to formulate a press release
- how to make it catch a journalist's eye
- how far in advance to initiate your PR strategies
- why you don't need a PR expert because you can do your own PR
Kerryn runs her own PR Agency https://www.koolacomms.com/. Check it out today!
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Podcast Launch Pad is in the throes of a redesign and a relaunch.
But in the meantime, I'm revisiting some of my most popular editions because I think they're worth another share.
Far too many people (in my humble opinion) are scared of launching their own business podcast for fear of what other people will think of them.
Well, I hope the advice on this episode will help put some steel into your spine and confidence into your psyche.
Believe me, there are people out there who want and need the expertise you have to give. Launch a podcast and you will find how grateful people are to you for making the effort.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Every new venture - be it a podcast, a blog, or even a website - is going to need a makeover at some stage.
Because what you thought you originally needed to create, can quickly evolve into a different entity. And then you need to reflect that in the way you market it.
In the case of Podcast Launch Pad, I want to niche down on my ideal listener and appeal to an older demographic who is perhaps a bit more shy of the technology than younger people.
I dream of a new format, new music, new artwork and better marketing.
Can I make the changes? Am I even allowed? Well, that's what this episode is all about.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Neuroscience research is throwing up some truly fascinating insights into the success of
podcast advertising.
And every entrepreneur with podcasting ambitions should know what they are.
So this episode focuses on two revelations from a trusted source - the Audio:Activated report which was commissioned by BBC Global News' branded content division.
(This report dates back to 2019 but given the continued growth of podcasting since then, you can assume their findings are still valid. Even more so in fact. )
The first finding this episode focuses on is that podcast advertising is FAR more successful at getting through to typical ad avoiders than any other media. It also delivers a far greater measure of "memory encoding" - meaning listeners will remember references to products and services mentioned in a podcast.
The second is how listeners create subconscious associations with a brand, based on words they hear in the podcast.For more detail on these extraordinary findings - listen here or read the report for yourself.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
This episode is all about the importance of listening back to your podcast recordings.
It is the ONLY way to overcome any problems you have with the sound of your own voice. And that's something I think I need to persuade my friend Julie Kent, MBE, to do a bit more of.
She has a fabulous podcast called "What's In the Goody Bag" that is still quite new. In it she talks to successful people who have also given back to society in some way.
But she admitted to me recently that she can't stand the sound she makes when she speaks and never listens back to her shows.
So this podcast episode on why you must listen back and the techniques I used to overcome my problems with my voice, is for her. But I think you will find it useful too!
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Are you an entrepreneur with dreams of producing a podcast but unsure where to begin?
Then this bite-sized podcast edition will introduce you to the baby steps you need to take to start you off on your exciting podcast journey.
Podcasting is an amazing marketing tool but the idea of buying in new equipment and learning how to use it, can be off-putting.
Download the Ultimate Podcast Starter Blueprint for great suggestions for microphones and headphones and for lots more succinctly-delivered information.
Find out so much more about each step in my other micro podcast editions either by searching through the back catalogue of the podcast or by subscribing now to this weekly production.
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Most podcasters won't fall foul of the law - be it over copyright issues, libel, factual inaccuracies or guests withdrawing permission.
But it's wise to be prepared - especially with business podcast production.
Lawyer Clare Hoban from specialist media lawyers Reviewed & Clearedis our special guest this week with brilliant advice on how to avoid a dip in legal hot waters!
She advises on the risks you face, why you should check your sources and why it's is important to challenge guests who express opinions which are not based on fact.
Always insist on balance and fairness.
Find out on this episode when and how you are allowed to feature short music or speech extracts without first gaining permission.
And why it is good practice to insist that podcast guest sign a release form.
Finally - what should you do, if you do receive a complaint? Clare has got all the answers.
Listen to Clare's excellent presentation "Essential Law for Podcasters" *
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Your podcast trailer is your podcast's shop window.
It broadcasts to the world about what's inside. And it's really important.
It could just be a simple voice-over overlaid with your podcast music explaining what it's all about.
Or it could be a more sophisticated production with excerpts from interviews or highlights from the shows you've already recorded.
Whatever you do, you need to keep it between 1-2 minutes in length and have it ready to upload when you register your podcast at the start of your journey with your podcast host.
And of course, I always recommend Buzzsprout for that role!
Make sure you give the podcast title, your name, an explanation of what the podcast is about and what listeners can expect it to deliver. Whip up a bit of excitement!
Don't forget to issue a call to action as well - direct people to your website or social media for more information about what you do.
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Are you thinking? Who'd want to be interviewed for my podcast show? Well, think again.
Most people in my experience are ready to spare time to make a guest appearance on a podcast.
The trick comes in to how you make that first approach and how to make it worth their while.
You also have to use your best persuasive skills with potential guests who you know will make good interviewees but who are reluctant for whatever reason.
This episode is packed full of advice on who to pick in the first place, when to pounce with an invitation and what to say to seal the deal.
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Go on - turn off podcast fans is by using up precious podcast-listening time with meaningless banter!
A bit harsh of me perhaps - but I have had it with presenters chewing the cud and cracking in-jokes.
It just makes listeners drop out in droves.
Successful podcast banter is an art that very few have mastered.
It's probably best done by professional comedians with teams of writers behind them.
Avoid at all costs unless you can be certain of using banter time to entertain and inform. Aim to be inclusive with it, not exclusive.
Be interesting, be informative but above all - get down to the point of your podcast with all haste.
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Sound professional on your business podcast by making use of these 10 tips.
It all starts in the mind.
Doesn't everything?!
But if you start off confident in the knowledge that you are delivering interesting and useful content that people want and need - you are more than half way there.
This episode will help you inject that oomph into your voice that listeners love and find inspirational.
And they are:
- As above, be confident that you are delivering a useful service with your podcast
-
Vary the delivery and tone of your voice throughout the episode, in the same way you would if you were telling a story. This might include:
-
speaking faster
- speaking slower
- allowing your voice to rise in pitch
- speaking at the lower end of your vocal register
-
altering the volume of your voice
-
Keep up energy levels by ending all your sentences so that people hear every word
- Breathe deeply so that your lungs have enough air to fulfil point 3 above
- Use the different sounds your vocal chords produce to engender a sense of wonderment in your listener
- Use your eyes and facial expressions to tell your story even if it is just to the mic!
- Use silence wisely in your delivery
- Gesticulate with your hands - these emotions will feed into your vocal delivery too
- Know your script well so that you read it intelligently (see episode 23 "How To Write Your Podcast and Sound Conversational" for useful tips)
- SMILE! It will magically make you sound more enthusiastic
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Female entrepreneur Christy Smallwood from Louisville, Kentucky launched a podcast in 2018 for a reason that aligns perfectly with her business needs.
She runs her own business (Eagle Eyed Strategies) in sales, marketing, training and development and wanted to help make potential clients get to like and trust her more quickly than they would through occasional networking meetings.
She hit on podcasting as the way to develop those relationships faster.
She knows that if people can hear her voice and her intonation as well as the superb content that she consistently delivers, they'll want to do business with her sooner, rather than later.
Christie certainly didn't waste time getting her small business podcast off the ground. She dived straight in and has refined her production over the years.
These days, she interviews local businesspeople and has won an award from her local chamber of commerce in recognition of the superb podcasting work that she does.
Listen to how she overcame challenges (not least the neighborhood's barking dog!) to achieve her success.
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
So, you've ordered the podcasting equipment, worked out which podcast host you will use (Buzzsprout, I hope!), identified where you will do your recordings and maybe even taught yourself how to audio edit.
BUT, you can't identify the right podcast topic!All too often, business people with podcasting ambitions get hung on this issue.
In this episode, you'll find plenty of advice to help you dig deep and find just the right theme to promote you and your organisation.
- Decide what you need to achieve with your podcast
- And who you need your audience to be - ie, your ideal podcast listener
- Then work out what you are most qualified to talk about
Then my advice is to seek what is different and quirky about you or your company and use it to find an angle to help you stand out.
Need a spot of brainstorming help? Drop me a line at serena@made4u-podcasts.co.uk or book an appointment here**.
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Dazzle your podcast listeners with bespoke music that reflects your standout production values.
Or you could do what everyone else does and buy generic-sounding music off the shelf for a few dollars.
Today's guest, Leo Saunders of tuneriver.com works with fellow musicians to compose music for special occasions - but they'll also work with podcasters too.
It will cost you in the region of £150 or about 200 US dollars to buy the licence to use the music as you wish - and not just on your podcast. His composers retain the copyright.
If you want to know how to brief a musician to provide a bespoke piece of music for you, what length of music you should commission and how to use it in your podcast - this episode is for you.
Contact Leo on leo@tuneriver.com
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
This episode is stuffed full of encouraging stats for those of us in the podcasting world - or who're thinking of entering it.
If you're UK based you'll have heard of Ofcom - the official British communications regulator.
Their Podcast Statistics report in 2021 was full of facts and figures collected from a survey of 1865 respondents.
If you're just a little bit cross-eyed from listening to my podcast on all these numbers, never fear. I've repeated them all below. Happy reading.
25% of the British public listen to podcasts every week. That is 16.5 million people and it compares with 7.1 million in 2019.
Overall there are more younger listeners (aged 16 – 44) but older ones (aged 45 - 64) are hot on their tails.
57% of respondents listen at home while relaxing but people also listen in the car, on public transport, while walking or exercising, doing the chores or at bedtime.
Most podcast lovers will listen to between 3-5 podcasts a week while 20% listen to between 6-10.
Listeners are predominantly in the AB socio-economic range with C1s not too far behind.
61% listen to podcasts for entertainment and 21% say it is to get practical advice.
50% of respondents say they love listening to business podcasts and also enjoy comedy, serious discussion shows, arts or music podcasts, politics, true crime, science and technology
After respondents have heard a podcast:
· 15% buy products mentioned in the podcast.
· 31% follow advice or recommendation given.
· 62% talk to friends or family about what they heard on the podcast.
65% listen to the entire episode so they’ll catch any calls to action that the host issues at the end of the episode.
**The UK’s audio research body, RAJAR (in its 2020 survey) found podcast listeners tend to earn 28% more on average than the general population and are more likely to have advanced degrees.
About me**
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
It's basic good manners, isn't it, to welcome your podcast guest with some introductory information and at the end, to bid them farewell?
How you do it, is up to you but in my experience a decent intro and outro demonstrates your production values.
It signposts to both potential and regular listeners that they're in the right place to find the information they're seeking.
Should you have music in your intros and outros? I think so - but it's not obligatory.
Should you worry about people skipping over your intro to get to the meat of the episode?
No. There'll be plenty of other listeners who love your intro.
Should you be concerned that people won't bother to listen to the very end to catch your carefully crafted outro?
No, most people listen to the end according to statistics published in the RAJAR 2020 report - so use their loyalty to issue your call to action.
Links mentioned or promised on the podcast for sites that we find the easiest to download music from.
Audio Jungle for an excellent choice of music and reasonable prices
BBC Sound Effects for free sound effects
YouTube for free music
Pixabay for free music
CC Mixter for free music
Purple Planet for free music
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
You do not need to splash out a fortune on sound proofing as you start on your podcasting journey.
You do not need to buy a special booth or reams of soundproofing material.
You do not need to line your walls with egg cartons or install a red "recording" light.
You DO NEED to find a quiet room with lots of soft furnishings. A walk-in clothes closet would work well too. As would recording inside a car parked in a quiet spot.
I've recorded in expensively equipped, state of the art studios in this country and abroad. But the work I produce from my cheaply-constructed home studio has satisfied the most demanding producers in the world.
Today's episode is full of the tips and tricks I employed to save money but also to ensure audio quality.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Dan Harris is a magnificent example of someone who had a great idea for a podcast and then just went for it!
The result - a cleverly conceived podcast which is well-produced and entertaining.
The theme literally crosses borders around the world comparing nations and discussing what we all think of each other.
I was lucky enough to be in at the start when Dan was planning how best to enact his idea.
We spent a number of sessions together discussing how he could bring together a panel of international experts.
It was always an ambitious plan and technically quite demanding but Dan quietly worked at it for months on end, teaching himself what he needed to know and researching all the different platforms he intended using.
The end result is the podcast "Over Here Over There" and it is a triumph. So, I couldn't resist inviting him on as our guest expert for June to tell us all about it.
During the interview, Dan and I discussed number 11 of Podcast Launch Pad entitled "17 Fun and Sociable Ways to Promote Your Podcast". (I think Dan is going to go back and have another listen!!)
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Podcast listeners have high expectations of podcast interviews.
So, it's not quite enough just to draw up a list of questions without doing a bit of research first!
You want your listener to be captivated by the interview and maybe to even listen a second time if your guest is offering actionable advice.
The 9 killer interview techniques in this episode include:
- how to research and prepare
- how to create the right interview ambience
- the importance of listening to your guest so as to steer the conversation in the right direction
- understand and reacting to conversational cues
- how to stop the guest from dominating the conversation
- how to ask to right kind of questions
- what to avoid
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Post-lockdown we'll still have to keep our distance from other people for some time to come.
So, does this mean we won't be able to interview face to face?
Not long ago I discovered my mobile recording kit (the Rode SC6-L) allows you to record exactly two metres apart from your interviewee or co-host.
The kit fits into the palm of your hand and is supremely portable. The audio isn't bad either!
It only works with an iPhone though and at £130 or US $180 - it's not cheap. But it does tick a whole load of boxes.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Do you wince when you hear a recording of your voice?
There's a good scientific explanation for why you feel that way.
And the truth is, just because you hate the sound of your own voice, it doesn't mean everyone else will too.
Far from it.
In this episode, Serena explains why you need not fear that the sound of your voice will turn people off.
However, if you detect weaknesses in your vocal delivery, such as sounding:
- too high
- too airy
- too nasal
- too scratchy
then there are simple measures you can take to find your "best voice".
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Podcast Launch Pad brings you two blogging experts this week who show exactly why a blog will help you gain new listeners.
You don't need to be the modern equivalent to William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens to write a good blog to accompany your podcast.
But Emma Bradley and Louise Williams from Top Blog Coachingargue convincingly in this episode for why you need one.
Above all, a well-written blog will help Google find and promote your work and, of course, it will add to your status as a thought-leader.
Emma and Louise provide some interesting tips for making your blog hit home - so have pencil and paper at the ready to jot join their recommendations.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
As the popularity of podcast listening grows, professionals are increasingly making their skills available to would-be podcasters.
But what is it that they offer? And if you seek help with fulfilling your podcasting dreams, what should you look for?
There's a long list of jobs they should be able to do for you including:
- Identifying your ideal listener
- Working out a podcasting format
- Planning interesting and varied content to fill episodes in the months ahead
- Explaining what recording equipment to buy and how to use it
- Choosing a podcast, name, music, and artwork for your logo
- Teaching you how to present
- Scripting your productions
- Explaining how to approach guests and how to record them if you can't do it face-to-face
- Showing you how to audio edit
- Publishing your podcast
- Promoting, monetizing and advertising it
- Overcoming the mindset problems that deter new podcasters from launching in the first place
Finding podcast consultants who can offer help with podcast creation skills to podcast promotion ones is the tricky bit!
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Noisy, phlegm-flecked breaths on a podcast are a menace and need to be dealt with!
Frankly, they're an assault on your auditory nerve.
That said, podcast editors do need to leave a gap where a noisy breath has been removed because not to do so will make the speaker sound inhuman.
We all need to breathe and our listeners instinctively expect to hear at least something that passes for a breath between phrases, even if it is silence.
So, this edition lays out how during the audio editing process, you can tackle the problem of sticky breathing.
Tip - stay hydrated and your breaths will be quiet and unobtrusive! About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Find out how to nail your ideal podcast listener and why it's so important.
Your ideal podcast listener is the person you want your podcast to speak to. They may well differ from your ideal client – or they may not - but you do need to identify them.
Why?
Well, to launch an effective podcast you need to know who you are speaking to. It's exactly the same as needing to know all about your ideal client.
This is so you can structure your podcast content to suit them.
With increasing numbers of people listening to podcasts, you simply can’t afford to be hit and miss about it.
Listen to this episode for some clever ways to pinpoint the pair of ears you want glued to your audio production!
To find out more about Serena Gay and Made4U Podcasts – visit www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk or email serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukAbout me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
To find out more about Serena Gay and Made4U Podcasts – visit www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk or email serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukThis week, our speaker of the month is a serial podcast guest who knows how to write for every genre under the sun!
Copywriting expert and best-selling author Sarah Townsend helps us understand what makes your podcast script come alive.
It's all to do with writing in as conversational a manner as possible because this is what makes you sound totally natural.
You can find Sarah here:
sarah@sarahtownsendeditorial.co.ukhttps://www.sarahtownsendeditorial.co.uk/
And her book "Survival Skills for Freelancers - Tried and Tested Tips to Help You Ace Self-Employment Without Burnout"
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
To listen to find out more about Serena Gay and Made4U Podcasts – visit www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk or email serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukLink to the FREE 3-Day Challenge April 28-30th 2021 https://www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk/challengeContrary to what you might be thinking - podcasting need not take up more than 2-3 days of your working month.
In this podcast episode I explain how I make it work for me and how advance planning means it all runs so smoothly.
Links mentioned in this episode are to Episode 17 "Editing Podcast Audio - It's a Cinch"
and to Episode 19 "To Script a Podcast or Not To Script a Podcast" About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
To listen to find out more about Serena Gay and Made4U Podcasts – visit www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk or email serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukLink to the FREE 3-Day Challenge April 28-30th 2021 https://www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk/challenge
A question any budding business podcaster should ask themselves is: why would anyone want to listen to my business podcast?
It’s a great question because it forces you to think about what people want and what they enjoy.
And what you should provide!
This episode digs deep into the reasons why people keep coming back for more and how good podcasts succeed in satisfying those requirements.
You may not agree but I think it all hinges on:
- The likeability of the host
- Whether a podcast manages to fill you with joy
- What benefit it provides
- Whether it solves a problem or provides interesting information
- The production values
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners Why not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
In this episode I’m passing on to you some of the lessons I’ve learned while judging the British Podcast Awards.
The competition is still in the first round and the winners won’t be announced until the summer.
It’s been fascinating to listen to the cream of British podcasts!
In short, what marks out the really good ones is:
- Finding a novel twist to your theme
- Finding amazing interviewees (and it might be anyone from a supermarket cashier to someone experiencing bereavement; you just need to choose carefully)
- Podcasts hosted with enthusiasm, care and a good understanding of their subject
- Allowing guests to be the main stars of the show
And by contrast, the disappointing entries committed these cardinal errors:
- Interviewing celebs for the sake of interviewing celebs
- Failure by the host to keep panel conversations under control
- Not editing mouth noises out of recorded material or fixing volume level problems
- Making the podcast about the host and not about the listener
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
There are definitely two schools of thought as to whether you should write out a podcast script word for word or wing it from bullet points.
I'm firmly in the script it word for word camp.
Too often, I've been turned off a production by a presenter who thinks they can talk for England without much time spent preparing.
The art of reading your script naturally and sounding as if you've just had brilliant and lucid thoughts off the top of your head is what this episode is all about.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Your can make your business podcast stand out with imaginative use of sound.
This episode explains how easy it is to introduce voice or sound effects to jazz things up a bit!
Here are some of the ideas discussed:
- Pay an actor to voice your intro
- Find an actor to impersonate a famous personality and voice a sentence or two
- Choose music that reflects the tone of your a podcast
- Play with the voice settings on your software to alter the sound of your voice (just a bit, not too much!)
- Go to the BBC Sounds Archive and download any number of funny sound effects
I'd love to know if you make use of any of these ideas. Contact me using the details below.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Editing podcast audio is definitely one of those skills that fill podcasting newbies with trepidation!
But there’s no need.
All that’s required is to master a few basic steps.
The whole key to making it easy for yourself, is to make sure you record in a nice quiet environment with good quality equipment in the first place.
This podcast edition talks you through my podcast editing workflow.
This includes:
- The editing equipment I use or recommend (Adobe Audition, Descript , OcenAudio and Audacity)
- How to sort out volume levels
- How to edit using simple copy, delete and paste commands
- Lowering background noise
- Multitrack mixing
- Match Loudness settings
- Converting WAV to Mp3
If you’re producing a podcast for your business you can outsource the audio editing side (although you might enjoy it – it’s really creative!)
If outsourcing is the route you choose – please contact info@made4u-podcasts.co.uk for information on how we can help you.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
In a step away from our usual episodes with their bite-sized formats, I'm joined on this edition by PR expert Kerryn Fields.
Kerryn literally showers us with nuggets of PR gold helping you to understand:
- what sort of coverage you should aim for
- which platforms you should target
- how to find the right contacts to send out your press releases to
- how to formulate a press release
- how to make it catch a journalist's eye
- how far in advance to initiate your PR strategies
- why you don't need a PR expert because you can do your own PR
Kerryn runs her own PR Agency https://www.koolacomms.com/ and her membership PR Engine provides a wide range of support services. Check it out today!
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too - you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Make the most of your podcast guest appearances to put yourself in the best possible limelight.
The main things to keep in mind are :
- Treat the opportunity like you would any friendly conversation
- Always listen to one of two editions of the podcast in advance
- Insist on a pre-interview call to find out what the podcaster wants from you and feel free to ask lots of questions
- Don't write down and read your answers (but you wouldn't would you?!)
- Use your podcasting mic if you've got one and prepare your voice by hydrating it
- Be clear in your mind what you want out of the podcast interview and be certain to follow through
- Make sure you promote the finished product to your followers
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting too- you'll find it a treasure trove of information as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
business podcast production, podcast launch, bite-sized podcast episodes, professional podcast tips, podcast production expert, podcasting for businesswomen, podcast guest advice, podcast guest tips, awesome podcast guest tips, how to be a podcast guest,
Your podcast artwork aka logo counts.
It's the first impression most people have of your work and your production values.
This episode answers the question - should you employ someone to design your logo for you, and if you do, how much should you pay?
I used to insist on going down the graphic designer route - but I'm not so sure now this is always necessary.
No matter how you set about it, you will need to bear some key points in mind.
For more information around podcast logo design, see this blog . Since writing it I've changed my mind a bit about using a professional but I think you'll find my examples of artwork that I think works (and artwork that doesn't) quite illuminating!
Happy listening and happy designing.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - you'll find it massively useful as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Aargh - we all learn by our mistakes don't we?
And now there's a whole culture around convincing ourselves that mistakes aren't mistakes. They're learning opportunities.
Well, whatever, but some mistakes are more painful than others.
In this episode, I talk about why the name I chose for my very first hosted podcast was a big fail. And I was so pleased with it at the time!
The lesson I learnt has resonance for you. Don't be too clever. Don't be too witty. Don't be too abstract.
It's better to say what's on the tin than to leave potential listeners in the dark about its contents.
Other points addressed on this episode include
- should you use the word "podcast" in your title?
- can you change the name of your podcast once it has launched?
- podcast names I think really work
Podcasts mentioned in this episode:
Souki Fournier's Content Marketing Explained
Love Your Podcast with Sammie Byrne
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - you'll find it massively useful as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Some people think podcast production is for spring chickens.
That you've got to be generation Z or, at the very least, a Millennial to understand the medium.
This episode properly debunks that myth!
I am Podcast Launch Pad's host and work professionally as a podcast producer. I'm - ehem - hardly a spring chicken.
Let's just say, I'm elegantly aged and buzzing with enthusiasm and energy!
I started up my own podcast production venture,Made4U Podcasts in my late 50s.
As I say on the podcast:
" Everyone is constantly learning (or should be) and ... if you don’t frighten yourself on the cliff edge of new challenges… well, that’s not really living life, is it? We only have one crack at life, after all"
Listen to my story right here and delve deep into the mindset that helped me overcome imposter syndrome to make a success of my podcasting ambitions.
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - you'll find it massively useful as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
So, you’ve got an engaging business podcast – but what are the most effective ways to promote it?
The 17 killer strategies in this podcast will help you:
- make new contacts
- network with like-minded people
- amaze your niche with your business acumen
They include:
- Invite your listeners to be a guest on your show (then all their contacts will want to listen too!)
- Record a video of yourself explaining why people should listen to this episode
- Encourage existing listeners to give you their opinions and input and if you use their ideas on the show credit them by name
- Leverage your guests’ fanbase and help them to share their interview episode.
- Show people how to subscribe to your podcast. Place a subscribe button on your podcast landing page
- Encourage people to review your podcast – explain how on your landing page too
- Write good show notes – don’t just scribble out a paragraph or two.
- Be a guest on other podcasts. (This is the most fun of all for me!)
- Join Clubhouse and make your voice heard in conversations
- Join Facebook communities and be helpful without being too salesy
- Share a podcast recording with another podcast in a similar (but not exactly the same) field
- Cross promote podcasts that compliment your theme
- Find blogs in your niche and ask them to mention your podcast. You can return the favour on your podcast, in your show notes and in your own blogs
- Find newsletters and do agree crosspromotions there too
- Subscribe to the freehelpareporter.comor the paid for service Response Source and make yourself available to journalists looking for sources of information
- Create a freebie or lead magnet in which you advertise your podcast.
- Promote your podcast to your email list and if you don’t have one…start building one!
Which of the above is the best way to increase the reach of your podcast?
All these promotions are fun exercises in engaging with other people. What works best for you will only become clear once you've tried a few out!
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.uk Why not download my guide to business podcasting - you'll find it massively useful as you start your podcasting journey
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Asking how long should a business podcast last is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string.
But there are some ways to help you decide the perfect length for your audience.
This podcast explores what it is about your potential listeners that can help you decide the ideal amount of time.
Because that is the deciding factor – not how long you can talk about your business know-how, no matter how engaging you or your guest can be.
There’s also the matter of how much time you have to spare to make your podcast. The longer it is, the more time you need put aside.
What do most of my business podcasting clients aim for? Listen to find out!
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Take the strain out of what microphone to choose for your business podcast!
The choice of mics on offer is overwhelming but follow my suggestions and you'll save yourself a ton of time and trouble.
These are the mics I use myself day in, day out.
They are tried and tested and have proved to be reliable and great value as well as providing consistently good audio.
Samson Q2U (a dynamic mic)
Shure SM 58 (a dynamic mic to use withan audio interface)
Rode NT1A (a condenser mic)
Rode SC6-L (an extremely compact mobile kit of tiny lavalier mics to use with your iPhone - especially handy when you are at events)
(Just remember to use them in the right recording environment - either a dedicated studio or a quiet, preferably carpeted room full of soft furnishings. If you can, cover any sizeable hard surfaces with blankets to reduce reverberations.)
About me
Hello, I'm Serena Gay, a BBC-trained journalist and a former international satellite TV presenter.
I have many years of news and audio production experience which I now use to great effect as CEO of a podcast making company called "Made4U Podcasts".
I've also helped run family businesses in the UK and Germany in the tourism and wine education fields.
So I understand the pressures on businesspeople to perform, promote and reach new and profitable streams of clients.
That's why these podcasts are short, pithy and full of information - not blather!
Contact...
Facebook: @Made4uPodcasts
Facebook Group:@Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners
Website: www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk Email: serena@made4u-podcasts.co.ukWhy not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
This episode will show you how easy it is to get your business podcast out there.
You need to register your podcast with a podcast host likeBuzzsprout, Libsyn , Podbean or Spreaker (and there are plenty more to choose from).
Sign up with one of these and they will send out each new episode of your show to every major podcast directory like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts etc.
It will save you huge amounts of work and place your podcast exactly where you need it to be.
And they will arrange your RSS feed too (a one-off job because once you’ve got it, you’ve got it!
(An RSS feed is a piece of code that enables the podcast directories to recognise and publish your new episodes – you can’t podcast without one basically.)
As it happens, I’m a fan of Buzzsprout. I’ve always used them for my podcasts and for my clients.
If you'd like to join them too you can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
You might think you’ll simply upload all your podcasts to your website. But podcasts take up too much bandwidth so hosting them yourself just isn’t practical.
The podcast hosts help you put all your registration ducks in a row which ultimately means all you have to do is upload your new episode once and everything else will be taken care of.
They really save you a huge amount of trouble for a small amount of money each month.
There are free plans you can use but these are not recommended for business podcasters because your bank of podcast episodes would only be kept online for up to 90 days.
Spend around $12 or £9 a month and they’ll stay evergreen for listeners who want to binge listen!
The likes of Buzzsprout and their competitors can do more for you too such as helping to improve your audio (a Buzzsprout speciality costing an extra €6 a month), as well as providing embeddable website players and download links.
You’ll also be able to access stats to see how well your podcast is doing.
Let me know if these tips are useful. It would make my day to hear from you – email serena@made4u-podcasts.co.uk
Why not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
And have a listen back to all my previous bite-sized editions of Podcast Launch Pad which I think you’ll find helpful and concise.
If you’re looking for a friendly community to discuss your podcasting plans with – please join my Facebook Group, "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners"; EVERYONE is welcome! Finally, please check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
Listen to this episode for a whole slew of tips to help you avoid making a ton of rookie mistakes
Summary: What are the best ways to sound good on a podcast?
-
Pretend to be cool, collected and confident. It’s what all the professionals do!
-
Follow my suggested practical tips to avoid beginner’s mistakes
-
Adopt the right mindset and tell yourself you simply can’t fail to be engaging
-
Use your imagination to help your vocal presentation strike a really personal note with your listeners to encourage them to “talk” back to you
-
Protect your voice and remember to hydrate
-
The more you plan your content the more professional you will sound
-
Smile and inject your voice with energy
Let me know if these tips help you with your podcast presentation. It would make my day to hear from you – email serena@made4u-podcasts.co.uk
Why not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
And have a listen back to all my previous bite-sized editions of Podcast Launch Pad which I think you’ll find helpful and concise.
If you’re looking for a friendly community to discuss your podcasting plans with – please join my Facebook Group, "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners"; EVERYONE is welcome! Finally, please check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
2020 was such a disaster of a year but surely, anything is possible in 2021 once we're all vaccinated?
Launching your own business podcast has to be right up there.
This podcast episode explains the 8 essential decision you have to make to turn your business podcasting ambitions into reality.
1. What’s your podcast going to be about – your business? Your story? Your clients?
2. The equipment you need to get. You’ll need a decent mic, a pair of headphones, and software allowing you to record and edit
3. A structure for your podcast – for example will it just be you or will it be an interview-based or panel discussion podcast
4. How will you fill your podcasts – with what content?
5. What kind of run-down will you choose – will it include music?
6. How often will you release editions?
7. How will you record podcast guests if you decide to go down that route
8. Which platform will you go with to publish your podcast?
Why not download my guide to business podcasting - it adds a great deal more detail to this podcast’s content.
And have a listen back to all my previous bite-sized editions of Podcast Launch Pad which I think you’ll find helpful and concise.
If you’re looking for a friendly community to discuss your podcasting plans with – please join my Facebook Group, "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners"; EVERYONE is welcome! Finally, please check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
P.S. I use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Hello and welcome to the fifth episode of a podcast series all about how to launch a business podcast.
Finding content to fill your podcast has to be the number one issue on people's minds when they consider launching a business one of their own.
Start by deciding what subjects you want to talk about and then find a framework to sort them into categories.
When I was planning three months worth of content for these podcasting podcasts I divided up the areas that I knew needed to be discussed into five and then I created a separate column for each with a subject heading:
- The Existential – such as why you need a podcast or how much time does it take to make a podcast
- Content – to cover deciding the structure of a podcast as well as planning its contents
- How to record, edit and distribute
- Podcast Presentation Techniques
- How to market the finished product
Then I brain dumped a huge number of potential topics into each column and from that smorgasbord of content ideas, I chose six for my first six podcasts.
Here's a few ideas that you might help jump start a list of ideas for you.
- Discuss real life examples of the work you do (protecting identities wherever necessary)
- Voice a commentary on the latest developments or challenges in your industry
- Bring on different members of your team each episode to show off their know how
- Invite experts to talk about issues affecting your industry or sector
- Have a debate where different viewpoints are expressed
- Invite clients to a roundtable discussion on the issues that matter to them
- Have a news slot which could focus on:
- company news and successes
- urgent challenges facing your industry
- changes in government policy and how it affects your clients
- world events
- natural disasters
- changing consumer behaviour
- ethical issues
- Q&A with questions submitted by listeners on your social media or podcast website page
- Introduce a new employee or a new client
- Quiz, with a new winner announced each week
Spice it up a bit with some imagination, humour or even a dash of controversy. Have fun with it and your audience will too.
Download my free guide to business podcasting - click right hereI use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
And join my Facebook Group "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners" - EVERYONE is welcome.
Finally, please check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
Hello and welcome to this fourth episode of a podcast series all about how to launch a business podcast.
What kind of business podcast format you choose is fundamental to getting your production right.
The easiest kind of podcast for a beginner is a straight commentary – it is easy to plan and requires very little editing.
But maybe you don’t want to be a solo presenter and would prefer to present with a colleague in a double header, as it’s called.
Or maybe one to one interview show appeals to you. It takes a bit more organizing but it certainly takes some of the presenting heat off you.
You could really switch up your podcast if you make it into a debate or a group discussion – but this can be quite tricky to moderate or host if you are not used to conducting debates.
You can also use your podcast to teach - literally. Naturally, this requires a lot of very detailed planning.
Or you can combine any of the above in a hybrid sense to make your own type of podcast.
Listen here for lots more detail on the choices you have.
Download my free guide to business podcasting - click right hereI use and recommend podcast host Buzzsprout to new podcasters who want to get their shows listed on every major podcast platform. You can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
And join my Facebook Group "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners" - EVERYONE is welcome.
Finally, please check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
Welcome to thisthird episode in how to launch your business podcast.
This week's theme tackles people's understandable fears that business podcast-making is too technically difficult to be considered.
Well, actually, it's really not! There are many business people successfully recording and running their own podcast - and you can be one of those people too. In fact, I know you can.
Listen to the podcast for how you can become a business-podcaster!
If you decide to follow my recommendation and use Buzzsprout to get your show listed in every major podcast platform – you can use this link to sign up. If you choose a paid plan you’ll get a $20 or a £15 Amazon gift card. This will also help support my show - so thank you!
Download my free guide to business podcasting - click right here
And join my Facebook Group "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners" - EVERYONE is welcome.
Finally, please check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
Welcome to thissecond episode in how to launch your business podcast.
Today I’m talking about overcoming the fear of putting yourself out there.
What is it that worries you? Are you concerned no one will want to listen to you? Or that your business podcast theme is too niche or that everyone you know will just laugh at you for launching in the first place? Or maybe you hate the sound of your own voice and think everyone else will too.
It's that nasty imposter syndrome striking again!
These are all fears that everyone with the energy and creativity to put themselves out there suffers from at one time and another.
And in this episode I show you why they can be easily vanquished.
I'll also give you some great tips for making your voice sound better when you record but above all I hope this episode gives you the confidence to take the next step in your podcasting journey.
You can help speed up your new business podcast launch by downloading this FREE guide - it's sure to answer your most pressing questions!
And join my Facebook Group "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners" - EVERYONE is welcome.
Feel free to check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
**Welcome to this new podcast showing you exactly how to make an impact with a podcast that takes you rocketing into the podcasting stratosphere!
I'm your host, Serena Gay. I'm a former BBC journalist with years of experience in the broadcasting world and in podcasting and I am so excited to be helping you on your podcasting journey.**
The fact is, listening to podcasts is growing significantly in popularity and to have your own podcast will really help you stand out from your competitors.
Above all – it will give you the added advantage of speaking directly to a new stream of potential clients. The power of the human voice to engage people, to persuade them and to build that know, like and trust factor simply cannot be underestimated.
You can help speed up your new business podcast launch by downloading this free guide - it's sure to answer your most pressing questions!
And join my free Facebook Group "Podcasting Blueprint for Women Business Owners" - EVERYONE is welcome.
Feel free to check out my company, Made4U Podcasts to find out more about me, my podcasts and the services we offer.
A trailer introducing a podcast for grown-up businesspeople who fear the techy side of podcasting but who'd love to podcast for their business.... because they know it's a great marketing tool.
Hosted by BBC trained broadcasting journalist Serena Gay, these bite-sized episodes are packed full of hints and tips to help overcome any uncertainties.
Serena's founded and runs Made4U Podcasts which produces podcasts for clients and teaches podcasting skills.
New episodes are published every Tuesday. Why not have a binge listen right now!
Download this free guide to podcasting for business for answers to all your questions on how to make a business podcast
Visit https://www.made4u-podcasts.co.uk/to find our more about your host Serena and what she does for a living.