Quick Daily Podcasting Tips by Alitu

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about contributing constructively to an existing community. Whether or not you run your own community, there’s no harm in getting involved in others within your topic, too. This doesn’t mean going around spamming everywhere about your podcast. It’s about being a positive, pro-active, and helpful person. For example, you can offer answers to questions, or you could even ask some of your own. Kicking off an ongoing weekly conversation can be a great idea too. For example “hey fellow writers, what’s everyone been working on this week?”, or, “alright photographer pals, let’s see your best shot from the past seven days”. This positive community involvement means people get to know you - and, by default - your podcast. Some will become listeners, but even those who don’t will appreciate the positive contribution you’re making in your space. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/buildingcommunity

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about starting an online community around your podcast. This lets you engage in discussion with your podcast audience. It allows you to get feedback, and generate enthusiasm. It even allows listeners to meet and get to know one another, and this is a powerful thing. There are a few plugins that let you build your community on your own WordPress site. A couple of good options here are bbPress and CM Answers. If you and your listeners are on Facebook, then you can start a group there. Discord is also an increasingly popular option amongst podcasters, too. Regardless of where you create your community, be sure to mention it in your Calls to Action, and to link clearly to it in your shownotes and website. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/buildingcommunity

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating memorable and immortal links. As podcasters, we’ll usually try to send the listener to some link or resource at least once per episode. By the way, have you taken our feedback survey yet at [thepodcasthost.com/psp](http://thepodcasthost.com/psp) ? But see, that type of link’s exactly what I’m talking about. It’s short and memorable. And you can always change where it points to, further down the line. A classic example of this is a podcaster sending folks to their Patreon for 100 episodes, then, moving to a new funding platform. They now have this back catalogue full of out-of-date links. If they’d instead used a shortlink like their podcast dot com slash support, they could’ve just updated where that points to. If you use WordPress, then PrettyLinks is a great plugin for this. And Podpage has its own version too, if you’re using that. So, again, that link is http://thepodcasthost.com/psp - and, when you click on that, which of course you will, look at the URL it actually goes to, and imagine me trying to read that out. Maybe that could be a review prize incentive, actually…

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about tagging another podcast in a positive tweet. I know that “positive tweet” sounds like an oxymoron. But there apparently was a time when people acted reasonably to one another on that platform. So if you’re on twitter, and so is a podcast in your niche that you really like, why not post a nice tweet about them? Here, you might talk a wee bit about why you like it so much. Maybe the show was also a big inspiration behind starting your own, and that’s definitely worth mentioning too. If the podcast interacts with your tweet, it’s going to be seen by many of their followers, some of which are going to want to check out your own show. So make sure you get a clear link to it in your bio, too. By the way, you can always tweet this show @thepodcasthost. I mean, I won’t see it. But I’d like to think our admin would at least tell me about it. I’m sure they would.

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking, again, about podcast review incentives. This time around, though, you’re incentivising the content. So how does that look? Well, you might announce that when you hit a certain number of reviews - let’s say, 25 - you’ll do something a bit out of the ordinary. That could be a unique, highly-produced episode, an interview with a top-tier guest, or a live broadcast from somewhere that resonates. Depending on your niche or topic you could even vow to personally do something like run a marathon, do a parachute jump, or fast for a week. Your audience will also feel like they’re part of something, chipping in their own reviews to edge forwards towards a collective goal. This isn’t just a great way of getting more reviews, it’s also a way of building community and engagement too. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/morereviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast review incentives. Another way to incentivise podcast reviews amongst your audience is to offer a prize for everyone, rather than one listener taking all in a prize draw. The same principles apply here. Listeners screenshot and email their reviews to you - that way, you know who they are, and how to get in touch with them. And they get something in return straight away. Obviously, it’s better if this is a digital incentive. An ebook, access to a course, or a private bonus episode. You don’t want to be posting bottles of wine all around the world, do you? Again, mention this on your episodes, but nowhere else. A bunch of low-value generic reviews will only make it look like you’ve used a click farm to get them. And that’s going to put more people off your content than attract them in. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/morereviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast review competitions. Here, you’d ask each person who’s reviewed your podcast to email you a screenshot of that review, and enter them into a prize draw. It’s perfectly legit to incentivise reviews this way. The big caveat, though, is that this is open to your listening audience only. Not the general public. How do you ensure that? You only mention it on your episodes. That way, only your listeners will hear it. Yes you could potentially get more if you splashed it all over the internet - especially if you’re offering a lucrative prize. But any extra reviews you get here are going to be low value. Who wants a “great show, five stars” comment from someone who’s never even listened before? For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/morereviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about asking individual listeners to review your podcast. Don’t panic. This isn’t a week-long task of sending out a personalised email to every single listener you have. Instead, it’s about approaching three to five people who you know listen to every single episode you put out. These could be folks you’ve heard from before via email or social media. Or, they might be active in the same online community as you. In any case, it’s worth reaching out to them personally to ask if they fancied writing a short and honest review for your show. Most people will be only too happy to help. You can even add these reviews to your own website, and, if your listener creates any content of their own, give a link back to them. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/morereviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about how to encourage podcast reviews. As we mentioned on the last episode, podcast reviews can be great “social proof” that you can use in your marketing and promotion. There are a few approaches and angles here, so we’d like to spend the next few episodes running through them. But the starting point is, of course, to ask your audience. Ask them at the end of each episode, in your Call to Action. Send them to a link or page on your website where you list all the platforms they can leave a review. For example, Podchaser, Apple Podcasts, and Castbox. You might even create a few wee tutorial videos to show them how, too. This is the low-hanging fruit of getting more reviews, but there’s more you can do too, and we’re going to talk about them next week. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/morereviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about leaving a positive review for another podcast. Have you ever heard the term “a rising tide lifts all boats”? Well, this can be true in your own podcasting niche. There are probably other podcasts out there that you enjoy, that cover similar topics, or have similar target audiences to you. Don’t see these shows as competition. In fact, leaving a positive review for them on a platform like Podchaser can be a win-win for you both. Lots of podcasters share their reviews publicly because they’re great “social proof”. So if you leave one that also happens to mention your own show, then you can end up with a few new listeners heading your way. Of course, it goes without saying that your review should focus on the podcast you’re reviewing, rather than your own. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/writingreviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about growing your podcast audience. On Pocket-Sized Podcasting so far, we’ve covered everything you need to plan and create your show. We’ve also made sure that your podcast is optimised for growth. But now that you’ve launched a podcast on solid foundations, how can we take things to the next level? Despite what the internet might have you believe, there’s no “one simple trick” to growing a podcast audience. And it’s certainly not the sort of thing that happens overnight. Instead, it’s a cumulative effect of doing multiple small things over a period of time - in conjunction with the most important factor of all - creating great content. As we switch over to growth mode over the next few months, you’re going to get one quick podcast promotion tip every day of the week. So please do make sure you’re subscribed or following Pocket-Sized Podcasting on your listening app of choice. And, remember, we always love to hear your feedback and suggestions, which you can leave for us at http://thepodcasthost.com/psp

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about adding a ‘Start Here’ page to your website. As podcasters, we can become desensitized to all of the content we’ve created over a given time. You might think that your podcast, blog, coaching service, books, and other products all make perfect logical sense. But for someone landing on your site for the very first time, it can be confusing and overwhelming. Creating a ‘Start Here’ page is a great way of gently introducing folks to your content. You might combine elements from your ‘About’ page and full episode list. Or, you might decide to scrap the other two completely, so there’s less confusion. Ultimately, it’s all about managing that early journey of potential new listeners. Give them something clear and easy that feels like a quick win for them. Then, show them how to get more. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websitetips

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about adding social sharing buttons to your website. If you’re using a WordPress website, then it’s worth installing a social media sharing plugin. There are plenty of good ones out there, and you can browse through them all in your ‘Add New Plugins’ section. When you’ve installed and activated one of these plugins, you’ll see a wee row of social media icons at the bottom of each post and page, and they’ll make it easy for anyone to share your episodes to places like Twitter and Facebook with one single click. It’s worth mentioning, too, that if you’re using a Podpage website, these buttons will appear on your posts automatically. Whatever route you go down, though, the main thing is that you’re making it easy for your listeners to share your show with others. Over time, this word-of-mouth marketing can have a great impact on your overall podcast growth. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websitetips

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a ‘Contact’ page on your podcast website. Every podcaster likes listener feedback, but almost every podcaster feels they rarely if ever hear from anyone. In a lot of cases, this is simply because they’ve not made it easy enough. So instead of reading out your email address, twitter handle, and Facebook page out in your Call to Actions, just send them to yourwebsite dot com slash contact to find every way they can connect with you. You might use a contact form or survey software to better structure and organise your feedback. You could even embed a voice feedback widget from a tool like Telbee or Speakpipe here. This lets you easily collect voice questions and comments that you can use on future episodes, too. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websitetips

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a list of podcast episodes on your website. Some podcasters like to offer a full list of every episode they’ve published to-date. Others prefer to curate a ‘Best Of’ list that can help pull in new listeners. You can do this manually by embedding episode players on a page. Or, your hosting provider might have a feature where you can create this in your podcast player itself. Captivate, for example. You might even choose to create themed pages; for example, here are our listener Q&A episodes, here are our how-to episodes, and here are our quick tip episodes. Ultimately, you want to turn casual listeners on these pages into subscribers, too. So remember to link to your dedicated ‘Subscribe’ page as much as possible, here. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websitetips

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a ‘Subscribe’ page on your podcast website. As we’ve mentioned many times before, your podcast might be consumed in over 100 different places. So sending your listeners to yourwebsite dot com slash subscribe is better than trying to list them all in your Call to Action. First and foremost, a subscribe page could simply say “find us wherever you get your podcasts”. It doesn’t hurt to provide links to some of the bigger platforms, too. Platforms like Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. If your target audience falls into the “non-techy” bracket, you might also want to go into some detail about what podcasts are, how they work, and how to subscribe to them. Some podcasters even create wee ‘how to subscribe’ tutorial videos for the bigger listening platforms, too. Subscribers are the lifeblood of your show, so make this as clear and as easy as possible for them, and you’re sure to reap the benefits in the long run. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/sharing

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating an ‘About’ page on your podcast website. The ‘About’ page is traditionally the most viewed page of any website, so it’s a good idea to take advantage of this. It should never be done as an afterthought. At first glance, you’d think this would be all about you and your podcast. But the trick here is that it’s actually all about your listener. This is where you can pose questions or problems that they’re struggling with - and that you’re uniquely set up to solve. On top of listening the benefits of what they’ll get from listening to your podcast, you might also want to create a playlist of your most popular episodes to get them started. Of course, you will want to add a wee bit in about you, too. Credibility and personality are important. They’re just not the things you’d want to lead with. Again, make it about your listener first, and that’s the best way to win them over. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websitetips

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast episode show notes. Show notes are basically the blog posts that accompany your podcast episodes. Many podcasters find this stage of podcasting a bit of a chore, but there are benefits to spending a bit of time and effort on your show notes. They can help attract new listeners through search traffic, offer a handy summary of what’s covered, and provide links and resources to anything mentioned in the episodes. That said, your podcast needs to be sustainable, or you’ll stop doing it. So if you only have the time or energy to do a quick bullet-point summary for each episode, then that’s absolutely fine too. Some podcasters even outsource their show notes to a professional copy writer. So you can still get all the benefits of detailed show notes without writing them yourself, if you have a bit of budget available. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/shownotes

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast episode pages. It’s good practice to create a page or blog post for each podcast episode you release. This gives you one handy place to share each episode, and it means all of the traffic is coming to your own platform, too. Here, the title of your episode would also be the title of your page or post. You’d embed the episode player, preferably near the top. Whilst most folks don’t listen to full episodes this way, it’s good to give them a taster, and point them off to a few dedicated podcast listening platforms in the process. You’d also add in your shownotes, containing links to anything mentioned in that episode. And you can add some episode-specific graphics or images to these pages, too. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websitetips

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about domain names for podcast websites. Whether you’re using a default hosting provider website, a Podpage site, or a self-hosted WordPress site, you can buy and use a domain name. Domain names are, most famously, dot coms. But you can buy local variations, dot nets, or dot pretty much anything else these days. Whatever you opt for, just try to make it memorable, easy to read out, and most of all, easy to type in. Avoid things like hyphens in your domain name, too. If you’ve got your heart set on one that is going to be tricky to punch in, then you might want to buy a few variations of it and point those to your site, too. An example of this might be a domain name with a number in it. You’d buy one version with the number, and another version with the number spelled out. But do try your best to avoid these situations in the first place. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websites

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about Podpage websites. Podpage is a service that can build you a website for your show in less than five minutes. And you don’t need to know the slightest thing about web design, either. You can use Podpage for free, but their excellent value paid tiers offer a whole suite of additional tools for SEO, community, and monetisation. To give you a hint of the types of features at your disposal, you can keep track of ratings and reviews, get listener comments and voicemails, build a mailing list, offer memberships, and track analytics. Sure, Podpage is a third-party service so you don’t have that 100% control and ownership as you would with a WordPress site. But for most podcasters, the pros far outweigh the cons here. And there’s actually very little you can’t do with a Podpage site. For a full review of the service, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/podpagereview

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about WordPress websites. If you’re looking for 100% full control, ownership, and customisation options, then WordPress is for you. Here, you can use all sorts of plugins and tools to make your site do pretty much anything. You can run your entire business on there. However, all of this flexibility comes at a cost. There are always things that can break or go wrong. If you don’t have the expertise to run a site like this, then you’ll need to hire someone who does. There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning to see that your site has gone down overnight. So, is there a middle ground between a fully-fledged WordPress site and the default website given to you as part of your podcasting hosting account? Yes there is. And that’s what we’re going to cover on the next episode of Pocket-Sized Podcasting. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/websites

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “Do I need a podcast website?” The short answer here is “no”. You don’t *need* a website for your podcast. But, the benefits of having one are almost too good to ignore. For starters, just having that one central place to send people means your podcast is a lot more shareable. We already know that podcast listening happens in hundreds of different places, so it simplifies things when you can just say “find us on my podcast dot com”, or whatever the url happens to be. Running your own website then means you have full control over your branding, and if you plan to sell products or services in the future too, then this is going to give you a massive head start. Your hosting provider does create a basic website for you by default. Some of these are actually pretty decent, and getting better all the time. However, there are a couple of options that can help you take it to the next level, and we’re going to cover them on the next two episodes of Pocket-Sized Podcasting!

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about bit depth. So each audio sample – those little dots in your waveform – has a ‘bit depth’, which determines the quality of the sound. Some tools will ask you to select a bit depth prior to recording. The most common bit depths are 16, 24, and 32. As is often the case, the higher the number, the higher the quality. Higher bit depths are better at handling noise with substantial differences between its quietest and loudest parts. But this is much more relevant to musicians than it is to those of us recording the spoken word. So if you’re asked, just opt for 16, and set your levels so nobody is at risk of peaking or clipping. Bit depth is yet another thing Alitu handles behind the scenes, too. At this rate it’s going to be making you a cup of coffee and a sandwich, eh? Get a free trial at alitu.com - sandwiches not included. Yet.

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about sample rates. Sample rates are measured in hertz, or “Hz”. Like bitrates, sample rates in audio determine audio quality and file size. You could compare them to pixels in a photograph. Some platforms and tools will ask you to set a sample rate prior to hitting record. The most common sample rate, and one we’d recommend, is 44,100Hz. If you were to load up your audio in your DAW and zoom right in as far as you can, you’d see your audio represented as little dots. The more dots per second, the higher the sample rate. Again, these are just like pixels. So next time you record in your DAW, choose 44,100Hz. Or, just use Alitu and yet again, you won’t need to worry about this at all. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/samplerates

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about bitrates. Bitrates represent a sliding scale of quality and size when it comes to the MP3 file format. They’re measured in kbps, or, kilobits per second. Common bitrates for music files are 128 and 192kbps. As most podcasts are purely spoken-word content, we probably don’t need to go this high, though. With our own shows, we tend to opt for 96kbps, but some go as low as 64kbps - most famously, Marc Maron. And he does alright, eh? If setting your bitrates manually, you’ll also need to choose between Constant Bitrate and Variable Bitrate. For podcasting, you should always choose “constant”. These are options you’ll find in any DAW when you’re exporting your episode to MP3 form. And, surprise surprise, your pal Alitu just gets on with it and does it all for you. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/bitrates

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the difference between WAV and MP3 files. The major difference between WAVs and MP3s are size and quality. WAV files contain more detail, but are also much bigger. Think of a WAV file as an original painting, and MP3 files as prints of that painting. Podcast episodes are almost always released in MP3 form because it has a good file size to quality ratio. MP3s have their own size and quality scale too. They’re called bitrates, and we’re going to talk about them on the next episode. WAVs are known as a “lossless” format because they contain the full detail of the original recording. But only a handful of people in the world could listen to spoken-word content both in its WAV form, and on a good MP3 version of it, and be able to tell the difference. MP3s keep storage and costs down for you and your listeners. And you won’t be shocked to learn that Alitu exports your episodes in MP3 form for you, automatically. Remember, as ever, you get a free trial at http://alitu.com

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “how loud should a podcast be?” We’ve talked about having consistent volume levels throughout your episodes. But what about the overall volume level of your show compared to other podcasts? Audio loudness is measured in something called “LUFS”, which means “Loudness Units relative to Full Scale”. Sound exciting, eh? Recommended podcast loudness varies, depending on who you ask, and whether your episode is mono or stereo. But a good ballpark to aim for is between -16 and -21 LUFS. You can set this process up in a DAW like Adobe Audition. Or, it’s yet another factor that Alitu takes care of for you automatically, without you having to know anything about it. However you go about it though, your listeners will be grateful when they land on your episode after listening to another show. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/loudness

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “what is compression?”. No, this isn’t about blowing your car tyres up. Compression is an audio production technique where you take the loudest bits and quietest bits of a conversation, and bring them all closer together. It’s all about achieving volume-level consistency. Compression allows you to have loud laughter and soft whispering in your episode, and, if done well, your listener won’t even need to adjust the volume dial. Just like noise reduction, compression needs a subtle touch, though, and it’s easy to go overboard. We can teach you how to do it, free with Audacity, at http://thepodcasthost.com/audacitycompressor Or, once again, you can simply have Alitu do it all for you automatically without needing to know the slightest thing about how it works. Head on over to http://alitu.com to start your 7-day free trial.

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about noise reduction and cleanup. Some types of background noise can be cleaned up in the post-production phase. The constant hiss of a fan, or the low static hum of a microphone, for example. Audio software has the ability to recognise this and strip it out, whilst leaving the vocals intact. Of course, it’s easy to go overboard with this and ruin the vocals themselves. Working with noise reduction is a bit like walking a tightrope. Or, using magic in a high fantasy novel. We can teach you how to do it, free with Audacity, at http://thepodcasthost.com/audacitynoise On, if you’re using Alitu, it’s all done for you automatically, so you don’t need to know a single thing about it. One final note on background noise - the environmental stuff like phones ringing and dogs barking aren’t going to be removed by standard noise reduction processes. So always make sure you’re recording the best possible source material. Noise reduction can help good audio to sound great, but it can never make terrible audio sound good. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/noise

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the minimum effective podcast editing approach. Remember we talked about making mistakes during recording? Our tip was to pause, click your fingers three times into the mic, then start again. Well, now you have a quick and easy way to spot anything that needs chopping out. Aside from that, you’ll want to “top and tail” your recording, cutting any preamble at the start and drawn-out goodbyes at the end. Then it’s the cleanup and volume levelling stuff which you can either learn to do in a DAW. Or, have Alitu take care of that for you, automatically. Piece together any segments, music, or other clips in your editing software or Alitu’s episode builder, and you’ll be ready to export and publish. Podcast editing doesn’t need to be a slog, especially with the right planning, processes, and tools at your disposal. For a deeper dive on our minimum effective editing approach, head on over to http://thepodcasthost.com/mee

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “how much editing should I do?”. As is often the case in podcasting, the answer is “it depends”. As we’ve covered before, there are loads of different types of podcast. So a one-minute scripted solo show is going to need a lot less editing than a two-hour documentary-style epic. Unless you enjoy editing - and most podcasters don’t - then you just need to do enough to make your show sound good. And then, leave it at that. Two big keys to podcasting success are consistency and sustainability. So if you find yourself spending a tonne of time bogged down in your editing software, chances are, you’re not going to enjoy it. It won’t be long before you convince yourself there are better things to be doing. So, how do you strike that balance between “enough” and “not too much”? On the next episode of Pocket-Sized Podcasting we’re going to show you our Minimum Effective Editing approach, so make sure you’re subscribed or following us on your listening app of choice.

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about editing and producing your podcast. This is the phase of podcasting where you chop out all your mistakes and cut the fat from your conversations. You can also clean up your audio to remove any background hiss and level it to make everything consistently loud enough. Then, you can mix in things like music, transitions, and pre-recorded segments. Naturally, this is the part of podcasting that puts tonnes of people off. Very few folks have ever used audio editing software, which is often complex and designed predominantly for musicians. But remember, this is exactly why we built Alitu. Its episode builder and editing tools are simpler than your average social media app. And as for all that cleanup and loudness stuff? That all happens automatically, so you don’t even need to know a thing about it. Why not see for yourself, and grab a 7-day free trial? You can do just that at alitu.com

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about where to buy podcast music. You *can* buy song licenses outright. But the most common route is to pay a monthly subscription for a service where you can use anything on there for the duration of that subscription. These libraries usually include sound effects, too. Many services grant you a lifetime license here, so you don’t need to go back and remove music from previous episodes after you’ve cancelled your subscription, and there are rarely download limits, either. Obviously, you should always check the Ts and Cs of any platform you decide to use, though. Two of our favourite places to buy podcast music are Epidemic and Shutterstock. If you head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/music we regularly have coupon code deals for them, too. Music Radio Creative are another great service that can produce voice-branded intros and outros for your show. And you’ll also find a link to them over at http://ThePodcastHost.com/music

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about finding free podcast music. There’s no shortage of tracks out there that you can use 100% free of charge, so long as you credit and link back to the creator in your show notes. We run a free podcast music library ourselves, and you’re totally welcome to pick something from there. Head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/freemusic for a look. http://Incompetech.com is probably the most famous creative commons music resource on the web, too. There’s tonnes of top-quality stuff over there. The big downside of free music is that a lot of other podcasters are using it. And it can be hard to build a memorable brand if your theme tune pops up again and again on countless other shows. If that’s is a concern for you, then we’ll cover paid options in our next episode. For our free music library though, that link once again is http://ThePodcastHost.com/freemusic

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “so, what music CAN I use in my podcast?”. Whilst Harry Styles’ latest track is strictly off-limits there are plenty of music options that are safe, legal, and - in some cases - free to use on your podcast. Two terms you’ll often come across are “Creative Commons” and “Royalty-Free”. Creative Commons usually means you can use music for free, so long as you credit and link back to the creator. Royalty-Free, on the other hand, usually means that you’ve paid up-front for a license to use a piece of music, going forward. There are variations on Creative Commons and Royalty-Free licenses - for example, commercial and non-commercial - so our definitions shouldn’t be taken as blanket terms. On the next couple of episodes we’ll point you towards some resources for actually finding music for your show. In the meantime, though, be sure to check out our full guide at http://ThePodcastHost.com/music

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “can I use ANY music in my podcast?” The short answer here is “no”. And any music you hear on the radio or on your favourite Spotify playlist is probably off-limits. Be wary of myths like “it’s fine if it’s less than seven seconds” and “it’s okay so long as you’re not making money with your podcast”. “Fair Use” gets quoted a lot, too. Fair use is a defence you can use if you get in trouble. But who wants to get in trouble? In short, avoid this altogether. Your podcast isn’t going to live or die based on whether you have Bohemian Rhapsody as your theme tune. And if it does? Well, then we need to get back to the content planning stages, don’t we? For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/Copyright

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “do I need podcast music?” There’s no rule to say that your show *must* have music. But many podcasters stick some at the beginning and end of the show to add that extra layer of professionalism and identity. Just be wary of letting music play on its own for any longer than ten seconds on your podcast. Whilst TV and film can get away with this because of their visual elements, it doesn’t work that way in audio. Your listeners are plugging in to hear from you - not an extended version of your theme tune. You can also use music as transitions in-between segments, or as “beds” underneath speech. For most podcasters though, this is overkill, and you run the risk of annoying your listener rather than impressing them. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/music

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about encouraging guests to share your episodes. Whether we like it or not, no guest is obliged to share your content with their audience. But if you follow the advice in the previous episodes, your chat should be memorable enough to make them want to. The key is to ask nicely, and to make it easy for them. Be sure to succinctly remind them why you think the conversation will be interesting and valuable to *their* audience. Some podcasters even pre-write a tweet so all the groundwork is done for them. If you go the extra mile and create some nice blog and social graphics around the interview, that’s going to make it more shareable, too. Oh, and one final tip - why not have some branded podcast swag sent over to them via a service like GuestBoxLove? For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/GuestSharing

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about “super” podcast interview questions. When you cover the basics well, you can go the extra mile to help make your guest stand out from everyone else. Here are some fun questions that can entertain your listener whilst still leaving them with a few useful insights, too. - What are you NOT Very Good at? - Tell me something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on. - When did you last change your mind about something? - Room, desk and car – which do you clean first? - What’s the very first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning? These questions allow for that essential human touch. They can throw up humility, authenticity, wisdom, and even, a wee bit of controversy. They’ll leave a lasting impression in the minds of your listeners, and that’s ultimately what gets them sharing your content, and keeps them coming back for more. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/questions

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about core questions around the conversation topic. Here we can dig in and explore by asking your guest some seemingly provocative questions. They’ll usually be glad to answer these as it gives them a chance to counter claims they’ll hear a lot. “So, you’re a Vegan Baking Specialist – isn’t it really hard to bake without eggs?” Or “Doesn’t home schooling just deprive kids of making friends?” Here, you can pick out some common myths or misconceptions to talk through and clarify. You might also want to ask a question like “what’s the most common reason people fail at this?” which sounds negative, but can throw up some really actionable answers. Then there’s the classic “what’s the one thing you wish you knew when you were just getting started?” which puts a much better spin on the old “advice for folks just starting out” question. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/questions

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about core questions to ask your guest. This is another wing to your storytelling angle. It lets the listener focus on the guest themselves. People love to hear things in context, after all. “Believe in yourself and never give up!” is all well and good. But people often can’t see that applying to them… until they hear a story about it happening to someone else. Here are some examples of questions that can lead to engaging and insightful podcast interviews. - Which hurdles did you personally face and how did you overcome them? - Was it obvious or did you stumble upon the answers? - How did you get started? Talk me through it. - What compelled you to become a screenwriter? Again, this gives your listener a peek behind the curtain and shows them that the guest was once in a similar position as they are now. And what could be more encouraging than that? For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/questions

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about seeking out stories in podcast interviews. As we’ve mentioned on the show before, stories are the original and best type of shareable content. There’s a subtle but powerful difference between “here’s how to grow a business” and “here’s how *I* grew *my* business”. Stories are never just straightforward routes to success either. They’re littered with setbacks, conflicts, emotions, and even seemingly “all is lost” moments. Your listener wants to live through these with you and learn from the experiences, not just the end product. It’s worth asking your guest if they have any interesting or entertaining stories before you hit the record button, too. Don’t let them actually tell you the story there and then. All you need is a heads up so you can prompt them about it during their interview, then, introduce it naturally. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to ThePodcastHost.com/interviewprep

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “should I send questions over to guests in advance?” You’ll probably have a list of pre-written questions as a framework for your interviews. But as we’ve covered already, you won’t want to ask these in a linear ‘game show host’ style. On top of that, sending a guest a list of questions in advance can cause them to overthink and rehearse answers. This doesn’t make for a very engaging or authentic conversation. Certain questions *are* worth pre-warning about, though. These are what’s known as “thinkers”. An example might be something like “what’s your favourite book?” or “what advice do you have for someone just starting out?”. It’s unlikely anyone can give genuine answers to questions like these on the spot, so they’re definitely worth a heads up in advance. But - these are the exception to the rule. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/interviewprep

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about asking follow-up questions. So your guest just finishes telling you they built a time machine, travelled back 70 million years, and shot a T-Rex. You take a look at your next question and ask “so, what’s your favourite WordPress plugin?”. Interviewers who actually listen to their guests and ask good follow-up questions often find the real gold. Questions like “why do you think that?” “what was that like?” Or, “could you explain what this means?” can lead you to some fantastic content. Sure, have a list of pre-written questions. But use these as a framework or backup if things fall flat. Always pick up on threads that seem interesting or curious. Even if you know the answer, your listener might not. And you’re here to bring value to them, not to make them feel dumb, left out, or wanting more. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/podcastinterviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about introducing your podcast guests. It’s those dreaded words “so, tell us a bit about yourself” that can lead to you waking up, six hours later, listening to an interviewee ramble on about his toy car collection. This isn’t the guest's fault. They’ve just been handed the mic and let off the leash with no real direction. They don’t know your audience. But you do. And it’s your job to succinctly introduce your guest to them with a quick rundown of who they are, and *why they’re here.* Remember we talked about the value your guest will bring? Well, let your listener know that as soon as possible. Keep them engaged and tuned in. Sure, there’s room to explore personal and off-topic stuff, but that should be done towards the end - after you’ve given your listener the content they’ve been promised. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/podcastinterviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “why is this guest on my show?”. Now that might sound a little rude, but don’t worry, this is the question we ask ourselves *before* we even invite someone onto our podcast. In order to answer this question, you need to put yourself in the shoes… or earbuds… of your audience. Ask yourself “what value can this person bring to my listener?”. Will they teach them something? Motivate them? Make them laugh? Your listener’s attention is precious, and you’re one of the few people they trust with it. So once you know *why* you’re bringing a person onto your show, you can prepare properly to make sure they get the maximum value from that time. Everyone wins here - your audience enjoys it, your guest sounds great, and your show has its desired impact which helps it to grow. For a deeper dive on this topic, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/podcastinterviews

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about finding podcast guests. If you run an interview podcast, it can be challenging to get folks to come on your show at first. A great starting point is to approach other podcasters in your niche. They already know how it all works, and you know they’ll sound great, too. On top of that, if they share the episode with their own audience it’s going to send some early traffic your way. Then, there are YouTubers, bloggers, or authors who’re typically always up for a chat, too. There are even dedicated services to help you find interviewees. Or even, to get booked as a guest on other shows, too. Check out Podchaser Connect, PodcastGuests.com, or Matchmaker FM for three of our favourites. Or, get our full guide to this topic including links to the sites mentioned here, head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/guests

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about organising guests or co-hosts. If you think tech and equipment can be challenging, then you should try wrangling humans. Your guests or co-hosts could live in any time zones around the globe. They might be super-organised, but they might also be pretty shambolic, easily distracted, and forgetful. Then, there’s the conversations themselves. How do you make people sound their best on your show? Even if they’re giving you little more than one-word answers. OR, aren’t letting you get a word in edgeways? On the next few episodes we’re going to give you some essential tips on organising and talking to your guests and co-hosts, so make sure you’re subscribed to Pocket-Sized Podcasting on your listening app of choice. You won’t want to miss this. Finally, we always love to hear your feedback on the show. What do you like about it? And what might we do to make it even better? Be sure to let us know, quickly and easily, over at http://ThePodcastHost.com/PSP

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about booking tools for organising guests or co-hosts. Different time zones and scheduling conflicts can drop you into an endless cycle of messages where days and times are suggested but never agreed upon. If you’re regularly trying to arrange suitable dates and times with others, it’s well worth using a tool like Calendly or Book Like a Boss. These platforms can show folks all the times you’re available, and they simply need to pick a slot that suits them. Another great tool is Doodle which comes in handy for organising groups of three or more. A Doodle poll lets people pick all their available times, and then you’ll see - at a glance - the ones that everyone can manage. Again, those three tools are Doodle, Calendly, and Book Like a Boss. For a deeper dive on this topic, and for links to the platforms mentioned, head on over to ThePodcastHost.com/booking