The Podcast Fast Track

Are you doing an interview podcast? Could you use some interviewing tips?You're in luck... 'cause I'm about to give you some (and point you to some great resources to help you even more).Interviewing seems like a pretty simple thing.You ask a question. Your guest answers.But there's a lot more to good interviewing than that... and it's not so much about what you KNOW as about what you DO.I've carried on over 100 interviews on my previous podcast and have done other interviews live in various settings.You've got to be able to "think on your feet" and keep the conversation flowing in a positive direction.And in the back of your mind as you interview every guest, you have to be thinking, "Does this interview benefit my listeners?"My interviewing tipsI'd love for my experience to be of benefit to you, so if you want to know how to interview - here are my top 10 interviewing tips!Get organized before you contact your guestMost people you're going to have on your podcast are professionals.They've got a busy life and shouldn't have to suffer through your lack of organization.So make sure you get your ducks in a row before you reach out to them.Your guest will greatly appreciate a handful of things from you before you start.Here's my short-list:Clarity on what you want to talk with them aboutAn accurate estimation of time requirements for the interview (be sure to include time before and after to leave room for technical issues)A list of possible questions (you don't have to go exactly by questions you send, but as a courtesy this is helpful to your guests)Clarity regarding time-zone issues. To avoid these problems altogether use a scheduling app like http://meetme.soTechnical requirements for a good interview (use headphones, use an external mic, hard-wired connections VS wireless, etc.)You're welcome to tweak my "For my guests" email I send to every interview guest.GET IT HEREWhat do you need to add to it?Set a goal for your interviewToo many interviews are rambling romps through memory and anecdotes.That can be fun but if you want your guest interviews to be tremendously helpful to your audience, I'd suggest you map out the end result you have in mind.Why are you interviewing this particular person?What do they have that your audience needs?What would be the ideal, best-in-the-world end result to come of your interview?Answer those questions and you're well on your way to making them happen.That leads us to the next step:Think through your questions ahead of timeThe questions you develop should put you on a path toward your goal.They are the way you chart the course to the end result you want.Bad interviews come from unprepared hosts.Don't be one of those.Start here:What does this person bring that is of particular importance or interest to your audience?How can you draw that out? What kind of questions would help you do that?Is there something you want to know from this person that nobody has ever thought to ask?If you could only ask this person one question, what would it be? (That will give you an idea of what's most important to talk about)Is it really all that important to do the "tell us your story" bit at the beginning? Maybe not.Is there a way you could approach the interview that...

Get a sponsor for your podcast... go ahead, I dare you!As you probably know by now, getting a sponsor for your show is not such a simple thing to do.There are tons of showsThe competition is getting tougherNot all potential advertisers have bought into podcasting as an advertising medium - yetNot all advertisers will fit your niche audienceYou have to have a show worth advertising onAnd on top of all of that... how do you actually get in touch with the actual decision-maker who can actually pull the trigger to sponsor your show?In this post I'm going to walk you through an idea I had about how anyone can take their best shot at getting a sponsor for their podcastONE DISCLAIMER FIRST:I've dreamed up the scheme you're about to read. I have not tried it.But given the many clients I've worked with and the stories they tell about getting sponsors, I believe with all my heart this idea will work.And it's not for the "faint of heart" who aren't willing to take risks. How about it, are you game?What's a great sponsor for your podcast worth to you?If you decide to try this approach, I'd love to hear from you.The "get a sponsor for my podcast" experiment: Have a show worth sponsoringIt should go without saying, but it doesn't - so I'll say it.If your show quality is below average you don't have a hope of getting a sponsor.A quick check-list to ensure your show has quality standards that any sponsor-to-be would be proud to endorse:You use a good quality microphone ** (they don't have to cost a lot).No excessive background noise or harsh "S" and "P" sounds (these are called "plosives"... really, they are).Music and spoken word segments are balanced and easy to listen to.Your audio levels are, well, level. That means you've done appropriate loudness normalization (to industry standards... my service includes this at no extra charge).You know how to talk, speak, interview, explain without boring your audience to tears.Your content is good stuff, relevant to your specific niche.If U don't have these basics, don't hold UR breath about getting a sponsor 4 UR podcast. Pick a company you'd like to see sponsor your podcastGo ahead, dream!This is your podcast we're talking about so aim high and choose a sponsor that would be the ideal, perfect, best-fit for your show.Make it an industry leader who would put a powerful stamp of approval on what you're adding to the market.Other than that, there are only a few "make sure"s I'd suggest:Make sure they have a product that fits your niche audience.Make sure that product is truly beneficial to your listeners.Make sure that you use the product yourself to know the pros, cons, bugs, and best practices.Make sure they are a company your listeners think well of and would be happy to buy from.This is your chance to choose your own podcast sponsor. Choose wisely Create your own "advertisement" for that company's productYou...

What about PowerPress?In my last post I told you all about optimizing the ID3 tags in your actual mp3 files to benefit you in iTunes search.UPDATE: Much of this post uses old terminology - just translate it in your head > "iTunes = Apple Podcasts"But if you're using a WordPress site and are also using PowerPress from Blubrry, there are all kinds of options in your PowerPress plugin settings that iTunes can and will pull. Make sure you fill those out well.Setting up your powerpress settings right can help you get found in iTunes searchHere's my take on it...FEEDS TAB - make sure the "Feed Title" and "Feed Description" are filled out with additional keywords. Here's an example of what mine looks like (http://goo.gl/lzjRMl). You should also make sure your "rating" is set to the appropriate level (G, PG, etc.)ITUNES TAB - This is the most important page for metadata. Make sure you get these things right. Here's what I suggest...iTunes Subscription URL – This is the URL that you are given by iTunes. It's something like https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/name-of-your-great-podcast/idXXXXXXXXX. If you have lost your subscription URL, go into iTunes and search the store for your show. Once you find it, click the "view in iTunes" button. Once your program opens and your show comes up, right-click over your cover art (for Windows users) and choose “Copy URL”. Paste the URL into this field and remove the “?mt=2″ at the very end.iTunes Program Subtitle – This is your Tag line or mission statement for the show. This is another good place to insert some keyword rich description. But again, be sensible about it.iTunes Program Summary – Give a punchy, powerful, keyword-rich summary, but don’t get spammy about it. Make sure it fits your podcast and the keywords are used in full sentences.iTunes Episode Summary – Leave “Optimize iTunes Summary from Blog Posts” unchecked.iTunes Program Keywords – You can only insert 12 keywords separated by commas. Choose wisely. You can always come back and switch them out if you decide to.iTunes Category – This is the genre of your show. Make sure you pick the best appropriate category for your show. Do Not choose "podcasting" or "podcast." That's for shows that are about podcasting.iTunes Category 2 – Secondary category that fits your show.iTunes Category 3 – Yet another category. Make sure you fill in all three categories.iTunes Explicit – Choose "Yes" if you use cursing or speak about sexually explicit or violent topics in your episodes. If you don't use the "Clean" tag.iTunes Talent Name – This is you. Your name (or whoever is the "talent" on the show).iTunes Email – The email address where iTunes can reach you if needed.iTunes New Feed URL – If you ever change your RSS feed, you'll use this.ARTWORK TABApple Podcasts Image - As it says, this is your cover art and should be 1400 X 1400 pixels. Insert the URL where Apple can find your cover art.Apple Podcasts Episode Image – this is if you have episode specific images you are wanting to use.RSS2 Image – again use your album art but make it a 300 x 300px image. You can use a larger size but it will be too large for most podcast players. Not a good end-user experience.That's a lot of stuff! Does it really help in iTunes Apple Podcasts Search?Imagine "Peter Podcast Listener" is looking for something...

Audio editing is a MUST for your podcastYou'd expect to hear this from a guy who edits podcast audio for a living, but I'm going to say it anyway - your audio quality matters.Why?Like it or not, people make quick estimations about the resources they find on the internet, which means that their first listen to a less-than-quality podcast might easily be their last. In my experience (and the experience of many people I speak with), it's exactly that.Compare your podcast to a movieThink about the last "C" grade movie you saw.Did you rush out to find more films by that producer or director? Doubtful.Did you immediately begin gushing about the movie to your friends and family? Laughable.You probably told everyone how terrible the movie was.The same thing can happen to a podcast with less-than-great audio. Your goal should be to make your podcast audio of the quality that people will eagerly rave about it in nothing but glowing terms.Audio editing is about setting yourself apartThere are so many podcasts to choose from. Last time I checked iTunes (for example) there were over 250,000 shows on iTunes!How are you going to make YOUR show one of those 5 or 10 that a person wants to listen to regularly?Settling for poor quality audio is an unnecessary wedge between you and a potential fan. And why settle at all when great sounding audio is not all that difficult to attain. There might be a niche audience in some obscure realm of the internet that really doesn't give a hoot whether you record in a studio or a cave, but you know as well as I do that's the exception rather than the rule.The average podcast listener will not endure hissing, echo-y rooms, pops, and harsh "S" sounds for very long. Not only is it irritating, it can literally cause pain to the ears when headphones or ear buds are being used.Then there's the "ummm" and "uhhhh" filler-words that are common.I'm not throwing stones, we all do it (yes, even me). But why settle for the amateur feeling those speaking habits give to your show when you could remove them?You'd sound more authoritative and professional and make the listening experience easier and more enjoyable.Who are you podcasting for, anyway?Approaching it that way is keeping the end-user in mind. THAT is what drives the "connection economy" nowadays.If you stick to your guns about "not doing any audio editing" simply because you don't care about it (or you're too lazy), you're way too self-absorbed.Get outside yourself. Think about your listener.But that's a LOT of editingAnd I know what some of you are thinking:"Doesn't that level of editing make the conversation sound stilted or wooden? You know, like too much makeup on a pretty woman?" It doesn't have to.A good editor has the intuition and skill to create the right spacing and pacing to keep that from happening. Maybe you could be that kind of editor...For most podcasters, the problem with what I'm saying is that they don't have the expertise to do their own professional audio editing ("Which of the thousand audio effects should I use?") or the time it takes to develop it ("I'm busy enough already!").I get that. It's a hard balance to achieve. You've got to make the decision based on your answers to a few important questions.How to know if you should editIs this the right timing for me to upgrade the sound of my show? (Do I have the time or budget to make it...

The best podcast education money can't buy... what does THAT mean?It's my not-so-clever way of introducing you to this, my new podcast about podcasting.Yeah, I know there are a lot of great podcasts about podcasting already going.Let me assure you, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just trying to let you in on the lessons I've learned on my podcast journey.And it is a DIFFERENT kind of journey. More on that in a bit...Before we move on, let me pause to say a tiny bit about the podcast educators who are ALREADY out there...The best podcast education out there is actually pretty good.There are some powerful personalities and very knowledgeable coaches out there who are doing truly helpful, consistent work to help us all get a little bit further down the road. Since you're listening to a podcast about podcasting right now, you probably know all the people I'm going to mention. But I need to pay tribute to them for all they've done to help me along... so hold your horses while I wax eloquent here...These are the guys who have rocked my podcasting journeyCliff Ravenscraft - AKA: The Podcast Answer ManCliff is the first guy to really make it big as a podcast instructor for podcasters. He's really done it well and I give him high marks. He's a man of integrity and I've enjoyed getting to know him through his podcast. If I ever have he opportunity to thank him in person, you can be sure I will.If you've never listened to Cliff's show, Podcast Answer Man, you've just dispelled my doubts about extraterrestrial life... because you must be from another planet.David Jackson - AKA: The original podcast coachI've had a handful of email interactions with David over the years and he's a swell guy. He's really the very first guy who saw the need for education about podcasting and has occupied a very important place in the podcasting space for years. He runs www.SchoolofPodcasting.com if you're in need of help.When was it Dave, 1995 that you started teaching people about technology and the internet? And he started "School of Podcasting" in 2005. As you can see, Dave has been at this podcasting thing a long time and has a thing or two to tell you about it.If you've never heard David's shows (yep, he's got more than one... your classic overachiever), you're missing out. His relaxed manner and wonderful sense of humor are refreshing. Check out School of Podcasting, and Ask the Podcast Coach.Daniel J. LewisDaniel J. is the guy behind an awarding winning podcast - The Audacity to Podcast.By award winning, I mean he won the "#1 technology podcast" in 2012 at the Podcast Awards. His show is full of tips, tricks, insights, thoughtful considerations, etc. I've chatted with Daniel a few times and even interviewed him once, and find him to be a likeable, helpful guy who really knows what he knows.Give his show a listen.Ray OrtegaThe first thing I have to say about Ray is that he's amazingly gracious and very helpful. In my beginning days as a podcaster I dunned him over Twitter more than once and he was always quick to respond, kind, and very helpful. He's got the...