11 Warnings about Using AI in Content-Creation (including podcasting)
Apr 17, 2024
“Artificial intelligence” (“AI”) has made huge leaps in abilities within a very short time. It was only a few years ago that I felt on the cutting edge teaching how to use AI tools like Jasper (originally called “Conversion.ai” and “Jarvis”), even before ChatGPT was released.
Now, AI has become so prominent, that it's almost surprising if a software company of any size is not offering some kind of AI-based solution.
While inflation has skyrocketed the prices of almost everything, the cost for accessing AI has significantly dropped. When I first started using AI, a good plan with access to only one central AI system cost $99 per month. But now, you can use a tool like Magai to use a whole bunch of different language- and image-based AI tools starting at only $19 per month!
(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases through these links. But I recommend things I truly believe in, regardless of earnings.)
All this potential means we need to quote the line from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
And thus why I want to share these warnings with you, to advocate for responsible use of generative AI, large language models (LLMs), machine learning, or whatever you want to call it.
This warnings apply to any kind of content-creation, not only podcasting!
(And in case you're wondering, I did not use AI to create any of this content, but I might be using some AI to transcribe or help me market this content.)
Aside: most warnings apply to generative AI, but not repurposing or enhancement AI
Before I get into my list of warnings about using AI, I want to clarify that these are focused using AI to essentially create something from nothing. I still think AI can be a great assistant on your content. For example, processing audio or video, clipping excerpts, suggesting marketing approaches, improving how things communicate, repurposing, and more. All of those things start with your intelligence, and then the AI works from that.
But I see most of these warnings as applying solely to generative AI, or when you start with nothing but a prompt.
Now, on to the warnings!
1. Undisclosed use of generative AI can get you in trouble
YouTube, social networks, and lots of other websites and platforms are starting to require you to disclose whenever you're putting out content generated by AI. And I think this is a good thing to do as it helps the potential audience know what kind of quality to expect.
Even for things like podcast transcripts, it's good to disclose whether AI was used to transcribe the audio. As I mentioned in my previous episode about using podcast transcripts, someone on your podcast might say, “I love two li'l puppies,” but the AI might transcribe it as, “I love to kill puppies.” Sometimes, even omitting a single word can drastically alter the meaning. For example, imagine accidentally omitting the “not” in a sentence like, “I'm not guilty.”
And if you're concerned about how it might affect your reputation if you disclose every time you use AI, then here's a radical thought: maybe don't use AI! (More on this in #11.)
2. AI often “hallucinates” facts and citations
ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini, and all the text-based AIs we know are also called “large language models” (or “LLMs”). And I think that's a much better term, too, because they're not actually intelligent; they are simply good with language.
This is why you'll often see LLMs write something that grammatically makes sense, but is conceptually nonsense.
In other words, LLMs know how to write sentences.
For example, I sometimes like to ask AI, “Who is Daniel J. Lewis?” Not because of any kind of ego complex, but because I'm an interesting test subject for LLMs since I am partially a public figure, but I also have a name very close to a celebrity: Daniel Day Lewis. Thus, the responses LLMs give me often conflate the two of us (a mistake I wish my bank would make!). I've seen responses that both describe me as a podcasting-industry expert and highlight my roles in There Will Be Blood and The Last of the Mohicans. (And I'm not helping any LLMs scraping my content by just now writing those things together!)
So for anything an AI or LLM writes for you, I urge you to fact-check it! I've even seen some responses completely make up citations that don't exist!
3. AI lacks humanity
From the moment of conception, you have always been a unique being of tremendous value and potential with unique DNA, unique experiences, unique thoughts, unique emotions, and more. Like a snowflake, there will never be someone—or something—exactly like you! Not even an AI trained on all of your content!
AI is not an actual intelligence and I believe it never will be. And AI will never be human.
But you are. You can feel, express, and empathize through emotion. You can question, explore, change your mind, and change others' minds. You can create things of great beauty and originality with no outside prompting.
And it's because of this that I think AI can never replace you. While it might have better skills than you in some areas, it will never beat the quality and personableness that you can offer.
Lest you think this is only outdated models producing bad content, here are some things I've actually seen from current-generation AI image models:
Backwards hands
Limbs that seamlessly merge into the surroundings
Misspelled text that you might not notice unless you try to actually read it
Device parts that disappear into nowhere
Placements that are physically impossible
Broken, slanted, or curvy lines that absolutely should be straight
Incorrect size ratios
Watch out for these things! For any image you generate (or that someone else gives you that they might have generated with AI), look at it very carefully to ensure everything about it makes sense and isn't simply a pretty—but embarrassing—combination of pixels.
For this reason, you might actually want your image AI to make artwork that is obviously not photorealistic.
5. AI is biased because it was fed biased content and programmed by biased people
The following is not to push a particular political or moral direction, but just to expose some facts! Most LLMs lean a particular political and moral direction because they were trained with content that leaned that direction. Thus, even if not intentional, the outputs will often have that same leaning.
Imagine it this way. If the majority of content on the Internet—especially the most popular sites—said that 2 + 2 = 5, then LLMs trained from Internet content would also propagate that fallacy.
Furthermore, many of the companies behind these AIs or LLMs also lean the same political and moral direction as the majority of the Internet, and so they will favor content from the same echo chamber and sometimes even intentionally train the AI to push that agenda.
And that's why there's a market for LLMs that lean the opposite direction.
Even taking out the political and moral leanings, I see LLMs regularly put out “mythinformation”—even in the podcasting space, like saying that podcast ratings and reviews affect your rankings in Apple Podcasts. That's not true! But it's been said so many times on the the Internet, that LLMs think it's true!
6. Content from AI always needs editing
It's because of warnings #2–#5 that I come to this one: edit, edit, edit!
I'd love to hear your opinion on this, too. But I'm starting to think it reflects worse on someone when they put out bad AI-created content than if they put out authentic content with typos or small mistakes. Do you agree?
For example, you might accidentally write about “George Wishington,” but an AI might say that George Washington fought in World War II! In this case, your typo is a human error and your meaning could probably still be understood by your context. But if you put out something that an AI hallucinated, then people have to wonder if you're actually that misinformed (AKA “stupid”).
7. AI-generated content raises copyright concerns
In the United States of America, and some other countries, anything you create is considered immediately and automatically protected by copyright, and thus you reserve all rights to it. (That's why it's really not necessary anymore to write “All rights reserved,” at least most of the time.)
But you also share or forfeit some of your rights when you consent to using some tools or publishing through some platforms. For example, most places have clauses in their terms of service that allow them to use the content you provide (in whatever form it is) in their own marketing materials. This could be as simple as your podcast cover art visible with 999 others on a grid image for an app's homepage. Or it could mean you granted the platform a license to clip your content in an advertisement for their platform.
While most of these terms of service have been safe (despite some fear-mongering), some places are starting to update their terms of service—requiring your consent—and giving themselves a license to use your content to train their AI tools. Even if your content has a registered copyright, you are still granting other places licenses to use your copyrighted content.
However, it's being uncovered that many LLMs were trained on copyrighted material without any license from the copyright holders.
And if you use an LLM to generatenew content from nothing, you might potentially be infringing on someone else's intellectual property rights. And you would be held liable for that. Just like if you hire a cheap “designer” to make your podcast cover art and they steal images from a Google image search, you would be liable for that theft.
Some might argue that this isn't very different from going out, reading all the content yourself, and writing your own conglomeration of your newfound knowledge. But even then, you can be guilty of plagiarism by putting forth something as your idea, when it was actually someone else's.
And the more niche the subject, the less information there was to train the AI, and thus the higher chance of it outright copying other information, or making up something factually incorrect (see #2).
This is probably never a problem when you're using AI on your already-created content.
8. AI might already be “stealing” your intellectual property
I've had my own original content and images plagiarized or directly stolen before. But AI is only making it easier for that to happen and harder for me to catch it.
And because LLMs have been trained on a large percentage of the Internet, it's very possible your own content has already been scraped and used in the training. But you might never know.
Many places are proposing legislation that would require AI companies to disclose their sources, allow people to have their content removed or exempted, or only use properly licensed content for training the AI models. (This is why some AI companies have taken an interest in purchasing publishing companies that own the rights to large amounts of content.) And I think you should have this protection over your content even without having to do the technical processes of blocking all the AI user agents from scraping your website (or transcribing your audio or video content).
And all it takes for social-media sites to do the same is a simple and non-obvious change to their terms of service, which most of us click “I have read and agree” without actually reading what we're agreeing to. For example, Reddit, Zoom, and X-Twitter have used (or continue to use) content on their platforms to train their own AI models—and we've probably given them the rights to do so.
Also watch out for terms of service that allow the AI to train itself from whatever you input into the AI. That's the case for ChatGPT, but supposedly not for any use of OpenAI's GPT models (what powers ChatGPT) through an API (such as what Magai uses).
9. Claiming “fair use” might require a higher standard
I think anyone using AI might face a more difficult time trying to use “fair use” as a legal defense, especially if they haven't properly disclosed their use of AI, like I talked about in warning #1.
One of my favorite things to test on an image-generating AI is giving it the prompt, “Harrison Ford as a pirate.” That's simple innocent fun that I will probably never publish for the public.
But imagine if I used AI to make a realistic photo of Harrison Ford using or endorsing my products. Or maybe using a voice or video AI to make Harrison Ford say something he didn't say.
Indeed, I've seen some intentionally hilarious results with AI. And those kinds of things are often allowed when they don't cause harm and are obviously parodies (this is not legal advice; it's only an observation).
But AI lets things easily get far more complicated. Copying or making a derivative have some clear limitations. But generating something that seems real and uses someone else's likeness or intellectual property might be in a whole different category.
Thus, while I cannot give you legal advice as to what you're allowed to do, I can urge you to not do anything that might get you in trouble! So maybe pretend there isn't even such a thing as “fair use” when it comes to how you use AI to create stuff for you.
10. Affiliate-marketing with AI might get you in trouble
AIs, LLMs, or whatever you want to call them are very good at creating a lot of content very quickly. And that is very alluring to people who want content only for the purpose of promoting their affiliate links. I even saw that years ago when I was among the early users of what's now called Jasper. I would see people frequently ask about what kinds of inputs could be used to get an AI to write a full “review” of an affiliate product.
But remember that thing about how large language models are good at writing sentences? They're not actually good at testing products, sharing experiences, and offering opinions. Thus, using AI to write a “review” could lead to misleading information.
For probably this reason and more, some places will probably start to forbid using AI to create content for promoting their products through affiliate links.
Revised the language in Section 5 of the Participation Requirements to clarify that Program Content and Special Links should not be used in connection with generative AI.
That initially seems like it's forbidding the use of generative AI to promote your Amazon affiliate links. However, the actual points in the operating agreement seem to restrict using AI on the Amazon site content, and especially for training the AI.
2.(e) You will not, without our express prior written approval, access or use PA API or Data Feeds for the purpose of aggregating, analyzing, extracting, or repurposing any Product Advertising Content or in connection with any software or other application intended for use by persons or entities that offer products on an Amazon Site, or in the direct training or fine-tuning of a machine learning model.
…
5. Distribution of Special Links Through Software and Devices
You will not use any Program Content or Special Link, or otherwise link to an Amazon Site, on or in connection with: (a) any client-side software application (e.g., a browser plug-in, helper object, toolbar, extension, component, or any other application executable or installable by an end user) on any device, including computers, mobile phones, tablets, or other handheld devices (other than Approved Mobile Applications); or (b) any television set-top box (e.g., digital video recorders, cable or satellite boxes, streaming video players, blu-ray players, or dvd players) or Internet-enabled television (e.g., GoogleTV, Sony Bravia, Panasonic Viera Cast, or Vizio Internet Apps). You will not, without or [sic?] express prior written approval, use, or allow any third party to use, any Special Links or Program Content to develop machine learning models or related technology.
That first part is clearly forbidding using the Amazon API with an AI model to programmatically create content for you. However, it seems to still allow you to use AI to create your content about the product itself, and even use your affiliate links in that content.
But I still think you shouldn't!
I, for one, would love to see a stop to all the AI-generated worthless “reviews” on YouTube and other places. For example, the following video or probably anything from “The Smart Kitchen” on YouTube:
11. Relying on AI can cost your authority and influence
Lastly, but certainly not least, I urge you to consider the intangible cost of relying on any kind of AI as you podcast or create any other content.
I've said for many years that what I love about podcasting is that it allows you to communicate with your own voice, so people can hear your authentic emotions and they can hear how well you communicate your thoughts, even if you do some editing.
Imagine if you used AI to create and communicate all “your” content, and then you're put on a stage in front of a live audience and you have done no preparation. Aside from any stage-fright, could you actually communicate your message authentically, understandably, and memorably?
Several years ago, I was invited to speak in person about podcasting to a Cincinnati business group. And for the first time ever in my life, I completely forgot about it! I remembered only because about about an hour before I was supposed to speak, the organizer sent me a kind message just to say how excited she was to have me and I think to give me a heads up about parking.
The event was about 45 minutes away, so I had only enough time to throw some stuff in my car, and think about my presentation on the way up.
Now imagine if AI was my crutch and most of my content had been created, organized, or even optimized by AI.
Instead, I was able to speak for half an hour and confidently and thoroughly answer 15 minutes of questions, all with no notes except a 5-word outline in my head. And I think I nailed it!
I could do that because I know my stuff! And I don't share this to brag about me or try to make you think I'm amazing, but to point out what a catastrophe that could have been if I was merely a fraud using ChatGPT.
So don't let AI cost your authority and influence.
Certainly, artificial intelligence can be a really powerful tool to help you do many things or save lots of time, but don't trade your value for AI.
Engage your audience and grow your podcast!
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This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
Should Your Podcast Have Inside Jokes?
Apr 03, 2024
Inside jokes can offer fun potential for your podcast, but also some potential costs. Here are some brief things for you to consider as you engage with your podcast audience.
In my signature fashion, I started preparing a whole list of pros and cons, and some big thinking on inside jokes.
But it's really not that complicated!
An inside joke is some form of callback, trope, catchphrase, or similar that only those “in the know” will get and enjoy. Because of this, inside jokes can be hilarious, but only for those who get them. Inside jokes can be a sort of reward your loyal audience, but alienate your new audience.
I've heard some people advise against inside jokes exactly because your new audience won't get them. But that seems overly focused on the new audience and at the cost of engaging your existing audience and making them feel special.
I think it really comes down to this simple guidance: avoid inside jokes with your cohosts and guests, but embrace inside jokes with your audience.
Where inside jokes come from
First, some examples of inside jokes I've heard from podcasts:
If you've been a loyal follower of any of these shows, then you probably know exactly what these jokes are about, or at least can laugh at them.
So where do these come from?
Some jokes will arise naturally as your audience essentially feeds their growth. That's what I've seen with inside jokes from That Story Show, No Agenda, and Serial. While other things become inside jokes because of how often the host(s) use them, such as the examples from Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend and Pitch Meeting.
It's the audience-feed jokes that I think you should work more to embrace because they will more deeply reward and engage your audience.
What about the new listeners?
There are three approaches I've seen and experienced with podcasts regarding inside jokes:
Letting your podcast audience eventually catch on with your inside jokes (even if they might not know their origins).
Occasionally explaining or pointing to the origins.
Making a glossary of inside jokes—this could even be a supporter-exclusive or email opt-in incentive.
Your goal should be to both engage your existing audience and make them feel special and to create an environment welcoming to your new audience. This comes from having a good balance so that your podcast is not overfilled with inside jokes, but it does mature with loyalty.
Think of inside jokes like extra seasonings for a meal. They can add something special, and especially be appreciated by your “insiders,” and celebrated when your new audience gets in on the jokes.
And I think there is something special, like a sort of “leveling up,” when your audience becomes familiar with your tropes, catchphrases, and inside jokes. Then, they'll feel like one of the “cool kids” when they can throw around the inside jokes, too. And that's a precious moment for them!
Turn inside jokes into swag
When your audience starts using your inside jokes too, or further feeding them, that's a great time to turn those jokes into swag you can sell or giveaway. Consider putting them on T-shirts, posters, stickers, and more (like That Story Show does with several of their inside jokes). If you want to be on the cutting edge about it, maybe you could even turn those inside jokes into NFTs!
Community Corner
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Engage your audience and grow your podcast!
Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?
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This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
Why You Should Put Podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T. First
Mar 27, 2024
Monetization is not the only profit you can get from podcasting! And you shouldn't be the only one to profit, either! Nonetheless, here is why I think you should put P.R.O.F.I.T. first in every aspect of your podcast.
The order of podcasting cornerstones
Before we focus on podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T., I want to revisit how I've taught the 5 podcasting cornerstones for several years:
Content—What your podcast is about
Presentation—How you share your content
Production—The technical side to reduce distractions and increase understanding
Promotion—How you market and grow your podcast
P.R.O.F.I.T.—How you and your audience benefit from your podcast.
Despite the fact that these cornerstones have always had an alliteration problem with no suitable solution, I realized it had an even bigger problem while I was preparing to teach podcasting at the National Religious Broadcasters convention. The problem was the order: P.R.O.F.I.T. should not be last! It should actually be first!
But stick with me and don't click away because you think this doesn't apply to you! Before I can explain why P.R.O.F.I.T. should be first, I want you to understand what it is, and why I keep writing it like an over-obvious acronym (it's actually an acrostic).
The Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm™
Several years ago, I was inspired by a typo I let go to press in an advertisement for my now temporarily retired Podcaster's Society™. As a result of that typo, I wanted profit to stand for something! Not only in the metaphorical sense, but also literally as an acrostic.
Now, it's my Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm, which is a list of whys you can benefit from your podcast:
Popularity—growing a following, being an influencer, becoming known
Relationships—gaining friendships, building community, and finding your “tribe”
Opportunities—opening doors for things like public speaking, travel, testing products before they're released, and such
Fun—simply having a good time, with or without laughter
Income—yes, earning money!
Tangibles—getting things you get to use or keep, which is especially profitable when they're relevant to your podcast topic!
While most people think “profit” means “money,” I challenge you to change your thinking and look at the much bigger ways you can profit from your podcast—especially if you don't even want to monetize your podcast.
The other paradigm shift is that your podcast should not only give you P.R.O.F.I.T., but also offer it to your audience! I'll explain that more in a moment.
P.R.O.F.I.T. is for all podcasters, not only professionals
Lest you think P.R.O.F.I.T. is only for people who podcast for business purposes or to try earning a living, money is only one part of the Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm: the I for income. The other ways could complement income, but there's nothing wrong with podcasting simply for the fun of it!
When I hosted a clean-comedy podcast, the P.R.O.F.I.T. we were after was primarily to laugh and help others laugh, too! Along the way, we also formed relationships, were given fun tangibles from our audience, and we even made a little money on the side.
And if you are podcasting to build a business, don't neglect the other aspects of P.R.O.F.I.T.! It's okay to have fun with professional subjects! And always look for ways to position yourself for opportunities and more!
Your podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. should power your decisions
Why should P.R.O.F.I.T. come first? Because it's actually more important than your content. Consider the cornerstones in this way:
When you start with P.R.O.F.I.T. in mind, then you can pick the right content to share. And the other cornerstones build from there. After you know your “why” and your content, then you can decide on the best way to present it. Then, the best way to produce that. Then you'll have things and methods to promote it.
But when you don't start with P.R.O.F.I.T., you won't know what content to share, and you won't know the best way to communicate it, and you certainly won't know how to produce it, and—frankly—you wouldn't offer much value worth promoting.
Here's a series of questions that follows the Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm to help you podcast the best way:
Why do you want to podcast? What value will your podcast give your audience?
What content best enables your P.R.O.F.I.T. goals?
What's the best way to present that content that moves you toward to your P.R.O.F.I.T. goals?
What's the best way to produce this that leads you and your audience in the right direction?
Whom should you promote your podcast to and what are the best ways to reach them?
Remember P.R.O.F.I.T. for your audience
I've heard some people say, “Podcast for yourself. If you're having fun, that's all that matters.” And I've also heard other people say, “You're podcasting for your audience, so focus on their needs first.”
While these might seem contrary, they're actually complementary and simply different sides of the same P.R.O.F.I.T. coin: both you and your audience need to get value from your podcast in order for your podcast, yourself, and your audience to improve and grow.
But the problem I see most often is that podcasters forget to focus on what value they offer their audience. Instead, they often fixate on the value they want from their audience, or on how they can essentially sell their audience to get value from someone else (like an advertiser).
As Jesus said, “Give and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).
Some podcasters also obsess over the production aspects of podcasting, without investing the same time and money into improving the more weight-bearing cornerstones.
It's fine if your podcast makes you popular, but how are you helping your audience to be popular, too?
It's great when you foster or form new relationships because of your podcast, but how are you helping your audience foster or form new relationships, too?
It's great when your podcast opens opportunities for you, but what opportunities do you help your audience find and pursue?
“It's fun to have fun,” as The Cat in the Hat said, but is your audience having fun, too?
Earning income is definitely rewarding! But how are you helping your audience earn more, spend less, save more, or be smarter with what they have?
And it can be exciting to get new tangibles, but what tangible benefits are you helping your audience gain, too?
Podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T. in one word: why?
“Start with Why” indeed!
Why are you podcasting?
Why should your audience keep consuming your episodes?
It's all in what P.R.O.F.I.T. (popularity, relationships, opportunities, fun, income, or tangibles) you pursue and offer!
Community corner:
I just made things easier for me and you with Podgagement! Now, we can easily copy all the text of a review with only two clicks! And you can copy it in plain text, markdown, HTML, or an iframe embed!
5-star review “Why and How Your Podcast Needs Loudness Normalization” by Marshy76 from November 23, 2022 on Apple Podcasts in the United States: “An excellent guide on the importance of Lufs with important links to related software in aiding one to create a well tuned podcast, which I incorporated into my latest “Mister Radio” podcast episode. Thanks for this excellent presentation! But, as I mentioned in my unedited review couldn't this also be done simply by listening and adjusting levels as one is recording, like I used to do when working the board in radio? Now I've got to check out my various DAWS to see if they have something to check my LUFS, besides the cans on my ears! And I did find a meter in Logic!” (I pasted that podcast review with only two clicks and a Cmd-V, thanks to Podgagement!)
Thanks to Allen C. Paul, Jason Pickel, Rich Bennett, D.R., and Julio Fernandez for all the great ratings on Goodpods (all discovered for me by Podgagement!)
Thanks for more streaming sats from Dave Jackson, Allen C. Paul, and Dwev! I believe that totals to 1,716§, which is currently worth about $1.15.
If The Audacity to Podcast gives value to you, I would be so grateful if you put that in a number to give back, either through a one-time gift or streaming sats back. You can do both with a modern podcast app like you can get from Podcasting2.org/apps!
Engage your audience and grow your podcast!
Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?
Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more!
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
8 Things You Should Check in Apple Podcasts Connect
Mar 20, 2024
Apple provides a portal for you to submit and manage your own podcast in Apple Podcasts. It's called Podcasts Connect. Plus, countless other podcast apps and podcasting tools rely on Apple's data through their free API. Whether your podcast has been in Apple Podcasts for years, or you're just starting out, I suggest you check these 8 things right away!
1. Check that you have agreed to Apple's terms of service
Apple usually updates their terms of service when they launch major new features. For example, Apple started generating transcripts for all podcasts in February, 2024. And that requires your agreement to their terms of service so that they can make those transcripts, which they won't do until you agree.
Apple makes it easy to know whether you've agreed to the latest terms. Simply log into podcastsconnect.apple.com! If you're let into your account, then you've already agreed to the latest terms. If not, you will be prompted to read and agree to the terms before you're allowed to manage your podcast(s).
2. Check that your podcast is in your Apple Podcasts Connect account
Many podcasters don't actually control their own catalog listing for their own podcast! This is because they either submitted their podcast before Podcasts Connect existed, or they allowed someone else to submit their podcast for them. This might have been a podcast-hosting provider or someone helping them with their podcast.
But at least the process to reclaim ownership is fairly easy!
Make sure you've checked all your possible Apple ID accounts.
Log into the account you want to hold your podcast(s) and contact Apple through this form and select the “Missing podcast(s)” option (which should already be selected with this link).
Fill in all the other form fields completely.
Await and then follow Apple's instructions, which will have you enter a special code somewhere in your podcast RSS feed to verify your ownership or control of that feed.
This is crucial to do with all your podcasts, especially any duplicate podcast listings you might have (which is probably more likely if you've ever switched podcast-hosting providers).
The rest of these items to check require that you have access to your podcast in your own Apple account.
3. Check that your podcast information is correctly loaded in Apple Podcasts Connect
Click into your podcast(s) and look over your the “Show details” information. This includes your title, cover art, artist, descriptions, and more.
You can't change these details in Podcasts Connect! Instead, you would change these in the podcast-publishing tool that is creating your RSS feed. But viewing these details here lets you confirm that everything is properly loading from your feed into the Apple Podcasts system.
And if you're having trouble, the first thing I suggest doing is validating your podcast RSS feed through all of the following tools:
Especially watch for problems with your podcast cover art.
4. Check the optional Apple Podcasts information fields
On this same “Show Information” page are several optional fields that you should populate or verify. Currently, these include:
Update frequency
Content rights
Show contact information (especially important if you've removed your email address from your RSS feed)
This information is proprietary to Apple Podcasts and thus—currently—not pulled from your RSS feed.
5. Check your Apple Podcasts distribution availability (affects other apps)
Switch to the “Availability” page and there are two important options to ensure your podcast can be discovered by as many people as possible:
Countries or Regions: I recommend setting this to “Make this show available in all countries or regions.” You can click into the Edit view to ensure all 175 countries are selected. Despite this option, some countries still block explicit content, and it seems like communist China blocks almost everything anyway.
Distribution: I recommend enabling “Make this show available for distribution.” This ensures that the countless other podcast apps and podcasting tools using the catalog API from Apple Podcasts will be able to see your podcast.
These are the default options for podcasts, but I suggest you verify they're set correctly anyway.
But if, for some odd reason, you do not want your podcast available to as many people as possible, then you can change these options to limit your reach.
6. Switch the transcript default to use your provided transcripts
On this same “Availability” page is a third option that I feel defaults inappropriately. It's the Transcripts option.
For some strange reason, Apple's (current) default is to use only their auto-generated transcripts for your podcast. So regardless of whether you already using Podcasting 2.0 transcripts, I suggest switching this option to “Display transcripts I provide, or auto-generated transcripts by Apple if one isn't provided.”
I think that's the way apps should behave anyway! They should use what you supply first and by default and generate their own transcripts only if you don't provide your own (through the Podcasting 2.0 transcript feature).
But you should also note that there is no way to disable all transcripts for your podcast. That's part of the terms of service you must accept for your podcast to remain in Apple Podcasts. If you really wanted to disable transcripts, you would have to either edit every episode in Podcasts Connect to use a custom episode-specific setting to not use any transcripts, or provide a nearly empty transcript file for all episodes through your RSS feed (you could share this same file for all episodes).
But because podcast transcripts are important for accessibility and usability, I highly recommend keeping them enabled. But just switch this setting so Apple will default to your transcripts if you provide them, and then fallback to their own transcripts if you haven't provided any.
7. Check your Apple Podcasts ratings and reviews
There is also a “Ratings and Reviews” page that lets you see your Apple Podcasts (and only Apple Podcasts) ratings and reviews. However, this requires you to switch between all 175 countries, before knowing if you even have any ratings or reviews in those 175 countries; it doesn't show your difference of ratings versus written reviews; and you can't search, sort, or filter your ratings and reviews. You also don't get notified whenever you get a new rating or review, so you would have to come back to check all 175 countries. You can download your reviews, but you would have to do that one country at a time.
Cumbersome, right?
That's why you should use Podgagement to engage your audience and grow your podcast! Podgagement not only tracks all these 175 places automatically for you, it also tracks the non-Apple places. Plus, with Podgagement's “Constellation” plan, you can easily collect written or voicemail feedback from your audience, discover podcast-networking opportunities, receive direct reviews from your audience, and more!
I personally created Podgagement for you because I believe engagement with your audience is the most powerful thing you can have with your podcast.
Lastly, but probably most exciting, are the podcast stats you can get from Apple Podcasts!
Remember that these stats measure consumption only in Apple Podcasts. So any numbers you see will be of a smaller subset of your audience. Nonetheless, since Apple Podcasts is the #1 podcast app, I suspect the percentages and engagement levels you see would be close to an accurate—albeit smaller—reflection of your whole audience.
Here are some of the handy (and potentially addictive) data points you can see!
Total followers
Engaged listeners
Average consumption / completion rates
Where your audience skipped or stopped listening within your episodes
Performance comparisons across your episodes
And more!
As I hope you can see, even if you don't use Apple products or dislike their ecosystem, there are still many advantages to keeping your Apple Podcasts account current and especially learning from its data!
Community Corner
Leslie Martin pointed out that 7,777§ is a Stryper boost, not a Rush boost (which would have been 2,112§). As I've said previously, hard rock is not actually my style, so I know nothing about these bands!
1,701§—a number I do recognize as the Star Trek Enterprise!—from Bryan Entzminger, saying, “Ugh! Mythinformation… wow.”
Streaming satoshis from Bryan Entzminger, Dave Jackson, and Dwev
5-star review from Josh Liston, in Australia, saying, “A Perfect Mix of Fun and Expertise in Podcasting. Daniel J Lewis delivers a concrete, and well thought out Podcast about Podcasting. He rarely if ever goes off topic, and always recommends products and gear that work …and not just the products and services that return the most in commissions! DJL also manages to do what many others can't – in making often dry technical subjects a lot of fun – without wasting peoples time. Finally, he is part of the Podcasters' Roundtable core trio, which is quickly becoming my number 1 show about Podcasting!”
Engage your audience and grow your podcast!
Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?
Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more!
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
Do IAB-Certified Stats Matter for Your Podcast?
Mar 13, 2024
You might have heard people talk about IAB podcast stats, measurement guidelines, compliance, and certification. Here's what all of that means, and whether it even matters!
Who is the IAB?
Once upon a time, podcast measurement was considered the “wild, wild west”: without standards. Everyone measured what was right in their own eyes.
But like most things that start with “Once upon a time,” that was only fairy tale. And yet a fairy tale that many corporate podcasting companies believed.
Many years ago, there was the Association of Downloadable Media (ADM) that included Blubrry, Libsyn, Podtrac, and other podcasting companies. The ADM came up with standards for measuring podcast downloads still in the extremely early days of podcasting.
The ADM eventually dissolved and top podcasting companies improved on the measurement standards within their own proprietary systems. Then along came the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), involving many of those same original podcast-hosting providers but also large distribution networks like PodcastOne and more.
As its name implies, the IAB is all about internet advertising. And the podcasting industry needed a standard way to measure podcast ad impressions. And thus, the IAB podcast measurement guidelines were born with version 1.0 in September 2016!
What are IAB stats
IAB's podcast measurement guidelines are actually not rigid standards, but mere guidelines for podcast-analytics providers to use.
Like Elizabeth Swan said in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, “Hang the code and hang the rules! They're more like guidelines anyway!”
Without getting into the technical details, these guidelines are intended to filter out any kind of invalid podcast download in attempts to get an accurate count of how many people actually downloaded or streamed the episodes (and with the hopes, backed by survey data, that most of the people actually listen to most of those episodes).
(Sidenote: podcast “streams” are also downloads, simply not downloaded until the person presses play.)
These guidelines involve things like the following.
Ignoring all downloads from an IP address blacklist (such as data centers, bot farms, and such)
Ignoring all downloads from known invalid user agents (how a downloading app or service identifies itself)
Ignoring duplicate downloads that look exactly the same within a period of time (usually 24 hours)
Ignoring downloads that don't reach a threshold (one minute of audio)
Whitelisting some IP addresses known to have a lot of users—like public wi-fi, businesses, colleges, and such—and allowing such downloads to be counted separately with the reasonable assumption that it is separate people
The top goal is to count people, not simply downloads. Because it's only people who buy things from ads, engage with the podcaster, and listen to or watch the episodes.
When the IAB guidelines were first released, many in the podcasting industry—including myself—expressed the importance that all podcasting companies that provide audience analytics should not only follow the IAB guidelines, but even get certified to be following them.
But there were also many others who disagreed with the guidelines—some people thought the guidelines were too conservative, others thought they were too liberal.
Because the guidelines are publicly accessible, anyone can build a tool that follows the guidelines. And that's where the term “IAB–compliant” came in. It was companies simply claiming compliance based on how they implemented the guidelines.
Then along came the certification program. This was a costly process—in both time and money—for a third-party organization to conduct tests and review code to ensure the companies were truly following the guidelines, and then certifying them.
Not only does it cost to be certified, it also costs to be a member of the IAB. And it also costs to be recertified, which the IAB was pushing in 2023. And it costs to have updated access to the IAB's whitelists and blacklists of IP addresses. But with the high cost of these things, it seems that several companies are not so concerned about being “certified” anymore. And you can see in the list of certified “podcast compliance” that several companies are still certified only to version 2.0.
Why IAB-certified podcast stats are good
I agree with the premise of the IAB podcast measurement guidelines: to have a consistent measurement “standard” across the podcast industry. The dream of this standard is that no matter who you use for podcast hosting and analytics, the statistics you get will be essentially the same. Put another way, 100 people downloading your latest episode would be counted as 100 downloads on Blubrry, or 100 downloads on Captivate, or 100 downloads on Buzzsprout, or 100 downloads on any other provider.
If everyone is following the same standard, then there wouldn't be the heartbreak and confusion if you switch from one provider to another and see a significant drop in your stats—because there shouldn't be much of a difference if everyone is measuring the same way!
So it's definitely a good thing for a podcasting company to follow the IAB guidelines, and being certified means that a neutral third party can confirm the guidelines are being followed correctly.
But every standard will have loopholes
That dream is, unfortunately, not the reality. The biggest reason is that, going back to Miss. Elizabeth Swan, the IAB podcast measurement guidelines are exactly and only that: guidelines!
As such, some companies will implement those guidelines differently. Or they use different whitelists and blacklists.
And over the years, there have been multiple loopholes found that some companies independently patch even though the IAB guidelines might not account for them, yet. For example, “Twitter bombing” was a problem several years ago. That's where someone would post a direct link to their podcast media file (like an MP3) on Twitter, and then repeatedly post that link all day, every day. Companies like Blubrry and Libsyn caught this behavior fairly quickly and were able to filter it out so those misled (or outright deceptive) podcasters wouldn't have fraudulent stats.
I even caught a podcaster guilty of such a “crime” when they were Twitter-bombing my own guest appearance on their podcast. When I politely tried to share the truth with them, they deleted my episode!
Or more recently, some podcast networks put ads in mobile games where the podcast audio would start playing automatically and enough of the audio would pre-download (or “buffer”) that it would actually get counted as a legitimate download, even for IAB-certified providers!
In my past research for testing the fastest podcast hosting, I also discovered that some hosting providers counted some or even all of my bot downloads. And I didn't even attempt to disguise my bot downloads as real people using podcast apps! (Please note that some or—let's hope—all of those previously guilty companies have probably improved their measurement algorithms since that test in 2019! But probably not Soundcloud.)
Why you don't actually need IAB-certified podcast stats
Does it really matter anymore if your podcast-hosting provider has IAB-certified stats?
I think it's nice to know your numbers are certified, especially if you get paid by advertisers based on your downloads.
But at this point, I think it's safe to assume all the good podcast-hosting providers are following the guidelines and seek to filter out all non-person downloads. They could probably better invest the money it would cost to be certified instead into building better features for their customer: you!
And here is what I think is the even more important approach: do IAB-certified stats matter to your audience?
The answer is most likely a big fat “HUH?” Because your audience probably doesn't know or doesn't care, and they shouldn't have to know or care, either!
Your audience can celebrate milestones with you no matter whether those milestones are certified by an expensive neutral third party. Your audience cares much more about the value you deliver through your podcast than they care about how many downloads you are getting.
In other words, the answer to the audience's “What's in it for me?” is probably “nothing.”
Yes, more downloads could mean more P.R.O.F.I.T. (popularity, relationships, opportunities, fun, income, or tangibles) for both you and your audience, and it can mean a bigger community for your audience to engage with each other. But that comes with the actual people in your audience, not the standard by which you measure them!
I've changed my mind about IAB certification
Thus, because IAB certification really doesn't matter to your audience, I've stopped considering it a requirement for any podcast-hosting provider or analytics tool I recommend. It's nice to have, but not mandatory.
Instead, I'm far more interested in the innovations podcasting companies are making, so that the whole experience can be better for you and your audience. That's why I consider support for Podcasting 2.0 to be my litmus test for podcast-publishing tools, and no longer IAB certification.
New feature: The Community Corner
2,033 sats from “aqualith,” saying, “10k CAN be a lot for someone who doesn't feed their Fountain wallet, or equivalent, with outside funds and not currently podcasting themselves, despite engaging with the app daily. That said, thank you for this episode and this list. I immediately shared it with someone who's setting up their first podcast. Go podcasting!”
7,777 sats from Steve Web on “How to Use Podcast Transcripts,” saying, “GREAT episode, Daniel. While I have been using transcripts for some time on my shows, I wasn’t really sure I was doing it correctly. This episode will help me to make some changes going forward. Thank you, and may God bless you richly!”
333 from Allen C. Paul also on “How to Use Podcast Transcripts,” saying, “Couldn’t help but notice this episode doesn’t have a transcript! lol! but great info.” Allen has also been giving my episodes 5 stars on Goodpods!
“A.J.II” from the United States gave me a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts, saying, “Advice is stellar. His style and topics along with the way he speaks and communicates is terrific.Thanks!”
Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more!
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
How to Use Podcast Transcripts
Mar 06, 2024
Transcripts have long been promoted as ways to make your podcast more findable and accessible. But it's only recently that podcast transcripts have become actually useful!
(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases through some of these following links. But I recommend things I truly believe in, regardless of earnings.)
1. Don't believe the myths about podcast transcripts
For many years, people have been promoting transcripts for the wrong reasons. I've also been pitched by many transcription companies pushing the wrong approach.
While there are elements of truth in these two common myths, the ways people often promote and understand these two ideas are where the information become myth—of “mythinformation”?
Myth 1: “Transcripts are good for podcast SEO”
People have often said that you should publish podcast transcripts on your website to make your podcast findable through search-engine optimization (SEO). But that's not the full truth.
Yes, transcripts are better than nothing or a mere paragraph or list of topics. But transcripts result in a lot of words and actually very little content, resulting in very low quality writing (probably even worse than AI-created text or writing from non-natives of the language).
For example, a two-cohost podcast transcript might look like this:
Jack: Welcome to the our podcast, where we talk about things to help you do stuff! I'm Jack!
Jill: And I'm Jill.
Jack: Before we get into this topic, how are you doing, Jill?
Jill: The weather is sunny today, so I'm great!
Jack: Great!
Jill: Yeah. What about you?
Jack: I'm fine, but I don't know what the weather is, but—
Jill: That's sad.
Jack: What do mean?
Jill: I mean, you're saying that you haven't gone outside or even looked out a window in a while.
Jack: Yeah, but it's okay.
Jill: So anyway!
Jack: Yes! Let's jump into this week's topic.
…
Note that in this fictional example, there are a lot of words, but you've learned nothing from this excerpt!
That kind of back-and-forth is fine in a conversation and can even sometimes be okay in a podcast. But it writing, it becomes worthless.
Compare that to how the same “information” could be written in a way that's valuable:
Actually, that whole exchange could be edited out of the written content because there's little to no value in reading that!
Search engines prioritize high-quality content that is readable, but unless you're a professional speaker performing a refined monologue, transcripts are neither readable nor high quality. So, no, transcripts are not the “magic bullet” to making your podcast perform well for SEO, especially if you're relegating transcripts to a downloadable file or a web page separate from your podcast episode.
Myth 2: “Transcripts make your podcast accessible”
It's true that people with hearing impairments still consume podcasts! Thus transcripts have been lauded as the accessibility solution podcasts need!
But the problem is that most published transcripts are still difficult to read or—worse—are buried in a link or downloadable file that could actually be even less accessible!
It's like putting up a billboard with a QR Code that drivers can scan to watch a video to learn why they shouldn't be distracted while driving!
Good accessibility doesn't help only the hearing-impaired, it can also help memorability or engagement for the rest of your audience. For example, a word or URL that might be ambiguous, such as “to” versus “two” versus “2” versus “too.” This gets even worse if you've made up words!
Here, properly written show notes or an article can make the information far more memorable and actionable than a giant transcription page.
It's only properly formatted and properly published transcripts that make your podcast accessible! And more on that in a moment!
2. (Optional) Use transcripts with podcast-production tools
You can use the power of transcripts immediately after you record your episodes, even if you never publish those transcripts!
While you could pay for someone to transcribe your podcast for you, AI tools have gotten really good at making fairly accurate transcripts!
Yes, AI has become the ubiquitous tool for all kinds of content-creators. I've joked before, “Look, Daddy! Teacher says, ‘Every time a bell rings, an AI-powered app launches on AppSumo!'” But I'm a big fan of using AI on your content you made instead of for making your content.
The way AI-based tools work with your audio or video podcast is by first transcribing your content. Then, you can use that AI to do impressive and time-saving things with the transcript, like summarizing your episode, suggesting episode titles, and even helping you better edit your recording.
Here are my current favorite transcription-based tools to help when your episode is still in this early post-production stage right after you've record:
Each of these tools can make editing your recording as easy as editing a text document! Plus, they can even export the transcript from your finished production that you can use in the following other steps.
You can also upload your read-to-publish audio to some transcription-based tools to get suggestions for titles, chapters, show notes, social posts, keywords, and more! The best tools for that are:
Even if you don't use any transcription-based tools, you can still use a transcript of your recording to help you find places to edit, excerpts for sharing, and reminders of your content. And you can do this without ever publishing those transcripts (but I still recommend that you do)!
3. Make properly formatted podcast transcripts
In order to be actually useful, a transcript needs to have more data with it. At a minimum, transcripts need timestamps for when lines or even words were spoken. But transcripts can also include the speakers' names, formatting, and more.
The most common transcript formats are VTT and SRT, but VTT—specifically WebVTT—is the superior format, but it's not as widely supported as SRT.
In its vanilla state, VTT and SRT will look similar:
00:01.000 --> 00:04.000
Never drink liquid nitrogen.
00:05.000 --> 00:09.000
It will perforate your stomach.
And then WebVTT can add a whole bunch of additional features and formatting over this.
You can get these properly formatted transcripts from the transcription-based editing tools I shared above, or you can generate them through AI or third-party help.
The most important thing here is to get the transcripts in the right format! A big block of text in a PDF or text document is not going to be as useful as the structured data like you get with SRT or VTT.
Easy access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools has made creating transcripts a whole lot faster, easier, and cheaper. The editing tools I mentioned all use AI to generate their transcripts, or you could use other services, too:
(This list might not be up-to-date because these features are coming to more tools quite frequently.)
I like the more modern AI-based transcription tools because they understand language better and are thus able to make transcripts that actually read well and are usually quite accurate. Compare that to transcripts from only a few years ago that transcribed what they thought they heard, even if it didn't make sense.
Most likely any tool that requires Internet access has limits to how much you can transcribe or has pricing based on your usage.
So, alternatively, consider these two fantastic apps you can install on your computer to generate the transcripts without the Internet or usage fees or limits. These use OpenAI's free and open-source Whisper model.
MacWhisper Pro (macOS, free and paid versions)—this is what I used and usually get really good results from
Because these apps run everything on your computer, you'll get much faster results on a more powerful computer. For comparison, MacWhisper Pro's largest language model on my M1 MacBook Pro can transcribe a 30-minute podcast episode in only a couple of minutes. But my maxed-out Intel iMac takes much longer to process the same audio with the same app.
With the launch of iOS 17.4 in March 2024, you now download the transcript Apple automatically generates for you through your Podcasts Connect account!
4. Edit your podcast transcripts
Regardless of whether you transcribe your podcast with AI or with a person, the transcript will most likely need some editing.
Some automatic transcription tools will smartly break lines at logical points, like on punctuation or at the end of sentences. But that's not mandatory.
The best thing to do would be to read your entire transcript to edit for accuracy. I think it could even be okay to edit for clarity. For example, if the speaker said, “There are 5 ways—I mean 6 ways—to do this,” you could edit the transcript to simply “There are 6 ways to do this.”
Pay close attention to anything that could cause you legal trouble, too! For example, your guest might have said, “I love two li'l puppies,” but your transcript might incorrectly say, “I love to kill puppies.” YIKES!
But this is where I notice the good modern transcription tools (like Whisper or Gemini Pro 1.5 and later) that use updated large-language models (LLMs) can often do a better job because they seem good at combining what they think they hear along with what makes grammatical and contextual sense.
But if you're in a hurry, here's the quick hack for editing your transcripts: double-check all proper nouns and URLs.
For example, one transcription tool I tried would always transcribe “Podcasting 2.0” as “podcasting 2 point oh.” Or even MacWhisper Pro sometimes transcribes “theaudacitytopodcast.com” as something like “the odacity2podcast.com.” For these things, I've made a list of the common errors so it's easy for me to run a find-and-replace operation on them. MacWhisper actually has that built in! And some transcription tools let you enter terms that are important to get right. For example, I might enter “Podgagement” since that's a made up trademark and the AI models might not understand it, yet.
But I've also been surprised, especially by Whisper, how often it not only gets the spelling right but even the capitalization!
5. Put the podcast transcripts in the right places
Now that you have an accurate transcript in a good format (SRT or VTT), we've had a standard place to put that in podcasting for a couple of years now, and even Apple Podcasts is now on board!
You only need to upload the transcript somewhere online (if it's not already publicly hosted for you) and link to it in your Podcasting 2.0 <podcast:transcript> tag in your RSS feed, which your podcast-publishing/hosting tool might do for you.
This makes the transcript visible to a growing list of Podcasting 2.0 apps, and now even Apple Podcasts supports the Podcasting 2.0 transcript!
Even if Apple Podcasts generates the transcript for you, the app will use your transcript if you provide it through the transcript feature in your RSS feed. This is so much better than how Spotify, Google, and Amazon currently do it!
Putting your SRT or VTT transcript in the right place also exposes it for other apps and services to use. As this becomes more popular, more podcast apps will use these transcripts to learn what your episodes are about and help expose your podcast in more relevant searches. For example, even if you keyword-stuff your title, author, and description tags with something like “real estate investing,” if you're not literally talking about real estate investing in your episodes, your podcast probably won't rank well for that term. What makes this podcast SEO different from the SEO myth I shared above is that this Podcasting 2.0 method exposes your transcript in a specific structure that make it easy for applications to read and process. You don't get that when you dump the whole transcript on your website (or in a download).
But if you really want to publish a transcript in a readable format, you can convert your SRT or VTT transcript into formatted text and offer that through your website. Just don't expect much to come from it!
6. (Optional) Use your podcast transcripts for promotion
I'm not a fan of creating new content with AI (also called “generative AI”). I think the results are cheap, unoriginal, and in a legal gray area because most generative AI models were trained with copyrighted content and without the content-owner's permission.
Putting aside those potential legal and ethical implications, I do love artificial intelligence as a different “AI”: assistive intelligence. So instead of creating new content for you, the AI analyzes the content you created and helps you describe it, improve it, repurpose it, and more.
And this all starts with a transcript of your podcast!
My favorite AI tool right now is Magai because it includes multiple models (not just ChatGPT) and you can now easily upload your entire podcast transcript to then work with inside Magai. For example, you could ask it to write a promotion for the episode in the first-person tone of your guest so you can send that to him or her to more relevantly share their appearance on your podcast.
Castmagic, Capsho, and Buzzsprout's Cohost AI also have features like this built in. For example, Castmagic (which I use, too) automatically recognizes separate speakers in the audio and can also automatically generate a whole bunch of different content from my content. This includes social posts, titles, X-Twitter threads, engaging questions, outlines, and more.
So even if a tool can't transcribe your content for you, yet (as is the case with Magai), you can still give it your transcript to analyze and use for many more purposes!
It all starts with the transcript of your content. (Or in my case, since I write such thorough articles for my podcast episodes, I frequently give Magai my published webpage URL instead of uploading a transcript.)
(And in case you're wondering, the entirety of this article and podcast episode were created solely by me. And even though some people might call my intelligence “artificial,” I didn't use any AI for this episode!)
You can also use a tool like Descript, Headliner, or Opus Clip to find good excerpts from your episode to share as clips, like I'm doing for this very episode! This, too, starts with your transcripts, and you'll probably get even better results if you can edit or provide a more accurate transcript.
Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more!
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
Top 5 Podcasting 2.0 Features You Should Try
Feb 14, 2024
Podcasting 2.0 is revolutionizing podcasting for podcasters, audiences, and developers. Here are what I think are the best features you should try now, if you can.
When I recently attended Podfest Multimedia Expo, I was talking with a woman interested to know more about Podcasting 2.0. She lit up with excitement over two things: cross-app comments and live streaming.
The vision of cross-app comments is simple. Imagine being able to comment on an episode you're listening without leaving your podcast app! Even better, others can reply to you from their different podcast apps!
This is what cross-app comments will allow: audience comments from multiple podcast apps but all going into the same stream of activity so you and others can engage from preferred apps.
While I think this is the most exciting feature for everyone, it's also proving to be the most complicated to implement. Developers have to think about performance, data portability, authentication, and giving you moderation control. But when these features are all solved, this will be a dynamite feature!
And the best part is that this engagement can occur completely without leaving the podcast app! (But there will be other systems to let you monitor and engage with your audience. For example, I'll be building this into Podgagement whenever the development issues are resolved.)
2. Live streaming
When I spoke with that woman at Podfest, the other thing she was most excited about was the ability to live-stream with live engagement directly into her audience's podcast apps.
That's what the “live item tag” (or sometimes called “LIT”) is designed to do!
Live-streaming isn't a good fit for all podcasts or podcasters. It presents a whole new layer of complexity and multiple distractions. But when you can manage it well, live-streaming is a fantastic way to engage your most loyal audience in real-time.
Podcasting 2.0's live feature will let you live-stream directly into the modern podcast apps. You start by scheduling your upcoming event, and your audience will see that in their apps. When you go live, you audience can receive push notifications and then jump to listening or watching live. There's even the potential to have your chat room there, too!
Best of all, this is all right inside your audience's podcast app! They won't have to leave to listen or watch on a separate page, they can engage without leaving their preferred podcast app!
Apps can even do smart things like automatically marking the later downloaded episode as played if the audience already played it live.
Don't let the “micro” part of “micropayments” make you think they're small and worthless!
Podcasting 2.0 enables you to receive financial support in any amount from your audience by leveraging the power of Bitcoin, specifically through the faster and cheaper Lightning Network. This is most commonly measured in Satoshis (abbreviated “sats” or “§”), which are 100 millionth of a Bitcoin. Here's the quick hack (at least for US Dollars) to understand the value. Every 1,000§ is worth the current value of Bitcoin in cents. So if Bitcoin is $45,000, then 1,000§ is worth 45¢.
This allows your audience to give as little as a few pennies to as much as they value your podcast—thus why this feature is called “Value for Value” and uses the <podcast:value> RSS tag.
But it doesn't stop there! Your audience can set their podcast app to stream the payments to you for every minute they listen to your podcast! So even something that seems as small as 100§ per minute would be 3,000§ for a 30-minute podcast. If Bitcoin is worth $45,000, that streaming payment would convert to $1.35—and that's 54 times as much as that one listener would be worth to an advertiser paying the common $25 CPM!
These kinds of “micropayments” would be nearly worthless or even impossible with common payment methods like PayPal or credit cards, who usually take a flat fee around 50¢ plus around 3% of the transaction!
Shoutout to Dovydas from RSSBlue.com for coining the term “super chapters,” and I love it!
We've had chapters in podcasting since 2005, but they've always been very limited. They could only contain a title, a optional link, and an optional image. They were also embedded in the media file, so updating your chapters would mean replacing your media file. And that limitation meant that none of your audience who already downloaded the episode would be able to see anything new in the chapters.
Podcasting 2.0's “super chapters” build on these legacy features and move the chapters into an external metadata file.
Simply by being in an external file, you can now update the chapters anytime. And modern podcast apps are smart enough to check for updated chapters when your audience engages with your episodes.
The optional chapter images are also external URLs, allowing you to swap out the images anytime, or even do cool things like dynamically generated images with promotions, countdowns, dates, and more!
At this time, Podcasting 2.0 chapters still support only the same title, URL, and image fields like legacy chapters. But that will change soon with support for image galleries, videos, blocks of text, polls, and more!
5. Transcripts
I've long seen that transcripts were mostly a waste in the podcasting space. Transcripts are usually low-quality written content and thus are difficult to read and perform very poorly for search-engine optimization (SEO). Some podcasters would even relegate their transcripts to a separate download through their website, making them even less accessible for anyone who might actually need the transcripts for accessibility!
And the big surprise of 2024 was that Apple announced official support for Podcasting 2.0 transcripts starting with iOS 17.4! This is huge because it's the first Podcasting 2.0 feature Apple has supported! And since Apple is still an industry leader and trendsetter in podcasting, you can expect to see a lot of other popular apps start to support the same podcast standard. And that could also open the floodgates to much broader Podcasting 2.0 support!
Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more!
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
Best Podcast Hosting Providers (2024)
Feb 07, 2024
Get the latest top recommendations for the best podcast-hosting providers, whether you're just starting or you're wanting to upgrade your podcasting tools!
You need good podcast hosting to help you distribute your show, keep it online, and understand your reach. Now, podcast hosting can help you with much more, too!
How podcast-hosting has changed
As the podcasting industry is innovating and there are new ways to engage, grow, and monetize, podcast-hosting providers have to keep up!
Years ago, all we needed from a podcast-hosting provider was storage, bandwidth, stats, and maybe their RSS feed (because you might want to generate it separately). And if your show was big enough, you might have a chance at getting a sponsor through your hosting provider.
But today, podcast hosting includes innovative new features, like dynamic content insertion; automatic processing for audio, images, and video; content-creation assistance; marketing tools; engagement outlets; and even built-in ways to monetize your podcast directly from your audience.
This is why I've taken some time to reconsider my recommendations.
And as you'll quickly notice, there is no single best podcast-hosting provider because it really depends on your needs. Thus, I hope the following help you make the choice that's right for your podcast.
(As an affiliate for many providers, I earn from qualifying purchases through most of these following links. But I recommend things I truly believe in, regardless of earnings.)
Best all-inclusive podcast hosting (also for multiple shows): Captivate
I call Captivate the “Apple of podcast hosting” because their design and features are truly innovative. They show your stats in ways that are easy to understand, they offer beautifully designed sites, and they even sync with WordPress!
Reliable, IAB-certified stats
Distributed media hosting for fast downloads
One price for unlimited shows and unlimited uploads
Captivate's podcast hosting has been revolutionary! They offer the most extensive range of features—not merely the typical media-hosting and analytics features, but even features to help you manage your content and monetization!
Their dynamic content insertion tool, AMIE, is—in my opinion—the best in the industry! Yes, you can use it for inserting ads, but you can do so much more with it, like using it for any kind of content! Plus, AMIE makes it quick and easy to prepare old episodes for dynamic content, or even replace old ads like painting over them!
You can also monetize your podcast directly from your audience through Captivate's membership system, donations, exclusive content, and more!
And if you have multiple shows, Captivate lets you run your whole podcast network with a single subscription, and the cheapest plan already supports up to 3 shows at no extra cost.
Pricing is primarily based on the size of your audience, either for downloading or the membership subscriptions.
On top of this, Captivate has the best Podcasting 2.0 support in the industry right now!
There's so much more I could say about Captivate, but I don't want this whole episode/article to be about one provider!
Captivate is my top recommendation for most podcasters!
I had the honor and pleasure of serving on Captivate's advisory board until Captivate was acquired. I don't recommend Captivate because I was an advisor, I accepted that role because I liked what Captivate was doing! I had even previously called Captivate the “Apple of podcast hosting” because of their attention to detail and innovative developments.
Honorable mention goes Transistor, who offer many of the same features as Captivate but actually allow unlimited podcasts on every plan. However, Transistor reserve some features for higher plans.
Best WordPress-based podcast hosting: Blubrry
If you're running a WordPress website, Blubrry's hosting integrates seamlessly with PowerPress—the #1 podcasting plugin for WordPress.
While all my other podcast-hosting recommendations require using their publishing platform to manage your podcast RSS feed, Blubrry is my top recommendation if you want to manage your own publishing platform with WordPress.
WordPress lets you do almost anything with your website! Consider TheAudacitytoPodcast.com. Here, I publish articles, sometimes with interactive charts; I sell video courses, a WordPress plugin (with auto-updates), and even ID3 Editor licenses; I created multiple recommendation pages; I have countless redirects and automatic links; and I designed the site to look exactly how I wanted. All this extra functionality is powered WordPress's extensibility with plugins and themes.
Blubrry's podcast hosting connects seamlessly to all of this through their free PowerPress plugin, which I've used since I think 2007. While Blubrry supports the community so much that they've provided this plugin for free for many years, the best way to use it is pairing it with Blubrry's podcast hosting. Then, instead of going to another website to manage your podcast and possibly having to copy and paste a lot of stuff to your WordPress site, Blubrry integrates it all right in your normal WordPress workflow!
Simply create a post like you normally would in WordPress, and then upload your podcast episode and enter your episode information directly within the same post editor!
Blubrry is also leading the charge on including Podcasting 2.0 features—even some of the experimental ones!
And if you want to get on the bleeding edge of experimentation, you can even extend features of PowerPress yourself with the right tools!
Blubrry's top goal is to help you build your own platform, a platform that you own and fully control. No one else integrates as well with WordPress as Blubrry does!
Plus, PowerPress has become such a standard for podcasting with WordPress that many podcast-ready themes (like my favorites from SecondLine Themes) have built-in support to enhance the podcast players for your website audience!
If you use my link to try Blubrry, make sure you enter my promo code “NOODLE” to get a free month!
Best easy/simple podcast hosting without compromises: Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout is the easiest-to-use podcast-hosting provider but without compromising features!
Reliable, IAB-certified stats
Distributed media hosting for fast downloads
Pricing based on hours of audio per month
Free migration
Highly responsive support
Branding-optional, embeddable, responsive player
Podcasting 2.0 features
Sell premium subscriptions and exclusive content to your audience
Magic Mastering (upgrade) for automatic audio enhancement
Cohost AI (upgrade) for AI-powered help with titles, notes, and more
So far, my recommendations have been feature-rich and all about giving you total power over every aspect of your podcast.
But with great power comes great anxiety!
Thus, I present the oasis of podcast hosting: Buzzsprout!
Buzzsprout has always been one of the easiest-to-use podcasting platforms. But don't let the whitespace and simple looks fool you! Buzzsprout has jumped into my top recommendations because they also provide impressive extra features to help you podcast better, but still without compromising their simplicity!
They offer three impressive features on top of their already great podcast hosting features:
Magic Mastering: Automatically process your podcast audio for clarity and ideal loudness!
Automatic dynamic content: Their AI will find the ideal places to place ads within your content, and even offer ways to grow your own podcast or grow your wallet through these opportunities!
Cohost AI: Get AI-powered suggestions on titles, notes, chapters, and more, right from your podcast-publishing workflow!
It is important to note that some of these features come at upgraded costs. But they can be worth it in the time and brain cells they save you!
I get it. Maybe podcasting is so much your hobby that you can't even afford the relatively low monthly fees for podcast hosting. While I still want to remind you that you will get what you pay for, RedCircle is the only free podcast-hosting provider I recommend.
Their feature offerings aren't as advanced as my previous recommendations, but RedCircle's dynamic-content insertion tools are quite nice, giving you opportunities to pay for your hosting with ads (and earn some money yourself, too).
While I still suggest that you invest in your podcast hosting, if you absolutely need something “free,” RedCircle is the way to go!
Dishonorable mention: Spotify for Podcasters (formerly “Anchor”). Do not use them! Spotify's actions make it seem like they hate the podcast industry because they keep arrogantly ignoring innovations, develop only proprietary features, and are more interested in having you build their platform than providing ways for you to build yours. Because of this and more, I think the true cost of Spotify for Podcasters is too high.
Honorable mention goes to Buzzsprout, but their free plan is limited to only your latest few episodes.
Best video podcast hosting: Libsyn
Regardless of where you host your website (or the CMS you use), Libsyn provides a stable RSS feed with your media, in addition to automatic crossposting to other platforms.
Video podcasting is not nearly as popular as it was in the couple of years before YouTube stole the show. And don't believe the misinformation (maybe even “disinformation”) from corrupted surveys claiming that video podcasting is back or that most audiences prefer video podcasts. All those surveys I've seen are using invalid questions, allow invalid answers, and draw or have led to radically invalid conclusions.
All that said, if you do want a true video podcast, I recommend Libsyn.
Libsyn is the original podcast-hosting provider. And while they haven't innovated nearly as much as I wish (at least at this time), they still offer the best bandwidth bang for your buck, which is crucial for a video podcast!
But it's not only about value, I recommend Libsyn for video podcasting primarily because of this huge feature: integration with YouTube.
Because YouTube is where most people go for independent video content, I suggest everyone who makes a video show to also publish on YouTube! And if you want that exact same show to be both on YouTube and as a real podcast, Libsyn is the way to go!
Libsyn allows you to publish only once and then they will automatically upload your video to YouTube.
On top of that, I believe Libsyn is still the only provider to also bring your video stats back from YouTube and display them with your normal podcast download stats! So none of this checking your stats in two places or publishing your video in two places stuff! Libsyn makes it easy to do both in one place!
Use my promo code “NOODLE” to try Libsyn free for the rest of this month plus all of next month! (That's actually how my promo code always works, because Libsyn always bills at midnight GMT on the first day of the month.)
The best podcast hosting is the one that meets your needs
You can probably tell I rarely recommend a single option and that's because, in many areas, I think there is no single “best” that does everything for everyone. Like most things, my goal is to provide you with the information to make the right choice for yourself.
Engage your audience and grow your podcast!
Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?
Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more!
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
How to Fix Duplicate Listings in Apple Podcasts (or Other Podcast Apps)
Jan 31, 2024
If your podcast is listed twice in Apple Podcasts or another podcast directory, STOP! Don't do anything about it until you read or listen to this!
How to Refresh Your Podcast Branding
Jan 24, 2024
After sharing multiple considerations for refreshing your podcast branding, it's time to wrap it up with the big question: how?
Exciting News: Podcast Award, Podgagement, and Podcast Hall of Fame
Jan 10, 2024
The Audacity to Podcast is back! And before jumping back into the content to help you grow and improve your podcast, I want to share three things I'm really excited about!
When Should You Refresh Your Podcast Branding?
Jun 14, 2023
After considering the benefits of refreshing your podcast branding, you need to decide when it's the right time to do so. Here are some suggestions!
6 Benefits of a Podcast Branding Refresh
May 31, 2023
Thinking about refreshing your podcast branding? Before I discuss the "when," let's consider how your podcast might benefit from a branding refresh.
8 Bonus Content Ideas for Your Podcast
May 24, 2023
Bonus content can be a fun way to engage and reward your loyal podcast audience, either publicly, through an opt-in, or in a premium subscription.
How to Choose the Right Podcast Categories
May 03, 2023
The right category can help your podcast get discovered and featured. But which categories are best for your podcast when there are so many?
Does Your Podcast NEED Video?
Apr 26, 2023
Internet marketers have a new crush on video and many podcasters are starting to feel pressured to create video content. But do you need to add video?
You MUST Disclose Whenever You’re Compensated!
Apr 19, 2023
There are many ways to earn income through podcasting: affiliates, sponsorships, sales, and more. Disclosing when you get compensated is not only the law, but it's also a good way to earn your audience's trust!
Debunking the Myth: “It’s Not Hurting Their Podcast”
Apr 12, 2023
Some podcasters think everything a successful podcaster does directly contributes to their success and not holding them back. But that's false!
Should You Limit Your Available Podcast Episodes?
Apr 05, 2023
As you podcast consistently, you'll build up a back catalog of episodes. But should you keep all of those episodes available?
Are Podcasting 2.0 Micropayments Actually Worth It?
Mar 29, 2023
Podcasting 2.0 introduced a new way for your audience to support your podcast by sending micropayments. This is usually measured by satoshis (abbreviated as "sats"), which are one hundred millionths of a Bitcoin. As such a small portion of cryptocurrency, many people might wonder whether the effort is even worth the return.
8 Ways to Improve Your Podcast Description
Mar 22, 2023
Your podcast description gives you SEO benefits and the vital opportunity to convince a potential audience to try your podcast.
Follow The Future of Podcasting Now!
Mar 15, 2023
I've teamed up with Dave Jackson, from School of Podcasting, to discuss the future of podcasting! We seek to inform you about trends, Podcasting 2.0, and more to help you make your podcast better for yourself and your audience, and we work to explain things in an understandable way.
Best Podcasting Microphones in 2023
Mar 08, 2023
While there can be many great podcast microphones, depending on your needs, here are what I think are the BEST podcasting microphones.
Best Audio-Editing Apps for Podcasting in 2023
Mar 01, 2023
Whether you're just starting your podcast or you've been podcasting for a while, you might find some things easier by using better tools. Here are the audio-editing apps I recommend most for podcasting in 2023.
Avoid These Words in Your Podcast Title
Feb 22, 2023
Here are the words to avoid so you can have the best podcast title that will clearly communicate to potential audiences and stand out in searches.
Should Your Photo Be in Your Podcast Cover Art?
Feb 15, 2023
Podcast cover art is usually the first and most prominent thing people will see about your podcast! So should your photo be in the cover art?
This Is the BEST Link to Share Your Podcast
Feb 08, 2023
Whether you're a guest on someone else's podcast, you're promoting your latest episode on social networks, or you're making marketing materials for your podcast, you might be wondering which link you should use to share your podcast.
Should You Include Guest Names in Your Podcast Episode Titles?
Jan 25, 2023
If you ever have a guest on your podcast, you might be wondering where to put their name. Here are some things to consider for your own podcast.
What’s the Best Time of Day to Publish Podcast Episodes?
Jan 18, 2023
Does it matter what time of day you publish your podcast episodes? Yes! And here are some tips to help you pick when that should be.
What Is the Best Day of the Week to Publish Podcast Episodes?
Jan 11, 2023
Should you publish your podcast episodes on a particular day of the week, avoid the weekends, publish on popular days, or something else?
How to Make Episode Artwork Show in Podcast Apps (even in Apple Podcasts!)
Jan 04, 2023
Enhance the experience for your audience by making unique artwork for each episode. But you need to adapt to how each app might display the image.
Should You Include Seasons in Podcast Episode Titles?
Dec 21, 2022
If your podcast uses seasons, you have multiple options for how to display them. Here's some guidance to help you decide!
Should You Include Episode Numbers in Episode Titles?
Dec 14, 2022
If your podcast uses episode numbers, you have multiple options for how to display them. Here's some guidance to help you decide! But I'll give this warning: it's, unfortunately, more complicated than it should be!
How to Promote Old Podcast Episodes
Nov 30, 2022
Your podcast episodes don't have to "expire" once the next episode is released. With some strategy, you can use your old episodes to continue growing and engaging your audience!
6 Ways to Thank Your Podcast Audience
Nov 23, 2022
You might think your audience should thank YOU for all the work you put into your podcast, but how often do you thank THEM?
Why Does Your Podcast Need Its Own Domain?
Nov 16, 2022
Where do you tell your audience to go for the actions you want them to take? I suggest that should almost always be based on your podcast's own domain name.
6 Free Ways to Podcast Better by Communicating Better
Nov 02, 2022
Presentation is one of the 5 cornerstones of podcasting (content, presentation, production, promotion, and P.R.O.F.I.T.), and how you communicate in your podcast can make the biggest difference in whether people enjoy and benefit from your content.
Audacity Is Improving Fast! Here Are the Top New Features to Try
Oct 26, 2022
The Audacity software is popular among countless podcasters at all levels of production! at some point! It's a free, cross-platform audio-editing app, so almost anyone can use it. But Audacity has historically lagged behind other audio-editing apps until now! So here are some of my favorite new features that I think warrant giving Audacity another try.
When to Use Trailer, Full, and Bonus Episode Types
Oct 19, 2022
A while back, Apple introduced the RSS tag to let you mark individual episodes as "bonus," "full," or "trailer" types. Here's what each type means and how you should use them in your podcast-publishing tools.
Stop Saying Brand Names in Your Podcast! Do These 5 Things Instead
Oct 12, 2022
We use many services in the process of podcasting and engaging our audiences, like Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, SpeakPipe, and more. But saying these brand names in your podcast can overwhelm or confuse your audience and—even worse—break their ability to properly engage with your podcast!
How Proxies and iOS 14.5 Affect Your Podcast
Oct 05, 2022
In summer 2021, iOS 14.5 introduced a major change to Apple Podcasts with implications many podcasters may still not realize. With that update, your audience on Apple Podcasts is no longer getting your podcast directly from your RSS feed, but from a proxy. And that has some potentially bad implications!
What Is Podcasting 2.0 and Why Does It Matter?
Sep 28, 2022
The podcasting industry has grown a lot since its birth in 2004, but the core of what a podcast could be and what it could do hasn't changed much. Now, Podcasting 2.0 revolutionizes the industry with highly requested innovations that will help everyone on all sides of the RSS feeds.
Premium Subscriptions and More Coming to Apple Podcasts
Apr 21, 2021
In Apple's live-streamed presentation on April 20, 2021, they announced several new products and offerings. But in only a couple minutes, Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned Apple Podcasts with announcements that will affect the whole industry.
7 Ways to Improve Your Podcast and Promotion with Jasper AI
Mar 28, 2021
Do you want to improve the content on your podcast? Jasper (formerly known as “Conversion AI” or “Jarvis”) can help! It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate blog post ideas, headlines, phrases, captions for images, and more. How good is it? That first paragraph was generated using Jasper's “Blog Post Intro Paragraph” template!...
Labeling Podcasters: Amateur vs. Skilled
May 26, 2020
How serious are you about improving and growing your podcast?
Labeling Podcasters: Independent vs. Corporate
May 19, 2020
Who has the final say for your podcast?
Labeling Podcasters: Hobbyist vs. Professional
May 12, 2020
Do you podcast for the fun or art of it, or to build a business?
7 Kinds of Podcast Images for Marketing and Branding
May 05, 2020
Even though podcasting is usually an audio-only experience, attractive images can enhance your podcast branding and help you promote your podcast better!
Are There Too Many Podcasts?
Apr 28, 2020
On Friday, April 17, 2020, Apple Podcasts surpassed 1 million valid podcasts in their catalog. So have we reached "peak podcast"? Is it too late to start a podcast? Will your podcast only be lost in the sea of over 1 million other podcasts?
Why We Retired Our Podcast Network
Apr 21, 2020
Did you know I once directed a podcast network? I retired it in spring 2019, and here are some lesson I hope can help you.
How to Transfer Recordings Faster from the RØDECaster Pro
Apr 14, 2020
Here are some tips to help with one of the biggest complaints I've heard about the RØDECaster Pro.
Overcoming Perfectionism in Podcasting
Apr 07, 2020
What I'm learning, doing, and reminding myself to overcome perfectionism. I hope this will help you in your own podcasting journey, too.
There Are Now More than 800,000 Podcasts, and More Industry Stats
Dec 17, 2019
On December 10, 2019, Apple Podcasts surpassed 800,000 valid podcasts! Here's some more information and statistics on the podcast industry, with data from My Podcast Reviews.
Should You Use the Gutenberg Editor on Your WordPress Website?
Nov 05, 2019
Switching to the Gutenberg Editor was probably the most controversial change in WordPress's history. I'll help you decide whether you should start using Gutenberg for your podcast's WordPress website.
How to Conquer Your WordPress Design with a Page-Builder
Oct 29, 2019
If you're frustrated by your WordPress theme's limitations, you don't know how to or don't want to write custom code, or you want a lot more flexibility in your website, you might want to consider a page-builder plugin for WordPress.
These Are the New Best WordPress Themes for Podcasters
Oct 22, 2019
Podcasters need a WordPress theme designed with features and flexibility to support podcasting. Here's why I think SecondLine Themes are your new best choice!
Who Offers the Fastest Podcast Hosting?
Jun 29, 2019
Podcast media and feed hosting performance comparisons between the most popular and some not-so-popular podcast hosting providers.
Kicked from Apple Podcasts? What Happens When You Keyword-Stuff Podcast Tags
Nov 09, 2018
Apple is cracking down on keyword-stuffing in podcast tags. Here's information from testing and experience to help you protect your podcast!
How to Recover from a Failed Podcast
Nov 28, 2017
A podcast failure doesn't mean you should quit podcasting. Here are 9 steps to help you recover and keep moving forward!
Why You Should NOT Publish Audio Podcasts on YouTube
Nov 21, 2017
Many podcasting tools offer the ability to automatically crosspost your audio podcast to YouTube. Here are eleven reasons I think you shouldn't do that.
How to Work with Other Podcasters
Nov 14, 2017
Working with other podcasters can be energizing, but it can also feed your inner troll. Here's how you can build friendships instead of enemies in podcasting.
Why Feed Hits and Monthly Downloads are Meaningless Podcast Stats
Nov 07, 2017
Feed hits and monthly downloads are two podcast stats the may confuse or mislead podcasters. Here's why you should never rely on these meaningless numbers.
Journey inside the podcasting business with this new daily podcast
Nov 03, 2017
Inside the Podcasting Business gives you a behind-the-scenes perspective on the decision, strategies, tools, and more in a business built from a podcast.
Should You Launch a Podcast with Multiple Episodes?
Oct 31, 2017
A podcast launch can be fun and jumpstart momentum for growth. Starting your podcasting with multiple episodes is often advised, but is it right for you?
8 Things to Check with Your Media Host’s Podcast RSS Feed
Oct 24, 2017
Regardless of who you use to host your podcast media and generate your podcast RSS feed, check these eight things to own your platform.
Podcasting Lessons from a Binge-Listener
Oct 17, 2017
Podcasting is a time-shifted media. Some fans will binge on all your content, which can reveal some areas to improve your podcast. Here are 12 lessons.
How YOU Can Help Podcasting Grow
Oct 04, 2017
Podcasting is unlike any other media. You, as a podcast-fan or a podcaster, are the most powerful influence to bring more people to podcasts.
How to Support Your Podcast Audience on Android
Oct 03, 2017
Apple gets a lot of attention in podcasting, but Android is actually more popular than iOS. Here's how to not forget your Android podcast fans!
Why iOS 11 Is Great for Podcasts and Podcasting
Sep 26, 2017
Apple released iOS 11 on September 19 for iPhones and iPads. It brings many new features to support podcasting and improve podcast consumption! Here's what I think you should love.
Should You Podcast with a Cohost?
Sep 19, 2017
Should you podcast alone, or get a cohost? Cohosts can make some things easier, some things harder. Here's help you to pick what's right for your podcasting.
6 Times to Follow Up in Podcasting
Sep 12, 2017
Effective follow-up can make a huge difference to the growth and success of your podcast. Here are some tips to help you!
Avoid These Mistakes If You Go to Events
Sep 05, 2017
Attending events relevant or beneficial to your podcast can hold exciting opportunities—unless you make these mistakes.
What Is Podcasting PROFIT?
Aug 29, 2017
To "profit" from your podcast means money to many people. But I think "PROFIT" stands for something more, and every podcast needs it!
Best Podcasting Gear for Event Interviews
Aug 22, 2017
Recording audio or video podcasts at an event can present many challenges. Here's the onsite podcasting equipment I recommend to make your production great!
What Does It Take to Make Your Podcast Better?
Aug 15, 2017
If your podcast isn't improving, it might be stagnating. This can hurt your growth and your potential. Here's what you need to improve!
3 Options for Minimal and Portable Podcasting Gear
Aug 08, 2017
You may not need to spend thousands on multiple pieces of audio equipment to get a good-sounding podcast. Here are modern solutions.
How to Start Using the New iTunes Podcast Tags for iOS 11
Aug 01, 2017
With the release of iOS 11, Apple supports new podcasting tags for your podcast RSS feed. Here's how you can start using them today.
How to Get People to Share Your Podcast
Jul 25, 2017
Word of mouth is the best way to grow your podcast. Here's how you can inspire and equip your audience to share your podcast.
The 5 Kinds of People You Should Have in Your Circle
Jul 18, 2017
You are influenced by the people around you. So here is who you should have in your circle to help your podcast succeed.
How to Get Press Access for Your Podcast
Jul 11, 2017
Press access can get you sneak peeks, free trials, and more value for your audience. Here are 11 tips to help your podcast get these special media privileges.
The Powerful Independence of Podcasting
Jul 04, 2017
While Americans celebrate their independence on July 4, we podcasters can celebrate our independence with every episode! Here's what makes the independence of podcasting so powerful.
How to Reignite Your Passion in Podcasting
Jun 27, 2017
You may sometimes fall into a podcasting rut and you've lost your passion. Here are 9 tips to help you get out of the funk and back to your podcast!
Apple’s iOS 11, Podcast Analytics, and Podcasting Spec Update
Jun 20, 2017
At the 2017 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple announced several big changes that will help podcasters and podcast-consumers. Here's what you need to know.
7 Promotion Strategies for Current-Events Podcasts
Jun 13, 2017
Podcast episodes about current events (including fan shows) may not have a long life, but you can still use them to promote and grow your podcast!
6 Ways to Make Your Content Live Longer
Jun 06, 2017
"Long tail" is when a podcast has a long life of relevance and consumption. Learn how to keep your old episodes alive and use them to grow your audience.
Why and How Your Podcast Needs Loudness Normalization
May 30, 2017
Loudness normalization conforms audio to a perceived loudness level. Learn why that's important in podcasting and how to make your podcast meet the standard.
How to Move Podcast Hosts and Your RSS Feed
May 23, 2017
Moving podcast hosting companies and keeping your subscribers doesn't have to be complicated. Here's what you need to know, especially to avoid losing your entire audience.
Is There an Ideal Length for Podcast Episodes?
May 16, 2017
Episode length is sometimes a heated discussion in podcasting. There's helpful data from different sources. But what's right for your podcast? I'll help you decide!
How to Get Good Audio from Your Podcast Guests
May 09, 2017
Interviewing non-podcasters presents many challenges, so here's my advice to ensure you get the best sound quality possible from your podcast guests.
What to Do When You Have Too Many Podcast Episodes in Your RSS Feed
May 02, 2017
When you have more podcast episodes than your RSS feed holds, it can affect your audience, marketing, and more. Here are eight options to fix it.
What You Need to Know about Episode Limits and Your Podcast RSS Feed
Apr 25, 2017
After podcasting for a while and you may see old episodes disappear from podcast directories and your RSS feed. Here are seven things you should know.
Preparing for and Learning from Your First Podcast Episode
Apr 04, 2017
To celebrate 300 episodes of The Audacity to Podcast, I'm drawing lessons from this show's first episode to help you launch your podcast better, or learn how you can improve.
8 Ways to Use People for Automation in Podcasting
Mar 21, 2017
People can be wonderful parts of your podcasting team and be so skilled that you simply assign a task and they return amazing results—it's like automation!
13 WordPress-Based Automation Tools for Podcasting
Mar 14, 2017
WordPress is powerful for running your podcast website and it can be the base for automating your podcasting workflow. Here are 13 WordPress plugins to help your podcast automation!
24 Internet-Based Automation Tools for Podcasting
Mar 07, 2017
Web services can automate parts of your podcasting workflow, even when you're not online! Here are my favorite web-based automation tools.
9 Windows- and macOS-Based Automation Tools for Podcasting
Feb 28, 2017
PCs (Windows or macOS) are powerful podcasting tools and ideal for automation. Here are 9 tools for automating many computer-based podcasting workflows.
4 Steps to Critique Your Own Podcast
Feb 21, 2017
Regularly evaluating and critiquing your own your podcast, especially from your audience's perspective, will help you improve and grow the podcast. Here are four steps to get you started.
How to Continue Podcasting When Your Life Is Unpredictable
Feb 14, 2017
Life can get crazy and unpredictable. It can be joyous moments like a birth or marriage. It can be sad moments like a death or job loss. It can be trying moments like a move or transition of any kind. Here are 10 tips for keeping your podcast going, despite life's challenges.
7 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Audience During a Podcast Hiatus
Dec 06, 2016
Whether you're planning a holiday break, a seasonal hiatus, or need some time off, here are ways to stay connected with your audience so they will anticipate your show's return.
Should Your Podcast Take a Holiday Break?
Nov 29, 2016
Christmas, New Year's Day, and many more holidays affect people differently. Learn whether you should keep podcasting or take a break during a holiday.
Podcast SEO for iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and More
Nov 22, 2016
Dispel the myths and misconceptions about podcast search-engine optimization (SEO). Learn what actually does and doesn't matter in podcasting.
Is Your Podcast a Reference, or a Habit for Your Audience?
Nov 15, 2016
Reference or habit? These two approaches to your podcast could make a huge difference in engaging with your community and growing your audience.
How to Stay Safe and Secure in Podcasting
Nov 08, 2016
Internet security and privacy are deeply connected and important to your safety. Here are 17 tips to help you stay safe and secure in podcasting.
How to Protect Your Privacy While Podcasting
Nov 01, 2016
Your privacy is important and you could be compromising it with your podcast! Here are eight ways to protect your personal and professional privacy.
How to Record Podcasts in Multitrack
Oct 25, 2016
Here are several ways to accomplish the flexibility of multitrack recording with different podcasting hardware and software.
Why and Why Not to Record Podcasts in Multitrack
Oct 18, 2016
Multitrack recording keeps audio source separate. Here are some reason why you may and may not want to record your podcast in multiple tracks.
10 Ethical Tips to Monetize Your Podcast with Affiliate Marketing
Oct 11, 2016
Whether podcasting for business or pleasure, affiliate marketing can be a great way to monetize your podcast. Here are 10 tips to help you use it effectively.
How to Find Local Podcasters
Oct 04, 2016
Hanging out with other podcasters can be inspiring and profitable! Here are five tips to help you find and connect with other podcasters in your area.
Why You Should Stop Asking Your Audience for So Much
Sep 27, 2016
Podcasters tend to ask too much of their audience and often too soon. Here's why that could be hurting your podcast and how to overcome it.
6 Ways Podcasters and Podcast-Fans Can Celebrate International Podcast Day in 2016
Sep 20, 2016
International Podcast Day is September 30. Here's how to celebrate podcasting, whether you're a podcaster or a podcast fan!
Stop Obsessing over These 10 Podcasting Things
Sep 13, 2016
Podcasters are often guilty of OCPD. It's okay to intently focus on important things, but here are ten podcasting things not worth the obsession.
Redirects and How to Use Them in Podcasting
Sep 06, 2016
Learn about 301 and 307 redirects: what they are, which ones to use, how to make them, and how to use them effectively.
What Makes Podcasting More Intimate than Other Media
Aug 30, 2016
Podcasting connects with people in more personal—even more intimate—way than blogging, radio, video, and more. Here are 8 things that make podcasts different.
Creative Solutions to Podcasting Problems
Aug 23, 2016
Concluding the series on fixing common podcasting problems, here are ways others have creatively solved problems they faced with their podcasts.
How to Fix Common Podcast Interview Problems
Aug 16, 2016
Interviews can create good content and share powerful stories across all media. Podcasting is full of interviews with problems, here's how to fix them.
How to Fix Common WordPress Problems
Aug 09, 2016
WordPress is the best platform for blogging and podcasting, but it can break sometimes. Here is how to fix the most common problems you may face with WordPress.
Podcasting Lessons from a Sabbatical, Personal Rebranding, and Podcast Movement 2016
Jul 12, 2016
Podcasting encouragement and tips about taking breaks, refocusing, saying "no" so you can say "yes," and Podcast Movement 2016.
How to Fix Common Podcast Recording Problems
Jun 14, 2016
Recording problems can result in noisy, corrupted, or missing audio. Test before anything important! Here are solutions to these common podcasting problems.
How to Fix Common iTunes Podcast Problems
Jun 07, 2016
iTunes is the largest podcast directory and it powers many podcast apps. Here's how to fix the most common podcasting problems you may face with iTunes.
How to Fix Common Podcast RSS Feed Problems
May 31, 2016
If your RSS feed breaks, your podcast breaks. So here are the most common RSS problems you may face in podcasting and how to fix them.
Should You Host Your Own Podcast RSS Feed?
May 24, 2016
Where you host your podcast RSS feed is crucial for ownership and control. Here are some things to consider for whether you should host your feed yourself.
How to Shrink Your Podcast RSS Feed and Why It Matters
May 17, 2016
RSS is the core to distributing your podcast. Here's why the RSS size matters, what affects the feed size, and how to reduce the size of your podcast RSS feed.
Should You Rebrand a Podcast, or Launch a New Show?
May 10, 2016
When changing directions in podcasting, should you rebrand your existing podcast and keep your audience, or launch a new podcast and start over from nothing?
Podcasting Tasks You Should and Shouldn’t Delegate
May 03, 2016
Feeling frustrated or overwhelmed with your podcasting tasks? You may need to delegate in order to improve! Getting help doesn't have to cost.
Overcoming the Hardest Things You May Face in Podcasting
Apr 26, 2016
Effective podcasting can be hard work. When hard things come, you may feel like giving up. Here are the hardest things you may face, and some tips for overcoming them.
How to Help the Podcasting Industry Grow
Apr 19, 2016
Don't wait for your friends, family, and people you meet to discover podcasts on their own! Here are six tips to get more people listening to podcasts.
The Best WordPress Themes for Podcasters (2016)
Apr 12, 2016
These WordPress themes will help your podcast branding, engagement, and growth. Plus, these best themes could make your podcasting easier!
What Good Are Podcast Ratings and Reviews?
Apr 05, 2016
Podcasters often ask for ratings and reviews, and I created My Podcast Reviews to get all your reviews and more. But do ratings and reviews actually matter? Here are 7 ways ratings and reviews are important for your podcast's growth and success.
How to AVOID Mistakes in Your Podcast
Mar 29, 2016
If you hate podcast-editing, then invest the time to avoid making mistakes while podcasting. Here are 5 tips to help you podcast with fewer mistakes.
5 Powerful Ways to Grow Your Podcast’s Audience
Mar 22, 2016
Nearly every podcaster wants a bigger audience. Simply promoting your podcast isn't good enough, you need to actually grow your audience. These five methods will give you the best podcasting growth!
8 Guaranteed Ways to Increase Your Podcast’s Downloads (and Why You Shouldn’t)
Mar 15, 2016
Podcasters often focus on increasing downloads for better stats. These tongue-in-cheek ways will boost your podcast download but not grow your audience.
Is Batching Right for Your Podcasting Workflow?
Mar 08, 2016
Batching can be an effective way to improve your podcasting workflow. But is it right for your podcast? Consider these benefits and disadvantages.
Apple’s Podcasts Connect and Other Changes for Podcasters (Early 2016)
Mar 01, 2016
In early 2016, Apple launched Podcasts Connect for podcasters to manager their shows in iTunes and the Podcasts apps. Here's more on these podcasting updates.
5 Ways to Optimize Your Podcast Website
Feb 23, 2016
Does your podcast website accomplish what it needs to? Here are five ways to optimize your podcast's site for goals, mobile, SEO, speed, and accessibility.
14 Features Your Podcast Website Needs
Feb 16, 2016
How your website functions is highly influenced by the features you add with plugins and coding. Here are my general recommendations for podcast websites.
6 Needs for Your Podcast’s Website Design or WordPress Theme
Feb 09, 2016
Ensure your podcast website is designed with these six things to help grow your audience, engage better, and build your authority. These will help you whether you're hiring a designer, choosing a WordPress theme, or using a website-builder.
How to Choose the Right Hosting for Your Podcast Website
Feb 02, 2016
Your podcast needs its own website in order to be successful. Here's how to choose the right Internet home for your podcasting needs.
10 Podcasting Things You Should Update Every Year
Jan 26, 2016
Keep your podcast growing and up to date with these ten things you may want to update at least every year.
How to Plan a Full Year of Your Podcast
Jan 19, 2016
Plan out the next year of your podcast with these 5 steps. This will help you save time and focus on accomplishing your podcasting goals.
What’s Coming from The Audacity to Podcast in 2016
Jan 12, 2016
Here are my plans for what I'll be doing to help podcasters in 2016.
Podcasting Predictions, Fears, and Hopes for 2016
Jan 05, 2016
Several podcasters share expectations, concerns, and anticipations for podcasting in 2016.
5 New Year’s Resolutions for Podcasters
Dec 29, 2015
It's the new year and this is a time for many New Year's resolutions. Here are five podcasting resolutions I suggest for your podcast in the coming 365 days.
Are You a Podcasting Giver, Taker, or Waster?
Dec 22, 2015
There are givers, takers, and wasters all around us. Which one are you and your podcast?
8 Things to Make Easier for Your Podcast Audience
Dec 15, 2015
Discovery may not be the biggest problem you face in growing your podcast. It could be that your podcast isn't easy! Here are 8 podcasting tips to help you reach your audience better.
Addressing Controversy in Your Podcast with “LAURA”
Dec 08, 2015
There are controversial issues in every industry, including those covered by podcasting. Remember "LAURA" when you need to discuss controversy in your podcast.
11 Tips to Write Podcast Show Notes FASTER
Nov 24, 2015
Next to podcast-editing, show-notes writing is one of the most dreaded parts of podcasting. Here are several suggestions for speeding up the process!
13 Tips for Faster Podcast Editing
Nov 10, 2015
Podcast editing is one of the most tedious and hated parts of podcasting. Here are several tips for faster audio- and video-editing.
Ideal Equipment for a Video Podcasting Studio
Nov 03, 2015
Video podcasting requires a lot of different gear from audio podcasting. Consider these 7 categories of podcasting equipment for a video podcast.
Ideal Equipment for an Audio Podcasting Studio
Oct 27, 2015
Before you buy all kinds of podcasting gear that you may not need, consider these 7 categories of equipment for an audio podcast.
How to Optimize Your Podcasting Studio for Good Video
Oct 20, 2015
Recording video (for podcasting, YouTube, etc.) adds several layers of complexity over audio. Here are 6 tips for getting better video from your studio.
How to Optimize Your Podcasting Studio for Good Audio
Oct 13, 2015
Whatever space you use for podcasting might need a little work on the acoustics to help your podcasts sound better. Here are 6 tips to get you started improving your "studio" for audio.
How to Make a Podcasting Budget
Oct 06, 2015
Podcasting costs money. Before you spend more money on podcasting gear and other podcast resources, learn how to create a podcasting budget and stay within it.
How Creation vs. Evolution Theories Affect Your Podcasting
Sep 29, 2015
This is not a debate between scientific theories and interpretations of evidence, but it's about your approach toward expectations and efforts in growing your podcast.
10 Tips for Streaming Live Shows - TAP236
Sep 22, 2015
Periscope and Blab have brought fresh attention to live-streaming. These tips will help you host a better live show regardless of what technology you use.
When and How Should You End a Podcast?
Sep 15, 2015
Everything ends, so here are some tips for deciding when to retire your podcast and how to do it without "podfading."
How to celebrate International Podcast Day
Sep 01, 2015
International Podcast Day is September 30. Here's how to start the conversation and celebrate podcasting!
How Podcasters’ Society will help you grow your podcast from average to amazing
Aug 25, 2015
I'm thrilled to announce the launch of Podcasters' Society—an exclusive podcasting community for podcasters like you to equip and encourage you to improve your podcasts.
When to Upgrade Your Podcasting Tools
Aug 18, 2015
Microphones, mixers, software, and more podcasting tools can help you podcast better, but here are 5 ways to decide when it's worth upgrading your podcast equipment.
Podcast Movement 2015 Reactions and Review
Aug 11, 2015
Podcast Movement is now the best podcasting conference by and for podcasters. Here are my reactions and review of the 2015 event in Fort Worth, Texas.
What Is Your Biggest Lesson from Podcasting?
Aug 04, 2015
Hear great podcasters share their biggest personal, business, and other lessons they have learned from podcasts and podcasting. Recorded live at Podcast Movement 2015.
How to Get the Most from Podcasting and Social-Media Conferences
Jul 28, 2015
Conferences are wonderful for networking, learning, and presenting. Here are 21 tips for getting the most from any kind of podcasting or social-media conference or event you may attend.
How to Change the Title of Your Podcast
Jul 21, 2015
Whether you're rebranding your show, or you're trying to improve your podcast SEO, here's everything you need to change your podcast title.
7 New & Noteworthy WordPress Plugins for Podcasters (2015)
Jul 14, 2015
WordPress plugins can make your podcast website even better. Here are the best plugins from 2015 I think podcasters should consider.
11 WordPress Troubleshooting Tips
Jul 07, 2015
Your WordPress website is crashing, slowing down, or your PowerPress podcast RSS feed is broken. Try these 11 tips to diagnose and repair the most common problems for bloggers and podcasters.
How to Prepare Yourself for Video Podcasting or Live-Streaming
Jun 30, 2015
Get yourself ready for video podcasting or live-streaming with these 11 tips!
How to prepare yourself for audio podcasting
Jun 22, 2015
Get your body and voice ready for recording an audio or video podcast with these 12 preparation tips!
5 lessons from 5 years of professional podcasting
Jun 16, 2015
The Audacity to Podcast is now five years old. These are the biggest five lessons I learned from taking podcasting seriously and professionally for the last five years.
The Future of Podcasting (keynote from Podcast Midwest 2015)
Jun 09, 2015
The future of podcasting is more than "more": more podcasts, more podcasters, more money, more Android/iPhone, etc. I presented this as the opening keynote for Podcast Midwest 2015 in Chicago. Big thanks to Dan Franks and Jared Easley for inviting me to speak.
15 years of Audacity: interview with creator Roger Dannenberg
May 26, 2015
May 28, 2015 is Audacity's 15th birthday! Celebrate with me as I speak with Audacity founder and creator, Professor Roger Dannenberg.
8 tools for collaborating with podcast guests and cohosts
May 19, 2015
Collaboration is important when podcasting with guests or cohosts. These free and premium tools will help your plan your episodes and show notes better!
Are you podcasting as an amateur, professional, hobbyist, or entrepreneur?
May 04, 2015
It seems that podcasts split themselves into two sides: "amateur" and "professional." But are these really the right labels? How should this affect how you podcast?
Thoughts from Podcast Awards, NMX, and NAB Show 2015
Apr 28, 2015
There were many great topics, podcasting gear, video equipment, and conversations at New Media Expo (NMX) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show. Here are my biggest thoughts and takeaways.
Favorite podcasting tools (2015) from New Media Expo
Apr 20, 2015
Recorded from New Media Expo 2015, hear podcasters' favorite podcasting tools and share your own!
What’s new in Audacity 2.1.0
Mar 30, 2015
Celebrate Audacity's 15th birthday early with version 2.1.0! This introduces real-time effects previews, better monitoring meters, a new and improved noise-reduction effect, support for Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite, and more!
How to make your podcast mobile-friendly
Mar 23, 2015
People are listening to, watching, and subscribing to podcasts more on mobile devices than anything else. Here are nine things to make your podcast mobile-friendly.
What to do when your podcast isn’t going well
Mar 16, 2015
Whether a single podcast episode or a whole podcast series, there will be moments when something isn't going well. Here's how you can rescue your podcast.
Should you monetize your podcast?
Mar 10, 2015
Podcasting attracts all kinds of individuals: purists, hobbyists, marketers, traditional broadcasters, wannabe entrepreneurs, and more. Some get into podcasting specifically to make money, some hope just to cover expenses, and some have no plans to monetize and may even believe the art should remain free of cost and advertising. Thus, we raise the question, should we even try monetizing a podcast?
3 approaches to podcasting that could make or break your success
Mar 02, 2015
Whether you're already podcasting or about to start podcasting, how you approach your show could contribute to success or failure. Here are three approaches you can take, and how to work best with each of them.
Should You Podcast in Seasons?
Feb 23, 2015
Most TV shows are seasonal for good reasons. But does a seasonal schedule or approach have a place in podcasting? Here are the pros and cons.
12 ways to use an iPad or Android tablet with podcasting
Feb 17, 2015
Podcasting with an iPad or Android tablet is possible, but have you consider adding a tablet to your current podcasting workflow? Here's how to use a tablet with your podcast!
5 ways to make your podcast audience love you
Feb 10, 2015
Does your audience love your podcast? Do they love you? Here's how to earn the love of your podcast listeners to grow your podcast.
Ethics in Podcasting?
Feb 03, 2015
How ethical are your podcast promotion, profit, promises, and pride? This is a free-flowing episode where I share my genuine thoughts on these issues, after being an "innocent accomplice" to unethical Twitter-bombing.
The 4 cornerstones of a great podcast
Jan 26, 2015
Content, presentation, production, and promotion. These are the four cornerstones for a great podcast. A lack of quality in these could hurt the growth of your podcast. But improve these cornerstones and you will grow your podcast.
How podcasters are making money with podcasting
Jan 19, 2015
Learn the monetization strategies that other podcasters are using as I'm joined by Brian from ProfitCast in this special crossover episode.
5 product ideas for podcasters
Jan 12, 2015
Many podcasters want to make money from podcasting, either to pay for your hobby or for a business.
How to set and achieve SMART goals for your podcast
Jan 05, 2015
What goals do you have for your podcast? Are they specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based? Learn how to set and achieve your goals with your podcast!
New live-streaming options for podcasters
Dec 15, 2014
Here are the new live-streaming technologies I now recommend to podcasters who want to broadcast live.
7 Free Ways to Speed Up Your Website without Switching Web-Hosting
Dec 08, 2014
Make your WordPress website load faster with simple, free ways. You may not even have to upgrade your web-hosting!
How to celebrate podcast milestones
Dec 01, 2014
Podcasting can have many milestones—episode numbers, birthdays, and more. Here are some suggestions for celebrating your podcast milestones.
Achieving massive success through podcasting (with John Lee Dumas)
Nov 24, 2014
To celebrate the 200th episode of my podcast about podcasting, I talk with John Lee Dumas about his massive podcasting success and pull tips and tricks we can use to grow our own podcasts.
Honest Audello review and the trends of podcasting tools
Nov 18, 2014
I'm going to cut through all the hype and reveal some of the truths in my Audello review for podcasting.
13 Ways to Use an Email List for Your Podcast
Nov 11, 2014
Email lists aren't just for marketing. They provide a direct and highly actionable connection with your audience. I now recommend that all podcasters have an email list, and here's how you can use it!
8 household items to help you podcast better
Nov 03, 2014
Before you spend money on expensive podcasting gear, you may already have things in your home or office that can improve the quality of your podcast. Add you own suggestions and stories in the comments!
The 5 PowerPress podcast feeds and when to use them
Oct 28, 2014
The Blubrry PowerPress podcasting plugin gives five methods for creating your podcast RSS feed from WordPress. Here's what each one means and when you should use them.
How to brainstorm future podcast topics
Oct 21, 2014
Your podcast needs a plan if you hope to reach any success. I often suggest making a list of topics for podcasting, and here are 4 ways to plan your upcoming podcast topics—whether you're already podcasting or just launching your podcast.
10 production mistakes podcasters make
Oct 13, 2014
We all make podcasting mistakes. Here are 10 things many podcasters do wrong with their podcast production.
9 podcasting news highlights from September, 2014
Oct 06, 2014
September was a big month for podcasting (and also seen as the 10-year anniversary). Here are the nine podcasting news items you should not have missed!
What Can You Accomplish with a Podcast?
Sep 29, 2014
Podcasting is an amazing tool by which anyone can use their voice to change the world! In celebration of National Podcast Day, I'll share four amazing things you can accomplish with a podcast.
How to make great podcast cover art
Sep 23, 2014
Podcast cover art is often a potential subscriber's first impression of your podcast. Here are the technical specs and ten elements of great podcast artwork.
How to Deal with Negative Podcast Reviews (and Other Negative Feedback)
Sep 15, 2014
The more popular you get, the more likely you'll receive some negative feedback: a scathing 1-star iTunes review, a nasty email, or mean comments. Here are 10 ways to deal with this negative feedback toward your blog or podcast.
How to use a text-expander for faster podcasting
Sep 08, 2014
A text-expander lets you type a few characters and then expands out to full text. Here are ten ways to use TextExpander for OS X or PhraseExpress for Windows to podcast faster.
How much time does it take to podcast?
Sep 02, 2014
Happy Labor Day! In celebration of this American holiday, I'll share how much you should expect podcasting to take, how to speed up your workflow, and how I work with my podcasts.
Top 5 highlights from Podcast Movement 2014
Aug 25, 2014
Podcast Movement 2014 was an amazing podcasting conference! Here are the top highlights for podcasters.
10 ways to use YouTube with podcasting and growing an audience
Aug 11, 2014
YouTube is not a podcasting platform, but podcasters can still use YouTube WITH podcasting. As another point of distribution, YouTube can help with search-engine optimization (SEO), growing your podcast audience, and complementing your platform.
25 free podcasting tools as good as their paid alternatives
Aug 04, 2014
Popular, free podcasting tools you can use to create, host, and grow your podcast without buying the premium alternatives. Audio, video, website, and more tools to help you be a successful podcaster without having to be rich.
What to do when you don’t feel like blogging or podcasting
Jul 28, 2014
We've all had days where we just didn't feel ready to write or speak. Here are ten tips for how to blog or podcast when you don't feel like it.
Should you podcast under your real name, or a pseudonym?
Jul 22, 2014
Some podcasters will consider using a fake name for themselves to protect their identity while podcasting. This also applies to blogging and making YouTube videos. Learn more about when a pseudonym is a good idea and when it would be the wrong decision for your blog, podcast, YouTube channel, or any online branding.
Are you really a “podcaster” and should you really be podcasting?
Jul 14, 2014
Is "podcast" really the right label for the content we produce? Can just any audio or video content on the Internet be a podcast? And is podcasting really the thing you should be doing for your hobby or business?
Does your podcast NEED interaction or an email list?
Jul 07, 2014
Interaction often sets podcasting apart from traditional media. Podcast listeners have learned that hosts are generally responsive and feedback is often included. But do you need to interact in order to have a successful podcast?
Marketers are always talking about the importance of building your email list. Many will even cite their list (usually a very big one) as being the source for millions of dollars in sales. Do you really need an email list for you podcast?
Is iTunes really THE place for podcasts? Do you NEED a mobile app?
Jun 30, 2014
Most podcasters will consider iTunes as the podcast directory. But should you stop there? Or should you even bother with iTunes and get a mobile app for your podcast instead?
Does SEO really matter in podcasting?
Jun 23, 2014
Everyone talks about your search-engine optimization (SEO) with _every_ platform on the web. But does SEO really matter if you host a podcast instead of blogging?
Do you REALLY need to edit your podcasts? What about authenticity?
Jun 16, 2014
Editing is a savior to some, and hell to others. But do you really need to edit your podcasts? Or should you be editing when you don't?
Do you REALLY need audio/visual branding or promos for your podcast?
Jun 10, 2014
You've probably considered your branding and promos as tools to grow your podcast audience, or to look and sound better. But are these worth the costs, or might there be better ways to reach these podcasting goals?
Should you launch your podcast with Episode 0? Does iTunes New and Noteworthy REALLY matter?
Jun 02, 2014
"Episode 0" is a common strategy to help you launch your podcast in iTunes and help you get into "New & Noteworthy." But do either of these actually matter for starting your podcast?
Are Episode Numbers REALLY Necessary?
May 26, 2014
Do episode numbers really matter to you or your audience? Is there a better way to title your episodes or make your show-notes URLs?
Does audio/video quality ACTUALLY matter? Is a dynamic mic REALLY the best?
May 19, 2014
The quality of your podcast production may be a criterion people use for choosing their podcasts, but how much does it really matter? Dynamic microphones are also praised as the best microphones (with the Heil PR40 being the "golden standard"). But is this really the kind of microphone you should consider?
Do you REALLY need passion? Is consistency THAT important?
May 12, 2014
Passion and consistency are two qualities that most podcasters herald as requirements for podcasting. But do you really need these qualities to succeed with your podcast? Let's challenge this podcasting assumption and find out!
Does audience size REALLY matter? Should you REALLY monetize?
May 05, 2014
It seems every podcaster wants a big audience and wants sponsorships. But do you really need either of these to be successful? Can you make money with a small audience? Should you really try to get sponsors with a big audience?
Do you REALLY need podcast stats or media hosting?
Apr 28, 2014
Stats help you measure your audience and performance. Media hosting moves your podcast files away from your website server. But are either of these services really necessary for podcasting?
Do you REALLY need a website and WordPress for podcasting?
Apr 21, 2014
I usually recommend self-hosted WordPress for podcasting from your own website, and so do many other professionals. But is this really the best option for running your podcast and creating your podcast RSS feed?
How to host multiple podcasts on a single website
Apr 14, 2014
How to setup WordPress and PowerPress to let your one website host several podcasts. Learn about custom channels, category podcasting, and third-party providers. This topic was requested by Jonathan Downham from The Critical Care Practitioner Podcast. Consider before you start another podcast Starting another podcast can be fun, but also stressful. I previously shared 16 things...
5 steps to pick what you should podcast about
Apr 07, 2014
Choosing the right topic for your podcast can seem difficult. Here are five questions to ask yourself with picking the right ideas for your future podcasting.
What is RSS? And why you MUST own yours
Mar 31, 2014
RSS makes podcasting possible. I'll explain what RSS is and why not owning your RSS feed could mean losing all of your subscribers.
10 super-simple tricks for speeding up your podcasting workflow
Mar 24, 2014
Imagine publishing podcast episodes faster! These simple hacks will improve your podcasting workflow in the little details. Each of these may take only a few minutes to setup and may not seem to save much time. But even saving 30 seconds per day adds up to more than two hours per year.
6 P’s for a Proven Podcasting Workflow
Mar 17, 2014
How do you podcast from nothing to a finished, publicized episode? Here are six main steps with key implementations to make a podcasting workflow like the professionals!
Podcasting “preflight” checklist
Mar 10, 2014
Before you press record, make sure you've checked these 20 things to ensure a quality podcast.
Should your podcast be audio, or video?
Mar 04, 2014
Whether you're a new or experienced podcaster, you may face the decision of whether to be in audio or video podcasting. Here are the pros and cons of each format, and things you should consider.
What to do when your podcast makes money
Feb 24, 2014
You've finally started making money podcasting! Now you must decide how to handle that income. Here are ten tips for what to do with podcast profits.
11 web pages your podcast needs and how to create them
Feb 17, 2014
Your podcast website should house more than just your episode archive. Here are eleven pages to make your website better for you, your audience, and even sponsors! I recommend tools (some free, some premium) for making these pages.
How to start a podcast in 10 steps
Feb 10, 2014
Back to basics! This isn't a detailed process for how to edit episodes, setup your website, or get into iTunes. These are the core 10 principles for starting a podcast, even if it's not your first time!
Should you cover the same niche as someone else?
Feb 03, 2014
It's great to be the first person in a niche. But don't be discouraged if you're not. Consider the following seven points to help you embrace your differences, despite the existing "competition," or find a better niche for your blog or podcast.
5 ways to overcome a podcast failure
Jan 27, 2014
Don't get discouraged when something goes terribly wrong and you're ashamed to release something you've recorded. Try these five tips for handling these potentially embarrassing mistakes in podcasting.
Should you podcast while sick?
Jan 20, 2014
Sickness hits almost everyone at some point. Consider these five questions before you press record. (Remember that I can't give medical advice, so these are things for you to consider and decide for yourself or ask a doctor.) 1. Would it hurt your recovery? Rest is one of the best ways to treat almost any...
Your Podcasting Successes in 2013 and Goals for 2014
Jan 14, 2014
Recorded live from New Media Expo 2014, today's episode talks about a lot of feedbacks from the Podcasters themselves about their podcast success in 2013, as well as their goals for this year. It was definitely great hearing people say, “I'm podcasting now!” George Jackson from The Sci-fi Super Friends Podcast 2013 success: Learned and build a...
Top 10 podcasting news highlights from 2013
Dec 30, 2013
Podcasting continues to grow and 2013 is no exception. Here is a 2013 podcasting year in review. Sponsored by: Dropcam.com watch life High-Def streaming of your home or anywhere. Ongoing podcasting growth 2013 showed many areas of podcasting that continue to grow. These aren't unique to 2013, but they all show that the podcasting industry...
5 Timeless Reasons to Start Podcasting NOW
Dec 16, 2013
Learn timeless ideas to help you launch your podcast today, with some bonus tips on why you should launch before the year is over.
9 ways to take podcasting seriously
Dec 09, 2013
Being serious and professional about your podcast will help you get sponsors (and make money!), grow your audience, and strengthen your authority—even if you're a hobbyist podcaster! Learn how to podcast like you mean it!
7 ways to make podcasting fun
Dec 02, 2013
Whether you're on the edge of podfading, or you just want some more excitement in your podcast, injecting some fun can help reignite the passion. Here's how to podcast and have fun doing it, too!
9 considerations for podcasting headphones
Nov 18, 2013
Headphones can help you record and edit your podcast better. Picking the right headphones is a highly subjective process, but here are nine things you should consider before buying headphones for your podcast.
A podcaster’s biggest mistakes and how you can avoid them
Nov 11, 2013
Since I first learned how to podcast, I've made my own share of mistakes (we were all newbies at one point). In celebration of my 150th episode, I share my top mistakes, and how you can avoid making the same mistakes, or fix them if you're too late. Get ready, because this is a long episode!
10 email and web addresses every podcast needs
Nov 04, 2013
Successful podcasting isn't just about what you share in your episodes, but also what makes the entire experience easy, professional, and effective. Check out my ten suggestions for the email addresses and webpages your podcast needs.
The good, bad, and ugly podcasting lessons from the 9th Podcast Awards
Oct 28, 2013
Learn more about what podcasters should and shouldn't be doing based on the review and grading process for the Podcast Awards.
What to do when you’re out of podcast hosting space
Oct 14, 2013
Podcast hosting can be a valuable asset, especially when you have a limited upload plan (as with most media hosts). When you fill up your monthly media upload limit, you still have a few options.
Should you script, ad-lib, or outline your podcast episodes?
Oct 07, 2013
Whether you're launching your first podcast, or thinking of reformatting the one you have, you should think a lot about how you will present your content.
Post-production editing vs. live-mixing (podcasting workflow)
Oct 01, 2013
Should you edit your podcast after you've recorded it, or mix everything together while you record? I'll give you some pros and cons to consider.
How to find time for podcasting
Sep 23, 2013
9 steps to help you make time for running a successful podcast.
How to Back Up Your Podcasts, WordPress Website, and More
Sep 16, 2013
You never realize how important quality backups are until you desperately need them. Here are several ways you can (and should) backup your podcasts, website, and even personal computer.
5 podcasting tool updates you should know about
Sep 09, 2013
Five updates to podcasting tools that you should know about, and how to take advantage of them.
10 elements of powerful podcast promos
Sep 02, 2013
Learn tips for producing your own podcast promos from Mike and Izabela Russell.
7 Audacity features you’ll miss in Adobe Audition
Aug 26, 2013
I don't regret moving from Audacity to Adobe Audition for podcast editing. But there are several Audacity tools I wish expensive Audition had or worked as well as Audacity's.
Why use self-hosted WordPress for podcasting?
Aug 19, 2013
7 reasons you should use WordPress on your own web hosting instead of choosing another platform.
Should you use profanity in your podcast?
Aug 12, 2013
Profanity is a controversial subject in podcasting. If you're the type to use foul or explicit language, consider several important things before you include this in your podcast.
What 1 billion subscriptions means for podcasting
Aug 05, 2013
More about Apple's announcement and the implications for podcasts. Also learn about YouTube live-streaming and the Electro Voice RE20.
How podcasters can use Pinterest for promoting, ideas, and more
Jul 29, 2013
Cynthia Sanchez shares tips for using Pinterest to promote your podcast, create better content, and get more followers.
8 ways people consume podcasts and how to make a better experience
Jul 22, 2013
Podcasts are watched or listened to in a variety of ways and places that you may not expect. Forgetting these things could make you podcast difficult to consume and thus annoy your audience.
5 WordPress plugins for faster blogging and podcasting
Jul 16, 2013
Speed up your blogging and podcasting workflow with these five great WordPress plugins. They'll reduce your steps, optimize your site, and save lots of time.
The best podcast hosting options
Jul 09, 2013
No matter how you podcast, it needs to be hosted somewhere. You should have web hosting and media hosting that will grow with your podcast. I'll suggest your best options to consider.
How to Prevent Podfading and Podcasting Burnout
Jul 01, 2013
Podcasting is supposed to be full of passion. But what happens if you feel burned out and want to quit, or you can feel that coming? I share 10 tips to prevent the podcasting burnout, or save yourself from it.
How iOS 7 will affect podcasting
Jun 24, 2013
Apple recently previewed the upcoming version of its mobile operating system, iOS 7. This version is a radical redesign from previous versions, but comes with some things that affect podcasters.
6 podcasting clichés you should avoid
Jun 17, 2013
WARNING: strong opinions ahead! Proceed with caution and please add your own thoughts, additions, or disagreements in the comments.
4 reasons podcasters should be blogging (with Ms. Ileane)
Jun 10, 2013
If you're focusing on only podcasting, you could be missing huge potential to grow your audience! My guest Ms. Ileane from BasicBlogTips.com will inspire you to add blogging to your podcast strategy.
Why you need a podcast-only RSS feed and how to make it
Jun 03, 2013
Learn about a podcast-only RSS feed, three options for creating one, and how to fix if you already podcast without it.
5 reasons your podcast audience isn’t growing
May 20, 2013
Podcasters always want to know how to get more listeners or viewers. But you should also consider what you may be doing that is preventing you from growing your audience.
How to Change Your Podcast Information in iTunes/Apple Podcasts
May 13, 2013
Everything about how your show is listed in the iTunes podcast directory (and many other podcast directories) is pulled directly from your RSS feed. Here's what you need to know to change the information.
Changing the Format of Your Podcast
May 06, 2013
I'm retiring my 5-episode pattern for Audacity focus, but I'll give you several tips to help when you decide to make big changes to your podcast.
10 reasons you should get a mixer for podcasting
Apr 29, 2013
The simplest reason to get a mixer is to mix things and have more control. But mixers can make many tasks much easier for podcast production.
When should your podcast have its own forum?
Apr 22, 2013
You've probably thought about starting a forum for your podcast. This can often be an amazing thing for your podcast. Consider these things before you launch a forum for your podcast.
Niche podcasting for 100s of episodes, with Dave Jackson
Apr 15, 2013
As the original podcaster about podcasting, Dave Jackson has seen a lot of change in the industry. We talk about his experience, where podcasts are going, how to make money podcasting, and share some podcasting tips.
10 cheap accessories every podcaster should have
Apr 08, 2013
It's fun to talk about the big equipment podcasters use: microphones, mixers, software, cameras, and so on. But having a supply of these small accessories will keep you sane when you try to podcast.
How to extract audio clips from movies and TV shows with Audacity
Apr 01, 2013
Audacity can't edit videos, but it can edit the audio from videos. It's easy to import audio into an audio-editor for grabbing sound clips. I found this to be better than my previous analog recording workflow.
Podcast mic comparisons
Mar 26, 2013
See and hear the difference between popular microphones for audio and video podcasting: Heil PR40, Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB, Nady SP-1, and the Giant Squid Audio Lab lavalier.
6 best online communities for podcasters, plus etiquette tips
Mar 18, 2013
Podcasters like to hang out with other podcasters and get help, learn about the tools, and share their experience. I think these are the best forums for talking about podcasting.
How to add or change your podcast cover art
Mar 13, 2013
Apple recently emailed podcasters to remind them (again) about the requirements for being featured in iTunes. The language is very specific for easily misunderstood. I'll explain this for you and tell you how you can change your podcast cover art or add some if you don't already have it.
20+ podcasting tools worth paying for
Mar 04, 2013
Learn recommendations for audio equipment, software, plugins, and other podcasting gear that are worth spending money to get. These will improve your podcast!
Top 5 reasons to use Audacity for podcasting
Feb 25, 2013
There are plenty of audio-editing software choices. So why go with a free, open-source app for professional productions?
10 tips for podcasting with cohosts
Feb 18, 2013
Having a regular cohost in your podcast can make your podcast more conversational, personal, and more thorough with alternative perspectives. These tips will help you to podcast with others.
16 things you should consider before launching another podcast
Feb 12, 2013
There comes a time in every podcaster's life when he or she wants to start another podcast. These questions and tips will help you determine whether it's right for you, and how to start well.
How will you podcast differently in 2013?
Feb 04, 2013
Hear how other podcasters will change their podcasting in 2013 to help reach new goals.
Podcasting News: Audacity 2.0.3, PowerPress update, patent lawsuit, SpeakPipe, and New Media Expo
Jan 28, 2013
Hear the latest about Audacity's update, an important security update for PowerPress, the "podcasting patent" from Personal Audio, SpeakPipe's new paid plans, New Media Expo, and more in this "eleventy-first" podcast episode.
8 time-saving tips and tricks for Audacity
Jan 22, 2013
Learn how to edit audio projects much faster with simple tricks in Audacity.
What’s coming in 2013
Dec 31, 2012
2013 will be a big year of change for The Audacity to Podcast! I hope my sharing of my plans will inspire your podcasting.
How will you podcast differently in 2013?
4 ways to create community—not competition—with other podcasters
Dec 17, 2012
"Peace on earth" is great, but podcast rivalry or antagonism can be painful and counterproductive. Instead, use these tips to build community among others podcasting in your niche.
How podcasting breaks and frequency affect subscribers
Dec 10, 2012
Sometimes, you need a break from podcasting, whether planned or unexpected. Here are some tips for handling this with the least negative affect on your viewers or listeners.
7 reasons I’m switching from Audacity to Audition (and why you shouldn’t)
Dec 03, 2012
Audacity is free and Adobe Audition is $349. Are there really benefits to Audition that are worth the big price tag? I share why Audition may be best for my podcasting workflow, but why you probably shouldn't switch.
What podcasters are thankful for in podcasting
Nov 26, 2012
Software, equipment, people, and accomplishments that we couldn't podcast without, or that podcasting helped us accomplish.
How to get feedback from your audience
Nov 12, 2012
Not receiving emails or voicemails from your podcast listeners or blog readers? Then learn 5 things you can do to change that!
8 ways to receive feedback
Nov 05, 2012
Podcasters and bloggers love feedback from their audience, but are you providing enough or the right ways for your listeners/readers to share their opinions?
Learn eight options you can add for your community to share their perspective with you.
21 things podcasters should learn from the Podcast Awards
Oct 29, 2012
Hear several lessons you should learn for improving your podcast and standing out from the rest!
A behind-the-scenes look at complicated podcast episodes
Oct 21, 2012
Hear from the inside and hindsight of how Daniel planned and organized the massive 100th episode, and hear tips for working with any other complicated podcast with lots of feedback, notes, and ideas.
100 amazing podcasting tips from successful podcasters
Oct 15, 2012
Unique, profound, and unconsidered tips from other podcasters to help you make your podcasts so much better!
Top 5 reasons to use an external recorder for podcasting
Oct 08, 2012
External audio recorders provide many benefits and greater reliability over recording into PCs. Although recording directly into a computer can often be fine for podcasting, here are five reasons you may want to podcast with an external recorder.
Snapping in Audacity, podcast frequency, ending a podcast, and MP3 file sizes
Oct 01, 2012
Get podcasting answers on how to turn off selection snapping in Audacity, whether podcasting less than weekly hurts, how to end a limited-episode podcast and not be removed from iTunes, and how to reduce MP3 file sizes.
How to leave FeedBurner [in-depth audio]
Sep 25, 2012
Bloggers and podcasters are panicing that Google could be shutting down FeedBurner. I don't believe that will happen, but these steps will explain how you can move anyway.
How to Fix a Podcast Mistake
Sep 17, 2012
Follow these 7 steps to fix your podcast when you make big or little mistakes—even if you already published the episode!
How to use Chains in Audacity to save time
Sep 10, 2012
Learn how to simplify repetitive tasks editing audio by making custom Chains in Audacity.
How to Make Money through Audible from Your Blog or Podcast
Aug 27, 2012
Monetize your blog or podcast easily with an Audible affiliate and earn $15 per FREE trial you refer!
5 Steps to an UNSTOPPABLE Vision for Your Blog or Podcast
Aug 20, 2012
When your podcast has goals, you have the right focus, you know where you want to be, and take steps to get there, nothing will stop your vision!
Should your podcast or blog have its own Twitter account?
Aug 13, 2012
Learn when you should or shouldn't have a Twitter account for your blogging or podcasting brand.
How to use Gmail the RIGHT WAY for podcast feedback email
Aug 06, 2012
Gmail is a fantastic email client, and I highly recommend it for podcasters. I'll show you how to use Gmail without giving a gmail.com address.
How to organize audio/video podcast projects
Jul 30, 2012
Recording into Audacity can be fun and easy. But organizing the projects, especially if you have many episodes, can seem overwhelming. Here are several tips to help you organize your thoughts, files, and editing software.
Is FeedBurner still necessary for blogging and podcasting?
Jul 23, 2012
Is FeedBurner still relevant and useful to bloggers and podcasters? I share 8 things FeedBurner can do, and 8 things it can't or shouldn't do, and let you decide based on your needs.
5 Things that WILL Enhance Your Podcast
Jul 16, 2012
Learn how a few investments can improve your audio or video podcast.
5 things that WON’T enhance your podcast
Jul 09, 2012
If you're looking for ways to improve your podcast, skip these. They may improve your podcasting workflow, but they won't make your podcast better.
Audacity 2.0.1 update and Apple’s Podcasts app for iOS
Jul 02, 2012
Why Audacity 2.0.1 is the most-helpful update and you should get it. And how Apple's Podcasts app for iOS works and will benefit podcasters.
4 steps to make every podcast voicemail feedback better
Jun 25, 2012
Podcasters know how exciting it is to receive a voicemail! With some basic editing, these voicemail messages can also be enjoyable for the rest of your listeners.
All of these ideas and tips will apply in any audio-editing software, but I focus on Audacity's specifics in the audio podcast, so make sure you listen to hear all the details!
How podcasting led from a hobby to a dream
Jun 18, 2012
I share my story of podcasting and how it enabled me to follow my dreams.
7 tips for effective blog/podcast cards
Jun 12, 2012
Learn how "business cards" for your blog or podcast can help you promote and grow your audience.
New iTunes specs for podcasting and PowerPress 4.0
May 28, 2012
Learn about Apple's new podcast specs for iTunes, what this means for podcasters (especially the new cover art recommendation), and how PowerPress 4.0 meets these needs and adds new features.
5 tips to sound great with ANY microphone
May 21, 2012
Simple mic technique can fix your podcast from sounding cheap and amateur to far more professional. Apply these five simple tricks to sound better podcasting!
Turning a podcast into a business (with Gordon Firemark)
May 07, 2012
Want to earn money, get tax benefits, or gain press access with your podcast? Then you need these legal answers with Gordon Firemark. He also shares what to do when you get a lawyer letter.
Why you need your own privacy policies, disclosures, and releases for blogging or podcasting
Apr 30, 2012
How to easily make a privacy policy and what it should contain, how to get releases for your cohosts and guests, necessary disclaimers and disclosures, and how to avoid defamation. Legal answers with Gordon Firemark.
Trademarks for Bloggers and Podcasters (with Gordon Firemark)
Apr 23, 2012
Show you claim something as a trademark? Do you have to register trademarks? How can we protect trademarks in social media? And more trademark questions answered by entertainment lawyer Gordon Firemark.
Copyright laws for bloggers and podcasters
Apr 16, 2012
Can you use copyrighted material in your personal podcast? What about "fair use"? And more copyright questions answered by entertainment lawyer Gordon Firemark.
7 free and easy ways to give your podcast new life
Apr 09, 2012
It may feel like your podcast is dying. That doesn't always mean it's time to quit. Sometimes, your podcast just needs a bit of new life! If you have extra money to spend, I also include some bonus tips.
This is more than just finding content for your podcast, but bringing new inspiration and flavor to what is still your passion.
5 reasons bloggers and podcasters MUST have audacity
Apr 02, 2012
Learn why you need guts to blog or podcast. It's not just about a computer program.
Is Zune still important for podcasters?
Mar 26, 2012
Rob Greenlee from Zune tells us that the Zune Marketplace isn't dead, and we talk about the future of Zune and podcasting in general.
New SEO for Google, Audacity 2.0, New iPad, Mobile-Friendly [podcasting news]
Mar 19, 2012
Is your blog or podcast ready for Google's new algorithm? Should you update to Audacity 2.0? What the new iPad means for podcasters. Becoming mobile-friendly.
How to Use PowerPress to Setup Your WordPress Blog for Podcasting
Mar 12, 2012
Learn how to setup Blubrry's PowerPress plugin for WordPress, including feed and iTunes settings, category podcasting, channels, and how to attach podcast episodes.
Accents, Cover Art, and Stitcher’s Terms [feedback]
Mar 05, 2012
Will a native-language accent turn away listeners? How to fix a cover art display issue. And whether Stitcher's legalese is evil.
How to Use Truncate Silence and Sound Smarter with Audacity
Feb 27, 2012
Learn how to remove verbal crutches and automatically shorten long silences.
Top Podcast Directories and How to Get in Them
Feb 20, 2012
The worldwide web is a big place and having your podcast on just your website will prevent you from growing an audience—or getting one in the first place.
Podcasting Stuff You MUST Get Right the First Time
Feb 13, 2012
Podcasters don't have to be perfect, and it's easy to fix most of our mistakes. But here are thirteen things that you can't fix later if you don't get it right when you start podcasting. Most of these apply to blogs, too.
11 Ways to Use Twitter to Promote Your Blog or Podcast
Feb 06, 2012
Twitter can be a tool to find, grow, and mature your audience, as well as a great way to promote your blogging and podcasting. Here are eleven ways to help you succeed!
Live calls, chatrooms, Audacity plugins, and podcast cards [Feedback]
Jan 30, 2012
How to take live phone or Skype calls, managing Audacity plugins, effectiveness of podcast cards, live-streaming a Skype conversation, how to get a chatroom, and multiple USB mics/inputs on Windows.
Audacity Compressor Showdown
Jan 24, 2012
The contestants: Audacity's built-in compressor, Chris's Dynamic Compressor, C3 Multiband Compressor, and Levelator. I was personally surprised by the winner.
13 Ways to Be a Great Podcast LISTENER
Jan 16, 2012
As podcasters, we should be setting the examples of being great listeners and encouraging our audiences to be the same.
Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) vs. Blogging and Podcasting
Jan 09, 2012
This is a hot topic for Internet content-creators: bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers—almost anyone with a presence on the Internet could be affected.
11 Ways to Improve Your Blog or Podcast in 2012
Jan 02, 2012
While everyone is making New Year's Resolutions in their personal lives, think about how you can improve your blogging and podcasting passions in 2012. Here are eleven suggestions.
What’s New in Audacity 1.3.14
Dec 19, 2011
See what's new with the latest 1.3.14 update to the free audio-editor Audacity and whether podcasters will need it.
How to record and edit a podcast with Audacity
Dec 12, 2011
Back to basics! Learn what you need to edit your first podcast and some tips you may have missed if you're already podcasting with Audacity.
Should You Podcast in Mono or Stereo?
Dec 06, 2011
5 things to consider as you decide whether stereo or mono is best for podcasting.
How to start a blog or podcast website and hosting recommendations
Nov 30, 2011
5 simple steps to get your own website, install WordPress, and start blogging or podcasting.
How to Find Content for Your Blog or Podcast
Nov 14, 2011
Learn twelve things you can do to get content for blogging or podcasting.
9 Things Audacity Doesn’t or Can’t Do
Nov 07, 2011
Audacity, like any program, has its limits. There are workarounds to some of these, or alternatives to others.
Top 7 Deadly Fears of Podcasting
Oct 31, 2011
We chase away the undead ideas that scare away many people from podcasting or blogging, or frighten even seasoned podcasters or bloggers.
9 Tips for How to Grow Your Audience by Attending Social-Media Events
Oct 24, 2011
In-person social-media events are a lot of fun and can be opportunities to grow your audience. Learn 9 tips for taking advantage of these events without being a spammer.
How to Setup and Use Feedburner for Blogging or Podcasting
Oct 11, 2011
Feedburner provides useful subscription stats and powerful overrides that any blogger or podcaster can use. Learn how to setup Feedburner with your WordPress website for your blog or podcast.
How to properly add ID3 tags to audio podcasts
Oct 03, 2011
Learn what ID3-tagging software you can use (most free), how to enter ID3 tags, and taking advantage of iTunes fields for podcasting with PowerPress.
How to Pick the Best Time to Live-Stream or Publish a Podcast
Sep 26, 2011
Whether live-streaming or only offering a download, your timing is important! Learn some tips on picking the best time for you and your audience.
How to Improve Your Voice from a Cheap Microphone with Audacity
Sep 19, 2011
Learn three easy Audacity tips for making your voice sound better, regardless of what microphone you use.
9 Steps to Better Podcast Show Notes and 7 Benefits
Sep 12, 2011
Your show notes are the life of your podcast's Internet home. Writing and posting effectively will boost your podcast SEO, ranking, and accessibility.
Productivity Tips for Podcasters, with Stever Robbins (@GetItDoneGuy)
Aug 29, 2011
Stever Robins has 180,000 listeners to his personal-productivity podcast. He shares several tips and tricks for podcasters to be productive in their podcasting.
9 must-haves for a live-streaming page
Aug 22, 2011
Your podcast's live page shouldn't be merely another page on your site. This page needs special content and optimization to be effective. Learn nine things you should include on this page.
How to put a live chat room on a podcast website
Aug 16, 2011
Encourage viewer-participation with a chat room during your live-streaming, podcast-recording sessions.
How to embed live-streaming video on a podcast website
Aug 08, 2011
Once you have your podcasting equipment setup, it's time to pick your live-streaming service and embed it on your website!
How to Live-Stream and Record a Podcast with Others
Aug 02, 2011
Learn how to setup your basic to advanced equipment for live-streaming your podcasting sessions with cohosts.
How to Live-Stream Yourself While Podcasting
Jul 25, 2011
Basic equipment recommendations and then different setups for live-streaming just yourself with the equipment that you already have.
How to Podcast Live: 5 Reasons, 4 Cautions
Jul 18, 2011
This is the launch of a miniseries about live-podcasting. Before we get into the "how to podcast live" specifics, it's best to answer why you should podcast live.
WordPress Plugins for Podcasting (or Blogging)
Jul 11, 2011
My favorite WordPress plugins that enable me to effectively podcast. This is not just another list of plugins that all do the same thing, but each plugin has a special purpose and all work together.
10 Tips for How to Keep Audacity from Crashing
Jun 27, 2011
I have almost never had problems with Audacity, except when I did something stupid. If you'd like similar success, try these and share any suggestions and experience you have.
5 Ways to Make Money from Your Podcast or Blog
Jun 14, 2011
Whether you have a small or large podcast, you can make money from it. While this is not an exhaustive list, Daniel J. Lewis shares his top five ways to monetize the content you're posting on the Internet in your podcast or blog.
Recording Skype Calls, Multiple USB Mics, Soundboard 2.0, and Video Podcasting [Feedback]
Jun 02, 2011
Listeners share their software and tricks for podcasting, as well as get their questions answered.
5 Steps to an Effective (Podcast) Website
May 17, 2011
Your website is the Internet home for your podcast. Here are several easy things you can do to make your website appeal to gain more listeners and make it easier for current subscribers.
3 Ways to Record Multiple Onsite Podcast Hosts
May 03, 2011
Learn how to effectively use three ways of recording more than one person in a podcast, and how to avoid ineffective ineffective applications of the same three ways.
What’s New in Audacity 1.3.13 (with screenshots)
Apr 19, 2011
I share the full list of changes in Audacity 1.3.13 and personal experience with several of them. Ron Eastwood shared a fun special effect in Audacity.
How to Apply Special Effects with Audacity or a Mixer
Apr 06, 2011
Make your voice or music sound crazy with these special effects that you can apply post-process (after recording) or in real-time with a mixer.
HTML5 Audio and Video Players and Blubrry PowerPress 2.0
Mar 22, 2011
It's now possible and easy for you to upgrade your podcast website to support an HTML5 audio/video player, but not leave Flash Player behind.
Truth about iTunes Subscriptions and Dropped pingPodcast
Mar 08, 2011
What you've heard about iTunes's auto "unsubscribing" and pingPodcast is probably wrong. Hear some truth plus two new launches for podcasters.
Rethinking and More Podcasts about Podcasting
Mar 02, 2011
I'm rethinking the "podcaster's theme" for WordPress, the podcast megasite, and weekly podcast schedule. I also share more podcasts about podcasting.
How to Have an Effective Podcast Intro/Opening
Feb 03, 2011
How you open your podcast episodes could be turning people away from your podcast. I share eleven potential elements of an opening/intro, examples, and my suggestions for an effective podcast opening.
How to Record and Mix Multiple Hosts in Audacity (Double-Ender)
Jan 26, 2011
I explain how to setup, record, share, and mix a double-ender podcast. Audacity or any other audio-editor.
Sports Sounds Pro, Giving Back to Podcasters, and Making Friends [Feedback]
Jan 12, 2011
I comment on feedback regarding another sound cart manager (soundboard), friends made through podcasting, listeners giving back to podcasters, and a podcasting goal for 2011.
Audacity tip: importing M4A (AAC), WMA, FLAC, and other special audio files.
5 New Year’s Resolutions for Podcasters
Jan 04, 2011
Don't forget your podcast in planning your new year's resolutions! I share five suggested goals to improve your podcasting in 2011.
10 Ways to Give Back to Your Listeners
Dec 23, 2010
In the spirit of Christmas, I want to inspire you find new ways to give back to your listeners, if you aren’t already.
10 Christmas gifts for podcasters
Dec 15, 2010
Find the right Christmas gift for your podcaster or yourself.
How to make your podcast shownotes easy to get to
Dec 08, 2010
The accessibility of podcast shownotes is important, but forgotten by most podcasters. Learn how to make short, easy-to-use URLs with Pretty Link for each of your podcast episodes.
How to Insert Background Music or Sound Effects in Audacity
Dec 02, 2010
I focus completely on Audacity in this episode! This time, I share a brief explanation of copyright laws for podcasters, where to get music and sound effects, and three ways to work with background music or sound effects in your podcast.
Podcasters, Podcasting Equipment, and Podcasting Software that I’m Thankful For
Nov 24, 2010
I share a bunch of resources and inspirations for which I'm thankful. This is almost a "how I podcast" episode, but not quite.
Shownotes URLs for Search-Engine Optimization (SEO)
Nov 18, 2010
How you title your blog posts and, by extension, your podcast episodes greatly affects your searchability and even your usability.
Soundboard 2.0, Podcaster’s Theme for WordPress, and Pasting in Audacity
Nov 10, 2010
Review of Ambrosia Software's Soundboard 2.0, Podcaster's Theme for WordPress, compressor/limiter/gate on a small mixer, and pasting in Audacity.
6 Tips for Picking a Good Domain for Your Podcast or Website
Nov 03, 2010
Your domain is one of the most-important parts of your branding, and it’s how people will get to your website from anything other than a hyperlink. I share six tips for creating your domain.
New Feedburner, Facebook RSS Graffiti, GarageBand ’11, and More
Oct 26, 2010
Google updated Feedburner with mostly real-time stats, Apple released GarageBand '11, easily get your podcast into Facebook with RSS Graffiti, TechPodcasts Network, Podcast Awards, and a fellow podcaster launches Podcast Starter.
Audacity tip: finding answers in the Audacity Wiki.
How Long and How Often Should You Podcast?
Oct 20, 2010
Daniel Lewis shares some tips on determining the right balance of frequency and length for your podcast episodes.
How to Prerecord Episodes with Audacity and WordPress
Oct 06, 2010
During my honeymoon, I had several episodes of the Ramen Noodle and The Audacity to Podcast automatically post. How can you prerecord and schedule your episodes to magically post while you are away? I share some tips for workflow, Audacity, and WordPress.
This week's Audacity tip is the power of the pause button.
Podcasting without Passion, Organization, or Dialog?
Sep 25, 2010
I'm back from my wedding and honeymoon, but still settling in with my wife. This is another prerecorded episode that started with a question about podcasting without passion.
Interview with Fred Castaneda of Struggling Entrepreneur, Part 2
Sep 16, 2010
While I'm on my honeymoon, I have a two-part conversation with Fred Casteneda, a podcasting machine! We talk about his passion, organization, and dialog in his podcasting empire. This is part 2 of our previous conversation.
Interview with Fred Castaneda of Struggling Entrepreneur, Part 1
Sep 09, 2010
While I'm on my honeymoon, I have a two-part conversation with Fred Casteneda, a podcasting machine! We talk about his passion, organization, and dialog in his podcasting empire.
How to Remove Noise with Audacity
Sep 02, 2010
Noise is probably the most-common problem in amateur podcasts. Professional podcasts sound great not just because of the equipment, but also because of techniques. Learn some ways to reduce noise before and after you record.
Podcasting with Software Compressors vs. Hardware Compressors
Aug 27, 2010
Compression, expansion, noise gate, threshold, ratio—what does it all mean? Should you use a software audio compressor, or a hardware compressor?
Audacity and iTunes—Making Not-LAME MP3s
Aug 19, 2010
LAME is still the best MP3 encoder, but further tests and conversations reveal that it just may not be the best for podcasting.
4 reasons why you shouldn’t use Audacity?
Aug 12, 2010
I address four of someone else's reasons why you shouldn't use Audacity. also share news about the BlackBerry Podcasts app for BlackBerry Smartphones.
Website Stats and Feedburner’s RSS Subscriber Stats
Aug 05, 2010
You have probably heard a lot of false things about stats, especially Feedburner's RSS stats. I'm here to tell you the truth! Make sure you listen to the episode because I explain everything in much more detail than I'm writing in the shownotes.
I take some time to answer questions on Audacity and podcasting.
How to make LAME MP3s with Audacity
Jul 22, 2010
Stop making crappy MP3s with Audacity and LAME! I tell you how to encode MP3s the way LAME was designed to, so you get a great audio quality and small file size.
How to use Chris’s Dynamic Compressor for great volume in Audacity
Jul 15, 2010
Adobe Audition has its fantastic multiband compressor, but did you know you can get fantastic audio compression from a free plugin to Audacity?
Live-Podcasting Questions and Answers
Jul 08, 2010
After several live podcasts at PodCamp Ohio, I hosted a panel with most of the podcast hosts as we discuss our equipment and workflow for live-podcasting.
The Bare Minimums for Podcasting
Jul 01, 2010
Don't think that you have to spend thousands of dollars to launch your podcast! I give you some tips for podcasting decently with the cheapest equipment.
The Benefits of PodCamps for Podcasters
Jun 24, 2010
PodCamps are for more than just podcasters, but how can PodCamps specifically benefit podcasters? I share my thoughts and the three benefits.
You Need Passion, Organization, and Dialog (POD) to Podcast
Jun 18, 2010
Welcome to the first-ever episode of The Audacity to Podcast! I share my vision, talk about the POD of podcasting, and more.