Podcasting Smarter

Effectively Grow Your Community with Wolf 359's Gabriel Urbina (Time Bombs, No Bad Ideas)

You can have the most state-of-the-art equipment, the most professional audio processing software, and the best podcast host in the game, but that doesn’t mean anything if your podcast doesn’t get listened to.  You should always create for yourself, make something that you’re proud to go back and listen to at the end of the day, but the biggest draw of podcasting as a medium is the idea that you can share the stories you want to tell with the people around you and interact with them as they experience your content.
No one knows more about the power of listenership and community than Gabriel Urbina, creator and head writer of Wolf 359, Time Bombs, and No Bad Ideas.  During Podcast Movement in Orlando, Florida, we got the chance to sit down and chat about effective growing your community of listenership.  

Using Private Podcasts For Training and Internal Communication - VMware

While there’s nothing wrong with newsletters, emails, and group conference calls, some companies like VMWare haven taken a step further and have implemented internal podcasts for communication and training purposes.  According to Marty Boyzuck, Director of Enablement Technology Architecture & Design of VMWare, it’s not a new concept.  Out of all the careers he’s had and places he’s worked, several things led him to use podcasting for internal communications through audio and video podcasting.  Listen to Marty's interview and find out how VMware uses private podcasts for training and internal communication across VMware to keep his employees engaged and informed!  

The Throughline of True Crime: Josh Hallmark on Empathy, Inverting Genre, and Making The Most of Podcast Advertising

What does it mean to be human?  That’s not the question Josh Hallmark set out with when he first started his podcast Our Americana.  It probably wasn’t even the question brought up with his following podcasts Playlist or The Karen and Ellen Letters.  But it’s the question he answers in his true crime podcast, True Crime Bullsh**: The Story of Israel Keyes. Of all the tools at his disposal, he says PodAds helped him do more than raise money - it helped him save time.  Enjoy the interview!Check out Josh's network of podcasts at http://www.our-americana.com
True Crime Bullsh** at http://www.our-americana.com/truecrimebullshit/

Focus On Valuable Content Before Monetization with AdapNation

 
You might just live a little longer after this episode. That is because I am joined by Steve Katasi, the host of The AdapNation Podcast. AdapNation is an honest and raw British Podcast, focused on helping you practically improve and optimize your health, body and mind – inside and out. Luckily, he is also willing to help us optimize our podcasts too! 
Steve's Podcast Confession: For this first 20-30 episodes his audio quality rubbish due to EMF interference. All he had to do was move a cord, and the sound issue was resolved. 
 
Steve's Podcasting Smarter Tips: 
Although he did very well working in IT Sales, he realized it just wasn't his passion. However, the study of self optimization was a passion, and he decided he could offer something unique in that space with a brand supported by a podcast. 
 
Steve's natural curiosity drives his interviews and in-depth content on a variety if subjects related to optimal health and wellness. 
 
Steve taught himself podcast editing, and although his skills are adequate, he is finding it time consuming, and would like to outsource that piece of post production. 
 
He gauges his success with patience. His growth in 2018 was slow, but skyrocketed in 2019 as a result of being a featured Podbean podcast, being featured on the Podbean app, and booking higher profile guests on the show. 
 
He gets his high profile guests to share the episodes by make them look good. He researched their previous podcast interviews and finds topics and questions that have not been covered in other interviews so he can deliver a fresh conversation. He also makes it effortless for them to promote the show by giving them social media assets, to share and links to their episode. 
 
He is using his podcast to feed a revenue-producing product by siphoning the best content from his podcasts into a paid, 100 day self optimization program delivered via daily email which is complemented with rich, curated content that takes the customer on a journey. He also sees a book in the future. 
 
Steve has purposefully gone slowly in pursuing monetization because he wanted to focus on the quality of the content. 
 
Steve engages on social media to promote his show, and is considering running ads for the show via PodAds. 
 
Steve is working on growing his community and you can be part of it by joining the AdapNation Community Facebook Group. 
 
His biggest piece of advice for new podcasters: You have to know who you want as a listener, and how you will deliver to them continuous, real value. 
 
Steve's theoretical podcast about his life: "Obsessive"
Steve's Fantasy Podcasters: Nelson Mandela and Albert Einstein 
 
You can find AdapNation wherever you listen to podcasts including Podbean. You can also follow AdapNation on Facebook and Instagram. 

Jen & Shannon Spill The Podbeans: The Best Way To Promote Your Podcast That You Haven't Tried!

Shannon Martin is Podbean's Communications Director, and she joins me on this episode! Shannon and I attended the PodFest Multimedia Expo and Proclaim conferences together, so we had lots fo time to chat with podcasters, and record a podcast together! 
On this episode we discuss some impressive Podbean features that are so good, they need a little extra attention from us to make sure our Podbean Family knows all that they have to offer. 
You will learn more about Podbean's programmatic ads platform, PodAds, and how it can benefit you as a podcaster! 
You will learn about a couple of features in the Podbean App that will help you produce better podcasts, and engage with your audience. 
Finally, we talk about how the expansion of Podbean's Affiliate program makes it easy for you to earn some extra income when you recommend the platform that you enjoy, to your pod pals. :) 
 
If you want to share what you've learned as a podcaster, have a podcasting question, or are interested in having a topic covered on the show, please email me at jennifer@podbean.com! :) I'd love to hear from you. 

Finding Your Podcasting Groove with The Sane Show

 
Hey there Pod Pals! I am thrilled to be talking to another member of our Podbean Family. Cliff Waddell is the host of The SANE Show, where he, along with his guests and friends, discuss a variety of random topics that are fun, entertaining and thought provoking.
 
Cliff's Podcasting Smarter Tips: 
Get a head start on your podcast production. Get your interviews pre-scheduled and recorded on a schedule. 
 
Cliff is constantly trying to make his show better. One way he does this is by studying what other successful podcasts are doing. 
 
Cliff focuses on content creation, content quality, content promotion, and content. 
 
He realized that after he nailed down his process, it freed him up to elevate the quality of his show. 
 
Having a podcast has improved his conversation, interview and sales skills. 
 
People want to be involved, and have a say in your show. 
 
97% of his social media engagement comes from Instagram so that is where he spends his ad dollars. 
 
Cliff spends about 3-4 hours a day on his podcast. 
 
Cliff has podcast advisers! 
 
Celebrate the small wins. They will keep you motivated, and remind you why you are doing this. 
 
Cliff's advice for new podcasters is to always be planning. Don't get so comfortable that you forget about taking your podcast to the next level. That takes continuous planning in order to grow. 
 
Cliff's hypothetical podcast about his life: "Cliff Hanger" 
 
Cliff's fantasy podcaster: Jerry Seinfeld 
 
Please be sure to listen to The Sane Show on Podbean, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also follow Cliff in Twitter and @sane_show on Instagram. 

Find Your Audience Offline: Justin Herman of Controlled Chaos Podcast

Hey Pod Pals! On this episode we are joined by Justin Herman (@heyjustinherman on FB, TW, INSTA). Justin runs the youth ministry at Sandals Church and is the host of the Controlled Chaos Podcast (@PodcastChaos Twitter, @ControlledChaosPodcast Insta) in partnership with Christ In Youth.  Find out more about the Controlled Chaos Podcast or Christ In Youth at ControlledChaos.fun or CIY.com/Chaos
 
Justin's Podcasting Smarter Tips: 
Justin didn't find any podcasts speaking to the needs of junior high youth ministry. Being a youth minister himself, he knew he could help people working with junior high students in a Christian leadership capacity, with a podcast. 
 
The name 'Controlled Chaos' was inspired by the title of a book by Justin's mentor. When he considered using the name, he reached out to his mentor who gave his blessing, and has even come on the podcast. Now, they've co-authored the revised addition of the book which is now for sale on Amazon. 
 
Justin engages his audience further by providing a curated discussion guide for eveery episode for church leaders to use for their groups. 
 
Justin got approached by sponsors early thanks to his extremely defined audience. He asked for double what they suggested they pay for a sponsor spot. 
 
Justin asks his guests to suggest other guests which keeps his guests spots booked out well in advance. 
 
Justin found a podcast partner, Christ In Youth, who put the podcast in front of youth ministers. That partnership grew into a financial partner so Justin can now showcase the podcast at CIY events, and is even more integrated into the organization where he is front and center in front of his ideal audience. 
 
Justin purposefully set out to find his audience offline. He started by approaching a Christian college and offering them valuable resources in exchange for sharing a link to his podcast along with the resources. The school ended up wanting to be more involved.
 
Justin's podcast has led to more speaking opportunities. 
 
Video is on the horizon as well as another book!  
 
During a recent strategy meeting they considered expanding their podcast to include high school ministry, but in the end they decided to stay focused on their original audience and turned to them via their Facebook group to find out what else they needed and in what formats.
 
Justin's one piece of advice for new podcasters is to stick with your vision, and don't let an opportunity tempt you away from that vision.    
 
 
Justin's hypothetical podcast about his life: Life By Accident 
Justin's Fantasy Podcasters: Jesus, General Patton, and individuals stuck fighting in a war they don't support
 
Want your podcasting question answered on Podcasting Smarter? Send your question to jennifer@podbean.com and include a links to your podcast on Podbean and social media so Jen can give you a shout out on the show! 
 

Jen and Vernon Chat Podcast Resolutions, Twitter Advice, and Predictions For 2019!

Jen and Vernon are back to spill some Podbeans! We are on the cusp of 2019, and we got some great advice on Twitter from some fellow Pod Pals. We also share some podcasting predictions for 2019. It's been a great year for podcasting, and we can't see what the next year has in store. 
 
Podcasting Smarter Tips From Our Pod Pals on Twitter:
 
From @HeyJustinHerman of @podcastchaos
“Be sharp on social media, follow people that follow you and DM people so they know there’s a real person there.  Offer some free stickers and encourage every person to leave you a reading and review!Be scrappy at the start to get momentum going!!”
 
From Shlomoh Samuel of @ThePanenkaView
“Be consistent with your episodes. If putting out an episode on a Sunday, make sure it goes out.”
 
From Heather of @SunPowerPod
“Take your Why, the reason you started and hold it close! Learn and adapt, make connections and celebrate the good ones...and when the going gets tough come back to your Why; what gave you the passion to begin!”
 
From @DJMetiMajor of the Let’s Do It Major Podcast
“Be yourself, don’t put on a persona for the podcast, find a topic and stick to it.”
 
From our Pod Pals @netflixnswill  
“Do it for yourself first, the audience second. If you aren't passionate for, and engaged with your topic, people will be able to tell and they won't be interested either.”
 
From @slnhpodcast
"Be consistent. Ask questions. Support other podcasters. Have fun!"
 
Thanks for memorable year of podcast conversations! Don't forget to listen subscribe to Vernon's Podcast, The Space Between, HERE! It's a great one. :) 
 
Have a question or topic for the show? Email Jennifer at jennifer@podbean.com
 
 
 
 
 

Eric Hunley from Unstructured: Go Into It Giving Because It's All About Relationships

 
Hello podpals! On this episode,  I am being joined by Eric Hunley of the Unstructured Podcast! Jen and Shannon were interviewed on his podcast at Podcast Movement 2018, and it was about time Jen returned the favor. You can check out Jen and Shannon's episode all about Podbean HERE. Podcasters will learn a lot of from this interview--including how Unstructured got to over 10,000 Facebook fans. 
 
Eric's Podcasting Smarter Tips: 
Eric is a fan of this podcast. Smart! :) 
It tool Eric 10 yrs to launch because of imposter syndrome. Now he is about to publish his 100th episode in just 9 months. 
He finds his guests in a variety of ways including facebook groups, previous guests, events, and reaching out to people he finds fascinating. 
Although he has been lucky to bank episodes, he prefers to publish them as quickly as possible so that of his show is going in a direction that isn't working he can catch it sooner. 
Eric uses Squadcast to record remote interviews and really likes the video feature that allows you to see your guest during the interview.
It's a long game. 
Eric does hours of research on each guest to ensure that his episodes are very high quality. Just because a podcast has a modest audience does not mean it is not a quality podcast.  
Eric puts systems in place to save him time by always scheduling his social media posts at the same time so he maintains consistency in his podcast promotion. 
Eric bought a Facebook ad which resulted in him having over 10,000 fans on Unstructured's Facebook page. He outlines the process. Although he ended up with an unengaged audience, he finds value in the vanity metric for attracting high quality guests. 
Eric also has a Facebook group which has become not only a resource for great interview questions, but the members have become real friends. 
Although Eric spends hours preparing, he does not provide guests with pre-interview questions because he wants an authentic conversation. 
He uses social media to market his podcast, and has noticed some increased traction on LinkedIn. He also chooses his release time so that it reaches the most time zones at an ideal time for listening. 
Guests don't always have professional headshots. Bummer. 
He subscribes to a service called Dlvrtit to help him with the quality of his Twitter content to free up some of his time for engaging. 
When you attend a podcast conference don't look to get anything out of it. Go into it thinking, "What can I give". 
Eric is writing a book about how to be a great podcast interviewer! Stay tuned for that! 
 
Eric's Theoretical Podcast About His Life: Pattern Recognition
Eric's Fantasy Podcaster: Mark Twain
 
Follow Unstructured on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! 

Radio Futurologist James Cridland: Podcasting Is Not An iPhone-Only Thing & Other Nuggets Of Wisdom!

We've got an industry expert joining Jen on this episode! 
James Cridland is a radio futurologist - a writer, consultant and public speaker on radio’s future. He is also the Managing Editor of podnews.net, a daily podcast newsletter, and runs media.info, a media information website.
In this episode James shares: 
What is exciting him about podcasting. 
Stats that will blow your mind! 
The relationship between radio and podcasting 
His podcasting pet peeves. 
How podcasters should define success
How smart speakers can impact your podcast 
The truth about stats
How podcasting is different from radio, and how we need to understand how that impacts advertising on podcast 
His wildest, most controversial media predictions! 
Listen to James' podcast HERE
You can also find him on Twitter, Linked In, Flickr and last.fm.