Podcasting Smarter

Small Audiences And Their Massive Rewards with Stacey Taylor: Season 2 Ep. 01

On this episode of Podcasting Smarter, I am joined by Stacey Taylor, a veteran podcaster from Birmingham, England who started podcasting back in 2007 when she worked at the world's most boring job. She is the host of Stacey's Pop Culture Parlour and Podcast On A Half Shell where she talks nerdy about comics, films, TV shows, books, video games, and of course the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We have lots of fun nerding-out on podcasting. 

Stacey's Podcasting Smarter Tips:
Don't be surprised when people care about what you have to say. When Stacey's first podcast came to an end, she thought that was the end of her podcasting until some listeners encouraged her to start another one.
Podcasting helps you find other people who care about the same things you do.
Podcasting has given her the confidence to reach out to her heroes and to really get to know them by inviting them on her podcast.
Stacey enjoys a large social circle of people from all over the world that is a direct result of her podcast.
Listen back to your episodes as a listener without worrying about the stresses of recording and editing. It's a great way to improve your podcasting skills.
She prefers podcasts with more than one host, but only when they have a chemistry, and don't talk over top of each other. She wants to feel enthusiasm and passion from podcast hosts.
Know your niche, and carve out your unique space within it.
Stacy has grown her audience by being a guest on other podcasts and tapping into their listeners.
Advice to new podcasters: Don't expect a bajillion downloads right away or you will set yourself up for failure. Pay attention to and serve your core audience.
She empathises with her guest's need to feel comfortable. Days before recording, she asks if there is anything they need, or of they have any questions. She also makes sure to prep them thoroughly about the podcast topic and flow, so they can relax and have fun with her.
Prep, prep and more prep for your interviews.
Small audiences can reap massive rewards. A small, but enthusiastic audience can open doors, give you terrific engagement, and a very rewarding podcasting experience.

Stacey's Fantasy Podcaster: Mitch Hedberg
Stacey's Hypothetical Podcast About Her Life: A Big Ol' Mess
A Good Starter Episode of Stacey's Podcasting Parlour:





Episode 37 - Arnie Tourette’s & Squid Fist Bumps
You can listen to Stacey's Pop Culture Podcast on Podbean, iTunes, and Stitcher. You can also follow Stacey on Twitter!

If You Want Your Podcast To Stand Out, Be Different with Zephan Moses Blaxberg: Season 01 Ep. 10

This week, I am thrilled to be joined by Zephan Moses Blaxberg. Zephan is the host of The Year Of Purpose Podcast,and the author of the best selling book, Life Re-Scripted. He shares a lot of wisdom about podcasting with a purpose and standing out in a crowd.
Zephan's Podcasting Smarter Tips:
When he first started, he wanted to interview remarkable people and used a booking service to get his initial guests. Once his show was more established, he started looking for lower profile guests with interesting stories that jelled with the premise of his show.
Podcasting helped him get comfortable in his own skin by getting accustomed to his voice, and growing a an audience.
People spend too much time and energy trying to strategize ways to get on iTunes New & Noteworthy. Zephan used the book, Outrageous Advertising That Is Outrageously Successful as marketing inspiration for his podcast instead.
At his first podcasting conference, with thousand of people in attendance, Zephan knew he wanted to meet a lot of people, and for those people to remember him and his podcast after the conference. So, he purchased hundreds of ear bud wire wraps with his show info printed on them. and handed them out at the conference. His guerilla marketing tactics were a huge success.
Use the technique of "Pattern Interrupt" to keep your show from being monotonous, and keep your listeners' attention.
When starting out, look at what everyone else is doing and approach things differently in order to stand out.
Zephan's Fantasy Podcaster:  Alan Watts
Zephan's Hypothetical Podcast About His Life: From The Toilet To Entrepreneur
Listen to The Year of Purpose Podcast on Podbean, iTunes, and Stitcher. Follow Zephan on Twitter and Facebook.
If you get a chance, please give Podcasting Smarter a review on iTunes! :)

Focus On Your Audience First with Elijah Bailey: Season 01 Ep. 9

"Success for me, for the podcast is making sure I have an interactive community." --Elijah Bailey
This week on Podcasting Smarter, I am joinedby Elijah Bailey who podcasts out of Blacken Studios; a professionalpodcast studio located in Oklahoma City. Elijah is the co-host of severalpodcasts including: The Elijah Bailey Show, The Black Box, Hoya The Warrior Way Podcast, and A Lil Bit O Anime. Get ready because you are about to learn how to be a podcast warrior.
Elijah's Podcasting Smarter Tips:
Don't obsess over downloads. Instead, focus on giving your audience what they want, so they want more.
Strive for joy in the production of your show while staying consistent, and producing quality content. When that joy is gone, it may be time to end your podcast.
As a co-host for several shows, he looks for a 50/50 split in responsibilities as well as a balance in air time on the show for a healthy, long-term working relationship.
Make it easy for people to find and listen to your show. Elijah's initial audience members were his friends and family. He actually showed them on their phones hwo to subscribe and listen to the show. He also carries business cards for his shows that he can hand out to anyone he meets.
He always asks what his "Perfect Audience Member" wants from his show.
Elijah is active on social media, but pays attention to whether or not those Facebook likes are converting to listeners and subscribers.
Elijah sets 3 month goals for each of his shows. This ensures that he is always making progress and growing his podcast.
A podcaster needs a mindset of determination to get through moments of discouragement.
Go to conferences associated with your podcast content to find and meet great guests for your show.
Elijah's first step in monetizing his show started by approaching local business and presented compelling stats and competitive advertising rates to get their first sponsors.
Elijah's Fantasy Podcaster: Bruce Lee
Elijah's Hypothetical Podcast About His Life: A Walk Of Contemplation
Find all of Elijah's podcasts on Podbean and at BlackenStudios.com
Follow Blacken Studios on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!

Introverts Make Great Podcasters with Beth Buelow: Season 01 Ep. 8

“You can be a very charismatic introvert.” Olivia Fox Cabane
This week on Podcasting Smarter, Beth Buelow is here to help us get out of our heads and into being smarter podcasters. Beth is the host of the Introvert Entrepreneur Podcast where she helps introverts amplify their strengths so they can become better leaders and entrepreneurs. She is also a business coach, author, blogger, and a professional speaker. Wowzer!
Beth's Podcasting Smarter Tips:
Introverts make great podcasters because they prefer one on one conversations, and tend to be the best listeners. Due to the intimate nature of podcasts, they can be effective lead magnets for people with personal service businesses such as coaches. The podcast allows potential customers to get to know you, and trust you which makes it easy for them to decide to work with you.
Think of all the ways you can use your audio content. Beth re-purposed her podcast into a popular blog, and even wrote the book, The Introvert Entrepreneur.
Beth regrets not getting help with her podcast sooner because it could have saved her valuable time. She now spends $300 a month in podcast production help and show notes. This frees up her time to work with the paying clients that find her through the show! Smart!
By interviewing leaders in your field, and promoting their accomplishments you can create a "Circle of Champions" who will be eager to support you when needed.
Always stay true to the essence of your show even when you make changes to the format.
Beth uses TimeTrade to help with the scheduling of guests. She also uses a password protected form to collect details on her guests to save some research legwork. Her form was created with a Wordpress plugin called Formidable.
Introverted podcasters can find it overwhelming to attend podcast conferences so it's important to pace yourself, and practice self care. Beth suggests watching out for the "shoulds". As soon as you feel like there is something you should do, it's a sign that you may be making unrealistic assumptions.
Beth's Fantasy Podcaster: Carl Jung
Beth's Hypothetical Podcast About Her Life: The Art Of Napping
The Must-Listen-To episode of The Introvert Entrepreneur: Ep. 119 Fred Mandell on the Intersection of Business and Creativity
You can find Beth, her book and her podcast on her website at The Introvert Entrepreneur.
Like On Facebook!
Follow On Twitter!
Listen to The Introvert Entrepreneur podcast on Podbean, iTunes, and Stitcher!

The Combined Power of Podcasting & Blogging with Abby Glassenberg: Season 01 Ep. 7

"It's probably not great for your brand, as a blogger, to promise a podcast, and pod fade." -- Abby Glassenberg
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This week on Podcasting Smarter we learn a lot from Abby Glassenberg. Abby is the host of the successful podcast, While She Naps. She is also a creative entrepreneur whose podcast is just one thread of a rich career she has sewn together that includes blogging, writing, sewing, teaching, and design. So impressive!

Abby's Podcasting Smarter Tips:
Podcasting gives you an excuse to reach out to influencers and industry leaders in your field and connect with them in depth by having a conversation with them on your show.
Curating your guest list is an act of creativity. There is an art to finding a guest that will benefit from being on your podcast as much as your show benefits from their interview.
As a blogger, Abby already had an audience. She didn't want to make a promise to her audience that she couldn't keep, so she took the time to plan her podcast and consider the publishing frequency she could maintain in the long-term.
As the content creator, promoting your podcast is entirely your job, not your guests'. Make it easy for them to share the show by providing them with links, and visuals, but don't get upset if they never do.
To instigate engagement, she asks al her guests to share three things they are enjoying such as books, apps, etc. She then finds social media accounts for the things mentioned and tags them along with a link to the episode to let them know they were recommended on her podcast. What a great idea!
Abby uses the Pocket App and Slack to help her productivity. With Pocket, she can save articles that are interesting to her audience and include them in a weekly newsletter, along with a link to her recent episode. This allows her to provide tons of value without spending a ton of time. SMART!
Once your podcast becomes popular, you will start gettign pitched by potential guests. You need a plan for how you handle it. Since curating her guest list is such an important part of her show, she decided to not take any pitches.
Be patient with sponsorships. Abby waited to pursue sponsors until she was confident in her audience and the stability of her show.
She offers advertisers a lot of value for their sponsorship, and even includes several options for how their ad is delivered. One of those is a two minute interview! Another great idea!
You don't need a gigantic audience in order to monetize your podcast. After being turned down by MidRoll, Abby handled her own advertising with lots of success.

Abby's Fantasy Podcaster:  Elon Musk
Abby's hypothetical podcast about her life: She Holds It All Together
Must Listen To Episode of While She Naps:
Episode #71: Kathy Phillips, Creative Director at Springs Creative
You can listen to While She Naps on Podbean, Stitcher, and iTunes. You can also enjoy the blog, While She Naps.

Podcasting In The Moment: Season 01 Ep. 6

"The more we are willing to reach out and help each other, the better the world will be."
-- Bruce Langford 
Bruce Langford is not only the host of the Mindfulness Mode Podcast, but he is also a life coach and mindfulness counselor. Stay in this moment, because Bruce is going to help us wrap our minds around our microphones and be more calm, focused and intentional podcasters!

Podcasting Smarter Tips From Bruce:

Three ways podcasters can be more mindful: 1. Meditate daily. 2. Use the power of habit and read the book, Power of Habit. 3. Make it a professional thing, and take it seriously. Don't strive for perfection. 80% is usually good enough to get things done, and move on to the next project. Don't let perfection be your excuse not to launch. Don't be afraid to request interviews from big name guests such as best selling authors. Be sure to do a little extra research, so you can approach from a place of knowledge. Preparation is a way to calm to your mind in times of stress and nervousness. Be prepared, and have back-up plans in place. 
Must-Listen To Episodes of The Mindfulness Mode Podcast: 

1. Episode 000: Mindfulness, Bullying, and A Passion for Helping Others

2. Episode 003: PJ Dixon: Inspiration And Wisdom To Make Your Day Amazing  

You can listen to The Mindfulness Mode Podcast on Podbean, Stitcher, and iTunes. You can also find Bruce on Facebook and Twitter. 

What Podcasts Can Learn From Books with the Well-Read Podcast: Season 01 Ep. 5

If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.  –Toni Morrison
If there is a podcast you want to hear, and it hasn't been recorded yet, you must be the one to produce it!  This week I am joined by Halle from the Well-Read Podcast. Halle and her co-host Ann, are librarians at the Beaufort County Library in South Carolina, and the podcast is an extension of the library's public outreach programs. These lovable librarians have reached over 150,000 downloads with just 35 episodes. Like a good book, you are going to want to check their show out!
Podcasting Smarter Tips from Halle
Co-host chemistry builds over time
Divide up the show production duties for an equal division of work. In addition to social media, and newsletters, she promotes the podcast grass roots style when attending community groups, or doing presentations through the library.
When they started, they weren't many shows doing reading recommendations so that helped them stand out.
To engage their audience, they tweet our what they will be discussing, share book-related news, and connect with authors. All things they think their audience wants to hear.
Podcasts are a great vehicle for community outreach for businesses and organizations.
Coordinating schedules is a challenge for them, so part of their work flow is batching episodes while still allowing time for research.
Like a good book, you need some sort of structure and narrative to your podcast.
Must Listen To Episodes:
Episode 24: Current Events
Episode 28: All-Time Favorites
Listen to the Well-Read Podcast on Podbean,and iTunes
Follow them on Facebook and Twitter!
Check out the Beaufort County Library!

Podcasting To Advance Your Cause with Austin Petersen: Season 01 Ep. 4

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"You've gotta think big to be big." --Austin Petersen

Austin Petersen is the founder and owner of The Libertarian Republic, and the host of The Freedom Report podcast. Austin  grew The Freedom Report podcast into a popular, political news source which now earns over a million downloads a month. Austin credits the influence of his podcast for his former candidacy for the Libertarian Party's 2016 nomination for President of the United States. He came in second to Gary Johnson.  P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }

Podcasting Smarter Tips From Austin Petersen:
It can be dangerous to share how you truly feel on your podcast. You risk alienating people. You may lose career opportunities.
On the future of podcasting: Podcasts will be important in advancing individualism, and will take power away from mainstream media, and corporations.
Find a niche that is not being served well and hopefully aligns with your passion and/or your business. Don't do what everyone else is doing unless you can offer a unique value proposition.
With regard to social media: Think of your followers and fans as customers. Give the people what they want. Always serve your audience. Think about what they want to know, and what interests them.
Social media engagement has a dollar value of about $1.50 per thousand, so build your audience and engagement to attract advertisers.
Your audience will connect with you based on your attitude. What you put out there, you will get back.
You can attract people to you through your podcast that can help you advance your cause, promote your idea, or even marketing your business. 

Must Listen To Epsiode: Can We Kill ISIS Without Sacrificing Liberty
Listen to more of The Freedom Report on Podbean, iTunes, and Stitcher.
Follow on Twitter, Twitter, and Facebook!

Building A Podcast Kingdom with Rex Factor: Season 1 Ep. 3

This week on Podcasting Smarter, Jen talks to Graham Duke of the Rex Factor Podcast. Rex Factor is a light-hearted podcast reviewing all the kings and queens of England & Scotland. On each episode, Graham and Ali determine if the monarch has the mark of greatness, known as the Rex Factor!
It all started with a pub conversation and a friendly debate about great monarchs. That conversation is now a weekly, award winning, themed podcast with over a million downloads. Graham shares with us how they created a community as well as financial support for the show through their creative crowd funding efforts.
Podcasting Smarter Tips from Rex Factor:
Use your crowdfunding reward levels to create community. Rex Factor patrons become members of the special Privy Council and get access to premium episodes. Your fans will want to financially support your show and you can do more for them with their funding.
Have fun with your audience. Rex Factor top level patrons get to commission an episode which becomes the premium content available only to the Privy Council.They started an "insider" hashtag that fans use that references an episode about a monarch with a less than memorable mark in history. #RememberAedMake sure you have good audio quality from the beginning.
Take the time to set up your website, determining your format, your work flow process, tone, and branding of your show before jumping into.
Must Listen To Episode: 44. Charles II (Restoration)
Rex Factor on Podbean
Rex Factor on iTunes
Rex Factor on Stitcher
Rex Factor on Twitter
Rexfactor on Facebook

There Are No Podcast Numbers, Only People: Season 1 Ep. 02

This week on Podcasting Smarter, we are recording from Podcast Movement 2016 with Shawn and Richard, the co-hosts and producers of The Language of Bromance Podcast. This episode was recorded using Podbean's mobile app recording feature and the Go Mic by Samson. I picked it up at the Samson booth the day we recorded! It's only $40!
We purposefully left an interruption in the recording since it was part of the experience of recording during the Podcast Movement conference.
Richard and Shawn initially started podcasting as a means to stay connected after moving apart. Now, two years later, they are part of the PodBros Network, and have a growing community of rabid fans who enjoy the hilarious worlds they create around obscure, historical events.
"Always remember why you are doing your podcast. Praise is humbling, but that doesn't make me talk into the mic, it encourages me to talk into the mic." --Richard
Must Listen To Episode: 84 Planet Of The Emus  (seriously, I laughed so hard, I cried.)
The podcast has been an impressive creative outlet for Shawn and Richard. Their unique storytelling has led them to film making, and creating comics. Adult coloring books may even be in their future.
Podcasting Smarter Tips from Shawn and Richard:
Don't be afraid to experiment with your show. Not everything will work, and that is ok. Keep creating!
Promote your show on Reddit. The community holds you accountable. You have to give to get in Reddit communities.
Don't waste your audiences time. They have lots of choices.Don't be afraid to edit things out.
Create a community around your show. They have the L.O.B. Army.
Podcasting leads to many unexpected opportunities. 

You can find The Language of Bromance on Twitter and Facebook!