Prologue
Live Fast, Die Fast
A couple of months ago, a new social network started to gain momentum. With so much chaos in that world, people were excited about a "kinder, safer, public square."
Next week, it's shutting down.
"Community" is volatile, whether it's something online or the neighborhood you live in. One day you've got a hot nightclub, active church, or popular restaurant ... the next day you've got nothing.
One person leaves, other people follow, and the "momentum" builds from there. And once it's in motion, it's hard to turn it around.
It can happen to your podcast audience.
Here's a secret ...
To keep listeners engaged, it's good to change up what you're doing. Nobody wants to listen to the same episode over and over again.
But it's risky to change things ... because people also resist change.
So what do you do?
One good option is to test changes you want to make to your podcast before you go live with them. And a good option to do this is NaPodPoMo.
I've got more information below.
Also coming in November ... My new daily newsletter for podcasters.
NOTE: You will not get this automatically. If you want it, sign up here.
This newsletter, Big Podcast Insider, both this version and the audio edition, will continue as usual.
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Steal This Idea
SEO/Press Trick for Podcasters
Wordnik is the world's biggest online English dictionary, by number of words, one of which is podcasting.
I bought it. Not the site, the word "podcasting."
Grammar Girl, who turned me onto this site, bought podcast. Zita Christian, the world's oldest podcaster and host of My Spouse Has Dementia, bought caregiver. And Brad Shreve, host of Queer We Are purchased queer.
You get a nice, high-value link to your site for only $25/year. Beyond that, you get a great press opportunity, because you can announce that you now "own" whatever your word is.
If you jump in on this, let me know via Mastodon, Bluesky, or Threads!
Podcast Hosting Skills
Singer vs. Podcast Host
The best radio/podcast hosts that I know are also singers. My theory on this, as somebody who went to college for music, is that great singers do two things:
- Listen
- Breathe
Great hosts have to do the same things.
Valerie Day (you've heard her voice here) has a free online course that, as a host, you're going to get a lot out of. It's about singing, but also what you do with your voice.
There's no catch. I know, with so many "lead magnets" online, this is hard to believe. But here's why she is doing this:
I created Becoming A Singer as a legacy project — a way to give back to the music community that’s given me so much. When I was first starting out in music, I would have loved to have taken a course like this. But I would never have been able to afford it. I want the information and experience that I’ve gathered over a lifetime to be available to anyone who needs it.
Podcast Production
How to Find, Develop, and Vet News Sources (and Guests)
I love this article about how to get people to talk to you.
I've worked on various radio and podcasting projects that, depending on the subject, had guests lined up to talk to me or just the opposite, with me having to really work not only to find great guests, but to get them to agree to a taped (and published) recording.
For example, I did an interview with a woman whose AirBNB was turned into a brothel ... while she was upstairs.
She was a little nervous about retaliation, which you can understand.
There are also situations where you're on a tight deadline and need something now. How do you handle things when your timeline doesn't match the person you want to talk to?
Even if your main focus is general interviews within a very specific market, these strategies will make you a better host.
Podcast Humor
30 Podcast Episodes in 30 Days
Want to challenge yourself in November? NaPodPoMo is a great way to:
- test new podcast ideas
- test new segments
- improve your hosting
How? Repetition!
You show up daily for 30 days, making a new episode each day. It doesn't have to be fancy – maybe it's you just getting behind the mic and working on hosting skills, such as vocal inflection or (lack of) filler words.
This is actually how I started my podcast, Build a Big Podcast. I had no plans of doing a podcast on podcasting, but needed a topic to use for NaPodPoMo ... and kept going after it was over.
Is it "too much" at times? It can be. I've completed it three times and my advice is to keep things simple. Yeah, you want to get better, but "better" happens in steps, not all at once. And if you stop in the middle, you'll never get there.
Want to hear more about my experience doing NaPodPoMo and the benefits you'll get from jumping in yourself? Listen to this.
The Business of Podcasting
Is Producing a Podcast Worth It?
This is an interesting take on podcasting by Josh Spector, who runs a popular newsletter for online creatives.
The Basic Numbers
Josh launched his podcast 14 months ago and has produced 64 episodes since then. The podcast hasn’t seen significant growth, with an average of 587 downloads per episode. However, he's found success on YouTube, where videos from the interviews he does have received 128,789 views and attracted 2900 subscribers.
How the Money Works
The podcast has earned him $27,699 (indirectly) through book sales and consulting services.
Is Producing a Podcast Worth It?
I'm going deeper in the audio version of this issue. But for now, a few quick thoughts ...
There are some things about podcasting that are hard to quantify. For example, a podcast is a great delivery mechanism for you and your message, which is far more portable than other common online media options, such as YouTube or email.
Speaking personally, the last thing I want to do is watch another split-screen, talking head video, because after the initial few seconds of seeing what people look like and where they're connecting from, the video element adds nothing.
But the audio ... I can download it to my phone (via a podcast app) and take it anywhere I go. I can listen to it while doing something else, such as driving, or cooking, or working out.
So yeah, I think it's worth it.
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The Wrap Up
When you're ready, here's how I can help you even more ...
If you like the newsletter, you'll love Big Podcast AMP (Audio Monetization Program).
This program has been designed to help you do three things:
- Grow your podcast audience.
- Get people talking about your podcast.
- Make more money with your podcast.
You can get details here.