Prologue
How to Never Miss an Interview
I've done hundreds of interviews over the years, many of them remote and across time zones.
Have you ever been on a cruise ship? When you stop at a destination, regardless of where it is, you work from the ship's time zone. This keeps everybody on the same page and gets them back onboard, before the ship leaves port.
I do something similar. Regardless of where my guest is, we work from Eastern time.
Why? Because most people know the calculation. When you get into Central, Mountain, and the "non-changing" time zones, like Arizona, things get complicated.
And when you get into India Standard Time, which has an extra 30 minutes you'll need to account for, things get really complicated.
Make things easy on yourself. In addition to working from Eastern time, get an automated booking platform, like TidyCal. It's not fancy, but you'll always be on the same page as your guest and know what time to show up.
Podcast Marketing
How an End-of-Year Survey Can Improve Your Podcasting Strategy
Some good info here about how to structure a survey for your listeners and use the info you get to make a better podcast.
The type of questions they recommend asking:
- Something numeric
- Something about the value of your podcast
- Something open-ended
I'm rarely recommend using "numeric" questions, but this can help you get an overall feel for what people think about your podcast and help to collect followup answers. But remember that the people most likely to answer a survey like this are those who like your stuff, so the results you get may be skewed.
If you do a numeric question on a survey, I suggest you immediately follow up with something like, "Why did you choose this rating?" This will give you information you can actually use to make your podcast better.
Other questions to ask, which will help you to create better episodes:
- What does this podcast do for you?
- Why do you make time to listen to this podcast?
- Why is it valuable for you?
Note that these three questions are arguably the same question said in different ways, but the answers you get are key to making your survey (and your future podcast episodes) a success.
Want to go even deeper? Set up a few phone calls with listeners and talk with them individually.
Podcast Hosting Skills
How to Pronounce Names Right
Pronunciation can establish — or undermine — your credibility as a host. These tips from global correspondents will help you get unfamiliar names correct.
Personally, verifying names is something I do with everybody the moment we start recording, not just people with "uncommon" names. Not only is this a sign of respect, it's also something that will keep you from looking like an idiot.
You don't have to make a big deal of it. Just say something like, "OK, I've hit record, can you say your name for me, so I can get it on tape and I can make sure I've got it right?"
And what happens when you get it wrong? This.
Have a good "wrong name" story? Let me know via Mastodon, Bluesky, or Threads!
Podcast Production
Catch Audio Problems in Podcast Interviews (Before They Happen)
This checklist from NPR helps producers catch potential pitfalls before and during interviews, whether remote or in-person.
Some good advice and things to watch out for. For example ...
Phone/mic placement: If they’re using a phone, have them hold it like a phone. If the audio is still popping, tell them to rotate the phone so the mouthpiece is below the chin/jawline. Avoid the “pizza slice” position, because people generally end up holding the phone too close to their mouth. Professional microphones can be used close up, to get the fullness of the person’s voice and avoid room reverberations. Aim at the corner of their mouth to avoid plosives.
Earbuds: If they use earbuds, no sharing with a neighbor; have them keep both earbuds in both ears to avoid dangling the mic side.
Room Tone: Room tone: After the interview, pause and have a moment of silence as you continue recording.
It's worth nothing that a good recorder, such as the Zoom F3, which records in 32-bit float, helps solve a lot of recording problems. This is because 32-bit allows you to capture so much data when recording you can boost low-volume signals or, if a recording is too hot, restore the "good" audio that's under the clipping.
Podcasting Deals
WhisperTranscribe - Transcribe Your Podcast with AI
Transcribe audio and convert podcasts into written content with this AI-powered tool.
Whisper is OpenAI's state-of-the-art transcription technology. It is very powerful and very accurate. If you're in need of transcripts, this is a good option.
Think transcripts aren't important? Watch this and you'll get a new understanding of why they are (on a couple of levels).
Podcast Humor
Who did this?!
Black Friday and Cyber Monday bills are coming in ... How did you make it this year?
Every podcaster has been there—we think adding "one more thing" is going to change everything for us.
Sometimes new things help. But from my experience working with hundreds of broadcasters and podcasters, I can tell you firsthand that equipment itself isn't going to make a huge difference when it comes to your success.
Don't mistake consumption for action.
What's something you purchased for your podcast that didn't make a bit of difference? Let me know via Mastodon, Bluesky, or Threads!
Classifieds
Swell AI
Swell AI automates writing podcast summaries, articles, social posts, and more.
- Manage multiple shows in one dashboard.
- Build custom templates for each show.
- Connects with Google Drive, Dropbox, and Zoom.
Riverside - Remote Recording Studio
Riverside records high-quality audio (and video) directly from your browser. No special equipment is needed and connecting with your guest is as simple as sending a web link!
You can try Riverside free (no credit card is needed) and, if you like it, save 15% on any paid plan by using the coupon code BIGPODCAST.
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 personal coaching 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.