Prologue
A Quick and Dirty Podcasting Success
Mignon Fogarty is the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network and inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame.
If you've ever wanted to start your own network, listen to this interview I did with her.
In this episode, I talk with Mignon about:
- Success with Grammar Girl and her commitment to meeting podcast deadlines
- Mignon's use of a friendly cartoon character as Grammar Girl's avatar to make grammar more approachable and the importance of maintaining a personal connection with her audience
- The impact of speech styles on written content and the nuances of audio in podcasting in the age of advanced AI technology
- The challenges of content quality, fact-checking, and speed in podcasting without traditional journalistic filters
- Her career transition from writing and grammar to podcasting, facilitated by an experience with repetitive injury and dictation, and her subsequent success partnering with Macmillan Publishing
This year, I plan to do more interviews on Build a Big Podcast to showcase successful podcasters using their own words. Know a successful podcaster I should reach out to? Let me know via Mastodon, Bluesky, or Threads.
Podcaster Opportunities
How to Upload Audio-first Podcasts to YouTube with RSS Feeds
YouTube is back to promoting podcasting again, this time with a video on how to submit a podcast to YouTube.
The process is easy. You simply give them your RSS feed, verify you control the feed via a code sent to its attached email, and they download all your episodes, making each into a video.
Before you do this, check to see if you're already there. They did this automatically for several podcasts a few months ago.
And note that, if you have dynamic ads in the episodes that they import, those will be on the YouTube version forever.
It's not a perfect system, but if you're hoping to catch a few crumbs of traffic from the world's second-largest search engine, this might be a good opportunity for you.
DO YOU USE MUSIC IN YOUR PODCAST? Be aware that submitting your feed to YouTube in this way will run everything through their "copyright check." If you're using unlicensed music, there's a very good chance they'll find it.
Steal This Idea
This Will Help You Tell Better Stories on Your Podcast
A few years ago, I was speaking at a podcasting event and a guy in the audience asked me where I got ideas for new episodes.
Until that day, I hadn't really thought about it, because I always have episode ideas.
And the how of that was what he wanted to know ...
"I'm always looking," is what I told him, as I gave him a couple of examples.
Then he responded with what i thought was a better way of saying it. He said, "It sounds like your episode ideas come from being present."
This is basically what Matthew Dicks does with his Homework for Life process. It's worth your time to watch this video and implement this process, which take only five minutes per day.
Beyond the video, this is a guy worth listening to about storytelling. His book, Storyworthy, is excellent.
Podcast Hosting Skills
A Two-Minute Burnout Checkup
I talked about burnout in the previous issue of Big Podcast Insider and got so many questions about it, I'm adding this Two-Minute Burnout Checkup to the discussion.
There are three core attributes of burnout:
- We feel exhausted and as though we have no energy to do good work.
- We feel cynical and have negative attitudes toward our projects. We also experience a sense of disassociation from those projects and from the people around us, whether coworkers, friends, or family.
- Burnout makes us feel ineffective, as though we’re accomplishing significantly less than usual and can’t muster the fortitude to be productive.
If you connect with these elements, I encourage you to take the test and look at good options for moving forward.
Podcast Production
How Long Should Your Podcast Be?
Some interesting thoughts on attention by Morgan Housel ...
Remember writing papers in school? Morgan brings up a good point about them ...
In school they tell you your paper must be a minimum of five pages long. In the real world you have five seconds to catch someone’s attention before they’re bored and move on.
Three things that will be more beneficial to growing your podcast than length ...
- Get to the point.
- Good stories > deep lectures (see above for a good way to do this)
- Transform gut feelings into words, explaining something people intuitively know is true but haven’t yet put into words.
Podcast Humor
You're Not Desperate ... Are You?
This is a joke, but it's about a serious topic.
There are things in podcasting that feel good, but they're not helpful. Constantly asking for a "rating and review" is one of those things.
You can't ask listeners to do everything on your podcast, so focus on the most important thing—keeping in touch.
Almost always, you're much better off asking for somebody to subscribe to your podcast or sign up for a mailing list than anything else.
Where do you send them? Somewhere that makes it easy for them to subscribe or sign up. Steal this subscription page, if you need to.
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.
Publer – Social Media Scheduler
Use Publer to schedule and analyze all your social media posts from a single dashboard!
The Wrap Up
When you're ready, here's how I can help you even more ...
If you want the shortcut to building a podcast people care about, here’s how Big Podcast can help you …
Free of charge ...
- Big Podcast Daily – Short, daily emails to help you build an audience, attract clients, and make money via podcasting
- Build a Big Podcast – The Marketing Podcast for Podcasters
- Podcast Growth Toolkit – The "Swiss Army Knife" of podcasting ...
For budgets under $750 …
- Big Podcast AMP (Audio Monetization Program) – Personalized coaching for indie podcasters to help you grow your podcast audience and build your authority, brand, and reputation
For budgets of $3000 or more …
We offer a range of podcasting services including:
- Full-service podcast production and marketing
- Podcast and radio hosting
- Podcast launch and development services