🎤 Black Friday Podcasting Deals (Issue 209)  November 29th 2024

Canva Alternative for Only $89

VistaPrint has an app that's very similar to Canva for the one-time fee of only $89.

• 70M+ royalty-free images, vectors, videos, and music files for you to use
• Remove backgrounds from any image in seconds
• Replace backgrounds with images or leave them transparent
• Turn images into stickers, tweak the sizing, and change the text on your design
• Invite up to 10 team members
• Create a brand kit with colors, logos, and fonts

Is it as good as Canva? No. But I'd say it's about 80% and definitely a bargain for the one-time, $89 fee. The interface is so similar to Canva, you'd think it would be illegal (or maybe licensed). And it can handle anything you'd need for your podcast, including episode and cover art.

Do You Book Guests via LinkedIn?

If you're looking for guests (or just connections) via LinkedIn, Aimfox is worth a look. You can search for profiles that fit your criteria and send connection requests automatically.

Do you like LinkedIn? Le'ts connect!

Pods.ee - Mind Maps for Podcast Promotion

Pods.ee AI takes your podcast audio and gives you a summary, transcript, and mindmap.

It's only $19.

The transcripts and mind maps have timestamps that, when you click on them, take you to the exact part of the podcast you want to hear.

It's a nice tool that will help people to interact with your podcast in a new way.

Guest Agreement Tool - FREE!

Use this free tool to take care of "guest agreements."

Why?

When inviting guests to participate in your podcast, it's essential to establish clear expectations. A guest agreement helps to avoid misunderstandings and ensures that your guest is fully informed about the process.

I make a guest agree to three things:

1. Show up with a quality mic, not a phone headset or built-in computer mic.
2. Show up from a quiet place where we can focus on getting a good interview recorded without distraction.
3. Acknowledge in writing that all interviews for my podcast are edited and that I don't send edits for approval.

If you're worried about legalities if recording and publishing an inteview, a guest agreement can address important legal considerations such as consent to record, copyright ownership, and promotional responsibilities. It ensures that both you and your guest are on the same page regarding how the content will be used and shared, safeguarding intellectual property rights and avoiding potential disputes.

Questions? Reach out to me via Bluesky.

Transcript and Episode Notes Tool

Transcript.LOL is a solid transcript tool with 99% accuracy, but it's so much more ...

• Transcripts works with 1500+ services including YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Apple Podcasts
• Transcript have timestamps
• Summaries - every hour and every 10 mins
• Automatic social media posts for Facebook and LinkedIn
• Quotes
• "Ask AI" feature which answers only from your transcript >> great for pulling links and contact info
• Topics for episode notes
• Titles suggestions that will get you more downloads
• Quizzes for educational content
• Blog posts
• Bluesky threads and posts

What is Your Audience Searching For?

Discover what your listeners are searching for and explore new opportunities for episode ideas and online content.

People are searching for what you do and there is plenty of traffic to be had, but you've got to give it to them in the way they're looking for it.

This tool will help you make that happen.

Access 500k+ Journalists and 200k+ Podcasts

You can connect with over 2,000,000 journalists publishers, and podcasts.

• Find email addresses, phone numbers, topics of interest, social media profiles, and publisher info in each profile
• Database of 500,000+ journalist profiles
• Database of 150,000+ media publishers
• Database of 200,000+ podcasts
• Unlimited AI media campaigns
• Unlimited AI press releases
• Unlimited AI contact lists

This will get you the press you want.

Focusrite Vocaster One — $59 Podcasting Interface

The Focusrite Vocaster One is my favorite low-cost audio interface and you can get it for the even lower cost of just $59 right now.

Want to hear it in action? Listen to this episode that I recorded with the Focusrite Vocaster One and Shure SM58 mic, which is also on sale right now.

Audio-Technica ATR2100x (USB/XLR Mic)

This $48 microphone is an absolute workhorse and was previously priced at over $100. It has a USB connection, so you can plug it directly into your computer and an XLR connection, so you can use it with the Focusrite Vocaster One or other audio interfaces.

This is a mic that will last years and can grow with you. It's an excellent utility mic that works well under a variety of situations.

Shure SM7B Microphone

The Shure SM7B microphone is one of two mics you'll see in a broadcast radio studio. It was used to record the vocals for Thriller by Michael Jackson.

If you're looking to get this classic mic, now is a great time, because it's on sale.

NOTE: People often talk about how "gain hungry" this mic is and how it helps to have a Cloudlifter pre-amp. That's a good option, but modern interfaces, such as the Focusrite Vocaster One, can handle this mic with no problem.