Prologue
Your Podcast is Being Judged...
"You can't judge a book by its cover."
Actually, you can. And people do.
Those people are also judging your podcast by its art.
Well-done art can help you grow your podcast audience in a big way. If you follow some basic, but simple rules (see below for a link to the list of them), you will get more listeners for your podcast.
But then what?
You need a podcast that sounds good.
In this issue of Big Podcast Insider, I give you some quick things you can do to make your podcast look good and sound good. There's also a new podcast app (it's free) you may want to look at, because it's a great option for you to practice your hosting skills.
Speaking of looking good... Are we connected on Instagram? If not, let's make sure that happens, because I'd love to share a photo of your studio on my account.
Interested? DM me here.
Podcast Marketing
Why To Never Use Your Photo On Podcast Cover Art
I've got a few "controversial" positions when it comes to podcasting and this is one of them. Some people are really offended and take it personally.
But it's not personal – I simply want people to hear what you have to say.
Don't get me wrong, photos of yourself aren't necessarily a bad thing. But when you only limited space, which is what we have available for our podcast art, a photo of yourself can take up a lot of room that would be better used for something else.
This article has more info and will give you something to think about...sometime that could help you get a lot more people listening to your podcast.
5 Rules to Create Great Podcast Cover Art
I've got five "rules" you should follow if you want to create podcast art that gets attention. And these rules will work for you, even if you decide to ignore my advice above and use your photo on your podcast art.
Podcasting Events
Want a Radio Voice? Check out this podcasting workshop...
Compression is what gives FM radio its "big" sound. And knowing how to use it can help you stand out from other podcasters.
I often run into people who have heard me on the radio and they'll say, "You have such a great radio voice."
That "radio voice" is a little of me and a lot of compression – it takes my normal voice and makes it sound bigger, bolder, and more authoritative.
Compression can do the same for your voice. And you can learn all about how to use it on your podcast via this two-hour workshop with podcast engineer Marcus de Paula.
Podcasting Tools
Racket – The Next Big Podcasting App?
It doesn't matter if you have a "radio voice" if you have nothing to say or you're not good on the mic. To help me get better at these skills, I have a daily podcast that I use it to practice this podcasting formula to become a better host.
I use Anchor for this exercise, because it's easy. I simply record into my web browser, hit "publish" on the episode, and I'm done – no editing, no uploading, or anything else.
Racket is very similar to Anchor – it's very easy to get a podcast online. Because of this, it's a great way to practice your podcast hosting skills.
It's free and worth a look. If nothing else, sign up to reserve your username.
Podcasting Deals
Want to Make Podcast Art? Use This...
My wife is a professional photographer and a master of Photoshop. She can make somebody 40-years-old look 20 years younger and it will appear completely natural.
I used to have her do my artwork. But relying on somebody else can become a problem if there's a deadline and you need something right now.
So I started playing around with Stencil. It's very similar to Canva, but much cheaper. In fact, you can get lifetime access for only $49.
If you need an easy way to make graphics for your podcast, Stencil is great. And it's not just for podcasts – I used it to create all the graphics in this newsletter issue!