The Audacity to Podcast

Attending events relevant or beneficial to your podcast can hold exciting opportunities—unless you make these mistakes.

To "profit" from your podcast means money to many people. But I think "PROFIT" stands for something more, and every podcast needs it!

Recording audio or video podcasts at an event can present many challenges. Here's the onsite podcasting equipment I recommend to make your production great!

A stagnating podcast can hurt your show's growth and your potential. Here's what you need to improve!

You may not need to spend thousands on multiple pieces of audio equipment to get a good-sounding podcast. Here are modern solutions.

With the release of iOS 11, Apple supports new podcasting tags for your podcast RSS feed. Here's how you can start using them today. What are the new and updated iTunes tags for podcasts? At WWDC 2017, Apple announced iOS 11 and released information about new tags being added to the iTunes podcasting spec and coming support in the Apple Podcasts app. * <itunes:type> (show/channel level): “episodic” for non-chronological episodes that will behave as they have for years and download the latest episode, or “serial” for chronological episodes that should be consumed oldest to newest. * <itunes:episodeType> (episode/item level): “full” for normal episodes; “trailer” to promote an upcoming show, season, or episode; or “bonus” for extra content related to a show, season, or episode. * <itunes:title> (episode/item level): only the episode title—no episode number, season number, or show title. This can be used with any show and episode type. * <itunes:episode> (episode/item level): any number to indicate the current episode number, which can be relative to the entire show (like “316”), or relative to the current season (like “5”). This can be used with any show and episode type. * <itunes:season> (episode/item level): any number to indicate the season in which this episode belongs. This can be used with any show and episode type. * <itunes:summary> (episode/item level): this updated (but not new) tag is best for a short description of your episode. It will display above the full show notes. * <content:encoded> (episode/item level): this updated (but not new) tag is for your full show notes. It will display below the title and summary. Listen to my episode 310, “Apple's iOS 11, Podcast Analytics, and Podcasting Spec Update,” for more information about these new and updated tags. Using the new iTunes tags in PowerPress If you're using WordPress with the PowerPress plugin to generate your RSS feed, the following steps will help you enable the new podcast tags for iTunes. You will probably notice red “new!” text next to the new options. * Login to your WordPress admin dashboard. * If you aren't already  PowerPress 7.1 or later, go to Dashboard > Updates and update PowerPress (you may have to click “Check Again” if the update isn't listed yet.) * Go to PowerPress > Settings > iTunes tab. * Set “iTunes Type” to “Episodic” or “Serial.” * Then go to the Episodes tab. * Checkmark the new tags you want to use: “iTunes Summary Field” (old, but new behavior), “iTunes Episode Title Field,” and “iTunes Episode Number, Season and Type Fields.” * Click Save Changes. * Create or edit a post. * Scroll to the “Podcast Episode” widget. * If you're changing an already-published episode, checkmark “Modify existing podcast episode.” * Enter the appropriate information in the new “iTunes episode” and “iTunes title” fields. * Enter a one- or two-sentence description in “iTunes Summary” or leave blank to use your excerpt (if written) or a truncated version of your show notes. * Click Update or Publish when you're finished editing your post. Using the new iTunes tags in Libsyn If you use Libsyn to host your media and manage your podcast RSS feed, the following steps will help you use the new podcast tags for iTunes.

Word of mouth is the best way to grow your podcast. Here's how you can inspire and equip your audience to share your podcast. Make a great podcast Nothing else you can do to your podcast matters as much as making a great podcast. If your podcast is horrible, then no one will want to share it, regardless of how easy you make the process. When people consume content, they're looking for one or both of these two things: * They want to be helped—inspired, educated, motivated, informed, encouraged, etc. * They want to be entertained—humored, amused, provoked, engaged, etc. If your podcast doesn't do at least one of those things, then you have some important work to do. Liken your podcast to a restaurant. It doesn't matter how good their branding and marketing are, if the food and service are horrible, no one will want to eat there, let alone recommend it to others. Your audience might already be telling you how good your podcast is (or isn't) in their feedback or podcast reviews. Is your podcast actually good? Ask for shares This may seem obvious, but it's often forgotten. If you want your audience to do something, you have to ask them to do it! The first thing to do is make sure you always give value before you ask for value in return. I think many podcasters can easily fall into giving too many calls to action: subscribe, rate and review, comment, share, donate, support the sponsor, follow some recommendation, and more. So the second thing to do is stop asking your audience for so much. Reduce and simplify the things you want you audience to do. Of all the things your audience could do for you, telling others about your podcast is usually the best. That will help your podcast grow far more than ratings and reviews. How you ask is also important. Focus on the benefits your audience can give to others by sharing your podcast. Don't focus on the benefits you get. For example: * Bad: “Please share the podcast so we can get more subscribers.” This focuses on what you gain. * Better: “Please share the podcast so our community can grow.” This focuses more on growing the community your audience is in. * Best: “If you liked this episode and think someone else would, too, please share it!” This focuses on helping your audience help others. Write descriptive, shareable titles As I teach in my SEO for Podcasters course, titles are the most important text on the Internet. By default, titles are what display in and most-affect search results, what show in podcast apps, what display largest on your website, and what share in social networks. A good title will be three things: * Descriptive—making it clear what the episode (or overall podcast) is about * Compelling—inspiring curiosity to relevant people * Shareable—short and written without first-person pronouns For example, imagine an episode that seeks to share and review the best vanilla cream sodas. * “Bottle Fights” is cute, but wouldn't describe the episode's contents. * “Vanilla Cream Sodas” is more descriptive, but it wouldn't compel people to click on it. * “My Favorite Vanilla Cream Sodas” is descriptive and a little more compelling, but it's not shareable because the “My” becomes the voice of the sharer. * “The 10 Vanilla Cream Sodas You Should Try” now incorporates all three principles. Enhance the website experience

You are influenced by the people around you. So here is who you should have in your circle to help your podcast succeed.

Press access can get you sneak peeks, free trials, and more value for your audience. Here are 11 tips to help your podcast get these special media privileges.

While Americans celebrate their independence on July 4, we podcasters can celebrate our independence with every episode! Here's what makes the independence of podcasting so powerful.

You may sometimes fall into a podcasting rut and you've lost your passion. Here are 9 tips to help you get out of the funk and back to your podcast!

At the 2017 Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple announced several big changes that will help podcasters and podcast-consumers. Here's what you need to know.

Podcast episodes about current events (including fan shows) may not have a long life, but you can still use them to promote and grow your podcast! A current-events podcast might cover news, politics, sports, TV shows, movies, books, music, and such. Essentially, anything that has a schedule and isn't as popular after it has passed.

"Long tail" is when a podcast has a long life of relevance and consumption. Learn how to keep your old episodes alive and use them to grow your audience.

Loudness normalization conforms audio to a perceived loudness level. Learn why that's important in podcasting and how to make your podcast meet the standard.