Quick Daily Podcasting Tips by Alitu

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a montage episode. A montage episode is a piece of audio content, made up of clips from different contributors. A tried and tested way of creating one is to build the episode around a single topic or question. Here, each participant records their answer to the question, and sends over their audio to the creator. You can collect clips from anyone from the general public, to your podcast listeners. In this particular instance, we want to create one wi...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about running a co-hosted episode. Teaming up with another podcast in your niche to do a special co-hosted episode can be a great way to expand your reach and share your audiences. These “crossover” episodes can bring fresh and engaging content to the listeners of both shows. They can also help listeners find new, relevant, and enjoyable content that they might not have already been aware of. Can you think of a podcast that's at a similar level to your own sh...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about contributing constructively to an existing community. Whether or not you run your own community, there’s no harm in getting involved in others within your topic, too. This doesn’t mean going around spamming everywhere about your podcast. It’s about being a positive, pro-active, and helpful person. For example, you can offer answers to questions, or you could even ask some of your own. Kicking off an ongoing weekly conversation can be a great idea too. For example “hey fellow...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about starting an online community around your podcast. This lets you engage in discussion with your podcast audience. It allows you to get feedback, and generate enthusiasm. It even allows listeners to meet and get to know one another, and this is a powerful thing. There are a few plugins that let you build your community on your own WordPress site. A couple of good options here are bbPress and CM Answers. If you and your listeners are on Facebook, th...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating memorable and immortal links. As podcasters, we’ll usually try to send the listener to some link or resource at least once per episode. By the way, have you taken our feedback survey yet at [thepodcasthost.com/psp](http://thepodcasthost.com/psp) ? But see, that type of link’s exactly what I’m talking about. It’s short and memorable. And you can always change where it points to, further down the line. A classic example of this is a podca...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about tagging another podcast in a positive tweet. I know that “positive tweet” sounds like an oxymoron. But there apparently was a time when people acted reasonably to one another on that platform. So if you’re on twitter, and so is a podcast in your niche that you really like, why not post a nice tweet about them? Here, you might talk a wee bit about why you like it so much. Maybe the show was also a big inspirat...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking, again, about podcast review incentives. This time around, though, you’re incentivising the content. So how does that look? Well, you might announce that when you hit a certain number of reviews - let’s say, 25 - you’ll do something a bit out of the ordinary. That could be a unique, highly-produced episode, an interview with a top-tier guest, or a live broadcast from somewhere that resonates. Depending on your niche or topic you could even vow to personally do somet...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast review incentives. Another way to incentivise podcast reviews amongst your audience is to offer a prize for everyone, rather than one listener taking all in a prize draw. The same principles apply here. Listeners screenshot and email their reviews to you - that way, you know who they are, and how to get in touch with them. And they get something in return straight away. Obviously, it’s better if this is a digital incentive. An ebook, access to a...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast review competitions. Here, you’d ask each person who’s reviewed your podcast to email you a screenshot of that review, and enter them into a prize draw. It’s perfectly legit to incentivise reviews this way. The big caveat, though, is that this is open to your listening audience only. Not the general public. How do you ensure that? You only mention it on your episodes. That way, only your listeners will hear it. Yes you could potentia...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about asking individual listeners to review your podcast. Don’t panic. This isn’t a week-long task of sending out a personalised email to every single listener you have. Instead, it’s about approaching three to five people who you know listen to every single episode you put out. These could be folks you’ve heard from before via email or social media. Or, they might be active in the same online community as you. In any case, it’s worth reachi...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about how to encourage podcast reviews. As we mentioned on the last episode, podcast reviews can be great “social proof” that you can use in your marketing and promotion. There are a few approaches and angles here, so we’d like to spend the next few episodes running through them. But the starting point is, of course, to ask your audience. Ask them at the end of each episode, in your Call to Action. Send them to a link or page on...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about leaving a positive review for another podcast. Have you ever heard the term “a rising tide lifts all boats”? Well, this can be true in your own podcasting niche. There are probably other podcasts out there that you enjoy, that cover similar topics, or have similar target audiences to you. Don’t see these shows as competition. In fact, leaving a positive review for them on a platform like Podchaser can be a win-win for you both. Lots of podcaste...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about growing your podcast audience. On Pocket-Sized Podcasting so far, we’ve covered everything you need to plan and create your show. We’ve also made sure that your podcast is optimised for growth. But now that you’ve launched a podcast on solid foundations, how can we take things to the next level? Despite what the internet might have you believe, there’s no “one simple trick” to growing a podcast audience. And it’s certainly not the sort of thing that ha...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about adding a ‘Start Here’ page to your website. As podcasters, we can become desensitized to all of the content we’ve created over a given time. You might think that your podcast, blog, coaching service, books, and other products all make perfect logical sense. But for someone landing on your site for the very first time, it can be confusing and overwhelming. Creating a ‘Start Here’ page is a great way of gently introducing folks to your content. You might combin...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about adding social sharing buttons to your website. If you’re using a WordPress website, then it’s worth installing a social media sharing plugin. There are plenty of good ones out there, and you can browse through them all in your ‘Add New Plugins’ section. When you’ve installed and activated one of these plugins, you’ll see a wee row of social media icons at the bottom of each post and page, and they’ll make it easy for anyone to sh...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a ‘Contact’ page on your podcast website. Every podcaster likes listener feedback, but almost every podcaster feels they rarely if ever hear from anyone. In a lot of cases, this is simply because they’ve not made it easy enough. So instead of reading out your email address, twitter handle, and Facebook page out in your Call to Actions, just send them to yourwebsite dot com slash contact to find every way they can connect with you. You might us...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a list of podcast episodes on your website. Some podcasters like to offer a full list of every episode they’ve published to-date. Others prefer to curate a ‘Best Of’ list that can help pull in new listeners. You can do this manually by embedding episode players on a page. Or, your hosting provider might have a feature where you can create this in your podcast player itself. Captivate, for example. You might even choose to create themed pages; f...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a ‘Subscribe’ page on your podcast website. As we’ve mentioned many times before, your podcast might be consumed in over 100 different places. So sending your listeners to yourwebsite dot com slash subscribe is better than trying to list them all in your Call to Action. First and foremost, a subscribe page could simply say “find us wherever you get your podcasts”. It doesn’t hurt to provide links to some of the bigger platforms, too. Platforms like Apple, Spotify...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating an ‘About’ page on your podcast website. The ‘About’ page is traditionally the most viewed page of any website, so it’s a good idea to take advantage of this. It should never be done as an afterthought. At first glance, you’d think this would be all about you and your podcast. But the trick here is that it’s actually all about your listener. This is where you can pose questions or problems that they’re struggling with...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast episode show notes. Show notes are basically the blog posts that accompany your podcast episodes. Many podcasters find this stage of podcasting a bit of a chore, but there are benefits to spending a bit of time and effort on your show notes. They can help attract new listeners through search traffic, offer a handy summary of what’s covered, and provide links and resources to anything mentioned in the episodes. That said, your podcast needs to be sust...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast episode pages. It’s good practice to create a page or blog post for each podcast episode you release. This gives you one handy place to share each episode, and it means all of the traffic is coming to your own platform, too. Here, the title of your episode would also be the title of your page or post. You’d embed the episode player, preferably near the top. Whilst most folks don’t listen to full episodes this way...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about domain names for podcast websites. Whether you’re using a default hosting provider website, a Podpage site, or a self-hosted WordPress site, you can buy and use a domain name. Domain names are, most famously, dot coms. But you can buy local variations, dot nets, or dot pretty much anything else these days. Whatever you opt for, just try to make it memorable, easy to read out, and most of all, easy to type in. Avoid things like hyphens in y...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about Podpage websites. Podpage is a service that can build you a website for your show in less than five minutes. And you don’t need to know the slightest thing about web design, either. You can use Podpage for free, but their excellent value paid tiers offer a whole suite of additional tools for SEO, community, and monetisation. To give you a hint of the types of features at your disposal, you can keep track of ratings and reviews, get...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about WordPress websites. If you’re looking for 100% full control, ownership, and customisation options, then WordPress is for you. Here, you can use all sorts of plugins and tools to make your site do pretty much anything. You can run your entire business on there. However, all of this flexibility comes at a cost. There are always things that can break or go wrong. If you don’t have the expertise to run a site like this, then you’ll need to...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “Do I need a podcast website?” The short answer here is “no”. You don’t *need* a website for your podcast. But, the benefits of having one are almost too good to ignore. For starters, just having that one central place to send people means your podcast is a lot more shareable. We already know that podcast listening happens in hundreds of different places, so it simplifies things when you can just say “find us on my podcast dot com”, or w...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about bit depth. So each audio sample – those little dots in your waveform – has a ‘bit depth’, which determines the quality of the sound. Some tools will ask you to select a bit depth prior to recording. The most common bit depths are 16, 24, and 32. As is often the case, the higher the number, the higher the quality. Higher bit depths are better at handling noise with substantial differences between its quietest and loudest parts. But this is much more relevant to musicia...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about sample rates. Sample rates are measured in hertz, or “Hz”. Like bitrates, sample rates in audio determine audio quality and file size. You could compare them to pixels in a photograph. Some platforms and tools will ask you to set a sample rate prior to hitting record. The most common sample rate, and one we’d recommend, is 44,100Hz. If you were to load up your audio in your DAW and zoom right in as far as you can, you’d se...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about bitrates. Bitrates represent a sliding scale of quality and size when it comes to the MP3 file format. They’re measured in kbps, or, kilobits per second. Common bitrates for music files are 128 and 192kbps. As most podcasts are purely spoken-word content, we probably don’t need to go this high, though. With our own shows, we tend to opt for 96kbps, but some go as low as 64kbps - most famously, Marc Maron. And he does alright, eh? If set...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the difference between WAV and MP3 files. The major difference between WAVs and MP3s are size and quality. WAV files contain more detail, but are also much bigger. Think of a WAV file as an original painting, and MP3 files as prints of that painting. Podcast episodes are almost always released in MP3 form because it has a good file size to quality ratio. MP3s have their own size and quality scale too. They’re called bitrates, and...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “how loud should a podcast be?” We’ve talked about having consistent volume levels throughout your episodes. But what about the overall volume level of your show compared to other podcasts? Audio loudness is measured in something called “LUFS”, which means “Loudness Units relative to Full Scale”. Sound exciting, eh? Recommended podcast loudness varies, depending on who you ask, and whether your episode is mono or stereo. But a good ballpark to aim for is between -16 and -21 LUFS. You ca...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “what is compression?”. No, this isn’t about blowing your car tyres up. Compression is an audio production technique where you take the loudest bits and quietest bits of a conversation, and bring them all closer together. It’s all about achieving volume-level consistency. Compression allows you to have loud laughter and soft whispering in your episode, and, if done well, your listener won’t even need to adjust the volume dial. Just like noise reduction, compression needs a subtle tou...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about noise reduction and cleanup. Some types of background noise can be cleaned up in the post-production phase. The constant hiss of a fan, or the low static hum of a microphone, for example. Audio software has the ability to recognise this and strip it out, whilst leaving the vocals intact. Of course, it’s easy to go overboard with this and ruin the vocals themselves. Working with noise reduction is a bit like walking a tightrope. Or, using magic in a...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the minimum effective podcast editing approach. Remember we talked about making mistakes during recording? Our tip was to pause, click your fingers three times into the mic, then start again. Well, now you have a quick and easy way to spot anything that needs chopping out. Aside from that, you’ll want to “top and tail” your recording, cutting any preamble at the start and drawn-out goodbyes at the end. Then it’s the cleanup and volume levelling stuff which you...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “how much editing should I do?”. As is often the case in podcasting, the answer is “it depends”. As we’ve covered before, there are loads of different types of podcast. So a one-minute scripted solo show is going to need a lot less editing than a two-hour documentary-style epic. Unless you enjoy editing - and most podcasters don’t - then you just need to do enough to make your show sound good. And then, leave it at that. Two b...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about editing and producing your podcast. This is the phase of podcasting where you chop out all your mistakes and cut the fat from your conversations. You can also clean up your audio to remove any background hiss and level it to make everything consistently loud enough. Then, you can mix in things like music, transitions, and pre-recorded segments. Naturally, this is the part of podcasting that puts tonnes of people off. Very few folks have ever used audio editing so...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about where to buy podcast music. You *can* buy song licenses outright. But the most common route is to pay a monthly subscription for a service where you can use anything on there for the duration of that subscription. These libraries usually include sound effects, too. Many services grant you a lifetime license here, so you don’t need to go back and remove music from previous episodes after you’ve cancelled your subscription, and there are rarely download limits, either...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about finding free podcast music. There’s no shortage of tracks out there that you can use 100% free of charge, so long as you credit and link back to the creator in your show notes. We run a free podcast music library ourselves, and you’re totally welcome to pick something from there. Head on over to http://ThePodcastHost.com/freemusic for a look. http://Incompetech.com is probably the most famous creative commons music resource on the web, too. There’...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “so, what music CAN I use in my podcast?”. Whilst Harry Styles’ latest track is strictly off-limits there are plenty of music options that are safe, legal, and - in some cases - free to use on your podcast. Two terms you’ll often come across are “Creative Commons” and “Royalty-Free”. Creative Commons usually means you can use music for free, so long as you credit and link back to the creator. Royalty-Free, on the other hand, usually means that you’ve...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “can I use ANY music in my podcast?” The short answer here is “no”. And any music you hear on the radio or on your favourite Spotify playlist is probably off-limits. Be wary of myths like “it’s fine if it’s less than seven seconds” and “it’s okay so long as you’re not making money with your podcast”. “Fair Use” gets quoted a lot, too. Fair use is a defence you can use if you get in trouble. But who wants...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “do I need podcast music?” There’s no rule to say that your show *must* have music. But many podcasters stick some at the beginning and end of the show to add that extra layer of professionalism and identity. Just be wary of letting music play on its own for any longer than ten seconds on your podcast. Whilst TV and film can get away with this because of their visual elements, it doesn’t work that way in audio. Yo...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about encouraging guests to share your episodes. Whether we like it or not, no guest is obliged to share your content with their audience. But if you follow the advice in the previous episodes, your chat should be memorable enough to make them want to. The key is to ask nicely, and to make it easy for them. Be sure to succinctly remind them why you think the conversation will be interesting and valuable to *their* audience. Some podcasters even pr...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about “super” podcast interview questions. When you cover the basics well, you can go the extra mile to help make your guest stand out from everyone else. Here are some fun questions that can entertain your listener whilst still leaving them with a few useful insights, too. - What are you NOT Very Good at? - Tell me something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on. - When did you last change your mind about something? - Room, des...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about core questions around the conversation topic. Here we can dig in and explore by asking your guest some seemingly provocative questions. They’ll usually be glad to answer these as it gives them a chance to counter claims they’ll hear a lot. “So, you’re a Vegan Baking Specialist – isn’t it really hard to bake without eggs?” Or “Doesn’t home schooling just deprive kids of making friends?” Here, you can pick out some common myths or misconceptions to talk...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about core questions to ask your guest. This is another wing to your storytelling angle. It lets the listener focus on the guest themselves. People love to hear things in context, after all. “Believe in yourself and never give up!” is all well and good. But people often can’t see that applying to them… until they hear a story about it happening to someone else. Here are some examples of questions that can lead to engaging and insightful podcast interviews...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about seeking out stories in podcast interviews. As we’ve mentioned on the show before, stories are the original and best type of shareable content. There’s a subtle but powerful difference between “here’s how to grow a business” and “here’s how *I* grew *my* business”. Stories are never just straightforward routes to success either. They’re littered with setbacks, conflicts, emotions, and even seemingly “all is lost” moments. Your listener wants to live through these with you and learn from the exper...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “should I send questions over to guests in advance?” You’ll probably have a list of pre-written questions as a framework for your interviews. But as we’ve covered already, you won’t want to ask these in a linear ‘game show host’ style. On top of that, sending a guest a list of questions in advance can cause them to overthink and rehearse answers. This doesn’t make for a very engaging or authentic conversation. Certain questions *are* worth pre-war...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about asking follow-up questions. So your guest just finishes telling you they built a time machine, travelled back 70 million years, and shot a T-Rex. You take a look at your next question and ask “so, what’s your favourite WordPress plugin?”. Interviewers who actually listen to their guests and ask good follow-up questions often find the real gold. Questions like “why do you think that?” “what was that like?” Or, “could you explain what this means?” can lead you to some fantastic conte...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about introducing your podcast guests. It’s those dreaded words “so, tell us a bit about yourself” that can lead to you waking up, six hours later, listening to an interviewee ramble on about his toy car collection. This isn’t the guest's fault. They’ve just been handed the mic and let off the leash with no real direction. They don’t know your audience. But you do. And it’s your job to succinctly introduce your guest to them with a quic...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “why is this guest on my show?”. Now that might sound a little rude, but don’t worry, this is the question we ask ourselves *before* we even invite someone onto our podcast. In order to answer this question, you need to put yourself in the shoes… or earbuds… of your audience. Ask yourself “what value can this person bring to my listener?”. Will they teach them something? Motivate them? Make them laugh? Your listener’s attention is precious, and you’...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about finding podcast guests. If you run an interview podcast, it can be challenging to get folks to come on your show at first. A great starting point is to approach other podcasters in your niche. They already know how it all works, and you know they’ll sound great, too. On top of that, if they share the episode with their own audience it’s going to send some early traffic your way. Then, there are YouTubers, bloggers, or author...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about organising guests or co-hosts. If you think tech and equipment can be challenging, then you should try wrangling humans. Your guests or co-hosts could live in any time zones around the globe. They might be super-organised, but they might also be pretty shambolic, easily distracted, and forgetful. Then, there’s the conversations themselves. How do you make people sound their best on your show? Even if they’re giving you little more than one-word answers. OR, aren’t letting you get...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about booking tools for organising guests or co-hosts. Different time zones and scheduling conflicts can drop you into an endless cycle of messages where days and times are suggested but never agreed upon. If you’re regularly trying to arrange suitable dates and times with others, it’s well worth using a tool like Calendly or Book Like a Boss. These platforms can show folks all the times you’re available, and they simply need to pick a slot that suits th...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about making mistakes during recording. Stumbles and stammers are natural. But, if you always stop and start again, thinking “I’ll just edit that out”, then your podcast is going to become time-consuming or expensive to create. With minor mistakes, just quickly correct yourself, make light of it, and press on. Of course, there are times when you’ll want to get something spot on. Maybe you’re presenting a fact, or making a very serious point. When you make a mistake he...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about how it’s not the size or the shape that matters, but how you use it. We’re talking, of course, about mic technique. The optimal positioning of a mic depends on your own unique voice and style. A good starting point, though, is the distance between the tips of your thumb and pinkie on an outstretched hand. Then, adjust accordingly. Always try to mount your mic in a stand or boom arm, rather than holding it. This will give y...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about minimising interruptions to your recording session. These are the low-hanging fruits of making your podcast easier to edit, sound better, and generally cause you less frustration. To deal with the digital side of things, you should close any apps that are going to ping or distract you when you’re recording. I’m looking at you, Slack. Then, it’s worth telling anyone you live with that you’re going to be recording for the next hour or so. An extreme...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what you should eat before a recording session. It’s worth saying right away, that, unless you run an ASMR podcast, you probably want to avoid eating *during* a recording session. Some podcasters feel they have more energy if they’re in a bit of a fasted state when they get behind the mic. Others will snack beforehand on foods that aren’t likely to dry out their mouth or cause brain fog. Many voice coaches swear by green apples f...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what you should drink before or during recording. Getting behind the mic whilst dehydrated is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you’re just going to have less energy and feel a bit groggy. Secondly, you’re going to make more dry lip-smacking mouth noises that’ll have your listener reaching for the ‘unsubscribe’ button. So be sure to have some water before and during your session. Don’t go overboard, though, as over-hydration can lead to excessive m...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about pre-recording practicalities. This is the less glamorous but still vitally important side of recording. Your gear and environment aren’t the only factors that’ll determine whether you sound like a seasoned pro or a complete beginner. As the old saying goes - “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. Or, here’s a good one to test your mic’s pop filter - “prior preparation prevents poor performance.” On the next few episodes, we’ll take a look at things like mic t...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what to include in your podcast outro. Just like the podcast intro, there are no “rules” as such, but if you want to close your episode effectively, think about the following. Send them to ONE place - your website. Here they can find show notes with links to everything mentioned in the episode. Put transcriptions and follow-up resources here, too. Next, include ONE ‘Call to Action’ - for example, “subscribe to the podcast”. If you give them too much to do, chances...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “what makes a good podcast outro?”. The final minute or two of your episode goes towards creating a lasting impression in the mind of your listener. You might have done a great job with the intro and main content. But if the show ends poorly, this can be the difference between a new listener hitting subscribe or not. The job of the outro is essentially to thank the listener for their time. Then, point them in the direction of any...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the “Cold Open”. You know when you sit down to watch your favourite TV show and the episode starts before you’ve even opened your bag of Doritos? Then, after about five minutes, the intro kicks in? Well, that’s what’s known as a “cold open“. Many podcasters use cold opens at the beginning of their episodes. You’ve probably heard them before. You hit play and immediately seem to have landed bang in the middle of a guest explaining “...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about hooking your listener early. Podcast listeners are selfish. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that everyone tunes into content with one question in mind - “what’s in this for me?”. If anything is drawn out, confusing, or ambiguous, it’s easy for them to lose interest and switch off. You always have creative freedom with your podcast. But here’s a template you can use as a starting point. “Hello and welcome to the *blank* Pod...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what to include in your episode intros. There are few “rules” in podcasting - it’s a creative medium, after all. With that said, you can really optimise the intro of your episodes if you include the following things. Firstly, let the listener know who they’re talking to. So, whether you go by your real name or a nickname - introduce yourself. Next, - the title of the show. You might assume they already know it. But they might be w...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about introducing and ending your episodes. Obviously, the most important part of any podcast episode is its main content. But the way you open and close your episodes is vital when it comes to listeners even getting to that stage. Think about it, each episode you release is going to be someone’s first impression of your show. On top of that, you only have five minutes to “hook” a third of all podcast listeners. That’s according to recent data from...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the rough podcast script. This one is near the ‘make-it-up-as-you-go-along’ end of the scripting spectrum. Here, you’ll mainly use bullet points to remind you where you’re going. You’re relying on your expert knowledge on the subject to fill in the gaps. This leads to the most conversational type of podcast and is often the most engaging. When you’re speaking from experience, your voice becomes a lot more active, and a lot less monotone. The problem, of course, is...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the ‘detailed episode plan’ podcast script. This is the most common way of scripting a podcast. It’s a great alternative to the word-for-word method. Here, you can write down every point you want to hit, every resource you want to mention, and every story you want to cover. You’re not trying to script every single word, though, so you still have that freedom to talk naturally *with* your listener, instead of reading *at* them. Your personality can shine thro...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the word-for-word podcast script. This method is great because you’ll never forget or leave anything out. It can also help a lot if you lack the confidence to speak for any length of time. But, there are big cons, too. Scripting a show this way takes ages. Few podcasters can also pull off word-for-word reading and make it sound conversational. You run the risk of your episodes being a bit flat and monotone. By all means, give it a sh...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about writing a podcast script. Podcast scripting is a very personal thing. Some hosts script their whole show, word for word. Other hosts write down the episode title and just ad-lib it from there. Neither way is right or wrong and, in reality, most people go for something in-between. Scripting can be viewed as a spectrum, with `fully-scripted` and `not-even-slightly-scripted` covering each end. That means it’s impossible to tell you exactly how to do it. But, we can tell you a ...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the how-to method, when it comes to creating shareable content. This is the classic problem-solution pairing. What are your audience struggling with? What do they need help with? You might already have a decent idea of this, based on our recent ‘Question Research’ episode. Starting your title with, “How to” is arguably the most effective way of getting folks to click on it. You might say “well, that’s just clickbait”. But is it really “just clickbait” if it delivers what it pro...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the case study method, when it comes to creating shareable content. Case studies use examples of people doing things, or events taking place. For example, a biking podcast might do a deep dive into how one rider prepared for and won a big tournament. Or a football podcast might chronicle the journey of a team of underdogs from a small village who won a national trophy. You can almost think of it as a movie. It’s a great oppo...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the cost method, when it comes to creating shareable content. When people buy things these days, they do their research online first. So here’s where you can help your target audience get the info they need. What cost-related questions do you think they might commonly type into Google? For example, a nutritional therapy podcast might run an episode titled “how much does a food intolerance test cost?”. Or a show about living off-grid might run one about, “how much does...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the comparison method, when it comes to creating shareable content. Mac versus PC, Pepsi versus Cola, Nike versus Adidas. This is the celebrity death match episode format where you’re going to throw two rivals into the arena and see who comes out on top. Here, you’d tend to look at key relevant factors such as cost, quality, and ease of use. This is almost like the review method but you’re looking at two things, rather than one. We’...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the review method, when it comes to creating shareable content. Before people try or buy things themselves, they generally like to hear the opinions of others. You probably do this yourself each time you nip on to Amazon. Reviewing products, services, or other topic-relevant things can help your listeners to make more informed decisions. They’ll really appreciate you for this, and they’ll want to share these episodes with others each time they see this particular thing being discus...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the list method, when it comes to creating shareable content. Let’s face it, we all love lists. There’s something compelling about content that promises knowledge like “the top 7 guitarists of all time”, or “the best 11 beers in the world right now”. So it’s just a case of taking this method and re-working it for your own topic. You can base this on products your listeners might use, places they might visit, recipes they might cook-up, or movies they migh...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about how to create shareable content. Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to grow your podcast. According to our Discoverability survey, over 33% of listeners find new shows to listen to based on what others have shared or recommended. So how do you make your podcast episodes shareable, or “recommendable”? There are actually six frameworks you can build your episode around. And, after hearing them, your listeners will be dying to tell others about them, too. These framew...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about doing question research. One of the best ways to come up with episode ideas is simply to answer the common questions your audience is asking. But what if you don’t have an audience yet? Well, there are a couple of handy and free ways to find these questions. The first is simply to type something you think your avatar would ask into google, then scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see suggestions of what they’re also ask...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about coming up with episode ideas. As is often the case in podcasting, this depends a lot on your topic. But there are some common themes we see with podcasters coming up with episode ideas. Maybe a recent personal experience or funny anecdote can tie in to your subject or topic. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned from a book you’ve just read, or a movie you’ve just watched. Or maybe there’s something in the news right...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about planning your episodes. Great podcasters and terrible podcasters both have one thing in common - they make it sound like they haven’t planned their episodes. For the great podcasters, it’s because they plan them so well. For the terrible podcasters, it’s because they don’t plan them at all. An episode plan doesn’t need to be an in-depth dissertation or treatment. It’s more about asking some top-level questions like “Why this topic right now?”, “What problem will th...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about how to link to and share your podcast. This is a big mistake many podcasters make when they promote their content - they share a link to somewhere like Apple or Spotify. Sure, these places are where a lot of podcast listening happens. But remember, there are hundreds of other apps and directories, too. You definitely can’t link to them all, especially not in a tweet, so what do you do? Quite simply, you send them to one plac...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about getting listed in any directories and apps your show isn’t yet appearing in. As we mentioned before, the fact that you’re in Apple Podcasts means you’re automatically in a hundred other places. Google Podcasts will start noticing you without you needing to do anything, either. Well, they are in the search business, after all! But, there are three other platforms you’ll want to log in to or create an account for, in order to submit your RSS f...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about getting listed in Spotify. Spotify is hot on the heels of Apple when it comes to global podcast consumption. You’ll definitely want to get your show listed here. And, it’s even easier than submitting to their fruit-loving rivals. Most hosting providers have simple one-click “submit to Spotify” buttons in their distribution sections. What’s more, some of our recently launched shows have appeared on Spotify less than an hour after submitting. You can easily submit manually, too, if your host...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about getting listed in Apple Podcasts - AKA, iTunes. Apple has always been - and remains - the number one place where podcasts are consumed. We also know that, by being listed here, your show will automatically pop up in a trillion other apps you’ve never heard of. To submit to Apple you just need to create a free Apple ID. Or, you might have one already. Bottom line, you need to log in to [PodcastsConnect.Apple.com](http://Podc...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about getting listed in podcast directories. People listen to podcasts on hundreds of different apps and platforms. In a previous episode, we learned that you only need to upload your content to one place - your hosting account - and it’ll appear in all these places automatically. But how do we make sure these directories know our podcast exists in the first place? For this, we use a unique URL called an RSS feed. You’ll get one of these...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the myth of the podcast “launch”. The term “launch” is ambiguous, because, creating your show and publishing your first episode means you’re “launching” your podcast. But we might also think of our launch as something glitzy and hyped-up, like the release of the latest iPhone or Xbox console. When new tech, or even new books are released, they only have a few weeks to “sink or swim” because of how sales and charts work in these fields. The good news? This has...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about why you might make an ‘Episode Zero’. This is the name given to a type of introductory or “pre-launch” podcast episode. It isn’t *essential* to create an Episode Zero. But many podcasters do – and there’s a few good reasons why it might be worth considering for your own show. An Episode Zero can be similar to a promo trailer in the way it introduces your show and your topic. The main difference is length. An Episode Zero would ideally stil...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about creating a trailer for your show. A promo trailer can help you win over potential new listeners by giving them a flavour of your podcast. They can easily be played on other shows, too, which can help you grow your audience. A podcast trailer should be between 30 seconds and 1 minute. The shorter, the better. There are certain things you *definitely* want to mention in your podcast trailer. What’s the show called? What’s it about? Who is it for? A...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about podcast hosting options. Your podcast hosting provider - also known as your “podcast host” - is *the* place you create your show and upload all of your episodes to. There are plenty great hosting options out there catering to all needs and budgets. Hosting providers will offer you stats so you can see how popular your show is. Some of these go really in-depth and can give you geographic and device stats, too. Hosting providers will also give you a basi...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about publishing your podcast. This stage can cause some confusion for new podcasters. You might think that you need to upload your episodes to listening platforms like Apple and Spotify, but that isn’t the case. Instead, you create an account with a podcast hosting provider. That’s the place your podcast “lives”. Your cover art, your show description, and your episodes all go in there. Then, there are a couple of small steps needed to “tell” platforms like Spotify and Apple that...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about where to get your podcast transcribed. There are two types of transcription service out there - human, and AI. The AI options are cheaper, but generally less accurate, especially if you speak with a Scottish accent. An AI transcription might take a wee bit more time to run through and correct manually. Our podcast-maker tool Alitu now automatically generates transcriptions of all your episodes, so that’s one single place you can go to record, edit, publish, and transcribe your...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about why you should be providing transcriptions of your episodes. Podcasting *is* predominantly an audio medium, and so, word-for-word episode transcriptions were traditionally seen as a luxury form of bonus content. These days, however, things are different. Podcasters should *always* be providing transcripts for each new episode they publish. This is for two main reasons. Firstly - accessibility. Millions of people out there are deaf or hard of hearing. Providing a transcription means that you’re not shutting them out from...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about, funnily enough, Podcast Maker tools. A ‘Podcast Maker’ is basically an app or tool that brings everything like recording, editing, production, and publishing together into one place. They can be less flexible and powerful than having a dedicated tool for every job, but so much more simpler, convenient, and cost-effective. Naturally, because we run Alitu, we’re a bit biased and think it’s the best option out there. We certainly strive to be. But that said, we recognise that there...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re going to talk about Digital Audio Workstations, AKA - DAWs. A DAW is a term used to describe software that you use to record, edit, and produce audio. Most of them are designed and built with music production in mind, but can work brilliantly to create spoken-word content if you know what you’re doing. A famous free DAW is Audacity. Audacity is popular because of its price, or lack of one. It has everything you need to record and produce a po...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking remote recording software. Many podcasters run interview or co-hosted shows, and with call recording software, location is no barrier to who you can chat with. Online call recorders do exactly what they say on the tin. Two of the most popular options out there are Squadcast and Riverside. These are what’s known as “double ender” tools which record each participant locally, on their own computer. This makes them safer from wonky wifi connections, crashes, and the sound quality is generall...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re going to start thinking about podcasting software. The term “podcast software” is pretty general. It could be used to describe the programme or app you use to record, edit, or publish your episodes. Some platforms only focus on one of these aspects, whilst others will do all 3. It’s common for editing software to double up as recording software. Prime examples of these are Audacity, Adobe Audition, and our own Alitu. Many online call recorders don’t have editing functions though - or, if t...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re answering the question “should you record your podcast outdoors?” On the previous few episodes, we’ve talked about the importance of good recording environments. Well, one of the best is actually right outside your window. I’m talking, of course, about the great outdoors. If you’re plagued by reverb, loud distracting background noise, or a simple lack of space, then I’d encourage you to try recording your next episode whilst out on a walk, or sitting on your favourite park bench. Su...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about background noise. Let’s clear up a bit of confusion amongst podcasters - the difference between sound treatment, and sound *proofing*. On the last episode we talked about reverb, and that’s very much in the sound *treatment* camp. But many folks mistakenly believe that, once they’ve stuck up some acoustic tiles, they have sound *proofed* their room. If Dave Grohl was to move into the flat next door and start playing his drums, you’d quickly find out that y...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about reverb or echo - and - how to get rid of it. Excess reverb can make even the best podcast sound amateur. This unwanted echo effect happens in smaller, boxy rooms with a lot of hard surfaces. Here, the soundwaves of your voice will bounce around the room like a ball. Typically poor-sounding environments include caves, the bottoms of wells, and in the average person’s bathroom. It’s unlikely you plan to record in any of these, but the ro...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about your recording environment. It’s easy to think that your audio quality is determined by your equipment - and, to an extent, that’s true. But the room or place you record in has a much bigger impact on how your content’s going to sound. There are 2 main factors when it comes to your environment affecting your audio. Firstly, there’s the “sound” of the room itself. Echo or reverb can be a real problem for podcasters, and we’re going to...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re going to answer the question “what are polar patterns?” These are also sometimes called “pickup patterns”, and they’re essentially the settings that determine the area a mic will focus on when recording sound. To think about this visually, imagine your mic as a torch or laser. The area it shines light on is the area it’s “hearing” your voice. Most microphones you’ll come across - including the Samson Q2U - have a ‘Cardioid’ polar pattern which means they’re designed to reco...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re going to answer the question “what is a Dynamic microphone?”. Dynamic mics tend to be tougher and more durable than their Condenser counterparts. A Dynamic mic can be looked at as something you’d typically use in “live” environments, and rougher “on-the-go” settings. If you record live, on-location, or just like having a mic on you at all times for ad-hoc recordings, then a Dynamic mic is a great option. Most Dynamic mics only have a Cardioid polar pattern, however. This means they’re gener...