Month: January 2023

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podcast

641- Perspectives from some podcasters after Podfest 2023

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we deliver to you a REPURPOSED audio clip from another podcast episode called 2030Podcast.com.

The six minutes that we deliver to you are completely natural, impromptu and NOT rehearsed in any way.

The dialogue was from a show that had 2 co-hosts discussing several topics, one of which was an explanation of perspectives on the last day of Podfest Expo 2023. The co-hosts were both myself (known as Sergeant Fred) and my co-host, Matt Cox (who is a podcaster himself with his flagship show called BrunchwiththeBrits.net).

On the last day of the Podfest 2023 conference, we were discussing my views of the conference, as I had supported the event with my virtual ticket (as I cannot travel due to medical and health reasons).

As you will hear in the 6-minute discussion, we first are grateful to both Darren O’Neill and Sir Ryan Bemrose of the podcast show called GrumpyOldBens.com for their “atta-boy” to us about our other show, 2030Podcast.com.

Then we explain the positive aspects of the growing conference. And sadly, as we compare this conference with the upcoming Podcast Movement events, we also deliver the ugly news of how the latter devolved into a racist, bigoted and censorhip-oriented woke-based event where you will be canceled and not allowed to participate due to any political beliefs that are not in line with the administrators of the conference. This was proven in the last PM conference, where bigotry, hatred, cancelation and censorship were practiced against a company that had bought themselves a booth for $20,000 for the event. So we see that there is no adherence to the claim of inclusivity, since there was pure discrimination practiced at Podcast Movement. And therefore, I do NOT support that show at all (even though I did participate in the very first PM conference in Dallas in 2014 and have supported the show until now).

So, with this discussion, we clip for you our dialogue that described our feelings of PM, along with Podfest, and our memories of how wonderful the New Media Expo was in Las Vegas in 2015.

We hope that you will enjoy a candid discussion that was completely natural and unrehearsed about these Podcast events.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Podfest 2023 and Podcast Movement and New Media Expo. All rights reserved.

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podcast

640- Stages of your podcast and resources for specific help

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In this episode, we refer to a post by Ben Krueger (creator of site and podcast at cashflowpodcasting.com) that presents links to resources that can help newer and starting podcasters in several stages of making your podcast shows successful.

Ben Krueger

These stages do have help and support from offerings by Ben from is site of CashFlowPodcasting.com:

So, depending on where you are in the stages of podcasting, perhaps the tools and support offered by Ben Krueger can be a life-saver by saving you time and giving you the education for that specific element.

Now, I have known Ben since 2014, when he and I shared a booth in the expo hall at the first Podcast Movement conference in Dallas, Texas. I have also received and downloaded some of his tips and help from pdf files which he distributed to all at no cost.

Note that these links in his post at the link given to the recipients of his email list in an email note take the user to the site where he lists elements needed for success, along with offers and offerings which he can deliver to the starting of newer podcasters.

I would strongly suggest that you check out his site for the topics that he has listed and see if there can be information of value for you the specific stage of your podcasting. I would think that you may find gems of help and some value for you at any of the stages.

Thank you for your attention, and thanks for listening.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Ben Krueger. All rights reserved.

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podcast

639A- Podcast interviews — the same old song retold again

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we discuss the old tale of how to conduct an interview — since I feel that many today are especially boring and not well informed. I say this, as I have been interviewing in podcasting since 2006. And this is a skill that I learned and developed over the past 17 years.

Here, we review an article in the podosphere on conducting a “good” interview at this link: https://www.morningbrew.com/sidekick/stories/art-of-interviewing-work-life

and we summarize the steps that we have known about for the past 17 years (as if they were new). The subtitle is “Tips and tricks for asking good questions that get good answers.”

The steps are the following from duo interviewers and contributors of this article — namely “Sidekick spoke with legendary journalist, author, and contributor to the New Yorker, Ken Auletta; Spotify podcast host and storyteller, Lea Palmieri; and former CNN executive editor of international features and current editor of Spotify-owned channels, Neil Curry.”

Here are some more tips from these “experts”:

  • Listen carefully. You may have scripted questions, but be sure to let the conversation flow. “[When] you’re really listening to that person, at that point, you’re having a dialogue. And you’re taking them into areas maybe they hadn’t been. So you may get some surprising answers,” Auletta said. But also read the room, Palmieri advised. Evaluate whether the person is comfortable with sharing more, and then ask questions accordingly.
  • Don’t rush to fill the silence. Wait when there’s a moment of silence during your interview, Auletta advised. Often interviewees will speak more to fill the void themselves. “They’ll sense that you’re not happy with their answer…and they’re going to want to satisfy you with an answer,” he said.
  • Know your questions well. Connecting with your subject and maintaining an easygoing back-and-forth is important, but having a clear understanding of what answers you want to elicit helps keep the conversation on track, Palmieri said. If a subject steers off-topic because they connected with you, indulge for a moment and then bring it back.
  • Be agreeable. “When people are comfortable with someone in a conversation, they tend to be more open,” Auletta said. Palmieri and Curry agreed: Set the scene and make small talk or ask someone about their interests, but make yourself approachable. Let your body language and your demeanor reflect that you’re open-minded and willing to listen to their story without judgment.
  • Interview with confidence. “No matter who you’re interviewing, don’t be overawed,” said Curry. “You have a right to be in that room. They’re sitting down with you and they’re listening to your questions…and don’t be afraid of a cliché question [like] ‘How did you feel?’ That is the essential question of most interviews.”

Now, in the past, I have done literally hundreds (if not thousands) of creative podcast interviews. And I did listen to those who really knew the subject in the podosphere, some of which who had their own podcast shows and who really are “experts.” And here is a partial list, in my opinion:

  • Tom Schwab
  • Paul Colligan
  • Jason Van Orden
  • Dave Jackson
  • Rob Walch
  • Adam Curry
  • John C Dvorak
  • Daniel J Lewis
  • Ray Ortega
  • Jim Collison
  • Tee Morris
  • Bill O’Reilly
  • and many others since 2004…

However, the initial list in this article forgets to mention that you must know your subject very well by doing the right research ahead of time and knowing how to pursue the recording to make it sound natural, informative and interesting.

From my perspective, if you really want to be a good interviewer, then check out the value that the real “experts” (whom I have listed, above) can deliver to you, instead of the recent newbies that say they know how to conduct an interview.

And finally, if you wish to see the other side of being in the interview, there is an evergreen episode that describes how to be a great guest by Max Flight (see a prior episode in this podcast show with the title of the episode called “Being interviewed” — it is activated by the following audio player).

As a side note, you yourself may be called upon to be the GUEST and BE INTERVIEWED. And we have a past audio episode from this series that is delivered by Max Flight on the issues and the preparation of being interviewed:

And so we deliver the podcast content from episode #20 of this series, you will notice that Max had a very good ear for quality content, and he brings his suggestions and experiences from being interviewed on the previous show.

Thank you for your attention, and we shall see you next time.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

638- Creating New year resolutions and podcasting

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we reflect on the fresh new year of 2023 and our own resolutions as podcasters for the coming year.

Many podcasters are giving their opinions and details about what they plan to do in looking forward to their success in the podosphere for 2023. Some of these are glimmers of hope for growing your audience and being successful in monetization of your podcast shows.

However, with the millions of podcast shows now in the podosphere (and still growing on a daily basis for the launch of new podcasts), the competition for both your eyes and ears in selecting content and consuming it becomes very acute.

So a key question would be: what would make your podcast show (especially if you are going to be launching a show or improving it in 2023) so desirable for a possible listener or viewer to consume your content? And how does the all-being problem of discoverability pervade the podosphere now as a challenge for you?

Perhaps you can answer this question by focusing on the first part of the problem and making it attractive to your audience — that is, if you have done the groundwork necessary to create, grow and nurture an audience (once you have proven to yourself that you know what your target audience is)? The results of surveys, background research for those who want to listen to your topics and just plain “gut feel” for this type of listener or viewer to consume your content could be the formula that you can use to address the topic.

For the second part of the question which we just introduced, we have to look into the podosphere for all the tools available to us in order to get the discoverability problem addressed. Not only do we have to put our podcast show in front of our targeted audience, our prospects, and even our suspects — but we have to ensure that our messages present a clear and dynamic statement to those who are looking for great content. Perhaps one way to do this is to go back to 2008 from the advice of podcaster, Paul Colligan, who labeled the acronymn ISYOT (i.e., “I see you out there”) and execute strategic inclusion of your show into the various networks for podcasting and today’s directories. For today’s environment is not merely the iTunes directory — there are a myriad of directories and sites where your podcast may have to exist, so that discoverability of your show can see some success, and thus your audience can grow — and not just in terms of downloads, but also on episodes completed by the listener and action taken by the listener due to your calls-to-action.

And finally, once you may have the attention of your intended audience, how clear will your call-to-action(s) be? Will they be appealing enough for the audience to take action and pursue the tasks which you outline? And these may be as simple as just signing up for your show and follow it (or “subscribe”), or it could reach all the way to being sold on a solution that you present and following through and ordering it (be it for money or for content)?

Of course, the ultimate goal may not be financial. While most entrepreneurs wish for monetary success with orders for your solution or content due to your podcast show, please remember that many of us still like to listen to “fun” podcasts from hobby-podcasters who engage in their craft of creating episodes as a labor-of-love, without regard to any financial results. If you fall into this category, you have to be serious and create final goals for your show (in terms of acceptance or downloads or following) that are beyond the dollars that many people consider “success” from a podcast show.

So for this new year, what would be your considerations for success in growing your audience (and move them from prospects or suspects to subscribed ‘followers’? And what can you plan in 2023 for monitoring your success in seeing positive results for your calls-to-action? These are the big questions you may have when creating and solidifying your planning for adapting new year’s resolutions for 2023.

Thank you for listening, and we’ll see you next time.

Copyright (c) 2022, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com. All rights reserved.

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639- Podcaster Chris Brogan — in the beginning…

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In this repurposed episode, we deliver to you an interview with Chris Brogan at a Podcast Movement conference, in which we learn the beginnings of one of the earliest podcasters and sponsors of the podcasting conferences (namely podcamps), as well as other topics in the early stages of the podosphere which made Chris Brogan a top celebrity in New Media, podcasting and authorship.

This interview had a bit of ambient noise, as it was right off the expo center floor of the conference — but the topics and interest of Chris Brogan to podcasting are still alive today as he continues his career in New Media:

Now, I have followed Chris Brogan from interviews which I have done with him over the years, as well as memories of the Podcamp conferences of which he was a co-founding member in 2005.

He and I do share a common ground in podcasting, and I have also purchased some of his intellectual property products and offerings in the past. His books, on the other hand, have turned into best sellers — some he has authored alone, and others he has co-authored with authorities in the field (e.g., Julien Smith in Trust Agents).

Now, as you will hear in this REPURPOSED EPISODE, the podosphere has some themes that are evergreen, and there are a few good “gems” of suggestions that are viable in today’s environment of the podosphere for those who are new or aspiring or upcoming podcasters.

I would highly recommend that you consume this brief interview to select some ideas that can help your show with content, as well as to grow and increase your audience. This could be a key case in point when you feel that maybe growing “dark” to pursue other New Media ventures would be a good direction for you and your business. And Chris has pivoted from his early podcasting days to the environment where interviews and business ownership were key focus points.

Thus, we hope that you can benefit from this evergreen content from Chris Brogan to help you and your business and your podcasts become successful.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Chris Brogan and Podcast Movement.com All rights reserved.