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podcast

543- One success in Podcasting — case study of quality and audience

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In this episode of the Podcast Reporter, we discuss a case study where a podcast show reached one of their success measurements (no, it was NOT financial growth or revenue streams). The measurements included two criteria:

  • Being considered a “quality podcast” by the publishers of an ecosystem with the managers of the ecosystem managed by the stream to an audience worldwide; and
  • Reaching an optimal audience that is filled with people of similar tastes, similar thoughts and like-minded listeners worldwide.

The podcast we speak of had originally one host. And it was brought to our attention since 2014, but it never took off the ground until 2018. And then, in 2019, a co-host was added — and since then, the two co-hosts have been recording episodes with greatly planned content.

In 2020, the managers of an ecosystem that is in the podosphere in managing a stream that runs 24 hours a day added this specific podcast show into the stream and called it a “quality podcast” and also remarked that one aspect of this show (in addition to the relevant and good content) was the audio quality.

Now, with these two factors that are in play in 2021 — both the right audience fit and the publishing of the episodes in this ecosystem that is a stream in the podosphere — we feel that we have met our main objectives to date.

But does that mean that you want to monetize the show?

At this point, no. We are happy to reach an audience of thousands of listeners who are like-minded and that we receive the backing of the managers of the stream.

So, what does this mean to us?

The equation of our “success” so far is that

(relevant content for a targeted APPRECIATIVE AUDIENCE) + (good audio quality) = our first measure of success.

So we are now contemplating how to IMPROVE the show, taking the audience in mind and creating more relevant content.

So, how does this show survive?

Well, our answer is that we keep it away from the censors that are available — that is, we do not ask for any Apple reviews or ANY REVIEWS or comments from the podosphere participants.

Why?

Because we know that we want to stay away from the censorship and de-platforming that is done by the social media and others who are trolls that just want comment on negativity (regardless of anything else) with false narratives.

Thus, this podcast show has found a good audience, and the success of the audience embracing the content is proof of its success — and our download numbers prove this. So we do NOT need any Apple reviews, as well as any promotion or marketing. Why? Because we do not need any comments or reviews from the activist and radicals in the podosphere.

And so far, this equation has proven to be a great one for our show.

So this is a case study of a podcast show that originated in 2014 and 2015 — but finally was launched in 2018 — and has reached some milestones of success by the feedback that matters the most: the audience and the managers of the ecosystem that supports its listeners.

Thus, we hope that you, too, as a podcaster, can set your objectives to include great audience fit and feedback, as well as publishing it in the right locations and tools to reach a grateful set of listeners. And if you do, then we wish success for your show.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com . All rights reserved.

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podcast

542- Podcasting changes for your audience podosphere experience

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we discuss the results of a study that influenced me and that I underwent a review after listening to a May, 2021, episode from Evo Terra in his Podcast Pontifications show.

In that episode from Evo,  the question pondered was: how is a podcaster supposed to embrace and live by consistency, since everything in the podosphere is changing so rapidly?

So, with this in mind, he explained how he went through a review of his own podcast show and wondered how he could improve and change it for the better, as a good experience for the listener and audience. And Evo listed nine things that he did with his show to improve it, as the theme of the episode was “The Process of Changing your Podcast.”

Thus, I let the study take place over some time. So I looked at most of these nine things which related to me and my shows, and I added a couple more (see, below, for my comments of my own review, as well) for me to examine in my review — although I did not wish to change anything just for the sake of changing. Evo Terra and I are different in that aspect, for he gets the urge to change often.

And the nine things that Evo examined do follow my 2 additional items. They are:

  • Repurposing older episodes from all my podcast shows and re-relate them to the current environment — this is one of the extra items that I added, for I did comment about this earlier in this podcast show. And this has worked extremely well for me, for content can be fresh and new (even though the theme is from before), but with a different spin that relates to the current time;
  • contemplating whether to add a co-host or to add additional current interviews with key people who can add to the value of the show for the listener — this is the other extra item that I added. And this means that you should always be asking how to improve the show from the audience’s perspective. For example, do they want to hear another voice or another viewpoint or even some rants or banter or polite arguments or discussion?
  • And here are the nine changes that were experienced by Evo in his podcast show this year:
    • How to do your podcast prep — mainly the OUTLINE and the steps, the process, the resources and the habits;  [for me, I have tightened my podcast prep for all my 3 shows]
    • Change your sites and phone resources for all new branding; [for me, this was not a key issue and needed no update]
    • Update and re-implement a brand new web site; [for me, this was not applicable]
    • Incorporate CORRECTED transcripts with different collaboration and processes for speedy transcripts; [I do use show notes as a means of transcripts for my audience]
    • Any change to your electronic in-box deliveries of your newsletters and email correspondence to your mailing list with the third party vendor or company you may choose (remember that Adam Curry had a problem with Mail Chimp recently); [This was not applicable for me]
    • Evo switched to an herbal tea from coffee, due to vocal coach suggestions; [I drink both tea and coffee quite sparingly]
    • Evo has been seeing a vocal coach, so that he can take care of his resource (his voice) for the future as a podcaster; [I have not employed a vocal coach]
    • Evo has engaged a sound engineer to improve the sound of his episodes and great quality with a brand new way to do post-production; [I have improved my own post-production processes, tools and quality]
    • Evo has changed his processes for creating in-app episode details, thanks to Apple; [this, for me, did not apply]

If you are on a show that has a seasonal publishing schedule, then you may want to do your improvements from this list (or also from those of your own lists) for your next season — that is, after you leave a hint to your audience about changes at the end of your current season.

As Evo said: “Changing is never finished.”

And so we may see Evo changing and improving on a faster track than you may be on, it is still a good idea to review some of the ideas of change that Evo has done after a good study, and then see if your podcast may be able to benefit from one or more of these to improve your show. If you do, we hope that the results will be increasing your audience, getting your listeners to agree that you did provide value to them and having better success in all ways for your show.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Evo Terra of podcastpontifications.com and michaelandmike.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

540- Podcasting website requirements

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we review a post by Mark Asquith of rebelbasemedia.io in which he reviews the five “must-have” items for creating a podcast website that will “stand out.”

As an experienced podcaster, I wanted to see what he would include in these necessary items for aspiring podcasters. The reason I did this is that I had seen his video titled “How to record a podcast episode: software and setups for all budgets” — and I was interested in what the absolute requirements were mentioned for a podcasting web site.

Well, I saw the main sections of this blog post about a podcasting web site, and he goes into detail about each one. They were:

  • Include a web magnet (and he refers you to a site that explains how to create a lead magnet;
  • Get involved with your podcast (and he gives several examples, such as contributions, questions or feedback — as well as a private  podcast or bonus feed);
  • Have organized and optimized pages (and he includes a reference to Evo Terra of PodcastPontifications.com as an example:  “Evo Terra’s revamped website places a lot of emphasis on his written content. Every episode has a transcription, full show notes and is tagged to make navigating his vast content library super easy.”);
  • Include a SPONSOR KIT, which should have the following:
    • “What you’ll provide for them – what does a sponsorship include, and how much will it cost?
    • Your previous ad-reads (if you have them)
    • An overview of your stats, including downloads, unique listeners and listener behaviour
    • Information on your demographic and audience
    • A contact form to call to action to get in touch.
    • A link to your PDF sponsor kit.”
  • A guesting page (with speaker and guest profiles and other needed promotional and preparation information pertaining to guests for your show).

And the main conclusion for this post is:  YES, you DO need a podcast website, if you are serious about becoming a professional podcaster and stepping into the world of monetization.

For this podcaster, I have used in the past the models created and espoused and delivered by such pundits as Paul Colligan and others to fill these requirements — and deliver many more for me.

Of course, Mark is monetizing his call to action to have you, the podcaster, engage him to help you create these sites for your podcast show.

Now, you can ensure that you have included these (or something like these) items in your website, or you can farm it out to a third party (of which there are many). But the important things to get out of this post is for you to check against your own show and website to see if you are including — or missing — some of these items. And a good checklist is always a beneficial idea for you, as a podcaster, to review.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Mark Asquith of rebelbasedmedia.io and michaelandmike.com. All rights reserved.

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Uncategorized

589- Podcasting in the past — luck passes me during a war

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In this very brief episode of The Podcast Reporter, we remember past podcast shows that can have a memorable mental event during a date that triggers an anniversary. And a podcast show that you, a podcaster, can have at this time can also possibly bring back memories — in the form of flashbacks or other mental traffic.

For this podcaster, the event was 48 years ago, during the October, 1973, Yom Kippur War in the Middle East. At this time, I was an infantry paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division; and we were mobilized and deployed for action in the Middle East. In fact, our mission was to make a combat parachute jump at night in the deserts of the Sinai Peninsula during the War on the side of the Israelis to go and fight both the Egyptian army, and then their future allies as well, the Soviet Airborne troops.

This event came into my mind as a remembrance when I thought about the podfaded podcast called The Combat Infantrymen podcast show that honored those US Army soldiers who earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Association which sponsored the podcast show.

In this show, I not only had solo episodes about my own life (such as the combat tour that I had during the Vietnam War), but I also interviewed other veterans who had earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge from experience in combat during a past campaign (since World War II and then afterwards, like Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan, etc.).

As a podcaster, we can reflect on our own past experiences that have contributed to our podcast shows to deliver value in the past to our targeted audience. For myself, I had veterans who were combat infantrymen and their families (who really wanted to hear about their experiences, since most veterans never spoke about their experiences in combat) who were my audience. And thus, I provided value to them — that value allowing them some type of closure with their past, especially trauma and stress.

So the VALUE to your targeted audience should be a podcaster’s main objective and concern — although that may not be someone else’s cup of tea.

So, this October marks the 48th anniversary of my mobilization and deployment activities for the Yom Kippur War of 1973. And truthfully, after having come back in one piece from my combat tour in Vietnam, I was scared that I would not make it during this upcoming campaign — it was a spectre that I dreaded. And the reason was that this was a new war — and for veterans, this is the dread.

You see, when you are new to combat and have never experienced it, your fear has a way to drive you to survive in that situation while you are accomplishing your mission. But once you have tasted combat, then the fear grips you in an ugly way where you cannot “hide” yourself as you did when you were going into combat the first time. Your anticipation of the worst case haunts you, and all you can think of is to get through the environment by remembering the experience that you had that did allow you to survive and yet recover from fear and do what you had to do:  “TRAINING TAKES OVER.” And I lived this phrase and was prepared as I got ready for the parachute jump and then the care of the squad that I had to lead…training takes over.

However, thank goodness that the superpowers did not decide to fight each other, and so we stood down and went back to our own division to regular garrison duties.

And so I did get through the anticipation and fear from being involved in the war of the Middle East. And the CIB (Combat Infantrymen’s Badge) podcast helped me get past that incident and to experience some closure.

And for this, the podcaster like myself can appreciate past experiences and past podfaded episodes to prepare for newer episodes and have success in podcasting.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

537- Some podcasters do not support progress for podcast software

In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we discuss a theme of which I have been hearing more and more with live conversations from older podcasters — that is, those who started podcasting some 15 or 16 years ago (for me, it was more than 15 years ago). And we can tend to call these podcasters the “old guard” or “old timers” or “original podcasters.”

What is interesting is that this theme centers around “the gold old days” when podcasting was much more simple in not only discovery, but also in recording, posting, publishing, promoting, marketing and generating revenue from podcast episodes, podcast shows or podcast courses.

You see, in the early days of podcasting, there were not many tools available — either hardware or software — that made podcasting as easy and simple as it is today. You had to LEARN how to podcast by taking one of the very few available courses online or via audio or video course (you see, YouTube was not even available, as well as the other learning libraries like Udemy.com). Then you had to use the proven system of recording double-ender remote interviews and rely on the quirks of Skype for capturing the audio, and then rely on either free recording editors like audacity or fee-based editors like Adobe Audition.

For today, you have a ton of great hardware resources that allow you not only to capture the audio on both sides of interviews for yourself as a main podcaster and a guest (or guests), but also you have a myriad of software solutions to edit, post and publish (and then promote) your episode and show in the podosphere.

And earlier, you really only had the 800-pound gorilla (known as Apple iTunes) to rely on getting your show listed in New and Noteworthy, as well as getting reviews from listeners that could help you become more popular, as well as subscription and download stats to help you get ranked higher in the world of podcasts. And you see, today, you have not only Apple, but many systems and platforms that support podcasting — especially since now the social media platforms are getting into podcasting.

But if you wanted to become a podcaster then, you had to learn the hard way the details of podcasting from every point of view, every task, every detail and then be able to become versed in these — that is, become a professional podcaster who can then monetize the podcast environment in your business by becoming a podcast consultant or seek to become a pundit who would be recognized in the podosphere and then be asked to speak at podcasting conferences and events. And this led to your being able to promote (or “pimp”) your recently published book, ebook, course or program to audiences in person and in virtual events and replays. Why? Because you were then able to be known as a “podcast pundit” or resource with fame and with possibly generating revenue streams from your podcast (although it was almost impossible for most podcasters to make a full-time living from the revenues of podcasting — and so we had to be part-time entrepreneurs for such success).

So what happened to all the “good old days”?

Well, like all things, history and time have seen the PROGRESS of both the technology and the podosphere in terms of resources, hardware, software, conferences, ideologies, platforms and processes that have transformed podcasting to today’s situations.

I bring up this topic because several of the key podcasters from “the good old days” have expressed their opinions and feelings to me that they are not satisfied with the current status or direction of podcasting, and that perhaps they are tired of what is going on and the rapid pace of change and growth (especially with over 2 million podcast shows now) — so much so that they are considering leaving the podosphere and replace their once-passionate situation of podcasting with something else that will bring self-satisfaction with respect, development and success (whatever that may mean to them, like financial or fame rewards, etc.). In fact, they all mentioned that they do not support “PROGRESS” in podcasting at this time.

So, when a podcaster now starts to see this type of “twilight year” coming to his own environment, what should he contemplate? Should he depart from the podosphere or should he try to find a new niche in which he can rest his energy and his ambition and his passion?

This is an obvious call for a media content creator. For instead of audio podcasting, should he consider video podcastig? Should he consider going into the medium of screencasts and focus on creating helpful courses in video and audio that can assist those who really wish to learn — and perhaps become a regular on electronic learning libraries like Udemy.com? Or should he dedicate himself to writing a book or creating an audiobook about the history of podcasting from his own point of view and experiences (very much like political memoirs)?

For this podcaster, it really doesn’t matter what the arguments and directions for a PIVOT are (using the metaphor from Rise’s book about the Lean Startup Method) — but the important point is that the joy, passion and satisfaction from podcasting must be fulfilled. If not, then it becomes just a series of steps and tasks that one feels must be taken only due to habit — which have now become boring and even become an onerous task that can grow to become hated by the podcasters.

So, for me, the idea of becoming a content creator in a new world of media (regardless of audio or video or blogging or other types) should be paramount. It is of such importance in a rapidly changing world that this should be examined every year in a planning session with yourself, where you review the situation today, as well as your feelings and your future in the podosphere. Then you can create a cost-benefit analysis (where money and financial gain and revenue may not be the main considerations) to see what your real key success factors are for going toward your own personal RETURN ON INVESTMENT in your life.

I know that I, myself, go through this every year (I have since my 11th year in podcasting, when I felt the rapid change during my forced absence due to illness and family deaths). And my end result is that I have felt a renewed sense of PASSION and enjoyment from today’s podcasting — mainly because I have not let myself become a victim of letting habits become my “stale prison” due to any lack of planning and considerations for the podosphere and my relation to it (both then and now and the future).

I wish you the best in your own planning sessions with yourself to reflect and contemplate what value participating as a podcaster in the podosphere means to you now and in the future (or not); and for your strategies in determining what will be best for you in the near future.

Will you pivot or not to a new direction in the area of media? The choice is yours, and I wish you all the luck in the world if you do decide to continue in podcasting.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com . All rights reserved.

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podcast

536- Get into Podcasting — a case for a podcast consultant

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we discuss the situation where an aspiring podcaster may want to start a podcast, but does not want to go through all the details about Apple and other providers to begin a podcast show and post episodes. They also don’t want to keep up with the rules and regulations, processes and procedures (which seem to be always changing frequently now) by Apple and other sites in order to create, test, post and publish episodes for your podcast show — they just want to create the content and publish it very easily.

So, one way of doing this (besides doing it by yourself and getting frustrated with the firms who do not call you back or take your technical support calls or answer questions in person but only by bots) is to go the route of using a podcast consultant until you understand the process and have a smooth running system that you can handle in the creation and posting and distribution of your content where you  want).

For this podcaster, I started podcasting 15 years ago. I used a free tutorial that was distributed online by Jason Van Orden (a podcaster at that time for the Podcasting Underground show). And soon, I realized that I needed a bit of education (which was not really available as it is today) by hiring a podcast consultant. In my case, I hired Dave Jackson of the School of Podcasting. Using remote conversations and communications via the internet, he set me on my way on the path to podcasting, and from there, I was on my own. I did hire him later on when I set up various other podcast shows, so that he could set them up, post them, publish them during the time which I wanted to focus on new content for my current shows. And this worked out very well.

And since then, other podcast consultants announced that they wanted to assist aspiring podcasters to launch their shows — one of them was the Podcast Repairman from Gary Leland, as an example.

And because of these reasons, I can see a favorable argument for hiring a good podcast consultant (like Dave Jackson or Daniel J Lewis) to assist me with MY OWN instructions, restrictions and limitations as agreed by a written contract or one saved by audio or video recording to assist in setting up a podcast show and episodes, and leaving you a well-oiled machine for you, as a podcaster, to create and publish your content in the podosphere.

Now, for this podcaster, I have also been a podcast consultant for several years, and it was enjoyable and I have had good customers that thanked me for getting them started in the podosphere and delivering VALUE in the editing of content and “productizing” the episodes which they published. However, with medical problems and family emergencies, I had to withdraw from this podcasting career specialty and only to keep a customer or two that wanted only screencasting services (e.g., creating video tutorials for software products and services). I only focus now into podcast content creation, but I am no longer a podcast consultant to assist others in setting up their shows.

But if I were now an aspiring podcaster that wants to start a show and focus strictly on the content creation and publication, I would seriously consider getting a quote from a respected podcast consultant (with a good and long favorable history of grateful customers) to assist me in getting my show created, launched and set up as a “publishing machine.” And if I wanted to monetize my show after creating and publishing it, I would then use the suggestions given to me by authors and podcasters who have published content on how to successfully make money from their podcasts — especially like Dave Jackson with his latest book, Profit from your Podcast.

I hope that you, as an aspiring podcaster, will find success in starting your show — whether or not you decide to use a podcast consultant, so that your show will deliver great VALUE to your audience and help to get you on the road to success (especially if you wish to monetize your show).

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Dave Jackson and Daniel J Lewis and Gary Leland and michaelandmike.com . All rights reserved.

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podcast

BONUS- International Podcast Day 2021– and its future

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we deliver to you a previous episode that is repurposed for remembering “the good old days” when we celebrated the International Podcast Day for podcasters.

This year, however, the Lees in California are NOT going to have a 30-hour live marathon of speakers to promote podcasting. Since they were doing this mainly from their own pocket, it was not sustainable. And so, in 2021, the movement has literally stopped and it has come to a hard stop.

So, in this brief summary, I am delivering to you a previous podcast episode, repurposed for remembering what the old International Podcast Day marathon and celebration was all about:

And so, here are also the show notes from that episode a year ago:

“… we briefly discuss the annual celebration of International Podcast Day, which has been held since 2015 on the 30th of September. It was started by founders Dave and Steve Lee, along with Daniel J Lewis — each podcasters in their own right.

The agenda for this 30-hour broadcast worldwide is at Internationalpodcastday.com.

[Editor’s note: since this was originally planned to be a 24-hour broadcast of presentations and panel discussions, etc., it has grown to a 30-hour time span due to the international date line and the ability for some Asian countries to start earlier on the 30th of September, allowing the close to be in the Eastern time zone of the USA at midnight]

Since the very first celebration in 2015, I myself have participated in this event and have either listened to the presentations, as well as have delivered welcome announcements from my good buddy, Adam Curry,  of the No Agenda show for the initial event.

I would suggest that you can either listen live to some events during the broadcast online, or you can also get to consume them later online from the recorded archive. The growth of podcasting in the world has seen more sessions and presentations being delivered in national languages (not just USA English or British Commonwealth English), as well. This was true last year for the Latin American countries that delivered their content in Spanish. Thus, this has grown to a worldwide event with participation from all podcasters of various topics.

We hope that you find International Podcast Day a worthwhile event for you, as a podcaster, and that it can indeed bring VALUE to your show and help you become a more successful podcaster.

Thank you for your attention and hoped participation for International Podcast Day.”

 

So, does this mean that the podcast industry has now lost a key component of podcasting? Does it signify the loss of key participants that had the labor of love for podcasting are now bowing out due to the high cost of sponsoring a show that allows all podcasters to share in the movement of podcasting, no matter where in the world you may be?

In my opinion, I don’t see those who have made a ton of money from podcasting rising to the occasion to support the International Podcast Day movement again — they will only be interested in joining the movement if someone else spends their own money to get the program going, for they will only be interested in the growth of their own revenues.

Sad to say, but since 2014, this idea was a good one, and it is now being put to bed due to the selfishness of others who should have risen up to the occasion — especially those who made thousands and even millions from their podcast. How about sharing a bit of the wealth for the good of the movement and the labor of love? Well, not this time.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Internationalpodcastday.com and michaelandmike.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

533- The threat of censorship in podcasting

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we discuss a theme that is being mentioned more and more in the podosphere and its news in the various news-casts and newsletters — and that is the possibility of censorship coming from the lame-stream media and the democrats of the USA, as they want to control a narrative, even in podcasting.

Up to the second quarter months of 2021 (i.e., the time of this writing), podcasting was still an open forum, where most of the media hosts still did not have total control of the content, but instead, let the podcasters deliver their messages in the manner that they wanted. Oh, sure, there were censorship situations (like Alex Jones and some episodes of the Joe Rogan Show) where the podcasters and the content were censored by the employees who worked in the firms that hosted the podcasts. And that means that those employed by the media firms are so into woke that they are making their own determination of what should be posted and what should be censored, without the permission of the business owners or the logic in doing what they do only because of their own selfish minority leanings and political ideologies.

Well, what this means is that perhaps bit by bit and one by one, the employees of media hosts may sneak their political bias and ideologies into their work (without being stopped by their employers)  into the hosting services of the business and thus, influence the messages that are being out there.

What does this mean for the podcaster?

It means that he has to seek media hosts or partners to publish their content and distribute the messages outside of the political ideologies of those whom they hire. That means taking more of a hands-on approach to oversee the processes and tasks of their possible woke employees.

In this way, podcasters can still be assured that their messages will not censored or their content will not be restricted by the left-wing radicals that dominate lame-stream media today — especially by the democrats.

And there do exist certain media hosts — some very well known for their lack of content censorship and others very privately owned by those who advocate free speech (as espoused by the likes of Adam Curry and others like him) who will provide the posting and publishing of content that is free speech (but not radically too wild, such as providing a panel for hate speech, etc., which can violate the terms of service).

It seems that it is up to the podcaster to hunt out the media hosts that will provide a clear distribution of the content on the web in the podosphere without forcing their political ideologies and bias for the podcaster and others who wish to consume their content.

So, what can you, as a podcaster, do to prevent the 2020-type of censorship of content from engulfing your own content?

And the answer is to look deeply into the owners of the business who are the media hosts and see if they do swing to the far left of the political spectrum and are avid censors of the truth to de-platform others and keep the messages away from the distribution platform.

If you can find this sort of information from listening to other podcasts who oppose such censorship (like No Agenda or That Larry Show or Grumpy Old Bens or Randumb Thoughts, just to name a few), then you should pay attention and put a plan into place to confirm that your content will not be subjected to the same woke environment of the censors, and that you can still enjoy the sense of free speech without the Nazi-type intervention from the democrats or the radical left who censor anything they don’t approve of.

And we hope that your plan will provide your podcast the freedom to speak freely and to be published in the podosphere without restriction due to political bias or ideologies.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com . All rights reserved.

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podcast

581- Starting podcast shows with stories of personal experiences

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, it is just myself in this episode talking to you (I am delivering this episode as a single host) to  discuss the creation of podcast shows based on our own experiences from the past — some may be positive and others so negative that they cause PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). These can include idiotic debacles due to the poor leadership and disasters that took place in military situations.

For this theme, we examine some situations in the past (in which I was involved and did participate as a small cog in the big wheel of the Armed Forces of the US under the circumstance of what did occur 50 years ago — that is, conscription (i.e., the military “draft”).

My own situation was that of a college student who ran out of money in order to keep my education going. Instead, my draft number for the “lottery” of conscription was # 29, and thus we all knew that I was going to be inducted into the Army with a future in the infantry.

And so I did go into the Army and was a paratrooper in the Airborne Infantry. The photo, below, in these show notes was taken 50 years ago, while I was crossing a river, on the lookout for snipers in the opposite wood line — since I was a grenadier and had the rifle/grenade-launcher weapon with me to support us in case of any enemy contact. In fact, I ran across this photo in a printed magazine sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans of America, page 25 of the edition of July/August of 2021, in the section titled “50 Years Ago.”

Licensed from getty images, August 2021

US troops of the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division ford a river about 11 miles west of Chu Lai in South Vietnam (then the Republic of Vietnam, or RVN), 15th August 1971. (Image licensed from getty images)

After completing my service in Vietnam, in spite of injuries that I sustained in the military, I did return to my college education — only this time, my financing came from the G.I. Bill for education and training, along with other scholarships for which I happened to apply and win.

And some 16 years ago, I myself became a professional podcaster. I also started a couple of  podcasts that were dedicated to honor the Military Service organizations that supported the veterans of the Armed Forces. One was for the 82nd Airborne Division veterans Association, and the other was for the Combat Infantrymen’s Association (both of which I was a member). I did produce episodes for these podcast shows for over 6 years, with interviews from veterans who were sharing their experiences and finding some closure of their experiences while in  the military and the Vietnam War).

In fact, this photo shows the camaraderie of the paratroopers as they honored a WWII veteran who made 3 combat jumps in Europe, D.G. Harris. This was published with an episode from the 82nd Airborne Division local Alamo Association Chapter.

Award to WWII paratrooper D.G. Harris (RIP) with General Caldwell in 2013

And the audio episodes from both podcast shows of the associations accompanied the brotherhood of both paratroopers and combat infantrymen.

The following describes the camaraderie of the combat infantrymen:

In addition, the podcast show of The Combat Infantrymen’s Badge which I had started for my local chapter also gave me the ability to interview some celebrities and honored guests of those who saw combat — even though they may not have been an infantryman in a combat regiment. This occurred in 2009 when I was able to get the story from Joe Galloway, a past correspondent during the Battle of Ia Drang in the Vietnam War of 1965. His story was told almost accurately in the book and movie which he co-authored with General Hal Moore (played by actor Mel Gibson), which was called “We were Soldiers.” In fact, at the 2009 dedication of the permanent replica of the Vietnam Monument in Mineral Wells, Texas, I did interview Joe Galloway and discovered what it was like for him to be a civilian who also experienced combat and received the Bronze Star for his own valor. The following was this 8-minute podcast episode of the Combat Infantrymen’s Association where he stated his story and what the CIB would mean to him:

These past podcast shows delivered a positive impact on my post-war life and post-military experiences. They were very positive for me.

However, I was totally disenheartened and sad and also angry when I saw what had happened in 1975 — that is, the debacle of the withdrawl of the USA from Vietnam and the helicopters leaving Saigon with people trying to hang on. This did remind me of the debacle just witnessed from Afghanistan by the idiotic withdrawl from Kabul by the idiot Bo-Jiden, suffering from dementia (who tried to insist that this was “successful” after the unnecessary death of 13 marines and sailors).

Like the present-day 2021 soldiers who had served in Afghanistan with possible multiple tours of duty and deployments, I, myself kept asking the question in 1975: “then what did that tour of duty in Vietnam mean and what was accomplished by myself or others that served there?” One example of the present-day soldier was “So what did it mean for me to have spent 5 years of my life there in Afghanistan? what was accomplished?”

For this podcaster, I saw that creating and producing various podcast shows and their episodes was a small means of closure for myself, and for others in the veterans’ service organizations.

Thus, I found that podcasts relating to personal experiences can be helpful not only to the podcaster himself, but to others who shared his experiences — especially in combat and in other military situations (like being an airborne infantry paratrooper).

Thus, I would suggest that you, as a podcaster, can share some of your own personal experiences to create and deliver episodes using a STORY-TELLING method to provide value to your listeners. Remember that the personal accounts that are true do ring a bell of empathy for the podcast listener, and these can be a great way to generate content for your shows. I am sure that your audience would not only approve the episodes, but thank you for them.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Joe Galloway and Hal Moore and “We were Soldiers” book and movie. Image licensed from gettyimages.com

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podcast

532- Podcasting production partners and how to look for one

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we discuss the topic of podcasting production partners — and how to find one, with some tips that are delivered by Ben Krueger in his recent podcast blog and series of cashflowpodcasting.com.

To find a podcast production partner, there are several key tips from Ben in his post, which can give you, the podcaster, an idea of what to look for and some key elements besides the relationship you may have with some other candidates (be it personal or business) and looking forward to the ultimate results for your business podcast.

The key ideas in this post are the following:

  • Make sure all parties are working toward a clear objective that can be articulated by yourself;
  • The challenges in both in-person collaboration and separation of duties vs. the remote work assignments and coordination;
  • Of course, Ben emphasizes the need for streamlined processes in order to be successful (and, of course, he spares no content in reminding you that his firm will have them and support you with them in finding a partner);
  • Do your candidates have the expertise and knowledge to develop content for your target market?
  • Also consider the quality of the marketing materials used to promote the audio content;
  • Inspect the track record of a candidate who has proven that he will have a sharp eye on details;
  • Research how much a podcast production partner should be compensated, as well as the cost of production of a podcast;
  • Determine if a solo podcast show in episodes is the format for you to follow, or if more need to be involved in the production;
  • Determine the source of production equipment (or you may have to accept that you will purchase these yourself);
  • What will be the repurposing strategy for your content — perhaps into other forms of media?
  • What kind of guest “pipeline” will be needed to have a continuous influx of guests for your show, if you will have guests?
  • What kind of scripting strategy will you have to create content around your show and be relevant to your audience?

These are the key items that Ben discusses in his post. And for many aspiring podcasters, these may make a great deal of the topics that need to be asked before launching a show with just a faint idea of who should be the podcast production team.

Ben Krueger

Now, Ben Krueger is someone that I have known since we first met at the initial Podcast Movement conference in Dallas in 2014. Ben is the founder of Cashflow Podcasting and he specializes in helping thought leaders entrepreneurs amplify their impact through podcasting.  He’s a world traveler, outdoor sports junkie and future enthusiast! He also has shared with us (within this podcast series and others) not only ideas on podcasting, but some key gems for free in the form of pdf files and topics that can be key as help to future podcasters and current podcasters. We thank Ben for his contributions to the podosphere.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2021, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Ben Krueger and michaelandmike.com . All rights reserved.