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podcast

429- Podcasting 10 commandments — then and now

In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we deliver to you the announcement of publications on podcasting that dealt with the metaphor of the “ten commandments” of podcasting.

This theme of 10 commandments for podcasting is not new — it dates back to 2006, in the now-podfaded audio podcast that was called Marketing Online Live with Paul Colligan and Alex Mandossian, episodes # 38 and 39. This was published from years earlier in the sections titled the  Business Podcasting 10 Commandments in a previous book called The Business Podcasting Bible.

And then we list the current 10 commandments of podcasting, as espoused by Baruch Labunski in an article from Entrepreneur.com.

For example, the first  Business Podcasting Commandments  stated in the early book by Paul Colligan are (and we use “shall” instead of “shalt”):

  • Thou shall ask thy audience what they want;
  • Thou shall know thy audience;
  • Thou shall match message to market;
  • Thou shall repurpose when possible;
  • Thou shall separate channel from medium (where Channel is technology and medium is format);
  • Thou shall go in with a strategy;
  • Thou shall teach consumption;
  • Thou shall have a monetization strategy;
  • Thou shall consume the best; and
  • Thou shall live the freedom lifestyle.

Now, in 2020, we get an updated point of view of this metaphor in the podosphere in the article published in July of 2020 in the Entrepreneur.com site by Baruch Labunski called “The 10 Commandments of Podcasting
How to build your brand and cultivate a loyal following through a podcast.”

And these 10 commandments are the following:

1. Thou shall not do it for the money
.
2. Thou shall be a consumer
.
3. Thou shall reflect well on your brand
.
4. Thou shall be useful
.
5. Thou shall not be a salesperson
.
6. Thou shall get personal
.
7. Thou shall create a consistent format
.
8. Thou shall release episodes regularly
.
9. Thou shall be professional
.
10. Thou shall be sociable

Now, for this podcaster, the viewpoint is very much different, thanks to social media and the social justice warrior frameworks of the younger podcasters. I highly encourage you to consume both to get a critical thinking opinion.

As you can see from the Paul Colligan book, the focus is monetization and profitable podcasting, with very little viewpoints on ideals. However, even though some of the ideas may seem similar, the tendency with today’s viewpoints revolves around a world that could be filled with “unicorns and rainbows” (so to speak). And the statement that reveals this is the first of the 10 commandments from the 2020 article, which is not to do it for the money — whereas profitable podcasting has an emphasis in making a podcast with great revenue streams for your business. And that is why they call the book the BUSINESS Podcasting Bible.

So, even though many credit themselves to be the first with the 10 commandments of podcasting, they are 14 years behind. And the key difference is the emphasis on revenue generation and profitable podcasting.

Now, you can read the 2020 article in detail, and then you may want to compare it to the precepts delivered in the earlier book by Paul Colligan. You can then make up your own mind and see which is more practical for the aspiring or new podcaster that can help to make the podcast show a success, as well as more profitable. For myself, I tend to side with the older and proven commandments from Paul Colligan (as I myself have lived by them years ago when I had published podcasts for profit — and, yes, I was successful).

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Paul Colligan and Baruch Labunski on greenwichtime.com and entrepreneur.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

428- More info on best podcast equipment

In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we deliver yet info on another article that describes for the new and experienced podcaster  “Best equipment for Beginners and Pros.”

It seems that in the podosphere now, every month will have a self-proclaimed pundit publishing another article or delivering another audio episode or video that describes the “best” for podcasters.

So, although this never stops being renewed (and sometimes annoying), we bring you the summary of information that is given in this article in komando.com. And they specify that they are trying to show the reader some “beginner-friendly” options to purchase if you want to start going into podcasting. And note that you will be interspersed with pop-up ads and other calls-to-action to subscribe to their pages. But they continue:

  • The right computer for the right price;
  • The right microphone (and they present the AT2020 mic and the Snoball mic — which were popular and promoted back in 2007);
  • Audio interfaces for your microphone;
  • Audio-mixing and editing software options;
  • Windscreens (with no mention of pop-filters);
  • Headphones and amplifiers;
  • Microphone stands;

Now, for this podcaster who has been creating and publishing podcast content for the past 15 years, I would look at this list and immediately see that many key options are missing. This could be (for the neophyte) a bit confusing — especially if the new and aspiring podcaster has been consuming podcast episodes from shows of more experienced and knowledgeable podcasters (e.g., Dave Jackson in The School of Podcasting or Daniel J Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast, etc.).

For if you go and peruse the site of Schoolofpodcasting.com (as an example), Dave Jackson actually gives you an updated version of different courses for the aspiring podcaster, such as:

  • Planning your podcast
  • Content is king
  • Podcasting Equipment
  • Skype 101 and recording remote interviews
  • Your Podcast Website
  • The mechanics of podcasting
  • Podcasting with Audacity
  • Adobe Audition Basics
  • Podcasting with Hindenburg journalist
  • Using the PowerPress plugin
  • Podcasting with Gargeband
  • Publishing your podcast (Libsyn, Blubrry and more)
  • Communicating With Your audience
  • Submitting your show to Apple and other directories
  • Growing your audience
  • Monetizing your podcast

Notice that podcasting equipment is just one of the courses offered. In addition, if you have any questions, you can get them addressed for FREE in a weekly live Saturday morning podcast called ASK THE PODCAST COACH. So free consulting for basic questions can be answered live by Dave and his co-host, Jim Collison of theaverageguy.tv.

So I, myself, as an experienced podcaster and podcast consultant would recommend Dave’s course and his podcast shows to help you get the most out of considering the “best” equipment and other issues in beginning your podcasts. And, of course, what is “best” for you is unique, because your show and your situation is unique — it all depends on your objectives, your audience targeted, your themes and your time and effort that you wish to put into podcasting.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Dave Jackson of schoolofpodcasting.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

427- Podcasts about podcasting

In this very brief episode of podcastreporter.com, we focus on a list of podcast shows whose subject is PODCASTING. This list was initially delivered in July of 2020 by Dave Jackson in his schoolofpodcasting.com site and was mentioned in various podcast episodes from him. In fact, the title of this list is “Podcasts about Podcasting — the never-ending list.”

When we look at the list, Dave has not only divided the entire list by different categories, but he also has let you know which of these shows is no longer active. He did this by striking a line through the title (e.g., the list has the podcast show of “Your Podcast Consultant” with the strike-through added.

As you will hear in this audio episode, the categories for the list include the following (and in the order in which they appear on the list):

  • Active “how-to” podcasts;
  • Podcasters being interviewed;
  • Occasional episodes; and
  • Shows on hiatus (podfaded),

We would like to mention that this show of The Podcast Reporter is listed in the first category of Active How-to Podcasts with the subject line of “Podcasting News.”

Now, this list has grown over the past 15 years under the watchful eye of Dave Jackson of The School of Podcasting as a key podcaster and content creator. You see, in the early days of the podosphere in 2005 and following, the list was rather small, and all the podcasters with shows about podcasting could have been gathered together in person at the first Podcast and Portable Media Expo in Ontario, California, in 2005 and 2006.

So, as a reference for the media, as well as the new and aspiring (and even older and experienced) podcasters, this list can show how much the podcasting community has embraced those shows whose topic revolves around podcasting and the podosphere.

By the way, this list also received an honorable mention in a recent issue of the podnews.net newsletter.

So, if you want to keep on top  of the podcasting space, you may want to review the list and subscribe to some of these more active shows whose subjects may be of interest to you. And in this way, you can continue to be on top of your game in podcasting, as well as become knowledgeable in the podosphere as a content creator and podcaster. We hope that his list will provide you with yet another resource for your own knowledge, education and be of value to you.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Dave Jackson from The School of Podcasting. All rights reserved.

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Uncategorized

426- Some criteria for best entrepreneur podcasters

In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we repurpose an older episode that dealt with the criteria for discussing who would make the best entrepreneurs. This episode dealt with the article published in an email newsletter from Michael Hyatt.

Originally published in the recently-podfaded show called The Struggling Entrepreneur, we can relate to the idea of the criteria for the more successful entrepreneurs — especially in the area of podcasting.

Yes, the romantic ideals of the younger aspiring entrepreneurs visualize the young college drop-out starting a business and growing to be a business titan. Well, these are the exception and not the rule.

As you will hear in this audio episode, the more successful entrepreneurs are those who have age on their side — and with that, they also possess maturity, experience, resources, drive to succeed and knowledge of lessons learned.

“So who makes the best entrepreneurs?  No, it’s not who you think.”  As Michael Hyatt states, it is usually those over 40 years of age — and the numbers tell us that. So if this episode bursts your ideal bubble of romanticized billionaires and your path to join that club, well, join the rest of us who can accept the valid research and then also put our own strengths into channeling our resources, our drive to succeed, our age, our experience, and most of all OUR MATURITY into becoming a successful entrepreneur and podcaster.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation and MichaelHyatt.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

425- Importance of podcast Scripts

In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we focus on an article found in the July issue of medium.com that dealt with scripts in podcasting. The title of the article is “Scripting Down Your Podcast : How Important is it?”

In this article, the topic of the importance of podcast scripts is reviewed from the point of view of the value to the podcaster.

In the beginning of the article, the key factor articulated is that “Having a script will help you deliver your message in a more effective manner.”

Then the article delivers some tips to frame a great podcast script. In addition to creating a road map of your episode topics, the article also suggests that you maintain a conversational tone (and not an overly technical one), as well as leaving some room (or markers) for impromptu topics that will suggest spontaneity in your content. And although I, myself, do not recommend the following tip, the article suggests that you even indicate certain patterns of speech: “mark out the specific lines for pauses, laughs, emphasis, and sighs.”  (You see, for myself, these audio noises should be natural and sometimes spontaneous)

And finally, the article even includes some tips for quality scripting with a suggested podcast script template. This framework would give you the following areas of content for a “quality script”:

  • 1. Sponsor message
    2. Introduction
    3. Musical jingle/sound effects
  • 4. A longer explanation of what’s in store
    5. Topic 1
    – Main point
    – Supporting point
    – Supporting data
    – Supporting quote
    6. Segue
    7. Topic 2
    – Main point- Supporting point
    – Supporting data
    – Supporting quote
    8. Sponsor message
    9. Topic 3
    – Main point
    – Supporting point
    – Supporting data
    – Supporting quote
    10. Segue
    11. Outro
    12. Call to action
    13. Sponsor message
    14. Musical jingle/sound effect

And, as you can see, the detailed script becomes quite a template for production of a full episode.

Now, for this podcast reporter, I have done scripting like the above in the early days of my podcasting experience — back from 2006. However, with practice and experience, I have been able to break away from the chains of such a strict template to a brief outline or a detailed outline (depending upon the nature of the topic, the interviewee involved, and the amount of minutia or details concerned).

For the novice or new podcaster, or for the aspiring podcaster, the above template can give an idea to the podcaster of how much detailed work there is to plan for a quality podcast episode instead of just “winging it” or doing a “roll your own on the fly” episode.

However, perhaps your episode need not be so rigorous or strict or detailed. A good, solid outline can be a perfect substitute once your audio conversational skills are perfected, and when you can learn to be spontaneous with a guest, or when you can have enough background in your topic to go “off script” (as they say in the media).

Whichever method you choose, a script can be a good training tool. It can also be the foundation for creating good show notes and ensure that you have good skills in planning your podcast episodes. And perhaps you may want to create your own template — suited to your skills, your personality, your podcast show and your topics.

So we hope that your scripting skills can be improved and that your planning for your episodes will help make your podcast show successful in growing your audience and making loyal fans of your listeners.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation and mediu.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

424- What to do after you launch a podcast show

In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we reflect on the issue of what a podcaster might do (with a few suggestions) after this individual has launched a podcast show. We include some recommendations from an email and blog from Ben Krueger of CashFlowPodcasting.com.

Ben Krueger

As we have referenced Ben before in this podcast show, he offers usually some materials that can be of assistance and help in not only explaining the concept, but also giving you some steps that are actionable. And this information is included in a pdf document that he provides for free at cashflowpodcasting.com. And the title of this free 10-page pdf document is “WHAT TO DO NOW THAT YOUR PODCAST IS LAUNCHED!” And it is dated  July 14, 2020.

A very high level summary of Ben’s recommendations are the following:

  • Establish your process;
  • Integrate your podcast;
  • Check your mindset; and
  • Move forward.

Ben also suggests that you obtain a book which he wrote called “Podcast Principles” — and with the subtitle, he claims that this is  “the book that helps you start the perfect business podcast.”

We also have a few of our own suggestions from our experience to help the new podcaster become more successful in a shorter time frame and have the podcast show gain audience growth or create community, as well as increase listeners.

In my opinion, you should also include the following to your list of to-do’s after you launch:

  • Determine what type of mentoring you may need or want;
  • Determine if a mastermind group or a membership site for podcasting is suitable for you;
  • And, of course, my pick would be for you to review and possibly join a group from Daniel J Lewis (of the Audacity to Podcast) called the Podcasters Society membership site — so that you can take your podcast show from average to amazing.

So with these suggestions and resources that you have available from Ben Krueger to help you along, we hope that you can find these of value. And we sincerely hope that you can help your podcast show, now launched, into growing your audience and becoming successful to meet and exceed your objectives as a great business podcast show.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Ben Krueger of cashflowpodcasting.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

423- Being interviewed on podcasts

In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we repurpose evergreen content with Max Flight, a podcaster, who describes for us the issues with being interviewed for a podcast — i.e., not being the interviewer, but the interviewee.

As you will hear in this audio episode, the content from Max Flight is from the point of view of the individual being interviewed. And although the time frame was a bit earlier in the podosphere, the issues and the suggestions are still valid today — although there are a few more tools to assist the novice podcaster being interviewed.

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 (and now podfaded) show of The Struggling Entrepreneur.

Editor’s note: some of the content has been updated to reflect today’s environment.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All rights reserved.

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podcast

422- Podcasting Pundit Paul Colligan at Podcast Movement 2020

In this issue of PodcastReporter.com, we repurpose a prior episode of this show (#328), where we interviewed Paul Colligan on the exhibit hall show floor of the Podcast Movement 2020 conference (known as Evolutions).

Now, Paul Colligan has been a podcaster since 2004, and he has been a strategist for profitable podcasting. He also developed and sold his own product in 2007-2008 that provided support for a one-to-one RSS feed delivery and key deliverables for good revenue streams and podcasts (which was known as PremiumCast).

In addition to being a luminary, a content creator with videos, blogs and other media deliverables, Paul is also a screencaster, a solution provider, a trusted advisor  and thought leader for the podcasting and New Media space. He is highly regarded by all of the early podcasters and has been not only a role model, but also a mentor to many (such as myself). As a matter of fact, my I was a member of his “member” program called New Media Inner Circle and also took his course called Podcast Secrets in 2007.

Now, we had interviewed Paul before a major event that was the key for podcasters in 2015 (i.e., the NMX or New Media Expo in Las Vegas). In that episode, Paul gave us not only the state of the podosphere at that time, but also where he felt that podcasting would be going in the next five years — that is, 2020). And here is the link to the audio file:

Paul plans to launch yet another podcast, and he will call it The Aging Tech Show. This is planned to be a model for podcasting that will be current with a lot of fun for strategies for profitable podcasting — among other things.

In addition, Paul also will update his book series on podcasting (originally started with the title of “How to Podcast” — since 2015 and 2016).

So, we encourage all podcasters to subscribe to his podcast show called The Podcast Report. It is delivered by Paul for each season, and it contains gems that do prove to be of value to all podcasters.

We hope that all you podcasters enjoy Paul’s books, his videos, his new show, as well as The Podcast Report — and that the content from his programs will help to make you successful in your podcasting.

Thank you for our attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation . All rights reserved.

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podcast

421- ID3 tags and their value

In this episode of PodcastReporter.com, we focus on an article in podnews.net called “Do ID3 Tags matter for Podcast SEO?”

Here, the issue is the VALUE of SEO (i.e., search engine optimization) for podcasters today, as opposed to the early days of the podosphere in 2004 when a lot of importance and emphasis we placed on ID3 tags in your podcast episodes.

As you will see in this article by James Cridland, the key question is whether or not today’s podcasters are using ID3 tags and whether or not it provides any value for your episodes or your podcast shows.


For this podcast reporter, the ID3 tags are still being included in each podcast episode. For myself, the value for the podcast show delivers some data for those players that allow the listener or those who download or consume to get more information about the show and the episode.

In summary, my perspective is this — an old podcaster mentor of mine (i.e., Dave Jackson of The School of Podcasting) delivers for me the criteria for this decision:  “As Dave Jackson says, it’s worth still putting them into your files: because the 0.1% of people who still use their Rio mediaplayer might like to see it. Who knows, they might be useful in the future; and they should be done relatively automatically by your digital audio editor or podcast host.”

Now, in addition, if you listen to episode dated 11July2020 in Dave Jackon’s Ask The Podcast Coach show, you will hear some of the reasons why Dave still fills out and includes ID3 tags with each episode. Some of them are to prevent some regret if one of the big publishers decide to use them again in the near future (although today many of them have neglected ID3 tag file content).

For yourself, as a podcaster, you have to see if the ID3 tags are worth including or should they be ignored.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation . All rights reserved.

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podcast

420- Podcasting Secret Sauce

In this episode of PodcastReporter.com, we focus on an article written recently by Steve Pratt at Pacific Content called “Podcasting’s Secret Sauce…REVEALED!”

Now, although this may sound like a lot of hype, this evergreen content may be useful and be of value to the new and aspiring podcasters who need to understand WHAT TO DO toward making their podcast show more successful — and more important, what NOT to do (or keep on doing) so that the show does not stagnate.

So, for the past 15 years of my experience as a podcaster or involved in the podosphere, I have seen many a book or publication or blog or have listened to many a podcast episode about what to do to “guarantee success” in podcasting. And this goes all the way from the 2013 episodes of John Lee Dumas when he emphasized the secrets of getting on the iTunes “New and NoteWorthy” listing and visuals to the courses that can just about convince you to quit your day-job and go into a full-time successful career in podcasting.

However, many of the so-called self-appointed pundits did not really call their strategies a “secret sauce.” As a matter of fact, the course that I took myself as a teleseminar and audio sessions was that by Paul Colligan called Podcast Secrets in 2007-2010. And this was really a business course that taught you how to design a business for creating a profitable podcast. And it did work for those interested into putting in the time, the trouble and the continuing effort to update, to nurture and to pursue the work of maintaining and growing the podcast show.

As you will read in the blog post from Mr. Pratt, many podcasters started in 2005 with the idea from The Field of Dreams movie that “if they build it, they will come.” Well, podcasting is one environment where they will NOT come if you build it — not with over a million shows giving stiff competition and with problems in discovery for your show.

You have to create strategies to plan, to record, to publish, to promote, to monitor and to nurture your podcast show and all its episodes — and also to be able to update your show from feedback resulting from the results of your show to improve over time and grow your audience. And also, you can do the same for any revenue streams that are created from your podcast.

And this article from Mr. Pratt allows the reader to consume the areas needed for the management of the podcast — from creation to nurturing, and then to go on to the follow-on strategies in case you have to pivot, due to the business conditions or other unforseen circumstances (e.g., the virus crisis of 2020).

He considers the “easy” tasks for the new podcasters to be the following (very much like the old television ads of the 1960s called “the lazy man’s way”): “In podcasting, here are some of the things that are easy:

  • Record an extended interview or conversation and don’t edit it
  • Publish your podcast on a wide variety of platforms
  • Promote your podcast by writing a single, easy cheque to a single publisher

If you only do the easy things, you’re much more likely to end up in the Field of Nightmares. You will build it and no one will come.”


But then you can see the different points that Mr. Pratt gives for seriously considering the effort in making your podcast successful — i.e., what he calls his “secret sauce.”

Among these are nine different elements that contribute to success. For, as he will tell you, If you do this type of hard work, you will build something great and tell all the right people about it. They will come and they will listen. There is no EASY button.”

Now, what is my perspective after having been a podcaster for nearly 15 years? I would strongly suggest that you reflect upon each of these elements and see if you have thought through and created plans and strategies that can help you to monitor the success of each one, just to ensure that your podcast is going in the right direction — whether it be a profit-making podcast or a hobby podcast or even a corporate podcast.

Although they seem to be overly simple and easy, please note that the most simple plans are usually the most difficult ones to create, implement and monitor to a successful conclusion. As I emphasize again from the article, you may have a lot of buttons for your business, but in the world of successful podcast shows, “there is no EASY button.”

I wish you the best in generating your strategies and putting in the hard work to create and implement your podcast and find your own “secret sauce” to success.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2020, Matrix Solutions Corporation and Steve Pratt at blog.pacific-content.com. All rights reserved.