11 NOV 2021 · A chance Facebook call proved how versatile the platform can be for podcast interviews, and if you want to take your calls up a notch test out Call In Studio.

17 SEP 2021 · Creating added value for your podcast subscribers is a great way to raise or boost your profile. One way to do this is to create a PDF or digital book made up of the key points of your podcasts, collated show notes, or with extra information that will be of interest to your subscribers. You can keep it simple with a small PDF of a few thousand words that you give away to new subscribers to your mailing list, give it away as a free-be to all, or go further and write a far more in-depth book that can be sold via print-on-demand sites such as IngramSpark - and offered as both a digital and hard copy publication worldwide. If you enjoy writing then producing these PDF documents can be great fun, if not ask someone to help you write and design it. As an example, here is my Podcasting Made Easy cheat sheet, normally reserved for subscribers to my mailing list but made available here for a short time by way of illustration. As always, if you have any questions about podcasting then do let me know.

9 SEP 2021 · Sure, we all know to remove unwanted noises and mistakes from our podcasts, but audio editing can involve a lot more than the obvious. There's an art to it that can really improve the impact your interviews have on your audience. Get the inside track on editing interviews in this edition (37) of Podcasting Made Easy.

5 SEP 2021 · There's an audio recording and editing app I've been using on and off for a few years now that's ideal for recording podcasts and radio shows. It's totally free, reliable, and as solid as any audio app can be. I've recommended Ocenaudio to many friends who were looking for a simple no-frills way to record their voice overs, podcasts, and professional radio shows. The app is regularly updated, almost every month I reckon, and will serve most people's needs – so long as you don't need multi-track recording and know the difference between a destructive audio editor and a non-destructive one. Ocenaudio is a destructive editor. That means, if you record something with it and start cutting and editing, you will be working with the original source file. So the trick is to record, Save, and then Save As with a new name (V2 for example). Thereby keeping a back-up of the original well out of harm's way. However, the app does offer multiple undos if you want to take your edits back a few steps. Users can highlight small sections - such as where breath noises may appear – and lower the volume using a volume slider that appears right where the edit is taking place, there's a highlight and delete option of course, you can highlight all and normalise. Ocenaudio works on all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux), offers real time effects – meaning that during playback – as you alter EQ (for example) you will hear the changes as you move the EQ sliders. It is VST compatible, includes many audio enhancement options – such as noise reduction – along with many effects podcasters will not need, such as reverb, echo, chorus and flanger etc. For the really adventurous (apply with caution) there are audio limiting and compression options along with dozens of other built-in effects. you can also convert a stereo file to mono (and visa-versa) using an option in the Edit menu. The app records in the WAV format by default, offers numerous recording sample rates, channels (mono, stereo, multi) and Bit rate options (16, 24, 32), and exports to dozens of popular formats (MP3, OGG etc). However, most of what it is capable of will be superfluous to the podcaster who merely needs to record their voice for export to a low-res mono MP3 file and edit files quickly. While the Ocenaudio app is free, anyone using it really should make a donation to support the people who produce it as it is too good to be free. Give it a test drive and if you like it, make a donation. If you need to bring your audio into a multi-track app for mixing in music or perform really seamless audio editing etc, then I recommend Reaper. At a one-off fee of $60 (free trial) it's a lot cheaper than Adobe Audition and Pro Tools etc, and is – in my opinion – head and shoulders above the free open source Audacity app (which is a fine app, but...). As always, if you have any advice you'd like to share with fellow podcasters then do let me know.

31 AUG 2021 · It's old advice, but well worth repeating. After you have a good number of podcasts under your belt it's a good idea to listen back to older shows to see what you can learn from your mistakes. Well, perhaps mistakes is the wrong word. Listen back to decide what you can learn from your previous performances, your interviewing technique, and decide what you can do better next time. Could you have asked your guest more interesting and relevant questions? Does your microphone technique need some work? Perhaps you went overboard on post production and audio processing? No matter how much experience you have as a podcaster, you will always learn something about yourself by listening back to older shows. And by doing this you will become a better and more professional podcaster. And if you want to find out who your biggest competition is...The answer is in this edition of Podcasting Made Easy. Have a great week. Steve

23 AUG 2021 · If you like shouting into the wind then making a podcast could be for you. After all the technical aspects of recording and getting your podcast listed on the key platforms is done, the hard work begins – building an audience. However, remember that 70% of podcasts are accessed via iTunes, so if you aren’t already listed there, stop listening now and get that step completed. If you do little more than list your podcast without any promotion or marketing then you could be in for a lot of disappointment when it comes to show subscribers and listeners. While you may have a website and a social media presence for your podcast, you will need to get your podcast in front of your potential audience. This could involve you sharing your podcast with relevant groups on social media sites, and searching out specialist websites that cover subjects your podcast might touch on. For example, you could link to your podcast in a comments section of a trade forum page. When you post links to your show on social media remember to use the correct hashtags to help people find it. If you have interviewed someone then obviously ask them to share the interview with their network. This route to marketing your podcast can’t be understated and you need to strike while the iron is hot.  In other words, while you and the guest are in contact, while the podcast is fresh, you shoul encourage them to share it far and wide, because they may have a huge database of potential listeners who might choose to subscribe to your show. Edit key clips of the conversation to produce a teaser or cliff-hanger that will pique the interest of the listener so they click through to the full podcast. Show notes are a must-have (example here :-) ) to help your show to be found. Not only should the show notes be posted on your website but you could add them to the MP3 meta data area too. Or go the whole hog and transcribe the whole show using any one of a number of AI transcribing sites such as Otter. Use the transcription to write up a press release of around 300 words and send it to press release distribution firms, and relevant publishers. If you’re really keen, run a contest with a prize of something tangible such as a branded cap or T-shirt, maybe a signed book written by your guest, or a gift voucher to be used in your online store if you have one. If you mention a brand or company in your show then let the company know, contact their PR people and they may re-share your podcast with their followers. It could be the start of a beautiful friendship. And if you are about to launch your first podcast, do yourself a favour and list 2 or 3 episodes on day one. It may mean delaying the launch of your podcast, but listeners like to see more than the launch episode when they see your show for the first time. And it might help you become a New and Noteworthy podcast at iTunes.

16 AUG 2021 · When it comes books to help you find your way as a podcaster, the field is wide open (I've even written one myself). Having worked in broadcasting during the 80s (using vinyl and tape), and then rekindling my love of broadcasting with a podcast in 2008, I thought it about time I refreshed my own skills by reading what other people are advising. I also host a radio show, and that led me to buy Valerie Gellers' Beyond Powerful Radio – A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age. This is quite a hefty tomb, and while of general interest to me, much of what it had to offer was for those actually working at a radio station, managing staff, or hosting talk shows and phone-in programmes. Still, I found it interesting, useful and refer to it regularly. Next up is Viral Podcasting by Kerry Lutz who proclaims the book offers a "proven process to earn a 6-figure income from your show". The book features contributions from Valerie Geller. Lutz's "6-figure income" claim is a bit hard to swallow, but hey – you might get lucky. Still, the book is well worth a read if you are starting out. Top of the pile for me though is Essential Radio Skills by Peter Stewart (there are two editions and the 2009 first edition will be cheaper that the 2010 update). I got a lot of good information from this book as plenty of what's included can be applied to podcasting, even though it is aimed at music presenters working in radio broadcasting. Perhaps it's because I host a little syndicated radio show that it appealed to me so much, but I think it will be a handy read for any podcaster looking to produce a professional show. Before you splash out loads of cash, ask around to see if your friends and colleagues have any of these book to borrow, check out your library and used book sellers. My preference is to avoid using Amazon due to its exploitation of warehouse staff around the world and recent stories of the firm dumping perfectly good products. And if you have a favourite book about podcasting or broadcasting to recommend then do let me know... Book links are affiliate links.

9 AUG 2021 · If you are knew to interviewing guests on your podcast you may feel a little nervous. That's only natural. However, the more you know about your guest, and the reason you are interviewing them, then the better you will feel going in, and the better the interview will be for you, the guest and more importantly, your listeners. My golden rule is 'never interupt' the interviewee when they are answering a question. Which is really hard to do if they say something that make you want to chip in with a follow-up question before they've finished - don't. But listen to this edition of Podcasting Made Easy for my take on interviewing your podcast guests. And do checkout this 'how to' feature here and check out my Podcasting Made Easy book here. As always, I am keen to hear your feedback and podcasting questions via my contact form. Cheers, Steve. https://youtu.be/Dzuw1ovpCMs

31 JUL 2021 · No matter how much you spend on a microphone the key to getting the best from it is for you to get to know it. To treat it like a friend. Only rarely can you just plug a mic in expect it to record a great performance. Every microphone has its own personality, it will like some things and not others. It might pop a plosive at one angle and not another. It might sound great if you speak into in one direction, but not another. Al mics have their sweet spot for your voice, and your environment also plays a part too. So to record the best podcast, to get the best quality recording, means you have to understand what your mic likes and what it doesn't. In this episode of Podcasting Made Easy I'll explore some of the way in which you can record your best performance as a podcaster. As always, flick through your podcasting question to me at www.stevehart.co.nz Cheers, Steve

8 JUL 2021 · Anyone who uses social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube etc will have heard of at least one person who has been banned, de-platformed, or had their account frozen for a few days. Some people wear the postponement of services as a badge of honour, others are mortified, while others probably knew they were trying their luck with comments about current issues that the rest of us only talk about in whispers to trusted friends. I was blocked from using Facebook the other week for 24 hours, and I still do not understand why. My messages to Facebook asking for an explanation went unanswered. So what would happen if your audience were shut out of using social media, or if you found yourself in hot water with the social media de-platform bots? You'd risk losing the ability to connect with your followers, to tell them of your new episode etc. The fact is, social media is so easy to use. It's so easy to build an audience and a following with people around the world. The downside is that you only have access to your followers until the platform you use decides otherwise. So in episode 30 of Podcasting Made Easy I am advising you to start building your own email database of followers and podcast listeners – so social media cannot cut you off.