PodCraft by Alitu: Honing the Craft of Podcasting

Whether we like it or not, potential listeners are judging our podcasts on our artwork before they've even hit play. Some even decide not to hit play, based on the artwork alone. So what can we do about it? We could start by asking Podcast Hall of Famer and EarBuds Podcast Collective founder Arielle Nissenblatt for some pointers. She's presented to rooms full of podcasters on the dos and don'ts of cover art, and she recently wrote about it, too, in her Podcast Plunge newsletter.And while she's here, how about a look at our trailers? That's another area that Arielle is passionate about (she literally runs a Podcast Trailer Podcast) and notices a lot of missed collaboration opportunities on this front. Let's see what we can do about it! Also MentionedHow to Start a Podcast in 2026Rephonic's 3D GraphPlayer FMMillion PodcastsCanva

With the right amount of background info and a good prompt, an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude can write you a brilliant podcast description. But does outsourcing this task miss the entire point of the podcast planning process?Is cold email outreach necessary for contacting podcast guests, or is it almost always flagged as spam and ignored?Is paywalled bonus content really worth the extra time and effort?And should you avoid inviting listeners on as guests, or are they an underused source of value?On this episode, we dig into these four aspects of podcasting before deciding whether to cut or keep them.Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

Does sending over questions in advance help interview guests prepare? Or can it lead to them rehearsing their answers? Does listening at double-speed mean there's more room for your show in your listeners' lives? Or does it miss the point of podcast consumption altogether? And is the Blue Yeti the perfect podcast starter mic, or an overpriced tarpit that gets beginners stuck on their sound?In this "Cut or Keep?" episode, we'll talk through approaches, beliefs, and tools in podcasting and decide whether we think they should stay or go. Also on trial today are pre-calls before recording, dynamic ad insertion, podcast awards, cold opens, and running in-jokes.Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

"A creative assistant" is a common label many podcasters assign to LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude. There's no getting around it; these tools are incredibly powerful. But what hidden cost do we pay if we outsource cognitive practices like writing and idea development?In the fitness world, "use it or lose it" is a much-repeated phrase about muscle, and it might be time to treat our brains in the same way. LLMs can help you create more and do it faster. But if you want to create something truly valuable (and retain the ability to do so again in the future), it might be time to slow down, to worry less about quantity, and focus on quality. On this episode, we also unpacked three other 'hot takes':For podcasters, listening is a more important skill than speakingGrowth is overratedYou should NEVER interrupt your guests Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

According to a new report from Sounds Profitable, Audio Primes are podcast consumers who listen to at least 75% of their content as audio.It's easy to imagine these listeners as eccentric holdouts from a bygone age; in it since 2004, fiercely loyal to their MP3 players, and manually downloading shows on the iTunes desktop app. (Not that there is anything wrong with this, by the way!)But the data shows Audio Primes as an audience that skews younger. To add to their youthfulness, we see a group who are well-educated, high-earning, engaged, deliberate, loyal, and value word-of-mouth recommendations.On this week's episode of Podcraft, I'm joined by the report's author, Tom Webster. Tom helps us understand more about who Audio Primes are, and what this can mean for us as indie creators in our own efforts to reach them.Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host