The Podcasting Questions Podcast

Should political candidates have a podcast?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK: 425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

Should I start a local podcasters group?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK:425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

What mistakes do podcast listeners make?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK:425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

Do you know of any podcasts in Seattle?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK: 425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

What podcast formats are there?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK: 425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

Why are there so many entrepreneur podcasts?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK:425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

What are my Podcast Predictions for 2019?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK: 425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

What should I do if I miss some episodes?QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK: 425-835-2766 or jasonrigden@jasonrigden.com

ASK A PODCASTING QUESTIONArthur from the underwater city of Atlantis ask,Hello old chum! What is an RSS feed?Well Arthur I’m glad you asked. There seems to be a bunch of confusion about this.A podcast’s RSS feed is file on the internet. Your RSS Feed URL is the location of the file on the internet. A URL is that thing you see in your web browser. Like https://google.com/index.html. URL stands for uniform resource locator. It is used to locate things on the internet. So, your RSS Feed URL tell people and computers where to find your RSS Feed.Now the file itself is really just a text document. You can open it up with any text editor. It might look a little strange to though. It is written in a computer language called XML. This language allows us to format data that can be read both by humans and computers. So, XML files can store data.What kind of data can an XML document contain? Well let’s talk about podcast RSS feeds. So these are a type of XML document. These feeds for all kinds of data about your podcast. For example, this RSS feed will contain the name and description of your podcast. It will also have data about your podcasts episodes. Every time you release a new episode this file is updated with new data.That is why we give people that RSS Feed URL. We are telling people and computers where to find the file on the internet. They will download that file and get the data about the podcast and it’s episodes. Now, when we release an episode the RSS feed is updated with the new data. So, those podcasting clients will need to check that URL periodically looking for updates. And that is how podcasting clients work.This is the real beauty of podcasting. There is no central authority out there running everything. It is not like YouTube or Twitter. Those are centralized. Podcasting is decentralized. It is just a huge bunch of RSS files sitting on servers all over the world. When you have a podcast you control that RSS feed. You are in charge. When you have a YouTube Channel, YouTube is in charge.I hope that kind of answered your question Arthur. I could talk much more about the technical aspects of XML and RSS but it is a little hard to do with just audio. If you want to learn more, just check YouTube. Lots of great tutorials on there. But I have you a basic not technical understanding of the technology.

ASK A PODCASTING QUESTIONElizabeth from Boise, Idaho asks,Where can I host my podcast for free?Elizabeth there are a bunch of places to host your show for free. I’m not going to list them here. That is what google is for. Many of these free hosts come and go pretty quick. If I made a list of them right now, by the time I release this episode, some of them will be out of business.Why?Well, how does a free podcast host make money? They don’t and you can only run an unprofitable business for so long. So, if you go with any of the free hosting providers there is a very likely chance that that host will go out of business. And when they go out of business, they could take your show down with them. It just is not worth the risk.A great and stable podcast host like Libsyn only charge $5 a month for hosting. Honestly, if you are not willing to spend $5 a month on your podcast, why should anyone spend their time listening to your show?This is another super popular question and I think it is related to something I talked about last episode. Are you doing the show for yourself or for the audience?I think that maybe the folks looking for free hosting just want to do a podcast for fun. They just want to hang out with their friends and make a show. They don’t want to spend any money. But why do these friends need to record a podcast? Why can’t they just hangout? Why does it need to be a project? Podcasting is harder than it looks. Even if you just want to do it for fun, it is going to cost some money and take some time. If you don’t want to spend that money and time then you don’t actually want to do a podcast. Maybe you just like the idea of doing a podcast.Just like it is totally okay just to do a show just for fun, it is also okay just to hangout and talk with your friends. You don’t need a podcast to regularly get together and talk about Lord of the Rings or Star Trek with for friends. Not everything needs to be turned into a product.So, when you are looking for free podcast hosting, ask yourself why you don’t want to pay. The answer is probably because you don’t actually want to do a podcast. And if you do still want to do a show and you don’t want to pay, then don’t do a podcast. Make a YouTube channel instead. YouTube is free and has a huge audience. That is the better choice for folks that need free hosting.

ASK A PODCASTING QUESTIONHello. I’m Jason Rigden and you are listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast. This is the show that answers your podcasting questions in under 5 minutes per episode.Herbie from Baton Rouge, Louisiana asks,Does sound quality really matter? My cohost says content is king and people will listen no matter what!This is a tough question. When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and transmitted that line about one step for mankind, the sound quality was awful. But nobody cares because it is incredibly compelling. It was a recording by the first human stepping on the moon. Herbie, I’m gonna go out on a limb and guest that you are not making episodes as compelling as the moon landing. That’s okay. The standards for podcasts are much lower. But remember, when folks are listening to you, they are choosing to not listen to something else.At any moment, the listener may change their mind and just skip your show. Bad audio quality is annoying, and it can make it hard to understand the folks talking. Having the volume too high or too low is bad. Having too much noise or reverberation is bad. There are all kinds of bad audio. If the bad audio is bad enough people will start to think about skipping your show. You are making your audience make a decision. Is this content worth listening to this bad audio?The answer will almost always be no. You need to be producing extraordinarily compelling content for folks to listen to bad audio. And the fact is, you are not making extraordinarily compelling content. You might think you are but you are not. A big part of being a creator is loving your own work while also being honest about it.And this is a problem we run into often in podcasting. Being honest and realistic about your show is hard. You are never going to be completely objective about your own show, but you should try.So, you need to be honest about why you are doing your podcast. Are you doing the show for yourself or for the audience?This is a fundamental question that every podcaster must answer. Are you doing the show for yourself or for the audience?If you are just doing the show for yourself, then don’t worry about audio quality. All that matters having a good time making the show. But you are not going to have many listeners.If your priority is the audience, then your audio quality must be good. All that matters is the experience of the listeners. But you are going to have to do more work.So, it is up to you. Which style of show do you want to do? Are you doing the show for yourself or for the audience?If your priority is the audience, then your audio quality must be good. All that matters is the experience of the listeners. But you are going to have to do more work.So, it is up to you. Which style of show do you want to do? Are you doing the show for yourself or for the audience?It is okay to just do a show for the enjoyment of yourself and your cohosts. Just don’t expect anyone to listen. Don’t even look at your stats. Just have fun.It is also okay to do a show that prioritizes the audience. Just know that it will not be as fun to produce. There will be much more work to do and sometimes it just will not be fun. But that is because you are doing the show for your audience. They are your priority. You kinda work for them. Show stats and feedback will be vital to your show.Are you doing the show for yourself or for the audience? When you answer that question, you’ll know if audio quality matters for your podcast.

Hello. I’m Jason Rigden and you are listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast. This is the show that answers your podcasting questions in under 5 minutes per episode.Bob for Walla Walla Washington asks:How can I get more listeners?Well first of all, is this the same Bob that asked the very first question on this show? That guy was a made-up listener. He doesn't exist. How is he asking another question? I guess coming up with another fake name and place was too much work when I was writing this.Okay Bob you want to know how to get more listeners. Well that is a very common question. In fact, I would probably say that this is the most common podcasting question. So, how do you get more listeners? What is the secret to becoming super popular? I don’t know. If I knew I would be doing a more profitable show. I’d be selling internet mattresses and brain pills. I mean people like podcasts about podcasts but seriously there are only so many people that will listen to a show like this. If I knew how to “get more listeners”, I would be doing one of those celebrity interview shows. I’d get to meet cool famous people and I’d make the sweet sweet money.Anyhow, this is a super popular question and there is no silver bullet. You can do lots and lots of things to help you get more listeners. And the biggest and most important thing you can do is, make a better show. Every podcast has room to grow and get better. Are you doing enough to make your show better? Are you asking the hard questions about what is working on the show and what is not? Are you talking to listeners? Do you know what they want and like? And do you know what they don’t like?The best way to get more listeners is to make a better show. To make a better show you need to look at what you are doing right now with a critical eye. Try to make each show better than the last. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Maybe getting drunk and arguing about Mandalorians for two hours doesn’t actually make for a good episode. Maybe next episode don’t get drunk and edit the show down to like 30 minutes. Try crazy ideas like that.So, Bob once again I hope that I answered your question. And I hope my comment about the Mandalorian episode didn’t hit too close to home. But seriously Bob nobody wants to listen to your show. Seriously. For the rest of you go experiment. Sit down and brainstorm. Write down a whole bunch of ideas and then try a few of them out. Good luck and never stop trying to make your podcast better.Thank you for listening to the show. If you have a question about podcasting just go to podcastingquestions.com, fill out the little form, and I’ll try to answer it. Once again, I’ve been Jason Rigden and you’ve been listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast

ASK A PODCASTING QUESTIONHello. I’m Jason Rigden and you are listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast. This is the show that answers your podcasting questions in under 5 minutes per episode.Susie from Kansas City Missouri asks:I want to podcast but I really hate the sound of my own voice. Do you have any tips for me?You just kinda have to get over it. Listen this is really common. Most people don’t like to hear their own voice in a recording. Maybe your voice is too high or too low. Maybe you don’t like your accent or diction. Or maybe you're not a native English speaker. Whatever the problem, it is probably not nearly as bad as you think. As podcasters we can spend lots of time obsessing over certain details that no one else will notice. And if your voice really does have issues, you can work on those issues. Practice your voice while doing your show. Do enough episodes and you’ll probably improve your voice and you’ll probably start caring less about it.Practice makes perfect and recording these podcast episodes will be perfect practice.Now, there are some basic things that everyone can do to improve their voice. First make sure you are drinking enough water and that you have some water on hand when you record. Also doing a vocal warm up is a great investment of time to do before you record. It can feel really awkward at first but after a couple times you’ll probably notice an improvement. Just google vocal warm up and find one that you are personally comfortable with.I joke around on this show a bit but I really want to be serious here for a minute. Not liking the sound of your voice is one of the most common obstacles to starting a podcast. Starting a podcast is scary. You are really putting yourself out there. And often folks come up with all kinds of reasons not to start a podcast because they are scared. Most of the time these reasons are just excuses. It is just your fear of failure getting in your way. Don’t be afraid to fail. Your podcast will never be perfect. There will always be room to improve. Just don’t let your fears limit you. It is just a podcast. It does not reflect on your worth as a human being. The important thing is that you are creating and sharing something that you care about. Just don’t care too much. It is just a podcast.Thank you for listening to the show. If you have a question about podcasting just go to podcastingquestions.com, fill out the little form, and I’ll try to answer it. Once again, I’ve been Jason Rigden and you’ve been listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast

ASK A PODCASTING QUESTIONHello. I’m Jason Rigden and you are listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast. This is the show that answers your podcasting questions in under 5 minutes per episode.Frank from Orlando Florida asks,Hey Jason, my co-host wants to use AC/DC’s Back in Black as our podcast theme song. He says that as long as we only use 60 seconds it is considered fair use. Is this true?Thanks for the question Frank. Fair use is probably the most misunderstood concept in copyright law. I’ll tell you one thing for certain though. Using a song as your theme song is absolutely not fair use. Also, there is no fair use exception for only using 15, 30, or 60 seconds of a song. That is a myth.Now, I’m not a lawyer but I’ll tell you what I’ve seen. Fair use is whatever a judge says it is at the time of the trial. If you are anything like me, you are a huge coward and you don’t ever want to get sued. I can’t afford to get sued. Can you?If you play any music on your podcast, you must have permission. If you do play music on your show without proper permission, you are violating copyright law and you might get sued.The music industry is starting to crackdown on podcasts violating copyright laws. Do a google search for the Poker News Podcast. The music industry is suing these guys for millions of dollars because they allegedly played music on their show without proper permission. The music industry is asking for statutory damages of $150,000 for each copyright violation. Just imagine getting that letter.So, Frank don’t use AC/DC’s Back in Black as your theme song. If you do you are just looking for trouble.Thank you for listening to the show. If you have a question about podcasting just go to podcastingquestions.com, fill out the little form, and I’ll try to answer it. Once again, I’ve been Jason Rigden and you’ve been listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast

ASK A PODCASTING QUESTIONHello. I’m Jason Rigden and you are listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast. This is the show that answers your podcasting questions in under 5 minutes per episode.Joseph from Olympia Washington asksDear Jason, my friend does live streaming on Facebook. Is this considered a podcast?Nope. A Facebook live stream is not a podcast. Now, your friend could record that live stream and then make a podcast from it. But just on its own, a Facebook live stream is not a podcast. A good rule of thumb is that, if I can’t listen to your podcast on a podcast app, it probably isn’t a podcast. I’d also recommend staying away from Facebook videos. The whole thing has been a disaster and it really should be a total embarrassment for Facebook. But as we have learned in the last few years, Mark Zuckerberg’s superpower is having a complete lack of self-awareness and a total immunity to shame and embarrassment. I mean Facebook video has decimated YouTubers and online journalists and yet they have nothing to show for it. I mean, other than tons of allegations of fake views and all that low-quality content.But seriously one of the most fantastic things about podcasting is that it is decentralized. No one controls podcasting. It is not like YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook. Podcasters are 100% independent. Sure, you can get kicked off iTunes for being a trash person, but as long as your RSS feed exist so does your podcast.So that rule of thumb is, if I can’t listen to your podcast on a podcast app, it probably isn’t a podcast.Thank you for listening to the show. If you have a question about podcasting just go to podcastingquestions.com, fill out the little form, and I’ll try to answer it. Once again, I’ve been Jason Rigden and you’ve been listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast