The How To Podcast Series - Podcast Co-Hosts, Practical Podcasting Tips, and Podcast Community

Episode 826 - Help, My Podcast Guest Won't Stop Rambling On and On - How To Corral A Wandering Podcast GuestKeeping Control When Guests RambleYou own the podcast. That truth matters when a guest talks in circles, ignores your questions, or turns a simple answer into a monologue. This episode breaks down how to prevent interview hijacks before recording and how to reclaim your show in the edit if things go off the rails.Do your homework before you hit recordResearch your guest on other podcasts. Listen to at least one full interview. You will learn their speaking style, whether they tend to ramble, and if they bring fresh material or repeat the same stories. Some guests have a single answer they recycle across every show. Knowing this ahead of time saves you from a boring episode.Pre-interviews act as your filter. Meet the guest a week or two before recording. Watch how they speak and interact. If they refuse a pre-interview, that tells you something. You can politely decline and book someone else. You do not owe every guest a spot on your show.Edit like you own the placeBecause you do. A recorded conversation does not lock you into publishing everything. Cut tangents. Remove answers that do not match your question. Insert your own voice in post to break up long monologues. Ask a follow-up question in the edit that redirects the conversation back to your original point.One hour of raw audio can become a tight twenty minute episode. Dave Beckmeyer does this on Monetize This, turning hour-long recordings into fifteen minute episodes. He uses the extra material for social posts and promotions. The final episode serves the listener, not the guest's ego.Set signals for live or video recordingsWhen recording live or on video, agree on a hand signal before you start. Tell your guest that when you raise a finger or make a gesture, you need to jump in with a follow-up. This gives them a visual cue to wrap up their thought so you can steer the conversation.Use the breath trick to interrupt politelyWait for the smallest pause when a talkative guest inhales. Jump in with a yes or no question related to your topic. For example, if they have not answered your microphone question after two minutes, ask "Do you always use a microphone when you record?" This pattern interrupt resets the dynamic without rudeness.Remember who the episode servesThe listener matters most. Not the guest. Not the host. Tell your guests this upfront. When everyone focuses on serving the audience, episodes stay tight and valuable. Guests should prepare short answers. Hosts should prepare sharp questions. Both sides should trust the process.Your podcast belongs to you. Research guests beforehand, use pre-interviews as a filter, and edit aggressively to keep episodes focused. Set clear signals during recording and interrupt politely when needed. The listener wins when you take control.____Helping Podcasters Everyday! https://howtopodcast.ca/We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 825 - Happy International Podcast Day - September 30 - #InternationalPodcastDay - Go PodcastCelebrate International Podcast Day and grow your podcast communityInternational Podcast Day lands on September 30 and gives creators a global stage to celebrate podcasting, strengthen their podcast community, and support fellow shows. This episode marks the date with a personal milestone and offers three clear actions you can take today to lift the medium and help other podcasters growWhy this day matters for creatorsPodcasters often record alone in closets, spare rooms, kitchen tables, or porches while kids sleep and electricians arrive. That solitude can hide a bigger truth. You belong to a large family of creators around the world who share the same access to audiences, platforms, and tools as the biggest shows. Your episode length does not matter. Your download count does not matter. Podcasting creates appointment listening. People choose to make time for your voice in a way that social media, television, radio, and movies cannot match.app.swapcard+1That relationship with listeners sets podcasting apart. Fans rearrange schedules to hear you. They stick around for five minutes or five hours. They treat your show as a companion during chores, commutes, and walks. This unique bond gives creators a rare opportunity to connect, inform, and encourage people who may never meet you in personThree ways to celebrate todayListen and share. Creators spend most of their time building their own show. Flip the script. Stream a new podcast. Catch up on a favorite. Tell a friend about a show you love. Do this without expecting anything back. Support shows in your niche and shows outside your lane. Author podcasts can boost other author podcasts. Comedy shows can lift other comedy shows. The goal is to move from the creative seat to the community seat and help someone else get heard.Support creators with action. Leave five star ratings on Spotify. Write reviews on Apple Podcasts if you use Apple. Buy a coffee for a podcaster you admire. Fill out a survey when a host asks. Do the tasks you request from your own audience. Action beats intention. Your effort today helps another creator feel seen and valued.Join an online event. Virtual meetups, live streams, and digital discussions happen year round. They do not replace in person conferences, yet they build connection and keep momentum between big events. Find a session, show up, speak, and cheer for others. These spaces help you meet peers, exchange ideas, and grow your network without travel costsA personal note and a call to actionThe host celebrates his son Macmillan, who turns twenty nine on September 29. That date also marks twenty nine years since he became a dad for the first time. He invites listeners to honor International Podcast Day by doing one thing they did not do yesterday to support the medium. Promote another creator instead of promoting yourself. He highlights Dave Beckmeyer and the shows Monetize This and Outrage Overload as examples of voices worth supportingPick one action from the list above and complete it today. Listen to a new show, leave a rating or review, or join a virtual event. Then tell one person about a podcast you love. Small acts of support add up and strengthen the entire podcast community.https://internationalpodcastday.com/The Creator's Loghttps://pod.link/1896465933Outrage Overload: Rethinking politics, division, and mediahttps://pod.link/1648992512Monetize This! Where Podcasting Best Practices Come to Diehttps://pod.link/1856003492___Helping Podcasters Everyday! https://howtopodcast.ca/We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 824 - These 2 Things Could Help Your Podcast and You Should Do These At The End Of Every MonthEnd of month podcast hosting tips to maximize upload limits and grow your audiencePodcast hosting limits reset every month and many creators leave paid minutes on the table. This show notes overview shares two practical podcast growth strategies you can use before the calendar flips. Use every minute you pay for and breathe new life into old episodes so new listeners discover your best contentUse every minute of your paid hosting planPaid hosts like Buzzsprout and Captivate set monthly upload caps. Unused minutes vanish at month end. Spotify for Creators offers unlimited uploads at no cost, which changes the math for some shows. The habit that saves money starts with a simple audit. Check your dashboard near month end. Note remaining hours or file size. Then act.Open your episode library and add a sortable length column. Filter for episodes that fit your remaining cap. Upload them as draft or placeholder files with no publish date. This consumes the allowance you already paid for. You keep the value. You avoid wasting twelve hours in a month like September when no new episodes went live. Short bonus episodes work when only a few minutes remain. Thank your audience. Share a resource. Shout out another podcaster. Do something useful with the time. You paid for it. Claim it.Need a visual walkthrough of your specific host? Book a session at How To Podcast dot CA and review your upload settings, limits, and workflow together.Refresh old episodes by updating the publish dateEvergreen content can stall in the back catalog. Listeners rarely scroll years deep. Change the episode date to yesterday to surface it among recent releases. Before you edit, paste the original publish date into the show notes so you can restore it later. Label it clearly as the original post date. This keeps your record honest and reversible.Why yesterday and not today or tomorrow? Tomorrow flags as a scheduled new episode and misleads apps. Yesterday places the episode high in the recent list without claiming it as brand new. Apps show it near the top. New subscribers see it alongside current releases. Odd episode numbers appear among recent titles and curiosity drives clicks.Pick episodes that match current interest. Check YouTube analytics for your channel and note which videos and topics trend now. Match those themes to older episodes. Move a small batch forward for a month or two. Watch listens. When engagement fades, return them to their original date and rotate in a new set. This tactic grows depth of connection. It increases total listens and time spent with your catalog. That builds a stronger audience than chasing raw download counts alone.See this in action on Living The Next Chapter dot com. Sort by most recent and you will spot high episode numbers next to much older numbers. Those are refreshed episodes placed to earn another run.Audit your hosting dashboard before month end and upload draft files to consume unused minutes. Then pick a handful of evergreen episodes, add the original date to the show notes, and republish them with yesterday’s date to surface them for new listeners. Repeat each month to maximize your podcast hosting limits and extend the life of your catalog.Tomorrow is International Podcast Day on September 30. Mark your calendar now so it does not sneak up next year. Celebrate by applying one of these tactics and sharing your win with your community.___Helping Podcasters Everyday⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

BONUS Rewind - Listener Message from Eric Seemann - Co-Host of the REAL Siblings, It Ain't Easy PodcastA Speak Pipe Message came in today from Eric - Co-Host of the Real Siblings, It Ain't Easy Podcast! So, I thought I would create an episode featuring Eric's Message and a short clip from their podcast!Donna Reed and Eric Seemann are both professional Realtors®. Donna lives and works in Tucson Arizona with Keller Williams Southern Arizona while Eric lives and works in San Antonio Texas with Keller Williams Heritage. They are also siblings, and they grew up in a small Northwest Ohio village of Lindsey. Their idyllic small-town childhood laid the foundation for what would become the structure of their lives and careers in real estate. We hope you will join us as we reminisce, reflect, and correlate how our childhood and life in rural Ohio still impacts our dealings with our clients today.https://pod.link/1630791289If you want your podcast mentioned here on The How to Podcast Series, send me a Speak Pipe Message and remember to shout out your show so that we can share it with the How to Podcast Family!Head over to https://howtopodcast.ca/

Episode 823 - Reflections on Podcast Movement New York from Someone That Didn't Attend the EventPodcast Movement 2026 recap for creators who stayed homePodcast Movement wrapped in New York City last week and the organizers have been uploading workshops and talks to YouTube. This show notes piece gives you a high level overview of the event from a non attendee perspective, highlights sessions worth watching, and offers a clear key takeaway you can use to grow your show and strengthen your podcast communityWhat the recordings reveal about the conferenceThe uploaded sessions show a strong business and advertising lean. Advertisers were in the room and many panels centered on monetization and brand deals. Some presenters struggled with live audio. Plosives, harsh levels, and mic technique issues stood out in a crowd that prides itself on sound quality. The unedited nature of the stage talks also exposed how much podcasters rely on post production to sound polished.Industry bias toward large shows was hard to miss. One comment framed mid tier podcasts as around two hundred thousand downloads, which sets a high bar for the middle of the market. Big networks like NPR and CBC had a visible presence. Independent creators can still find value in the content, yet the framing often favors established playersSessions worth your timeGordon Firemark ran a fast legal game show called Two Truths and a Lie that busted common myths around podcast law, copyright, trademarks, and contracts. The format kept things moving and gave practical guidance, especially for US based creators. His resources and website offer free tools that help podcasters operate more professionally.Arielle Nissenblatt co led a rapid fire growth session with Lauren Passell that delivered quick marketing and PR tips with timed rebuttals. The energy was high and the advice leaned practical. Video came up often across the event. Some speakers pushed hard for video, others took a middle road, and a few argued you can skip it. The debate itself is useful context as you decide what fits your show.A panel on the loneliness epidemic connected podcasting to real human need. Listeners face isolation and audio companionship can fill gaps during chores, commutes, and work. The discussion explored how shows build community and give people a sense of connection with hosts they have never met in person. Several other talks focused on community building strategies and why a dedicated audience mattersTwo keynote names to watch for are Tom Webster and James Cridland. Their research and commentary carry weight in the space. More keynotes may appear on the channel in the coming days, so check back if you want the full picture.Use the recordings as a curated learning path. Start with the legal myths session, then the rapid fire growth tips, then the loneliness and community panel. Take notes on ideas you can apply this week. You do not need to watch everything to benefit. All links to the workshops and talks mentioned here appear in the show notes so you can press play and learn at your own paceThe Podcast Law Game Show: Two Truths and a Liehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7olCIlIOO2I&t=4sWTF is a Podcast in 2026?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxp4FTHKXns&t=1sAlone Together: How Podcasters Can Build Community and Combat the Loneliness Epidemichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HNyFMhtLkMStop Chasing Downloads. Start Building a Community - Lou Mongellohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHnepAuWVdc&t=1069sHow To Keep Listeners From Just "Clauding" Your Transcripthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZETIsSzGsAhttps://podcastmovement.com/ Podcast Movement has been hosting the most respected and attended conferences for podcasters and industry professionals for over a decade, and you’re invited to be a part of the growing movement.____https://howtopodcast.ca/We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6