Podcast Workflows - Improve Your Production Process by Learning from Pros

I wouldn’t call myself an avid Jurassic Park fan. I was a little shy of 8 when it came out, and being a young boy I did enjoy dinosaurs…and man did those dinosaurs look real at the time.There are a few scenes I remember vividly from the movie. One is the scene where they’re in the car, the water rippling as the T-Rex approaches. The other is a commonly memed (is that right?) scene of Jeff Goldblum’s character, Dr. Ian Malcom, saying this:“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could…they didn’t stop to think if they should.”What does this have to do with podcast ads? Today, I'm exploring if I was so preoccupied with whether or not I could use Dynamic Ads, I never stopped to think if I should. Show NotesRead the ArticleSubmit feedback Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

When I came up with the idea for Podcast Workflows — nearly a year ago at CEX 2023 — one of the aspects of the site was to have a “Tools” page — something that could showcase the tools used in the deep dives I was doing.But I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to focus on the content and see where the site went. Well, I'm happy to announce that the Tools Guide is finally live! Show NotesCheck out the GuideRead the announcementSubmit feedbackSwitchyKadence Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

One of my favorite scenes from Scrubs happens in Season 3, Episode 1. Sarah Chalke’s character, Dr. Elliot Reid, is sitting on her bed, reflecting on the fact that she gets walked all over at work — and she decides to do something about it. With Tom Petty’s American Girl playing, she wrecks her room. She changes her look. She goes back to the hospital much more confident and as a result, she’s much more respected.The confidence in her appearance matched the confidence she wanted to convey to her colleagues and patients.I hate my podcast artwork.I think a lot has changed in the space since my show launched —so I decided to explore what makes good podcast artwork in 2024. Read the full article here Join the mailing listBecome a member Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

A family walks into a talent agency, and says, “Have we got the act for you…”If you’re familiar with this opening to a joke, you may have had a visceral reaction to it — either you think it’s hysterically funny, shamefully disgusting, or both. It’s the opening to the joke, The Aristocrats, and if you have a weak stomach, I don’t suggest you look it up.See, the point of this joke isn’t actually the punchline, which is right in the title. The point is to see how long you can improv a shocking, disgusting, offensive story.You can think about it as a secret handshake among comedians, that became not so secret after a 2005 documentary came out about it.It going me thinking about the importance of telling a story.This week, I got to speak to my friend Nick Benson’s college classes about Digital Storytelling.Don’t worry, I didn’t tell The Aristocrats.Instead, I spoke to them about why storytelling is so important in any content you create, especially podcasting.Read the article here: https://podcastworkflows.com/podcast-storytelling/ Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

Spotify has made a couple of big announcements this month. First, their second-biggest show, Call Her Daddy, ended exclusively rights. While the show will still be a Spotify show, it will be widely distributed (though video will still be exclusive to Spotify).Then, the following weekend, the same thing is happened with The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE). It will soon be available on other platforms, after being completely exclusive to Spotify for the past 3+ years.JRE’s renewal was also apparently a massive deal monetarily. It’s got me thinking a lot about podcasting and what’s in store for us. Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

As I write this, I feel stuck between two idioms. The first is, “Shoot for the moon, and you’ll land among the stars.”The second is, “he’s always swinging for the fences.”The former has a positive connotation. If you aim high, even if you fall short, you’ll still do something great. The latter can be negative. You’re constantly trying to hit a home run (and striking out) when a single will do.Last year I was pretty set on doing a daily podcast. I loved the idea of combining that with a mini podcast to create a fantastic back catalog of podcasting tips for anyone at any stage of podcasting.It also allowed me to experiment and really understand what goes into creating a daily show.The short: it’s a lot of work. I’m going to share everything I learned with you. Then you can decide if I was shooting for the moon to land among the stars, or swinging for the fences and striking out.Read the full article here Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

Back when I started my podcast, if I wanted clear, uncompressed audio that didn’t have that random robot voice you’d get from an unstable connection, I’d need to do a few things:Use Skype + eCamm Recorder (RIP) to record my audio cleanly.Send my guest clear instructions on how to record their audio with either Quicktime on the Mac, or Voice Recorder on Windows.Walk through the process with my guest to make sure they’re getting clean audio (that is, audio with no echo).Still record a backup, just in case.Give my guests a place where they could upload the audio.Painstakingly sync the audio when I combined them in GarageBand or Audacity.Things are different now. Now, we have Riverside.Check out the full article here. Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

 At the beginning of 2023, it seemed that the maxim “repurpose your content” reached a fever pitch. More agencies are offering repurpose services, and we see lots more people posting the same content across multiple platforms. More people (myself included) are keeping video on for their podcasts to create clips from podcasts. With AI tools, that became easy. Feed one format into an AI and it spits out a different format.  Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

On my wedding day, I was standing inside the church, in front of the altar, welcoming the 200+ guests we had invited as they came in and found their seats.My friend Alex came up to me at some point at said, “Joey — you look so calm and comfortable. On my wedding day, I was a nervous mess.”It’s true. I was feeling great on my wedding day; I didn’t feel those nerves because I was used to being in front of people, and unlike some talks I gave, this was a friendly audience, ready to help us celebrate.That experience reminds me of a question I got while speaking at a conference back in 2019: “How do you get more comfortable speaking into the microphone.” I loved it because while I often focus on the technical aspects of creating a podcast, there can be a real issue with getting comfortable recording, especially if you’re doing a solo show. So my answer: get your reps in.Read the full story here: https://podcastworkflows.com/how-to-get-more-comfortable-behind-the-mic/ Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

Upgrade is one of my favorite podcasts to listen to for Apple and tech industry news. I think they have some of the most measured takes and don’t fall victim to hyperbole.One interesting thing about Upgrade and many (if not all) of the shows on that podcast network, Relay.fm, is that the hosts don’t see each other. They keep the video off, even for them.Read the full story here: https://podcastworkflows.com/upgrades-short-form-strategy-is-worth-trying/ Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

One thing that’s as sure as the sunrise during the Christmas season is that kids and adults alike will look at the gifts under their tree and wonder what’s inside. They’ll stare at the box, hoping to find the answer without opening it.Before the gifts are open, they can be anything. It’s left up to our imagination.Podcast stats can feel a lot like that sometimes. That’s why today’s helpful podcaster tool is Voxalyze. I like to call it the Google Analytics of Podcasting.Read the full story here: https://podcastworkflows.com/voxalyze/ Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

There’s a reason that movies have teaser trailers. That TV shows have short “hits.” “Tonight, on a very special Blossom,” came from somewhere.They are designed to create buzz, and entice viewers to go and watch the entire movie or episode when it comes out. And while they are a tried and true method for TV and movies, do they…or something analogous…work for podcasts?Read the Entire Article HereSubscribe to Podcast Advent Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

Anyone can make a podcast, right? Just pull up a microphone, hit record, then publish it out to the world. While it can be that easy, it’s not always that straightforward, particularly if you’re looking to use your podcast as a source of revenue. If you’re not considering who you want to reach and what would actually help them, you’re just a person on a mic shouting into the void. With just a little attention to your intentions, you won’t just have a tuned-in, active audience, but you’ll also have an easy pitch for sponsors and affiliates.Read the full article hereSign up for Podcast Advent Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

A recent favorite podcast of mine is American History Tellers from Wondery. After finding History Daily back in April, I followed host Lindsay Graham’s work more closely — I was already a fan of him from American Elections: Wicked Game and 1865. One of the great things History Daily does is a “Saturday Matinee” episode, where they publish a full episode of another podcast. And in October of this year, he used that slot to promote the latest American History Tellers series on the Salem Witch Trials.But while I strongly recommend podcast swaps, that’s not the workflow recommendation I have.Read the full article hereSign up for Podcast Advent Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

Batman’s utility belt. The Doctor’s Screwdriver from Doctor Who. Tommy Pickles’ toy Screwdriver1. These things could get our heroes out of whatever pinch they found themselves in.They were a tool for any occasion. And that’s what Descript is for Podcasters.Read the full article hereSign up for Podcast Advent Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

I am one of the unholy people who commits the seasonal crime of listening to Christmas music too early. I get the itch around early November, but exercise restraint until a week before Thanksgiving.Every year, I set aside some time to review and update both of my lists: the family-friendly one, and my personal list — a combination of classics and slightly more vulgar songs from my youth. This year, I came to a realization…Read the full article here*Sign up to have Podcast Advent delivered to your inbox* Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

I actually think there are two misconceptions here. The first is we have shorter attention spans. TikTok increased its video length to 10 minutes, and the sweet spot for YouTube appears to be 12-20 minutes. People’s attention spans are short when they don’t care about the content. But when it’s good content, we can capture their attention.And Podcasters can absolutely leverage short-form content, with just a little extra effort. They can keep the camera on while they record their podcast, and with some planning, make clear, succinct points to the camera…then repurpose those clips on social. OR after they record an episode,  they can recap it in short form video OR audio.Plus, episodes can be less than 5 minutes — and daily short podcasts are increasing in popularity. Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

I had a rough weekend a while back, my friends. One Thursday I started to feel sick with the plague my children brought home from school. And I thought I had successfully avoided it.Still, I was feeling well enough to write scripts for one of my solo episodes before resting up. I figured I'd record it on Saturday...after I did rest.And I did. But it was a disaster. I was rambling, coughing, getting winded, and stopping...a lot. It was not quality content.I could have just released that, knowing I had an arbitrary deadline of Monday at 2am ET. But episodes like this —long, no single focus, hard to find a clear story — needed to be tight and helpful. This was not.So I decided to take Sunday and rest some more, hoping Monday would see me with more energy and stamina.Which it did! I re-recorded the entire episode and released it later than usual...but in much better shape.You don’t always need to hit your arbitrary deadlines. And while most of this show is dedicated to helping you build a system to not be in the same position I was…well, sometimes it doesn’t work out.When that happens, it’s better to take a moment and prioritize quality content over a deadline most people won’t notice you missed. Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

One of my least favorite things in the whole world is traffic. Mostly because traffic without a big causal event (like an accident, or road work) has always been super confusion to me. It seems like there no traffic, then traffic for NO reason, then all of a sudden it's gone. But the truth is, traffic is usually not due to one big event. It's a bunch of little things that add up to one big bottleneck. Your podcast process can be similar. Here's how to prevent the bottleneck.  Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★

I'm a huge Friends fan. Like...watch the whole series multiple times per year. Did you know they did something in Season 1 to grow their viewership 25%? Season 1, Episode 16 was called, “The One with Two Parts, Part 1,” it was the first of a crossover event with two other NBC shows.Before landing the role of Phoebe on Friends, Lisa Kudrow was a waitress named Ursula on NBC’s hit show Mad About You, also set in NYC. The show wrote them as twin sisters, and Ursula was introduced to the Friends audience in Episode 16 when Joey started dating her. Helen Hunt and Leila Kenzle, who played the main characters on Mad About You, also make an appearance, mistaking Phoebe for Ursula at Central Perk, a common hangout in Friends.But it doesn’t stop there. At the end of Episode 16, Rachel falls and hurts her ankle. Episode 17 opens with her and Monica at the Hospital, where they meet two young doctors, played by George Clooney and Noah Wyle, the stars of ER. The results of that cross-over event? The most-viewed episode before that arc had 26M views and guest-starred Morgan Fairchild as Chandler’s mom. After that, the average viewership was 29.8M per episode. What can podcasters learn from this? Get in front of other people’s audiences. The Friends team knew that pulling in Mad About You and ER cast would bring the fans. After all – they were similar shows (daily lives of young people in big cities), at similar times, on the same network. You can replicate this strategy 2 ways:Going on other people's podcasts as a guestDoing podcast swaps, where you and another podcast plug each other shows I did each of these and grew my own show from 33,000 monthly downloads to 72,000 monthly downloads in 10 months. Not bad, right? Now it's your turn. Write back and let me know: what are 2-3 podcasts you can work with on a podcast swap? Get your free Podcast Process Templates at https://podcastworkflows.com/templates ★ Support this podcast ★