Pod Chat – Details, episodes & analysis

Hi everyone! In this inaugural episode, we explore the critical role of audio quality in podcast engagement and listener satisfaction. We examine a recent Twitter poll which revealed that over half of the 305 respondents consider poor audio quality the primary reason for abandoning a podcast.

Listener grievances include subpar audio, the perception of amateurism, the annoyance of excessive sound effects, and the frustration with easily avoidable technical issues.

We also talk about:

• The impact of audio quality on the listener experience
• Common audio pitfalls that plague podcasts and alienate audiences
• Simple yet effective strategies to elevate audio quality, regardless of budget

Listen now to discover how prioritizing audio quality can be a game-changer for your podcasting journey!

Mentioned in today's episode

• Dispelling the "Audio quality is less important than content" myth

Note: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.

Equipment:

• Google NotebookLM
• Hindenburg Pro
• Auphonic

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Substack
• Boomcaster remote interviewing

Be a Better Podcaster is a tips and growth podcast brought to you by Jamie and Jaayne. These are AI hosts - their voices are auto-generated, reading content created by Danny Brown, host of One Minute Podcast Tips and 5 Random Questions.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!

Please let your friends know they can listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, as well as their preferred podcast app, or online at Be a Better Podcaster.

Pod Chat is closing, as I continue more in my latest podcast. Here are the full details, as well as some shows you might want to follow to keep up with the podcast industry.

Check out One Minute Podcast Tips and be a better podcaster in just a minute a week.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The best podcasts for the very best tips to be a better podcaster.
• Pod the North | Kattie Laur | Substack
• The Podcast Accelerator by Mark Asquith
• Podnews podcasting news

Support the show: Become a Premium Member early access, exclusive content, exclusive live streams, and more.

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Products I use for Pod Chat

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Shure SM7B dynamic mic
• Rodecaster Pro II production studio
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Elgato Wave Mic Arm Low Profile

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Boomcaster remote interviewing

Today, it's my pleasure to welcome Jeff Umbro to the show. Jeff is the CEO of The Podglomerate, and helps brands and independent podcasters foster their ideas through conception, development, production, and distribution. This includes monetization through ad sales, premium content, and live events. 

Jeff's most recent project saw him as the Executive Producer of Missing Pages, a Podglomerate original that used a host of marketing tactics and initiatives to take it from launch to a hugely successful project. 

We'll be chatting about that and more in this episode, including:

• how his background at a book company prepared him for the podcasting space
• why the best podcast ideas can come from secondary topics
• how holistic marketing remains key
• the recent pushback on buying downloads on mobile games

Connect with Jeff and The Podglomerate:

• The Podglomerate
• Email
• Jeff on Twitter

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Podcasting State Of the Union

Support the show: Become a Premium Member for ad-free early access, exclusive live streams, and more.

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Shure SM7B dynamic mic
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Elgato Wave Mic Arm Low Profile

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• Poddin transcripts
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Mentioned in this episode:

Enjoy Pod Chat? Leave a review or rating on your preferred app and show the world you care!

Did you know every time Pod Chat gets a new review, a baby podcaster takes their first steps? Help a baby podcaster walk today, by leaving a 5-star rating or review on the likes of Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. Just head on over to podchat.ca/review and do your magic - these little feet are counting on you!

Review the show

Check out Trailer Park Podcast

Trailer Park Podcast focuses on the art of the audio...

In May 2020, Spotify shook the podcasting world when it announced it had signed the hugely popular YouTube show, The Joe Rogan Experience, to an exclusive deal on Spotify.

The deal meant Rogan’s show would only be available on Spotify, and his back catalogue of videos on YouTube would be removed.

It was part of a huge acquisition journey by Spotify, in their goal to be the number one audio-on-demand platform. But with news that several exclusive podcasts are leaving, and listener numbers down dramatically for some exclusive shows, is the sheen coming off the exclusive approach?

Support the show: Become a Premium Member for ad-free early access, exclusive live streams, and more.

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Shure SM7B dynamic mic
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Elgato Wave Mic Arm Low Profile

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• Poddin transcripts
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Mentioned in this episode:

Enjoy Pod Chat? Leave a review or rating on your preferred app and show the world you care!

Did you know every time Pod Chat gets a new review, a baby podcaster takes their first steps? Help a baby podcaster walk today, by leaving a 5-star rating or review on the likes of Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. Just head on over to podchat.ca/review and do your magic - these little feet are counting on you!

Review the show

Tom Webster, partner at Sounds Profitable, and Danny discuss the latest findings from Sounds Profitable's studies on podcast advertising. They also talk about the growth of the podcasting industry and how podcast ads can be more effective.

Tom and Danny discuss the recent Podcast Movement conference and the After These Messages report. Tom shares that the report is one of the strongest studies he's ever worked on, and that the conference was a great opportunity for people in the podcasting industry to come together and discuss important issues. Danny asks about the biggest changes Tom has seen in the industry over the past 18 years, and Tom talks about how the industry has grown and evolved, with more people than ever before having access to podcasting technology and platforms.

The main change that Tom discusses is the breaking down of the structures of what makes a technical podcast to where we are today with what the mainstream public thinks is a podcast. He explains how this has both positive and negative effects on the industry as a whole. On the positive side, it means that more people are exposed to podcasts and they can be consumed in different ways. However, it also presents challenges in terms of monetization and the overall definition of what a podcast is.

Tom and Danny discuss YouTube's recent entry into the world of podcasts. They question whether or not YouTube will be successful in this venture, and speculate on how the company will approach it. They also discuss the potential impact of YouTube's entrance on the podcasting community as a whole.

Key points:

03:47 The Evolution of Podcasting: From Technical Definition to Mainstream Media

05:50 Tom on the Future of Podcasting on YouTube

10:35 Twitter Spaces and Podcasting

12:14 Tom on the Importance of Trend Tracking in Podcasting

14:35 The Benefits of SoundCloud for Podcasting

19:11 The Impact of Podcasting on Advertising and Consumer Behavior

23:06 The Benefits of Advertising on Podcasts

27:31 The Future of Podcast Advertising: Education, Expectation Management, and Improving the User Experience

30:01 The Benefits of Programmatic Advertising

34:08 The Future of Podcast Advertising

Connect with Tom to get more insights like this:

• Sounds Profitable
• After These Messages (research paper)
• The Creators (research paper)
• Tom on Twitter

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Mentioned in this...

After an extended summer break (sorry, it was only meant to be a month but life got in the way!), Pod Chat returns next week, on Friday September 9 - woot woot!

My first guest is Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable, and former SVP at Edison Research. We spoke about data in podcasting, the recent After These Messages report that premiered at Podcast Movement, the opportunity for podcasters and advertising (including programmatic), and more.

Here's a snippet. I can’t wait to share the full episode soon!

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Shure SM7B
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Elgato Wave Mic Arm Low Profile

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Pod Chat is taking a short summer break, but will be back in August. So I thought this would be the perfect time to take a look back at the first 8 episodes of the show. There have been some amazing guests so far, all sharing super insightful takes on the podcast industry.

Here are some of the soundbites from these episodes.

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Mentioned in this episode:

Enjoy Pod Chat? Leave a review or rating on your preferred app and show the world you care!

Did you know every time Pod Chat gets a new review, a baby podcaster takes their first steps? Help a baby podcaster walk today, by leaving a 5-star rating or review on the likes of Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. Just head on over to podchat.ca/review and do your magic - these little feet are counting on you!

Review the show

Mark Asquith has been involved in podcasting since 2013, and has focused on helping podcasters grow their businesses. In 2019, he co-founded Captivate, a podcast hosting platform that helps serious indie podcasters grow their businesses. In this conversation, he discusses his goals for the platform, and how it helps podcasters grow their businesses.

Mark talks about the company's journey from Podcast Websites to Captivate, the world's only growth-oriented podcasting platform. He talks about how the company has always been focused on helping podcasters grow their businesses, and how they built Captivate with that goal in mind. He also talks about the success the company has seen so far and how they plan to continue helping podcasters grow their audiences and businesses.

Mark talks about how he always knew Captivate would do well, because he approached things with the goal of helping users first and foremost. He talks about how the company's acquisition by Global has not changed anything in terms of the company's goals or focus, and how the partnership is beneficial for users because of Global's talent and resources.

Mark and Danny discuss Spotify's recent acquisitions and how they believe YouTube will take a similar route in the future. They also touch on how podcasting has become an industry and how Spotify's focus is on the media format rather than the individual podcasts themselves.

Key points:

00:00 Podcasting Veteran Mark Asquith on Creating Solutions

02:54 The Success of Captivate

10:51 The Future of Podcasting

15:41 The Importance of Dynamic Insertion for Podcasters

19:33 The Benefits and Challenges of Dynamic Content in Podcasting

26:13 The Future of Podcasting: An Industry Insider's Perspective

30:54 The Power of Direct Sales

Connect with Mark:

• Mark on Twitter

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Mentioned in this episode:

Enjoy Pod Chat? Leave a review or rating on your preferred app and show the world you care!

Did you know every time Pod Chat gets a new review, a baby podcaster takes their first steps? Help a baby podcaster walk today, by leaving a 5-star rating or review on the likes of Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and...

Hari Gopalakrishna is the founder of Boomcaster, a remote recording platform designed to help podcasters produce great audio and video. He discusses the genesis of the platform and how it helps podcasters overcome the challenges of recording quality audio in a remote setting.

Danny and Hari discuss the challenges of remote recording and streaming, and how Boomcaster aims to make podcasting accessible to all. They also talk about the importance of audio and video in influencing social, cultural, and business landscapes.

Hari and Danny discuss the features of Boomcaster and how the company uses feedback from users to improve the product. They also talk about the challenges of developing software that is both easy to use and effective.

Hari delves into the process of creating and launching a podcast on the Boomcaster platform. Hari talks about the importance of simplicity and usability for the platform's users. He also discusses the partnership with Dolby and how it came about.

Key points:

03:23 The Benefits and Challenges of Boomcaster for Remote Recording and Live Streaming

12:08 The Benefits of a Simple Podcasting Platform

19:46 The Benefits of Boomcaster for Indie Podcasters

21:13 The challenges of bootstrapping a self-funded project.

29:13 The Future of Podcasting

32:53 The Benefits of Live Streaming Your Podcast

Connect with Hari:

• Boomcaster
• Hari on Twitter

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out Trailer Park Podcast

Trailer Park Podcast focuses on the art of the audio teaser, and is hosted by Arielle Nissenblatt and Tim Villegas. Season 1 consists of 8 episodes featuring trailers from very different podcasts.

Trailer Park Podcast

Get your daily podcasting newsletter with Podnews

Pod Chat is sponsored by Podnews - get a daily email with all the latest news about podcasting. It's free at podnews.net. From jobs across the industry to...

Elsie Escobar is a highly respected member of the podcasting industry who has been podcasting since 2006. She is the co-host and co-partner of She Podcasts, a podcasting movement whose mission is to empower women to continue to share their voices while creating a safe community of podcasting education and support.

She is also the community manager for podcast hosting company Libsyn, where she has been since 2007. In this episode, Elsie discusses her impressive career in the podcasting industry, including her work with She Podcasts.

Elsie shares how her very first podcast was as a teacher of yoga, and how that wasn't as strange as it might sound (teaching yoga via an audio format as opposed to a visual medium). It's through this podcast that her career at Libsyn began.

Not long after this, Elsie was chatting with Rob Walch of Libsyn, and mentioned she was going through some big life changes, and as things would have it, this tied in perfectly with something Rob was looking for with Libsyn. The rest is history.

It wasn't long after Elsie started at Libsyn that she wanted to have an official podcast from the team, to help podcasters with their questions about the medium. Despite being the new person, she was driven to create the show, and pitched it to Rob, and from there The Feed was born.

Elsie shares where she sees advances have been made in podcasting when it comes to diversity, and where we still struggle, as individuals and the bigger medium, at promoting and lifting more diverse voices up. For Elsie, this really needs to start at the board and decision-makers level.

As a regular attendee of various podcast shows, Elsie soon realized that a lot of the advice given at these events was pretty generic, and wouldn't help with the goals she had. Along with Jessica Kupferman, she co-founded She Podcasts, where women could find a private, supportive space that shared the type of advice needed to grow, and flourish.

The theme for this year's She Podcasts Live event is "undeniable", and this is something that Elsie is very passionate about for all women in podcasting. It goes beyond the goal for the event itself, and looks to make sure every woman can say "I won't be denied".

Key points:

02:23 Podcasting and Yoga: How Elsie Found Her Balance

09:59 How to Balance Work and Life

18:05 The Importance of Diversity in the Podcasting Industry

26:58 The Rise of She Podcasts: How Two Women Created a Safe Space for Women Podcasters

43:20 The Impact of the Role v. Wade Decision on Women's Lives

47:17 The Importance of Supporting BIPOC Podcasters

50:54 Podcast Recommendations for Leaders in the Industry

Connect with Elsie:

• She Podcasts
• She Podcasts Live
• Elsie on Twitter
• The Feed

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment: