Podcast Answer Man – Details, episodes & analysis

I am celebrating my 20th year in podcasting this month. To celebrate, I’m bringing back my Podcast Answer Man podcast into regular production starting next week.

I’m also going to be brining back my Podcasting A to Z course starting in January.

Stay tuned... New episode coming next week!

In this episode I return to my Podcast Answer Man roots and share an in-depth review of my newest and most unexpected favorite piece of podcast gear. The Zoom PodTrak P4next!

This tiny device delivers almost everything I rely on from the Rodecaster Pro 2 at a fraction of the size and a fraction of the cost, coming in at only $179.

I'll walk you through how I discovered it, my initial skepticism, and why seeing the Zoom name made me give it a chance. I'm so glad I did.

I'll share what the Zoom PodTrak P4next does, how I'm using it, why it has already earned a permanent place in my travel setup, and why I might even replace my Rodecaster Pro 2 in the studio.

I recorded this episode from the front seat of my car to demonstrate how powerful this device is for portable recording. You'll hear the quality of the preamps and the impressive noise reduction capabilities in action.

I talk about the power options, multitrack capability, four XLR inputs, mix-minus support, sound pads, four independently controlled headphone outputs, built in audio recorder and more.

I also share the story of why this little recorder solves technical problems I have carried for years.

If you have been looking for a reliable way to record multiple microphones on the road, or if you want to build a complete podcast studio that fits in a backpack, this episode will show you how simple, and inexpensive, it can be.

Many listeners and viewers ask for my current recommendations for a complete portable recording setup. Here's the list with affiliate links.

Zoom PodTrak P4next - https://amzn.to/4rA85fY

Heil PR-40 - https://amzn.to/4iofavZ

If you want something more portable, my long-time favorite was the Audio Technica ATR-2100. It is no longer manufactured, so my best current guess for a quality budget dynamic mic is the Rode PodMic Cardioid Dynamic Broadcast Microphone found at https://amzn.to/4rgUIBf

Three foot XLR mic cables - https://amzn.to/43UbqMC

Portable mic stand options - https://amzn.to/3MmDMJf

Sony MDR-7506 - https://amzn.to/3M0apwo

Replacement ear pads for the MDR-7506 - https://amzn.to/3M0gj0z

If this episode inspires you to pick up the Zoom PodTrak P4next, I would love to hear about it. Send me an email and let me know how this episode inspired you. My email is Cliff@CliffRavenscraft.com.

In this podcast episode, I interview my dear friend Jessica Rhodes about her podcast guesting service business, Interview Connections, which she started in 2013.

Over the past decade, her business has become a powerful entity that helps individuals reach their ideal clients and expand their audience.

Listen in to learn valuable tips on how to make a strong impact when given the opportunity to be a guest on other people's podcasts.

Hear are just a few of the key insights from this episode

• Appearing as a guest on other podcasts has proven to be the most effective method for reaching your ideal clients and exposing your message to a large audience.
• Over the past decade, I have referred numerous clients to Interview Connections and have received entirely positive feedback.
• The importance of thorough preparation for podcast interviews cannot be overstated. This includes researching the host and having a clear call to action.
• Having a clear call to action is important, but possessing unwavering confidence in the value of your course of action is the key to eliciting responses.
• There is a need to be fully present and engaged during interviews to establish a connection with the listeners and hosts.
• Using a clear, compelling "one sheet" to make it easy for hosts to say yes and ask questions that help you achieve your goals.
• Audience size numbers from directories are not accurate or transparent, and the right audience is more important than a large size.
• Thorough onboarding, training, and pitching over multiple months is important for services like Interview Connections to deliver top-notch results.
• Authenticity and vulnerability build strong business relationships, and local employees provide personalized service better than outsourcing.
• Referral partnerships can help promote services when there is trust, integrity, and a track record of success.
• Ongoing coaching can help overcome mindset blocks keeping clients from achieving their goals.
• Jessica Rhodes has been running her "Interview Connections" podcast guesting service for over a decade. Our conversation in this podcast episode has convinced me to be a long-term advocate for her company.

My Slippery Slope Moment I did it. I think I may have stepped onto a slippery slope. At approximately 29 minutes into this episode, I used the phrase, “You can't see it if you are listening to audio.” I was doing something, that you could see in video, that would be of great interest to […]

New Video Promo & Thoughts It Evoked (00:01:36) In this week's episode, I talk about the awesome video that Jared Elrod created for my brand. I fell in love with the amazing production value of the first 33 seconds and I really got a good chuckle at the humorous approach to the call to action […]

Click Here To Register For The Next Level One Day Workshop! Getting To The Next Level Involves Surrounding Yourself With People Who Are At The Level You Want To Achieve I am excited to share a conversation that I recently had with my great friend, mentor and business adviser, Ray Edwards. (00:20:56) As I was […]

My Backup Solution Explained (00:08:35) I have created a lot of audio, hi-res photo and HD video content over the past several years. I also run a sizable business which is 100% paperless. Having local and online backup of all my data is absolutely essential to protect my business. In this episode I go into […]

How do you balance your business life and your faith? I'm often complimented on how well I consistently share my faith through the content that I create for Podcast Answer Man without ever sounding “too strong” or “preachy.” These comments tend to take me by surprise as I feel that I rarely talk openly about […]

My Closing Keynote for Podcast Movement 2014 (00:06:25) In this episode of Podcast Answer Man, I share the audio recording of the closing keynote address that I gave to those who attended the Podcast Movement conference on Sunday, August 16th and 17th, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. In my talk, I explained that if you have […]

Twitter Analytics (00:25:51) It's been several months since we've had a social media segment with my great friend, Erik Fisher. Today, Erik joins me to discuss Twitter Analytics. This service allows you to review how many views your tweets are getting on Twitter's service and how much engagement each tweet is getting. We also briefly […]