https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There’s a lot of hoopla about iTunes podcast rankings: “We are the number 10 business podcast in iTunes!” It sounds impressive. And for those of us who have never shown up on the iTunes “Top 10” chart in our category (me included), it can make us feel a bit insecure. Are we really accomplishing much with our podcast after all? This episode is an expose of what I’ve discovered about the iTunes podcast rankings: They say NEXT TO NOTHING about the impact your show is h...
Apr 10, 2018•15 min•Ep. 98
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Wanna hear my predictions about where the podcasting industry is headed? You can - on this episode of Podcastification. You know every year Edison Research comes out with what's called The Infinite Dial - isn't that a cool name? The infinite dial looks at survey data that they have gathered from thousands of people. The good folks at Edison are trying to gauge how people are using online media - social media, online radio stations, and podcasting is included. They a...
Apr 03, 2018•37 min•Ep. 97
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ As a podcaster, you no doubt have thought about the benefits of podcasts. You wouldn’t be podcasting if you didn’t know at least SOME of them. This episode I’m highlighting 10 of the benefits I see in podcasting and the reasons people these days are listening and learning from podcasts so much. To be really, really, REALLY honest with you here - I have a busy life just like anyone else. And during the pre-publication phase of this episode, I’m on a trip to celebrate...
Mar 27, 2018•21 min•Ep. 96
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Jim Kukral is quick to say that his new service, Book2Pod is not a service that creates audio books. So I’ll say it for him . ;) Because that’s EXACTLY what it is … except for a few differences… It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of traditional audio books It’s distributed via an automatic feed - RSS - like a…. PODCAST! Jim and his behind-the-scenes business partner have a pretty cool system in place that anyone who has a book, whitepaper, story, series of b...
Mar 20, 2018•32 min•Ep. 95
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Alexa podcast is a thing. Really, it is. We podcasters need to start thinking about where the industry is headed. Now that podcasts can be listened to on Smart speakers like Alexa, there are a handful of things that I can think of that we need to consider in order to make our efforts more widely usable, which will include those kinds of devices. On this episode of Podcastification I have a few things for you to think about when it comes to Alexa podcasts and the dis...
Mar 13, 2018•10 min•Ep. 94
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Whenever we think about audio production software we typically think about programs that allows to record and edit. Those would be things like Adobe Audition, Hindenburg, and Audacity. But there are other programs out there that enable the new or inexperienced podcaster to get the same quality audio that many who play around with those software programs I mentioned get, without nearly the same amount of headache. One of the audio production software packages that fa...
Mar 06, 2018•30 min•Ep. 93
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ I figure, if I want to learn podcasting tips that can help my show stand apart in the crowded podcastosphere, I might as well go to the people who have made a living from doing audio well. And I also got a little help from a new friend - a guy named Cal Newport. Well, Cal's not actually my friend, but he's like a long-distance mentor via his books and interviews. Cal's book "So Good They Can't Ignore You" inspired me to work at becoming the very best I can be in a c...
Feb 27, 2018•28 min•Ep. 92
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ 3 Ways to NOT Kill Your Podcast Growth Curve Warning - warning - warning. There's a rant ahead! I have seen this same mistake on podcaster’s websites over and over and over now, so I plead with you… listen to this episode, learn from this episode, and NEVER do this stinkin stupid thing again. Main Points : 3 Ways NOT to Kill Your Podcast Growth Curve [1:26] What I’ve discovered while tooling around the Apple Podcasts website [2:15] It’s INSANE to send people to Appl...
Feb 20, 2018•12 min•Ep. 91
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There are all kinds of crazy names people give to their podcasts in the Apple Podcasts directory, but I don't believe most of them are good podcast names. This episode of the show is all about how to properly name your podcast. When I say properly, I don't mean there is some kind of etiquette around podcast naming, what I mean is there are best practices that make your podcast name work for you instead of against you . Intrigued? You've got to hear what happened in ...
Feb 13, 2018•25 min•Ep. 90
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Questions about the proper use of podcast intro music and outro music are some of the most common things people ask me about. Can I use this popular song? What if I only use 20 seconds of it? Doesn't that fall under fair use Doctrine? What if I get somebody to compose music for me, can that work? These are only a few examples of the legal side of what it takes to do a podcast in a way that reflects your personal integrity and keeps you out of trouble. I decided it w...
Feb 06, 2018•34 min•Ep. 89
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Pinterest itself has been a mystery to me for a very long long time, so to talk about having a Pinterest strategy for my podcast is like asking me to be a girl. I don’t know anything about it. :) Pinterest is fun to look at - I’ve gone there on occasion to get great ideas for DIY projects or workshop and garage renovation tips, but I kind of view it is this food, clothes and fitness kind of a network. But the more I spend time on the platform, the more I’ve thought ...
Jan 30, 2018•54 min•Ep. 88
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcast marketing - getting your show noticed by the audience you’re trying to reach - is a tough thing to figure out. You don’t want to be the smarmy guy or gal who’s in every channel screaming, “Listen to my show! Listen to my Show! Listen to my Show!” - but you also don’t want to be guilty of a Field of Dreams approach that believes if you build it, listeners will come. It simply doesn’t work that way. But - when you take podcasting seriously a lot of amazing thi...
Jan 23, 2018•41 min•Ep. 87
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Mobile Recording can be hard to figure out , especially if you don’t have a money tree growing in your backyard. I’ve given a lot of thought to this from a “lean budget” perspective and have tried a LOT of things over the years I’ve been podcasting . What I demo in this episode is the best MOBILE RECORDING solution I’ve discovered yet . It only requires one piece of software that is app based (phone or smart device) and one additional piece of hardware that is porta...
Jan 16, 2018•23 min•Ep. 86
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ If I were to insist to you that you are your best PR manager , you would probably think I'm crazy. Why? Because you don't know anything about PR. But my guest today, Josh Elledge says that anyone can be their own best PR manager if they are willing to put in the effort that it takes to do PR the right way and expand their brand through the exposure that comes from promotions to, and through traditional media. This episode is a gold mine for those who know how to wor...
Jan 09, 2018•39 min•Ep. 85
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There are quite a number of easy wins you can get to make your podcast better. Is there any reason you wouldn't want to do them? I have the privilege of spending a lot of time checking out the resources podcasters are producing, from their podcast episodes to their websites and promotional material. Do you know what I find? Lots of obvious mistakes that I guess aren't so obvious to the podcaster in question. In this episode I share with you 8 of the things I've noti...
Dec 19, 2017•35 min•Ep. 84
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ As a person involved in doing podcast production, it is fairly often that someone asks me if my company offers a service to help them discover and book podcast guests. Our company doesn't, but I know someone who does . ;) My guest today is one of my podcasting clients, Andrew Alleman , and for a while now he has been offering a monthly newsletter that highlights opportunities to both be a guest on podcasts and find guests for your podcast. But now he has upped the g...
Dec 12, 2017•22 min•Ep. 83
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Are you experiencing the struggle to make time for your podcast? You are definitely not alone. Perhaps the most common question I receive for appliance and others who find out that I am a podcast producer and Coach is how they can find time to actually do the work required to put out a great podcast. There are no easy answers. I hope you're not listening to this episode expecting that. But there are approaches you can take to the issue that can help you do better th...
Dec 04, 2017•20 min•Ep. 82
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ How to record interviews over a distance is one of the most frustrating things for many podcasters - and the tech is not quite there yet. But it’s getting better. :) 2017 brings a handful of pretty decent options for recording a conversation, many of them with tech that takes out the “distance” part of a distance recording so you get better quality audio every time. I wanted to make it obvious how good the options are as well as answer some of the questions I get on...
Nov 28, 2017•36 min•Ep. 81
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Have you ever tried to share audio files on social media? Man, what a PAIN it can be! Depending on where your audio file link comes from, what format the file is in, which social media platform you’re dealing with, you can get all kinds of bizzare results. The problem Is compounded even more when you realize that social media simply doesn't lend itself to long-form content. Most podcasts are longer types of content so they are hard to share on Facebook, Twitter, Lin...
Nov 21, 2017•35 min•Ep. 80
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ I thought it was about time I did something REALLY helpful and did the research required to tell you exactly - step by step - how to submit your show to every conceivable place you can to increase your podcast’s reach. I’m talking about Podcast Directories, people! But the problem is this: every conceivable place is not always the BEST place (in my humble opinion). Why would I EVEN SAY such a thing? Two reasons: #1 - There are many options that require you to use th...
Nov 14, 2017•44 min•Ep. 79
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ How much thought have you given to your podcast workflow recently? That much, huh? ;) I've been thinking about mine a lot lately because I have found myself caught up in the minutiae instead of getting the important things in my life and business done. A workflow like it takes to produce a successful podcast can be very tedious to think through, so I wanted to talk to someone who can give me good tips on how to optimize it. Ari Meisel is that guy. If you’ve never he...
Nov 07, 2017•25 min•Ep. 78
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ If I had a nickel for every time a client or potential client or random podcaster has asked me… How can I monetize a podcast? I wouldn’t need to monetize a podcast. It’s a natural question, I guess - there’s nothing wrong with making money from providing value to the world - and podcasts are some of the best vehicles for value-delivery I’ve ever seen. So heck yes, go ahead, monetize your podcast! You should if you can. But… it’s not quite that simple, is it? You can...
Oct 31, 2017•22 min•Ep. 77
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcasters tend to love their gadgets - microphones (dynamic or condenser), digital recorders (Zoom H6 or the Tascam DP-006) - and more. What we’re not typically very good at is learning and doing the stuff that gets our podcast found by those who are looking for the things we talk about. But if what you have to say is important enough for… You to say it, and Others to listen to what you have to say… I’d say it’s worth you learning and doing the work to let them kno...
Oct 24, 2017•17 min•Ep. 76
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ If you are not familiar with the term “backlinks,” you’re about to be . ;) I have come to believe that backlinks (among other traditional SEO best-practices ) are among the most powerful ways you can get new listeners. This episode is aimed at teaching you the WHAT, WHY, AND HOW of that statement. Interested? I thought you might be. Here’s a rough outline of this HIGH QUALITY BACKLINKS episode… [2:18] What IS a backlink and why are they important? (An example) [5:08...
Oct 18, 2017•15 min•Ep. 75
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Podcast promotion is a hot topic these days... but do you see it as a form of content marketing? Everybody (naturally) wants more eyes on their show’s cool cover art and more ears listening to their show. But I have to give you the hard truth about podcast promotion. There’s no silver bullet . There probably never will be. Like anything else in life that’s worth doing, you have to dedicate yourself to learning how to do it well. You don’t get returns without investm...
Sep 04, 2017•45 min•Ep. 74
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ OK, it’s July of 2017 and the powers that be over at Apple have announced that the next version of their software (IOS 11) will introduce a few updated iTunes tags . You may not even know what a “tag” is. :) That’s OK - that’s why I’m publishing this episode. iTunes tags are simply some pieces of data that you are able to add to your podcast OR to each episode (depending on what tag we’re talking about) that enables you to communicate to the iTunes software and stor...
Jul 27, 2017•18 min•Ep. 73
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Talk about a TERRIBLE PODCAST EPISODE - episode 70 of this podcast was it …. And it had NOTHING to do with my guest, Dave Jackson . Dave was incredible (as always). It had to do with the EPIC FAIL I did on the edits for that episode. You may not be aware of the fail at this point (I’ve since replaced it). :) But believe me - it was bad. But I also want you to learn from my mistakes. The episode was so terrible because of one simple thing: I stepped away from my norm...
Jul 10, 2017•10 min•Ep. 72
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ Are you podcasting as a content marketing move? You know, trying to become the trusted resource in your niche that your listeners turn to for help and advice? I think that’s a good plan. A VERY good plan. But I don’t see a lot of podcasters actually pulling it off effectively. There’s only so much you can benefit personally from interviewing OTHER experts, you know? At some point YOU have got to step out there - YOU have got to let your audience know what you know -...
Jul 03, 2017•12 min•Ep. 71
https://podcastfasttrack.com/ There are a lot of great podcasts - and none of them just happened or got that way overnight. There’s lots of tweaking involved (that IS the technical term). You’ve got to pivot, iterate, try stuff in order to get things just right. But sadly, most beginning podcasters don’t start with great content. Instead, they start with trying to accomplish great downloads, or hitting the New & Noteworthy list, or some other such nonsense. My guest today has seen it all - i...
Jun 27, 2017•41 min•Ep. 70
http://www.PodcastFastTrack.com Interviews, interviews, interviews. I don’t know the stats but I bet a vast majority of podcasts out there are interview-format shows. And it seems like a trouble-free solution for recording long-distance conversations - which is what most interviewers have to resort to - has not been created yet. But... I think we’re getting closer to a great way to record interviews. On this episode, I’m going to introduce you to a new friend, Mark Hills. He and his co-creator (...
Jun 20, 2017•33 min•Ep. 69
