Where Can I Find Podcast Music
There are a ton of websites where you can find podcast music thatâs completely safe to use .
This music will typically be called âroyalty-free,â âlibrary,â or âstockâ music, and can be sold piece by piece or through subscriptions that give you ongoing access to huge volumes of sounds and tracks.
Thereâs also an avenue for finding free music under Creative Commons licensing, though keep in mind youâll have to pay attention to the rules of the license for each particular piece of music as some donât allow commercial use.
You also might consider commissioning a custom piece of music created just for your project via Fiverr or another freelancing platform, but again, donât let the time or dollar costs of doing this hold you back from starting your pod!
A few places I like to look for podcast music:
I hope you’re enjoying learning how to start a podcast so far, and now it where it starts to get real. It’s time to get podcasting equipment so we can finally make this happen.
How To Convince Famous People To Come On Your Podcast
The first piece of advice I recommend when it comes to convincing people to be your next interview victim is to simply ask them. Nine times out of ten this has resulted in a yes for me.
If you approach really really famous people obviously you will face more resistance. Its a smart idea to not approach the big players until you have some history behind you. This gives you the opportunity to practice, and also build some audience. Its easier to convince someone to come on your podcast when you can say certain other respected people have already come on and you have X number of listeners.
I also find referrals are a great doorway into the world of certain people. If you cant reach someone directly, get to know a friend of theirs and ask for an intro. The more well known you are, the easier it is to convince people to join you for an interview. Networking works.
Most of the people I interview either I meet in person at networking events. Im introduced to through networking online, or I approach them after reading about them on another blog or website. Some, like Tim Ferriss, come to me when they have something to promote, and if I think their story is interesting enough I will record an interview with them.
Do Some Research On Your Guest
You need to be careful when researching your guests. Doing too much will make your conversations feel rigid. But not doing enough will come across as rude and disrespectful. You need to hit the sweet spot somewhere in the middle. Here are some of the basics worth checking out before you to sit down to record:
Recommended Reading: What Questions To Ask In A Payroll Interview
Choose A Podcast Hosting Service
One common mistake when learning how to start a podcast is thinking that you can simply open the podcast app on your phone or computer, hit record, and reach thousands of listeners instantly.
While we all wish it would be that easy to publish an episodeâas it turns out, you need somewhere to host your files. Somewhere that will publish your recordings to popular platforms like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
While there are quite literally dozens of podcast hosts out there to choose from, it’s rare to find one that offers
- Reliable podcast hosting and analytics
- A sleek web player experience
- A price that won’t break the bank
- And no messy add-ons or extra fees
Sure. There are hosts that check one or two of thoseâbut, why settle for just a few? That’s why SPI recommends Fusebox â a podcast company built for podcasters by career podcasters & podcast enthusiasts.
How To Grow Your Podcast
Your podcast needs to grow. How can you grow it?
For many podcasters, this is the most challenging part of podcasting. As much as getting started can be scary, nothing compares to the long wait you can face as you work towards growth.
This can be a big challenge. It can even be the one thing that makes you decide not to get into podcasting.
However, podcast growth is possible. As long as youre consistent in publishing high-value content at the expected time, you can be sure that growth will come along.
But publishing your shows and waiting for growth isnt very realistic. You need to market your podcast.
Here are some of the things you can do to give your podcast growth a boost.
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Write A Compelling Podcast Description
You’ll need to write a description paragraph about your show to your audience. After they make their way to your show page, this will be the description they read to decide whether or not they want to stick around.
This is where you’ll have a little more freedom to play with keywords. Whatever keywords and keyphrases your target audience may use to find content like yours, include those words in your description.
But, just simply listing them out isn’t going to work because people will read these, and you want these people to feel compelled to click and listen to your podcast.
My best advice: write for the humans in your target audience, and know who your podcast is for. Understand their wants, needs, questions, curiosities, and more, and you’ll be more likely to create a show, and a description to feed people into your show, much much easier.
With that in mind, here is a list of tips I have for you related to your podcast description:
You have 4000 characters to work with, so you have a lot of room. Go crazy with it, but make sure it all makes sense, and if something is not important, leave it out.
How To Start An Interview Podcast
About a year ago, around the start of April, I had the crazy idea of interviewing authors about writing their first book.
Maybe it was because I was surrounded by people like Nicolas Cole, Jamie Russo, Ben Putano, Arvid Kahl and Corey McComb. These were the first five people I pitched to, and they accepted the invitation. More about that later.
With the first twelve guests, however, I didnt record the audio in good quality to turn it into a podcast episode. Something I regret now.
Afterwards, I did record fourteen episodes and did two more interviews that didnt get published. One because my guest didnt want to do a face-to-face talk, and the other one because I messed upI tried to record directly in Audacity and Anchor, but neither worked.
Anyway, in 28 interviews with marketers, customer experts and other great podcast hostsnot claiming Im that great myself Ive learned a few interesting things about conducting interview podcasts.
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How To Edit Your Podcast And Podcast Editing Tips
Editing, like producing and recording, will take new podcasters some time to get the hang of. Unfortunately, its often one of the most time-consuming aspects of podcasting as well. Mastering your editing is crucial to a polished podcast thats free of bloopers, long silences, and forcing your listeners to constantly adjust their volume knob.
Here are our best podcast editing tips for beginners:
1. Adobe is your friend
Look, if youre looking at little-to-no-budget for your podcast and you dont want to get into other multimedia creative fields, ignore this tip and use Audacity. That being said, if youre already doing a podcast, Id be surprised if learning Adobe Audition wouldnt benefit you.
The awesome thing about Adobe is that its not any harder to learn the basics than any of the free products, and your capabilities are endless. Once you learn how to use Audition for your podcast, it will be way easier to learn how to use programs like Premiere Pro, InDesign, and Photoshop for other projects that could grow your brand.
2. Learn keyboard shortcuts
While the time you take to learn shortcuts will slow you down a little at the very beginning, youll find that once youve used them for an episode or two they become natural and save a ton of time.
In Audition, while the quick select tool is turned on, you can right-click and hold to use the move tool, hold command+k to use the razor tool, and of course command+z to undo .
3. Eliminate ums and uhs
4. Record separately
Dont Interrupt The Guests When They Speak
If you have a habit of cutting people off while they talk, its time to get rid of it . Interrupting your guests while they speak will irritate the listeners, and the interviewees will find it rude. Your job is to pitch the right question and let them have the floor.
The only exception: if a discussion derails, you might need to interrupt them to get things back on track. Make a note of what they wanted to say you can always circle back to it.
Recommended Reading: How Do I Ace An Interview
Hosting Your Show And Publishing To The Best Directories
After youve recorded and edited your podcast, you now need to publish your show. This will make it possible for your podcast to be discovered and build a listener base.
Hosting and publishing your podcast is probably the easiest of all steps in the podcasting process.
Lets look at how to go about this.
Choose Your Podcasting Equipment
Now that we have your podcasts brand down, lets discuss the tools youll need to start. Truth is, if your podcast doesnt sound great, nobody is going to listen for long. Most people listen to podcasts in headphonesbad sound quality isnt just distracting, its uncomfortable. So having the right podcast equipment isnt a nice-to-have, its a must-have.
Having the right podcast equipment is a must-have, not a nice-to-have.
First let’s talk about microphones. When it comes to mics, there are three major categories.
USB mics. USB mics are the most accessible for people starting out, as you just need to plug them into your computers USB port, open your recording software, and youre good to start recording. They are the most affordable and easiest to work with, but have the worst sound quality compared to other mics.
Popular USB mics include:
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The Problem With Most Interview Podcasts
Before we go any further, lets cover the reality that exists and makes a post like this necessary. I see two truths about running an interview podcast:
- Conducting a world-class interview is incredibly difficult
- Most interview shows arent very good
The reason for this is simple: just about anyone can create an interview show. Grab the headphones that came with your phone, invite a friend to hop on Skype, hit record, and voilà, youre a podcaster with an interview show.
This is how we got so many interview shows and so few interview shows worth a single listen.
Add Your Podcast Link To Your Email Signature
You know that people are still reading emails but are you utilizing this communication channel to the maximum?
Consider creating a beautiful email signature that contains information about your podcast. Instead of using a plain text email signature, put in a little effort, and create a visual email signature.
And just so you know, you dont need to be a graphic designer or know how to write complex HTML codes. Tools like MySignature and htmlsig can help you with this.
Make sure you include your podcast artwork, description of it and a link to it. Use this as your signature for every email you send. Alternatively, save it as a template which you can choose in case you have other email signatures you use.
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Listen Back To Your Own Interviews
Listening to yourself is one of the best ways to become a better interviewer. It helps you catch crutch words youre using without realising.
As you play back your interviews, listen with a critical ear. Could you have asked the same question in less words? Will listeners be able to easily follow the conversation? Where there any sticking points that broke up the flow of the interview? Did you manage to cover your key questions in the time permitted?
How To Nail A Podcast Interview
As an aspiring podcaster, you are probably quite familiar with the concept of the podcast interview. Your favorite podcaster hops on the show with a special guest and spends the episode going over topics in detail that said guest has extensive knowledge on.
Some of these interviews may seem like casual conversation, which is the perfect end goal when done right. However, behind the scenes lurks a ton of preparation from both the host and the interviewees to bring their audience the best interview possible. A great Q& A is more than just reading questions off a notepad, so lets take a look at how to interview someone for a podcast and crush it every time.
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Conduct Interviews The Right Way
If you have remote guests, the best video conference services let you record calls, and the quality is much better than landlines plus the connections are usually strong.
Beyond the tech tools necessary to record interviews, youll need conversational and intuitive skills to elicit information from your guests. As an interviewer, you need to build a rapport with guests that is natural and fluid while still keeping them on topic.
Interviewers must keep the interview moving forward, focused and relatable, Moxley said. They should realize when the answers are getting derailed or lengthy and keep ears open for those golden nuggets of information.
Additionally, interviewers must be ready to challenge or call out a guests comments or assertions when necessary. This is uncomfortable for new podcasters, but its key if you want to establish long-term credibility.
Often, a new podcast host is so grateful for an interview, they allow it to be full of fluff, Moxley said. If youre just hosting 30-minute commercials for someone, todays audience will not participate or trust you.
There Are Many Like It But This One Is Yours
This is your podcast, your audience. You have the knowledge, as do your guests. Im not trying to fundamentally change the personality of your podcast, but suggest formulas and practises that I know work. Ultimately youll choose the ones you feel are worth implementing, and discard those that dont apply.
Also dont feel you have to implement all of these things from the get-go, especially if youre new to podcasting. You can apply them in layers, building up bit by bit, until your podcast is a well-oiled machine.
I wish you loads of luck in your continued podcast journey. Let me know if I can help in any way.
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Starting A Video Podcast: A Guide For Beginners
With all the good news around podcasting â exploding listenership, ad dollars pouring in, Ira Glass achieving immortality â thereâs also one totally vexing news cycle: what to do about video podcasts. You keep hearing you need to make one. But chances are, you havenât, and for good reasons: itâs hard, itâs expensive, it probably takes everything youâve got just to get your audio episodes done.
So letâs talk about video podcasts because, quite frankly, thereâs a lot to unpack. Whatâs the benefit of a video podcast? When did they become so popular? Are they inherently paradoxical to the art form that is podcasting?
The Easiest Way To Learn How To Start A Podcast
I’ve outlined the entire process from start to finish for you below, however recently I published a newly updated video to take you step-by-step. If you prefer learning visually, and with voice behind it, click play on the video below.
Now whether you watch the video above or not, here’s a list of things you’ll need ahead of recording and publishing your first podcast episode explained:
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But What Has All Of This Got To Do With Podcasting
Its hard work to keep getting new content all the time for your podcast, and if you want continuity, you may as well do interview-based podcasts. If its a weekly show you can record a months worth of sessions in a single day. Add another few days of your time and you have three months of content ready to go.
This leaves us with only one problem: How do you find the guests for your podcast? Lets cover it in the next episode.
P.S. To start at the very beginning and work your way through the Podcasting 101 Series click here: How To Start A Podcast
What Bugs Me
The Headline Report
PSYCHOTACTICS
Release A Bunch Of Episodes At Once
One approach that I have seen is successful is to record half a dozen upfront and release them all at once. If listeners like one of them it gives them a chance to delve into a few at once which can give you more traction in keeping them along for the ride later on. Personally, I didnt do this when I started but would most likely take go down this route if I was starting over.
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Why You Should Start A Podcast
Is podcasting for you?
This is an important question to ask yourself. You need to get an answer to this question in order to decide whether to jump into podcasting or not.
To determine whether you should get into it, check out what it can help you achieve. If you have such goals, then you know that this is something you need to consider.
Here are some of the things you can do with a podcast:
Theres more you can do with podcasting than this. Just take some time and think about your goals. If you need to reach more people to engage them concerning anything, then podcasting can help.
Heres how to get started, grow and even make money with your podcast.
