by Mark Steadman
20th July, 2023
I’m taking a break to work on new topics and ideas over the summer. If you have questions about your podcast process, I’m not leaving you to fend for yourself!
13th July, 2023
The only people immune to imposter syndrome are those that feel like life owes them a favour. Being generous and vulnerable means confronting imposter syndrome, so instead of denying it, why not call its bluff?
Links
3rd July, 2023
We make podcasts so that we can share what we love and bring people closer to us. We’ve talked about sharing more of your knowledge and expertise. But what about the squishy human parts that make up you? How much of that should we share and how can we avoid …
26th June, 2023
LinkedIn is awash with people inviting you to check out their latest podcast episode. With so many shows created by smart people in your network, how can it be possible to stand out? No, this isn’t about marketing your podcast; it’s about respecting your listener’s time and giving them the …
19th June, 2023
There’s nothing worse than getting an episode back from your podcast editor – or editing it yourself – only to find the guest sounds great but Zoom had recorded your laptop mic instead of the one in front of your face. It happens all the time. Whether you’ve already experienced …
12th June, 2023
Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) lets you define points in your audio where timely messages can be placed. If you have a podcast to support your business or cause, there’s never been a better time to investigate DAI.
Links
5th June, 2023
When you’re looking around for new listeners, how much time do you spend thinking about the people who are already in contact with you? Today we’re going to look at how we can grow your podcast audience via your mailing list, what to do if you don’t have a big …
29th May, 2023
Remote recording tools like SquadCast and Riverside are great. But if you can’t afford another subscription, you might be surprised at what you can do with Zoom.
22nd May, 2023
Your podcast is like a rope bridge connecting two islands. On one end is confusion, and on the other: clarity.
Each episode is a wooden plank that forms part of that bridge. People will listen to your podcast if you can be clear on the transformation you’re offering, but when …
15th May, 2023
Your artwork is the first thing new listeners see, and if they like what they hear, it’ll take up permanent residence on their phones. Getting stand-out artwork for your show might not be as expensive or fraught a process as you think, and it could mean the difference between someone …
8th May, 2023
It’s Monday, 9pm. You’ve had a long day, and all you want to do is watch the Bake Off and eat M&Ms. But tomorrow’s the day you release your next podcast episode, and you haven’t recorded anything! Sound familiar?
Links
1st May, 2023
There are three elements of trust: positive relationships, expertise, and consistency. We can show up each week and share our knowledge and insight, but I hear so many podcasters hold their listener at arm’s length, and most of them don’t know they’re doing it. The good news is there’s a …
24th April, 2023
There are three ways to stand out: be new, be better, or be louder. Being better takes time and is subjective. Being louder just means spending more money on marketing than the next person. Being new doesn’t mean starting from episode one – it could just be about being the …
17th April, 2023
Your audience will see your podcast name before they hear a word from you. Whether you’re starting a new show or considering a rebrand, could your name mean the difference between showing up first in podcast search results, or not showing up at all?
Links
10th April, 2023
What if a single sentence could help you galvanise your team, book the perfect guest, and give you a mile-long head start in branding your podcast?
Resources
3rd April, 2023
The biggest problem podcasters face is getting more listeners. But the first question we have to ask is “who is listener #1?” Who is going to love what you do, recommend it to their friends, and stick around for the call-to-action? Let’s find out. This is the Helpful Podcaster.
Links …
27th March, 2023
Everything costs a million pounds right now. We’re all tightening our belts, working hard, and feeling the pinch. If your podcast isn’t making you money right now, it might feel like a luxury you can ill afford.
But today I want to show you why recommitting, and reinvesting your time …
24th March, 2023
The Podcast Owner’s Manual has rebranded, and is now The Helpful Podcaster.
Register now for my free, invite-only Helpful Podcasters community.
If you were already subscribed to the Podcast Owner’s Manual, there’s nothing you need to do, and new episodes will arrive as usual every Monday.
But if you’re new …
20th March, 2023
It feels good to pass on valuable advice, to change someone’s mind, or to spread an emotion, whether it’s unfettered joy or spine-tingling terror. We don’t share things because we like them – we share them because of what they say about us.
So for those of us on a …
13th March, 2023
It’s easy to fall into the trap of making our interviews all about the guest. Sure it means we get to tick the box that says “I showed up today”. But what value are we really creating for our listener?
In this episode, I’m going to show you how you …
6th March, 2023
Is your podcast helping? More to the point. Who is it helping? Today we’re gonna dig into the ingredients behind a helpful podcast so that you can build stronger, longer lasting relationships with the people you want to work with.
The main tenets of the Helpful Podcast are:
27th February, 2023
We’re service-orientated podcasters with a body of work behind us. We’re often so focused on the next episode that we don’t take time to look after our back catalogue. Let’s fix that right now, with three ways you can leverage your existing archive.
Links
20th February, 2023
This groundbreaking AI tool makes writing show notes simpler and more effective, by providing a concise summary of the transcript with the most crucial information at the top. Plus, it adds valuable context and detail, which makes editing and creating show notes a breeze. It can remove the toughest elements …
13th February, 2023
Podcasting is a powerful way to increase awareness and raise funds in the wake of a humanitarian crisis. We have a megaphone in our hands – do we have a responsibility to use it, and if so, what’s the best way?
Links
6th February, 2023
Our job as creators is to help our listeners fall in love with us. Here are three guiding principles to help explain what this means, and how we can do it.
Links
30th January, 2023
AI has been heralded as our salvation and our damnation. Chatbots can save us time by creating reams of seemingly sensible text, but when everyone has access to it, aren’t we just creating a race to the middle? I don’t think there’s a simple right answer, so let’s have a …
23rd January, 2023
Where do we listen to podcasts? How are we promoting them, and what are our thoughts for the future of podcasting?
Links
16th January, 2023
Moving media hosts can feel like a scary and complex endeavour that it’s easy to get wrong. Let’s see if we can make that process a little less scary.
Links
10th November, 2022
Podcasts often fizzle out, or fail to get started entirely, because the process of putting out regular episodes just feels too hard. Here are 9 ways to bring ease into your podcasting workflow.
Links
4th November, 2022
Wrangling guests for a weekly podcast can be a bureaucratic nightmare. Tools like Calendly, Zapier, and Notion can help keep track of multiple guests, but among all the automation it’s crucial to remember the humans reading the emails.
Links
27th October, 2022
What separates podcasts that get 20,000 downloads per episode from the ones that get 20 downloads per episode? Well, it can’t be the goal, because if it was, we’d all be in Apple’s top 100. What if, instead, it was just about putting one episode in front of the other? …
7th October, 2022
After Facebook abandoned its attempt, Twitter is the latest to try integrating podcasts into their app. But they’re making some crucial mistakes that prove that really, social media wants nothing to do with podcasting. So if that’s the case, what can we do about it?
What is the excitement around …
30th September, 2022
Riverside and SquadCast have been close competitors in the remote recording space. But with SquadCast having shipped a recent apology update, which is the service to use?
23rd September, 2022
Captivate rolled out a big update to their dynamic content platform this week. Transistor is still my favourite, but they’ve just lost a bit of ground. If you want to mix timely messaging in with your evergreen content, you have two great services to choose from, but only one of …
8th April, 2022
Carrie has a lot of podcast episodes to edit, and very little energy to take on the task. She wanted to know how she should go about finding an editor who can help her lighten the load, so she can keep the creation process joyous.
Links
31st March, 2022
Daniel Lynn wants to come out of the traps at a clip, releasing new episodes of his debate podcast three times a week. But with that many episodes needing to be recorded, where can you find a sustainable source of guests?
Links
3rd March, 2022
Nirish Shakya has conversations with guests about human-centred design, and wanted to talk to me about how we can make our conversations sound natural, but also engaging. And how do we let our guests do most of the talking?
Links
23rd February, 2022
Roger and Nina are podcasting under pseudonyms while they wait for their kids to turn 18, so the challenge of growing their show feels even harder since they can’t rely on friends and family.
Links
13th February, 2022
Michelle records a mix of solo episodes and guest interviews. She finds her solo episodes rewarding to provide to her listeners, but with deadlines comes a looming sense of dread to plan the next one.
Michelle makes multiple passes while editing her episodes, which starts to feel draining, so she …
5th February, 2022
Gregory Anne transcribes her audio using Descript, and passes that off to an editor. She’s curious whether it’s worth publishing transcripts, given that she suspects few people will use them, but it’s important for her to make them presentable and accurate.She records her show on Zoom and uploads some of …
