Whether on purpose or not, the cathedral’s design uses sound to influence behavior. In a cathedral, the mindfulness one has to take with motion, speech, and breath becomes a compass for how visitors feel. It’s unlikely that the original builders of Notre Dame had an acoustician on staff, but architecture has been used to manipulate sound for centuries.

In this article, I’ll show you some examples of how acoustics and architecture work together and then show you how to take these concepts and put them to work to improve your podcast. 

How Does Sound Travel? 

Before we get into architecture, let’s think about how sound works. If you’ve read our article about what is reverb and how to tame it, you know how sound works already. To [over]simplify:

• Sound travels spherically from a source until something (like a surface) reflects or absorbs it. 
• Different surfaces make sound react in different ways. The harder a surface is, the more it reflects sound waves. The softer it is, the more it absorbs. 
• Smooth surfaces reflect sound in a direction. Irregular surfaces break up sound waves and reflect sound in many directions.

If you’ve ever screamed into a pillow or shouted while walking through a tunnel, you can imagine how this works.

How Can Architecture Change Sound?

Now that you know how sound travels, it shouldn’t be hard to visualize how cathedrals like Notre Dame use the relationship between acoustics and architecture to influence behavior. High ceilings and hard surfaces can amplify and sustain a note in a hymn, or words in a homily.

But, how has architecture been used to influence clarity or tone? Here are some examples.

The Theatre at Epidarus: Amplify and Filter

Photo by Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany

Over 2,400 years ago, Polykleitos the Younger designed The Theatre at Epidarus, with acoustic marvels that are still studied today. 

Location affects some of Epidarus’ acoustics. The shape and slope of the west side of Cynortion Mountain, next to the amphitheater, and the wind from the Saronic Gulf, may influence how the performers’ sound travels. But terrain and weather aren’t responsible for everything. The amphitheater’s bowl shape reflects sound up and out, so the audience in the fifty-fifth row can hear the performers as clearly as the audience in the first. 

One standout detail, however, is the seating. In 2007, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology determined that “the rows of limestone seats at Epidaurus form an efficient acoustics filter.” Higher-frequency sounds (from the performers) bounce off the limestone benches, and the sound waves move upwards and toward the back row. Lower-frequency sounds (such as audience murmur or the occasional cough) don’t reverberate as effectively with the corrugated surface of the limestone benches. 

The Ancient Greeks built acres of amphitheaters, but later benches used different materials, such as wood. While this is undoubtedly more comfortable, none of these amphitheaters have the acoustic clarity of the Theatre at Epidarus. 

The Temple of Kukulcán: The Earliest Tweet

So, you can imagine how sound reverberates off flat, hard surfaces. We also discussed how limestone steps elevate high-frequency sounds while dampening low-frequency sounds. What if architecture could harness acoustics to make a particular sound?

The Temple of Kukulcán at the Mayan site of Chichén Itzá in Mexico is a step pyramid, built out of limestone, topped with a flat-roofed temple. This pyramid honors the feathered serpent deity Kulkulcán, related to Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec deity who also can take the form of a feathered serpent. Why am I telling you about Mesoamerican myths and legends? Hang in there; I promise, this is worthwhile. 

The Quetzal is a sacred bird in Mesoamerican culture, known for its brilliant tail feathers and unique call; a high-pitched zippy sound. You can hear this birdcall by finding a Quetzal in the wild. Or, stand at the foot of The Temple of Kukulcán. If you clap your hands while standing near the temple (as many people do), the resounding echo sounds like the call of a Queztal. 

Don’t believe me? Sound up, please:

You’re welcome. 

Did the Maya purposefully build the Temple of Kulkulcán with limestone steps that could filter sound into a bird’s call to honor a feathered serpent deity? Do the windows and doors of the temple affect the function? Again, we don’t know for sure. But the Mayans did use calendars, mathematics, and written language by 250 BC, much of which was destroyed. They may have known a lot about acoustics and architecture that we don’t. 

Heatherwick Studios: [How] Can You Hear Me Now?

Today, we can control traveling sound waves with acoustic treatment, such as desktop workstations or curtains. We can also capture, amplify and direct it electronically. But, subtle details in building materials still make a big difference in sound today. Take, for example, Heatherwick Studios in London. 

When architect Thomas Heatherwick designed his studio, “shared spaces were carefully considered and arranged to achieve the right levels of sound wrapping and containment, and evoke a sense of connectivity.” The builders sand-blasted the concrete beams in the foundation, revealing an irregular surface pockmarked with shingle from the River Thames.

“Immediately, the sound waves that hit that are broken and fragmented because you don’t get a singular reflection coming back at you,” Heatherwick said. The diffusion of sound waves results in a more harmonious workspace. Acoustics and architecture aren’t the only aspects of Heatherwick’s designs that work together to inspire people, but they make a big difference. 

What Does The Relationship Between Acoustics and Architecture Mean for Podcasters? 

You may be looking around your podcast recording space now and thinking, “Oh, dear.” I know I am: my studio has nine-foot ceilings. But, there are many ways that humans can take advantage of architecture to improve their podcast sound. 

Here are some things to consider:

Where Do You Record Your Podcast?

Ever notice how many ads for podcasting equipment show stock photos with people recording in their living rooms? Open-plan layouts with high ceilings and hard floors are popular among real estate developers, but these are less than ideal for podcast recording. 

Think about the smaller spaces in your home. Closets toward the center of your dwelling are less likely to share a wall with the outside world. Does your home have a closet that you can re-purpose into a cloffice? If you’re stuck with a large room, build a blanket fort. There are loads of ways to build a silent home studio that sounds great. 

What Are Your Surroundings Like? 

I live on a downhill slope, and the house just downhill from us has a wide, flat yard. The gentleman who lives there absolutely loves his gas-powered leaf blower. Nothing brings him more joy than to blast that flat lawn with air until he exsufflates each and every speck of debris from his domain. A low wall divides his flat lawn from my slope.

Now that I’ve learned about the stone steps of The Theatre of Epiudarus and the Temple of Kukulcán, I wonder if that stone surface drives the higher sound frequencies from his yard equipment toward my windows.  In any case, this man’s lawn-care habits have taught me not to record on the northeast side of my home. 

What surrounds the building where you record? Which parts of the building are far from noise? Typically, bedrooms (or bedroom closets) may be further from the street, and make quiet recording studios. Basements, too, can be good since they’re underground. But if your basement has noisy HVAC machines, maybe not. Only you can decide how to make acoustics and architecture work together for your specific situation. 

The Heck With Architecture, Record Outside

If you feel as though this fits your podcast, record outdoors. The lack of walls and ceiling means nothing for your voice to bounce off of. You can also capture natural sound elements that enhance your podcast. Grab your phone and a tiny kit like the BOYA Mini or Rode Wireless Micro, and you’re all set.

Why Do Acoustics in Architecture Matter?

Ancient and modern structures can teach us so much about how sound works. Granted, none of us are recording regular episodes in the Theatre at Epidarus, but we can always stay on the lookout to use our environments to our advantage. Understanding audio is a major part of this.

Acoustics in architecture is just one element in the fascinating world of audio. In 26 Fascinating Facts About Sound, you’ll learn about how sound can break glass, levitate objects, and even put out fires. What a podcast episode that would be, eh?

Advantages of Podcasting in Education

Podcasting allows lecturers to easily broadcast engaging audio content, which students can listen to at any time and wherever they are. A student only needs to subscribe to a podcast feed, and suddenly you can push educational content to them, rather than wait for them to come. Podcasts can easily be used in schools, universities or colleges to engage students and improve your teaching and learning practice.

Podcasting as a Learning Tool

Many learning institutions that have incorporated podcasting into their education system have reported positive results. This can be attributed to the ease of creating and consuming podcasts as well as the various ways in which education podcasts enhance the students’ learning experience. There are a lot of advantages of podcasting in education. Let’s take a look:

Flexible Learning & Availability – 24 Hours a Day

One of the greatest advantages of education podcasts is their portability and convenience. Podcasts can be downloaded to a mobile device, allowing the student to access the learning resources anytime, anywhere, with very little effort.

There are free podcast subscription apps available for every smartphone, and these make the process even easier. In fact, iPhones come with an excellent podcast app (Apple Podcasts) installed by default.

Once the student has subscribed to a show (which you can make available really easily), they don’t have to initiate the download: it’s sent automatically to their app whenever a new episode is available. So, as soon as they sit down on the bus, there’s a teaching resource there waiting for them. This makes podcasts very convenient and also paves the way for truly flexible learning.

You Can Make Your Podcast Private

There’s an option to create a private podcast, too, if you’d only like it to be accessible to your students and nobody else. Here, all the principles are the same, but you’ll just need to send them all a unique link or password so they can access the content. You can learn more about this in our guide to setting up a private podcast for students.

Students Listen Longer Than They’ll Watch or Read

One of the great powers of podcasting is the attention it attracts. Encouraging students to spend 30 minutes reading an article or watching a recorded lecture is tricky. That’s because text and video require the student’s full attention – they need to sit patiently, doing just one thing. As you probably know, this is a challenge, not least because of the range of distractions just sitting waiting on the next browser tab.

On the other hand, podcasting can be done in otherwise wasted time or alongside a routine activity. Students are far more likely to listen and consume your material if they can do it on the bus, driving the car, washing the dishes or in the gym. Because they’re already distracted by a rote task, the content gets great attention. While text and video struggle to attract 2 or 3 minutes of viewing, podcasts routinely run an hour or more. One of the most popular shows in the world is a history podcast that can run for 3+ hours!

If one guy can persuade listeners to stick around for 3 hours at a time to learn about World War 1, then you should be able to manage 10 minutes on your own show.

Student Created Content

One of the most interesting and valuable uses of Podcasting in Education is the concept of student-created content or active learning activities.

You might allow students to create their own podcast, perhaps including questions, discussions, presentations or projects. These can then be made available to their classmates. This allows students to take control of an aspect of their education and encourages engagement in the material. They can question, they can contribute, and they can teach each other.

Lecture Reviews: Podcasting in Education

One of the simplest uses of podcasting is to record your existing lectures. This makes them easily accessible to students and creates invaluable study aids.

Students can use the podcast for reference purposes or when preparing themselves for upcoming examinations. Any student who had challenges understanding a topic in the classroom can listen to this podcast. They can study the content and understand the topic at their own pace.

This capacity to review, again and again, is particularly valuable to students from an international background or with learning difficulties.

Finally, as we mentioned earlier, it’s a struggle to encourage students to watch a one-hour video recording of a lecture. Instead, give them audio, and they can consume it while they do their chores.

Voice Recording Technology

A lavalier or wireless mic might be your best option if you’re recording lectures in person. If you’re delivering your classes online, then there are plenty of options to record remote conversations, too. The obvious choice for many teachers these days is Zoom, but there are better options available. Here’s our full guide on how to record a podcast.

Editing & Publishing Educational Podcasts

Once you have an audio recording of your lecture, how do you turn it into a podcast episode and deliver it to your students?

Firstly, you might want to think about doing some editing and production work. This doesn’t have to mean hours at the computer, cutting and smoothing out loads of little mistakes. It can be as simple as doing a “top and tail” of the audio, chopping off the unnecessary stuff at the beginning and end.

You can add a few seconds of music to open and close your episodes, too. Podcast music is easy to find, and simple to add to your audio material.

There are tonnes of podcast editing software options out there, and, the good news is that many of them double up as podcast recording software, too.

When it comes to publishing, you’ll need to sign up to a podcast hosting service. These are platforms that allow you to upload and distribute your content.

If you’re looking for one single platform to record, edit, publish, and distribute your educational podcast, then check out Alitu. It’s a dedicated podcast-maker tool, designed to make the entire process as simple as humanly possible.

Alitu will even auto-generate transcriptions for you, which you can give to your students as additional classroom materials!

Make up for Missed Classes

When a student misses a class, it’s not always because they’re lazy. By offering a podcast, your unlucky, sick student who has missed a number of classes can download recordings of the lectures instead. As a consequence, they’re able to “fill in the gaps”.

Moreover, a lecturer who is unable to attend his or her classes for a week or two can create a podcast of the lecture instead. This is made available to the students and thus makes up for any unattended lectures.

Consistency of Student Experience

Lecture recordings can help a teacher or professor to ensure that they always cover any given topic in the best way possible. This comes in handy when the lecturer in question teaches multiple sessions of the same class. It helps the teacher to ensure that every student gets the same experience, the same information, and that the syllabus is covered uniformly.

Podcasting in Education: Keeping Students Up-to-Date

Podcasting in education doesn’t necessarily need to be about lectures and lessons. It can be used by the administrative wing of schools, universities, and colleges, too. You might use a podcast to discuss current events on campus, or to remind students about the latest form that needs filling out. A podcast can be a better reminder than an email that often ends up unopened or skimmed over and ignored.

Benefits for Visual Impairments & Learning Differences

Perhaps one of the greatest pedagogic characteristics offered by educational podcasting is the chance to learn through listening.

To many of the current student generation, learning through listening is enjoyable and less tedious than reading. Educational podcasts are appealing and may encourage students who don’t like reading.

Some students may struggle with reading due to specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and podcasts can be a significant aid in these cases. Podcasts are also beneficial for individuals with visual impairments, as they can make traditional learning methods more accessible.

Language Learning

One of the most common examples of educational podcasting in action is the learning of new languages. Any podcast listener can quickly get a grasp of any language they want to learn by finding a show that’s teaching it. This type of educational podcast will often be done in a “bite-sized” manner, taking the approach that, in each episode, we’re going to learn about one phrase, or even, one word.

Next time you’re on a plane to a holiday destination, you can bet at least one fellow traveller has their earbuds in and is learning how to order their first beer!

Podcasting in Education: Where Next?

Using a podcast in your teaching can encourage your students to engage with your classes, your material and to never miss a thing. Podcasting is one of the best things you could do for your students. Why not give it a try? You’ll find all the resources you need to plan, start, and run your show right here.

Your Reading List

• How to Start a Podcast: Every Single Step
• How to Make a Private Podcast for Students
• How to Record a Podcast
• How to Upload a Podcast

If you fancy playing the role of student for a change, you might be interested in joining The Podcraft Academy, too. In there we have courses, templates, downloadable checklists, and we run weekly live Q&A sessions so you’ll always get the advice, support, answers, and feedback that you need.

You speak for a living, and you do it on a regular basis. You’re always coming up with new topics to speak about, new things to teach, new people to inspire. That’s the podcast life. So, why not turn those regular sermons into a church podcast?

The brilliant thing is, you can share your voice, now, with the entire world. Not just your local community. Podcasting for churches, whether Christian or any other religion, is increasingly popular and as easy as turning on your computer.

It’s also great for your local community. Religious Podcasting allows followers to listen to mass or sermons while travelling, or at their own convenience. And with simple and easy podcasting tools readily available, Christian Podcasts, or those for any religion, are really simple to create.

So, interested in creating a podcast for your church? Let’s take a look at how to set one up.

Creating Your Religious Podcast

The first step when creating a religious podcast is to record the sermon or the material. That means a recording device!

Audio equipment can be a little techie and intimidating, but the setup can be really simple.

You can record your voice with nothing more than a digital recorder and a lavalier (tie clip) microphone. At its simplest, the digital recorder could be your smartphone, and the microphone could be a smartphone compatible tie-clip mic – just remember to stick your phone on silent if you’re recording this way!

Here’s an easy setup for you:

• Zoom H5 Digital Recorder
• Rode Lavalier II Microphone

And if you’re recording with your smartphone, just use this mic:

• Rode Smartlav+

Many churches and religious organizations already use a mic and speakers to broadcast every sermon around the church. If that’s the case, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to output that to a digital recorder, too. If that’s the case for you, then the bulk of the work is already done.

The next step is to get the audio podcast-ready. Sure, you could just upload it as-is. But a few extra steps can help your show stand out amongst the others in your space.

Introduce & Close Your Episodes for New Listeners

It’s worth recording a separate introduction and outro to ‘bookend’ your sermon. This means new listeners who find your show will know who you are and what to expect, as opposed to just being dropped into a recording with no context.

What About Editing & Producing a Church Podcast?

You’re probably busy enough without adding too many other steps to your workflow. But there are tools out there that can simplify this process by automating a lot of the techie stuff. That means you get all the benefits of having ‘broadcast quality’ audio with consistent volume levels throughout, without spending a tonne more time on it.

One such tool is Alitu, which automates all of the cleaning up, levelling, and post-processing for you. You can also record your intro and outro segments directly into Alitu, build your episode in there, and publish it directly from within the Alitu interface.

Using a tool like Alitu, you don’t have to learn how to be an audio engineer. It’s just drag and drop, and a lot of automatic magic.

Why Stop With Sermons?

If you’re using Alitu, you can record remote interviews and conversations with pastors, ministers, and peers all around the globe. These can make for excellent additional episodes to enhance your main content. This route also allows you to keep putting out episodes during times where getting together in your church isn’t possible (hello, pandemic!).

Add Some Music?

A few seconds of music at the start and end of your episodes add that final layer of polish to your church podcast. You can’t use copyrighted material, but there are a few good places to find podcast music that’s safe and legal to play on your episodes. In fact, we run a free podcast music library ourselves, so check out the link for more details on how to use, and how to give credit.

Uploading & Publishing a Church Podcast

Once your first episode is ready for the world to hear, you’ll need somewhere to upload it. If your church has a website, you can upload it directly onto there, but this isn’t recommended.

Instead, sign up with a dedicated podcast hosting provider. You can get a great hosting package for the price of a couple of sandwiches per month. Your hosting account is where you fill out all the show’s details – the title, the description, etc – and you upload the cover art, too.

If you’re already using Alitu to record or edit your show, then you’ll be delighted to hear it’s got hosting built in, too. Once you’ve finished editing, just hit publish right inside the same app!

The beauty of podcast hosting is that you can push new episodes out automatically to every app and directory where podcasts are consumed. This includes top platforms like Apple/iTunes and Spotify.

Once you’ve created your show inside your hosting provider of choice, submitting to directories and apps is a one-time process. Going forward, each time you publish a new episode, it’ll be pushed out to all of these listening platforms automatically!

Promoting Your Church Podcast

While many people are interested in listening to religious podcasts, they can have trouble finding them. Proper promotion is important. Placing notices in bulletins, newsletters, and the church’s website are some of the best ways to reach your existing (in-person) audience. Feel free to link to our handy listening guides that’ll help your congregation find and access the show

• What is a Podcast?
• How to Listen to a Podcast
• How to Subscribe to a Podcast
• Best Podcast Listening Apps

If you get creative in your sermons with real-life anecdotes, you can maybe even work in the story of how you’ve started a podcast, and everything you’ve learned so far.

Promotion doesn’t stop with your existing audience though. Far from it. There’s no limit on the size of your following when it comes to podcasting. If you want a deeper dive on getting the word out there and boosting those numbers, check out our article on podcast promotion, as well as our ‘ultimate guide’ book, Podcast Growth.

Growing (& Keeping) Your Audience

A key factor in the long-term success of your church podcast, though, will be subscribers. You always want to encourage your audience to ‘subscribe’ or ‘follow’ (assure them it’s all free!) the podcast on their listening app of choice.

The ability to ‘subscribe’ or ‘follow’ the podcast is an “everybody wins” benefit. It means nobody will ever miss an episode, even if they don’t check back on the church website or social media channels on a regular basis. After subscribing to the podcast, users will automatically receive new sermons and material as soon as they are published. They don’t have to do anything to download the material.

Your Church Podcast in Other Mediums?

Additionally, churches can choose to record video, for those who enjoy watching a sermon instead of just listening. The audio track can easily be re-purposed from that video so that you offer both mediums. It’s a great way to cater to people’s personal tastes. You can find out how to record in that manner in Chapter 7 of our Content Stacking series.

Next Steps in Creating Your Church Podcast

Choosing to podcast your sermons is a great way to reach a larger audience, and many churches are now taking advantage of this limitless content delivery method.

If you want to learn more about how to get started in podcasting, check out our main How to Start a Podcast guide, as well as our Podcast Launch Essentials course.

Finally, we mentioned Alitu during the creation section of this guide. Alitu is the ‘Podcast Maker’ web app that lets you record, edit, produce, and publish your episodes all from its simple-to-use interface. If you think Alitu could be the driving force behind your very own church podcast, you can try it out free for 7 days.

As you read on, you’ll discover the importance of solidifying brand presence on different online platforms, including a website, social media, podcasting, and more. 

By Ron Stefanski

Ron Stefanski is a website entrepreneur and marketing professor who has a passion for helping people create and market their own online business.  You can learn more from him by visiting OneHourProfessor.com

We’ll also discuss ways you can develop a data-driven approach to increase KPIs on each platform. My advice is drawn from my own personal experience with One Hour Professor and other websites I’ve monetized. 

With that said, let’s dive right in.

The Importance of Solidifying Brand Presence

Before we look at the step-by-step process for growing a digital marketing career, it’s important to understand why you should solidify your brand presence on a website, social media platform, online course platform, podcast, or other digital channels.

For the most part, customers turn to the internet to find companies or products. Even if you own a brick-and-mortar business, you still need a strong digital presence as a way to bridge the gap for your customers.

When you have a strong online presence and a recognizable brand name, it makes it a lot easier for customers to find you when they need your products or services. 

For example, let’s look at one of the most popular online business podcasts in the market, Niche Pursuits.  Started by Spencer Haws in 2020, this podcast focused on his journey while becoming an internet entrepreneur.  

While on the surface, this looks like it’s just a blog, I personally know Spencer, and he’s been able to attribute much of his success as an entrepreneur to the podcast directly.  It’s allowed him to have conversations with hundreds of other successful entrepreneurs, led to many partnership opportunities, given him the ability to get early access to many products, and, more importantly, helped him build trust with the tens of thousands of folks to listen to each episode.  

Keep in mind that building a strong presence online doesn’t mean that you have to be on every platform all the time. Simply strive to be on the platforms where you can most easily connect with your target audience, giving your brand the opportunity to boost engagement, build credibility, and maintain your reputation.

Developing a Data-Driven Approach to Increase KPIs

Once you’ve determined which platforms to focus on, it’s time to create a data-driven strategy to increase KPIs (key performance indicators) on each platform. 

For my part, I’ve managed to monetize my websites by focusing on the following KPIs on each site:

• Traffic
• Conversion rates
• MoM (multiple of money) costs
• MoM revenue
• Profit margin

… and others.

Depending on the platform you’re focused on, these KPIs may change.  For instance, with a podcast, you may focus on things such as downloads per episode, subscribers, retention of listeners, rankings, social shares, sponsorships, and overall revenue, 

Looking at these metrics will help you determine how best to focus your time and that of your team to increase your ROI (return on investment).

Once this is done, you can then start developing a plan to branch out into other channels and similarly build up KPIs to ensure the highest possible ROI.

3 Steps to Growing a Digital Marketing Career

1. Choose a Specialty

Ideally, you must specialize if you want to stand out more as a digital marketer. However, for someone like myself who wears different hats in their business, this may not always be possible. 

Having said that, specialization is key and will make it easier for you to market yourself based on your differentiation from the competition. So, even if you still have to focus on multiple areas of digital marketing, it’s worth paying particular attention to your chosen speciality. 

For most people, choosing a speciality sounds intimidating, but if you take a moment to think about it, it’s likely that you already have skills that set you apart from the rest. 

For example, maybe you are a tech person, or you might be more into the marketing or creative side. Maybe SEO is your thing? Or you could be someone who loves to write about business. Whatever it is for you, find it and cultivate it as the first step toward growing your digital marketing career. 

Here are some areas that are in high demand in the digital marketing fields:

• Social media
• Web development/Graphic design/UX
• Mobile marketing
• Video production
• Digital publishing
• Analytics
• Content strategy and SEO
• Google Ads/Facebook Ads
• PPC/SEM 
• Project management

No matter which route you take, just make sure you have a niche and are able to demonstrate that you have the skills to achieve measurable results.

2. Choose the Right Platforms

When choosing a digital marketing platform, you want one that will help you plan, analyze, and oversee marketing campaigns, so it’s important to ensure that the platform comes with the tools you need for your business. 

The best marketing platform for you will be the one that meets your needs and is aligned with your overall business and marketing objectives. 

For example, social media is a great platform to choose because it allows you to connect with your target audience, find prospective buyers, nurture their interest to the point of conversion, maintain engagement with current customers, and more.

The platforms I mainly focus on are online courses, YouTube, email marketing, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

• Online course platforms like Systeme.io, Thinkific and Kajabi can help you to connect with a broad audience of learners who are interested in your topics.
• Email marketing platforms like Aweber and Mailchimp help you to get subscribers and nurture them through engaging email templates and regular newsletters.
• Social media platforms like LinkedIn are great for contacting target clients. You can use Facebook to connect with groups of interest, and YouTube to share videos about your business and products.

You might also include podcast hosting platforms and any other marketing platforms that can help you orchestrate experiences to strengthen relationships with your prospects and customers and carry out the important functions of growing your digital marketing career. 

3. Focus on Important KPIs

Once you’ve chosen the platforms you want to be active on, it’s time to decide on the digital marketing KPIs that will help you achieve your best results through measurement.

Key performance indicators are metrics that show the performance of a specific action in digital marketing. They are a set of indicators whose function is to show where strategies are in relation to their goals. 

For example, one of the most common KPIs is to measure the number of visits to a company website from Facebook or any other social media channel. By tracking this KPI as it varies according to campaign performance, you’ll always know where you are in relation to where you would like to be.

The KPIs you choose will be fundamental in measuring campaigns with quality and accuracy. In my business, I focus on KPIs like traffic, conversion rates, profit margin, MoM costs, and revenue. 

There are many more KPIs I could track, but these are the most important ones that help me detect sales results, engagement, conversions, and media investments. 

From each of the various channels on which I run campaigns, I can monitor different activities, and keeping track of these numbers helps me to stay on a steady path of improvement.

Since your goal is to grow your digital marketing career, I would recommend that you focus on a larger selection of KPIs. 

Examples to consider include:

Cost per Lead

This metric shows the individual costs of each lead you earn, making it easy to understand how much money you spent from your budget to get a new contact. If the amount you’re paying for each lead isn’t compatible with the time, energy, and effort you applied to acquire the lead, then you know it’s time to find ways to reduce the figure.

Cost per Conversion

You can apply this KPI to find out what you have invested in turning leads into actual paying customers. This metric helps you measure the quality of your mid-funnel media strategies. The higher the conversion, the better. 

So, on your customer relationship management (CRM) software you might check the number of leads received within a particular period. After that, measure the number of conversions performed within that same period. 

You can then evaluate the cost and effort applied to achieve those conversions obtained. Divide the monthly cost of each source of leads by the number of conversions achieved to find out how much each new customer cost you.

Monthly Website Traffic: 

This is a basic and straightforward metric that shows you the monthly traffic volume on your website. This information is easy to find when using a tool like Google Analytics. 

You’ll be able to see details such as:

• Visitors in pages
• Visitors on the blog
• Visitors in product categories
• Visitors on landing pages
• Visitors by price filters

… and so on.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

The net promoter score allows you to discover the level of customer satisfaction with your business. To do this, you simply ask the following question in a survey: 

“What is the chance of you recommending our product to a friend?” 

Customers can choose a rating ranging from 0 to 10. Depending on how the customers rated you, responses can be arranged into three categories:

• 9-10: This rating shows that these people are brand enthusiasts and were extremely happy with your product or brand.
• 7-8: Those who rated you from 7 to 8 are satisfied with your product, but not as engaged as the previous group. Also, these customers are constantly seeking better products, offers, etc.
• 0-6: The customers that voted between 0 and 6 are dissatisfied customers who may even speak ill of your brand.

To calculate your net promoter score, subtract the lowest level (0-6) from the highest level (9-10), and this will result in the average rating of customer satisfaction in your company.

If your score is above zero, it’s considered to be good. It means that your audience (or the majority of them, anyway) is more loyal than not. 

An NPS score of above 20 is considered favorable, and 50 is excellent. If your score is 80 or above, it’s world-class!

Visits per Channel

When the goal is to attract customers, it’s important to know which channels work better than others so you can focus your attention on what works. 

You can easily see which channels your traffic was built through using analytics tools that present these details in the metrics.

Check your analytics to see metrics from the following channels:

• Organic search traffic
• Direct traffic
• Referral traffic
• Social media traffic
• Email traffic
• Display ads traffic
• Paid search traffic
• Other

Average Time on Page

The average time on page is one of Google’s main ranking factors. If users don’t spend long on the page, Google takes it to mean that the page doesn’t offer all the information the reader is searching for. 

In your analytics dashboard, you can track this KPI and check different metrics for individual pages, including:

• Your homepage
• Product category
• Landing pages
• Blog posts, etc.

Calls to Action (CTAs) Conversion Rate

CTAs are typically used to generate conversions when accessing a page, downloading content, purchasing an item, etc. The KPIs related to this activity track the rate of conversions that you get through a call to action. 

This KPI is offered precisely by marketing data analytics, but you will need to consider in advance which buttons to track and then access the indicator afterwards to see the conversion rates for each CTA.

Traffic from Organic Search

This is one of the simplest KPIs to track. It allows you to visualize the volume of access your website has from regular Google searches. This traffic source is free and results from good SEO practices that allow your website to rank high in search.

Pro Tip: Commit to constant and never-ending growth. According to recent stats from HubSpot, 85% of working people dedicate 30 minutes per week to job-specific learning outcomes. 

In fact, the majority of professionals stated that they would like to devote even more time to improving themselves. This is a great way to ensure that you continue to grow your skills and your worth in the marketplace.

Growing a Digital Marketing Career: Conclusion

There you have it. Three effective steps to grow your digital marketing career. The trick is to be present on relevant platforms, track the right KPIs to measure the effectiveness of your investments and efforts, and develop a data-driven approach to increase those KPIs.

In terms of where to start, I personally feel that developing a podcast of your very own is one of the best ways to show your knowledge and expertise to build up your brand.  It’ll help to have social media profiles in order to share your content and get discovered, but remember that there are plenty of effective ways to promote and grow your show, provided you’re creating consistently great content that your target audience loves.

Whether you’re a marketing professional who is just starting out or are already successful and want to find new ways to advance, these tips will help you improve your skills and gain a competitive edge to take you to the next level. 

By focusing on these major digital marketing KPIs, you’ll be able to visualize the effectiveness of your strategies more accurately and allocate proper budget investments.

What is Guerrilla Marketing?

Guerrilla Marketing is a fantastic and fun way to market your podcast. This a low or no-cost unconventional advertising strategy that allows you to engage with the public on a more personal and memorable level.

Instead of being locked up inside an office scheduling posts, Guerrilla Marketing takes you out onto the street. It has you actually meeting people who could become your fans. And it gives you the chance to sell your show to them, in person.

How to use Guerrilla Marketing to Grow a Podcast

Guerrilla Marketing is where you can allow your creativity to shine! The question is, how can you market your podcast in new and exciting ways?

To generate a bit of buzz and to make your promotion beneficial you’re going to need the help of the online and offline community.

You may remember one of the most successful and extreme examples of this. Felix Baumgartner set the world record for the highest skydive ever recorded as he jumped out of a balloon from Space. This was all to sell its sponsor, Red Bull.

Pardon the pun, but this event seems worlds apart from the product! However, it did get Red Bull across every news channel on the planet that day. Therefore, it was successful Guerrilla Marketing.

I realise you probably don’t have the dollar to fire yourself into Space. So let’s keep it grounded and talk about something that you can do for little or no money.

Guerrilla Marketing on the Street

This is where you can get creative with your offline marketing efforts.

Think about who you would like to target with the content of your podcast – is it a podcast about new music? Is it a podcast focusing on business? Maybe it’s a drama podcast?

Once you know the subject of your content you can start developing marketing ideas towards the audience you’d like to target.

Guerrilla Marketing: A Case Study

Let me give you an example from our radio station.

To promote a string of live music shows hosted by a musician we tried a piece of Guerrilla Marketing back in 2015. The musician in question started playing on busy public transport.

Sounds like a fun time, but what was the long-term gain for us?

The key here was that the musician had signage with information including a hashtag, twitter account and live show details. Once one member of the public started filming, the rest followed. And within an hour he was selling more tickets, gaining new followers and got featured online in local newspapers…

That cost absolutely nothing, but the outcome was much better than if he had spent £50 on a promoted social media post.

Perhaps the strangest tactic I’ve seen in my experience is chalk drawings. I’ve seen artists make beautiful pieces of street art (that can wash off in the rain) in high foot-traffic areas to promote radio shows and podcasts.

Again, it will more than likely end up online if it’s a unique piece of artwork and help with promoting your show overall.

Be careful with stickers and chalk though, you don’t want to get fined for graffiti or vandalism by local councils. Make sure the chalk will wash in the rain and stickers are placed where there are others.

Be sensible and think about where you’re promoting! And whatever you do, don’t flyer vehicles…

Pop-up Events

What better way to promote your podcast to potential new listeners than pop-up events!

Why not ask a local arts space, cafe or find a suitable outside space to set up portable equipment to record your podcast or interview members of the public in relation to your content.

Running a pop-up event in conjunction with the previously mentioned places is a great way to cross-promote and target a captive audience.

The business gets free advertising via your podcast and you get access to their customer base. Win-win.

For example; if your podcast is surrounding business and start-up companies, ask Business Gateway if you can come to one of their events and interview people on a certain subject.

Collect email addresses and contact details of participants so you can let them know when the podcast is online. They’ll be more likely to share if they feel personally connected to something.

Merchandise

Although this may come after you have a higher budget or once your podcast has started bringing in revenue, merchandise is another great way to do guerrilla marketing.

People love free things!

And if you can be handing people stickers, pens or even wackier items like mouse mats, your podcast is almost always going to make it back into that person’s home. And then as they are emptying their bag and remember your freebie, you may have yourself a new listener.

One example of a podcast doing some Guerrilla Marketing with merch, was the audio drama horror-comedy series A Scottish Podcast. The show used beer mats, which could be used and then left in pubs. This isn’t like dumping a bunch of flyers or leaflets on the table, because the beer mat is actually a handy thing people will use there and then.

One of the beer mats had a 2/5 star iTunes review on it too, to give potential new listeners a bit of a hint of what’s in store, should they listen.

What podcast merch would suit the own style and tone of your show when doing some Guerrilla Marketing? Check out our guide to doing podcast merch for more on this.

Need More Help With Podcast Marketing?

If you’re looking for more tailored help and support towards growing your audience, then we’ve a couple of options for you.

The first is Podcraft Academy, where you’ll find courses like 30 Days of Audience Growth, as well as have access to our weekly live Q&A sessions.

Then second is The Podcast Growth Package. This is where we work with you on a one-on-one basis to optimise your show for growth. At the end of the programme, you’ll have your very own Podcast Growth Plan, and a solid strategy for building a dedicated fanbase!

For many aspiring podcasters, running a listener-driven podcast sounds like a dream. No struggle to find good material, no lengthy prep process before each episode, just a constant stream of questions and content provided by your adoring fan base. It sounds too good to be true, but for a well-known podcast with a solid listener base that’s not too far from reality (look at Joe Rogan – that guy just grabs anyone in the world and records himself having a casual conversation with them).

You’re not a well-known podcast with a solid listener base though. You’re brand new to this game and the only ones who know about your podcast are your friends and the barista who overheard you making plans. It’s safe to say that the experience is going to be a little different for you, at least until you gain some traction.

Just like any good thing in life, building a successful listener-driven podcast takes work – a lot of it. The early days for this type of show are probably going to take even more work than something that’s more independently functional.

The hard truth is that fans aren’t going to magically appear with their arms full of golden podcast content ready to throw at your feet. You’re going to have to poke, prod and pester your way into the ears and (more importantly) hearts of your future audience. That may sound daunting, but you should never let a bit of hard work scare you away from chasing your dreams.

Here are 4 tips to help you hit the ground running and generate listener interaction fast.

Ask for Help

Hopefully this seems obvious, because it’s the most important thing you can do to generate interaction with your listeners. It’s also one of the toughest things to make yourself do, since it means putting yourself out there and being “that guy” who’s always bringing up his hobby.

No one is going to approach you with podcast-ready content if you haven’t expressed a need for it first though. If you don’t ask for help, you won’t get it.

You should ask for help both on and off the show. On the show this is pretty easy – I end every episode of the Just Add Friends Podcast with a request for our listeners to submit questions. That’s a good rule of thumb, since people aren’t naturally inclined to reach out to the creators of the media they watch (have you ever emailed Netflix?). Mentioning a way your listeners can contribute to the show, and then asking them to help out by doing that, is the foundation for driving interaction.

Ending your episodes with a call to action is good, but your long-term listeners may start to tune out regular or repeated bits of “housekeeping”. It can also help to ask for help in a different spot every few episodes, like during a discussion where the hosts disagree, or if you’re split between two ideas. This sort of “random ask” can get through to someone who is used to hearing you ask for questions or content at the end of the show, or someone who routinely skips the housekeeping.

Asking for help off the show is usually more stressful, but also more effective. Every time I’ve walked up to someone I know and said “hey, can you do me a favor and think of a question for my show”, they’ve come through for me. Making yourself ask real people in the real world for help can be stressful (just typing that sentence gave me anxiety), but it will do more for to drive listener interaction than anything else.

I like to ask acquaintances to submit content at least once a month. I make a note each time I’ve asked someone so I can ensure that I’m not asking the same person too often. This also pushes me to talk to new people, and sometimes I’m surprised to find friends of mine who still don’t even know I have a podcast.

Remember – nothing ventured, nothing gained. You’ve got to ask to make things happen.

Smash Social Media

Talking to your friends and listeners is great, but it’s a slow way to grow. Yeah, sure, if you tell 10 friends and they each tell 10 friends, etc. you’ll have a ton of listeners – but if that was as easy as it sound we’d all work for MLM’s.

Social media is an effective way to broaden your audience. Every podcast, no matter what the topic or style, should be using social media platforms to advertise already, but for a listener-driven podcast you should also use it to generate content.

Most people are more willing to tweet at your show than to email your show. Social media is informal, and easy to use. Your listeners are likely using it every day already. Not only is it accessible, but it’s already churning out content. Twitter is sort of like a giant hole in the internet full of people foaming at the mouth trying to put in their two cents. Harnessing that energy can be as easy as asking the right question.

Make social media accounts for your show, and start interacting with people. You should be posting daily to maximize your impact. Any discussion you start online is fuel for your show.

Remember that a post on social media doesn’t have to be geared towards your podcast for you to use it. If you see something that would work great for your show, reach out to the poster and ask if you can use it. Even if they say no, their followers will see the response and your show will get more exposure.

Contests and Giveaways

This one is tricky for a new podcast, since you probably don’t have a lot of revenue. It is, however, very effective. If there’s one thing people in this world are willing to work for, it’s free stuff. You don’t have to offer $10,000 cash like a big radio show either. For example, you could ask a question and instruct people to tweet their answer using your shows hashtag, with the best answer getting a $10 Starbucks Gift Card.

One of my favorite things to do is run a contest to choose a guest host. Most people who love your podcast would love to make an appearance on it, and would be more than willing to do a little work to make it happen.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a lot of responses at first. Every bit counts when you’re just starting out.

Fake it ‘til You Make it

This is the most important advice I can give to a new listener-driven podcast. If you plan effectively, you should have a fair amount of content built up before you start recording. When that initial build-up is gone though, you may find yourself scraping the bottom of the barrel for something to use on your show.

If recording day comes and you don’t have enough to get through a full episode, you’ll have a choice to make. Skip the ep, or create your own content. It might not be what you had in mind, but anonymously submitting content to your own show will help you fill in the gaps without leaning too heavily on your dedicated listeners. It’s a temporary solution, but one that you shouldn’t be afraid to use.

A listener-driven podcast is a great way to get started in the podcasting community. Make sure you have a game-plan before you start, that includes asking your family and friends to help you spread the word. Make your social media accounts before you release your first episode – use them to advertise and start making a name for yourself. Plan for things to get a little shaky, and brainstorm some fun contests to try if you think your show needs a boost.

Most importantly, don’t give up if you’re not generating content fast enough. Fake it ‘til you make it. Running a listener-driven podcast takes work, but it’s worth it. Hopefully using these tips can help you get the ball rolling!

Justin has been listening to podcasts for years, and co-hosting the Just Add Friends Podcast since 2018. Find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Need More Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re struggling to come up with new content ideas, finding new listeners, or the more hands-on stuff like equipment and production, we can help in Podcraft Academy.

That’s where you’ll find video courses on all of the above, and a lot more on top of that. We’ve also got downloadable worksheets, checklists, and guides in there, and run regular live Q&A sessions so you never get stuck on any aspect of podcasting again!

• Social media is a budget-friendly tool to attract new listeners and engage with your current audience.
• Networking in groups interested in your podcast’s topic can give you perspective
• Making a demo and looking for syndication can introduce you to new audiences.

People need to listen to your content, otherwise, what’s the point, right? You may not think that radio can teach you much about podcasting. But this is a really big question for me, coming from the radio industry, since we live or die on advertising income. This article will show you how social media, and syndication can all help you grow your podcast. Let’s take a look at what I learned about podcasting from radio.

There are unlimited ideas on how to market your audio, so I’m going narrow it down based on what I learned doing exactly that on a radio station. You might think it’s an unfair comparison – Radio’s big business, right? But no, you don’t need to have a massive budget, and we didn’t! There are a bucket load of ways to build up your audience completely free.

Social Media

The first thing I think about when looking to promote audio, funnily enough, isn’t audio related. It’s to make sure my online presence looks good. Done right, this doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money.

Social Media has a stigma surrounding it by some, because it can seem tiring or draining. But, for any media company, it’s the first point of contact to your audience.

With platforms like Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, you are connected with your audience more than ever before. It’s a high probability that most of your audience use it, so it’s important that you’re comfortable with those platforms. Social Media feeds can seem like a non-stop wheel of fortune with a user scrolling through their feed at pace. But there’s ways you can improve your odds of a user stopping on your content.

If this is something you’d like support with, we have plenty of great articles which cover how to use social media to grow an audience. Check out our guides on how to use Facebook and how to use Twitter to grow an audience.

We also have articles you can look at on how to successfully use scheduling apps like Hootsuite, and how to make audiograms, which help give your podcast promotion a visual element.

Case Study: DJ Robert Drake

Robert Drake produces and hosts a wide variety of radio shows on WXPN in Philadelphia. He’s one of the producers of Kids’ Corner, the host and producer of Land of The Lost , and he keeps many different wheels turning. Additionally, he absolutely loves weather information. On his Facebook page, he often posts weather reports, speculation, and trivia, particularly if a hazardous condition is on the horizon. His posts about weather add so much value that some people come to his page specifically for those posts.

By using his social media posts to add value to the greater cultural conversation, not only does he draw people in to listen to his radio shows, but also his local DJ events and mixes on Mixcloud.

Networking

Word of mouth or networking, to use the buzzy industry term for it, is still an extremely important part of marketing. Even in the age of social media and technology. In radio it’s still the be all and end all of promoting your work and getting yourself a job.

It’s all fine and well promoting yourself and your podcast online, that’s where you host your content after-all, but you’ll engage audiences and potential sponsors much stronger if its a personal connection in real life.

Networking may make your brain imagine men in suits with briefcases full of cash – which is a nice thought – but networking can be grassroots too. Befriend people in local creative groups such as art hubs or business communities. These friendships come in handy when you need to source a contributor, or when somebody needs a podcaster and thinks of you!

Podcasting Conferences are handy in meeting like-minded contemporaries. This gives you a larger contact book. It also allows you to see what other people are making and how they are making it. Most importantly it also allows you to be a salesman for the day and sell people your work.

Syndication

Your podcast is at the stage where it looks flashy online. You’ve ran enough networking alongside the first few episodes to grow a small following. It’s time to use your hard work to achieve a larger audience.

Radio DJs do similar – they market themselves the way we would market a show or a podcast.
With a following behind them, a DJ will attempt to get their show aired across various radio stations. This is called syndication.

Usually they’ll have a pre-made show that they can hand a radio station, to be aired at an agreed time. Their show may be aired on different stations at different times. The important thing here is that they are putting their product out to a growing, diverse group of listeners.

Podcasters should follow suit! There’s nothing stopping you approaching your local community, hospital or student radio station with your podcast and enquiring about the chance of airplay.

You may consider making a demo to send to groups or even potential sponsors or stations. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with our guide on how to make a podcast demo.

Obviously cater to the right audience – I doubt very much that a niche fishing podcast is going to be good bait for a student radio station – but there’s a lot of opportunity out there.

Podcasting To Radio: In Conclusion

Hard work pays off. By making friends and growing an audience, you’ll have a good foundation for putting your podcast across as many platforms as possible. There’s nothing stopping you, and as you’ll learn if you approach stations – we’re quite similar in our goals and challenges, Radio and Podcasting.

There are lots of different ways to make your podcast stand out. We’re always working on new strategy at Podcraft Academy. You can learn from our courses, downloadable resources, live Q&A sessions and community forums. Making a podcast isn’t difficult, but making a great podcast takes more expertise. Join us.

Having low or no vision is certainly a big challenge, but it’s one that can be overcome all the same.

This is a case study of two podcasters who’ve figured out the tools and techniques that enable them to get their voice out there.

Stuart Beveridge

Stuart is an Assistive Technology trainer at Fife Society for the Blind in Scotland, and is blind himself.

His podcast – Accessible Tech Mentor – is designed to highlight accessible apps for smart phones and also highlight some stand alone specialist technology which can be used to promote independence among visually impaired people.

Scripting

To script my episodes, I usually research a topic thoroughly before recording, just so that I have a full understanding of the content I’m discussing.

I use a braille note taking device, so that I can record key notes which I can refer to when recording the podcast. I also have a specific structure to the podcasts so that I don’t go off track.

First, I give the name of the piece of technology or app I am discussing. Then I describe why it is useful. I go through the main features of the product. Then give examples of how the technology can support everyday living and promote independence. And finally, I give other relevant information, if any.

I also try and keep the podcasts short (10 minutes maximum), so that people’s attention doesn’t wander.

Related Article

How to Make Your Podcast Accessible (& Why You Should)

Wondering how you can work towards making your podcast more accessible, and why it should be on your to-do list? We’ve got the deets! Find out more »

Recording

In the past, I’ve tried using dedicated recording devices to record my podcasts and found them completely inaccessible. Other dedicated recording devices which are designed for visually impaired people such as the Victor Reader Stream proved accessible, but the recording quality was extremely poor.

I therefore decided to try and record using the Voice Memos app on my iPhone, and have used it ever since. The recording quality is, in my opinion, fabulous and the app is fully accessible and easy to navigate and use. I will just say that you must be familiar with using accessibility features built-in to iPhone before you attempt to use the Voice Memos app.

Editing

I have used Adobe Audition to edit my podcasts from day one. This software is almost completely accessible using screen readers such as JAWS, and can be controlled using the keyboard on your computer. Editing, pasting in other sound clips, etc, also works extremely well with Adobe Audition.

Uploading

I upload my podcasts to media hosting platform Audioboom. I previously tried to upload to YouTube, and the process was completely inaccessible. I think this is because YouTube is mainly designed around video content. Audioboom on the other hand, is fully accessible with all screen readers, and is actually used by visually impaired people all over the world.

It also means that if I choose to, I can link my Audioboom account with other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to try and promote the podcast.

Stuart’s Advice

My advice for aspiring podcasters is to know your subject when making podcasts. Also, don’t try and just throw podcasts out there every few days, take your time and make quality podcasts. Quality is always better than quantity. Also, don’t worry about making mistakes in the podcasts or being nervous when recording them, this actually adds to the authenticity of the podcasts in my opinion, you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t make mistakes.

Tanja Milojevic

Tanja is a Boston-based audio drama producer and voice actor who runs LightningBolt Theater of the Mind. 

LightningBolt provides “new and rich audio experiences for your ears, from SciFi and romance to action and horror.”

Tanja’s Sight

I have Glaucoma and Retinopathy of Prematurity. My visual acuity is very low; the fine bloom chart can’t measure it. Here’s an idea of how I see. I have tunnel vision in both eyes which means my field is central and 10 degrees give or take in each eye. I can see about 10 to 20 feet ahead of me depending on lighting and contrast.

I see basic colors but have trouble distinguishing between similar shades and mistake them all the time. I can slowly spot read (letter by letter) 75 font sized print preferably white text on a black background. The more lighting and contrast the better.

Scripting Tools

I use Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Notepad, my BrailleNote Apex which is like a PDA and has a braille display that I read, paper braille copies of the script, and I listen with my screen reader JAWS.

Recording

I use Sound Forge and Gold Wave to record. My microphone is a Bluebird and my preamp is a Focusrite Scarlet 2i2. I use a windows 10 machine.

Editing

I use Sound Forge and Gold Wave to edit. Sound Forge has JAWS scripts enabled which make my screen reader accessible with the software. This allows me to make detailed edits in the file.

Accessibility Issues

Stitcher is not very accessible and Sound Cloud can be tough to manage when it comes to downloading material or managing my account.

Podbean is fine if I’m downloading material but can be tricky when posting my own shows. It is doable though.

Tools & Techniques

I usually use my media player like Winamp which gives me a time stamp when editing or listening back to audio that I’ve previously recorded in order to remind myself of the voice type used in the past with the project being worked on. Other than that I usually read the scripts ahead of time and gauge if I should convert that to braille or not.

I’m also working on practicing listening to my screen reader as I go through scripts so that I can save some time in the recording process. As I listen I speak the line, almost like an audio teleprompter. Still working on the skill set.

I’m having trouble sometimes hearing the screen reader if I need to raise my voice for the line and it can still sound choppy doing it that way.

The other method I use is memorization of lines if they’re short. I also have practiced reading scripts with others before so that I can get pacing and timing correct.

Resources

• AppleVis – Empowering Blind & Low-Vision Users of Apple Products and Related Applications
• Audioboom – Accessible Media Host
• JAWS – The World’s Most Popular Screenreader
• The Accessible Digital Project – Advocates taking steps to ensure digital media accessibility for everyone

Are You a Blind or Partially Sighted Podcaster?

Thanks to Tanja and Stuart for the invaluable information they’ve provided here.

If you yourself are a blind or partially sighted podcaster, I’d love to hear your opinions too.

What works for you, and what doesn’t? What sites and services are the most accessible? And what’s your advice for those in a similar situation to you before you started out?

Join us in our free PodCraft community on Circle and let us know!

This week, we’re talking to J Adamthwaite and Dave Pickering from The Family Tree.

Give us a written trailer for your show. Why should we listen?

The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.

When podcast producer Dave Pickering is approached by his dad with a mystery from the life of a long-forgotten friend, he decides to investigate it in the only way he knows how: by having conversations.

Mark Sullivan, who went missing 15 years ago, has been found dead. His body still has the arm he should have lost in a car accident and seems to have died eight years before he disappeared.

In a series of 12 episodes, Dave tries to uncover this mystery through conversations with Mark’s family and friends. As he gets to know them, his questions lead to more questions… the mystery runs deeper than anyone imagined. The drama is accompanied by 12 non-fiction companion pieces, in which real-life guests discuss themes and issues raised in the show.

We are currently producing Season 2, in which the world broadens and Dave finds himself chronicling things he hadn’t even thought were possible.

Why did you decide to start the podcast?

We had a story we wanted to tell, and we didn’t see any drama podcasts that used the format we were interested in working in, which was free-form conversation.

What equipment do you use to record?

We record using a number of a different kinds of equipment to simulate different recording environments. These include a Zoom H2N recorder, a Marantz PMD661 with a dynamic microphone, a Dictaphone, Skype recordings, a USB audio interface (like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2) with dynamic microphones and in Season 2, we will be using a binaural microphone. The plot dictates which recording device is used.

What’s your recording environment/setup usually like?

Most scenes in The Family Tree take place in the homes of the characters. We create these spaces by setting up the microphone in informal places, such as on a kitchen table or a coffee table in a living room. We actively encourage homely background sounds because we feel it adds to the realness of the show. For example, in one episode, we’ve had our characters pottering around the kitchen cooking, and have included the sounds of bubbling pots and boiling kettles in the recording.

What is your usual editing process?

We use Adobe Audition and Audacity, taking individual passes over an episode before coming together to discuss structuring notes and doing a final edit. Editing may involve moving pieces of conversation around to strengthen the plot, or cutting elements that may contradict a previous or later episode. We do edit out some audio messiness, but we are careful to leave a lot in to add to the naturalness of the soundscape.

What are the top 3 ways you’ve gained new audience members?

We have gained new audience members by guesting on other podcasts, being reviewed in podcast review articles and through the guests we have on the non-fiction element of the show.

How do you get a return from your show, whether monetary or otherwise?

For us, the best return is hearing stories about how people have engaged with the show. We love it when we hear that audiences care about the characters, become invested in a particular aspect of the story, or change the way they think about something. We also have a Patreon campaign, which helps us to fund the show.

What unexpected benefit have you gotten from your show?

The story now lives with us in a very real way. We often find ourselves saying things like, ‘that’s what Nathan would say,’ or ‘imagine how Reverend Beech would feel about that!’ and we often relate real-world events to things that have happened within the show. Just as we hope to comment on the world with our story, we find our own analytical thinking enhanced by living with the Sullivan family story.

What 1 piece of advice do you have for a new podcaster in your industry?

Play. Sometimes not knowing the ‘rules’ means you have less of a box to work within, which can lead you into interesting creative territory. Podcasting doesn’t have to be about producing radio-quality audio: that’s what radio is for. Podcasting is about making what you want to make in the way that best serves the project.

About J and Dave

Dave Pickering is a Sony Award-nominated and British Podcast Award winning audio producer and writer, whose work can be found at www.davepickeringstoryteller.co.uk. J Adamthwaite is a fiction writer with a particular interest in magical realism.

You can follow them here: @familytreepod

This week, we’re talking to Dave Pickering from Getting Better Acquainted.

Give us a written trailer for your show. Why should we listen?

Join Dave Pickering on his journey to get better acquainted with the people he knows. Part interview show, part oral history project and part autobiography through conversation. GBA won a British Podcast Award in 2017, was nominated for a 2012 Radio Production Award, aired for 3 seasons on Resonance 104.4 FM and was featured on BBC Radio 4’s In Pod We Trust, BBC Radio 5 Live’s Helen and Olly’s Required Listening. It has been recommended by The Guardian, Time Out and the Financial Times.

Why did you decide to start the podcast?

I made a podcast for a year where the version of myself was not one I enjoyed spending time with. I wanted to make a podcast where I showed the different people I become when in conversation with others, and I wanted to learn to listen to other people more. That was a starting point, but the show very quickly became about so much more than me.

What equipment do you use to record?

A Zoom H2n for recording conversations. A Marantz PMD661 with a dynamic microphone for recording intros and outros.

What’s your recording environment/setup usually like?

I record conversations in quietish environments – bedrooms, living rooms, cafes, offices, parks, etc – but I aim to record the room as well as the voices. I set my microphone up close enough to capture all the voices well, but it’s on a table or similar rather than in front of peoples faces. I always monitor the sound through headphones.

What is your usual editing process?

I edit for flow and sometimes content rather than for length. The show is a long-form show. But I do edit very carefully, editing to help myself and my guests express ourselves as clearly as possible. I used to edit out all the ums, but these days I leave a lot more in. But I am editing to a tight deadline, as the show is weekly so the editing I do on this show is, by necessity, less polished than other work I do. After editing the conversation, I add music, an intro and outro and a cold open clip. Editing an episode takes between 2.5 and 7 hours, generally around the 5 hour mark; when I do documentary style specials it takes much longer.

What are the top 3 ways you’ve gained new audience members?

Having occasional guests who have large followings or platforms. Being featured on local and national radio. Being reported on and recommended in national press and online media.

How do you get a return from your show, whether monetary or otherwise?

In money terms, people can donate to the show if they want. Not very many people do, though. I have got a lot of paid work as a result of doing the show and it has helped me just about pay the rent as a freelancer.

The returns I get from it that aren’t financial are much more important though: hearing it has touched people and helped them understand themselves and others better, experiencing it enrich my own life, having it make me see things differently… these returns are not really quantifiable; not all of them are things I can put into words, but they are the reason I make the show.

What unexpected benefit have you gotten from your show?

Making this show has fundamentally changed me as a person: it has challenged and changed my views, opening up my mind to so many other people’s experiences; it has meant that I have made new friends, found new collaborators and had experiences and opportunities I would never have had.

It’s helped me understand who I am, who other people are, and strengthened and deepened my personal relationships.

What 1 piece of advice do you have for a new podcaster in your industry?

Make a podcast because you love what podcasts do, or what podcasts could do, not because you want to make money or get exposure.

About Dave

Dave Pickering is an award winning storyteller and podcaster. He is the host of the Getting Better Acquainted podcast, The Restart Project Podcast, the Hackney branch of the true storytelling night Spark London and host and creator of the performance the variety show Stand Up Tragedy. He co-produces the magical realist family drama podcast The Family Tree. And he is the person the solo storytelling show What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity and BBC Radio 4: Four Thought’s Liberating Men.

You can follow Dave Pickering here: @GBApodcast