What's Your Problem?... with Mark Steadman

The Helpful Podcaster is closing down and in its place is a new daily podcast called Morning Creative.This new daily show explores concepts and questions that creative people often face, and aims to provide creative inspiration. In this episode you'll hear a taster of what you can expect. If you like it, you can subscribe to Morning Creative wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Amazon Music Pocket Casts Podcast Addict CastBox

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! Here is my guide to launching a helpful podcast Here's my guide for crafting a helpful podcast And my guide for growing a helpful podcast And if you haven't already, do check out our free community.Thank you for your interest over the last few months. I look forward to coming back in September with lots more ways to help you build trust and create rewarding relationships with your listeners.Have a wonderful summer. join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 The Chimp Paradox: The Acclaimed Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness, by Steve Peters Join the Helpful Podcasters community join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 sharing too much?LinksJoin the Helpful Podcasters community join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 best of what you and your guest have to offer… without spending hours slaving over an edit.Links Join the Helpful Podcasters community Descript Auphonic join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 it or you've been lucky so far, the next few minutes will save you a lot of heartache in the future.Links Join the Helpful Podcasters community The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right, by Atul Gawande Duplicate my preflight checklist join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 Join the Helpful Podcasters community Captivate Transistor Buzzsprout RedCircle join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 list, and how to use email to deepen the relationship with the listener once they're following the show.Links MailerLite Hemingway app join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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. join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 we're busy shipping regular episodes, we can lose sight of that island of clarity.Let's work on describing your show to your next listener, so they know exactly how it's going to help them cross the bridge, and get the transformation they need.Links ChatGPT Write a letter to your future self join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 hitting Play, and scrolling straight past.Links Squoosh 99designs Fiverr Canva Dress: Fancy join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 Episode 21 of The Helpful Podcaster, about the Atomic Episode structure Calendly Zapier Notion Trello join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 really simple fix.Links Good Sound, Good Research: How Audio Quality Influences Perceptions of the Research and Researcher Samson Q2U Røde NT-USB Røde Procaster Heil PR 40 join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 first to do something differently.Links World's Greatest Con Envato Elements Join the Helpful Podcasters community join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 You Are Not a Frog How I Built This Latina to Latina Join the free Helpful Podcasters community join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 Creating your listener persona: the first step to growing your podcast – Episode 24 Why we all need a ‘Just Cause' – Simon Sinek Share your Listener Story join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 How to create your listener persona – Mark's free Podcast Canvas eBook Penner Collective Alan Wick The Happy Entrepreneur Podcast join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 and energy into your podcast could be the best thing you do for your business in 2023. And it needn't cost you any money… in fact, it might save you some.Key points Make your podcast the value centre of your business. Everything you do should be in service of one problem or question that your listener is dealing with. Specificity is key. Your podcast is your most valuable asset because it's at the intersection between utility and personality. Links Calmer Content Marketing The three-act structure for creating podcast interviews that keep listeners coming back Offers that sell during tough economic times – Jereshia Said join the Bramble waiting list, and help me build a new home for generous communicators like you.

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 to this show, you can follow The Helpful Podcaster in your app now.

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 mission to make helpful podcasts, how can we speed up the spread?Links Share this podcast Beyond the Basement, with Chris Kenworthy A Smaller Life, with Saskia de Feijter Solopreneur Podcasting Tips, with Stephanie Fuccio Sal Jefferies Caroline Beavon Rockstar Remodel The A to Z of Happiness, with Anya Pearse

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 can make your guests feel like a hero while helping your listener overcome a difficult challenge. The more helpful we are to our listener, the more they trust us. The more they trust us, the more they'll want to work with us, buy our products, and join our communities.Key points Structure your podcast interviews around a central question or problem that your listeners are facing. Use a condensed version of the Hero's Journey to structure the interview into three parts: the guest, and how they discovered the answer to the listener's problem the problem itself, going into more detail or discussing the challenges the listener: how they can apply what the guest has learned, to solve their problem

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: They put the listener first Each episode a central question They provide great show notes They form a body of work Links Better Bolder Braver What Google's helpful content update means for podcasters The A-Z of Happiness

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 Apple Podcasts Connect Notion AI

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 of writing show notes, automatically generating summaries and context to make sure the information is accurate.

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 UK DEC American Red Cross Oxfam UNICEF Save the Children Beware of the Leopard

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 Free b-roll from Pexels Free stock video from Pixabay Videvo Dareful PodInbox Circle

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 play and see what happens.Links Dall-E ChatGPT Capsho – AI-generated show notes Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser

Where do we listen to podcasts? How are we promoting them, and what are our thoughts for the future of podcasting?Links State of Podcast Marketing Listener engagement study graph Pacific Content's 2023 Podcast Industry Forecast Podcasting could be in for a rocky 2023 Join us for Vocal Brew in February

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 Transistor.fm Cast Feed Validator

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.1. What would happen if you edited with a with less precision?Do you really need to remove every umm and uh? We all want to sound our smartest, but if you're looking for ways to make the process easier, that level of detail could be the first to go.2. Is there a part of the process you can drop?Do your show notes need to be quite so detailed and meticulous? Do you need to spend an hour making the artwork unique, when a simpler template could do? Is a hand-corrected transcript necessary at this stage, or could an AI-powered one get us close enough?3. What can you delegate?Editing, writing show notes, writing promo copy, producing artwork, scheduling guests… everything can be delegated apart from yourself.4. What can you automate?Did you know you can run tasks like posting to Twitter, LinkedIn ,or Facebook – even Instagram – when your episode is published, regardless of who your podcast is hosted with? It's all done using your RSS feed, and it could save you some time.5. What can you repurpose?The Calmer Content Marketing approach starts with the voice, and helps you build your whole week's worth of content from the conversation you've had in your podcast. By making notes as you chat with your guest, you can end up with a blog post, a transcript, a number of tweets or LinkedIn posts – none of which are simply “Hey, listen to the latest episode!” – and more.6. What can you do or plan in bulk?Check out the blog post How to plan a whole year of podcast content in a day for the definitive guide on this.7. What can you do in context?While you're feeling in Record mode, you could get a whole month's episodes recorded in a single day – if you're a solo podcaster – or schedule a month's worth of interviews over a week.When you're feeling like you want to do some process work rather than work from a blank page, you can sit down and get all your outstanding episodes edited.in a writing mood, or sat on the sofa paging through Netflix? Maybe that's a time to knock out a month's worth of podcast show notes.8. Do you need to promote on social media?What would happen if you took a month off promoting episodes on social, then tracked how it affected your downloads?9. How might constraints create ease?Try limiting your solo episodes to 15 minutes, and not a second longer. Or try the Ignite technique, and make up a PowerPoint presentation where the slides auto-advance after 15 seconds. That time constraint, or that enforced pace, may help you make shorter, pithier episodes, which reduces the amount of editing you have to do. And by creating a few notes beforehand, you already have the bones of your show notes.Get clarity on your podcast's positioning and growth potential.Book a podcast audit

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.Tips and techniques Create a booking page on your website, with a link to your Calendly profile. Here's the booking page for this podcast. Calendly adds the recording date to your calendar, and to your guest's if they choose, and keeps you from being double-booked. You can also ask questions of your guests through the Calendly booking form. Use Zapier to email guests with pre-flight instructions. Here's what Mark sends to guests. Use Trello to keep track of past and future episodes, and where they are in the production pipeline. Create a column for each stage in the guest-booking process. Use Zapier to move a guest's Trello card along from “Reached out” to “Scheduled”. Alternatively, manage the whole podcast process in Notion: Create a database of episodes. Create a kanban view, so you can see your upcoming guest bookings just like a Trello board. Use Zapier to add to or update the database when guests reach out or book a recording slot. Tag and categorise episodes within Notion, so you can look through your back catalogue to see which topics you've covered. Write show notes and share episode assets – like embedded player code, audiograms, sample tweets, etc – with guests. Links The Milk Making Minutes – Lo's podcast Calendly Zapier Notion Check out Mark's new workshop, available to download now:Organise your podcast workflow with Notion

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?Progress isn't linearChange can take years before it happens all at once. We achieve change by setting an intention, then building a system around it.We can't fatten a chicken by constantly weighing it. So, try not to focus on goals and outcomes, and instead focus on outputs.Identity beats consistencyThink about replacing “I need to put out a episode every week” with “I have a weekly podcast”. Once you begin to identify your podcast as having a weekly (or fortnightly) cadence, missing an episode becomes harder. This isn't about piling pressure on ourselves, but changing our mindset from one where we're trying to do something, to one where we already identify as doing that thing.Goals don't create successThe successful podcaster with 20k downloads per episode has the same goal as the podcaster who's scrabbling for every download. If that's true, the goal cannot be what denotes success. Instead it's the systems we put in place – it's doing the work: putting out each episode and asking ourselves “how much have we served our audience with this one?” And then “Can we do that 1% better next time?”Links Atomic Habits, by James Clear PACTs vs SMART goals The Practice, by Seth Godein Ear Brain Heart Get clarity on your podcast's positioning and growth potential.Book a podcast audit

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 Twitter's “Podcasts” tab? What's the plan, and how does it affect leaders using audio to build trust and strengthen relationships? Also, why do social media and podcasting have such a fraught relationship?Twitter's announcementStarting Thursday, August 25, we're integrating podcasts into Twitter as a part of our newly redesigned Spaces Tab. We know that some discussions need more than 280 characters, and bringing people closer to the ideas, content, and creators they know and love is core to Twitter no matter where the conversations take place… These new hubs will also feature the most popular and engaging podcasts from around the world.A quote from senior product manager Evan Jones goes on to explain why this means podcasts like ours won't be found:What we're really trying to capture here is as if it's like another user recommending you something.What Twitter should do insteadIf you tweet the link to your podcast episode, we know how to get the actual podcast it came from. We can surface real listener recommendations as playable audio within the app.Why Twitter's podcasting implementation is doomed to failTwitter was an open platform almost from the beginning. There are two credible and open directories they could access for podcast listings, yet they're curating their own list of “popular” shows (ie: true crime, straight white male comedy, and sport).This isn't about providing a better experience, it's about user retention, and maximising time in-app.Audio is a secondary mediumWhen you listen to a podcast, you're inviting the host into your life. You're bringing them along while you do your daily stuff.Video, on the other hand, demands our full attention. And while we're attentive, we're also able to click and tap on ads.Facebook tried integrating podcasts and it didn't workWe're in a different state of mind when we scroll. We're not ready to put our phone down and listen to something long-form, we want to keep getting quick hits of info.What makes us share things?Anger, fear, excitement, and laughter. These four key emotions are what drives social sharing.Long-form audio might elicit those responses, but finding a context-free clip that can be shared on social media to create that same reaction is difficult.The pivot to videoWe're being told that in order for us to compete as podcasters, we have to include video.Those who gain to benefit from the video hype are those that traffic in ads, which are far easier to track in streaming video than they are in downloaded audio.Podcasting is a slow mediumPodcasts are a counter to social media in lots of ways. They provide a moment of respite, a moment of pause. They give us permission to choose how to engage our eyes and hands.How can we make social media work for us?Most of us don't have a big enough social audience to move the needle, and tactics for converting audiences can only work so much.Building a real audience takes time. In the meantime: Keep having the conversations that need to be had Make the show you want to hear Seek out answers to the questions you're asking Quietly build your back-catalogue of insight and info When people discover it, they'll have a treasure trove they'll thank you for If you've been at this for a number of years, ask yourself Am I learning stuff? Am I having fun? Am I building authority in my field? Do I have the energy to make it to the next milestone? If none of those questions elicit a “yes”, let's have a chat.Links Twitter's announcement of their Podcasts tab The Podcast Host's write-up Trust Me I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator, by Ryan Holiday Targeted daily engagement Discuss your podcasting needs with Mark Get clarity on your podcast's positioning and growth potential.Book a podcast audit

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?Updates to SquadCast They're reintroduced time zones. Guests will now know if their camera is being recorded. They've added a setting for “community events”. Toggle this on and a tab will appear so you can attend events SquadCast are running. Beginning Sept 29, Office Hours will run every Friday at 6pm UK time. The redesigned dashboard allows toggling of Sessions Primary recordings Cloud recordings SquadShots Access all recordings from the side navigation. New equipment info panel for all participants on the recording page. Toggle echo cancellation on/off for each guest. Toggle access to beta features on/off. Why I'm sticking with Riverside Too many fussy problems with SquadCast. For example, You can't make it output to your selected audio device, as SquadCast ignores that setting and sticks with the system default. I've seen frequent loss of audio from client projects meaning we have to revert to the backup, which should be something that happens 1% of the time, not 20%. Riverside is more competitively priced. Why I like SquadCast and don't love Riverside SquadCast has a community focus. The people who run it are open, public, and nice. That matters! They care about building a great product, and making customers happy. This is reflected in their customer service. Riverside is functional and have skimped on support. What you should use If you value customer service and community, use SquadCast. If reliability is what you need, and you can deal with problems yourself, use Riverside. Get clarity on your podcast's positioning and growth potential.Book a podcast audit

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 them gets my gold star.In the wake of Captivate's recent update, let's look at what dynamic content, why it's useful, how Captivate are making it easier to manage, along with what host you should pick and why. Captivate hosts over 17,000 podcasts. v2.0 of their dynamic audio engine brings Dynamic slot management Multiple ads per slot Drag and drop improvements Ability to insert slots with timestamps Tagging of ad slots Easier bulk ad management On the horizon is a partnership with DAX, another product owned by their parent company, Global. Where DAI is useful Adding timely messaging on evergreen content Multiple service offerings mean adding relevant dynamic content to each episode Captivate vs TransistorI've long said that Transistor is my favourite place to host. So, what's changed? Well, not much… it's still my favourite, but my recommendation to clients is to use Captivate. DAI is built-in to all Captivate plans. Captivate is IAB certified. If Transistor did this, I'd switch my recommendation in a heartbeat: Put DAI in all their plans, lowering the barrier to entry Add tagging of content and slots Get clarity on your podcast's positioning and growth potential.Book a podcast audit

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 Podcast Editors Club on Facebook The Vocal Fries Pod Steve Stewart's “How to Find a Podcast Editor” guide Podcast Editing Plus, from Stephanie Fuccio Alice Won'g's Disability Visibility podcast This episode is brought to you by Unmute, a program for social entrepreneurs, changemakers and people who have a sense that something isn't quite right. If you know someone who should have a podcast, but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to begin, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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 We Got This with Mark and Hal Ignite Talks PechaKucha 20x20 Why you'll never get ahead with your podcast Calendly Zapier This episode is brought to you by Unmute, a program for social entrepreneurs, changemakers and people who have a sense that something isn't quite right. If you know someone who should have a podcast, but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to begin, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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 Design Feeling Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman This episode is brought to you by Unmute, a program for social entrepreneurs, changemakers and people who have a sense that something isn't quite right. If you know someone who should have a podcast, but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to begin, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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 Sex is Funny Matchmaker.fm PodcastGuests @fesshole This episode is brought to you by Unmute, a program for social entrepreneurs, changemakers and people who have a sense that something isn't quite right. If you know someone who should have a podcast, but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to begin, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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 and Mark discuss ways to keep that attention to detail without a loss in quality.LinksHow to plan a whole year of podcast content in a dayThis episode is brought to you by Unmute, a program for social entrepreneurs, changemakers and people who have a sense that something isn't quite right. If you know someone who should have a podcast, but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to begin, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.

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 the episodes to YouTube. She's heard conflicting advice about publishing full episodes (with and without video) to YouTube, so is coming to Mark for advice.Links Rebellious Wellness Over 50 Descript Captivate How to podcast on YouTube: the 3 biggest mistakes to Avoid Podcasting 2.0 with Dave Jones + Video Buzzcast Update This episode is brought to you by Unmute, a program for social entrepreneurs, changemakers and people who have a sense that something isn't quite right. If you know someone who should have a podcast, but has been struggling with imposter syndrome or even knowing where to begin, you can send them to podcode.co/unmute.