This newsletter contains affiliate links. Not all of them, but some of them. I earn a small commission, and it doesn’t cost you anything. I call that a win-win.

I think I was four (maybe five) when I went with my big brother to ice skate on a pond. I was so small I couldn’t find skates to fit me feet so I just slid around the pond in my boots. My Mom told me, “Don’t get too close to the heater, it will melt your jacket.”

The heater was five foot tall metal tube where they built a fire and it became a giant radiator. You know how this ends right? With my brother saying, “Mom is going to kill you” as I had a coat on my arms and chest, but the back had melted (luckily without melting me).

So when I see things/companies leading podcasters a little too close to the heater, I’m the one saying, “You might not want to get to close to that…”

The Last Newsletter

In the last newsletter I pointed out a fair number of things that make nervous about the state of podcasting.

Then, in my latest School of Podcasting episode I asked my audience, and some of them as well are worried about AI Slop, The Government, Ad Loads, and more being detrimental to podcasting.

I got some feedback that summarized as “Dave you might not get new students to the School of Podcasting if you keep painting the picture so dark.”

To this I agree with them. But the Mom who says “Don’t stand so close to the heater” may sound like she’s worried about the coat, but in reality she’s more worried about the boy inside the coat.

More Noise Helps to Create the “Discovery Problem”

So when I say, “It’s harder to grow your show with more noise in the air” it’s because I need you to set realistic expectations . We see reports where the number of people stopping their podcast is about the same as the number people starting a podcast. We’d (those who build stuff for podcasters) would like to slow down the exits.

While most people who say there is a “Discovery problem” in podcasting are saying that because their podcast hasn’t been discovered. With more noise, it just means the already poor search in apps will face more strain.

This is why you need to make a “Follow” page with links to your show on different apps. It’s easy to share, easy to use, easy to remember. Then get your audience to share it with this friends.

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Riverside Hosting is very basic

Editing Automated Transcripts in Podpage

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Every month I ask my audience a question for the School of Podcasting. Here is this month’s question:

Let's talk remote recording. Many podcasters have made their way through more than one. So which one did you land on? Which ones did you pass on? Would you recommend your current tool to a new podcaster? I need your answer by May 22nd

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The Genre of YouTubers Being Demonetized

An interesting video by Steven Song where he helps define “Inauthentic Content.”

How to Pitch a Podcast Artwork Finalized.

Mark from PodcastBranding.co has finished my artwork (after going through a few options) which you can see in this thumbnail/video. The goal is to have the show live in two weeks. If you want to talk about a bad (or good) pitch you received, go to www.pitchapodcast.com/story

Right Tool for The Job Alban Brooke on Podcraft

(for the record, I can’t link to the episode on Podcrafts site, as they only provide a little player - it’s not a post).

In this episode of Podcraft Alban Brooke from Buzzsprout talks about using YouTube just for discovery (as that is what it does best) he also shares how Buzzsprout is integrating video into their platform.

What’s Coming In The Future

I’ve interview Justin Jackson from Transistor on why he’s so optimistic about HLS Video coming to Apple. I also will be talking about the value of dialogues.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

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This newsletter contains affiliate links. Not all of them, but some of them. I earn a small commission, and it doesn’t cost you anything. I call that a win-win.

So the question of the month is “Are you more optimist or pessimist when you think about podcasting. What do you think is in store for the future of podcasting?

Answer at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question by the last Friday of the month.

Spotify the Walled Garden

We have Spotify allowing tons of free shows on a platform that has expressed frustration with RSS while also stating they love open RSS. The features they create ignore open specs and only work in their app. This results in them being known as “The Walled Garden.” My favorite is when they had a GIANT booth at an event that you needed an invite to go into (thus, and actual walled garden).

YouTube

We have YouTube launching a massive campaign on changing the definition of what a podcast is and borrowing the prestine reputation of podcasting like a Hollywood vampire. The biggest issue is this messes up our reports. Some of the reports are just stupid, “YouTube podcasts are blowing up on YouTube!” No kidding. Where else can you watch a YouTube video?

Insloption Point

You’ve got insloption point AI, oh wait, inception point AI now - on some days -creating more SHOWS (not episodes) than humans. This makes discovery harder as people have to step over the trash as soon as they step into the door of podcasting.

Douchebag of the Year

Then you’ve got assholes like Ibnul Jaif Farabi, who is making AI shows that are almost like another show so instead of “Dave Jackson Power Hour” it’s “Dave Jackson Power Hour Podcast.” When asked for comment by Podnews, he replied,

“F(-) you lot because you don’t like competitions. If your entire business model is being threatened by one person using AI agents, then you need to adapt. Otherwise, perish.” (Mom should be so proud).

To that I say if anyone wants to take this douchebag to court, I’ll be one of the first to chip into your go fundme. If you haven’t watched the documentary Inside the Manosphere, it is sad and shocking, and it’s time to talk to your young males and see who is influencing them. It is all about $$$ - morals be damned.

So It’s Up To us

We NEED our audiences to tell their friends about your shows. So make sure that you make it E Z to find and follow your show (Podpage makes a /follow page all you do is put in the links). It also helps if your show is amazing.

What is louder than two giant companies with an endless marketing budget who like to “bend the truth?” What can be louder than morally deficient companies flooding out space with valueless, time wasting shit? Word of mouth can be, but only if we circle the troops and assemble your army to fight back.

Trever Noah has a new comedy special on Netflix. It made me smile, but it also made me think. He mentioned how black people would go to “white only” places to eat, get verbally abused, physically abused and thrown out and return the next day to do it again. We all say, “Well, yeah, they had to so we have integration…”

We know that NOW because we know how it ended (hindsight is great). THEY DIDN’T. They didn’t, and yet they returned every day. We are living through history. When we look back five, maybe ten years from now, we will be proud of how we handled the new obstacles that podcasting faces?

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I Don’t Care - I Do What I Want!

Every month I ask my audience a question for the School of Podcasting. Here is this month’s question:

I'm looking to hear how you feel about the future of podcasting. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of podcasting? Let us know why, and also be sure to tell us a little bit about your podcast and your website address. I need your answer by April 24th

Ready to Answer? Click Here

WordPress Back Doors

Dozens of WordPress plugins were secretly compromised this month. If your podcast website runs on WordPress, here's what to check to make sure you're safe.

More information

Also, FYI Podpage now has a WordPress migration.

Building a New Version of Podcasting Resources

I’ve had a directory of resources at podcastingresources.com but it’s on Wordpress, and to make a long story short, the updates, the cost, etc I wanted a different version.

So I found Easydirectory.com (aff) and I put THIS together. It’s not done (as of 4/17) but it was so much easier, and there some features I won’t use. It’s run by ONE guy, and he’s super transparent. There is a lifetime deal that I’m going to probably pull the trigger on. This could be a way to grow affiliate income, as well as potentially sell ads on the site.

A Nice Kick in the Pants - Spoiler Alert You’re Aging

So saw SuperPower on Facebook. The idea is for around $200 you get a ton of tests done to your blood. When you login to your account, you have a 3D version of you and you can click and learn what is in good shape, and what is not.

I found out that my perceived age is 20 years OLDER than I am. Look, I’m a diabetic, and I’m overweight, so I didn’t expect a glowing report, but it did help me to see how important it is that I do whatever I can to get my blood sugar down.

If you’re looking to see how your really doing, this is a way to do it. Now, of course they have supplements to help you get more healthy. That was just one of what seemed like quite a few upsells.

What’s Coming In The Future

In cleaning up my office it turns out I have quite the collection of wireless microphones so I’ll be doing a shootout as well as chiming in with the new information from Captivate about HLS video with Apple. Got a topic you want to hear on the School of Podcasting? I’m taking requests.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

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First, thanks for being a supporter. This edition is just for you.

It finally hit 70 (21.1 C) degrees here in Ohio. I started walking on my breaks instead of taking involuntary naps on the couch. I put the bike rack on the trunk and got my 10 first miles in.

Read more

This newsletter contains affiliate links. Not all of them, but some of them. I earn a small commission, and it doesn’t cost you anything. I call that a win-win.

I just saw a presentation from Seth Resler from Community Marketing Revolution and was talking about building a community. One strategy is to talk to those people who are always active and ask them what they want. This way instead of building a community for your audience that nobody wants, you are building the community with the audience that everybody needs.

I love an app called Volley that I use in my coaching. When it first came out I was worried as it was free, but the creator assured me that a new paid tier was coming that would fuel the app moving forward.

The paid version came out and it was overflowing with features nobody wanted, and the eventually went out of business. We were all devastated. Luckily they found some funding and changed their business model. Their initial failure was they built their paid tier for the audience, not with them.

My sister is horrible at buying Christmas lists (she is aware), so you need to polish off your Oscar winning performance when she draws your name in the gift exchange. Your podcast is a gift for your audience. It might help to know what they want.

Podpage is now doing monthly “Town Hall” meetings where a good 30% of it is just fielding questions from our users. This helps us see what they want, and in some cases where we need more education.

One thing I always do is if someone contacts me from my podcast audience, I always ask them what they would like to hear. I want to build the show with them as well as for them.

I had three people tell me how great the movie “Project Hail Mary” was, so I decided to go see it (see again, the power of word of mouth).

I’m not going to spoil it. Here are some of the reasons it was good:

• It wasn’t a sequel

• It wasn’t a prequel

• It had no super heroes

• It had no political agendas

Throw on top that a good story has tension and release, this movie had multiple ups and downs and I was surprised by the ending (as you’re trying to guess how its going to end through the whole movie.

So this is nothing new. It was unique compared to current movies, and used good storytelling techniques.

Shocking.

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Podpage Videos

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Podpage Built in CDPR Compliance Tool

Every month I ask my audience a question for the School of Podcasting. Here is this month’s question:

I'm looking to hear how you feel about the future of podcasting. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of podcasting? Let us know why, and also be sure to tell us a little bit about your podcast and your website address. I need your answer by April 24th

Ready to Answer? Click Here

Beehiiv Bolts on Hosting

Maybe I’m weird. I don’t mind having multiple companies that do things very well instead of having one place that does a ton of stuff very “meh” but Beehiiv (known as a newsletter with advertising) has bolted on media hosting.

So let me get this straight. All the audio people are being told they need to do video, while all the newsletter people are being told they need to do audio?

More information

Michael Girdley’s “Rise and Fall” YouTube Channel

It’s story telling in video. Does he have a fancy camera and background? No, it’s on his phone with a self stick and a DJI Lavalier (on sale!). Here is one (again, building a product your community doesn’t want).

What’s Coming In The Future

I’ll be doing a deep dive into affiliate marketing, and how it may be the best way to monetize our podcast when you have a smaller audience. Got a topic you want to hear on the School of Podcasting? I’m taking requests.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

Read more

This newsletter contains affiliate links. Not all of them, but some of them. I earn a small commission, and it doesn’t cost you anything. I call that a win-win.

I had an AMAZING weekend in Austin Texas at the Novel Marketing Conference put on by Thomas Umstattdt Jr from Author Media. It was a single track conference and in my opinion those are the best. Why?

• Everyone gets the exact same information

• You don’t have to decide which session to miss

• They are typically smaller and you get to meet almost everyone.

Podcast Adjacent

You might call this “Podcast Adjacent” as all the marketing advice for books applies to podcasting about 98% of the time. I once went to an SEO seminar at a local library and got two clients. Why? People at an SEO seminar are trying to get more exposure. A great way to get more exposure is PODCASTING. Likewise, a great way to get the word out about your new book? PODCASTING.

I was lucky enough to have two of the speakers point me out and say “If you need your podcast questions answered, talk to that guy in the back - Dave raise your hands will you?” (which doesn’t suck). So I might look for more events that are “Podcast adjacent.”

Little Word That are Big Takeaways

I talk about the four D’s of Podcasting based on a keynote from Chase Replogle and it was simple advice that makes you go, “Oh yeah, I should do more of that.”

The Power We Forget We Have

I had buried to get that episode out (including a typo in the title DOH!), and I realized I had forgotten one golden nugget that I think we often overlook. I can’t remember if it was Thomas or Chase, but they said:

So why is this powerful? Because it’s true.

I remember once I going through the torture that is “assembling some furniture” (slot C into screw AA behind peg hole E) and I was really getting frustrated. I turned on a podcast and the voice of “The Real Brian” came out who made me smile, and my evening got instantly better.

You have the power to shape how people think and feel.

I’m looking to start a new podcast, but it’s an audience participation show, and so I need you to participate.

When some wanna be guest sends you a horrible pitch (or if it’s a good pitch) I’d love to have you record you reading it and explain why it’s a bad pitch, and what you perfect guest would look like (as they might be listening) as always include your website address ( so I can link to you) and tell us a little but about your show.

I’m not looking to throw people under the bus (or get sued), so I’ll scrub specifics about the person trying to be a guest. Here is a quick example (although I was somewhat snarky).

I need to to share your story at www.pitchapodcast.com/story by February 28th (I need 20 to start and would DEEPLY appreciate your help). The goal is to:

• Help PR agencies understand what podcasters need from a quest pitch

• Help podcasters feel “not so alone” as we swim in Spam

• Give the podcaster who contributes a bit of exposure and potential future guests.

Send in your story today.

My Latest Content

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The Four D’s of Podcasting: Novel Marketing Conference Recap

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Overthinking Your Podcast Posting Schedule

My Induction of Mark Asquith into the Podcast Hall of Fame

Every month I ask my audience a question for the School of Podcasting. Here is this month’s question:

From Emily Kate (at the Novel Marketing Conference) I want to know in the beginning, throughout your story, what sacrifices and shortcuts did you take? Did they work out well? The ones that worked out well and made you a success? What were they?

Ready to Answer? Click Here

Jordan Harbinger on the New Media Show

I’ve known Jordan for a while and one of the things he doesn’t do is follow the leader if it leads him in a direction he doesn’t want to go. This interview he reveals how some YouTubers are getting stuck talking about things they don’t want to talk about. It’s a great interview.

Some Absolutely Horrible Podcast Advice From Pete Davidson

Pete Davidson was on the Tonight Show where he admitted:

• He kind of wants to do the show, he guesses… sure why not

• He does no prep. He’ll talk to someone and see “where it goes.”

• He’s not happy talking to boring people

• He just had a baby

So let me get this straight, a guy who is sleep deprived and not thrilled to talk to his guest, and won’t do prep to create a good conversation is doing a podcast that you can’t get on any podcast app (only Netflix). Don’t expect to see this show lasting long.

An Interesting Site About the Rise of Ad Load

This site is really a ploy to get you to buy an app that helps you skip ads, but it has some research on how we’ve been stuffing more and more ads into podcasts (39%+ in four years) see

https://podcasts.rip/

The Podcast Editor’s Academy is OPEN

If you’re an editor (or wanna be editor) you can lock in the $300/year price by ordering in the next 26 days. I even have an affiliate link. Steve Stewart and Mark Deal have made a truly special place for podcast editors. Learn how to run your own editing service. More Info.

What’s Coming In The Future

I think I uncovered the recipe of what makes people binge content. I figured it out after watching multiple shows I normally wouldn’t binge, and yet I was …. Follow the show and never miss an episode.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

This newsletter contains affiliate links. Not all of them, but some of them. I earn a small commission, and it doesn’t cost you anything. I call that a win-win.

Podfest 2026 Was a Great Event

Every time I went to walk to another session, or lunch, etc I met someone new or caught up with old friends. I was lucky enough to speak on two panels, one solo session, and I inducted Mark Asquith from Captivate into the Podcast Hall of Fame. The networking is non-stop. I missed so many sessions cause I was having a blast in the hallway.

There was a different vibe for some of us. Last year both Todd Cochrane and Neil Guilarte died suddenly. It’s like Thanksgiving with the one empty chair except it was doubled. However, I think we all have a better understanding on how short life can be, and we need to make the best of it.

One night I was in the hotel restaurant freezing when I then understood where that cold breeze was coming from. Rob Walch (formerly of Libsyn and now with Podcast411) and James Cridland (of podnews.net) were at the same table. Not only were they civil to each other, but I might even say had fun trading stories about “back in the day.” As these two were never fans of each other, this lead me to believe that Hell had indeed frozen over and the breeze went straight to Florida.

We live. We learn. We grow.

Why Is Nobody Doing This?

Peanut butter and jelly are always together. Do you know what else is? These two sentences, “I need help growing my audience,” followed by, “I don’t need any help with my content.” For my solo talk I did a poll and asked how many people had surveyed their audience to see how their content was resonating. Only 32% of respondent had done a survey (and if you’re a Podpage user it’s built int!).

If you need help I strongly urge you to buy the book The Audience Is Listening: A Little Guide to Building a Big Podcast. It’s also available on Audible.

The Only Tool That Caught My Eye

Where was Shure? Riverside? Descript? (I’ve got an answer on that in a second). The one new thing that made me stop and go, “Hmmmm” was episodic.ai Their website says this:

Episonic brings you Lauralai—your AI-powered producer, researcher, showrunner, and content strategist, all dedicated to helping you grow your audience and delight your listeners.

Start with the Persona Builder (always free), then let Lauralai help you design and build your best episodes ever.

While I get that the name of their AI helper Laralai has oral and AI in the name (but it has a “Mildred” feel for me). You give it three episodes and it “listens” to them and then creates a target audience avatar. It was intriguing. It also tied guests to topics it came up with and then tied the topic to your audience.

These Do Seem Expensive

When it comes to pricing, you can’t blame the event organizer. I spoke with Nick Pavlidis the CEO and he explained that by the time you pay $135 for a gallon coffee, add 20% gratuity, and an additional 6% of tax, a cup of coffee cost about $14. It would be cheaper to leave his credit card at the nearest Starbucks and let people charge their next cup.

The LED screen behind the speakers at the Hall of Fame cost $10K to rent, and another $8K to plug it in. Yes, that’s a thing, and that’s why the tickets were $50/each.

So the hospitality industry is going to price themselves right out of customers.

A Great Time Was Had By All

I don’t drink or smoke, but had a great time with a group of about thirty people standing around a fire outside sharing stories and having a good laugh. New friendships were made, and old friendships were made stronger.

Many of us learned a great lesson: You’re not 22 anymore, and you don’t bounce back as fast as you used to after staying up until 3:30 am.

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What Would You Do If You Actually Loved Podcasting?

Tom Webster knocks it out of the park in this article that makes sure you’ve answered some questions you need to answer as you podcast. I love the point, “People don’t go to quilting conferences expecting a dozen sessions about monetizing your quilting.” Read More

The Media Roundtable Mentioned This Newsletter

Dan Granger on the Media Roundtable podcast mentioned that I had made a point about banner ads and how they went down the drain and are programmatic podcast ads going to go the same place? Nobody addressed it except to say I had sensationalized it, and it was a powerful metaphore (but they didn’t say I was wrong…). Listen.

A Frivolous Lawsuit for Me!

I received a lawsuit that is suing the School of Podcasting because my chat box didn’t warn them that if they entered their name and email address to talk to me that it would be stored (even if I don’t use it which I don’t). I will share more on that as a I can (expect a Gofundme in the future).

Rode Coming Out with Video Component for Rodecaster Pro and Duo

Later this year, if you’ve been thinking about in person video, this looks cool and affordable. See Video

What’s Coming In The Future

Per the lawsit, I’ll be talking about Podcaster Insurance, and other things to make sure you, your show, and your website are “troll free.”

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

Will Podcast Advertising Go the Way of the Banner Ad?

OK, this post is a little wordy, but that’s because it’s important.

I’m really worried about the advertising space in podcasting. Why?

Because I lived through the 90s, and if we go back, there were banner ads on websites, and they were making decent money because you were renting a space, much like a billboard on a street.

But by 1995, pricing had shifted from renting that space to our good friend CPM (cost per thousand impressions). There were ad servers like DoubleClick that enabled advertisers to track performance and move their spends between sites, which initially made banners feel targeted and more valuable compared with offline media, and it looked great.

The Race to the Bottom Begins

The problem was there weren’t that many websites until suddenly, well, there were millions of sites, blogs, and later apps. They all added display slots, and suddenly the supply exploded far faster than advertiser demand, and those cost per thousand impressions were pushed way down.

Click-through rates collapsed as users developed banner blindness. Advertisers, well, they shifted their budget towards better attributed channels like social and retargeting, which further pressured generic display CPMs.

Ad networks and then exchanges aggregated inventory, and they took, of course, their own cuts, so even when advertisers’ CPMs looked decent on paper, what actually flowed to publishers, especially the smaller ones, kept shrinking, and it’s that programmatic buying and real-time bidding that turned banners into a (for the most part) automated commodity, and in major markets, the vast majority of display spend is now programmatic.

Sacrificing Content and Experience for Pennies

Meanwhile, of course, there are ad blockers, slower and more cluttered sites, and too many units per page that basically reduce view ability and engagement.

I had a client of mine explain how he wasn’t getting any newsletter sign-ups. I went to his site and it just smacked in the face with multiple pop-ups and a barrage of Google AdSense ads. I couldn’t even find the newsletter, let alone sign up for it (and of course he got mad at me, ‘cause I’m taking “food off the table” when I suggest he back off a bit).

Is Podcasting Going Down the Same Route?

Now let’s look at podcasting. We can program our apps to skip the beginning of shows, especially when they start off with one, two, three, or seven ads at the beginning.

We can program our fast forward button, so that “we’ll be right back” is now gone from 30 seconds to 60 seconds to four minutes. Yeah, we can skip through that, and I really worry that podcast advertising may be walking the same path.

Not only can we skip ads at the beginning, I can dump out of the end as well in Pocketcasts (on a per show basis).

Now Every Podcast Can Add Advertisements

Five years ago, there weren’t tools to do dynamic ads, and now Captivate, Transistor, Libsyn, Blubrry, and RSS.com (probably more) all have the ability to insert ads. When supply outpaces demand, I just think it’s a race to the bottom.

Even if we all band together to demand higher rates, there are companies like Inception Point AI that flood our space with horrible content that will take (apparently) any CPM. They have admitted publicly they don’t listen to their own shows so integrity is not their strong suit (IMHO).

I think going forward we’re going to see more and more podcasters adopt premium podcasting. I think we’re going to see more patronage of just, “Hey, I want you to keep doing this. I want to give you money because you deliver value” with sites like Supercast and Patreon. Media hosts like Captivate and Buzzsprout have this built in.

The Negative Trends Started Last Year

I know three shows where the hosts make a living from ads. Last year they did the following:

• Added more episodes

• Made them longer (to keep the percentage of ads lower)

Why? Because they have children to feed. So when you used to make a living from podcasting, and now you make half that you either jam in more ads into your current schedule (because the big agencies want to turn podcasting into radio which is 30% ads) or add additional episodes so you have more ads (or develop a love of ramen noodles).

The problem is these additional episodes are often not the same quality and value of their original episodes, which may lead to people tuning out, which makes them panic and leads to people adding more ads to their current episodes (ruining the experience).

In some cases, I was listening to the show because it was short. Now it’s not.

Because the way it’s going now, more and more ads are getting squeezed into shows that often are now making themselves longer just so they can add ads, and that extra content there that they’re delivering is not up to speed with their typical remarkable content.

The Hallmark Channel Playbook

I watched some Hallmark Channel this holiday season. At one point, they showed seven minutes of content followed by four minutes of ads. I busted out my phone and after watching 30 minutes, the content I had watched was 32% advertising. One of the ads I would watch was pointing me to their Hallmark+ program where there are no ads, and the more I watch I earn credits to buy things in their store.

This strategy also used by YouTube, which is the annoy them into paying us strategy.

And yet I keep hearing the same thing.

A new energetic wanna be podcaster comes to me and says, “I want to start a podcast and make money.” There is nothing wrong with that until I ask, “How are you going to do that?” and the answer is, “Well, I guess through advertising.” They assume people are stuffing ads into their show because they are making some of that sweet sweet podcast money.

Then I explain that when I wrote my book on podcast monetization there were CPMs listed as $1.80 or $0.0018 per download. Now there are times when you earn $5/1000 which means if you get 400 downloads you might be able to buy a Mountain Dew.

Strap yourself in as we race to the bottom (?)

My Latest Content

School of Podcasting (​follow​)
Why is that show your favorite? (learn what audiences want).

Ask the Podcast Coach (follow)
Getting Real About Podcast Improvement: Audio, AI, and Authenticity

Your Podcast Consultant (​follow​)
Hook Them Before You Sell Them

An Inch Wide and a Mile Deep

This is a clip from a musician and YouTuber I follow. She tries things and shares the results. If you think the “big companies” care about you, and believe they will help promote you, well….

Google Tasks

I’ve used Todist for my To Do List for years (decades?). I love it. I have found that I live in my calendar as I HAVE TO check it every morning. I don’t HAVE To check my to do list (I should but I don’t). I always saw the task list in Google calendar, and it may turn out, I could use this (Free) and the pray Google doesn’t cancel it.

What’s Coming In The Future

I haven’t done a “How to Start a Podcast” Episode in a long time, so I’ll be doing one for those who are beginners and this time, I’ll be talking video.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

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Four Opinions and None of them Wrong

Last week, I put out an episode of the School of Podcasting where I threw Steve Goldstein and Jay Nachlis under the bus. I couldn’t understand how they were calling things like newsletters, TikTok a podcast. It just seems like everything was a podcast, the kitchen timer that’s sitting on my desk was a podcast, and it drove me absolutely bananas.

I was so upset that I recorded that episode four times, and each time I was telling myself to tone down the emotion and stick to the logic. In the end, I don’t think I ever achieved that.

The Low Blow

I even stooped so low as to making fun of their audio quality. Now, it’s not that their audio quality was good, but it made it a bit too personal to say, “Why are you listening to these guys when their microphones sound like crap?” I mean, they could easily go, “Why are you listening to Dave when that guy’s 40 pounds overweight?”

It reminds me of being a musician when you make an ever so slight mistake in a song. When you hear the recording of that song, all you hear is the mistake, and you kind of cringe every time you hear it. And I believe that part of that episode is one that I always kind of go, “ooh, I probably should have taken that out.”

Let’s Have a Dialogue

I sent an email to Steve the night before because I’ve known Steve since probably 2006, and I let him know that I was politely throwing him under the bus. It wasn’t personal; I just disagreed with his opinion. If he wanted to get on Zoom, I would love to hear his side of his findings. And in true fashion of Steve, who is a great guy and is always open to a great discussion, gladly accepted and we got together on Zoom.

Looking back, it would’ve made more sense to do that before doing a twenty minute rant on a podcast…

I’ve Looked at Podcasting from Both Sides Now

I am a guy with a technical background. I have a degree in education, but before that degree, I had a degree in electronic engineering. I canbe a very logical guy (per my ex-wives). And so when you ask me what a podcast is, I’m going to quote the specs from the RSS namespace that a podcast is audio, video, or a PDF delivered via RSS. If we wanted to get super nerdy, we could talk about enclosures. I’m not wrong based on what I see.

Steve is an old radio guy who is now teaching a podcast class at NYU, and he is surrounded by younger people better known as Gen Z. If you ask those people what is a podcast, they will tell you anything on YouTube. This is what Steve sees on a regular basis. So when you ask him what is a podcast, he’s going to include YouTube based on the evidence that is surrounding him. He’s not wrong based on what he sees, and that is enough for my logical brain.

Did I Change My Mind on What a Podcast Is?

Do I think we should be letting people that don’t understand podcasting define what it is?

No.

But I now see where Steve is coming from. And I see where people and companies like Sounds Profitable, who surround themselves with advertising people, and the people over at Oxford Road who are surrounded by advertising buyers, everyone has their own opinion. And none of them are wrong.

It’s what we all see from our chair. And we all try to pieces part these all together to get an accurate picture. But as everyone has said, getting podcasters together to agree on something is like herding cats.

No RSS No Podcast

I will continue to be the one that waves the flag that says if there isn’t an RSS feed, it’s not a podcast. That is my stand, and I believe in it 100%.

What I’m going to try to do in 2026 is when I hear a different opinion is to not let it get under my skin and just understand that they are reporting what they are seeing from their chair.

I might put an uptime counter on my site “X days since dave complained about YouTube being a podcast” and see if I can make it to double digits.

What Does This Have to Do With Elephants?

Here is the parable of the blind men and the elephant:

A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.

They all had different opinions based on what they felt. All had a different opinion, and none of them were wrong. Then again, they were blind - and we’re not… hmmm…

SIDE NOTE

I had quite a few people reach out to me because I started off that episode with a Christmas story explaining how if you keep changing the definition of something to achieve your goal, you end up ruining the thing that you are trying to build.

And that was creative, but I also thought it was kind of weird because yes, it included Dave doing his famous, horrible English accent, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go over. But by taking a chance, I had numerous people say, “That was hilarious. One of your best episodes.”

So maybe one of the things we all need to do is take those risks, be a little more creative, and do our best to entertain and not just educate those who are listening.

Podcast Hot Seat Black Friday Deal Still Going

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My Latest Content

School of Podcasting (​follow​)
Who is Peeing in the Podcast Pool (I’m naming names)

Ask the Podcast Coach (follow)
Is It a Podcast Without an RSS Feed? The Great Debate (kind of the warm up for the SOP episode)

Your Podcast Consultant (​follow​)
What is The Streisand Effect?

TODAY 12/27 is the Last Day to Submit to the Question of the Month

Every year I ask my audience (better known as YOU) to answer this question:

What is your favorite podcast (and I know it’s hard but you can only pick one) and then tell me why it’s your favorite show (we really want to know the WHY)?

Then tell us a little bit about your show, and your website address. If you want to be included I need it right now as I assemble it on the 28th (the original deadline was the 26th).

Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question

Stuff That Caught My Eye

Look Ma No Hands!

My buddy (and School of Podcasting member ) Craig Vanslyke (host of the AI Goes to College and Live Well and Flourish) turned me on to wispr flow.

Right now this app is just for Macs, but it is text to speech on steroids. Did you notice the above paragraphs were a bit more wordy that usual? It’s because I didn’t type a word. I held down two keys and talked into a microphone and it just typed it in. It has a cool dictionary feature, and lots of toys. You can get up to 2000 words a week for free, but as someone who types for 8 hours a day, I’m going to spring the $12/month for the unlimited plan

If you use my affiliate link, you get a free month of Pro, and I get a free month of pro if you dictate 2000 words.

Check it out.

It All Begins With A Song

Ok, I might get into this documentary a bit more because of my musical past when I played in bands from the age of 15. But there are so many things that are similar to songwriting that apply to podcasters.

these are professional songwriters, and they say things like, “If you want to be a songwriter, write every single day. That’s how you get better.”

Also, the best songwriters work with someone else because when you bounce ideas off each other, eventually you’ll say something that resonates. When it resonates with both of you, then you know you’re on to something.

For me, this is why I think every podcaster should get feedback on their episodes. I know it would be hard to do that on every episode, but feedback is a much-needed ingredient that is missing from much of podcasters’ toolbox today.

So if you want an inside look into professional songwriting, and maybe learn some tips and insights you could apple to your podcast. It’s on Amazon prime, and I was surprised it’s also on YouTube for free.

What’s Coming In The Future

My last episode of the year is always your answer to “What is your favorite podcast and why” and if want to be included, I need your answer now.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

Is the Scapegoat in the Mirror?

A while back I came up with what I called, “The Equation for Downloads.” It is

Contact X Smart Marketing = Total Downloads

One on hand, I thought, “That’s about right. If your content isn’t good, no amount of marketing will help. If your content is good, but your marketing is off, your downloads will be slow in rising.

There is one problem with this equation. I’m responsible for my content, and I’m responsible for the marketing. If the downloads are not where I expect them to be that means the person to blame is me and I don’t like that. It can lead to self-loathing, and other depressing thoughts.

It’s Not My Fault

I had a client this week who wanted to blame Podpage for not feeding stats back to their media host (Podpage doesn’t don’t do that, your media host does, and also they didn’t have Google analytics installed so they could have stats on their website - although I prefer Fathom website stats).

They expected the website to help grow the show, but their show notes were short, and when I pressed play I waited two seconds for sound to come out of their player (which is a long time to wait - I thought something was wrong) . Behind the scenes the system was figuring out where I lived so it could give me not one but TWO ads that I didn’t care about.

The ads were followed by what I call “Music for the sake of nothing” that ABRUPTLY stopped and the voice of the host finally came into my ears.

But its the websites fault, right?

I’ve been married twice. I’ve also been divorced twice (not something I’m proud of). But the one thing I’ve done in both cases was to sit back and not blame the other person, but to ask, “What could I have done better in this marriage.

I almost don’t want to say this as some will use it as a scapegoat, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say luck often (but not always) has spurred some creator’s shows faster than others. Just keep in mind “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Don’t stop tweaking. Don’t stop trying. Don’t stop pushing yourself out of your comfort zone (where the learning lives), and always enjoy the journey. You’re not done yet.

Podcast Hot Seat Black Friday Deal Still Going

Want real, actionable feedback on your podcast? The Podcast Hot Seat gives you expert insights on what’s working—and what’s getting in your way. You submit your show, and we break down your content, delivery, structure, branding, and listener experience. You walk away with clear recommendations, practical fixes, and fresh ideas to elevate your podcast and grow your audience. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start improving, and save 45% it’s time to take a seat!

More Information

P.S. It comes with a free month at the School of Podcasting

My Latest Content

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Stuff That Caught My Eye

Utter Podcast Nonsense

You’re allowed to disagree with your friends. I respect Steve’s Goldstein’s history, but he was one of the guys who helped introduce “YouTube is a Podcast” and now has come back with “Podcasting is no longer a one-size-fits-all medium. It has become an ecosystem. A podcast can be a YouTube show, vertical clips, newsletters, short episodes, livestreams, or even a live event.” Source.

So a newsletter is a podcast? Yeah, I’ll be writing about this in the future. I’m just two flushed to write something without using naughty words.

12 Days of Tella Video Creator/Editor

We all know Loom.com, but I discovered Tella for not only making and hosting videos, but they enable me to make BETTER videos FASTER. Case in point I do “Lunch with Dave” ever Friday where members of the School of Podcasting get to hang out, exchange strategies, ask questions, and more. I take the video from Zoom, upload it to Tella, cut off the 5 minutes of chit chat, let it make chapters via AI, and have it posted in less than 15 minutes once the meeting is over. Here is one I did for Podpage.

They are doing a 12 Days of Tella where each day they announce a new feature, and I’m pretty sure tomorrow they will announce that Tell will do your laundry. This is a great marketing strategy, and it worked (I’m excited about the software enough to share it with you). Check out their 12 Days of Tella

What’s Coming In The Future

I can’t lie, the Steve Goldstein article has me on my soapbox. I’m also working on a “Podcast Soup” episode which is a bunch of “mini topics” not long enough for an episode, but important enough to mention. I’m always open to your suggestions

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

If you love diving into a…

Read more

If you’re attending, please register to help them order food.

Date: 12/11
Time: 5:30-7:30 PM
Register (free)

I hope to see you there, and may Podfest in January?

Did We Make it Too Easy?

Oh here we go with another “Back in the Day” story, but hear me out. In the same way that music is devalued, and we have an endless stream (so we take music for granted), I wonder if we’ve done something similar to podcasting.

The first podcasters were geeks who pieces-parted shows together before WordPress, iPods, and hosting companies. If you wanted to podcast, you had to put in some serious sweat equity. The people who wanted to podcast, really wanted to start a podcast.

Along came hosting companies (so no more uploading feeds via FTP), and hardware designed for podcasters at an affordable price.

Fast forward to today and it is SO EASY to make a podcast that if someone looked at me and said, “Go!” I could have a show recorded and listed in Apple in an hour.

So the good news is anybody can start a podcast.

The bad news is anybody can start a podcast.

Companies lure the uninformed with promises of money and fame for three easy payments. In the same way that the show “Serial” is a turning point, for me it will always be “Anchor” (now Spotify for creators) that really started to pollute the podcasting space. If some day podcasting is completely ruined, I will point at Anchor as patient zero.

We have Jedi mind-tricked people into thinking that every conversation should be a podcast.

In the same way that not every book needs to be a movie, not every conversation needs to be a podcast.

Being completely transparent, as I look into 2026, and podcasting as a whole, it takes a lot from me to believe that good will prevail. Big companies with GIGANTIC budgets manipulate potential podcasters and point them towards ads that pay almost nothing (very similar to musicians).

With movies your project has to be “Green Lit” to be produced. In Podcasting you are the host, producer, marketing director. There is no board of directors that you need approval from (which is again good and bad).

We have AI companies puking out THOUSANDS of episodes a week. When I go to Audible to find an audio book, I’ve given up by “read by the author” and now seriously struggle to find a book that was read by a human (and the AI is HORRIBLE). So I’m not a fan, but ask the kids two generations from now when that is all they’ve known.

It seems like we’ve all taken the “Circle Jerk” strategy of content creation. Go see what works for some other show, and do the same thing for your audience (although we all say your audience and mine are probably different). If that strategy works, won’t we all just keep putting out the same content? (and wondering why our audience isn’t growing).

I miss the creativity I see in podcasting. When it was hard, you had to think outside the box. If you’ve ever heard the song “Metal Gods” by Judas Priest at the end of the song it sounds like a group of soldiers marching. It was a cookie sheet filled with forks where they threw the forks up into the air in time with the music. Sometimes a lack of technology breeds creativity.

So I know I sound like Debbie downer, but with CPM prices going down and ad levels trending up and an endless stream of “same ol same ol shows….” (let me guess it’s a left leaning show that called the right leaning people idiots, or, wait for it, a right leaning show that called the left leaning people idiots - HOW CREATIVE).

This is why I get giddy, GIDDY I tell ya, when I help someone who is going to talk about something in a new, creative way, often about a subject that needs more exposure (did you know your child can be expelled from PRE-SCHOOL?). I know you’re out there. Podcasting is simple (not always easy) but I’d love to help you.

Podcast Hot Seat Black Friday Deal Still Going

Want real, actionable feedback on your podcast? The Podcast Hot Seat gives you expert insights on what’s working—and what’s getting in your way. You submit your show, and we break down your content, delivery, structure, branding, and listener experience. You walk away with clear recommendations, practical fixes, and fresh ideas to elevate your podcast and grow your audience. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start improving, and save 45% it’s time to take a seat!

More Information

P.S. It comes with a free month at the School of Podcasting

My Latest Content

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Do We Need Another Podcast Chart To Obsess Over?

Stuff That Caught My Eye

Women Podcaster Awards

Press Release

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Women Podcasters Awards, one of the largest and most recognized celebrations of women in podcasting and broadcasting. Creators from around the world are invited to submit their shows during the nomination window from December 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026.

More Information

The Video Outperforms Audio 15 to 1 Story

This comes from a talk by Rob Walch from Libsyn where he share Bill Maher only promoting his video version of his show, and yet audio outperformed video 15 to 1.

See video (already set to go to that part)

What’s Coming In The Future

I often say Podcasting leads to relationships that lead to opportunities (which lead to more relationships..). The next episode I have some real life examples.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

I’ve Bought So Many Training Courses

Over the last nine months I’ve come across so many courses on SEO, Copywriting, Social Media, Guitar, Community Building etc that it’s almost of joke. I have a folder in my browser labeled, “Learn stuff” and I just checked and I have around 40 courses that I’ve purchased and would watch, “later.”

The end of the year always slows down in the Podcasting space (before exploding in January). So I asked myself, “Which of these courses should you take first.” Part of me wants to get into promotion to help get the word out on all the content I’ve made over the last 20 years.

Then I think, “Wait, shouldn’t we make sure it’s good, it’s following best practices for SEO, and that is going to resonate with the audience?” Hmmm, that make sense as well.

Learn More - Creator More - Promote More?

This somewhat feels like exercise. What exercise is the best to do? The answer?

The one you do.

In the immortal words of Rush, “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.” So in true A.D.D. fashion I’m going to start a course on SEO, and a Course on Storytelling. Do one module in one, and then do a module in the other. We will see how it goes but there is one important thing no matter the course.

I have to take good notes.

I have to put it into action.

That is my plan. It will be subject to change, but that’s where I’m aiming at this point.

They knowledge is power. Knowledge is only power when you put it into practice.

Thoughts?

Captivate Black Friday Deal - 4 Months Free!

Was Obama the President the last time your media host introduced features? Do they have technical issues on a regular basis? Are they firing your favorite staff members? Do what I did and move to Captivate. I have over 20 shows on Captivate. When you sign up in November you get 16 months for the price of 12! Check it out.

Please note I mistakenly said this Black Friday deal was for new and old customers. I had my signals crossed. It is only for new customers. My apologies. (It’s still a great deal).

My Latest Content

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Podpage YouTube (follow)
Free Color Palettes From Adobe Color

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Stuff That Caught My Eye

More Great Insight Into WHY We Share Things

My friend shared an old Christmas album that everyone I know says, “My Dad would bring that home from the Firestone store and the whole family would listen.” These are now on YouTube.

I was FLOODED with memories when my friend sent a pic of the vynal version he had picked up. I immediately ran to Spotify and YouTube, and the minute I heard this music, I was back in my living room putting the album on the “record player” as we all prepared to decorate the tree. So what did I do?

I IMMEDIATELY shared it with my brother who had the exact same experience. So sometimes we share things for the way it makes us feel, but also how it will make others feel.

Check it out.

More Black Friday Deals

Castmagic has 30% Off

Castmagic has a deal on November 27th:

• Date: November 27 only

• Code: CMTHANKS2025

• Discount: 30% off for new and existing subscribers

Check It Out.

Kit has 60% off The First Three Months

Kit (formerly Convertkit) is offering 60% off your first three months. Originally I was going to leave Kit and move my email list to systeme. While I will use System to build non-wordpress sites, due to the fact that Kit integrates with everything I’ve decide to stay with them (even though they raised their price). So if you’re looking for an email marketing tool, this is my favorite.

Check it out

Heartbeat Deep Discounts 20-40%

Get 20% off monthly plans or 40% off yearly plans.

Heartbeat is the platform I use for my tutorials and community (and I’ll be closing my Facebook group to go 100% Heartbeat in 2026). They just launched an AI tool that makes it super easy to get up and going (which was needed).

Check it Out

Podcast Hot Seat 45% Off Podcast Audits

Want some honest feedback? Sitting the Podcast Hot Seat just helped someone realize they had zero call to action at the end of their show. Another person has music that abruptly stopped at the beginning of the show (and we talked monetization strategies, and they get more consulting with their free month at the School of Podcasting)

Check it Out.

What’s Coming In The Future

My next episode is a “Question of the Month” where my audience shared, “What I wish I knew when I started podcasting.” I also will be doing an episode on how “Podcasting leads to relationships - leads to opportunities.”

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

NOTE: This is a double-decker version of the newsletter as you will hear why there was no newsletter last week.

Getting Back Up Again

Life throws your curve balls, and things don’t always go as planned.

1. Last newsletter, I sincerely asked to hear your feedback. I got a .17% (not 1.7, .17) response. That in itself is feedback. That is a mirror that says (to me), that I’m not connecting with you as much as I think I am. Not the news you want, but it’s information that I can use (and yes that link is still available as I still need your feedback.)

2. Have you ever wondered how “Lifetime Deals” work? The company gets a bunch of money up front, but years later you’re still getting a service and they are getting nothing. If the company didn’t manage their launch right, you end up in the situation I am in. Adilo is a video hosting company that I paid $425 for a lifetime deal. That was twenty eight months ago. They just announced they are going to either kick me off or charge me $35/month starting in a month.

Yesterday when I logged in, they stuck an upgrade page in front of me. Apparently to get rid of it I triggered a yearly sale of $345, and when I asked for a refund, they said no. I talked to my credit card and will dispute the charge, and when I informed them that the minute the charge goes through, it will be contested. Shockingly, the are working on a refund now.

Then later when I logged in to download my files ( I was going to move them to Bunny.net, but I do love some of the features at Voomly, (I may use their smallest plan for marketing videos). I’ve been using Tella to make videos (It’s like Loom on steroids), and after looking into their plans, I decided to upload my videos there.

My dashboard at Adilo (4 days later) is nothing but a blank white page (luckily I do have backups). I will need to update every tutorial on the School of Podcasting. Not hard. Just tedious and time consuming.

You know it.

I know it.

Sometimes life just sucks.

You have your stories just like mine. We’ve all forgotten to press record at least once.

Back in 2005 (I need to find this recording) I said, “I think podcasting is going to change the world.”

I still do.

That is my “North Star” and why I fire up a microphone and try to help others change their world (one download at a time). It’s good to know your WHY in times like these because life will try to knock you off your course, and stop you from achieving your goals. As Vince Lombardi said, “It’s not how many times you get knocked down. It’s how many times you get back up.”

We all get knocked down, champions get back up. You got this.

If you need, Dr. Balboa has some words for you.

Captivate Black Friday Deal - 4 Months Free!

Was Obama the President the last time your media host introduced features? Do they have technical issues on a regular basis? Are they firing your favorite staff members? Do what I did and move to Captivate. I have over 20 shows on Captivate. When you sign up in November you get 16 months for the price of 12! Even better? It’s not just for new people (I used this deal to upgrade). Check it out.

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Two Tools To Help Come Up With Podcast Names

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Stuff That Caught My Eye

Ozzy’s Family Provides an Update

Sharon, Jack, and Kelly give an update and behind the scenes of Ozzy last days through tears. It’s brutally honest, and at times disgusting when you hear how people are using Ozzy’s death to boost their careers. This is so vulnerable, it’s hard to watch.

Check it out!

The Dude From Riverside (Stephen Robles) Left

This will be interesting. Is his channel successful because he was the face of Riverside?

Check It Out.

Libsyn Let Elsie Escobar Go

Elsie Escobar is one of my favorite people. Not because we are two peas in a pod, but the opposite. We think a lot different, but she is the kind of person who doesn’t make you feel stupid or ashamed for your thoughts, and then compassionately will share her views. She has and does influence many podcasters (especially those underserved voices).

Libsyn let her go after 19 years. At this point I consider them more of an advertising company than a hosting company. They also shut down their “The Feed” show.

Rob Walch Brings Back Podcast 411

Check out Rob Walch’s Podcast 411 show for news and interviews. I still have friends over there so I don’t want to shoot my torpedoes at the Libsyn boat, and will leave it with, “I don’t understand what they are doing over there.”

Rob’s Presentation at Podcast Movement has some great insights into video (I often quote his Audio outperforms video 15 to 1 stat) See presentation HERE.

Suno AI Music Creation is Much Better

I checked Suno out when it first came out and it was not good. Fast forward a year(ish) and I was amazed the music you can have created. I made a quick video.

WATCH VIDEO

What’s Coming In The Future

Whatever you want me to talk about. Just press reply and let me know what you want to hear. I’m serious.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

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If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

Do Podcasters Want Feedback?

Maybe I’m weird (we may have established that previously), but I love when I got constructive feedback or praise. Maybe it goes back to when I was a waiter. If someone complained, I had a chance to fix the issue and still get a tip. In fact, if you solved an upset customer’s problem, you often had a customer for life.

In the past I’ve offered reviews/audits of podcasters (these are part of your subscription to the School of Podcasting), and yet the number of people who take me up on the offer is not staggering.

I thought it may be that these reviews are then made public. So I’m thinking of coming up with a new service where the review is kept private.

The #1 Question is “How do I grow my podcast” and yet nobody seems really interested in feedback on their show

So if you have two minutes, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Leave Feedback

My Latest Content

School of Podcasting (​follow​)
You Can Be an Influencer Without Being the Best: Lessons from Ace Frehley of Kiss

Ask the Podcast Coach (follow)
No Engagement? Maybe You Should Check Your Website

Your Podcast Consultant (​follow​)
Can You Really Podcast on Just an iPhone?

My Blog
The Stat YouTube and Spotify Don’t Wan’t You To Know

Stuff That Caught My Eye

Exposing the Gambling Epidemic

Anyone who knows younger men (but it’s spreading to eveyrone) shold watch this. It’s evil.

Check it out!

YUNGBLUD - I Was Made For Lovin’ You (from The Fall Guy)

I always appreciate hearing someone take a well known song and take it in a different direction and it almost creates an entirely new song.

Check It Out.

What’s Coming In The Future

I’ll be publishing the interview with someone who has had success obtaining paid partnerships without having large numbers in their show. Follow the show to get the episode the minute it’s available.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

Using AI To Keep Me Focused

I was getting ready to record an episode. I had my one sentence summary: “You don’t have to be the best at something to influence them. Case in point: Ace Frehley.” It’s one of those “Dave talks about a dead person and relates their talent to podcasting” thing that I do.

So I had my bullet points and hit record. Thirty eight minutes later I listened to it and thought I was done. It was Wednesday. Sunday when I went to edit it, I noticed that I (being a guitar player) had very “inside baseball” talk about guitars, how they work, and LOTS of information that the general School of Podcasting listener wouldn’t care about. So I uploaded my episode into Otter and had it transcribed.

I then took the transcription and through it into AI (Magai) and simply asked, “What were the main points of this episode.” It spit out the main points (it missed two, but I added them), and then I rerecorded the episode. The bullet points were a little more focus and the main purpose of the bullet point.

The re-recorded version clocked in around 13 minutes without losing any of the meeting. I “trimmed the fat” and made better content.

So while I’m not a fan of having AI create content that I then have to try to enhance, I thought it helped me identify the strong points of my segment (which comes out next Monday) and deliver a better product.

Just to state the obvious. Yes, this took more time. To this I bring this up (typically about this time of year) homemade mashed potatoes take more time and effort. But when you have the option of potatoes out of a box or jar, or a bowl of homemade, which one are you going to choose?

My Latest Content

School of Podcasting (​follow​)
Counting Episodes: Just How Many Do We Listen To?

Ask the Podcast Coach (follow)
Three Years Till We’re All Replaced?

Your Podcast Consultant (​follow​)
Can You Really Podcast on Just an iPhone?

Podcast Website Tips (follow)
Consistency is Key: Crafting a Memorable Podcast Brand Identity

Stuff That Caught My Eye

5 Best SEO Browser Extensions You Should Install NOW!

Matt Diggity is an SEO Guru who shares some chrome extensions that look very cool if you’re looking to jump into SEO.

Check it out!

The YouTube Playbook in 37 Minutes

Colin and Samir have a channel where they talk to other successful YouTubers. They made a compilation video filled with all sorts of YouTube Tips.

Check It Out.

1 of 10 YouTube Thumbnails and more

I mentioned this a few editions ago when it was just YouTube Thumbnails, but now it does a ton more. Now it can help with ideas, titles, thumbnails, niche focus, competitor tracking, and shorts tools. At $39/month I thought it was a bit pricy for a “thumbnail creator” but now it does a whole lot more, I keep revisiting their site.

Check it Out.

What’s Coming In The Future

I have an interview with someone who was able to score some brand partnerships while still having a smaller audience on deck. I also have an episode coming out Monday that combines podcasting and Ace Frehley.

Need Help With Your Podcast?

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005

USE THIS LINK ««and save 20% using the coupon code newsletter

If you start now, you’ll be in the right place to take over the world in January!

Oh I Didn’t Think About That

So I bought a NEEWER MS60B LED Video Light along with NEEWER 35”/90cm Octagonal Softbox. Any time I see someone using a Softbox, I just think they look “this much” bet…

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Hello,

Tomorrow I’m hosting a call with one goal - find out how to make the School of Podcasting show better for you.

Think of it like I’m in the kitchen asking what I can make you.

I hope you join me. It’s from 7-8:30 pm ET (obviously you don’t have to stay for the whole thing, come in, give your feedback and leave, or hang around and network - your call…

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Well This Looks Weird

One thing I’ve learned this week is to think before opening your mouth. You might even do a hint of research. We’ve all heard about Inception Point. This is the company that …

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