The Secret to High-Quality Content
YouTube just dropped a report on what makes content good, and spoiler alert: it’s not just about looking pretty. Turns out, folks care way more about what’s being said than how fancy the background is. If you want to create stuff that really resonates, whether it's on YouTube or just in audio, you gotta aim for emotional connection. You know, the kind that makes you laugh, cry, or think, not just scroll mindlessly. So, if you’re ready to step up your content game and stop stressing over that bowl of cereal in the background, stick around!
YouTube just dropped a bombshell report on what makes content tick, and honestly, it's a game-changer for all of us trying to create stuff that doesn't suck. So, I dove deep into this thing, and guess what? Turns out, whether you're slinging videos or just talking into a microphone like yours truly, the core principles of good content are pretty much the same. They say good content should make you laugh, cry, or at least think a little—basically, it needs to resonate. And if you're worried about your background lighting or if your hair is on point, spoiler alert: it doesn't matter as much as you think. We're talking about a study that found less than 1% of viewers care about visuals, and really, if your audio is clear and your video isn't shot in a black hole, you're already ahead of the game.
But let's dive into the juicy bits. The report highlighted that emotional engagement is key. If your content doesn't hit people in the feels, you're just another background noise in their lives. And I get it; we all want to be relatable. If viewers can see themselves in your stories, you're golden. Authenticity is the name of the game—be real, be you, and stop trying to copy what everyone else is doing. This isn't a high school talent show where you're just trying to impress the popular kids; it's about creating a connection. So, whether you’re crafting a podcast episode or filming a YouTube video, focus on being genuine and let your unique voice shine through.
To wrap it up—what I gleaned from this report is that content creation isn't just about looking good or having the fanciest gear. It's about creating something that makes people feel like their time was well spent. And if you can throw in a good story or two, you’re well on your way to winning their hearts (and ears). So roll up your sleeves, get comfy with your mic or camera, and remember: it's all about the content, my friends.
Takeaways:
- YouTube's report shows that content is about connecting emotionally, not just visuals.
- Good content should make people feel something, whether it's laughter or nostalgia.
- Don't stress about backgrounds or fancy gear; clear audio is what really matters.
- Being authentic and relatable is key to engaging your audience effectively.
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00:00 - Untitled
00:00 - New Report
00:51 - Opening
02:15 - It's Not the Tech
03:17 - The Baseline Standard
06:07 - How the Sauasage was Made
08:04 - Emotional & Engagement-Based Qualities
14:42 - Meaningful Defined
16:00 - Be Personal
17:23 - Authenticity
18:25 - Creativity and Uniqueness
19:17 - Informational and Educational
19:48 - Technology
20:53 - Trust and Authentic
21:13 - Emotional Impact
27:54 - Quick Summary
30:57 - Join the School of Podcasting
31:25 - Question of the Month
32:20 - Dan Carlin Thanks HIs Audience
37:07 - Where Will I Be?
37:40 - Shout Out to Libsyn
40:23 - New Features at Podpage
43:15 - Podcast Hot Seat
44:37 - Bloopers
There's a report out from YouTube.
Speaker AThey did a ton of research on why we watch.
Speaker ANow, if you're like, Dave, I'm not a video guy, it kind of doesn't matter.
Speaker ABecause what makes good content for YouTube also really applies for those of us that are doing audio only.
Speaker AAnd I'll explain why the video aspect isn't really that important when we get started.
Speaker ABut people always ask what makes good content?
Speaker AAnd I always say, well, it makes you laugh, cry, think grown, educate, or entertain.
Speaker AAnd that is true.
Speaker ABut they dive into a whole lot more.
Speaker ASo if you want to make content that resonates with your audience, well, this episode's for you.
Speaker AHit it, ladies.
Speaker BThe school of podcasting with Dave Jackson.
Speaker APodcasting since 2000, 2005.
Speaker AI'm your award winning hall of fame podcast coach, Dave Jackson.
Speaker AThanking you so much for tuning in.
Speaker AIf you're new to the show, welcome aboard.
Speaker AThis is why I help you plan, launch, grow.
Speaker AAnd today we're really focused on grow.
Speaker AAnd if you want to monetize your show, yeah, we can help you with that as well.
Speaker AMy website is school of podcasting.com use the coupon code listener.
Speaker AThat's L I S T E N E R.
Speaker AWhen you sign up for either a monthly or yearly subscription.
Speaker AAnd I'm going to start off with one stat that came out and just punched me in the face.
Speaker ALook, we all think, and it's fun watching people get into YouTube because one of the things that really which makes sense, starts to really bug everybody is how you look.
Speaker AAnd I'm not just talking about, did you shave, are you wearing your makeup?
Speaker AThings like that.
Speaker ALike, I at times just cringe when I realize I've put something on YouTube and there's an old bowl of cereal in the background.
Speaker AIt's the background, it's the lighting, it's the colors, it's the.
Speaker AAnd it's now they studied.
Speaker AThere are many studies that are wrapped into this, but one, they basically got into a thousand.
Speaker AAnd that is a lot of people.
Speaker AThousand people in Italy.
Speaker AAnd it said, our data suggests that the number of viewers who only care about visuals is now vanishingly small at less than 1%.
Speaker ASo if you're really freaking out about, oh, should I have this book in the background or do I do a duty?
Speaker ALike, it's, we don't really care.
Speaker AAnd that's the interesting thing about this particular study is the fact.
Speaker AAnd I've got a classic example of that.
Speaker ALook, you need clear audio.
Speaker AAnd if you're doing YouTube, clear video and guess what?
Speaker AIf you have a phone in your hand right now, you're done.
Speaker AGrab yourself a $80 microphone, you're done.
Speaker AAnd what's interesting about this, they brought this up.
Speaker AAnd I'll give you an example of a movie I saw.
Speaker AI went and saw Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice in the theater.
Speaker AWhen it came out, I was a big fan of the original one.
Speaker AAnd it dawned on me that the original Beetlejuice movie was great because of the special effects at the time.
Speaker AAnd we're like, oh, holy cow, how did they get his head to spin around?
Speaker AAnd all this other stuff.
Speaker AAnd what was really interesting is Tim Burton, in the new version, decided to use the same type of effects so that if you watch them back to back, it wasn't like the new one had this new, amazing effect.
Speaker AIt kind of blended in with the old.
Speaker ABut here's the thing.
Speaker AThat first movie was decades ago, and so the new in giant quotation marks, right?
Speaker AThe new special effects in the new movie weren't new, and consequently, man, they also had a lot of characters that didn't add to the story, but the.
Speaker AThe holy cow factor was out.
Speaker AAnd so you don't really need giant special effects.
Speaker AYou just need to have clear audio and clear video, because it's not about the background.
Speaker AIt's not about, you know, yes, it does help shape people.
Speaker ALike, oh, okay, these people aren't just, you know, winging it, but it's kind of a given, right?
Speaker AWhen we go to the movies now and we see cgi, we kind of expect it, thanks to, you know, all the dinosaur movies, it's just kind of there.
Speaker AAnd that's why, for me, kind of being a podcaster, if your story is bad, I'm like, ugh, this is not good.
Speaker ABecause it's kind of assumed that you have good sound and good video.
Speaker AAnd again, good video is subjective.
Speaker ABut it came out in this report that, like, they don't really care.
Speaker AIf you go back and look at the very first episode off to see if I can find this of Joe Rogan.
Speaker AHis first episode on video is dark.
Speaker AYou can barely see him.
Speaker AHe's kind of stuffed in a corner.
Speaker AAnd I think sometimes we really get obsessed over the look.
Speaker AI know I do.
Speaker AAnd this report is kind of saying you can kind of quit tweaking the background because, you know, it's all about the content.
Speaker ASo now, normally, I do not recommend that you do what I call explain how the sausage is made.
Speaker AYour audience doesn't care how you made the episode nine times out of ten.
Speaker ABut you are, as are other people listen to this show, a content creator.
Speaker AAnd I think it's helpful for you.
Speaker AAnd that's what I'm all about to help you understand how I made this.
Speaker ASo I read this rather long report and for the record, Adobe has this weird thing.
Speaker AI'm reading the PDF and when I would scroll down to page number two or three or whatever I'm scrolling to, it would go to the bottom of that page many times if I didn't pay attention.
Speaker AThere was a bunch of stuff at the top of the page that I almost missed.
Speaker AIt was really annoying, but it was this flashy fade thing.
Speaker AAnd again, the visuals, not so much, let me get to the content.
Speaker AAnd so I took a bunch of notes.
Speaker AEvery time something jumped out off the page at me, I copied it, I threw it into Apple notes and I took all my Apple notes and I threw it into Chat GPT and I said, this is all over the place.
Speaker AThis is me all over the place.
Speaker AAnd I said, here, here's, here's the notes that jumped out at me.
Speaker ACan you make a list of the most frequently used adjectives?
Speaker AAnd so spit out a list.
Speaker AAnd it said, would you like to organize these by category?
Speaker AAnd I said, yes please.
Speaker AAnd I was like, ah, this is what my brain had in mind.
Speaker AAnd it spit it out.
Speaker ASo again, I didn't use AI to make the content.
Speaker AI did that.
Speaker AI personally clipped the phrases and paragraphs.
Speaker ABut what I did use was AI to make it better.
Speaker AAnd so the first thing, when it comes to what makes great content, what makes people watch, or I'm just going to say, you know, consume, because this applies to audio.
Speaker AYes, it's from YouTube and yes, YouTube mentioned how great video was.
Speaker AOf course they did their YouTube.
Speaker AThat's what they're supposed to do.
Speaker ABut here's the thing, you want it to be emotionally engaging.
Speaker AAnd so I realized this.
Speaker AWell, I guess now it's February.
Speaker ABack in December, I watched a thing called Christmas through the Decades.
Speaker AAnd when I got to the decades that I grew up in, I was amazed at how powerful nostalgia is.
Speaker AI mean, it was really, it really tugged on the heartstrings.
Speaker ASo you want things to be engaging.
Speaker AYou want things, and this is a huge one to be authentic.
Speaker AIf I had to pick a word for 2025 in the land of chat GPT, I would say authentic has got to be one of it.
Speaker AAnd I'm going to come back to that in a minute.
Speaker ABut relatable, relatable.
Speaker AI'll give you a classic example.
Speaker AThere is an author, and I love all of his books.
Speaker AAnd then he came out with a new one specifically for coaching.
Speaker AThat author is Don Miller.
Speaker AThe book is Coach how to turn your expertise into a profitable coaching career.
Speaker AAnd look, I love everything from Don.
Speaker AI just went to my Audible account and I made it 20% of the way through this book.
Speaker AAnd Don kept saying, now I realize we're talking about selling a $10,000 product, but this works for any kind of thing.
Speaker AAnd he would then explain a strategy that did not relate to me at all.
Speaker AI'm like, I appreciate the effort, but no, that does not.
Speaker AI could not relate to the examples in the book.
Speaker AAnd so you want your stuff to be relatable, that people can go, oh, and that's where, again, sometimes video can be a benefit.
Speaker ASo as much as I always kind of sound anti video, this report again from YouTube has some points that, hey, when people can see you, you might become a little more relatable and then trustworthy.
Speaker AI am.
Speaker AI just listened to Diary of a CEO and that guy has a team of like, I don't know, a million six putting together that really great podcast.
Speaker ABut he interviewed a guy about sugar.
Speaker AAnd he explained how back in 1965, the sugar lobby, or whoever paid a bunch of, I think it was Harvard professors or somebody to write two articles.
Speaker AAnd because of their criteria, right, oh, they're from Harvard.
Speaker AThat, you know, there really wasn't any problem with sugar.
Speaker AIt was all saturated fat and they lied straight up.
Speaker AJust.
Speaker AThat is the epitome of being sold out.
Speaker AAnd consequently, we're all addicted to sugar now.
Speaker AThanks, guys.
Speaker ABut right now, you know, we all hear about fake news.
Speaker AIt's fake news.
Speaker AWell, there is some of that stuff going around and it's not so much fake, typically in my book, it's biased.
Speaker AIt's very, very biased.
Speaker AAnd it's kind of fun sometimes to watch a very left leaning program and then watch a very right leaning program.
Speaker AIf somebody wants to make a show that I would listen to right now, give me the news.
Speaker AAnd I think the closest thing I have to this is congressional dish and maybe no agenda show.
Speaker ATell me what the news is.
Speaker ADon't tell me how to think about it, just give me the facts.
Speaker ABut trustworthy.
Speaker AAnd I often say with this, every podcast, every single one, you start off with your trust from your audience and no audience.
Speaker AWell, first of all, we all start with no audience and you're trustworthy right out of the gate, people assume you are trustworthy until the minute you get caught in a lie.
Speaker AAnd then have you ever had a kid, one of your own children lie to you?
Speaker AIt takes a while to build that trust back because it hurts a lot.
Speaker ASo don't blow your trustworthiness because, you know, you think, oh, I'm going to say this, or whatever.
Speaker AThe other one is compelling.
Speaker AIt has to be compelling, which to me is very.
Speaker AIt's like a distant cousin too relatable.
Speaker ABut when you want to know what happens next.
Speaker AI don't watch a lot of TV because I'm a podcaster and who has time?
Speaker ABut it's interesting that I watched three new shows that have come on the TV here in the US and one is, I think it's going Dutch, Dennis Leary.
Speaker AAnd the storyline is his daughter is kind of the head of this naval base and then he gets put in charge of it.
Speaker AAnd those two don't get along because he wasn't around when she was growing up.
Speaker AAnd he's a hard head, determined kind of, you know, do it my way or the highway kind of guy.
Speaker AAnd it's the transition of can they put their, their father, daughter relationship, can that be repaired?
Speaker AIt's all about transition.
Speaker AIt's, it, is it compelling?
Speaker AWhat's going to happen next?
Speaker AThere's another one that I actually kind of like called Doc, and it's a woman who is this renowned doctor.
Speaker AShe gets in a car wreck and loses the last eight years of her life.
Speaker AShe wakes up to find out spoiler alert.
Speaker ABut not really that, A, she's divorced, B, she had two kids and she lost her son, and C, she was a real piece of work because in dealing with her grief, she pushed everybody out of her life.
Speaker AAnd now again, the transition is how can she mend the fence with her remaining daughter?
Speaker AHow can she get back into being a doctor?
Speaker ABecause they're not sure if she's got the skills.
Speaker AIt's what's going to happen next that's a big one.
Speaker AAnd then meaningful.
Speaker AThis is one that jumped out at me that I was like, oh, that's a bumper sticker if I've ever heard one.
Speaker ASo one bunch of stats said, Overall, 89% agreed that high quality content is emotionally resonant.
Speaker AAnd when they drill down further, the specific emotional characteristics people are looking for show a higher degree of consistency, with 93% agreeing that high quality content should be meaningful and 90% agreeing that it should be relevant and relatable.
Speaker ABut that's not the one that I was like, oh, it's so good.
Speaker AThey said 82% of viewers, but again, we'll just call them consumers.
Speaker AAgreed that high quality content means content that makes them feel like their time was well spent.
Speaker ADo not waste people's time.
Speaker AThis is why I'm always like, if you're going to do the chit chat thing, maybe do it at the end.
Speaker AIf you don't know what I'm talking about, go listen to Pod News Week review.
Speaker AAt the end of the show, they're like, what have you been up to this week?
Speaker AThey don't open up with that.
Speaker ASo I love the fact, like, quality content is content that doesn't have your audience looking at their watch going, well, that's 47 and a half minutes.
Speaker AI can't get back some other things when it comes to emotional and engagement, you know, we said meaningful, personal.
Speaker AI always say, if you can make a point with a personal story, do it, because you're not going to get that from AI.
Speaker AInspiring.
Speaker AI am apparently weird.
Speaker ALike, I somehow get inspired sometimes, but I know some people, it's like, no, I need to be inspired every day.
Speaker AI'm inspired because I'm not dead.
Speaker AMy God, I got another swing at this one.
Speaker ALet's go.
Speaker AAnd again, you want it to resonate.
Speaker AExciting.
Speaker AIs it exciting?
Speaker ATry to be.
Speaker AAnd it doesn't mean you have to be a sports announcer, right?
Speaker AHey, everybody.
Speaker AAll right, welcome back to the show.
Speaker ABut you know, exciting is kind of a hard one because not everything is going to be, but it's exciting to learn new stuff.
Speaker AThat was another thing that came out and said a lot of people like to learn new stuff and attention grabbing.
Speaker AAnd this is where things you can say, like at the beginning, you know, I said, look, if you want to make better content, this is the episode for you.
Speaker AAnything that you can say, hey, in a minute we're going to talk about this.
Speaker AYou know, I found this thing in my attic.
Speaker AWait till you hear how much it's worth.
Speaker AAnything to tease people to keep them listening.
Speaker ABut when it comes to authenticity, I've seen this.
Speaker AI was trying to find the Facebook or Instagram reel, but a guy comes on, he's like, this is so good.
Speaker AGoogle probably doesn't want me to show you this.
Speaker ASo, right, there's his hook.
Speaker AAnd he says, what you need to do is do a search for the topic you're trying to rank on, then go and find the top videos for that, transcribe them, then take the transcriptions, throw them into chat GPT, have them rewrite the transcripts into A script that you can then read.
Speaker AAnd I was like, so your idea of being a thought leader is to take other people's thoughts, put them into a blender and then put them out as your own.
Speaker AAnd I guess if you're doing nothing, that would be better than that.
Speaker ABut for me I just kind of go, yeah, that's not me, that's not authentic in my book.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker AThe second, I guess these are characteristics of good content.
Speaker AIt's creativity and uniqueness.
Speaker ASo they list creative.
Speaker AAnd to me creative is just doing something that everybody else isn't.
Speaker AWhich is also another one they have here.
Speaker AUnique as well as original.
Speaker AWhich again means it's your content.
Speaker AGoogle loves it when you share your, your steps that you took to do something because it, it's again, it's relevant, it's honest, it's transparent, all those things.
Speaker AAnd another one they said was distinctive.
Speaker ASo the first one again was emotional and engagement based qualities.
Speaker AThe second was creative and uniqueness.
Speaker AAnd the third one is informational and educational.
Speaker ASo I always say laugh, cry, think grown, educate or entertain.
Speaker AAnd so people feel like you didn't waste their time if you taught them something or got them to think in a way that maybe they didn't think before.
Speaker AIt's useful and again, relevant.
Speaker ASo we're looking for things that are emotional and engaging, creative and unique, informational and educational.
Speaker AAnd number four.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker AAnd now we're gonna get to the technical side of things.
Speaker ABut here it is.
Speaker ATechnical aspects of quality.
Speaker ARemember that's what we're talking about here.
Speaker ASo high quality is in your hand right now.
Speaker AA phone, I wouldn't do your whole podcast on the phone or a tablet.
Speaker ABut you go get yourself a Samson Q2U Audio Technica ATR2100X.
Speaker AEither one of those.
Speaker AI'm talking into a rode podmic USB that's high quality these days.
Speaker AYou don't have to spend thousands, so your technical aspects have to be high quality.
Speaker ATechnical clear as in clear visuals and audio.
Speaker AAnd I've said this with video.
Speaker AIf you have a $5,000 camera, but you sound like you're in some sort of bathroom in a cave, that's not going to get it.
Speaker ASo you don't want it to be this big cave sounding thing when it comes to having good quality content.
Speaker AIt just needs to be clear.
Speaker AWe need to be able to see you and hear you.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker AAnd we've already hit this one kind of, but it's worth repeating.
Speaker ATrust and authentic.
Speaker AThat's what they're looking for so.
Speaker AAnd again, I'm not anti AI Just have it make your stuff better.
Speaker ADon't have it make the stuff.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker AAnd the last one was they said again, emotional impact, which to me is again kind of a rerun.
Speaker AAnd if you're doing video and again, I realize you might be going, dave, I don't care what I look like.
Speaker AYeah, because you're an audio person, that's fine.
Speaker ABut the content, again, emotive, exciting and attention grabbing start.
Speaker AIf you see somebody who didn't take a short out of the middle of their content.
Speaker ABecause if you think about it, rarely is there a short that you can pull out.
Speaker ABecause AI said this is a good short that starts off with something attention grabbing maybe, but when I go and I see shorts that grab me, it's somebody who said, I don't know, I'm going to turn on this camera and talk for 48 seconds and they grab you by the throat.
Speaker ASo we're talking about great content and it's no longer just about technical excellence.
Speaker AYou know, good visuals, clear audio, you know, high production budgets, you don't need that, you just need to be heard.
Speaker AAnd if you're doing video, be seen.
Speaker AAnd sure, that's the starting point, that still matters.
Speaker ABut again, you got it, it's in your phone.
Speaker AThose are now seen as the baseline rather than oh, this is what makes it so good.
Speaker ABecause again, the special effects in the movies are the same special effects.
Speaker AAnd so what truly defines high quality content today is the ability to create a genuine emotional connection.
Speaker AOne of the things they said in this report is that when we get people to follow the show.
Speaker ASo if you go to schoolofpodcasting.com follow just that action of I am taking our relationship to a deeper level.
Speaker AI'm not just going to be a casual listener, I'm now a follower.
Speaker AAnd they said that people that watch the same channel, they feel like they are involved with the content, they're actually helping shape the content.
Speaker AAnd on YouTube you got the likes, you got the dislikes, things like that.
Speaker ABut your content, if you're creating great content, I mean right now I'm doing a survey.
Speaker AIf you go to schoolofpodcasting.com survey25 as in the number two, the number five, I'm always looking for your feedback because I do this show for you and that's exactly what's coming through.
Speaker AI don't feel when I watch the Channel 8 news that those guys are doing the show for me and that I have any aspect of what's going on in that show.
Speaker ABut, I mean, can you send an email to your favorite actor or singer or, you know, it's.
Speaker ANo, but you can directly connect with podcasters.
Speaker AIf they're good, they're open for.
Speaker AFor feedback.
Speaker AThey're open to connect with you because we are doing the show for you.
Speaker AAnd so they say audiences, they don't just watch, they engage and they anticipate and build relationships with creators they trust.
Speaker AAnd that's not something you're going to get in the mainstream media because, you know, how can I trust somebody who's taking billions of dollars from big pharma and then advertises big pharma on all their shows that they're going to turn around and do a story that says, hey, this particular drug isn't so good for you?
Speaker AYou know, they say studies show that viewers value content that is compelling, relatable, informative, and meaningful.
Speaker AWhat's meaningful means when you get that at the end of it, you go, yeah, that was a good, you know, use of my time.
Speaker AQualities that make them feel understood, inspired, and emotionally engaged.
Speaker AAnd also, I'm going to throw in on top of that.
Speaker ANot alone.
Speaker AWhen you're doing a show that is hyper, hyper niche, and that person finds it and they're like, I thought I was the only person going through this.
Speaker AHoly cow.
Speaker ANow they don't feel alone.
Speaker AAnd it's that authenticity that plays a role in really connecting with your audience when they see you as real and trustworthy, that's crucial for fostering connections with your audience.
Speaker AThat sometimes, again, the highly polished, impersonal, you know, those are seen as impersonal.
Speaker AI'll give you an example of one that kind of drives me nuts.
Speaker AMy buddy Jim Harold, who is the king of all paranormal, right?
Speaker AParanormal podcast, find him@jim harold.com.
Speaker Aand Jim didn't start with the set he has now, but he's invested in good gear.
Speaker AAnd I've been in his studio.
Speaker AIt's pretty amazing.
Speaker AAnd Jim actually got feedback that said, like, this guy doesn't look like he's one of us anymore.
Speaker AIt's weird, right?
Speaker ABecause you want to look like, hey, I'm competing with espn.
Speaker AI'm competing with NBC and CBS and BBC one.
Speaker AI've got to look good.
Speaker AAnd then when you do, they're like, ah, you don't look like one of us again.
Speaker AIt's the visual thing that I kept seeing through this is, like, not as important because you just got to have, again, clear lights.
Speaker AThey can See you, they can hear you.
Speaker ABut content must balance both the technical and emotional quality markers to be truly effective.
Speaker AAnd that's again where I kind of say presentations are content and delivery.
Speaker AAnd in this report it's like, yep, and you got to have that emotional quality as well as clear video.
Speaker AClear audio.
Speaker AYou know, attention capturing, storytelling, originality and usefulness are just as important as clear visuals and good sound.
Speaker AAnd this is where I've said this all along.
Speaker AIt's not the tech, it's not the tech that grabs people, that storytelling and trust.
Speaker AI know I've mentioned this a couple times.
Speaker AThey mention in here is really the thing that makes people rank higher.
Speaker AWhen you are seen as credible and trustworthy.
Speaker APeople are going to share that because they trust you.
Speaker ASo keep that in mind.
Speaker AThey say, ultimately here, I had it write a summary and I'm not going to read this whole thing.
Speaker AGreat content isn't just about looking good.
Speaker AIt must resonate, inform and enhance the audience's experience.
Speaker AAnd again, that could be education in a way that feels both personal and valuable.
Speaker ASo don't be afraid to share parts of your life to make a story that you know makes a point.
Speaker AIf you do buy new gear, you better set a day or two aside to learn how to use it.
Speaker ABecause it doesn't do any good to buy a microphone if you don't know how to use it.
Speaker AThey gotta be able, if you're doing video, they gotta be able to see you.
Speaker AAnd if you're doing just an audio podcast or a video podcast as well, the audio, it doesn't have to be super radio quality with that deep booming voice.
Speaker ANo, they just need to be able to understand you.
Speaker AAnd for me, I've always said when the, let's say, background noise, you know, you sound like you're in a cave or a fishbowl when that is so loud that it distracts from what you're saying because we can only focus on how it sounds.
Speaker AThat's a problem.
Speaker AAnd in this report they're kind of saying, yeah, we assume you've done that and in some case people haven't.
Speaker ABut we now have a clearer idea.
Speaker AAnd this, again, just are things that you might want to think about.
Speaker AI often don't think about, well, how am I making people feel?
Speaker AI just, I'm excited because I'm answering somebody's question and I know it's going to resonate with the audience because if one person thought it, pretty much everybody else thought it.
Speaker AI fire up my microphone, I'm talking to you.
Speaker AMy invisible friend across the desk.
Speaker AAnd I do it in a organized fashion, so I'm not quite all over the place.
Speaker AI'm a little.
Speaker AI'm not a little.
Speaker AI'm a lot adhd.
Speaker AAnd so I try to stay focused to make it easier on you, because I want to educate you, entertain you, and occasionally inspire you with things like, because of my podcast stories.
Speaker AAnd we'll have one that I want to thank.
Speaker AWho said this?
Speaker AAbby Nemec.
Speaker ADid I get that right?
Speaker AAbby Nimik Nemec.
Speaker AAbby.
Speaker AWe'll just call her Abby.
Speaker ASent this over.
Speaker ADan Carlin.
Speaker AAnd you're going to notice a theme this year, because a lot of my friends started the same time I did back in 2005, back in the day.
Speaker AAnd so we're going to have people coming on with 20 years of reflections and Dan Carlin, Hardcore History, is a guy that gets so many downloads.
Speaker AWhen I worked for Libsyn, I was there in Pittsburgh one day, and the head of it came out and said, hey, Dave, watch.
Speaker AThe lights are going to dim.
Speaker ADan Carlin just released an episode because he would get gazillions of downloads in, you know, the first 24 hours.
Speaker AAnd so we're going to play a clip from Dan Carlin right after this.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker AAnd so I thought I would play this.
Speaker AI'll be honest.
Speaker AI've had many, many, many people say, oh, man, you've never listened to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History.
Speaker AAnd that's because the episodes are like four hours long.
Speaker ABut I want to.
Speaker AI might pick one here.
Speaker ABut Dan is a guy that didn't start off to make a ton of money.
Speaker AHe started because he loved to talk about history, and he is an amazing storyteller.
Speaker ASo this was dan talking about 20 years in podcasting because he started back in 2005.
Speaker CThe one thing that occurs to me as I think about it is you.
Speaker CI mean, there's no ad in this show, is there?
Speaker CI don't think we have an ad running.
Speaker CWe didn't have an ad in the last Hardcore show.
Speaker CWe really don't.
Speaker CWe make our living from you, and we have a deal.
Speaker CI do these things, and you support us for this.
Speaker CIt's just me in terms of the content, so it takes some time.
Speaker CThere may or may not be a mythical producer involved, but this is it.
Speaker CAnd this operation is funded by the listenership.
Speaker CAnd to be able to do this for 20 years with you folks buying the old shows and contributing in the several ways that are out there for you to support us.
Speaker CIt's nothing that anyone ever thought would work.
Speaker CThat's a good way to phrase it.
Speaker CWe talked to a lot of experts about the business model over the years, and nobody sees this working.
Speaker CJust want to say that because the people that defied all the odds and all the experts are you.
Speaker CAnd to be doing this for 20 years, I never forget why I'm able to do this.
Speaker CAnd so the main thing that comes into my head when I just meditate on my life and where it is here, because of this thing that everyone used to roll their eyes at me when I said what I did for a living back in 2005.
Speaker CAnd we started the same month and it wasn't a coincidence that Apple started supporting podcasts on iTunes.
Speaker CJune early July 2005.
Speaker CWhen I think about all the shows that were around back then that are gone, and you think about all of the shows now and how much the big corporations and I got nothing against big corporations, but how much of a giant professional endeavor this all is now compared to how it used to be.
Speaker CAnd here we still have this little operation.
Speaker CIt's still running the way it used to run for all of the downside that that also entails.
Speaker CBut I mean, we're still here.
Speaker CAnd there's only one reason for that, and that's you.
Speaker CAnd that's all I can think about with this milestone that's approaching.
Speaker CAnd so I just wanted to say to all of you, thank you.
Speaker AThank you, Dan.
Speaker AAnd while I was listening to that clip, I went over, he does have static videos on YouTube because why not?
Speaker AAgain, it's always better than nothing.
Speaker ABut there is something that it's information you can't get anyplace else.
Speaker ANobody's doing four hour talks on these, you know, different battles in history and things of that nature.
Speaker AAnd so also I should probably say that's a joke when I say the lights dim at Libsyn when Dan Carlin releases an episode.
Speaker AThat was a joke, kids.
Speaker AJust so you know.
Speaker ABut the other thing that we can learn from Daniel, not that it takes 20 years, but he didn't quit.
Speaker ADan actually breaks a lot of rules in podcasting.
Speaker ADoes he have a regular schedule?
Speaker ANo, his schedule is I will publish it when it's ready.
Speaker AAnd is it.
Speaker AYou know, back in the back 2005, we were told that your podcast needed to be 20 minutes because that was the average commute to work.
Speaker ASo we all made 20 minute podcasts.
Speaker AAnd then Dan came out with a three hour, four hour you know, episode.
Speaker AAnd you know, again, there is no such thing as too long, only too boring.
Speaker AThank you, Valerie Geller.
Speaker ASo he breaks a lot of rules.
Speaker AAnd that's one of the things that's kind of great about podcasting.
Speaker AThere aren't rules, there are best practices.
Speaker AAnd I thank you right now, if you listen to me every Monday.
Speaker AI deeply appreciate that.
Speaker ABut I always say I'd rather get a great show that was, you know, so called late, then one on time.
Speaker AThat was meh.
Speaker AOkay, again, I don't want you getting done with this episode going well.
Speaker AThat's where we at.
Speaker A35 minutes that I can't get my time back.
Speaker AAnd speaking of Libsyn, boy, I got to get something off my chest that needs to be said.
Speaker AAnd it needs to be said right after one more thing.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker APeople thought it was going to be awkward when I was in rooms with Libsyn.
Speaker AI worked at Libsyn for eight years.
Speaker AI was the head of podcast education over there.
Speaker AAnd I said it then when I left, and I said it now.
Speaker AThere's nothing wrong with Libsyn.
Speaker AThere's some really amazing people over there.
Speaker AI just felt I now work at PodPage.
Speaker AFrom the head of podcasting, it was a little better fit for my skill set.
Speaker AAnd just to prove it, number one, I had just a great talk with Rob Walsh.
Speaker AWe were both involved in the hall of fame this year.
Speaker AGreat guy.
Speaker AThat's a guy you want to listen to.
Speaker AAnd I still listen to the feed.
Speaker AAnd I love Elsie.
Speaker AShe wasn't there this year, but I wanted to give a special shout out to Brian and Emilio, but especially the one and only Corey, because I was setting up the Podpage booth and this is the first time.
Speaker ASo I got to experience the lovely learning curve of setting up this booth the first time.
Speaker AAnd I just needed a pair of scissors.
Speaker AAnd I was like, you know what?
Speaker AI don't know anybody here.
Speaker AYes, I do.
Speaker AI do know somebody that would have scissors because Corey is amazing.
Speaker AShe's the queen of conferences and just has a kind of like jack of all trades box or purse or book bag or whatever.
Speaker AIf you need it, Corey's got it.
Speaker AAnd so I went over, said, hey, can I borrow your scissors?
Speaker AAnd she's like, sure, because I love those guys.
Speaker ABrian the video guy, right?
Speaker AAnd at the end of the show, I packed it up.
Speaker AThanks to Mark Johansen, by the way, for helping me pack it up.
Speaker AThat's.
Speaker AIt's supposed to be a one man job.
Speaker ANot sure about that.
Speaker AI Got done, and I was going to ship it.
Speaker ALong story short, I missed the.
Speaker AYou know, FedEx was already closed, but I was like, ah, man.
Speaker ABut Corey offered to take the booth from PodPage, which is in this big, giant, black rolling thing, and ship it for me the next day.
Speaker AAnd I just want to give her a shout out and just again, let people know there's.
Speaker AThere's no weird rift between myself and Lips, and there never was and there never is.
Speaker AIt's a great company.
Speaker AI talked to Matthew Passi this week, who's now involved with Libsyn.
Speaker AIt's a great company.
Speaker AAnd so just in the event, you ever think that's a thing, it's not.
Speaker AAnd in the end, I didn't need to have Corey ship it, but I thought it was just gracious that she would, because she's awesome, as is everybody at Libsyn.
Speaker ASo just in the event, you know, you ever think that's a thing?
Speaker AYou know, it's.
Speaker AIt's not.
Speaker AThey're great people, and I miss them a lot.
Speaker ABut I am happy at Bond Page, which, while I'm talking about that, we rolled out a new feature this week, and that is we have a bunch of short links.
Speaker ASo for instance, you go into POD Page, you put in your Apple, your Spotify, your iHeart, your Amazon, or whatever other links you want.
Speaker AAnd instead of saying, find me wherever you find podcasts.
Speaker ANo.
Speaker AWhy do that?
Speaker ABecause a search in some of these apps is horrendous.
Speaker ASo you just say, hey, go to, you know, askthepodcastcoach.com follow or podcastconsultant.com follow and PodPage automatically makes a page that uses the links that you put in there.
Speaker AWe've got a slash rate.
Speaker AWe've got a slash episode number.
Speaker AAnd like, today I'll go, you know, this is episode 969.
Speaker AIf you go to school with podcasting.com 969.
Speaker AYeah, that's built into podpage.
Speaker AAnd we also have voicemail.
Speaker AWe have a bunch of these slash things that make it easy.
Speaker AAnd why else do we do that?
Speaker ABecause it reinforces your brand.
Speaker AIt's another way to get your website stuck in people's brains.
Speaker ABut we added slash newsletter because I'll be talking about newsletters a little later on this year.
Speaker ABeen doing some research, man.
Speaker ADo you need a newsletter for your podcast?
Speaker ASo that'll be coming in the future.
Speaker ABut what it does is a.
Speaker AIf you go, wait, I need a newsletter.
Speaker AI don't.
Speaker AI.
Speaker ADave, I don't have a newsletter.
Speaker AWell, we can collect emails for you over at PodPage.
Speaker ANow, we're not going to send any emails because that's where you go to Kit or Mailerlite or whoever you want to go through.
Speaker ABut we'll collect them if you go, I got nothing.
Speaker ASo we got your back.
Speaker AAnd then when you decide to use mailer lighter, ConvertKit, those are two that I like.
Speaker AThen you can then easily export those emails and put them in there.
Speaker ABut wait, there's more.
Speaker AThat's the pro plan we you can put in your email list there.
Speaker AAnd now if you're on the plural plan, you got the slash newsletter.
Speaker AIf you're on the elite plan, there's a feature at the bottom of that page.
Speaker ASo the top page, you put in your signup form.
Speaker ABottom of the page, if you're using Beehive Substack or Kit, which I still want to call ConvertKit, we can pull in previous newsletters onto that page.
Speaker ASo that's something that's new.
Speaker AAt PodPage.
Speaker AWe are having a community meetup.
Speaker AYou can check that in our Facebook group and I'll put a link to that in the show notes if you want to join us.
Speaker AMyself and the one and only, don't be fooled by cheap invitations.
Speaker ABrendan Mulligan, founder of PodPage, are doing an Ask me Anything.
Speaker ANow, technically that's, you know, ask me anything about PodPage, but we're always open to listening to our community.
Speaker ASo that is coming up right around us tomorrow, I guess, by the time you hear this.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker AYou know, I always say, you need a coach, you need another set of eyes.
Speaker AAnd I had someone design a logo for my church.
Speaker AAnd the long story short is we are in Talmadge, Ohio, and for the better part of four months, the logo has spelled Talmage wrong.
Speaker AAnd I never noticed it.
Speaker ANever, ever noticed it.
Speaker AAnd so when I say, you know, if you're already podcasting, maybe go over to podcast hotseat.com and get another set of eyes.
Speaker AThat would be my eyes on your show.
Speaker AI will help you point out the good stuff.
Speaker AAnd if there is anything that needs polished.
Speaker AYeah, we'll point that out too, in a loving and caring, constructive way.
Speaker ACheck that out.
Speaker APodcast hot seat dot com.
Speaker ABut I was blown away today when somebody said, do you know our logos misspelled wrong?
Speaker AAnd I was like, what?
Speaker AAnd I paid money for that.
Speaker ANow I got to go fix it.
Speaker AHoly cow.
Speaker AYou're too close to your content.
Speaker AYour audience will thank you.
Speaker APodcast hot seat.com, thanks so much for tuning in.
Speaker AUntil next week.
Speaker ATake care.
Speaker AGod bless.
Speaker AClass is dismissed.
Speaker AIf you like what you hear, then go tell somebody.
Speaker AIf you like what you hear, then go to some.
Speaker ASo in the same way that I always say, oh, this is episode number whatever.
Speaker ALet's fix that.
Speaker AWhat is the episode number, Dave?
Speaker AAm I ever going to lose this sore throat?
Speaker AIf you like what you hear, then go tell someone.