say Happy Halloween! David Yas highlighted the Descript app's features, including its stock sounds and multi-track exporting. Matt Cundill introduced Descript Rooms, a new beta tool for remote recording. Johnny Podcasts emphasized the importance of pre-recording checklists and suggested internal episodes during guest booking challenges. Catherine O'Brien noted the mainstreaming of podcasts in elections, citing unexpected guest appearances. Matt Cundill discussed alternatives to Chartable for download tracking, with Op3 and Podder App as top recommendations. Finally, they shared their Halloween plans and encouraged listeners to follow the podcast on various platforms. Dan Misener wrote a nice piece about alternatives to Chartable. A Transcript and video of this episode can be found on our network page. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Podcast Superfriends discussed the significance of International Podcast Day and shared best practices in podcasting. David Yas highlighted the "Three Up, Three Down" segment from the Base Path Podcast, which engages guests in fun baseball-related questions. Johnny Podcasts shared insights on improving podcast engagement by shortening ad intros and using interactive elements. Matt Cundill highlighted a clip from the New Media Show featuring Adam Curry who says the opportunity in Podcasting is going to be local... Catherine O'Brien emphasized the value of localized content, citing the "Living Love It" podcast featuring Mary Louise Kelly. The group also discussed the potential of hyper-local podcasts and the importance of regular self-evaluation to improve hosting skills. A Transcript and video of this episode can be found on our network page. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Podcast Superfriends discussed their origins at Podcast Movement, highlighting the conference's role in their networking. Matt and Jag were attendees at the show and had a very good dinner together with old radio friends. Overall, the friends discussed the importance of Podcast Movement - the likes and the dislikes. Were there really less creators at the event and is that a problem? Matt called out companies like Spotify and ESPN for not have booths on the Exhibit floor while companies like Sirius XM did. In the back half of the show - Johnny Podcasts pulled out the latest Sounds Profitable Podcast Lanscape research piece and highlighted some of his favourite slides. You can see Tom Webster's keynote speech from Podcast Movement here. You can access the study here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Superfriends discussed the challenges of monetizing podcasts in a downturn, with a focus on creating extra value for paid members. They shared insights on how to effectively monetize podcasts through advertising, including building relationships with advertisers and targeting the right audience. The speakers also explored the potential of podcast paywalls, their effectiveness, and the challenges of implementing them. Overall, the conversation highlighted the need for podcasters to diversify their revenue streams and find innovative ways to monetize their shows in a competitive market. Programming Note: David Yas was travelling and sorrily missed. If you have any questions - please reach out to any of the Superfriends. We would love to help you podcast better! Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thinking of upgrading your podcast equipment? This episode, the Podcast Superfriends dissect the 2024 Podcast Equipment Survey. From debunking the Blue Yeti myth to the nuances of choosing between USB and XLR microphones, this episode is packed with actionable tips. Learn why audio interfaces are a game-changer and get to grips with the best recording software on the market. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The episode has been a long time coming. But it's well worth the wait. AI is everywhere and today we broke out our best production skills and have decided to share all our secrets. The Podcast Superfriends get together to review their favourite AI-powered tools. We reviewed the following. David showed us a jingle/song tool called Suno. Cost: nil. Matt Reviewed Vocal Remover which is free and separates the music from the vocal leaving you with two files to play with. (Thanks to James Cridland who shared this idea at Radiodays North America last week) Catherine shared one of her favorite tools from CoSchedule - which is their Headline writing feature. There is a cost to it but it takes out all the mystery out of SEO. Johnny gave us a tour of Adobe's Enhanced audio tool which turns your crappy echoey mess of a podcast and makes it sound like it was recorded in a studio. It is free but will only do 30 minutes at a time at the free level. A paid version of Adobe willl give you full access. Finally, Jag in Detroit, Jon Gay gave us some serious updates on Descript's Underlord, Riverside's forthcoming updates, and a non-AI hack to get rid of echo using RX-11 from Izotope. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We dig into some spring cleaning. The Superfriends discussed ways to improve podcast content, production, and distribution. Johnny Podcasts is out on reels and shorts for his creators. Matt Cundill emphasized the importance of purging podcasts that are taking up space on the network. David Yas aimed to bring a fresh approach to podcast housekeeping by making more effective interviews. Catherine O'Brien emphasized the importance of purging social media accounts to avoid echo chambers, and Jag in Detroit stressed the importance of consistency during the summer break. (Regardless of whether you take a break or not) The 4 producers also shared their insights on how to optimize podcast content, production, and distribution to reach a wider audience, and utilize AI tools for show notes. They discussed the benefits of using AI tools, including efficiency and accuracy in creating summaries, keywords, and suggested titles. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Superfriends get together to discuss all things podcasts... including how to improve their shows with segments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 5 Podcast Producers get together to critique one another's shows. We offer feedback to both the producers and the performers from the following shows: That's Business The Distribution by Juniper The 905er Smidgen Sports Card Madness In this episode you will hear some of the feedback offered amongst the Podcast Superfriends. Things like: How to make your show more conversational, why you should or should not swear in your episode, whether or not you should be using artwork and/or episode artwork, and why you should get into the show quickly. We also touched on some of the opportunities to create a preview clip at the beginning of your show. (And all that was just in the first 20 minutes of this epic episode. Would you like us to review and critique your show? Go to our website and fill out a form and submit your podcast elevator pitch along with the episode you want us to review. (It'll be up shortly) You can access a transcript of the podcast here. You can watch the show on YouTube here. If you want to listen to the episodes we were talking about - click on the show title. You will be taken to the episode page. That's Business The Distribution by Juniper The 905er Smidgen Sports Card Madness Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Podcast Superfriends are getting together early in 2024 to revisit their predictions from a year. We can spoil it for you now, there were a lot of HITS and just a few misses. If you would like a transcript of this episode - go here. We also support Podcasting 2.0 so if you want to send us a boost, we would be thrilled! This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Superfriends get together to share the most valuable things they learned in 2023. Some of the things you will learn include: Why big guests don't necessarily move the needle for your show. (Matt) Why your quest for large downloads numbers may be a waste of time, instead you should be aiming for the right audience (Catherine) The importance of video components, time codes, and leveraging platforms like Twitter to reach a wider audience. (Johnny) There's only so much you can do to fix bad audio (Jag) Tips for creating high-quality video content, including investing in a green screen and using video editing software like iMovie. (David) A transcription of the episode is available here. You can see the show on YouTube! Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jay Nachlis leads the podcasting and digital initiatives for Coleman Insights. Along with Steve Goldstein at Amplifi Media, they released "The New Rules of Podcasting" which was a deep dive into the behaviour of podcast consumers. Jay is kind enough to join us to talk about the findings. This is a study that was unveiled at Podcast Movement back in August, and has reverberated throughout the podcast an content creation community. Do you have to have a video to accompany your podcast? Do you have to have a video strategy? Why is this happening? In this episode you will hear why the study used the word "consume" instead of "listen" or "watch" to avoid bias in a study on podcast consumption; also consumer perceptions and brand research are lacking in the podcasting industry, despite abundant analytics. Jay acknowledges that there will always be subjectivity in how consumers view a podcast and its format, and that it's okay for there to be confusion, and that podcasts don't necessarily need to be in video format, and that it depends on the podcast and its subject matter. Jay also emphasized the importance of building brand awareness and perceived value through podcasting, rather than just relying on platform-specific metrics. Also Jay suggests that podcasters should consider wider distribution opportunities, such as YouTube, to reach a broader audience and increase brand visibility. A transcription of this episode is here. If you would like to know more about the study, reach out to Jay Nachlis at Coleman Insights or Steve Goldstein at Amplifi Media. If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Podcast Superfriends dive into the things they want you to stop doing when making podcasts. Here are a few of the things they want you to stop. Jon Gay: Asking for ratings and reviews at the end of a podcast is less egregious but still not effective. Matt Cundill shares his frustration with the common practice of including a microphone in podcast artwork, citing it as a cliché and a missed opportunity for creativity. Catherine O'Brien suggests dropping the teaser at the beginning of a podcast and getting straight to the content. Johnny Podcasts is pro teasers at the front of his podcast, believing they help set the tone and emotionally invest listeners in what's to come. David Yas emphasizes the importance of quality audio for podcasts, particularly in terms of microphone and internet connection. Also, all the hosts share their disdain for the Blue Yeti Microphone. And that's just the first 15 minutes. A transcription of the episode is available here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It turns out that the biggest takeaway from Podcast Movement was the explosion of video. That likely creates more questions than answers for podcasters. The Podcast Superfriends unpack their favorite video strategies for your podcast. If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Superfriends get together to come up with some practices regarding Dynamic Ad (or Audio) Insertion. Dynamic ad insertion in podcasting refers to the process of dynamically inserting targeted advertisements into podcast episodes at the time of delivery or playback. Instead of being hard-coded into the original audio file, ads are added to the content on-the-fly, allowing for personalized and up-to-date advertisements to reach listeners. The traditional method of podcast advertising involves host-read or pre-recorded ads that are included in the podcast during the production stage. While this approach can work well for evergreen content, it lacks flexibility when it comes to delivering relevant ads based on the listener's location, interests, or the current date. Dynamic ad insertion solves this problem by using technology that allows for the replacement of specific sections of a podcast episode with advertisements that are relevant to the individual listener. In this episode, you will hear how the Podcast Superfriends use DAI to their benefit. If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While everyone agrees that transcribing your podcast is a good idea, there is some confusion over its value in SEO, and is investing the time it takes worth it? The Podcast Superfriends get together to discuss their experiences with transcription... so far. Services mentioned in this episode: Headliner: https://www.headliner.app/ VEED: https://www.veed.io/ Trint: https://trint.com/ Descript: https://www.descript.com/ Gotranscript: https://gotranscript.com/ Otter: https://otter.ai/home Riverside: https://riverside.fm/homepage Temi: https://www.temi.com/try-rev Podsqueeze: https://podsqueeze.com/ Capsho: https://www.capsho.com/ SwellAI: https://www.swellai.com/ Momento: https://studio.momento.fm/ Coschedule: https://coschedule.com/ If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are some of the things that we wish podcast companies offered? Or not offer? You'd be surprised at the number of times offerings come out and we ask: "Do we really need that?" A discussion about some of the services and features we think would make podcasting better, and a light critique of some of the things we’re not sure are going to positively move the needle. Join Catherine O'Brien, Matt Cundill (Sound Off Media), David Yas (The Boston Podcast Network), Jon Gay (Jag in Detroit) and Johnny Podcasts (Straight Up Podcasts) as they sort through their wishlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt got back from Spain and brings home his own form of the Spanish Inquisition. 20 Questions for the Podcast Superfriends: (2:12) 1. Your favourite Microphone you recommend to a client that has never recorded before. (6:34) 2. Best recording platform… Riverside, Squadcast, Zoom or Zencastr and why? (11:28) 3. What do you edit your shows with? (21:06) 4. Favourite podcast Host and why do you like it? 5. Favourite podcast about podcasting? (22:42) 6. Most under rated marketing hack for promoting a podcast. (26:37) 7. The best day to release an episode is…. (29:24) 8. The very first podcast you produced for someone else …. And is it still running today? (31:42) 9. The one thing you wish podcasters would stop doing. (38:02) 10. What was the podcast that inspired you to get into podcasting? (42:01) 11. Favourite app to listen to podcasts. Explain your answer. (44:24) 12. What is the hardest part about making a podcast? (45:36) 13. Name the podcast you have worked on that exceeded your expectations in terms of performance? (Downloads) (49:46) 14. For Transcription, I use….. (54:29) 15. I make newsletters using…. (55:44) 16. You can only use 1 social media platform to promote all your shows. What will you use? (56:56) 17. What is your interface of choice? (Focusrite, Rodecaster etc….) And would you recommend it? (1:00:23) 18. What is the most overlooked way to monetize your podcast? (1:02:23) 19. Favourite Headphones…. Either in the studio or to listen to podcasts. (1:04:36) 20. Give me one crazy podcast prediction.   For a full transcript of this episode click here If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Johnny introduces the Podcast Pyramid to Success, and the friends mull over the Infinite Dial Research, and whether You Tube's next attempt at involving themselves with podcasting is gonna be a thing. They also start talking about Dynamic Ad insertion and whether it is good or bad, and then realize they should do a full episode on it. For a full transcript of this episode click here If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Podcast Superfriends discuss some best practices for starting a podcast in 2023. If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Crew is back together to discuss their 2023 Podcast predictions. In case you missed the live stream of this episode, here are the links we posted in the chat: OpenAI ChatGPT Adobe Labs' Project Shasta If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification.. This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, an intimate interview with one of the Superfriends, David Yas. This conversation was originally Episode 323 of Matt's show, The Sound Off Podcast. If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification.. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, The Podcast Superfriends get together with some podcast episodes for a group listen. All they see is the artwork, then they listen to up to 75 seconds of the episode and discuss. They determine if what they heard was enough to grab their attention! Here are the podcasts were reviewed. (9:00) SacTown Talks (20:00) Powered By Protein (29:32) Heyfounded (37:31) Let's Take This Outside (46:45) America This Week If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification.. Head to the website for a transcript This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today the Superfriends get together to talk about how to Recession-proof your podcast, and prepare for the upcoming holidays. Believe it or not, there are some awesome holiday marketing hacks in and amongst those days off. If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification.. Head to the website for a transcript This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you want to start a podcast and you want to do it with a co-host? There are things you need to know. In this episode the Podcast Superfriends discuss things like getting a pre-nup, planning who does what in the work flow, right down to splitting revenue. Basically all the things you don't think about in that moment when you toast to your future podcast success. If you want to watch us live, be sure to follow us in these places and you'll get a notification. Head to the website for a transcript This episode was recorded live. You can view the original recording here. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt, Jon and Johnny attended Podcast Movement and share what they saw. Join us Monday at 5pm ET and bring your podcast questions. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working with guests is so much more than just inviting them on to the show. Everyone guest also comes with different expectations about podcasting. Today, our podcast experts share their strategies for getting the most out of the podcast guest experience. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time around, it is Podcast Charcuterie. We will be taking a look at how our summer podcast downloads are doing, looking ahead to Podcast Movement next month, and how many episodes is the right amount to launch with? But right off the top Johnny involves Matt and Jag into their latest adventures into Squadcast v5 which came out a few weeks ago. While there have been some noted improvements, the roll out has been a little clunky and Catherine wonders if overall, companies are more into changing the aesthetics of the dashboards rather than the user experience. We made mention of Dan Misner's Blog piece about the things he has learned when building branded podcasts. Here is the post. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Johnny went to Texas Christian University and studied marketing. When it came to audio... he learned the rest on his own. It's amazing what you can pick up from You Tube and by getting together with other podcast Superfriends. He has been working with companies to build outstanding branded podcasts like The Fort with Chris Powers. and Owner Occupied with Peter Lohmann. Both of those podcasts are in the real estate sector. You can connect with Johnny on his website. This episode was originally recorded for the Sound Off Podcast on July 1, 2022. (Canada Day) It was released on this podcast on July 4, 2022. (Independence Day in the USA). Johnny Podcasts YouTube. Sound Off Media Company on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is an episode that was originally created in August of 2021 for the Sound Off Podcast. Catherine O'Brien is the owner of Branch Out Programs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The California transplant turned in her career as a tax preparer for one in podcast. We met back in 2016 in Chicago and have made it point now to meet on a regular basis to help one another with branded podcasts. Sadly, this being another year of COVID, I won't get to see Catherine again - but instead decided to get together on this podcast to see how Podcast Movement was in person, and find out just a little more about her business. In this episode, you will hear what thought about Podcast Movement Appearances from Tom Webster, Mark Cuban and Allison Melody. Plus, she tells us how a branded podcast is done properly and shares some of the success stories from her company including Smidgeon, which you will adore if you love southern cooking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catherine O'Brien from Branch Out Programs asks: What happens when things get a little lethargic around our podcast? There are also different types of ruts including: The Content Rut, The Growth Rut, and the Tech Rut. You can also watch the show here on Youtube. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny - Straight Up Podcasts David - Boston Podcast Network Jon - JAG In Detroit Podcasts Catherine - Branch Out Programs Matt- The Soundoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices