Creative Studio - Podcasting Experiments

Have you struggled to find the niche for your podcast? Today's guest is Brain Kane from the The Real Brian Show, former host of ProfitCast and ArrowSquad. When he started The Real Brian Show, he struggled with the whole "niche" issue and, as a result, struggled with how to define his podcast to others. Listen to his podcasting journey: [02:00] As a kid, Brian wanted to be a morning DJ, but when he began with radio, interest in radio was fading, and it didn't pay well. He tried figuring out podcasting in 2013, and discovered Cliff Ravenscraft's Podcasting A to Z which made it easy. Joshua first found Brian when Dave Jackson and Daniel J. Lewis separately mentioning ProfitCast. Joshua and Joshua connected regarding sponsorship possibilities. [04:30] How (or why) did Brian start podcasting? His first show was "Backstage Pass" (interviewing hip-hop artists) and then "TV Talk" (hosting podcasts about TV shows paying $80-90/hour). Brian took another course in 2014, researching how to grow an audience. Everyone

In this episode, we speak with Eric Hunley, the host of the Unstructured Podcast. He starts out by discussing the inspiration behind his podcast and the reasoning for his unique podcasting approach. Eric explains why he often brings in other people to assist him with interviewing guests and how he does not realize he is learning during each show. Then, Eric explains why he hates show notes and how he does not have time for everything because of his full-time job. Eric Hunley is forging his path in interview style podcasts as the host of the Unstructured Podcast. Not surprisingly, it is a formula that is now being followed by many other podcasters. Eric has created over 100 interview style podcasts in less than nine months, with a gambit of podcast guests sourced from all corners of the globe. New podcasters and seasoned professionals often seek out his knowledge and have begun following his unstructured direction.   Eric started out by being an expert listener. He listened to some expert podcasters like Jo

In this episode, Joshua talks with Natalee Allen Champlin, former host of the third episode of The Mentee Podcast. Natalee shares the unusual way she became the host of a podcast that she didn’t start herself and the lessons (both good and bad) from that experience. What We Talked About How Natalee transitioned from podcast listener to host Why Geoff (the owner of The Mentee Podcast) chose an unusual method to keep his podcast alive How to learn from every experience to become better…including failure Lessons Natalee learned about growing as a podcaster How to find your “sweet spot” as a podcaster in a world full of podcasts Key Takeaways Be open to new experiments. An experiment, like a change in podcast format or features, could open a new opportunity for you. Don’t be afraid of healthy conflict. When working with others, don’t be afraid to stand by and defend your ideas on a project or idea. Don’t hold on to failure. If something no longer serves you or your mission, don’t be afraid to let it

Drew Ackerman joins us on the podcast today to talk about his podcast, Sleep with Me. We explore several areas: Diving into a niche that wasn't really being served Creatively and purposely rambling Facing imposter syndrome And more... Check out his podcast here: https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/ (https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/)

Jonathan Messinger is the creator of the kids podcast Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian.  When his son became interested in audiobooks, he went looking for podcasts for kids. When he couldn’t find anything, he decided to create his own. He writes and performs all episodes of the podcast, with his 9year old son Griffin serving as editor.   How Jonathan got into podcasting (01:37) Why Jonathan decided to make a podcast rather than a book (02:53) How the sound design of the show has developed (05:19) Jonathan’s process for creating the podcast (07:25) The challenge of getting the word out about the show (08:48) Why Jonathan started doing live shows and what his format is (09:54) Jonathan’s involvement in the Gen-z Network (14:13) Some of Jonathan’s podcasting failures (19:22)   The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian http://www.finncaspian.com/   earth@finncaspian.com   Twitter: @finncaspian https://twitter.com/finncaspian   Instagram: @finncaspian https://www.instagram.com/finncaspian   Podc

This is a quick episode to give you an update on the podcast and what's been going on with me (i.e. why I haven't published recently). This is also an experiment with me recording the podcast in a new way for me. This episode has not been edited like I normally do, so it's much more raw. I basically just did some de-noise for the background noise, adjusted the volume, and cut big gaps. Check out the website for more great episodes and resources: http://podcastingexperiments.com (http://podcastingexperiments.com)

Eric started podcasting in his senior year of college. Inspired by a conversation in a Facebook group, he researched the idea. Once he had figured out how to do it, he was persuaded to just do it. He was joined by Justin and although the audio was terrible, they got the first one out. Now 9 years later they have 6 podcasts and have branched into experimenting with narrative podcasts. How Eric got into podcasting 9 years ago How Justin's story intertwines The moment they decided to take podcasting seriously and create the current iteration of Three Fifs Podcast How they started Rolling 12s, a narrative podcast of a tabletop roleplay of Vampire the Requium and how it has evolved The practicalities of recording the Rolling 12s podcast Where they get their music from Their experience of  creating a narrative from scratch How having live players that can do anything, challenges telling the narrative Their Podcasts: Three Fifs Podcast - http://threefifspodcast.com/ Thumbstick Mafia - http://threefifsp

From fan of podcasts to producer of podcasts. As an avid fan of podcasts, a little bit of research led Paul to realize podcasting is relatively cheap and easy to get into. He bought a Radio Shack mic and just started talking. He tried all sorts of different themes including socio-political issues and soccer before figuring out how to be authentic and entertaining. This led to his first fictional podcast. Now 6 years later he has 3 fiction podcasts, 2 more in the making and a podcast about writing.   How Paul got started in podcasting The journey and failures that got him to the podcasts he has now How Paul's podcast Diary of a Madman came about Utilizing your downtime and finding a niche by experimenting How Diary of a Madman has developed to include other writers for the next few seasons Editing episode by episode versus editing the whole season How to smartly invest your energy when trying to grow your audience Why Paul created the Fate Crafters network The advantages of belonging to a podcast ne

Amanda’s podcasting journey   Amanda has just reached her 2nd podcast anniversary for her current show, Great Beer Adventure. However, it was nearly 3 years ago that she started looking at podcasting. She was a teacher, feeling depressed with a very long commute. Her husband recommended listening to Serial, and then one day said to her, ‘You could do this. You could make a podcast.’ Amanda says she never does anything by half so she dived full on into the deep end.   She always teaches herself how to do things before showing others that she’s working on it, so Amanda actually had a starter podcast that she published called Dear Diary. It was her talking into a microphone, learning the process of editing and uploading, but she has long since deleted it. Somebody told her early on that ‘your first podcast will die’ so the purpose of that first podcast was really just to be a practice and to kill it off once she knew what she was doing.   Wanting to go after something she felt passionate about, once she wa

I’m doing some rebranding with this podcast. I’m changing the name from Creative Studio: podcasting experiments to Podcasting Experiments from the Creative Studio. Right now, I’m just announcing it here in the audio, but in the next episode or two, you’ll see some changes in the visual branding. We will be talking with Glenn Hebert, also known as Glenn the Geek and America’s Horse Husband. He began the Horse Radio Network in 2006 and has grown it into a successful business. We’ll talk about treating your podcast as a business, the advantage of a strong niche, and the power of involving listeners. MetaMoment: Now, before we jump into the interview for today, let’s pause for a MetaMoment. This is where we review one or two podcasts about podcasting on this podcast about podcasting. Today’s MetaMoment is...Podcasters’ Roundtable. It is hosted by Ray Ortega and regular co-hosts Daniel J. Lewis and Dave Jackson. They bring on different podcasters to have roundtable discussions about different aspects of podca

Welcome to the Creative Studio, the podcast where we conduct experiments in podcasting. Most podcasters stick with the “normal” podcasting practices, but you - you’re different. You like to try different things.   “You do it like this, and then you break the mold.”   This fifth season of the Creative Studio is a production of Podcast Guy Media, LLC. We will be talking with people that are doing something unique with their podcast. Maybe it’s their format, their philosophy, their niche. Whatever it is, we’ll find out what makes it tick. We’ll see what works...and what doesn’t. We’ll see what we can learn and apply to our own podcasts.   Visit our website at http://podcastingexperiments.com (PodcastingExperiments.com).   Today we will be talking with Johny Florida, host of the Wrestling’s National Committee podcast. Johnny will talk about the power and pitfalls of relationships with other podcasts in your niche, WNC’s podcasting set up, and how to use strategic partnerships to build your credibility.  

We will be talking with Eric Trules and his podcast is e-Travels with E. Trules, and it’s unique in that it combines travelogue storytelling with an aurally immersive experience of sound, effects and music that take you right to the destination. We’ll talk about his podcasting journey, his publishing schedule with alternating formats, and the beauty of travel.   MetaMoment: Now, before we jump into the interview for today, let’s pause for a MetaMoment. This is where we review one or two podcasts about podcasting on this podcast about podcasting. Today’s podcast MetaMoment is…Podcast Talent Coach with Erik K. Johnson. His podcast focuses primarily on the content of your podcast and how to improve it. In episode 175 of Podcast Talent Coach, Erik shares his journey as a hockey coach and how it relates to determining the “why” behind your podcast. The concept of knowing and following your “why” is not new, but Erik’s story and explanation do a great job at exploring the topic. Check it out at PodcastTalentCo

  We will be talking with Meghan Enriquez today from True Conversations. We’re going to hear how she started a podcast to grow her movement, how she grew the podcast into a network, and how she fosters engagement with her target audience. She also is hosting an event at the end of September 2017, so listen for that later. How Meghan got into podcasting Meghan was not looking to become a podcasters. She started her company, True Conversations, back in January 2016 after shifting career goals and being home with 2 young children. She felt there was a need to change the culture in how we communicate and lead. True Conversations started out being events and training, but one day at a lunch, the broadcaster for the Baltimore minor league team suggested podcasting as a useful platform for her to explore. Although Meghan at the time didn’t know what a podcast was, she soon saw the value of it as a medium for spreading the mission of True Conversations—to promote understanding around stigmatized issues—into the wo

Welcome to the Creative Studio, the podcast where we conduct experiments in podcasting. Most podcasters stick with the “normal” podcasting practices, but you - you’re different. You like to try different things.   “You do it like this, and then you break the mold.”   This fifth season of the Creative Studio is a production of Podcast Guy Media, LLC. We will be talking with people that are doing something unique with their podcast. Maybe it’s their format, their philosophy, their niche. Whatever it is, we’ll find out what makes it tick. We’ll see what works...and what doesn’t. We’ll see what we can learn and apply to our own podcasts.   Visit our website at PodcastingExperiments.com.   We will be talking with Matt Medeiros today from the Matt Report Podcast. We’re going to hear about the way he experimented with publishing Netflix style, the power of video, and his approach to sponsorship.   Matt’s podcasting journey   Matt first began podcasting about 4 or 5 years ago. It began a few years before

Today’s guest is Daniel Lewis. The story is more important than the format As a consumer the format of the narrative podcast is not immediately interesting to Daniel. It’s the story that has to catch him, and whether he can connect with the topic itself. For people considering doing narrative podcasts, it’s really a decision about whether that is the best way to tell the story that you want to tell and if you are willing to do the extra work that goes along with the format. It can come out really neat if you do it well but it is a lot of work. First, consider is a narrative/storytelling format the thing that communicates your message the best? Second, are you willing to do the hard work it takes to get something like that done? Planning and preparation is key If you have an idea that you feel could be fun for a narrative podcast story, Daniel says you need to plan and be prepared. If there is something coming up that would be great to record, make sure you have a recorder with you throughout the process.

Today’s guest is Jessica Abel, author of the book Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio and the Out on the Wire Podcast. Reasons to do a narrative style podcast Jessica suggests doing a narrative podcast because narrative journalism is an extremely powerful way to convey ideas. You can pack so much into so little time and with so many layers of meaning by carefully editing, layering in sound and thinking really carefully about your scripting and narration. Although you could listen to five episodes of a good interview podcast and get little nuggets of gold here and there, there’s often fluff that goes on in between those nuggets. It’s possible to put all of those nuggets into a half hour narrative podcast and really not miss anything. Even interview podcasts themselves can be done much more tightly, much more efficiently and much more interestingly. For example, Fresh Air episodes are heavily edited. They’re not narrative, they’re interview based. But they’re still done in a

Today’s guest is Doc Kennedy from the Filmaker’s Focus podcast. He is one of the guests who contributed to the Season 4 series on Narrative Podcasting, and he’s on the show today to share some updated information. Along with being a podcaster, Doc is also a film maker, and working towards being an actor and a stand-up comedian. Being a film maker, he brought a different perspective on narrative podcasting than many of the other guests, and was able to bring in a lot of parallels from video and acting. Today, we will revisit this. In the time since Doc was last on the podcast, there have been ever-increasing changes and improvements to technology. For example, cell phone cameras have gone from little grainy pictures to 4K. It’s insane how much things have changed even just in the last couple of years. Because of this, Doc’s perspective has changed somewhat too, and he feels some of the advice he gave last time is now outdated.   Getting started Doc’s advice is to start with the basics. Some people are produ

The guest today is Corey Coates from The Podcast Producers. Choosing the right medium for your content Corey’s experience has shown him that you have to make a decision as to who is going to be the one actually telling the story before you decide whether or not to do a narrative style. When doing narrative podcasting, people usually imagine as the narrator that they are “telling” the story, but the reality is a really good narrative podcast is one where the story is being told by the participants and almost unfolds on its own. There’s clearly a choice to guide the story in a certain direction, to edit in a certain way and to present the story that you might want to tell but before you even think about why you want to do it, ask “who is going to be responsible for telling the story?” A lot of people are interested in the method of doing it this way largely because of the popularity of some narrative podcasts. When you listen to RadioLab or Serial, they sound beautiful and they’re fun to listen to. Corey kno

Today’s guest is Jessica Rhodes from The Podcast Producers. Reasons to do narrative style Jessica explains that putting on a narrative podcast is going to make you a thought leader in that industry. It brings you a lot of credibility because of the amount of work that goes into it, the production and high quality of the style of podcasts. It makes you come across as a lot more serious about what you’re doing. Interview style podcasts are great but when you put out a narrative show, you are putting out a quality of show that is so much higher than the majority of shows out there so it really does set you apart from the crowd. There is a lot of work both in preparation and post production. There are so many podcasts now. People want to podcast because they want to make money and be famous and they want the easiest way to do it. Well, the reality is if you want to be super famous or successful or make a lot of money, you have to put in the hard work. There is no fast path to a lot of success. A narrative sty

Today’s guest is Geoff Woods from the podcast The Mentee. There is a change of direction in the podcasting world, ever since Serial, where narrative podcasting has become more popular. We are still at the very beginning of the bell curve of podcasting’s popularity because we’re still in the realm of the early adopter. Many people still don’t know what podcasting is. There is going to be an increasing need for podcasts because it will become more popular and the professionals are realizing it. There are narrative journalists who did that as their profession who are bringing that talent and skill set to the podcasting world. With that, you’re starting to see podcasts coming out with incredibly high production quality and budgets for production as well. You don’t have to do that to compete moving forward, but recognize that the quality is going through the roof and if you want to stand out you have to do things differently. Geoff’s approach Geoff started recording the conversations with the incredible, high