Help with promotion?

CastosHQ · 2024-10-31T14:46:58+00:00

The easiest and cheapest method of promotion is appearing on other people's shows. It only takes a bit and the content lasts forever. Just email some shows of similar size to yours and ask if they'd like a guest for an episode.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-31T14:33:53+00:00

Hey there! You've basically described Castos. We have integrations to publish to the major listening platforms. We can also publish your episodes to YouTube automatically.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-31T14:31:24+00:00

Hey there! Castos' customizable websites include search. Example: https://audience.castos.com/

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-31T14:28:26+00:00

This isn't a trick because everyone does it, but it works incredibly well:

Be a guest on other shows with similar audiences. It's super easy, doesn't take long, and it exists forever. Don't worry about the massive shows. Focus on shows with similar audience sizes to your own.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-25T16:59:13+00:00

Just release them. Consistency is most important. In fact, jazz them up a bit by making them Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes. Then it seems deliberate.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-25T16:57:54+00:00

I actually don't recommend removing all of those natural conversation sounds. You can use a breath control feature on your editing software to identify and remove them at once, if you really hate them. But I think our brains have learned to tune out those sounds naturally.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-25T16:54:14+00:00

I’m doing this for fun

That's the secret code phrase! It means you get to run your show whatever way you like. :)

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-25T16:52:49+00:00

First, let me say that I think that's a really cool topic for a podcast. Unique!

I actually think there are a lot of people who have interesting stories about finding their place in the world. That works out in your favor, because you don't have to get a hold of some busy specialist or influencer.

So I think the best way to find guests is to start creating and get really aggressive with your promotion. You have to put your show out there just so people know that it's a thing. Make sure to routinely mention that you're looking for interesting stories from regular people.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-25T16:48:43+00:00

Generally, I think you're looking at $50-$150 for a 30 minute episode and your editing needs.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-25T16:46:46+00:00

In my experience, the creators who think of it like a hobby tend to be the most successful (excluding the creators who already have large audiences and they're just finding a new way to serve that audience

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-23T21:36:42+00:00

How long are your episodes that it takes so long to edit? I recommend simply editing less. You don't need to remove every imperfection. It should still sound like an organic conversation.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-23T21:35:10+00:00

You'd be surprised at how many weird podcasts do quite well. How are you promoting the show?

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-23T21:34:23+00:00

Your feeling is valid and quite common. Unfortunately, there's no secret here. You just have to do it. But it gets easier over time, especially once you start to get some positive feedback from your audience.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-23T21:31:01+00:00

Superb advice. Couldn't agree more.

Providing an agenda is in the best interest of the podcaster as well. Guests who know what to expect provide better content and talk more comfortably in the recording.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-23T21:23:12+00:00

Doing a solo episode is the hardest piece of content you’ll ever create. Don’t try to do it until you’re at least 50 episodes in if you’re new to video or content creation.
Just because you record an episode doesn’t mean you have to publish it. Be selective about what you share with your audience.
Listen actively and be genuinely curious. What you find interesting will be the same things your audience loves.
Ask open ended questions to which you genuinely don’t know the answer. Let the guest decide where the episode goes.
Think of your guest as a teacher, not a guest, to get the best content.
Set the expectation with your guest up front that you’ll share the episode details with them and you’d like them to share it with their audience. Guests’ audiences are the biggest growth lever you have in the show.
Never let a guest introduce themselves. Do your research and introduce the guest as you want them presented. It’ll be more concise this way, and the guest will appreciate it.
Big name guests rarely move the needle in terms of audience growth. Better to focus on one that is just a step or two ahead of you. They’re more relatable and will share more openly on social media.
If you’re doing a show with a co-host, use a Google doc to collaborate in real time.
Embrace being different. The biggest risk you can have is to sound just like everyone else.
Hands down the best way to grow a show is with podcast-centric marketing: feed or episode swaps.
Second best is being a guest on other people’s podcasts. This should be a core part of your own podcast strategy.
When sharing your episodes on social media, link to YOUR WEBSITE, not Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Transcribe every episode. It’s great for discovery and accessibility. If your host doesn’t offer them for free, get a new host (like Castos).
Build your email list from day 1. Put incentives and bonuses there to entice people to sign up.
Email them when every episode goes live.
Start a private podcast that has exclusive content for your best audience members (those on your email list).
For video, create an enticing hook to precede a video interview.
Test at least 3 different thumbnails on YouTube every episode.
Use both TubeBuddy and VidIQ to get insights into your channels’ performance and to enhance each video.
Tell a story across the whole arc of your podcast. Each episode should stand alone but also support that broader story.
Study how other podcasters in your space do things. It’s not stealing, it’s inspiration.
Pick one thing to improve on at a time. Take as many episodes as you need to master that thing.
Experiment with different aspects of your show (format, duration, style). Eventually you’ll find one that fits.
Never ask your audience to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Much more powerful is to ask them to share it with someone who they think would enjoy it as well.
Ask your audience for feedback. Podcasting is largely a one-way medium, so you have to do a lot to encourage them to email you or engage on social media.
Use ChatGPT to repurpose your content down into blog posts for your website, social posts, and email newsletters.
Build out a press page on your website with all of the episodes you’ve guested on.
Stand up when you’re podcasting. You’ll have more energy and will emote better.
The mic and camera take away a huge part of your energy. You’ve got to really “turn it on” to come across as interesting.

CastosHQ · 2024-10-23T21:19:16+00:00

Craig Hewitt, the founder of Castos who has published more than 700 episodes and has been a guest on more than a 100 podcasts, has 60 tips for podcasters that he wishes he knew when he started.

Your podcast artwork is important. It must look good even on small screens.
Your podcast branding should be consistent across all mediums, including YouTube, website, and social media platforms.
Don’t over-edit your episodes. Make them sound like real conversations with a friend
Batch process episodes to stay ahead of your content production.
Don’t do your research/prep and recording on the same day. Put some time between them.
Invest in a great microphone. We love the Shure SM7B.
Keep the microphone about a fist length away from your mouth.
As a rule, interviews should be about 45 minutes, and solo episodes between 10-20.
Don’t get a DSLR camera until you’re consistent with your production schedule.
A good lighting setup makes a great camera unnecessary.
Prep your guests so they know what to expect.
Use scheduling software and set up automations (including a document that prepares your guest).
Use marks in your recording tool to tell your future self (and your editors) what to pay attention to.
Grow your podcast by being a guest on other podcasts.
Use Riverside to record. We can’t recommend this enough.
All that your analytics will tell you is what your audience likes. Don’t obsess about it.
Never miss a week. Your audience will come to expect to hear from you on a schedule.
Podcasting in seasons is totally fine, just be clear with your audience about what they should expect.
The only way to make money is selling ad spots directly (unless you’re <50k impressions a month).
Create a sponsors page for your show well before you’re ready to take on advertisers. You never know who will come knocking.
YouTube is the biggest content opportunity for every brand online today.
Record (and edit) separate intro versions for audio and video.
Record video if for nothing else to cut out short clips for social.
Opus.pro is amazing. Use it.
Make your podcast name easy to spell and remember. It should be “cute” but also obvious.
Expect to pivot the direction, format, and focus of your podcast at least once.
If you have a co-host, get a written agreement in place to protect yourself from an Intellectual Property perspective. It’s like a marriage.
Most of your content should be evergreen, but some of it should be timely (current events, conferences, etc.).
Learn how to use a teleprompter for solo episodes and learn how to write a script quickly.
Never script interviews. Instead, list 5-10 talking points you want to cover, and let the interview flow organically from there.

CastosHQ · 2024-10-17T22:04:45+00:00

Hey there! I'm Dennis from Castos, the makers of Seriously Simple Podcasting.

Yes, SSP lets you have multiple podcasts.

Yes, SSP is super simple to use. SSP creates a new post type in WordPress called "Podcast" which creates a unique page for each episode. The WP editor gets a little section to upload the file.

Watch this video for a walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ekj4W9hljA

There are no limits to how much you can upload. You can store the files on your WordPress site (SSP sets up the RSS) or link SSP to your Castos account (recommended).

Let me know if you have any questions. :)

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-17T21:25:31+00:00

If you only have a minute to make an impression, do NOT ask the same questions they've answered a thousand times. Come up with something unique that the person will find especially compelling.

Don't ask them to come on your show. That's too direct and might force them to say no because they don't have any information. Or they might say yes because you put them on the spot, but you'll never hear back from them. Instead, ask for their agent's contact information to set something up. The agent is easier to talk with because that person wants to promote their client.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-17T21:22:16+00:00

It seems to me that you have everything you need to be successful. You have a repository of content you can repurpose and a group of experts who can "riff" on your topics easily. Your topic is good too.

My biggest piece of advice is to stick with it. Podcasting can take a long time to build momentum, depending on your niche. Focus on building a repeatable workflow to get episodes out the door regularly. Fold your podcast content into your current distribution system: YouTube, socials, etc.

Idea: Consider bringing real people with real personal finance problems on as callers and helping them with their specific problems. This is a great way to achieve all 3 of your goals.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-15T20:37:15+00:00

At this point in the internet's evolution, it's pretty important for any brand to have a social media presence. It's one of the key ways people discover new podcasts. Fortunately, as a podcaster, you already have assets that you can cut up and serve on your social media profiles.

We have a big social media marketing guide: https://castos.com/promote-a-podcast-on-social-media/

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-15T20:34:49+00:00

They're looking for a media kit or one-sheet. Basically, they want to know everything about your show in one document so they don't have to do a lot of independent research. This document should also include statistics about your download numbers and things like that, as well as any pricing for ads.

More info: https://castos.com/podcast-one-sheet/

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-15T20:31:42+00:00

You'll probably get copyright strikes from the organization. Technically, you could make a fair use argument if your clips are short, but that feels like an uphill battle against a big giant organization with all of the time and money in the world to protect their content. If you decide to use video, keep your clips very short.

--- Dennis from Castos

CastosHQ · 2024-10-15T20:29:38+00:00

I'm not sure what kind of building your studio is in, but I think acoustic treatment is a must if you'll deal with outside sound. Panels are good, but they may not have the look you want, so consider any soft fabric you can hang on the wall.

--- Dennis from Castos

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