Podfader

Who Are You Podcasting To? Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My ongoing podcast series for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. Episode #18Figuring out your target audience is one thing, but need to go further to what your one true listener needs, wants, and is asking you to create. Personas A persona is one way to discover who your target audience is. However, personas only go so far. To really understand your audience, you need to find your target listener. What do they need, want, and are asking you to create that will help them with their specific problems. When you podcast, you need to be talking to that one listener -- your target listener -- and advocating for them. However, before you can do that, you have to do get very detailed. Meet Teri I share my target listener Teri. Teri is more than just a mix of data and demographics. Teri is a struggling professional that wants to podcast but needs someone to fill in the tiny details that connects

Every Podcast Needs a Good Name Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E17 -- Every Podcast Needs a Good Name TL:DR - Naming a podcast is incredibly difficult without a strategy for naming your podcast that can actually help you stand out from the competition. Dog Names Would you name your dog "Dogfader"? Actually, that sounds like a great name for a dog! Maybe it could be an Old English Bulldog. Dogfader does sound like a Bulldog's name, especially after the first mile of any walk. Nothing fades faster than a Bulldog going uphill. But when it comes to names, I like names that work on multiple levels. The Secret Name of your Podcast I share a story about the A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin and how it matters to your naming quest. Podcast Naming Strategy At-a-Glance Understand how podcasts are searched Learn how names are categorized and why Describe your podcast idea as if you were a l

MAPCON Talk on Podcast Design Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E16 -- MAPCON Talk on Podcast Design TL:DR - Podcast Design Talk titled Put down the microphone and plan your podcast given at Mid-Atlantic Podcast Conference (MAPCON) September 7, 2018. Podcast Design Stack #1 – Start Your Idea DREAM “I want to do THIS!” “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” #2 – Feed Your Curiosity “I know…” “I wonder…” FOCUS #3 – Know Your Space “Who else…” “They talk about…” SPACE #4 – Target Your Topic “I love…” “I hate…” “I wish…” NARROW #5 – Include Your Audience “Lurk with purpose…” “In my opinion…” LURK #6 – Select Your Concept “Filter out the noise…” “Set your rules…” FILTER #7 – Expand Your Point of View “My hot topics…” “Schedule it out…” STUB #8 – Brand Your Design “I will call it…” “I am…” NAME THIS is the start See the Presentation Slides on SlideShare! And now you know. About the ShowPodfader, hosted by K

It Is Your Job To Pay It Forward Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E15 -- It Is Your Job To Pay It Forward TL:DR - It's time to actively give back what you have learned to the podcasting community and become the mentor that keeps other podcasters from podfading. Pay it back by paying it forward Step Nine of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Mentorship. You made it! You made it through the Steps to the last and final Step -- Step Nine: Mentorship. At first glance, you might think that mentorship means finding a mentor. However, it's the exact opposite. Mentorship in the Podfader context means for you to go find a podcast to mentor. It is your job to pay it forward. Your podcasting knowledge, your understanding of the production process, and what you know about what gear works and does not work for each level of a podcaster's journey. You can find someone to mentor in 1 of 3 ways: Mento

Surround Yourself With Like Minds Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E14 -- Surround Yourself With Like Minds TL:DR - Fellowship is Step Eight of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting and asks you to go find other podcasters, learn about their journey, and discover that you are not alone. Find Your Podcasting Tribe Step Eight of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Fellowship. 1. Find your podcasting tribe online: Underdog Podcast Community Cut the BS Podcasting Group Podcasters' Support Group Podcasters' Hangout DC Podcaster Community Podcast Builders League Podcast Movement Community - For Podcasters 2. Find your podcasting tribe in real life: Podcast Movement - Philadelphia, PA - July 23-26, 2018 Mid-Atlantic Podcasting Conference (MAPCON) - Philadelphia, PA - September 7-8, 2018 Podfest Multimedia Expo - Orlando, FL - March 7-9, 2019 DC Podfest - Arlington, VA - November 9-10, 2108 3.

Celebrate Your Podcasting Wins Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E13 -- Celebrate Your Podcasting Wins TL:DR - Focus is Step Seven of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting and requires you to earn your right to be podcasting by first doing the work, celebrating your wins and then getting to stay podcasting by never forgetting what you have endured to get here. The Story of Badwater-135 finisher David Goggins Three ways to Reward your accomplishments Understanding that goals matter than comparisons to others In 2007, Chief Petty Officer Special Operator (SEAL) David Goggins competed in the Badwater Ultramarathon. This is a running race that requires you to run 135 miles across Death Valley and up the side of Mount Whitney in California. In the end, David took 25 hours and 49 minutes to complete what is considered the most grueling event of its type in the world. It was good enough for third

Rebuild Your Motivation to Podcast Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E12 -- Rebuild your motivation and get back to building better podcasts TL:DR - Focus is Step Six of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting and requires you to rebuild your motivation and find your hunger for podcasting before you can truly get back to podcasting. What are your Motivations? What is your Why? Strategies for Rebuilding Your Motivation The only easy day was yesterday Step Six of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Focus. You need something to change when it comes to your motivation to podcast. Why? Ask yourself this question: Does the feeling of having to produce yet another podcast tapping your motivation? You know you love podcasting, but maybe it’s become exhausting, frustrating and even painful to continue. You see your competitors still maintaining the same podcast production tempo they did in past year

Discipline Guards Against Distraction Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast for helping you survive the day-to-day struggle that comes with keeping a podcast going. S1:E11 -- What does it mean to commit? TL:DR - Committing to your podcast requires you get disciplined about your goals if you have any chance of guarding against distractions. What it means to commit to your podcast Introduction to SMART Goals Big Podcasting Goals to consider Bubble Prioritization And now you know About the show Step Five of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Commit. When it comes to your podcast, what is your commitment to that podcast? Is it a hobby that can ebb and flow on a whim? Or is it a tool within your marketing strategy that needs to run like a German Train Schedule? The difference depends entirely on your drive to see your podcast success. If you want this to work -- really work -- then you need to develop the discipline to see it through. So what does that mean when it comes to keeping

Principles of Podcast Production Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E10 -- What is insight? Step Four of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Insight. Insight is defined as deep understanding. The capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing. I’ll tell what is NOT accurate or deep understanding -- winging it. Principles of Podcast Production First and foremost, you need to understand what a principle is. It is a fancy term for rules. Only these rules are the kind of rules you don’t break no matter what. They are the foundation you base your entire podcast on and the antithesis of winging it. For me, they start with three easy-to-remember rules: Stay simple Start small Show value Step 1. Two Column Drill The first of three principles is Stay Simple. To embrace that principle, you are going to put every part of

How Clear is Your Clarity? Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E9 -- How Clear is Your Clarity? Step Three of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Clarity. What does it mean to you? Clarity is defined as: The quality of being clear. The quality of coherence and intelligibility. The quality of being easy to see or hear; sharpness of image or sound. These are the elements of your podcast that Clarity tries to highlight. And why this step centers on deciding WHAT you need to improve if you are to learn a better way to produce your podcast. You cannot fix a podcast you never start, but you also cannot fix a podcast that YOU do not know is broken. Why is it broken? Podcasting is an audio medium of transforming information to other people. Because this requires our ears and our brains to be understood, there are three (3) distinct Clarity characteristics

You Might Suck at Podcasting Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E8 -- You Might Suck at Podcasting Step Two of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Humility. This step centers on believing that you don’t know everything about podcasting or realizing that your way may not be the best way to podcast. That’s a tough mindset to crack because it requires you to admit that your podcast could be better. If you’ve already come around to agreeing that your podcast and your podcasting skills are worth working on. Now you need to have a real conversation with yourself on what “worth working on” really means to you. Which is why I go back to the name of this episode: You might suck at podcasting! Well, do you? How would you know?   Getting to the Root Causes with Five Whys The Five Whys works something likes this: #1 -- I stopped podcasting. WHY? #2 -- I didn’t

Do you want to be a podcaster? Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E7 -- Is Your Podcast Worth It? Step One of the Nine Steps Back to Podcasting is Acceptance. This step centers on you either admitting that your podcast is worth working on, or admitting that your done with that podcast and letting it podfade. That’s a tough pill to swallow. To podcast or not to podcast, that is the question! Well, which is it? Are you ready to stop pretending you’re a podcaster and letting go of your podcast for good? Or do you really want to do the hard, sometimes thankless work of building a podcast worthy of an audience? These are both equally easy and difficult questions at the same time. Easy as in it is easy to SAY you want to give up or carry on. But difficult in what the repercussions will be when you choose. Sure, podfading seems easy... at first. But it com

Coming Back From a Podfade Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E6 -- Fellowship of the Podfader I had everything ready to record my podcast. I took a deep breath, clicked record, and moved up to the mic. Then a hot wave of embarrassment hit me. I had nothing to say, and I was in trouble. The Two Realities I like being a podcaster but didn’t like doing the podcasting work. I was avoiding my podcast. Why? Because it takes work to produce and I had gotten lazy. I didn’t want to plan my next episode, do the research, and write the script. I just wanted to “wing it” — or what my friend Tim calls “improv”! Only what they never tell you about improv is that IT takes a lot of work too! What kind of work? Planning, research, and scripting — just like my podcast. The epiphany was the realization of how truly prideful I had been and it took a frozen moment in f

Podfader #5 Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E5 -- Ratings and Review Swap Meet Focus on delivering great content to build an audience not on getting ratings and review from someone that is not your target listener. How are they going to know if you are any good if they don't even like the content you're delivering? About the Show Podfader, hosted by veteran podcaster Kyle Bondo, focuses on the challenges of keeping your podcast going and the drive we all have has creators to keep our podcasts going with new and interesting content. If you’re a struggling podcaster, Podfader will be your sanctuary to get you through the messy middle of any podcasting strategy. Stop fading and start casting! Find the complete shownotes at Podfader.com Presented by Gagglepod.com

Podfader #4 Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E4 -- Release the Podcast Throttle No one has ever made a rule that prevents your daily, weekly, or monthly podcast from changing its release schedule, taking time off, or modifying its length from time to time. What does it mean to throttle your podcast? Throttling your podcast is defined as reducing or decreasing the number of episodes you release. This could be any kind of decision that results in a slow down, pause, or even complete stop of your podcast. If you think of your podcast as an engine, each episode is the fuel for that engine. No fuel, no engine. The throttle to that engine is your release schedule. You either throttle your podcasting engine on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Somewhere you decided -- hopefully before you launched your first episode -- on what timeframe you were going t

Podfader #3 Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E3 -- Come Back to Podcasting Podcasting will always provide you with greater opportunities for discovery, audience growth, and monetization than blogging or video could ever wish to do.   An excuse I’ve heard podfaders give for leaving their podcast. It has to do with their confidence in podcasting as a medium for delivering a message. Somewhere, they were told that blogging and video are far more effective. What reason do they give for the effectiveness of blogging and video? Simply put, they claim that more people -- way more people -- are familiar with how to find it. With a blog -- it's a Link to a webpage. They can share a link on any social media, and it goes right to their blog. Done. With a video -- it's a Link to a video. They can share a link on any social media, and it goes right to Youtube.

Podfader #2 Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E2 -- The Silent Microphone All any content creator needs to do to build a podcast worthy of an audience is decide to put their voice in the world. If you can dream up a blog post, you can dream up a podcast When I first started my podcasting journey, I did everything wrong. I thought I could just speak into any microphone, record my voice in any recording software, and publish it. Instead, I had to learn how to podcast the correct way, the same way I had to learn to write blog posts the correct way. Making mistakes is part of the process. Fortunately, I learned early on that podcasting is still only a tool. Like any tool, learning how to use it well can be taught. You CAN learn to do this! I can show you what I think are the good guidelines and solid processes that will make your podcast worthy of your

Podfader #1 Howdy -- I’m Kyle Bondo, and this is Podfader! My weekly podcast about helping you keep your podcast from podfading, especially when the drive for new and interesting content becomes a struggle. S1:E1 -- I, Podfader In this weeks episode, I introduce the show by sharing a few of my podcasting challenges with you to include the biggest one: Showing Up. Meanwhile, I get into "You might be a podcaster if..." by exploring the five ways to become a podfader: #1 -- Learning never stops#2 -- Schedules get hit by life#3 -- Gear always flakes#4 -- Content creation never ends#5 -- Overnight success is a myth About the Show Podfader, hosted by veteran podcaster Kyle Bondo, focuses on the challenges of keeping your podcast going and the drive we all have has creators to keep our podcasts going with new and interesting content. If you’re a struggling podcaster, Podfader will be your sanctuary to get you through the messy middle of any podcasting strategy. Stop fading and start casting! Find the complete showno