Podcasting Observations Newsletter

School of Podcasting Episodes

Oct. 5, 2025

Podcasting Best Practices or Myths? Let's Find Out!

In today's episode, we're going to pull back that curtain on podcasting best practices. And some of these conventions are grounded in logic and proven results, and others might just be myths that we're just blindly following....

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Sept. 28, 2025

Why Your Attitude is More Important Than Your Gear

Podcasting is a wild ride, and who better to ride along with us than Cassian Bellino? She's got this killer attitude that turns failures into stepping stones. Seriously, if you think you need a perfect setup to start podcasti...

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Sept. 21, 2025

Don't Leave a Mess For Your Family - The Fate of Your Podcast After Y…

The past year we've lost some great people in the podcasting family. Neil Guilarte and Todd Cochrane both died suddenly with no warning. If you're not prepared, you leave your family in a lurch adding to the stress of your pa...

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Sept. 14, 2025

How Direct Conversations Boost Podcast Popularity

Growing a podcast isn’t just about hitting record and hoping for the best. If you’ve been tuning in, you know we’re all about making remarkable content that actually resonates with listeners. Last week, we dug deep into what ...

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Sept. 8, 2025

Raising a Glass to Todd Cochran: Podcasting Pioneer

I am still in shock about the loss of Todd Cochrane. I just saw him a few weeks ago 30 lbs lighter and looking great. I've known Todd for 20+ years. The man who wrote the very first book on podcasting. In looking for pictures...

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Sept. 7, 2025

How Do I Grow My Podcast Audience?

Over the 20 years there are certain questions that get asked over and over, and today I share my thoughts on How Do I Grow My Podcast Audience? The part that will get me in hot water, is I'm pointing my finger at your content...

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Aug. 31, 2025

Hiring Help for Your Podcast: Worth It or Just Burning Cash?

Outsourcing for your podcast is a bit like dating—you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince (or princess). This episode gets into the nitty-gritty of hiring help for your podcast, featuring stories from our ...

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Aug. 24, 2025

Stop Wasting Your Listeners' Time - and other lessons from Podcast Mo…

Coming back from Podcast Movement, I've got a story that really drives home the point that nothing beats face-to-face networking. I mean, sure, we can all hop on Zoom and pretend we're connecting, but when you're actually sha...

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Aug. 17, 2025

Dead Air, Depression, and Dispatch Dave: Inside Sirius Satellite Radio

I've known Dave Hooper (host of Build a Big Podcast and Author of Big Podcast ) since he put on the radio for the first time on Music Business Radio. When I heard that Dave had scored a job at Sirius I wanted the inside scoop...

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Aug. 10, 2025

Why Your Media Kit is Probably Trash: Lessons from Justin Moore

Justin Moore is here to tell us how to snag sponsors like a pro. We chat about his book, Sponsor Magnet . Seriously, if you’re trying to get sponsors for your podcast, this is the book you need —like, yesterday. He dives into...

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Aug. 3, 2025

No More 'Um's: Your Guide to Speaking Like a Pro!

Filler words. We all know them, we all use them, and let’s be real, they’re annoying. You might think it’s just you fumbling through a sentence with a bunch of ‘uhs’ and ‘ums’, but guess what? We’re all in the same boat, padd...

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July 27, 2025

15 Lessons Podcasters Can learn From Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne's recent passing has got me feeling all sorts of ways. I mean, who didn’t grow up jamming to ‘Crazy Train’ or wishing we could be half as cool as him? This isn’t just about mourning a rock legend; it’s about lea...

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July 20, 2025

What's In It For The Audience? With Traci DeForge

Traci DeForge is here to her knowledge about podcasting for your business without feeling like a total salesy weirdo. She’s busting the myth that you need 10,000 downloads to make a buck—seriously, you can start monetizing wi...

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July 13, 2025

Are Big Companies Poisoning Podcasting?

Are Spotify and YouTube poisoning podcasting? I keep hearing how "What used to work in the past - doesn't work anymore? Well I disagree. Making great content that resonates with your audience has been around since the early d...

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July 6, 2025

How to Keep Your Marriage While Chasing Podcasting Dreams

Juggling podcasting and personal life can feel like trying to balance on a three-legged stool while juggling flaming torches. In this episode, I look into the not-so-secret ingredients for maintaining a healthy work-life bala...

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June 29, 2025

Is Everyone Really Using Spotify? HollyLand Lark M2S Review

In this month's "Question of the Month," I wanted to explore the discrepancy between Spotify's perceived dominance and the actual listening habits of podcasters. Despite frequent headlines touting Spotify as the number one st...

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June 22, 2025

Creative Outlets or Creative Burdens? Let's Talk Podcast Burnout!

So, today I'm diving into the mess that can be podcast burnout. You know, that moment when your favorite hobby morphs into a job you dread? Yeah, we’ve all been there. We're chatting about big names like Marc Maron and others...

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June 15, 2025

The Emotion Effect: How Feelings Drive Shares

Ever wonder why some podcasts spread like wildfire while others wither on the vine? Well, it turns out that a whopping 60 to 80% of podcasts are discovered through good old-fashioned word of mouth. Yeah, that means if your po...

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June 8, 2025

Community Building 101 with Bri Leever

Today we start with the news of Marc Maron retiring his podcast, and a possible shake up at the New Media Show (two shows with 16+ years). So who will fill their space you? Bri Leever is a community building strategist at Emb...

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June 1, 2025

From Audio to Viral: The YouTube Transformation of a Podcast

Adding YouTube to your podcasting game? Well, grab a seat because Thomas Umstadt Jr. is here to share what works and what doesn't. We’re talking about the nitty-gritty of taking your audio-only podcast and slapping it onto th...

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May 25, 2025

Five Proven Strategies for Crafting Unforgettable Podcast Hooks

Today, we are talking about keeping your audience listening after they press play. This starts with an opening hook. To have hooks that grab your audience and make them want to hear your episode, there are some common charact...

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May 18, 2025

Mic Drop Moments: How to Turn Boring Interviews into Podcast Gold wit…

What if I told you that most interviews are mind-numbingly boring, and you're probably doing them wrong? Today I interview Tracy Johnson, and after decades in radio and working with countless shows, he's written a book, Mic D...

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May 11, 2025

Running Your Podcast As a Business with Steve Stewart

Money, money, money! Yeah, I know, we’re all rolling our eyes thinking, "Ugh, not another boring finance chat!" But hold onto your wallets, because this isn’t your grandpa’s finance talk. Our buddy Ray Edwards, a top-notch co...

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May 4, 2025

Throwing Shade: Exposing Podcast Get-Rich-Quick Scams

Normally, I try to stay positive and encouraging. Maybe I still am, as I encourage you not to fall for these Podcast Tools (often based on AI) that promise great success and wealth without doing any work. Here are some of the...

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