Podcasting Observations Newsletter

School of Podcasting Episodes

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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April 27, 2025

Podcast Episode Ideas - What Sources Do You Use?

Ever find yourself staring at a blank screen, just waiting for the podcast gods to drop some divine inspiration in your lap? Yeah, me too. But don’t worry, we’re exploring the world of podcast ideas today! I asked you, the wo...

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April 20, 2025

Data-Driven Podcast Growth

Data is like your podcasting superpower, folks! If you want to grow your show, you gotta get your hands on the right stats. Seriously, knowing what’s working and what’s not can save you from wasting your time. We dive into th...

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April 13, 2025

Should My Podcast Be On YouTube: Facts to Help

So, let’s dive into the wild world of podcasts on YouTube, shall we? This episode is all about the big question: should your podcast even be on YouTube? Spoiler alert: I don’t have a definitive answer, but I’m armed with some...

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April 6, 2025

What AI Tools are Podcasters Using?

Are you using AI? Or better yet, which AI tool are you using? That's the big question we’re tackling today! We listen to fellow podcasters to find out about their favorite tools and whether they save time or make things messi...

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March 30, 2025

From Model Trains to Money: Monetizing Your Passion Podcast

You can totally monetize a podcast even if your audience is smaller and niche. It's like having a tiny but super passionate fan club instead of a massive crowd that’s half-asleep. Today, we’re chatting with Ray Arnett from ar...

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March 23, 2025

Unlocking Podcast Growth: The Power of Partnerships with Stephanie Th…

Today, we’re exploring the world of partnerships versus sponsorships with the fabulous Stephanie Thompson. The key takeaway? Partnerships are better at growing your show. Forget just pocketing cash for a shout-out; we’re talk...

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March 16, 2025

Building Authentic Business Relationships Through Podcasting

Molly Ruland stops by to explain how she started a branded podcast that brought in so many clients from season one that she had to pause it. For Molly, it is all about starting and building relationships with her guests. By c...

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March 9, 2025

Newsletters Part 2: How to Start a Newsletter Without Losing Your Min…

After a lot of feedback on the first episode about podcast newsletters, I wanted to answer more questions, and this time I brought Paul Gowder to help. We’ll discuss what tools to use and what content to include. If you reall...

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March 3, 2025

Podcasting Gone Wrong: The Ultimate Pet Peeves List!

I ask my audience what their top pet peeves are just drive them nuts. We're spilling the beans on all the annoying things that make us want to tear our hair out while listening. We've got it all covered from podcasters who ta...

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Feb. 24, 2025

Want More Downloads? Ditch Social Media for Newsletters!

Forget social media; if you want to drive traffic, newsletters are where it’s at. Seriously, I’ve been crunching the numbers and guess what? My newsletter is pulling in way more visitors than my half-hearted attempts at tweet...

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Feb. 17, 2025

Why SNL’s 50th Is a Goldmine of Podcasting Wisdom!

We're diving into the wild world of podcasting and pulling some juicy lessons from the legendary Saturday Night Live as it hits the big 5-0. Seriously, SNL didn’t just survive; it thrived, and we’re here to steal some of that...

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