Podcasting Q&A: Your Top Questions About Length, Batching, Reviews, Sound, and More Answered

Hey Friend!

Is podcasting right for you? You’re about to find out. I was going through our weekly market research report that one of my interns pulled together for us and found that you have many podcasting questions.

In this blog post, I will go through as many of these podcasting questions as I possibly can and try to give you some clarity. If you’re thinking of podcasting, I don’t want you to be stuck or confused for one more minute.

If you already have a podcast, these questions are relevant. Let’s get all the confusion out of the way so you can feel confident with podcasting. Grab a pen and paper and dig deeper into these podcasting questions. You’re going to learn so much.

I know this will bless you. Let’s do it!

Podcasting Question #1: Is a Second RSS Feed Necessary?

Do I need a second RSS feed? My podcast is hosted on Buzzsprout, so do I need to sign up for an RSS website, too?

Let me clarify the RSS feed. In general, your RSS feed is already handled by your host. Whether your podcast is hosted on Buzzsprout or Podbean, they assign you an RSS feed. This feed is automatically distributed to Spotify, Apple, and anywhere else you’re connected through your host.

For example, the person asking this question uses Buzzsprout. They don’t need to upload episodes to RSS.com because they already have a host. That would create more confusion and potential duplication issues.

According to the Help Section in Buzzsprout, your RSS feed link should be listed in the directory section.

Those who use Podbean with me know I walked you through where to find your RSS feed in Podcast Pro University. Hopefully, this clarifies the RSS feed question for all of you.

Podcasting Question #2: What Are Good Ways to Organize Episode Outlines?

How does everyone organize their episode outlines? Is it excessive to have a separate Google Doc for each episode? Or should I keep one document with the outlines on individual pages? I’m trying to stay organized but not overwhelmed.

I would recommend having a podcast planner in Excel. If you are a student in my courses, Podcast Pro University or Podcast to Profit, I provide you with one of these.

It’s a simple Excel sheet with the following:

• Date of recording
• Date of publishing
• Day of the week
• Episode number
• Pillar
• Keyword
• Episode title
• Blog title, (if you’re repurposing)
• Promotion focus, (if you’re promoting something)

The next thing the Excel file has is the outline document. If I have an outline for a particular episode, I link it to the Excel master sheet so my team or I can find it. You can create a Google Doc for your outlines. It can be as simple or robust as you need it.

Because my Master Podcast Planner in Excel already has all the information that my team needs, I keep my outlines very simple with these points:

• Title
• Air date
• Episode number
• Hook
• Talking point one with a few sub-points
• Talking point two with a few sub-points
• Talking point three with a few sub-points
• Call to action

That’s all you need in an outline. Please do not create an entire library to record. It leaves no room for the Holy Spirit. Some of you think you must draft every word, but I encourage you not to. You’re duplicating the time and effort it takes to record an episode. Instead, have light speaking points. That’s how I do it!

Podcasting Question #3: What Platform Should I Host my Podcast On?

Where does everyone host your podcast? There are many options: Spotify, Descript, Libsyn, Buzzsprout, etc.

When I signed up for my podcast over six years ago, I did a lot of research. Podbean was the best. I’ve never looked back or had any issues. It’s extremely affordable and is the platform I recommend to all my students. That’s what we use.

I can’t speak about these other platforms. But if you go to ChatGPT, you can get a list of pros and cons and a cost analysis of the different platforms. See which one works best for you.

If I were you, I would highly recommend staying away from the free podcasting platforms, because in the small print, some mention things like owning the rights to your podcast episodes and other stuff. If I were you, I would want to avoid it.

Podcasting Question #4: Should I Outsource My Editing?

Does anyone outsource episode editing? If so, do you pay per episode length, or is it generally a set fee?

Here’s what I did when I started podcasting. For the first three years, I did not edit my episodes. All the ums, pauses, and paper shuffling were left in.

I didn’t have the luxury of paying somebody to edit all my episodes. Podcast editing is expensive. I ended up hiring someone on Fiverr at about fifty dollars an episode. At the time, I was doing three episodes per week. That would have been pretty expensive. My budget couldn’t handle it.

I brought an intern to edit the episodes in exchange for my group coaching program. And that’s how our internship program began. Because one of my interns did so well with podcast editing, we hired her!

OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER REGARDING EDITING

Whether you edit your podcast episodes depends on you. Here are some other things to consider.

Time: Do you have the time to edit your episodes? If so, do it yourself and save money. I recommend editing in Audacity. Don’t edit for longer than it takes you to record. If you have a twenty-minute episode, set a timer and give yourself no longer than twenty minutes to edit.

Money: If you have the budget to edit, I would look in-house first. You might be able to have your teenage child edit for ten or twelve dollars an hour. And this can be a tax write-off for you. As I mentioned earlier, Fiverr is a viable option. Upwork is another. Make sure to vet their work.

Intern: Is there something you can provide from your business in exchange for editing? Maybe it’s coaching or a course you can offer. Get creative.

Podcasting Question #5: Is There a Listener Drop Off During the Holidays?

Is it normal to have a dip in downloads during the holidays? The questioner says she noticed a dip compared to October and November, and she wanted to ask before freaking out.

Yes, it is normal to see a dip in downloads at the end of November through December. You should see a spike in downloads come back in January. For ninety percent of you, this will be the case.

A lot of Mom’s audience of niche-specific podcasters see a dip in the summer because people get busy. They’re traveling. The kids are off school. Routines are broken. There’s not as much commute drive time for listening to podcasts. This is normal. Please do not freak out.

The only time I tell you to freak out is if you have three months or more of a straight decline in downloads. You want to evaluate:

• Has your content has gone awry?
• Have you stopped talking about the things people care about?
• Are you all over the place? Do you need to rein it back in?
• Have you stopped titling episodes with keywords?
• Have you changed and pivoted your brand?

The consumer trust factor is at an all-time low. It’s a pivotal time for you to stay the course. People need to trust you. You’re in this. This is who you serve and what you do.

If you derail, pivot, and start over and over again, all you’re doing is diminishing the trust of the people who already follow you.

Keep that in mind as you think about the podcasting brand you’re building.

Podcasting Question #6: Should I Promote My Podcast on Social Media?

I spend an hour or so creating promotional graphics for my episodes that go live each week. Those graphics are shared on Instagram and Pinterest. I don’t spend much time promoting beyond an hour each week. The time is spent in graphic-creating. That takes up most of my time. But here’s where I feel stuck. Is this worth my time? Does sharing your show on social media drive traffic to your show? Does it move the needle?

I’m a stay-at-home mom with an eight-month-old. I’m trying to balance all sorts of hats and do what I can to keep up with my schooling in Podcast to Profit so I don’t fall behind. Should I take a break from the social media promotion of my podcast and see if I notice a difference?

I would love for you to take a break! Write down all your statistics as of today. How many Instagram followers do you have? How many views are your stories getting? Write all this down and take a two-week break from social media.

TRY PINTEREST INSTEAD

Pinterest is a different story. Pinterest is not social media. It’s more of a visual search platform like Google or YouTube.

If you’re going to spend an hour a week, I would prefer you not spend it on social media because it has a short turnaround. All of the work you spend creating your social media posts is gone in twelve to twenty-four hours. They’re no longer relevant.

But on Pinterest, it’s quite the opposite. Just like with podcasting, you create a backlog of content, keywords, and search engine optimization. On Pinterest that drives back to your podcast. In Podcast to Profit, I teach my students how to market on Pinterest, and the kind of pins to put on Pinterest, all without having a blog.

If you have an hour available, use it on Pinterest but be intentional with it. Check your statistics in two weeks. I’m guessing your downloads didn’t take a dip. If anything, they probably went up. The extra time will make you better at podcasting. Permission slip granted. Signed, sealed, and delivered!

Podcasting Question #7: How Long Does It Take Apple to Post My Podcast Reviews?

How long does it take Apple to post my podcast reviews?

Great question. It usually takes about twenty-four hours. In high peak times, we have seen up to five business days which is weird.

If you have a lot of reviews coming in at once, Apple can freak out and a few of them may get missed. That only happened once. I’m bringing it up so you’ll be aware and watch your reviews.

I go for it and always ask people to leave reviews. However, I have no idea if some of my reviews are accounted for – I hope so! Continue to ask for them. If someone tries to leave you a review, they will get a notification if they have already left one. Their old review will come up.

You can ask your audience to check their reviews. If they click on reviews and if it doesn’t say they have one or their old one doesn’t pop up, then it wasn’t posted. They can leave another one. I hope that answers the question.

Podcasting Question #8: Should I Post a New Podcast Episode Once or Twice a Week?

Should I post a new podcast episode once or twice a week? How far into your podcast journey did you go from one to two a week? Did you feel like it made a big difference in the growth of your show?

Great question! From the beginning, I started my podcast with two episodes a week. It’s because I had nothing to lose. Nothing else was working. I was all in on podcasting. It had to work. I’ve always been efficient with podcasting, and have gotten it down to a science where I spend less than two hours a week to pump out two episodes.

You need to learn how to get faster, more efficient, and effective in your podcasting. I can record two episodes in an hour and fifteen minutes. That includes planning the episode, researching what I’ll talk about, and uploading it to get edited. The whole nine yards. Bam! Done!

I teach you how I do my podcasting in my group coaching program, Podcast to Profit. If you want to get more efficient and effective, there are many ways to snag a second here and there.

Because I had lost my mind, the next thing I did was bump up to three episodes a week. While that inflated my numbers, it began to dilute my audience. Believe it or not, I began running out of things to say. It started to feel stressful. So I dropped back to two episodes a week. That has been the sweet spot for me.

If you’re doing one episode a week and spending two hours on social media, I would rather you do two. It’s not going to hurt you. You’ll be more front of mind for your people.

CONSIDER SHORTER EPISODES

The other thing you can do is make shorter episodes. Shortening your episodes for those who are still podcasting over forty minutes. Make them fifteen or twenty-minute episodes. And thirty minutes for interviews.

The attention span of our audiences is shorter than ever before. Focus on shorter episodes until you pass one hundred thousand downloads. Then look at what your audience loves and make more of those.

People will listen longer when you have a larger show and a bigger following. But in the beginning, be punchy, and succinct, give people what they want, and get out. If you think you have the bandwidth, add a second episode and see how you feel.

If two episodes a week are stressing you out, drop it down to one a week. You don’t have to marry that forever. Do one for a while and then bump it to two. Communicate with your audience what you’re doing. They’ll usually stay behind you.

If You Have More Podcasting Questions?

For more posts like this, I encourage you to submit your questions for me in our community. If you’re one of my students, you can submit questions in our student community.

And if you want your question featured like the ones I answered today, record a voice message for me. Please tell me your question or leave a testimony for the podcast.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope these answers have given you more clarity as you share your message with the world.

I pray this blesses you. I’ll see you soon.

APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE

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