The Jag Show: Podcast Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices

What is Echo Cancellation? Best Practices for Clearer Audio in Virtual Recording In the world of virtual podcasting, how do we eliminate echoes during our recordings? Echo cancellation is a crucial technology that can enhance audio quality, yet many podcasters don't know how it works and when to use it. Here is what it is, how it operates, and best practices for achieving pristine audio in your virtual sessions. What is Echo Cancellation? This is a technology designed to remove echoes that occur during audio recordings, particularlywhen podcasters aren't wearing headphones. If you’ve ever heard your own voice bouncing back at you, you know why we need this tool. How Does Echo Cancellation Work? In a perfect scenario, everyone involved in a virtual meeting or podcast recording would wear headphones. This simple act reduces feedback and eliminates echoes. However, this isn’t always possible, especially when guests join without headphones. Echo cancellation smartly mutes your microphone when sounds from your speakers are detected. For instance, if you’re the host and your guest is speaking, the software recognizes that sound and prevents it from being picked up by your mic, thus eliminating any echo. This process is used with many platforms, including Zoom, Riverside, and Zencaster. Common Misunderstandings Many people assume that if they hear an echo, the issue lies on their side of the call. However, think counterintuitively. If you hear your voice echoed, it typically means the other participant's microphone is picking up your voice through their speakers. In such cases, they need to enable echo cancellation. If you hear the echo of the other person, you should activate it on your end as well. The Importance of Headphones Ultimately, this feature should be a backup for when headphones are not available. Ideally, everyone should wear headphones, as this eliminates the need for this tool altogether. If there is still an echo with headphones on, try turning down the volume on your headphones, then your microphone. Limitations of Echo Cancellation While this is a powerful tool, it is not foolproof. You've heard this when two participants speak simultaneously, leading to distortion or muddled audio. This is often described as an underwater sound, indicating that the feature is struggling to process overlapping audio inputs. Best Practices for Clear Audio 1. Use Headphones: Always encourage guests to wear headphones to minimize feedback. 2. Enable Echo Cancellation: If headphones cannot be used, ensure that echo cancellation is turned on for all participants. 3. Adjust Audio Levels: Monitor microphone and speaker volumes to avoid feedback. Lowering the levels can often resolve echo issues. 4. Conduct a Scratch Test: Before recording, perform a quick scratch test to confirm that your microphone is correctly set up. If the other participant can hear the scratching sound, you’re good to go. If not, check your audio settings. Conclusion Echo cancellation is a valuable tool for enhancing audio quality in virtual recordings. Understanding its function and limitations can greatly improve your podcasting or virtual meeting experience. Remember, the best solution is to use headphones, but in their absence, this tool can be your ally against feedback and distortion. If you have further questions about audio recording or need guidance on improving your podcast setup, feel free to reach out. Happy recording! More: Riverside explanation on echo: https://riverside.com/video-editor/video-editing-glossary/echo Warning about echo cancellation from Podcast Engineering School: https://podcastengineeringschool.com/be-aware-using-echo-cancellation-degrades-audio-quality/ JAG Podcast Productions Equipment Guide: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/how-to-start-a-podcast/ Additional JAG Podcast Productions Blog Posts: https://jagpodcastproductions.com/blog/ Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

SPOTIFY WILL NOW PAY FOR YOUR CONTENTThe world of podcasting is constantly evolving – and Spotify is now trying to keep up with YouTube.And that means PAYING its creators! This week, Spotify announced they are rebranding their Spotify for Podcasters interface, now calling it Spotify for CREATORS. This comes on the heels of allowing all podcasters to upload video files of their podcast to the platform – regardless of whether you use Spotify as your host.Now, one of the reasons YouTube has made such strides in podcasting, in addition to video of course, is how easy it is to monetize the platform. It’s way more turnkey than Apple or Spotify – with their subscription and advertising options. Well Spotify figured this out too.According to PodNews and Sounds Profitable, the new Spotify for Creators program is open to creators who’ve published 12 episodes, had 2,000 unique Spotify users interact with your show in the last month, and have 10,000 streamed hours in the past month. Now, those bars are much higher to clear than YouTube’s benchmarks of 1,000 all time subscribers and 4,000 streamed hours in the last year, but it’s a step in the right direction for Spotify.Now, aside from the tougher requirements, here’s the million dollar question. How do you want to track your analytics? In the old days of podcasting, your host tracked downloads or streams via your audio host, and who grabbed your content from your RSS feed. To track metrics on VIDEO podcasts – be it Spotify OR YouTube, those views will NOT come from your RSS feed. So now you’re in a position where you have to take your downloads, then add your views from YouTube and/or Spotify. And of course, downloads, streams, and views are NOT apples to apples comparisons.So you have to decide – is having your podcast on video important enough to you, to not have the same consistency in evaluating and reporting your numbers? Maybe the video presence and monetization opportunities say yes. Or maybe you have stakeholders that need consistent measurement and KPI’s, such as a corporate podcast, and audio is just fine.These decisions are yours to make as a creator, as the world of podcasting continues to evolve. And as always, if you have any questions about the industry, or your specific podcast, find me at JAGinDetroit.com. Lata! Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What you say as a podcaster matters. You know what also matters? Who you work for.Evan Lazar is an employee of my New England Patriots, who much to the delight of most football fans, have crashed back down to earth, hard, and are one of the worst teams in the league. (Hey, no complaints here – we got 6 rings when I was young enough to follow sports more religiously). Anyway, Evan is a co-host of the Patriots Catch 22 podcast, produced by the team. And by and large, the show can be critical of the team when warranted. But following a bad loss in San Francisco last week, Evan said there was a “mutiny” in the Pats’ locker room. THIS did not sit well with his employer in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The episode has since been taken down from YouTube, and Lazar has walked back the comments, essentially saying he got riled up in the moment, according to Boston media. Are podcasts journalists?Well, depends on who you work for.Lazar is an employee of the team, and while they give him a long leash, they ultimately have veto power over the content. What if he worked for the radio station that has the contract to carry the team’s games?Well, that’s a little murkier.But unless he’s either employed by a news organization, or completely independent, he doesn’t have the freedom to say whatever he wants.There are two lessons here.1) if you’re recording a podcast, always be mindful of WHO you are producing that content for, especially if it’s your employer. And 2) While the beauty of podcasting is that it’s meant to be a free-flowing natural conversation, be wary of getting carried away and saying something that might come back to bite you.Also of note here:The usually media-savvy New England Patriots have removed the podcast from YouTube. However, as of 9:15am on Friday, they have NOT removed it from Apple or Spotify. This supports the argument that YouTube is now the biggest platform for podcasting. If your show isn’t on YouTube, it NEEDS to be – even if it’s an audio only show. If you need help, feel free to reach out to me.Finally, I recorded this episode in the new Descript Rooms feature on Descript, a web-based studio that will eventually replace Squadcast. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes. Lata! Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I came out of Podcast Movement 2024 with two key takeaways: better audio analytics, and the importance of YouTube.Today, I explain that downloads, while still industry standard, do not paint the whole picture of who's listening to your show, when, and for how long? The real key data can be found on your dashboards within Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.Speaking of YouTube, the biggest change in podcast survey data between 2023 and 2024, per Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable, is the percentage of consumers who are discovering podcasts on YouTube. Having at least your audio on YouTube is crucial at this point. Should you have your video there as well? Ideally yes in the world of SEO and algorithms, but Tom explained why it may not be a good idea for everyone.Finally, what about growing your podcast? I share some tips I learned on how to do that. Spoiler: you have to do more than blast each episode onto all your social media channels.Also, the Sounds Profitable Podcast Landscape webinar is this Wednesday, featuring a treasure trove of conumption data. You can sign up here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1417244414089/WN_FmmkfieESZ69XqSSpXptlQ#/registration Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Has Podcasting overtaken AM and FM Talk Radio? Well, yes and no.This is from Edison Research’s Share of Ear Survey. In 2017, 66% of all spoken word audio was consumed over AM and FM radio. Only 13% of ears went to podcasts. Well fast forward to the second quarter of 2024. Talk Radio is at 43%, and Podcasts are catching up at 36%. But if we dig a little deeper, among ages 13-64, Podcasting has ALREADY surpassed AM/FM Talk Radio – 41% to 39%. So the only reason the radio still wins is the 65+ demo, who pick the radio 5-1 over podcasting. So while talk radio listeners are yelling “get off my lawn!” podcasting will catch up – if not this year, probably by 2025.This change will be accelerated by increased podcast discoverability. According to PodNews, Matthew Passy and the folks at Custom Podcast Solutions will be debuting an NFC-enabled Bluetooth Beacon. You can wear it on your wrist, and instead of telling someone to search, or scan a QR code, you can have them tap their phone to open your podcast. This is supposedly going to be on display at the Podcast Movement this August in DC., so I’ll be sure to report back.Some Spotify-related news to close with this weekFirst, Spotify is ditching polls and adding comments to podcast episodes. And unlike Apple, you can approve comments, block trolls, and manage the comments on their new Spotify for Podcasters app, not to be confused with the Spotify App itself.And finally, Spotify is now bragging that they have 250,000 Video podcasts on their platform. I’m still leery of this – I don’t want to use Spotify for Podcasters to access this tool, because I don’t want Spotify to own my show. For me, I’m going to stick to producing an audio podcast via my RSS host, Simplecast, for Apple, Spotify, and more. And I’ll put the video directly on YouTube, which has a much bigger audience than Spotify. And because these episodes are short, I’ll keep posting the video directly on my social media channels via JAG in Detroit.Because each social media app’s algorithm likes videos that keep people in their app. I’m more interested in getting my content to as many people in as many places as possible. Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today I’m going to tell you three podcasting mistakes to avoid with your show.First one, pretty straightforward. Avoid the word “podcast” in your show title. Two reasons.One, if someone is consuming your show, they already KNOW it’s a podcast. Two: SEO. According to James Cridland and PodNews, there are 700,000 podcasts that include the word “podcast” in their title – 16% of all shows currently listed. How the heck is your show going to stand out in search, if it’s using the same words as a sixth of all PODCASTS?Next mistake – assuming listeners skip ads. Sure, we’ve all skipped ads from time to time when listening to a pod. But a new study from Sounds Profitable shows 68% of listeners, more than two thirds, have listened to at least SOME ads in podcasts.Now maybe they’re multitasking and can’t reach the skip button, or maybe the ads are well executed. But either way, in a world where it’s harder and harder to grab someone’s attention, don’t write off podcast ads. Also, they don’t have to actually BE ads. They can be promos, announcements about your show, calls to action.The possibilities are endless.OK, final mistake to avoid.And bear with me because there’s some nuance here. Spotify recently opened up video to ALL podcasts, not just the ones hosted ON Spotify. So if you’re more invested in video views than audio downloads, great. But if your show is audio first, and you use audio downloads and streams as your most important metric, DON’T put your video on Spotify. Back to James Cridland and PodNews – who say if someone consumes your video content on Spotify, it won’t count as an audio download with your host. And you’ll lose those numbers. So if audio downloads are most important to you, leave your show on Spotify as audio only, just like you have been, and just like I’m doing. Lata! Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Spotify for Podcasters, or Anchor, as it used to be known, is a free platform for hosting your podcast. But as we all know, nothing is TRULY free.I've long said that Anchor, or now Spotify for Podcasters, is a great tool if you're dipping your toe into podcasting. They won't charge you a monthly hosting fee, and you can kind of get the hang of your craft. Because the hardest part about doing a podcast - is actually starting one.Well some previously announced changes for the platform are about to take effect. The first one probably won't affect you - the "Music and Talk" pilot that allowed you to do a podcast that included full licensed songs on the platform. I played with this in an experiment called "The JAG Throwback Show" - mostly to scratch the itch that comes with being a former radio DJ. But you couldn't talk over the intros of songs (what's the point of doing a radio show if you can't hit a post?) and only Spotify PREMIUM subscribers would hear the whole song. Users on the free tier would only hear the begining and end. So fun idea, but no big loss. Here's a link to that show: https://open.spotify.com/show/2j6cYPd7dmiPDuMdT2PLHr?si=56b8fc13bd824c0bOn the podcast side, Spotify is eliminating their internal production tools, and beginning a partnership with Riverside, the podcast recording platform. Riverside has some great tools, and you can read and watch the announcement from Spotify here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/resources/learn/create/updates-to-spotify-for-podcastersSo again, if you want to do a podcast as a hobby and have a very limited - or no - budget, great. But if your aim is to really put time and effort into a show and grow it, this isn't the place for you. You are putting all you eggs in the Spotify basket. You're hosting with them, you're editing with them, and you're getting all of your analytics from them. This means you are at their mercy if there's a service outage, or if they decide to make any changes. And when it comes to the analytics side, Spotify has decided to no longer participate in IAB download metrics - an industry standard that the majority of hosts use to track the number of people listening to your show. I'll spare you all the tech stuff, but Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable wrote a scathing open letter to Spotify - mentioning that they are no longer a podcasting peer - they are their own game. You can read that here: https://soundsprofitable.com/article/of-mice-and-megaphoneBottom line: If you live entirely in Spotify's ecosystem, they control everything. It's like having your entire retirement portfolio invested in stock of your employer. That's great when things are going well. But what happens when they take a turn?Here's my recommendation. Host on a platform like Simplecast, Buzzsprout, or Libsyn. Their plans start at around $15 per month, which if you're investing in your show, isn't much money. Your metrics will be legit, you'll still be on Spotify independently, and you won't be beholdent to them. And if you're recording remotely, use either Riverside (I've got a referral code in the show notes), or Squadcast. Both are excellent quality, and have a number of bells and whistles. It's just figuring out which of the two is more intutiive for you. Squadcast was recently acquired by Descript, which is where most of their editing and tools have migrated to. And they've got an announcement of new tools coming next week. https://lu.ma/descript-season-6And as always, if you have any questions at all about your podcast or how to start won, find me online at JAGinDetroit.com. Lata!Here's my referral code if you want to try Riverside: https://bit.ly/jagriverside Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The JAG Show, we tackle the ever-persistent question: How long should a podcast be? The answer isn't one-size-fits-all. We dive into the nuances of podcast length and what makes an extended episode worthwhile. With personal anecdotes and industry insights, we explore scenarios where longer podcasts not only work but captivate. From celebrity-packed interviews, like Julian Edelman's deep dive with Ernie Adams, to niche passions such as travel hacks and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories, we illustrate why content, not length, dictates a podcast's success. Whether it's sports, politics, or entertainment, we discuss how established shows and A-listers like SmartLess can pull off hour-long episodes that leave listeners wanting more. So, if you've ever pondered the perfect podcast duration or sought to justify a lengthier listening experience, tune in as we affirm that as long as it's engaging, it's the right length. Don't forget, the best way to grow your podcast is through word-of-mouth, so if you enjoy this episode, pass it along! For all your podcast queries, reach out at jagindetroit.com.Smartless: https://smartless.comTaylor Swift Hits Different Pod: https://www.youtube.com/@ithitsdiffpodGames With Names: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFof_j6hnC2WaZWwwW41_gA Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.