Launch, growth and success tips for Podcasters and wider content creators. Read a set of quick points, from tool reviews to growth tactics, and much more, all aimed at helping you create the show of your dreams. If you're building a personal or a content brand, then get started with us!
Share
๐ Ready to SCALE your podcast growth? โ hereโs how! ๐๏ธ (Podcraft Pointers)
Published about 1 month agoย โขย 8 min read
Hey hey ๐
We're back with another value-packed edition of Podcraft Pointers, bringing you a bunch of quick wins, tips, and motivation to keep you going all week!
We'll help you kick-start your audience growth, report back on our "listen vs. watch" poll, give you a free Blue Yeti user guide, and introduce you to "mindful interviewing". This technique ensures you're fully present with your guest instead of focusing on the next question.
All that and much, much more awaits you below. So, if you're just quickly checking your email, be sure to save this one and return to it later. Let's go...
๐ FEATURED THIS WEEK
โ
๐ Ready to SCALE Your Podcast Growth?
Our ultimate podcast promotion guide is built around the SCALE Framework โ your roadmap to smarter, sustainable audience growth:
๐ก S โ Syndicationโ ๐ก Be everywhere your audience listens & searches.
Submit your show to all major platforms (Apple, Spotify, YouTube, etc.)
Optimise your website with a subscribe page, promo trailer & SEO-friendly show notes
Write irresistible episode titles that hook listeners at a glance
๐ข C โ Communities & Collaborationโ ๐ค Grow through shared audiences & fan culture.
Run listener surveys to uncover where your audience came from
Cross-promote with similar shows through trailer swaps or guest appearances
Create shareable content for others, like montage episodes or guest blog posts
Sell merch as a walking promo tool, not just a monetisation play
๐ต A โ Advertising (Paid Promotion)โ ๐ธ Use strategic spend to boost visibility.
Run ads in listening apps like Overcast or Pocket Casts
Try low-budget, targeted social ads (Instagram, Facebook)
Sponsor a niche podcast or support relevant causes for exposure
๐ฃ L โ Live & In-Personโ ๐ค Build loyalty through real-world presence.
Attend or speak at local events, conventions, and meetups
Collect audio vox pops from events and turn them into content
Hand out business cards with a clear CTA: โFind us wherever you listen!โ
๐ E โ Email & Engagementโ ๐ฌ Stay close to your listeners and activate them.
Start an email list to share episodes, updates, and CTAs
Rethink your end-of-episode ask: instead of โLeave a review,โ try โShare this with a friendโ
Use text message marketing or private communities (like Discord) to go deeper
Turn reviews into promo contentโsocial proof sells!
๐ Every podcasterโs journey is different. Pick what fits your style, test, and SCALE what works.
There's not a veteran podcaster amongst us who hasn't hit a slippy patch with their show. And if you're brand new, there are plenty of hurdles to jump on your journey to launching. So, what techniques, tactics or mindset tricks do you use to stay motivated? Let us know!
Also, ever thought about doing a Promo swap to help grow your show? Or you have done, but you want to do more?
Well, we're running a free live class in the IndiePod community on exactly this! Lauren Passell from Tink Media joins us to answer the questions:
How do I actually find other podcasters to work with?
What does a good promo swap look like?
How can collaborations help me grow without burning out?
We dive into the three sneaky signs youโre stuck in an amateur creator mindset: struggling with writerโs block, relying too much on motivation, and being scared to share your ideas. So what can be done about it?
Get familiar with Audacityโs multi-tool and learn how it enhances your editing workflow. This powerful tool allows you to perform different actions simultaneously, save time, and work more efficiently on complex audio projects.
What actually is success!? Podcast success is both subjective and relative, so how do you really measure it? Let's take a look at a few success factors that might help. โ
Affiliate marketing is pretty simple. As a promoter, you get paid by a company whose product you advertise when someone purchases through your unique link. Here are some affiliate programs you can sign up for TODAY.
โ
๐ DATA CORNER
Long live audio โ
โ
For last week's poll, we asked if you prefer to watch or listen when you're consuming your favourite podcasts.
We're under no illusions here: given that the vast majority of subscribers of this newsletter are podcasters and audiophiles, it was going to be likely the results would skew towards audio.
But 94% is 94% ๐ฎ
That's how many of you told us you prefer to listen to podcasts, while only 6% said you prefer to watch on a video platform.
The general theme in the comments was that audio is more convenient, allowing us to multitask - driving, walking, exercising, doing chores - while we listen.
Thanks to everyone who answered the poll, and feel free to reply to this email if you have any anecdotes to share that we might include in future articles!
Katie
โ
๐ THIS WEEKโS QUICK POLL
Creativity is a mythical beast. Let's talk about your podcasting muse...
Being fully present with guests rather than focusing on the next question
The current crop of late-night TV show hosts aren't good at their jobs because they're comedians. Sure, they're funny, delivering monologues that spin the day's bad news into golden punchlines. But, once the interview segments begin, the writers have finished their job. What makes these interviews special is that Stephen, Seth, and the Jimmys aren't just funny. They have training in improvisation. โจ Before you roll your eyes and scroll on, let me show you how improv training can make your interview more mindful, productive, and unique.
Almost all improvisation training centers around two words: "yes, and." ๐ Whatever the other person says is an offer. You, in turn, accept and build on it. This doesn't mean that you let them steamroll you into agreeing with everything they say, or that your pre-planned questions are meaningless. This "yes, and" (or "yes, but") turns your interview from a simple Q&A session or a commercial for the guest's latest project into a collaboration, an exchange of ideas building to a conclusion.
Listen Deeply ๐
First, listen to your guests: not only what they say, but how. There's a big difference between an author who describes their new book with gusto and another who repeats the book jacket copy verbatim while staring into the middle distance and yawning.
Accept and Build ๐
Next, ask yourself what the guest offers you and how you can accept and build on it. For example, in the case of the tired, unenthusiastic guest, you can mention what you observe. "You seem tired. I bet this book has been hard work for you."
Use Statements, Not Just Questions ๐ฌ
Instead of asking questions, try statements. "Tell me what the challenges were in writing this book," for example, or "I'm interested in how you got to where you are now." Declarative statements, rather than questions, may seem demanding. However, they can be validating and give the conversation more structure. In the previous examples, these statements imply that writing and promoting a book is challenging. By association, the interviewer suggests that the guest is a hard worker who can solve problems.
Stay Flexible ๐
Even if your guest goes off-topic, continue to accept and build, while listening and observing. If the guest doesn't give you a simple route back to the original topic, you'll find a way to get back to the original conversation thread. Pay attention to their environment, attitude, and demeanor, along with the words they say.
You don't have to take improvisation classes to build these skills, but it doesn't hurt. ๐
Listening, observing, accepting, and building helps put your guest at ease and build trust. Instead of recycling the same talking points and questions, mindful interviewing helps you both exchange ideas to create a conversation unique to your podcast.
Lindsay
๐ง TOOL OF THE WEEK
BOYAโs K9 & K3 USB Mics: Blue Yeti, or New Yeti?
โ
The K3 and K9 are two USB condenser mics from BOYA. Both sound pretty good when used in the right way. The K9, in particular, has a similar look and function to the Blue Yeti.
Itโs not just the most popular podcasting mic; itโs also the most misused. Our Blue Yeti ownerโs guide offers setup tips, checklists, and accessory recommendations. Weโll walk you through fine-tuning and optimising your mic for studio-quality sound!
Meet Alitu, the podcast maker that does all the techie work so you can focus on what you do best.
Record, edit, schedule and publish with one tool
AI audio editing so you sound better with less work
Publish more consistently, love the process
Real human support thatโll always get you unstuck
"The platform really is that easy to use-- I am so grateful for the time and headache saved while being able to get my episodes out in a timely and regular way." - Amy
As a Podcraft Pointers subscriber, you're entitled to 50% off your first month when you sign up for Alitu. Use coupon code POINTERS50 at checkout!
Want to Sponsor This Newsletter?
We work with products and services that are a great fit for our readers, so if you offer something that's ideal for podcasters and creators, get in touch. Drop us a line at sponsor@thepodcasthost.com.
๐ LET US HELP YOU
Whatever you need, whatever your budget, weโve got you covered
From launch coaching and growth mentorship to editing and production, courses, and podcast feedback, we can tailor something exactly to your own needs. We're waiting to hear from you, so give us a shout!
Matthew & Colin
Have questions? Hit reply to this email and we'll help out!
Launch, growth and success tips for Podcasters and wider content creators. Read a set of quick points, from tool reviews to growth tactics, and much more, all aimed at helping you create the show of your dreams. If you're building a personal or a content brand, then get started with us!
Read more from How to Run a Thriving, Profitable Podcast
Mic Drop Fact Sound can lift objects. Acoustic levitation is when sound waves suspend small objects in midair by counteracting gravity. Hullo there! I had feedback on my podcast once. I used to record on an old Zoom H2n and, despite being told many times to monitor my recordings, I neglected to take the two seconds needed to plug a pair of earbuds in before hitting the big red button. I'd travelled to a cafe to meet my guest, and we had a great conversation. The problem was that someone...
Mic Drop Fact Sound travels faster in warm air than cold air because heat increases the energy of air molecules. However, sound travels further distances in cold air because sound waves bend away from warm air and back towards the ground. Hullo there! Engagement is a well-used word, eh? It could mean popping a ring on someone's finger, your calls going straight to voicemail, or charging a unit of orcs into combat in a game of Warhammer (I like the third one best, FWIW). Then there's podcast...
Fact of the Week If, like most people, you hate hearing the sound of your own voice during editing, thereโs science behind that. You hear your voice differently because, normally, you hear it through both air conduction and bone conduction. Recordings, on the other hand, only capture air conduction.. Hullo there! I wouldn't say Podcraft Pointers is the best newsletter for podcasters, but it's definitely in the top one! As always, we've lined up an entire week's worth of helpful and insightful...