Top 10 Podcasting Questions of the Weekend for 7/6/2020

I trust you all had a wonderful holiday and if you celebrated the 4th, I hope it was done with safety in mind – social distancing, wearing of masks and no excessive fireworks.

My family and I had a nice quiet weekend, even though I painted the garage floor – 3 times…but that’s a different story for a different day.

I did watch several episodes of the Twilight Zone the Annual 4th of July Marathon, but it was on Decades TV verses Syfy – it didn’t matter because I watch every year on the 4th and on New Years as well.

Today is Monday, July 6th 2020 and it’s a scorcher – I went for a walk this morning and was drenched when I got home!!!  AC is now on and bumping and I am cooling off in my home office which is underground in the basement!

Before we begin the Top 10 of the Weekend, allow me to introduce my new sponsor:  Flow of the Grind – and I received a mug last week, which reads, “The HUSTLE is Nothing, without the FLOW OF THE GRIND!” so check out the Facebook page, follow on Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Top 10 Podcasting Questions of the Weekend 7/6/2020

1. How long should a podcast episode be?  Back in the day when people listened to podcasts it was the average time of a commute to work – 28-37 minutes.  That has changed, but remember a “podcast should be as long as a podcast needs to be” – factors to take into consideration is the topic, interview, guests or solo.
2. My podcast name no longer fits my show – should I change it?   If you have built up a good size listening audience, and you don’t want to lose them, consider starting a poll, asking for their input.  If you do decided to change the name and the url, remember that you will need to redirect the RSS feed on all the platforms – simply Google to learn how based upon your platform.
3. Should I use my face or my logo on my cover artwork?  This is a question that I go  back and forth with as well.  I had a professional made logo without my face and then created another one with my face using Picsart.  It’s your podcast therefore, it’s a personal decision, but the bottom line is, the Podcast artwork should visually communicate the subject of the podcast and if the goal of your podcast is to reach out to existing customers and members, then you’ll want to use recognizable branding such as your logo. Remember LESS IS BEST & it should be 3000×3000 pixels in a jpg or png format.
4. Why can’t I use copyrighted music in my podcast? The vast majority of music that you may be thinking of using is subject to copyright.  Artists have a right to protect their music and be sure that they’re getting paid whenever it gets used.   There are many sites out there where you can find “free music” here are just three, but check the fine print as well.  

• Creative Commons Music – This is music that artists share with the world and allow you to use for free, just out of the kindness of their hearts! 
• Royalty-Free Music > Like the name suggests, royalty-free music means that you don’t need to pay royalties to the artist every time that you use their song, which is how using music has traditionally worked.
• Public Domain Music . Copyright eventually expires and music enters the public domain. That means that you can use it however you see fit.  Lots of older music like classical music or old children’s songs and nursery rhymes fall under public domain.  
• NOTE > If you have a friend who is a musician, you can ask them if you’re allowed to use their music on your podcast. You can also reach out to smaller bands or artists who may want exposure.

5. Should I have a media kit?  Like bloggers, if you are considering monetizing your podcast, then yes, you definitely should have a Media Kit so that you can reach out to sponsors and or potential clients.  A Media Kit can be a simple spreadsheet created in excel with data about your podcast, like download estimates, the types of ads you sell, and audience demographics that you may have collected from a survey of your listeners (age, gender, household income).
6. What are some ways in which to make money with a podcast?  A very common question and if you are in the podcast game to make money you may be disappointed initially, however, there are several ways in which to make a few coins initially.  Affiliate Marketing, Audio Courses, eBooks and Audiobooks, Speaking Engagements.  Brands usually pay based on CPM (cost per mile) Remember you want to have a large audience and your downloads should be off the chart before you will see any significant earnings.  Brands usually pay $15 for a 10-second ad/$18 for a 30-second ad/$25 for a 60-second ad.
7. Why do people upload their podcasts to YouTube? Exposure and expansion of audience – YouTube has a much larger audience in all areas and is the grandfather when it comes to knowledge and information – How many of you have taken a course at “YouTube University”???
8. What is a CTA? I covered this on Saturday’s Podcast – what is your call to action – what do you want your listeners to do after listening to your podcast and there are 3 types of CTA’s – check out the podcast on https://anchor.fm/delawareblogger
9. Can you recommend a Podcasts about Podcasting? Yes, mine – The Delaware Blogger Podcast on Anchor FM
10. Recommended Podcast hosting platforms? Elite Conversations hosts my podcast, Blog Your Way to a Business Profit.

If you have any podcasting questions that you want me to answer, please leave a comment and I’ll add. Also, if you want to be a featured “Mugger” send an email for the address to send it!