Building and Growing Your Podcast: A Conversation with Dave Jackson – Part 2
“I was, like, on tour, I spent twenty hours driving all over Ohio, talking to different places. And I work from home, so I don’t drive a ton. And now I was, and I was listening to all these podcasts, and I was amazed how many times I had to ride the volume knob because somebody would be talking, and then somebody would come in and they’re much, a much lower volume. And then normally, even in a quiet room, you might be able to get away with that, but not when there’s now noise from the tires and the atmosphere. And I was just like, wow, there’s a lot of really bad audio out there. And there are tools, there’s Auphonic, there’s all sorts of things you can do to make things level. And that’s the other one besides the whole reverb room and the dog barking and things like that. Some of the stuff you can’t avoid, kids are not really… A three-year-old doesn’t care that daddy’s recording a podcast, but you can still try to bribe them with cookies or something to be quiet while you’re recording.” — Dave Jackson
This episode, “Building and Growing Your Podcast” is the second half of my conversation with pioneering podcast host, consultant, and School of Podcasting founder Dave Jackson, as we talk about building and growing your podcast, why now may be the best time in years to start a podcast, and Dave’s podcasting tips for beginners.
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(0:00:00) – Podcasting Fundamentals and Evolution
We begin the second half of our discussion with Dave’s strategies for growing a podcast, and, most importantly, figuring out why it exists. “Is it to position myself as an expert?” he asks. “Is it part of a marketing plan of my company? Is it cheap therapy, which it is at times? You know, I just want to get the word out. I’m creative and I want to do my art man, you know that kind of thing. So you’ve got all those reasons.” Dave also shares the lessons we can learn from celebrity podcasts, the perils of what he calls “room-verb”, and how AI is continuing to transform the industry. “By the time we’re done with this interview, there’ll be yet another piece of AI where you upload your audio and it’ll make a newsletter for you. It’ll transcribe it, it’ll do your laundry. It slices, dices, and makes Julienne fries.”
(0:13:05) – Microphone Upgrades and Audio Quality
Dave talks about his podcasting hardware and software tips, and about striking the right balance between recording the best sound at the moment vs. editing it in post-production. We also talk about how having the right microphone can be its own confidence booster. “Sometimes it’s not so much that you know your audio sounds bad,” he explains. “It just [that it] sounds bad to you. And if you don’t like the way you sound, well, then that might affect how you talk or perform on the microphone.”
(0:16:15) – The Future of Podcasting
We discuss the future of podcasting, and Dave gives us one example of a podcast that, almost from start to finish, is written, voiced, and published by AI. “To make a long story short,” he says, “it’s like a game of Mouse Trap. It goes from that to ChatGPT, which puts it out as a Google Doc, which then goes through ElevenLabs, which is this weird thing that can make a robo-voice, and then from there it goes to his media host.” We also talk about video podcasting, its value in podcast promotion, and each one’s distinctive audience. “People say ‘Oh, I want to take my podcast to the next level by adding video,’” Dave says. “And I go, ‘Really, what you’re doing is you’re adding a YouTube channel.’”
(0:22:57) – Tips on Starting Your Podcast
As our conversation wraps up, Dave talks about his upcoming projects, including an audio version of his book Profit from Your Podcast. “I finally was just like okay, enough of this,” he jokes. “This is embarrassing that the podcast guy doesn’t have an audio version of his book.” He also shares how to get in touch with him, and his first piece of advice when it comes to starting a podcast: “You don’t have to be great to start,” Dave says, “but you do have to start to be great. So start doing it.”
Episode Summary
- Dave’s approach to engaging listeners and reaching out to his target audience.
- Taking a personal approach to podcasting, from equipment choices to listenability.
- AI’s evolving role in content creation and the impact of YouTube on podcasting.
- Tips on taking the first step, overcoming fear, and building your podcast.
Connect with the Guest
Website: https://davidjackson.org/
Follow Dave Jackson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schoolofpodcasting/
Connect with Dave Jackson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davejackson
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This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.
