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(By Traci Long DeForge) You’ve got podcasting questions, and Traci Long DeForge is here to answer them. Traci is the founder of Produce Your Podcast and a member of the PBJ Editorial Board. Today, Traci answers questions about using Siri, creating podcast seasons, and controlling your ad count.
1) Is Siri a way people can discover my podcast? Absolutely! You will want to educate your newsletter subscribers, along with fans and followers on social media, about the benefits of using Siri to discover podcasts. It’s important to educate them on how to find your show so they can test it out themselves. The following information was provided by the team at Apple Podcasts.
Introduce Your Listeners To Siri Siri can help listeners find and subscribe to your show in Apple Podcasts, so spread the word on your website, in your newsletter, and wherever else you communicate with your audience. For example, to find your show, encourage them to say things like: “Play [show name].” “Play my newest podcasts.” “Play the first episode of [show name].”
Listeners can also ask Siri for information about the podcast that is currently playing and request to be subscribed. For example: “What podcast is this?” “Subscribe to this show.”
There are people who may already know this information but simply forgot they can use Siri for podcast discovery. There also those who never thought that was a possibility. Either way, put it out there to your tribe and you’ll likely see an increase in downloads and subscribers.
2) Are there advantages of creating podcast seasons vs releasing podcasts on a regular basis that aren’t a series? Creating your podcast in seasons works well for podcasters whose show content is created in a sequence and has a beginning, a middle, and an end. These types of shows are beneficial for documentary style, fiction, and true crime podcasts, and can be utilized in a branded podcast strategy if created specifically for that purpose. They are also effective for those who are teaching or offer step-by-step course content in their podcast.
Some advantages might be: ~ Series help prevent pod-fade and host fatigue. Your motivation stays high and you’re more engaged and energetic since you are batching your production. ~ Provides a break between seasons. During these breaks between recording your seasons use this time to get audience feedback, research ways to improve the podcast, and make improvements for the next season ~ Seasons are comparable to TV Series. This facet of producing seasons can result in higher listener engagement, sharing momentum, and more visibility for the show if it creates a “buzz” around the subject matter. A good example is the podcast Atlanta Monster. The show’s first season had 10 episodes and multiple bonus episodes. The second season, Monster - The Zodiac Killer, released its first episode three weeks after season one ended, and has 15 episodes. They were able to capitalize on the press, demand, and success of season one, and become a wildly popular podcast series.
3) I’m actually the rare person who would like to control the amount of ads in the episodes I publish. I use Spreaker. Is that possible? It is possible to control your ad insertions on Spreaker. You can edit your preferences by going into the Content Management System and configure your per-show default settings.
More importantly, I would like to address why you might want to control the amount of ads inserted. When your show is new and building audience is a primary consideration it’s important to maintain the integrity of the content as much as possible. I understand the desire for monetization. An alternative to placing a direct ad into the episode is to find someone who might want to sponsor the show by their name being included in the show. One idea might be having the paid sponsor be mentioned as the “studio” sponsor. For example, “Welcome to [Name Your Podcast], where the studios are powered by One Great Sponsor.” You can add a gratitude mention at the end and include them in all the other areas where you market your show and you’ve created a workable opportunity for revenue without cluttering the show initially with advertising.