Quick Daily Podcasting Tips by Alitu

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about encouraging guests to share your episodes. Whether we like it or not, no guest is obliged to share your content with their audience. But if you follow the advice in the previous episodes, your chat should be memorable enough to make them want to. The key is to ask nicely,...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about “super” podcast interview questions. When you cover the basics well, you can go the extra mile to help make your guest stand out from everyone else. Here are some fun questions that can entertain your listener whilst still leaving them with a few useful insight...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about core questions around the conversation topic. Here we can dig in and explore by asking your guest some seemingly provocative questions. They’ll usually be glad to answer these as it gives them a chance to counter claims they’ll hear a lot. “So, you’...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about core questions to ask your guest. This is another wing to your storytelling angle. It lets the listener focus on the guest themselves. People love to hear things in context, after all. “Believe in yourself and never give up!” is all well and good. But people of...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about seeking out stories in podcast interviews. As we’ve mentioned on the show before, stories are the original and best type of shareable content. There’s a subtle but powerful difference between “here’s how to grow a business” and “here&rsq...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “should I send questions over to guests in advance?” You’ll probably have a list of pre-written questions as a framework for your interviews. But as we’ve covered already, you won’t want to ask these in a linear ‘game show host&rsq...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about asking follow-up questions. So your guest just finishes telling you they built a time machine, travelled back 70 million years, and shot a T-Rex. You take a look at your next question and ask “so, what’s your favourite WordPress plugin?”. Interviewers who...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about introducing your podcast guests. It’s those dreaded words “so, tell us a bit about yourself” that can lead to you waking up, six hours later, listening to an interviewee ramble on about his toy car collection. This isn’t the guest's fault. They&rsqu...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “why is this guest on my show?”. Now that might sound a little rude, but don’t worry, this is the question we ask ourselves *before* we even invite someone onto our podcast. In order to answer this question, you need to put yourself in the shoes&hel...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about finding podcast guests. If you run an interview podcast, it can be challenging to get folks to come on your show at first. A great starting point is to approach other podcasters in your niche. They already know how it all works, and you know they’ll sound great, too....

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about organising guests or co-hosts. If you think tech and equipment can be challenging, then you should try wrangling humans. Your guests or co-hosts could live in any time zones around the globe. They might be super-organised, but they might also be pretty shambolic, easily di...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about booking tools for organising guests or co-hosts. Different time zones and scheduling conflicts can drop you into an endless cycle of messages where days and times are suggested but never agreed upon. If you’re regularly trying to arrange suitable dates and times with...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about making mistakes during recording. Stumbles and stammers are natural. But, if you always stop and start again, thinking “I’ll just edit that out”, then your podcast is going to become time-consuming or expensive to create. With minor mistakes, just quickly...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about how it’s not the size or the shape that matters, but how you use it. We’re talking, of course, about mic technique. The optimal positioning of a mic depends on your own unique voice and style. A good starting point, though, is the distance between the tips of y...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about minimising interruptions to your recording session. These are the low-hanging fruits of making your podcast easier to edit, sound better, and generally cause you less frustration. To deal with the digital side of things, you should close any apps that are going to ping or...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what you should eat before a recording session. It’s worth saying right away, that, unless you run an ASMR podcast, you probably want to avoid eating *during* a recording session. Some podcasters feel they have more energy if they’re in a bit of a fasted state...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what you should drink before or during recording. Getting behind the mic whilst dehydrated is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you’re just going to have less energy and feel a bit groggy. Secondly, you’re going to make more dry lip-smacking mouth no...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about pre-recording practicalities. This is the less glamorous but still vitally important side of recording. Your gear and environment aren’t the only factors that’ll determine whether you sound like a seasoned pro or a complete beginner. As the old saying goes - &l...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what to include in your podcast outro. Just like the podcast intro, there are no “rules” as such, but if you want to close your episode effectively, think about the following. Send them to ONE place - your website. Here they can find show notes with links to ev...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re asking the question “what makes a good podcast outro?”. The final minute or two of your episode goes towards creating a lasting impression in the mind of your listener. You might have done a great job with the intro and main content. But if the show ends poorly, this can be...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the “Cold Open”. You know when you sit down to watch your favourite TV show and the episode starts before you’ve even opened your bag of Doritos? Then, after about five minutes, the intro kicks in? Well, that’s what’s known as a “cold op...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about hooking your listener early. Podcast listeners are selfish. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that everyone tunes into content with one question in mind - “what’s in this for me?”. If anything is drawn out, confusing, or ambiguous, it&...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about what to include in your episode intros. There are few “rules” in podcasting - it’s a creative medium, after all. With that said, you can really optimise the intro of your episodes if you include the following things. Firstly, let the listener know who the...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about introducing and ending your episodes. Obviously, the most important part of any podcast episode is its main content. But the way you open and close your episodes is vital when it comes to listeners even getting to that stage. Think about it, each episode you release is goi...

Welcome to Pocket-Sized Podcasting, brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker. And on this episode, we’re talking about the rough podcast script. This one is near the ‘make-it-up-as-you-go-along’ end of the scripting spectrum. Here, you’ll mainly use bullet points to remind you where you’re going. You’re relying on your expert knowledge on the subject to fill i...