The How To Podcast Series - Podcast Co-Hosts, Practical Podcasting Tips, and Podcast Community

Episode 544 - The Type of Podcast Guest That I Typically Don't Bring Onto My Podcasts and Why Podcast Show Notes: The Type of Podcast Guest I Don’t Typically Bring Onto My Podcasts (and Why) In this episode of  The How To Podcast Series , host Dave offers a candid behind-the-scenes look at how he chooses who appears — and who  doesn’t  — on his shows. With nine podcasts under his belt, Dave ha...

Episode 543 - How to Spot and Fix Bad Podcast Guests Before They Derail You This solo episode of the How to Podcast Series dives into the realities of running an interview-based podcast, from the joys of meaningful connections to the frustrations of flaky guests who waste time and derail momentum. Host Dave shares candid stories, screening tips, and strategies to protect your show while emphasizin...

Episode 542 - Front‑Loading Value - Make Your Podcast Titles More Clickable A great episode can be ignored if the title does not grab attention in a crowded feed. For new podcasters, the title is often the difference between a scroll‑past and a tap‑to‑play. Podcast apps behave like search engines, surfacing episodes based on words in your title, show name, and description. Strong titles help you g...

Episode 541 - Why Your Podcast Matters - Valuable Insights for Hosts and Followers Podcasting delivers high value for both the host and the audience, serving different but equally powerful purposes. For hosts, podcasting builds authority, expands networks, and creates business or personal growth opportunities; for listeners, it offers education, inspiration, and a unique sense of community with di...

Episode 540 - Shower. Deodorant. Edit. The Routine Every Podcaster Needs Podcast Show Notes: The How to Podcast Series – Why Editing Matters In this episode of  The How to Podcast Series , host Dave dives deep into one of the most debated topics among podcasters: editing. Recorded in November for a January release, Dave sets the tone early with his signature warmth and candid humor, describing the...

Episode 539 - Why Your Podcast Should Come Before Your Social Media Strategy Embracing a “podcast first” approach means prioritizing your podcast’s content, community, and discoverability directly within podcasting channels rather than relying on social media as your primary promotional vehicle. Many industry veterans and podcasters have observed that the most effective growth comes from focusing...

Episode 538 - Audiobooks, Guesting Tech Needs and Authors with CO-HOST - Ben Schenkman In this episode, host Dave welcomes Ben Schenkman—an author, audiobook narrator, and all-around creative force. Ben pulls back the curtain on the craft of audiobook narration and offers practical advice for authors who want to bring their own stories to life through audio. With a mix of humor, insight, and techn...

EPISODE 537 - Stories Beyond Borders - powerful journeys of migration, self-discovery and resilience With CO-HOST - Urmi Hossain Stories Beyond Borders is a podcast that explores identity, culture, and belonging through raw, real, and inspiring conversations. It is a place that celebrates voices that defy labels and stories that transcend geographic and emotional borders. Whether you're a thir...

EPISODE 536 - PodMatch, Designing with Love - instructional design and curriculum planning with Guest Co-Host Jackie Pelegrin Jackie Pelegrin - Instructional Designer, Author, College Professor, and Podcast HostJackie, an Arizona native, leverages decades of experience as an instructional designer within both higher education and the corporate world. She holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Ins...

Episode 535 - A Strategic Growth Mindset for Podcasters That You Won't Hear on other Podcasts About Podcasting In this episode, Dave introduces a perspective on podcast growth that stands in sharp contrast to the “get big fast” advice pushed by many industry gurus. Rather than chasing viral moments or obsessing over top one percent rankings, he argues for a mindset built on sustainability and...

Episode 534 - Saying No To Sponsors For Your Podcast - Making Money With Your Podcast is Not Every Podcaster's Main Desire In this episode of The How To Podcast Series , Dave explores one of the most misunderstood truths in the podcasting world: not every podcaster wants sponsors, needs sponsors, or should build their show around sponsorship deals. While sponsorships dominate the conversation...

Episode 533 - Why Your Listeners Are Tuning Out of Your Podcast Before You Even Start - Podcast Intros Minus The Word Salad Let’s address the elephant in the studio: podcast intros have gotten  out of hand . They’re supposed to welcome listeners in, set the tone, and give a sense of who’s talking — not serve as an unsolicited 12‑minute autobiography with background music. But lately, pressing play...

Episode 532 - Sorry Your Wrong Podcast Guru - Your Podcast Does Not Need To Be A Business to be Credible In this episode, Dave pushes back against a rising narrative in the podcasting space that claims a show is not credible unless it functions as a business. Reacting to advice from a so-called guru, Dave calls out the damaging assumption that a podcast only matters once it makes money. He highlig...

Episode 531 - Better Listener Data Beyond Your Podcast Hosting Site - YouTube Podcasts In this episode, Dave digs into the creator side of YouTube and explains why the platform offers some of the richest listener analytics available to podcasters today. After previously exploring Spotify for Creators and Apple Podcasts Connect, he turns his attention to YouTube, a platform many podcasters either f...

Episode 530 - Better Listener Data Beyond Your Podcast Hosting Site - Apple Podcasts In this episode of the How to Podcast series, Dave opens up an often overlooked part of podcasting success. While most creators rely heavily on the stats inside their hosting platform, Dave explains why those numbers only tell part of the story. Hosting dashboards can show downloads and basic reach, but they canno...

Thanks for your support in 2025 - More great How To Podcast Episodes coming in 2026 In this warm, post-holiday stroll episode, the host reflects on a year of podcasting growth, connection, and the promise of 2026. The conversation uses a casual, intimate walk-and-talk vibe to invite listeners into the show’s community, celebrate milestones, and share upcoming plans. The episode opens with a sense...

Episode 529 - Better Listener Data Beyond Your Podcast Hosting Site - Spotify For Creators Spotify for Creators gives podcasters access to powerful first-party listener data and audience engagement tools that hosting platforms like Buzzsprout, Captivate, Libsyn, and Blubrry cannot provide. This guide highlights what you can see inside Spotify for Creators, what your hosting platform shows instead,...

Look Out 2026 - 365 Day Journal, Creative Content Daily, 24 in 24 and 365 Plus Episodes of The How To Podcast Series Dave introduces a bold, year-long experiment for 2026 centered on intensified content creation and community engagement through The How To Podcast Series. In this episode, Dave announces a personal project: a blank-page journal titled 365, with one page for every day of 2026. He pla...

The How To Podcast Series 2026 Podcast Playbook - Human, Visible, Sustainable Podcasters in 2026 should focus on depth over noise: shows that feel human, are easy to find and binge across platforms, and are built on durable revenue and community, not just downloads. Human-first content and format Audiences are drowning in choice, and what cuts through is a strong point of view, real personality, a...

Episode 528 - A New Challenge and Opportunity for Podcasters Starting Out to Get You Through Your First 10 Episodes This episode dives into a stark podcasting reality: most new shows stall before episode 10, but host Dave unveils a fresh 2026 program to change that. Drawing from Pod Match stats showing 93.99% of podcasters quit before 100 episodes and 11,740 fade daily after just 46 days on averag...

Episode 527 - Merry Christmas Eve, A Christmas Story for Podcasters and Seasons Greetings A Christmas Eve Podcast Story In the snug little town of Jinglejam Junction, Livd Podcaster McPhee with a voice full of function. Her booth was a bauble of blankets and foam, Her microphone shimmering like fresh-chromed chrome. On Christmas Eve night, with a peppermint grin, She prepared for her episode: “Let...

Episode 526 - The Cristina Santiago Podcast, With Guest CO-HOST - Cristina Santiago Cristina Santiago is the creator of "Stories by Dessi Kali," a unique AI-driven storytelling podcast that pulls original, imaginative fiction from the shadows, where reality and the supernatural collide. The host of "Stories by Dessi Kali" is an AI-powered podcast host by the name of Dessi Kali,...

Episode 525 - The Five Questions Every Podcaster Should Ask Their Listeners This episode of the How To Podcast Series finds Dave speaking directly to new and growing podcasters about one core idea: your listeners are your best teachers. From his studio in Ontario, Canada, Dave shares that after more than two thousand episodes across nine shows, one of the most valuable habits he has built is askin...

Dave Throws Down the Podcast Gauntlet - A Bold 24 Hour Challenge Coming This February In this Daily Dave bonus episode of The How-To Podcast Series, Dave shares an idea that came to him during an overnight shift and quickly refused to let go. Known for working nights and pushing creative limits, Dave wonders what would happen if he fully leaned into that rhythm and turned it into a podcasting expe...

Episode 524 - I Do What I Want in My Podcast, Authorship and Podcasting With CO-HOST - Hollis Jo McCollum Improv, presence, and the art of showing up This episode centers on the joy of unfiltered conversation and the power of being present in the moment. Hollis Jo McCollum, host of I Do What I Want!, and her co-host Dave riff on the spontaneity and humor that come from live, unscripted dialogue. T...