July 22, 2022

Pod Hack

What We're Into 

• Does your work focus on the U.S. legal system? Attend One-Day Law School for Journalists, an annual, free, virtual workshop designed to educate journalists and other creators who have little experience covering the courts or want to learn how to do so effectively. Register before the event on July 26.
• Submissions for the Black Podcasting Awards are now open. Started by Georgie-Ann Getton-Mckoy of Doing The Most, the awards' mission is to uplift the work of Black podcasters and "provide a foundation for the up and coming voices in the Black podcasting arena." Categories include Best Black International Podcast, Best New Black Podcast, and more. Winners will be announced on September 25. Award submissions must be received by August 15 to be considered.
• On their blog, Pacific Content's David Swanson explains how pivoting from an original idea can help you create a better podcast. David notes, "When you’re making a new show, it’s likely you won’t know what the show is until you are at least a few episodes into production. There is a lot of experimentation and trial and error..." Your idea can take on new life when unexpected events like the guest or the focus of an episode change. David reminds us to embrace changes in order to reimagine different ways a show can exist.
• Spotify has published a podcast editing guide for creators. Producers from the company share best practices for your post-production process, including creating outlines, pacing, and editing with the listener experience in mind.

What We're Listening To 

Podcasting, Seriously at Home 

Overheard on Podcasting, Seriously Live 

This week we welcomed Chris Colbert, founder and CEO of DCP Entertainment, for a discussion on video strategies for podcasts. Some takeaways are:

• All podcast creators should consider incorporating some type of video strategy into their show, regardless of the topic or target audience. According to several studies, YouTube is a top platform for podcast listening and discoverability. And, video platforms like Instagram and TikTok are highly used by large audiences.
• Identify the platforms that your audience uses to consume content, and consider the value and utility of including a video component.
• Some of the different formats and approaches to video podcasting include publishing short clips or full-length episodes, using taped footage from an interview or graphics and still images.
• Consider YouTube Shorts as a way to grow your audience and presence on the platform. "YouTube's algorithm likes clips that are eight minutes or longer. You need to be above that if you're going to try to monetize and grow your audience there," Chris says.
• You don't need expensive camera equipment or editing tools to create high-quality videos. It's as easy as recording with the camera on your phone, and there are many free and inexpensive video editing platforms.
• Chris recommends using vidIQ to optimize your efforts on YouTube. This powerful growth tool identifies competitor podcast channels to gain a competitive advantage, as well as the right titles and key words to boost discoverability.
• Keep up with DCP Entertainment and check out their work on YouTube.

Upcoming Workshops 

Creator Spotlight 

Community Offers 

Thanks for the Love 

• Thank you to Podcast Movement's PodMov Daily for including our weekly Spaces meetup in their newsletter. Check out our upcoming sessions to join the conversation.
• Thank you to The Feed The Official Libsyn Podcast for shouting out The Podcasting, Seriously Awards Fund in a recent episode, and AIR for highlighting the Fund in their newsletter.