On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Corey Coates, the co-founder of Podfly Productions LLC. Corey began his career in broadcast media, music production, performance, and instruction. He is also a pioneer in podcasting and an in-demand freelance guitarist, as well as an audio editor for terrestrial radio production houses. This podcast covers podcasting, post-production, and outsourcing tasks in your business.
Main Questions Asked:
- Where did you learn how to start and run a business?
- Share some of your insider secrets on podcasting.
- Why is it important that entrepreneurs who want to podcast focus on outsourcing extra tasks?
- What are your tips on the post-production process to improve the quality of a show?
Key Lessons Learned:
- The podcast listening community is still small. It’s like reading books, in that you end up telling your friends about it, and that is how podcasts become successful.
- If your first goal is to ensure that your podcast is SEO optimized, then you are probably not going to get the results you anticipate.
- You are competing for the time and attention of an individual who doesn’t have a lot of time and attention to give you in the first place.
Content is King
- There is no formula that will make you successful. The primary goal needs to be having amazing, valuable content that people love so much they share it with their friends and family.
- Focus the majority of your time and attention towards creating content that is compelling and of value to the listeners, and that motivates them to share.
- The top 20 podcasts aren’t employing any of the ‘techniques’ people are using, and are just producing really good shows people talk about and share.
- Look into the space of what you are entering, and if there are already 10 or 20 podcasts that are doing it well, then don’t bother competing.
Developing Audience Intimacy
- Develop a relationship that translates into credibility and authority.
- Create a private relationship between yourself and the individual listener.
- Podcasting is more compelling than broadcast radio is, as it has a lot more human experience.
- The beauty and value in podcasting is that people hear the way you talk, your sense of humor, and your opinions. The more produced and formulaic you become, the more you will alienate people.
- Microphone technique, equipment setup, and using the voice as an instrument are all-important, but relatability is a key component.
- Podcasting is about making yourself sound relatable and training your voice to be pleasant to listen to, but never lose the personal touch.
- Sit up straight and smile – you will come across with energy that is phenomenal!
Outsourcing Tasks
- If you can afford to, give the task to someone who does it all day and does it well.
The Post-Production Process
1.) Don’t undervalue the quality in pre-production and source audio.
- If you do a bad recording, there’s only so much you can do in post.
- A good microphone, quiet room, and clean recording will make for a better sounding podcast.
2.) Learn about how compression, normalization, and equalization work.
- The plugins, compressors, and workflow in Adobe Audition are conducive to radio and podcast production.
- When bringing in raw content, if you have a nice clean signal, use the built-in multi-band compressor in Adobe Audition. It fattens up and evens out all of the levels.
- Learn about compression and experiment to find the magic setting, and use it as an applied preset.
Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!
The music in today’s episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
Back to Work (podcast)
Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend (podcast)
Alec Baldwin – Here’s The Thing (podcast)
Click to Tweet
