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BOSTON —As I reflect on the third anniversary of “Takin’ a Walk” and a little over a year of producing my “Music Saved Me” podcast, I look at the vast worldwide podcast landscape and wonder how many of us share the same trials and tribulations, victories and defeats, discoveries and brutal reminders that go into content creation. Podcasting is a rapidly evolving business, but one thing is sure — it is a community willing to share insights to help the overall industry.
With that in mind, I want to share a diary of my experiences with the hope that if you are a podcaster or considering podcasting, it might benefit you to become stronger at your game. Reflection, prioritization and focus are vital to setting the week up for success.
These are my experiences, and they may not reflect your universe expressly, but take my thoughts in earnest to try and help the cause.
Monday
I need to look at guests who are booked and begin to assemble the necessary research for interviews. This week, I have a confirmed a “Takin’ a Walk” interview with the iconic guitarist Pat Metheny. I’ll focus my research by looking at his website, listening to his music — which I love — and listening to some past interviews he has done. I take the approach of being a genuine fan of the guest as my guiding light for how the interview will unfold. Trying to establish a rapport immediately is my goal, making each guest a welcome visitor to the podcast.
Tuesday
Publish a new “Takin’ a Walk” episode on my website — this one is with Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates fame — and utilize all available social media channels to get the word out: Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Threads, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
I look at analytics every day — a research nerd habit that dates to my radio days — but Tuesday is particularly important as it is the first day of analytics for a new release. Chartable is one tool I use for chart positions.
Tuesday is also generally a day for me to upload a new “Music Saved Me” episode, which comes out biweekly on Wednesdays.
Wednesday
Update the release schedule of future episodes for planning purposes and for my producer, Bob Malatesta.
Evaluate first-day download numbers of the new release while continuing to push awareness of the most recent episode on social media.
On Wednesdays, using the publishing platform Substack, I release a brief email to a database of listeners and contacts I have for the podcast to alert them of a new episode when it is released.
Thursday
Begin the process for the release of new episodes for the following week. This includes uploading files to the Omny Studio platform (part of Triton Digital), writing show titles, placing markers for mid-roll commercials and scheduling release day and time for automatic publishing. Additionally, I’ll begin creating some social media assets for next week’s releases. This can be in the form of short-form videos. I have a few go-to resources who create them and also take approved photo assets from a guest’s publicity team so that I can make a specialized cover for the new episode.
Friday
Look at the week’s outcomes and consider what could have been improved. Sometimes, I’ll listen to an episode I have just released and consider what I could have done to be a better interviewer. Did I ask a strong hook question right out of the gate? Did I do a great job making the guest comfortable? Whenever possible, I like to carve out five minutes with the guest before the interview starts to act as a pre-interview of sorts. It tends to break the ice a bit and helps establish rapport. Sometimes, when I allow myself the time to reflect on the process, I reconsider whether I should have listened to my gut about the strength of a particular question and should have abandoned it. No matter how you slice it, it is essential to reflect on what things could have been done better.
Reflection, prioritization and focus are vital to setting the week up for success.
Saturday and Sunday
I know weekends should be a recharging time, but for me, they are great to go deeper into the analytics. I not only look at the download numbers per episode but also look at episode-specific data from Apple about the strength of a guest with their percentage of completion metrics (a metric that helps you understand if you’re creating content that is resonating with the audience).
In documenting a random week as a podcaster, I find the exercise helpful in creating a focused roadmap to success. Reflection and workflow prioritization are mandatory to keep publishing content in podcasting.
The author has been a strategist and media executive for decades with leadership roles for multiple prominent companies. He currently runs Buzz Knight Media, consulting global companies and also hosts and produces two successful podcasts.
