​“She pulled the knife from his shoulder blade and wiped it carefully on her white apron.”

If you’re going to tell a story, just launch right into it.  says legendary radio industry boss – David Lloyd. 

If you a radio person or a Blogger I recommend  "How To Make Great Radio"  by David Lloyd published by Biteback. This book is an essential and entertaining read, great if you are Podcaster that wants to learn from radio techniques.

From why a listener chooses radio in the first place – and the answer he gives in the book is the key to making you a truly great Broadcaster, Podcaster or even TV host – as I think that what he says about presentation has relevance for all types of media presentation particularly Podcasting.

The Author David Lloyd was my boss at LBC and had a rare talent - he trusted you to do your job but guided and shaped what you did and managed you without you without actually realising you were being managed.

In "how To Make Great Radio." there are chapters not only about Breakfast Radio, competitions, interview technique, but also about how to use words and the language of radio, again they language you use and how you say it are of vital importance to any Podcaster.

He also talks about YOU, not you! – You, and why one of our greatest orators of the modern time Churchill not only harnessed the power of you but understood the rule of three – you can find out how Sir Winston can help you sharpen your presentation/podcasting skills in this book.

Also there’s advice on news reading using social media and getting the best from callers to your show.

‘Christina is a 23 year old Latina, born in the U.S.  She is unmarried with one-child lives in a suburb of Los Angeles and has multiple jobs to make ends meet.  She cares about the latest gossip and listens to mainstream hip hop and pop music.”

You have to get through half the book to get to the chapter on targeting and the most important of radio questions – ‘Who is your listener’ By the way that description of Christina was a typical listener of KIIS FM in the U.S.

Or how about ‘Dave and Sue’ Dave is a self-employed plumber and Sue a Secretary… I wonder if you can guess the radio station they might listen to?  To find out, the answer is in David Lloyd’s book ‘How To Make Great Radio.’

Understanding who you are actually talking to, whether on radio or a Podcast is again a key piece of the jigsaw you need to make content that is relevant.

Moving to behind the glass David has a chapter about how to Produce a radio show, he describes Producers as ‘the Architect of a show creating direction and execution.’

Back in the live studio there is a chapter about finding your radio voice, and why the listener is always right – sometimes.

David also gives you advice if you are trying to make a career in radio. The industry is in the middle of a tough time at the moment, but again Podcasting is a great place to start your Broadcasting career. Finally he predicts radio’s future with one key word.

This is a book for someone who wants to find out more about radio and has terrific relevance if you have just started a Podcast as there are many crossover points between the two mediums.

David Lloyd’s ‘How To Make Great Radio’ the Kindle edition will cost you just £6.41 

 Can you make money from your Podcast? .. you can, BUT!  It really depends where you are in the world. In the USA there is a large Podcast market and an expectation that you might 'pay' for content either by listening to commercials or sponsor messages.

Back here in the UK - there are different expectations - content is often 'free' - the BBC with all its TV and Radio channels, podcasting, internet and media is paid for by a tax on reception, called 'The Licence Fee' .

This creates an uneven playing field.  The BBC have a big chunk of the Podcast market which they are moving behind something that could be made into a paywall, but currently verifies that you have permission to listen to their Podcasts. (You can actually go to prison for not paying the BBC Licence Fee!)

What does all of this mean for your back bedroom Podcast? That in the UK it is harder to monetise content than in say the USA.  You might need to look for Patreon support directly from your listeners, or distribute your Podcast with a provider like ACAST who look for and share advertising revenue with you.  Or just look at your Podcast as a profile raiser for your business or passion.

Should you remove breaths from your Podcast?  I have noticed on the forums a heated discussion about removing mouth noises and the breathing of your Podcast host or guest breathing.  It is a thing that often happens on commercials or voice work, mainly because an advertiser crams in so many words into a commercial, there is, frankly, no time to take a breath.  

I would almost, never remove a single breath, you are a human being you also breathe and to cut out the breath... well doesn't that rip the humanity out of your guest or host?  I say almost because sometimes a breath can be intrusive, a nervous gasp, those breaths can be edited out.  But also a breath can be 'a sharp intake of breath' that reveals something to the listener.

One of the Podcasts I work on is Zestology with Tony Wrighton.  He is really keen to make his Podcast real and human, we leave in breaths, if he slightly stumbles, that stays in.. obviously bigger mistakes get taken out.  He often records his Podcasts out and about and the background noise becomes part of the fabric of the Podcast.

I worked with an American radio host here in London called Doug Urbanski - we were in a tiny studio I had built in Denmark Street, a famous London Street and the building boasted the fact that the Beatles had rehearsed in the basement and Elton John had written Daniel on the flat roof behind the little studio I had built.

It was a hot summers night and the aircon was a noisy portable unit.  Doug told me to turn it off and open the windows.  I remember saying to him that everyone listening to his coast to coast show would hear all the noise of London in the background...   "Yeah, that's what I want them to hear." - the penny dropped.

​So don't rip too much of the humanity out of your Podcast, let it breathe, let there be the odd dog barking, you are not PBS or the BBC, you are something quite different and special .. keep it that way.  

There is a well known saying that he can talk the talk but not walk the walk.  If you are a Podcaster YOU want to turn that saying on its head.

Trawling through all those Podcast forum sites, there are quite a few would be Podcasters who are obsessed with the process rather than the product. Which is the best mic to buy? Should I buy a sound mixer?  I going to spend a couple of months soundproofing my room, I need to go on a training course to learn to record etc, etc. 

ANYTHING but knuckle down and produce actual content, or speaking of turning things on its head ..I have recently read:

'Hey guys I'm thinking of getting into Podcasting, I have bought all the gear.. got any ideas about what my Podcast can be about?'

With that upside down thinking, your Podcast will probably be about FAILURE - first you need an idea, second ability to record, third market and seed social media with that idea you recorded and published.

So turn things around - TALK the TALK just don't walk the walk.

Hooray and hurrah you finally recorded that first Podcast, you faced deathly challenges..well you mastered recording and editing. Took perilous journeys ..well you learnt how to upload to Libsyn.  And the final mountain was climbed ..submitting your Podcast to Apple and passing. Champagne all round.

Now my challenge to you, is to keep doing it and do it well.  Most Podcasts fizzle out at about the seventh episode.  There are more discarded Podcasts on the net than fish in the sea (yes I know in a few years time I probably will not be able to use that analogy)

Why are there so many abandoned Podcasts?  Well a good idea,  has to be a good idea that keeps on giving.  I do remember the misery of Producing a Saturday night radio Show, when everyone who had a life was out partying.  We invented a fab feature called the A to Z of Vodka cocktails - it gave us plenty of material; literally freshened up every week, and also meant that we were all pretty smashed by the end of the show, hooray and hurrah.

​So plan longevity into your show, map out 20 episodes, if you can't come up with content for each Podcast... you might be looking at the seven episode fizzle out! 

Six little techie tips to help your Podcast:
Tip One: Practice - practice recording, practice your microphone technique, make sure you can make work the software you are using and know how to record.

Tip Two: Ambience and background noise can all be part of the recording, so long as it is not intrusive, so pick your venue with care.  For live interviews, the more carpets and curtains (drapes) the better.  For down the line interviews try and get them to go to their bedroom, or if at work a small meeting room.

Tip Three:  Microphones are sensitive little creatures, try to be close to them, but not too close.  Cardioid (directional) mics are good to cut background noise, omni-directional to include some of that ambience.  Mics like the Blue Yeti have various settings to suit your kind of Podcast.

Tip Four:  LEVELS - after echoey rooms, screwing up the levels is the thing that will ruin a podcast, under-recording can usually be fixed, over-recording cannot.  Recording engineers say sh*t in sh*t out.  Most software programs, mixing desks (panels) have a level meter - like a nuclear reactor - keep it away from red.

Tip Five: MONITOR wear headphones, one ear on, one ear off if you want.  Get the guest to do the same, or if they don't have a professional set-up, it can be better if they put some ear buds on with a chin wire mic, that will often sound better than the laptop built in mic. (The exception would be say a Skype call to a normal mobile (cell) phone, then the phone's mic and noise cancelling is often better.

​Tip Six: DON'T MENTION THE FURNITURE, stuff will go wrong, you might forget to switch your mic on, start to record the Podcast .. try not to make a drama out of it, it will put your guest off and you too.  

How do you get the best out of your guest?  Six little tips: 

Tip One: Do your research, there is nothing worse than not actually knowing who you are talking to, bone up on wiki, read some blogs and check out their Facebook page.
Tip Two:  Tell them what you plan to ask them, you don't have to be specific, put it in an email, tell them how long you plan to speak to them, tell them if there is anybody else involved in the discussion or show.  But most of all tell them.
Tip Three:  Get down to business pretty much as soon as you start recording.  The same applies if they are a face to face interview.  Take a quick bit of level, .. not what they had for breakfast but kick things off with them by getting them to tell you who they are and who they represent or what they do.  (That way you have a record of their title, website address etc on the recording)
Tip Four:  Charm to disarm, try not to overwhelm or intimidate your guest, be human.  Again make your first question something easy to answer, for instance asking them about their journey to where they are now, where did they begin, why did they first become interested in the subject.  You don't have to use this material.
Tip Five: Try to stay on the pathway, it is very easy to meander off into meaningless questions, ..unless that is the purpose of your Podcast.  Stay on track, unless you think what they have to say is more interesting than what you planned, then take that call, and turn a corner.
Tip Six:  ENJOY talking to your guest, revel in their knowledge - encourage them - if face to face with a nod, or if down the line - with a "that was a great answer"  Caution -  try to avoid saying yes as they answer.  Again those words of encouragement can be edited out before you start the next question.
​In the next blog, six little techie tips to help your Podcast. To find out about Podcast Editing from $35 an hour/episode - click here

Can I use commercial music in my podcast? this from James Cridland from Pod News Net
​


There’s a lot of misinformation about this in internet forums and chat rooms. Here’s the only correct answer: No. No, you can’t.

“But my podcast doesn’t make any money!”
No. That doesn’t matter. You don’t have the right to use any commercial music on your podcast.

“But it’s fair use!”
No. Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, are published globally: and the law that’s relevant is the law in countries where the material is available, not hosted. (That’s why companies geoblock content).
Some countries have a concept of fair use in copyright law (the US does, for example). Many others don’t (like Canada, Australia, or the UK), but have a concept of 'fair dealing’. Other countries don’t even have that.

“But I’m reporting a current event, and that’s acceptable under fair use?”
No. See above. Additionally, music is specifically not covered under Australian “fair dealing”, for example. Yes, the rules are different in every country.

“But fair use!”
No. Really, no. And also: “fair use” is a defence you use in court. If a court is involved, it usually means lots of court costs.

“But I have the permission of the artists!”
No. The artists are just one part of the equation; you also need the permission from the record company, from the composers of the music, the publishers of the music, and in many cases a “mechanical” right to allow you to copy the material.
Additionally, if a musician signs with a collection agency, then they’ve assigned their rights to the collection agency, and in most cases they actually can’t give you special dispensation. A publisher may also have separate deals with different companies in separate territories.

“But I live in the US, and my use is acceptable under US law, so isn’t it okay everywhere?”
No. The rest of the world doesn’t follow US law.
You can ensure that the podcast isn’t available anywhere other than the US. The BBC geo-lock some of their music podcasts to the UK only, for exactly this reason. (So do Netflix.)

“But I’ve bought an APRA mini-licence!”
G’day, but no. It doesn’t cover use of music recordings. What a rort! These blokes aren’t fair dinkum! (etc)

“But it’s less than ten seconds long and that’s okay isn’t it?”
No. There’s no minimum duration under which it’s all okay. Sorry.

“So, I can’t use any commercial music, then?”
Not really, no.

“Not even a little bit?”
No.

But let’s be realistic. While it’s really clear - no, you can’t - the reality is that record companies and copyright holders are unlikely to prosecute if it’s not worthwhile.
Lawyers cost money. There’s no point in suing people who have no cash; no reason to make enemies for the sake of three seconds of usage; and there’s an argument to claim that unofficial usage of a track might be beneficial to the artist.
There’s plenty of benefit to “making an example” of a high profile podcaster. And plenty of reasons why they’d shrug and look the other way.
Or, plenty of reasons why they’ll just sit and wait for you to be successful, and THEN come after you, maybe two years later, when you can afford it. 
So: if you have to ask, the answer’s no. Really, it’s no.
But if you go ahead anyway: you might get away with it.
But: no.

​If you are serious about Podcasting, subscribe to PodNews Net

​A great way to get up to speed with Podcasting is to join one of the many forums on Facebook, Linkedin or Quora. I have learnt a lot of useful stuff from those forums.  But there is an obsession with gear.  Who has the best microphone? Who has the best mixing desk/panel?

It reminds me of a friend of a friend who decided that she would become a voiceover.  She bought all the gear, Neumann Microphone, Whisper Booth.. thousands of pounds worth of stuff.  Then did nothing with it She never made that jump, never recorded a single script.

There are Podcasters out there obsessed with the gear and not really worrying about the content, just how sexy they sound on a particular microphone.  Manufacturers are starting to realise this growing market, with Rode releasing their rather pricey 'Rodecaster Pro.'

BUT With good content a Smart phone recording App, a quiet place, you can still make great Podcasts.

ACTUALLY  you don't even need a quiet place, one of my clients recorded his podcast during a monsoon - very atmospheric and a wonderful podcast.