Recording audio at home can be tough, especially if you don’t have the environment. On top of that, what app do you use to record, and how can you prevent that “robot voice” that happens if you’re recording online with other people. Let’s take a look at a few helpful techniques.
Capturing Your Audio
First thing’s first: how do you capture your audio? Luckily each platform has a built-in recording app. Let’s look at both Mac and Windows
On a Mac
On a Mac, using Quicktime is the best way to go. They will put out a high quality audio file and it’s really easy to get started.
Open QuickTime Player and go to File > New Audio Recording.
Click the tiny arrow next to the record button and select Quality Maximum and the correct microphone
Drag the volume slider all the way to the left (off)
On a PC
Depending on your version of Windows, this app will have a different name, but it’s just as easy as on a Mac. The only caveat is you’ll need to change your microphone in settings.
Search for Voice Recorder from you apps (or Sound Recorder before Windows 10).
Click the big blue button to record!
Don’t forget to save your file! The apps might not do it automatically.
Grow with Podcast Swaps (FREE Template)
Using Podcast Swaps, I more than doubled my monthly downloads for my already popular podcast, How I Built It, from 34,000 downloads per month to 71,000 downloads per month.
This Podcast Swap Outreach Database was integral to the process, and you can have it completely for free, in Airtable or Google Sheets:
Improving Audio
Number One Tip: Use headphones. That will ensure your mic is only capturing your audio, and not the computer’s. This will reduce feedback and echoing.
You’ll also want to reduce the amount of sound bouncing around in your environment. I did an entire video about room acoustics that might be helpful.
Recording with Other People / Over the Internet
Other things that could help, especially for online recordings, via Zoom, or Skype:
Pause Dropbox and other cloud syncing services
Connect via Ethernet right into the modem or router
Use a mic other than the one built-in to the computer
Restart the computer and click on the Zoom link in the calendar invite right before our call.
If worse comes to worst, you could also put a blanket over your head. For real – it works. I’ve done it!
These simple tips should help you record the best possible audio for your podcast, video, or just general voice messages. If you have any other tips, leave them below!
Joe Casabona is a podcast and automation coach who helps coaches, course creators, and authors grow their podcasts into authority-building lead generators. He does that through expert-tested systems that come with 10 years experience podcasting, 15 years teaching, and over 20 years working the web.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how to get on someone’s podcast. Congrats! Now you have your first podcast guest spot lined up. You’re set to provide value for a ready and willing audience. But being a podcast guest is about more than just talking. While you shouldn’t be going on just to hawk your wares, you should be ready to help listeners learn more about you. Here’s how.
Want to get on more podcasts? There’s something you need to know: There are SO many bad podcast pitches.
From the shameless to the clueless, standing out is as easy as showing the host you care more about their audience than about your personal PR. To do that, AVOID these Bad Pitch Archetypes.
Bad Pitch Archetypes
If you’re a seasoned podcast host, you will likely recognize some of these bad pitch archetypes. They are tired, lazy, and try to cast a wide net. They are the:
Bragger
Shameless Self-Promoter
Ignoramus
Stray
Copycat
Brown-Noser
Reciprocator
Buddy
Paid Promoter
Each of these pitches could be good with a few tweaks. But we’ll get to that later. For now, onto the bad pitch archetypes!
The Bragger
They want to get on your show for one reason, and one reason only: They are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Their whole pitch revolves around why it would be your great honor to have them.
How to avoid being the Bragger:
Focus on what you can do for the audience, not what you think of yourself.
The Shameless Self-Promoter
They really need the free press your audience brings, so their whole pitch is about promoting their company, product, or event. Not only should you have them on, but you need to publish the episode by a specific date!
How to avoid being the Shameless Self-Promoter:
Remember that this is not YOUR show. Your sole goal should be providing value, now hawking your wares.
The Ignoramus
Someone told them they should go on more podcasts, so they just picked the ones that showed up in whatever search they did. They don’t know anything about your show. They just want to be on it, and their pitch makes that clear.
How to avoid being the Ignoramus:
Know a little bit about the shows you’re pitching. Read descriptions, listen to an episode. Figure out who the show talks to and how it frames content.
The Stray
They don’t have the time to do real research and find the contact info for the show they actually want to pitch, so they pitched the closest sounding one. You my not be the host of that show, but it will get to where it needs to go, right?
How to avoid being the Stray:
Just like the Ignoramus, this happens due to lack of research (and caring). Try reaching out to the host on LinkedIn and forming an actual relationship!
The Copycat
You had an episode where you talked to someone else about their area of expertise, but really, you should talk to them too. So their pitch is about that episode, and how they want to talk about the same exact thing.
How to avoid being the Copycat:
Instead of pitching the same topic, but a totally different spin on it, or choose a different niche. Recent guest on building an email list? Pitch opt-in strategies or newsletter swaps.
The Brown-Noser
They say flattery will get you nowhere, but that’s not what this person believes. Their pitch is less a pitch and more a bunch of compliments about you, then assuming you’re flattered enough to invite them on.
How to avoid being the Brown-Noser:
Remember for most podcasters, it’s not about them, it’s about the audience. Think about how you can bring value to the listeners…that’s the ultimate compliment!
The Reciprocator
They have a podcast and they really want to talk to you…but they’d rather do it on your show. Their pitch is disguised as an invitation on their podcast. Then when you’re scheduled they ask to come on yours…you know, as a little quid pro quo, right?
How to avoid being the Reciprocator:
If you want to do a podcast swap, be up front about it! It’s perfectly fine to swap guest spots, but don’t be sneaky about it.
The Buddy
This person knows you personally either via some community, or in real life. And they figure that’s all they need to get on your show, so instead of a pitch, they basically just ask you to go on your podcast. What will they talk about? Who knows…but you’re friends, right? and that’s all that matters.
How to avoid being the Buddy:
Don’t put your friend in a tough spot…especially if you don’t listen to their show! If you want to go on, suggest a topic and why it would help their audience.
The Paid Promoter
A good podcast agent is someone who forges relationships with podcasters by pitching them good guests… make it less work for you. But this person doesn’t know that. It’s all just a numbers game, right? So they cast a wide net, pitching all of their clients to you and hoping something sticks.
How to avoid being the Paid Promoter:
OK well you probably can’t avoid being a paid promoter. But you can buck the trend by knowing pitch your clients isn’t a numbers game. It’s a relationships game. I can blindly pitch 100 shows in a day. But I can’t form bonds with shows like you can.
Avoid Sending a Bad Pitch
As you pitch podcasts, remember the big takeaways here.
First, it’s about the listener. Most podcast hosts know that their show is in the service of their audience. If you can show them you can bring value to their listeners while also making their job easier, it should be an easy yes.
Next, do your research. If you’re going to pitch a podcast host, make sure you’re pitching something that aligns with their show’s mission statement. Look at recent guests and topics, read the description, and maybe even listen to an episode. It will put you well ahead of every other pitch they get.
Finally, don’t just make a generic pitch. Once you know it’s about the listener and have a little research under your belt, have 3-4 topics you can pitch at any given time. Pick the best 1 or 2 for that show.
That’s it! Go forth and pitch better!
Grow with Podcast Swaps (FREE Template)
Using Podcast Swaps, I more than doubled my monthly downloads for my already popular podcast, How I Built It, from 34,000 downloads per month to 71,000 downloads per month.
This Podcast Swap Outreach Database was integral to the process, and you can have it completely for free, in Airtable or Google Sheets:
Real quick before we get started. I want to tell you about a brand new newsletter I’m launching called Podcast Workflows. Each week I’ll do a deep dive on how a popular podcaster creates their show. From start to finish, from processes to tools. Then, I’ll tell you how you can apply what they do to improve your own podcast workflow.
You can sign up over at [podcastworkflows.com]. One breakdown delivered to your inbox weekly. Learn the tools and processes used by top podcasters and reclaim hours of your life, every week. That’s [podcastworkflows.com]. Sign up today, for FREE.
My friends, it seems like I’ve accidentally turned this guest pitching and going on other people’s podcasts into a mini-series, because today, I am going to give you 9 Bad Pitch Archetypes that you need to avoid in your own pitches. And while I won’t name names or give actual examples, these are all based on real pitches that I’ve been getting over the last seven years. So sit back and enjoy these 9 Bad Pitch Archetypes.
Welcome to the Profitable Podcaster where I help coaches, course creators and authors launch and grow their podcasts to help them build authority, generate more leads, and sell more through actionable advice and expert tested systems.
I’m your host, Joe Casabona, and I’ve been podcasting for over 10 years. I’ve generated millions of downloads and hundreds of thousands of dollars from my shows. I’ll teach you everything I know here on The Profitable Podcaster.
All right. So, I’ll just say off the bat, I’ll put it in the show notes which you’ll be able to find over at [profitablepodcaster.fm/317] or in the description in your podcast player. Below that, I’m going to link to some graphics that I had commissioned for these 9 Bad Pitch Archetypes. And I’ll run through the list right now, and then we’ll dive into each of them.
1. The Bragger
2. The Shameless Self-promoter
3. The Ignoramus
4. The Stray
5. The Copycat
6. The Brown Noser
7. The Reciprocater
8. The Buddy
9. The Paid Promoter
So let’s dive into these bad pitch archetypes, starting with number one, The Bragger.They wanna get on your show for one reason and one reason only. They are the greatest thing since slice spread. Their whole pitch revolves around why it would be your great honor to have them.
What makes this a bad pitch is exactly that it is all about them. And as a podcast host, I am thinking number one about my audience. I want to create good content for them. I’m not here to stroke anybody’s ego. And so if they are focusing on why they are so great, I’m gonna say No.
What I want to hear is why are you good for my audience? What can you give my audience? What value can you add to their lives? That’s the whole reason I started my podcast. And I think this is gonna be true for most podcasters. They don’t want some self aggrandizing person who thinks that it is your honor to/they have wonderfully selected you to bestow their honor upon you. So, that is the bragger.
Number two is the Shameless Self-promoter. They really need the free press your audience brings. So their whole pitch is about promoting their company, their product, or their event. Not only should you have them on, but you need to publish the episode by a specific date. I just, as I record this, got a pitch this week that basically said, your podcast will help us extend our reach. Great! I’m not…That’s not the game I’m in. I have sponsorships if you wanna reach my audience that way.
I’ve also gotten pitches from people where it’s like, “Hey, I want to come on your podcast to promote my event. It needs to be published by whatever, April 5th.” Okay. That. Oh. That is also sponsorship.
So again, this is very similar to the bragger. I am not looking to give you my platform so you can shamelessly promote yourself. I am looking to add value for my audience. I will give my guests the opportunity at the end of the show to mention where people can find them a free resource. I’ve had guests mention their books. That’s fine but they need to add the value first. If you are not leading with the value, I’m not gonna give you my platform. Or put differently, you can pay to be on my platform if I think it’s a good event or product or whatever.
Number three is The Ignoramus. Someone told them that they should go on more podcasts. Guilty. So they just picked the ones that showed up in whatever search they did. They don’t know anything about your show. They just wanna be on it and their pitch makes it clear. The reason that this is a bad pitch, right? Maybe the ignoramus is innocent as far as their intentions go, right? Maybe they have good intentions, but what they’re failing to do is the research to find the right audience and platform for them.
So, this happens to me pretty frequently still because I switched my main podcast, or my other podcast. I should start saying these are both weekly shows. So, I switched my other podcast How I Built It from WordPress developers and really honestly founder stories to focusing on actionable advice for creators. And so, there are people who just find like there’s an outdated database. They find my show and they pitch a founder story. And the problem there is that they’re not doing the research to make sure that my show is still a thing to make sure I’m still talking about that stuff, right?
In the last episode in 316, I gave you actionable advice on what you should do to make a good pitch. And one of those things is, see what the show is about. And this shows that they didn’t really do any research to learn about your show or your audience or how they can add value. I have been that. I have been the I Ignorramus, by the way. I reached out to a podcast to do a potential podcast swap. And I misread the description. And it turns out I thought it was a show for authors, but it was by an author for children like it was a kids podcast. That’s my bad. I didn’t do the research. I was the ignoramus here. So we can all fall victim to these things. No one’s a bad, well, most people who are pitching are not bad people. But do a little research and figure out if this is even a good show for you.
Okay. Number four, The Stray. They don’t have the time to do real research and find the contact info for the show they actually wanna pitch. So they pitched the closest sounding one. You may not be the host of that show, but it’ll get to where it needs to go, right.
Now, this one little bespoke, right? Or maybe not. I have a show that sounds very similar to an NPR show and I get a lot of pitches while I used to. I made some positive changes on my contact page to make it really clear that I’m not that podcast. But for a while I would get like, “Hey, Joe. Love your podcast. Your interview with Michael Dell was great. I’d love to come on.” All right. Well, I’m not, first of all, the name of the host is not Joe on that show.
Second of all, I am not that show and everything about my website and my contact page makes it clear that I’m not that show. But what happens is, because that’s a bigger show, they can’t find the contact information so they just Google whatever and find the first contact form that works.
This really goes back to not doing your research, right? So this could be and maybe it’s not a similar sounding show, but maybe it’s a show that’s now defunct, right? You reach a…you just find a show listed in Apple Podcast and you’re like, “Yeah. This is good.” And you reach out, but you don’t realize that they haven’t published a show in like three years. So, you are off course in some way. And the thing to fix that is just a little bit of research.
All right. Number five is The Copycat. You had an episode where you talked to someone else about their area of expertise, but really you should talk to them too. So their pitch is about that episode and how they want to talk about the same exact thing.
Now, if you have a podcast where you only talk about that thing, great. Have as many guests on as you want, right? But most of the time if I have a guest on talking about, let’s say, financial planning, I’m not gonna wanna have another guest on financial planning for a long time, right? Or building your email list. And further their pitch shouldn’t just be the pitch from the episode that they listened to or that I already covered. It should be a different spin, right? And so if somebody can say, “Hey, I saw you recently did an episode on building your mailing list (you know, whatever, through Facebook ads or whatever) I’d love to talk about how you can organically build your mailing list.” That’s a good pitch, right? Because the topic is the same, right? Or the area of expertise is similar, but the technique is different.
So if you are going, if you hear somebody on a show or they’re talking about something that you also wanna talk about, you need to put your own unique spin and value proposition on it.
Number six is The Brown Noser. They say flattery will get you nowhere, but that’s not what this person believes. Their pitch is less a pitch and more a bunch of compliments about you. Then, assuming you’re flattered enough to invite them on. I get this a lot. “Hey, Joe. Love your show. You’re so great. Love the thing. I’d love to come on your show to talk about my business.” Okay? I get it right. Reciprocity is strong in people. You do something nice for them. They’re gonna be inclined to do something nice for you, but again, I don’t…I care less about what you think about me and more about what you can do for my audience.
So, value. You bring the value. Don’t just bring compliments. You complimenting me a lot doesn’t tell me that you’re gonna be a good guest. It just tells me that you’re a schmoozer, right? And I’m looking to do right by my guests.
Number seven, The Reciprocater. They have a podcast, but they’d rather go on your podcast. So their pitch is disguised as an invitation onto their podcast. When you schedule, they ask if they can come on yours, like, you know, little, little quid pro quo, right? Just little quid pro quo. This happens to me more than I’d like because it makes me feel like you’re just using your podcast to get to me like to talk to me.
And there is like another, I’ve talked about this before on a previous episode, but there are also people who will use their podcasts just to get you on a call to pitch you on their service or whatever. And that’s also duplicitous. But I’m less inclined to have you on my show just because I was on your show. Unless you’re super upfront about it, right? I’ll email people and be like, “Hey, I’d love to do a podcast swap with you. I think we have similar audiences. We can either do a promo swap or a feed drop or a guest swap, right?” I’ve done that with people. Super upfront about it though. Not, “Hey, Joe. I think you’d be a great guest.” And then get me on the show and be like, “Hey, by the way, can I come on your show?” No. No. That’s not what this was about. So, that’s duplicitous. If you wanna get on somebody’s show, be upfront about doing a guest swap.
Number eight is The Buddy. This person knows you personally and that’s all they’ll need to get on your show, right? Instead of a pitch, you get, I should come on your podcast. What will they talk about? Who knows? But your friends, and that’s all that matters.
This one stings a little bit because you have to say no to maybe somebody that you’re friends with or, you know, personally. I usually get this in my DMs like, “Hey, I should come on your podcast.” I’m like, No. You shouldn’t. You know, I usually say like, “I’m not booking guests right now or the thing that you wanna talk about is not exactly in the area of what I want to talk about anymore.” I’ve had somebody say like, “Hey, I should come on your podcast to talk about this plugin I built or whatever” and I say, “Oh. I’m not really covering that anymore.” And I’m like, then why is it called How I Built It? And I’m like, Well, don’t get like mean and offended, right? Like, it’s still about building a business. It’s just not I don’t wanna talk to you about it.
So, yeah. I mean, I invite my friends on the show a lot, but it needs to be a good fit again, right? Just knowing you personally is not a good enough reason to come on the show. This, and this would happened to me all the time when I was in web development. People would be like,
”Hey Joe, like, can you make me a website?
And I’m like, “Oh yeah. I charged like $5,000 for that.”
And they’re like, “You can’t do it for free.”
And I’m like, “No.”
“I thought we were friends.”
“Well, if you are my friend, then you are willing to pay me what I’m worth, right?
So that’s really like the buddy angle, right? It’s like, “Hey, buddy. Let me come on your show. What are you gonna talk about? Do you know anything about my audience? Do you know anything about the show I’m currently doing?
All right. And lastly, The Paid Promoter. Relationships, relationships. It’s really hard to say out loud. Relationships, relationships. It’s all a numbers game, right? So they cast a wide net pitching all of their clients to you and hoping something sticks. The worst part of the paid promoter is that they can be an amalgamation of all nine of these. Like I’ve gotten really bad pitches from paid promoters who think I’m the NPR podcast and send me pitches just talking about how great their clients are. if somebody filled out my form multiple times like that and I said, “Hey, man. I’m not How I Built This by NPR. And it’s worse for the paid promoter cuz they are getting paid to do this. I’m not saying all paid promoters are bad.
My friend Brittany Lynn, really good paid promoter. She’s basically, she has an…if she recommends a guest to me, It’s almost automatic because she knows my audience and she only pitches people who she thinks are a good fit, right? And so that’s really where the relationships part comes in. A good paid promoter will form a relationship with the podcasters they work with. Maybe not all of them, right? But their pitches should be better. It shouldn’t just be a numbers game, right?
Somebody reached out to me and they’re like,
“I can get you on five podcasts a month.”
And I said, “That is more than one per week. How do you do that? Do you have…how, like do you have relationships with current podcasters to be able to guarantee that you’ll get me on five podcasts a month?”
And they said, “No. We just have a database of podcasts.”
And I’m like, “I don’t…You shouldn’t make that guarantee then” right?
I mean unless people are just always saying yes, and I don’t really want to go on those podcasts either, right? I want to go on podcasts where I know the audience is gonna be a good fit for me.
So if you’re a paid promoter or if you hire a paid promoter, these are the things that I would look for”
What the pitch process like for you?
Do you have relationships with current podcasters?
What podcasters do you think I’m gonna be on?
Tell me a little bit about your overall process.
Right? Because if they’re like, “Oh, well there’s like 4 million pods (like as if they just say like) oh, well there’s a huge number of podcasts” Instant no. Like, great! So we’re playing a numbers game. I don’t wanna play a numbers game. I want targeted pitches, right?
And so that’s why the paid promoter gets the number nine slot here.
So there you go. The 9 Bad Pitch Archetypes: The Bragger, The Shameless Self-promoter, The Ignoramus, The Stray, The Copycat, The Brown Noser, The Reciprocate, The Buddy and The Paid Promoter.
You can download these graphics or just see the graphics I had created in the show notes, which you can find over at [profitablepodcaster.fm/317]. And the big takeaway here my friends, the big takeaway is if you are going to pitch a podcast or a podcast host, put the audience first. “Hey, you do a show about X. I can talk about Y. Here’s why I think it will help your audience.” Then you talk about why you are credentialed to talk about that. That is the anatomy of a good pitch.
That’s it for this episode.
Thanks so much for listening. And until next time. I can’t wait to see what you make.
A few emails ago I told you to stop putting episode numbers in titles because it doesn’t entice listeners. It doesn’t give them any information about the episode.
The same thing goes with starting your descriptions with, “In this episode…”
I understand why you’d want to use it, but people looking at podcasts will already know this is an episode. “In this episode” takes up precious space in search engines that could be used for something better…something that is more pertinent to the listener.
Having a killer looking camera for your videos is great, but there are usually a few hoops you need to go through. In this step-by-step, you’ll learn all the hardware, and software settings, you need to convert your Sony a6400 into a Webcam.
“I can’t be consistent” is a common misconception in podcasting!
I was worried about this too, and I’ve publishing at least 1 show weekly for over 6 years. During certain times, it’s 3 weekly shows! So how can you be more consistent? I recommend that you:
Capture Ideas constantly. I always have a way to capture an idea when it hits me, from a pen and paper, to a voice activated note that logs whatever I say. Idea capture is the lynchpin of consistency.
Repurpose content from your blog, newsletter, and social media. This works especially well going from a written to audio medium. Read a blog post, or even take questions you can from your readers via email or on social media.
Batch episodes. Record/Process/Schedule in large chunks. That way you’re in the right mindset, you’re not switching contexts, and you’re not scrambling at the last minute. Usually, Thursday is podcast day for me.
Podcasting consistently is tough…if you don’t have the right process in place. But these 3 tips can help immensely. I’d love to know: how do you capture ideas? Is this something you’d like more insight into?
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