Business Tips Mini-Podcast

Trojan

I started a mini-podcast of 2 minute business tips on SoundCloud, love to get your feedback & suggestions related to content, delivery, format, volume, editing, any criticism you have at all. Target audience is business owners.

https://soundcloud.com/alastairmcdermott/tracks

dulpit

Straight off the bat, without even listening to it - you need to make sure that the podcast is available in itunes and in other podcatchers. Soundcloud alone doesn't work well with mobile, which is (I presume) a lot of people's podcasting medium.

I'll listen in now though and let you know what I think

dulpit

Just listened to the first one now. I would not be in the target market for listeners, but I will say that it was easy to listen to, great sound quality and a good radio voice to boot (kudos). If it was me I'd add in some sort of introduction at the start, to mirror what you have at the end. Apart from that and what I mentioned in my previous comment, all sounds good. Nice job.

Trojan

dulpit wrote: »

you need to make sure that the podcast is available in itunes and in other podcatchers. Soundcloud alone doesn't work well with mobile, which is (I presume) a lot of people's podcasting medium.

Good point. This here is just an experiment, and I wouldn't go SoundCloud-only with a full podcast - this is a quick test to see if my production quality and process, and content type are good enough for my target market.

Aside: My "real" podcast is a 10-20 minute solo episode aimed at the same audience but focused on increasing online sales. It'll be hosted on Libsyn and available on iTunes and Overcast... and maybe on Stitcher despite my issues with their business model.

dulpit wrote: »

Just listened to the first one now. I would not be in the target market for listeners, but I will say that it was easy to listen to, great sound quality and a good radio voice to boot (kudos). If it was me I'd add in some sort of introduction at the start, to mirror what you have at the end. Apart from that and what I mentioned in my previous comment, all sounds good. Nice job.

Thank you for the feedback. Like every human who has ever listened to a recording of their own voice, I'm not keen on it and certainly would never dream of anyone describing it as a radio voice - so thank you!

On the intro at the start, this is interesting feedback. Let's delve into the thinking there and I'd appreciate your thoughts on this as it's entirely relevant to my longer "real" podcast.

I did record my first couple of recordings with an intro, and then for the next few I moved it to the end. The logic behind that is this: it's a 2 minute tip with a ~30 second intro or outro.

If I do both intro and outro (let's call that "meta-content"), I'm increasing the track length by an entire 50% (3 mins: 2 mins content, 1 min meta-content).

If someone batch listens to everything, they're hearing a ratio of 2:1 content to meta-content. So I think I should only have 1 meta content.

So if someone is listening say to these business tips, and I have a short span to grab their attention before they hit "Next Track" in Soundcloud, etc, then it's better to give them 30 seconds of real content rather than just an intro.

Are my assumptions about user behaviour correct? Or would a new listener prefer that intro so they get some context?

dulpit

Trojan wrote: »

Or would a new listener prefer that intro so they get some context?

I'd prefer an intro of something like "Welcome to X, where I talk about Y." and an outro of "Thank you for listening, you can contact me at Z".

But that's just me - maybe others are different? I would avoid the repeating of yourself though, especially if people listen to them as a bunch...

Rambling Rake

Well produced and your delivery is clear and precise.

Thumbs up from me.

steve_r

dulpit wrote: »

I'd prefer an intro of something like "Welcome to X, where I talk about Y." and an outro of "Thank you for listening, you can contact me at Z".

But that's just me - maybe others are different? I would avoid the repeating of yourself though, especially if people listen to them as a bunch...

Just listened to them there now. Agree with Dulpit that not having an intro is a bit strange.

I would try make it as short as possible, even if its just your name and the topic.

I felt like I turned on the radio in the middle of the business section - that's both a comment on the quality of the voice but also that without an intro it can feel like you missed the start.

wnolan1992

Just having a listen to some of these now, so some feedback that you can make of what you will:

• I'd definitely add an intro. I'd recommend just putting the little bit of music from your outro at the start. I think it just sounds a bit sudden if you click play on a podcast and you're straight in there with no intro whatsoever. Even ones that don't have theme songs usually say "Hello and welcome to the X Podcast". For instance, I much prefer your "Predictably Irrational" episode because it has that intro. IMO, you could even overlay your voice over the music just saying "This is your 2 minute business tip for today!", without giving your name because you could give that at the end by attaching your outro.
• I'd edit it a bit more tightly if it were me. I think the audience you're aiming for may appreciate a snappier delivery more than the more conversational style you have. It's not so much an issue in other ones, but in the password manager one there's a few "Ums" and "ehs". I'd suggest maybe scripting a bit more, or go through and record as normal (I get the impression you're working from bullet points, which is good), then record a second version when you've got it clearer in your mind exactly what you're going to say.
• You need to normalise your levels. I just hit play on the one in the OP (password manager) which sounded great, then the next one in the list was a little quieter. The third was the same as the second, but the fourth went back to being as loud as the first. Both the louder and quieter ones are fine in isolation, but if you batch listen it can be a bit jarring. So choose one and stick with it, use your editing software to normalise before uploading.

Other than those, I think this is a great podcast! You've a great voice, and your delivery is good, so definitely keep at it.

Trojan

Thank you all for the feedback, really appreciated. What I've learned from this so far:

1. Loudness levels - measured in LUFS - need to be consistent. Ideally at -16 to -18 LUFS. Levelator outputs wavs at around -18 so I think that's what I'll use as I don't want to shell out €300 to upgrade Hindenburg to PRO version, nor the hassle of finding, setting up and learning an Audacity plugin. I'm looking for 80/20 rule here. Update: I've been recommended the Auphonic online service (2 hours audio processed free per month) as a good Levelator alternative by several people.
   
2. Move the intro back to the front, or split it so it tops and tails the episode.
   
3. For this particular podcast, if I'm going to edit tight I need to edit really tight. No ehs and ums.

Feedback from other listeners: I need to raise the energy level of delivery. It sounds too much like read from a script, with low energy.

Some tips for more energy in solo to-microphone that I've read:

• Listen to fast music beforehand
• Try standing while recording
• Just after exercise is good
• using bullet notes rather than full script
• being conscious of it and trying to change voice pitch/tone