Category: Podcasts

My Take, Podcasts

My Podcasting Journey: The Next Steps

In my blog post of August 12 titled, ” Learn About Podcasting” I wrote about my first steps in the world of podcasting. Now that I have published 26 episodes in my podcast show: “Prem Rao- Stories From A Story Teller”, it’s as good a time as any to do some stock taking!

To re-cap, I began with two podcasts in March 2021 then there was a break till mid-June 2021. I then started again in right earnest. I am happy that the number of “plays” till date has crossed 550. Anchor FM where my podcast show is hosted informs me that “Plays” are the number of times your podcast episodes have been streamed or downloaded across all listening platforms. I am extremely happy with Anchor and would recommend it as a good platform for any newbie/budding podcaster.

As is obvious, the approach of a podcaster depends on the type of podcast show he/she has. Alexander Santo has this informative post on “8 Types of Podcasts”. Going by this, as of now, my podcast show falls in the category of ” Repurposed Content” as it has its origins in the blog posts I wrote.

Based on what I have observed, here are some action steps that I plan to do next:-

  1. Firstly, I need to increase the duration of my podcasts. Now that I have got the hang of things and have learnt the basic steps so to speak, the time has come to strengthen the content. I find that the longest podcast I have made so far is only about 9 minutes. In my podcast show, there is (as of now) a single speaker, that is me, and I haven’t graduated to doing interviews yet. My podcasts have largely been reviews of books that I have enjoyed reading, with a few other non-book related podcasts thrown in for good measure. I should aim to increase each episode to a minimum of 15 minutes -over time. I am told 15 to 30 minutes is a good time for podcasts on news and trending items by a single host without any guest or other voice in the show. My show falls in this space.
  2. I may even consider going back to my first few podcasts to check whether their content can be strengthened . I know, of course, that in the end it is the strength of the content more than the duration of the podcast that will make it succeed. While I have spoken about the books in my reviews, I have not spoken much, if at all, about the authors. A few interesting things about each author may make that episode more interesting to the listener.
  3. It is certain that I should , again over time, graduate to having guests on my show and interact with them. Shows with such ” interviews” often last from 30 to 60 minutes, for each episode. This type of podcasting calls for a higher level of skills which I hope to acquire over time.
  4. Having made a start with a frequency of two podcasts per week- on Sundays and Wednesdays- I should not give up this momentum. It is tempting to fall back to just one episode a week! I should build on the initial enthusiasm and continue to meet the demands placed on me to deliver two episodes every week.
  5. Now that more than 25 episodes have been published, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the Introduction and the end- which is currently played at the start and end of each episode. That may need some tweaking too!

So that was a quick update on where things stand in my podcasting journey, and my plans to take it forward.

My Take, Podcasts

Learn About Podcasting

The never ending process of learning continues on a daily basis. No, I am not talking of life’s lessons in general but about my new found passion for podcasting. My podcast show: ” Prem Rao: Stories From A Story Teller”continues to grab my time and attention. I am happy to say I have published 16 episodes so far, most of them being on books that I have read.

My podcasts are available on some of the biggest platforms in the podcasting world such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and more recently on Amazon Music, as well.

There is an old saying that has remained firmly in my mind, ” A fool is one who doesn’t learn from his own mistakes. The wise guy is one who learns from his mistakes, but the wisest of all s the one who learns from others’ mistakes.” That’s so true, isn’t it?

I decided to see what other’s had experienced and learn from them. Michael Leonard , has shared his experiences of one year of podcasting, which I found interesting. Besides, I liked the title too. ” 12 Lessons From 12 Months of Podcasting.”!

Another informative blog post came from W. Mark Whitlock on ” 4 Lessons Learned From the First 4 Months of Podcasting & Studio CMO” . This post is a year old but the numbers mentioned are staggering. There were over 1.4 million podcasts and more than 34 million episodes out there, so you know the competition as it were. The good news is that more and more people, and not just in the United States are listening to podcasts. I guess one of the beneficiaries of the new life created by the Covid19 pandemic all over the world have been podcasters, since many- across different age bands- have taken to listening to podcasts in the last year or so.

I am pushing 70 but in a sense, we are all students aren’t we? NPR – and they don’t need an introduction- has a detailed guide: “Starting Your Podcasts- A Guide For Students” which has many strong points for the beginner in podcasting.

The excitement is high. I am conscious of the fact that I have a long way to go, but hey, I have made a start! So, happy listening, folks!

Podcasts

Catch My Podcast Show

In recent times, I have become fascinated with the world of podcasting! After a focus on blogging and writing, this has become my latest passion. 

I am delighted to share that my podcast show: ” Prem Rao: Stories From A Story Teller” is available in a number of platforms. 

To start with the podcasts will largely be on the books and blogs that I have read, and the books and blogs that I have written. I hope, over time, to expand the scope of this podcast show to cover other topics which interest me, or on my take on events that are making the news! 

Here are links to some of these:-

  1. Anchor FM

2. Apple Podcasts

3. Spotify

4. Google Podcasts

5. Breaker

6. Pocket Casts

7. RadioPublic

8. Amazon Music 

9. Goodpods

Please do check out these podcasts, and , if you like, do leave a rating or review. 

Thank you!

About Prem Rao, In The News, Podcasts

Goodpods: Changing The Way People Listen To Podcasts

It was interesting to check out Goodpods, the App , launched in 2020, that many are talking about. Their by line says it all. ” Podcasts Are Better With Friends” . This social platform was founded by the brother-sister team of entrepreneurs: Ken Ramberg and JJ Ramberg.

To put it simply, here you can listen to podcasts and recommend them to your friends ( and others) and also check out what your friends ( and others) are listening to. So, if you are one of those who like to go by the recommendations of your friends and other like-minded people, this is the best place for you.

Apart from podcast listeners who are the primary audience targeted by this App, the platform has benefits for podcasters too. You can claim your Podcast Show here and interact with your listeners, which must be so cool.

Kristal Proffitt has a video which walks you through the Goodpod App. This is a quick way of getting the hang of how things work. The basics are well covered. Ultimately, how you choose to use the App is, of course, best left to you. We do pick up hints and tips here which can save us valuable time we would have spent exploring on our own.

I think Goodpods is on its way to changing the way people listen to podcasts. It appears you can import your subscriptions from other platforms like Apple Podcasts. This could be a big benefit to those who prefer to have all they want to listen to in one place.

The platform enables you to search for both Podcasts and People. This is particularly useful when you are new here. You would want to find out what kinds of topics are available, and most followed here, as also who are the people who hang out here. You can to listen to other podcasters, and they may sign up to listen to your podcasts, if they are interested.

Like every other social media site, celebrity endorsements do help push the concept along. I notice that Malcolm Gladwell and Gretchen Rubin, whom I have followed on other social media platforms, amongst many others, have taken to Goodpods,

As a podcaster, its nice to know that people can subscribe to your show. They can play and listen to an episode, download it, and share it to friends, groups, or to other social media sites like Facebook, Instagram Stories and Twitter. They can, of course let you know what they thought of your episode by rating it and /or writing a review.

Overall, it looks interesting and I am very excited to be part of Goodpods. I am certain it will give me the opportunity to listen to some incredible podcasts. I am also hopeful that it will build an audience for podcasts in my Podcast Show, ” Prem Rao: Stories From A Story Teller”.

And, here’s something to cheer about: Goodpods was rated one the top 10 most innovative social media companies of 2021 by Fast Company. We can therefore expect some more exciting improvements in the near future.

My Take, Podcasts

My Podcasting Journey

Yes, I have taken the plunge and I am so glad I did! I have taken a few steps in my journey into my new hobby: podcasting. As they say, it is never too late to learn. I am delighted that I embark upon this journey a few months before I start my eighth decade.

My podcasts can be found here in Anchor FM by Spotify. If you are an Apple aficionado, you can catch me on Apple Podcasts. Another easy way is to check out Google Podcasts. .

I would like to share my initial learnings which could be of use to those interested in podcasting.

Lesson 1 : You need a focus area. There is no point in podcasting on everything under the sun. You might end up covering too little of too much. It is far better to select an area of interest in which you are comfortable. I chose to start with the board theme of “Books” as I am extremely fond of both reading and writing. As you gain confidence, experience and followers, you can always broaden the subjects covered in your show , but you need to start somewhere -with a focus area.

Lesson 2: Learn the Basics: Like in every field, you will come across a lot of jargon. What is a show, an episode, a condenser microphone, a dynamic microphone, a “bed”, media hosting, MP3 Audio files, and so much else. Don’t get unnerved, as there is no need to know everything about podcasting before making a start. Just learn the basics: how to hold and speak into the microphone, best circumstances to record, how to put together segments through editing, and the like. Don’t get scared away by the stuff you read about equipment required, the complex technologies needed to get your podcast to your audience etc. You don’t need a top class recording studio to start with! I am recording on my IPhone and am quite happy with things!

Lesson 3: Make A Plan : After you have started with a few podcasts, you will realize that a plan is essential to move your initiative forward as you ride the first wave of enthusiasm. The plan will cover what you wish to achieve; the amount of time and energy you are willing to commit to the podcast show; the opportunities and difficulties that you foresee; and a broad time frame to achieve immediate objectives. A plan is essential for success!

There are more lessons, I am sure, but these three are good enough to start with on your podcasting journey. They will determine the schedule of podcasts: will your show be twice a week, weekly, monthly or have a longer interval? A gap longer than a month between episodes is certainly not recommended. Will you invite guests to participate in your podcasts? Who will they be? Will you be capable of managing the dynamics of a free flowing conversation? Or will you have a scripted one? Will you get co-hosts , over time, who are like-minded and have similar interests?

Parting tip: it is advisable to script your podcast in the initial stages, if not for all time. Speaking on the fly is great- if you can pull it off. But it often results in mistakes, time consuming corrections, and your repetition of favourite phrases and words that are best avoided. So, script out your podcast to make it more effective.

Podcasts

“The Golden Hour”

July 1 is celebrated as National Doctors’ Day in India. The amount of selfless service our doctors and other health care staff have put in during the Covid 19 pandemic is mind boggling. They have made enormous sacrifices for the sake of their patients, many of whom they may have never set eyes on before.

On this occasion, as a small tribute to them, I have made a podcast titled, “The Golden Hour: A Tribute on National Doctors’ Day” .

You might like to hear this at your leisure.

This podcast is based on a true story!

Podcasts

Storytelling Podcasts

Guess what? I have got hooked to listening to podcasts. Sure, I had heard of podcasts even a decade ago but at that time my focus was on writing. So I used to read a lot and write as much as I could but I didn’t really listen to podcasts. It was only recently that my attention was drawn to podcasts by none other than WordPress which I have been using for my blogs for years together.

I saw that blog posts in WordPress could be converted without too much effort to very basic podcasts! I found this quite interesting and made one myself. A Book Review of ” The Girl Who Lived” by Christopher Greyson using Anchor. This excited me in a big way.

Could I convert some of my short stories to podcasts? I had to find out ! So I explored the world of short stories and podcasts. It was thrilling to find there are many websites devoted to podcasts of short stories. For example, I discovered this website from Bustle called 10 Storytelling Podcasts You Need To Listen To If You Love Short Stories!! Bustle is part of Bustle Digital Media, said to be the fastest growing publisher in modern media with 84 million readers!

To start with I explored The Moth and loved the very first story I heard. It was by Stacy Bader Curry in the podcast In Service Of in Moth Radio Hour.

I also enjoyed The Short Story Masterclass by The Aerogramme Writers Studio. In this, leading writers share their experience and thoughts on writing short stories in a podcast series produced by Thresholds, an online international short story forum based in the University of Chichester in collaboration with Small Wonder Short Story Festival.

There is so much there to learn and enjoy. If you have time – while on a flight, on a road trip, while waiting for someone, or just being free to do what you like- do dip into a short story using the podcast mode. There are so many talented people out there who have the ability to tell a story so well that you will ask for more.