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I've learned that my podcast performs MUCH better than my written content, to the point I'm considering paywalling it. Also, I never get used to hearing my own voice ๐
In almost every way. Around the same amount of opens, but much higher engagement (clicks, likes, shares), and a lot of downloads; it always seems to bring in new subscribers as well, probably since it cross-posts to the major podcasting platforms and all. Iโve also gotten plenty of qualitative feedback to the effect of โthis is great, do more of this!โ
I should also mention that I havenโt promoted my audio posts nearly as much as my written ones because I was so... self-conscious about it lol. Thatโs definitely changing, though!
Of course! I bring a guest on whoโs knowledgeable on the topic of the week and basically pick their brain. As for learning, much of it was trial and error. Though listening to plenty of podcasts in similar formats definitely helped!
You really inspired me to get over my performance and technology anxiety because I would love to make the interviews I do for print into a longer audio format. Iโd love to have others hear their voices and their knowledge. Thank you.
I started writing a reply to this and realized it was going to be so long, that I wrote it as it's own stand-alone comment. Here it is in the place I originally wrote it:
I have been podcasting with Substack for over about 18 months with MarketingBS - https://marketingbs.substack.com/ (back when it was beta). About a year ago I started a second publication that was podcast-first (with attached newsletter) - https://www.superserious616.com/
Some thoughts for people thinking about doing podcasts:
1- Quality matters. A lot. Adding another newsletter is usually possible for most people - it might replace time spent on Twitter or Facebook. But adding another podcast comes out of "audio listening time" - and that usually means it needs to replace an existing podcast they are enjoying. So you need to be better than the next best alternative (maybe a lot better as people are generally risk adverse and will judge you quickly vs a feed they have enjoyed in the past)
2- Quality is about content, but it is also about sound quality and sound editing. Getting to NPR level is difficulty and/or expensive. But getting much better than Anchor is not that hard if you invest a little. If you aren't going to make a small investment in doing this right, I'm not sure it is worth your time to bother doing it at all
3- What does investment look like? Here is where I have landed with a lot of trial and error and speaking to many people in the podcasting space (Hi Adam Davidson!)
-- For settings you want it on high volume, medium gain (experiment!), and the pattern that looks like a little heart. Then you speak very close to the front of the mic. The heart pattern means the mic only picks up sound from directly in front of it. With that setting you are usually safe from street noise and kids downstairs. It might not be as good as a full podcasting studio, but its pretty close and much cheaper!
- Cost $118 right now on Amazon
- If things don't sound great (which they did not at first when we did Super Serious) the most likely issue is the cable. Try to fix that before buying a new computer (my partner did it in the opposite order...)
b- Use recording software. DON'T use Zoom's included feature. I use AudioHijack and like it a lot (~$40 for software one-time - not a subscription!)
-- You will want to create 1-2 "recording templates". One for when you record on your own, and one for when you record over Zoom
-- Record on your own is pretty straightforward. For recording someone else on Zoom:
--- Ideally you have the person on the other end record their audio locally and then send you the file. I have found that this is not worth the effort (especially for one-time interviews. But even when I am recording with my partner on Super Serious)
-- Here is what the template looks like (two 'paths', with both joining up in the final step into one file):
-- This will result in 3 files - two large WAV files - one for each individual, and one combined MP3
-- When I work with an audio cleanup company I send them all three. They work with the WAV files and just use the MP3 for reference. They send me back a final MP3 file built from the WAV files
-- When I edit myself (which I generally do now), I mostly just use the MP3. Only when something has gone wrong with the recording do I use the WAV files (maybe 2-5% of the time)
- Sometimes the audio does not record, but you should be able to see that visually. Test before you start, and if it is not working, I have found the answer is usually (always!) "update the software" or "re-boot the computer"
c- Cleaning up the audio with professionals
-- I had my assistant create a short list of professional companies that clean the audio. I then spoke with and tested four different companies at different price points and effort levels. I found the highest levels (add background music, etc.) were not worth the $$s - and many listeners actually complained about it - the background music messed up listening at 1.5x speed for example. But the "next level down" was usually worth it. At that level they clean up all the audio, balance the levels, and also listen to the entire show and take out ums, ahs, you knows, and remove longer spaces between dialog. For most episodes this shortens episodes by 10-20% (!), without removing any content, and having the remaining content sound a LOT better. This top level also allows you to give instructions within the audio, i.e., "Oops. Audio engineers, please take out that last statement. I am going to ask the question again...". This is handy and makes recording with a guest seem way more professional. The lowest level just does the balancing, etc. (also important to do!). If interest I can pass along my short list of who I tested, but there are lots out there and prices and capabilities have likely changed in the last 18 months. Cost for this should be just under or around $100 per episode for "level 2" (and include transcription)
d- Cleaning up on your own
- For Super Serious I clean all the audio on my own. I've gotten a lot better over time. If you listen to the early episodes you will notice a HUGE difference from the latest episodes (I think). It's enough of a different that one of these days I will go back and re-edit the early episodes
- For this I use Audacity (but again, lots of options). I have a "project" that has my intro and out-tro music, then I upload the MP3 audio file. You can see visually where you need to adjust levels. For the ums and ahs, I listen to the entire episode "zoomed in" and every time I hear an um, or a repeated word or "see" a long pause, I just cut it out. Then I listen to it again and if it sounds right I move on and keep listening. For a 12 minute episode I usually takes me ~20 minutes to edit these days. There are a few judgement calls. I should likely be outsourcing this, but there is value in my hearing the full episode again after it was recorded (it's like feedback on my performance), and doing it this way is more mentally stimulating for me than just listening to a full edited version by a professional
e- Transcripts: I do transcripts for Marketing BS, but we do not for Super Serious. There are two ways to do transcripts for two different purposes:
1- "AI transcripts" - there is software that will do this for you. It's pretty good! I would say about 90% accurate. If you just need something for SEO purposes and you are upfront that it is AI 90% accurate, this is a cheap way to do it (and something we are considering for Super Serious). It is also very cheap
2- Professional transcription: You can pay someone to listen to your entire show and manually transcribe it. This will be someone from a low wage country, and you should be about to transcribe an hour long show for $50 or so (if I remember correctly - don't hold me to it). This will get you a fully edited transcription in whatever format you agree to (i.e., I had them put in the speakers name in bold with a colon every time they speak). This is what you need if you are expecting people to read your episodes (which a LOT of people do. I think my Marketing BS podcasts are something like 70% read, 30% listen).
3- Hybrid: You can use AI to transcribe the show, and then a professional to listen and fix the 10% errors. This is not worth doing. The cost is going to be the same (or higher!) than just the pro version.
f- Indexing your podcast: You will want to submit your podcast to the major podcast players. Its a bit of work, but once you get it on Spotify, Apple and 1-2 others, the rest will just do the work without you having to do anything. I believe Substack even has a primer on how to do this (just google it)
I think those are the major points. Feel free to ask questions and I can try and be helpful.
When I started the Podcasting tools on Substack were pretty terrible. I only used it because I already knew how to do it from my newsletter experience. But now the analytics are MUCH better!
tl/dr: Invest in quality. Your subscriber's time is valuable, don't waste it with low quality audio or low quality content. Better to not do it at all rather than create something that lowers the quality of your newsletter brand.
Izotope makes software that reduces noise in audio. It's the best that I have found and is used by pro studios. You can demo their products for free, and often have sale prices as well.
I write โLiving in a Body.โ (Chronicling my life with severe ME/CFS) Every week I offer the reader the option to listen to me read the piece with an original music background. I use Ableton to record the voice and then I overdub music as I listen to myself read. I love how easy it is to bounce and then upload an .mp3 - Iโm always in search of more effective ways to get the reader of the email to click the play button. I love Substackโฆ approaching 500 subs.
I am for TWO podcasts. I moved my personal blog over to Substack because it would allow me to continue to blog, turn some of my old blogs into travel podcasts, and send newsletters to my subscribers all from one place. I'm also one half of the team at litthinkpodcast.substack.com and I convinced my partner to move our entire operation here for much the same reason. We could publish our podcast, start writing blog posts, and send newsletter updates to subscribers all at the same place. I started monetizing my personal one and we have hopes to eventually monetize Lit Think. Again, Substack has the tools for us to do that seamlessly.
This is awesome to hear. We love seeing publishers mixing audio with writing - that's one of the things we are proud of the Substack product empowering :)
I love the podcasting tools. I like the ability to record directly here or upload directly. The only thing I wishlist is transcription. I have people who read my newsletter and can't necessarily listen, and it's so time consuming -- yes, i know this is a first-world-whine -- to write it all out.
I do run my audio through Otter first now, but it would be great. Long term wish.
I use Otter as well, but yes, it can be a lot of work to clean it up. I also hear from folks that they REALLY appreciate the transcripts though. They feel very important.
I have used Otter for over a year, and it really hasn't gotten much better in "learning" your often-used phrases and words. So, after I clean up the transcript (which takes about an hour for a 30 minute podcast, FYI), I will save those sections that I know will get repeated in podcasts to come. Open to suggestions on better transcription services.
I started a few weeks ago and I'm loving the platform. The tools are intuitive and the community is awesome. Substack is such a crucial platform during turbulent times.
Yes! Substack has chosen to walk with integrity honoring free speech as well as promoting kindness. I am SO grateful! I post a lot of things that well-documented but would get censored elsewhere. I also speak out for free speech lovers to move in the direction of kindness, inclusion, love etc. :)
I have been looking for Star Peace. I am so tired of Star Wars. I'm waiting for someone to write the novel or set of books on how we move from Galatic war to galactic peace.
We started our podcast on Anchor (with disctribution to other podcast players) and had Mailchimp for newsletters and Wordpress for website and it was just too much. Moving everything to Substack allows us to have a one-stop shot and hopefully expand our offerings for teachers and eventually monetize. Phew, big dreams but hoping that having everything here in Substack will get us there.
I'm currently using the podcast tools. What I've learned so far: I love being able to integrate a podcast with my blog. And it was easy to set up the connection between Substack and Apple Podcasts so it posts there also.
I donยดt know if I like the tabs. It is not intuitive for getting comments. The visitor, when he reaches the end of the post and see comments there, he continues reading and comment. Now with tabs, i dont know...
You guys created and extra "click" for the user and hided the comments behind this extra click. There is no positive way tot think in this when we talk about usabillity and simplicity.
I donยดt hava data enough to tell you because I am waiting some fixes and improvments to be made in substack before I bring my main podcast and my thousands of listeners. But in theory, this change may be a good aestetic one, but lacks usability.
Some listeners who would never comment maybe will want to answer a comment already made there IF they sees the comment. But now the comments are hided.
The comments are like the continuation of the post, so, the most natural think since internet is internet is when the reader reaches the end of the post he sees and can continue reading the comments, wich, maybe, will "invite" him to participate in the discussion and in the comunity.
You can leave the tabs there - itยดs nice. But donยดt remove the comments area from the main post.. you can have it in both places.
Hi! Morning! I decided to import my whole library from Anchor as an rss feed. I have the podcast as it's own section in my newsletter for listeners to check it out. I can see my analytics. I have 16 downloads already since starting my newsletter 10 days ago. Time flies. I have a lot. On my Anchor I have 6k and counting plays. I haven't uploaded a new EP in a while because I'm writing reviews for the wrestling tournaments I'm watching which is Best of the Super Jrs 29 for New Japan Pro Wrestling. I still need to test things out. I would love to go paid moving forward with the new episodes as it takes time and research and more to produce good quality eps. I currently have 39 subscribers. My problem is pricing. So yeah, I'm still new to the features. I'm currently posting a lot of wrestling content daily.
Good move getting off the anchor platform as I had them nuke over 50 episodes of a political podcast a few years ago without any explanation. Thankful for the Substack eco system and the ability to build a paid community built in.
Only been at the new podcast for a few weeks now, but loving the platform and how intuitive everything is.
I would suggest doing a push to google podcast independently as it seems they take a little longer to update their feeds.
I started on Anchor as well. Did you set up it up redirect to Substack? I forgot to do that for my personal account and I think that messed with initial stats, but now they are consistent.
Unfortunately they deleted my whole account without warning and gave me zero access so I wasn't able to redirect to a new platform. It turned out to be a blessing as I've since changed my focus to something more aligned with my values.
Um...no...I don't think or remember...๐ I just wanted to share my whole library on Substack for new listeners passing by to just check it out. The analytics are still consistent. So not sure...at least it worked. ๐ This probably doesn't help as much.
Setting up a 301 redirect is a good way to go. And yes, changing platforms will always mess with statsโa bummer, but once you're here on Substack the bonus is our analytics allow you see directly when a podcast episode gets you new subscriptions, free & paid. That's a strong metric!
I'm sad that I don't get to pull over the 1500 downloads that we had from Anchor, but we haven't produced anything new (our next season starts in August) and we're already at 280 downloads, so there's that.
I used to write on Medium but as of this month I completely closed my account and started up Substack so I can connect with more readers, maybe Collab, and showcase my different skills in creating original content. I used to get paid in pennies over at Medium and wasn't really motivated to chase the money for the website when I didn't see a decent return. And if you weren't writing about the hottest topics and creating click bait stuff, you'll get lost in the shuffle. On Substack, I'm seeing a nicer turn out for my free content (I've yet to go paid) with the new features. Good luck with everything!
I started on Medium last December and after six months was pretty exasperated. I've been on Substack for about two weeks and feel much more empowered. I wrote about my experience on Medium and why I switched in my introductory Substack post. If you're interested: https://agowani.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-party-pal?s=w
I publish a monthly newsletter and am doing 3-4 podcasts (in lieu of an essay) per year. I've only published one podcast so far (my 2nd one is recorded and will be published in June), but it's been a fun learning experience and a great way to mix it up, especially since I feel like my podcast takes a lot less time to plan, execute, and publish than my essays. I love how it gives my work a more dynamic feel to use different mediums.
I will say, though, it does freak me out that I can't edit in the podcast app. Like something will go wrong (I'm also trying to keep the language clean ;)) and it will ruin the whole thing. I've been lucky so far, though!
I'm using the podcast tool, and generally enjoying the ability to host audio on Substack. I record elsewhere and then upload it to Substack as an MP3. My gripe is that I can't seem to just embed the audio right in the top of the newsletter unless I do it via another app (seems like a lot of people use SoundCloud for this). Am I missing something obvious?
Hi Hugh. They currently don't allow native mp3 embeds per se. If you setup the podcasting feature or create a new post as a Podcast, you can upload the mp3 file there.
I've been begging for the ability to, outside of a podcast, upload an mp3 or several mp3 files and have multiple audio players in a post.
I want to show the genesis of song's written - from an initial idea recorded on my phone to a more produced product. Each mp3 file would have narrative text before it. For this, the podcast feature doesn't work.
But, again, if you publish a podcast rather than a post, you can upload your mp3 file.
Using it and really enjoying how easy it is to post and distribute. I set the podcast to distribute to about 9 different podcast distributors and that was easy once I figured out the proper RSS to use. Now it's just a matter of keeping myself motivated to stay on schedule to make the shows...
It took us a year of podcasting to learn this difficult lesson (we did over 30 episodes in first year in hopes that it would help us build traction but growth has been SLOW), but we learned to have reasonable expectation (we now committing to one season in 12 months and only 16 episodes in those 12 months with scheduled breaks), to take the breaks we need to take, and to batch multiple episodes at once so that we could give ourselves time to edit, reevaluate, and plan. We are really hoping that this new plan of "attack" and consistency helps us finally grow (plus the addition of some written content this summer).
HI Katie, My newsletter Wine Wanderings https://triciawinewanderings.substack.com/ has been published for the last year and a half with both paid and free subscribers. I've done one podcast and found it was a great opportunity to add additional "color" to the content of a newsletter, as well as expanding on the topic. I plan to add more in the future and I like the idea of perhaps using the Paywall below the newsletter, as well as having separate podcast topics.
Hey everyone! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith, I do the Burnt Toast podcast (and newsletter). Happy to answer questions and generally chat podcasting on Substack!
Yes! So I make the majority of podcast episodes free, but I do one paywalled episode per month for subscribers. The regular episodes are conversations with guests, but the bonus episodes are solo eps, where I answer a listener question, debunk a popular diet trend and just chat a little. The subscribers seem to really love these -- I think it feels like a more direct conversation with the audience. They submit a bunch of questions and often message me when they see a diet they want me to talk about. So it's been great for community building!
One misconception is that if you have a big social media platform, you'll automatically have a podcast audience. My old podcast was co-hosted with a friend with a huge Instagram following -- and it took ages to build a decent pod audience. Doing this one with my newsletter audience has grown much more quickly. I think newsletter readers are more ready for it and already so much more engaged with your work.
Hi Virginia, I think a few of us are keen to start podcasting - should we just plough straight in and then work out how to up the tech game as we go along?
Yes for sure. I uploaded Zoom recordings for a few months while I was figuring out how much I liked audio/whether to make it a real podcast. The sound quality on those is NOT great compared to what I'm doing now, but it was so helpful to experiment.
Curious what you are doing now? I plan to start a podcast, but my biggest obstacle is platform. If I'm planning an interview style (2, or 3 people at most) program, 45 mins to 1 hour, is Zoom an option or should I use something else?
I use Zoom to talk to the guest, and to have a backup recording of the whole conversation. Then we each record our audio locally (I use QuickTime and if people dont' have a good mic set-up, we use an iPhone app called TalkSync) and my audio engineer edits it all together. But Zoom is definitely doable as your starting point!
Just listening to 'Burnt Toast' now - very lively and enjoyable! I'm going to start with straight post readings and work it up later with interviews / extra audio. My latest post has an interview with an fab female prof from Spain who is researching anti-ageing factors in the bloodstream (in mice, but maybe soon in humans) https://pathfindings.substack.com/p/young-blood-old-monsters-and-rejuvenated?s=w
I'm hoping to go to Valencia and record some more audio with her in the lab... as well as similar with other scientists.
If you just record your Zoom, you have the whole conversation in one file (but that limits what an audio person can do to improve quality). The more pro approach is to record each audio locally (each person has a microphone attached to their computer and records in a QuickTime file or similar) and then those files get stitched together -- but that does take someone with audio editing experience to pull off!
Can we treat Substack like a podcast host and have the RSS feed be picked up by any podcast player -- Apple, Spotify, etc. -- perhaps time delayed to give the paid pod on Substack some days of exclusivity?
I would love that! Already thinking about options โ culinary mysteries (a whole subgenre), cooking competition romances, memoirs (Wild Game! Crying in H Mart! A Moveable Feast!)
Oohhh....I like that. I have my podcasts in a section of my Substack that also goes out on Apple.... but a total newbie, a bit inconsistent, and not sure of pros and cons of doing an entirely separate podcast on Substack. Okay, confused....
Yes you can and I'd listen. Provided you are not making episodes of a few hours :). I think you have something to say about music. My suggestion would be: do not do a reading of your newsletter, but dive into a music story and tell that.
The podcast will be new. Images/illustrations are important to my writing since people cannot visualize some of what I discuss. The right picture eliminates that issue. Today I learned I can add text and images to the podcasts, so I'll give that a try soon.
Are you transfering ALL of your blog posts over to Substack? I've been trying to figure out if I should be doing that as well. Or at least the blog posts that are the basis for my podcast episodes.
If you set up a Substack, your old followers, if theyโre engaged, will follow you. But by bringing your old content over, you can also attract a whole new set of readers who havenโt read your older content. And if youโre like me, you will get far more readers per post than you did on your old blog.
So far I've doubled my monthly hits. Anyone hitting a post on my old site is automatically redirected to the same article on Substack so I still get that traffic. Also, my blog was all 5-10 minute reads. Substack is so easy to use I've added daily "Today's Tidbits" that take 30 seconds to read, some of which tell something new (or old since I write on historical topics) with links to archived articles. TTs are also a great way to share info that does not deserve a full article.
I exported and imported all my blog posts via XML and just copied and pasted the non-blog pages. Depending on how many you want to bring over, you can copy and paste only the ones you want or go the XML route and delete the ones you do not want. XML will bring them over and they sit in draft status until you publish each one. So, just delete the ones you do not want.
I transferred everything, so about 105 posts and another dozen special pages. I exported an XML file from WordPress and imported it into Substack. Very simple process and Substack retained the original published dates for each post. The two challenges were 1) the featured images did not transfer and other random photos did not as well, 2) internal links to other posts needed to be updated to the new substack URLs. Had to do some additional formatting, but it was surprisingly easy.
I have a podcast, Stop Writing Alone, that I have been thinking about bringing to Substack. The thing is that I have been thinking that the paid subscription but would be access to my live community events, rather than the episodes. I also have a YouTube channel (NV Rivera) where I share weekly writing prompts. It has been my hope that Substack can potentially be my followers one stop shop for all of the content as well as the place to subscribe to my community events. Is it too much to think I can create one โStop Writing Aloneโ substack for all of this?
We moved our podcast over so we could have a one stop shop (litthinkpodcast.substack.com) and I'm excited to see how we can get it to grow that way. Also trying to get away from depending on so much social media promo-ing.
A one-stop shop is important to me as well. I don't want to be forced to spread my "tech savvy" (ha!) across multiple platforms. Easier to stick with one.
Okay, so looking at your page, I think I can see how I can make this work. Youโve got podcast posts and โNewsletterโ posts. I think I would end up using that Newsletter bit more frequently for all the other thingsโฆ
I LOVE the tabs because it allows me to organize and separate into clean niches in a way that a regular blog site did not. I moved everything over from Anchor for my podcasts (lithinkpodcast.substack.com as well) and now I'm trying to decide how many of my old blog posts to republish over on Substack. Maybe this summer, when I'm not teaching...
For both podcasts I imported all of them. For litthinkpodcast.substack.com that meant losing the stats of 1500 downloads, but we're getting more traffic now and we are on hiatus, so I'm not complaining.
Iโve been podcasting three years so itโs a lot to transfer, but what does it really mean to โlose statsโ? The downloads happened. They may not be tracked in the new space, but that doesnโt take away the fact that people were tuning in. Am I missing a reason why I should be concerned about lost stats from the past?
Thanks Bailey! I used the sections in my current Substack, but I was worried that having a โpodcastโ Substack would change and/or limit the options there. Some part of my brain was thinking everything on a podcast Substack would have to be audio content! ๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ
If I add audio, video and text multiple times per week to my Substack, is there a limit to how much storage space each Substack page is allowed per week/month/year? I feel like that is a thing that comes up with hosting sites, so I am wondering what the parameters are here.
I've been waiting for these office hours specifically for this purpose! I clicked the button recently and didn't expect it to be so easy to set up, and I've been ruminating on it since then. I am thinking about content, length, cadence, but also--how to do it.
A commenter on a recent post of mine expressed enthusiasm for the prospect and I reached out to a (non-substacking) friend with whom I collaborate all the time IRL. My plan when I was thinking of doing it solo was just to record on my phone and publish the raw audio Henry Ford style (no quality control). But having a conversation adds some complexity--my friend pointed me to Anchor. Does substack have an existing integration with Anchor? Is Substack planning on developing similar editing tools? Otherwise it sounds like I have to record and edit on Anchor and then download it and upload it here--which I am willing to do but would be great if I could just one-click export.
Looking forward to learning more and I am excited to dip my toes into the podcast game.
I use Audacity to record and edit and then upload from there into Substack. It not too hard to use and I'm an English teacher figuring it out, so I'm sure you'll be fine ;-)
If you're on a budget, I use a Samson Q2U. It is a dynamic mic so it will only pick up voices within the mics range and quiet all around! it also comes with USB and XLR if you want to upgrade your stuff later!
Hey Scoot! You're right, most podcasters on Substack are recording/editing the episode elsewhere and then uploading the finished version here for distribution. The common tools I hear are Zencastr and Riverside, but if you're comfortable with Anchor that'd work great too. Right now I'm not sure we have near-term plans to build in audio editing right into Substack, but definitely something I can pass along to the product team
This is what I do Anchor (as that is where my other Creative Passions Results podcast is hosted) and I did not want to try and change as it is so easy even I can use the Anchor editing tools. I am just uploading a file that has already been narrated so was really easy for me to get started using the podcast on substack. I plan to dive into the substack podcast tools this summer now that I have some big projects out of the way.
Iโve thought about starting an Adventure Snack podcast, using the chapters feature for interactivity. Iโve written and produced podcasts professionally for years and itโs a lot of work! So in my mind, itโs a question of will the podcast lead to a worthwhile boost in subscribers or will it require a lot of separate promotion and distract me from the newsletter.
(Also, Iโd love to get office hours notices in my inbox vs. the app, so I donโt miss them, lol.)
MP3 files can have chapter markers (Iโve also seen them called time markers) so you can quickly skip ahead in the audio. I think the most common use for them is skipping past a section of a conversation with spoilers.
Have definitely thought about it...I feel a little concerned about being able to keep it up along with sending out regular newsletters. And I have to confess, I have trouble listening to podcasts that aren't well-edited and produced, and I'm not sure I have the bandwidth to create a polished podcast, which makes me feel hesitant to start one at all.
I guess another way to approach it would to release episodes more sporadically so I don't have to hold myself to as regular a schedule as I do for regular posts. Just some thoughts I'm muddling through!
So maybe start with one a month? My other podcast, litthinkpodcast.substack.com, we started doing every week and it was so overwhelming with editing and good production. We start season three in August after a three month hiatus and we have plans to just do 8 episodes each semester (we're teachers so it's pop culture with a lit teacher angle). For my personal podcast, I'm doing one every other week. I've heard plenty of podcasters with big followings say that it's good and ok to take breaks, just make sure you communicate your publishing plans with listeners.
True. A few years ago I had a podcast with my cousin that was great. He was very good with editing and adding sound effects. I did the writing and as cousins, the unscripted banter was great. But itโs not easy and a lot of work to do alone. No one can know everything. A partnership with someone, either in front of or behind the mic, makes a big difference.
First of all, these are very valid and careful deliberations on the subject. Podcasting is, like anything else in life, not for everybody. I would not necessarily do the sporadic approach, but maybe do a limited test to figure out how it works for you. Maybe start with a pilot season of 3-4 episodes. Breaking it up in seasons can also be a way to keep it up.
I am hoping to start my podcast this month. I am a true-crime writer for the news and also teach shorthand. I continued to use shorthand for over 40 years as it comes in handy when I am not allowed to record murder trials. I balance the chaos in my brain by writing reflective stories for my column in the newspaper. So much to still learn!
Iโve podcasted in the past and have one with Diane Hatz. However, Iโm thinking of starting something myself. Iโm pretty good at writing episodes and rehearsing. I have a pretty good speaking voice. Maybe thatโll be a cool thing for the future.
I brought two of my podcasts over here so I could just have a one-stop shop and I'm loving it. Is there any way that we will be able to schedule out more than four months at a time in the future? As a teacher, I want to spend my summer getting as far ahead on my episode scheduling as possible.
At the moment you can't schedule full episodes in advance, although you can do "early access" for a paid postโand release it to all for free later. But we know this is something podcasters want and are thinking about how to improve in the future!
I've been thinking about it! I've reached out to a few author friends if they wanted to do some episodes with me, though I've yet to decide on the program itself and how it's going to go. It should be fun, and if anyone here would like to join, I can definitely give you a spot if you can wait a while longer ๐
Marie would love to talk indie publishing: author 11 books, 110 Straight #1 Amazon Best-Sellers for clients, 48 years in the biz (started at 11 years old in parents retail bookstore). I also have a number of non-fiction and children's authors with a few fiction if you need more interviewees. I write Author Adventure.
Hey Liz, I just realized we donโt have a DM feature here (or I donโt know about it, lol). Do you have a website so I can find a way to contact you?
Oh, wow! That would be lovely, LIz! I would love to have you. I just need to firm things up a bit more then we can have the interview. Thank you so much for offering! #1 bestsellers... an author's dream ๐
Iโve considered it, but like others have said, it doesnโt work for me to do the podcast first. If there was a way to add one to an existing post, that would make it a lot more feasible for me, as I will always be a writer first and foremost, and thereโs no way I could record what I want to write before Iโve written it.
I may be misunderstanding your question but -- you could absolutely write an essay in the podcast post draft, and then record yourself reading it. You don't need to upload the audio first (though you do need to upload it before you publish).
True, but I tend to write right up to my deadlines, andI donโt have time right then to record the audio. But I also donโt want to have the post sit for days until I have time to record it either. It would be nice to be able to drop the audio in later when I have had time to record.
Ah yes, I feel that. Shifting my workflow to writing about a week out from publication has given me a lot more options in terms of general post production (more time to edit, find good images, etc, etc) but there are some weeks where it's really tough.
Iโm trying to get better about writing in advance but๏ฟผ between writing/editing for work, my novel (which Iโm serializing), and three Substacks, itโs a challenge to do ANYTHING in advance!.
Hi writers...and podcasters!! Here is some encouragement from one tiny newsletter to all of you: It can be really easy to lose motivation to post every week when it seems like no one is reading/listening, or no one cares. Why bother? I'll tell you why: we NEED your voice. Someone out there NEEDS to read what you've written or listen to your thoughts, even if it's only one person. You don't know it yet, but you're someone's favorite creator...or you will be soon! Write for them! Post for them! And if nothing else, showing up to your newsletter/podcast is like an exercise regimen. You'll never regret a weekly excuse to practice your craft! ๐ฟ
I love that I can just keep working ahead and schedule podcast episodes and articles for weeks and months at a time. I can batch the work when I have time, edit, and schedule and then I don't have to think about anything but posting to Social Media when I have a chance.
Agree 100%, and especially appreciate the exercise analogy. I wrote so many freelance articles during the pandemic that I started dreading sitting at my laptop. The burnout was real. It took me a while to realize the burnout was because I was not writing for myself. So now I write at least one piece a week for me on Substack and it has made client work much easier. My newsletter is general, with several different categories, and having the freedom to file stories in different places has been great. When the freelance is busy, I get ahead on my Substack entries to keep the flow going.
I've experienced the same! As a freelancer we just get so caught up in writing for others that it's easy to lose track of the joy in our craft. I'm glad you've reclaimed it, and I think this is great wisdom for everyone!
What I also meant, but on rereading it does not really come across: what a nice thing to remind people of. Very kind and generous. We need more of this in (online) conversations. Thank you for being so nice!
I use the podcast feature to record my "Long Read" essays. I am a huge fan of reading aloud and I love connecting with people via this way. Some people even wait for that version. I think this was a great feature to up the ante.
I have a background in audio recording BUT I was intentional about not over producing. Make the story sing. I make that clear in my intro so people aren't expecting theatrical performances. ;-)
Good question. My format includes one a monthly "Long Read" that is published first in essay form and sent via the newsletter. This way, people who I know are busy have that to look forward to in their Sunday in box. In my twenties, one great pleasure was getting the NYT Sunday edition, bringing it to bed with coffee, and lounging. I still do this, but as I now live in Canada, I use my Substack reads from others as my Sunday reading. For the audio, I do not send by itself in an email, but rather publish it, then include the link in Friday round up I put together two weeks later. I'm still working out the details of what works for me and my readers. It's a work-in-progress. :-) Rn, I do not care about being paid. I'm here for connection!
Thatโs an interesting idea for those of us who write first, and canโt manage the flow to have the podcast attached to the post - but also donโt want to bury the readers in extra emails. Hmmmโฆ.
Yes, I am going to update my About to explain that and set the expectation. The idea just happened. I had been doing it for something else and found it was well received. I actually write to be read aloud, though which frankly, not every style of writing would make sense here. It takes me about an hour to produce (again, I have experience so I'm faster) but I just like the process. I *may* provide the behind the scene interviews I do at a later date, but that would be more paid content I'm fleshing out for a later date. I record my interviews with the intention of later broadcast.
Aww ๐ฅฐ same here. I share my recipes because I want to help people have at least one healthy meal per week to refer to. I am listening to your long read recording with the birds in the background. Itโs so lovely. I like your format! I think I can do something similar, maybe do one narrated recipe a month. I love your idea ๐ก
Hi, I brought my podcast (and newsletter!) over to Substack semi-recently and I was curious if there was ever going to be a way to publish a new episode while keeping the text below (which in this case is a transcript) behind a paywall. Currently, if I add a paywall anywhere on the post that also includes the audio.
This is good to know, i was thinking of offering a podcast free with the written portion in a paywall at some point. Hope the option you outline becomes available sometime.
I have been podcasting with Substack for over about 18 months with MarketingBS - https://marketingbs.substack.com/ (back when it was beta). About a year ago I started a second publication that was podcast-first (with attached newsletter) - https://www.superserious616.com/
Some thoughts for people thinking about doing podcasts:
1- Quality matters. A lot. Adding another newsletter is usually possible for most people - it might replace time spent on Twitter or Facebook. But adding another podcast comes out of "audio listening time" - and that usually means it needs to replace an existing podcast they are enjoying. So you need to be better than the next best alternative (maybe a lot better as people are generally risk adverse and will judge you quickly vs a feed they have enjoyed in the past)
2- Quality is about content, but it is also about sound quality and sound editing. Getting to NPR level is difficulty and/or expensive. But getting much better than Anchor is not that hard if you invest a little. If you aren't going to make a small investment in doing this right, I'm not sure it is worth your time to bother doing it at all
3- What does investment look like? Here is where I have landed with a lot of trial and error and speaking to many people in the podcasting space (Hi Adam Davidson!)
-- For settings you want it on high volume, medium gain (experiment!), and the pattern that looks like a little heart. Then you speak very close to the front of the mic. The heart pattern means the mic only picks up sound from directly in front of it. With that setting you are usually safe from street noise and kids downstairs. It might not be as good as a full podcasting studio, but its pretty close and much cheaper!
- Cost $118 right now on Amazon
- If things don't sound great (which they did not at first when we did Super Serious) the most likely issue is the cable. Try to fix that before buying a new computer (my partner did it in the opposite order...)
b- Use recording software. DON'T use Zoom's included feature. I use AudioHijack and like it a lot (~$40 for software one-time - not a subscription!)
-- You will want to create 1-2 "recording templates". One for when you record on your own, and one for when you record over Zoom
-- Record on your own is pretty straightforward. For recording someone else on Zoom:
--- Ideally you have the person on the other end record their audio locally and then send you the file. I have found that this is not worth the effort (especially for one-time interviews. But even when I am recording with my partner on Super Serious)
-- Here is what the template looks like (two 'paths', with both joining up in the final step into one file):
-- This will result in 3 files - two large WAV files - one for each individual, and one combined MP3
-- When I work with an audio cleanup company I send them all three. They work with the WAV files and just use the MP3 for reference. They send me back a final MP3 file built from the WAV files
-- When I edit myself (which I generally do now), I mostly just use the MP3. Only when something has gone wrong with the recording do I use the WAV files (maybe 2-5% of the time)
- Sometimes the audio does not record, but you should be able to see that visually. Test before you start, and if it is not working, I have found the answer is usually (always!) "update the software" or "re-boot the computer"
c- Cleaning up the audio with professionals
-- I had my assistant create a short list of professional companies that clean the audio. I then spoke with and tested four different companies at different price points and effort levels. I found the highest levels (add background music, etc.) were not worth the $$s - and many listeners actually complained about it - the background music messed up listening at 1.5x speed for example. But the "next level down" was usually worth it. At that level they clean up all the audio, balance the levels, and also listen to the entire show and take out ums, ahs, you knows, and remove longer spaces between dialog. For most episodes this shortens episodes by 10-20% (!), without removing any content, and having the remaining content sound a LOT better. This top level also allows you to give instructions within the audio, i.e., "Oops. Audio engineers, please take out that last statement. I am going to ask the question again...". This is handy and makes recording with a guest seem way more professional. The lowest level just does the balancing, etc. (also important to do!). If interest I can pass along my short list of who I tested, but there are lots out there and prices and capabilities have likely changed in the last 18 months. Cost for this should be just under or around $100 per episode for "level 2" (and include transcription)
d- Cleaning up on your own
- For Super Serious I clean all the audio on my own. I've gotten a lot better over time. If you listen to the early episodes you will notice a HUGE difference from the latest episodes (I think). It's enough of a different that one of these days I will go back and re-edit the early episodes
- For this I use Audacity (but again, lots of options). I have a "project" that has my intro and out-tro music, then I upload the MP3 audio file. You can see visually where you need to adjust levels. For the ums and ahs, I listen to the entire episode "zoomed in" and every time I hear an um, or a repeated word or "see" a long pause, I just cut it out. Then I listen to it again and if it sounds right I move on and keep listening. For a 12 minute episode I usually takes me ~20 minutes to edit these days. There are a few judgement calls. I should likely be outsourcing this, but there is value in my hearing the full episode again after it was recorded (it's like feedback on my performance), and doing it this way is more mentally stimulating for me than just listening to a full edited version by a professional
e- Transcripts: I do transcripts for Marketing BS, but we do not for Super Serious. There are two ways to do transcripts for two different purposes:
1- "AI transcripts" - there is software that will do this for you. It's pretty good! I would say about 90% accurate. If you just need something for SEO purposes and you are upfront that it is AI 90% accurate, this is a cheap way to do it (and something we are considering for Super Serious). It is also very cheap
2- Professional transcription: You can pay someone to listen to your entire show and manually transcribe it. This will be someone from a low wage country, and you should be about to transcribe an hour long show for $50 or so (if I remember correctly - don't hold me to it). This will get you a fully edited transcription in whatever format you agree to (i.e., I had them put in the speakers name in bold with a colon every time they speak). This is what you need if you are expecting people to read your episodes (which a LOT of people do. I think my Marketing BS podcasts are something like 70% read, 30% listen).
3- Hybrid: You can use AI to transcribe the show, and then a professional to listen and fix the 10% errors. This is not worth doing. The cost is going to be the same (or higher!) than just the pro version.
f- Indexing your podcast: You will want to submit your podcast to the major podcast players. Its a bit of work, but once you get it on Spotify, Apple and 1-2 others, the rest will just do the work without you having to do anything. I believe Substack even has a primer on how to do this (just google it)
I think those are the major points. Feel free to ask questions and I can try and be helpful.
When I started the Podcasting tools on Substack were pretty terrible. I only used it because I already knew how to do it from my newsletter experience. But now the analytics are MUCH better!
tl/dr: Invest in quality. Your subscriber's time is valuable, don't waste it with low quality audio or low quality content. Better to not do it at all rather than create something that lowers the quality of your newsletter brand.
Hi everyone! Will catch up on your posts in a moment! But just wanted to ask...
Iโm currently writing on a serialised podcast, a sort of fictional memoir, and was wondering if anyone is doing anything similar here on Substack? Narrative podcasts, created specifically for audio, with sound design etc? Would love to connect if so!
Well, I wrote a response to this already, but it seems not to have made it...anyway. Hi Lail! Hal Walker (Living in a Body) is narrating his memoir-esque posts and adding in some music, which isn't quite what you're describing but might be helpful. And Elle Griffin is serializing a novel, but I don't think she's doing audio...yet. We've been talking about adding music, but haven't decided on how best to implement yet. Anyway...what you're describing sounds super interesting โ curious to see how it unfolds!
Not sure what it is exactly that you mean, but from what I've seen, it works that way. So your podcast gets delivered as an embed in a newsletter format. You can also embed from other sources, such as Spotify. That's what I do.
Iโve looked at the idea of podcasts but I prefer writing instead. Maybe using a narration app to create audio versions of the articles I write for paid subscribers. But I donโt necessarily like the apps that currently exist. Perhaps a new feature for Substack to create?
See my comment on this. I narrate my monthly "Long Read" but it took some getting over the sound of my voice. Turns out the only one who cares about the sound of my voice is me. :-)
I totally get that. Itโs not that I donโt like my own voice so much as I prefer my writing to be taken up by others and acted out. Iโve been focused on writing film and television scripts. Also, I have concerns about providing my voice to the internet so it can be tracked and analyzed by algorithms elsewhere. While I donโt think Substack would do anything with it, I canโt be certain it wonโt be taken from the platform and used by others.
Those are thoughtful considerations. I understand, particularly in the world we live in. I also like the idea of handing the work off for others to perform adding another dimension. With your background, that completely makes sense. Thank you for sharing your comments, Andrew.
That being said, I believe in paying people for their work and I donโt have the money right now to afford to pay anyone for that. Plus my writing on Substack, at least for now, isnโt script format. Eventually I have some books versions of scripts that I want to post on the platform but for now itโs mostly articles.
I use the audio feature to add original music to posts. And to do audio versions of posts. I refer to them as audio posts since I don't do podcasts. I have only done a couple so far, but I plan to do more when I get time. I suppose if I did enough of them, I could release them as podcasts. But they are just special posts right now.
I agree. Substack seem to focus on podcasts, which is understandable since they are increasingly popular, but it can be used for more than that. But many of us are doing unconventional things. ๐ค
I started my newsletter 6 months ago and I've barely found my sea legs with it. So, starting a podcast seems like it would be too too much. But, how do podcasts compare with newsletters as generators of followers?
The great thing about podcasting is that you can have the episodes distributed over to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc -- so you will potentially bring in more followers since your content is now findable on multiple platforms. My overall newsletter growth jumped a bunch since I started doing this.
A lot of folks start their podcasts as simple as reading of their articles which can be an easy way to transition into podcasts and helps gives users a new entry point into our content, hopefully leading to more followers.
Some have found their podcasts do better than written content but I guess that depends on the newsletter. Maybe let the idea sit and then create a plan for subjects, potential episode scripts, logo, then launch. No rush. Building an audience and routine are always good priorities before stretching yourself too thin.
Something that I've noticed in the last few weeks is that the podcast audio is of a much lower quality than it used to be. Before, when I uploaded an audio file (which is a song), it maintained its quality. But now, it seems like the site compresses it and makes it sound really grainy and of lower quality. It sounds more garbled/gravelly. Not great.
I've noticed this on other musicians' posts, too.
I'm wondering if someone from the Substack team can speak to this, and maybe find out what's going on? Would love to find a solution for this. Thank you!
Thanks, Chris. One that comes to mind is from musician Jake Morely's post from yesterday. You can hear the audio quality differs significantly between the podcast version and the video version that is also included (which takes you to YouTube). I'm assuming he used the same audio file for both: https://emails.jakemorley.com/p/other-ideas
That would be great, could you please send the original audio to chris@substackinc.com and that will let me report the issue to the team very specifically
if this is really happening, it is a no go... my main podcast that I am planning to bring rolls on 160kbps (less than that, all my work is destroyed)...
I used the podcast app for the first time this week; not for a podcast, but to "hold" a sound file of a rare demo recording from a singer/songwriter about whom I'm writing.
I didn't know the app could only hold one sound file (which, I guess, would be nice if it did/could/might), but as the songwriter sent SIX demos, we're making lemonade by making 6 separate articles using podcast forms, with each, of course, featuring one of the sound file demos!
I know this is off the podcasting topic, but I'd like to renew my request for "anchor tag" functionality so I can create URLs for social that will direct readers to specific parts of my often lengthy newsletter. I hit many topics and getting promo from curators would be easier if they could send readers right to where they want to go. It's a common html code feature and wouldn't be hard to implement. Thanks!
No questions. Just want to thank you all again or the hard work you guys do. The app is great. We moved here from Squarespace and we've gotten nothing but positive feedback from both staff and readers.
i have mental block in spite of all the support i have gotten. there is something about recording a podcast and then waiting a few days for editing/transcription to post. are there any easyish to use tools that allow the process to be more immediate? i have heard riversidefm decent but have not tried it
Audacity is great (and free!) for recording audio. Also, Katie @ Substack introduced me to descript.com, which is a great tool for audio that includes a transcript as well.
Exactly. I record podcasts in both audio and video and it would be great to post the video on Substack as well. Do you have any idea when it will become available generally?
Hi all! Your wisdom requested: I've got a pretty good ratio of paid-to-free subs for the size of my Substack, but I'd like to grow it, of course. My paid subscribers know at minimum they're getting an ebook of my seasonal poetry every month and that's chiefly what they're paying for, but I'd like to scatter smaller perks more often just as a "thank you" and I would love some ideas! What have you found are some of the most appreciated perks you give your paid subscribers? Are audio or visual perks popular? Thanks in advance! ๐ฟ
Hi there, Farrah from Substack here. There are so many things you can do. You could do 'live' community threads once a week where your paid subs get to have some one-on-one time with you. This would build a very special community. I have seen one Substack writer doing this quite well. She teases it as a sort of 'coffee with me once a month/week.' Her name is Emma Gannon- check her out: thehyphen.substack.com
Thanks, Katie. I will try them out and let you know. I often do Zoom interviews I host on my YouTube Channel and embed them in my newsletter, Wine Wanderings. https://triciawinewanderings.substack.com/
How did you get started with a YouTube channel and interviews? That is exactly what I really want to do but I havenโt a clue how to do the technology of recoding and editing and uploading etc. Thank you!
I want to APOLOGIZE if at times some of my remarks have been insistent, or intemperate or ill considered (How's that for assonance, the repetition of initial vowel sound)
Sometimes I have been impatient because I have waited for a long time to get responses to my queries (after two cups of cafe Bustello, anything more than a minute is a long time) and sometimes I have voiced fears that my queries have been deleted.
Now, since I have so courteously extended my heartfelt apologies, I expect you guys to promptly read my newsletter, copiously click "like" on my posts, subscribe to me and spread the gospel according to me.
Man, you are the coolest dude around. Flattery will get you everywhere. Thanks for complimenting my intelligence. However, sometimes I fear that I sound like pompous prick perennially engaged in ponderous polemics that are, at root, pitiful ploys of self promotion. Blame it on my 5th grade teacher. Whenever we used a big word, she'd exclaim, "Good Five Dollar Word."
This reminds me of Nietzsche's dictum re writing: I write in 10 sentences what other people don't say in a book. I wish I would work harder at heeding Netzsche's sage counsel. (Then again, he did not follow his own advice)
Please tell me: What does autogrammic mean. When I can't think of a unique way of saying something, I alliterate. This is how it started: I once had a teacher who taught us 10 new fancy words per week. When she gave us the word "malicious" I was in ecstasy because I loved to playfully tease Janet Carlson, who was from Minnesota. I instantaneously yelled out, "Janet is the malicious Minnesota manica."
sorry, I don't know if it's an actual word, but an autogram is an Oulipo technique whereby every word in a piece of writing starts with the same letter. It's the opposite, I guess, of a lipogram, in which you avoid the use of a particular letter. Lol re malicious!
Hi all! I'm using the podcast feature to share audio recipes narrated in the local dialect - a nod to the traditional way of passing down recipes orally.
I few weeks ago I asked about being able to add audio to a post without formally making it a podcast. I was told to hang tight and that something is in the works. The only thing I've seen so far is an update for podcasting in the Apple app (which doesn't pertain to me since I'm an Android person). Any updates on being able to add audio without making it a podcast?
Hi. So i have spent a life time in tv and radio. How do you think audio compliments my substack newsletter with potential for growth? And my podcast is on Buzzsprout. How should I tie it in?
Hey Dana, that's exciting. Bunch of ways to think about this, but generally audio complements written content in three ways:
(1) giving the same content in a different medium for different consumption styles (eg people who prefer readouts vs written versions)
(2) giving extra content for paying subscribers (eg interviews/behind-the-scenes context on previous posts)
and (3) "opening up a new front door" (eg by distributing your podcast to Apple Podcasts/Spotify/etc, it becomes a new top-of-funnel place for people to find you and your Substack)
Substack can also host and distribute the RSS feed itself โ so you could replace Buzzsprout entirely if you're looking to simplify your workflow!
Hi there! I've loved hosting my podcast on Substack: a question/request, if I may!
I was wondering if there's any plans to have a separate 'show notes' option, so that the newsletter that gets sent out on publication also show as the show notes. Changing in social preview looks really messy. Thanks!
I'm interesting in collaborating with other Catholic authors (I'm also the author of https://prodigalparishioner.substack.com) to start a podcast. I've never done a podcast before and honestly know nothing about it, so I'm looking for those with more experience than me. I'm hoping to network, share thoughts, and maybe put together a collaborative effort. If anyone is interested, please let me know!
Me neither! I'm currently serializing my novel, The Wistful and the Good, on Substack and I have been thinking about recording an audio version, perhaps as a paid option. Not sure if that really counts as a "podcast," which seems to imply a conversation. In principle, I am all for a conversation, but it becomes a problem of who with and about what.
My blog and several of the ones I subscribe to are by and for Catholics, happy to see an expanded Catholic 'Stack presence. Subbed!
I am working on a podcast myself, also with no experience, so probably not your best bet for a collab but maybe some of the newsletters I subscribe to could help point you in the right direction. Good luck and God bless!
I'm not quite sure yet, I'm still in the beginning stages of mulling this over. I was mainly thinking just episodes on living prayer, developing a faith life, and living the faith in the daily world.
Agreed! I originally started on another platform and switching over to Substack has been very empowering. I'm just getting started but feel very optimistic about the future here. Keep up the great work and keep building an engaged community of writers and readers.
Iโd like resources and instructions on the technology of doing a podcast. What equipment do I need? What software do I record? How do I do interviews? What platforms let me upload to substack?
My podcast โbreakfast with an alcoholic,โ is interviews in diners. I use a TASCAM digital audio recorder and mics--pretty inexpensive set-up. I use GarageBand and Audacity to edit. But since I record in diners there are some external noise issues and would love advice on that.
I would say you and the guests need to be up close to the mics as you can to get the input as good as possible. Do you monitor with headphones while you're doing the recording?
I use Audition which has a noise reduction feature, and don't know Garageband enough to know if it has an equivalent.
There is a lot of audio out there to get you started, but I would recommend Audacity as a first choice if you're on PC. It's a good place to record your spoken voice and to learn how to manipulate.
With interviews, you can do that over Zoom. If you have a professional account, you can find a setting somewhere to record the audio only to an mp3. This can be then added into Audacity, or whatever you use.
I have Adobe Audition for nearly 20 years and just upgraded to the latest version. It has a lot of time-saving features, but it isn't free.
All you need to upload to Substack is produced audio file. There can be a lot of fun in audio editing. I love producing my show four times a week.
Iโm just seeing your reply now. How nice of you. I have an older MAC and I donโt think I have editing on it. I really want to do interviews but I worry Iโll waste someoneโs time because I wonโt figure out how to edit it !
Check out Garage Band. I had that on a Mac I borrowed years ago, and it may work if you can get a raw recording. To get over the feeling of wasting time, find a friendly interview who knows up front you are trying to work with tech issues. I've benefited mostly from Zoom recordings from meetings, and I don't often use interviews in my work. But I want to! It's scary to me even after doing it for a long while.
I donโt monitor with headphones since weโre in the diner. I use audacity to noise reduce and then import that into GarageBand because I find that easier for tightening up conversations. But should I try audition?
Last week when we did the Substack Office Hours โpoem,โ Katie introduced me to descript.com, which is a great online tool for audio. When you record (and you can use Zoom if you want to do an interview or podcast with someone else) it will create a live transcript - and if you edit the transcript, it will edit the audio simultaneously. This could be a great tool for people doing podcasts for Substack, as a lot of your work would be done for you.
I am using the Podcast for my second and new eNewsletter Wild West Diversity sharing narrated historic legends and they are behind the paywall โฆ my list is small as i have just started marketing so donโt know the response yet.
The metadata is a little wonky, still. It pulls from the post instead of from the file. Does anyone know whether that's something Substack is working on?
I noticed that as well. It would be useful to have a synopsis instead of the whole of the article posting since the transcript or article might have links and images on it.
Hello everyone! I recorded a huge library of podcasts from the Lizzie Borden trial and I'm not sure if I can interest Substack readers into trial testimony without the narrative context to go with it. I already have 7 episodes from season 1 and I had asked last time if I should import them over and it appeared that someone was about to answer me when it suddenly struck 11am. Perhaps someone could offer some feedback before my 10am webinar. Thank you!
Yes, that's a great idea. Things are changing so fast I just need to jump in there and start creating my own unique way of presenting the podcasts. I also ordered some new artwork for Patreon feeling that I might find a more supportive community there of artists supporting other artists. You changed ur picture, it's really cute!
I love the new podcast updates. The new design looks great. It's fantastic to see podcasts treated as a first class citizen on the platform!
For some reason, I'm still not seeing the episode notes field show up when I edit old podcast episodes or create a new one. That's a bit of a bummer, as I'd love to get those fixed up!
Additionally, a feature request: can you please add a way for us to add our publicly distributed Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other app links to that player dropdown menu? It'd be doubly great if they automatically showed up on our Podcasts tab as well.
I know you have to balance this with promoting the private, individual feeds, but for those of us who choose to distribute feeds via those apps it's key that we're able to promote them to regular podcast listeners!
Hey all! Lovely to be here! I have a question - I'd like to go back and edit all my podcasts so far to have an intro and outro. Is it possible to update old podcasts with a new audio track?
I find it gives a level of professionalism that counter balances some of my rants. I produce most of mine in garage band for free using loops and smart drummers, I have even recently purchased a mini midi keyboard (The Akai MPK mini) and to be honest making new music a few times a week has become a large source of zen for me!
I read my articles and post those as "podcasts" by linking them in the original article. I really want to be able to hide the podcasts from my homepage so it's less cluttered.
I love Substack but I would love it more if I could hide things on the home page :-)
Or, if there were a way to integrate read-alouds in a more subtle way rather than with podcasts. Otherwise, it seems I might be better off switching platforms for the audio.
Oh I see. Well, I guess I don't want to foreground the audio that much. The main thing for me is the articles and I prefer all of the formatting that comes with that.
What about the episode image cover beeing removed by Substack? Was it fixed? Would be nice the option to choose an episode cover as other plataforms do.
While there is a focus on podcasting, I've launched a new Substack aimed at current and novice Google Apps Scripts developers. Yeah... it is truly for nerds who write code or want to write it.
I sent a message to the SS folks asking about micro-pricing. I will be sending out code-snippets every week to subscribers and want to charge $3/month or $30/year. However, SS forces a $5 minimum on pricing - which I suppose I understand from a fees standpoint.
What I've done so far is set my price at $5/month & $50/year then created a 40% off forever discount/offer. It works for the pricing but is this my only option?
For paid newsletters, we set the minimum price you can charge readers at $5 a month or $50 a year because we want help writers earn meaningful income and believe that good writing is valuable.
That's really not my question. I understand if someone is enchanted they'll follow and possibly pay for a newsletter.
I want to offer micro-payments. Living in the tech world, I know coders. The adoption of micro-payments ($1 to $3) is much higher than even a nominal amount more.
I used to help a financial planner who had a newsletter (years ago - going back to 1999) with 15,000 subscribers who all paid $2/month. He put his newsletter out twice a month. It was an incredible cash cow for him.
Definitely new with substack! I am currently using squarespace for my podcasting hosting service using rss towards the rest of the platform. I am slowly drifting towards substack simplicity and the newsletter idea and podcast. Would you recommend just linking to substack for newletter and blogposts and RSS feed the rest through substack? I'm looking for more ways to make everything work!
I would like to better understand the analytics page. For example in the Overview, the total number of downloads is different from the total cumulative number in the graph. Also, in the top player section, when it indicates a percentage for any of the other platforms, does that include the downloads listed on Substack or is that people who have moved from Substack to the other platform?
Roll call ๐๏ธ Who's currently using the podcasting tools on Substack? What have you learned?
I've learned that my podcast performs MUCH better than my written content, to the point I'm considering paywalling it. Also, I never get used to hearing my own voice ๐
It gets easier! But I am def haunted by my own vocal tics more than anyone else's.
I'm with you. I am hoping to start my podcast next week, but being an over-thinker, chaos is being created in my brain.
Thatโs good to know! Hopefully all my โumsโ and โuhsโ start decreasing in number, too! ๐ค๐ผ
Wow! Congratulations, Jay!!!!!!!
Thanks!! ๐ธ
Wow that's so interesting to hear. What do you mean by performing better? More opens? More listens?
In almost every way. Around the same amount of opens, but much higher engagement (clicks, likes, shares), and a lot of downloads; it always seems to bring in new subscribers as well, probably since it cross-posts to the major podcasting platforms and all. Iโve also gotten plenty of qualitative feedback to the effect of โthis is great, do more of this!โ
I should also mention that I havenโt promoted my audio posts nearly as much as my written ones because I was so... self-conscious about it lol. Thatโs definitely changing, though!
Do you mind sharing what you do on the podcast ? How did you learn how to structure it? Thank you!
Of course! I bring a guest on whoโs knowledgeable on the topic of the week and basically pick their brain. As for learning, much of it was trial and error. Though listening to plenty of podcasts in similar formats definitely helped!
You really inspired me to get over my performance and technology anxiety because I would love to make the interviews I do for print into a longer audio format. Iโd love to have others hear their voices and their knowledge. Thank you.
I started writing a reply to this and realized it was going to be so long, that I wrote it as it's own stand-alone comment. Here it is in the place I originally wrote it:
I have been podcasting with Substack for over about 18 months with MarketingBS - https://marketingbs.substack.com/ (back when it was beta). About a year ago I started a second publication that was podcast-first (with attached newsletter) - https://www.superserious616.com/
Some thoughts for people thinking about doing podcasts:
1- Quality matters. A lot. Adding another newsletter is usually possible for most people - it might replace time spent on Twitter or Facebook. But adding another podcast comes out of "audio listening time" - and that usually means it needs to replace an existing podcast they are enjoying. So you need to be better than the next best alternative (maybe a lot better as people are generally risk adverse and will judge you quickly vs a feed they have enjoyed in the past)
2- Quality is about content, but it is also about sound quality and sound editing. Getting to NPR level is difficulty and/or expensive. But getting much better than Anchor is not that hard if you invest a little. If you aren't going to make a small investment in doing this right, I'm not sure it is worth your time to bother doing it at all
3- What does investment look like? Here is where I have landed with a lot of trial and error and speaking to many people in the podcasting space (Hi Adam Davidson!)
a- Get a good mic. I use Blue Yeti. It was out of stock for a long time, but it looks like it is available for delivery tomorrow now - https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Recording-Streaming-Podcasting-Adjustable/dp/B00N1YPXW2/
-- For settings you want it on high volume, medium gain (experiment!), and the pattern that looks like a little heart. Then you speak very close to the front of the mic. The heart pattern means the mic only picks up sound from directly in front of it. With that setting you are usually safe from street noise and kids downstairs. It might not be as good as a full podcasting studio, but its pretty close and much cheaper!
- Cost $118 right now on Amazon
- If things don't sound great (which they did not at first when we did Super Serious) the most likely issue is the cable. Try to fix that before buying a new computer (my partner did it in the opposite order...)
b- Use recording software. DON'T use Zoom's included feature. I use AudioHijack and like it a lot (~$40 for software one-time - not a subscription!)
-- You will want to create 1-2 "recording templates". One for when you record on your own, and one for when you record over Zoom
-- Record on your own is pretty straightforward. For recording someone else on Zoom:
--- Ideally you have the person on the other end record their audio locally and then send you the file. I have found that this is not worth the effort (especially for one-time interviews. But even when I am recording with my partner on Super Serious)
-- Here is what the template looks like (two 'paths', with both joining up in the final step into one file):
APPLICATION (Zoom) [playback gaps filled with silence] -> Peak/RSM -> Output device (airpods) -> Recorder (WAV) -> Recorder (MP3)
INPUT DEVICE (Blue Yeti) -> Peak/RSM -> Recorder (WAV) -> Recorder (MP3)
-- This will result in 3 files - two large WAV files - one for each individual, and one combined MP3
-- When I work with an audio cleanup company I send them all three. They work with the WAV files and just use the MP3 for reference. They send me back a final MP3 file built from the WAV files
-- When I edit myself (which I generally do now), I mostly just use the MP3. Only when something has gone wrong with the recording do I use the WAV files (maybe 2-5% of the time)
- Sometimes the audio does not record, but you should be able to see that visually. Test before you start, and if it is not working, I have found the answer is usually (always!) "update the software" or "re-boot the computer"
c- Cleaning up the audio with professionals
-- I had my assistant create a short list of professional companies that clean the audio. I then spoke with and tested four different companies at different price points and effort levels. I found the highest levels (add background music, etc.) were not worth the $$s - and many listeners actually complained about it - the background music messed up listening at 1.5x speed for example. But the "next level down" was usually worth it. At that level they clean up all the audio, balance the levels, and also listen to the entire show and take out ums, ahs, you knows, and remove longer spaces between dialog. For most episodes this shortens episodes by 10-20% (!), without removing any content, and having the remaining content sound a LOT better. This top level also allows you to give instructions within the audio, i.e., "Oops. Audio engineers, please take out that last statement. I am going to ask the question again...". This is handy and makes recording with a guest seem way more professional. The lowest level just does the balancing, etc. (also important to do!). If interest I can pass along my short list of who I tested, but there are lots out there and prices and capabilities have likely changed in the last 18 months. Cost for this should be just under or around $100 per episode for "level 2" (and include transcription)
d- Cleaning up on your own
- For Super Serious I clean all the audio on my own. I've gotten a lot better over time. If you listen to the early episodes you will notice a HUGE difference from the latest episodes (I think). It's enough of a different that one of these days I will go back and re-edit the early episodes
- For this I use Audacity (but again, lots of options). I have a "project" that has my intro and out-tro music, then I upload the MP3 audio file. You can see visually where you need to adjust levels. For the ums and ahs, I listen to the entire episode "zoomed in" and every time I hear an um, or a repeated word or "see" a long pause, I just cut it out. Then I listen to it again and if it sounds right I move on and keep listening. For a 12 minute episode I usually takes me ~20 minutes to edit these days. There are a few judgement calls. I should likely be outsourcing this, but there is value in my hearing the full episode again after it was recorded (it's like feedback on my performance), and doing it this way is more mentally stimulating for me than just listening to a full edited version by a professional
e- Transcripts: I do transcripts for Marketing BS, but we do not for Super Serious. There are two ways to do transcripts for two different purposes:
1- "AI transcripts" - there is software that will do this for you. It's pretty good! I would say about 90% accurate. If you just need something for SEO purposes and you are upfront that it is AI 90% accurate, this is a cheap way to do it (and something we are considering for Super Serious). It is also very cheap
2- Professional transcription: You can pay someone to listen to your entire show and manually transcribe it. This will be someone from a low wage country, and you should be about to transcribe an hour long show for $50 or so (if I remember correctly - don't hold me to it). This will get you a fully edited transcription in whatever format you agree to (i.e., I had them put in the speakers name in bold with a colon every time they speak). This is what you need if you are expecting people to read your episodes (which a LOT of people do. I think my Marketing BS podcasts are something like 70% read, 30% listen).
3- Hybrid: You can use AI to transcribe the show, and then a professional to listen and fix the 10% errors. This is not worth doing. The cost is going to be the same (or higher!) than just the pro version.
f- Indexing your podcast: You will want to submit your podcast to the major podcast players. Its a bit of work, but once you get it on Spotify, Apple and 1-2 others, the rest will just do the work without you having to do anything. I believe Substack even has a primer on how to do this (just google it)
I think those are the major points. Feel free to ask questions and I can try and be helpful.
When I started the Podcasting tools on Substack were pretty terrible. I only used it because I already knew how to do it from my newsletter experience. But now the analytics are MUCH better!
tl/dr: Invest in quality. Your subscriber's time is valuable, don't waste it with low quality audio or low quality content. Better to not do it at all rather than create something that lowers the quality of your newsletter brand.
Ed
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Ed!
Izotope makes software that reduces noise in audio. It's the best that I have found and is used by pro studios. You can demo their products for free, and often have sale prices as well.
Good gracious, Ed!
Thank you! I devoured every word!
This is so helpful! Thank you for taking the time to write this out.
this is great - thanks so much!
I'll definitely subscribe.
Thank you for sharing such a detailed and beneficial comment. Hoping to get started next week. Thanks for the motivation!
looks good, just subscribed
I write โLiving in a Body.โ (Chronicling my life with severe ME/CFS) Every week I offer the reader the option to listen to me read the piece with an original music background. I use Ableton to record the voice and then I overdub music as I listen to myself read. I love how easy it is to bounce and then upload an .mp3 - Iโm always in search of more effective ways to get the reader of the email to click the play button. I love Substackโฆ approaching 500 subs.
That's awesome, Hal, that you make original music backgrounds!
Nice, Hal! I really enjoy listening to your readings of the posts.
I am for TWO podcasts. I moved my personal blog over to Substack because it would allow me to continue to blog, turn some of my old blogs into travel podcasts, and send newsletters to my subscribers all from one place. I'm also one half of the team at litthinkpodcast.substack.com and I convinced my partner to move our entire operation here for much the same reason. We could publish our podcast, start writing blog posts, and send newsletter updates to subscribers all at the same place. I started monetizing my personal one and we have hopes to eventually monetize Lit Think. Again, Substack has the tools for us to do that seamlessly.
This is awesome to hear. We love seeing publishers mixing audio with writing - that's one of the things we are proud of the Substack product empowering :)
Fabulous and wonderful, Ms. Styf!
I love the podcasting tools. I like the ability to record directly here or upload directly. The only thing I wishlist is transcription. I have people who read my newsletter and can't necessarily listen, and it's so time consuming -- yes, i know this is a first-world-whine -- to write it all out.
I do run my audio through Otter first now, but it would be great. Long term wish.
I use Otter as well, but yes, it can be a lot of work to clean it up. I also hear from folks that they REALLY appreciate the transcripts though. They feel very important.
I have used Otter for over a year, and it really hasn't gotten much better in "learning" your often-used phrases and words. So, after I clean up the transcript (which takes about an hour for a 30 minute podcast, FYI), I will save those sections that I know will get repeated in podcasts to come. Open to suggestions on better transcription services.
How do you get the subscribe button to show up directly under your player on your podcast posts?
You might check out Descript.com. Katie @Substack showed it to me and itโs great!
I agree that a transcript would be amazing.
I'm trying to decide if I should publish my notes as transcripts. Since it's just me, I write out my episodes before I record them.
Definitely do that!
Yes transcripts are king and queen of it all! we need them. they save time. add value and importance to the content.
Not podcasting yet, but it's in my plans. Thank you!
I started a few weeks ago and I'm loving the platform. The tools are intuitive and the community is awesome. Substack is such a crucial platform during turbulent times.
Yes! Substack has chosen to walk with integrity honoring free speech as well as promoting kindness. I am SO grateful! I post a lot of things that well-documented but would get censored elsewhere. I also speak out for free speech lovers to move in the direction of kindness, inclusion, love etc. :)
Exactly! It truly is a blessing :)
Totally! :) Thanks for being that kind of person - in a world of kind people telling the truth, a love-filled world of integrity becomes realistic.
Exactly! I do my best to be this each day. Thanks for subscribing too! I joined yours as well :)
Yay! I do my best too!! <3 Peace!!
I have been looking for Star Peace. I am so tired of Star Wars. I'm waiting for someone to write the novel or set of books on how we move from Galatic war to galactic peace.
That's great to hear, Brandon. Welcome!
Thank you, Bailey!!
We started our podcast on Anchor (with disctribution to other podcast players) and had Mailchimp for newsletters and Wordpress for website and it was just too much. Moving everything to Substack allows us to have a one-stop shot and hopefully expand our offerings for teachers and eventually monetize. Phew, big dreams but hoping that having everything here in Substack will get us there.
I'm currently using the podcast tools. What I've learned so far: I love being able to integrate a podcast with my blog. And it was easy to set up the connection between Substack and Apple Podcasts so it posts there also.
That's awesome. How are you finding the mix of blog x podcast? What do you include in writing compared to audio?
I donยดt know if I like the tabs. It is not intuitive for getting comments. The visitor, when he reaches the end of the post and see comments there, he continues reading and comment. Now with tabs, i dont know...
I like the tabs because I can separate my podcast, blog posts, and newsletters from each other ๐คทโโ๏ธ
What do you mean? Tthe tabs Iยดm talking about is on the podcast post, wich only separates podcast details (the post) from comments
Oh, I have to look at that.
You guys created and extra "click" for the user and hided the comments behind this extra click. There is no positive way tot think in this when we talk about usabillity and simplicity.
I donยดt hava data enough to tell you because I am waiting some fixes and improvments to be made in substack before I bring my main podcast and my thousands of listeners. But in theory, this change may be a good aestetic one, but lacks usability.
Some listeners who would never comment maybe will want to answer a comment already made there IF they sees the comment. But now the comments are hided.
The comments are like the continuation of the post, so, the most natural think since internet is internet is when the reader reaches the end of the post he sees and can continue reading the comments, wich, maybe, will "invite" him to participate in the discussion and in the comunity.
You can leave the tabs there - itยดs nice. But donยดt remove the comments area from the main post.. you can have it in both places.
Hi! Morning! I decided to import my whole library from Anchor as an rss feed. I have the podcast as it's own section in my newsletter for listeners to check it out. I can see my analytics. I have 16 downloads already since starting my newsletter 10 days ago. Time flies. I have a lot. On my Anchor I have 6k and counting plays. I haven't uploaded a new EP in a while because I'm writing reviews for the wrestling tournaments I'm watching which is Best of the Super Jrs 29 for New Japan Pro Wrestling. I still need to test things out. I would love to go paid moving forward with the new episodes as it takes time and research and more to produce good quality eps. I currently have 39 subscribers. My problem is pricing. So yeah, I'm still new to the features. I'm currently posting a lot of wrestling content daily.
This is such a smart idea! I should add my main Anchor hosted podcast as a tab on my Substack. One stop shopping for content. Thanks Marie!
You can also just host your podcast directly on Substack, instead of on Anchor, so it's all really in one place :)
You're welcome!
Wow what an amazing focus of your publication!
If you haven't yet checked out our resources on going paid and growing, these are great to check out:
https://substack.com/going-paid-guide
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-1?s=w
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-5?s=w
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-6?s=w
Good move getting off the anchor platform as I had them nuke over 50 episodes of a political podcast a few years ago without any explanation. Thankful for the Substack eco system and the ability to build a paid community built in.
Only been at the new podcast for a few weeks now, but loving the platform and how intuitive everything is.
I would suggest doing a push to google podcast independently as it seems they take a little longer to update their feeds.
I started on Anchor as well. Did you set up it up redirect to Substack? I forgot to do that for my personal account and I think that messed with initial stats, but now they are consistent.
Unfortunately they deleted my whole account without warning and gave me zero access so I wasn't able to redirect to a new platform. It turned out to be a blessing as I've since changed my focus to something more aligned with my values.
Um...no...I don't think or remember...๐ I just wanted to share my whole library on Substack for new listeners passing by to just check it out. The analytics are still consistent. So not sure...at least it worked. ๐ This probably doesn't help as much.
Setting up a 301 redirect is a good way to go. And yes, changing platforms will always mess with statsโa bummer, but once you're here on Substack the bonus is our analytics allow you see directly when a podcast episode gets you new subscriptions, free & paid. That's a strong metric!
I'm sad that I don't get to pull over the 1500 downloads that we had from Anchor, but we haven't produced anything new (our next season starts in August) and we're already at 280 downloads, so there's that.
I hear ya. I used Medium for about 2 years but got zero traction. Plus they bury content and don't encourage discovery like Substack does.
The "algorithm" rules the platform and I confirmed with someone who used to consult for the company that nobody has any idea how it works.
I used to write on Medium but as of this month I completely closed my account and started up Substack so I can connect with more readers, maybe Collab, and showcase my different skills in creating original content. I used to get paid in pennies over at Medium and wasn't really motivated to chase the money for the website when I didn't see a decent return. And if you weren't writing about the hottest topics and creating click bait stuff, you'll get lost in the shuffle. On Substack, I'm seeing a nicer turn out for my free content (I've yet to go paid) with the new features. Good luck with everything!
Substack > Medium in every possible way.
My experience on Medium was nearly identical. I wrote about in this post if you're interested: https://agowani.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-party-pal?s=w
I started on Medium last December and after six months was pretty exasperated. I've been on Substack for about two weeks and feel much more empowered. I wrote about my experience on Medium and why I switched in my introductory Substack post. If you're interested: https://agowani.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-party-pal?s=w
I publish a monthly newsletter and am doing 3-4 podcasts (in lieu of an essay) per year. I've only published one podcast so far (my 2nd one is recorded and will be published in June), but it's been a fun learning experience and a great way to mix it up, especially since I feel like my podcast takes a lot less time to plan, execute, and publish than my essays. I love how it gives my work a more dynamic feel to use different mediums.
I will say, though, it does freak me out that I can't edit in the podcast app. Like something will go wrong (I'm also trying to keep the language clean ;)) and it will ruin the whole thing. I've been lucky so far, though!
Correct, we don't have these tools yet! But I'll make sure our team sees that this is something writers would really want.
No. If you want edited audio (with background music etc) you have to make and edit it elsewhere then upload to the Substack page.
I'm using the podcast tool, and generally enjoying the ability to host audio on Substack. I record elsewhere and then upload it to Substack as an MP3. My gripe is that I can't seem to just embed the audio right in the top of the newsletter unless I do it via another app (seems like a lot of people use SoundCloud for this). Am I missing something obvious?
No! We are going to ship the functionality for this in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Oh, fantastic. Thanks!
Hi Hugh. They currently don't allow native mp3 embeds per se. If you setup the podcasting feature or create a new post as a Podcast, you can upload the mp3 file there.
I've been begging for the ability to, outside of a podcast, upload an mp3 or several mp3 files and have multiple audio players in a post.
I want to show the genesis of song's written - from an initial idea recorded on my phone to a more produced product. Each mp3 file would have narrative text before it. For this, the podcast feature doesn't work.
But, again, if you publish a podcast rather than a post, you can upload your mp3 file.
Yes! Multiple mp3's in one post is also something I've been hoping for.
Good to know I'm not the only one waiting for this, and thanks for the ideas for a workaround...
Using it and really enjoying how easy it is to post and distribute. I set the podcast to distribute to about 9 different podcast distributors and that was easy once I figured out the proper RSS to use. Now it's just a matter of keeping myself motivated to stay on schedule to make the shows...
It took us a year of podcasting to learn this difficult lesson (we did over 30 episodes in first year in hopes that it would help us build traction but growth has been SLOW), but we learned to have reasonable expectation (we now committing to one season in 12 months and only 16 episodes in those 12 months with scheduled breaks), to take the breaks we need to take, and to batch multiple episodes at once so that we could give ourselves time to edit, reevaluate, and plan. We are really hoping that this new plan of "attack" and consistency helps us finally grow (plus the addition of some written content this summer).
HI Katie, My newsletter Wine Wanderings https://triciawinewanderings.substack.com/ has been published for the last year and a half with both paid and free subscribers. I've done one podcast and found it was a great opportunity to add additional "color" to the content of a newsletter, as well as expanding on the topic. I plan to add more in the future and I like the idea of perhaps using the Paywall below the newsletter, as well as having separate podcast topics.
That's awesome Tricia. Brava!
Iโll give it a try at the 1 year mark, Iโll read last yearโs newsletters and comment on them ๐
Would love to see this, Adam!
Hey everyone! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith, I do the Burnt Toast podcast (and newsletter). Happy to answer questions and generally chat podcasting on Substack!
Can you tell us about your private episodes and how you interact with your listener community?
Yes! So I make the majority of podcast episodes free, but I do one paywalled episode per month for subscribers. The regular episodes are conversations with guests, but the bonus episodes are solo eps, where I answer a listener question, debunk a popular diet trend and just chat a little. The subscribers seem to really love these -- I think it feels like a more direct conversation with the audience. They submit a bunch of questions and often message me when they see a diet they want me to talk about. So it's been great for community building!
What advice have you received about podcasting that didnโt prove to be helpful?
One misconception is that if you have a big social media platform, you'll automatically have a podcast audience. My old podcast was co-hosted with a friend with a huge Instagram following -- and it took ages to build a decent pod audience. Doing this one with my newsletter audience has grown much more quickly. I think newsletter readers are more ready for it and already so much more engaged with your work.
Yeah, we have almost 500 IG followers and MAYBE an after of 40 downloads per episode ๐คทโโ๏ธ
It's bc of the algorithm games and also IG doesn't want anyone to leave the app. It felt like we were converting one listener at a time.
Hence the move to Substack. I enjoy IG, but I don't want to be dependent on it for growth and communication.
Hi Virginia, I think a few of us are keen to start podcasting - should we just plough straight in and then work out how to up the tech game as we go along?
Yes for sure. I uploaded Zoom recordings for a few months while I was figuring out how much I liked audio/whether to make it a real podcast. The sound quality on those is NOT great compared to what I'm doing now, but it was so helpful to experiment.
Curious what you are doing now? I plan to start a podcast, but my biggest obstacle is platform. If I'm planning an interview style (2, or 3 people at most) program, 45 mins to 1 hour, is Zoom an option or should I use something else?
I use Zoom to talk to the guest, and to have a backup recording of the whole conversation. Then we each record our audio locally (I use QuickTime and if people dont' have a good mic set-up, we use an iPhone app called TalkSync) and my audio engineer edits it all together. But Zoom is definitely doable as your starting point!
Just listening to 'Burnt Toast' now - very lively and enjoyable! I'm going to start with straight post readings and work it up later with interviews / extra audio. My latest post has an interview with an fab female prof from Spain who is researching anti-ageing factors in the bloodstream (in mice, but maybe soon in humans) https://pathfindings.substack.com/p/young-blood-old-monsters-and-rejuvenated?s=w
I'm hoping to go to Valencia and record some more audio with her in the lab... as well as similar with other scientists.
How do have the guest record on their end ? Is that a hurdle ?
If you just record your Zoom, you have the whole conversation in one file (but that limits what an audio person can do to improve quality). The more pro approach is to record each audio locally (each person has a microphone attached to their computer and records in a QuickTime file or similar) and then those files get stitched together -- but that does take someone with audio editing experience to pull off!
Iโm still scared by the technology. How did you just get started with zoom and make it work good enough ? Thank you!
You just hit record in Zoom! Zoom will then save the recording and let you download it and upload to Substack.
Thank you all for joining us today! We're learning about podcasting alongside you and appreciate the thoughtful questions you asked. More to come.
Special thank you to Virginia for joining us and sharing about her experience podcasting on Substack.
See you next week,
Katie, Bailey, Kelsa, Jasmine, Chris, Shaiyan, Hanne, Farrah, Jonathan, Becca, and Thoomas
Can we treat Substack like a podcast host and have the RSS feed be picked up by any podcast player -- Apple, Spotify, etc. -- perhaps time delayed to give the paid pod on Substack some days of exclusivity?
Yes, they make this super easy! (No on the time delay though, I think.)
thx!
Hey Chris! Some instructions here on distributing to the apps via Substack: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360038462911-How-to-I-distribute-my-podcast-to-apps-
Thank you
Check out the substack and podcasting reddits also. Lots of helpful info on those.
Thx!
I do this! My Your Mom PSA podcast is available on Amazon & Spotify while hosted here. It's awesome.
Thx
I have! Iโd like to start a podcast in September.
Jolene! Thatโs so exciting!
Will you be my guest, Elizabeth?! We can talk about novels and memoirs where food is a central character. Or, we can just hang out ๐
I would love that! Already thinking about options โ culinary mysteries (a whole subgenre), cooking competition romances, memoirs (Wild Game! Crying in H Mart! A Moveable Feast!)
Love seeing podcasts sharing guest spots like this!
Wouldnโt this be fun, Hanne?
Yes! Yes! Yes! ๐คฉ
This would be so cool!
Jackie, we can talk about Irma Rombauer and St. Louis! ๐
Now thereโs a thought๏ฟผ!!
This is gonna be fun!
Ooh - I would definitely listen to this!
Matt! There will be music! I just chatted with Stygi here, I can see this already! ๐คฉ
Awesome! I would love to hear it.
Hi, Chevanne!
๐๐พ
Would love to hear your voice with your posts, Jolene!
Hi, Bailey! Thank you! Iโm setting a goal for September :)
How awesome! ๐๐คฉ
Wonโt it be fun, Stygi! Youโll be my guest, too - we can talk about music, coding, AI - and, of course, food! ๐คฉ
Aww yaaas, it will be๐ฅ
Me too, Jolene.
Hi, Lloyd!
Iโd love to.
On my mind:
โขIs it โidiot-proofโ enough that even I can figure it out?
โขWould anyone want to listen?
We hope it's super easy! Here's an FAQ with a bunch of good resources to get you started - https://on.substack.com/p/podcastfaq?s=w
In the coming weeks, we'll also ship "audio embeds" which will allow you to put multiple audio clips/audio notes in the text of a post as well.
Oohhh....I like that. I have my podcasts in a section of my Substack that also goes out on Apple.... but a total newbie, a bit inconsistent, and not sure of pros and cons of doing an entirely separate podcast on Substack. Okay, confused....
I love music discussion. Iโm sure it would be interesting.
Yes you can and I'd listen. Provided you are not making episodes of a few hours :). I think you have something to say about music. My suggestion would be: do not do a reading of your newsletter, but dive into a music story and tell that.
Good advice & thank you!
I'm in my second month on Substack with the first month taken up porting and fixing the posts from my WordPress site. Podcasts are my next step.
That's awesome. Great work! Are you transferring a podcast or starting a brand new one?
The podcast will be new. Images/illustrations are important to my writing since people cannot visualize some of what I discuss. The right picture eliminates that issue. Today I learned I can add text and images to the podcasts, so I'll give that a try soon.
Are you transfering ALL of your blog posts over to Substack? I've been trying to figure out if I should be doing that as well. Or at least the blog posts that are the basis for my podcast episodes.
If you set up a Substack, your old followers, if theyโre engaged, will follow you. But by bringing your old content over, you can also attract a whole new set of readers who havenโt read your older content. And if youโre like me, you will get far more readers per post than you did on your old blog.
So far I've doubled my monthly hits. Anyone hitting a post on my old site is automatically redirected to the same article on Substack so I still get that traffic. Also, my blog was all 5-10 minute reads. Substack is so easy to use I've added daily "Today's Tidbits" that take 30 seconds to read, some of which tell something new (or old since I write on historical topics) with links to archived articles. TTs are also a great way to share info that does not deserve a full article.
This is fascinating! Can you pick and choose which blog posts you want to import? What if I don't want to import all of them?
I exported and imported all my blog posts via XML and just copied and pasted the non-blog pages. Depending on how many you want to bring over, you can copy and paste only the ones you want or go the XML route and delete the ones you do not want. XML will bring them over and they sit in draft status until you publish each one. So, just delete the ones you do not want.
I transferred everything, so about 105 posts and another dozen special pages. I exported an XML file from WordPress and imported it into Substack. Very simple process and Substack retained the original published dates for each post. The two challenges were 1) the featured images did not transfer and other random photos did not as well, 2) internal links to other posts needed to be updated to the new substack URLs. Had to do some additional formatting, but it was surprisingly easy.
I have a podcast, Stop Writing Alone, that I have been thinking about bringing to Substack. The thing is that I have been thinking that the paid subscription but would be access to my live community events, rather than the episodes. I also have a YouTube channel (NV Rivera) where I share weekly writing prompts. It has been my hope that Substack can potentially be my followers one stop shop for all of the content as well as the place to subscribe to my community events. Is it too much to think I can create one โStop Writing Aloneโ substack for all of this?
I want substack to be my one stop shop as well!
We moved our podcast over so we could have a one stop shop (litthinkpodcast.substack.com) and I'm excited to see how we can get it to grow that way. Also trying to get away from depending on so much social media promo-ing.
A one-stop shop is important to me as well. I don't want to be forced to spread my "tech savvy" (ha!) across multiple platforms. Easier to stick with one.
Okay, so looking at your page, I think I can see how I can make this work. Youโve got podcast posts and โNewsletterโ posts. I think I would end up using that Newsletter bit more frequently for all the other thingsโฆ
๐ค
Thinkity thoughts commenceโฆ
I LOVE the tabs because it allows me to organize and separate into clean niches in a way that a regular blog site did not. I moved everything over from Anchor for my podcasts (lithinkpodcast.substack.com as well) and now I'm trying to decide how many of my old blog posts to republish over on Substack. Maybe this summer, when I'm not teaching...
Sarah, did you simply start on Substack with a new season, or did you also bring over your old episodes?
For both podcasts I imported all of them. For litthinkpodcast.substack.com that meant losing the stats of 1500 downloads, but we're getting more traffic now and we are on hiatus, so I'm not complaining.
Iโve been podcasting three years so itโs a lot to transfer, but what does it really mean to โlose statsโ? The downloads happened. They may not be tracked in the new space, but that doesnโt take away the fact that people were tuning in. Am I missing a reason why I should be concerned about lost stats from the past?
I just don't have them all in one place. I have to add the numbers from two platforms. I'm being lazy and not wanting to do the math ;-)
I think you should be able to do this all under the hood of your Substack!
If you haven't yet read about sections, they're an interesting tool (https://on.substack.com/p/a-guide-to-publication-sections?s=w).
And you can learn more about how podcasting works (private feeds, audio notes vs. distributed podcasts) in this FAQ: https://on.substack.com/p/podcastfaq?s=w
Thanks Bailey! I used the sections in my current Substack, but I was worried that having a โpodcastโ Substack would change and/or limit the options there. Some part of my brain was thinking everything on a podcast Substack would have to be audio content! ๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ
Follow up thought/question:
If I add audio, video and text multiple times per week to my Substack, is there a limit to how much storage space each Substack page is allowed per week/month/year? I feel like that is a thing that comes up with hosting sites, so I am wondering what the parameters are here.
Hi Nicole! Currently there are no limits.
Thanks so much Katie! ๐ค
I totally love this title! please keep me updated! I would love to be a part of this process and listen (:
I've been waiting for these office hours specifically for this purpose! I clicked the button recently and didn't expect it to be so easy to set up, and I've been ruminating on it since then. I am thinking about content, length, cadence, but also--how to do it.
A commenter on a recent post of mine expressed enthusiasm for the prospect and I reached out to a (non-substacking) friend with whom I collaborate all the time IRL. My plan when I was thinking of doing it solo was just to record on my phone and publish the raw audio Henry Ford style (no quality control). But having a conversation adds some complexity--my friend pointed me to Anchor. Does substack have an existing integration with Anchor? Is Substack planning on developing similar editing tools? Otherwise it sounds like I have to record and edit on Anchor and then download it and upload it here--which I am willing to do but would be great if I could just one-click export.
Looking forward to learning more and I am excited to dip my toes into the podcast game.
Thank you for all your work! God bless!
I use Audacity to record and edit and then upload from there into Substack. It not too hard to use and I'm an English teacher figuring it out, so I'm sure you'll be fine ;-)
Why do you use audacity instead of zoom? I havenโt used either so trying for the easiest to start !
what microphone set up did you use with audacity?
I bought an external microphone but it's not amazing so I'm thinking about changing it IF my numbers go up.
If you're on a budget, I use a Samson Q2U. It is a dynamic mic so it will only pick up voices within the mics range and quiet all around! it also comes with USB and XLR if you want to upgrade your stuff later!
Hey Scoot! You're right, most podcasters on Substack are recording/editing the episode elsewhere and then uploading the finished version here for distribution. The common tools I hear are Zencastr and Riverside, but if you're comfortable with Anchor that'd work great too. Right now I'm not sure we have near-term plans to build in audio editing right into Substack, but definitely something I can pass along to the product team
As a podcast guest, my first host used Zencastr - turned out to be a bit problematic as Zencastr is very limited re the browsers it uses... :(
Thank you!
I donโt know these terms - riverside or the other one. Which do you recommend I get to start ?
Hey Emily, what type of work are you specifically looking to do with audio on your Substack? Are you thinking of an interview series?
Hi there Iโm a journalist so I wanted to marry the writing with interviews on a podcast so my readers had a little extra with me and the experts.
This is what I do Anchor (as that is where my other Creative Passions Results podcast is hosted) and I did not want to try and change as it is so easy even I can use the Anchor editing tools. I am just uploading a file that has already been narrated so was really easy for me to get started using the podcast on substack. I plan to dive into the substack podcast tools this summer now that I have some big projects out of the way.
Iโve thought about starting an Adventure Snack podcast, using the chapters feature for interactivity. Iโve written and produced podcasts professionally for years and itโs a lot of work! So in my mind, itโs a question of will the podcast lead to a worthwhile boost in subscribers or will it require a lot of separate promotion and distract me from the newsletter.
(Also, Iโd love to get office hours notices in my inbox vs. the app, so I donโt miss them, lol.)
I think games like what you make will work great in audio format though!
Thank you, I agree! I think it would work well, artistically.
Whatโs the โchapters featureโ. Sounds like a good way to do a book!
MP3 files can have chapter markers (Iโve also seen them called time markers) so you can quickly skip ahead in the audio. I think the most common use for them is skipping past a section of a conversation with spoilers.
https://youtu.be/G0RRveXLPgQ
Have definitely thought about it...I feel a little concerned about being able to keep it up along with sending out regular newsletters. And I have to confess, I have trouble listening to podcasts that aren't well-edited and produced, and I'm not sure I have the bandwidth to create a polished podcast, which makes me feel hesitant to start one at all.
I guess another way to approach it would to release episodes more sporadically so I don't have to hold myself to as regular a schedule as I do for regular posts. Just some thoughts I'm muddling through!
You should try using the tool Descriptโreally easy audio editing software you can use yourself for this.
That looks quite nice! Thanks for the tip.
So maybe start with one a month? My other podcast, litthinkpodcast.substack.com, we started doing every week and it was so overwhelming with editing and good production. We start season three in August after a three month hiatus and we have plans to just do 8 episodes each semester (we're teachers so it's pop culture with a lit teacher angle). For my personal podcast, I'm doing one every other week. I've heard plenty of podcasters with big followings say that it's good and ok to take breaks, just make sure you communicate your publishing plans with listeners.
True. A few years ago I had a podcast with my cousin that was great. He was very good with editing and adding sound effects. I did the writing and as cousins, the unscripted banter was great. But itโs not easy and a lot of work to do alone. No one can know everything. A partnership with someone, either in front of or behind the mic, makes a big difference.
First of all, these are very valid and careful deliberations on the subject. Podcasting is, like anything else in life, not for everybody. I would not necessarily do the sporadic approach, but maybe do a limited test to figure out how it works for you. Maybe start with a pilot season of 3-4 episodes. Breaking it up in seasons can also be a way to keep it up.
I have a podcast, but I am considering moving it to Substack. Does that count?
I hope so! Thatโs why Iโm here!
Absolutely! Do you have any questions about the process?
Here's an FAQ about podcasting in general - https://on.substack.com/p/podcastfaq?s=w
And here's a support article with some guidance on how to move your podcast to Substack - https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037830571-How-do-I-move-my-podcast-to-Substack-
๐๐ปโโ๏ธ
I am hoping to start my podcast this month. I am a true-crime writer for the news and also teach shorthand. I continued to use shorthand for over 40 years as it comes in handy when I am not allowed to record murder trials. I balance the chaos in my brain by writing reflective stories for my column in the newspaper. So much to still learn!
Thatโs sounds so interesting!
Thank you, my friend. Trying to release the hot mess in my brain. lol
Ha! Same.
Iโve podcasted in the past and have one with Diane Hatz. However, Iโm thinking of starting something myself. Iโm pretty good at writing episodes and rehearsing. I have a pretty good speaking voice. Maybe thatโll be a cool thing for the future.
I would listen!
So happy to hear that. ๐ฅฐ
Would love to listen to this, Chevanne!
๐ฌ Let me get it together, then!
I brought two of my podcasts over here so I could just have a one-stop shop and I'm loving it. Is there any way that we will be able to schedule out more than four months at a time in the future? As a teacher, I want to spend my summer getting as far ahead on my episode scheduling as possible.
At the moment you can't schedule full episodes in advance, although you can do "early access" for a paid postโand release it to all for free later. But we know this is something podcasters want and are thinking about how to improve in the future!
I've been thinking about it! I've reached out to a few author friends if they wanted to do some episodes with me, though I've yet to decide on the program itself and how it's going to go. It should be fun, and if anyone here would like to join, I can definitely give you a spot if you can wait a while longer ๐
Marie would love to talk indie publishing: author 11 books, 110 Straight #1 Amazon Best-Sellers for clients, 48 years in the biz (started at 11 years old in parents retail bookstore). I also have a number of non-fiction and children's authors with a few fiction if you need more interviewees. I write Author Adventure.
Hey Liz, I just realized we donโt have a DM feature here (or I donโt know about it, lol). Do you have a website so I can find a way to contact you?
Her Substack isnโt showing up, but you can email her at her Substack email, authorlizlawless@substack.com
Oh, thank you so much! I didn't know we could do that ๐
Lizbookcatalyst@gmail.com
Oh, wow! That would be lovely, LIz! I would love to have you. I just need to firm things up a bit more then we can have the interview. Thank you so much for offering! #1 bestsellers... an author's dream ๐
I would love to do a video podcast but want to ensure captioning is part of my videos. I'd love an easily integrated solution for that!
Heard! We will share this with the team working on video.
Iโve considered it, but like others have said, it doesnโt work for me to do the podcast first. If there was a way to add one to an existing post, that would make it a lot more feasible for me, as I will always be a writer first and foremost, and thereโs no way I could record what I want to write before Iโve written it.
I may be misunderstanding your question but -- you could absolutely write an essay in the podcast post draft, and then record yourself reading it. You don't need to upload the audio first (though you do need to upload it before you publish).
True, but I tend to write right up to my deadlines, andI donโt have time right then to record the audio. But I also donโt want to have the post sit for days until I have time to record it either. It would be nice to be able to drop the audio in later when I have had time to record.
Ah yes, I feel that. Shifting my workflow to writing about a week out from publication has given me a lot more options in terms of general post production (more time to edit, find good images, etc, etc) but there are some weeks where it's really tough.
Iโm trying to get better about writing in advance but๏ฟผ between writing/editing for work, my novel (which Iโm serializing), and three Substacks, itโs a challenge to do ANYTHING in advance!.
This will be coming very soon :)
Yaaaasssss!
Hi writers...and podcasters!! Here is some encouragement from one tiny newsletter to all of you: It can be really easy to lose motivation to post every week when it seems like no one is reading/listening, or no one cares. Why bother? I'll tell you why: we NEED your voice. Someone out there NEEDS to read what you've written or listen to your thoughts, even if it's only one person. You don't know it yet, but you're someone's favorite creator...or you will be soon! Write for them! Post for them! And if nothing else, showing up to your newsletter/podcast is like an exercise regimen. You'll never regret a weekly excuse to practice your craft! ๐ฟ
I love that I can just keep working ahead and schedule podcast episodes and articles for weeks and months at a time. I can batch the work when I have time, edit, and schedule and then I don't have to think about anything but posting to Social Media when I have a chance.
The post-scheduling ability is amazing, you're so right! It really helps to alleviate the pressure.
I'm figuring out work, creative unpaid work, life balance, BUT this feature definitely makes it more possible.
Agree 100%, and especially appreciate the exercise analogy. I wrote so many freelance articles during the pandemic that I started dreading sitting at my laptop. The burnout was real. It took me a while to realize the burnout was because I was not writing for myself. So now I write at least one piece a week for me on Substack and it has made client work much easier. My newsletter is general, with several different categories, and having the freedom to file stories in different places has been great. When the freelance is busy, I get ahead on my Substack entries to keep the flow going.
I've experienced the same! As a freelancer we just get so caught up in writing for others that it's easy to lose track of the joy in our craft. I'm glad you've reclaimed it, and I think this is great wisdom for everyone!
Appreciate the encouragement. We all need it.
No problem at all, Chevanne! Don't give up, okay? ๐ฟ
For the first time in a while, I think Iโm going to be okay. โ๐พ
๐
๐ฟ
Absolutely. Great point.
What I also meant, but on rereading it does not really come across: what a nice thing to remind people of. Very kind and generous. We need more of this in (online) conversations. Thank you for being so nice!
Thank you, Arjan! I care very deeply about writers, and I hate to see anyone give up. There's room for everyone, here!
I use the podcast feature to record my "Long Read" essays. I am a huge fan of reading aloud and I love connecting with people via this way. Some people even wait for that version. I think this was a great feature to up the ante.
That's something I'm planning on doing - I think it's a lovely idea!
I have a background in audio recording BUT I was intentional about not over producing. Make the story sing. I make that clear in my intro so people aren't expecting theatrical performances. ;-)
Amazing!
Just saw you write about illness. I write on medicine. Adding your ss now. Cheers!
Do you write your essays also as a post? Or you only read aloud?
Good question. My format includes one a monthly "Long Read" that is published first in essay form and sent via the newsletter. This way, people who I know are busy have that to look forward to in their Sunday in box. In my twenties, one great pleasure was getting the NYT Sunday edition, bringing it to bed with coffee, and lounging. I still do this, but as I now live in Canada, I use my Substack reads from others as my Sunday reading. For the audio, I do not send by itself in an email, but rather publish it, then include the link in Friday round up I put together two weeks later. I'm still working out the details of what works for me and my readers. It's a work-in-progress. :-) Rn, I do not care about being paid. I'm here for connection!
Thatโs an interesting idea for those of us who write first, and canโt manage the flow to have the podcast attached to the post - but also donโt want to bury the readers in extra emails. Hmmmโฆ.
Yes, I am going to update my About to explain that and set the expectation. The idea just happened. I had been doing it for something else and found it was well received. I actually write to be read aloud, though which frankly, not every style of writing would make sense here. It takes me about an hour to produce (again, I have experience so I'm faster) but I just like the process. I *may* provide the behind the scene interviews I do at a later date, but that would be more paid content I'm fleshing out for a later date. I record my interviews with the intention of later broadcast.
Aww ๐ฅฐ same here. I share my recipes because I want to help people have at least one healthy meal per week to refer to. I am listening to your long read recording with the birds in the background. Itโs so lovely. I like your format! I think I can do something similar, maybe do one narrated recipe a month. I love your idea ๐ก
I do the same thing, and I really should do it more!
Hi, I brought my podcast (and newsletter!) over to Substack semi-recently and I was curious if there was ever going to be a way to publish a new episode while keeping the text below (which in this case is a transcript) behind a paywall. Currently, if I add a paywall anywhere on the post that also includes the audio.
Thanks this is good feedback!
This is a cool idea.
This is good to know, i was thinking of offering a podcast free with the written portion in a paywall at some point. Hope the option you outline becomes available sometime.
I have been podcasting with Substack for over about 18 months with MarketingBS - https://marketingbs.substack.com/ (back when it was beta). About a year ago I started a second publication that was podcast-first (with attached newsletter) - https://www.superserious616.com/
Some thoughts for people thinking about doing podcasts:
1- Quality matters. A lot. Adding another newsletter is usually possible for most people - it might replace time spent on Twitter or Facebook. But adding another podcast comes out of "audio listening time" - and that usually means it needs to replace an existing podcast they are enjoying. So you need to be better than the next best alternative (maybe a lot better as people are generally risk adverse and will judge you quickly vs a feed they have enjoyed in the past)
2- Quality is about content, but it is also about sound quality and sound editing. Getting to NPR level is difficulty and/or expensive. But getting much better than Anchor is not that hard if you invest a little. If you aren't going to make a small investment in doing this right, I'm not sure it is worth your time to bother doing it at all
3- What does investment look like? Here is where I have landed with a lot of trial and error and speaking to many people in the podcasting space (Hi Adam Davidson!)
a- Get a good mic. I use Blue Yeti. It was out of stock for a long time, but it looks like it is available for delivery tomorrow now - https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Recording-Streaming-Podcasting-Adjustable/dp/B00N1YPXW2/
-- For settings you want it on high volume, medium gain (experiment!), and the pattern that looks like a little heart. Then you speak very close to the front of the mic. The heart pattern means the mic only picks up sound from directly in front of it. With that setting you are usually safe from street noise and kids downstairs. It might not be as good as a full podcasting studio, but its pretty close and much cheaper!
- Cost $118 right now on Amazon
- If things don't sound great (which they did not at first when we did Super Serious) the most likely issue is the cable. Try to fix that before buying a new computer (my partner did it in the opposite order...)
b- Use recording software. DON'T use Zoom's included feature. I use AudioHijack and like it a lot (~$40 for software one-time - not a subscription!)
-- You will want to create 1-2 "recording templates". One for when you record on your own, and one for when you record over Zoom
-- Record on your own is pretty straightforward. For recording someone else on Zoom:
--- Ideally you have the person on the other end record their audio locally and then send you the file. I have found that this is not worth the effort (especially for one-time interviews. But even when I am recording with my partner on Super Serious)
-- Here is what the template looks like (two 'paths', with both joining up in the final step into one file):
APPLICATION (Zoom) [playback gaps filled with silence] -> Peak/RSM -> Output device (airpods) -> Recorder (WAV) -> Recorder (MP3)
INPUT DEVICE (Blue Yeti) -> Peak/RSM -> Recorder (WAV) -> Recorder (MP3)
-- This will result in 3 files - two large WAV files - one for each individual, and one combined MP3
-- When I work with an audio cleanup company I send them all three. They work with the WAV files and just use the MP3 for reference. They send me back a final MP3 file built from the WAV files
-- When I edit myself (which I generally do now), I mostly just use the MP3. Only when something has gone wrong with the recording do I use the WAV files (maybe 2-5% of the time)
- Sometimes the audio does not record, but you should be able to see that visually. Test before you start, and if it is not working, I have found the answer is usually (always!) "update the software" or "re-boot the computer"
c- Cleaning up the audio with professionals
-- I had my assistant create a short list of professional companies that clean the audio. I then spoke with and tested four different companies at different price points and effort levels. I found the highest levels (add background music, etc.) were not worth the $$s - and many listeners actually complained about it - the background music messed up listening at 1.5x speed for example. But the "next level down" was usually worth it. At that level they clean up all the audio, balance the levels, and also listen to the entire show and take out ums, ahs, you knows, and remove longer spaces between dialog. For most episodes this shortens episodes by 10-20% (!), without removing any content, and having the remaining content sound a LOT better. This top level also allows you to give instructions within the audio, i.e., "Oops. Audio engineers, please take out that last statement. I am going to ask the question again...". This is handy and makes recording with a guest seem way more professional. The lowest level just does the balancing, etc. (also important to do!). If interest I can pass along my short list of who I tested, but there are lots out there and prices and capabilities have likely changed in the last 18 months. Cost for this should be just under or around $100 per episode for "level 2" (and include transcription)
d- Cleaning up on your own
- For Super Serious I clean all the audio on my own. I've gotten a lot better over time. If you listen to the early episodes you will notice a HUGE difference from the latest episodes (I think). It's enough of a different that one of these days I will go back and re-edit the early episodes
- For this I use Audacity (but again, lots of options). I have a "project" that has my intro and out-tro music, then I upload the MP3 audio file. You can see visually where you need to adjust levels. For the ums and ahs, I listen to the entire episode "zoomed in" and every time I hear an um, or a repeated word or "see" a long pause, I just cut it out. Then I listen to it again and if it sounds right I move on and keep listening. For a 12 minute episode I usually takes me ~20 minutes to edit these days. There are a few judgement calls. I should likely be outsourcing this, but there is value in my hearing the full episode again after it was recorded (it's like feedback on my performance), and doing it this way is more mentally stimulating for me than just listening to a full edited version by a professional
e- Transcripts: I do transcripts for Marketing BS, but we do not for Super Serious. There are two ways to do transcripts for two different purposes:
1- "AI transcripts" - there is software that will do this for you. It's pretty good! I would say about 90% accurate. If you just need something for SEO purposes and you are upfront that it is AI 90% accurate, this is a cheap way to do it (and something we are considering for Super Serious). It is also very cheap
2- Professional transcription: You can pay someone to listen to your entire show and manually transcribe it. This will be someone from a low wage country, and you should be about to transcribe an hour long show for $50 or so (if I remember correctly - don't hold me to it). This will get you a fully edited transcription in whatever format you agree to (i.e., I had them put in the speakers name in bold with a colon every time they speak). This is what you need if you are expecting people to read your episodes (which a LOT of people do. I think my Marketing BS podcasts are something like 70% read, 30% listen).
3- Hybrid: You can use AI to transcribe the show, and then a professional to listen and fix the 10% errors. This is not worth doing. The cost is going to be the same (or higher!) than just the pro version.
f- Indexing your podcast: You will want to submit your podcast to the major podcast players. Its a bit of work, but once you get it on Spotify, Apple and 1-2 others, the rest will just do the work without you having to do anything. I believe Substack even has a primer on how to do this (just google it)
I think those are the major points. Feel free to ask questions and I can try and be helpful.
When I started the Podcasting tools on Substack were pretty terrible. I only used it because I already knew how to do it from my newsletter experience. But now the analytics are MUCH better!
tl/dr: Invest in quality. Your subscriber's time is valuable, don't waste it with low quality audio or low quality content. Better to not do it at all rather than create something that lowers the quality of your newsletter brand.
Ed
Are newsletters or podcasts more popular in regard to open rate and views?
My open rates for newsletters and podcasts are about even. BUT my overall newsletter growth has really jumped since I started podcasting.
I would like the statistics on this
Oooh I would love to know this!
Iโm curious if thereโs going to be a way to INVITE IN a guest to interview right from the substack app?
This is a cool idea. How would you picture using it?
Have you heard of Zencastr? Seems like that's what you're looking for: https://zencastr.com/
Hi everyone! Will catch up on your posts in a moment! But just wanted to ask...
Iโm currently writing on a serialised podcast, a sort of fictional memoir, and was wondering if anyone is doing anything similar here on Substack? Narrative podcasts, created specifically for audio, with sound design etc? Would love to connect if so!
๐
Well, I wrote a response to this already, but it seems not to have made it...anyway. Hi Lail! Hal Walker (Living in a Body) is narrating his memoir-esque posts and adding in some music, which isn't quite what you're describing but might be helpful. And Elle Griffin is serializing a novel, but I don't think she's doing audio...yet. We've been talking about adding music, but haven't decided on how best to implement yet. Anyway...what you're describing sounds super interesting โ curious to see how it unfolds!
Oh Iโll definitely check both of these out! And you should definitely be writing lots of beautiful movie/podcast/novel scores!
Great idea! You may want to check out https://ellegriffin.substack.com/ she has a lot of research into serial works.
Thank you, yes, looking forward to that!
PJ Vogt is doing a narrative podcast called Crypto Island here on Substack: https://pjvogt.substack.com/
Thank you will investigate!
Me too! Any recommendations, even if not on substack?
Wow thank you for sharing! Will get listening!
Can I embed a podcast within a newsletter post to give the reader the option to listen or read?
Not sure what it is exactly that you mean, but from what I've seen, it works that way. So your podcast gets delivered as an embed in a newsletter format. You can also embed from other sources, such as Spotify. That's what I do.
Thanks for answering the question. For others, here is an example in which Ajran embeds the podcasts along with the text. https://trippleeffect.substack.com/p/the-sea-returns?s=r
Thanks for sharing that!
I'd love to be able to do this. Is there a way to do a transcript of the post in Substack
That's definitely what I have planned for any audio I might add to my newsletter.
I'd love this too
Iโve looked at the idea of podcasts but I prefer writing instead. Maybe using a narration app to create audio versions of the articles I write for paid subscribers. But I donโt necessarily like the apps that currently exist. Perhaps a new feature for Substack to create?
See my comment on this. I narrate my monthly "Long Read" but it took some getting over the sound of my voice. Turns out the only one who cares about the sound of my voice is me. :-)
I totally get that. Itโs not that I donโt like my own voice so much as I prefer my writing to be taken up by others and acted out. Iโve been focused on writing film and television scripts. Also, I have concerns about providing my voice to the internet so it can be tracked and analyzed by algorithms elsewhere. While I donโt think Substack would do anything with it, I canโt be certain it wonโt be taken from the platform and used by others.
Those are thoughtful considerations. I understand, particularly in the world we live in. I also like the idea of handing the work off for others to perform adding another dimension. With your background, that completely makes sense. Thank you for sharing your comments, Andrew.
That being said, I believe in paying people for their work and I donโt have the money right now to afford to pay anyone for that. Plus my writing on Substack, at least for now, isnโt script format. Eventually I have some books versions of scripts that I want to post on the platform but for now itโs mostly articles.
The "Podcasts" feature is not just for podcasts!
I use the audio feature to add original music to posts. And to do audio versions of posts. I refer to them as audio posts since I don't do podcasts. I have only done a couple so far, but I plan to do more when I get time. I suppose if I did enough of them, I could release them as podcasts. But they are just special posts right now.
Wow! I didn't realize you could do that. I was using soundcloud and then embedded that into my posts. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for the info.
I like it because the music player sits at the top.
I didnโt think of an audio track of just music. Good idea.
It is great for musicians who want to add their music to a post. No need to embed SoundCloud or YouTube.
My kazoo is somewhere around here...
๐คฃ๐คฃ
Do it!
Dammit, I just might.
Same here, Mark! (I share original music using the podcast feature).
Yeah. It is great for that. ๐
Well podcasts are certainly popular, but it is really an audio feature that can be used for music or any kind of audio.
I agree. Substack seem to focus on podcasts, which is understandable since they are increasingly popular, but it can be used for more than that. But many of us are doing unconventional things. ๐ค
I started my newsletter 6 months ago and I've barely found my sea legs with it. So, starting a podcast seems like it would be too too much. But, how do podcasts compare with newsletters as generators of followers?
The great thing about podcasting is that you can have the episodes distributed over to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc -- so you will potentially bring in more followers since your content is now findable on multiple platforms. My overall newsletter growth jumped a bunch since I started doing this.
A lot of folks start their podcasts as simple as reading of their articles which can be an easy way to transition into podcasts and helps gives users a new entry point into our content, hopefully leading to more followers.
That's what I did for my personal podcast. I wanted a way to bring more people in and it's slowly working!
I can relate. The newsletter is enough for me to keep up with!
Have you ever worked the Door County, Wisc., plein air?
Nope. I'm in NJ. Will look it up!
Itโs amazing part of the world! Highly recommend it. Madeline Island as well.
Some have found their podcasts do better than written content but I guess that depends on the newsletter. Maybe let the idea sit and then create a plan for subjects, potential episode scripts, logo, then launch. No rush. Building an audience and routine are always good priorities before stretching yourself too thin.
Hi all!
Thanks again for hosting these!
Something that I've noticed in the last few weeks is that the podcast audio is of a much lower quality than it used to be. Before, when I uploaded an audio file (which is a song), it maintained its quality. But now, it seems like the site compresses it and makes it sound really grainy and of lower quality. It sounds more garbled/gravelly. Not great.
I've noticed this on other musicians' posts, too.
I'm wondering if someone from the Substack team can speak to this, and maybe find out what's going on? Would love to find a solution for this. Thank you!
Ooh, that shouldn't happen. Would you mind sharing an example episode that has the problem, and one that doesn't, so that we can take a look?
Thanks, Chris. One that comes to mind is from musician Jake Morely's post from yesterday. You can hear the audio quality differs significantly between the podcast version and the video version that is also included (which takes you to YouTube). I'm assuming he used the same audio file for both: https://emails.jakemorley.com/p/other-ideas
And another is my most recent post. I have the original song file that I uploaded, and after I uploaded it to Substack it sounds very different. The post is here: https://fogchaser.substack.com/p/meditation-009?s=w#details
Happy to send along the original audio file for comparison if that would be helpful.
That would be great, could you please send the original audio to chris@substackinc.com and that will let me report the issue to the team very specifically
Thanks, Chris โ just sent it over. Appreciate your time!
Thanks I've filed a ticket for this on our end.
Agree, this one is lesser quality than your -005 post from January. I'm listening on a pro audio setup.
Thanks for checking, Ernie! If I email you the original file would you mind giving it a spin to compare?
Sure, is this address OK or do you need another one?
And this one does NOT seem to have the problem, if that's helpful. It's an older post from January:
https://fogchaser.substack.com/p/meditation-005?s=w#details
This one sounds good! I'm listening on a pro audio setup.
Thanks for listening Ernie โ yes, this one, Meditation 005, doesn't have the compression issues I'm noticing with the later posts.
if this is really happening, it is a no go... my main podcast that I am planning to bring rolls on 160kbps (less than that, all my work is destroyed)...
I used the podcast app for the first time this week; not for a podcast, but to "hold" a sound file of a rare demo recording from a singer/songwriter about whom I'm writing.
I didn't know the app could only hold one sound file (which, I guess, would be nice if it did/could/might), but as the songwriter sent SIX demos, we're making lemonade by making 6 separate articles using podcast forms, with each, of course, featuring one of the sound file demos!
I know this is off the podcasting topic, but I'd like to renew my request for "anchor tag" functionality so I can create URLs for social that will direct readers to specific parts of my often lengthy newsletter. I hit many topics and getting promo from curators would be easier if they could send readers right to where they want to go. It's a common html code feature and wouldn't be hard to implement. Thanks!
Hi Eric, passing along your feedback!
No questions. Just want to thank you all again or the hard work you guys do. The app is great. We moved here from Squarespace and we've gotten nothing but positive feedback from both staff and readers.
i have mental block in spite of all the support i have gotten. there is something about recording a podcast and then waiting a few days for editing/transcription to post. are there any easyish to use tools that allow the process to be more immediate? i have heard riversidefm decent but have not tried it
Audacity is great (and free!) for recording audio. Also, Katie @ Substack introduced me to descript.com, which is a great tool for audio that includes a transcript as well.
I second Descript!
Is Substack considering adding video capabilities to the podcast platform?
Interesting. We do have some basic video features in beta: https://on.substack.com/p/video-on-substack
Is this close to what you're thinking?
Exactly. I record podcasts in both audio and video and it would be great to post the video on Substack as well. Do you have any idea when it will become available generally?
Not yet, but you should sign up for the beta :)
This would be interesting.
I'm a newbie blogger on ss and happy to join! Latest post here https://pathfindings.substack.com/p/young-blood-old-monsters-and-rejuvenated?s=w
Welcome Patrick! Are you thinking about podcasting?
Yes I'm planning to start with just simple post readings and maybe make it more elaborate later (over the next few months) with interviews, music etc.
Hi all! Your wisdom requested: I've got a pretty good ratio of paid-to-free subs for the size of my Substack, but I'd like to grow it, of course. My paid subscribers know at minimum they're getting an ebook of my seasonal poetry every month and that's chiefly what they're paying for, but I'd like to scatter smaller perks more often just as a "thank you" and I would love some ideas! What have you found are some of the most appreciated perks you give your paid subscribers? Are audio or visual perks popular? Thanks in advance! ๐ฟ
Hi there, Farrah from Substack here. There are so many things you can do. You could do 'live' community threads once a week where your paid subs get to have some one-on-one time with you. This would build a very special community. I have seen one Substack writer doing this quite well. She teases it as a sort of 'coffee with me once a month/week.' Her name is Emma Gannon- check her out: thehyphen.substack.com
This is a great idea, Farrah! Thank you so much, I'll check Emma out!
For perk ideas go to Patreon website and explore their suggestion.
Good thinking!
Iโve been wondering the same! Would like to figure out the best way to say โthank youโ to those directly supporting my work.
This is such a good idea!
What's the latest ETA on the Android app please?
Who has technology recommendations for remote interviews and the best quality for them?
We've heard good things about https://zencastr.com/ and https://riverside.fm/
Thanks, Katie. I will try them out and let you know. I often do Zoom interviews I host on my YouTube Channel and embed them in my newsletter, Wine Wanderings. https://triciawinewanderings.substack.com/
The audio quality is not the best for podcasting.
How did you get started with a YouTube channel and interviews? That is exactly what I really want to do but I havenโt a clue how to do the technology of recoding and editing and uploading etc. Thank you!
Hi Emily. I set up a YouTube channel an do Zoom interviews. Tricia
I want to APOLOGIZE if at times some of my remarks have been insistent, or intemperate or ill considered (How's that for assonance, the repetition of initial vowel sound)
Sometimes I have been impatient because I have waited for a long time to get responses to my queries (after two cups of cafe Bustello, anything more than a minute is a long time) and sometimes I have voiced fears that my queries have been deleted.
Now, since I have so courteously extended my heartfelt apologies, I expect you guys to promptly read my newsletter, copiously click "like" on my posts, subscribe to me and spread the gospel according to me.
I love Davids videos, and newsletters. (word of warning...David is one smart fella... bring a dictionary).
Man, you are the coolest dude around. Flattery will get you everywhere. Thanks for complimenting my intelligence. However, sometimes I fear that I sound like pompous prick perennially engaged in ponderous polemics that are, at root, pitiful ploys of self promotion. Blame it on my 5th grade teacher. Whenever we used a big word, she'd exclaim, "Good Five Dollar Word."
You're welcome! With inflation we're at a hundred dollar words. (Mark Twain ~ โDon't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.").
This reminds me of Nietzsche's dictum re writing: I write in 10 sentences what other people don't say in a book. I wish I would work harder at heeding Netzsche's sage counsel. (Then again, he did not follow his own advice)
simple is best. But it is hard to do. or โIf I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.โ
โ Marcus Tullius Cicero, philosopher and statesman.
I heard it was Mark Twin who said that. Maybe they both did
Do you have an alliteration dictionary or something? Very autogrammic!
Please tell me: What does autogrammic mean. When I can't think of a unique way of saying something, I alliterate. This is how it started: I once had a teacher who taught us 10 new fancy words per week. When she gave us the word "malicious" I was in ecstasy because I loved to playfully tease Janet Carlson, who was from Minnesota. I instantaneously yelled out, "Janet is the malicious Minnesota manica."
sorry, I don't know if it's an actual word, but an autogram is an Oulipo technique whereby every word in a piece of writing starts with the same letter. It's the opposite, I guess, of a lipogram, in which you avoid the use of a particular letter. Lol re malicious!
awsom
Also: Deplatformable is a fantastic newsletter, chock full of great, concrete advice that can enrich you in the here and now
I just went to subscribe to that, and discovered I already am. How embarrassing, but what a delightful surprise!
I went to subscribe to yours and discovered I already do.
well I like intemperateness so I've just subscribed!
who was that? Oh, I suppose you can't say really. I hate that: it happens on Twitter a lot
Hi all! I'm using the podcast feature to share audio recipes narrated in the local dialect - a nod to the traditional way of passing down recipes orally.
I few weeks ago I asked about being able to add audio to a post without formally making it a podcast. I was told to hang tight and that something is in the works. The only thing I've seen so far is an update for podcasting in the Apple app (which doesn't pertain to me since I'm an Android person). Any updates on being able to add audio without making it a podcast?
Hi. So i have spent a life time in tv and radio. How do you think audio compliments my substack newsletter with potential for growth? And my podcast is on Buzzsprout. How should I tie it in?
Hey Dana, that's exciting. Bunch of ways to think about this, but generally audio complements written content in three ways:
(1) giving the same content in a different medium for different consumption styles (eg people who prefer readouts vs written versions)
(2) giving extra content for paying subscribers (eg interviews/behind-the-scenes context on previous posts)
and (3) "opening up a new front door" (eg by distributing your podcast to Apple Podcasts/Spotify/etc, it becomes a new top-of-funnel place for people to find you and your Substack)
Substack can also host and distribute the RSS feed itself โ so you could replace Buzzsprout entirely if you're looking to simplify your workflow!
Hi there! I've loved hosting my podcast on Substack: a question/request, if I may!
I was wondering if there's any plans to have a separate 'show notes' option, so that the newsletter that gets sent out on publication also show as the show notes. Changing in social preview looks really messy. Thanks!
I'd love to help test it, please do send me an email! Thank you :)
I'm interesting in collaborating with other Catholic authors (I'm also the author of https://prodigalparishioner.substack.com) to start a podcast. I've never done a podcast before and honestly know nothing about it, so I'm looking for those with more experience than me. I'm hoping to network, share thoughts, and maybe put together a collaborative effort. If anyone is interested, please let me know!
I'm a Catholic author on Substack, and I'm interested in the possibilities of podcasting. I don't have one jot more experience though.
It's great to see other Catholic writers on Substack! What sort of podcast were you thinking about? My problem is, I don't even know where to begin!
Me neither! I'm currently serializing my novel, The Wistful and the Good, on Substack and I have been thinking about recording an audio version, perhaps as a paid option. Not sure if that really counts as a "podcast," which seems to imply a conversation. In principle, I am all for a conversation, but it becomes a problem of who with and about what.
My blog and several of the ones I subscribe to are by and for Catholics, happy to see an expanded Catholic 'Stack presence. Subbed!
I am working on a podcast myself, also with no experience, so probably not your best bet for a collab but maybe some of the newsletters I subscribe to could help point you in the right direction. Good luck and God bless!
Thanks so much, I'll take a look! Your blog looks great, I just subscribed!
I think we have some interesting overlap. I subscribed
We do, I agree! I subscribed to yours as well. Thanks for the subscription!
Not Catholic, Episcopal. What type of podcast are you thinking about?
I'm not quite sure yet, I'm still in the beginning stages of mulling this over. I was mainly thinking just episodes on living prayer, developing a faith life, and living the faith in the daily world.
Good morning!! Would love to start podcasting on substack so joining in!
Hi Chris Best. Thanks for the technology.๐
Agreed! I originally started on another platform and switching over to Substack has been very empowering. I'm just getting started but feel very optimistic about the future here. Keep up the great work and keep building an engaged community of writers and readers.
This is a pretty good article about audio and video recording: https://www.benkuhn.net/vc/
Hey Paul - links donโt seem to work on this discussion in the app - paging substack to add that functionality!
So, if you are reading in app, you press and hold the URL. A box shows up, and click โopen linkโ.
I'd think that links would be important...good catch
Iโm a beta tester so putting it in the system
Iโd like resources and instructions on the technology of doing a podcast. What equipment do I need? What software do I record? How do I do interviews? What platforms let me upload to substack?
It starts with a good microphone. https://www.benkuhn.net/vc/#get-a-better-microphone
then: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037462092-How-do-I-create-and-publish-a-podcast-
Record through your computer > save as one of the following: mp3, mp4, x-m4a, aac, aiff, x-aiff, amr, flac, ogg, wav, and x-wav.
Use Quicktime which is on your Macbook, or a free tool called Audacity (PC)(https://www.audacityteam.org/)
Then just upload the audio file to finish the podcast.
And canโt edit comments in app (yet) so ETA Thank you!
You make it seen easy! But how do I interview people and edit it together ? And donโt I need to edit this thing ?
This is probably your best solution if it is an interview: https://blog.zoom.us/using-zoom-for-podcasts/
My podcast โbreakfast with an alcoholic,โ is interviews in diners. I use a TASCAM digital audio recorder and mics--pretty inexpensive set-up. I use GarageBand and Audacity to edit. But since I record in diners there are some external noise issues and would love advice on that.
Izotope makes really great software for cutting out noise from audio. Definitely check them out!
I would say you and the guests need to be up close to the mics as you can to get the input as good as possible. Do you monitor with headphones while you're doing the recording?
I use Audition which has a noise reduction feature, and don't know Garageband enough to know if it has an equivalent.
There is a lot of audio out there to get you started, but I would recommend Audacity as a first choice if you're on PC. It's a good place to record your spoken voice and to learn how to manipulate.
With interviews, you can do that over Zoom. If you have a professional account, you can find a setting somewhere to record the audio only to an mp3. This can be then added into Audacity, or whatever you use.
I have Adobe Audition for nearly 20 years and just upgraded to the latest version. It has a lot of time-saving features, but it isn't free.
All you need to upload to Substack is produced audio file. There can be a lot of fun in audio editing. I love producing my show four times a week.
Iโm just seeing your reply now. How nice of you. I have an older MAC and I donโt think I have editing on it. I really want to do interviews but I worry Iโll waste someoneโs time because I wonโt figure out how to edit it !
Check out Garage Band. I had that on a Mac I borrowed years ago, and it may work if you can get a raw recording. To get over the feeling of wasting time, find a friendly interview who knows up front you are trying to work with tech issues. I've benefited mostly from Zoom recordings from meetings, and I don't often use interviews in my work. But I want to! It's scary to me even after doing it for a long while.
Iโm relieved to hear the performance anxiety is not just me! When you do zoom, do you also do video or just audio?
I donโt monitor with headphones since weโre in the diner. I use audacity to noise reduce and then import that into GarageBand because I find that easier for tightening up conversations. But should I try audition?
To those that know--How does Substack podcast features compare to places like Anchor FM and Backtracks?
I haven't used those two, but I think Substack is MUCH better than Zencastr or Libsyn, which I've used in the past. They've streamlined a lot.
Last week when we did the Substack Office Hours โpoem,โ Katie introduced me to descript.com, which is a great online tool for audio. When you record (and you can use Zoom if you want to do an interview or podcast with someone else) it will create a live transcript - and if you edit the transcript, it will edit the audio simultaneously. This could be a great tool for people doing podcasts for Substack, as a lot of your work would be done for you.
Descript looks pretty amazing. It will even add words in you forgot to say. I was amazed!
Right? It was love at first sight for me. And they even have a free tier!
How do I get on today's discussion - 10 a.m. PDT?
Hey Carl - you're here! It's a thread-based chat.
Thanks!
You are on Carl...
I am using the Podcast for my second and new eNewsletter Wild West Diversity sharing narrated historic legends and they are behind the paywall โฆ my list is small as i have just started marketing so donโt know the response yet.
Hey, I just noticed that your Substack isnโt showing up here. I wonder if that is related to you not being able to open your Dashboard.
Also the new newsletter sounds so cool and I will definitely be on the lookout for it, as itโs right up my alley.
I looked it up online. It does look amazing.
The metadata is a little wonky, still. It pulls from the post instead of from the file. Does anyone know whether that's something Substack is working on?
I noticed that as well. It would be useful to have a synopsis instead of the whole of the article posting since the transcript or article might have links and images on it.
Hello everyone! I recorded a huge library of podcasts from the Lizzie Borden trial and I'm not sure if I can interest Substack readers into trial testimony without the narrative context to go with it. I already have 7 episodes from season 1 and I had asked last time if I should import them over and it appeared that someone was about to answer me when it suddenly struck 11am. Perhaps someone could offer some feedback before my 10am webinar. Thank you!
Could you not bring them over and add narrative context to each as you go?
Yes, that's a great idea. Things are changing so fast I just need to jump in there and start creating my own unique way of presenting the podcasts. I also ordered some new artwork for Patreon feeling that I might find a more supportive community there of artists supporting other artists. You changed ur picture, it's really cute!
Thanks! Itโs the one they created for me for last weekโs office hours.๏ฟผ
I love the new podcast updates. The new design looks great. It's fantastic to see podcasts treated as a first class citizen on the platform!
For some reason, I'm still not seeing the episode notes field show up when I edit old podcast episodes or create a new one. That's a bit of a bummer, as I'd love to get those fixed up!
Additionally, a feature request: can you please add a way for us to add our publicly distributed Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other app links to that player dropdown menu? It'd be doubly great if they automatically showed up on our Podcasts tab as well.
I know you have to balance this with promoting the private, individual feeds, but for those of us who choose to distribute feeds via those apps it's key that we're able to promote them to regular podcast listeners!
Hey all! Lovely to be here! I have a question - I'd like to go back and edit all my podcasts so far to have an intro and outro. Is it possible to update old podcasts with a new audio track?
You should be able to import the original audio track into something like garage band as a stand alone track and then new tracks with the music.
So here's my question. Do you really need the bumper and outro music for a podcast?
I like a quick bit of music signaling the start and end of a podcast.
I find it gives a level of professionalism that counter balances some of my rants. I produce most of mine in garage band for free using loops and smart drummers, I have even recently purchased a mini midi keyboard (The Akai MPK mini) and to be honest making new music a few times a week has become a large source of zen for me!
I read my articles and post those as "podcasts" by linking them in the original article. I really want to be able to hide the podcasts from my homepage so it's less cluttered.
Hi James, is there a reason you are doing them seperate currently?
In our own publication, we post the text for a read aloud with the podcast post
https://on.substack.com/p/writer-advice-emma-gannon?s=w#details
I love Substack but I would love it more if I could hide things on the home page :-)
Or, if there were a way to integrate read-alouds in a more subtle way rather than with podcasts. Otherwise, it seems I might be better off switching platforms for the audio.
I will pass this feedback along to the team, James!
Oh I see. Well, I guess I don't want to foreground the audio that much. The main thing for me is the articles and I prefer all of the formatting that comes with that.
Not sure I understand what the alternative is?
What about the episode image cover beeing removed by Substack? Was it fixed? Would be nice the option to choose an episode cover as other plataforms do.
Hi Christian, you can change the episode art in the publishing flow by editing the "social preview" image. https://on.substack.com/p/new-podcast-episode-page?s=w
While there is a focus on podcasting, I've launched a new Substack aimed at current and novice Google Apps Scripts developers. Yeah... it is truly for nerds who write code or want to write it.
I sent a message to the SS folks asking about micro-pricing. I will be sending out code-snippets every week to subscribers and want to charge $3/month or $30/year. However, SS forces a $5 minimum on pricing - which I suppose I understand from a fees standpoint.
What I've done so far is set my price at $5/month & $50/year then created a 40% off forever discount/offer. It works for the pricing but is this my only option?
Thanks.
Hi Matthew,
For paid newsletters, we set the minimum price you can charge readers at $5 a month or $50 a year because we want help writers earn meaningful income and believe that good writing is valuable.
The price doesn't matter. If somebody decides they want to pay because they are enchanted by your newsletter they don't care if it is 3 or 5 dollars.
That's really not my question. I understand if someone is enchanted they'll follow and possibly pay for a newsletter.
I want to offer micro-payments. Living in the tech world, I know coders. The adoption of micro-payments ($1 to $3) is much higher than even a nominal amount more.
I used to help a financial planner who had a newsletter (years ago - going back to 1999) with 15,000 subscribers who all paid $2/month. He put his newsletter out twice a month. It was an incredible cash cow for him.
Definitely new with substack! I am currently using squarespace for my podcasting hosting service using rss towards the rest of the platform. I am slowly drifting towards substack simplicity and the newsletter idea and podcast. Would you recommend just linking to substack for newletter and blogposts and RSS feed the rest through substack? I'm looking for more ways to make everything work!
I would like to better understand the analytics page. For example in the Overview, the total number of downloads is different from the total cumulative number in the graph. Also, in the top player section, when it indicates a percentage for any of the other platforms, does that include the downloads listed on Substack or is that people who have moved from Substack to the other platform?