Celebrating 100 Podcast Episodes for Between Two Mics: The Remote Recording Podcast

Our podcast, Between two Mics: The Remote Recording Podcast, is celebrating 100 episodes! We can’t believe it. The podcast has evolved a great deal since we started it in 2019…and the world has changed a lot, too. One thing remains the same, we love remote recording!

Between Two Mics 100th Episode

To mark the occasion, we’re sharing 100 tips things we’ve learned since starting the show way back when. These are 100 things we’ve learned since starting this podcast…about the podcast world, production, starting a company, building a community, and much more. The tips in this episode come not just from Zach and Rock, but also from the SquadCast team on the whole. We hope you enjoy it!

100 Things We’ve Learned Since Starting Between Two Mics: The Remote Recording Podcast

  1. There are no *real* rules to podcasting, just guidelines.
  2. Wired headphones!
  3. Thank you to our guests, who’ve enhanced the show.
  4. Breaking up the show into a series is fun.
  5. Breaking up the show into series also lets you take a break.
  6. Stable internet connection is important.
  7. Importance of visual cues while recording remotely.
  8. Room treatment has major impact on audio quality.
  9. Video is awesome but requires more gear.
  10. Businesses seem to be “getting” podcasting.
  11. Podcasting helps with your listening skills in life.
  12. Podcast listening also helps with listening skills AND exposes you to more people and stories and experiences.
  13. Podcasting helps with presentation skills.
  14. Podcast conferences are the best.
  15. There’s no shortage of speakers at a podcast conference.
  16. Take care of your feet when working the booth.
  17. Stick around last day of conferences to find high-profile people less busy.
  18. Everyone is perfecting their presentations night before.
  19. There’s no perfect length to a podcast.
  20. Have an outline but don’t script the interview out.
  21. We’ve found success in breaking our interviews into three parts.
  22. When interviewing people, always address them by name.
  23. Take a SquadShot BEFORE your record.
  24. Give yourself buffer time for banter and troubleshooting.
  25. Researching your guest will help you stand out from other interviewers.
  26. Listen to other interviews that your guests have done to hear which questions they always have to answer.
  27. Don’t *just* say subscribe anymore.
  28. We now also say FOLLOW.
  29. Ratings and reviews don’t help you get on new and noteworthy.
  30. But of course, creators always appreciate them.
  31. Don’t just link to Apple podcasts! Link to a universal link like Pod.Link.
  32. If you want your guests to share the episode they were on, make sure your assets paint them in the best light – make it something they’ll want to share.
  33. You can create a podcast about anything.
  34. Podcasting is not saturated.
  35. Creators are artists and entrepreneurs.
  36. A podcast or show is a micro-media company.
  37. The concept of a “show” extends beyond a podcast.
  38. Podcast is a slow and steady business.
  39. There are a lot of hosting companies.
  40. Choosing podcast software like hosting companies depends on your show’s goals.
  41. Barrier to entry in podcasting is low.
  42. It’s best to hire for tasks you don’t love – editing/transcription.
  43. Invest in transcriptions! They’re important both for accessibility and for SEO.
  44. Cover art matters! Make it clear and aesthetically pleasing.
  45. When promoting your podcast on social media, don’t just drop links.
  46. You don’t have to have a presence on ALL of the social media platforms.
  47. Choose the one(s) you’re most comfortable with and stick with them.
  48. Social audio had a moment with clubhouse (RIP) and has been semi resurrected with well-put together twitter spaces.
  49. Twitter spaces can be recorded now! It’s a great way to interact with your listeners.
  50. TikTok can be HUGE for podcasters and many people have reported spikes in their downloads from posting relevant content. But it’s a lot of work.
  51. Most listeners listen to 75% of a podcast episode.
  52. It’s far less for YouTube, like below 20%.
  53. Always keep water while recording.
  54. Eating sour things before recording helps! Green apples.
  55. Silence notifications before recording.
  56. Run a test recording before starting interview.
  57. Follow up game is critical after the episode is published.
  58. Just talking with your friends is not a podcast.
  59. There are no rules, baby.
  60. RSS feels like a religion.
  61. This sets the stage for an epic battle of RSS vs stream.
  62. Everyone thinks there’s a discoverability problem in podcasting.
  63. Subscribe to all the podcast newsletters out there – both recommendation newsletters and industry newsletters. Your show is part of a larger industry and you should know about that industry!
  64. Podnews is an incredible resource for daily news.
  65. Sounds Profitable is an incredible resource for podcast business news.
  66. Spotify ain’t playing around.
  67. What the heck is Apple doing with podcasting?
  68. How about Google?
  69. At least Amazon is making it clear.
  70. So many tv & movies in 2021 had podcasting as a storyline.
  71. A significant amount of podcasters are ex-DJs.
  72. Podcasting can be a lonely game.
  73. Running SquadCaster pre-rolls and mid-rolls on our show is an awesome way for us to involve the SquadPod. (You can submit yours)!
  74. Creating squadcast.fm/share increased folks sending in their SquadShots!
  75. Asking for feedback, genuinely, gets you genuine feedback. On all things: the podcast, the product…
  76. Create dedicated feedback channels for customers or listeners to share with you.
  77. All recordings need to be edited in some way.
  78. Don’t limit yourself to only working with “perfect” audio.
  79. Learn the ins/outs of your editing software so you’re prepared to work with less than perfect recordings.
  80. There are a lot of free plugins that can be downloaded/used for editing.
  81. Save yourself time by learning the keyboard shortcuts for the editing software you’re using.
  82. Youtube is your friend! You can quickly learn anything you need from YouTube.
  83. Always edit from the perspective of the listener.
  84. Edit with some decent speakers, headphones, and everyday use headphones to gather multiple perspectives of how your mix sounds.
  85. Ask friends or family to listen before publishing.
  86. Configure your computer to be optimized for editing audio and working in/with editing softwares.
  87. Trust your ears.
  88. Take advantage of feedback from listeners.
  89. Don’t be afraid to change things up or try new ways of doing things.
  90. Be transparent with your listeners. If you’re taking a break, let them know!
  91. Be transparent with your listeners. If you have poorer than usual audio quality one day, let them know.
  92. Use an external hard drive to store records and files so they don’t take up space on your computer.
  93. For editing/producing audio or video content, Mac computers are preferred for a lot of different reasons.
  94. While recording, turn off or remove cell phones and other devices. They emit a frequency that can end up in or affect recordings.
  95. It’s best to keep it simple. Don’t complicate things with too much unnecessary equipment.
  96. Don’t use USB hubs, plug external equipment directly into the computer.
  97. Invest in high-quality wires for your external equipment.
  98. Be easy on your computer’s USB ports, they can get worn down over time and loosen your equipment’s connection when plugged in.
  99. Restart your computer often. It never hurts to restart your router once a week or so either.
  100. Podcasting is one hell of a way to build a brand and we’re excited to continue plugging away at it for another 100 episodes.

We’d love to hear from you!

  • What have you learned since starting your podcast?
  • Do the above thoughts fit with your understanding of podcasting?
  • How can we improve our show?

Get in touch

Episode Transcriptions

JOEY HELD: Hey everyone. Before we get to this week’s episode of Between Two Mics, I want to tell you about a podcast that I think you’ll enjoy and it’s recorded on Squadcast. I’m Joey and I’m the host of Good People, Cool Things, a show featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, and other creatives. Get inspired by all that they’re doing so you can get out there and do your own cool thing. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts. All right. Let’s hop into this week’s episode of the Squadcast podcast.

ZACHARIAH MORENO: Welcome to Between Two Mics, the podcast that brings you remote recording resources from Squadcast.fm.

ROCKWELL FELDER: I’m Rock Felder, co-founder and CFO of Squadcast.

ZACH: And I’m Zach Moreno, co-founder and CEO.

ROCK: On Between Two Mics, we bring you interviews with podcasters, experts in the field of remote recording. We discussed current events in podcasting and so much more.

ZACH: We’re recording all of this on Squadcast, the best place to record remote audio and video interviews in studio quality.

ROCK:  Let’s get between two mics.

ROCK: Hello and welcome to Between Two Mics episode 100. Can you believe it, Zach? Episode 100?

ZACH: When we started, it felt like this would be so far away. So I’m stoked to keep it 100 today with our list of things that we’ve learned.

ROCK: Yeah. So speaking of today’s episode, we’re making it a little bit extra special to celebrate our 100th episode release today. Uh, so what are we going to be doing Zach for the celebration?

ZACH: In this episode we’re going to, we’re going to share 100 things we’ve learned since we started Between Two Mics, this podcast, uh, about the podcast world, production of the podcast, starting a company, building a community around the product and podcasting and a lot more along the way.

ROCK: Yeah. So basically we’re taking all of the learnings that we’ve had over the 100 episodes, but it’s not just going to be focused on podcasting. It’s going to be about engineering. Uh, of course it will be about podcasting as well, but like running a business, you know, our experience with Squadcast, and thankfully it wasn’t just you and I who had to come up with these a hundred things. We had the help of the team. So that’s where, uh, we get some of their perspectives on what they’ve learned throughout this journey. So grateful to share that with you all. And, you know, please let us know what you think of the list. We want to hear what you, what your thoughts are. So we’ll publish this in a blog post as well. So wherever you can connect with us, whether it’s on social, through the podcast or the blog, just let us know what you think and, uh, love to hear your thoughts. Anything else, Zach, before we get into our list of “one hunded”?

ZACH: Yeah. Just thanks to the team for helping put this epic list together. We’ll count ’em off as we go and share our knowledge along the way.

ROCK: Alright. So number one, I’m glad that we have this as number one. It’s actually my favorite thing: There are no rules in podcasting, just guidelines.

ZACH: Yeah, this isn’t a list of 100 rules, just some things we’ve picked up along the way from serving lots of creators and their podcasting journey. And I’ll go ahead with number two: Please, please wear wired headphones. They’re super important.

ROCK: Yeah. So number three, we’ve had some amazing guests on this podcast. Any come to mind, Zach, that you want to give a special shout out to.

ZACH: Yeah. I mean the American Vigilante team that we just had on Evoltara, Espre, Jayde from Students of Mind. Yes. Number four: breaking up the show into a series is fun. So we do some examples of this. We’ve had stories, Squadstories. We did a community series. You could even do this within each episode as like segments. And, uh, that can be a way to experiment with new approaches to your show. The breaking it up can really help explore and find things creative to do on your show.

ROCK: And number five, piggybacking off of that one, breaking up the show into a series also lets you take a break. So you can take a break within, in between seasons. Uh, it’s you know, quite the grind to be releasing content on a consistent basis, although it is the, a good path to success in podcasting or any type of content creation endeavor, but any endeavor really is just going to take time and consistency and hunting your craft. And, uh, it’s good to take a break as well. And that’s number five.

ZACH: Keep it nerdy was number six. Stable internet connection is important, especially when you’re podcasting remotely. And that goes for you and your guests and everybody you’re connecting to and a pro tip: connect over Ethernet wired connection over wifi if that’s a possibility.

ROCK: It does make a difference. Number seven: So one of the things that we picked up. In our journey with Squadcast, doing remote interviews is, and one of the reasons why Squadcast has always had a video component is we felt like even if the audio was being the only thing recorded on Squadcasts, that it was still important for folks to see each other and to build up that rapport and just get to build up a better experience. So, uh, you, one of the things that you and I do, Zach, is like, we let each other know who wants to talk by getting close to the microphone. Right? Like moving our faces closer or something like that. Turning on and off the mute button, I think is another signal. Yeah. Leaning back like Fat Joe. Yeah. All that stuff. So yeah. Visual cues are very important.

ZACH: And number eight, the, uh, environment that you’re recording in, the treatment, the audio soundscape treatment of your room has pretty major impacts on the quality of your audio. We tend to think about microphones, and I talk about headphones all the time, but the environment is also a huge contributing factor to the quality of the audio. And, uh, you could use a acoustic panels. Uh, there’s some really, really affordable options on Amazon and they look cool too.

ROCK: Number nine: Video recording is awesome, but a caveat, it requires more gear as well as more editing time. And why we bring this up is because, you know, dealing with a lot of podcasters, but also seeing the opportunity with YouTube and just having the ability to connect with folks that are interested in consuming content via video. Um, you know, that’s something that we added to the platform in 2021, but we were all obviously skeptical about that at first. I mean, not, I say obviously, because if you’ve been listening to us on this show, um, we’ve talked about it.

ZACH: Late to it.

ROCK: Yeah. We’ve talked about it, but what we found since releasing video recording, and it’s become 30% of our business is, uh, from customers that are recording a video content on Squadcast that even though it does require more gear more time or money, folks are still doing it. So that’s been exciting and, you know, happily to be proven wrong, amidst that our skepticism at first.

ZACH: Yeah. Like bigger file sizes to, you know, hard drives all that stuff. The, I just mentioned the environment. So if you’re going to be on camera, what’s behind you, right. What’s around you. All things to consider.

ROCK: More things to consider.

ZACH: Yeah. And, uh, number 10 is that businesses like corporations, organizations, NGOs, they, they seem to be getting podcasting, greater understanding of what’s going on. And our friend, Fatima at Quill just wrote about this in, uh, in one of their recent articles for Sounds Profitable about how branded podcasts are really helping businesses in different ways and how they’re using different metrics to measure the return on investment there. And, uh, we’ll go ahead and link to that in the show notes. Thank you, Fatima. And Sounds Profitable.

ROCK: Number 11: Podcasting helps with your listening skills, not just in podcasting, but also in life. And I found that just with my interactions with people, like one of my cousins, he was like, you ask good questions and you’re a good listener. And I was like, what? No, I’m kidding. And I was like, actually, you know, I was like, it must be podcasting. And that’s number 11.

ZACH: I think people come into podcasting thinking about what are they going to say? But oftentimes, yeah, listening is a more important. And on that note, number 12: Podcast listening also helps with listening skills, and it exposes you to more people and stories and experiences from different, diverse backgrounds. That’s one of the things I love about podcasting is listening is being able to go super deep on a topic that I had no idea about like 10 minutes before.

ROCK: Number 13: Podcasting helps with your presentational skills. So I’m one of those people, uh, like many, that’s not like the biggest fan of public speaking. I don’t run to those opportunities, although I know that they’re important, and it’s a good skill set to get proficient at. And I really must say that podcasting has helped me with that. It’s helped me get comfortable speaking and talking about things, um, and formulating opinions and stuff like that. Also being mindful of saying ums and likes and you knows, and all that stuff, even though it absolutely still happens. I think just being more mindful of it is, is just something that starts to happen once you get used to talking and then listening to yourself, it’s been helpful for presentational skills beyond just being behind the mic and recording it.

ZACH: Same for me. Number 14. Uh, there’s some overlap here because I’ve had the privilege of speaking at some conferences. We have some plans coming for this year. Number 14 is that podcast conferences for the community to gather are the best. And shout out to our friends at Podcast Movement. Our very first step into the podcasting community was at Podcast Movement in Anaheim, I think, uh, 2017. Pod Fest, Blk Pod Fest, ton of great events happening throughout the year. And, uh, hopefully we’re able to get together in person soon.

ROCK: Number 15: Carrying on with the conference theme. In an industry full of people who are very comfortable talking for a living, it’s no surprise that there is no shortage of speaker applicants to these conferences. So that’s one thing that we learned is that these, uh, speaker applications at these conferences are quite competitive, but grateful to have opportunities that we’ve had to speak at those.

ZACH: It’s a high bar. Number 16: Take care of your feet when you’re walking around from booth to booth. You’re going to cover a lot of ground.  You’re going to talk to a lot of people. Networking can be hard on your feet. So.

ROCK: This is when working the booths, Zach. So when we’re working the booth as like working at, at Squadcast, it’s take care of those feet.

ZACH:  I’ve totally experienced this. I also think yoga after both working is a must-have. I love this one.

ROCK: Number 17: Stick around the last day of the conference. It tends to be a slower day, but it’s a great way to connect with maybe some of the more high profile popular folks, because they often are less busy. And, uh, we discovered this at one of the Pod Fests where we wanted to speak to… I can’t remember who, but we spoke to like three people that were on our list of folks to talk to. And we just couldn’t get a time with them, but it was extremely easy that last day. I believe it was a Friday. Booths are winding down. They’re just, that’s the time that a lot of these people go around and start talking to the exhibitors. And unfortunately, for some of the other exhibitors, they had already packed up and left, and I’m sure they had a good reason, but we were sticking around and yeah, have started to build relationships then that are still existing and have been helping us today. So it pays to stick around.

ZACH: Even on the last day, especially on the last day. And number 18, is that behind-the-curtain knowledge we’ve picked up is that literally all the speakers, everyone…They’re all perfecting their presentations the night before, the day of, the morning at coffee. It’s not just you, uh, while the bar is high to get a presentation at these events, this is why maybe they’re practicing it up to the very, to the very point, uh, that they’re presenting it. And I think it shows, right. The presentations at these events are super on point and valuable.

ROCK: Mhm, mhm. Yeah, that’s a fun one. Number 19. Uh, you might see this in any of the Facebook podcasting groups online. People asking: What’s the perfect length for a podcast? The answer: There is no perfect length. You’ll hear examples of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, which is like six hours long released at no recurring schedule. And then you got some of my favorites, like Robinhood Snacks, which actually has two versions of their podcast. They have a very short version in my opinion, which is like 13 minutes long. But even if that’s too long, they got a minute long version. So really it’s what you got time for, what you’re looking for, uh, or excuse me, the listeners are looking for, and really what’s best for your show, but there is no program.

ZACH: That’s a great example, you could actually have multiple links to your, to your show, right. That’s, that’s really great.

ROCK: That’s true. That’s not talked about.

ZACH: And, uh, number 20. Number 20 is that have an outline, but we recommend not scripting the interview. But an outline, some bullets can help with, uh, your story arc with, uh, making sure you’re hitting the points that your guest wants to cover for your audience and kind of teeing them up along the way. A script can become a little more rigid.

ROCK: Uh, number 21: We found success in breaking our interviews up into three parts, especially if you want to insert ads.

ZACH: Yeah. And then this also helps with the bullets. So we ended up with like three bulleted lists in three different sections. Number 22 when interviewing people always address them by their name. And I like to continue using people’s name, Rock, throughout the conversation.

ROCK: I also meant this as in like if you’re interviewing multiple people. So like when we had, uh, the folks from American Vigilante on asking them just an open-ended question, but not directing it at somebody can be confusing or cause collisions. And it just, I feel like it just helps facilitate a better interview. So it helps to be a guest so you can understand what’s that like. Number 23: So this one is something I’m very passionate about because I’ve been terrible at it. So shout out to Arielle for putting up with this, but pro tip, if you want to get a SquadShot, when you’re recording on Squadcast, which we highly recommend. Cause we’ll absolutely reshare it. Do it before you’ve record. It’s just think you, don’t got to worry about forgetting it after. Uh, cause that’s what I would do is always forget it after, and then have to ask them to rejoin if possible, which is, you know, not the most professional thing. So just take it before.

ZACH: I need to listen to that one. Number 24: Give yourself some buffer time to banter and to kind of dial in some settings if you need. It really lowers the temperature and takes the pressure down. I like to yeah, book plenty of time on both ends. And then when your guests comes on, like let them know: Hey, like pressure’s low. We can, you know, restate ourselves if we need to. And we edit and, uh, I should be able to give you like, you know, 20, 30 minutes of your day back, assuming, you know, we, uh, kick this off, and it’s good to go. So yeah, I think that that’s, uh, how you can keep it low stress.

ROCK: Number 25: Researching your guest will help you stand out from other interviewers. Can’t tell you how many times we’ve interviewed folks and just doing a little bit deeper than the surface level can actually really help for a good interview. But for me, what always keeps me doing is it makes folks feel special. And I like to do that on an interview, make them feel special and like gold and that I… We really are excited to have him on the show. Um, and so, yeah, that’s how we do research.

ZACH: I love it when people tell me, oh, I never, I, I nobody’s ever asked me that. That’s, that’s what I shoot for as an interviewer. And number 26 is to help you with this research, you can listen to other interviews that that guest has been a part of. And, uh, that can help you ask new questions or have a different angle, or maybe your question is a follow-up from something else that you listened to.

ROCK: Number 27: Don’t just say subscribe anymore. Uh, we’re not saying that there’s a new word for that, isn’t there, Zach?

ZACH: Now we don’t say subscribe. We say, follow, follow us, follow us, follow our podcast.

ROCK: Number 29: Despite what might be out there on the interwebs ratings and reviews, don’t actually help you get on “New and Noteworthy” on the Apple Podcasts app.

ZACH: Yeah. I can help you with your show in other ways, but not going to get you featured. Yeah. That’s a different process. And Google that, or we’ll link to some resources. Number 30 is that, of course those creators, they’re going to appreciate those ratings and reviews. And we always talk about how you can have a relationship, you know, build up a relationship over time with your audience. And, uh, yeah. That’s one way that you can communicate with them is, uh, maybe reading those towards the end or thanking people for leaving them.

ROCK: Number 31: Don’t just link to Apple Podcasts link to a universal link, like pod.link or Chartable.

ZACH: Number 32: If you want your guests to share the episode, they were on, make it easy for them. And make sure you’re sharing assets and, uh, helping them with maybe some, some language, some copy that’ll help, uh, present the episode in the best light and make it easy for them to share, uh, which is going to expose your show to their audience, which is growth opportunity for your show.

ROCK: Number 33: You can create a podcast about anything. And I think that’s what makes this…

ZACH: There’s no rules.

ROCK:…such a unique and special medium is again, coming back to number one, there’s no rules and it can be about anything. Uh, and if you want to listen to it, chances are someone else does too.

ZACH: And on that note, number 34 is that, uh, when we say anything, we mean anything podcasting is nowhere near saturated. You may have seen articles about this. I would consider those opinion pieces. I don’t know. The data’s pretty clear. There are so many more YouTube channels than there are podcasts, and there’s a lot of cross-pollination going on there. So. Just focus on making your content and building up a relationship, a conversation with your audience. Uh, you know, um, but one thing you can do to, uh, check on the saturation of your particular topic area is that you can research Amazon to see if there’s like a bunch of books and movies on that topic. Like that might be an indicator, but riches in the niches.

ROCK: Number 35: So creators the, when we talk about creators, the creator economy, that’s who we serve and who we, uh, empower to create content on Squadcast. Uh, what’s I think unique and special about them is that they are a combination of artist, but then also entrepreneur and business person. And, um, that’s why I love serving them is because it just, there’s so many ways to, uh, be creative. Um, and both of those ways really get brought to light in, in content creation.

ZACH: And with Squadcast, like that’s what we strive for in our culture, right. Is to, is to, uh, for both of those things. So ton of, uh, respect and empathy there. And number 36: A podcast or a show just like you were saying, Rock, is a micro media company, you know, you’re, you’re creating stuff, but you’re also a business and that’s a really beautiful combo.

ROCK: The concept of a show extends beyond a podcast. So it doesn’t really matter if it’s audio only, video only. If it’s a show, you know, you can think bigger and beyond your podcast. Podcast is just kind of one channel that exists on a more, a general type of a…

ZACH: Uh, I mean, in some ways it sounds obvious, but in other ways, it’s like, you know, people have an Instagram account or a Twitter account for their podcast, you know? So it’s like, that’s, that’s what we mean when we say a show, right? Is across these boundaries. 38: Podcasting is a slow and steady business. And that business is going to reward consistency and persistence over time.

ROCK: Number 39: Uh, there are a lot of podcast hosting companies in the industry and, uh, we love them all. They’re all, they’re all great people, but there is a lot of them.

ZACH: Number 40: Choosing podcast software, like hosting companies, depends on the goals of your show. So they all have different qualities. Look into those analytics, all that kind of stuff.

ROCK: Number 41: Something I’m pretty big on the barrier to entry in podcasts is low. I do believe that’s a fact, but that does not make it easy.

ZACH: Yup. And number 42: It’s a best to hire for tasks that you don’t love doing. Maybe that’s transcription, translating those transcriptions, editing your podcast. Just whatever seems to kind of feel like work to you. Hire somebody to do it. There are other people who love doing those things.

ROCK: Number 43: Invest in transcriptions. They’re both, uh, they’re important for both accessibility and for SEO purposes.

ZACH: Yes. And number 44 is that your cover art really matters. So you want to make that clear and aesthetically pleasing.

ROCK: Number 45: When promoting your podcast on social media, don’t just drop links. You got to tell your listeners what they’ll get out of the newest episode and give them a reason to listen. Why do they care? Why does this matter?

ZACH: Number 46. You don’t have to have a presence across all of the social media platforms. It’s okay to pick the ones that you like. That’s cool.

ROCK: That goes into note number 47, Zach. Thank you. So just choose the ones that you’re most comfortable with and stick with it. If it’s only Instagram, that’s great. But if it’s going to be spreading you too thin to be at Instagram, Facebook, TikToK, all that stuff where you’re doing all of them crummy. That’s not what we want. Like, if you’re doing one, that’s great. As long as you’re doing it great.

ZACH: And our interview will link to it with Ona Oghogho, like their marketing was all through Instagram, right?

ROCK: That’s who came to mind.

ZACH: That’s a great example. And number 48: Social audio had a big moment with Clubhouse. But RIP and it’s been semi resurrected with, well put together Twitter Spaces. So check those out, form your own opinion. I think that is still early days, but yeah.

ROCK: Number 49: Twitter Spaces can be recorded now. So I think that’s actually one of the cool features that they offer. Uh, in addition to just having so many people already on platform. So it’s a good way to interact with your listeners, community, get new listeners, even that maybe haven’t discovered you yet, but that are on Twitter.

ZACH: Not, not necessarily production quality, but a great way to have a conversation. Number 50 is that TikTok can be huge for podcasters and many people have reported spikes in their downloads from posting relevant content from those episodes. But, it is a lot of work in addition to all the other parts of being a podcaster. We’re going to take a quick break, but we’ll be back soon with more from Between Two Mics.

ARIELLE NISSENBLATT: What’s up Between Two Mics? Arielle here, Squadcast’s community manager. And I want to invite you to send us your audio. Squadcast is all about community. And one of the ways that we honor our community of Squadcasters is by showing off your audio to the world. We want to help you grow your podcast by sharing it with our audience. That’s why at the beginning of this episode, you heard a pre-roll ad from Squadcaster. We also want to use this section, the mid roll, to show you off. So please send us your audio. Tell us about your show. What’s it about? Who you are, how long you’ve been Squadcasting. And send it to squadcast.fm/share. Then tune back into Between Two Mics, the remote recording podcast, and you’ll hear your voice. Again, that link is Squadcast.fm/share. We can’t wait to show you off. All right, let’s get back to the show.

ROCK: Number 51: This is a fascinating stat that we saw from her presentation by Paul Colligan, and it’s that, uh, most listeners listened to about three-fourths, so 75% of the entire podcast episode. Make sure that the last 25% of your show is amazing to increase the chances that they’ll stay tuned in and want to check out the next one.

ZACH: And number 52 is that it’s actually far less on YouTube. That same kind of measurement is, is way less on YouTube. It’s below like 20%. And, uh, we don’t have the source, but we’ll try to find it and link to it. It drops off even more with a livestream and Facebook Live and stuff like that.

ROCK: Number 43: Similar to the one earlier where we were suggesting to take care of your feet. Always keep water while recording to take care of your throat.

ZACH: It’s a lot to talk. And number 54 is that if you’re eating sour things right before you’re recording, that actually helps with your articulation. And, uh, our team recommends green apples.

ROCK: [laughs.] 55: Silence notifications before recording. Seems obvious, but, um, extremely easy to forget.

ZACH: Also part of the environment.

ROCK: But it’s highly disruptive.

ZACH: And number 56 is that before you record, you can run a quick test recording and, um, you can do that on Squadcast just by clicking record, talking to your guests for 30 seconds, click stop. And, uh, you can play back and listen to it right there. That’ll give you confidence that everything’s dialed in and sounds great. Or you can make adjustments real quick. And, uh, that is something that we’re really stoked about.

ROCK: Number 57: So after you publish a podcast episode, the follow-up game is critical. So it doesn’t just end with published. You’ve got to promote, get the guest involved to help them, help you promote the show and then ask them how their experience was. And even if they have any guests that they could recommend. It’s a great way to continue building the relationship, but also continue to create content for your show.

ZACH: And number 58 is just talking with your friends, uh, we don’t consider that a podcast. But it might be, maybe it’s a new category. I’m open to innovation and ideas, but you know, maybe structure is something that can help with that.

ROCK: Number 59: In case you didn’t hear number one, there are no rules. [laughs]

ZACH: And number 60 is that RSS feeds. RSS. That feels like, uh, like a religion. And, uh, maybe, maybe that’s, maybe that’s not a bad thing.

ROCK: Number 61: Which leads into an epic battle of RSS versus streaming. That’s been a big topic of, uh, you know, in the space where, uh, something like Spotify, Spotify, uh, they don’t have RSS. So is that a podcast? I think so, but, uh, not everybody does.

ZACH: Rock, the tab clearly says podcast. It’s a podcast. If you ask me.

ROCK: There you go.

ZACH: Number 62 is that everyone thinks that there’s a discoverability problem in podcasting. And, uh, maybe there is maybe there isn’t, jury’s still out, but, uh, it doesn’t mean there’s not a space that exists for innovation and new opportunities to be discovered.

ROCK: That’s right. 63: Subscribe to all the podcast newsletters out there, both recommendation newsletters and industry newsletters. Your show is part of a larger industry and you should know about it.

ZACH: I love that. And number 64 is one that we highly recommend is Pod News. It’s an incredible resource for daily news in podcasting and James and the team do a fantastic job staying on top of all of that. And, uh, yeah, appreciate all the time Squadcast has been in there.

ROCK: So number 65 while Pod News is a great newsletter to get all the latest news on podcasting, the Sounds Profitable newsletter is a great resource if you want to just improve your knowledge of the advertising side of the business. I really feel like this is a newsletter that actually does a great job of educating and upping your game when it comes to that part of the space. And something that I’ve been… is a huge resource for me. As I grow my knowledge and understanding of that area.

ZACH: Number 66: Spotify is not playing around.

ROCK: Number 67: What the heck is Apple doing with podcasting? It’s very puzzling.

ZACH: [laughs] That’s a good question. And 68 is what about Google? What are they doing?

ROCK: [laughs] Number 69: At least Amazon is making it clear. They’re spending big money buying up shows and content. They’re making it pretty known similar to Spotify. They ain’t playing around.

ZACH: No ambiguity. Yeah. Number 70: There are so many TV shows and movies in 2021 that had podcasting as part of the storyline. Characters were podcasting. Uh, it was super cool to see that. And I think, you know, that that stat of, have you heard the word podcasting? Do you know what it means? That’s going to go away pretty soon because of that.

ROCK: Yup, yup. Number 71. This is something we picked up almost immediately when we entered the podcast space that a significant amount of podcasters are ex-DJs, which I guess makes sense because it’s audio, but, uh, still something that was, uh, something we learned.

ZACH: And number 72, uh, is that podcasting, while we talk to other people, it can be a lonely game. And, uh, you can do something about that proactively by joining  communities to make it less lonely. And that’s where the podcast community is a really magical place.

ROCK: Number 73: Running Squadcaster, so these are like our community members, running their pre-rolls and mid-rolls on our podcast, this podcast, Between Two Mics, is an awesome way for us to involve the Squadpod community. And, uh, if you haven’t already, you can submit yours. So check that out in the show notes and we’ll be reading your your stuff on this show.

ZACH: Yeah. We’d love to feature you. Number 74: Creating squadcast.fm/share increased how folks were sending us their SquadShots, and we can feature more of them. So thank you. Check that out.

ROCK: Homestretch. Number 75: Asking for feedback, genuinely, gets you genuine feedback. On all things, the podcast, the product, dot dot dot.

ZACH: Number 76: Create dedicated feedback channels for customers or listeners to share with you. And that way you can have a dialogue and you can learn and improve together. It’s a beautiful feedback loop.

ROCK: Number 77. I hope this isn’t a too controversial, but we’re going to say that all recordings need to be edited in some way. There’s gotta be something done. How much, how long. I’m not saying that.

ZACH: There’s a lot of opportunities to increase production value, even if it’s just normalizing volume. And number 78, don’t limit yourself to only working with “perfect audio.” Things get recorded and happen in real life. And, uh, as long as the file is usable, use it. Uh, all you need is audio to work with, and you can always kind of record some more, let people know: Hey, this was recorded in this weird way or something like that. But all part of the show.

ROCK: Number 79: Learn the ins and outs of your editing software so you’re prepared to work with less than perfect recordings.

ZACH: And number 80: There are a lot of free plugins that you can download and use in those editing apps like VST plugins, like equalizers, compressors, and mastering tools. All of those are available both free and paid. There’s a whole ecosystem of that. Check that out.

ROCK: Number 81: While you’re editing, save yourself time by learning the keyboard shortcuts for the editing software you’re using. So, I mean, you’re talking, you’re saving milliseconds here, but, uh, I think that stuff adds up.

ZACH: Totally adds up. Number 82: YouTube is your friend as a podcaster, and you can quickly learn anything you need to from our YouTube friends.

ROCK: 83: Always edit from the perspective of the end listener and really anything with the production of your show. You should probably be thinking about the listener in mind.

ZACH: For our company, for our customers. Absolutely. Number 84: Edit with some decent speakers, headphones, and then use everyday headphones, like different levels of quality. And then you can kind of gather multiple perspective of how that mix sounds across different devices. Some people are going to listen to you through your bluetooth speakers on like, uh, on like public transit, right? So you want to know how you’re going to sound in all those environments.

ROCK: 85: It’s good to ask your friends or family to listen before publishing. So it’s great to get feedback, honest and constructive feedback. That’s why I encourage meetups or our Squad pockets, where you can get feedback, even though it can be a little nerve wracking being on the hot seat, but we’ve seen it provide a lot of good ways to improve the show.

ZACH: And number 86. You want to set up and configure your computer to be optimized for editing audio and working in editing software. Audio and video editing software, it uses a decent amount of your computer’s resources compared to like surfing the web or email or something like that. You’re going to use more of those, those resources and optimizing your computer setup with all of that in mind will prevent your computer from getting bogged down while you’re editing really big, long files.

ROCK: Number 87: Trust your ear. If it sounds weird, it’s probably weird.

ZACH: [laughs] We need that on a shirt. Number 88: Take advantage of feedback from your listeners. And you’re going to need a way to get that feedback, which there’s a lot that we’ve mentioned already, but, uh, also don’t take what they tell you personally, don’t take everything personally.

ROCK: Number 89: Don’t be afraid to change things up or try new ways of doing things. It’s all about experimentation and, uh, there’s no rules, baby. So that’s why you get to have that freedom.

ZACH: Segments, also, are a way you can do that. Number 90: You want to be transparent with your listeners, and if you’re taking a break, let them know. If you’re coming back from break, let them know.

ROCK: Number 91: Similar note, if you have poorer than usual audio quality for that day, for whatever reason, maybe you’re traveling and just had worked with what you had or  the guest similar example, uh, just be transparent and upfront about that in the beginning of the episode. That’s happened to us a couple of times and, uh, you’d be surprised. People will forgive as long as you’re just like setting those expectations. And don’t make it a regular part of your show of course.

ZACH: Yep. And number 92: You want to use an external hard drive to store your recordings and those files so that you aren’t using up the space of your computer. You can give all the resources of those editing apps and recording apps like Squadcast, your full resources without having a bunch of stuff saved on your hard drive. You can unplug that external hard drive and also have a backup and a bunch of other good stuff.

ROCK: Number 93. Ugh. I get all the controversial ones. So this is just an opinion, but for editing and producing audio or video content, we prefer at Squadcast, Mac computers, uh, for a few reasons. Mostly pertaining to the performance and not needing drivers for audio equipment, but, uh, don’t come at me for that. This is, uh, this is not my one. This is a team member’s.

ZACH: Get nerdy on you for a second. Windows actually has a limitation where only one app at a time can use the microphone or camera. That limitation just doesn’t exist on Apple products. So something to consider if you’re going to be live streaming or whatever you’re doing.

ZACH: Number 94: While you’re recording, you want to turn off or remove your cell phones and other devices. They emit a frequency that can be picked up on the high end of the recording. And, uh, you don’t want to have to edit that out.

ROCK: Number 95: A bit of a life principle for me, but you can absolutely apply it to your podcast. It’s best to keep it simple. Don’t complicate things with too much unnecessary equipment.

ZACH: And number 96, on the same note, don’t use USB hubs. Plug external equipment directly into your computer. Hot take.

ROCK: 97: Invest in high quality wires for your external equipment. You’d be surprised how, you know, those things will go bad and how, how much it impacts the quality. So factory-provided ones don’t last forever. They’re not the best. So, uh, look for any wires. You got recommendations, Zach? Uh, it’s been a while since I’ve, uh, been in the wire game, if you know what I’m saying.

ZACH: Maybe some braided wires. There’s some really nice, tactile ones out there. And a number 98: Be easy on your computers’ USB ports. They can get worn down over time from plugging in, unplugging, plugging, unplugging, and, uh, that can loosen the equipment’s connection when something’s plugged in. And that can affect your signal chain, your quality. So be mindful of those ports. And number 99: Restart your computer often. It never hurts to restart it or restart your network router about once a week or so. And, uh, that’ll help reset your signal and make sure you’re getting everything you’re paying for.

ROCK: Number 100: And if you’ve made it with us this far, thank you so much. We’re so glad to have you and hope you enjoyed this list. But for our last one, number 100: Podcasting is one heck of a way to build a brand and we’re excited to continue plugging away at it for another 100 episodes, 200 episodes, a thousand episodes. We’re not going anywhere.

ZACH: Yeah. What a milestone. Congratulations. And thanks for being my co-host through this journey together, it’s been a lot of fun.

ROCK: It has, it has. It’s been a great ride and, um, you know, we’re still figuring out ways to be better. Still figuring out how we can improve the show, Squadcast, like it’s exciting times. And I keep telling you, man, it feels like we’re just getting started. And how is that after five years of doing, this three years of this show, a hundred episodes and our best days are still ahead of us for all of those things. It’s pretty wild.

ZACH: I think a lot of our mindset is summed up in these 100, 100 things that we’ve learned. And yeah, it’s just all about finding ways to keep it fresh, keep it new, switch it up, try new things. So we love to practice what, uh, what we’re recommending here. And, uh, it’s led us in the right direction and hopefully it helps you.

ROCK: Wow. We made it. 100.

[music]

ROCK: Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Between Two Mics.

ZACH: If you learned something, or we intrigued you a bit, let us know on social media.

ROCK: You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn by searching for Squadcast FM. This show is put together by us Zach and Rock. It’s mixed and produced by Vince Moreno. With help from Arielle Nissenblatt. Our logo is designed by Alex Whedbee.

ZACH: That’s it for us this week. We’re back next week with more from between these mics.