Buzzsprout Weekly

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Hey, Podcasters!

Most podcast advice focuses on how to keep your show going. But this week on Buzzcast, we explored a different question: When is it time to start something new?

We're not talking about quitting podcasting. In fact, quite the opposite.

We're talking about when a podcast naturally reaches the end of its run. 

Sometimes it's because your interests evolve. And other times, you've learned so much from your first show that you're ready to apply those skills to a n...

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Hey, Podcasters!

It feels like every week there's a new post asking the same question:

"Should I start a video podcast?"

With video showing up in more podcast directories, and with Buzzsprout ​now offering video plans​, it's easy to feel like you're falling behind if you're not recording every episode on camera.

Video can be a great fit for some shows! It can help if your content has a visual component, if you want more options for promotion, or if your audience enjoys watc...

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Hey, Podcasters!

A lot of podcasters assume getting booked as a guest is all about having a huge audience or impressive credentials.

But that's usually not what hosts care about.

Hosts want guests who have something clear to contribute and make the conversation interesting! 

This week on Buzzcast, we’re joined again by Alex Sanfilippo, founder of ​Podmatch, to talk about how to actually get booked on podcasts.

One of the biggest takeaways: your guest profile should not read like...

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Hey, Podcasters!

When most people talk about “repurposing” a podcast, they usually mean turning it into marketing content: clips, blog posts, newsletters, or social media.

But this week on Buzzcast, we talked about using your podcast to create entirely new experiences for your audience.

We looked at podcasts that turned recurring segments into conversation card games, created kid-safe spinoff feeds from existing episodes, and even organized real-world field trips around their show topics.

The common thread was that the best repurposing crea...

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Hey, Podcasters!

I have big news to share: video distribution to Apple Podcasts is now available to all Buzzsprout podcasters.

You can now upload video files to Buzzsprout and send video episodes directly to Apple Podcasts, while Buzzsprout continues distributing audio everywhere else.

Apple Podcasts is one of the best places to reach podcast listeners, and now your audience can choose how they experience your show:

...all inside A...

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Hey, Podcasters!

If you're anything like me, updating ads and announcements used to be a hassle.

Anytime I wanted to swap a promo, update a sponsorship, or change a call-to-action, I had to go back and edit each episode one by one.

That was until I learned about Dynamic Content!

Dynamic Content lets you add and remove time-sensitive content across your entire back catalog, without re-uploading anything.

So instead of old promos and outdated messages sticking around forever, you...

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Hey, Podcasters!

I talk with podcasters all the time who don't launch their shows because they think there are already too many podcasts about their topic. 

They might be right; the category could be crowded.

But instead of focusing on a category, they should be focusing on their niche.

This week on Buzzcast, we break down the difference, and it’s one of those shifts that changes how you approach your entire show! 

A category is broad: busi...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

For a long time, ​podcast transcripts​ felt like a nice extra. We knew they were helpful, but not necessarily essential. 

That’s changed!

If you’re on one of our current paid plans at Buzzsprout, we’re now automatically generating transcripts for your new episodes. 

And the timing couldn’t be better!

Transcripts have become one of the most useful tools you can have for your show. They make your podcast more accessible, help search engines and AI understand y...

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Hey, Podcasters!

Think about the last time you checked out a new podcast.

You hit play…and within a minute or two, you decided whether to keep listening or move on.

That’s not unusual. In fact, a huge chunk of listener drop-off happens in the first few minutes of an episode! 

Your intro is your podcast's first impression!

What Your Intro Needs to Do

A good intro is about giving listeners a reason to stay...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

You’ve heard it at the end of nearly every podcast: “Follow the show, leave a review, check out our website, join the newsletter…”

A classic call-to-action list. By the time it’s over, you’ve already tuned it out!

The problem isn’t that CTAs don’t work, it’s that most of them ask too much.

This week on Buzzcast, the team breaks down how to create a call-to-action that listeners actually complete without turning your podcast into a list of chores.

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Hey, Podcasters!

For years, we’ve said one of the fastest ways to grow a podcast is by guesting on other shows.

But we hadn’t really ​tested it ourselves​. So this year, we did! 

Jordan ran an experiment testing cold outreach, guest platforms, and everything in between and ended up getting booked on 8+ podcasts.

What surprised her the most was how easy it was!

Being a podcast guest isn’t about having a big audience or impressive credentials. Most hosts...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

A few weeks ago, Kevin tried something a little nerdy.

He fed Buzzcast’s entire back catalog (titles, downloads, durations, and transcripts) into ChatGPT to see what patterns it could find.

Within a few minutes, the AI was pointing out things we hadn’t noticed in years of producing the show. Which topics perform best, what kinds of conversations create the most engagement, and even how each host contributes to the flow of the episode!

It also surfaced opportunities to improve: bette...

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Hey, Podcasters!

Over the years, we’ve received quite a few emails from podcasters in a panic!

Their latest episode had been removed from a directory because they used a popular song for the intro.

Most of them assumed it was fine because they credited the artist or weren’t making money from the show. But most music is protected, and using it without permission can lead to takedowns.

If you're using music in your show, the safest route is to use podcast-safe musi...

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Hey, Podcasters! When I first started podcasting, I thought editing meant fixing mistakes. 

I would cut out ums, clean up the noise, and try to remove a pause or two.But I remember finishing one recording that was technically "perfect," and the episode was still hard to follow. That's when I realized editing isn't just for audio, it is also about telling a story!

This week on Buzzcast, the team is talking about audio content editing: how to shape the dialogue so your interviews feel tighter, clearer, a...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

Over the past year, it feels like every headline has been saying the same thing: video is the future of podcasting.

Then Apple announced, “Video arrives this spring.” And naturally, a lot of podcasters started wondering… should I be doing something about this?

In this week’s episode of ​Buzzcast​, the team unpacks what Apple’s new HLS video support actually is, and who it’s really for right now!

The team also takes a practical look at the economics of video, how platfo...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

At nearly every conference or meetup, someone says the same thing: “I didn’t realize how much I needed to meet other podcasters.” Because most of the time, this work happens alone.

But that isolation doesn’t have to be part of the job. For many creators, local podcast meetups have helped turn solo work into a shared community!

This week on ​Buzzcast​, the team sat down with Badr Milligan, host of ​The Short Box Podcast​ and co-founder of ​JAX Podcasters United​, to explore how a small m...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

If promoting your podcast on Instagram feels exhausting, you’re not imagining it! A lot of podcasters are putting in the effort on social media without seeing much return.

In this video, we talk about a better way to think about podcast promotion! 

Instead of forcing your show into one platform or chasing trends, the focus is on thinking outside of the screen in more creative ways. 

Small shifts in how and where you share your show can make promotion feel more...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

When you first start a podcast, everything feels exciting! Every recording is new, and every episode feels like progress towards your goal.

But somewhere around six months in, that can change. Suddenly, what once felt exciting now just feels like routine, and podcasting slowly begins to feel more like work than a creative outlet.

In this week’s ​episode of Buzzcast​, the team is talking honestly about what happens when podcasting stops being fun, and how to bring that joy back without walking away fr...

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Hey, Podcasters! 

In today’s world, it can feel like every opinion has to be final. But when something you’ve built starts growing in a new direction, it's okay to rethink what made sense at the beginning. 

If your podcast name came to mind while reading this, you’re not alone! After talking with so many podcasters at Podfest, it’s clear that some shows evolve beyond the name they started with.

The good news is your podcast name can be changed at any time! 

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Hey, Podcasters! 

Our team is back from Orlando and had a blast seeing so many of you at Podfest last week! 

The meetup was definitely a highlight of the conference for me. It is so encouraging getting to talk face-to-face, hear what you’re building, and get to know the people behind the podcasts!

It reminds me that podcasting is about a lot more than just download numbers. And that mindset shows up all over this week’s episode of Buzzcast. 

​In t...

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Hey Podcasters! 

As much as I love being a podcaster, I don't love promoting my show. No matter what strategy I try, it always feels awkward! 

I want people to listen to my show, but I cringe posting the same “new episode out now” message every week.

But promoting your show doesn't need to sound desperate. In this ​video,​ we show a different approach. 

You’ll learn how to turn your podcast stats into shareable content using Podcast Pla...