I was messing around on Spotify when “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” came on, and about halfway through it hit me: there’s no real chorus. It’s the same riff from start to finish, broken up only by a quick background vocal moment and that famous chant near the end. (Fun fact: when one of the background singers asked what they were singing, Michael told them it didn’t mean anything.) Put on headphones and give it a listen. The production is amazing, but underneath all the percussion it’s one simple riff doing its job.

In this episode I share three lessons that song taught me about podcasting:

• Start simple. I see it on Reddit all the time: new podcasters asking about three-camera shoots, lighting rigs and neon signs. Then a few months later someone is selling that same gear because it turned out to be a heavy lift. When I auditioned for bands, I learned the few songs they asked for, not their whole 40-song set. Start with audio, or a phone on a monopod and a couple of wireless mics, and figure out if you like doing this before you spend $6,000.
• If it works, don’t change it. That one riff makes you bob your head and sing along. If your show is getting comments, emails or other signs of engagement, be patient and keep doing what you’re doing.
• Be creative. Michael found a way to insult the press that I’d never heard before or since. Find your own fresh way to say things.

Links mentioned

• “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” on YouTube

Want help starting (or growing) your podcast?

I’ve been podcasting for over 20 years, and I love helping podcasters. Join me at The School of Podcasting and use the coupon code listener on a monthly, quarterly or yearly plan. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

I’m Dave Jackson, and I want to be your podcast consultant.

Back Up Your Podcast Before Your Hard Drive Decides For You

My 4TB solid-state drive started disconnecting from my computer about once a day. Luckily, my podcast files were already backed up. In this episode I explain what a real backup is, which files are worth keeping, and why a hard drive failure is a matter of when, not if.

In this episode:

• What counts as a backup. A backup means copies in two different locations. Your internal drive plus an external drive in the same house isn't enough. If your house burns down, you lose both copies.
• My setup. I keep my files on an external drive and back up everything, external drive included, to Backblaze. I also use iDrive as an extra cloud copy.
• How I organize my files. I have a Podcasts folder with a folder for each show. Inside each show are Production (intro music and similar files), Episodes (one folder per episode), and Finished (the exported final files). I record and edit from a saved Hindenburg template.
• What you can safely delete. In 20+ years, I've never gone back to rebuild an old episode from its raw files. I keep the project files for about a week in case someone spots a problem, like 10 seconds of dead air. After that, I keep only the finished episode.
• If your episodes are live, you haven't lost them. If they're still on your hosting platform (Captivate, Buzzsprout, Blubrry, etc.), you can download them again. The files you used to make them are replaceable.
• Back up your files, not your software. You can always reinstall programs like Audacity. Back up what you create: audio, documents, spreadsheets.
• Hardware always fails eventually. My drive was only half full and about four years old. Cars, dishwashers and hard drives all wear out.
• Export your email list regularly. Your email list is one of your biggest assets, and there's no algorithm between you and your subscribers. Export it every so often in case something goes wrong with your provider.

The bottom line: Keep one copy at home, on your computer or an external drive, and one copy online.

Links mentioned:

• Backblaze (affiliate link)
• iDrive
• Hindenburg
• Audacity

Want help with your podcast? Join the School of Podcasting at schoolofpodcasting.com and use coupon code LISTENER for a monthly, quarterly or yearly plan. Every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you sent out a survey and got zero replies, that's actually an answer — it means you aren't connecting with your listeners or you asked the wrong thing. I know that stings, but hey, congrats, you found the sound of crickets. We need to sell the survey better, tell people how their answers will make the show better, and ask specific questions instead of "give feedback." Be persistent, offer a small prize, shout out anyone who helps, or take voicemails if forms feel stiff. I even tell a yellow-roses story to show that nice gestures alone won't cut it. If you want, I can help — we can fix this together.

Takeaways:

• I put out a survey and got no answers, and that told me we are not connecting with listeners.
• We learned silence can be useful: it shows either a weak connection or bad positioning of the ask.
• I tell podcasters to sell the survey like an ad, explain benefits clearly, and ask more than once.
• I used the yellow roses story to show doing what you think is romantic can miss the point entirely.
• I advise asking specific questions, giving shout outs to responders, and using voicemail if forms flop hard.

Links referenced in this episode:

• podcastconsultant.com
• schoolofpodcasting.com