Tips from industry fellows on how to improve your podcast.
So, I have been wading into the deep end on #ttrpg twitter and there is a large and ever growing community of content creators who are diving into podcasting, blogging, mapmaking, and other facets of the Table Top Role Playing Game niche. But would you be surprised that during my conversations with some of them they made some pretty avoidable mistakes but didn’t have any where to turn for answers? So, I wanted to compile a list of tips, tricks, and advice from some of the guests and friends of the Bardic Babble Podcast on best practices when it comes to podcasting specifically. We will circle back around on Blogging, MapMaking, and writing for the DMSGuild/DrivethruRPG in future articles.
For now let’s dive into podcasting.
Now, let it be known that as of April 2020, there over 1 million podcasts with 30 million total episodes in circulation. That is of ALL podcasts world wide according to Podcast Insights. That means there is a lot of competition, but it also means there are a lot of tools and resources available to you if you know where to look.
In the #ttrpg space there is really 3 kinds of podcasts that you see:
1. The Interview Show: Bardic Babble, Tabletop Babble, Role For Persuasion, Iron Bound Chest, and many others. These are shows that bring on a guest and chat with them about their role or attachment to the space.
2. The Actual Play: Dungeons and Daddies, Critical Role, Dungeon Dads, Discount Dungeons, and many many others. These are shows that use a tabletop RPG rule set to record a show that is generally a) improv heavy b) themed c) a group of close friends.
3. The Deep Dives: Dungeonpedia, Crit Academy, and Dragon Talk . These are shows that dive into the mechanics of a system, keep up with the news around large systems like D&D or Pathfinder, and aim to be more educational than anything.
Where there are fringe cases where there is a 4th or 5th classification, but these are the three main ones I see popping up so I want to stay focused and narrow on this.
What kind of content do you want to make?
So, the biggest but easiest of the hurdles to manage is the, “I want to make a podcast, but on what?”
When I worked in live-streaming the company I worked for had a mantra that we always told our clients and followers, “Make the content you love.” It is an age-old adage that anyone who has taken a creative writing class has been drilled on. But it is the simplest and “best” bit of advice I personally can give content creators.
So once you have searched your soul, the stars, and consulted the medium down the road in that rundown pizza place and you have found the art you want to make, you need to research the devil out of it.
Research - Naming
This is hands down the most important part of getting your show off the ground and one that a lot of people skimp on. I don’t know if it is a byproduct of creative prevalent ADHD or simple laziness but research is, in my experience, where people put in the least amount of effort.
You don’t want to accidentally name your show after someone else’s property, 1) because it reflects poorly on you, and 2) it mucks up your SEO and SEO is king when it comes to shows.
Here are my research steps when I come up with a new show or creative idea:
1. Google it — seriously, a lot of things can and will be triggered by a thorough search. Try different variants of the title too. Add “podcast” “show” and “channel” to the search or rearrange the wording. Bardic Babble and Babbling Bard for example.
2. Way Back It - TheWayBackMachine is a powerful tool that can search across time and space for show websites and landing pages.
3. Podcatchers - Head on over to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts and put the name you want in the search bar and see what comes up.
4. Business Look-up - I generally pop onto Copyright.gov and check to make sure that it isn’t claimed. Some larger companies start here and work out from there for their titles so sometimes it can be lurking in the wings.
Now mind you, this is just for looking up a name that I like. This doesn’t take into consideration looking up if someone has claim to the web domain, social media handles (on all major platforms), similar titles, and if the show title is “Sticky” or remember-able. Once you have run the gamut of securing your name you can head on over to your platform of choice and start building out your show.
Research - Fellows in the field
Now for my favorite part, seeing who else is making this content. I generally try to build a tab wall or excel sheet full of other content creators who have a similar show to mine. I will consume as much of their content as possible and even make some notes. You aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel here, you are trying to fulfill a creative urge and make something, so why not see what those before you made and how they did it?
1. You get to see what you like about the medium, the content, or the style. OR what you don’t like and want to change for your own show.
2. You get access to their field work. Tools, keywords, guests, styles, themes, and so much more are laid bare for you to pick through and combine in different ways to make your own show!
3. You can network. Reach out and talk to these folks to see about challenges they faced or things they wished they knew when they started. Most of the time fellow content creators want to help other content creators, it helps to build good relations in the space and as they say, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
