As the players get ready for a night at camp they hear a mysterious singing coming from the woods beyond the safety of their fire. Do they charge off to find the source of the voice? Or wait until it drives them mad?
So you want to start a podcast?
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.”
Shows to get your World building brain working!
Let's be honest, we all have a handful of shows that really just ignite our imaginations and set our creativity on fire. This is a list of shows that have influenced my writing style and ultimately my GM style at the table.
Yes, I do realize that they are mostly kids shows but kids shows have a unique way of stripping away the fluff that can get added to shows for prolonged entertainment and each of these shows are powerful tools for improving our world view as well.
When I am shaping my next campaign, short story, or even just need to dive into a creative world these are my go to shows!
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
“The Great Mutant Outbreak of 2017 caused creatures to grow to an incredible size and develop incredible intelligence, forcing humans to scatter for underground. After a giant mutant attack dumps her on the surface far away from her Terrarium home, Kipo gets a crash course on apocalyptic survival. She soon bands together with other surface dwellers--both human and mutant--on her journey to locate home, her father and the missing people of her underground city.”
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is mine and my wife’s favorite kids show in the last few years. It is a powerful combination of progressive ideas combo’d with quick storytelling that instantly hooks you. From the moment you hit play, you are met with a diverse cast of supporting characters that are as rounded and inspiring as the show's namesake.
The Netflix original, produced by Dreamworks, aired right before the pandemic hit and we as a family were looking for things we could all enjoy together. I generally look for original settings and some “hit you in the guts” character development, my wife likes progressive takes on common themes in shows like the interparty romances, and my 5-year old daughter likes big monsters and kids that kick butt. Kipo delivered on all of this and more.
Creator Radford Sechrist moves the show along at an amazing pace filled with a kickass soundtrack, anthropomorphic creatures with unique group identities, and a colorful post-apocalyptic world for the characters to explore. The show is a wild ride of axe-wielding Timbercats and rat-made theme parks that in turn help Kipo show the world that humans and mutes (mutants) can get along and even learn from each other. That people of different circumstances, world views, and experiences can reach a middle ground and work together. Novel concept, I know.
As a storyteller, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is a perfect example of how to add piles of lore to your world while giving succinct quests that allow each character their moments to shine. I genuinely think that is my favorite part of the whole show, each primary supporting character is super rich and rounded to a point that any of them could be the main character of a show and bring the same level of entertainment.
As for the Worldbuilder, this goes to show that you can take basic concepts like the 80’s workout fiend and mold that concept into an entire people to fill your world (Yea, workout love and neon clad Raccoons take this one). You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel and create species, races, and classes from the ground up. Sometimes a simple identifier is enough for players to wrap their brains around and move out of the world navigation and into enjoying and experiencing the world you created.
Over the Garden Wall
An animated miniseries focusing on brothers Wirt and Greg, who are lost in a strange forest called the Unknown. Teaming up with a wise old Woodsman and a bluebird named Beatrice, the brothers travel across the land searching for home.
Okay, so being 100% real with you all. This one aired in 2014 and I didn’t get around to it until 2020, but I would not have appreciated it as much 6 years ago as I did this first go round. Created by Patrick McHale, Over the Garden Wall was a miniseries that ran for a week on Cartoon Network. Oh, and you will recognize a POWERHOUSE cast as Elijah Wood, Collin Dean, Melanie Lanskey, and Christopher Lloyd that bring this fantastic show to life before your eyes.
The show starts you off in a unique setting that feels very familiar in so many ways that you experience a bit of cognitive dissonance as the show progresses and gets weirder still. The writing is the perfect balance of whimsical and borderline eerie as each segment moves the show along, but don’t blink. Each line foreshadows events to come, and scenes lay the foundations for the big reveal at the end.
I have watched the show a half dozen times now and each time I go back and see something I didn’t. I even went as far as turning on subtitles so that I could read between the lines on the dialogue.
This show really drove home the fact that animation is at a level now that it eclipses live action in its ability to evoke an emotional response. These were 11-minute episodes people. 11. I felt like in those 11 minutes I had changed as an observer. Each time going through a mini metamorphosis onset by simple dialogue, great animation sequences, and layers of symbolism.
The show is a perfect example of how to set up a bread crumb trail for the audience or players to follow without giving away the big reveal at the end. As world builders we want to really hone in on the use of references to real world mythos and references. Here is a great dive into this show and the many levels of allusion that it utilizes to drive home that eerie familiar sensation I mentioned before.
The Owl House
Self-assured teenager Luz stumbles upon a portal to a magical realm where she befriends a rebellious witch, Eda, and a tiny warrior, King; despite not having magical abilities, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda's apprentice.
This is another pre-pandemic find that I happened on on social media actually. It was a clip from one of the first episodes and I knew I had to check it out immediately. It felt like the perfect balance of childhood whimsy, fantasy, and Lovecraftian themed horror and that is what it delivered.
From the start we are introduced to our character, Luz, who is in love with the fantasy. The magic of books. The magic of personal expression. But her mother and other authority figures drill home that her differences and crazy antics are anything other than their perception of normal. She created creatures out of the supplies around her. She borrowed from the fantasies she read to fuel her imagination. She desired friends who understood her desire to make sense of the world through magic. Sound familiar? Call your DM/GM and let them know you appreciate them after reading that!
Annnnd then Luz finds her self whisked away in a magical portal to the Boiling Isles, a series of islands nestled in the ribs of a long dead titan.
From there she becomes the apprentice to a con-artist and powerhouse of a witch, Eda who lives her life one step at a time, doing and saying whatever comes to mind with little filter. Over the course of the current season we watch as breath is given to this wonderful body of work. Dana Terrace and team create a world that slowly shows itself and the secrets it is hiding as Luz comes to surround herself with the outcasts, the bullies, and make them her friends. She also shows us that our quirks and our “short comings” can often be our greatest strengths in our personal trials.
Disney broke a lot of their own rules with this and gave us not only this amazing world to view but a same sex love interest that is going to be explored over the course of the season and undoubtedly the rest of the show.
Off to watch something else now!
These are just a few of the shows and media that I dive into when looking for inspiration for some writing or even just an NPC or two to fill my own worlds and game. Other shows I like to come back around to are Avatar the Last Airbender \\ Avatar Legend of Korra, Trollhunters, and Hilda. These all fall within this niche of YA/Kids television that I like to go to.
What are some of the shows you like to dive into when looking for inspiration?
Like the article above? Be sure to check out our other articles and even head on over to our newest podcast, Bardic Babble. We interview creators about the things they create and season 1 focuses in on Tabletop RPGS and businesses that use those in their products!
iTunes: https://bit.ly/babblepod
Spotify: https://bit.ly/bardbabblepod
Tips and Tricks for Micro-Content
Devin Steffens - 6 minute read time.
I have seen a lot of shows that are producing a weekly episode and expecting to see growth, but not leveraging their content for MORE. So, I wanted to take this time and share some tips on how to take small steps to push more out of your content without exhausting yourself.
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. I took the time to find resources that were either free or had a free option in them.
(P.S. We did a Twitter post on this with some amazing links to MORE information on Micro-content and you can find that thread here.)
Micro-Content
According to Marketing Insider Group, Micro-content is short content in any form that delivers stand-alone information. Quotes, Clips, and Audiograms are perfect examples of Micro-content.
For each episode of Bardic Babble we try to make eye-catching and unique looking micro-content for all of our social media platforms so that we maintain a good output of daily/weekly/monthly posts. Now, I know that sounds like a lot of work but what if I told you I spend less than 30 minutes total on all of my social media output for each episode drop?
From left to right: Twitter Quote Post. Instagram Reels/Story. Pintrest Post. Instagram Wall/Facebook/Misc post.
My secret? Templates.
As you can see I use the same quote, a good one, for three different forms of micro-content here. So, while I am doing my editing I am looking for a bit sized nugget of knowledge, something inspirational, or something comedic to lead the social media effort. I then head on over to Canva and dive into their ALREADY MADE templates (I actually have my own templates in Photoshop//After Effects but I went with the most accessible options for this post).
While I am opening Canva I am simultaneously opening Headliner to snag my Audiogram. Headliner is a free/cheap alternative to Audiogram making as opposed to After Effects. I then take my quote that I exported from my interview and plug it into Headliner. Smack some edited photos into the background and export. You can then take that video and plug it right into Canva.
Same picture. Same Quote. Clean and simple micro-content to keep my feeds churning and keeps eyes on my content paths. Engaging on the social media post takes more time than creating it more often than not.
(PS. Make your audiogram something that makes a NEW listener interested in checking out your show. Inside jokes, context heavy quotes, or very nuanced situations can be hard to attract new folxs. Try a 30-45s episode summary if you do an Actual Play.)
Micro-content Benefits
Stylized, Clean, and Simple engagement opportunities on your social media channels.
Continued social media push and post-filtering back to your episodes or RSS feeds.
Maintained brand recognition.
Transcripts
It is the year 2020 and accessibility is key.
If you are plugged into the #ttrpg Twitter space then you know that Accessibility has become a very popular and in demand topic. We have seen the rise of @MustangArts Combat Wheelchair, Safety Tools, and Sign Language being added to games in the last few months alone. We actually did an amazing interview with Rich of the Inspirisles RPG, a game that uses British and American Sign Language in their rule sets. (You can find that episode here)
So why are you not transcribing your shows?
I know the answer, it is time consuming! And it is. It can also be expensive if you are using services that charge per minute. One episode of Bardic Babble would cost me upwards of $55.00 bucks for transcripts. That is why I use Descript.
For a few bucks a month I get a block of hours for transcripts and a 95% accuracy rate. It recognizes multiple speakers and has an Apply All feature that shaves so much time off my edits. It takes your audio file and reads it to you while you edit and the interface is simple and easy to navigate.
For a higher monthly premium, you also get access to 30 Hrs of transcripts, Overdub (text to speech clone of your voice), Filler word removal, and an Audiogram creator. However I find that the lowest tier works best for me.
When I go to do my transcripts I turn it to 2.0x speed and go to town. I then take my final export and plug it into my website on the episode blog post. I have seen shows that add them to their show notes, or at least abbreviated versions of them, or even highlights.
Now I know some people just don’t have the head space for doing transcriptions or may squeeze every ounce of time out of their day just to produce their show, if that is the case head on over to our Service page and connect with us, we charge very little for transcription and occasionally do Pro Bono work for some cross promotion!
Transcript Benefits
Accessible to hard of hearing or hearing disabled folxs.
SEO - every name or product mention triggers some great SEO and can add to your show being easier to discover.
Editing - a new way to see your content where you might have missed an edit opportunity.
YouTube
Now for the big one to round us out. YouTube. The media giant. THE BIG RED BUTTON.
In a Variety article YouTube has 2 BILLION monthly unique users that averages 250 million hours of consumed content per day. That is a potentially huge audience share that you can tap into.
Taking your content and uploading it into Adobe Premiere, Movie Maker, or iMovie is as simple as a few clicks. Then slap your branding in the back ground, maybe do a neat visualizer or some kind of on screen motion element and you have yourself a simple recipe for continued content output.
Not to mention you also have more options for your social media, “Hey, we are over on Youtube now!”
Oh, did I mention Youtube also has a built in Transcription service? The native one is OKAY at best, BUT if you use Descript all you need to do is export a .VTT file alongside your original export and you can just slap it onto your video. You might need to tweak it a bit but it’s nothing crazy.
YouTube Benefits
Easy distribution tool - a lot of websites, social media channels, and blog have built in options for YouTube video sharing.
Potential income source - ad revenue can be generated per video. (it is a tough climb to get here and even harder to stay monetized.
Additional SEO triggers - more places to find your show, more words to get your show out there, new audience that prefers YouTubes interface or application.
Repost
Make your content keep working for you.
Repost old episodes with different media (use a still as opposed to a motion graphic) and tag guests, cast, and crew to keep the impressions up on the posts and keep things in motion on your socials.
Final Thoughts
If you treat social media like it is a job, it will yield results. Treat it like an after thought and your audience is reliant on your show itself to act as their source for information and the harbinger of updates.
Social media and micro-content can be a daunting thing but if you set clear goals for your content and know exactly what you want from it then it can help cut through the anxiety and provide you with a way forward. Also, really pay attention to the analytics. It will show you where your core audience is and where to really focus your social media efforts. We will do another article in the future on podcast data and how to look at it!
Finally, do not be afraid to reach out to channels, shows, or Community Managers that you follow and ask what tools they use or if they would be willing to chat about their process. 9/10 times they are more than willing to give some time to colleagues and fellows in the space.
Youtube and Bardic Babble!
Just wanted to blast this out real fast, we are actively working on getting all of our episodes over on Youtube by the end of the week (8/28). Each episode will have Youtube’s built in transcription service available on the episodes for our hard of hearing folx and we will actively try to get the episodes up there when we can.
We will be adding them about a week or so after the fact so as to keep up with our general work pipeline of having a new episode up on Tuesdays.
We hope all of our listeners will head on over to Youtube and subscribe to us there, we will be looking at ways of adding all of our shows and additional content there for you all to enjoy. Might see some future interview videos go up there in the future. They are normally super fun and full of laughs that get edited out of the final version of the podcast episodes to save on time and pacing.
As you may have already known, we are officially on 30+ platforms where you can enjoy the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Youtube (Now!), Breaker, Castbox, Overcast, Pocketcast, RadioPublic, and so many more. I bet you can find us on almost every platform now, almost. If you find one we are missing let us know and we will get it over there!
Thank you for sticking around and following our shows like you have been, we can’t do this without you and your support! So thank you, adventurers.
See you on the web,
Devin