On this episode of Podcast Bay, Scotty speaks with George Rock, a radio-style podcast enthusiast with a huge love for music. His background in music and the way he looks at podcasting is what made Scotty want to get him in as a guest: He's driven, he's making moves, and he's adding a production element to his podcasting endeavors before going after something even bigger.

George compares on contrasts the podcasting industry and radio industry, and how podcasters really want to help one another succeed.

-Trash-

Building an audience is a tricky thing, and George shares some of his early struggles: from having 3 regular listeners, to growing that to 300+ per episode. Scotty goes into depth about why a few loyal listeners are a lot more valuable than thousands of download numbers.

Poor production value is a pet peeve of George's. Things like plosives and popping sounds into the mic, or background noise that could easily be avoided. Obvious edits also drive him a little crazy. Editing is not supposed to be noticeable, and audiophiles can tell if something was stitched together poorly.

People who need constant validation to do a podcast drive him a little crazy. If you have doubts about your idea, iron them out and then get to it when you're 100% sure. If you have to ask for validation every step of the way, this may be a sign that podcasting, or at least the topic you have in mind, may not be right for you.

-Treasure-

George loves and is driven by the opportunities in the podcast industry. He loves the production element, the events, the meet ups and the communities. He loves the momentum and forward thinking that comes with it, as opposed to his less-than-helpful experience with radio.

The accountability that comes with running your own show keep George going. He likes being completely responsible for what happens to his show, good or bad.

-Tricks-

Patience is a massively helpful thing to have, or adopt if you're going to be podcasting. It takes a while to build an audience, it takes a while to learn the skills, and it takes a while to hone the craft and develop it into an art. Nothing happens overnight, so it's good to have a degree of patience, and realistic expectations of this.

Mic placement and having a proper quality mics would be a massive help in establishing that “perfect for radio” sound that everyone is after. Just knowing what gear to buy, and where to place it can make a huge difference in the sound quality of your podcast.

Small minded thinking can get to any podcaster. Come into this with high hopes, big dreams and lofty goals in mind, understand that they will take time, but if you come into this with small ideals, you'll only grow to that level. It's crucial to have a confident mindset in this game or things will seem a lot harder than they really are.

-Quotes-

“You have to be a bit sick of how conventional radio works”

“I've always wanted to do the radio thing”

“If you're thinking about it, and asking me about it, then you're not sure about it”

“Whatever happens to this podcast is my fault”

“If you go into this saying 'I don't really want to make money at this' then you've already lost”

-Links-

www.worldrockcountdown.com

More Podcast Bay:

www.podcastbay.net