Monkeypants Productions with Pete Morgan

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Monkeypants Productions with Pete Morgan

We are podcast experts & media trainers. We help you get your message out to a much wider world.
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01/04/2024

Welcome to the Easter Monday !

If you want to keep a check on your score and see how you're doing against the other teams, register your team name here to get started:

http://sbrd.uk/q-IKqGZJCxBEqUSWRFj5bmlQ

As always we'll have 4 rounds of 10 questions. I'll read each question out twice during the round, and then recap all the questions again.

You'll be marking your own answers, so it's all down to honour. Don't forget to put your scores into the scoreboard after each round.

I've done my best to check all of the answers, so I just say this - the Question Master's decision is final!

Have fun!

25/03/2024

Should I use video in my podcast?

18/03/2024

How do I create content for my podcast?

11/03/2024

How many downloads should I expected with my business podcast?

04/03/2024

How often should I publish my podcast?

26/02/2024

How long should my podcast episode be?

01/01/2024

Happy New Year you beautiful. 2024 is the Year Of The Monkey.

(Actually, it's the year of the Dragon - but we've got some new branding, so we're going with that. Thanks for understanding and not being one of those pedantic people that nobody talks to at parties)

Big hugs all round! 🥰🤩🐵

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅

23/12/2023

Welcome to the Christmas !

If you want to keep a check on your score and see how you're doing against the other teams, register your team name here to get started:

http://sbrd.uk/q-2OOwA-dhvUirvgIrYlRviQ

As always we'll have 4 rounds of 10 questions. I'll read each question out twice during the round, and then recap all the questions again.

You'll be marking your own answers, so it's all down to honour. Don't forget to put your scores into the scoreboard after each round.

I've done my best to check all of the answers, so I just say this - the Question Master's decision is final!

Have fun!

06/12/2023

We've been having some fun with the new branding. Are there any costumes that we missed? 🐵🤩

04/12/2023

It's finally here! MonkeyPants Productions has a new look!

A huge amount of thanks to Kate and the team at . They have helped to capture the values, ambitions and passion of MonkeyPants Productions - whilst also keeping the playfulness which is inherent in everything we do!

Can't wait to cover everything in the new branding!

All hail the Monkey! 🐵

03/12/2023

MonkeyPants Is Growing. 1 Day To Go...

02/12/2023

MonkeyPants Is Growing Up. 2 Days To Go...

01/12/2023

MonkeyPants Is Growing Up. 3 Days To Go...

30/11/2023

MonkeyPants Is Growing Up. 4 Days To Go...

29/11/2023

MonkeyPants is Growing Up. 5 Days To Go...

28/11/2023

MonkeyPants is Growing Up. 6 Days To Go...

27/11/2023

MonkeyPants Is Growing Up. 7 Days To Go 🐵🤩

27/11/2023

🐵🤩

14/09/2023

If you've got children of a certain age then you've probably sent them back to school - maybe with a sigh of relief!

This post is linked to that, in that I want to talk about Summer Holidays, Winter Holidays and holidays in general, and looking at taking a break from your podcast.

There are a lot of podcasts that don't make any new content during August, and again during December, and I get a lot of questions about whether this is the right course or not.

Now, you will have heard me say this on a couple of occasions, but there are no firm rules on this.

If you feel that creating content during the summer (and festive) months might be a little too hard with everything else in your life jostling for your time and attention - it's fine to take a break.

What's unclear is whether or not podcast listening declines during the summer. From personal research, there is certainly a drop in business podcasts over the festive period in December, when people reset and spend time away from work.

So - the decision to take a break is a very personal one

If you do decide to take a break with your podcast, there are a couple of things that I'd like you to bear in mind..

First of all, plan ahead. Let the audience know.

Use the intro of your final episode before the break to announce that the podcast is going to be taking a break. If you can, tell me the specific date when it's going to be coming back - at the very least, the rough part of the month "...we'll be back at the end of September"

By doing this, you are strengthening the bond between you and listener. You are showing that you are thinking about them when you take a break and, by announcing it it feels, to the listener at least, that they are included in the process - and that increases their trust in you, and your content.

Also - and so many podcasters don't do this - keep marketing your podcast whilst you're away.

If you're in a position to be taking a break from your podcast, that must mean that you've got some episodes already published.

Just like I've mentioned before - don't let them fade away because they're not the 'new episode'

Schedule some social media posts (with links!) reminding people about the great episodes that they can still listen to, whilst getting excited about when the new episode drops.

So - in summary...

Taking a break is fine, but keep the listener (fans!) informed and make sure that your podcast isn't out of sight, out of mind. Keep talking about it!

07/09/2023

So, I just wanted to talk a little bit about links. As you know, when your episode is published you will see a couple of links from your hosting site.

But, what are they - and when should I be using them? Let's get into it.

The first link is a Direct Download link. You can easily recognise this one because it has .mp3 at the end. This means that it doesn't link to a website, or app - it just plays the audio straightaway.

That's right - it doesn't go to a website, or Apple, Spotify, Google or YouTube - it just plays the podcast without any fuss.

When should you be using this kind of link?

From my point of view, you should be using Direct Download links in the first 6-12 months of your podcast, when posting about it on social media. Your brand new podcast is really only of interest to you and a couple of close friends within your network - with everyone else, it's one of many podcasts that they could listen to.

So - don't put any barrier in the way of them listening to the podcast. One click (on the Direct Download link) and they're listening.

I've been saying for a loooooooooong time that if you're asking a potential listener to click more than twice before listening to your podcast - then you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Please don't do what I've seen one company do; post about their podcast with a link. Click on the link and it takes you to a webpage where the episodes are all listed (who the guests are, what they're talking about etc) and then instructions as to where I could listen to the podcast - not even a link to the podcasting platform!

In all, it was at least 4 clicks, along with loading an app, typing into the Search bar and scrolling down a page, before I was listening to the podcast. The casual listener will get bored way before that...

Listen, I understand that many of you are doing a podcast as part of your digital marketing strategy, so you want to send people to a specific website to listen. That's fine - just make sure that it's as easy as possible to do that!

Talking of links, that brings onto the next one that all hosting sites will have for you - the embed code.

You can tell this by the fact that it looks like a chimpanzee has been banging away at a computer keyboard before giving up after a few lines.

The embed code is the one that lives on your website. When the code is put in the correct place, it creates a little podcast player especially for your episode.

If you're someone who uses your podcast as a part of your lead generation system, then you'll generally use the embed code. People click on the link to listen to the podcast, which lives on a page of your website with all of your wonderful bells and whistles on it - they get interested whilst listening, enter their email address into the available box and Hey Presto! they're a new client.

You don't put your embed code into your social media. The only place that it has any use is on a website.

What about the links to Apple, Spotify and Google Podcasts - should you ever use them in your social media posts?

As with so much in podcasting, the answer is "It depends..."

If you want to get higher in the search results on Apple, Spotify etc - you have to get people to listen to your podcast on those platforms.

Broadly, Apple & Spotify etc, don't care how many downloads your podcast is getting; they only care how many listens you're getting through their platform.

So - if you want to become more popular and discoverable on those platforms, you need to use the links to those platforms in your posts.

I appreciate that a couple of the links are incredibly long, so it might be worth using a link shortening service before posting. That doesn't count as another click for a potential listener, as they aren't aware that they're being taken to one site, that will then take them to another.

In summary, the links that you are using in your posts should change depending on what you're trying to achieve. You should definitely mix them up too. For instance, when I'm doing the marketing for a podcast, the majority of the posts (80%) have the Direct Download link on them, 10% point to Apple, the other 10% point to Spotify.

Hope this helps!

31/08/2023

I want to talk about YouTube and podcasting

"But wait!" I hear you say, "Isn't YouTube all about the looky-eye stuff, rather than the luggy-ears stuff?"

Well - yes and no.

YouTube is definitely the premier video sharing and social media platform. It has 2.1 billion active monthly users and there is 452,000 hours of content being uploaded every single day. Mainly videos of either cats doing funny things, or couples pranking one another.

So - where does podcasting come into all of this?

Well, when it comes to podcasting so many people know about Apple Podcasts and Spotify - but it might surprise you to know that YouTube is the 3rd most popular way for people to find podcasts.

A lot of this was down to when YouTube Premium came along, and people could lock their phones - and still listen to the audio on YouTube.

So, if you've ever asked the question 'Should I have my podcast on YouTube?' more and more the answer should be a resounding 'Yes!'

Now, this is where a lot of people go pale and start to shake, and begin to mumble about seeing themselves on camera...

I see you and I hear you.

Thankfully, putting your podcast onto YouTube doesn't mean having to appear in front of a camera, or be filmed - if you don't want.

I know that some of you are already on YouTube, and that some of you are also in-vision for your episodes - that's great, if it works for you.

If you want your podcast on YouTube, but don't want to appear on camera, or you think that your guests would balk at the idea of being on camera; there's plenty that you can do.

If you're using a Windows PC, you'll have Windows Movie Maker. If you have a Mac, you'll have iMovie.

Both of these are relatively intuitive programs to use. You import the audio of your podcast, drag in the cover image of your episode, and drag the image to last the length of your podcast - Hey Presto! Your podcast is now a video and can be uploaded to YouTube.

It genuinely is that easy.

To start your YouTube channel, all you need is an account - or a Gmail account - and that's it. Doesn't cost you a thing.

The positive thing for you if you're a hobby podcaster, rather than someone who is podcasting about their business, is that YouTube are committed to helping podcasters going forward.

There is already an option in 'Playlists' to list your upload as a podcast - and there are talks of turning YouTube into a self-contained podcasting platform. So, watch this space.

So, for no cost, you can get your podcast onto Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. That's a huge potential audience.

It's a little bit more work, but it's definitely worth it if you're serious about growing your podcast.

If you want to get serious about making sure that your podcast gets onto YouTube, we should talk.

24/08/2023

Just picture it - you've finished creating the masterpiece of an episode; there's an exciting, welcoming intro, the outstanding main part of the episode - then what?

I've had a couple of people recently ask me about the structure of their podcast episode, and what the benefit is of having an outro.

I explained, though gritted teeth, just why an outro is so important to the overall structure of your podcast episode - and why a good outro can go a long way to helping you cement the bond with your listeners; all of whom you want to become a part of your loyal tribe over time.

The latest figures show that podcast listeners generally listen to, on average, about 65% of any given episode. That's because of things like commutes ending, falling asleep at night or, in some cases, honest-to-goodness boredom with the content.

The positive to take away from this piece of information is this:

If they're listening to the outro, they like you and they like you're content. You've got a captive listener - don't waste it.

The outro is where you can reflect on the interview we've just listened to, you can thank the people who made the episode possible, mention the wealth of information that is in the accompanying show notes, remind the listener about rating and reviewing the podcast on the various platforms, reiterate the social media accounts and pages that fans can connect with the podcast on or - if you're very good at planning - you can talk about an upcoming episode.

The outro is also where, on a business podcast, you can do a little more selling.

Now, this isn't an excuse to don your shiny suit and start ramming offers, discounts and your well-prepared patter down the gullet of your listener - but if you've got an e-book, a lead generation freebie or something that is still of interest to your listeners which just might form a part of your sales funnel - the outro is the best place to talk about it.

The danger of talking about it in the intro is that, as many of you will have heard me say many Many MANY times - people don't listen to podcasts to be sold to; they listen because it makes their lives better in some way.

Of course, when they arrive at the outro - all bright-eyed and head over heels about the fantastic content they've just heard - you can talk about your business a little more. Just not too much...

Basically, the outro should never be considered a tagged on thing that is stuck at the end of the episode. It should considered as an integral part of your podcast. Another chance to communicate with your listener - maybe somewhere to be a little more informal, perhaps? - to talk to them "directly".

Now, what I don't want to do, is have you thinking 'But my podcast doesn't really have an outro - am I doing it wrong?'. Of course not. Again, as I've said many times, there are no real rules with podcasting for your business. There's no version of OFCOM that's going to demand that you have an outro on each episode...

All I'm showing you is what the value of an outro is - and how it can help you and your listeners.

You see, I should now really have an outro for this post but, sometimes, I can't even be bothered to finish a se

21/08/2023

How many downloads should my podcast be getting?

17/08/2023

We just want to take a second and talk about the past.

In particular, the past episodes of your podcast.

Hopefully, if you're a podcaster already, you will have quite the catalogue of episodes.

To be clear, anything over 5 we class as a 'catalogue'. Obviously, we're not talking about the Grattans catalogue that your Mum had when you were younger; we're referring to a back catalogue of content that you have created.

Anyway - many episodes in this back catalogue are quite sad.

Why? Because they're feeling unloved, that's why.

Too many times you become fixated on what's right in front of you; in podcasting terms that is your latest episode.

That means that when you're marketing your podcast, all you're talking about is the latest episode.

"Latest episode out now! Download it here!!!!!!"

Quick note - if you're using this many exclamation marks unironically in your social media posts, please stop...

The thing is, your past episodes need to feel the love too.

They're like your children; just because you've got a new baby, it doesn't mean that your older kids don't still need some attention.

Of course, if you have content which is any way time-specific then none of this applies - but so many podcasts aren't time specific. The content, guests and topics covered are incredibly universal - so what's wrong with talking about them months after they've come out?

Stop thinking like a podcast creator - and start thinking like a listener. They've not necessarily been with you since the very beginning of your podcast, so some episodes may have slipped past them.

Why not let them know about the great episodes they've missed, through the medium of your social media posts?

The other thing you can do is keep an eye on the news too.

Even if you're not doing a topical, current affairs or news-based podcast there could well be people, stories, issues or debates that are ongoing, or trending, which tie-in in some way with an episode of your podcast.

Don't miss that opportunity - tell people about it! All the while, of course, making sure that it's as easy as possible for people to listen to said episode. Don't bury it on some website, or just give me instructions on how to find it on Spotify - no more than two clicks, remember?

Now, that's not to say that you should ignore your latest episode - absolutely not - but just keep one eye on what's gone before, and how it could be linked to what's going on today.

Almost every episode that you've ever released will be of interest to a whole new audience - so why not give the archive a bit of love this week and tell everyone about it, as well as shouting about your current episode?

10/08/2023

The beginning of something is always an exciting time, isn’t it?

Whether it’s a relationship, a new job, a product or a whole business; that start, that beginning is a great thing.

So - when something doesn’t quite go to plan, it can affect that spike of happiness and you can feel a little deflated.

That’s why, when a client gets in touch with us, asking this specific question ‘Where is my podcast?’ - we go cold, because we know that it’s taken the shine of what should have been an exciting day.

With that in mind, then, we thought that we would talk about the journey of a podcast episode. From us to the world - or wherever you’re putting it out to.

A starring role in our story is something called the RSS Feed. Now, we could get *really* technical with all of this - but we're going try and stop it from getting too bogged down in jargon.

The RSS feed is, essentially, the web address of your podcast.

There are millions of them out there, and they can only be accessed by a certain app, or piece of technology.

Now, when your podcast gets published, from whichever hosting site you use, what the site does is update the RSS feed with the latest episode.

Anything after this is pretty much out of our control. Believe us, it’s just as frustrating for us as it is for you.

The frustration lies in something called the RSS Crawl.

This is a process that the podcasting platforms - like Apple, Spotify, Google etc - go through. They’re looking at all of the RSS feeds in the world that are registered with them, just to see if there’s anything new to tell everyone about.

These RSS Crawls are a bit of a mystery. Obviously, it’s a constant process which is happening automatically - so no-one can tell you is WHEN it’s going to happen.

That’s why, generally, we schedule podcast episodes to be published just after midnight on the requested day.

That means that, 99.9% of the time, an RSS Crawl will have happened by the time people get out of bed.

That also means that, if a change is made to an episode of your podcast, we say that it could take up to 24 hours for it to be seen on the podcasting platform - because we DO know that the RSS Crawl happens daily - we just don’t know exactly when.

Of course, like so many things in life - children, dogs, significant others - the RSS Crawl doesn't always work like it's supposed to and you jump out of bed - only to find that your latest episode isn't out, or doesn't look like you think it should.

And that's where MonkeyPants Productions comes in. The first thing we do is check the hosting site; mainly because that there is a chance that the error is ours. Once we've crossed that option off the list, we check that there's nothing wrong with the hosting site, or account (have the bills been paid, are the site's servers experiencing downtime?) and then - and only then - do we look at the publishing platform.

Thankfully, problems are pretty rare - but they do occur. Obviously, we look to get them sorted as soon as is humanly possible - but most of the time it's that dastardly RSS Crawl that's to blame.

03/08/2023

I was listening to a radio station the other day (I won’t name it, or the presenter, because what I’m about to say isn’t that flattering) and I heard them say “Don’t forget that [next presenter] is here from [time]” and then carried on with the rest of the link, talking about something on the telly…

In case you haven’t realised yet - this is bad.

It’s bad for many reasons, but the most prevalent one is “Why do I care?”

Unless you’re an avid radio listener, it’s unlikely that you even know the name of the presenter that’s coming up next on whatever station you’re listening to.

So - is their name alone a reason to keep listening to this station?

Towards the end of the show, the same presenter said “I’ll be back tomorrow, to do it all again. Join me from [time]”

The same point can be made here…Why? Why should I make an appointment to listen to you tomorrow? What have you got for me? Am I supposed to just tune in because I like the sound of your voice?

The same is absolutely true for your podcast. When you’re writing an episode outline you should always be thinking “Why should people listen to this episode?” and if the best answer you can come up with it “I’ve got a great personality” then you should really re-evaluate your content.

And if the answer is more than your personality - make sure that you are explicit with that reason when talking about the next episode of your podcast. Your outro should give me another reason to come back and listen to another episode. If you don't have anything specific, give me the 'Big Sell' about why I should be listening.

Always think, and talk about, what is good about *this* episode - and end by giving people a reason to come back, or click on, for the next episode.

There is so much choice out there at the moment you shouldn’t give people the chance to even *think* about going elsewhere.

There's too many podcasters that only consider the 'fans' of the podcast - and that's where you can miss out on a crucial part of the audience. The casual listeners, the ones that aren't a part of your current network - they are the key to taking your podcast from good to great; from 'okay' to 'popular'.

Keep your casual listener at the forefront of your mind when putting your notes together. It’s those people that will help your podcast audience grow and grow.

08/05/2023

Welcome to the Coronation Bank Holiday !

If you want to keep a check on your score and see how you're doing against the other teams, register your team name here to get started:

http://sbrd.uk/q-JM1CAXn7yU6Nf_E2d2k5ng

As always we'll have 4 rounds of 10 questions. I'll read each question out twice during the round, and then recap all the questions again.

You'll be marking your own answers, so it's all down to honour. Don't forget to put your scores into the scoreboard after each round.

I've done my best to check all of the answers, so I just say this - the Question Master's decision is final!

Have fun!

10/04/2023

Welcome to the Easter Monday 2023 !

If you want to keep a check on your score and see how you're doing against the other teams, register your team name here to get started:

http://sbrd.uk/q-eHjq5877Ckq6tO1HMzKEfw

As always we'll have 4 rounds of 10 questions. I'll read each question out twice during the round, and then recap all the questions again.

You'll be marking your own answers, so it's all down to honour. Don't forget to put your scores into the scoreboard after each round.

I've done my best to check all of the answers, so I just say this - the Question Master's decision is final!

Have fun!

20/02/2023

Proud to launch our brand new Podcasting Bootcamp - helping you and your business plan, create and launch a professional-sounding podcast.

A half day materclass which will cover all aspects of podcasting for your business including:

- What's your podcast idea?

- Which format is best for you?

- Creating a title for your podcast

- What should the image for your podcast be?

- Getting the right equipment - and why you don't have to necessarily break the bank

- The importance of planning your podcast

- Planning and recording your pilot episode

- Tips and Tricks for interviewing on your podcast

- The basics of editing and production

- Getting your podcast out to a waiting world

- Marketing your podcast

- Potentially monetising your podcast

There will also be resources to take away with you at the end of the session, as well as the chance for a Q&A to end the bootcamp.

Click the link to book. See you there!
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/podcasting-bootcamp-tickets-556455071097

Address

Telephone

+447949083792

Website

http://www.monkeypantsproductions.co.uk/

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Videos

The Non Pub Pub Quiz #70

Welcome to the Easter Monday #NonPubPubQuiz! If you want to keep a check on your score and see how you're doing against the other teams, register your team name here to get started: http://sbrd.uk/q-IKqGZJCxBEqUSWRFj5bmlQ As always we'll have 4 rounds of 10 questions. I'll read each question out twice during the round, and then recap all the questions again. You'll be marking your own answers, so it's all down to honour. Don't forget to put your scores into the scoreboard after each round. I've done my best to check all of the answers, so I just say this - the Question Master's decision is final! Have fun!

Should I use video in my podcast?

How do I create content for my podcast?

How many downloads should I expected with my business podcast?

How often should I publish my podcast?

How long should my podcast episode be?

Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅

The Non Pub Pub Quiz #69

Welcome to the Christmas #NonPubPubQuiz! If you want to keep a check on your score and see how you're doing against the other teams, register your team name here to get started: http://sbrd.uk/q-2OOwA-dhvUirvgIrYlRviQ As always we'll have 4 rounds of 10 questions. I'll read each question out twice during the round, and then recap all the questions again. You'll be marking your own answers, so it's all down to honour. Don't forget to put your scores into the scoreboard after each round. I've done my best to check all of the answers, so I just say this - the Question Master's decision is final! Have fun!

We've been having some fun with the new branding. Are there any costumes that we missed? 🐵🤩 #everyfacefits

It's finally here! MonkeyPants Productions has a new look! A huge amount of thanks to Kate and the team at @cudoscreative . They have helped to capture the values, ambitions and passion of MonkeyPants Productions - whilst also keeping the playfulness which is inherent in everything we do! Can't wait to cover everything in the new branding! All hail the Monkey! 🐵