PodMov Daily: Wednesday, May 5

Episode 422: Your Midweek Update

Awkward Interviews: Survival Lessons from Podcasters

“Awkward interviews happen to everyone at just about every level of podcasting, whether you’ve been doing it for years or are just starting out.” This Wednesday, Larell Scardelli dives into the discomfort with six experienced podcasters. From embarrassing equipment noises to total flops, there’s always a lesson.

After three and a half years and over 180 interviews, Dyking Out co-host Carolyn Bergier suggests leaning into the awkwardness: “One great lesson from being a stand-up comedian is that when you feel like you're bombing, calling it out can break the tension, let you take a breath, and then move past the moment.” 

What should be edited out? Is it worth it to scrap an entire interview? Scardelli answers these questions and many more. “Thanks to our featured hosts, you’ll be armed with some strategies and confidence to navigate the bumps, as well as the knowledge that sometimes, interviews don’t make it. And that’s okay.”

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Peabody Awards Announce 2021 Podcast Nominees

Eight podcast titles — six series and two episodes — have been nominated for 2021 Peabody Awards. The Board of Jurors announced 60 total nominees representing “the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media” in 2020. Winners will be named during a virtual ceremony next month.

• Unfinished: Deep South (Stitcher / Market Road Films)
• Floodlines (The Atlantic) 
• Language Keepers Podcast Series (Emergence Magazine)
• Mic Drop (CBC Podcasts)
• Post Reports: The Life of George Floyd (The Washington Post)
• The Land That Never Has Been Yet (Scene on Radio) 
• The Promise: Season 2 (Nashville Public Radio)
• This American Life Episode #713: Made to be Broken | Act 1 – Time Bandit (This American Life) 

Podcast Clout: Find the Perfect Guest Spot for Free

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The experts at Podcast Clout know what it takes to accelerate your brand: reliable contacts for top-performing shows. Ready to land your next great interview? Take a free test drive, no strings attached.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Message board: An empathy statement will add a cohesive feel across your show, says author and podcaster Jay Acunzo (Unthinkable). The statement is written to the audience directly, answering a critical question: “Why is this for me?” Acunzo shares his own example for a new project.

• Learning curve: Applications are due this Friday for Pineapple Street Studios’ two remote, paid training positions. Both the intern (entry-level) and apprentice (intermediate) will improve their podcast research, story editing, and tape-cutting skills. Roles run from June to October. 

• Final words: How do the pros decide what parts of an interview to cut? Jerome Socolovsky, the NPR Training team's Audio Storytelling Specialist, outlines ‘cleaning up’ recordings. “Remember, you are doing this primarily as a service to the listener, not to make the guest sound better.”

• The algorithm: ‘Influencers’ and ‘social media stars’ have flooded into podcasting, often to bolster engagement across other media. To get a sense of “the incentives, the trend line, [and] the approach,” Nicholas Quah of Hot Pod asked Stephen Perlstein, the VP of Podcasts at Studio71.