With the right amount of background info and a good prompt, an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude can write you a brilliant podcast description. But does outsourcing this task miss the entire point of the podcast planning process?

Is cold email outreach necessary for contacting podcast guests, or is it almost always flagged as spam and ignored?

Is paywalled bonus content really worth the extra time and effort?

And should you avoid inviting listeners on as guests, or are they an underused source of value?

On this episode, we dig into these four aspects of podcasting before deciding whether to cut or keep them.

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

Does sending over questions in advance help interview guests prepare? Or can it lead to them rehearsing their answers? Does listening at double-speed mean there's more room for your show in your listeners' lives? Or does it miss the point of podcast consumption altogether? And is the Blue Yeti the perfect podcast starter mic, or an overpriced tarpit that gets beginners stuck on their sound?

In this "Cut or Keep?" episode, we'll talk through approaches, beliefs, and tools in podcasting and decide whether we think they should stay or go. Also on trial today are pre-calls before recording, dynamic ad insertion, podcast awards, cold opens, and running in-jokes.

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

"A creative assistant" is a common label many podcasters assign to LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude. There's no getting around it; these tools are incredibly powerful. But what hidden cost do we pay if we outsource cognitive practices like writing and idea development?

In the fitness world, "use it or lose it" is a much-repeated phrase about muscle, and it might be time to treat our brains in the same way. LLMs can help you create more and do it faster. But if you want to create something truly valuable (and retain the ability to do so again in the future), it might be time to slow down, to worry less about quantity, and focus on quality.

On this episode, we also unpacked three other 'hot takes':

• For podcasters, listening is a more important skill than speaking
• Growth is overrated
• You should NEVER interrupt your guests

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

According to a new report from Sounds Profitable, Audio Primes are podcast consumers who listen to at least 75% of their content as audio.

It's easy to imagine these listeners as eccentric holdouts from a bygone age; in it since 2004, fiercely loyal to their MP3 players, and manually downloading shows on the iTunes desktop app. (Not that there is anything wrong with this, by the way!)

But the data shows Audio Primes as an audience that skews younger. To add to their youthfulness, we see a group who are well-educated, high-earning, engaged, deliberate, loyal, and value word-of-mouth recommendations.

On this week's episode of Podcraft, I'm joined by the report's author, Tom Webster. Tom helps us understand more about who Audio Primes are, and what this can mean for us as indie creators in our own efforts to reach them.

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

When Apple Podcasts announced vastly improved video capabilities back in February, I'll admit that my first thought was, "Will anyone care?"

To my mind, if someone already watches video podcasts on YouTube, what incentive would there be to change platforms?

But, I missed one crucial aspect. Delivery.

On YouTube, you can hit subscribe and smash as many bells as you like; there's still no guarantee the platform will show you the new episodes of your favourite podcasts.

This is the crucial difference with video on Apple Podcasts, where you can follow a show and get all new episodes sent to you as soon as they're published.

For podcasters creating video, this provides a real incentive to let your YouTube viewers know there's a better place for them to keep up with you.

The Big Y might be helping you get in front of potential new fans, but can you trust it to serve up your new content to them week after week?

Even if the answer is "yes", it's brilliant to have other options available. And on this week's episode of Podcraft, I thoroughly enjoyed picking the brains of Buzzsprout's Alban Brooke, who really has his finger on the pulse with all of this.

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

Does agreeing too much make for boring conversations? Will your podcast fail if you don't listen to other shows? And does the definition of a podcast really matter?

We tackle these hot takes and more on this week's Podcraft. It was a fun yet thought-provoking chat, and we're really enjoying the new format. Here's the full list:

• No one cares what microphone you own
• Authenticity is just a lack of effort
• You should challenge your guests more
• You should stop worrying about trying to reach Gen Z
• You need to be a podcast listener to be a good creator
• If you don't listen back to your episodes, no one else will
• Agreeing too much is boring
• The definition of a podcast doesn't really matter

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

Back in November, our Independent Podcaster Report found that only 15% of creators were actively monetising their shows. Of those that did, the majority were running ads and sponsorship.

If you missed it, ​the full report is here​.

This week on Podcraft, we got into the thornier side of that: can ads erode audience trust? Are they an annoyance? And how many is too many?

We picked apart some other claims, too:

• AI voices will become indistinguishable from real hosts
• One viral clip can change everything
• YouTube rewards podcasters more than podcast apps do
• If you don't have 5+ hours a week, don't start a podcast
• Your podcast idea isn't unique
• If you're not getting feedback, your podcast isn't memorable

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

If you build an audience on a third-party platform, it's often said that you don't "own" that audience. But does this miss the point of what an audience actually is? That's just one of the discussion points this week as we continue our 'agree or disagree?' journey through podcasting.

• Are Solo podcasts harder to grow than interview shows?
• Are interviews the laziest form of podcasting?
• Is owning your email list more important than growing your podcast?
• Will AI replace most podcast editing within 2 years?
• If you let AI write for you, will you lose the ability to write?
• Are long-form podcasts dying?
• Does consistency matter more than quality?
• If your podcast isn’t growing, is it your fault?

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

"Podcasting should never feel like hard work".

It sounds nice, but is it true? If it were that easy, wouldn't everyone have a massively successful podcast?

On the latest episode of Podcraft, we’re back with our “agree or disagree” format, running through a few statements and giving our take on each. Here's everything we discussed...

• You should plan at least 10 episodes before launching
• The narrower the niche, the better
• Audiograms still work in 2026
• It’s okay if your first 3 episodes sound bad
• You might as well host on Spotify - it’s free
• Short episodes perform better
• Weekly publishing is unrealistic for most people
• Podcasting advice creators are part of the problem

Podcraft is brought to you by Alitu and The Podcast Host

Is your podcast growth at the mercy of "the algorithm", or do you have more control than you think?

On this episode of Podcraft, we run through a few statements about podcasting and debate on whether we agree or disagree with them.

• Podcasters need to keep in touch with industry news and trends
• Paid subscription requires extra work or content
• Podcasters control their own discoverability
• YouTube is now more important to podcasters than Apple Podcasts
• Sponsor and ad reads should always be host-read
• Guesting on other podcasts is overrated

Also mentioned:

• Colin's Creator Business Page
• Alitu: The Podcast Maker

How do you know if your podcast sponsorships are actually driving results? Here are four practical ways to track listener engagement and show sponsors what’s really working. These tips make it easier to prove value, strengthen partnerships, and grow your show’s revenue!

Mentioned

• Alitu: The Podcast Maker
• Google Campaign URL Builder