Showing posts with label Ileane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ileane. Show all posts

Monday, December 31, 2018

How to Create an Anchor Only Episode and Get Community Feedback

Did you ever wish you could get feedback from your friends on a podcast episode before it was released to Apple Podcasts?
Or maybe you want to add audio clips from other podcasters before your episode is finalized?

You can do that and more by posting an Anchor Only episode that can only be listened to by users in the Anchor app or on your Anchor podcast show webpage.


Take a listen to this episode to see how and why you should produce an Anchor Only Episode to get feedback from the community on your work-in-progress podcast.

Head Over to Your Computer

The key to creating an Anchor Only episode is using the desktop browser to finalize things before you hit publish. From the desktop you will see this right before you publish.

Notice the by default, your episode is set to "Publish everywhere".



All you need to do is toggle off this option (remember this only works on desktop, and it is not available from mobile).

Published Only on Anchor

Now that you have toggled the switch and published only to listeners in the Anchor app, you will continue to see the following prompt:
"This episode is published, but can only be heard on Anchor."
Followed by a huge purple button that says:
"Publish everywhere".
Here's how the message looks when you login to the app and open the episode.

But, Why Would You Want an Anchor Only Episode?

Here are a few examples of how to use an Anchor Only episode.
  • You did an interview and you want to let the interviewee listen beforehand
  • You are building a special episode that is based entirely on listener feedback
  • You are testing a topic idea to see if there is any interest
  • Can you think of other ways to use an Anchor Only Episode?
When you "finalize" an episode and publish it to all of the other podcast directories (like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc.) your current subscribers will download the file from your RSS feed. If you add any additional content to your episode they will never know! Only the newer subscribers from after you added the last piece of content forward will hear the episode in it's entirety.

Now of course, I'm not suggesting that you change your workflow. I just wanted you to know that whenever your current episode is a work-in-progress, think about logging into your account from the desktop browser and publish to Anchor Only!

For more Anchor tutorials, click here to checkout this playlist on YouTube.



Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Get Started with Free Podcast Hosting on Anchor

Free Podcast Hosting from Anchor.fm

Starting a podcast has been on your to-do list for ages right? People always tell me that one of the things that prevents them from starting a podcast is the cost. Well what if I told you that you could start a podcast for free. Yes, that's right, all you need is an idea and a smart phone and you can sign up for free podcast hosting from Anchor.fm.

Watch this short video to see how easy it is for you to start a podcast fast!

The next thing you might be worried about when it comes to your podcast is the technology. Or maybe you think that you need a lot of equipment to start your podcast, but trust me you really don't. All you need is your Android phone or iPhone and you are good to go. So grab your phone and let's get started with your brand new podcast.

Don't let the tech get you down, because you can rest assured that you'll be able to master the tech easily with all the free podcasting resources here on Anchor Boot Camps.

This site features tutorials from Dr. Dan Davidson, Avie Uniglicht and your's truly Ileane Smith. Together we have years of experience with teaching and training people just like you the craft of podcasting on Anchor and a whole lot more.

Where do you go from here?

After you sign up for your Anchor podcast you'll want to start listening to other stations and connecting with people who will support you on your podcasting journey. Join us on Facebook in either of these recommended Facebook Groups:

Anchor Boot Camps - The companion Facebook Group to this website and blog.  Share any questions or ideas you have about the Anchor app.  Blog posts from this site will be published in this group.

AnchorsAwave - The original Anchor Tech Facebook Group by Avie Uniglicht.  This group is great for general Anchor discussions and tips moderated by Avie (@AskAvie) and for advanced techies and geeks!


Anchor Voices - Where you can post, publish & promote your Anchor content.  Your content will be considered for the upcoming Anchor Voices book project - moderated by Dr. Dan Davidson @AnchorTalk

Leave a Callin if You Need More Help

You can callin to any of our stations if you have a question and you would rather get help inside the Anchor App. Here are our station links:

Monday, January 1, 2018

How to Optimize Your Anchor Profile

The Perks of Completing Your Anchor Profile

In your haste to become a podcaster, you may have neglected to fill out your Anchor profile in it's entirety. Maybe you added your profile pic already, but there are a few other features of your profile that you don't want to overlook!

After all, your Anchor profile says a lot about you and it can be the key to the growth of your Anchor Channel. You just launched your very first Anchor station and you are ready to turn your segments into a podcast. This is so exciting! You have always wanted to have your own podcast and Anchor makes it super easy to get your podcast up and running and listed on iTunes!

In your haste to become a podcaster, you may have neglected to fill out your Anchor profile in it's entirety. Maybe you added your profile pic already, but there are a few other features of your profile that you don't want to overlook!
After all, your Anchor profile says a lot about you and it can be the key to the growth of your Anchor Channel.

Your Profile Tells a Story

When people are on Anchor and they are tying to decide which stations they need to favorite, you might only have one shot at winning them over and convincing them to favorite your station.

With these tips you can be sure that people know what to expect from your station as well as how they can connect with you on other platforms above and beyond your Anchor podcast.

Here are the fields you can complete on your profile:


  • Profile Images
  • Name - 21 Characters
  • Anchor URL - 25 characters after the slash
  • Description
  • Your URL of choice
  • Your email
  • Your Password
  • Twitter connection
  • Facebook connection
  • Apple Music
  • Spotify
  • Station Archive (toggle)

In the video above I'll walk you through each section and help you set up a winning Anchor profile.





Saturday, December 23, 2017

Benefits of Using External Microphones on Anchor

Anchor Supports External Microphones

In this episode I explore the use of external microphones to record your podcast on Anchor.fm 

You'll also learn about the difference between condenser mics and dynamic mics and why so many podcasters love using the ATR2100 dynamic microphone.

Here are some things we need to consider concerning the audio quality of our shows:

  • Type of microphone
  • Room acoustics
  • Your technique for speaking into the mic
  • Your audience and what they expect from you

One additional note about this episode, you'll notice that I'm using an embedded player from Spreaker. Click here if you want more information about Recording a Podcast with Spreaker.

Introduction to Auphonic

Auphonic is a web based application that you can use to improve the sound quality of your recordings. Listen in as I play clips of audio before and after using Auphonic. Any audio that you record externally can be sweetened with Auphonic and uploaded to your Anchor station using Anchor's web based clipper tool

Monday, December 4, 2017

How to Create a Podcast Widget for Your Blog

You can promote your Apple podcast by adding a widget to your blog's sidebar. In this video, you'll see how to create the widget on your  Blogger blog or your self-hosted WordPress blog. 

Go to the iTunes Widget Builder to create the widget for your blog. You'll find a pull down button and from there you can choose Podcast Playlist. This will open a dialog box where you can search for the podcasts you want to add to your sidebar. You can see the one I added here on Anchor Boot Camps over on the right (if you are on your desktop computer).

If you are on your mobile device, this link should open in your browser so you can see the widget.

More About iTunes Widget Builder

At the top of the page on the iTunes Widget Builder, you'll find links to create other cool promotional tools for your blog or any other goodies you have in the iTunes store.

Thanks to Dr. Babe for her callin to my station asking about the podcast widget. 

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Tips for Growing Your Anchor Show

In this episode, you'll learn tips to help you grow your Anchor station and get more listeners for your show.

I take some Callins about how people found the Anchor App, which leads to the conversation about how to improve your content and attract your target audience. You'll hear how Anchor can be a testing ground for your content ideas.



Sunday, November 26, 2017

How To Get More Subscribers for Your Anchor Podcast

How to Get More Subscribers for Your Anchor Podcast


In this episode, learn how to find your Anchor Podcast RSS feed and use it to get more subscribers for your show. 

Saturday, November 25, 2017

The Importance of Formatting Your Podcast Episode Descriptions

How to Edit Your Podcast Episode Descriptions on the Anchor App


It's good to know that when you add links to the descriptions of your episodes they will be clickable in most podcast apps. 

Here is an example of the text I copied from my notes app and added to the description for this video:
(note: the phone number will open in a new window and place the call from your phone.)



Learn more and connect with Ms. Ileane
215 703 8316
Thanks for listening! Click this link to share this podcast on Twitter ▶️ ileane.link/TweetTheAnchorShow


Friday, November 24, 2017

Anchor Stats - Tracking Your Segment Listens

Understanding Your Listens on the Anchor App



In this video you'll see where to find the stats for each of your Anchor segments. You'll also learn how to use the information to provide valuable information for your listeners based on how they engage with your content.

Topics covered in this Anchor Stats demo:

  • Importance of Applause and comments 
  • Listens can sometimes happen by mistake
  • In app listeners versus web listeners
  • How to get more web listeners
  • Notifications for applause and comments
  • How listens accumulate on segments shared from your archives aka "Echos"
  • Difference in listens count that appears in your archive
  • Active station listens versus archive listens 

You can listen to the episode here:
If you have any questions, be sure to Call-in at https://anchor.fm/ileane 

How to Create an Anchor Only Episode and Get Community Feedback

Did you ever wish you could get feedback from your friends on a podcast episode before it was released to Apple Podcasts? Or maybe you wa...