Since the inception of this show, almost 3 years ago now, I have always had a Co-Host. For some shows, a Co-Host may not work out well, however, for most, having a Co-Host is almost like breathing new life into your podcast.

Many podcasters begin solo and they do alright, then over time, the broken toaster effect starts to set in (we all remember the broken toaster episode a few weeks ago) and then the podcaster simply vanishes into the night, never to be heard from again.

Enter the Co-Host. This is a person who mans the “second chair” for your show. Kind of like Ed McMahon to Johnny Carson…ok, I just dated myself there, didn’t I? But I think you get the idea.

A couple of years ago, I had an idea for a business oriented show here on Talkshoe. I invited Patti Serrano to join me for the first show as a guest host and the mix was just right and I asked her to stay on as a permanent Co-Host for that show. We ran that show for almost 1 and a half years and it was very successful as a downloaded show.

When I started this show, it was started as a Talkshoe Support show and Tommy Vallier, then the only support rep for Talkshoe, came in on my first episode and became my Co-Host and was here for more than a year before he moved on to bigger and better things. As time progressed, this show evolved and I picked up another Co-Host, Jeff Chandler, who went on to start up his own Wordpress Weekly show, something he had done prior, and is still going strong today. After flying solo for a few months, I then invited Josh Budde on as my current Co-Host. This show is more of a two host style show and it just flows better with two hosts.

Of course, prior to bringing Josh on, I brought in the concept of Segment Hosts. A Segment Host is kinda like a Co-Host, except they only do a short 3 to 5 minute segment during your show. Maybe this would enhance your show, much like it did mine. A Segment Host can add more details to any show and the nice part about a Segment Host is that they don’t have to talk about what you are talking about, thus adding content to your show.

Now, consider your show that you have right now. Depending on the niche you are serving, you may be able to bring in a Co-Host easily and begin enhancing your show. So, just how do you find this ever elusive Co-Host? Easy! Start listening to other shows that are in the same niche that you are serving. If you can’t find one that way, look at your current listeners and see who is coming in faithfully on most every show. Start by asking them, as a group, to see if there is any interest. If you have more than one, then you can pick and choose, otherwise go with your gut and give this person a try out and see if there is a fit.

Now, you have a Co-Host, the next step is to set a time, once a week, if your show is a weekly show, for example, to get together on Skype or a Private Call and put your heads together and decide how the show will progress and collaborate on Show Notes, etc. to make sure you will have a good flow. I would suggest using something like Google Docs to collaborate your Show Notes, so that both you and your Co-Host can easily make modifications to the notes and both can easily stay on the same page.

Also, don’t forget, that when you have a Co-Host, you need to include your Co-Host in certain activities and discussions that will give your listeners a different voice to hear during your show.

Now with Segment Hosts, this operates a on a little different scale. With a Segment Host, they will most likely be talking on a subject that is different from your main show and something that they are familiar with. Because they aren’t really involved in the main discussion of the show, give your Segment Hosts their 3 to 5 minutes (or how ever long you have decided for them) to do their spot and then take back the reigns again and continue on. There is normally no collarboration with Segment Hosts, unless they are centering their segment around what you are talking about on that show. For example, if you have a Movie Review style show and you have a segment host coming in, they may want to know what movie you will be reviewing so that they can talk about when this movie is being released to DVD or maybe some special features that the DVD release will offer.

Ok, let’s say you have implemented a Co-Host and maybe even some Segment Hosts. Should you give them space in your blog or web site for their own show notes, commentaries, etc.? You betcha! Make sure that your Co-Host has their own category or seperate space and each Segment Host too. Now, not everyone will want to do this, but make sure you make the offer just the same!

Listen to this extended version of the show in the player below!

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I just wanted to take a minute to thank a few regulars to my show for their awesome work and attendance to my show, Podcaster Training. Each of these individuals play an integral part of making my show a success and I felt it was time they were recognized.

First and foremost, Patti Serrano, @iGrandma on Twitter, has been a huge part of my show, even back when we produced a show together more than 2 years ago. She now has her own shows she produces, such as Call Your Grandma and she still finds time to come on every Friday Night and give a segment on The Business of Podcasting.

Josh Budde, @JoshBudde on Twitter, has really blossomed and is not only producing a segment on Podcaster Training, but is producing several of his own shows and doing a great job too!

Jeff Chandler, @jeffr0 on Twitter, was my Co-Host for a short time and is now back in the saddle again with his ever popular WordPress Weekly show that airs on Friday Nights at the same time as my show. Jeff still takes some of his valuable time and records a segment for my show and my listeners are always looking forward to see what he has to say!

Michelle Trent, @michelletrent on Twitter, produces a segment on Social Media and can always find some unique sites for us to visit! She also produces her own shows and is still on every Friday Night with a new site for us!

Dave Cooper, @daveac on Twitter, is a regular on the show and our friend from the UK. He always has some great input about the topic of the night or about something happening in the New Media World and adds a great deal to the show! Dave is involved on some other shows on Talkshoe and produces his own video blog.

Bruce Turner, @blueridgebruce on Twitter, is another regular on the show and has filled in for me as a Guest Host and has added a great deal, even on short notice, like the video he sent me last week pertaining to the main topic of remote podcating. Bruce produces his own shows on Talkshoe and uStream and even does remote broadcasts for others.

Thank you all from Podcater Training! It is because of each one of you and the other listeners that make my show the success it is today!

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Tonight, we discussed another chapter from the book, Podcasting For Dummies by Tee Morris. The chapter was entitled, Podcasting For Passion, and it has a lot of great information, much that we have already covered in previous episodes, but always bears repeating, about how to inspire passion and how to keep the passion alive in your podcast.

If you don’t already have this book, I would highly recommend you pickup a copy and read this. You can find a link to Amazon.com at the top of this post.

Patti Serrano had a lot of great things to say about passion in podcasting too! Listen to this episode in the player below!

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Last week, we began talking about suffering from digital burnout. We interupted our main topic for a really great interview by our own Patti Serrano, so this week, we will conclude our discussion.

Now, we have already talked about what digital burnout is and to finish our discussion this week, I am going to talk about how a broken toaster relates to podcasting and burnout. Or more aptly put, your podcast is not a broken toaster.

A former Co-Host of this show, Tommy Vallier, came back one evening talking about a gentleman that spoke at a conference and he talked about broken toasters. Tommy explained this and I went back into the archives and found his explanation. I am going to play this for you now, just as it was recorded more than a year and a half ago.

Ok, thank you Tommy for helping us relive that moment from a past episode. I went out and found the transcript for this presentation that Tommy talked about and yes, it had some rough language in it. To summerize it though, Neil Gorman, the presenter here, started by saying that his presentation was about broken toasters, William Shatner and podcast burnout. He went on to say that podcast burnout is known by many other names including pod fade, flash in the pan, and taking a hiatus. Sometimes podcasters decide that they are not going to do their show anymore, for whatever reason.

So, we have to agree that we all want to avoid podcast burnout, right? Do we all agree on this? I hope so, that way we are all on the same page here. I really want you to get a couple of things out of tonight’s training, a better understanding of how to avoid podcast burnout and how to have fun podcasting.

To better understand podcast burnout, you have to look at motivation. What motivates you to become a podcaster. What is it that makes you hungry. If you look at your world before you became a podcaster, what mostly did you see? Usually someone trying to sell you something. The whole point was to find customers and sell them a product. Not a bad idea, sometimes irritating, but still, we buy stuff and don’t mind being sold, especially if it is something we want to buy!

Ok, now look at the big boys out their with their marketing departments and big budgets, they can reach a larger audience of customers without trying too hard. Lots of radio stations, both big and small, operate primarily from ad based revenue. Why do advertisers spend money on radio stations…one reason, a built in audience of customers just waiting to buy something.

Ok, then came something called podcasting. Now, anyone can come along and for a few bucks a month, start talking to all sizes of audiences. The myth is, if you build it, they will come! This isn’t always the reality, is it? But, I’m straying from the subject here.

Let’s look at William Shatner for a moment. How is William Shatner like podcasting…he was a symbol on Star Trek, the final frontier. Podcasting is a frontier and like in Star Trek, podcasters are seeking out new possibilities in this new frontier. As podcasters, we explore ways to make our podcasts bigger and better. We look for ways to seek out new people to listen to our ideas and our shows. We try new and innovative ways to appeal to a general audience. But then one day, we realize, hey, we aren’t getting paid to do this, so why should I keep going on week after week, day after day. You try everything, but the burnout starts setting in and if you don’t do something to stop it, it will overtake you and the next thing you know…you stop producing your show and usually never look back.

Now, let’s talk about broken toasters. What do you do when your toaster breaks? You go out and buy a new one! Why? Because they are cheap enough to buy and they are disposable, mostly. It’s not like you have an emotional attachment to your toaster. Sometimes your old toaster won’t do bagels and you just started eating more bagels, so you go out and buy one that will do bagels. Or your toaster starts burning everything you put into it, no matter what setting it is on, so you always get burnt toast, even on a light setting. What you have to remember here is, your podcast is NOT a toaster! You can’t just go out and start a new podcast when the old one doesn’t perform right.

The thing about your podcast is, you’ve invested a lot of money, time and energy and even your passion producing it. Over time, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but think about this, maybe you start off with about $20 a month, then over a few months it becomes $40 a month and then maybe you buy some new equipment one month and there’s an additional couple of hundred bucks, then you add a new web site, more hosting, an auto responder, more new equipment…it all adds up to a bunch of money invested into this little hobby of yours. What I’m saying here is, after this kind of investment, don’t treat your podcast like a broken toaster and just throw it out. Take some pride in it and take some ownership and look for ways ways to fix your podcast.

Look for ways to change your show around, do a mini-series, add a co-host, change your niche or topics, change the format of your show, add some music…most importantly, talk to your listeners and find out what they are looking for. Don’t throw up a poll on your web site, actually talk to them. Do a special show and get their opinions. Most importantly, make your show fun to do again. When you podcast becomes work or a chore and you start dreading firing it up, take some time to see where the magic went and then go re-invent that magic again.

Well, now you learned at least one thing during this episode. What is that? Your podcast is NOT a broken toaster! If you are thinking of shutting down your podcast or you think you are getting burned out on this whole podcasting thing. Find someone in the podcast community and talk to them first. There are a lot of hosts on Talkshoe that would be willing to lend an ear and many on this program will do that too! Better yet, if you want to talk about this in a group setting, Podcaster Training is here to help!

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