As you can see from the (not so) prolific output here, I tend to only write a post when I feel it is something that is relevant to the podcasting community, as was the case with my last post, 28 Podcasts So Meta, They All Cover the Topic of Podcasting Itself, back in November of 2015 (yikes). Or I think it’s something that can add value to my fellow podcasters.
As regular listeners to the show, Podcast Junkies, may already know, I’m a huge proponent of working productively and I rely on a wide range of tools and services and equipment to keep things running smoothly week over week.
Some of these make my life easier, while others make it easier for me to work with my team. A lot has changed in the 2+ years since I started the podcast. Some of the tools I first used are no longer available and new (better and faster) replacements pop up all the time. I sometimes have to fight the ‘shiny object’ urge to play around with the latest toys.
Below you’ll find the latest and greatest list, broken out by categories.
[UPDATE – Sep 27, 2016: It's actually 68 now. How could I have forgetten my accounting software, Xero?!)
[UPDATE #2 – Feb 3, 2017: Gotta give a shout out to the NeuYear calendar that stares at me in the face everyday and recent podcast supporter Shure!]
Communication
Skype — I’m sure there’s no big surprise that as an interview-based show, this is at the top of the list. It’s how I conduct 90% of my interviews. For those that don’t know I typically run the interview using the Skype video feature. It makes for a more interactive conversation. The key is to not record the video, as that will create an unusually large video file. Make sure that is turned off in settings.
Call Recorder — The easiest way to record a Skype conversation. This plug will record each side of the conversation separately.
Pamela — This is Call Recorder equivalent if you’re on Windows. I tried it only once, but thought it would make sense to include here as an alternative.
Slack — I hate to over exaggerate, but I really love this tool’s ability to help minimize email. I’ve seen other groups begin to use this and I’m sure, if the channels are not organized efficiently, everything ends up in one spot. I also use this with clients.
Storage & Hosting
Dropbox — Given how often we use this, it’s likely a close second to Skype in terms of importance. I’ve upgraded to the Business version for unlimited storage, as it’s something I use with clients as well. I really love the new feature added recently that allows you to edit Microsoft documents right in the browser! Since I don’t have Office installed, it’s come in handy a few times.
Evernote — The ultimate note taker. Don’t forget to install the Chrome plugin as well (below)
Google Drive — As far as online storage goes, we definitely make use of this as well. Again, more on the client side if that is their first preference
Google Apps — For only $5 per month, you can have Google Apps manage your domain, which will give you access to their whole suite of tools.
Hover — Simple domain registration, and they support a great cause!
Bluehost — A great starter hosting company. There are always good deals and I haven’t had a problem with them since I hosted my first domain over 10 years ago!
WP-Engine — This is where I host the site now. Rock solid and the best choice if you’re looking to have a bit more stability for your growing traffic.
Finances
Xero — I've been a long time user and fan. That doesn't necessarily mean I do a great job of reconciling my transactions on a regular basis (discussion for another time), but it's an incredibly important part of my show and business.
Marketing
Mailchimp — We’ve been using them since Day 1, and for what I need it for, it’s great! They now have automated sequences, which I’m using for the Podcast Junkies newsletter, and I’ve created lists for my other projects as well. I love the visual interface.
SumoMe — This is how I collect email addresses on the site and one of the first plugins I recommend to podcasters,
LeadPages — I’ve used LeadPages in the past to create easy landing pages for some of the offers I’ve made to listeners of the show. I’ve also used it for webinar registrations. It connects to your mail provider and a ton of other integrators.
ClickFunnels — This is a relatively new player in the landing pages scene and they’re becoming very popular. It helps you create sales funnels and membership areas through a easy to use intuitive interface. I need to spend some time here in the next few months and see if it makes sense to dig deeper.
Typeform — Absolutely beautiful form creation, which you can use in a variety of different ways. I love the fact that you can embed them on your site as well.
iTunes — This one might seem obvious, but it bears mentioning, given that it’s the biggest way podcasts are discovered.
Teamwork
Asana — Great for documenting the specific steps that need to be completed for each task related to the podcast.
Trello — A great free project management tool that easily lets us see the status of each upcoming episode.
LastPass — LastPass remembers your passwords so that you can focus on the more important things in life. That’s exactly what it does for me personally and our clients share their logins this way as well.
NeuYear – A great laminated wall calendar that is a great way to see an entire year's worth of projects in one shot. 3rd year running…
Local Apps
AText — How people live without this tool amazes me. Speed up your workflow with quick key command snippets that auto expand into full text. I use this for bios, URLs, etc.
TripMode — Since I’m Skype a lot, I’m always looking for ways to maximize internet bandwidth. This $8 app was created to help those who travel a lot and have limited data plans. But I use it all the time during Skype calls, so I can limit which apps use the internet at any given time. Needless to say, you don’t want to be syncing files while you’re recording an episode!
SnagIt — This is one of those tools that is always sitting in my Task Bar. It’s how I grab screenshots and record quick videos to share with the team.
Keynote — I used to be a big PowerPoint fan, back in my cubicle days. Now that I’m exclusively Mac, my go-to presentation app is always Keynote. I’ve also been playing around with creating social media posts in there as well.
f.lux — From a productivity and eye-health standpoint, this one makes total sense. It adjusts the color of your monitor to adapt to the time of day, eliminating the harsh blue light as the day progresses into evening.
Production
Libsyn — Here is where we host all of our podcast media files. I’ve been a happy customer since starting the show. Use promo code “PJHOST” for a free month.
Spreaker — Another heavily trafficked podcast directory. Depending on the plan you sign up for, you can get additional visibility for your show.
Auphonic — A fantastic tool for processing your edited MP3 files. Their audio algorithms normalizes, masters, and levels out your audio. Just upload your recorded audio and they’ll do the rest. 2 hours free per month, then reasonable pricing plans. I’m a big fan!
Calendly — Absolutely the best way to schedule guest interviews and other one-off meetings. You can now embed it in your site, which I highly recommend!
Streak — Although advertised as a CRM tool, the fact that it seamlessly integrates with Gmail was the best part of it for me. I use it to keep track of my communication with current and future guests.
WiseStamp — I use this service to create a customized e-mail signature which helps to promote the podcast and the most recent episode. There’s an easy-to-add browser extension (below), and a fast email signature generator.
CastSource — I know that a lot of folks recommend Rev.com, but these guys are a smaller shop, and I haven’t looked back since. They do a fantastic job of transcribing episode for myself and my clients. The best part is the custom output they provide, TXT, DOC, HTML, whatever you need!
Equipment
Shure SM7B – An industry standard and Marc Maron's go-to microphone. It has a flat, wide-range frequency response for exceptionally clean and natural sound.
Apple MFi (Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad) Certified for direct connection to any iOS device without the need for any additional adapters or connection kits. This is going to be fun to play with!
Audio-Technica ATR2100 — I started out with this microphone, which provides both USB and XLR outputs. Incredibly reliable!
HEIL PL2T Boom Arm — Although the ATR2100 comes with a basic tripod, I highly encourage you to to invest in a boom arm so that the the microphone is isolated from the desk. It also frees up space on your desktop!
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 — Although I started with only the microphone, I eventually wanted to add a boost to my sound and invested in this rock-solid sound card.
Shure SRH840 Professional Headphones – I did not realize how sexy headphones could be!
Karma — This is a fantastic wifi hotspot, which only charges you for the bandwidth you’re using. No monthly charges. Even better, for everyone that signs on using your hotspot, you get 100MB free!
Sales
Amazon — I’ve been an Amazon Prime user for years, and the free shipping has saved me hundreds of dollars I imagine. If ever I was in the need for an additional ATR2100, or whenever I need something related to the podcast, the first place I look is Amazon.
Share-a-Sale — Don’t forget to sign up to this affiliate manager, as it connects you with several of the products which you can then promote on your site to receive a small commission.
Chrome Extensions
Amazing Affiliate Link — Automatically applies an Affiliate Tracking Id to webpages ensuring that purchases are credited to that Associate.
Colorzilla — Get a color reading from any point in your browser, quickly adjust this color and paste it into another program. You can analyze the page and inspect a palette of its colors. It’s been extremely helpful in tracking down specific HEX codes for colors.
Evernote Web Clipper — As you might imagine, since I’m such a Evernote fan boy, I had to find the fastest way to get content into Evernote from my browser.
Facebook Pixel Helper — This one’s a bit more advanced. For those that have started to play with Facebook Ads, you understand the importance of installing a Facebook pixel on your site to help with tracking the effectiveness of ads. This tool helps you validate your pixel implementation.
Figure It Out — So simple. So helpful. Beautifully displays the time zones you work and play in.
The Great Suspender — Saves computer power by turning off tabs you haven’t used in awhile. Another no brainer.
LastPass — If you’ve already installed LastPass (above), then you should have been directed to install this plugin.
Streak CRM for Gmail — Required for Streak (above) to work correctly.
SumoMe — Required to connect to your SumoMe (above) account.
WiseStamp — Required to be able to use your WiseStamp (above) account.
WordPress Plugins
(not all-inclusive, but these are the important ones)
Simple Podcast Press — A fantastic player, created by a great guy, Hani Mourra. He really has his finger on the pulse of what podcasters need, when it comes to making their audio accessible within your show notes page.
AdRotate — Simple ad rotation tool
Calais Auto-Tagger — Performs semantic analysis of your posts to suggest tags
Click To Tweet — Add click to tweet boxes to your WordPress posts, easily.
CryptX — Hide all your email adresses, with and without a mailto-link.
Disqus — This comment system replaces your WordPress comment system with your comments hosted and powered by Disqus.
SpeakPipe — Allows your customers, podcast listeners, blog readers and fans to send you voice messages (voicemail) right from a browser without any phone calls.
Pretty Link — Shrink, track and share any URL on the Internet from your WordPress website.
Yoast SEO — All-in-one SEO solution, including on-page content analysis, XML sitemaps and much more.
Productivity
Zapier — The king of automation! This tool allows you to connect apps you use every day to automate tasks and save time. You don’t need to be a developer, anyone can make a Zap!
IFTTT — For basic app connection, I would recommend starting with this. It gives you creative control over the products and apps you love and lets you create recipes to link them together.
Fancy Hands — I can’t rave enough about this service. I’ve been using it for years. They’re a team of US-based assistants at your fingertips. Use any device, at any time of day, and they will tackle anything on your to-do list!
Followupthen.com — I know a lot of people swear by Followup.cc, which was one of the first ones in this space, but I gravitated toward FUT. It’s a great way to clear out your inbox and never forget to followup.
UpWork — Formerly eLance, this is a great go-to resource for an extra set of hands for those one-off projects.
99Designs — A great way to get a wide variety of samples for your iTunes cover art, eBook cover, or any other graphic-design need you have coming up!
Social Media
Edgar — We’ve been using this tool since its inception. I’m also a huge fan of the founder, Laura Roeder, and recently had the chance to see her speak in person. This tool lets you manage your social media posts to Twitter and Facebook.
There you go!
Those are the 67 tools we use to keep things humming along at Podcast Junkies HQ every single day.
How many of these resources are you using from this list? Any I should check out that are not on this list? Let me know in the comments below.
