Karen, what a fantastic guide on leveraging audio in Substack publications! Your detailed breakdown not only demystifies the process but also opens up a world of creative possibilities for writers and publishers alike. The aspect of adding a voiceover to posts, in particular, caught my attention. It's a unique way to personalize content and create a deeper connection with subscribers. By lending their own voice to their writing, authors can convey emotions and nuances that text alone might not capture. This could be especially powerful for storytelling or for conveying complex information in a more digestible manner. Your tips on the technical side of things, like supported audio formats and how to embed audio effectively, are incredibly helpful. It's clear you've got a wealth of experience with audio on Substack, and your willingness to assist others through 'Help' calls is a testament to the supportive community spirit here. Thanks for sharing your insights, and looking forward to exploring more audio-enhanced posts in the future!
Substack would definitely be better for audio if they had wider support for oEmbed. Using the likes of a Spotify or Apple Podcasts embed limits the audience to these two platforms, which they might not want to (lots of podcasters veer their listeners away from Spotify) or be able to (Apple Podcasts is very difficult for Android users). Ideally, they'd let users add the podcast player that comes with their podcast hosting company, so the analytics for any listens would still be pulled back there.
Yes I agree Substack could do a lot better with its podcasting integrations. If I was a serious podcaster I wouldn't host any audio content here at all, and would send my newsletter subscribers off-platform to listen.
However for a simple audio add-on that is a compliment to a newsletter rather than a stand-alone offering, Substack is good. Using Substack keeps things simple for creators who aren't confident with tech. And it lets creators avoid adding yet another publishing platform to their stack.
Thanks for this post. I'd love to hear more about why you wouldn't post directly to Substack if you were a serious podcaster. I'm a pretty serious podcaster, and while Substack doesn't make the feed setup easy and while the downloads aren't certified, it feels like the benefit of having a streamlined player outweighs those disadvantages. I've been straddling Substack and Captivate (posting every episode to both platforms, with distribution to other platforms via Captivate, but full episodes also available in Newsletters) for a year and it's made it pretty impossible to compare my episode performance, so I really want to pick one or the other and have been thinking of moving everything to Substack, but I'm having a terrible time finding anyone who has done that to compare experiences with. Any advice you can provide would be invaluable.
Hi Aransas, I am still a little suspicious of hosting on Substack. It's partly to do with the access to analytics. But mainly I distrust the other podcast companies' willingness to let Substack 'in'.
With a podcast you really need to be visible where most listeners are hanging out, and I worry that Spotify and Apple podcasts will start to 'punish' audio content hosted on Substack at some point. I have no reason for this, just a distrust of the monumental greediness and enshitification of companies like Spotify and Apple.
I think Dr Nia Thomas of https://knowingselfknowingothers.substack.com/ mentioned moving a podcast to Substack from somewhere else, but I'm not sure of anyone else who has done it. Good luck!
You are a copywriter who specialises in writing text to accompany podcast episodes.
I need you to write me a short podcast episode description.
I want you to use a similar style, structure and tone as the BBC uses. Here are 5 examples from the BBC:
1. From the “pernicious fife-footlers polluting the sooty Victorian cities” to the “fiendish electronic cacophony” of today, Will Self bemoans the ever-increasing difficulty of finding a bit of peace and quiet. He wonders why we tolerate this growing noise pollution, even though we know that high levels of ambient noise cause stress, insomnia and even, if persistent, poor mental health.
2. Adam Gopnik tries to rationalise what lies behind his new obsession - of walking 10,000 steps every day. With the help of his daughter, Darwin and the Cynics of ancient Greece, Adam concludes that, in our search for meaning in life, 'meaning bound around by a number is easier to grasp than meaning left to meander where it will.' 'The act of taking 10,000 steps a day,' he says, 'brings with it a sense of conscious accomplishment that the phrase "a good long walk" cannot'.
3. From clay tablets in Mesopotamia two and a half thousand years ago to the stuff of dreams today, Sarah Dunant examines the continuing mystery of the function and meaning of dreams. 'As science digs further into every nook and cranny of our brains,' writes Sarah, 'the elusive, individual nature of dreams is possibly the most magical element of human existence that remains.'
4. Zoe Strimpel is turning her sights from artsy academic interests to much more concrete ones. Cultural warfare and events in the Middle East have left her feeling, she says, as if she's in a 'ceaselessly enraged world'. So instead of her usual contacts in sociology, anthropology and political science, she's seeking out engineers, agriculturalists and silversmiths - 'people who actually know something about the everyday things we all depend on and how it all works.' 'I find this far more dazzling these days than a new insight on cultural Marxism, and also less depressing,' Zoe writes, 'in a world that feels as if things are in freefall, and increasingly subject to entropic and evil forces.'
5. John Connell reflects on how rain has shaped Irish culture. 'Over the centuries, the Irish - most days anyway - have learned to accept, sometimes even love, the rain,' writes John. But, he says, that is now beginning to change.
Here is my essay:
"[PASTE ESSAY HERE]"
- Please keep them no more than 80 words.
- Write in clear and simple language.
- Start the description with the words "[ADD FIRST WORDS]…"
Brilliant 🤩 I already post by podcast on substack in a different account and was having trouble working out how to integrate it with other stuff-so well explained 🙏
Am having a problem. After recording a podcast on the Substack platform using the Record Audio function, Substack processes and compresses it so it plays speeded up, which is weird. Why is it doing that?
I'm just hitting the Record Audio option for a podcast and using my laptop's microphone. And oddly, it doesn't seem to happen every time. It starts out at normal speed and then accelerates. This was the most recent one: https://suelanimadsen.substack.com/p/ecology-dropped-the-ball-dol-picked
Really useful, Karen, and very timely, as I'm hoping to incorporate audio into my Substack soon. If you have any tips for editing audio, please share 😊
My best tip for editing voice-overs is: try not to.
By that I mean, aim for single-take recordings, correcting minor fumbles as you speak, so you don't have to edit later, and stick to the script so u don't add accidental ums and 'ah's.
I record into the (free) auphonic app, do minor edits there if needed, then process it for volume levelling and background noise reduction using the (free) auphonic engine.
Substack does not do AI speech voiceovers. You would need to feed your post into another service like Revoicer and then download the result, then upload it to Substack.
Thanks, Karen. Another post everyone writing on Substack should read.
This is an excellent read and very helpful. Even someone like me with an audio background finds it confusing but you've nailed it!
So well explained. Thank you!
Karen, what a fantastic guide on leveraging audio in Substack publications! Your detailed breakdown not only demystifies the process but also opens up a world of creative possibilities for writers and publishers alike. The aspect of adding a voiceover to posts, in particular, caught my attention. It's a unique way to personalize content and create a deeper connection with subscribers. By lending their own voice to their writing, authors can convey emotions and nuances that text alone might not capture. This could be especially powerful for storytelling or for conveying complex information in a more digestible manner. Your tips on the technical side of things, like supported audio formats and how to embed audio effectively, are incredibly helpful. It's clear you've got a wealth of experience with audio on Substack, and your willingness to assist others through 'Help' calls is a testament to the supportive community spirit here. Thanks for sharing your insights, and looking forward to exploring more audio-enhanced posts in the future!
Substack would definitely be better for audio if they had wider support for oEmbed. Using the likes of a Spotify or Apple Podcasts embed limits the audience to these two platforms, which they might not want to (lots of podcasters veer their listeners away from Spotify) or be able to (Apple Podcasts is very difficult for Android users). Ideally, they'd let users add the podcast player that comes with their podcast hosting company, so the analytics for any listens would still be pulled back there.
Yes I agree Substack could do a lot better with its podcasting integrations. If I was a serious podcaster I wouldn't host any audio content here at all, and would send my newsletter subscribers off-platform to listen.
However for a simple audio add-on that is a compliment to a newsletter rather than a stand-alone offering, Substack is good. Using Substack keeps things simple for creators who aren't confident with tech. And it lets creators avoid adding yet another publishing platform to their stack.
Thanks for this post. I'd love to hear more about why you wouldn't post directly to Substack if you were a serious podcaster. I'm a pretty serious podcaster, and while Substack doesn't make the feed setup easy and while the downloads aren't certified, it feels like the benefit of having a streamlined player outweighs those disadvantages. I've been straddling Substack and Captivate (posting every episode to both platforms, with distribution to other platforms via Captivate, but full episodes also available in Newsletters) for a year and it's made it pretty impossible to compare my episode performance, so I really want to pick one or the other and have been thinking of moving everything to Substack, but I'm having a terrible time finding anyone who has done that to compare experiences with. Any advice you can provide would be invaluable.
Hi Aransas, I am still a little suspicious of hosting on Substack. It's partly to do with the access to analytics. But mainly I distrust the other podcast companies' willingness to let Substack 'in'.
With a podcast you really need to be visible where most listeners are hanging out, and I worry that Spotify and Apple podcasts will start to 'punish' audio content hosted on Substack at some point. I have no reason for this, just a distrust of the monumental greediness and enshitification of companies like Spotify and Apple.
I think Dr Nia Thomas of https://knowingselfknowingothers.substack.com/ mentioned moving a podcast to Substack from somewhere else, but I'm not sure of anyone else who has done it. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this thoughtful response. I truly appreciate it. I’ll keep digging and circle back if I find any surprises.
Thank you, Karen!
Such great info here. Thank you!
Thanks Karen! I’ve written a good AI prompt that’ll turn my finished essays into punchy podcast synopses. If anyone wants it, happy to share
Oh that sounds great. I'd love to know the prompt, Harrison.
Here's the prompt:
You are a copywriter who specialises in writing text to accompany podcast episodes.
I need you to write me a short podcast episode description.
I want you to use a similar style, structure and tone as the BBC uses. Here are 5 examples from the BBC:
1. From the “pernicious fife-footlers polluting the sooty Victorian cities” to the “fiendish electronic cacophony” of today, Will Self bemoans the ever-increasing difficulty of finding a bit of peace and quiet. He wonders why we tolerate this growing noise pollution, even though we know that high levels of ambient noise cause stress, insomnia and even, if persistent, poor mental health.
2. Adam Gopnik tries to rationalise what lies behind his new obsession - of walking 10,000 steps every day. With the help of his daughter, Darwin and the Cynics of ancient Greece, Adam concludes that, in our search for meaning in life, 'meaning bound around by a number is easier to grasp than meaning left to meander where it will.' 'The act of taking 10,000 steps a day,' he says, 'brings with it a sense of conscious accomplishment that the phrase "a good long walk" cannot'.
3. From clay tablets in Mesopotamia two and a half thousand years ago to the stuff of dreams today, Sarah Dunant examines the continuing mystery of the function and meaning of dreams. 'As science digs further into every nook and cranny of our brains,' writes Sarah, 'the elusive, individual nature of dreams is possibly the most magical element of human existence that remains.'
4. Zoe Strimpel is turning her sights from artsy academic interests to much more concrete ones. Cultural warfare and events in the Middle East have left her feeling, she says, as if she's in a 'ceaselessly enraged world'. So instead of her usual contacts in sociology, anthropology and political science, she's seeking out engineers, agriculturalists and silversmiths - 'people who actually know something about the everyday things we all depend on and how it all works.' 'I find this far more dazzling these days than a new insight on cultural Marxism, and also less depressing,' Zoe writes, 'in a world that feels as if things are in freefall, and increasingly subject to entropic and evil forces.'
5. John Connell reflects on how rain has shaped Irish culture. 'Over the centuries, the Irish - most days anyway - have learned to accept, sometimes even love, the rain,' writes John. But, he says, that is now beginning to change.
Here is my essay:
"[PASTE ESSAY HERE]"
- Please keep them no more than 80 words.
- Write in clear and simple language.
- Start the description with the words "[ADD FIRST WORDS]…"
Brilliant 🤩 I already post by podcast on substack in a different account and was having trouble working out how to integrate it with other stuff-so well explained 🙏
Am having a problem. After recording a podcast on the Substack platform using the Record Audio function, Substack processes and compresses it so it plays speeded up, which is weird. Why is it doing that?
Gosh, Sue, I don’t know why that would have happened…. Must be very frustrating. Have you tried using a different device?
I'm just hitting the Record Audio option for a podcast and using my laptop's microphone. And oddly, it doesn't seem to happen every time. It starts out at normal speed and then accelerates. This was the most recent one: https://suelanimadsen.substack.com/p/ecology-dropped-the-ball-dol-picked
same
Super-helpful post, thanks!
Thank you! Very helpful information! I've been wanting to add audio to my Substack but wasn't sure how to start.
Been experimenting on this ❤️ https://open.substack.com/pub/makepurethyheart/p/important-vs-urgent?r=1zorpg&utm_medium=ios
Really useful, Karen, and very timely, as I'm hoping to incorporate audio into my Substack soon. If you have any tips for editing audio, please share 😊
My best tip for editing voice-overs is: try not to.
By that I mean, aim for single-take recordings, correcting minor fumbles as you speak, so you don't have to edit later, and stick to the script so u don't add accidental ums and 'ah's.
I record into the (free) auphonic app, do minor edits there if needed, then process it for volume levelling and background noise reduction using the (free) auphonic engine.
I appreciate your posts, Karen. Do you know if Substack will ever make a user guide for subscribers versus writers? It is much needed...
Is there a way to add a recording of Substack (an AI like in Medium or in Word) reading your post?
Hi Sarah,
Substack does not do AI speech voiceovers. You would need to feed your post into another service like Revoicer and then download the result, then upload it to Substack.
i believe it already does that. i opted out.