Continuing Studies: for Higher Ed Podcasters

Hello, Continuing Studies listeners,
welcome to another episode, but

this episode we're doing something
a little bit different, aren't we?

Jen?

Yes.

I'm really excited about this
episode because we have one of the

OGs of Continuing Studies podcast,
our very first producer, also the

Wizard of Higher Ed Pods Directory.

And just our friend Gregg.

Hi Gregg.

Hi Jen.

Hi Neil.

And hello listener.

Wow.

Quite the, that's quite the welcome, Jen.

I love that.

I want you to give me a welcome now.

I'm excited to be me right now
even, I'm so excited by that intro.

Yeah.

That's good.

Let's not get 'em too excited here.

So today we're just going to spend a
couple minutes chatting and updating

everyone on Higher Ed PodCon.

Which is the first inaugural
one, which I'm excited about.

And you two have been working
tirelessly with a few other great guys.

Elvin, Joe.

And Dean.

Yeah, we are.

And we are at a place where we can
start to talk about the agenda and

some of the speakers as well too.

So we thought we'd just sort of
give everyone an update on that.

And just to remind you, it's July 12th.

In Chicago.

It's a jam packed one day event.

You're gonna get your money's worth.

We've got a lot to cover off.

Yeah, I mean, this is a particularly
exciting thing and I think for the

listeners of this show, it's been
talked about so much about community

within higher ed podcasters.

And how oftentimes the guests
will talk about how lonely an

enterprise it is as a podcaster and
particularly as a higher ed podcaster.

'Cause oftentimes people are so siloed
in their work or they're doing it

off the side of their desk or you
know, all these sorts of scenarios.

And this is a fantastic opportunity now
for all these incredible people to come

together and learn from one another.

So yeah, we're gonna hang out people.

It's gonna be great.

And the thing Neil and I also hear a
lot is, Neil and I have been going to

conferences for the last four years.

That's how we met.

And in one of the early ones that we were
at, there were a few higher ed podcasters.

And I remember Neil, you put together
a little shindig where it was like

we meet up at the one in Denver, a
little meetup, and there was only

a few of us, but that was their
complaint, is that there's not enough

podcast information on higher ed pods.

So now we're doing it.

We're doing it.

So now we've got a website.

Now there's a conference that's
going on and a fantastic agenda.

Neil, you sort of alluded
to the agenda that's there.

I mean, first up, Matt Abrahams is the
keynote speaker, not just one of the

great podcasts within higher education,
but one of the top podcasts in the world.

A huge listenership and a
friend of us here on the show.

So I'm really excited that Matt is gonna
be there and is going to share with us.

And then actually there's a
whole bunch of previous guests

on this show in the three tracks.

Neil, how about you
describe the three tracks?

Yeah, so we've got three larger
tracks and we're gonna run concurrent

workshops, is what we're calling them.

So the three tracks are, the first one
is strategy, growth, and discovery.

So really thinking about your
podcast from a strategic perspective,

tips and strategies to grow
it and to get it discovered.

One of the areas in there that we wanna
dive into, and we've got a couple people

coming to talk about, is how they've
built networks at their universities.

And I think that's a great way for
individual podcasts to create discovery.

Everyone joining together,
we've interviewed a few people

on Continuing Studies and we've
talked about that network effect.

So, that's one of the areas.

The second one is about
content and production.

So in this one it's really just sort
of getting into different content

themes as well as there's a couple of
folks coming in that can really talk to

the production side of it and sort of
getting into the tactics of production.

And then the third area is what we're
calling tech tools and analytics.

The second one from a production
perspective is really trying to

focus in on the content and driving
better and creating efficiency

within your content production.

This third one is just even
further kind of getting into the

weeds here on different tools
and technologies you could use.

But also Gregg and I are gonna do a
session in this one about analytics

and really everything but the download,
like what are all the things that as

a podcaster, as a higher ed podcaster,
you can pay attention to beyond

the downloads and looking at the
different platforms and things that

you can get out of those platforms.

And this is what I really like about
this particular conference because

when I go to the other conferences,
everyone talks about growth and they

have a quote unquote growth track, but
you actually don't learn about growth.

And I love the fact that we're
taking it back to the basics and

actually like going to the things
like what are your analytics?

And I think that's what a
lot of people wanna look at.

Every time, like I remember the very first
conference I met you, I went on the growth

track and not throwing shade at this guy.

Like obviously he's a
speaker in in his own right.

The growth tactics did not seem
attainable to the average person.

He was just one of the ones
on the floor too talking.

And I remember one of his growth
tactics, and again, his audience

is like beginner podcasters.

He's in like the beginner podcaster
track and he is like, write a book.

A book is gonna bring
attention to your podcast.

And I was like, that is a
lot of work to write a book.

Not everybody is a
writer, including myself.

And just by writing a book does
not guarantee that your brand

new podcast is gonna grow.

Yeah.

I think the other really key part
here is that these are all focused

on higher education podcasts.

So the growth, for example, this is
not for monetized podcasts that are

looking to grow their downloads so
they can get more revenue coming in.

And for some higher education podcasters,
it's not growth for the sake of growth.

It's like, for an alumni podcast for
example, that's about like, how do you

grow the engagement within your alumni?

So yeah, I think that's the
other part that's really key.

Yeah, I would just expand on that.

This is something that I'm really
excited about for this conference.

My favorite conferences I've been to
are those where the person who's giving

the presentation is basically just the
one who's prepared the presentation,

but everyone else there also has a
great deal of expertise to share.

And that's what I really look forward
to with this Higher Ed PodCon is

that, you know, these are people
that are creating podcasts out there.

You know, nobody's got it all figured
out, but a lot of us have our corners

of things figured out quite well, and we
have so much to share with one another.

And so, yeah, Neil and I we're gonna
have a great presentation, which I

feel really confident about right now.

I'll be definitely nervous
about 10 minutes before, but

That's the way it is.

But it's, yeah, that's how it goes.

But that's gonna be great.

And the thing that I know is that
there'll be people in that audience that

will have great insights to add and the
particulars, like you say, Neil, for a

higher education podcast, or this isn't an
event for a marketing group in particular

where you're trying to drive ad sales.

Basically nobody at this conference
is gonna be trying to drive ad sales,

and that really changes the whole
discussion of what a podcast is about.

And yeah, this is, this
is for you listener.

But people should be thinking that
way, regardless of if they're doing

it higher ed or to create a podcast.

Everyone thinks right away monetization.

And there are ways to do it, of
course, but I think what we're showing

is valuable is like why people use
podcasting as a tool for business.

You use it for a tool
for higher education.

There is so much more to it and there's
so much richness to it that you just have

to figure out like is it for networking?

Is it to get my message across?

And I think this is what I like
that we're bringing it back to

that here in this conference.

Yes, totally.

So, there's essentially, there'll
be four, so as we said, one day

there's the keynote, and then we have
four different workshop sessions.

The nice thing is lunch, we're
setting that aside for some networking

and perhaps maybe a live recording
surprise there from a podcast,

like TBD, let's wait and find out.

But we've also have, in the afternoon,
in the middle of the two session slots.

We've got a networking and so that
isn't for everyone to go out and get

on their phones, but we are actually
going to do a networking exercise.

And so the goal, as Gregg said off
the top, this is about community.

We want us to go away from this one day
event and having met a whole bunch of

other fellow higher education podcasters.

So we are gonna do some networking
exercises and I think it's gonna be fun.

We've got some really fun ideas.

And then we're gonna end the day
with the reception, so more time for,

Party!

For networking, some drinks and some
hors d'oeuvres at the end of the day.

So lots on deck there.

And it's a Saturday, so I'm sure a
lot of us will be staying over the

Saturday night and there's also a
White Sox game on Sunday, so maybe, you

know, we should, we could all go out.

We do uh, like a continuing studies
as a team building exercise.

I think so.

So yeah, we're pretty excited.

Details, we'll be continuing
to add at HigherEdPodCon.com.

Put that link in the show notes.

And we had over 32 submissions.

for speakers which was incredible for the
first time around for an event like that.

And from a fantastic diversity of
different sizes of universities,

like really big institutions with
huge budgets and endowments to

small universities and colleges,
you know, so the big range that way.

And a range of different
types of podcasts.

You know, some STEM podcasts, alumni,
podcasts, you know, like a full range.

It's awesome.

Student led podcasts.

Student led.

Yep.

So we're gonna be covering,

We got it all.

That's great.

And it's in the Chicago and it's
really exciting city as well.

So you can tour around the city
and go to Higher Ed PodCon.

It's a great city.

Uh, big question for you guys,
'cause I've never done this.

Last time I was there
and I kind regret it.

Have you ever had like deep dish?

Oh, Chicago deep dish pizza.

Yeah.

Kat our producer is going no.

Our producers in the background
going, no, you don't want it.

I don't know.

I feel like this is something
that we need to try.

I'm gonna try it.

I think Kat has an opinion on
pizza that you'll have to come

and find out about in Chicago.

Yeah, that's another good point too.

So who this is for?

It's for the people, you know, like Neil
and Jen, the people behind the microphone,

but also the people like Kat and myself
who are generally on the other side,

like, you know, working the controls
and you know, the marcom department.

Dealing with us divas.

Yeah.

The divas and those who deal with
them, we're all welcome together.

We can separate into our groups.

Well, let's leave it there.

Another episode, different episode
this time, more of an announcement,

but we'd really love to see you
there and to meet you in person

at PodCon in July in Chicago.

Looking forward to it.

It's gonna be hot.