In-Depth with Kendall Breitman: Budget Video, Community Building, and AI in Podcasting | Kendall Breitman

Sadaf Beynon [0:06 - 0:41]: Welcome to Podjunction Podcast, a show for podcasters who want to use their podcast to grow their business. I'm your host, Sadaf Beynon, and today I'm joined by Kendall Breitman. Kendall is the community manager at Riverside FM, which is an end to end recording and editing solution for podcasters and content creators. Before Riverside, she worked as a producer and reporter for networks like NBC and Bloomberg News. Today, Kendall and I will be getting into video podcasting, building a community around your podcast and the role of AI in podcasting. Kendall, welcome to the show.

Kendall Breitman [0:41 - 0:45]: Thank you so much. I'm really excited to be doing this with you today. So thanks for having me on.

Sadaf Beynon [0:46 - 0:54]: Yeah, you're very welcome. It's a long time coming. We met a couple years ago at the London podcast show, and we've been talking about this for a while, haven't we?

Kendall Breitman [0:54 - 0:58]: Yes. Since finally here. I'm excited to dive into it.

Sadaf Beynon [0:59 - 1:09]: Absolutely. All right, so let's kick things off with video podcasting. It's been gaining a lot of traction lately. Why do you think video podcasting is becoming so popular?

Kendall Breitman [1:10 - 2:09]: I think that video podcasting is becoming more popular just because it's kind of a, it's letting people choose how they want to consume their content. So there are some people that are always going to be audio only, you know, like, that's how they want to consume that content. But with video podcasting, it ends up creating a different experience for people. So, for example, if you're not as much of a listener, you want to watch YouTube videos, it ends up breaking you into that aspect of content creation. Or I think that a lot of podcasters are using video, even if they're creating audio only, they want to then create the clips and be able to create teasers for their content. And so having video is just an essential part of that. So I think also, as we're kind of going into the video podcast realm, more platforms like YouTube pushing shorts or Spotify pushing video, more of these platforms are starting to push video as a way to keep people onto their platforms and engage with audiences.

Sadaf Beynon [2:09 - 2:22]: So I want to come back to what you were just saying about the reels and the shorts. For those that are just starting out, what would you say are the essential pieces of equipment and software that they would need for a high quality video podcast?

Kendall Breitman [2:22 - 3:50]: Mm hmm. I would definitely say Riverside, and I'm not saying that just because I work there, really. I'm saying that because what I think really the beauty of Riverside is, is that it opens up more people to create content from their living rooms, from their offices, wherever they'd like. So you don't need, like, there used to be this blocker of, like, if you want a podcast, you need the studio, you need to bring people in. And now, with Riverside, it really opens up the ability to tell stories more easily and still in a professional way. And then as far as setup, I mean, I use Riverside. I'm right now recording from my iPhone. I connected my phone to my laptop, because you're going to, like, max out at 720p, like, lower quality video from your laptop camera. But we all have high quality webcams in our pockets now. So if you just have a phone, you can connect it to Riverside. And then I'm using a sure microphone. There are a ton of different budget microphones that you can use. For example, the Samsung Q two, uh, is a popular one under $100. The Audio Technica 2100 X. ATR 2100 X, also a budget microphone. So really just need a microphone. Riverside, a camera. A camera phone, and you're good to go. So you don't. I think there's a lot of people think there's a lot of hoops to jump over to make that setup, but there really aren't. There aren't that many obstacles to kind of overcome as far as setup in order to create a video podcast.

Sadaf Beynon [3:50 - 4:00]: Yeah, I like what you're saying. I think often people think you have to break the bank to get started, and actually, you don't. Just good lighting, a good microphone quality camera, as you're saying.

Kendall Breitman [4:00 - 4:30]: Yeah. And I think it's important to point that out, because I think that when we block stories to make them so that, like, only. You can only tell your story in a podcast, if you're willing to invest a ton of money, we're gonna get a lot less stories and a lot less perspectives. The more that you can open it up and make it accessible to more people, the better the platform, the better the medium becomes. The better podcasting becomes, the more we challenge ourselves and the more that the audiences can hear different types of stories and perspectives. So I think it's important.

Sadaf Beynon [4:31 - 4:40]: That's a great point. I really like that. That. Yeah, it does. The more accessible it becomes, the easier it becomes for people to share on a podcast. Absolutely.

Kendall Breitman [4:40 - 4:42]: Exactly. Yeah.

Sadaf Beynon [4:42 - 4:57]: Going back to what you were saying about short form video content. So, TikTok, Instagram reels, YouTube shorts are huge right now, as you pointed out, too. How can podcasters leverage short form videos to promote their content and engage new audiences?

Kendall Breitman [4:58 - 7:21]: So, a few tips that I have here, one of them is that for regular kind of reels and shorts, and by regular, I mean the ones that we all see all the time. The two stacked people that are talking about something from the podcast. You have 3 seconds to grab people's attention. So some people will have the context, and then it'll get to the funny joke or the moment that they wanted to highlight. I would highlight that within the first 3 seconds, and you can always add the context later. So put the funny quote, then back up the conversation and show the full quote, if that makes sense. So really just grabbing their attention. That's number one. Number two that I recommend is that sometimes the best thing you can do is clip up your questions. We're always focused on the answers that your guests gave. But how powerful could it be if you make a reel that's like, what do you think is the best thing that podcasters need to do? What do you think is blah, blah, blah? What would you say about like, asking all of the questions back to back, clip them all together, and then I'm wondering the answers to all of the questions that you just asked. If I want to know the answers, then I tune in to. So I would recommend doing that. And then a third recommendation is actually like going away from the normal kind of reels. I think that if you post like, people want to get to know you as a host, they're connecting to your podcast because you're having great guests on, but also because they want to hear from you. Like, that's for me, the reason why I go to a podcast is for the host. And so I always recommend that people actually put themselves a little bit more forward on their social channels. And what does that mean? That can mean that I record a story on Instagram talking about like, oh my gosh, I've gotten such great feedback for this. I love hearing from you guys, like that kind of thing. Maybe it's a day in the life at your business. Maybe whatever you can do to make really authentic content. So I think that some podcasters start and end with making reels, but I really think that there needs to be more attention to creating kind of that personality building content. Record a story of yourself, make people feel connected to you and like they're your friend. That, and they listen to your show and you're in their ear every hour, once a week.

Sadaf Beynon [7:21 - 7:36]: I love the tips that you've given us. I like the idea about clipping the questions back to back. I never hadn't thought of that, but yeah, that's so good. For, again, getting that intrigue, isn't it? And love what you're saying about people coming for the host, because that's such a good point.

Kendall Breitman [7:36 - 7:57]: I would just say that I stole. I stole. I will give credit where credit is due. I stole the idea of clipping the questions together from the call her daddy podcast because they always do that on the call her daddy podcast. And it actually really works. You see the celebrity that you want to hear from, and then you hear all of her questions, and by the end of it, you're like, what are the answers? So I think it's really powerful. It's worked for me.

Sadaf Beynon [7:57 - 8:00]: What types of content work best then.

Kendall Breitman [8:00 - 9:40]: For short form formats, I would say having. So when I'm talking about, like, hooks and short content, keep it as short as possible. Unless there's value of keep listening. So they always say, like, keep things short, keep it simple. But then all the time I'm on TikTok and I'm like, why am I watching this ten minute video of this woman talking about a bad breakup? Right? If it's because the story, like, is worth listening to that. So I used to have an editor, like, when I was working in tv news, I would always ask, how long do you want this video? And he would always say to me, make it as long as it wants to be. And at first I was like, what does that mean? And then as I started clipping, there were moments where you're watching a clip and you kind of, like, you roll your finger over the. Over the screen or something to see how much longer is left. That's when that wants to be done. Like, if you're watching an engaging video, you're not like, okay, how much longer is this? So I would say when you get, like, if you're sitting there, a tip that I have is that sometimes I'll show my friends the videos, and there might be a moment, I feel like we've all had this, where you show your friend a funny video and you're sitting there and you're waiting for the punchline. You're like, no, no, no, hold on. It's coming. It's coming. Just keep watching. And you're a little bit self conscious. That is the money for me. Like, that is when you're like, okay, this is longer than it needs to be. So maybe show a friend or an in front of them, because it has to be your kind of knee jerk reaction, whoa, is this going on for too long? Because if it is, then not everyone on the Internet is your friend. That's going to be watching that and you're not going to be sitting there being like, keep watching. I swear there's a payoff.

Sadaf Beynon [9:42 - 9:46]: Wait till the end. What about things like b roll?

Kendall Breitman [9:47 - 10:31]: I would say most important thing is captions and animated captions for sure. So then after that, I would say b roll sometimes works. Don't make it too stocky because then people are going to feel like, okay. Like they're not as engaged. I would say instead, if you keep your own, like, host on screen and then flash images while they're talking, maybe some text, I think that that sometimes is a little bit more powerful than b roll. Sometimes I think it's more engaging than they talk about a school bus. And suddenly you see a school bus on screen. Maybe for a second, it just like, a little image pops up with a school bus. But I don't know if you need to go full b roll, like you're producing some sort of movie or something, you know?

Sadaf Beynon [10:32 - 10:39]: Yeah, yeah. And it does kind of keep you moving with what the person is talking about, doesn't it? With those extras thrown in.

Kendall Breitman [10:39 - 10:57]: Exactly. Or even, like, green screen. You could do that on TikTok. It's putting like a green screen of whatever b roll that you want. And then, like, just using that over the b roll, like having your face kind of show up in front of it. I think that that's also a great way to incorporate that moving image. But also have you on screen.

Sadaf Beynon [10:57 - 11:08]: Yeah. What are. So you mentioned earlier that you were using your iPhone as your camera. Do you have other cameras set up as well to capture other angles?

Kendall Breitman [11:08 - 12:05]: Yeah. So currently right now, I do not. I will say that I used a, I forget Logitech or something webcam one time for a recording because my phone had died and I liked the iPhone quality better. Like, I was really shocked by it. I was like, wow, I missed my iPhone. So I would say that it's just an easy way to set up your own webcam and you already have it in your pocket. Like a trick here that I actually learned from tv is to set up a second camera angle. The reason why is, let's say that, like, halfway through this question, you want to chop out, like, three sentences of it, and then you want to put in the end of my answer. If you do that with just one camera angle, it's going to be like this weird jump cut, like this weird flash. There are ways without a second camera angle to clean that up. For example, you could zoom in a little bit to their picture so it doesn't look like much of a cut. It kind of looks like you zoomed in and out, if that makes sense.

Sadaf Beynon [12:05 - 12:05]: Yeah.

Kendall Breitman [12:05 - 12:31]: The second way is using a second camera angle so I can give my one half of the answer, then it can cut to the other camera, maybe if, like, slightly of the side of my face, and then it can cut back to my main camera, and then it doesn't look like this, like, jumpy glitch. It looks more like a well produced type of video. So I would say adding a second camera angle is super helpful when it comes to post production and editing.

Sadaf Beynon [12:31 - 12:55]: Yeah, no, that's great. And we use Riverside for our recording and editing. And I know it's really, it's a great tool and helps you quickly edit and format these clips. But just from your perspective, are there any tools that you've used or maybe what's a good way to use Riverside for these kinds of clips?

Kendall Breitman [12:56 - 14:59]: I would say so, for Riverside, we make the clip creation really easy. There are different layouts that you can use, and you can kind of, like, go from one by one to nine by 16, add animated captions, add images. So very easy to do that. I would say kind of a hack here would be that. Oh, and we also have the AI magic clips. So what that means is that it analyzes the conversation that you had and creates clips for you based on the most engaging moments. But what I would say is this is less about, like, your podcast clips. I found that I even record some of my meetings that I have with people because it even, like, if you maybe do a pre recording of an interview, like you do a, let's say that you do a pre call, you might have a really magical moment with your guest, and you're laughing and you're like, oh, my God, I can't wait to have you on clip that and post it. There are so many different ways to create content. So I would say doing that, I would also say that sometimes a clip is better as a written post. And what I mean by that is maybe there is one quote that you want to get out of a clip, and it's funny, but you have to kind of watch the rest of it for any context or something. Just take that quote and make a static image post. Like, there's tons of ways to repurpose your content. So it could be one quote. Instead of playing the video, let's make it a static post and play around with it. See if you get more engagement on Instagram, for example, by that one graphic than you do by the real and maybe your audience wants that. We always talk about clips, like, everybody wants to watch them and they are great, but everyone's audience is different. So maybe your audience wants more carousel posts. Maybe your audience wants more. Just a standalone graphic, kind of see what they like and try everything and then educate yourself that way.

Sadaf Beynon [15:00 - 15:27]: Yeah, that's a really good tip, I think, listening to you speak and thinking about how we sometimes we'll get stuck in a rut, we'll just do the same thing over and over again because it worked. Or we make the assumption that this is what everyone wants and so we just, like, you know, for us, we have actually cut out the static posts. We've just been doing reels and makes me think we need to have more of a balance and see what's actually resonating with our audience.

Kendall Breitman [15:27 - 16:19]: Yeah. And hey, like, it might, it might work that that's what your audience loves. You might start putting up static posts and then see actually they're not responding to it as much. There's also the element that, like places like Instagram want you to post reels. So when you're posting a reel, it's more likely to be seen by other people, not just the people following you, like on discover pages or a for you page, things like that. And that's because Instagram wants you to post reels. But I mean, like, if you find that after you post a bunch of reels and static images and anything that actually the reels work for you, then great. What I'm suggesting is, like, just don't go with something because everyone else is doing it. Sometimes everyone's doing it because it's the right thing to do. Sometimes everyone's doing it. And you might just be the person that comes up with a cool, innovative way to kind of go against the grain.

Sadaf Beynon [16:20 - 16:37]: Yeah. Yeah. And I guess even if Instagram is pushing for rails and you still are putting static posts on, when people do eventually discover you and come on to your profile, they'd be able to see all this extra content, which actually is a lot nicer on the eyes, too, isn't it, when you've got a bit.

Kendall Breitman [16:37 - 17:20]: Of a break, kind of like, it's valuable. I mean, Instagram pushes our riverside reels, sure. But, like, the most engaged post we got recently was we posted, like, find your next guest comment below what you're looking for. And people went crazy on that. And that was an easy, like, posts that was just very simple. Find your next guest comment below. Took fractions of the time that it took to create a reel of somebody saying, find a next guest comment below, or something like that, and it performed really well. So, like, whatever. If you think that a quote by itself will be more powerful and will get people to engage more, then just do that. You don't need to be posting a reel for that.

Sadaf Beynon [17:20 - 17:30]: Yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Speaking of Instagram and audience, why do you think building a community is so important for the success of a podcast?

Kendall Breitman [17:30 - 19:07]: I think that there's a few aspects of this. So one is that people are more committed to you, more loyal to you, when they feel like they're part of a community. I saw a sketch the other day that was like an x for the host, and then it just all went out in one line, and that's your audience. But then I saw kind of another sketch next to it that was like a point in the middle of a circle, and the circle was your audience, and then you're in the middle, and that's community. So people want to feel like they're a part of something, they're more loyal when they also feel like, I'm in a Facebook group of my favorite podcast, and I love to log on and talk with the people and see what they're talking about because we share a similar interest. I also want to continue to listen to the episodes because I feel like I'm a part of that show in a way. So I think that's part of it. I think another part is that you are going to be a better host if you feel connected to your community. You're going to know what your audience wants to hear. You're going to know what they want as a next episode, what they care about, what makes them laugh, what makes them think so. I think that it educates you as a host. It's twofold educates you as a host, but it also makes your, your people, your audience feel like they're connected to you and that they're a part of something. And in that way, they're going to be more likely to subscribe to a Patreon, they're going to be more likely to buy your merch, they're going to be more likely to reach out and message you and say, I loved your show, or, I have feedback. So I think those are the main benefits of community.

Sadaf Beynon [19:08 - 19:13]: Yeah. How would you say is a good way to build that community?

Kendall Breitman [19:13 - 21:43]: I would say that there are a few things you can do. So one is that I would join other communities first. Like, I would, let's say I'm doing a podcast on gymnastics Olympics are coming up. So that came to my mind. So I'm doing a podcast on gymnastics. I'm gonna first join a bunch of gymnastic enthusiast groups, and I want to hear from them what they're thinking, what they care about. A little trick could be like, hey, do you think that, like, posting, no one wants to see your spam post being like, hey, here's my podcast episode. Listen to it. Like, that's not going to do anything for you. Instead, like, actually contribute to these groups. If somebody asks a question, answer it. If you're saying, hey, are you watching this competition or this competition? Which one do you care more about? And then have these people comment on your post, giving their. Giving their ideas, that's an idea for an episode. Or answering people and making yourself a part of these communities, seeing how these other communities work, and educating yourself that way. From there, I would also speak with people that are listening to your show. So maybe someone reaches out and says, wow, love this episode, or something. Maybe they post that they were listening. Why not strike up a conversation with them? Hey, what did you love about it? What do you want to hear more of? Is there a favorite episode that you have? How long have you been listening? How are you listening? I'm not saying to quiz them, but more to start a conversation and then have them feel more likely and more free to message you if they have a comment in a later episode, that type of thing. If somebody comments on your post, interact with them, direct message them. And then my next idea is just never make assumptions. Like, when I joined Riverside, I assumed everyone wants to join communities because they want to network. And then I realized after speaking with users that, yeah, they want to network, but they want to network because they want to learn how to become better podcasters. So that's become the main driver of our community. Like, make them help them become the best podcasters that they can. So we build webinars around it, we build community events around it. And so, yeah, I would say that if I had gone on the assumption of networking, I don't think that our community would have been as strong. You really want to figure out what actually hits them, what makes them excited and want to experience more.

Sadaf Beynon [21:44 - 21:54]: Yeah, that makes so much sense. So joining other communities, finding those communities, contributing to them, and.

Kendall Breitman [21:54 - 22:58]: And reaching out to people that are reaching out to you. I would also say once you have your community, another little trick here is to build FOMo. Like, it's really like the fear of missing out is a powerful thing. So I like, there's a podcast that I love that they'll talk about. Oh, my God. Somebody so and so from our Facebook group had the funniest comment to say about this one moment and I'm sitting there being like so and so in the Facebook group. Like, I want to join the Facebook group. I'm missing out on the conversation. Or, yeah, we're going to talk about that more in our Facebook group after this. Like, it doesn't have to be Facebook. I'm just giving that as an example. But, like, make people have a. People are selfish. It's not like no one's going to react on, like, I'm so excited to have this group. You want to, like, make the reason why they should be excited, what they're missing out on, what's exciting that's happening, that they want to join onto. So the more you can do that, that newsletters that mention my favorite post of this week, like, that type of thing could be really powerful in making people feel like they're missing the conversation.

Sadaf Beynon [22:59 - 23:07]: That's good. Yeah. I think FOMO really does drive people to make some impulse decisions as well, doesn't it?

Kendall Breitman [23:07 - 23:15]: Exactly. And if the impulse decision is to join your group, I mean, like, and then they'll benefit from it. From the cool content that you're posting.

Sadaf Beynon [23:15 - 23:24]: Yeah. Do you have any creative ways that podcasters can engage with their audience? Like, during their podcast while they're recording?

Kendall Breitman [23:24 - 25:24]: So I would say Riverside, we just added a bunch of new live streaming features. I know it's scary, but just listen up. I think that live streaming could be a really, really great way to engage your audience. Even if it's a two people joining in, you could still talk with them and hear more about what they care about and have a conversation. So I would say that, like to try out a live stream. It's the best way to get on the spot engagement from people on the spot feedback. And then you're also, if you bring a guest on, you're really challenging yourself in a new way to ask the questions, have a conversation, make sure things are running smoothly. It's just a new challenge, and it's a cool new way to do that. Another way would just be if somebody is reaching out to you, like I said before, engage with them, talk with them, have a real conversation. Don't just say, thanks so much. Thanks. What do you think about this? I'm thinking this might be my next episode. Even if it's not, this might be my next episode. What do you think about it? And make people feel more attached to something that they feel involved in doing that. Also, we have a Facebook group for Riverside. It's conversation creatorsbyriverside FM. And every day when we started it, I asked a question and it could be like, today I'm going to ask everyone, post your Patreon supercast subscriptions and tell us what you're offering to subscribers. Let's get inspired by each other. So people, one, they want to post their own links, and I'm giving them a place to do that. But two, if I'm a person that's starting a Patreon now, I have this entire list of what other people are doing on theirs, and it's helpful and valuable. So sometimes you have to encourage engagement in order to get engagement later. So make that initial investment in the beginning. Post every day on your group, not a link to what you're doing. Like, just actually post and then you can go from there.

Sadaf Beynon [25:24 - 25:45]: Yeah, that's really good because it actually means a bit more effort, doesn't it? Just like saying, oh, go check out my podcast. This is what we're talking about. No, this is actually asking them questions and trying to get them to engage and get feedback. So. Yeah, exactly. It's easy to take the lazy way out, but actually, this is so much more worthwhile.

Kendall Breitman [25:45 - 27:17]: Yeah, and it pays back later. That's the thing. It's like, do I need to post every day now? No, because other people are posting every day. Or, like, somebody the other day posted a question about, like, what's all of your setups for your. For your podcasts? And people were taking pictures, studying them. They were asking each other, where did you buy this? Anyone have a discount code for this? And it was. It was a real proud mother moment. I'm just looking at it being like, look at this community that we built to, and it's actually helping people. So as, like, make sure that your community has value. Like, it shouldn't. The community shouldn't just be, this is my podcast. It should be, for example, a reality television podcast. The group shouldn't be my podcast. It should be a bunch of people talking about anything. Reality tv. What unites all of the people that you're talking about? Maybe for one, it's video podcasters. You can go niche, too, to really bring people together. I was talking with somebody who created a group for black graphic design, black male graphic designers, and, like, the bond that they have. There are groups for graphic designers that are hundreds and thousands of people, but they don't have the kind of bond that this guy was talking about having where they have meetups and really get to know each other and really lift each other up and support each other, because you can also go really niche and create that kind of feeling of, wow, I found my people, and that's a really powerful feeling.

Sadaf Beynon [27:17 - 27:22]: Very good. Yes. Thank you. Should we move on to AI?

Kendall Breitman [27:22 - 27:25]: Sure. Yeah, let's move on to AI.

Sadaf Beynon [27:25 - 27:33]: All right. So, AI, as we know, is moving very quickly, but how is it currently being used in the podcasting industry?

Kendall Breitman [27:34 - 30:37]: So I actually saw a meme the other day that I really connected to that was like, I don't want AI to speed up my creative process so that I have more time to do laundry. I want AI to do my laundry so that I have more time to do my creative stuff. Stuff. I really agree with that kind of outlook. That's really where we're all trying to go. And so I'd say, like with Riverside, what we're trying to do is use AI to speed up your. Your process of whatever you don't love doing. You know, like, for example, AI show notes. Like, show notes are great. Recording is great. I don't know anyone that's like, oh, my gosh, I love to just sit down and write my show notes. Use AI to cut out the work that you don't want to do so that you could do more of the work that you want to do. For Riverside, we have things like, every time that you record, you get an AI transcript. That's easy to then just plug it into wherever you're uploading your podcast, and then the transcripts there makes it more accessible. Second, we have a show notes, so it really generates time coded chapter markers for YouTube. A summary, key takeaways, keywords, all of that. We also have AI magic clips. So that's what I mentioned before, the AI. It takes your most engaging moments of your conversation and turns them into social media clips. So the theme here that I'm saying is that it's to speed up the process, but still give you that creative control. Beyond that we're doing, there are other smaller, not smaller, but more tucked in AI tools, like magic mute, for example. We have a new tool coming out that, like, maybe the background fan is whirring in your guest background. So what it does is it mutes every time they're not speaking. So that when the other person is speaking, you don't have to hear that fan those types of things, or AI switchable layouts. So sometimes it's going to be full screen. Sometimes it'll be split up into a grid. So basically, what we're trying to do is give you those kind of fast tools, but all of them are still, you're still able to go in and tweak them to make them what you want to be, if you'd like. Or you can be like, great, check. Done. Now I'm going to go on to more recording because that's what I love. I think there's an ambivalence about AI that is going to take away your creative process. Like, if I'm making a podcast, why would I want AI to create it? For me, I'm doing what I like to do. Like, this is a joy for me. But I think that if you are able to leverage AI to speed up any process that you, that you want to, then I think that it is actually a huge, huge benefit for people. Beyond recording and riverside and everything. People are using AI to set up their blog post. You can take your full transcript and make it into a blog post just by asking chat, GPT. You're able to repurpose a lot easier using AI.

Sadaf Beynon [30:38 - 30:55]: Yeah, we have used, and we do use AI and ours as well. Like, I totally agree. That takes away so much of the headache that, you know, the stuff you don't want to do, it does really help out with that. What do you see as the future of AI then, in podcasting? Like, where is it going to go?

Kendall Breitman [30:56 - 32:18]: I think that it's going to keep going in the direction that we're seeing it. Like, I think that it's going to. We're going to keep introducing more tools. I'm not saying Riverside. I'm saying in general, the podcast industry are going to keep introducing new tools to make these steps easier for you. For example, AI audio, like balancing the EQ. Maybe AI will, I mean, they already have AI that will make direct eye contact with the camera that will be able to. We're introducing video dub, so you can type in a new word. Maybe you want to update a number in your podcast and it'll match, like the lips and the audio to your, to the host's voice. Like, I think that there are just going to be a lot of tools that are made to automate and clean up your entire process. Because what we're finding is that a lot of podcasters, they do this because they love talking to people and interviewing and having these discussions. A lot of them aren't doing it because they love editing or they love blog post writing. If they did, they'd be writing blog posts, right? So I think that where AI is going to continue to go in creative processes is going to be freeing up the time of, like the comparison I said doing laundry so that you can focus your time on what you're actually passionate about.

Sadaf Beynon [32:18 - 32:23]: Yeah, that's exciting and also a little bit scary.

Kendall Breitman [32:23 - 33:11]: Yeah, for sure. I think that it can be a bit scary, but I think that what I've been trying to do is I think that where value of human interaction with AI is going to come is that I think it's going to be even more important for people to understand how to use AI. I think that, like, I don't think AI is going to replace people's jobs. I think that if you are someone who knows how to get your work done faster because you use AI for all of your processes, then you're just going to become a stronger candidate. So I think the same thing with creation. The more that I know how to leverage this, the more I can record, edit and send out a podcast in one day without it being a huge lift.

Sadaf Beynon [33:11 - 33:20]: Yeah, I totally agree. You have to be able to know how to use the tools for your advantage and to leverage your ability to produce good podcasts.

Kendall Breitman [33:20 - 33:21]: Right, exactly.

Sadaf Beynon [33:21 - 33:30]: I think what I find scary is that AI can be so intuitive. I think that's what I find scary.

Kendall Breitman [33:31 - 34:51]: Yeah. But I don't know. I find that when I say this, it's like, for example, everyone knows how to prompt chat DPT to be like, make me a blog post of this content. But at the end, when you read the blog post, you're like, I don't know if I love it. Right? Like, I think that it's like, it's about. And then at that point it's kind of like you're writing out an entire I want a blog post that does this, that speaks in this voice and train it to write in your voice and all of that stuff. You're like, by this point, I might as well have just written the blog post. You know, like, it's like the, like the age old type of thing where you're like, you're going to hire a new person to help you with your job, but then like two weeks in, you're onboarding them for two weeks explaining it and you're like, I could have just gotten this all done. So that's what I mean about being able to train AI. Know how to do it, know how to do it fast, but like, like, have the kind of setup in the beginning. The lucky part with what we're doing with Riverside is that we on our end are testing out all the prompts to make sure that it's the best one so that all you have to do is click and not have to refine and refine and refine. We've already worked on that for you. So, yeah, I think that, like, in its face, I don't think that AI really is replacing human processes only because most people just, like, don't have the time or energy to really program AI to do what it can do.

Sadaf Beynon [34:51 - 35:03]: Kendall, it's been really insightful listening to you talk about video podcasting and the community building and AI in podcasting as well. But to wrap things up, do you have any final advice for aspiring podcasters?

Kendall Breitman [35:03 - 36:38]: I would say, first of all, just try, like, if you're aspiring to do it and you have this kind of blocker or whatever it is, just like, try recording an episode. Worst thing, like, you don't put it out and you learn a lot from it and then, like, listen back to it, hear how you sound and learn from it. Like, I think that you become a better podcaster really as you go and understand it. And then second, I would say for people that are just starting out podcasting, that, like, there is a real power in listening and letting yourself just listen like you would in discussion. And I know that that seems really obvious to people. They're like, oh, yeah, it's just like a conversation. But I feel like in podcasting, there's a pressure to, like, have the next question teed up, ready to go. And I think that when you let go of that pressure on yourself and let yourself, like, if you think about it, when you're sitting at dinner with your friend, are you sitting there being like, what's the next question I'm going to ask? Like, no, you're just ping ponging off of each other, and then a question will come up. So I would say, let yourself get into the conversation, and you don't need to have that next question fired up and ready to go, maybe your follow up is just you sharing your story and then they share theirs, and then it becomes that conversation. So, um, listening and letting yourself kind of have that conversation, being one and the other one is really just try it, start it. And it could only be something that you see, but it's the best way to really dive in and see if that's what you want to be doing.

Sadaf Beynon [36:38 - 36:47]: That's fantastic advice. Thank you, Kendall. And I know that I can apply a lot of that to myself as well, so I really appreciate what you're saying.

Kendall Breitman [36:47 - 37:01]: Oh, of course. It's much easier to dish out advice than it is to actually do it. So I can also use, use this advice as somebody that has been wanting to start my own personal podcast and chickening out. So maybe I'll listen to this podcast and be like, Kendall, just start, you know.

Sadaf Beynon [37:01 - 37:08]: Thank you so much for joining us today, Kendall. Where can our listeners find more information about you and Riverside FM?

Kendall Breitman [37:08 - 38:08]: Yeah, so you can find me on LinkedIn. Kendall Brightman, and for Riverside, you can go to Riverside FM. You could reach out to me over LinkedIn. I love to chat with people. And if you're looking for any specific resources, we do webinars all of the time. We do local meetups. We're releasing new features all of the time. So let me know in my inbox what you're looking for and I can direct you there. Otherwise, follow us on Instagram or on YouTube, and that's where we announce all of our newest features. And lastly, I would be remiss as a community manager, not to say join our Facebook group. It's conversation creators by Riverside. And really, we have like 17,000 right now, I believe podcasters, yeah, that are like asking each other questions, giving each other advice. It's such a useful community. And I'm not just saying that because I run it. I'm saying that because it's really been just a valuable thing for a lot of people. So join on over there and you can keep the conversation going.

Sadaf Beynon [38:08 - 38:10]: That's awesome. Thanks, Kendall. I'm gonna be joining up.

Kendall Breitman [38:11 - 38:13]: We got another member, 17,001.

Sadaf Beynon [38:13 - 38:42]: Yes. And yeah. So thank you again and thank you to our listeners for tuning into Podjunction podcast. I hope today's episode inspires you to think creatively about how you can leverage podcasting for your own business growth. Be sure to check out Riverside FM for your podcasting needs. The links will be in the show notes. And if you found this episode helpful, we'd love for you to leave a review or share it with someone who could also benefit. I'm Sadaf Bananhe. Thanks for listening. Bye for now.