No Harm In Asking

This week on the pod, hosts Michael Kerr and Eric Byron interview broadcaster and media entrepreneur Cliff Dumas. Cliff is the current morning host at KUZZ FM in Bakersfield, California and co-founder of audio production and global distribution company EverythingPodcasts.com as well as author of the book Broadcast2Podcast. He is also the only Canadian to win Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music accolades as Radio ...

We love business podcasts and this one is right up our alley, pairing it with another favourite topic -- startup founder experiences. But pulling off a kickstarter podcast is harder than you might think. Getting that balance right between showcasing the founder and the product all while talking about what the podcast is really about, the lessons learned during the crowdfunding campaign, is tricky. What do Eric Byron, Michael Kerr a...

Like the saying goes "Go niche or go home". Oh, actually, that's apparently not how the saying goes, but if you've listened to any of our reviews on the No Harm In Asking podcast, you're probably aware that we think it should. While building a brand in a narrow subject, like grammar, might seem like an uphill battle, if you can ultimately pull it off you might just find yourself with a fascinating career. 

One of our favorites is M...

This week on the show, Michael Kerr and Eric Byron are pleased to welcome our guest Danielle Meadows-Stinnett of the "MoreThanGraphics Podcast" to discuss her favourite podcast -- "The GaryVee Audio Experience"!

For the podcasting perfectionists out there, great is often the enemy of good enough. Especially, as Danielle points out, if your audience is creators and entrepreneurs that need daily motivation to keep on going! Lots of g...

This week on the “No Harm In Asking” podcast, Michael Kerr and Eric Byron review "The Jordan Harbinger Show". Certainly the old adage "nothing succeeds like success" applies to Jordan as he can definitely get guests that most podcasters can't but there's still some great lessons in the business that he has built. As many reviews have taught us, being nice is never a losing strategy along with remembering that every episode is an op...

If faith plays a role in your life, there is one podcasting genre that comes with a loyal and dedicated audience in the millions, ready to support you with their time and often money – Religion. This week Michael Kerr and Eric Byron listened to numerous religion-focused podcasts and found a diverse collection of offerings catering to all believers. However, at Compelled we feel we found one that combined the right mix of inspiratio...

How do you determine if you have the authority, the experience or the “right” to produce a podcast on a given topic? Obviously you can choose to do a podcast on anything, there are no rules or restrictions. But should you be able to authentically connect with your guests for ultimate success? We think you do. In this episode Mike and Eric discuss authenticity, niche topics, how long we think this particular podcast can and should l...

Thinking of producing a podcast to showcase your corporate brand? We think every large corporation should explore this opportunity. But getting it right is harder than you might think, requiring effort and clarity of purpose. In this episode Mike and Eric deep dive into Netflix’s podcast for attracting future employees from engineers to creatives and break down why we think Netflix mostly misses the mark with this one.

That said, t...

Many people want to develop something that takes them down a different path than the usual nine-to-five routine. Indeed, the dream of the nomadic lifestyle supported by a podcast represents (to many) the perfect life. But settling on a podcast topic, and one that could be developed into a monetizable business, is always the first obstacle. Is the solution perhaps to share with the world the most challenging, the most sensitive and ...

Many say this is the podcast that started it all. In fact, a survey of Serial newsletter subscribers revealed that for almost a quarter, Serial was the first podcast they'd ever listened to! Furthermore, with the conviction of Adnan Syed recently overturned as a result of Sarah and her team's work in Season 1, Serial has cemented its place in podcasting history. However, as odd as it sounds, can too much success lead to your downfa...

Learning from the best of the best. Crime Junkie has been at or near the top of the charts since 2019. With great power (and profits) comes great responsibility. Join Mike and Eric in a discussion around the ethics of profiting off other people’s painful stories.

Crime Junkie is a weekly true crime podcast dedicated to retelling many of America's most compelling murders. Host Ashley Flowers takes us through the details of a crime s...

Are people born podcasters or can the skill be learned? Obviously, it can be learned, but sometimes it's worth taking a look at the people that were clearly born to do it. Ira Glass serves as the director, senior producer, host, administrator, librarian, researcher and (perhaps most importantly) lead visionary for This American Life. To be fair, Ira did put in his time at various newsrooms cutting tape and doing odd jobs, but it ve...

S-Town, a seven "chapter", 6-plus hour podcast was released on March 28, 2017. The podcast was downloaded a record-breaking 10 million times in four days, and had been downloaded over 40 million times just a few months later. This week Mike and Eric review S-Town, along with The Trojan Horse Affair, Brian Reed's follow-up to S-Town. Drawing on both comparisons and contrasts between the 2 series, we attempt to highlight the techniqu...

This week Mike and Eric review the podcast Freakonomics Radio hosted by Stephen J. Dubner. We also take a look at his sister show No Stupid Questions that he co-hosts with research psychologist Angela Duckworth. Looking at both shows, we debate why we believe FR comes across as a much more engaging show than NSQ despite the likability of Angela and the similar goals of each podcast.

Freakonomics Radio attempts to discover the hidde...

For the finale of our short series on sports podcasting, Mike and Eric review a six-part special on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck hosted by Zak Keefer that he did for The Athletic Football Show. In this review we discuss the sports storytelling genre, one that we feel is open to many and underutilize by sports podcasters. We also talk about the growth of The Athletic and how they grew into a force to be reckoned with.

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Continuing on with our short series on sports podcasting, Mike and Eric look at the show that, in our opinion, set the bar for all that followed. Originally a half-hour TV show on ESPN that began airing in 2001, it is now available as a podcast with over 200 episodes.

For all the 1 or even 2 hour-plus sports podcasts out there, it's important to look at what can be delivered in 26 minutes with a rigid format all while mixing in deb...

This week we try something new as we kick off Season 2 of the No Harm In Asking pod where Eric and Mike debate what makes a great sports podcast.

After listening to dozens of sports podcasts, as well as looking at innovative formats from radio and television, we discuss how you might get started in this game if you don't come from a journalism or athletic background based on some that have done it. We also suggest some things to av...

This week we take a page from some of our favourite podcasters and engage in a bit of self reflection.

Were we too confident go in to our podcast? What have we learned? What has surprised us? Are we having fun? Who is our tribe? These and other questions are discussed as Mike and Eric look back at the first 20 episodes of our podcast.

On No Harm In Asking, hosts Eric Byron and Michael Kerr are on a journey to gather insights into w...

This week we go back to the one that started it all, well, at least for Mike.

From a little town in Southwestern Ontario to Toronto to Washington to the world, it seems obvious that few can tell a story like the truly talented, and always inquisitive, Mr. Gladwell. As well, for those out there doing 1 hour or even 2 hour-plus podcasts, it's worth listening to what a master of the trade can pack into just a half hour. 

In this episo...