During this episode we are talking about using Twitter and Twitter Spaces for authors. Many of the topics we cover are applicable to any social media or content marketing strategy in general.

Our guest is Ruth L. Snyder who is the author of, “Learn Twitter” which is geared toward writers. Ruth is also a speaker and a book coach.

You can find Ruth on Twitter at @RuthLSnyder https://mobile.twitter.com/ruthlsnyder

Twitter and Twitter Spaces for Authors with Ruth L. Snyder

Real Talk Reclaimed (Interview In The UK) 

On this episode of Real Talk Reclaimed, we're going off camera and into the depths of pure conversation with the one and only Keith Keller, The Social Audio Dude. 

We're exploring the powerful psychology of podcasting: 

What really happens to your brain when you have a mic in your hand? 

Keith breaks down how that simple tool creates a unique authority and transforms how we speak and listen. 

Without the crutch of visuals, conversation becomes more intimate, more deliberate, and radically more authentic.

We're bucking the visual trend here and reclaiming the original power of radio where the audience isn't just a viewer, but an engaged guest in the room. 
 
KEY STRATEGIES

1.	Start Simple and Build Gradually

Don’t invest in lots of expensive equipment right away. 

Begin with basic tools (like a simple mic and headphones) and upgrade as you gain experience and confidence. 

Focus on getting comfortable with your own voice and the process of recording.

2.	Create a Manageable Schedule

Set realistic goals for how often you’ll release episodes. 

It’s better to start with a frequency you can sustain (e.g., biweekly or monthly) rather than overcommitting.

3.	Prepare Content in Advance

Plan topics ahead of time and keep a running list of ideas. 

This helps avoid last-minute stress about what to discuss.
 
Consider recording multiple episodes in one sitting to stay ahead.

4.	Focus on Your Audience:

As Zara mentioned, shift the focus from what you want to say to what your audience wants to hear. 

This keeps content relevant and engaging.
 
5.	Embrace Flexibility and Authenticity

Allow your podcast to evolve. 

If you need to change format or frequency, communicate with your audience and adjust as needed. 

Be authentic, listeners appreciate genuine conversations and real experiences.

6.	Build a Support System

Engage with other podcasters or your audience for feedback and encouragement. 

Celebrate milestones and progress, no matter how small.

7.	Accept Imperfection

Don’t let the pursuit of perfection stop you from publishing. 

Each episode is a learning experience.

By starting where you are, building up gradually, and focusing on consistency over perfection, you can overcome "podfade" and keep your podcast going strong.

THE SUMMARY


Keith Keller, "The Social Audio Dude", explores the psychology and unique appeal of podcasting. 

It highlights how the absence of visuals fosters more intimate and authentic conversations, creating a distinct sense of authority for the speaker. 

The interview also offers practical strategies for aspiring podcasters, emphasizing the importance of starting simply, maintaining a consistent schedule, preparing content, and prioritizing audience engagement. 

Overall, the discussion champions authenticity, flexibility, and a focus on incremental progress to sustain a podcast and avoid burnout.

REAL TALK RECLAIMED (AI Generated Audio Summary)

THE POWER OF GOOD AUDIO & MICROPHONE TECHNIQUE 

Here are some key points to consider.

•	Speaking Without Visuals

Without slides or images, speakers must rely more on words, tone, and presence rather than pointing at things or letting slides do the work. 

This leads to clearer, more deliberate speech.

•	Good Microphone Technique

Holding a mic signals authority and intention. 

It isn’t just a tool for amplification, it changes how the speaker perceives themselves, boosting confidence and presence. 

•	Phones Versus Purpose Built Gear 

Phones can record audio, but the result often sounds casual, unpolished, and unintentional, like filler content. 

A proper microphone suggests that the speaker values the message and is putting deliberate effort into communication. 

•	Intentionality In Audio 

Deliberate audio production (with a mic, conscious speech, and presence) makes communication sound professional and meaningful, as opposed to improvised chatter that feels unfocused. 

The Core Message 

Audio is powerful because it forces intentional speaking, and using tools like a microphone reinforces authority, clarity, and presence. 

Purposeful audio stands apart from casual noise captured on phones, making the difference between fluffy chatter and impactful communication.

THE POWER OF GOOD AUDIO & MICROPHONE TECHNIQUE

WHAT DOES YOUR PERFECT SHOW DAY LOOK LIKE?

Q. Zara Camp

If I asked you, Keith, to describe your perfect day, how would you describe it, using just the audio?  

A. Keith Keller 

My perfect day is doing a four hour show having really dynamic guests that enjoyed themselves and that were articulate and that wanted to come and we both win. 

I have fun - They have fun. 

We both learn something, and we've got four hours of content that other people who don't want to come on the show can enjoy. 

Everyone wins. Everyone wins. 

REAL TALK RECLAIMED (In A Nutshell)

In this episode of Real Talk Reclaimed, we're going off camera and into the depths of pure conversation with the one and only Keith Keller, The Social Audio Dude. 

We're exploring the powerful psychology of podcasting: 

What really happens to your brain when you have a mic in your hand? 

Keith breaks down how that simple tool creates a unique authority and transforms how we speak and listen. 

Without the crutch of visuals, conversation becomes more intimate, more deliberate, and radically more authentic.

We're bucking the visual trend here and reclaiming the original power of radio where the audience isn't just a viewer, but an engaged guest in the room.

WHAT DOES YOUR PERFECT SHOW DAY LOOK LIKE?

WHAT IS THE SOCIAL AUDIO SOUND CHECK?

•	Weekly Live Sound Check 

Tuesdays at 10am Melbourne time. 

•	Global Participation

Anyone worldwide can join in and test their sound. 

•	Technical Exploration 

Listeners connect quirky gadgets, and you help solve audio issues on air. 

•	Improvised Learning 

You research gear on the spot, experimenting with buttons, cables, and settings. 

•	Purely Audio Format 

With no video, the focus is on creativity, imagination, and sound itself. 

•	Fun & Unpredictable 

Every session is different, and fixing sound live becomes part of the entertainment. 

This isn’t just a "sound check", it’s an audio playground where participants and listeners discover the magic of technology and sound together. 

REAL TALK RECLAIMED (In A Nutshell)

In this episode of Real Talk Reclaimed, we're going off camera and into the depths of pure conversation with the one and only Keith Keller, The Social Audio Dude.

We're exploring the powerful psychology of podcasting:

What really happens to your brain when you have a mic in your hand?

Keith breaks down how that simple tool creates a unique authority and transforms how we speak and listen.

Without the crutch of visuals, conversation becomes more intimate, more deliberate, and radically more authentic.

We're bucking the visual trend here and reclaiming the original power of radio where the audience isn't just a viewer, but an engaged guest in the room.

WHAT IS THE SOCIAL AUDIO SOUND CHECK?

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS?

Question - Zara Camp.

What would you do if someone wanted to start a podcast that's only audio? 

What advice would you give them in that respect?  

Answer – Keith Keller 

This is actually a really great question. 

I would think there's two things you can do. 

One is go into a quiet room. 

You won't believe the amount of people that think it's okay to do a podcast when the television is on you. 

We can laugh at that now, because it sounds ridiculous to us, but the other people say, I can't hear the television. 

I'm I just filtered it out. 

You filtered it out because your brain doesn't hear it. 

You're used to the fact that it's on every day, the average person and a mic sitting in the in a neutral position will pick up everything in the surrounding area. 

So the first thing, lot of things, for podcasters, can be free. 

So have a quiet room with maybe carpet on the floor or curtains on the wall or a comfy chair, and just get yourself really settled into a quiet place. 

That's the first thing. 

The second thing I personally recommend, and you'll be able to do this when you go to the shops, is get a dynamic mic, not a condenser mic, a dynamic mic. 

I'll demonstrate this right now. 

A dynamic mic is really good for what we call the proximity effect. 

When it's close to my mouth. 

It's deeper, which makes me sound more authoritative. 

If I move it just 10 centimeters from my mouth, you can hardly hear me. 

Hardly hear me. 

I've got a shout, right? 

What that means is, if someone's mowing their lawn, all the kids are screaming, or, you know, wife is at home cooking dinner, then this, this type of mic which is not very much more than a normal mic. 

They call it a dynamic mic. 

They are purpose built to cut out background noise. 

Now, once when you start a podcast, you won't you might, may not know this initially, but you'll notice things you never noticed before. 

You know what? I never noticed? 

The guy does his lawn every Monday morning.

I never noticed that before, every Monday morning, 930 this guy mows his lawn. 

It's starting to really annoy me, but I didn't notice that before. 

You tell me I'm wrong. 

So you start to notice things, right? 

Which is good, because you've started to notice them. 

But whether or not you notice them, they come out on the tape. 

The recording using the tape, because I'm an 80s guy, we had reel to reel when I was doing radio. 

So you know, it comes out on the tape. 

Whether or not you hear it or not is not up to the machine. 

The machine records everything. 

So have a nice quiet room, get yourself really in the zone, and then build the tech up as you can. 

Yeah, don't. You don't have to buy lots of stuff straight away. 

There's a, there's a really cool phrase. 

I don't know if you've heard this phrase. 

It's called podfade. 

Yes, it's a phenomenon. 

People like this, they go, man, I'm going to do a podcast. 

I'm going to do a podcast every week for a year. 

Promise, promise. I'm doing it. 

I'm going to buy all this equipment. 

I'm going to do a podcast every week for a year, and then after about three weeks ago, oh, look, it's a bit hard, you know, not enjoying it anymore. 

I don't know if I want to do it. 

You've only done three it's really hard. 

Yeah, well, you know, it is hard, but so don't buy everything all at once. 

Buy something, maybe a nice pair of headphones or a nice mic, and then, then get in the zone and they can go further.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS?

Question – Zara Camp 

Do you think, Keith, that with what you do in audio, the type of audience you have has changed over time, or has it remained the same?

Answer – Keith Keller

It's very different.

I started really leaning into this during covid, when it when everyone was at home, even if the sun was shining, you couldn't leave the house. 

It was illegal, especially in Australia. 

So in 2020 we had a captive audience, like everyone was at home. 

There was nothing else to do. 

You could watch endless amounts of TV if you wanted to. 

But a lot of these apps started during covid, and they went very, very, very well. 

Now we're finding that only the diehards that really enjoyed this format. 

So there was a lot of people that were very curious, and then as soon as they could go outside and have an ice cream, well, they'd rather do that. 

What happened? 

This is what did happen. 

A lot of people said, You know what?

I didn't realize that this format is like the antidote to loneliness. 

I didn't realize that someone on the other side of the world could have the same problems as me living in this small town, the only one in the world that had this problem, because there's no one else in the in my town that I can talk to about it. 

And then suddenly, someone on the other side of the world who also lives in a small town with no one else to talk to can talk to them. 

So the audience has got more discerning. 

It's not a gimmick now it's not a gimmick. It's not use a word, intentional. 

I do everything with a purpose. 

I know exactly what I'm doing. 

I know exactly what I want to achieve, and I know exactly how to measure if it's working. 

So I'm very intentional. 
 
I think a lot of people that listen to audio are very intentional about what they're doing. 

They might be on the train, they might be doing the dishes, but they they know what. 

They're not just it's not it's not something to do. It's not a it's not a pastime anymore. 

It's an intentional learning experience. 

Because, you know, I'm, no, I'm not a very big reader, and I, I've found that when I chat to people about these things, I learn fast, really fast, like, as you said, today or recently, you're running up Mount Everest. 

I'm running up Mount Everest because three other people are with me. 

I feel like, when I'm reading in the corner on the couch, I'm going, Oh, this is hard. 

I don't get this at all. I don't understand. 

I need, I need to talk to someone. 

I need to, I need to bounce off. 

What do you think? 

So, when people are talking in this very closed format, openly and very, very earnestly, we are 100% with each other as a community, and there's no right or wrong answer, even if we disagree. 

Let's chat about it. Ah, the penny drops. 

I've been reading about this for ages. I never understood it. Now you put it in context for me. 

So that's how I learn. I'm a kinaesthetic learner. 

I'm an and I'm very much an audio person, yes. So it's a very discerning audience. 

It's a very discerning, deliberate audience. 

It has changed and it's narrowed a little, but the audience is very tight, and I'm sure you notice that too. 

Very tight.


HOW HAS THE AUDIENCE CHANGED?

ZARA CAMP 

I actually Googled you on SoundCloud to check your SEO. 

Your third on SoundCloud, yeah, your third. 

That's, that's a huge achievement.

KEITH KELLER 

That is the big achievement. 

Let's talk about this. 

This is a big hack for podcasters. 

SoundCloud is like the hidden gem. 

Most people have never heard of it. 

You put your sounds in the cloud, most people like a little bit like what everyone what happens, Spotify and Apple, they take all the they take all the razzmatazz, yes, but SoundCloud is this hidden gem, and I'm going to do this for this podcast, you can on the free version, you can have up to two hours of material completely free forever. 

So if you're just dabbling in podcasting and you put your sounds in the cloud, you can put them on SoundCloud for free, and you can add 600 words. 

This is why I'm showing up on SoundCloud in SEO, you can put 600 words in the description. 

Google says, Hey, this guy's a bit of a dude. 

He's got 260 I've got 260 podcasts, and they've all got a little description. 

He must be, he must be really into this, 600 words describing what the show's about, including your name and the title of the show and the title of the podcast, and lots and lots of text, which Google loves.
 
SoundCloud is great because it's there's a very robust free version and it's easy to use.

SOUND CLOUD IS THE HIDDEN GEM

WHAT IS SUBSTACK & WHY IS IT SO POPULAR?

Substack is a platform that lets writers, podcasters, and video creators publish directly to their audience and get paid through subscriptions.

Think of it as a hybrid between a blog, a newsletter service, and a social network.

What Does Substack Do?

• Publishing

Creators can write articles, record podcasts, or post videos.

All in one handy location.

• Distribution

Content is sent straight to subscribers’ inboxes and also lives on a clean, public-facing site.

• Monetisation

Writers can offer free or paid subscriptions.

A few hundred paying subscribers can already support a creator’s livelihood.

• Community

Features like Notes (a Twitter-like feed), Chat, and live video create real-time engagement between creators and their audiences.

Why Is It Popular?

• Simplicity

No need to juggle a blog, email tool, and social media, Substack combines them.

• Creator Control

You own your content and your subscriber list.

Substack is like a Swiss Army knife for creators

🛠️ Core Tools for Creators

• Publishing Platform:

Write essays, articles, serialized fiction, or newsletters using a clean, distraction-free editor.

• Email Distribution

Posts go straight to subscribers’ inboxes, ensuring direct reach without algorithms getting in the way.

• Audience Management

Substack handles subscriber lists, analytics, and payment processing so creators can focus on content.

🌱 Growth & Community Features

• Built In Discovery

Readers can browse and follow creators across genres, like a social feed for newsletters.

• Notes & Chat

Engage with readers in real time, fostering loyalty and feedback loops.

• Podcast Hosting

Creators can publish audio episodes directly on Substack and distribute them to major podcast apps.

Substack’s real magic lies in its simplicity
It lets creators build sustainable media businesses with minimal overheads.

Substack strips away the noise and lets creators focus on what they do best, making compelling content and building direct relationships with their audience.

WHAT IS SUBSTACK & WHY IS IT SO POPULAR?

Why Is Sound Cloud The “Hidden Gem” For Podcasters?

•	SEO Advantage

SoundCloud descriptions can use up to 600 words, which means podcasters can use this feature to add stuff them with keyword rich content.

This longform text boosts discoverability in Google search.

•	Low Competition

Since platforms like Spotify and Apple dominate listener attention, fewer people optimize for SoundCloud, making it an untapped SEO channel.

•	Scalability

With hundreds of episodes fully described, Google views the creator as consistent and authoritative, increasing overall visibility.

Key Takeaway for Podcasters 

Using SoundCloud strategically, by uploading episodes and writing detailed descriptions can significantly improve your podcast’s search engine ranking and help attract organic traffic from people who might never find you on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

SOUND CLOUD - THE HIDDEN GEM

I'm a loser who occasionally makes a big play. I also produce podcasts, write editorials, and record voice-overs. 

Twitter and Twitter Spaces for Authors with Ruth L. Snyder

Billy Dees