Sound Judgment, the Newsletter
Every other Thursday, Sound Judgment, the newsletter, will come to your inbox with analysis, tips, recommendations, and more, drawn from hands-on experience; the shows we listen to; and the audio producers, hosts, editors and growth experts we work with and learn from.
This newsletter is for you if:
You’re an audio storyteller or dream of becoming one
You’re a media or marketing content leader considering how to best include high-quality storytelling in your communications mix, and how to help your team improve their storytelling
You’re an avid listener curious about how producers and hosts make your favorite podcasts or radio shows
You want to strengthen your connections with your audience, no matter your medium. Writers, public speakers, TV producers and filmmakers have all said they find Sound Judgment’s storytelling, interviewing, hosting, and producing insights incredibly valuable.
(For the record, we’re leaving technical sound quality—the tips and tricks about denoising, de-essers, and decibel levels—to our engineer colleagues.)
Join other podcast hosts, producers, and content marketers from PRX, Pushkin Industries, Reveal, NPR affiliates, National Federation of Community Broadcasters, AIR, The Podcast Academy, Hindenburg, Podglomerate, the Economist, The Guardian, and more.
"Oooh, this is so good!" — Mary Ellen Slayter, publisher of Managing Editor Magazine
"Your [newsletter] is stellar." — Kristin Morrison, podcast host and producer
Sound Judgment takes listeners into the studios — and the minds — of your favorite audio storytellers. In each episode, lifelong journalist Elaine Appleton Grant and a top audio creator deconstruct one of their episodes. It’s not just a revealing conversation about the art and craft of audio storytelling, it’s a sound-rich narrative interview: Elaine plays back clips from her guest’s podcast. Together, they explore the storyteller’s creative choices in a “living learning lab.”
The show explores the craft of hosting, asking, “What does it take to become a beloved podcast host?”
Guests include Gilbert King and Kelsey Decker of Bone Valley; Glynn Washington of Snap Judgment; National Speaker Association Hall of Famer and Standing Ovation host Jay Baer; CEO and Founder of LWC Studios Juleyka Lantigua; Lemonada's Stephanie Wittels Wachs; former PRX chief content officer and founder of Marketplace, John Barth; Pantsuit Politics hosts Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland; and more!
Learn more about Sound Judgment and follow us on your favorite podcast player.