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This year 50% of the population has listened to a podcast and around three quarters know about podcasts and may plan to give them a go in the future. Of course, despite the amount of interest in this growing medium, listeners and success are not a guarantee. You have to offer a niche subject or angle that hasn’t been done before, or otherwise stand out enough as an entertainer or educator to gain the attention of listeners. 

Regardless of your podcast subject or style, there’s one way that you can boost the success of your podcast and that’s with your vocal skills. With the right vocal improvements, you could find you get a lot more listeners who don’t just try your podcast out, but who also subscribe and want more.

Image via Unsplash

Let’s take a closer look:

Why Is Voice Important For Podcasts? 

The voice is a given on a podcast, which in reality means it’s an often overlooked asset. When it’s used correctly it can help you to truly connect with your listeners. People will listen to your podcast because of the information you share, the guests and the overall editing and presentation – but they will keep coming back time and time again because they connect with you, which is why voice is so important for podcasts.

How To Hone Your Voice For A Podcast

Even if you’re a natural storyteller and you know how to communicate well – there are always various skills you can learn to improve your voice, thus improving your podcast.

Physical Voice Skills

The voice is a tool and so learning some physical skills can be a really great thing to do when it comes to honing your voice skills. Here are some important physical skills to improve how you sound, and how you’re able to use your voice:

• Warm up your voice to avoid throat clearing, hoarseness and a deeper sound that comes from recording cold.
• Watch what you consume before a recording to avoid throat clearing or other issues. In general, avoiding dairy is a good idea and instead choosing orange segments or soothing teas is helpful. 
• Work on your posture to boost your breathing abilities and projection. 
• Work on vocal exercises that help you to have better range, vocal control and power. 
• Work on your pronunciation – a good grasp of the English language can help you convey the desired emotions to your listeners. 
• Learn from voice over agency experts and learn microphone control. 

Extra Voice Skills For A Better Podcast

There are many extra voice skills you can master for a better podcast including:

• Storytelling
• Emotional delivery
• Learning to avoid filler noises

These extra skills will help you to use your tool (voice) in a much more powerful and deliberate way. You use the physical skills above to strengthen the voice itself, and skills like storytelling and emotional delivery to drive your messaging and information through in your podcast even more effectively.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin

The very fact that you’re here suggests you are already working on improving your podcast skills, which is a great start. The more you work on your vocal skills, the better your podcast will be. It’s always going to be a work in progress, but with lots of effort and growth, the chances are that it will continue to improve and you’ll be growing that subscriber list in no time.

When discovering New York City, most trend-seeking men tend to venture into Manhattan and Brooklyn to experience all the tourist-friendly men’s fashion shops along 5th Avenue and Williamsburg. While they’re undeniably cool destinations, Astoria, Queens is one of New York’s most overlooked neighborhoods for anyone seeking stylish men’s clothing within the five boroughs. Ranked among the coolest neighborhoods in the world, it’s a slower escape from Times Square and Columbus Circle without making you feel bored or amiss. New York’s sleepless spirit thrives in all five boroughs, and Astoria is no expectation from the city’s popular nickname (the city that never sleeps). 

In this trend-focused city guide, we dive into one of NYC’s lesser known neighborhoods to discover the undiscovered stylish menswear scene with shopping and travel tips that we gathered from in-the-know locals. From trendy gastropubs to designer clothing shops, we explore all the dynamics of how and where stylish men’s clothing flourishes in Astoria.

A Short History on Astoria’s Rich Past

Astoria was named after John Jacob Astor, one of the wealthiest men of the United States during the early 1800s who gained his profits from opioid and fur trade. He predicted this area of New York would experience rapid economic development without ever setting foot in the city. This still holds true to this day as it’s now a hotspot for international film & TV sets, Michelin-rated eateries, and global corporate businesses.

What the Trendy Locals Wear

Like much of New York City, Astoria’s local men’s fashion scene ebbs and flows with the time of day and the mood of the venue. NYC is known to be a concrete jungle crawling with trendy individualists who dress to the beat of their own drum, like the kind of stylish mens clothing on Differio. Although Astoria is slightly more muted than the louder fashions of Manhattan, you can usually spot men in trendy athleisure and men’s streetwear during the day (e.g. skinny joggers and bomber jackets) and bolder going-out clothes at night (e.g. ripped jeans and leather jackets). 

Must-Visit Avenues for Stylish Men’s Clothing

Seeing a New York City map from a tourist’s perspective, these neighborhoods might look like an overwhelming maze of avenues, but Astoria offers a less complicated path for finding stylish mens clothing stores.

Steinway Street

Steinway Street contains nearly 2.4 miles of cafes, groceries, eateries, and stylish mens clothing shops with a diverse range of popular and local brands. You’ll discover a refreshing mix of big-name men’s fashion brands, as well as local boutiques with independent designers. This is the ideal window shopping destination for stylish menswear that’s also studded with plenty of restaurants because you’ll likely work up an appetite after walking that strip.

31 Street 

31 Street runs vertically on the map with plenty of options to buy stylish clothes for men. Head over to this long strip to discover trendy consignment stores, vintage boutiques, and large department stores. Just be aware, this street runs into Long Island City – an up-and-coming residential area – so don’t be surprised if you run into some high-rise apartments after a long walk.

Stylish Places to Eat, Drink & Instagram

Nightlife

Astoria’s nightlife scene is a diverse one where you can always find a fashion-forward crowd wearing the most stylish mens clothing, shoes and accessories, which is especially great if you want to get a glimpse of what real New Yorkers wear on the daily.

If you’re looking for an intimate, speakeasy-style space, head over to Mosaic, The Last Word, or The Sweet Aston for craft cocktails and gastropub fare; going-out shirts and chinos would be totally acceptable attire.

Seeking a more low-key ambiance where you can just throw on casual-yet-stylish mens clothing, like skinny jeans and a graphic hoodie? Check out the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden or The Sweet Spot Sporting Lounge & Restaurant for typical bar fare and craft beer selections.

Museums

Most people that appreciate fashion also find themselves appreciating art in all its forms, which is why we’ve included must-see museums on this list. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that you don’t need to commute outside of Astoria to get a taste of New York’s historic culture.

Head to the Noguchi Museum to experience an indoor and outdoor space that celebrates the work of Japanese artist Isamu Noguchi. You can also check out the Museum of the Moving Image for an eye-opening media museum exploring the moving visual arts.

For proper museum attire, you can most certainly don stylish clothes for men, but just make sure you’re wearing comfortable walking shoes.

(Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hours of operation for all mentioned locations may vary.)

There are a lot of people that dream about making music a lifelong career. After all, it is an incredibly powerful art that has the power to affect us all at some level in our lives. The good news is that there are more ways than one to make music a part of your professional career and the time has never been better. Here are a few tips to help you along the way.

Image via Unsplash

Establish short term and long term goals

Having a passion for music can take you a long way, but having a clear idea of your destination will get you closer to having a successful career. There are many different ways to make money in the music industry, however, to “make it” you need to be really good at what you do.

 You can make money touring and performing or perhaps you’d be happy to get your song on a movie soundtrack. Maybe your calling is to be a successful event band and you make your money playing at weddings. Another option could be starting your own label and producing music.

 Set your sights on your final destination and work backwards. Determine what short term goals would make victorious benchmarks in your journey to realizing your dream. For example, if your long term goal is to tour, playing your own music, set the yearly goal to perform at a minimum of five local venues.

 Map out your road to success so you have a clear plan on how to get closer to realizing your dream. If you get lost along the way, you can adjust your blueprint to put you back in the right direction. Establishing your goals will give you ground zero and a way to gauge your success.

Use professional images

Your image is an extremely important aspect of establishing who you are and what your music is about. Invest in professional shots of you, your band and any additional shots to represent your image.

 When people see content r music associated with your images you don’t want to come off as amateurish with some low-quality pics. Make sure that the images you use in your social media, website and any other profile shots will convey the message you want people to get. Take vertical and horizontal shots to make sure they fit appropriately on covers and profiles.

Create a social presence

Choose two social media websites to consistently post content and engage with people. Two sites are ideal because you will need a lot of followers or subscribers and any more will dilute your efforts in making a substantial social presence.

 Social media translates to social currency. Not only does it look bad if your YouTube subscribers is a paltry 35 people, but when it comes time to let people know when and where you’re performing, you won’t get a great turnout from your fan base.

 You don’t need to be big on multiple social platforms, but it will pay to have a strong presence on one. Limit yourself to two profiles that you pour most of your effort into building.

Treat your music career as a business

Artists can sometimes get lost in their music and forget that there is more to building a career than just performing. Every musician needs a good team and in the beginning, you will need to do a lot of the work yourself to get your music noticed.

 Make sure you take the operational side of your music seriously. Plan ahead, be organized, punctual and reliable. People will be more likely to take you seriously when you make good on your word and are organized and focused on what you’re trying to achieve.

 Build a team with people who share the same passion and with whom you work well with. Just as much as you want to perform, there are people that will want to manage your bookings and fulfil specific roles that are necessary for creating a successful career in music. With the right people, your career will move forward much faster.

Perform in front of a live audience

It’s one thing to sing in a room full of friends and it’s a completely different experience to perform in front of a room full of people you don’t know. Take every opportunity to practice in front of a live audience to gain more experience in relating to the crowd and dealing with the issues that arise.

 If you’re just starting out, get to every open mike night in your city. If you’re out of options, hit up the karaoke bars and get as much practice in as possible. The more you put yourself out there, the more you perfect your performance skills.

Invest in a vocal coach

Unfortunately building a career in music requires financial investments in the right areas. Hire a coach to develop more vocal control can make a huge difference in improving your sound. No matter how good you are there is always something you can do better.

 If you haven’t mastered the correct singing postures, how to project, breathe and enunciate, you’re not maximizing your potential. Shania Twain attests much of her early on success to her vocal coach, Ian Garrett, (owner of the Canadian Academy Of Vocal Music) in her autobiography.

 A vocal coach will put you through rigorous voice training exercises to improve your singing voice and give you more structure on how you produce your sound.

Record your music professionally

Recording your songs in a studio can be quite pricey, but the end result is worthwhile.

 The experience of recording is a big step towards being a professional. Working with a sound engineer and producer on what you can do in the studio will spur on more ideas and give you the motivation to get your next track mastered.

 Recording your music professionally is also the best way to get your music distributed on sites that share music. No one will post a track that is made of low quality. Once you have a few under your belt you can consider posting to aggregator sites like DistroKid, CDBaby and TuneCore.

 When you have your own songs recorded and mastered and listed on aggregator sites, you’re creating more opportunities to start selling your music. The options exist to get your songs on Spotify, Itunes, Amazon Music and other media outlets that can start bringing you in some bucks.

Realize your dream one step at a time

Making a career in music is no easy feat. It takes passion, drives and a good business sense to put to establish a successful career that makes you good money. Although the process may be difficult, we live in a time where there are enough vocal tips, business tools and opportunities available that can make your dream a reality. 

Put your money to good work by investing in yourself. There are benefits of voice training that amount to more than just a way to enhance your sound. Bring your music to life in a studio by professionally recording your work. Build your team and put your plan into motion to take the steps necessary to get you closer to making your music a lifelong career.

Having people over to stay can be fun and exciting, but there is a lot of pressure on you as the host to make your overnight guests feel comfortable and welcome. Some people have a natural flare for hosting and are always considerate, caring, and think of all the little things. But don’t worry if that isn’t you, because here are five tips to make sure you are an amazing host to your overnight guests and they have a pleasant and enjoyable experience in your home.

1. Have a Comfy Guest Room

Comfort is essential when it comes to hosting people overnight. You don’t want them to have a terrible sleep in a hard and uncomfortable bed, crammed into your spare room and surrounded by all your clutter. You want your guests to feel welcome and at home, so the first thing to do is make sure your guest room is comfortable and inviting. Have simple yet sophisticated décor with a touch of personality, pick out one of the best mattresses so your guests have a wonderful sleep and provide them with the comfiest cushions and pillows. 

2. Bathroom Essentials

Lugging around towels isn’t fun; they take up so much space in your bag and then you may have to pack them while they are still wet, where they go all musty and unappealing. To be a great host, provide your overnight guests with fresh, fluffy towels and let them know they will have them before they arrive. It is also a good idea to set out some essential toiletries for them to use in the bathroom just in case they forget anything or so they can lighten their packing load by leaving their big bottles of shampoo at home.

3. Meal Preparation

Depending on what time your guests arrive, you may want to provide an evening meal to welcome them to your home. Alternatively, you could take them out and show them some of the sights of the area at the same time. Whatever you decide to do in the evening, a great overnight host will always have something ready and prepared for breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day after all! Make sure you are aware of any allergies or food preferences so you can put together a fantastic spread in the morning.

4. Provide Information and Suggestions

If they are going to be doing a bit of exploring, as you are the host and you know the area, you can put together some ideas of things to do, areas to visit and places to eat. You don’t want to regiment your guests time here, so give them suggestions and options and let them pick what they want to do themselves. A great host will have the knowledge and ideas, but give guests the freedom to decide. Factoring in time for them by themselves and asking if they want to do so is considerate, even if they turn around and tell you to just come with them, a good host will always give the option.

5. Don’t Wait on Them

Obviously, they are your guests and you want them to relax and enjoy their time in your home. But many people will feel much more comfortable staying if they can help you in some sort of way. If one of your guests asks if they can do something while you are cooking dinner or clearing away, you aren’t obliged to say no. Let them take on a small task like putting things in the dishwasher or setting the table and have a chat to them at the same time so they feel less like an intruder.

To be a great host, you need to be considerate and accommodating; be yourself and follow these tips to make sure your guests have a wonderful experience in your home.