Welcome to Sound Judgment!
I’ve been publishing Sound Judgment, the newsletter and podcast since late 2022. In that short time, my conversations with today’s most celebrated audio storytellers have been called “your online master’s degree in audio storytelling,” “a masterclass in podcasting,” and “required listening for our profession.” Why? Because I wanted to learn for myself how the most magnetic audio storytellers of our day make their magic.
So I set out to go behind the scenes with them. On every podcast episode, a world-class storyteller and I dissect one of their favorite or most challenging episodes. The point: To unpack their creative choices in the moment, in a living, learning, example-rich lab, and to bring their lessons to you.
What I didn’t foresee was that the vast majority of these takeaways are just as compelling for storytellers across every other platform there is! Writers, public speakers, documentarians and other filmmakers, journalists, science writers, editors, marketers, and even clinicians and others who use interviewing and storytelling in interpersonal communications say the newsletter and the podcast are inspiring and valuable resources.
No need to be a podcaster to glean insights into storytelling, reporting and the art of ‘hostiness.’ Any creative—writer, producer, artist—will find actionable tips in every episode.
— IYNA BORT CARUSO
Every other Sunday, 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 other storytellers and growth experts we work with and learn from. This newsletter is for you if:
You want to become a better storyteller on any platform and you love applying real-life examples learned from going behind the scenes
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 shows
You love books, reading, and going behind the scenes to learn about the writing process (I’m a junkie)
You want to strengthen your connections with your audience, no matter your medium or role. Writers, public speakers, TV producers and filmmakers all say they find Sound Judgment’s storytelling, interviewing, hosting, and producing insights incredibly valuable.
Why subscribe?
Our biweekly newsletters include:
An essay about the craft of audio storytelling, and sometimes about the creative process and about our place as makers within the rapidly changing media world.
Our “Try This in Your Studio” column, which brings you actionable takeaways from Sound Judgment guests like Anna Sale, Glynn Washington, Kelly Corrigan, Jonathan Menjivar, and many more award-winning storytellers and interviewers.
Our new “Learn from the Best” tips, which recommend the the best things to read, listen to, and study from around the web, the library, and our worldwide network of creators, including you!
Sound Judgment Kudos to storytellers we think are making fantastic sound judgments creative choices—choices that elevate the quality of our content. Kudos often include opportunities for you to enter an awards program, attend an event, or take advantage of a little-known opportunity. We’re all in this together.
The occasional Unsound Judgment: When something feels like a particularly poor choice, I’m not afraid to say so.
Paid subscribers will soon get access to subscriber-only chats, a large and growing database of fabulous resources, access to special live discussions, and discounts on classes and coaching.
In between our full-length newsletters, we’ll bring you some short missives to keep you updated on goings-on in audio storytelling, a quick takeaway that I can’t wait to share, and great book and podcast recommendations.
Become a part of the Sound Judgment community, along with 1100 subscribers from PRX, Pushkin Industries, Reveal, NPR affiliates, National Federation of Community Broadcasters, AIR, The Podcast Academy, Hindenburg, Podglomerate, the Economist, The Guardian, CBS News, and more. Subscribers to the podcast come from 103 countries around the world!
Who am I?
I’m a lifelong journalist. I made my way into public radio after about 15 years in the magazine world. I began my radio career in 2003 at Boston’s WBUR, and later worked in the newsrooms of NH Public Radio and Colorado Public Radio. More recently, I produced 600 episodes of Wondery’s Business Wars Daily, which was downloaded 10 million times by the time I left to build my own business.
Today, I’m going back to my roots as a journalist and producing my own print and podcast journalism for a variety of outlets. I also run Podcast Allies, LLC, a podcast consultancy and training studio in the Denver metro area. I teach classes on storytelling, interviewing, podcast guesting, and more. I serve on the board of AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio. I speak about storytelling and podcasting often. My TEDx talk about understanding racism better through podcasting about the Tulsa Race Massacre has been viewed more than 125,000 times.
Some nice things people have said
“Elaine is one of the sharpest writers—and producers—in the podcasting industry. She knows the craft: from recognizing a great story, tailoring copy for the ear, getting the best from talent and maximizing impact. Everyone should be lucky enough to work with—and learn from—Elaine.”
— David Brown, host, Business Wars and Business Wars Daily
Finally, a show about the actual craft
“Elaine clearly has a mission to bring us inside the MAKING of the shows. It’s bizarre to me that so few want to share the magic of making podcasts in favor of general advice, sans-audio clips, or industry voyeurism. This is so inspiring.”
— Jay Acunzo
“I love that Elaine always shows, doesn’t tell. You can hear in the audio examples how someone elevated a good story to an unforgettable one. Because why settle for good when you are capable of great?”
— Suzanne Schaffer, Whisper, Speak, Roar Media
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