Storytelling as a Service, with Pat Fenner and Mark Deal

"Storytelling as a Service” (SaaS, as Mark Deal would say) is a way Podcast Managers, Producers, and even Editors can make money on the development of a serialized, documentary-style podcast.

Mark Deal and Pat Fenner created “Habitat: Heart, Hammer, and Home”, a documentary podcast about housing, hope, and the people building stronger communities. The project serves as a proof of concept for a higher-tier service, with the core idea of creating compelling, narrative-driven audio experiences that differentiate your offerings in a crowded market.

Key moments:

(05:43) How Storytelling as a Service Benefits Podcast Professionals

(08:10) Challenges in Storytelling as a Service

(12:43) Benefits of Storytelling as a Service

(24:13) Resource Management and Project Momentum

(28:12) Inspirations for Storytelling and Structuring Content

(30:34) The Importance of Connection in Podcasting (even for us Editors)

(32:54) Song: Level Up the Craft!

Our Guests

About Pat Fenner:

Pat is a podcast producer and strategic storyteller who helps business owners get their message from the mic to the masses. She specializes in story-forward podcasts for coaches, consultants, and service-based brands that build connection.

As both a producer and author, she knows how to find the signal in the noise—and turn it into content people actually want to hear, share, and stick with.

Get Pat's glossary of Podcast-related words free https://www.patfenner.me/PodWords

About Mark Deal:

Mark's background begins in engineering and data science, then moved into global corporate marketing and strategy. Over time, that evolved into what he does today… help people think clearly, make better decisions, and build systems that actually hold up in the real world.

Mark has been working in the podcast industry since 2013, and that journey led to the creation of Podcast Editor Academy, Podcast Atlanta, Podcast Guest Academy, and several other podcasting communities serving more than 15,000 members combined.

A lot of his work lives at the intersection of structure and conversation. I help editors and producers step back, see the bigger picture, and design their business in a way that supports the life they actually want to live.

Inside Podcast Editor Academy, Mark work alongside Steve Stewart to guide conversations, shape the direction of the community, and help members navigate the decisions that come with growth… from first clients to long-term sustainability.

Join the Podcast Editor Academy while the doors are still open.

Resources mentioned in the show:

1. Podcast: Habitat: Heart, Hammer, and Home
2. Pat Fenner's website | Instagram
3. Get Pat's glossary of Podcast-related words free
4. Book: Building a StoryBrand 2.0 by Donald Miller
5. Mark Deal Podcast Editor Academy | PodATL

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Tools we used:

*Riverside.fm to RECORD

We used Riverside to record this episode and create video shorts for marketing the show.

*WhisperTranscribe for SHOW NOTES

WhisperTranscribe assisted in the crafting of this episode description. It probably saved me 30 minutes by providing a summary and a list of chapters.

PodChapters for podcast chapters

The fastest way to add chapters to mp3s from an outline, or have the AI tool generate them for you. I probably save at least 2-4 minutes over using another AI tool to generate them and another 4-5 minutes from embedding them to the mp3. PodChapters does it all.

*Captivate.fm for our podcast MEDIA HOST

Captivate offers amazing features, including dynamic insertion tools, embedded chapters, and Blocks/Shortcodes to quickly add content to show notes (like this section you are reading right now)

*Use of the above affiliate links may earn us a commission, which is used to support the efforts of this show. Thank you in advance for your support!

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Mentioned in this episode:

Podcast Editor Academy

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