Hey there.
Welcome back to another episode of the freelance Friday podcast.
Today.
We're getting a little meta because we are talking about podcasts and
how to start one step by step.
Now, if you're here, you probably already have some idea of why podcasts are a
valuable type of content to leverage.
But let me give you my like one minute take on why I think they're important.
Well, I think podcasts are really great for mid funnel content awareness
level content might be kind of that flashy, IR SEO, rich content, like a
YouTube video, or even a tech talk, but podcasts are great because you really
sort of get to hang out and spend time with your ideal customer or listener.
And move them down the funnel towards the point of making a purchase.
So if you're somebody who has a lot of followers or just has it doesn't even have
to be a lot, just has some following or has some other type of awareness content,
but they're not really ready to purchase.
A podcast can be a great way to kind of act as a bridge and move
them along in their journey.
So the first thing you're going to need to do, if you'd like to
start a podcast is decide on a.
And a name for your show.
You probably already have some kind of an idea about the topic you'd
like to talk about, especially if you do have other content out there.
But the key here is to make sure that it is relevant and
interesting for your ideal buyer.
You also want to make sure that it's within your area of expertise.
I can talk about freelancing all day because I've been doing it for many years.
I also know a lot of other freelancers, so I can always bring
them onto the show to share their expertise and their insight with me.
But I don't necessarily know everything about SEO or, you know,
analytics or things like that.
So choose accordingly.
And then for your name, here's the thing I'm going to be honest,
the freelance Friday podcast.
If I was starting it all over again.
I probably would not be calling it the freelance Friday podcast.
I think it's a cute name.
I love some alliteration, but I don't think it's a smart idea to tie yourself
in or lock yourself into posting on a certain day, if you can at all help it.
So I know that I probably could post the freelance Friday podcast on a
Wednesday or a Monday if I wanted to, but it just feels a little weird.
And you know, my audience has kind of learned over the years that this
podcast comes out every single Friday.
So I feel kind of locked in to that.
So just something to keep in mind.
Once you decide on your podcast name, my advice is to try to buy
the domain name if it is available.
So you can use a tool like GoDaddy or whichever domain name provider
that you choose to go with and try to get the domain name.
Even if you don't build a full fledged website for it, you can
always redirect that domain.
Over to your podcast player, wherever you choose to host it.
So I own freelance Friday podcast.com.
If you go there, it should direct you to the podcast page on my website
or my anchor page or somewhere.
Similarly, you can also grab social handles.
If you choose to, I have the Instagram account freelance
Friday podcast for a while.
We were leveraging it as a, an actual Instagram account, but we
decided let's just redirect people.
So now it's just kind of a placeholder.
So if people do look us up, they can still find us.
They can still get the link to the show and see where I am active at the Latasha
James and online business launched.
But I don't have to post a new Instagram post every single episode.
Next, you want to make sure that you're clear on your objective?
Like I said, I think that podcasts work really well for mid-funnel content.
So kind of warming up your audience and helping you generate new leads,
but it can also be used as an aware.
Play.
So if you are just brand new and you want more people to know who you
are, of course, some people will find you through search and you can also
do that by inviting guests on your show who have larger audiences than
you, that will hopefully send some of their traffic over to your show.
The reason that it's important to know what your objective is before
you go in to start creating content is because it's really going to
drive the direction of your show.
It's going to help you decide.
Do you want to establish yourself as a thought leader?
Do a solo show where you're just sharing tips and tricks and, you
know, showcasing your expertise.
Or like I mentioned, is this an awareness thing where you're going to try to get the
biggest hottest people in your industry to help drive traffic back to your show.
It's also going to help in terms of planning.
So.
For example, if my main goal for the freelance Friday podcast was to generate
new leads and to book sales calls, I wanted to get one-on-one coaching clients.
Let's say, then I would make sure that I had a good lead magnet system in place.
Maybe I'm offering a new PDF or worksheet or exclusive video or
something like that for every episode.
So I need to make sure that I'm adding that into my workflow for
when I'm planning out my episodes.
The scrambling last minute to create those kinds of things.
Next up, I want you to outline your episodes and hear me out.
I want you to outline at least five of them.
I know this might seem overboard, but one of the things I see a lot of people do is
they get really great ideas for content.
And this goes for YouTube channels and just video content as well.
They get really great ideas and then they, you know, shoot one and
then they get burnt out because it's a kind of overwhelming process.
They can't keep up.
They feel like they're on the hamster wheel and then they just feel.
Out.
So I don't want that to happen to you.
So what you can do to mitigate that is just go ahead and plan
out a bunch of different podcasts.
So you're ready to go.
And this is also great because when you launch your product, You
can set a couple of them live to start maybe two or even three.
That's going to give new listeners the opportunity to sort of binge
your show and really become a fan.
Even if you've only been on the air for a week.
I believe that I launched my podcast with a handful of episodes live, but I
actually batched like between five and 10.
So I'd outlined them, I'd recorded them and they were pretty much good to go.
So I could just schedule them out and always be, you know, at least a few.
In advance.
And I still do that.
I still try to work ahead.
So I'm not scrambling last minute.
No.
Once you know that you have at least five or 10 episodes in you,
and you can speak about your topic for at least that amount of time.
I think that's a good time to start thinking about your branding.
You're going to need a podcast cover.
That's pretty much the biggest piece of design that you're going to need
to work on, but you might also want to have a logo or maybe some social
media templates that you can share with guests or that you can use for yourself.
So it's totally up to you.
If you're a designer or at least semi comfortable with design software, then
you can just go for this yourself.
Of course, the podcast cover is just a square graphic, but I personally
would recommend outsourcing it to a professional if you have the budget.
And especially if you're doing this for business and you want
to be taken very seriously.
Now, if you're just creating a podcast just for fun, or
you're just kind of dabbling.
Totally.
Okay.
To DIY it IDI.
Why'd my podcast cover.
Really think I need to get it redone just because it's been
the same for like four years.
And then the other piece of sort of branding that you're going to need to
come up with are what we call bumpers.
So these can include like your intros, outros, your mid roll ads.
If you have anything that you want to use as a mid roll, your music, all of those.
Audio elements.
You're going to want to make sure that you have a plan for those as well.
So over the years I've actually really cut all this stuff down.
I used to do those really long intro and outro what used to be super detailed.
And it kind of makes me cringe now to be honest, but you know what, I
think that's what it's supposed to be.
Like.
They say that your old content is supposed to make you cringe
because that shows growth.
So yay growth.
But anyway, over the years, you know, attention spans
are just different nowadays.
And I also think.
A lot of my audience they're returned listeners.
So they already know who I am.
They don't need me to say hi, I'm Latasha.
I'm a marketing strategist, every two seconds in their ear.
They kind of already know.
But if you're just first starting out and you don't necessarily have
an audience who knows you, maybe it's not a bad idea to have a short intro.
I'm just gonna.
Put an emphasis on short there.
I don't think they need to be too long.
Another thing that you can do is create ads for yourself.
So create mid-roll ads, just like you would for a sponsor, but create them for,
you know, your, if you have a membership group, if you have a course or if you
have anything like that, that you want to drive people to just record a little.
Add four at once.
Save it in a folder.
And now you can pop that in any time you talk about one of your products and it
needs a little bit more emphasis or, you know, you want to drive people to it.
You have that bumper ready to go.
As far as music, you can look on any copyright free music site.
The YouTube audio library is a great free option, and I really love epidemic
sound as a paid a subscription.
Next you're going to need to decide on your equipment and the reason
this is so far down the line.
Again is because I want to make sure that you get this far before
spending too much money on anything.
This is a big mistake I see is people just get way too invested.
They want to buy all the fanciest things and then they never start.
Or, you know, they do have pod fade and they burn out after one or two episodes.
So I think it's a good idea to wait for quick.
A little bit later unless you already have stuff.
And I also think it's a great idea to start with what you have.
If you do have anything.
I definitely did not start with this microphone.
I started with a blue snowball.
It is like a 30 or $40 microphone.
I worked my way up, basically every season I would upgrade my.
So this is the shore MV seven microphone.
If you're looking for this and another microphone that I really
love is called the Samson Q2, you, I use that microphone for many years
actually, and really, really liked it.
And it's very, very official.
So really that's all that you need is a microphone, a computer that
you can plug your microphone into.
I would recommend getting an external hard drive cause you're gonna have a lot of
audio files and a lot of video files and images and things like that for promotion.
And you'll also need some type of editing software.
I like the tool descript.
You can record into that tool and then you can also edit your podcasts.
You can also create shorts and, you know, clips of your podcasts really
easily using that tool, both for video and audio, but you can also use a.
Software like a garage band is one and there's a ton of others.
So just do research on best audio recording software and editing software.
And then the other thing you'll want to think about at this stage is do you want
to do audio only, or do you want to add video to the mix now I'm partial, but
I think video is a really great idea.
If you can swing it, there have been indications from YouTube that.
They're interested in us podcasters, let's just say, and they like
us being on their platform.
I also think it's great for discoverability.
Actually.
I'd be curious to know if you're, if you're watching on YouTube and you
want to drop a comment and let me.
Where did you find me?
How did you discover my, my channel and my podcast?
I'm really curious to know, because most people say it's through YouTube.
Some people I've heard from a handful of people that they have found me
through the podcasting platforms, but I would say the large majority.
Is through YouTube.
YouTube is a search engine.
It is a Google product.
So it just gives you that much visibility.
So I think it's smart to at least use as an additional placement.
Now, if you're doing YouTube, you of course have to factor
in video equipment as well.
And what I'm going to say once again.
Start with what you have.
Don't worry about being perfect.
Seriously.
Your iPhone quality is pretty darn good.
These days.
I use a couple of different cameras.
I can link them for you right now.
I'm shooting on a Canon 80 D, but I also use a cannon I'm five allots.
I have a tripod and then I just have a little bit of lighting.
So it doesn't have to be anything too, too fancy.
Like I said, I phones are amazing.
I actually did a video test in my course, the video lounge, where I showcased.
An iPhone McKennon add and McKennan M five and I showed the different setups.
And honestly, I think the iPhone holds up pretty darn well, if you're interested
in learning more about creating high quality video, I do have a course called
the video lab, which is self-paced.
You can go at your own pace and take it right now.
And we're also getting ready to start a cohort of the video lounge, which is
a small personalized mastermind group.
We'll be getting it together to hopefully help you create your first 10 videos.
This summer, it is interactive is like I said, it's very small.
So it's actually application only.
But if you are somebody who is like, yes, I want to start a podcast with
video element, or you just want to start a YouTube tunnel for your business.
Please apply.
You don't have to like, have an active presence or anything
to be considered for it.
But I am trying to keep it curated and small, just so everybody gets a lot of
attention, you know, from me and from one another and gets to know one another.
I think it's going to be really, really fun though.
Okay.
Next you're gonna need to edit your show.
You can either edit it yourself or hire an editor.
Like I said, I like to use the tool descript for editing.
It's just super easy, especially if you are not an editor, I've been editing
YouTube videos for so long and videos in general for like 15 years of my life.
So it comes pretty naturally to me, but if you're a brand new descript,
actually it's like a word document.
Provides a transcript of your show, and then you can just delete the words
and it creates jump cuts for you.
It is so cool.
And it works with video and audio.
If you want to hire someone, you know, that's a trade off and I.
Personally, I'm going to steer you in the direction of hiring
an editor, if you can swing it.
And if you are already running a busy business, adding learning how
to edit to your plate is a lot.
It is a full-time job for a reason.
So I've hired editors on Upwork.
I've hired editors on Facebook groups, and I found editors just through like word of
mouth and through, you know, referrals.
So definitely consider if the.
Reward is worth the risk, I suppose, in that regard, because they really
can save you a lot of time and also act as sort of a creative consultant for
you too, and give you new ideas that you may have never even thought of.
And lastly, you are going to need to choose a host for your show.
Now, YouTube, you just go to youtube.com.
You click on upload.
YouTube servers host my videos and distributes them to you.
And I don't need to really think about it.
Podcasts are not really the same and that there are a lot of different platforms.
It's not just like uploading to YouTube.
You're also uploading to apple podcasts and Spotify and you know, all these
different distribution channels.
So really the best solution that you're going to find to avoid
having to do those things manually is choosing a podcast hosts.
There's a few out there there's like Libsyn.
There is anchor there's.
I think pod bean is one.
I personally use anchor.
It is free to use, which is nice.
And it's just like really user-friendly and easy.
They also have monetization tools in there.
I haven't used those at all.
All of my podcast sponsors have just been negotiated by, you know,
myself or my partnerships manager.
But they do have that capability.
If you are looking to actually monetize your show, once you get set
up with your podcast hosts, you'll find it's pretty like plug and play.
They'll really walk you through what you need to do to get that thing set up.
You want to do this in advance though?
So don't say, Hey, I'm going to launch my podcast on Friday.
If you haven't even started the host process, because you do have to go
through approval process for some of the podcast distribution channels.
So make sure that.
Your podcast up well in advance of your actual launch date.
So you don't get disappointed.
And then from there, it's just all about driving traffic to your show,
marketing it, promoting it, which let me know if you'd like a part two where
we can talk a little bit more in depth about that, but that's pretty much it.
If you are looking to have guests on your show, Are a couple of additional steps
that you're going to want to take, which I can run through really quickly here.
You'll want to choose a tool that enables you to actually record an interview.
So stream yard can do this.
Zoom can do this.
There are a ton of other ones out there too, but those are
really the two that I use.
Again, start with what you have.
So take an audit of your existing tools and see if anything can work.
If you do use zoom.
My big recommendation is to go into the settings and make sure that you
select different audio tracks for.
Speakers.
This is going to make the editing process a lot easier.
So you're not hearing like people coughing while you're talking
and, you know, zipping up their dress and playing with their hair.
You can edit all of those imperfections out while the other person's speaking.
I also have changed my mind about pre-meetings and sending questions.
I used to be very against that.
I used to be like, no, I want the conversation to be very
natural and organic, but now.
I see the value in them.
I see the value, cause I've done a lot more podcasts.
I've been a guest on a lot more podcasts and it makes me feel more comfortable.
And it also just, it's more interesting to listen to a conversation where
people have some chemistry or some bit of connection, and it's not just
like, like a deer in headlights.
So I like to.
Get to know my guests a little bit.
You don't have to be best friends with them, but even if it's just a quick 15
minute zoom call or hopping onto the zoom call, 15 minutes before your interview
to kind of warm them up and get to know them, talk about the weather, talk
about, you know, I don't know where they live in the world and things like that.
It can really.
And then I also like to send over just kind of an outline of the episode.
I don't send every single question that I'm going to ask, because again,
I think that does take away from some of the organic feel of the show, but
I do send like bullet points of, Hey, I'm going to ask you about X, Y, and
Z, just so they can come prepared.
They can make sure that they have resources prepared and
do research if they need to.
And so on.
So that is it.
That is how you start a podcast in a nutshell, at least
if you have any questions.
Leave them in the comments on YouTube.
And don't forget that you can join my channel for exclusive.
In-depth personalized Q and A's every single month, as
well as the bonus podcast.
And you can also subscribe to my channel, which is completely free.
This just enables you to see whenever you upload new videos, you can do the same
thing on most of the podcasting platforms.
And we'll leave all the links and resources that I mentioned down in
the show notes for you to check out.
I hope you enjoyed this episode and I thank you as always for
spending time with me this Friday.
I hope you have a beautiful rest of.
I'll see you next time.
Bye.