- When it comes to starting your podcast,
the gap between having the idea and actually getting
your show launched can sometimes feel insurmountable.
So today I want to take a few minutes
and share five tips that I think will help you
get your podcast started as soon as possible.
And I need to sit here
'cause my chair was commandeered by Finley today,
but that's okay because I guess he's just excited
about starting his own paw-dcast.
(funky music vibes)
I currently have three podcasts of my own.
But prior to that, through my job,
I actually began producing podcasts in 2014.
And over the years, I've also worked with a lot of different
students to help them get their shows up and running.
And while there's pretty much an unlimited number
of tips and tricks when it comes to starting your podcast,
these five things are what just sort of jumps out
at me as being the very common pitfalls that people face.
So tip number one is that gear definitely does matter,
but it shouldn't be what stands in the way
of you and your show.
I know sometimes it can be a popular thing online to say
that your "gear doesn't matter," and "story is king,"
and all that stuff, but I actually disagree with that.
Gear definitely does matter.
And it can open up a lot of doors for you,
and it can help you make things as good as possible.
However, it should never be the thing that gets
in the way of you actually getting started.
If you're watching this video right now,
then that means you have what you need
to get started with podcasting.
Even if that is something like a phone, or a tablet,
or a really basic computer.
You don't need all the mics, you don't need the RODECaster,
you don't need any of that stuff.
Whatever you're watching this video on
can be what you start with
when it comes to producing your podcast.
You can always upgrade and add gear over time,
but if you wait to do that,
the thing you can never get back is your time.
So instead of waiting like six months
until you have the budget for a RODECaster,
get started now and then upgrade later,
and then down the line, you'll be six months into your show,
and you'll have that much more experience.
You'll have built up an audience over that time.
You'll have that many episodes in your library,
and that's a much better place to be than just waiting
for everything to be perfect until you get started.
And obviously, you do want your show to sound as good
as possible, but with free and affordable tools,
stuff like GarageBand, Audacity, Adobe Audition, Logic,
you can take audio from pretty much any source
and play with it and make it sound pretty darn decent.
And in the beginning, I hate to say it,
it almost doesn't matter
because tip number two is remember that nobody is listening.
That might sound kind of harsh
but when you start your show,
it's a lot like starting a YouTube channel.
Nobody's going to be listening at first,
and that's actually a good thing.
And of course, if you're a well-known person,
like when Michelle Obama starts a podcast,
people are going to be listening to the first episode.
But for normal people like us, a lot of people probably
aren't going to be listening to your first few episodes,
but that is absolutely okay.
They will be there in the library
and you can bet that down the line,
people will come back and discover those first episodes.
So they absolutely have value, but even more than that,
regardless of who is listening,
the fact that you're making those episodes
is a very big deal and a very big personal accomplishment.
Getting into the rhythm of creating an episode,
publishing it, creating and publishing.
That's a huge deal.
And it doesn't matter really who's listening at that point.
Plus, podcast numbers are very different
than something like YouTube.
Did you know, and this is a statistic I was able to get
from Buzzsprout, if your podcast gets 28 downloads
in the first seven days after being published,
you're in the top 50% of podcasts.
28, not 2,800 or 28,000, just 28.
If 28 people listen to your show in the first week,
that puts you in the top 50%.
Don't focus on those numbers, especially to begin with,
don't panic about that.
Just create your show and get it out there.
Making it a sustainable and repeatable part of your life
is really like one of the main steps to success.
Now tip number three has to do with what your show
is actually going to be about.
I know that for me, personally,
and for a lot of people I talked to,
I had the urge to start a podcast
but I had no idea where to begin,
and that actually delayed it for a lot of years.
Now you might already have an idea,
you know exactly what kind of show you want to produce.
And if so, that's awesome, and you're very fortunate.
If you're sort of stuck in that,
what the heck do I make my show about phase,
I strongly encourage you to think about whatever it is
that you can't stop talking about.
If you have something that your friends and your family
are really tired of hearing about,
something that maybe you even have to stop yourself.
Like, I can't keep talking about this thing with them
because they're going to get annoyed by it.
That is a great place to start when it comes to
looking for topics for your show.
If you're not that excited about your show
and what you're talking about,
when it comes to getting yourself to actually
make an episode, you know, week after week,
or however often you upload,
it's going to be the first thing to get cut
when you don't feel good, or you don't have time,
or you're not in the mood to do it.
If you're not excited about it, it's going to be the
first thing that you get rid of off of your schedule.
Whereas, if you're very excited about what you're talking
about with your show, then you're going to put other things
off to the side and want to make that a priority.
And that's really important,
because just like with YouTube or anything else,
consistency really is key.
Regardless of how many people are listening,
just keep the process going, keep making new episodes.
You're going to get better and better
each and every single time.
Now tip number four is a more practical tip
that does have to do with equipment.
No matter what you're using,
I strongly encourage you to get to know your microphone.
Whether it's a professional level mic
that's connected to a professional level mixer,
or just simply the earbuds and microphone that came
with your phone, or something in between,
you can always figure out ways to maximize the quality
you're getting from that device.
At the very least, do a quick Google search for your
specific microphone and learn a little bit about it.
Learn what type of microphone it is,
what it needs to sound its best,
spend some time experimenting with it,
learn about proper mic technique.
You've heard me talk about this on this channel quite a bit.
It's very rare unless you have a really strong pop filter,
that you're going to want to position a microphone directly
in front of your mouth because you're going to be moving
a lot of air while you talk,
and that's going to give a lot of puh-puh-puh
Those plosives that can be very distracting
and harsh to listen to.
If you keep your microphone,
even if it's the little earbud microphone,
kind of off to the side of your mouth while you're talking
and just away from the direct flow of air,
that's going to improve your audio quality tremendously.
Paying attention to things like mouth clicks and breathing.
A lot of times, people when they're talking,
they will do things like mm,
and make kind of that sound a lot.
That can be distracting so being aware of those things.
You don't need fancy equipment to focus on
how you're presenting yourself, how you're talking,
how you're, you know, interacting with your microphone,
positioning your mic properly so that way
it's going to sound its absolute best.
Finley over here prefers the PawdMic.
"PawdMic." Get it?! It's so darn funny.
And anytime you do get a new piece of equipment,
make sure to dedicate a little bit of time
to get to know it, understand it, experiment with it,
and listen back to what you're recording.
So that way you can improve and learn more about it
as time goes on.
And finally, tip number five has to do with
getting your podcast out into the world.
If you're doing a video version of your podcast,
obviously YouTube is a great place to get started.
But when it comes to the audio only stuff,
getting your podcasts listed in Apple, Spotify, Google,
all of those directories,
that's where sometimes people get a little overwhelmed
and then they don't know what to do.
And even if they have a show,
it doesn't actually get out to the world
because they don't know how to tackle that obstacle.
Basically when it comes to putting your podcast out there,
you need something called an RSS feed
that's tied to your show and it's that feed that you submit
to all of the different directories.
And then every time you upload a new episode,
all those different directories, like Apple and Spotify,
will find that and then put that new episode out
in your feed for your show on that platform.
And you can do this all yourself through a private website.
You can upload your audio file,
you can generate your own RSS feed,
you can go to every directory that you want to be listed to
and submit things manually.
And then you have full control over everything.
I've done that in the past and I never want to do it again
because personally, I found that to be a huge hassle
and a huge stumbling block.
And fortunately, in today's world,
there are a bunch of different platforms out there
to help you get your podcast out to the world
and make it as easy as possible.
Some are free and some are paid.
So for example, I use Buzzsprout to host my podcasts
and they helped me to submit everything
to all the different directories.
They generated the RSS feed.
That's where I upload the actual audio files to,
every time I have a new episode,
that's where I can schedule and publish everything.
Look at my analytics, look at my statistics if I want to.
Everything is handled right through Buzzsprout.
Now it is a paid platform, but there is an affiliate link
in the description that will also get you
an Amazon gift card if you use that to sign up.
So, that's pretty sweet.
Thanks, Buzzsprout.
But there are also free options like Anchor,
which will help you get your show out there to the world.
The big thing here is not to get stuck
on trying to decide which platform to use.
Don't get stuck in analysis paralysis,
as my wife, Heather, likes to say.
Pick a platform and go with it.
Because, unlike with something like YouTube,
podcast platforms are so easy to change
at pretty much any point in time.
Pretty much no matter which hosting platform you use,
if you sign up now and you decide in a year or whenever,
that you want to switch to another one,
it's a super quick and super easy process.
You just redirect your show to your new platform.
And then later on, if you want to go back
to the other one, you can redirect back.
It's very, very simple.
Don't worry about trying to pick the perfect platform
that's going to suit all your needs
and all your goals for years to come
if you're not even sure what those are.
Oh my gosh, don't know where to begin.
Just get started.
And then if you need to change something down the line,
it's really easy to do that.
I did start with Anchor, which was great,
and Anchor's free, it's an awesome tool.
I switched over to Buzzsprout just personally because
I wasn't a fan of how Spotify, who owns Anchor,
approaches podcasting.
And I was a big fan of how Buzzsprout approaches the idea
of valuing podcasting as being something that's open,
and independent, and should be accessible for everyone.
So that's why I switched,
and I really do love Buzzsprout a lot,
but there are a ton of great platforms out there.
A quick Google search will bring up a bunch.
But literally, just pick the one that you think is best
for right now and get going because making all these
great shows and just having them sit on your hard drive
forever is not doing anybody any good.
You want to make sure the whole world
has the ability to hear your show.
And while these five tips I hope will help you close the gap
between wanting to start a show
and actually getting your podcast going,
if you need more guidance,
I actually do have a podcasting course called,
The Podcaster Playbook.
So if you've got an idea for a show,
it's a step-by-step guide for producing your first episode,
building a sustainable workflow,
and getting that show out into the world.
You can go to podcasterplaybook.com
or just click the link in the description to check that out.
Plus, hey, you know, that helps me support these guys here.
So if, if you want them to have more treats and food,
then you should buy the course.
Yeah, they should buy the course, right?
You think so? I think so too.
He says yes.
And of course, if you want to learn more about podcasting,
I've got an entire playlist of podcasting tips and tricks
that are right here, ready to go.
Good luck.
It's one of the most fun things you can do.
Don't put it off any longer, jump in and get started.
It's awesome.
(outro music type beat)