- 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)
