Congratulations!
You are embarking on an adventure that is certainly going to take you more time, and net you WAY less revenue than you could have ever expected.
But it’s REALLY rewarding in other ways!
When I started Relish This back in September 2020, I did so with the encouragement of Dean Jackson, host of several really great shows.
He recommended I start in order to fine-tune my messaging, practice my craft, and develop content that could be repurposed from everything from blog posts, to social media tidbits, to a full-on book (the first of which actually already came to fruition – check out Mission Uncomfortable: How nonprofits can embrace purpose-driven marketing to survive and thrive).
Notice what’s missing? Listeners.
That’s right… although I love when people listen to my show, there’s really very little focus at the moment on increasing that figure. Listeners will come. Right now, it’s all about doing.
So here are a few items you will need to consider when you take the leap and start your show.
- A name: Make it something memorable, on-topic, and maybe something that can scale in case you go a different direction. Also, try to pick something with some topical keywords, and certainly, that hasn’t been used.
- A cover image: You’ll need to create a cover image for your show. This is the square image that shows up when people search for your show on their favorite podcast portal. Usually, several sizes are needed: from 3000×3000 on down. Make sure it’s readable in a fairly small format since that’s how most people are going to see it (on their phones).
- Recording and editing equipment: Though you can use your built-in mic on your computer or laptop, we recommend getting a decent microphone and editing software. There are TONS of mic options. I use this fella and have had decent success with it. For editing, there are a variety of options. You can use GarageBand if you are on a Mac or Audacity, which is also free but system agnostic (Mac, PC, Linux, etc.). This will enable you to cut in an intro, ads if you have them, an outro, and make any other show edits that you would like. Those are not absolutely necessary but certainly create a bit more of a professional feel.
- Recording system: We use Zencastr and are really digging it. It enables remote recording, records separate tracks, creates automatic backups, and is really easy to use. You can use Zoom as well (though we tried this and experienced problems with track recordings dropping off forcing us to go back to a single track master), or you can also record directly to GarageBand if you are on a Mac or multi-track record into Audacity directly.
- Hosting: Podcast hosting creates one location that hosts and distributes your show to all the channels. We have been using Buzzsprout and like it a lot. Once you have it set up and have connected your accounts to the distribution services, it allows you to upload your new shows, add cover art, a synopsis, etc. then schedule it for distribution. This is great because you can tee up your distribution in advance so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute to hit your schedule.
- Marketing materials: It’s never a bad idea to let people know you have a show that just dropped! We recommend creating a website or a section on your site dedicated to the promotion of your show. We also create artwork and copy to promote each episode (formatted to work in each of the platforms where our audiences go to get information about our show topic) and create social posts promoting each show. These can be scheduled using your CRM (we are using Zoho) or a system like Hootsuite or Buffer.
- Be consistent: Set a goal to which you can dedicate yourself and start creating your show. Many podcasts tend to stall out around the 10th episode so just tee up a commitment and go for it! We recommend getting a few in the can before you start to distribute your show, then sticking to a schedule. Once a week, once a month… it’s up to you but the most important item is to create a plan and stick to it for your goal commitment. For example, when I started Relish This, I committed to recording one show a week for a full year.
So are you ready to get started? We certainly hope so! Let us know if you need help and where to find your new show when it airs.
