Podcasting Q&A
On Podcasting Q&A, you'll hear the best tips and strategies to launch and grow your podcast with confidence. Whether it's getting more podcast listeners, promoting your podcast on social media, or how to produce high-quality episodes in your editing software, Podcasting Q&A has everything you need to succeed. New episodes come out every Monday.
Podcasting Q&A
Preparing for Your Podcast Launch
Turning your podcast ideas into reality starts with defining your "why" – whether it's a passion project or business venture. This episode breaks down the essential first steps for new podcasters to confidently plan and launch their shows!
Check out this Podcasting Q&A Episode for steps on submitting your podcast to the directories, Podcast Directory Submission 101
If you have questions about preparing for your podcast, email us at support@buzzsprout.com.
Have a topic or question we should address on a future episode? Text us or email the Buzzsprout Podcaster Success Team at support@buzzsprout.com
Keep podcasting!
Welcome to Podcasting Q&A brought to you by the people at Buzzsprout. I'm your host, cara Passetti, and I'm bringing you the best tips and strategies to keep you podcasting with confidence. Starting a podcast can be super intimidating and, quite honestly, it's a little hard to know even where to start. We see questions from podcasters who blatantly ask where do I start? This question is pretty broad, so let's break it down. I have another episode where we cover the steps to take once you've created and uploaded your content, and I'll link that in the show notes. But one of the first hurdles you'll have to clear as a podcaster comes during the planning stage, when your idea is just floating around in your head and you need to take that and make it into a full-blown podcast. Those are the steps we're going to walk through today, and here with me today is Priscilla Brooke. She's the head of the Podcaster Success Team here at Buzzsprout and actually successfully launched her very own podcast last year. Yeah, I did. How crazy is that?
Speaker 2:that it was last year.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And I remember the planning stage when it was just an idea. And now here we are, a year later and it is successful. And gosh, this is more intense than I thought it was, even though I've been helping podcasters do this for years and years. Doing it yourself is a different, it's just a different vibe. And so I would say to anyone listening who's in that planning stage just know that it's going to feel uncomfortable as you get everything in place, but once you get going it becomes much easier. But it does kind of feel like you, like you said, kind of some hurdles you have to jump over.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I think one of the very first places to start is determining your why. Why are you even doing this podcast? There's a great quote that comes from Brian from Sounds Profitable, and he says if podcasting is a passion, focus on that. If it's a business, invest in it like one. And so, during this planning phase, you just really want to determine who are you speaking to as a podcaster, who is your audience and what type of podcast is this? Is it educational, is it entertaining? Is this a comedy or are we super serious? Yeah, is it entertaining? Is this a comedy or are we?
Speaker 2:super serious, yeah, I mean think about the fact that you know you're starting a podcast. That is your passion, like that quote said. So either you kind of are in two camps. Probably it's either a passion, project, hobby, or it's something skewed more toward business. So that's going to help you as you define your audience and define the tone right that you want to have in your episodes.
Speaker 2:So maybe you have a financial podcast and you need it to be super educational and not super funny. It needs to be on the serious side. But maybe this is just a hobby and you're doing a pop culture podcast about Taylor Swift and then you're going to want it to be maybe a little more funny and entertaining. Maybe you're starting a podcast to bring awareness to a nonprofit that you work for. That's going to be more serious, but you also are going to want to approach it in a way that is, you're trying to spread awareness. That's the goal of the podcast. So taking a minute, like you were saying Kara, and stepping back and thinking, okay, what is the goal here? What is my why? Why am I doing that? That is going to be a really good first step when you're trying to get your podcast all prepared so that you can launch it successfully.
Speaker 1:And two practical kind of prompting questions that you can answer during this is who is the podcast for and how does it serve them? That's a great place to start rather than staring at a blank page, because that can be a little intimidating and even possibly paralyzing.
Speaker 2:You're staring at your computer. It's an empty Google Doc and you're trying to write your intro. Well, it's going to be hard to write your intro if you don't know what your tone should be, and so I think those questions are really important. Write those questions down first. Answer those questions.
Speaker 1:And then we have some more steps for you before you even get to the intro side of things. Absolutely and as you are successful in creating that trailer, creating that first episode and so on, always revisit your why. That's always that's the place you start and that will keep you going, especially as you may enter into some pod fade along the way or kind of lose your trajectory. Just come back to this why.
Speaker 2:Yeah, If you're ever trying to like make a decision about what episode should I do next or what who should I have on, Is this person the right guest? Go back to your why. Why am I doing this? Is this person the right guest? Your why can also change. You might see that your podcast morphs over time as you get better at it, and so you know, revisit it, tweak it, refine that why and make sure that you keep it at the forefront of everything you're doing when you're working through your episodes. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:All right. So once you've defined your why, you need to get practical and organized. It's time to make a plan. So, realistically, you have an idea, hopefully, of the work that goes into producing, editing, creating content, all of the steps included in launching a successful podcast. So your publishing frequency how often are you realistically going to be able to release those episodes, because your listeners will be loyal when they know you're going to show up on that day that your episode will?
Speaker 2:release.
Speaker 2:Yeah, consistency is key, and so what I always tell people is do not bite off more than you can chew.
Speaker 2:If you are a mom of six kids running around and you're, you know, trying to get kids to camp and back and school and all of those things, trying to also record, edit and publish a weekly episode might not be feasible. Trying to also record, edit and publish a weekly episode might not be feasible. So just take inventory of what your actual week looks like and does it make sense? Is it sustainable to record an episode every single week and publish an episode every week? Or maybe should you do it every other week and be consistent on your days? I mean, it's really important when you're publishing an episode to be as consistent as possible about when you publish an episode, so it doesn't have to be every week, but if it's going to be the second Tuesday of every month, then try to be consistent on the second Tuesday of every month, because what you will find is that your listeners start to bring you into their routines and that's where you get that listener loyalty that is really so important in podcasting.
Speaker 1:That's where you get that listener loyalty that is really so important in podcasting. Speaking of trying to fit this into maybe an already busy lifestyle, one key component that can really help you with efficiency is hosting your podcast with a podcast host. Self-hosting is a possibility, but hosting with a podcast host really allows more features to help you get more done and just can really help. So, priscilla, you are the head of the Buzzsprout Podcaster Success Team. Buzzsprout being a podcast host, can you speak a little bit more?
Speaker 2:to that. Okay, the first thing I want to point out is you might be confused, because you are hosting a podcast yourself. And what are we talking about? A host for your podcast, and if you're not familiar with Buzzsprout and you found this podcast because you're about to launch, Buzzsprout is a podcast host. Your hosting service that you choose to use is going to be what allows you to get your episodes up online so that you can get them listed on directories. It's kind of like your home base for your podcast. All of your episodes, all of your details, all of that lives in your hosting account and lives on an RSS feed, and then that RSS feed is what your listings. So, like Apple and Spotify, those directories, they're going to use that RSS feed to put your information and make it available to your listeners. Okay, so that's what a host is. So Buzzsprout is a hosting platform. There are a lot of hosting platforms out there. You do not have to use Buzzsprout, but Kara and I both work for Buzzsprout and really think it's a fantastic product, and so I highly recommend you check out Buzzsprout as your host.
Speaker 2:But when you're looking for a different host, you want to look at what features do they have Again go back to the why. Why are you podcasting? Are you podcasting to make money? Well then, when you look for a host, look for their monetization features. If you are podcasting as a hobby, but you know you're going to have a lot of questions, look at their customer support. Is that going to be strong? Is there going to be a team of people there to help you? So I think those you know. Look at the things that the hosts offer before you pick one.
Speaker 1:And then, when you find one, make sure that it's one that you like, because you're going to be using that host a lot when it comes to uploading, publishing and promoting your episodes. Absolutely yes. Once you've decided on a podcast host, your next step is to create your content. So in order to do that, you will need to choose an editing software so you can record on anything you can record on a computer, on a phone. But in order to piece that audio file together, we recommend a good editing software. Just like podcast hosts, there is not a one size fits all. There are many options out there. I recommend trying them out and just picking the one that is most intuitive to you and just become an expert in that editing software. That will serve you well as you continue releasing episodes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a lot of editing platforms that you can use and I would recommend that, as you're in this planning stage, think of your budget. How much are you willing to spend on equipment on your editing platform? Because some are a little bit easier than others, but they cost a little bit of money each month. So be realistic about your budget and if you have the money to put toward an editing platform that might cost a little money each month, like Adobe Audition, that's a really great platform to use, but it's not free. But if you want it to be free, if you need a free option, then something like GarageBand or Audacity is gonna be a better option for you. Just remember that you're not gonna be a perfect editor right out of the gate, so it's okay. It's gonna take some time, but that's okay. It's going to take some time, but that's okay.
Speaker 1:That is a great point, priscilla. It actually brings us to this awesome quote from Crystal Prophet from the Prophet Podcast. She says it takes a few recordings to figure out your podcast, whether you're flying solo or have a co-host to help you navigate the podcasting waters. Most people don't just turn on the mic and magically transform into a podcaster, and what that speaks to me is remove the pressure to be perfect. You just have to start, just get started, get through your planning phase and then hit the ground running.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and think about if you're listening to this episode right now. Already you are ahead of the curve when it comes to the planning of it. You're actually going out and finding resources to help you successfully get started. So kudos to you for doing that right off the bat, and now it's really just have fun doing it. I recommend going back and listening to your favorite podcasters first episode and comparing that to where they are now, because that's going to give you the motivation. Everyone started somewhere. Everyone did this for the first time at some point and that's where you are. So don't expect yourself to be perfect, especially if you're starting and you're just you doing a podcast by yourself. Don't look at the new Amy Poehler show and expect yours to sound like that, because she has a team of producers helping her and you are you learning this for the first time. So give yourself a little bit of space and have fun while you're doing it Exactly and like that quote we mentioned in the beginning.
Speaker 1:If it's for work or a passion project, your listeners will be able to tell if you're dreading being in front of the mic. If you're having fun, they will pick up on that energy. So enjoy the process and honestly, don't delay. It's like jumping off of a high dive Three, two, one jump, just go for it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the preparation part is important, but if you find that you're preparing so much that it's delaying your start, then I absolutely agree with Kara no-transcript Success team at any time by emailing us at support at buzzsproutcom.
Speaker 1:Also, there is a send us a text link in the show notes so you can text right from this episode. Let us know your questions. What are you thinking about as you're launching your podcast? I'd love to help you. I'd love to address this in a future episode and answer any questions that you have. Just remember, if you want us to respond to your question directly, reach out to us at support at buzzsproutcom. Podcasting Q&A is available on your favorite podcasting apps. So be sure to join us every Monday to kickstart your week. Thanks for listening, have a great week and, as always, keep podcasting.
