How to grow a podcast #1
Behind the Scenes of Ideating, Building, Launching and Promoting a Different Kind of Podcast
Last week, I had my first session with my new podcast producer, Jamie Kennedy from Brave Moon Podcasts and I realised how much I don’t know. From the technical side of podcasting, to the purpose and passion behind my podcast, so much is still up in the air despite the fact that I’ve committed to a launch date (September)!
Some of these unknowables are findable, learnable, fixable or delegate-able.
But - some of them have no answers at all, so I’m going to do a Michelle, which means that I: shut my eyes tight, leap into the unknown, and see what happens! With Jamie by my side, it feels a lot safer.
Why my journey might help you on your journey
I’ve decided to share my podcasting journey with you because I want you to know that polish and perfection have their place in life, but the learning journey is brimful of important lessons - and besides - sometimes it’s the part that is actually the most fun!
So ta-da! Presenting my new podcast in all its messy imperfections, as I make an idea a reality!
Things I know:
Firstly, I want to share the things I already know and feel confident about. If you’re considering your own poddy, what’s your starting point? It’s nice to note this down and give yourself a pat on the back for what you’re already bringing to the project.
Commitment: Will it happen? Yes. I know I want to do a podcast with 100% certainty.
Start date: It’s time to start. I’ve worked on this dream for the last 2 years. Think multiple Trello boards and Milanote boards with hundreds of ideas for themes, episodes and guests. There’s a danger in never getting started - so it’s why I was so firm on the very first point - THIS WILL HAPPEN. And it’s going to launch in September.
Business offering: This might seem unrelated, but I know my business offering and how a podcast can play a key part in my marketing mix.
Audience: I know my audience avatars and they are mapped out behind the scenes.
Purpose for me: I know why I’m doing a podcast (Sidenote: I told my Instagram audience that I wanted to be ‘podcast famous’ and I put out a call out for ideas this weekend, but I have other, more professional and personal motives).
I want to position myself as a thought leader;
I want to meet interesting humans;
I want to discover fresh ways of seeing the world and seeking solutions for some of our biggest challenges as a society right now;
As a creative, I want to immerse myself in this alternative form of storytelling.
Guests: I know how to find guests. I already have a great list of collaborators and business friends and I’ve been deliberately following interesting people on LinkedIn for the last 2 years. I used to have an Instagram Live show, and had a great system set up to find and brief my guests.
Things I don’t know:
Here are some of my gaps and uncertainties:
Professionalism: How to create a podcast that sounds nice, technically. Jamie has me signed up to Riverside, which I’m semi-confident using as I’ve been ‘on the other side’ of it as a guest before but mics, headphones, the tech used by the guest - how does this work?
Purpose: I know why I’m doing the podcast, but what’s the point of people coming to listen? How do I make it relevant to them?
Name: What to call the podcast.
Theme/Topic: To be really honest - what the heck the podcast is actually about! More on that shortly.
Tagline: How to write a great tagline (and what purpose it should serve).
Series length: How many episodes are reasonable? Should I have an end goal in sight - say, 10 episodes - or should I just keep on going until I collapse in a heap and need to take a month off for my mental health?
Episode length: What length should episodes be? What do people want? Where and when do they listen to their podcasts and does that influence how long I make my podcast?
Studio location: Is it better to record at home, or in a studio?
Format: Visual podcast for YouTube or my website, or voices only? Me doing voiceovers, or the standard Q&A? Do I include vox pops or footage from field trips?
Trailer: Do I really need one? How long should it be?
Budget: What sort of budget do other people allocate to their podcast? How much does it cost to hire a podcast editor? Where do I find one? (Note: I’ve been burned by Fiverr and off-shore VAs in the past).
Monetisation: Can I actually, really, truly make money doing a podcast? Do I start with monetisation in mind, or do I do it ‘for the love of it’ (we all know how those projects usually work out though, don’t we? Enter resentment).
Distribution: How do I get my podcast on all the platforms, with great show notes and links?
Things I have already tripped over.
I’ve already tripped over:
The name and concept: - I thought I had the idea when I booked Jamie - ‘How to Change People’s Minds (even when they’re wrong)’ - but after doing some road tests of the concept with close colleagues, everyone’s come back with ‘meh’ or ‘not quite you’. So it’s back to the drawing board on that one.
Riverside - the podcasting technology: So much for thinking being a guest on Riverside made me capable as a host. I spent almost an hour trying to do a ‘sound test’ for Jamie, mixing and matching input and output devices. I was so mad by the time I recorded the final piece for Jamie that you can hear it in my voice.
Recording space: I decided to record at home which is why I spent time doing that test recording for my podcast producer Jamie to listen to. During that time, my dog barked at the office door so I had to let him in, then one of the step-kids walked past and called out and waved. This doesn’t feel feasible.
Existential questions that no one can answer:
And finally, here’s the existential question that has no answer, or an interchangeable answer depending on who you speak to:
Does the world really need ANOTHER podcast and ANOTHER wannabe famous podcaster, or have we reached peak podcast? Only time will tell.
Why I’ve hired Jamie from Brave Moon Podcasts
Jamie Kennedy from Brave Moon Podcasts is an experienced podcast producer who is very hands-on with her support and editing. I know there are various options out there to help you produce a podcast, but what stood out for me with Jamie was the alignment in our values, work ethic, and vision for how the world could be. I’ve taken up one of Jamie’s launch packages, where she’ll help me in the early days of this journey with podcast design, trailer design, and editing/producing the first few episodes.
Stay tuned for the next episode of my podcast journey!