124: What I Learned After Finally Outsourcing My Podcast Production
This might be hard to believe, but even though I run a business employing editors and writers that produce dozens of podcast episodes a week… for the longest time, I still did all the production for my own show by myself. Like seriously all of it, and yes, it did take hours.
About a year and a half ago, I finally outsourced my podcast production to my team, and I was amazed with the impact it had on my business. Looking back, I’m honestly a little embarrassed about how long it took.
So today, I’m sharing the fear that held me back from handing my show off to my team, and the big lessons I learned when I finally did. If you’re in a place where you know you need to outsource something, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it, this is for you! Let’s dive in!
Lesson #1 | Outsourcing my podcast to my team allowed me to be much more consistent with my publishing and promotional schedule.
Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. It’s something I talk about ALL the time here at Wild Home Podcasting, but it wasn’t always something I practiced for myself. Before I outsourced my podcast to my team, I did all the work myself… which usually meant I was doing it the night before it was supposed to go live or sometimes not even until the morning of. If I was really busy, sometimes it didn’t happen at all. And that’s just the publishing side, not to mention how much –or how little– energy I often had leftover to work on promoting and sharing my episodes.
I probably don’t need to tell you that this sporadic production and promotional schedule hurt my momentum and my downloads. It turns out that when something isn’t your main focus, it doesn’t grow very much. And when that thing happens to be a primary lead generator for your business, that’s bad news! Handing off the production and creation of promotional material to my team has meant that I now have much more energy to put into actually getting eyes and ears on my show, and has allowed me to stay consistent, both with the way I plan my show and in the quality of show I produce.
Lesson #2 | SOPs are really important. Especially when you’re hiring someone to help with your podcast!
After finally deciding to hand off my podcast to my team, I very quickly discovered that I was the only person at my company who actually knew how I produced my show. At that point, we had created detailed lists, SOPs, and systems for onboarding, organizing, and producing for every single one of our clients… but I had neglected to do that for my own show. It wasn’t an impossible task to overcome, but it was one more roadblock between me and getting some more of my time back and just reinforced the importance of writing down exactly HOW you do everything in your business in case of emergencies, but also just to make your life easier as you outsource and your business grows.
Lesson #3 | I had WAY overblown the financial cost of outsourcing my podcast.
Folks, I had legitimately convinced myself that I couldn’t afford to outsource my podcast.
Me. As a woman running a podcast management company. Who literally has dozens of clients paying her for this exact same work.
Yeah, yeah, I know it doesn’t make sense looking back now, but that’s where my head was at the time! And guess what? It turns out that it didn’t impact my bottom line at all. It was less of a “cost of doing business” expense and instead was an “investment in my own time” expense. And that’s because….
Lesson #4 | Outsourcing my podcast freed up brain space and energy for me to work on other aspects of my business.
It turns out that those hours I spent producing my own podcast were holding me back from doing the more impactful and growth-creating work in my business. As a business owner and homeschool mom, I only have so many hours in my day to put into my business, and spending that time doing the tasks that I could easily outsource to my amazing team just wasn’t a good use of my time. Since I outsourced my podcast, I’ve been able to launch a new membership, retool our production package to better serve our clients, rebrand the podcast, and improve the quality of the work and content we put out into the world. And there’s no way I could have done that if I were still doing all of the work for my podcast by myself.
So, how do you know if you’re ready to outsource your podcast production?
I don’t mean to sound cliche… but if you know, you know. Trust me, if it’s really time, you probably already have an inkling. But, if you need a little more confirmation, it’s time if you find yourself answering yes to any of these questions:
Do you regularly put off editing and producing your podcast until the last minute?
Do you find yourself getting stuck in the repeatable “doing” tasks of your business (aka, the stuff you can outsource)?
Do you wish you could spend more time on new projects to grow your business?
Do you love your podcast and the leads it brings into your business, but you don’t enjoy the nitty gritty of editing, writing, uploading, and promoting every week?
If this sounds like you, it might be time to outsource, and we can help! Check out our podcast management service and see if you’re ready to take the leap with a team that’ll help you create strategically aligned episodes week after week to help grow your business. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Links:
Free Podcast Audit Guide!
Check out our services to Launch, Uplevel or Grow your Podcast
043: Ways to Outsource Your Podcast
Join the Strategic Podcast Academy!
Are you ready to start strategizing your podcast and simplifying your marketing? Download our free guide to do your Podcast Audit!
The Transcript for Podcast Your Business:
124: What I Learned After Finally Outsourcing My Podcast Production
[00:00:00] I just wanted to frame that for you guys, because the value to me has been invaluable. And I mean, it's so great knowing that I'm going to record this episode and not have to lift my finger to do anything for it. And so I can record it and then focus on all the other things that are needing my attention right now. And that to me, is worth it.
[00:00:23] Are you ready to start a strategic podcast for your business and share your message in a way that feels wildly authentic? This is the place. Welcome to Podcast Your Business, where each week I share the strategy behind having a podcast that helps grow your business. I'm Caroline Hull, podcast manager, strategist and consultant, and I've seen the power of podcasts can have for your business. Let's get started.
[00:00:53] Welcome back to the Wild Home Podcast. I have kind of a funny episode planned today. I it's so funny because I've been in a couple situations lately where I've been talking to people about how I still do all the work for my own podcast. This podcast that we're talking about right now, I recently started having my team edit it, which that seems like a no brainer. I have a team of editors and a team of Shownotes writers. I have been having somebody write my show notes for a while, but to be quite honest, it's usually the last thing on the list every week. And there have been moments where I've been doing it the night before and writing my own show notes and doing my own thing or publishing it late. And so I wanted to do a podcast episode all about the fact that I have finally outsourced my podcast. And here's what I've learned this.
[00:01:44] something interesting kind of happened over the last few months. My podcast listens and downloads have been up, which has been really exciting, but I did get kind of behind what is that saying? I say this all the time. The cobbler's children never have any shoes, I think is the saying. And that is that comes from, you know, the idea that the cobbler who making shoes for everyone else never bothered to make their children their own shoes. And I kind of feel like the same thing occurs with the podcast. You know, we're so busy managing other people's podcast that mine is the last one on the list. And so I kind of noticed that when I was publishing my episodes inconsistently, my downloads were down. Shocker. I know because I preach all the time consistency and why it's important because if you are consistent, your listeners are more likely to be consistent. Right?
[00:02:43] And I wasn't following my own advice and this last episode, I guess episode before last or maybe two episodes back, I publish an episode and it honestly didn't do very well compared to how everything else has been doing. But I published it late. I published it on the day that I don't normally publish it, and because I published it on a day that I also don't work, I didn't really promote it. And then I waited until the week after to actually promote it. So needless to say, it wasn't working right and I could tell it wasn't working. I could tell the system wasn't working because there was no system. And one of the things that me and my office manager talk about a little bit is how it's important for us to go through the process as well so we know what our clients are going through. And a really good example of this is we're talking about adding video editing as a service.
[00:03:37] And I said, Well, if we're going to do a video podcasting as a service, then I need to start a video podcast. And here I am sitting here not videotaping this this episode. So that's working out really well. But what I'm trying to say is it's really important that we understand the process. And so I decided that it was time for me to completely hand over my podcast to my team, just as any one of our production clients would. And we set up a system we set up. And as SOP, I mean, it's just like it's just crazy that it took this long for me to do it. And it's really important that I'm doing it because I do use this podcast as a way to reach people who are interested in starting a podcast, who maybe are interested in outsourcing a podcast. But what is the point of all that if I'm not going to use it to its fullest and this is what I preach all the time. So having seen that my downloads were down, I decided to give it over to my team.
[00:04:36] And I want to tell you like kind of some of the things that I've learned in the past couple of weeks of doing this. I started off just handing over the editing, which was huge, and I felt like that made things go a lot better. But I was still doing the graphics and the email and the blog posts and everything like that. And I actually handed all that over this last week. And so here's a couple things that I've learned.
[00:05:00] The first big thing, and I'm a little ashamed to say that this was a lesson I had to learn, but you should have an SOP for everything. As a CEO slash business owner, even if it's just something minor that you do all the time. But I realized as I was handing this over, nobody knew the process behind my podcast. Nobody knew what went with it, what things were done, how it was scheduled. Nobody had any idea except me. And I had not documented this. Listen, I have been on a mission to document everything in my business over the last year. I mean, we have documented literally everything. So that way, if at any point anybody needs to jump in and take care of something, they can. Right. That's really important because there may be a moment where I'm not able to do it. Or my ops manager isn't able to do it, or one of our showrunner writers needs to be out or one of our editors needs to be out and there needs to be documentation so people know how to step in.
[00:06:00] And I think it is quite odd that I had not documented the process for my own podcast at all, and I was still like completely managing it. And so this was like a big wake up call. There are a few other things that I think need to be documented and some other processes that I'm thinking about handing over or, you know, I am going to be on vacation at some point this year. And so I need to make sure that everything is documented so things can run smoothly. And so this was kind of a wake up call because I did kind of assume that there was knowledge of how things were done. And when I said to my team, I'd like you guys to take this over, they didn't know how. And so it is really, really important to create a space and processes and document them. So that was a huge lesson.
[00:06:49] The other thing was I think this is really fascinating and there's probably a lot we can dig in here, so I'm just going to kind of go surface level. But, you know, I was really afraid to pay for it. I think that's quite fascinating because I want everybody else to book us right and work with us. But I myself was afraid to pay for it. I think I kind of felt like it was just my podcast that there was no point in really outsourcing it and I could take care of it and then not have to pay for it. But here's why it's worth it and here's why. I'm really glad I got over the fear of paying for it, because it really hasn't made that much of a dent. I just want to say, like just and I think this is kind of in general, like a general tip for like outsourcing. I think we're always afraid of how much it's going to cost until we do it. I'm not saying you should outsource if you can't afford it, of course, but I do think sometimes I know myself personally and maybe you can relate to this. I am very like I'm I have so many fears and things around money that I've been working for the last few years. And so I have this real terrible habit of not paying for things. And I need let me give you a really good example. I like have no bluejeans, homeschool pandemic mom life confession here, and I just have refused to like, go out and buy blue jeans. I want you all to know that I've ordered a few pairs finally, and they're on their way. And I'm really excited.
[00:08:09] And I kind of feel like this podcast has been the blue jeans for me. Like I have just been refusing to put any money into it, which is silly. I think in my mind I was thinking, Well, I can handle it, I can take care of it. But the truth is, is that I couldn't and I haven't had the time or the brain space to deal with all the pieces that go with the podcast. And so having outsourced it, I mean, it really has not made any difference to my bottom line. And I cannot believe I didn't do it sooner, but here is why it's worth it. So I was spending, you know, a few hours a week creating graphics, scheduling it, editing the transcripts, scheduling the email, scheduling the social media. I mean, it was this is a really big chunk of my time. And so by outsourcing it, I have been able to gain back that time and I have been able to work on things in my business that have needed my attention or things that, you know, we've been wanting to work on.
[00:09:13] Is your podcast Growing Your Business? And if you don't know the answer to this question or you think the answer might be no, it's time to take an audit. Your podcast can be so much more than a hobby. It can be a way for you to attract your ideal client and establish yourself as an authority. But you need a strategy. And the best place to start is with an audit. And I have a free guide that helps you perform an audit of your podcast, gives you my top tips for having a strategically aligned podcast and a playlist of podcast episodes. For more insight, you can head to Wild Home podcasting dot com to download your free audit guide today.
[00:09:50] My time is very, very precious. If you've ever heard me talk about my daily schedule on this podcast, I don't have like a ton of free time and I can't just sit down and work whenever I want. I'm a homeschool mom. I have kiddos running around. In fact, they're in the next room crafting. We've been studying medieval history and in there making a coat of arms. Thank you. Okay, so like, my kids are in the next room crafting my coat, the coat of arms for our history lesson today that we've been setting this week. And so I have these, like, chunks of time where I have to do very concentrated, focused work. And so usually the podcast, because it wasn't high priority on the list, because it wasn't affecting our clients or bottom line, it was not the thing that I was focusing on.
[00:10:37] And so I would be doing my podcasts like late at night, midnight, the night before I was supposed to go. Like most times. I mean, there's a million things I can say about this in my it is unhealthy and why It just wasn't good. It wasn't good and. Because I was saving it to do at night. It was usually the last on the list. I do work a little bit almost every night, but this would be last on the list and I have literally forgotten to do it. Like I have literally woken up on Friday mornings and realized that I completely forgot to do my podcast because there was other stuff that needed my attention to my priority. And so that's why it's worth it to me. It's also worth it to me because I do get people who say, I heard this on your podcast, I came to you because I've been listening to your podcast, your podcast really helps me, etc., etc. This is why we have a podcast for our business, right? To establish our authority in our fields and to help bring in leads. And if I'm not going to put the effort and the investment into it, is it going to bring it back? Well, let me tell you, publishing it late like we talked about, the beginning of the episode certainly isn't going to do that. And so I just want to kind of like I just wanted to frame that for you guys, because the value to me has been invaluable. And I mean, it's so great knowing that I'm going to record this episode and not have to lift my finger to do anything for it. And so I can record it and then focus on all the other things that are needing my attention right now. And that to me is worth it. And so I think that's one of the biggest things. You know, I know how important outsourcing is because I have an amazing team that helps me run this business. And I just think sometimes there are those things that we hang on to because we think we need to. And so for me to let go of it, the value and the work was totally there.
[00:12:32] And then the last like big lesson I've learned again, I know this, but the brain space that I was using to think about my podcasts can now go to other things. And like I said, when I was talking about value, my energy can now be spent in other places, which is really, really important. You know, my job as a CEO is to grow my business, to support my business, to support my team, to make sure that we are staying up to date on all things podcast related to spread the message of wild component casting. I mean, the list goes on and on and on. And so to I throw in this podcast and having to focus on it, it actually takes up brain space. You know, when I first started outsourcing things, it was amazing how free I felt because it was almost like this part of my brain like, holds this information. I feel like any mom can kind of understand and I'm saying, like, my child can ask me today where something is and I can probably know exactly where it is. And the fact that my brain is holding that information is kind of crazy to me. And I feel like anything with my business that I am in charge of is holding brain space. I may literally lay in bed and think about something that has to do with my business because it's actually in my brain. And your podcast lives there as well.
[00:13:53] You know, I'll be constantly thinking of new topics or how I want to do the graphics or what I want to say in the email this week, whatever it is that takes up space in your brain. And so if you can get that out of your brain and into somebody else's, it creates space for you to think about and dream up and and focus your energy on other things that are going to help push you and your business forward. And as trivial as it seems, because, you know, it's like, oh, well, it's just the podcast episode, but if you've ever produced your own episode, you know that it takes a while. There's a lot of steps and there are a lot of steps for my podcast, and for me to not have to do them is so incredibly freeing.
[00:14:35] And so I wanted to share all this information because I know how difficult it can be to think about outsourcing and to finally, like let go of something. And I know for a lot of people, when they start to think about outsourcing their podcast, they're wondering what the benefit of that is going to be. And beyond the stuff that we talk about, like why a podcast is important for your business or how it can be helpful, It's also really important to understand as a business owner that doing things in your wheelhouse, doing things that you're good at and that you need to be spending your energy on is going to benefit you so much more than spending energy on things like this that I'm sitting up at midnight doing last minute. Right? Because it takes away from what I need to be focusing on. And so I think is kind of funny. It took me this long. I've been in business for quite a while now and it took me this long to finally outsource this piece. And there was a lot of hesitation for me and it literally took my ops manager being like, How can we help you with this? And me going, You know what, it's time. And so you can kind of tell when it's time to let go of something. And it was definitely time. For me to outsource this. And I'm so glad I did. And I'm so glad that I could come on this podcast and be truthful with you about it and share it with you, because I do think it helps to hear other people's experiences.
[00:16:02] And maybe there's something in my story that you will have heard that can help you start to outsource some tasks as well. And there is a podcast episode that I have done for about what tasks you can outsource and what that will look like, and I'm going to link to that in the show notes so you can go back and listen to that. If you're listening to this and you're like, Yes, I want to outsource something because it doesn't have to be the whole thing. It can be a small piece, but that small piece can free up some space in your brain and give you the opportunity to focus on other things. So that's the episode for this week. I want to encourage you to think about how you can free up some more space in your brain. And if you need our help, we would love to help you do that and you can head wild home podcasting dot com slash services for more information and I'll be with you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to podcast your business. For more podcasting tips, follow us on Instagram @WildHomePodcasting. If you're ready to launch up level or grow your podcast, head to WildHomePodcasting.com to get started today.
