Want to Make 2024 the Year You Finally Launch Your Podcast? How to Hit “Record” With Confidence
Are you considering launching a podcast? Or maybe you’ve wanted to start one in the past, but you keep putting it off? You’re not alone! In fact, overcoming that initial resistance and just getting started is usually the most difficult part.
Today, I’m sharing my insight on what it takes to successfully launch a podcast and stick with it for the long term. I cover everything from getting more comfortable sharing your voice, to letting go of perfectionism, to the essential question you need to consider before you put your first podcast episode out into the world. If you want to make 2024 the year you finally launch your podcast, then this post will help you do it!
Being realistic about launching your podcast and your level of commitment
The first point that’s worth acknowledging is that launching your podcast can feel intimidating. If you’re overwhelmed in the beginning, that’s okay, but I always encourage people to consider what their level of commitment is. That commitment is what’s going to ensure that you can block out time in your schedule to prepare so that your podcast doesn’t just become a source of stress. More importantly, deciding that you’re going to remain dedicated to the process helps guarantee that your podcast will survive for the long term.
Getting more comfortable with showing up on camera and sharing your voice
This next one is really difficult for a lot of people and is something that I struggled with myself quite a bit in the beginning. Because, let’s face it, sharing your voice can feel really nerve-racking! Almost all of my clients start off concerned about how they sound, and the chances are good that you will too. What’s important to remember is that, just like anything else, this is something that will come with practice. I like to use the analogy of it being a muscle that you have to exercise in order to really condition it over time. Even if it doesn’t come naturally at first, the results are so worth it as you refine your messaging.
Actually sitting down to record a podcast episode and letting go of perfectionism
Now, let’s talk about sitting down to actually record your podcast episodes. There are many people who will make it this far, do all of the necessary prep work, and then never hit record! If you’re wondering why that is, I think there could be a variety of reasons for it. Personally, there are times when I just don’t feel like I’m in the right mindset to record an episode, and then there are other times when I can crank out several episodes in a week. This block isn’t something that ever goes away, but I can tell you that letting go of perfectionism definitely helps to break it down. Prepare the best you can with an outline or a script of what you’d like to talk about, and then accept that you don’t need a fancy setup or even the best microphone to put your content out there. You just need to take the leap!
The essential question you need to consider before launching your podcast
Launching your podcast is one thing, but actually sustaining it and showing up consistently is another. In order to ensure the longevity of your podcast, you really need to get to the heart of why you're starting one in the first place. So many people skip this step and then they really struggle when it comes time to actually brainstorm episode ideas, make decisions on podcast guests, and even identify appropriate sponsorships and advertisements. Defining the purpose of your podcast now will help inform your path forward and make it a lot easier for you to keep putting out relevant content.
Why it’s important to talk about your podcast and keep your momentum
My last point might seem like an obvious one, but it’s so often overlooked. You have to talk about your podcast! You really need to shout it from the rooftops – make announcements, set a release date, and start sharing teasers. I encourage everyone to treat it like it’s an event, almost a party, because this is something else that’s going to help you build up momentum. You don’t want to publish one episode and then be done or fall victim to podcast fade somewhere down the road. The key is to keep going, and ask yourself, “What am I going to do today to get this episode out?”. Refer back to your purpose to answer that question, and really lean into your systems and templates so they can help you move the needle forward.
Remember, there are some practical steps to help you prepare to launch your podcast, but the most important part is to simply take the leap and keep showing up consistently. Want some more insight on how you can optimize your approach to podcasting? Sign up for a podcast audit!
LINKS:
Grab your Free Guide to Episodes for Sales and join our email list
NEW: Sign up for a Podcast Audit
NEW: Sign up for Podcast Voxer Coaching Days
NEW: Sign up for Podcast Consulting to get your 3-month podcast strategy roadmap
Check out our growing Library of Courses and Tools
Join the Strategic Podcast Academy
The Transcript for Podcast Your Business:
165: Want to Make 2024 the Year You Finally Launch Your Podcast? How to Hit “Record” With Confidence
[00:00:00] Caroline Hull: Do you have a podcast idea? Or maybe you've been wanting to launch a podcast, but just keep putting it off. So let's talk about some of the things that I look for when I'm talking to somebody who says they want to start a podcast. How you can take your idea and turn it into action and an actual podcast. [00:00:17][17.8]
[00:00:23] Caroline Hull: Hi there and welcome to Share, Strategize and Shine. I'm your host, Caroline Hull, a podcast strategist and CEO of Wild Home Podcasting. I've built my entire career through podcasts by sharing my experience using strategic systems and shining a light on the power of podcasting. If you are looking to cultivate leads for your membership, group program, or consulting services, I'm here to help you create a holistic and integrative podcast strategy that will let your business thrive. Let's dive in. [00:00:55][32.1]
[00:01:01] Caroline Hull: Hello everyone. Welcome back to Share, Strategize and Shine. I am so excited to be here and be talking about this topic. We don't talk a ton about launching here on this podcast, but it's definitely something I want to touch on and so I'm excited to dive back into that this week. The problem that we solve, I want to tell you a story about helping a client set up systems. And I really think this goes along with today's episode, because one of the things I hear a lot from my clients when we are starting a podcast, relaunching a podcast, working on content, is that sitting down and doing it is so, so hard and it really can be in the beginning, it can feel like you're just struggling to get the words out and you're not sure if you're putting the episode together correctly, which is why I've created so many tools inside of my Strategic Podcast Academy to help people do this, because I realize that this is such a big pain point. So I had a Voxer coaching to the client. She's amazing. She's also in the membership and we were talking a lot about like, how do you actually just get the thing done? And what we ended up doing was setting up systems, which sounds so basic and simple, but it is so, so important if you do not have systems in place that you are following and sticking to, it's going to be really hard to rinse and repeat a process every week, especially when we're talking about recording podcast episodes. And so one of the things we did to kind of work through this block that she had about sitting down and getting the thing done, was not only creating a content schedule and mapping out, okay, what episodes do we want, but putting them into a spreadsheet and then using a template to create scripts for the episode. And what's so great about these scripts is when you sit down and do them the first time, it feels a little clunky, but it gets so much easier. And another like pro tip with these scripts, I literally just took my template and took an old blog post and created a podcast episode from that old blog post by plugging things into this template. So you know these systems, it can seem really dumb to say, like you just seen a Google doc or a spreadsheet to get you going, but sometimes that's just what you need is a system. And, you know, I think sometimes too, like we forget as coaches and I know myself like, this stuff is second nature to me because I've been doing it for years. But sometimes when you're starting something new, you have to learn the process to do it so it can feel like you're getting through it in a way that is aligned and fun and not just like slogging through it. I mean, I think about like Instagram for me is a really great example. I still really struggle with, like creating Instagram content when I'm not talking about my podcast episodes. It feels hard to me. And when I'm working with podcasters, I forget that when they're not creating podcasts all the time, it probably feels hard to them. So I wanted to just share with you real quick what she said about our time together, because she said that she was feeling lost, and after my guidance and expertise, she felt found we were able to get more work done in the time we were together then. Since she started her podcast. And I really, really, truly think that is just from setting up and creating these systems. So I just wanted to share that with you all because. Sometimes the problem, you know, we think the problem is bigger than it is. And it may be that we just need to see how somebody is doing something to really get an idea of how to do it. And again, all of these templates that I'm talking about are in this Strategic Podcast Academy. If you need help with that, or you can reach out to me to book a Voxer coaching day, and we can walk through the systems that you have set up. But that's the problem that I solve this week. [00:05:01][239.9]
[00:05:03] Caroline Hull: I hear so many business owners and people in general say they want to start a podcast, and then they never do, or they just keep putting it off, right? Like, I can't even tell you the number of people that have come to me to launch their podcast and they say, oh, I've had this idea for two years, I've had this idea for three years. And that happens, right? Because it can feel really daunting to just take an idea and turn it into an actual podcast. But I don't want you to be one of those people. And if you already have a podcast and you're listening to this episode, what I'm gonna talk about today are really good reminders of what to think about and focus on as you grow and evolve your podcast with your business. So yes, I'm going to be focused on people who haven't. I said maybe have an idea, but these are universal things that we should be thinking about with our podcast all the time. [00:05:52][49.1]
[00:05:54] Caroline Hull: So the first thing is that you need to be real with yourself and with your podcast and your business about what it takes to actually create a podcast and the time that you're going to need to spend on it. I feel like especially in the beginning, it can feel like a lot of time. And as I mentioned in my earlier segment, like I've worked with clients and that first episode is always so hard to get through. It does get better, but it definitely takes time. And so one of the things that I really encourage people to think about is like, how committed are you to this? What is your level of commitment? Podcasting is exciting. It's amazing. But if you're going to be serious about having this work for your business, this is a long term thing. And so you need to block time to prepare, record and then produce the podcast or get somebody to help you do it right. Because we don't want to add anything into our life that's going to be stressful without a clear plan and strategy and all those things, because if it is stressful, then you're probably not going to do it for the long term. And if you hear this and you're thinking, I'm adding recording sessions to my Google Calendar right now, then you're probably ready to take the plunge. But if that sounds overwhelming, that's okay. And that's why, like, I talk about thinking about the process and what parts you want to do and what parts you don't want to do. And so really thinking about the time that you need to commit to this and block that time out, know that that's going to be part of your schedule, part of your week, part of your life from now on. Right. [00:07:31][97.8]
[00:07:33] Caroline Hull: The other thing about taking your idea from an actual idea into an actual podcast is that you're going to have to put your voice out into the world. And ideally, like we've thought through, who are our audiences? You know, who we're going to be sharing this with. But this is something that it it's a real thing. Like people are going to hear you. They're going to listen to you. You are no longer going to be able to hide right behind your, your website or your computer. And I remember like when I first started podcasting, this was a really big hurdle for me to get over, and I was really uncomfortable with how I sounded when I first started listening back to my episodes. And this is one of the things I hear from my clients a lot when they first start is, I don't like the way this sounds. Or do you think we sounded okay? Everybody's worried about how they sound, and I want to share some encouragement right now because this is so real block, I think. And I know for me it definitely was a real block was showing up on camera and sharing my voice. This is a muscle that you have to exercise, right? You cannot just not use it. It definitely becomes clunky if you don't use it. But what's so great about podcasting is it really helps you refine that muscle, that sharing of your voice, but also your messaging. And so if that's something that you want to improve on and you want to work on. I really, really encourage podcasting. There's something about sitting here behind the microphone that just has really helped me find my voice, find how I talk about things and really refine my messaging as a business owner and a podcaster. And so even though I was super shy in the beginning, that has definitely passed. So if that's something that's keeping you from actually starting your podcasts, just know that it will get better. Absolutely. [00:09:26][112.6]
[00:09:28] Caroline Hull: Now here's the thing. If you're going to have a podcast and you're going to take this idea and you're going to turn it into an actual thing that is publishing every week, you are going to have to sit down and record. The biggest block I see with my client is actually sitting down and doing the thing, actually sitting down and recording, and I'm not going to live like this block does not go away. I today was really struggling with needing to sit down and record. I just I am not in the mindset for it. I'm tired today for some reason I knew that I could script an episode, but it was the actual sitting down and recording, right? Oh my gosh, how hard was it to get behind this mic? But now I'm here and it's happening and it's flowing. Here's the thing. You do not have to have a fancy setup. You do not have to have the perfect space. You do not have to hide in your closet. You just need a microphone. And the thing that we all need to get better about doing, I know, myself included, is drop this need for perfection. It's not going to sound perfect. It's not going to sound perfect the first time you do it. It may not even sound perfect the second time you do it, and your first microphone purchase may not be the best. You may end up with four microphones like me and finally have one that you like. You know, all of this stuff can be tweaked and evolve as you get better and as you do this longer. But the thing is, is if you wait for all of those things to fall into place, you will never sit down and record. You won't. It will not happen. And so you have to work through that. Okay. How am I going to get to my desk, to my microphone and just sit down and record. What is it going to take for me? And the other thing that I always encourage my clients to do who have never recorded podcast episodes before, is to practice actually recording. Sit down in front of a microphone. Again, it's that muscle I was talking about, about using your voice. It's the same for the actual practice of sitting in front of the microphone, and you have to do it in order to get better at it. But if you never sit down and record, you're never going to know. And I find that this is one of the biggest hurdles that I have to help people jump over when they're starting their podcast, because something about sitting down and recording it makes it feel so final. I also think. Not sitting down and recording you. You clam up, right? You forget what you want to talk about. And that's why we have outlines. That's why we have scripts. That's why we have systems in place is so that way when we do sit down and we have that moment where our brain goes blank, we have something to refer to. But here's the thing. Like, nothing is going to happen if you don't sit in front of the microphone and record. And even if it's just like, I'm going to sit down and record and I have an idea, I don't know what's going to come out. You know, that's how I started. I started with an idea, and I would sit down and record and see what was the result of that. And that has led me to being able to formulate my podcast episodes a little bit better. So again, like a lot of this takes practice and letting go of that perfectionism and just getting going. [00:12:48][200.4]
[00:12:49] Caroline Hull: So let's get to the actual like idea of the podcast and some of the things that you need to think about as you're thinking about launching it. The first one is you need to get really clear on why you're starting the podcast in its purpose. And I think this step is so, so important. A lot of us say, I want to start a podcast because podcasting looks fun. Everybody else has a podcast. This would be a great way for me to share my message. But what is the actual purpose of the podcast? And to really get down to that, we have to look at what your business goals are. But what I find interesting is the number of people who will launch a podcast and not really go through this step. I love this step. It's so it's so important to me and it's I make my clients work through this, you know, even if we're doing an audit, even if we're doing management, even if we're doing like full three month coaching of podcasts with a refresh, these are the things that I make them work through. Getting clear on your mission and your why for your podcast. Because when we start to brainstorm episode ideas, all of it's going to come back to that purpose and that why and if we don't have that solidified, is going to make it really hard to make really clear decisions on podcast guests and podcast episodes, even down the road, like on things like sponsorships or what advertisements I want to do for myself in my podcast. Like all of that comes from the foundation. So it's so important to take a minute and really say, okay, why am I starting this podcast? What do I want to get out of it, and how is it going to serve me and my business? [00:14:29][99.6]
[00:14:30] Caroline Hull: Are you feeling frustrated because your podcast is not working for your business the way that you want it to? I completely understand, and one of the best places to start to get you back on track is with an audit. During an audit, I look at everything from your assets to your feed, to your goals for your business and your content, and how your podcast is supporting those goals to actually help you move forward. If you want to take your podcast to the next level, I highly encourage you get an audit. Head to WildHomePodcasting.com/audit. [00:15:03][32.2]
[00:15:06] Caroline Hull: Once you have all of this and you start getting it put together, one of the things that you really need to do is start telling people that you're starting a podcast that seems like really second nature. But let me tell you how many people forget this step. You've got to talk about it. You got to shout it from the rooftops. You have to share about it. You have to make sure that you are telling people that it's coming. Well, we want to build up the hype, right? We want to get people excited and creating this new thing, you know, make announcements, set a release date, start sharing teasers, don't just mention it once and move on. We want to really bring people in with us and get them excited. We want to build the energy before we launch. One of the things that I have talked about is with launches and refreshes, is how you want to make it, like it's an event, almost a party. And the reason I encourage people to do this is because that energy and that momentum is what is going to carry you after you start a podcast, because you go through all of this work to get it ready, and then you launch it and then it's just like, okay, you just go into the normal, like routine of putting out an episode every week. And so I love to build up that momentum because I feel like it is really important to keep you going and keep you in that frame of mind of, I am going to do this, this is the long term, here I go. [00:16:27][80.6]
[00:16:28] Caroline Hull: Which brings me to my next point, which is once you have that idea, you've turned it into an episode, you've sat down, you've recorded it. Here's the kicker you have to keep going. You cannot just publish one episode and be done. You have to keep going. And so as you grow, your business grows. As your podcast grows. You can look into adding things and getting additional support. But the key is, is that you have to keep going. I tell people all the time, I did a lot of things in the beginning. I am lucky enough now to be able to have some team help me with my podcasts. And you may not be at the point where you can have people help you with your podcasts, and that's okay. And so decide, like, what am I going to do today to get this episode out? What do I have time and capacity for and focus on those things? And again, a lot of those decisions are made by going back to the purpose. And the why behind your podcast is that's going to help you decide. Like, what pieces do I need to focus on? What pieces can I let go of, or what pieces do I really want to put my energy and time into? You know, and I know for me, because this is my cornerstone piece of marketing that I do every week, the time I spend on the video is important to me. The time I spend on the things that I share on Instagram are super important to me. The rest of it, like I can template and make that easier. Those are the things that are really important to me. And so just taking a moment to decide that and realizing that we've talked about how this is a long term thing. But consistency is really important because consistency is going to bring about consistent listeners. And there's a lot of other pieces to this. But. We don't want you to start. Do a couple of episodes, feel like you're haphazardly blowing through them, and then pod fade. And so it all goes back to making sure that we have everything set up to support us after the launch, and that we're already working on episodes ahead of time. We've got our plan in place. We've set things in motion right, so that way we can keep going and keep that momentum going. And, you know, there are days where that momentum is really hard to keep going. And there are weeks where I can just get so many episodes done in one week. And it's amazing and just know that that's it's still cool, right? That's how creating content is. Because when we create content, we're sharing a piece of ourselves. Right. And so I really, truly think too, that's why there's so many blogs when people are creating episodes, because it brings up a lot of things, because creating content is so personal. And especially I feel like when you're creating this long form format that we love this audio, this podcast, it's you, it's your voice, it's your face. And it can bring up a lot of things. And so setting up these systems, working through these blocks. This is how you're going to take an actual idea into a podcast. [00:19:35][187.2]
[00:19:37] Caroline Hull: So if creating a podcast is on your goals for this year, I really want you to go for it. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You can do this and we've all done it. You can do this too. And there are people who want to hear what you have to share. There are people who need the wisdom and the knowledge, and who need you to share your voice with them, to help them overcome what they're working on. And so don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Don't be afraid to start. Sit down in front of the microphone. Get it done. And one of the best ways to get support doing this through Wild Home Podcasting right now is the Strategic Podcast Academy. And I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. I am working on something for people who are ready to launch their podcast, and so the best way to stay in the know about that is to be in the newsletter. But if you're interested in any of these templates or spreadsheets or anything that I mentioned, this is all inside my membership, the Strategic Podcast Academy. And it's just a really great place to come and get support in a way that you can't get podcasting support in other places. So I would love to see you there, and I will be back next week with a new episode. Have a great week! Happy podcasting! [00:20:53][75.6]
[00:20:54] Caroline Hull: Thank you for listening to Share, Strategize and Shine. To give your own podcast some shine, download my free Podcast Guide to Creating Episodes for Sales by heading to the link in the show notes. Be sure to leave a review and connect with me on Instagram for more podcast strategy insights. Until next time.
