Don't Make These Mistakes as a New Podcaster! [Ep. 104]
Click play to hear these new podcaster mistakes:
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Here’s what to expect from this episode:
One of the best ways to set yourself up for success as a new podcaster is to know what to do (and, more specifically, what not to do) before you even start.
So for anyone in the planning stages of your podcast, this episode is for you. I'm sharing the 5 mistakes I see new podcasters make time and time again, plus some recommendations on how you can avoid these mistakes. (And honestly, these mistakes could apply to current podcasters too. So if that's you, tune in to hear what you could be focusing more on!)
I'm also sharing your responses from my latest Podcaster Pulse Check over on Instagram stories (be sure to follow me @podcastingforeducators and be on the lookout for the next question so you can share your opinions)! Today's question was: What annoys you as a podcast listener? You all really showed up for this one with some great answers.
TOPICS COVERED:
Podcaster Pulse Check: What annoys you as a podcast listener?
The importance of having a launch plan
Choosing the right name for your podcast
Recording enough episodes before launching
Investing in good audio quality
Aligning your podcast content to maximize ROI
Resources mentioned:
favorite podcasting resources:
Connect with Sara:
Related episodes:
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Sara Whittaker 0:01
Your Podcast is a powerful tool that serves your audience and your business. But how do you manage it all bring in new listeners, and convert those listeners into customers. That's what this show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whitaker, classroom teacher turn podcast manager. And I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators. Hey there, welcome back to podcasting for educators. One of my goals for this show is to equip you with the tools that you need to have a show that is going to last for years to come. And part of that is knowing what to do and what not to do before you even get started. So today's conversation is for those of you who are in the planning stages of your podcast, I want to share five mistakes that I see new podcasters make time and time again, and give you some recommendations on how to avoid these mistakes. But first, let's hear today's podcast or pulse check. Occasionally, I asked you all questions on Instagram. And then I quickly share your results here on the podcast. Today's question was what is something that annoys you as a podcast listener? And you all really showed up with some great answers. I got a lot of responses for this one. poor sound quality was by far the top answer from people like all caps. You all feel very passionate about this, and I am right there with you. Another really common answer was people taking forever to get to the point of their podcast, and having really long intros to the episode. And just taking a really long time to like actually get to the meat of the episode. One of you even said that you fast forward. And by the time you really get to the heart of the conversation, it's halfway through the episode sometimes. I think that's probably my biggest pet peeve as well. Another great answer was it annoys you when one person has louder volume than the other person. I 100%. agree this is another big pet peeve of mine. Also, just if the audio isn't leveled in general, even for solo episodes, there is a a standard for podcast in terms of where the volume should be. So that you're avoiding, you may have had this happen to you before with a podcast that you've been listening to. But if you get in your car, and you turn your podcasts on, and you're at like a regular car volume, but you still can't hear it. And so you have to like turn the volume up all the way. And then maybe when the episodes over and you listen to a different podcast, or you listen to the radio or you switch to something else. It's like a blasting in your ear. That's because the podcast was not leveled out. And it wasn't at that appropriate volume, super frustrating to listen to. And same with guest episodes like maybe your volume is normal. But your guest episodes volume is super, super low. Oh my gosh, that is so frustrating as a listener because you might have to constantly adjust the volume as you're listening. And nobody wants to do that. Kind of along the lines of taking a long time to get to the meat of the episode. Some of you talked about how you hate when people are just rambling about nothing that even has to do with the episode. Totally with you, especially when you're listening to an episode and you're the goal of it is to learn something, and somebody is talking about like what they had for breakfast, we don't care what you had for breakfast. If you are listening to more of an entertainment type of podcast, that conversation probably looks a lot different than an educational type of podcast. So if you're a podcast host, stay in your lane. In this scenario, remember why people are coming to you and why they're listening to your episodes. Okay, length of episodes is also something that came up. So one person said that they do not like when they are super short episodes, and in parentheses, it said under 15 minutes. And I think that this is totally a personal preference because I actually, I have done short episodes myself. And I've also worked with people who have short episodes like more around that 10 minute, Mark, and they get so many comments on how people love that they do that length of episode because it's super quick and super actionable. But clearly some people don't like that. So somebody else said that they don't like when episodes are longer than 30 minutes, or an hour plus she says I wish they would break it into shorter parts. So people have all kinds of opinions on length of episodes. And this is why you really need to be polling your audience ideally before you even start a podcast but also at least once a year minimum to really get a feel for what your audience's preferences are and yes, you're going to get answers all across the board, but at least you can get kind of a module already rules, type of results. So you can really use that information and apply that when you are creating your episodes. Somebody else said they don't like when intros are not done by the host. It makes it less personal. And I think what they mean here is, you know, when somebody has a formal intro for their podcast, it's the same formal intro every time with the music kind of like I have for my show. Sometimes people will hire somebody like on Fiverr, some sort of voice artist to record their intro for them. And I am on your side with this one, I think, especially if you are a personal brand, like probably the majority of us are, and you have your podcast, I think it's nice to have a personal intro and have it be your voice because you are the face behind your show. I really like this answer, because it was just different than a lot of the answers I got and something that I completely agree with. She said it annoys her when there's a guest episode. And instead of connecting with the guests, the host just responds to the guest. Okay, great. Thanks for that. And it's kind of just like this ping pong of like, they ask a question that guest answers. And the host is just like, Great thanks, and then moves on to the next question. rather than there being that like organic banter and conversation that really adds to a lot of guest episodes. And then the last one I'll share is overly loud breaths. Yes, you when you are editing your podcast, or when your podcast editor is editing your podcast, you have lots of options with breaths, you can take them out completely, you can silence them, or you can lower them and everybody has their own preferences with that. But also another thing is that the mic that you're using, and like how close and how far away you are to the mic. So if you're somebody who is a really loud breather, then you might want to think about how you could adjust some things with your podcast. Okay, so hopefully, those were interesting for you to hear. And you can kind of take those critiques and think about what annoys people as a listener, and have that in mind when you're creating your own episodes. And be sure to be on the lookout for the next podcast or post check question that I post on my Instagram stories so that you can share your opinions with us. Alright, let's get into those top mistakes that I see new podcasters making, number one is rushing in too quickly, without a plan. When I talk to people who are ready to start a podcast, they always say that they wanted to launch like yesterday. And I'm really proud of people when they say that because it means they've really pushed past any fear that has come up for them, they're ready to do the dang thing. But at the same time, I really, really wish that they would just take a beat, take a breath. Because when you are starting a podcast, it really should be treated like any other kind of launch, whether it's a course or membership, or some other type of offering, you really need to take some time to plan things out. It doesn't have to be perfect by any means. But there needs to be a plan. And when I say plan, I really mean that you need a plan for your actual launch. What will the messaging of your show be? How are you going to tie your offers or lead magnets into your content? How are you going to promote your launch so that you'll actually have listeners when your podcast gets out into the world? But then also, most importantly, is the long term planning. And this starts even before you launch? What will your recording schedule be? Will you batch will you go week by week? How far ahead? Do
Sara Whittaker 8:34
you want to be with your recording? How are you going to plan to share your episodes on a weekly basis? If you're going to have guests? What will your systems be to ensure that things run really smoothly? And that your guests have a seamless experience? How will you structure your episodes so that your listeners have a good experience? What will you use for project management so you can give yourself due dates and keep track of all the tasks that go with podcasting. There's so many things to think about. And that takes time. And that's why I recommend taking ideally about six weeks from like, Okay, I'm doing this thing to launch day to really map everything out and just set yourself up for success. Your future podcasting self is going to thank you big time, not having a plan for your systems. And how your podcast is really going to fit into your weekly routine ongoing is by far the number one cause of pod fade later down the road. And if you haven't heard me talk about pod fade before. That's when people start a podcast and then they slowly stop releasing episodes because they can't keep up with that. And usually that's because systems were never set up. They never decided how they were going to fit this into their routines. They're just scrambling week to week so if You can figure these things out from the beginning. Like I said before, you're going to set yourself up for success. And it's going to change, it's going to fluctuate over time. But having an initial plan is just going to serve you. So well. Second mistake that I see new podcasters make is having a cutesy name versus a searchable name, the name of your show really can make a big impact on its long term success. And that is because of SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Whether it's through Google or on podcast, listening apps, your podcast name is one of the very few things that is searchable for listeners. So you really want to take that into consideration when naming your podcast. I actually I stumbled across new podcasts all the time on Instagram, because I see people talking about their show, like on their stories or on their feed. And it's within a niche that I'm really familiar with, as in like, I know all of the other podcasts in that niche, or at least I think I do. But then I'll stumble across this one. And I'm always like, Oh, I didn't even know that this podcast existed. And in that case, it's almost always a show that has a name that is not created with search in mind. It's a show that like all look at their cover art or look at their title, and I have no idea who their podcast is for, or what their podcast is about, because they didn't use a searchable term in their title. So for you, when you're just getting started, or even if you're thinking about rebranding your podcast, ask yourself, if my ideal listener was looking for a podcast on X, Y, and Z, whatever you specialize in, what would they type into the search bar, on Apple podcasts or in Google, and that's the phrase they you want to include in the title of your show that can make a really big impact on visibility for you. Okay, mistake number three is only recording one or two episodes before launching your podcast. And this kind of ties into mistake number one of not having a plan before launching. So maybe you set your launch date, let's say it's first September 1. And on September 1, you release your first episodes, and you don't have any more episodes recorded yet. You're gonna get caught up in the excitement of that launch, you're going to think you're good to go everything said, Oh, this is so easy. It's great. And then you realize, oh, shoot, my next episode goes live next week, and I haven't even recorded it yet. And that would mean that you are now in the week to week also my friend. And that is not a place that I want you to be. My advice is to have a minimum of seven to 10 episodes recorded before you launch, especially if you're a DIY podcaster. If you are in that week to week hustle that is where the overwhelm falls into place. So think about how you can really come up with a schedule for yourself. Doesn't have to be you batching 10 episodes in one sitting. But how can you get ahead before you even start? Mistake number four is ignoring audio quality, like you heard at the beginning with the podcast or polls check. This is a big pet peeve for people this will make people turn off your podcast and never ever come back. And I will be the first person to tell you that you do not need a bunch of fancy equipment to make a podcast. But you do need these things. You need headphones, you need a mic and you need a quiet space, ideally a small space that's carpeted. And I'll add a fourth you need stable internet connection. If you are doing guest interviews like non negotiable. Your environment is what makes or breaks your audio quality. You're not a sound engineer, my team and I who have been through plenty of audio editing training are not sound engineers. And honestly, even actual sound engineers cannot make your audio sound perfect if you're in a crappy environment. With crappy internet. There's literally only so much that can be done during post production in terms of the quality of your audio. Obviously, a lot can be done during editing in terms of taking things out rearranging content, getting rid of those filler words and silences and things like that. But in terms of the actual audio quality that is really 99% on you when you record your episodes. For example, if you're on Zoom and you have a terrible connection with your guest, and there's lots of glitchy sounds throughout the conversation. Some parts might be able to be fixed, but definitely not all of them. If you're using your computer mic instead of an external mic is never going to sound as good as if you were using an actual mic. Getting good sound quality is not rocket science. And that's why I get frustrated and clearly so many of you do as well when someone's audio is just consistently awful. Don't use a mic, preferably a dynamic mic, I will link my favorite super affordable one in the show notes. And for the love stop recording in your car, stop recording in the middle of your kitchen, where you're surrounded by big open space and hardwood floors. And level out your audio. Like we talked about in the beginning, there's an app for that. It's called a phonic. And that can also be done with most editing platforms like Audacity, audition, or Hindenburg. So my advice for getting good audio quality is to set up your recording space that is somewhere ideal, and have that be the place that you always record. Best case scenario. It's a carpeted room filled with other things that are going to help soak up the sound. And when you sit down to record, do a test before you actually start your official recording. Check that your mic is plugged in, and then it's being recognized by your computer, check your headphones, record a few seconds of audio and listen back to it. It only takes a minute to do this, to make sure that it sounds okay. Sometimes we think our mic is plugged in and it's not. So do that test before you record every single time. Like I said, it takes 30 seconds to do this. If you're recording and your dog barks pause the recording and resume when the barking is over. If your guest keeps freezing, during your interview, pause, start back over to the part of the conversation that you were at before they froze and rerecord that section. Doing things like this is going to save you a world of headache during post production. And most importantly, it's going to ensure that your listeners are actually going to come back. There's nothing more frustrating than listening to terrible audio quality. And I will say this with like a bit of a disclaimer, I think all of us are going to have out of ordinary circumstances like, yeah, there's going to be a time where we think our mic is plugged in. And it's not, but 95% of our episodes sound great. And occasionally we're going to have that episode that just doesn't sound as good. It's not the end of the world. Maybe you're in the middle of moving and your house is empty. And there's a little bit of an echo. But that's the exception. It's not the norm for your audio quality. I had Rachel one of my clients, Rachel Davis, if you're listening Hey, Rachel, she does a lot of traveling. And at one point, I think they were in Africa. And they were like in a tent. And she was recording her podcast and it was raining, I think so there was a lot of background noise, but she addressed it in the episode. So if you're ever concerned like if you have one of those out of ordinary circumstances, just record a quick disclaimer put at the beginning of your episode. Hey, you guys, I just want to let you know that my audio quality isn't up to the standards that it usually is. And then you can just quickly explain the circumstance, address it, get it out of the way, let
Sara Whittaker 18:06
them know, hey, this isn't how it's going to be ongoing. It's just like this one time, and it's going to be okay. But you need to aim for 99% of the time having good audio quality. All right, mistake number five is not having a content strategy. And this mistake is one that I see all kinds of podcasters make not just new podcasters. And that's the throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks strategy, aka my episode is going live tomorrow and I need to record something. So I'll just choose a random topic strategy happens to the best of us. I know that there's many of you listening who can relate to that. But I don't want you to make that a regular occurrence because we're when we're in that like constant state of rush, rush rush. I need to get this done today because I waited until the last second to record this. We're not going to be in the right headspace, we are not going to be able to think big picture long term. If you haven't done that planning ahead of time. If you really want to see an ROI from your podcast and an impact on your business, then you need to align your content to your business offerings. I get into this a lot in my audio course podcasts like you mean it. But at a very basic level. Your first step would really be to zoom out for the next six months to one year. Think about what you're focusing on or selling or what lead magnets you're wanting to drive people to and plan your content around these things so that listeners can really seamlessly see that connection between your podcast episodes and the next step of whatever it is that you're offering them. If this is a really big pain point for you, I would encourage you to get on the waitlist for podcasts like you mean it because doors are going to be opening back up later this summer. I will put the link for the waitlist inside Have the description for this episode, so you can just click below to join the waitlist. Alright, so to recap our five mistakes that I see new podcasters and honestly just podcasters in general make is rushing in too quickly without a plan. Having a cutesy name versus a searchable name, only recording one or two episodes before launching, ignoring audio quality, and not having a content strategy. I hope that if you're new or aspiring podcaster this is going to help you avoid these key mistakes. And if you're a current podcaster, I hope that this point it out a few things that you may want to focus on like getting systems in place, or being more strategic with your content, you can come on over and join us in the podcasting for educators prep school, which is my course and community for podcasters that will teach you everything you need to know about starting and managing a show that will benefit your business for the long haul. I think one of the best parts is that you do get access to the private Facebook group community so that you can come and ask your questions to me and to other podcasters in the group. Whenever you need to. You get lifetime access to all of these things. So you can join at podcasting for educators.com/prep school. And as a thank you for being a listener of this show. You can use code PF e podcast for $50 off. That's P F e podcast. All right, that is all I have for you today. I'll see you next week. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. To keep this conversation going connect with me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about podcasting. If you're looking for support and launching, managing or growing your podcast, check out my online course the podcasting for educators prep school at podcasting for educators.com/prep school. I'll see you here next time.
More about Podcasting for Educators:
Podcasting for Educators is the podcast for TpT authors and other online educators. It's a show that will help you get your podcast in front of those who need it most - teachers, counselors, literacy specialists, SLPs, parents, and more! Each week, Sara Whittaker and her guests will share top tips and actionable strategies that you will need in order to launch, manage, and grow your podcast. You’ll learn how to leverage your show to build long-lasting relationships with your audience and promote your TpT resources, courses, and memberships, all while providing valuable and accessible content!
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