Just Do It Already! Simplifying the Podcast Launch Process (And a Microphone Giveaway!) [Ep. 169]

 
 

Click play to hear a simplified podcast launch process:

 
 

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Here’s what to expect from this episode:

We have officially entered my very favorite month of the year, October! And I have several fun episodes coming up this month to celebrate three years of podcasting that will be especially relevant to those of you who, for whatever reason, haven't taken that leap of faith and actually started your own podcast yet.

To kick off the celebration, we're starting with a simplified breakdown of what a podcast launch process looks like. I'm also sharing some resources to help you get started, including both free and paid options depending on where you're at in your business and how hands-on you want to be.

Podcasting can be an awesome addition to your business, but it's not going to get to the point where it's helping your business if you don't actually get started. I know that there are so many different reasons why you haven't started yet, but as with so many other things in life, the timing is never going to be perfect.

Whatever the reason is, I am here to say, just do it. It's time! So consider this episode a little pep talk from me as your accountability partner to tell you that if podcasting has been on your heart for some time now, it's time to rip that band-aid off!

Over the last few years, I have seen my clients connect with their audience, grow their email list, book 1:1 services, land paid speaking opportunities, lock down paid sponsorships, drive listeners to their paid resources, create long-form searchable content, and maybe most importantly, have more fun in their business, all through podcasting. And I've seen it myself firsthand with this podcast. So if they can do it, and I can do it, you can do it too.

And if tech overwhelm is one of the reasons why you haven't started your podcast yet, this month, I'm giving away my favorite microphone! You can enter it in two ways: by leaving me a review on Apple Podcasts (including your name or Instagram handle) and by screenshotting any episode that goes live in October (and tagging me in your Instagram stories @podcastingforeducators). Choose one or both (and get two entries), and I will announce the winner in the first week of November!

I hope this episode inspires you to start taking action towards your podcast launch. Of course, there are more details involved in each of the steps mentioned, so if you have questions about launching, tune in next week for a Q&A episode to hopefully get some of your questions answered.

Topics covered:

  • Your simplified podcast launch process:

    • 1. Plan your podcast brand

    • 2. Map out your episodes

    • 3. Set up your tech

    • 4. Sign up for a podcast host

    • 5. Record your episodes

    • 6. Submit your show to listening apps

    • 7. Promote your show!

  • Resources to help you get started (free and paid)

  • Microphone giveaway details!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

favorite podcasting resources:

  • Sara Whittaker 0:01

    Sarah, 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 the show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whittaker, classroom teacher turned podcast manager, and I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators.

    Hello, hello and welcome to another episode of podcasting for educators. Whether this is the first episode that you've ever listened to, or you have been here for a while, thank you for being here. If you're listening to this episode in real time, then we have officially entered my very favorite month of the year, October. And this specific week of October is a really exciting one for a few different reasons. From a business perspective, we just had international podcast day a couple of days ago on september 30, and this week also marks my three year anniversary of this podcast. It's so crazy to think that it's already been three years. Time has seriously flown by, and I'm just so excited for what this show has turned into and everything to come in the next three years. And then, on a personal level. Today is actually my wedding anniversary, and my birthday is in a few days on October 6. So big, big week. Lots of good things to celebrate. I actually have several fun episodes coming up this month to celebrate three years of podcasting, and they're going to be especially relevant to those of you who have maybe been listening to the show for some time or again. Maybe this is the first episode that you've listened to, but you are somebody who, for whatever reason, haven't yet taken that leap of faith and actually started your own podcast. You've been wanting to, but it just hasn't happened yet. Maybe it's the tech overwhelm, maybe it's just never felt like the right time. Or maybe you've even got your first few episodes recorded, but you can't quite muster up the courage to hit publish, whatever the reason is. I am here today to say, Just do it. Just do it. It's time before we get into a little more of this conversation. I want to read a recent review that was written for this show. It was written by Victoria, and she says podcasting was a far away dream, until I discovered this podcast. Sarah's insight is invaluable, and her teaching style is easy to follow with actionable tips. I appreciate how she references her personal and clients experiences when sharing new ideas, mistakes and trends to help her audience make steps forward, not backward. After listening to her podcast for two years, I finally took the plunge and enrolled in her course podcasting for educators prep school, and was further impressed by the value she gives through her course. She literally thought of anything and everything you could need to launch a podcast and walks you through it. In June 2023 I was able to launch my dream podcast, naturally teaching elementary science with confidence and excitement. If you're interested in podcasting, whether you're an educator or not, this is 100% the podcast for you. Huge shout out to Victoria for that amazing review. Thank you so much. I can't even tell you how happy it made me to read that and to hear about your experience as a listener of this podcast and as a student in the prep school. I'm so glad to hear that you've launched your podcast. If you're an elementary teacher, you definitely need to go check out Victoria's podcast again. It was called naturally teaching elementary science. I took a listen. It's great. It talks a lot about how to integrate science into literacy and other parts of your day. She also talks a lot about how you can use the outdoors throughout the day with your students to teach these things. I'll link her podcast in the show notes so that you can go check it out if you are an elementary teacher, or if you want to recommend it to a friend. I always love finding out how many of you maybe have joined the prep school because you were first a listener of this podcast. And so Victoria, thank you for mentioning that in your review. But I also want you to think about this from a podcaster perspective. Victoria said in her review, I listened to her show for two years, and then I bought her course, like podcasting is a really cool way to build these relationships with people, and to build that trust with people so that when they're ready to kind of take that next step and purchase your course or purchase services that you offer, they feel comfortable doing so because they've heard from you. They've gotten to know you through your podcast. And this is a good reminder, and it's very on topic with what I want to talk about today, which which is that podcasting can be an awesome addition to your business, and it's not going to get to that point where it's helping your business if you don't actually get started. So I'm talking to those of you who are thinking that you are ready to start your. Podcast. Like I said before, I know that there's so many different reasons for maybe why you haven't started yet, but as with so many other things in life, the timing is never going to be perfect. The tech that's involved with podcasting is not nearly as hard as you're probably building it up to be, and you're never going to get more comfortable behind a microphone, if you don't get started. So consider this episode a little pep talk from me as your accountability partner here to tell you that if podcasting has been on your heart for some time now, the time is now. Rip the band aid off. Jump in headfirst. Insert all of the cliche sayings here. Over the last few years, I have seen my clients, who we produce podcasts for, connect with their audience, grow their email list, book, one to one. Services, land, paid speaking opportunities, lockdown, paid sponsor partnerships, drive listeners to their paid resources, create long form, searchable content, and maybe most importantly, have more fun in their business, all through podcasting. And I've seen it myself firsthand with this podcast. So if they can do it, and I can do it, you can do it too, and it's gonna be worth it if you do it right. So if starting a podcast feels really overwhelming and really scary, I am about to give you the most simplified breakdown of what a podcast launch looks like, because I know what it's like, especially in your business, to have a project that you want to do, and you're building it up in your head, and it just seems so far out of reach, and it seems like something that is going to be so time consuming, and you don't know how you're going to fit it in, and it's maybe some new skills that are involved, and it just seems kind of like a far away dream that is just going to keep like, getting pushed down your to do list, because maybe you don't have an accurate picture of what the process is going to look like. So I thought it would be helpful for you, for me, to break down the main steps of a podcast launch so that you can get a better idea of what this looks like, and hopefully it's going to make you feel a little less intimidated to walk into this process and to actually be able to launch your podcast. So I have seven main steps for you. They're not going to take long to run through, and I will also write these out in the show notes. Okay, so if you are ready to launch your podcast, a first step that you could take would be to plan out your podcast brand. Okay? And by podcast brand, this isn't something that has to be big and scary. If you are doing this for your business, you probably already have branding for your business, so this really is just going to kind of be an extension of your business. So if you already have brand colors, if you already have a font, if you already have you know, your niche, your specialty, this really isn't going to be very time consuming or difficult. So part of your podcast brand is going to be the name of your show. Is going to be your cover art, and it's going to be the structure of your show. What you want your episodes to look like? Is it going to be solo episodes? Are you going to do guest episodes? Is it going to be a mix? Are you going to have segments inside of your episodes? Are they going to be short? Are they going to be longer? Those kinds of things like what your episodes will look like? And honestly, I'm putting this as a first step, because, for one, it's extremely important, and you're not gonna be able to, you know, do everything else and actually put your show out there until you have a podcast brand figured out. But also, this is just a really fun step, and it makes it feel really real. Okay, so step one is to plan your podcast brand. Step two would be to map out your first episodes. I would recommend trying to plan out, like maybe a quarter's worth of episodes, not have all of them recorded, but just have your topics kind of listed out that you might want to cover for the first few months of your show. In my course the podcasting for educators prep school, I teach you how to launch with multiple episodes, which you may or may not want to do, but you definitely want to have at least a month's worth of episodes recorded by the time you launch, plus additional episodes mapped out, like I'm like I just mentioned a minute ago, so that when you actually launch your Show and it's out there for people to listen to. You already have a little bit of a backlog, so you're kind of setting yourself up for success from the beginning there, and you're not going to be on that hamster wheel of recording week to week to week right from the jump. Okay. Step number three would be to get your tech. That you need. So not a complicated setup, guys, it's really not. I know that this is something that intimidates a lot of people, but you really don't need much to get started. You need a microphone and you need headphones. And honestly, those are the only two like must have actual pieces of equipment that you need. I will link my very favorite microphone in the show notes. It's called the ATR 20 100x

    and it's a USB mic. You just plug it right into your computer. It could not be easier. And I truly think it is the best, like most affordable microphone that also has really great sound quality, and you can get it on Amazon. So I'll link that for you headphones. You truly can use any pair of headphones that you want, but I will link the headphones that I use in the show notes as well. And in just a few minutes here, I'm going to talk about giveaway that I'm doing this month where you could actually win my favorite mic, the ATR 20 100x so if you are somebody who's hoping to launch your show in the next few months, definitely keep listening so you can hear how to enter that giveaway. All right. Step four would be to sign up for a host. So when you start a podcast, you have to have a place to host your podcast. This is where you will upload your episodes, and then your host will do all the work for you and push it out to all of the different listening platforms. There are many, many, many podcast hosts out there. I'm going to make it super easy for you and just give you my very favorite podcast host. It's the one that I use. It's the one that I have been using for the past couple of years. Now. I had a different one in the very beginning, and then I switched over, and I'm so glad that I did. I love it, and it's called Captivate. I will link that in the show notes. I have a link. If you want to use it, you can get a seven day free trial, so you can sign up, and you can kind of pop around in there and get a feel for it and see if you like it. But it is amazing. I'm actually going to do an episode here in a few weeks that breaks down all of my favorite features of Captivate, but just to kind of give you a quick like 32nd overview, I love Captivate because it has so many additional features that other podcast hosts don't have, but it's not more expensive than other podcast hosts, so it's got dynamic ads, it's got the ability to Do guest booking. It's got the ability to create playlists of specific podcast episodes. It has the ability to add monetization for your show. If you wanted to start like bonus content or kind of like a podcast membership. It has a spot where you can plan out your episodes. So many really cool things that I could go on and on about. They also have incredible customer service and a really awesome Facebook group that you can go to with your questions. They also do lots of really great trainings that you can watch that help you to grow your podcast. So highly recommend, Captivate. Oh. One other really cool feature is that you get unlimited podcasts with it. So if you want to create more podcasts in the future, you can also comes with a private podcast feed. So if you wanted to create a private podcast for your course, or you wanted to create a private podcast lead magnet, that's all included at no additional fee, okay, so let's quick review. Step one was to plan your podcast brand. Step two, map out your episodes. Step three, get your tech. Step four, sign up for a host. Step five would be to actually record your episodes. I recommend recording on Audacity. Audacity is a free program that you can just download to your computer, and you plug in your mic and you hit the red button and you get going, it is really that easy. And you can also do your editing. If you're going to edit your episodes, you can edit them right there on Audacity as well. All right. Step seven would be, once you have those episodes ready, you had signed up for your host so you can set things up in there, then it's going to be time to submit your show to the different listening apps, so like Spotify, Apple, all of those places, there's a whole list of them, and they're listed out for you on Captivate makes it really easy to submit. This is a one time submission, so you do it once at the beginning of creating your show, and then after that, every time you upload an episode to your host, it will push it out to all of those apps. So just a one time submission, and in just a minute, I will point you in the direction of a resource that will kind of walk you through that submission process. And then step seven would be to actually promote your show. So it's one thing to create it, but then you also, of course, have to be sharing it, promoting it to your audience, and I would recommend doing that before you even record any episodes, so you can do some market research. You can share your cover art, you can get your audience's opinions on episode topics. You can do all of those things before you ever record an episode, to kind of build that excitement around your show. So All right, so once again, those seven steps were to plan your podcast brand, map out your episodes, get your tech sign up for a host, record your episodes, submit your show to listening apps and promote your podcast. Are there more details involved in each of these steps? Yes, of course. But this truly is the gist of the launch process, especially from a tech perspective, it's not as difficult as you think it might be. If you want to start your podcast, you totally can do this. And I hope that these seven steps helps you realize that. Okay, so I promised that I would give you some resources if you're kind of like, okay, I can do this. This sounds doable. Let's Let's go. I'm ready. Here are some different resources that you could kind of use to take your next steps. Number one, if you are really ready to go and you would like some more detailed guidance and handholding, I would absolutely recommend joining my online course, the podcasting for educators prep school. It is a self paced course. You can go at your own speed. It also comes with a Facebook group that you can come and ask your questions in real time, get feedback from me and other people in the group. It's always fun to have people join and then they share their cover art, and people will like help them improve it and and just get that good feedback from other podcasters. It's also a great place to meet other people, to maybe do some guest episodes with each other on your podcast. So just a good community. And I'm actually doing a bonus for the month of October. So if you join this month, october 2024

    you will get the bonus of free Voxer access through the end of October. So if you're not familiar with Voxer, it is a free app that you can download, and it's kind of like walkie talkie style. We can send voice messages to each other. So if you join in October, you'll have the ability to get in there and ask me any questions that you have specifically about your future podcast, and I will give you my feedback and answer your questions. So again, this Voxer access will last through the end of October. So the sooner that you join, if you join earlier in the month, the more time that you're going to have to use that Voxer access to ask me any of your questions. A second resource option that you have is, if you're like, Okay, I want to do this, but I don't want to edit my podcast. I don't want to write show notes. I don't want to even learn how to submit my podcast or set up my host, or any of that you can hire me to do it for you. I offer full service podcast launches where we will literally sit down together and work out every detail of your show. You record your episodes, and then I will do everything else for you. I will submit your show, I will get your show notes written. I will upload your episodes, schedule your episodes, edit your episodes. Of course, I don't know if I already said that, but just everything, all of those details, other than actually sitting down and recording your episodes, I'll leave a link in the show notes to where you could book a discovery call if you want to get on a call and chat about what that launch package would look like. And then if you're like, Okay, I love the sound of those things, but I just they're not in the budget. The prep school is not in the budget. Done For You, launching is definitely not in the budget. I also have a free launch guide, so again, I'll put that in the show notes, and it's a free resource. It's actually it comes with a workbook and a private podcast series that kind of goes into more details about the different steps to launching your podcast, and when you go onto the page to sign up for that free launch guide, you'll also have the option to purchase a launch checklist. It's a spreadsheet on Google Sheets, and it's only $5 trust me, it's worth it. I don't offer it anywhere else. I don't offer it is like a standalone thing anywhere else, but it is a detailed spreadsheet that gives you all of the different steps of launching, including all of the different places to submit your podcast when it comes time to submit your show. So if you cannot afford or don't want to have that one on one guidance or the course guidance, then this free launch guide, with that $5 spreadsheet is another great option. All of those things will be in the show notes for you. And then, of course, I mentioned the giveaway earlier in this episode, so let's talk about that real quick so you can get entered today if you want. I am giving away my favorite mic again. It's the mic that I use. I love it so much because it's so easy to use, but it's really great quality the ATR 20 100x I am giving it away to one lucky listener this month, and there's two ways that you can enter. Number one, you can write a review for this show on Apple podcasts. So just go to Apple podcast, pull up my show. Scroll down and you'll be able to give it your five star rating and then write a review right below that rating. If you choose to do this after you write your review, if you can just sign your name or your Instagram handle on your review, just so I know who it is that wrote the review. Second way that you can enter is you can screenshot any episode that goes live in October. So that's starting with this episode, episode 169 through episode 173 any of our October episodes. Screenshot it on your phone. Add it to your Instagram stories and tag me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. Okay, so either write a review or screenshot and share any of our October episodes. You can choose one of those ways to enter, or if you want to do both, you will get two entries. The last day to enter the giveaway is on October 31 and then I will choose a winner the first week of November. Next week, I'm going to be doing a Q and A episode with questions that you guys have sent in about launching a podcast. So again, if you're somebody who's thinking of launching Be sure to tune in next week, and hopefully you'll get some of your questions answered. All right, we are going to wrap up with something that I am loving and something that I am listening to this week, something that I am absolutely loving is I finally, I really needed a new pair of tennis shoes. And man, good, high quality tennis shoes are expensive, and so I was, I was really putting it off, but I finally bit the bullet and bought a pair of Brooks. A lot of you recommended them, and so I finally got a pair, and I am so glad that I did. It really was worth it. I got the ones that I forget exactly the ones that I got, what they're called, I'll put them in the show notes, but they have a lot of cushion on them, like, they kind of look like platform shoes, like, when I first opened them, I thought, Hmm, this isn't these look like a lot bigger than what I would normally wear, but, oh, man, I put them on and went on my first walk, because I do a lot of walking, and my like, heels and my ankles were hurting from all the walking that I was doing, because I clearly did not have a good walking shoe before. And this is, like, night and day difference. It I literally feel like I'm walking on a cloud. It's amazing and so supportive. So if you're looking for a new a new Walking shoe, get yourself a pair of Brooks. And I will, I will link the ones that I got in in the show notes. And then something that I am listening to is the shine online podcast. Natasha is the host of the shine online podcast, and it's all about creating video content for your business, whether that's on Instagram or YouTube. She does a lot with YouTube, and YouTube is one of the goals that I have for myself for the next year or so, is to finally get myself up on YouTube using video. I have my audio only episodes on there, but I would like to get some video on there as well. So if you're somebody who struggles with video, she's got lots of great episodes that really make it a lot more doable. So if you need a new business podcast to check out, check out the shine online podcast. All right, I feel like we went over a lot today. Be sure to check the show notes for all of the links that I mentioned, as far as resources go, and don't forget to enter the giveaway. Go ahead and do it this week so you don't even have to worry about it. You'll be entered, and maybe you'll be the one to win that microphone as always. Thank you so much for being here, and I'll catch you here 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 in 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 you.

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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Sara Whittaker