Episode 99: How to Start and Maintain a Podcast

If you want to start a podcast, this is the episode for you! We sat down for over an hour with Davey Jones, of Davey and Krista , The Brands that Book Podcast, and the Till Agency.  As you can see, we are on Episode 99, and the Brands that Book Podcast is at 96 episodes at the time of this episode going live. So, we definitely know a thing or two about starting a podcast, and maintaining it. The only thing that isn't amazing on this episode is that the audio isn't the best when Chris or I are speaking... This is admittedly the first remote interview that we are airing, and so we are still learning and expanding our podcast as well! But Davey sounds great! And this podcast is also available on YouTube in case you like to watch people talk about podcasts. So, some advice: - Don't get stuck on all the things you think you should do - and just do what you can do. If you have Wifi, a good phone, and a great idea for a podcast - you are basically ready to start podcasting! - Think about your audience, and who they are, what they want to hear, when they want to hear it, and make a battle plan through that lens. Davey releases episodes every Wednesday, and we release episodes every Sunday, for 20 weeks straight. Then we take a 6-8 week break! Your audience will come to learn your schedule, and then come to expect episodes from you on those days! Even if it's once a month! - Davey recommends having a website as the second thing to invest in when starting your podcast! Your podcast will live on a hosting platform (ours is Libsyn, Davey's is Fireside), and people will listen to it on iTunes, Spotify, and other places where you can listen to podcasts. BUT, if you don't have a website for yourself/your podcast, you don't really 'own' your podcast. If Libsyn disappeared tomorrow - we would still have our website, and our episodes on their own posts. If you need a website - you should check out Showit.co - our fantastic podcast sponsor! Davey and Krista are also website designers who design on Showit. They also have a design template specifically for podcasters, and it is AMAZING! We are about to re-release our website using their new template! Equipment - A cell phone if you want to go very basic - but still good! on iPhones, there is an app called 'Voice Memo', and the quality of that mic is actually really great! And the mic that comes in your airpods, and even the ear buds that come with your phone are really great. A Kristen Friend, who was on episode 68, records and uploads her podcast completely from her phone. You can find out more at Anchor. - Blue Yeti. This is the most popular, and easy-to-use mic. You just plug it right into your computer via the USB port. It's about $129 so it won't set you back very much at all. - We use this mic. Well, 4 of them. But keep in mind that we are 3 years into our podcast, and we primarily do in-person, group interviews. And we have this mixer for the 4 mics, and headphones. - Davey uses the Shure SM7B. This is the same kind of mic that Michael Jackson used to record Thriller. You're welcome for that piece of trivia. - Davey mentioned the lavalier mic that plugs into your phone. We haven't used this before, but this appears to be a very affordable way to get a mic for your phone. Services - We mentioned earlier that you will need to find a podcasting host. Others include Zencast, and Blubrry. Most services range from $7-$20, depending on your storage/size needs. - We upload our podcast onto Audacity, and that's where we edit it. Others use Garage Band on their Macs.  This is FREE!!!! - Davey uses We Edit Podcasts, to edit his podcasts and get transcripts. There are other services you can use at Fiverr for a little less, depending on your needs. - Davey also mentioned that they use Fusebox to have a great podcast player on their website. This costs about $8/month . You surely don't need ALL of these tools and services. It's best to start off with the most basic things, and add on as your podcast gains momentum.  Another great piece of advice for podcasters is to remain flexible enough to recognize that you can pivot at any moment. Maybe you will add more episodes per week/month. Or maybe you will add a cohost, or intro music, or who knows? But not feeling like you are trapped with one thing you thought you 'had to do' will help you to enjoy podcasting all the more. You are going to want to upload your podcast onto iTunes, as it is one of the most popular platforms for consuming podcasts. To get ready for that, you will need to have at least one episode of your podcast recorded. Then you will also need art work (a little thumbnail), a title, a description for your podcast, and which category you want to be in (we are in family, Davey is in business.) Submitting to iTunes takes some time, so it will take 24-48 hours to connect and validate your podcast. The Good Word of the Day Davey encouraged all of us to think of just the next step. Whether in business, or in life, this is good advice! We can easily feel overwhelmed, or anxious about all that is out there to do, and deal with. But just think of the next thing you need to do: feed your kids, and yourself, get some work done.  We are SO THANKFUL for Davey and Krista and their time and support! Check out our new website next week! And feel free to connect with them at the above links we provided, as well as on social media! Join us again next week for episode ONE HUNDRED!