5 Things I wish I knew before starting my podcast
In this week's episode, I talk about 5 things I wish I knew before I started podcasting!
I've been podcasting for about 18 months, and it's been a big learning curve!
- No one cares what you sound like! [1.09]
- You don't need expensive equipment [1.50]
- It doesn't matter if there's already a podcast that is about the same subject as you [4.22]
- You'll get better at talking to guests [6.48]
- Enjoy making your podcast! [09.37]
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Transcript
Welcome to podcasting one on one with me your host
Unknown:Rachel. This podcast is for female business owners and
Unknown:solopreneurs that are looking to start a podcast that add to your
Unknown:own already awesome offering. I'll give you helpful advice
Unknown:that you can take away and use in your podcasting journey. I
Unknown:hope to answer those tricky questions that just keep you
Unknown:from starting. Once a month, I'll be joined by other female
Unknown:podcasters. They'll share their journey with you and offer tips
Unknown:and advice they discovered along the way. Let's get started. Hi,
Unknown:and welcome to this week's episode. So I've been podcasting
Unknown:for about 18 months now. And I just wanted to share five things
Unknown:that I wish I knew more about. And that I didn't know when I
Unknown:started. So first one, no one cares what you sound like. Now,
Unknown:lots of people have trouble with this. And I worried a lot about
Unknown:this. When I first started, I worried that my voice didn't
Unknown:sound right, that it didn't sound the same. In my head as it
Unknown:did when I listened to the recording, Did I sound
Unknown:professional enough? I kind of had it in my head that
Unknown:everything had to be perfect. And that's always a problem,
Unknown:isn't it perfectionism. So I also felt like I needed to sound
Unknown:like a proper quote unquote, broadcaster, you know, like, BBC
Unknown:Radio and sound have that kind of quality. I mean, this kind of
Unknown:leads into my second point about not needing really expensive
Unknown:equipment to start your podcast. And I know it's really important
Unknown:for the sound quality to be good. You don't I mean, nobody
Unknown:wants to listen to a half an hour podcasts with like to with
Unknown:somebody who you can't really hear what they're saying it's a
Unknown:it's a background noises, it's a banging. You know, it makes it
Unknown:really difficult to hear what you have to say, that's not
Unknown:really good. But let's be honest, it doesn't need to be
Unknown:perfect before we start. And I've said this before, you don't
Unknown:need expensive equipment. I didn't go out and buy loads of
Unknown:stuff. I was in the privileged position that my husband is a
Unknown:sound engineer, and has been for many years. And he does have
Unknown:quite a lot of equipment. So I was lucky enough that he had
Unknown:some mics for me to use. I have kind of upgraded them since
Unknown:then. I love my Behringer big mic that I'm using now. And I
Unknown:think it sounds really good. But what I had to begin with was
Unknown:good enough. And doing this simple things like you know,
Unknown:making sure you've closed all the windows and making sure you
Unknown:know you're in a place where you aren't going to be disturbed.
Unknown:And all those kinds of things can make a lot of difference. I
Unknown:then tried to move away from what I sounded like. Or if
Unknown:you're doing a video podcast as well, what you look like whether
Unknown:you turning up full face and makeup, as you can see today,
Unknown:not for those of you that are listening on audio. But those of
Unknown:you watching on YouTube, I'm not wearing any makeup today, I've
Unknown:just got my hoodie on. And I think that it's it doesn't. What
Unknown:I'm wearing has no bearing on the knowledge that I want to
Unknown:share with everybody today. And that kind of thing can stop you
Unknown:from showing up on video in general. So I'm kind of a big
Unknown:believer of showing up as you are and as how I am most days
Unknown:and this is how I am most days. I just try to focus on how I can
Unknown:make my episodes better in terms of their content. Obviously, my
Unknown:delivery, I have got easier talking to the microphone and
Unknown:talking to the cameras since I've started doing this in the
Unknown:last 18 months. But also making sure that my content is
Unknown:relevant. And kind of going back to that point of what would my
Unknown:audience want to listen to? What problem am I solving for them to
Unknown:help them with their transformation with your
Unknown:podcast? Not there. You're you listening out there? So the
Unknown:third thing was, you know, this big, there are other people that
Unknown:have a podcast like mine. So when I first started my virtual
Unknown:assistant one I was like, How can I make a virtual assistant
Unknown:podcast, a podcast aimed at virtual assistants that's not
Unknown:like any other podcasts that I've listened to or when I
Unknown:connected with rosemary calendar, who is also a podcast
Unknown:manager and a podcast host and I really really love rosemary, and
Unknown:I love what she's doing with her podcast, and her business. And
Unknown:so when she started her tbz to podcast podcast, I was one
Unknown:worried that if I started my own podcast about podcasting that it
Unknown:would look like I'm either copying her or, you know, trying
Unknown:to do the same thing. And I was really worried I didn't want to
Unknown:be that person. But then it kind of, I then kind of got over
Unknown:myself in a way that there are plenty of other podcasts out
Unknown:there doing similar things to what I'm doing now and what
Unknown:Rosen is doing. But the one thing that makes it different is
Unknown:the fact that it's you that's doing it, you are showing up as
Unknown:you and your vibe and your authenticity appeals to a
Unknown:different audience in a specific way to other people's podcasts.
Unknown:So, you know, somebody who enjoys my podcast, they just
Unknown:might not saying they don't like other people's podcasts, but it
Unknown:just makes, you're just being you. And that is what is the
Unknown:most important thing to come across in your podcast, you're,
Unknown:I'm talking about podcasting, and the way that I would deal
Unknown:with it, and everyone else is talking about it in the way that
Unknown:they would do it. So my biggest piece of advice here is just to
Unknown:be you. I know that's easier said than done, because it is
Unknown:hard. Showing up and showing up authentically and having that
Unknown:big impostor syndrome, like I mentioned, for thinking about
Unknown:your voice, and what do I look like, and am I gonna say
Unknown:something has what I got to say important enough for people to
Unknown:listen to. But those are things that just try and get over and
Unknown:just and just start and start talking and planning and doing
Unknown:those kinds of things. And just always keeping your ideal
Unknown:listener in mind, so that you're staying on track. So number four
Unknown:is being nervous about interviewing guests. The thing I
Unknown:would tell myself or tell you is that you get better, you get
Unknown:better each time you do it. If you don't practice, you won't
Unknown:get better. If you don't start, you won't get better. It is
Unknown:nerve racking. And I was quite nervous when I first started
Unknown:interviewing guests. But I that was what I wanted to do for my
Unknown:podcasts, that is what I decided to do. So I just in the end, you
Unknown:just dive in and you just start. And that is the best thing that
Unknown:you can do is to just start, you won't get any better. If you
Unknown:don't start, there are some things that you could do. If
Unknown:you're really nervous about interviewing people, then you
Unknown:could rope in your friends, your family, business bestie, do some
Unknown:mock interviews, record them and watch them back. And kind of
Unknown:have a little bit of a learning exercise from those. I used to
Unknown:clear up half an hour before my interviews, I sorted out now,
Unknown:before I do an interview just talking getting the right kind
Unknown:of a headspace I can have a coffee have a quiet moment, you
Unknown:don't want to be rushing around doing work, why up until the
Unknown:hill and then you're not prepared, you want to be able to
Unknown:just log on a little bit earlier and whatever software you're
Unknown:using, or however you're doing it, however you're recording so
Unknown:that you can get your mic set up and you're all ready for them to
Unknown:arrive. So those kinds of things can help with your nerves. And
Unknown:yeah, I still do that kind of, you know, have that half an hour
Unknown:downtime. Now. And I think the most important thing is to just
Unknown:start because you will get better once you start. And it
Unknown:becomes less of a big thing less nervous, the more times you do
Unknown:it. I mean, I do get a little bit of a nervous anticipation.
Unknown:Sometimes if you're having just one of those days, I've got to
Unknown:psych myself up a little bit. But once I get into the swing of
Unknown:it, once I've got into talking to my guests, you kind of get
Unknown:sucked in not in a bad way into the conversation and you kind of
Unknown:forget that you were nervous or forget that you were worried
Unknown:about it. Oh, and also I would say, don't treat it like an
Unknown:interview, quote unquote. Obviously, if you can't see me
Unknown:you're not watching on YouTube, but an interview because that's
Unknown:how I kind of thought about it when actually it's more of a
Unknown:chance. Something that's a bit more laid back. You're not like
Unknown:an investigative journalist. That's, I mean, if that's your
Unknown:podcast, and yes, you would have to have those types of interview
Unknown:skills that you're, you know, that type of interviewing that
Unknown:you're doing. But I would say on a general term, like what I'm
Unknown:doing and what I'm seeing a lot of my clients and other people
Unknown:out there in the space doing is you're more having a chat with
Unknown:somebody with your peers, with someone that's got something to
Unknown:offer for your audience. It's not like a big, big interview
Unknown:kind of thing. And the last one number five is I kind of knew it
Unknown:was a big commitment. And but I possibly didn't realise how much
Unknown:until I was really in the thick of it. I mean, for me, I
Unknown:absolutely love podcasting. That's kind of what I live in
Unknown:breathe at the moment. And I once I kind of caught a bug I
Unknown:wanted to carry on podcasting. Because I just love the whole
Unknown:process. I love recording the episodes, I love interviewing
Unknown:them, I love helping my clients get their awesome podcasts out
Unknown:there and increase their business and their audience, I
Unknown:really enjoy all of that. But if you don't enjoy it, it can be it
Unknown:become, it'll become a chore like anything else that you
Unknown:don't like doing. Obviously, if you can afford to, and it's good
Unknown:for you and your business, you can outsource some of the things
Unknown:which can help with the commitment side of things and
Unknown:the time. And you know, because it's not just recording the
Unknown:episode and bang, you've got it. Because even if you don't want
Unknown:to edit, you want to keep it as warm as possible, you still got
Unknown:to upload it, you still want to make the most out of that piece
Unknown:of content you've created for your social media, your
Unknown:marketing strategy, you don't want to just leave that as one
Unknown:podcast, you've got to be able to promote it. Pull out things
Unknown:from the episode that are going to be really valuable to your
Unknown:audience to let them know, all those kinds of things so that
Unknown:there are a lot of moving pieces with the podcast. So one thing I
Unknown:think it was Janet Marie that said to me, which I haven't
Unknown:thought about before, so I learned a lot from Janet, she
Unknown:was such a great conversation. And if you haven't listened to
Unknown:the episode, I'd really recommend you go back and listen
Unknown:to Janet's episode, I'll link it in the show notes to make it
Unknown:easy. But is to do a season or series that can be as many
Unknown:episodes as you like, you could even do just a series of four
Unknown:episodes, you've got four very specific themes or topics, from
Unknown:your business from what you want to talk about. And you can
Unknown:really get to know whether you enjoy podcasting, whether you're
Unknown:doing guest or solo however you're doing your episodes,
Unknown:you'll get like the feel of all the whole process of recording,
Unknown:talking to guests, if you have a guest on uploading, the
Unknown:promotion side of things, all of that you'll get a good a really
Unknown:good idea of how long it's going to take you as well and see
Unknown:whether or not this is going to be viable for your business. Can
Unknown:I carry this on? Or if I'm going to outsource it? Can I afford to
Unknown:outsource it, what is reasonable can hire, outsource some of it,
Unknown:all those kind of things. And it will really give you a really
Unknown:great idea and into whether or not podcasting is going to be
Unknown:great for you and your business. I hope you've got some value out
Unknown:of me sharing my learns. If you're in the same position, if
Unknown:you're just starting out in your podcasts, and this is how you're
Unknown:feeling or you're in the middle of your podcasts. And you're not
Unknown:sure whether you want to carry on. I'd love to chat. I'm always
Unknown:happy to chat to anybody about their podcasts or their journey.
Unknown:And I'll leave a link in the show notes. So you can book
Unknown:straight into my calendar and we can get a chat in and just let
Unknown:me know. And also if you have any questions also let me know.
Unknown:I'd love to hear from you. Great. Well, thanks for
Unknown:listening, and I'll catch you next time. Bye. Thanks so much
Unknown:for listening. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please like
Unknown:share and subscribe. Your support means so much to me. If
Unknown:there's a question or topic you'd like covering then I'd
Unknown:love to hear from you. Find the podcast on Instagram at Reggie
Unknown:Botfield and drop me a DM till next time bye