LEAN THE F*CK Out and start Podcasting

Transcription

1 LEAN THE F*CK Out and start Podcasting A PODCASTING LAUNCH KIT FOR FEMPRENEURS

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 3 Defining your podcast... 4 What makes a great podcast... 8 Breaking down the podcast episode Production process Podcasting tools Publishing and promotion

3 You ve totally got t his! You are bad ass and you ve picked a perfect time to podcast. Affordable access to recording and publishing tools make it easier than ever to produce a podcast of your own. While there is certainly a learning curve, this guide is a launching pad to get you started. Producing your podcast may be the easiest part (though it might not feel like it at first). It s the long term commitment to growing the podcast that can feel challenging at times. Building an audience takes time and is not for the faint of heart, but it can have benefits beyond what you even imagine. Podcasting can help you find and build community, position you as a thought leader, and create connections that you never thought possible. Podcasting can be inspiring, invigorating and sometimes even addictive. Buckle up, it s going to be a wild and amazing ride! 3

4 DEFINING YOUR PODCAST 4

5 PODCAST VISION Before you start buying equipment or setting up your social media, you need to define your vision for the podcast. Who is your audience? How will the podcast be formatted? What kind of content will be part of the podcast? How will you market the podcast? Most importantly, why are you doing this podcast to begin with? Following is a work sheet to help you organize your thoughts and plans. Audience Who is your podcast for? Describe your audience in detail. What is their gender, income, geographic region, hobbies, where they spend their time, what is their vocation, etc. What are their expectations of a podcast? What kinds of content are they looking for? Competitors List existing podcasts that are similar to yours or have some sort of overlap? What will make your podcast different from your competitors? 5

6 Podcast format What will be the format of your podcast (i.e., interview, educational, documentary, storytelling, etc.)? Podcast length What will be the length of each episode? Podcast frequency How often will you release episodes (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.)? Podcast vibe What will be the vibe of the podcast (funny, casual, formal, professional, etc.)? Podcast music What style of music fits best with the podcast vibe (folk, indie, hip hop, rock, electronic, ambient, etc.)? What tempo should the music be (chill, mid-tempo, fast, etc.)? Podcast voice over If you were to have someone record your podcast intro, what would they sound like? What is their personality (mellow, fast-paced, salesy, bold, strong, serene)? Is it a woman s voice or a man s voice? Do they have any particular accent? 6

7 Big Hairy Audacious Podcast Goal! What is your BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL for the podcast the end-all-be-all goal of your podcast? If all the stars aligned and everything went perfectly, what would that look like? Podcast Goals - Year One Okay, now that we have the big hairy audacious goal out of the way, what are your top 5 goals for your first year. Make sure these are SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely). For example, XXX listens by the end of year one, etc. Tactics to Reach Year One Goals Now that you have determined your first year goals for the podcast, List five tactics for each goal you listed above. Be sure to include marketing, audience engagement, and production tactics. (You re going to need more paper for this one!) 7

8 MAKING A BITCHIN PodcAST 8

9 MAKING A BITCHIN PodcAST Okay - you ve got a vision, now let s talk about what contributes to the success of a podcast. Right now, podcasts are hot! The cost for entry is relatively small, so lots of folks are getting in on the action. This is a double-edged sword. While it s awesome to be able to get into podcasting without a huge investment, the market is quickly becoming saturated. That means more competition and a tougher time to get listeners. To compete in the market, your podcast has to be bitchin! 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR PODCAST BITCHIN : Commitment One of the most important factors in having a successful podcast is your commitment. Podcasting takes a good amount of chutzpah and can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Podcasts don t magically grow overnight, so you need to be committed long term to your podcast. Consistency In order to gain a large following, you ve got to release episodes on a consistent basis. If you have a weekly podcast, listeners should be able to depend on your episode hitting their itunes every week. You ll know you re on to something when you have listeners just waiting for the next episode! Quality Content Your content will make or break your podcast. If you don t have interesting content, you re not going to keep listeners. You may be able to get someone to listen once, but what will keep them coming back? Good content that benefits them in some way (even if it is purely entertainment) is key. This can also be applied to the audio quality of the podcast. Your podcast needs to be professional quality. Listeners are a bit more forgiving when it comes to podcasts, but bad audio is distracting and will take away from the quality of the actual content. Cadence We re not talking about vocal cadence here (though that is of course important too). Creating a cadence for how you produce and promote every episode is where your podcast becomes a well oiled machine. Promotion If you build it, they will not necessarily come (even if it s quality). Not only are you competing with other podcasts, you re competing with just about everything else that could fill someone s time. We are busier than ever (I m preaching to the choir here) and are endlessly bombarded with products/podcasts/ videos/music, all competing for our time. You cannot afford to be passive when it comes to promoting your podcast. Just because the podcast is in itunes, doesn t mean anyone will find it. You must actively promote your podcast with PR, marketing, social media and through other influencers on an ongoing basis. Remember the commitment we mentioned earlier? This is where the rubber meets the road. 9

10 BREAKING DOWN An episode 10

11 THE PODCAST INTRO & OUTRO Now that we know what makes a good podcast as a whole, let s break down what goes into an episode. THE PODCAST INTRO Your intro should be short and sweet. You want to let the listener know what the podcast is about and what they are going to get out of it. If you have a specific host, you may want to include an introduction of the host. Ideally, your intro should be one to two lines. Following is a link to some examples of podcast intros: You can also listen to the intros of podcasts you subscribe to in order to get ideas and inspiration. Tips for a good podcast intro: Keep it short and simple (leave the calls to action for the outro) Give it some personality Make sure you have the right voiceover actor and music Make it true to you and the vibe you want to create We recommend hiring a professional to record your intro. The cost is minimal considering the quality product you get. That said, you really need to know the vibe, tempo and type of music you want or you ll end up with an intro that doesn t fit your podcast brand. Following is one recommended resource for hiring a professional voice over artist to create your podcast intro. This particular service includes the background music (though you don t get to hear it first), but you can also purchase stock music and have them use your purchased music instead. Professional Voiceover Service: Stock music (can be used as bumper/background music as well as in your intro): THE PODCAST OUTRO You ll also need an outro for each podcast episode. This can be recorded once and used for each episode (like your intro) or you can record a unique outro after each episode. The outro typically includes the name of the podcast and a call to action (go to website, subscribe, review the podcast). 11

12 THE SCRIPT & SHOW NOTES THE SCRIPT Think of your script as an outline for each of your episodes. You need to have some sort of structure when recording, but do NOT read straight from a piece of paper it ll sound lame and canned. Even if you re reading a little bit from the script, you ll want to sound natural and casual. This might take a little practice beforehand but it s worth the extra practice time to have a more polished episode. Following is a basic script outline that you can use as a starting point for your script. BASIC SCRIPT OUTLINE 1. Podcast Intro (pre-recorded) 2. Episode Introduction: This is a brief introduction to the content of the episode. If the podcast is in an interview format, this usually includes the key things that were discussed and a brief bio of the person(s) being interviewed. Try to make this sound as natural as possible. 3. Content: This is the meat of the podcast. If the podcast is in an interview format, this is where you d include the questions you re planning for the guest(s). If it is an educational or story-based format, you ll want to script this out in a bit more detail including the points you want to include and what specifically you ll be discussing. 4. Outro: This can be pre-recorded or individualized for each episode. The benefit of recording this each week is that you can include different calls to action based on the episode. SHOW NOTES Show notes are often overlooked, but they are very important to include. If you get in the habit of creating show notes during the production, they will become second nature. Show notes provide additional information and a recap for listeners, they drive traffic to your website and they help with your website SEO (meaning people might happen upon your podcast via a Google search - YES!). Show notes should include: Episode number Episode title Brief episode summary (About 160 characters this can be used as your metadescription) Episode overview (2-3 paragraphs) Bullet points of the key content (3-5 bullet points) Notable quotes (these can be turned into graphics for social media) Links to content/resources mentioned in the episode Call to action (this could be recommendations of other episodes to listen to) BONUS TIP: Include your show notes in your script. You can take notes during recording or right after you finish recording (while the content is still fresh in your mind). This also makes it easier when you publish the episode and post on your website. 12

13 THE PRODUCTION PROCESS 13

14 PODCAST PRODUCTION PROCESS WE HEART PROCESSES We are big process geeks and believe the real podcast magic happens in the rhythm of the process. Creating processes you can execute on over and over will turn your podcast into a well-oiled machine. Below you ll find the process we use. We use a combination of two tools, Asana and AirTable, for our project management (both tools are FREE). All of our episode and guest contact information is in AirTable (we use it as an editorial calendar) and then we use Asana for the To Do tasks for each episode. We set up a template for each of the tasks in Asana so we are able to copy and paste for each episode. Following you ll find our production process for each episode. You can cut and paste this into Asana to create your own template. PRE-RECORDING: Invite guest Date on the calendar Send confirmation to guest and request bio and headshot Create script Send script to guest along with recording reminder Create social media graphics to promote upcoming podcast episode Promote upcoming episode on social media PRODUCTION: Record podcast episode Write show notes Record episode intro and customized outro Edit episode Run episode audio through Auphonic Upload final episode audio to Libsyn Add episode and show notes to website PROMOTION: Create social media graphics (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) Send guest thank you with link to website podcast episode page Promote episode on social media Send out through MailChimp Send guest hand-written thank you note Promote episode to influencers if appropriate CLICK HERE FOR OUR AIRTABLE EDITORIAL CALENDAR TEMPLATE 14

15 templates As process-geeks, we find it s much more efficient if you create templates for everything you do, including something as seemingly simple as . Following are the templates we use for inviting, scheduling and confirming guests on the podcast. We set these up as.txt files, but you can also use a service like MixMax to create templates. These templates are for a podcast that is an interview format though they can be used as a starting point for any podcast. You ll want to make these templates your own, with your own tone and vibe. For show scheduling, we use calendly: Template: invitation FOR POTENTIAL PODCAST GUEST SUBJECT: We d love to have you on <PODCAST NAME>! Hi <POTENTIAL GUEST NAME> I am the producer of <PODCAST NAME>, a podcast that explores <PURPOSE OF YOUR PODCAST>. We d like to invite you to be a guest on our podcast. <INFORMATION ON THEIR WORK AND WHY WE D LIKE TO HAVE THEM AS A GUEST> Would you be willing to be a guest on our podcast? We d love to talk with you about <TOPIC HERE>. You can listen to past episodes of the show at <PODCAST WEBSITE>. We record virtually using Skype, so you can call in to record and only need a quiet place to talk and Internet access. The podcast is in an interview format and is fairly casual. The production takes <PRODUCTION TIME>. We also send the interview questions to you a week in advance. Following is a link to our calendar so that you can select a date/time that is most convenient for you: <LINK TO CALENDAR - WE USE CALENDLY, SEE LINK ABOVE> Once you select a date, we will send you a confirmation with additional information. Thank you for considering being a guest on our podcast! Cheers, <PRODUCER NAME> 15

16 templates Template: confirmation Send as soon as guest selects a date SUBJECT: <PODCAST NAME> Confirmation <GUEST NAME> Thank you for being a guest on the <PODCAST NAME>. We re looking forward to recording with you! Just to confirm, we ll be recording: <Day, Date, Time> We ll be recording Skype. All you need is a quiet place to talk and Internet access. In the meantime if you could provide the following: - Your Skype ID - Your bio - A headshot - Links to your website and any social media links you d like shared on the podcast We ll send you a confirmation/reminder a week before the podcast to share the script and make sure you have everything you need. Thank you again for agreeing to be a guest. We re so excited to have you. Cheers, <PRODUCER NAME> Template: reminder to send bio and photo Send if you haven t received bio, photo and Skype ID a week and a half before the scheduled recording date SUBJECT: Friendly reminder <GUEST NAME> We are looking forward to talking with you next <DAY/DATE/TIME>. I m working on putting the script together. Could you send us your bio, headshot and SkypeID? Cheers, <PRODUCER NAME> 16

17 templates Template: script and recording reminder Send a week before recording date SUBJECT: Podcast Script and Recording Reminder <GUEST NAME> Thanks again for being a guest on <PODCAST NAME>. We re looking forward to recording with you next week on <DAY/DATE/TIME>. Following is a link to the script for your review. Please let us know if you have any revisions. <INSERT SCRIPT LINK> We will be recording the podcast through a Skype call. All you will need for the call is a quiet place, the script, and Skype. Please feel free to reach out if you need anything else. Cheers, <PRODUCER NAME> Template: PODCAST IS LIVE AND Thank you Send as soon as episode is published SUBJECT LINE: Episode is live! Thank you for being on <PODCAST NAME> <GUEST NAME> Thank you again for taking the time to be on <PODCAST NAME> to talk about <TOPIC HERE). I really enjoyed the conversation <PERSONALIZE HERE>. The episode is now live at <LINK HERE>. We will be sharing the podcast via and through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and would love it if you would share it on your networks as well. Cheers, <PRODUCER NAME> 17

18 POCAST TOOLS 18

19 RECORDING RECORDING Good audio quality is generally taken for granted. That is until you hear bad audio, which you ll notice right away! You don t need to be a professional audio engineer to podcast, but you do need to be aware of sound quality and learn a little bit about how to record quality audio. Following are a few tips to get you started. Audio Tips Record in a quiet space. A good mic will pick up more than you realize. If your neighbor is mowing the lawn, maybe hold off on recording (or at least make sure the mic isn t picking up the mower). Turn off notifications on your computer and phone no one wants to hear the sound of a new appearing in your inbox. Ask your guests to do the same. If you hear any crackling especially as you get louder, you re mic is probably too hot! Turn it down a little or back away from the mic. A distorted track is difficult, if not impossible, to fix after-the-fact. Make sure the mic levels are similar. It s unpleasant to hear one guest that is much louder or quieter than the rest. This can sometimes be fixed in post production, but you ll save yourself time and frustration by preventing this issue in the first place. Podcasting can be nerve wracking, especially if you are interviewing someone you really admire. But try to relax as much as you can and be yourself. LINKS TO SOME RECORDING tutorials How to record and edit with GarageBand How to record and edit with Audacity Ecamm recording tutorial 19

20 RECORDING PODCAST RECORDING EQUIPMENT Microphone: High end microphone option: Heil PR40, shock mount, stand, pop filter Less expensive microphone option (still good sound quality): Audio Technica ATR2100 with XLR connection Accessories: Windscreen Sony MDR7506 Professional Diaphragm Headphones Mixer: Mackie 8 channel mixer Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 Cables: XLR cable (2-3) RCA to 3.5mm audio cable ¼ speaker cable Y Cable (if using the Mackie 8 channel mixer) PODCAST RECORDING SOFTWARE For PC: Skype Recorder for PC (for recording the interviews) Audacity (for audio editing) For Mac: Skype Ecamm recorder (for recording interviews) GarageBand (for audio editing) POst Production Audio editing Auphonic for audio post production (this cleans up extra noise in the audio and gets the tracks to sound level with eachother) Full audio editing services (Note: we have not tried these services, so we can t vouch for them)

21 Publishing & Promotion 21

22 PODCAST PUBLISHING In a nutshell, you ll need to use a podcast publishing and hosting service to store your episodes and distribute them to places like itunes, Stitcher, Spotify, etc. Podcast hosting shouldn t be confused with web hosting. Those are two different things. We use libsyn: though there are other services available. While the interface is not pretty, Libsyn gets the job done. Once you upload your audio, graphics, title and episode summary, Libsyn publishes your episode to itunes, Stitcher, etc. It also allows you to copy an embed code that you can add to your website so your listeners can listen to episodes right on your website. How to submit your Libsyn feed to itunes and Stitcher: PODCAST ARTWORK You ll need to have artwork for your podcast both a thumbnail graphic and a widescreen graphic. This article shares some good tips for creating great podcast artwork: Thumbnail specs: Minimum of 1400 x 1400 pixels and a maximum size of 3000 x 3000 pixels, 72 dpi, in JPEG or PNG format in the RGB colorspace. Widescreen specs: Recommended image size is 1920x1080px with at least a 72 dpi, in JPEG or PNG format in the RGB colorspace. PODCAST PROMOTION You ve recorded, produced and published your first episode. Holy shit! In some ways, the work is just beginning once you publish an episode to itunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, etc. If you are lucky enough to have rabid listeners who are just waiting to hear your next episode, then you can skip this section. If you are like the rest of us, you ll need to continuously promote each episode as well as the podcast itself. Following is the process we use to promote each episode as well as how we promote the podcast as a whole. Episode promotion process: Share link to episode page (this is our website not a link from itunes) on all podcast social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram). Tag guests. Share link to episode page on my personal social media accounts Send out to list to promote the episode (you ll want to set up a subscribe on your website that feeds into a MailChimp account so you are capturing addresses). Ask guests/collaborators to share through their business and personal networks Share graphics with guest quotes on social media throughout the week. Again, tag guests. Boost podcast episodes (paid advertising) in Facebook and Instagram 22

23 Podcast promotion: Create a cadence for consistent social media posting (inspiring quotes, share relevant articles, etc.) Get guest appearances for your host on other podcasts Work on PR for your podcast as a whole. Are there topics that are newsworthy that might get picked up? Collaborate with relevant influencers to get exposure with their audiences Advertise your page on social media to grow your audience go forth and make awesome sh*t! wrapping it up with a tidy bow! Deciding to launch a podcast is the first step. Get out there and go for it. Your first episodes might start out a little rough (they will likely be cringe worthy after you ve been podcasting for over a year), but keep at it. Your episodes will continue to get better and you ll find new opportunities and connections. Now go forth and launch your bitchin podcast! We know you can. For more information visit leanthef-ckout.com. 23