True story. I was never a planner, but my co-host and I knew that we were going to need a plan to make sure we got things done when we started our podcast. Both of us work and podcast on top of that so there is no room for much else. It is imperative that we keep close track of everything. Beyond that, podcasting can get tiring, especially if you are releasing an episode every week. By scheduling and working ahead, you will save yourself a HUGE headache down the road. So let’s get to it.

Plan Your Podcast

• Schedule out episode far into the future. Don’t wait till the week of or even the week before. Sit down and think about content, episodes and make a plan
• Use something to keep organized. A simple spreadsheet will work, but take it a step farther. I love and prefer Trello and I even have a free podcast planning Trello board here.

Get Ahead

• Batch record episodes. Set aside a day during the week for recording. Plan your episodes ahead of time so you know what you will be talking about and get to recording.
• Set a get ahead goal. I like to have my clients at least 2 weeks ahead. This is so important in case an emergency comes up or you are unable to record one week. Giving yourself a buffer will save so much stress in the future.
• Don’t wait to edit episodes and prepare for publication. Go ahead and edit and schedule as you have them recorded. Again, less stress!
• Schedule recordings ahead of time too. I have about two months worth of recording dates on my calendar at any given time. This helps me plan my work week and personal schedule and makes recording a priority!

These are simple tips, but they can make a huge impact on your podcast and work flow. Trust me, there are times when we get behind and feel frantic. To remedy that, I just set a day to batch edit and take care of tasks that must be done.

You’ve heard me say before that podcasting can be a time suck, but by putting into place some these things, you can get it into an automatic flow and manage your time SO much better.

Let me know how it goes!

So you want to start a podcast? That’s awesome! I truly believe podcasting is a great opportunity to grow your business and broaden your reach. Plus, it’s just really fun. However, before you start recording and jump into the fray, there are some things you need to think about before starting a podcast.

• Do you have the time? Podcasting takes up a TON of time for not much return, especially in the beginning. First there is of course recording which can take time. Editing is a major time suck. Of course you can outsource this, but if you choose to do it yourself, allot twice the length of the episode for editing. You will also spend a lot of time in the beginning researching, learning how to use your tech, setting up the website, etc. Our podcast quickly become almost a second job so just really think about if you have or are willing to spend that much time on something.
• Do you have a unique point of view? There are a lot of podcasts and there are going to be a lot more. What makes your’s different? This is something you should think about before launching and then re-evaluate throughout the life of your podcast.
• Can you keep up with a release schedule? If you are inconsistent, your listeners will be too. There are lots of ways to schedule a podcast: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, in a series or continuous. Make sure whatever you choose, that you can keep up with it, no matter what happens. Also, think about how you are going to stay organized. My favorite way to keep track of everything is with Trello, but a spreadsheet or calendar works great too.
• Can you take criticism and be critical of your own work? Or maybe I should say, can you stand the sound of your own voice! But it’s true, you do have to listen to work and be critical without being too hard on yourself. The first few times I edited my own podcast, it was hard. Listening to my filler words and tone of voice on something I was going to share with the world was scary! But I had to do it. The other aspect of this is that you will get bad reviews or emails from people who don’t like something you are doing. You have to take those with a grain of salt, or see what value you can take from them and apply it to your podcast. It’s not easy, but a necessary part of it.

The last thing I recommend to everyone is to listen to other podcasts. Get a feel for what is being done. Think about what you like personally, what you don’t like and what you would like to do.

Podcasting is an amazing journey and I am so glad I chose this path to share with others. I know it is going to be an amazing journey for you too!

Ready to start launching your podcast? Grab my Free Podcast Launch Checklist!

Editing podcasts has given me a lot of insight into the podcast interview and I’ve learned a few things. One of them being, first time podcast guests are usually quite nervous and don’t know what to expect! It’s true. The podcast interview is a unique beast. You usually record over a call or skype and often there are weird pauses and technical issues.

As I’ve listened to interviews, I noticed that people tend to loosen up around minute 20. What?? Yep. It takes around 20 minutes for people to calm down and get into a groove and them bam: the interview is over.

I wanted a resource that I could share with my clients but also share with our guests on our own podcast, so I created the Podcast Interview Boost!

It’s a free email series that gives you the ins, outs, tips and tricks for rocking your first podcast interview. Even if you have been interviewed a few times, there might be things you haven’t thought about!

The email series covers technical requirements, speech, and what to do after the episode is published. I’m so excited to share this with everyone and hope it truly helps you on your podcast journey!

You can sign up here!

Or go to the main page here! Good luck with your interviews!

Life is a strange journey. As I write this, sometimes it’s easy to think, “ugh. I wasted SO much time doing all these other things!” The truth is, everything in life is valuable and I would not be here if it wasn’t for those other experiences.

Last year, I had this nudge in my heart to start helping other product based biz owners. My journey had been a struggle and I didn’t want anyone to struggle the way I had. After NSS last year, another nudge started on my heart about starting a podcast. I knew nothing about it. A comment in a forum and I met Kelly, a maker who I had admired for a while. She had the nudge too and was looking for a podcast partner. After our first talk, I knew I wanted her to be in my life. We clicked right away.

Starting the podcast was no easy feat. It took us several months to even get started. Our first recordings were rough, but we knew we were on to something special. Now we are nearing our 40th episode and as we hit our stride, I realized I enjoyed podcasting way more than the other side of my business. In fact, you could find me working on the podcast any day and setting my designs aside.

Truth is: I was burnt out. The last year had been financially awful for my business. I was tired. I felt I was chasing something that just was not going to happen. I had lost my voice and any and all creativity had disappeared. Sometimes when this happens, you have to shift. You have to lean and see what may be on the other side.

I did that and something kept pulling at me. You know what I’m good at? Managing, editing and producing our podcast. 

Deciding to shift is not always an easy one. In fact, this is something I have struggled with for a while: not knowing whether to continue, quit and give up, or try something new. The thing is, I still love to design and my etsy shop is currently doing better than it has in a while, but I know that pursuing wholesale and trying to build my entire business in that direction, just isn’t for me anymore.

So what am I going to do? I’m going to start offering my podcasting services to others. In fact, I already have! I will still hand letter and design and my shop will be there and get updates. That’s not changing. What is changing is that I will be spending the majority of my time working on podcasts and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I can’t wait to see what this next phase of business brings. Want to hear more about my transition? Head over to my podcast for a listen on our episode about shifting.