For many business owners, the idea of starting a podcast can feel daunting. There is a hefty amount of information available on how to start and produce a podcast effectively, but we don’t think it needs to be complicated. Today we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look of the exact process used to create an episode of The Flight Club Podcast.
Knowing her full and sometimes hectic schedule, Felena Hanson, Founder of Hera Hub, knew in order for her to get her podcast up and running, the process needed to be super simple. The Flight Club Podcast, formerly known as “She Means Business”, was created to reinforce the book, Flight Club: Rebel, Reinvent and Thrive. Since 2015, The Flight Club Podcast has bee streaming on major platforms like iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play and has recorded over 100 episodes.
Step One: Invite & Schedule Your Podcast Guests
Sending the Invitation
Inviting a guest to be on your show doesn’t have to be complicated. Use your favorite note-keeping app like Google Keep or simply Notes on your phone to create the script that you will use to invite your guest. Additionally, you can share this information with other team members who can reach out to invite guests. Be sure to include important information about your podcast like testimonials from past guests and a link to schedule the interview. It is also helpful to share a previous episode so guests can get an idea of how to prepare. Here’s an example.
Scheduling the Recording Date
To simplify scheduling, even more, consider using scheduling software that integrates with your calendar, like Acuity Scheduling. This allows guests to easily pick a date that is available on your calendar for the time frame needed to record. Include day-of instructions or set up reminder emails to help automate the process and keep everyone on the same page. It is also easy for guests to reschedule when you choose to use a scheduling platform, saving you time and energy.
Utilizing Your Intake Form
Most scheduling software includes the ability to add a form. Forms will let you easily collect important information like social media handles, websites and the bio of your guest. The content submitted by your guest will be saved to the calendar event created post scheduling. This can make handing off important information over to your team members a breeze.
Step Two: Record & Publish Your Podcast
Recording the Episode
It’s the day of your interview and you’re ready to go. Recording your podcast doesn’t necessarily require a fancy studio and expensive equipment. For recording the episode, there are options — Uber Conference, Zoom and Skype are a few popular options you can use. Giving your guest the option to join by phone as well as the computer makes recording simple.
As far as equipment codes using the audio jack on the computer and regular headphones with a microphone is sufficient. For those wanting to record a high volume of podcasts and are on-the-go, this can keep things easy. Another reason for choosing simple equipment is there is no major audio disparity between the voices that could happen when you have a great podcasting setup with professional microphones and your guest may not.
Prepare your Podcast for Publishing
It is pretty standard practice to have a recorded intro/outro for your podcast. The best part is you can create an intro pretty easily for your podcast. Fiverr is a great option to hire someone to record it. Once you have the intro and have downloaded the .mp4 file you can splice it together using GarageBand (iOs) or Audacity for Windows users. Have your Virtual Assistant make any necessary edits to the recording and it is ready for publishing.
Publishing Your Recorded Podcast
Once the file is ready and you’ve been any necessary edits and have added your intro/outro you can now upload it to your favorite podcast hosting company. At Hera Hub, we use Libsyn, however, there are others you can choose from like, Buzzsprout, PodBean and newcomer, Transitor. Libsyn is simple and publishes podcasts to all major podcasting streaming services like Stitcher, iTunes, Google Plan and Spotify. Libsyn does have a reasonable monthly fee to the tune of about $12/month.
Hiring a virtual assistant to do the back-end legwork of preparing and publishing your content is very affordable and again, saves time. Hera Hub offers virtual assistant services that help you match with and hire a qualified virtual assistant. Learn more here.
Step Three: Share Your Podcast Episode
Once your podcast is finished has been syndicated on Libsyn, or your chosen podcast host, now is the time to share it with your audience. There are several ways you can repurpose your content for sharing.
- Publish and embed the episode on your website as a blog post.
- Send the blog post with your podcast guest and invite them to share it with their audience.
- Share the episode on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter and be sure to tag your guest for additional reach
- Publish your recorded episode on YouTube.
In conclusion, creating a podcast can be as simple or complicated as you make it. Now you have all the tools you need to create your future podcast. Have any other helpful tips on creating and producing a podcast? Let us know in the comments.
The post Producing a Podcast: A Guide for Busy Entrepreneurs appeared first on Hera Herald Resource Center.
