Podcasting 101:
How To Launch Your Own Professional Podcast

Photo Credit: drestwn

On July 1st of 2013, I launched my podcast: The 5 AM Miracle, which has ranked #1 in Apple Podcasts in the Self-Help and Business categories, been nominated for 7 podcast awards, exceeded 14 million downloads, and landed me 2 book deals.

If you have ever considered launching your own podcast, or you are curious about the process, dig in. This is powerful stuff.

Podcasting 101

Podcasting begins with a desire to reach an audience with your voice in a powerful way. Blogging is not podcasting. In fact, the two platforms are incredibly different and attract different people.

My desire for podcasting began years ago when I was studying Theatre in college. I began dabbling in audio recording and listening to my first shows on Apple Podcasts.

I had an immediate attraction to creating my own podcast because there was no gatekeeper. I didn’t have to apply for a job as a radio DJ and no one could stop me from creating my own show.

My First Podcast

A year after college I got engaged and my new fiance Tessa (now my wife) prompted me to create a website for our wedding. On our little site was a blog, pictures of the two of us, and my first podcast.

Using Apple’s iWeb software and the Behringer Podcastudio, I launched “Gibberish.” Yes, I named my show Gibberish and that is exactly what the show sounded like.

I babbled on-and-on about random events in our lives and tried to make the show interesting. Not surprisingly, the show was terrible and I only produced three episodes.

However, I absolutely LOVED creating the show. Over the next 4 years I contemplated creating a new, professional show – one that would not be terrible. You know, a show people might actually enjoy and recommend to their friends.

The Miracle

Just before our wedding, I launched a new website named Graduated and Clueless. I meant to create a podcast on this site, but I wrote a book instead.

I postponed a podcast because I was scared the show would just be a boring repeat of Gibberish. I knew that I needed fresh material. I needed a spark – an inspiration – something that could change the world, even in a small way.

After shutting down Graduated and Clueless and re-launching my new site here at JeffSanders.com, I went through a complete re-brand. I heavily debated topics, themes, and ideas – and then – my brainstorming sessions paid off.

I had a concept for a short book I wanted to write – a simple idea that could be helpful. I wrote and published an eBook, The 5 AM Miracle, a few weeks later.

Though the book wasn’t revolutionary, I could feel that it had loads of potential. I knew then that it would become my podcast.

Subscribe to my podcast in Apple Podcasts: The 5 AM Miracle with Jeff Sanders

Preparing to Launch

I knew for months in advance of the eBook that I was going to launch a podcast. I was mentally preparing for years, but heavily focusing on the launch for at least 6 months.

There were numerous projects that needed to be completed just to be ready to work on the podcast launch itself:

1. I watched many podcasting tutorial videos online (more on this later).
2. I re-designed the website to be more attractive and functional.
3. I re-branded all of my social media accounts.
4. I wrote and published The 5 AM Miracle.
5. I switched my website from JeffSanders.tv to JeffSanders.com.
6. I switched my personal productivity system over to Nozbe.
7. And, I completed many other small tasks that become instrumental in clearing my mind and my to-do list to be as simple as possible.

From the look of this list, it seems as though I was distracting myself with meaningless projects out of fear of launching my show. Though there is some truth in that, I really needed this podcast to be the catalyst for a complete life change.

I knew this show would force me to grow up quickly. If I was going to put my voice behind a microphone and speak to the world, I needed a strong platform from which to stand.

Michael Hyatt’s book Platform was instrumental in the re-branding process I went through – not to mention that Michael’s podcast, This is Your Life, is phenomenal!

Learning to Podcast

There are two ways to learn how to podcast: (1) launch a show before you’re ready and figure out everything on the fly or (2) watch the professionals and learn as much from them as possible.

I used the first tactic with Gibberish and the second tactic with The 5 AM Miracle. You can probably guess which one turned out better.

In order to launch a professional show right out of the gate I had to watch and learn from the pros. As I mentioned before, I have been listening to podcasts for years, so I had a decent idea of the content, show format, and audio quality that I was looking for.

However – and this is HUGE: podcasting is a beast behind the scenes. What the professionals make look easy is actually quite challenging.

From the audio quality, to writing scripts, to scheduling interviews, to designing artwork, coding a website, tinkering with RSS feeds, and discovering what it really means to be LIVE ON THE AIR – this entire process requires hard work, perseverance, and guts!

Best Resources to Learn

Here is quick breakdown of the best places to learn how to podcast:

1. Cliff Ravenscraft at PodcastAnswerMan.com: Cliff created a free podcasting tutorial series called Learn How to Podcast 101 that walks you through many of the steps necessary to launch your first show. He also has a professional course called Podcasting A to Z that goes into complete detail.
2. Pat Flynn at SmartPassiveIncome.com: Pat also created a free video tutorial series that explains the process in slightly different ways than Cliff. I recommend you watch both tutorial series in order to fully grasp the process. I found Pat’s videos to be very direct and actionable.
3. John Lee Dumas at EntrepreneurOnFire.com: John created a Kindle book called Podcast Launch, which includes 15 video tutorials, and it outlines exactly how to launch a podcast. It’s the number one podcasting book on Amazon with stellar reviews and it’s only $4.99.
4. Michael Hyatt at MichaelHyatt.com: Michael does not have a tutorial, but his podcast is easily one of the best podcasts around. Listen to his show. Study it. Notice how fluidly he moves between segments, how prepared he is for every episode, and how his listeners just love him.

Audio Quality Matters

Many people are willing to watch a YouTube video with poor video quality if the content is good. However, very few people are willing to listen to poor audio quality – even if the content is ridiculously amazing.

What this means is that you absolutely must prioritize high quality audio for every single episode of your podcast.

I struggled for weeks with the audio: trying many variations with my existing equipment, investing in new equipment, investing in professional video tutorials, testing, investing in audio recording software, testing some more, investing in new cables, testing again, and again, and again.

What I quickly discovered is that you have a few options with audio quality:

1. Don’t care about your audio at all, which will likely result in very poor audio and, therefore, very few listeners.
2. Invest a small amount of money and time to get the quality to be decent, but not great. This is what most podcasters do and it produces mediocre results.
3. Invest a larger amount of money, time, and energy – including hiring podcasting coaches to guide you through the process. This is what I did for my show.
4. Invest a huge amount of money and let someone else do all of the work for you in order to get professional studio-quality sound. This is typically unnecessary and reserved for the big corporations and extreme audio geeks.

My Equipment

When it comes to high quality audio and producing a professional show, you definitely need the best equipment you can afford.

Over the years I have upgraded from a basic USB mic, to the Behringer Podcastudio, to where I am today with what I consider to be a semi-pro setup.

See my current podcast studio setup, including hardware and software.

If you started from scratch and purchased all of this stuff, it would cost a few thousand dollars. Remember that you don’t have to go all-in right away.

I started with very little and slowly added better equipment over time.

Subscribe to my podcast in Apple Podcasts: The 5 AM Miracle with Jeff Sanders

How This Equipment Works

I don’t have the expertise to write intelligently about how each of these pieces of equipment work. However, if you scroll back up to the resources I listed you will find plenty of amazing tutorials to show you how to get started. Cliff Ravenscraft from PodcastAnswerMan.com is probably the best resource on the planet for all-things related to podcasting.

I learn best by (1) having someone show me how it’s done right and (2) doing it myself. In the beginning I had a big ego (and I still do) and I thought I could teach myself.

Here’s a word of wisdom: unless you are an audio engineer or experienced podcaster, you will need someone to show you how this stuff works. Trust me. You will drive yourself mad trying to figure it all out on your own.

After watching plenty of tutorials and doing quite of bit of experimentation, I eventually landed on a podcast recording system that works well. You can see the end result by simply listening to any of my podcast episodes.

As a comparison, if you listen to any of my audiobooks you will hear the audio quality difference. My new system is considerably better.

Original Album Artwork

I designed my own album artwork. I didn’t spend the $300+ to hire a graphic designer but I probably should have.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my artwork, but I spent a long time designing and re-designing it when I should I have just moved on and worked on other more important projects.

If you are a savvy graphic design, then go ahead and see what you can come up with. However, I think the best route for most people is to hire a designer at a place like 99Designs.

You will have to spend at least $299, but you will get plenty of great options that are very professional.

Podcast Theme Music

I love high energy music and I have never heard a great podcast that didn’t play some sort of high-quality music in their show. The hardest part is finding unique, un-copyrighted, high-quality music that fits the theme of your show.

I considered multiple music sites but the only one with high-quality audio was iStock Photo. Weird right? A photo site with music? Yep.

It didn’t take long for me to find a large selection of music that I could purchase for my show without any copyright issues. The music is not super cheap, but it won’t break the bank either.

My theme music was $44 and it was available for download in two different high-quality formats.

I recommend being very picky with the music you choose because you will likely hear this same song a million times. Fortunately, I love my song and I am looking forward to the next million plays! 🙂

Website Platform

• WordPress.org is the foundation of most websites like mine. Though it requires more technical expertise than Blogger.com or WordPress.com, it is the premium way to start a blog, build a brand, and promote a podcast.

• ART19 is the media hosting service I use, which means all of my podcast audio files are stored online on ART19’s servers and not on the server I use for my website. The advantage here is that people can download my podcast by the thousands and it won’t affect my website speed at all. I also get great statistics on downloads.

• Blubrry PowerPress Plugin is the premiere WordPress plugin for podcasting. With this plugin you will be able to publish every episode, add all relevant data, fix problems with your show, and create the necessary RSS feed that you need to promote your show.

Script Writing

I have a strong background in Theatre, so writing the scripts for each show feels a lot like what I use to do in high school and college (I have a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre & Psychology).

Writing scripts is actually easier than writing blog posts, with two distinctions: the scripts are much longer AND more conversational.

I have found that the podcasters I enjoy listening to the most are friendly, humble, and conversational. As opposed to trying to sound like a big-shot radio DJ, the best podcasters in my view are easy-to-talk-to human beings.

So, I try to write my scripts to match how I speak. Even right now as I write this blog post, I am writing in a conversational tone just like I would speak to you in person if we sat down for coffee together.

To get a good idea of the content, transitions, and segments for your show all you need to do is listen to a bunch of different podcasts to figure out what you enjoy as a listener. Then copy the best features you find.

When you write the script simply incorporate all of the structural elements you want (intro, closing, feature segment, tip of the week, etc.) and then fill in the gaps with your original content for that particular episode.

Rehearsals

In the beginning, rehearsals are very important. Unless your day job involves speaking into a microphone, you are likely an amateur just like I am.

The only way to go from amateur to pro is practice. Spend hours and hours in front of the mic. Talk to yourself. Tell a story. Read a book out loud. Write a bunch of scripts and practice reading them without sounding like you’re reading. <<< That’s the magic trick right there!

In the beginning, I rehearsed every episode before I recorded it. Now, I write my scripts so well that I don’t have to rehearse.

That might sound a bit cavalier, but think of this way: if you write how you speak you won’t have to practice speaking. You will already know exactly what to say and how to say it.

Show Notes

I think show notes are one of the most valuable aspects of any podcast because they connect the listener with not only all of the resources you mentioned in the episode, but also with your website.

Most podcast listeners won’t visit your website unless you give them a reason to. Write that down.

Show notes are your way to connect the listener with your site and, therefore, everything else you have to offer. This includes everything from other podcast episodes, to blog posts, products, services, social media accounts, and anything else you have included on your site.

NOTE: Just so I cover my boundaries – you do need a website. You will not be able to host a proper podcast without an associated website.

Launch Day

After tweaking my audio, testing everything a million times, and becoming very paranoid . . . I launched my show on Monday, July 1st, 2013.

Though I did not see fireworks, I could feel them. Launching the show was a huge accomplishment and it represented a major milestone in my life. I guarantee that you will have that same feeling once you have put in all the work I am discussing in this tutorial.

As you can see in the graph, I reached 3,000 downloads after 26 days. Is that an impressive number? It depends on your average traffic and your personal goals. I was thrilled to see that many downloads and the consistent growth over time.

How do you launch a podcast?

Launching a show is as simple as publishing a blog post in WordPress. Here is a brief rundown of the process:

1. Write the podcast script ::: this is the most important step – take your time
2. Rehearse the show ::: do this by yourself so you don’t feel nervous and can feel free to experiment
3. Record the episode ::: directly into your computer or a digital audio recorder
4. Audio Post-Production ::: Adobe Audition + ID3 Tag Editor
5. Upload the MP3 file to your Media Server ::: I prefer ART19
6. Copy the link of the MP3 to your WordPress Show Notes ::: just like a blog post, but with a link to your show
7. Publish the Episode ::: As soon as your new “post” is live on your site, you’re done!

Don’t let this list fool you. Almost every step in this process is more cumbersome than it looks at first. The good news is that you will quickly find a rhythm and create shortcuts to make the production a smooth process without a lot of headaches.

Is this process easy? No. I won’t tell you that. It’s challenging, but considerably more rewarding than writing a simple blog post.

Subscribe to my podcast in Apple Podcasts: The 5 AM Miracle with Jeff Sanders

Ranking in Apple Podcasts

The first few weeks are the most important in the life of your podcast. This crucial time period determines whether or not you will be featured in the “New & Noteworthy” section of Apple Podcasts, which can greater determine the overall success of your show.

Of course you can still market your podcast any other way you would like, but for the average podcaster this is sacred territory.

There are “New & Noteworthy” rankings for podcasts overall, audio, video, categories, and subcategories. Within 3 weeks of my launch date I had been featured in all of these except video (because I don’t have a video podcast).

How do you get into “New & Noteworthy”?

Here are the minimum requirements that I copied directly from Apple:

1. An attractive, original cover art image that does not include an iPod or other Apple-branded content.
2. A robust and accurate description for the podcast and all related episodes.
3. A valid author listed.
4. Proper language, category, and explicit tagging.
5. Featured podcasts must be regularly updated with new episodes.
6. Ideally, the episodes should be released on a regular and predictable basis.

There may be other factors beyond what Apple says publicly including: ratings, reviews, number of downloads, clicks on your podcast in Apple Podcasts, social media mentions, or any other factor you could dream up.

Apple calls the shots when it comes to rankings, so there is no guarantee of anything. However, if you take your show seriously and produce something people will love – there is a very good chance you will rank high very quickly.

Consistency of Content

The consistency of your content matters a great deal. Listeners, like yourself, expect content on a predictable basis. If you publish an episode whenever you feel like it – and the result is a random and unpredictable pattern – you will lose listeners.

There is no minimum or maximum time frame, but due to the regularity of TV shows releasing new content once a week – most listeners would prefer a new show at least that often – if not more.

I publish my show once a week, but that’s always negotiable. I may publish more often in the future. It’s unlikely I would publish a show less often because I want to stay “top-of-mind” with my listeners.

Whatever time frame you choose, stick with it. Nothing is more frustrating than a podcaster making a promise he or she can’t keep.

Questions? Just Ask

I’m happy to help if you have questions about launching your podcast. Contact me here.

Also, if you would like customized help, you can check out my coaching service for one-on-one assistance.

Thanks!