Everything to know before starting a podcast
A SEO headline while SEO still exists
I listen to a lot of podcasts, so when I set out to create one myself, I had a clear vision for what I wanted it to look, feel, and sound like. But there wasn’t much useful content online beyond choosing a show name and a certain brand of microphone. Because a few people have asked me questions, and I love peeling back the curtain of opaque industries, here’s what you should know before starting a podcast.
Also, Season 2 of the Shared Narratives podcast kicks off in a couple of weeks. You can expect some very fun and exciting guests. If you haven’t subscribed on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, what are you waiting for?!
Pros & cons of going solo or with a co-host: The most important decision to make is whether you will do the podcast solo or with a co-host. The benefit of going solo is total control—you drive the ship and make all the decisions. You ask the questions, set the tone, and have full edit rights. The shadow side is that you have to start over anew each week because every guest is different and brings a unique energy to table. The benefits of building a show with a co-host are clear assuming you have an easy and authentic rapport (really important and really hard to engineer!). The risk of doing business with someone you don’t know well is high given the amount of podcast founder breakups out there. When ad deals and people’s personal brands are on the line, you need to fully trust your potential co-host before getting into (business) bed with them.
Pros & cons of recording in person vs. entirely online: When I explored recording the podcast in-person in NYC, I was shocked at the quality (low) and prices (exorbitant) of podcast studios. If you want specific prices I was quoted, feel free to DM me. Perhaps more importantly, recording strictly in-person limits you to guests that live in your city and are willing to commute to the podcast location of your choice. The benefits of recording partially or entirely online is that it’s more cost-effective and opens you up to many more guests. The downside is it can be very hard to get the same rapport and banter online that you would get in person, especially if you don’t know the guest beforehand. Trade-offs!
The power and necessity of delegating: Whether you have a co-host or not, it’s hard to play all the role(s) of content creator, producer, editor, scheduler, and marketer. Figure out what you do extremely well, and try to outsource the areas where you are weaker or are not the best use of time to learn (eg. editing audio for um’s and awkward pauses).
Be prepared to surrender control: This might be obvious but be prepared for a lot of unknowns. You can’t control what mood people are in, their WiFi quality, whether they are recording at home or in a hotel room, and the list goes on. Some people will come with prepared talking points, some people won’t ask questions back of you, and even more people will be afraid of being cancelled, all of which can impact the vibes.
Be nimble and malleable: For every 5 episodes, expect to throw one out because you can’t or don’t want to run it. And for every 5 guests, expect one to flake on you, so either have a backup in the wings or be ready to do a solo episode.
Let life and podcasting surprise you: Guests will match your energy so if you seem like you are enjoying yourself and not taking it too seriously, it should be a fun experience for everyone. Go off script, ask unique questions, and laugh a little (or a lot!). You can always edit something out, but it’s hard to edit something in.
It’s not as easy as it looks. Like the hot takes.