Advice For New Podcasters (and Veterans Alike)

Greetings PM Family,

We hope that May has been a fruitful month for podcasting! If not, remember that you're not alone — we're rooting for you.

We have some veterans from the PM community sharing their advice for new podcasters this week. We will also review some recent PodMov daily highlights, and share a reminder about the Ambassador program.

---

Dear PM: Advice for New Podcasters

The Podcast Movement Facebook group always has excellent questions & perspectives from over 38,000 podcasters. Heather Vickery is the host of the Brave Files podcast. She recently posted, “If you could only give one piece of advice to a brand new podcaster, what would it be?” We put together a list of some of the responses below.

• Thad Burkamper is the host of Walk it Off, You're Probably Fine. He shared the following, “Don't do it for money or because it seems like THE thing to do. Do it for you and on a subject that you genuinely enjoy. Then if money comes, great, but you'll enjoy it either way.”

• Christy Warren is a retired fire captain and host of The Firefighter Deconstructed. He says, “Be Yourself.”

• Missy Sorg with Sidekick Media Services said, “Don't wait. Just turn the mic on and record. You can buy all the best gear, prep all the notes you want, and line up a schedule of amazing topics and guests to make sure your podcast is the best thing out there – but until you press record, you're not doing it.”

• Emilee Fry is a professional podcast producer. She said, “Engage with your audience and focus on creating content that interests both you and them!”

• Mike Symonds is the host of Anything Goes Project. He had the following to say, “Your first episode will probably not be perfect, but that's cool. With each episode you record, you are learning and getting better. Never give up; only get better. The difference between amateurs and pros. Amateurs quit.”

• Vickie Velasquez is the co-host of The Vegetarian Zen Podcast. She said, “Create multiple pieces of content from an episode. Don't just publish and be done with it. I still struggle with this even after 350 episodes!”

Side note – this is good advice. You can take audio clips and use them for Instagram and other social media posts with Headliner. 

You can take the show notes and turn them into a blog post that can easily be repurposed on your site, LinkedIn, Medium, or even as a contributing writer post for a larger website with more traffic (that is in the same niche of course). Here is an article from PM family member Kimanzi Constable that talks about how to get published on larger websites.  

• Kristy Angelee is the host of What's Your “I Can?” with Kristy Angelee. She encourages new podcasters to “Do it scared.”

• Angela Brown is the host of Ask A House Cleaner. She shares the following, “Record your show in front of a camera. Upload the video version to YouTube. Storage space on YouTube is FREE. AND if you close caption your show, people can read and follow along in 191 languages. PLUS, Google will take all the words from your podcast and index them in the search engine. BAM! There's your SEO/Authority.“

• Blake Thompson is the host of The Oxford Charger podcast. He keeps it simple by saying, “Done is better than perfect.” We say “Amen” to that.

• Gus Gonzalez is the host of The CRM MVP Podcast. He says, “Sound quality matters.“

Consider how you can get help with editing if that is not your strength. I (Jared) have continued my personal podcast since 2013, but only because I have help from my editor. You can find dozens of them (if not more) in the PM Facebook Group. You can always consider browsing resources like Upwork as well. 

We would love for you to share your advice as well! Please feel free to add your perspective here. (Note: this link is to the PM Facebook group post. You must be a member of the group to view it. If not, we encourage you to join the group)

---

PodMov Daily Highlights

The PodMov Daily newsletter is considered one of the top podcast newsletters in the industry thanks to your help! Here are a few recent articles just in case you missed them.

Guest Feature: Being Timely vs. Being Well – This guest article takes a realistic, empathetic approach to the question: “What happens when your podcast calls for discussion of current events, but those current events hit a little too close to home?” Wil Williams makes a case for setting personal boundaries for your show.

The discussion is, of course, inspired by the pandemic, but it can apply to any headline. Unless you “make a hard-hitting news show,” are you obligated to address an event that causes you (and potentially your audience) unnecessary stress? Williams eloquently explains why the answer is no. Not even close.

Concerned about “the awkward tension of leaving it out of your show entirely” or losing out on SEO traction? Williams offers a reality check for hosts under pressure: “If you feel like you must talk about it, you are passionate about it, and it’s expected of you, you still need to check in with yourself.”

Bello Collective: A Conversation with Avery Trufelman of Articles of Interest – In an intimate interview for Bello Collective, journalist and American Submitter host Imran Ali Malik speaks with Avery Trufelman. In 2013 at the age of 22, Trufelman “filed her fourth-ever radio story as an intern at 99% Invisible.” The second season of her spinoff podcast Articles of Interest launches today.

Articles of Interest has evolved like its subject: fashion and the history of clothing. “I prefer doing stories about things to stories about people,” Trufelman tells Malik. “Talking about an object is almost like a cheat to find the deeper story.” She discusses Twitter, a Neil Gaiman speech about art, and her family background in public radio.

“Of all the producers who have worked with 99% Invisible over the years, Trufelman is the first and only one to be given the green light to produce her series,” Malik writes. “It’s a testament not only to her talent but her growing ambitions in the stories she wants to tell.”

Guest Feature: Essential Interview Prep for Podcasters – This guest article is from Christine Blackburn, the creator, and host of Story Worthy. The podcast celebrates its 10th birthday in July, and to date, Blackburn has interviewed over 600 guests. To ensure a dynamic conversation that engages both subject and audience, meaningful prep is a must.

“The difference between a decent interview and a great interview is how you make the guest feel emotional,” Blackburn insists. “Show them you’ve done your homework. Make them happy they gave you their time.” As the interviewer, taking a moment to focus on your state of mind is just as important.

Imagine your listener as a director. What would they ask for? “They want you to ask the pertinent questions and jump into the conversation when you should, and sit back when you need to listen,” Blackburn says. “In other words, create what your audience wants to hear and deliver the quality they deserve.”

---

Share the Daily

Did you know that you can share the PodMov Daily with friends and get free PodMov gear? It's pretty simple. We encourage you to learn more about our ambassador program. 

What's on your mind? We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to hit reply and let us know what you are up to this week. We may be able to answer a question, share a resource, and make a connection that can help make the week better.

Keep persevering,
Team PM

“My secret recipe for success is never giving up. I believe Difficult is easy, Impossible just takes a bit longer.” – Elsa Marie D'Silva