I love podcasting. In fact, I love it so much, I have two podcasts! I currently host my own podcast, The Author Alchemist, which is all about helping genre authors stay motivated and inspired; and I am a co-host on Around the Writer’s Table, a podcast focusing on the writing craft, creativity, and conscious living, along with Gina Hogan Edwards and Melody, A Scout.

The real question, though, is why aren’t you podcasting?

The Reason to Podcast

Your voice is needed!

It may seem like the podcasting landscape is saturated, but that is far from the truth. In fact, the Era of Podcasting is really only just getting started. While it is not the wild-west era that it was five years ago (much less the tumbleweed-filled era of ten years ago!) there is still a lot of room for new and interesting podcasts to make their own space on the “airwaves” (I think I just dated myself?).

If you love talking about what you do, then there are people out there who want to hear about it! You have your own perspective and experiences in your field and that is something that can’t be duplicated.

For instance, as a romance author, I listen to five different podcasts about romance writing and romance books. Each podcast has a slightly different focus on the topic, and I learn new things from each of them. Is there overlap? Sure. But enough unique information is shared that it’s worth my time to subscribe to all five of them.

Find your niche and I guarantee that people will want to hear you explore it!

How to Get Started

I have a whole fancy toolkit with checklists and instructions that can help you get started, but honestly, it’s pretty simple: pick a topic, record yourself talking about it, upload it to a podcast hosting service, and let them distribute it. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat!

Yes, you can buy a lot of fancy equipment, but you don’t have to. The really polished podcasts that sound like NPR productions usually have a lot of money and expertise helping them get that sound, but you can come close with a decent USB microphone, a quiet room, and free recording software (like Audacity or Garageband).

You will need to learn some new skills if you’ve never done audio production before. Editing your audio recordings to take out “ums/ahs” and long drags of silence is pretty easy, though, and there are plenty of YouTube videos to teach you how to use whichever software you’ve chosen.

Of course, you can outsource too! Sites like Fiverr and Freelancer have audio engineers who can do quick sound adjustments or full, in-depth audio processing. Costs (and quality) vary, so I suggest trying out at least two or three different providers to find one that clicks with you. Some of them will even take care of uploading your podcast files to your podcast hosting service.

How to Be Successful

Consistency. That’s it. Really, no lie: that’s it.

The most successful podcasters are the ones who stick with it. The least successful — and there are a lot of abandoned podcasts out there — were the ones that updated irregularly, posted less than ten episodes, and then faded away.

Commit to doing at least twenty episodes. Even better, commit to a whole year of episodes. I know that sounds a bit overwhelming, but take it one episode at a time. Create a spreadsheet and write down topic ideas for each episode ahead of time and think about whether you want the podcast to be ongoing or your topic lends itself to “seasons,” the way TV shows are made.

One thing I stress in my Podcast Toolkit is that there will be a learning curve. It might take five to ten episodes for you to find your groove, and even when you do, you’ll discover that the process of improving your podcast recordings is eternally ongoing! Honestly, I think that’s the fun part. There is always something new to talk about, and a new way to say it!

Feel free to reach out to me with your podcasting questions, I’m always glad to help my fellow women entrepreneurs get started!
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KimBoo York leverages her former life as a project manager to help people get things done through her Task-Mistress.com toolkits and courses. She is also a published romance author in multiple genres and a motivation coach for writers. In her spare time she spoils her dog Keely. You can contact her at kimboo@task-mistress.com.