October 2018 I wrote an article on LinkedIn on the top 3 tips for starting a blog. My intention was two fold - collect all of my products and services in one place and to get back to writing again as it was always something I loved since highschool/college and have been told that I'm pretty decent at it, well at story telling that is;). Well I’m back again in 2019 because I’ve expanded my written word to audio I've started a podcast!
Just as with my blog, I prepared for launching my podcast for about 6 months. It was basically right after I launched my blog and I was happy with what I had put out but I knew I had more to give so I had another session with my social media advisor, Vivify Social Media and we determined that when I was ready my next step would be audio.
Being in a profession where I’m in front of people “performing” daily, you’d think the natural progress would be to video but believe it or not, I actually feel like I don’t translate as well on camera. I know, I know unbelievable but it's true haha.
With all the assessment videos I’ve had to do in my lifetime and even with something as simple as Facebook or Instagram LIVE videos, I can pinpoint exactly when I’m making weird facial expressions or worse than that, I’m notorious for looking all over the place (up most of the time) and have been know to plain close my eyes longer than a normal blink hahaha.
I swear I’m perfectly fine in person but if there’s a video camera anywhere, even if I’m not aware it’s like my cosmic energy can pick up the waves and cue the hot mess that is I on film! If it wasn't clear, I do not love being on video.
What I do love is talking about and talking to others about my industry, profession, career so audio seemed to be a perfect fit and thus why I started my podcast – What’s Your GFI – A Podcast for Group Fitness Enthusiasts.
So now instead of providing only three tips to starting as I did with my blog article, for starting a podcast I've got FIVE tips for you!
Enjoy😊.
Tips
1. Subscribe and be an avid podcast listener first – I found my first podcast last summer when I was looking for media for my annual vacation to the cottage. I downloaded some fitness ones and professional development ones and went on my way. They were great for the 4-6 hour drive and along with audiobooks I was hooked. Ever since I’ve extended my library and am working to collaborate with other podcasters! Current daily faves include: The Joe Rogan Experience, Ted Talks Daily, The Fitness Business Podcast and The Gary Vee Audio Experience.
2. Learn – First I went online and searched “podcasts” and got acquainted with the technical aspect of the medium. This led me to youtube and where I watched scads of tutorials and reviews on podcasting. I read several books – audiobooks of course😉 – and purchased a few that I that resonated with me. I really liked Introduction to Podcast Technology by David Power which included a free video course. I also went onto social media and searched popular hashtags around podcasting and came upon some podcasters that I wanted to learn from, which brings me to point 3.
3. Seek professional assistance – As with my blog and securing the services of a social media company, I went looking for someone similar for podcasts. After tons of people throwing their information at me to sign up for their courses, I decided on Shannon Hernandez (Shan Man) at www.theshanman.com. Best. Decision. EVER! I learned so much and could contact him for help. He has videos and sends regular emails with tons of information. Over 20 years of experience in radio and podcasting resonated with me but there are “newbies” who are great too. Find a company or person that aligns with your vision and pay what is required.
4. Go for maximum exposure – If I wanted only a handful of people to hear what I had to say about group fitness I’d just continue to harass my poor fitness participants LOL. But for something that has consumed my life for the better part of 30 years, I want to share with EVERYONE so I chose a platform (Anchor) that would put my podcast on out on multiple platforms. Currently my podcast is on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Pocketcasts! Then I added a Podcast App to my blog for another way listeners can access. I love podcasts for drives or at the gym on equipment so making it easily accessible is very important part of podcasting.
5. Join a community for ongoing support – Decided on Anchor as my primary platform and am part of a great online forum that I can go to for support because for me this is not just a fad, it’s something that I believe brings value and could grow from a passion project to potential passive income source. It was on a forum that I was able to purchase a mic - I got a basic Yeti and I LOVE it! - and to learn to use alternate recording methods (ie Zoom) so that I can always record. Makes it so much easier to be consistent when there's really no roadblocks.
Continue to work at it and learn. This could be point 6 but to be honest it's pretty much an ongoing part of each and every episode.
Want to be a guest on my podcast?? Totally contact me and let's talk:)!!!