STFP 017: Removing the Obstacles That Are Preventing You From Launching Your Podcast

Start To Finish Podcasting

There are so many people who would like to start a podcast but so many obstacles stop them from doing so. Maybe you are just concern with all the things you don’t know how to do, maybe you are scared of how you will sound, perhaps even too expensive to start a podcast or maybe you think you are not technologically able. DO NOT doubt yourself. You can do it!

By the end of this episode you will have the confidences and knowledge to launch your podcast. It is not difficult at all. The most difficult part in starting a podcast is actually starting the process. Once you get started you will gain more confidence in yourself and in your podcasting abilities.

I know you really want to start a podcast and today I am going to get you over the obstacles that you think are stopping you. In this episode I address some of the so called obstacles that deter you from launching your podcast.

Obstacle # 1: Just putting the idea of starting a podcast into motion.

The thought process of having a podcast is NOT going to get you podcasting. You have to do more than just think about doing it. You have to put it into action. I am not saying you have to do it all in just a day but you need to start by doing something.

Start by:

Recording Yourself (practice)

Practice Interviews (Facetime/Skype)

Go live on Facebook (get you use to talking to others)

Create your intro and outro

Obstacle # 2 Not knowing what to podcast about.

This is a simple fix hear. All you have to do is ask yourself , what am I passionate about? What can I talk about for hours? What is something that is dear to me that I would want to share with the world? These questions alone should help you decide what you want to podcast about.

If you still do not have any idea on what to podcast about or if you have more than one passionate topic you can use my Podcast Topic Determination worksheet. This worksheet is very simple. Basically you will list your topics and rate them based on several different factors. Some of these factors will carry more weight than the others. Once you have rated the topics numerically you will simply add up the scores and this will give you the best topic (of the topics you have listed) to podcast about.

Obstacle # 3: The lack of confidence and fear of speaking.

There is no need to have any type of fear because you can pause your recording at any time while recording and no one will know but you. You will have time to edit and take out any “ums” or stuttering in your recording. Have no fear as this is your podcast. You cant get fired, your show get your show removed (unless explicit and not list as such) nor can you be replaced by another host because it is your podcast. You are the boss. Try not to think of the negative (Murphy’s Law) things that can happen.

Obstacle # 4: Not having the money (too expensive)

These days you really don’t need money to start a podcast. There are so many FREE RESOURCES that you yourself may have in your own home to start your podcast. So to create you podcast there are three things you definitely need.

Microphone

Free Option # 1

Here you have a few option with two being free. The first free option is using the microphone from your computer to record your podcast episode. There is no cost to use your own microphone. I will say that the audio quality may not be as good as using an actual microphone but if you are just starting out it should work for you (especially if you use a recording software to make it sound better).

Free Option # 2

The second free option is to use the microphone from your Smart Phone. Some of the microphones from smart phones work extremely well. You would be surprise how some of them sound. Try the two free options above and they should work for you.

Budget Microphones

Now if you have a small amount of money to spend you can use a few microphone that sound pretty good. The first microphone is the Excelvan BM-800 Condenser microphone (now replaced as Neewer NW-800 Condenser Microphone) You can find this microphone on Amazon. This is a very good sounding mic. I still use this microphone for a few of my podcast episodes as well as my online courses. You cant go wrong with this microphone. It will only cost you 19.99 and for that price you are get a great deal for the quality sound of that microphone. If you would like to purchase this microphone I will leave a link to it in the shownotes. (Amazon Affiliate Link)

Now if you have a little more in your budget you can pick up the Audio Technica ATR2100 better known as the ATR2100. So many podcasters say this is a good microphone for beginners. THIS IS SO NOT TRUE because this microphone is not only good for beginners but it is good for new podcasters as well as seasoned podcasters who have been podcasting for years. The ATR2100 produces very high quality audio. It sounds SUPERB!!! This microphone will run you anywhere between $50.00 – $70.00 on Amazon (Amazon Affiliate Link).

So with all of the above resources you can remove not having a microphone off your list of obstacals. Now lets go even further into the obstacle of not having the money to start a podcast. As stated earlier, essentially you need three things to start you podcast. Your microphone, A recording software to record your podcast with and hosting. I have already given you free resources as well as low budget options for microphones. Now I am going to give you free options for recording your podcast.

AUDACITY

The first option is Audacity. Audacity is a free software that you can install on you windows or Mac computer. Audacity is jam packed with tools to record and make your podcast sound great. It provides you with a lot of plugins and options for EQing, Compression, Noise Gate and much more.

GARAGEBAND

Another Free option that you can use (IF YOU ARE A MAC USER) is Garageband. Garageband is great free recording software that you can use to record your podcast. The learning curve of using Garageband is very short. It is quite simple to record using Garageband. It has simple tools to allow you to edit and insert Intros and Outro just as Audacity.

SMARTPHONES

Smartphone these days are very well equipped to record podcast and produce good audio quality and the good thing about recording on your smart phone is that you can just download a recording app in the Google Play or iTunes store and you will have your recording option.

The final excuse of podcasting being too expensive is the hosting. If you don’t have the money to pay for hosting you can start off with hosting your podcast on free sites such as Soundclound. Soundcloud allows you 2-3 free hours of audio time so if you have a bi-weekly podcast that is no more than and hour and a half you will not have to pay for hosting. You can also use Podbeam which provides you with free hosting. Now, if you can afford $5.00 per month you can use Libsyn. Libsyn is one of the best hosting options in the podcast industry. Not only do you get hosting for a low price, you also get your RSS feed to have your podcast appear in iTunes, Sticher, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Google Play. You get all of this for just $5.00 per month.

Now that you have these options there is no way you can say you haven’t starated your podcast because of it being too expensive. You have just been given free and low cost option that will get you started with starting your podcast.

Obstacle # 5: I am not tech saavy

You don’t have to be tech saavy to start a podcast. The difficult part of that is pretty much taken care of by Libsyn (RSS Feed). If you have the budget for website hosting you can utilize Bluehost which provides you WordPress builder to help you easily build your website for your podcast. Both Libsyn and WordPress make it very easy for new users to build their websites.

Obstacle # 6: I want my podcast to be perfect.

There is no such thing as a perfect podcast because what you think is perfect may not be to someone else. For example, you may think your audio quality is top of the line but someone listening to your podcast may think it too loud or too much base or just to low and quiet. So don’t delay starting your podcast based on it having to be perfect. Your podcast will never be perfect. Just allow your show to grow. In time it will get better. You will also start to learn things as you yourself start to grow in gaining podcast knowledge.

Obstacle # 7: Finding a co-host. Someone that will host the show with you

Maybe you may be more comfortable with a co-host because you feel you are too nervous to do a podcast by yourself or maybe you just cant host a podcast on your own. But the best way to get comfortable without needing a co-host is just doing it by yourself. Remember you have a PAUSE BUTTON. You can stop, start over, and edit out whatever you don’t want in your recording. Preparing a guideline for you episodes are very helpful and will keep you grounded and on task when you are recording your episode.

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If you are thinking about starting a podcast Start To Finish Podcasting can help you. We will take you by the hand and guide you through the entire process. When you use Start To Finish Podcasting, you will never be alone during the process of launching your podcast. We offer individuals coaching calls and group coaching calls on a weekly basis and if that is not enough for you, you can reach out to us for any additional questions that didn’t get cover in the individual or group coaching calls we will be able to help you with your additional questions. We are going to carry step by step of each step and explain everything you need to know about launching your podcast. Do not wait any longer. You have waited too long enough already. Start your podcast now. All the obstacles have been removed. It is now your time to share your message to the world. Contact us at [e-mail] or sign up for a 30 Minute Consultation.