The Ultimate Checklist to Launch Your Podcast w/J. Rosemarie Francis

J. Rosemarie Francis (00:00)
the ultimate checklist to launch your podcast. Welcome to Tools of the Podcast Trade. I'm J. Rosemary Francis, your host and mentor. I started this show to help you demystify the tools and strategies we use in podcasting so you could realize your dream of becoming a successful podcaster. So today I want to go back

⁓ If you've grabbed a copy of our Start Your Podcast now, you'll be familiar with today's show. But I wanted to go over the basic tools, the basic checklist, the ultimate checklist, if you will, that you need to launch and grow your show. So why does a checklist matter? Because, you know, sometimes in the chaos of life, we get our ideas and

If we have an entrepreneur mind, we'll just dive into and then grow wings on the way down as Les Brown likes to say. But when you have a plan, when you have a plan of action for your show, then it's an easier process. It's a less frustrating process. It's a way for you to be able to.

do your show, create your podcast, and save yourself a lot of frustration. So hope that makes sense. And really and truly, I'm not talking about anything new or earth shattering here. Why reinvent the wheel, right? This is just a reminder for those who've heard it before, but you've got caught up in the weeds without a plan, or maybe you're new to podcasting. So this will help you. The first thing we're going to talk about is

defining your purpose and your audience. Why do you want to start a podcast? I have other episodes that I talk about creating a mission statement because every podcast need a mission statement and your mission statement will help you create a blueprint for your podcast if you will. In your mission statement, you will also create an IPA.

an ideal podcast avatar. Who is that one person you want to talk to? Because your podcast isn't for everyone. It's for that one person that you want to focus your content on. Who needs your hair products? Who needs to hear your message? That one man or woman that can listen to your show and say,

boy, I needed to hear that today. ⁓ man, that's Ramee. Let me hear what he's or she's saying. So two things to start with is your mission statement. You can grab a link below and see my step-by-step guide and you just fill it out. This is a worksheet that will help you to create that mission statement. And also I have 50 questions to ask yourself.

when you're creating your ideal podcast avatar. The second thing is to choose a niche and a format. This one is probably already done in your mission statement. If you're doing your mission statement, the what, the who, the why, you will end up, having created this section, choose your niche and format in your mission statement, right? And you do need a niche.

in the sense that it's best to start out focusing on one thing, then you can expand. In Solar Mom's Talk, I focus on my avatar, which are moms raising children alone. In this podcast, I focus on aspiring podcasters. That's my niche. And so you have to try to own in that wild imagination.

As creators, we just love to create because that's what we're created to do. But sometimes we have to get the left brain to take over a minute to create that plan that we need for our podcast, right? So in all this planning, you need to create your show structure. that's number three, plan your episode. How do you want it to look?

Are you going to be doing solo shows? Are you going to be doing interviews? Or do you want to do both? It's your show. It's your party as they say. Do it how you want to. But have a plan of action upfront. It's the whole goal of this episode is plan your way through so that it's easier to focus on the content, on the marketing, on...

and your listeners, right? So number four is to have the right equipment and software that you need. Now don't panic, you know, a simple microphone, maybe 30 or $40 on Amazon and something like the Samsung Q2, I put a link below for that, and software.

Most of the software you need is your hosting software and something to edit with. In this show notes, I put a list of these tools and equipment and software that you could use for your podcast. So basically, you just need a microphone, headphones, and somewhere to record, like your smartphone, if you have a laptop.

You know, you can go as big as you want or you could just pick up your phone and record. I have a, for the iPhone or your smartphone, you could use a microphone like this. It's a Lavalier wireless microphone and I'm struggling with it, but it attaches somewhere and you speak into it, you know, and there's a little attachment that goes at the bottom off that plugs into your phone and connects to this so that

you know, you could, it's very simple. I think I paid like 30, not even 40 bucks for this on Amazon. So that on your smartphone, you're good to go. Then the only other part is to get a host software. Buzzsprout is $12 a month, but you could start for free. Captivate FM is $19 a month and you could start for free. I recommend Buzzsprout.

because I find that they are a little more user friendly. And even though I use both of them, I am recommending Buzzsprouts. So that's equipment and software. I spend a little more time with that because people sometimes get hung up on this part because they think it's the most important part. But really and truly, it really isn't. It's the easiest part to deal with.

So then you just hit record, that's the next step. Hit record, start recording. I was talking to someone the other day, they wanted to start a podcast, and they were agonizing over booking studio time and making sure the lighting is all right and the equipment's there. And I just said to him, you're in your car driving right now, what are the thoughts coming through your head? Because I know when I'm driving, I get a lot of thoughts. If there are thoughts coming in your head about your show, what you want to talk about,

hit record on your phone and just start recording. It doesn't have to be perfect. That's what editing tools are for. And you can edit your podcast on a free tool like GarageBand if you're on the Mac, if you're on the Apple platforms. You could use Audacity. There's a tool I recommend because I love it and I use it all the time. It's Allphonic. Allphonic is an online podcast editing tool.

and you get two free hours per month. Two hours if you're podcasting four times a month, 30 minutes each episode, it's perfect. But you can also purchase extra hours if you need it. I sometimes have to because I have multiple podcasts. But if you just have one show and your show is about 30 minutes, our funding is good and it's great.

removing the background noise. So you record, don't worry about the noise, remove the background noise, enough on it. And it levels out the audio. So you sound professional. I want to say something quickly about the background noise. Background noise isn't always a bad thing unless it disrupts what you're saying, right? So remember that. I talk about Russell Bronco in his earlier days of

when he started podcasting and you should listen to that one. So record, then edit and polish. I say polish, but make your show authentic. Nobody wants to hear another broadcast. We want to hear raw, authentic stories. So it might not be perfect, but if you cut out all the oohs and ahms and you know, you know, you know.

If you cut out everything, your own little quirks and personality, then you're just like another podcast. So why should they listen to you? Be you, be authentic, but be professional. You can be both. And you know, if you notice sometimes my videos are not perfect. They're, they're left to be desired when it comes to perfection. But if somebody learns from what I have to say, that.

is the key. The next step is to brand your show. Now I like to say that if you have a mission statement, remember I said the mission statement was the blueprint, the brand of your show will be derived from your mission statement because who you're serving will determine what colors you use, the name you use, you know, the title, the tagline, all that.

what graphic you use on your cover art. Your mission statement is really and truly a blueprint for your whole podcast. I've done a slide presentation on creating the mission statement. And I think I need to talk more about this because the mission statement may seem like a waste of time upfront, but you'll never go wrong with it. And like I said, in this step seven,

you can brand your show and you don't have to do anything new. You just go back to that mission statement and it will help you figure out the colors and the fonts and all that stuff based on your niche, your avatar and the topic of your show. And then you could use tools like Canva to create the graphics and

whatever else you need in creating the branding and the, you know, the branding, yeah, for your podcast. Number eight, write titles and description. SEO is important for your podcast. I use a tool called Headline Analyzer to check, you know, just double check on my headlines and my titles to make sure they kind of make sense.

And Headline Analyzer actually measures the CTR of a headline. That's the click-through rate. How inevitable it is for somebody to click on your headline. So Headline Analyzer, it's a free tool you could use for that. I also use another Headline Analyzer tool which analyzes the emotional value of your headline.

So that's another tool you could use and these are all free tools and I'll make a list of the tools below so you'll be able to actually do a research for yourself to see if they work for you. So you can write titles and description. I also use the Headline app. If you upload your podcast audio to the Headline app, it will transcribe

your podcast, audio, and it will also give you titles and description. If you use Riverside FM, which is what I'm using to record this, it will also create show notes and all that stuff for you. So there's so many tools out there that will make it easy for you to edit and make sure to personalize what the AI throws out at you. The next step is to set up your hosting service.

said I recommend Buzzsprout and when you set up your hosting service you get an RSS feed which you can use to paste anywhere you need to paste it and that's but that's another subject but there there are few podcast hosts you could use their Spotify podcasters this Buzzsprout there's Libsyn there's Captivated Femme and they have their own core

Every one of them does the same thing. You upload your show, they distribute it to Apple, Amazon, and even platforms abroad. And they also give you a free website, but that's not always useful for you. But it's a start. Everything they give you enough to start your podcast, to get going, to just get off it and just do it.

In that, when you're doing that process, you'll also submit to directories. Hosts like Buzzsprout and Captivate, I talk about them because they're the ones I've been using for years and I still use them. They make it easy for you to submit your podcast to directories. All you have to do is press a button and it's done, it's done, it's it's done. There are a couple of them like Apple and iHeart that you have to go directly and apply directly to them.

but it's just a matter of getting your RSS feed and putting it in there and showing that you own the podcast and it's done. Nothing. It's easy peasy. The next one is to build a launch strategy. I have an episode and a couple of blog posts about what to do before you launch a show, the marketing strategy, the social media posting, and you could check that out. I'll put the link below as well. And what you

What you want to do while you are preparing to launch is to put it out there that you're preparing to launch your podcast. Experts recommend that you start with a trailer and three episodes. So by now you should have been recording and have recordings that you think you want to put out there. Your plan of action should, ⁓ I should also mention that

a content calendar while you're doing all this planning is a great thing. Just jot down ideas of topics you want to talk about and plug it into a calendar. So this week you may want to take one subject. The next week you may want to do another subject. Whatever you decide is up to you. Just have that plan set up. So build that launch strategy, create your trailer. The trailer is something that

introduces your podcast to you, to your audience. Again, I'm going back to it. Your mission statement is your written trailer. You just need to add music and other stuff to it. Number 12 is a time to just get your launch juice going, so to speak. Start publicizing your podcast. Start telling people about it. Hey, next this date, this date.

I'm going to be doing my podcast. I'm going to be launching my podcast. Put quotes out there. Talk about, know, do a caption and a topic you're gonna be talking about on your podcast. If you have a guest that's coming up, tag the guest and say, I'm looking forward to interviewing so-and-so about so-and-so. Amazing, right? I am...

Awfully ex- I am so excited about podcasting I just can't get it out of my blood, not that I want to. But ⁓ this is a time to just rally your- your- up and big up your show and- and I know, imposter syndrome gonna hit you right now because you're gonna be like, who am I to do this? But you are you and you're the one who's supposed to be doing this. Just remember that. Right? Just do it. If you get hung up on the-

Who am I question? You will not step into God's best for your life. That's a quote taken from a YouTube video by Graham Cochran. So think on that. So in ramping up your promotional plan, just map that out, map it out on paper how you plan to move forward. Where will you publicize your podcast most? You have to do that where your audience are. Where is your ideal listener hanging out?

Is it Reddit? Is it Facebook? Is it Instagram? Is it TikTok? Is it LinkedIn? So I would focus mostly on that platform first that your, your ID listener is hanging out. So that's your marketing and promotion pre-launch. Now, while you're launching, you're going to be preparing to launch your content, your podcast. Here's where you're going to plan out.

you know, that social calendar for launching your podcast. And this is just the beginning because you're not going to stop. You're just going to keep going because you're going to be doing this for each episode. But to start, you know, I would just use a tool like headliner and do an audio of the trailer and promote the trailer. Just every day post the trailer.

post a trailer every day so people get used to what you're doing. Okay, so the next step is to just monitor, once you launch, monitor how your show is doing. Are people watching, listening? Are they interacting with you? Start to ask questions of your audience and see if you could get a feedback to see if your content is resonating.

Don't organize over the downloads. Please don't. If you get 10 downloads and it's possible to reach out to those 10 people, go ahead and do it. Even if you give them a shout out on your podcast. So say, hey, I noticed I got 10 downloads. Thank you for downloading my podcast. I really appreciate that. And then say, tune in for my next episode, which is on if you want to do it that way. It's up to you.

All right. So I hope this helps you to launch your podcast. I hope it gives you a framework whereby you could just talk about what you want to talk about in a podcast and that this helps you to gain the perspective you need to just do it. Start that podcast now. I'm J. Rosemary Francis. If you need help, if you need guidance, ask me anything.

The link is below. Just ask. I not one of those people who have to charge for everything. Just ask me a question and I will answer it because sometimes it's just a two millimeter gap. It's just that one thing that's stopping you from moving forward. So go ahead, start your podcast now. Thank you.