It’s Time To Start a Podcast
You can listen to the audio version of this blog post here
Podcasting is in its golden hour right now and you need one.
I’ve been podcasting for the past ten years and it’s even easier and more relevant right now than it ever has been.
Spotify
Apple
Overcast
Breaker
Castbox
Pocket Casts
Radio Public
Stitcher
And I’m sure there are more!
Just the sheer number of platforms where you can listen to podcast content is staggering.
Fifteen years ago I feel like everyone had a blog, they were super relevant and there was a lot of attention in that space.
And if you think about it, the vast majority of blogs that I read were hosted on either Blogger or WordPress. There are five times more podcasting platforms than what we had, ten to fifteen years ago for blogging.
Don’t get me wrong, writing is still relevant and important - but right now, podcasting is where so much of the attention is.
Who should have a podcast?
Teachers ✅
Principals ✅
Communication Directors ✅
Superintendents ✅
Parent groups ✅
Coaches ✅
Anyone with an idea that they’re passionate about ✅
Ten years ago when I first started, we recorded on an app called AudioBoom - directly from my phone as a Principal and then we’d embed the episodes on our schools website.
The audio quality was mediocre, but the kids and our school community LOVED the interaction.
We had parents engaging with the episodes.
Grandparents in other states around the country would comment and then in turn support our message, it was amazing!
Trying to get the word out about an upcoming social event, parent conferences, fundraiser, changes with the parking lot, construction, reading at home strategies and anything else that you’re thinking of.
Put. It. In. A. Podcast.
Fast forward ten more years and podcasting is even more prolific.
Fifteen years ago when blogging was in its heyday, that was a job for some people.
Now…..
Podcasting is a job and more importantly for schools and districts, it’s a communication bridge with the community.
People are ‘listening’ and it’s time to capture their attention.
If you’re a Teacher - Principal - Superintendent - Communications Director - Coach or in charge of the parent group at your school - start talking, people are listening.
And I know what so many people are thinking right now.
“What do I talk about?”
That’s always the question I get when talking in person with thousands of people across the country before or after I give a keynote presentation.
And here’s the super simple answer.
Just. Start. Talking.
Keep your first episode short - three to four minutes.
The first episode could be entirely just introducing the new show to your community.
After you release the first episode you’re going to be constantly thinking about what you said. How you prepared. The intonation in your voice. Background music. And most importantly….
You’re going to be thinking about your next episode and what you’ll do differently.
If you’re a Principal then your first episode should just be a version of the announcements you would give over the loudspeaker in school. Adjust them a little bit to make sense for the community and hit the record button.
If you don’t do announcements then read what you would write for the weekly newsletter.
I can remember a very good friend of mine who was a Middle School Principal and he would spend hours and hours each week on his newsletter for families, he was so darn proud of that newsletter.
Finally after some encouragement he looked at the analytics and ‘open’ rate of the newsletter, and it was below fifteen percent.
For a school with 1,000 students, and only 150 opened (that’s not even reading) the newsletter.
It’s time for a change.
I’ve been a Teacher and a Principal, and I know not every single parent at my school reads the newsletter. So that’s why we started podcasting the message and we captured their attention with our voice for the ones who didn’t read it.
Teachers!
Do the same exact thing, but with your own style and flare. Your students and the parents in your class are your audience.
And one of the best things you can do is involve your students. If I was still a Principal right now, I’d put the entire podcast production in the hands of the kids and let them take charge.
You’re the organizer.
But the kids are the doer of all the things.
Adults get busy.
Adults forget.
Adults are gone for professional development.
The kids will not forget to upload, so just put them in charge.
Here are Adam’s super simple next steps to get started podcasting.
1. Create a Google Doc
Start writing a script for your new show. Each week just do a page break on the document and copy/paste the outline as a really easy way to keep yourself organized and dialed in with your message.
Introduction
Questions for your guests? Updates from your organization? Good news of the day/week? Upcoming events, announcements, news?
Wrap it up!
2. Set up an account on anchor.fm
There are quite a few websites and apps to host your podcast, and I’ve used quite a few over the last ten years of my podcasting journey. Anchor.fm is my favorite so far. Anchor.fm is the place where you host your podcast, and then Anchor.fm distributes your podcast to all the places where people listen to podcasts. (ie: Apple, Spotify, Google, etc.) Anchor.fm is completely free, super easy to use and you can record episodes ahead of time and schedule them to release when you’re ready, it’s so awesome!
3. Record record record
One of the worst things you can do is start a podcast, record a few episodes, and then not record for a few weeks or months. I’m a huge believer in consistency for yourself, your audience and your message that’s being shared. The more consistent you are with releasing episodes, the more consistent your audience will be with listening, and you’ll just think about your podcast way more because it will be on the forefront of your brain.
Record - Record - Record
4. Share your podcast
Plan and record episodes, and then be sure to share them with your community.
Email out direct links
Share on social media
Create QR codes for kids to take home to their families for direct access,
Film a commercial on an iPad or phone introducing the podcast with a screencast or directions on how people can listen.
Ask your audience to share the podcast with others they think may want to listen.
Adam’s Top Tips For Podcasting
1. Don’t overthink it. All of it, just don’t overthink it. Your fifteenth podcast episode is going to be different and better and more evolved than your first three episodes. You can’t get to episode fifteen, if you don’t start with episode one, two and three. Don’t overthink it.
2. Putting out consistent episodes is way better than waiting to put out any episodes until you think it’s perfect. Podcasting is a constant evolution and you’re going to get better with frequency.
3. Try different episode models. Maybe at first it’s just you on the episode, and then try interviewing a guest. Or alternate episodes every other week. Part of this process is seeing what works and what your audience grabs on to, so don’t worry about changing things up a little bit each week.
4. I podcasted for years without a microphone and just a simple iPhone headset. My recommendation is to NOT purchase a microphone right away - yes the audio quality is better with a microphone, it’s just not necessary to get started. When you do feel the need for a microphone, the Blue Yeti is an affordable and pretty high quality USB plug and record microphone that I’ve used off and on for years.
5. Listen to other podcasts and even podcasts that you may not be interested in, just to see what others are doing so you can be a student of the platform yourself. It’s really important for you to be you, and it’s also important to learn from others so you can hone your message and continue evolving that message for your audience.
6. One tip I always give to people that are recording for the first time ever, is to smile. I’ve learned over the last ten years of podcasting and five years of public speaking that smiling now and then is important. I’m not saying to be fake, but people can’t see you when they’re listening to a podcast, so be sure to remind yourself to smile as you're talking and of course have fun recording. Smile, laugh, be yourself and the listeners will feel that mojo through their headphones!
7. Once your show is up and running, please tag me on social media when you share it out. I’d love to hear what you have to say and if you think someone you know would benefit from this blog post, please share it with them!
Good luck, I know you can do it!