4 Tips to Starting A Podcast: The First Phase

podcast jd blog

This Wednesday on #AskAWebDesigner Jaimee Skyped with Jesan Sorrells (@sorrells79) about starting her own podcast show.

Jesan Sorrells is a podcaster of the EARBUD_U Show and owner of Human Services Consulting & Training (HSCT).  Jesan uses his podcast as a platform to enhance his business. HSCT is a conflict resolution company offering an ethical, Christian approach to resolving conflict in the workplace, school and church. Currently, Jesan is about to be streaming his third season of EARBUD_U.

Jaimee and Jesan met through the app MeerKat when he came into one of her streams where she was gathering information on starting her own podcast. The information Jesan explained to Jaimee can be summarized into 4 tips.

The 4 Tips to Begin the Podcast Journey

  1. Establishing A Purpose and A Plan.
    Jesan mentioned a few times during the conversation that he planned out the details of the podcast and implemented it as a part of his business plan.  Before starting a podcast or any project, it is best to establish a purpose and a plan.  Defining the purpose of the podcast requires thinking about what you want to communicate to the audience and what you hope to accomplish. Basically the goal and/or mission of the project. Once a goal and/or mission is established, then it is time to outline a plan defining the target audience, the marketing of the podcast, the anticipated distributors, the type of guests, etc.
  2. The Name Game.
    When thinking about naming a podcast, make it catchy. A few of the MeerKat viewers and Jesan recommended limiting the name to two syllables, making it catchy, visualizing the marketing of it, and keeping it SEO friendly. The best advice Jesan gave is: “Take an hour to think about it, then move on.”
  3. Choosing A Host.
    We’re not talking about finding a person to guide the show, but a host to store the podcasts.  A few of the options discussed were Blubrry, Libsyn, and the same company hosting your Website. Hosting the podcast on the same server as your Website is possible but not recommended. Putting the podcast on the same server as your Website can cause problems with the speed the content loads and could crash the site completely. This option could hinder listeners from becoming clients.  Jesan suggested using Blubrry because of the easy Website plugin integration, the cost, and the amount of services included in the cost. Blubrry is ranked number 2 on the list of best podcast hosting companies.  The low rates include storage, bandwidth, stats, and uploads. Then there is an additional service to aid in analytics and distribution.The other option discussed is Libsyn, ranked number 1 on the list of best podcast hosting companies. Libsyn offers similar features as Blubrry, but they offer app capabilities, marketing assistance on social media, and aid in an easy transition to distributors like iTunes.
  4. Touching on Integration.
    The purpose of Jesan and Jaimee connecting on Skype initially was to help Jaimee in setting up the WordPress Blubrry PowerPress plugin on the JaimeeDorris.com Website.  The plugin required information that could only be found after setting up a hosting account with Blubrry.  Libsyn offers WordPress, Facebook and Twitter integration through the OnPublish dashboard. This eliminates a third party plugin allowing content to be sent directly to your WordPress Website, Facebook, and Twitter.  Jaimee and Jesan plan to dive further into integration once a name for the show is determined and are able to set a time to Skype together again.