We had such a good time talking about podcasting with you at NAPO’s 2014 Annual Conference. Hopefully, we left you with a better understanding of what podcasting is, how you can use it to boost your brand, and enough information to decide whether or not podcasting is right for you. As promised, we’ve provided some resources for you just in case you decide to “take the plunge.”

Presentation Slides and Videos

Here are the slides from the presentation. For videos, see the embedded playlist below.

Here’s a playlist of all the videos we showed in Phoenix…and some we didn’t because of time constraints. These are packed full of info and show how we do our show. Enjoy!

 Tools

Audacity:

We use Audacity to edit our audio tracks. You can download it for free here: Audacity

Levelator:

We use Levelator to adjust the audio levels within our podcast or other audio file for variations from one speaker to the next. It’s not a compressor, normalizer or limiter although it contains all three. It’s much more than those tools, and it’s much simpler to use. You can download it for free here: Levelator

Blubrry Plugin for Podcasting called PowerPress

Here’s a link to Blubrry’s PowerPress plugin for podcasting. You can either click here and download it, or better yet, in your WordPress Dashboard, go to Plugins>Add New> and search for “powerpress”. The Blubrry Powerpress plugin should pop up as the first choice.

References

Guest Interview Checklist: Here’s a link to the checklist template Vanessa uses to set up guest interviews (Note: Evernote link. Simply follow the link and save to your Evernote account):  Guest Interview Checklist

Sample Shownotes: Here’s an example of the shownotes we use for Simple Life Together. This is a link to a Google Doc that you can open , make a copy, and rename for your own use. Not all of the segment areas will apply to you, but you should get an idea of how we “script” out the show. We don’t follow our notes exactly all the time, and sometimes we just use “bullets” to talk from…but you can read through this and if you want to hear how the show sounds compared to the notes, you can click here to listen in.

Is Working With Websites and WordPress New To You?

If so, no worries. It was to me a few years back too! I’m glad I kept notes along the way so I could pass on what I learned to make it easier for you and, hopefully, help keep you from making some of the same mistakes I did!

I put together a pretty comprehensive Website Guide that’s focused on someone who is dealing with doing a site for the first time. It’s free, and best of all, it will likely save you HOURS and HOURS of time since you won’t have to look around for a bunch of information like I did. It covers what to name your site, what platform to use, definitions of all the different terms…it even has links to videos that show you step by step how to load WordPress and get started!

You can find it by simply clicking here: Website Guide. 

Training

As we mentioned in the presentation, there’s lots of free training and other resources about podcasting out there. Two of the best are videos from friends Cliff Ravenscraft and Pat Flynn. Here are links to those:

Cliff Ravenscraft’s Learn How To Podcast and Pat Flynn’s Podcasting Tutorial

Expert Training:

If you are truly serious about producing a professional podcast, Dan’s number one recommendation for training (and the same course he invested in for himself, by the way) is Cliff Ravenscraft’s Podcasting A to Z course. This course isn’t cheap, but it is the most comprehensive and thorough course on the planet for learning how to podcast. In the crowded “Business” podcast category in iTunes, somewhere between 30-40% of the Top 100 shows are produced by Cliff’s former students. It doesn’t get any more real than those results. Like I said, the course isn’t cheap…it’s almost $2000 (actually $1999.00). That said, you won’t find better podcasting training a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e! Cliff is a friend of ours, so if you decide to make the leap we can save you up to $500 off the price of the course by using our Early Bird Discount Code “SIMPLE“. Once you complete the course you’ll also have access to the Podcasting A to Z private Facebook group where you’ll be able to connect, learn from, and help other fellow graduates. So again, it’s Podcasting A to Z.com and our Early Bird Discount Code “SIMPLE” will save you $500 off the course!

Coaching

Probably the hardest part about getting started podcasting is the “getting started” part! Once that’s done, things are on much more of an “auto pilot mode” and you can focus on the content versus the mechanics of podcasting. That’s exactly how it should be. If you need some coaching along the way, I can certainly help. Sometimes running your podcasting concept by someone, doing some keyword analysis, working out your processes and systems, and figuring out how to take listeners through that sales funnel we talked about in Phoenix can make all the difference for you!

Equipment

You can get started with your new, professional sounding podcast for very little money!  Now, you may recall from our session how different Vanessa sounded in the video where she showed you how to edit audio files. She recorded that with the built-in mic from her Macbook Air. You could easily hear that it sounded “echoey” and hollow…NOT the audio quality you’d want in your show. But in other clips we played, the audio was full, rich, and deep. That’s because we use very high quality Heil PR-40 microphones. But you don’t need a $500 mic to sound almost that good! Here’s a microphone that sounds nearly as good, but for much cheaper:

If you decide to really “go pro” with your podcast, I can recommend other equipment. But for now, the key really is to save time, money, and just get started tapping into that audience that’s waiting for you! And that doesn’t take a bunch of pro equipment. If you’re going to do this, invest in starting off on the right foot, not expensive gadgets.

Now Go Get Started!

I have to admit, it was really, really cool to see our show in iTunes for the first time! I still get excited when I see it pop up in the various “What’s Hot” categories and think, “Wow…that’s us!!!!” Truth is, is can be you, too! Remember those stats I talked about…the Big Fish, Small Pond stat of 181 million blogs versus the 250K podcasts? Well, now’s the time to tap into that. Your audience is out there and what you have to say can make a difference!

Our show has made all the difference for us, and I hope our presentation helps you on your journey, too. Please, stay in touch and let us know how podcasting goes for you!

Best of luck for all the success you seek with your show! Remember, if you have a question or need help along the way, just email either of us here: Dan or Vanessa

If you are really serious about this and want to make sure you start off on the right foot, consider a coaching option with Dan to help you get started: