← The How To Podcast Series - Podcast Co-Hosts, Practical Podcast Tips, and Podcast Community
The How To Podcast Series - Podcast Co-Hosts, Practical Podcast Tips, and Podcast Community
E597 - The Next Chapter For Your Podcast - The Podcaster’s Path, 24 Steps from Beginner to Pro
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Okay, we're rolling. Hey. Welcome to the final episode of our 24 episodes in a row. And the signals, the final hour of my 24 hours straight recording these episodes. A little mini marathon that I gave myself to do as a little challenge in the beginning of this year. Can't believe it's done already. I am beyond tired. Probably hear to my voice. You kind of my voice getting worse over the last few episodes. I can't hide that I am tired. I've had a lot of coffee. But, yeah, I have a meetup after this that I do on Saturdays that this part. This last hour leads right into my meetup. So I have that for an hour and a half. It's Valentine's Day weekend on top of everything else, so there's a lot. There's a lot going on. But I love being here with you. I love the new people I've met is. I've been going live every second hour for the last 12 hours. So I've been going live like 12 times now, connecting with people online. It's been. It's been awesome. Really cool. Don't know if I'll ever do this again. It's exhausting. But it's been a good experience. And I've. I've been putting myself in this place of being uncomfortable and doing things I haven't done and to a different scale, just so that I can kind of give myself a little shock treatment. And I'm kind of getting into a routine with my show, and I wanted to do something a little bit different for me as far as creating this content. Now, I know there's a lot of content for you, but come back to it when you have time. It's there for you. It just lives there. And again, what I wanted to do is just kind of wrap up and do a quick overview of all of the stuff we've talked about over the last 23 episodes and just inspire us to move forward with our podcast. Hopefully, what you hear in the last 23 episodes in this episode, the 24th, is just an overview of podcasting that doesn't talk about microphones and tech and all that mumbo jumbo, but just the mindset and the growth and the connections and the benefits of podcasting and getting you from an idea to hitting record and. And then publish and everything that goes along with it. That's kind of been our journey here. So thanks for being here. Thanks for checking it out. Please share this if you found value in this and you know somebody else that wants to start a podcast or Grow their podcast. I hope this will help them as well. Thanks for sharing. So we've walked through now the full podcaster's path, ending with this episode. 24 steps from the first spark of I think I can do this. To leaving a legacy that outlives your active mic time. This is the final episode and it kind of close off this chapter, this path that we've been on and I'm just going to be recapping this journey and that's helped countless solo creators start strong, stick with it, and build a show that actually matters. New podcasters, this series was built for you to be a clear starting line to launch your voice and and the staying power to keep going when the hype fades and you hit those plateaus. So if we could break it into chunks, I would say act one would be episodes one to six. And here we were talking about the call to podcasts and to cross the threshold from an idea to actively starting a show. From silencing the doubts that excuses that to assembling the bare minimum tools like mic and headphones and quiet space to record all those things, choosing your niche as the who and the problem and the promise and creating a benefit driven name and vision for your show and then hitting publish on that raw first episode. These steps in the first six episodes are there to help prove that you have the courage to beat perfection. Your pilot episode wasn't flawless, your first episode, but it existed. So congratulations. So that would have been Acts 1, the call to create the first six episodes of the podcast. So yeah, go back and listen if you haven't heard those. Act two, which was episode seven to 12, here's where we were challenging and testing you and putting out challenges that put you in a place where you're like, oh, now I gotta grow. Victories, build resilience. As podcasters, we talk about facing tech glitches and overwhelm, finding mentors in the community and shows that help sharpen your voice through low pressure practice and being on the mic and just doing the thing on repeat. We talked about consistency and batching and using calendars to help organize your content, how to engage with your listeners with simple questions and how to celebrate the replies and looking at those first wins, taking that victory lap, the feedback and the milestones that come to you through podcasting, we wanted to focus in on that as well through episode 7 to 12. Whether you do this all by yourself or with a team, episode 7 to 12 is there to help you work through those trials and growth pains, those growing pains that we have as podcasters, those episodes are there for you. Episode 7 to 12. Then we jumped over to Act 3. Act 3 encompassed episodes 13 to 18, and we focus more on mastering and transforming. As a podcaster, we've gone way beyond just the initial startup and now we're getting into some of the heavier stuff where the most growth is going to happen for you. Beyond starting your podcast from scratch. We talked about leveling up your full stack and focusing on mastering what you do as a podcaster, refining your storytelling using that three act structure. We talked about building lightweight teams and having standard operating procedures for your podcast, expanding your reach through search engine optimization, collaborating with other people, using monetization in your podcast, and breaking some of the myths around podcast monetization and making money with your show. It's all about alignment over the size of your audience when it comes talking to about money. We talked about creating sustainable systems like having content calendars and pushing through plateaus and experimenting with your show. Team of one creators thrive here, and your fingerprints are on every step that you use to create the ownership for your show as a podcaster. So that was Act 3, Mastery and Transformation, episodes 13 to 18. And then we jumped into Act 4. Act 4 helps us to focus in on the return that we get as podcasters and our legacy. And episodes 19 to 24 is where we land here as podcasters. The hero returns, transformed, giving back. You. You find your path, you find your voice, and you become a mentor through teaching how you did what you did. We talked about building your community through gatherings and shared stories. We evolved your brand without losing the core listeners of your show. We talked about archiving your podcast in longevity, using YouTube to back up your show, and having a show bible that talks to the person who steps into your shoes after you're gone and after you stop podcasting. And we talk about hosting plans and what to do to archive your podcast. Begin with the end in mind, right? And that's something we can do through podcasting as well. And we embrace the mindset of resilience over metrics. Evergreen content that ensures episodes inspire years after they were ever recorded. Like timeless voices preserved in the new media show. A podcast that I've been listening to forever, and sadly, one of the hosts of that show has now passed. We talk about legacy and podcasting, and I want you to think about what your show means in the future as well. So why does this path work for new podcasters? This isn't just theory. It's a roadmap to help you fight off pod fade. Each Step includes a story, teachable beats, a doable action for you to do and put into place, and encouragement. It helps for people who just have busy lives. And these 15 to 20 minute episodes, they are really focused in on. Let's just get to the core of what we're talking about and move on. It's not meant to be an exhaustive conversation about all of the things that podcasts involve. That's why I have my show. That's why I bring on guest co hosts so we can learn from them as well. But this is meant to be a overview, a guide, a starting point. That's all it's meant to be. Solo creators can learn fastest by touching every part of your process. Small shows with heart outperform the hype of the big guys and the big shows. Your hobby podcast isn't second class. It's free from pressure and it's full of authentic connection. So don't look down on yourself for being a team of one to look down on yourself for being just a hobby podcast. Because the just hobby podcasts are the majority of podcasts. Keep that in mind. And then we talked about reflection and gratitude. I just want you to pause. What's one step that shifted your thinking as you listened through these last 24 episodes? What action will you repeat from what we've talked about? What did you write down? What stood out to you? I just want to express my gratitude to everyone who has started this path. You've proved every voice matters. Your family, your listeners and your future creators. They thank you for showing up. My key takeaway as I look back and close off the podcaster's path is that this isn't the finish line here at the end of this 24 episode miniseries. This isn't. We're not done here. This is. There's still a long way to go. This is not a finish line. This is your launchpad. This is where you go from here. You've got the tools. You have the mindset. You have this as a resource. I would love for you to archive your podcast and do your show with joy, with impact and with legacy. Start today. Stay consistent. Share one episode and then the next creator that needs your voice as much as you needed this series. I just encourage you to share it. Keep going. Your story endures. I'm looking forward to hearing where you go as a podcaster because of this. I'd love to hear. So reach out to me at howtopodcast Ca always interested to hear from anybody who's found value in the show. And if I can serve you. My calendar is always there, always willing to help. I'm not here to sell you anything. I want to support you. HowToPodcast ca. My gratitude to you for pressing play and being with me and putting up with a guy who's a little sleepy after 24 hours straight. I appreciate you. Take care. I hope we get to meet soon. Talk soon. Take care. Bye. If you're looking for more information about podcasting and you're looking for a community around podcasting, come check out howtopodcast ca. It's my website where everything we do around podcasting, this show our community or meetup resources. There's a lot of great stuff there for you. A whole list of free tools that you can use as a podcaster to save yourself some money. That's based on my website, podcastforfree.com which just leads you back to my regular website. And if you want any more information as well, there's a calendar link on my website website where you and I can meet anytime. It's always there. It's always available. Whatever you see available on your end. I'm ready to talk podcasting with anybody. I'd love to help you no matter what your questions are. We can grab a virtual coffee and we can talk through what your big idea is. Maybe some of your struggles in podcasting, maybe some motivational things, maybe some growth things. Happy to help you over at how to Podcast. Come check out the website. Let's connect. Stick around because we have a bunch more episodes here on the podcasters path. 24 episodes here in a row. That's meant to be kind of your starting point for your journey as a podcaster or if you're going to start a new show or you want to refresh your journey and catch up on maybe some of the things you might have missed. That's what this show's about. I'm glad you're here. My name is Dave. Love to help you reach out anytime. HowtoPodcast ca. Take care. Talk soon.