Why I'm Podcasting (and You Can Too)

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

During a recent visit from my youngest son and his wife, we were talking about podcasts. They listen to these broadcasts all the time and they admitted even listening while at work. Both of them are in the tech industry with intense positions and listening to podcasts is a part of their routine.  

There are an estimated 3.5 million podcasts. As you can imagine, many different types and possibilities. Early on I decided to guest on other people's podcast instead of starting my own podcast. The path of guesting on the podcasts of others looked easier for me than figuring out how to host and produce my own podcast. 

Through the years, I’ve been a guest on podcasts and I used a simple tripod and my iPhone to connect to these events. Then over two months ago, I joined PodMatch, set up my profile and began to pitch then book various podcasts. I’m continuing to pitch new podcasts and book new recordings. While I’ve been with PodMatch, I’ve booked or recorded over 30 podcasts. According to the behind-the-scenes information on PodMatch, I’ve had 3,700 downloades and 1.5M on social media. 

As I look back at my own journey into podcasting, I recalled that a year ago I didn’t even have a webcam on my desktop computer. I purchased a webcam and set it up on a tripod and began using it for my podcast recordings. 

This webcam has a built in microphone. One of the podcast hosts used earphones and listened to the quality of my webcam microphone. He encouraged me to use an external microphone. Several years ago I purchased this external microphone but I had not hooked it up so I could use it each time. I learned to use this external microphone as another step in my podcasting journey. 

Some podcasts will only use the audio recording while others use the video and the audio recording. When the video is used, there are other elements to consider. For example, is your lighting right? What is the background and is it distracting to the viewer? For example, I have a closet door right behind my desk next to my bookcase. This door looks better on camera if the door is closed. Also I make sure the other visuals look tidy and organized whenever I am on camera.

For the lighting issue, I purchased a light which I use each time to help my appearance and I also make a point of turning off any distracting light in my background. Finally I purchased some inexpensive headphones and wear them each time which cuts down on any distractions and extra noise. 

I’m writing about these details because to the viewer, these details matter. You want the viewer to be focused on the conversation you are having with the podcast host and not distracted by some annoying detail in your background.

Connecting with the Right Podcast

How you set up your PodMatch profile is important because you tell about who you are and give some sample questions for the podcast host. I’ve created a list of sample questions related to my book and specifically what I want to talk about and promote during the podcast. I wrote about how I’ve set up my PodMatch profile in this article. I encourage you to follow the link and use the information for your own profile and gameplan.

Create Your Stories and Talking Points

As you are on a podcast or a radio broadcast or have someone interviewing you for a print article, have you thought through the stories you will tell and your talking points? It's an important part of your preparation to be interviewed. Within publishing, we call this media training. For example, if you are going to be on Good Morning America or The Today Show, your segment will only be a few minutes. If you are taking media training, an expert can run through your talking points and that process can take all day to prepare for those few minutes of interview.

During the conversation with the host, if you have your talking points in mind, you can steer the conversation and tell the stories that you planned to tell during the interview. The podcast host is guiding the conversation and keeping an eye on the clock. They will ask you a final question or two then end the broadcast. When it is over, you want to make sure you have included the main points that you wanted to include in the conversation.

Prepare Before the Podcast

Who is interviewing you? What is their focus? How can you take your talking points and make it relevant to this particular podcast? This preparation only takes a few minutes but will help you connect with that podcast host.

Why Do This Preparation?

At the end of the interview, you want the podcast host to love the conversation you had on the broadcast. You want the listeners to take action (for example buy your book) but you also want to have more opportunities in the future for additional podcasts. Part of being a professional is taking the time to prepare and then execute with excellence.

In this article, I’ve included a lot of detail about what I’ve learned through my podcasting. I have more to learn in this area. For you to successfully use podcasting or any other aspect of the publishing business, it takes thoughtful work, planning and execution. The details matter and how you use and apply those details will affect your results. How can you apply this information to your book and your podcasting or interviews? What am I missing from this article? Let me know in the comments below.

Some of My Writing In Other Places:

I continue recording new podcasts but in recent weeks, I’ve had a couple of guest blog post articles.

The Almost an Author website got hacked and was down for a month or so but is now back. Here’s my article about maintain a submission record and follow up: https://bit.ly/3Qn0b82 

For Writers on the Move. I wrote about How to Hire the “Right” Publicist at: https://bit.ly/3EDUdx8  This process is not simple and you must ask the right questions in this process and I explained some of this process in this article.

Finally I published another article published on the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog about the Hidden Costs of Publishing at:  https://bit.ly/4hSyjVO

Tweetable:

This prolific author and editor explains why he’s been podcasting (and you can do it too). Learn the details in this article. (ClickToTweet)

Let’s be honest. Publishing is a complex business and much of the process is outside of anything an author can control—no matter how they publish. I I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors realistic expectations  and practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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