The Lessons I've Learned After Hosting 70+ Podcast Episodes

1️⃣ Don't overthink the tech.

It doesn't mean you shouldn't get yourself a good setup if you can afford it. I started my first one using the in-built camera and headphones that came with my phone.

Now I’ve got the fancy new Insta360 that makes you look great, never lets you drift away, and fits in your pocket so that you don’t have to worry about carrying 4 kg of gear to the studio every time.

There are still no cool headphones, but AirPods do just fine.

And I love the mic that I’m using. There are probably better and more professional ones, but for the current setup, it does everything I want it to. It’s the mini__Rode__ one, and it’s wonderful.

2️⃣ Figure out your platform.

The first podcast was in Zoom. I used Restream to then stream it live on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Twitch.

saas.unbound is hosted on Riverside.fm. It's super easy to use; a lot of guests already know the interface, and now you're also getting a pretty good transcript.

I did my research on the platforms before I chose one. I knew that I didn’t need all the bells and whistles for the podcast, nor did I want to have to keep my attention on anything else but the conversation. So the decision-making process was very simple.

I wanted an easy-to-use, easy-to-navigate platform that would allow me to have both audio and video formats separately. I wanted to be able to control the layout and background and slap a logo on the recording. Riverside does that. It does a lot more, obviously. I may just not really need it. At least for now.

3️⃣ Practice some editing.

Go around and see what others are doing. If there's a jingle, a thumbnail, parts of the podcast featured at the beginning, ads, CTAs, etc.

I use Descript for editing. And I'm pretty bad with technology. So it's my heaven. I get to focus on the transcript, not the picture! I’ve tried iMovie before. And it’s great. If you want to have every single pixel under control, if you want picture-perfect content, by all means, go for it.

I feel like when it’s a podcast, yes, it’s good to have a quality picture, but people are mostly there for the conversation. They listen but don’t often watch, so having a 4K video with cool layout changes and unexpected camera movements wasn’t a priority.

My position can absolutely change in the future. For now, Descript is easy, straightforward, and offers a ton of effects, audio, and gifs I can use there.

Watch their tutorials for next-level stuff!

4️⃣ Be genuine and honest when you're reaching out to people. They are ready to help more than you think!

I've had very few rejections to the podcast invitations. The reason? Not because I’m THAT good. Sure, there’s a lot of preparation and research for each and every guest. I’m never late; I always tell people what to expect and ask if there’s anything that would make them uncomfortable during the episode. But no.

I honestly think it's because I don't oversell. People who go to podcasts know their value. People who don't will ask what it's about and what your audience is like. Don't sugarcoat this stuff. It is possible to check your stats.

Tell people that you're a new kid. It's just growing, but you're putting a lot of work into it and believe it has good potential. Make sure you give people context. That your expectations are aligned.

Even if you’re not getting the most famous speakers, their time is still valuable. Try to explain everything there is, from preparation to the questions, from the date to the platform you’re having it on.

“Hey, thanks for doing that! It’s going to be great.
Here’s the outline and a few questions that might come up…
We’re doing it on Riverside.fm, and here’s your link.
I’ll follow up two days before the podcast to make sure we’re still on.
Please send me the headshot that you’d like to see on the cover.
Cheers!”

is much better than:
“Hey, thanks for doing that! See you on the 10th!
Best”

And then you follow up with three more emails explaining all the details.

5️⃣ Distribution is important.

That means posting on many platforms at once and repurposing your content.

Is it only audio? Or video, too? Are you doing shorts? Do you post on LinkedIn and Twitter or choose other, more visual platforms?

For saas.unbound I first decided to go with a video-only format. Why? I’ve done it before; it worked and was easier. And Youtube is great, but to become popular on Youtube, even with business- or SaaS-related content these days, you need to put in a lot of work and have a big budget.

The decision was made later to also explore Spotify and Apple Podcasts and see how people respond there.

Podcasting is the format that gives your audience the freedom to consume the content at any time and any place. Don’t rob them of this opportunity. And don’t take away the chance to have a lot more people respond to the content you produce.

For the promotion, I realized that posting in relevant Slack channels and LinkedIn groups works great. Other ways to do it are to find relevant threads on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit and share your (relevant!) opinion along with the link to the podcast that explores the issue further. The key here is not to overwhelm and not to appear too needy. People are smart; they know it’s a promotion, and they will only respond adequately to it if it also offers some value.

That said, I have to mention that the technicalities are important to get right, but podcasting is about building relationships.

You first need to win the guests over and show them the value of the content you’re about to produce. Being genuine and professional while doing this will not only get you a guest on the show but, potentially, make them a long-standing connection that can be extremely valuable in the future. As I mentioned earlier, set the expectations straight, show respect, and be honest about every step of the way.

Second, you're winning the audience. How do you want to be received? Are you the shark tank kind of host, attacking your guest with sensible questions? Are you more focused on the business side of the journey or the personal side? There’s a lot to decide here. But the bright side is that you can always test and pivot.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and the guest to stay firmly within your format. I had to think on the spot and change the direction of the conversation too many times to advise that. Go with the flow and listen, it’s your most valuable asset for this job.