If you were starting your podcast all over again today, would you do anything differently? This is the question that inspired today's episode I was actually thinking about, you know, we haven't talked about this in a while I was trying to play in content thinking, should we talk about starting or launching or marketing your podcast? Which if you've been around here for a while, you know, that's what we
always talk about. But I thought to myself, if I were starting my podcast for the very first time in 2021, knowing all the things that I know today, what would I do differently? So that's what we are covering. So let's get right to it. Welcome to the Proffitt Podcast where we teach entrepreneurs how to start launch and market their podcast. I'm your host, Krystal, Proffitt, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging out with me
today. Because if you've been trying to figure out the world of podcasting, think of this show as the time saving shortcut you've been looking for. So let's get right to it, shall we?
So if you've been around here for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of the show friends, and they recently came out with their reunion episode, it was such a big deal. And I started thinking about the episode of friends. It was like the one that could have been right. It's like, the backstory of like, Oh, well, what if Rachel went on to marry Barry? And what if Ross was still married to
Carol? And what if Monica was still fat, and Joey was still on days of our lives and Chandler was a struggling artists trying to write comics, and Phoebe worked at Merrill Lynch, it was really funny is, um, I just said all that off the top of my head. Just thinking, I don't have to look up any notes. I did have to look up that episode. I have literally seen this episode 100 times. And I was really like that was just verbatim from memory. This is how dedicated to friends that
I am. But do you know what I'm talking about? There's like this episode of like the one that could have been. And that's kind of what I think about today's episode, like, and looking back, we're gonna look back over a little bit like just a quick snapshot of what my journey has been like through podcasting. And if I would change anything, and how things would look different if I were just starting if I was a brand new baby podcaster in 2021, what would things look like?
So first and foremost, if you're brand new around here, you haven't heard this story before I started my podcasting journey in 2018. Whenever I launched the rookie Live podcast, I thought of the idea earlier that year, and then I launched in July 2018. And so I owe y'all It was a mess. Like, I look back, and I'm really surprised that I kept going. Even though the motto has always been it has always been from the very beginning. Keep it up. We all have to
start somewhere. But I'm gonna be real honest with you. I'm really surprised that you are listening to this podcast today. Because back then, you'll I didn't have a ton of listeners, like I may have had. What I think it took me four or five months to get my first 1000 downloads. And I think that it took me I mean, I don't even want to pull up my stats, because it's just gonna it's just gonna be sad, but it took me a really long time to even get to my first 100 downloads like that didn't happen
on launch day. Let me just tell you that okay, that did not happen. I don't even know if that it happened after the first month. I don't know. And I don't even want to go look right, because stats, stats aren't everything. stats are not everything. But I will tell you, we had some humble beginnings around here. Okay. We just want to that is a fact statement of fact, very humble beginnings here at Proffitt Media when it comes to getting our podcast off the
ground. But the reason I want to share this is because the journey from going from the rookie life to the Proffitt Podcast like you are listening to Episode 261 of this podcast in between this podcast in my daily show, the potty report, y'all. That's 585 episodes. Yeah, yeah, between all the bonus episodes and everything. Like I added it up, right. Like as of me, recording this podcast. I've recorded 585 podcast episodes. Kill That's insane. That's crazy. That's crazy. Is the town
like in three years? Not even like to be exact, because I'm recording this in June 2021. So it's just shy of three full years of doing the podcast, we've created 585 episodes. So that's kind of the journey that we've been on. But now, I want to look at if I were starting my podcast, like, what are the main things that I've learned that I think would be super helpful for you
today? And if I mean, I could give you until the cows come home, all the how tos and the explanation of you need to do this, and you do that, but that's what this whole podcast is anyway, right? It's mostly how to like how to launch your podcast, how to start your podcast, how to market your podcast, how to get better at email marketing, how to understand copywriting how to do this how to like, literally, this podcast is mostly a how to step by step, do this
than that. So that's not what today's episode is going to be. Today's episode is going to be me kind of pondering, what would things look like if I had the information that I have today. And I was starting a brand new show, like, let's just pretend and I've actually I've had this idea in the back of my mind that I wanted to start a podcast totally unrelated to podcasting and online marketing, just to see
what happens. I really have like, just with the idea of like, like anonymous, like incognito, I wouldn't use my platform that I have, I wouldn't promote it on social media, I would just create this thing. And see what happens. I've had this thought, I don't know if it's a good thought. But I've seen other people who were like YouTube experts,
they'll do this. So they do it all kind of incognito under the radar, like their face, isn't in the video, their faces aren't on the thumbnails, but they can still get a lot of traction, because they know how to use like, the optimization with SEO and keywords and all the things. So maybe this is just me thinking out loud, maybe that's something that'll happen in the future. But it's like in real time, I don't have plans to do that.
But then looking back over my journey, I would have to say the number one thing that I'm so glad that I focused on in the very beginning, is planning out content and scheduling episodes ahead of time. And then this means a few different things. So planning content just literally means getting an idea out of my head, and planning
it out. Even if it's just a little bit like a few bullet points on a post it note or whatever, like getting the idea a little bit fleshed out before I hit record, because then that minimizes the amount of editing I have to go back and do later because I'm like, uh, what were what was I gonna say? So planning out my content has been a lifesaver, an absolute lifesaver and helping me stay focused and really just maximize my time with recording. And then the other thing
is scheduling. Now I try to schedule when I'm going to record based on what's going on in my personal life. So for me, I have three kids, you've probably heard me say this before. And in real time while I'm recording this. It's summertime, y'all. I have three kids at home with me this summer. They have athletic camps, we have basketball camps, we have, you know, there's all the things there's a lot of things going on
here at the house. And then if they're not outside because we live in Texas, okay, I can't send them outside. all day, every day in Texas, we don't have a pool at our house. And that doesn't sound safe just to throw my 12 nine and five year old outside and say go swim in the pool by herself. That's not safe. But I guess we don't have a pool at our house. Anyway, we have one in our neighborhood that we can go to which I'm so grateful for. Okay, this is this is my
secret sauce. This is my secret to success in the summertime. I will take a notebook with me to the pool. And while the kids are playing because there's a lifeguard they're like thank goodness for a shout out to all the lifeguards are previously like if you are a lifeguard at any point in your lifetime. Thank you very much for your service, because that helps this Mama, do a little work poolside and I can take my notebook and plan out content when I'm there.
But then I also have to schedule in like, when am I going to have some quiet time in the house? When will I be able to batch record a few episodes or when can I create a YouTube video without screaming kids in the background. So planning and scheduling are two of the biggest things that I would still recommend for anybody starting today and it would be something that I like hold as a priority.
As a top priority, planning and scheduling out your time, and just being very intentional with all the time that you do have because y'all, if you don't know this, I don't do this full time like 8am to 5pm. Working on my podcast stuff, I've kind of been part time in doing this. And I have to work in time blocks of like, Okay, I have two hours on this day to like, I have to get these three things done. Or I have an hour and a half here and 30 minutes
there. So I have to be very intentional with my time. And another side note, my youngest is actually starting kindergarten in the fall. And I have mixed feelings about it. It's our youngest child, and I'm just like, Oh my gosh, like I'm actually going to have from probably 8am to 3pm and be able to work at my house undisturbed. And I'm like, Attorney, I'm it's like, it's so foreign to me, I can't even think of what life's gonna look like then. But I'm really
excited. It's bittersweet for sure, because it means my baby boys growing up. But okay, so those are the things that I would still concentrate on, still put a lot of emphasis on, I'm actually going to talk about priorities and goals. Almost last,
But I wanted to dive into equipment, because this is the thing like Krystal knowing what you know, today about all the ins and outs of equipment, which by the way, I am not the equipment expert, but I have absolutely tested and tried and experimented with so many different types of equipment along my podcast journey. And the number one thing that I would recommend to anybody just getting started is to get a
dynamic microphone. I heard this so much whenever I was getting started, and I had no idea what that meant for the first year and a half of my podcast, I heard people saying, Get a dynamic mic, don't get a condenser mic and I heard it over and over again. I'm like, what does that mean? And of course, instead of googling it, I just was like, Oh, I don't know what that means. I'm cute. I just getting just keep pretending like I don't have to know what that
means. I'll google it if you really want to know the specifics about the dynamic versus condenser mic. But in a nutshell, a dynamic mic brings in your voice more than the sounds in your environment. Like it actually still echoes in my office. And I have a well aware of this. And it's because my office has windows and shutters it has glass doors, like there's French doors in the office. And I don't it's not fully carpeted in here, there's still a
lot of echo. But there is way less echo in this office because I switched to a dynamic microphone. And just to give you an example of what is a condenser mic that's very popular, it's the Blue Yeti. And this has been promoted in pretty much the online space for a long time. It's like Oh, you got to get a Blue Yeti, everyone needs a Blue Yeti, a Blue Yeti is perfect. It is a good option. If you don't have to worry about echo in
your space. If you're recording in your closet, if you're recording in a space that doesn't have any echo whatsoever. Yeah, a Blue Yeti could probably work for you. But if you have tile floors, and there's lots of windows and glass around, then it's not the
best option. So let me give you some some good options for a dynamic microphone, you have the ATR 20 100x, I believe I've never used this microphone, but I've always heard it's recommended the Samsung cue to you, or the Rode pod mic, those would be my recommendations. And there's actually a buzzsprout video where they go through all the best mics for under 100 bucks. So I'm gonna link to that in the show
notes. Because I think it's gonna be really, really helpful, especially for those of you still looking for options. Like you know, people always ask me about equipment options, and I'm like, I can only tell you what I've used and I love my road procaster. But it wasn't cheap. It was not cheap. And I have gone through several iterations of upgrading my content or my content, my microphone. And this is what I've landed on three years into my journey. So this is not a beginner
microphone. I started with a $20 microphone. Okay. And actually, the five fine, which is what I started with my $20 microphone, they have come out with a nother newer iteration that I think is so really good and it's under I know it's under $100 I don't want to say it's under 50 because I'm not sure and these are all in US dollars for my international peeps because I know you're listening and you're like wait, well how much what
what is it? Yeah. All the Anytime you hear me quoting, it's usually in US dollars. And then what equipment would I use? The other thing that I would suggest is your phone. And I know that sounds so simple, but I would still recommend this to someone who's just getting started. And they're using their equipment as an excuse to not start recording, use your phone, I have my iPhone, and I have air
pods. If you don't have air pods, you probably have the headphones that come with your device that have a built in microphone, you can use that for podcasting, you could just talk straight into your phone as well. Like, if the equipment is the thing that's holding you back, I want you to just get started with
your phone. That's like my tough love talk about equipment like that should be the least amount of like stress and anxiety and your barrier to getting started if that's what you're telling yourself as I don't have the right equipment, start with your phone period. The End, I've recorded so many episodes on my phone at this point. It's kind of ridiculous. But I mean, it's you can still do it. Absolutely 100%. Okay, so that was what equipment would I use, those would be my
recommendations. So get a dynamic mic, not a condenser mic.
Then software's and tools that I would recommend, I'm going to tell you about sprout. So this is my podcast hosting site, I'm gonna have links to everything that I talked about here today. So the YouTube video from best brow, and I have lots of other softwares that I'm about to list out. I'm the link to all of these in the show notes. Because I think that it's really helpful for people to see where you would necessarily use these tools, especially if you are a solo podcast, or
you're a solopreneur. And you're like, I'd love to hire an editor one day, but I don't have the budget for it. These tools can absolutely help you with getting off the ground with your podcast, and maybe even make it to where you don't even need to hire someone to help you do some of these things. So buzzsprout is one of them. And if you're going to go with buzzsprout as your podcast host, I recommend throwing in magic
mastering. So if you've heard me talk about this, I actually have to have one or two I know have at least one video on YouTube, about magic mastering and what it does what it is it I created it right after they released it. But it's basically in the way that buzzsprout describes it. It's like an Instagram filter for your audio, it crisps everything up to where it's clean audio, and it sounds fantastic. And to be honest, this is how I get away with very minimal editing of my
audio. I will go in and I will clean up any mistakes. Anything that I'm just like, Oh my gosh, has sounded terrible. I need to redo that or I just need to cut it out. I will do all of that in my software. But then whenever I upload it to magic mastering that filter is what makes it sound so good. So like the file that you would listen to on my computer sounds very different than the one that you actually
hear and buzzsprout. So what you're listening to right now is a lot clearer and crisper than what I have on my computer. So if you are looking for something that will help you level and master your actual audio file, magic mastering, if I were starting today, I would opt in and add magic mastering to my buzzsprout account. So I'm just saying like yeah, it helps me every single month, every single week whenever I put out a brand new episode. Magic mastering is on my side. It is my
best friend. Okay, next is software, audio software. So I started with Audacity. I used audacity for about two full years. And I had been using Hindenburg for the last year. Now, I know that you are probably on a budget depending on where you are in your podcast journey. I know I would have been hesitant to invest a lot of money in software when I was just getting started and wasn't sure if I was going to like podcasting. Would podcasting actually
be for me? Do I need to continue in this journey? So if I was starting today, I would probably still start with Audacity. But I would upgrade my software, probably after the first
three months. I really would like if you've been podcasting for a while and you're still using audacity And you're getting frustrated, you're frustrated with the process, maybe you don't like certain things about it, or you're just you're using GarageBand or another free software that's kind of limited in what you can do, I would absolutely recommend upgrading. And my favorite software is Hindenburg. So if you've never heard of this before, this is the platform that I use now.
And I wish I would have started using this years ago, years ago, because it actually helps you auto level any of your audio. So you know, you listen to probably last week's episode with Kate. And whenever I download her interview file, right, we have two audio files mine and hers. Whenever I download those, and I drop them into Hindenburg. What Hindenburg does is it automatically levels both of our volumes to where I'm not talking super,
super high. And then Kate's audio was really, really low to where the audience would have to adjust their earbuds right? Have you ever done this? If you ever listen to a podcast where you're you're listening, and you're like, Oh my gosh, like someone's screaming in my ear. And then the next minute, the next person is like, they're kind of whispering and it sounds really low. And you're like what's going on what I have to adjust the volume because I can't hear them really well? No, you don't want
that to happen. So that is what Hindenburg does, it brings all of the audio levels up to one place to where it is a pleasant listening experience for everybody. And it definitely saves on me having to do a lot of leveling and mastering on my end. So between Hindenburg and magic mastering you know, I don't do a ton of editing behind the scenes. Okay, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna tell you like it is syntel like it is it does. Yeah, I don't do a lot. So
I am pleasantly surprised Krystal, I expected a typical company tutorial. I was so happy to see you doing a show and tell. Thank you. This is a testimony from Cathy, who is one of our Proffitt Podcasting students. She left this comment about one of our tech library tutorials. Yes, if you are part of Proffitt Podcasting, I do walk through step by steps of how I actually edit my podcast every single week. We have some
fantastic tutorials. So if technology is the thing holding you back from starting your podcast, Proffitt Podcasting would be perfect for you. Go to KrystalProffitt.com/course to learn more, and we would love to welcome you into the program that has helped hundreds of podcasters get their show up and running in less than 30 days. So again, go to KrystalProffitt.com/course. Okay, let's get back to the episode.
Alright, so next, we're going to move into a transcription software. Is this necessary at the beginning? No, but I would recommend it for the free versions that are out there. So I used otter.ai for a very long time on their free plan before ever upgraded. And it wasn't actually until I started writing my book that I upgraded because I was using previous content for some of the chapters in the book, like I would take audio and video files, put them
in order. And then this was like the skeleton of you know, a certain chapter. And I would go in and format it. So I was using the free version of otter for forever. And then I finally upgraded. So you can absolutely get by with free versions of transcription tools. But I would try otter and then descript is another tool that I'm really excited to experiment
with. And I'm going to show you I have some YouTube videos coming out soon, where I'm going to go through step by step how to use descript as a podcaster. I'm actually a partner with them now. And I can't wait to show you because oh my gosh, I've been playing around with the software. And it's really, really cool. It's so cool. How you can just go in, you can edit the text, like a Google document, and it will actually edit your audio. Oh my gosh, like it's
just it's so awesome. I'm just I'm stumbling over my words, because I'm really excited about it. So otter.ai descript. Another software tool that I would use is ConvertKit. I would 100% use ConvertKit. Now, if you did listen to my episode last week with Kate doster, we talked about email marketing, and I asked her I'm like, what are your favorite email service providers and she talks about, she uses Active Campaign and she talks about a few
other ones. There's mail champ, but we were both like where was convert kits free trial whenever we were getting started, because you can use ConvertKit for your first 1000 subscribers, y'all. I got a two week trial, a 14 day trial in 2017. And I've been paying every single month since then.
Okay, so trust me when I say convert kits free trial is a amazing Yeah, it's probably still limited, you can't do everything that you could do on a on a paid version, but Oh, absolutely ConvertKit to still send my emails every week to my list and to grow my email list because it is so phenomenal. I love ConvertKit love it love it. I'm gonna have links. I'm an affiliate for a lot of these programs and software's. So I'm gonna have links to these in
the show notes. But everything I've mentioned here, there's a free trial that you can go and check it out. Even Hindenburg if you are a buzzsprout user already, they have a free trial. I can't remember if it's 60 days or 90 days, but you can absolutely go try out Hindenburg for free and decide if that's the software that you want to try out. Okay, moving on. Oh my gosh, we're like or 25 plus minutes in and I have so much so much to
share. So Asana, this is another platform that I would recommend you using from day one. I wish I would have started using Asana A long time ago, I started using a Google Sheets, which is very humble and very fantastic. I still use a Google Sheet for planning my content. But I use Asana to help me stay more organized with when I'm supposed to publish
content. And I love that I can check it off. It gives you that satisfaction of like, do you ever make your to do list and you love to just like write it out and just scratch it off. That is what Asana is for me, it hits those like endorphins of just being able to like, ah, check that off my list. It feels so good. Maybe not other people feel that way. But it's how I feel about Asana. I love it. So so much. It helps me play my podcast, play in my projects, do my promotions, I write
emails in there. I do so many things in Asana.
Okay, so let's move into programs. Okay. And this is just 100% some shameless plugging, okay, because if I were starting in 2021, I would get into Proffitt Podcasting. 100%. And the reason why I say that is not just because it's my program. It's because I know the ins and outs of this program answers so many questions that you don't know you have until you start podcasting. I can't even tell you how many times I've had someone say to me, like, how did you know like, you knew I was going to get stuck trying to figure out my audience, or you knew that planning, the first 20 episodes of my content was really going to help me get over the hump of getting through the first month or so of my podcast. And I just, I'm so proud of this program. And actually, if you are a Proffitt Podcasting student, I have some really cool news. We're working on getting a private audio experience for Proffitt Podcasting. So soon, you're going to be able to listen to a podcast of all of the course modules. So if that's appealing to you, if you're like, oh, man, I wish I could just put Krystal in my pocket and have her talk podcasting to me all day, and teach me in her course, you will absolutely be able to do that soon. So I'm really excited about it. And we're gonna have links to this in the show notes. So if you're interested in joining us and Proffitt Podcasting, we'd love to have you like I said, we teach you how to start launch and market your podcast. The other awesome program that we have is our ultimate podcast launch toolkit. Now this is for someone because I got this question the other day like, well, what's the difference between your course and your toolkit? Now the course is meant for someone that needs navigation through every piece of podcasting. Like you're like, I don't know what my podcast topic is going to be. I don't know the name of my podcast, I need help developing my artwork I need like just all the pieces planning the launch, getting my marketing off the ground. If that is you, then Proffitt Podcasting is definitely the route I would recommend. But if you just need to help launching the thing, right if you're like, no Krystal, I've recorded my stuff. I know how audacity works. I've got my you know, podcast hosting setup. I got most of it down. I'm like 80% there, then The ultimate podcast launch toolkit could be the thing that kind of pushes you over the edge, right? Like think of someone kind of gently shoving you off the cliff in like a loving way, right? Because you got a parachute on or you're just, you know, you're going cliff jumping and needed someone to push you off the edge. That's me. And that's the ultimate podcast launch toolkit. And this is one of those products that I'm so proud of, because it helps get you and your podcast up and running in 30 days or less. And it's really cool. So I'm gonna have a link to that in the show notes. And actually, another really cool product that's going to be available really soon is the BC stack 2021. Now, this is only a product that comes around once a year, the promotional period this year is actually June 13, through June 18. So if you're listening to this later on, and you're like, well, Krystal, it's September, like what are you even talking about? Well, it only comes around once a year. But this year, I'm actually creating a specific product about podcast websites. And this is the product that I wish I would have had whenever I first got started. Because I do believe that your podcast website is very, very important. Now, a podcast website could vary like there's a spectrum, right? There's a spectrum from not having a website to one that's like, you pay $10,000, to a developer to do all these fancy things like now more and more not doing that. I've never done that. So let's just let's talk about that first. Again, I've never spent a ton of money on a podcast website. But I can tell you, what has made my website successful, what pieces of it are most important and where you should focus and concentrate. So if podcast websites are something that you're like, Oh my gosh, like, this is the training that I need, then be on the lookout because we're going to be sending some emails and posting on social media soon to tell you all about BC stack 2021. Okay, y'all. Oh my gosh, I still have so much more to cover. But I want to tell you real fast if you're listening and you want to go to any of the links in the show notes are going to be KrystalProffitt.com/Episode261. That's where you're going to find everything that we've talked about here
today.
But I want to try to wrap this up and get through these last few points. So my podcast format, if I were starting my podcast in 2021, what I have learned this is for me personally, okay, so don't take this as like, this is the key to success in launching a podcast in 2021. But what I have learned is, I really enjoy shorter episodes published more often. Now I know you're listening to this, you're like crystal, this is gonna be over a 30 minute episode. I don't see that
as a short episode. Well, this is a little bit different. Like I said, we're 585 episodes into podcasting. At this point, I'm three years in, okay. 30 minutes is a pretty like, average episode for me. But if I were just getting started, I would probably do 15 to 15 minute episodes every week. So maybe an episode on Tuesday and episode on Thursday, but just at 15 minutes just to get started. And just to find my groove and just to feel confident behind the
microphone. And that's really how I would get started. And I would probably do a mix between solo and interview style. And if you're like, yeah, 15 minutes doesn't sound very long for an interview. That's what I would do. I would do it, maybe it would go up to 20 minutes, but I have listened to some incredible podcast interviews that are actually less than 30 minutes, so I know that it can be done. And that that's probably what I
would do. If I were starting in 2021 I would have shorter episodes, I would post more often. And the reason why is because instead of 130 minute episode one hour long episode, I could break it up into chunks and put it in front of my audience more so throughout the week, where I feel like I would stay more top of mind. So that's just my personal take on what I would do different if I were starting my podcast today.
And then the top priorities and goals for my show really wouldn't change from what they are today. And I'm gonna list these out I just kind of did like a brain dump of like, well if I were starting today, what would I want to make sure are some of my top goals. And the first one is be authentic. Like be truly authentic. be totally you like remember I started the beginning telling y'all how ridiculous I am
about friends. Like I just spout it off all these different these different parts of the episode of the one that could have been and that's just truly me, right if I was trying to be like somebody else About Oh, no, they're they're too polished and reserved to share that side of themselves. Now I'm showing up 100% as myself, so I would encourage you to do the same. And that's the advice I would give to myself if I was starting today. And the next piece
is kind of related. And it's to not try to sound so polished, or like another podcaster. Now, I fell into this comparison trap of, you know, oh, you know, maybe I should do mine, like Amy Porterfield, maybe I should do my podcast like Dave Ramsey, your Christie Wright Because these were the people that I was listening to, whenever I started my journey. And what happened was, I started to listen to myself, I would, you know, I record my podcast, and I go listen to it when I'm
editing it. And I would think that just doesn't sound like me. I would never say something that way. Like, if we were sitting over a cup of coffee, just having a conversation, I would never say something. The way that I said that sentence, or the way that I said, that phrase that just sounded really weird to me. So I would recommend anybody getting started, like, Don't try to sound so polished, or try to emulate somebody else. Just be yourself,
be authentic. And the other thing is, I would try to figure out the promotional and marketing pieces of my content a lot faster. Now today. Oh my gosh, well, this is my superpower. It is my superpower to align what I'm actually doing in my business to what's happening on the podcast and on my YouTube channel on my email on my social like, all of that fits together like a very well
crafted puzzle. But in the beginning, oh no, it was like 1000 piece puzzles scattered all over the floor vacuum that like stuck in the vacuum underneath the couch like all over the place, it was a mess. So I would really make it a point to figure that out a lot faster than I originally did in my podcast journey. And then the other thing that I would do if I were starting today is to guest on more podcast.
I've actually been saying this I feel like for the last year that this has been my goal I need to guest on my podcast I need to guest on our podcast. Krystal, you need to get on more podcasts. I'm telling this to myself. And I need to make this a top priority. So you will be seeing me do this more in quarter three, quarter four of 2021 because it's something that I am doing in real time. And I need to just focus on it. I need to be more intentional about
guesting on podcast. But it's something I would absolutely put as a priority for me if I was just getting started in 2021.
Now I want to wrap up this episode with what I would not do. Knowing all the things that I know now and the information that I've shared here with you today, if you are brand new, you're just getting started. Here's my advice to you into myself. Like if I was coaching myself ago, you're starting a podcast in 2021. Tell me what it's about. I would tell you to not do these three things. Okay. Are you ready? Are you ready? Okay, write write them down if you need to, to
come back to them. Or just come back and listen to this part of the episode because I'm going to tell you these things. Because I really, really, really, really think this is important. Number one, I would not do a video podcast. Oh, that hit a nerve, didn't it? Because I feel like everyone right now is saying you got to do a video podcast, you got to do a video podcast. If you don't do a video podcast, you're terrible, and you're gonna fail and you're never going to be
successful. I would not do a video podcast if I were just starting. Now that does not mean I wouldn't transition into it after the first three months after the first month. But whenever I was first launching my podcast, I would not do a video podcast because I know and having done more than 200 YouTube videos, I can't even tell you how many Facebook Lives how many YouTube lives it
lives. Like all the things I still would not do a video podcast, because there's an added element of being live or being on a pre recorded video. That is it throws you off if you don't come from a journalistic background of being on camera being behind the camera, and you're brand new to the online space period. A video podcast will jack with your head will jack with your head you're like Wait, are my wrinkles showing did I put on enough makeup? Is
my hair crazy? Y'all I came tell you I'll watch a YouTube video and I'm like, Why didn't you tell me I had some crazy flyaways like I mean just things that are so ridiculous that I noticed because I've been doing this for a while. I'm like oh my Gosh, I should have looked in the mirror before I started recording. But there's just a lot of added pressure when you throw in a video podcast. So if I were starting today, I still wouldn't do a video
podcast. The second thing is, I would not try to batch a lot of content, I actually see this as a mistake as brand new podcasters get started. And the reason why is I don't think that you will have a really clear content strategy, right when you launch your podcast, because you will see, you think a piece of content is going to perform really, really well for your audience. And you will be surprised at what they actually respond to. Maybe you will curate and craft this incredible episode.
But your audience doesn't care about that topic. Or, you know, you throw something together last minute, and people will say, Oh, my gosh, we want more of this. And it'll totally surprise you. So I love the idea of planning ideas out, right? I have nothing against that. I love it. I know, Brittany was on the podcast, Brittany Binion. She's actually a Proffitt Podcasting student. She came on the show when she said she planned out her first year of episodes. And I was like, This is
incredible. Like star student, it was so amazing. Whenever she talks about planning everything out. But she didn't record everything. She just wrote all of the ideas out. And this is what I recommend. But I don't recommend batching all of it. Because you never know, you could change everything about your show, whenever you get started, right, we all have to start somewhere. But I don't want you to feel trapped in publishing content that you really don't feel good about once it's
actually recorded. And maybe that's another topic we can go into another day. But I would just wouldn't recommend batching a ton of content. As soon as you get started, I think your first 10 episodes, awesome. But no more than that. No more than 10 episodes because you need at least three to five to launch. And then a few after that to give you some cushion. But don't try to batch way too much right at the beginning. And then the third thing I would not do if I was starting today is record
when I'm distracted. This is more of a personal thing for me and not so much advice for other people. It's just a simple fact that I've learned about myself is I have to have a solid hour buffer of time of when I'm going to record. And that means if I sat down I had every intention. You'll I'm actually shocked right now I had every intention of this episode today being on the shorter side, and we're 40 plus minutes in this point, I was like, Oh, I'm going to sit
down. This is going to be like a 20 minute episode, I'm just going to bang this out, y'all. I'm already double the amount of time that I thought I was going to take. And I just want to tell you that I can do that. Because I'm not. I'm not like oh my god, I gotta hurry up and finish because I got to run out the door, I got to go to an appointment, I got to do this, or the kids are going to be laughing they're going to be crazy. Like, don't record whenever you're
distracted. This is me telling myself advice, because I know this about myself in I would just recommend finding that intentional time. Remember, we talked about planning and scheduling time earlier, finding that intentional time where you can really get into that creative headspace of feeling comfortable behind the microphone, letting your ideas flow, letting your stories flow, and just really delivering a powerful message to your audience.
Oh my gosh, this is so fun. And now I'm like just imagining I just went through like a coaching session with myself. Maybe this was like a therapy session for if I was starting in 21. Like, seriously, this is the advice I would give to myself. And I feel like I could have went on about tools and software for 20 more minutes. So if you have any questions, if you are just getting started, please don't hesitate to reach out like I love our
Facebook community. If you're not a part of our community over there. There's going to be a link in the show notes. We would love to have you there's always incredible conversations. There's great questions in there. And I just love that people feel really comfortable asking questions, because I tell everybody all the time. I've already asked all the stupid questions. There's no more stupid questions left. I've already asked them all so feel free to come over there. Reach out in the
community. If you're looking for guests for your show. If you're looking to figure out a piece of your software or your equipment, don't hesitate to reach out. But the show notes for today's episode are KrystalProffitt.com/Episode261. And if you are brand new around here, make sure you hit that follow button take a screenshot and share this on social media. I would love for you to tag me and tell me what your number one takeaway If you are starting your podcast in 2021, what would be your
biggest goal? I would love to know I would absolutely love to know if you are starting your podcast this year. Tell me what is your biggest goal and starting your podcast, but as always remember, keep it up. We all have start somewhere.