“I could never be a podcast host.” – loads of bloggers everywhere.
Or maybe…
- “I don’t have a good voice.”
- “I don’t know what to say.”
- “I don’t even know where to start.”
Fam, I got you.
Actually NO. Joe Saul-Sehy has you! You’ll know him from the Stacking Benjamins (and Money With Friends!) podcast(s), and I’d argue he’s a bonafide expert when it comes to running a microphone.
So if you’re curious about starting a podcast (or already have one), Joe is here to help us…
- Run engaging interviews
- Create interesting content that keeps listeners coming back for more
- Generally be capable of producing quality audio content.
It’s good. I’m excited for you to listen & learn.
Fun quotes from Joe:
I would tell anybody that wants to go into podcasting–Don’t worry about getting it right, get started! We started roughly eight years ago, and we should have started nine years ago. Had I started a year earlier, we would have made the mistakes earlier that everybody makes and we’d be further ahead.
and one more…
Make the show you’d want to listen to.
????
How can I get more comfortable & confident in front of a microphone?
From Joe…
You’re going to mess it up. You’re going to hate your voice.
It’s going to really sound like nails on a chalkboard and you’re not going to be good because it is a 10,000 hours kind of thing.
So, Realize you’re going to make mistakes, and the only way NOT to–is to start talking, because you will figure things out as you go along!
You get on the microphone, and you evaluate yourself. I think the important question is: “Can I constantly sharpen your saw and think about how can I get better?”
How can I “get better” as a podcast host?
Joe brings up two points:
1. Think in terms of stories:
Think in terms of Stories.
Podcasts are phenomenal story vehicles, and instead of trying to get facts–try to get stories!
Facts are fantastic if you’re in listicle world and blog world–but facts suck on a podcast. Our eyes are designed for factual stuff. Our ears are designed for storytelling.
Further reading? Check out my blog post: How to tell marketing stories!
2. Put away the overused questions and focus on the conversation:
For a new podcaster, those pre-arranged questions can actually be a crutch.
As a host, you WILL probably have a few huge points, lessons, and topics that you want your guest to get to–but those are just lead-off topics.
You’ll want to simply kickstart that conversation, story, example, etc, and have your guest do most of the storytelling and explaining!
While YOU listen attentively with the goal of understanding and staying involved in the conversation for proper follow-ups, etc.
Do you INSTANTLY feel more confident about producing podcast content?
Or still “meh?”
Drop me a comment below!
I’d love to hear if podcasting is even on your radar, and if you found this chat with Joe Saul-Sehy helpful ????
