What’s Involved in Creating a Podcast?

I can’t believe it, but my podcast is about to celebrate its 1st anniversary! It’s weird, I never thought I’d have a podcast, but one day I decided I wanted to try it out. 

In today’s episode, I thought it would be fun to share a behind-the-scenes look at the steps I take to create and publish my episodes. Maybe you’re curious about what’s involved with producing a podcast, or perhaps you’re a VA thinking about helping other podcasters. 

First, I’ll give you a peek at what I do, and then I’ll give you a list of podcasting tasks you could help others with if that’s something you’re interested in.

Mentioned in this episode:

• *Buzzsprout - hosting company I use for my podcast. Receive a $20 Amazon gift card for signing up to a paid plan using my special link >>> https://desiretodone.com/buzzsprout
• My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@desiretodone
• My Pinterest account: https://www.pinterest.com/desiretodone/
• My website/blog: https://desiretodone.com
• My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/desiretodone
• My LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtual-assistant-mentor/
• My Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/desiretodone/
• My VA, Becky (she edits my audio and uploads to Buzzsprout): https://theorganizedceo.com/tech-vip-day/
• My VA, Kathleen (she helps with YouTube videos and social media): https://www.creativeceltic.com/

*Affiliate link

--------------------------------------
🖥️ Visit my website: https://desiretodone.com
💌 Sign up for my newsletter: https://desiretodone.com/newsletter
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@desiretodone
🦄 Join my membership program: https://introvertvaclub.com

Transcript

What’s Involved in Creating a Podcast? 

This episode may include affiliate links.

Hello! Welcome to episode 36 of the Desire to Done Podcast! I’m your host Billie Gardner.

I can’t believe it, but my podcast is about to celebrate its 1st anniversary! I officially launched it on Nov 22nd, 2021. 

It’s weird, I never thought I’d have a podcast, but one day I decided I wanted to try it out. But I didn’t create it till about a year after my idea. I felt a bit stuck and needed some guidance, so I worked with a podcast manager for a week, and she told me what I needed to do, shared resources, and kept me accountable. 

In today’s episode, I thought it would be fun to share a behind-the-scenes look at the steps I take to create and publish my episodes. Maybe you’re curious about what’s involved with producing a podcast, or perhaps you’re a VA thinking about helping other podcasters. 

First, I’ll give you a peek at what I do, and then I’ll give you a list of podcasting tasks you could help others with if that’s something you’re interested in.

There are basically 6 steps in my podcasting production process:

1. The first one is writing the script. I may grab a blog post from my website, content from my membership library, questions I receive, or write something new that’s on my mind. Writing a script keeps me on topic when I record the episode and eliminates me from rambling on or wondering what I should say.
2. Then I record the episode. I use free software called Audacity to record my podcast episode.
3. Then I edit the audio. This is also done in Audacity. I used to do this myself, but I recently handed this task over to my amazing VA Becky. It was difficult for me to delegate at first, but now that I have, I’m glad I did. Becky goes through the audio and edits out any long pauses, sounds, or goof-ups. She’ll also add the intro to the beginning of the episode, which is the music you hear before I start talking. 
4. Then I upload the audio to the podcast hosting software. I use Buzzsprout to host my podcast. My VA will add the show notes, tags, and transcript. I’ll then look over and schedule.
5. Once the podcast is live, it’s on to promote it. I’ll do this by adding the episode to an existing blog post or creating a new blog post from the script and adding it there. I’ll also pin it on Pinterest, share it in my newsletter, and share it on LinkedIn and Facebook through the Buzzsprout platform.
6. I then create a video and audio clip. I use Headliner to create both of these. My other VA, Kathleen, creates the video and uploads it to YouTube. She’ll also grab the audio clip that Headliner automatically creates and post it on Instagram as a Reel.

That about sums up the process for me. It takes about 2-3 days for 1 episode. As you can probably tell, I like to make the most of the content I create and repurpose it in any way I can. 

For example, I’ll turn a blog post into a podcast episode and then turn the episode into a video for YouTube. I also wanted to keep things simple, so I don’t have guests on the show. I know that having guests makes things a little more complicated because it involves things like scheduling and finding people to interview.

Another thing I do to keep things simple is I use the same podcast cover art for each episode instead of creating a new one. 

So, do you think you’d like to be a podcast manager or podcast VA? Well, there are people out there that definitely need your help!

Here are 10 tasks you can help podcasters with:

1. Starting a podcast - just like the podcast manager who helped me launch my podcast, you can help people who need help starting theirs. You can offer consulting, coaching, or help with the tasks.
2. Writing scripts - some people need help writing scripts for their podcasts. If you enjoy writing, this might be something you’d like.
3. Audio editing - this seems to be one of the most requested tasks. If you like to edit audio, you should be able to find lots of work.
4. Creating transcripts - if you work with a podcaster who doesn’t use a script, they’ll need their audio turned into written copy. I believe some podcast hosting software does this automatically, and you’ll just need to clean up the transcript.
5. Uploading episodes to a hosting company - the hosting company is who broadcasts the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms. You can also add the show notes, tags, and transcript.
6. Designing social media graphics - if you love using Canva and designing graphics, you could help create podcast graphics to be shared on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. You could also create new podcast cover art for each episode.
7. Promoting on social media - you can write and schedule social media posts to promote the podcast.
8. Repurposing content - you can help turn the audio into other forms of content like a blog post, video, and audio clip 
9. Finding podcast guests - lots of podcasts do interviews and need help finding people to talk to
10. Finding podcast interview opportunities - being interviewed on other podcasts is a great way for businesses to get in front of new audiences. You could help your clients find podcasts to be interviewed on whether they have a podcast or not.

So, if you’re thinking about becoming a podcast VA and wondering if people need your help. The answer is a big YES! There are lots of moving pieces, and many of them can be delegated to someone else!

I hope you enjoyed this special behind-the-scenes episode and seeing how my podcast is created. I appreciate you listening, whether you’re a new listener or have been with me since the beginning. 

I’ll talk to you soon! Bye!