3 Valuable Lessons from Podcasting for 3 Years

I was co-hosting a Cisco Champions Radio episode with François Vergès and realized I’ve been producing a podcast for 3 years now. Never have I thought I’d be in my 3rd year. Back in August of 2015, I took on a new adventure and put myself out there with the Clear to Send podcast.

The primary goal of starting the podcast was to get involved in the Wi-Fi community. The secondary purpose was to force myself to learn Wi-Fi and become an expert in the field. Over time, the process of producing the podcast with the addition of a new host, improved audio quality, and valuable content.

1 – Planning is Paramount

I firmly believe the success of a quality podcast will be the result of thorough planning. Creating an outline based on a specific topic will drive the whole conversation of the podcast recording. Otherwise, all talking heads start rambling and going on a tangent.

A simple outline keeps everyone on topic and straight to the point. Don’t give the listener unnecessary information. Their time is precious.

2 – The Best Mic You Have is The One With You

We all tend to be gearheads. We like shiny toys. The best of the best. But does the type of microphone you use really set your podcast apart from the rest? Not so much. Given, a listener must be able to distinguish what is being said on the podcast. But the money is in the content.

You can record with the built-in microphone of the iPhone if you wanted to. But the content is what listeners are after. Do you provide something of value. If so, the listener doesn’t care what type of microphone you’re using as long as they can understand you and gain something from the podcast.

3 – Be Consistent

Be, Be, Consistent. Nothing irks me more than podfading or a host who doesn’t publish regularly. If you’re going to publish once a week, then I better see a new episode every week. Granted, life happens and sure you can miss a week here and there.

Just tell everyone through your social media channels. I’ve done it. But to publish so irregularly such as once a month or once every other couple months. Why bother?

Consistency is the key for a successful podcast. Valuable content on a regular interval is a winning strategy.