3 Lessons Learned in Producing a Podcast - Career Pivot

3 Lessons Learned in Producing a Podcast - Career Pivot 3 Lessons Learned Copyright: garagestock / 123RF Stock Photo As I prepare to launch my podcast later this month, I thought this would be a good time to discuss the lessons learned from this endeavor. Believe me, I have learned a lot! This is the 4th in a series on podcasting. If you have not read the previous posts, I would encourage you to read them now. Podcasts â€" Why Baby Boomers and Others Should Care Baby Boomer Podcasts â€" A Sampling A Baby Boomers Favorite Podcasts â€" What I Listen to Weekly Let’s get started: Lessons Learned #1 â€" Relationships Since launching Career Pivot, I carefully cultivated relationships with key individuals. I did my best to be as helpful as possible in order to support and enable their success. There are times when I cannot be of much help, but I still try my best. My relationship focus has paid off. One direct benefit to Career Pivot is the everyone I asked to be interviewed has said yes. Well, one said yes, but not until early next year. My first interview will be with Chris Farrell, a senior economics contributor to American Public Media’s Marketplace. An award-winning journalist, he is the author? of the book, Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community, and The Good Life. (I have commitments for interviews from several authors whose books I have reviewed.) Lessons Learned #1 â€" Build strategic relationships, and focus on how you can help them. For More:Combat Age Discrimination with Strategic Relationships Lessons Learned #2 â€" Get Help It is very important that you do not try to do everything yourselfâ€"get some help. Within the last 10 years, I have edited more than 100 hours of audio while producing online courses and an audio book for my last employer. This diverseskill set helps me produce my podcast by myself. Listen to the most recent episode However, myartistic and musical talents are limited. The key is to outsource things that you’re not good at, as well as things you can do but should not (for various reasons). I have decided to outsource almost all of the work to produce the show. I contracted with a company to help me with most aspects of the podcast: recording the intro, selecting music, overall setup, and finally, all of the final editing and production of the show. If I tried to do everything myself, it would take a long…no, a VERY long time to do all of this. As a solo-entrepreneur, it is really important that I do not try to do everything by myself. Lessons Learned #2 â€" Do not try to do everything yourselfâ€"get some help. For More:The Key to a Successful Career Shift: Asking for Help Lessons Learned #3 â€" Leverage Technology I listen to technology advice from many people. I purchased an external audio recorder rather than trying to record the audio on my MacBook Pro. Various podcasters told me that they lost entire interviews because their Mac or PC locked up, or for some magical reason, did not save the audio file. Besides the audio recorder, I bought a new microphone, stand, and cables. Much to my surprise, the entire investment was less than $300 for top-of-the-line equipment. You can now purchase broadcast quality equipment for just a fraction of what it would cost as recently as a few years ago. I communicate with my editing team entirely through Dropbox. We have a single shared folder in the cloud where I can place copies of the recordings. Then, they do the rest. I am a big fan of Dropbox. I use it to communicate with other professionals who work with me: my editor, bookkeeper, intern, and various writers…all through Dropbox. Lessons Learned #3 â€" “KISS â€" Keep it Simple Stupid” by leveraging technology. For More:What Skills Will You Use in the 2nd Half of Life? Podcast Announcement Next Week I am excited to announce my new podcast next week. There are a number of things we still need to work out, including the final artwork, the exact format, and the opening show schedule. Have you started to listen to podcasts? Will you be willing to give my new podcast a listen? Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...