ZERO TO LAUNCH PODCAST ACCELERATOR: Because "Podcasting" is where the world is headed

By Michael Neeley

How to launch and host your own podcast.

"If you are looking for a comprehensive and thorough plan on how to successfully launch a podcast, look no further. Michael is an expert in helping people set up, launch and monetize a podcast. As an industry leader, Michael presents with integrity, shares up to date information and

• Language: English
• Publisher: BEYOND PUBLISHING
• Release date: Feb 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781637927908

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Zero to Launch Podcast Accelerator, the best way to grow your platform, build your authority, and double your income – all while still in your pajamas!

First off, I want to welcome you to this premiere, podcast training book, but even more so, I want to congratulate you on taking these next steps on getting your message out to the world in a much bigger way.

In this short, welcome chapter, I want to give you a quick overview of the book, lay out some logistics, and make sure you are familiar with the flow of the material – which is entirely based upon my highly successful online course.

As part of this introduction chapter, I also want to take some time to go over the rules of the road. By that, I mean:

What you can expect and NOT expect from this book.

What the best ways to maximize your experience and learning are.

How the information will be delivered.

What to do if and when you need more help—or when you hit the wall, so to speak.

I want you to know that I am here for you.

So… Who am I?

Well, my degrees are in the Fine Arts, and I used to be a professional actor. I spent many years jousting and sword-fighting for a living.

But… that was then.

This is me now…

The current Michael Neeley. I host the popular podcast Consciously Speaking, as well as Buy This – Not That!, Something to Wine About, and The PodQuest Show. In addition to being a multi-podcast host, I am a published author, an international speaker, and a business mentor to six and seven-figure entrepreneurs.

I’ve helped launch hundreds of podcasts, have over 500 published episodes of my own shows, have reached over two million downloads, and have hosted and spoken at live events, teaching podcasting as a business strategy.

Here is a quick story of my own podcasting career, so you know you are in good hands.

Back in late 2014, I didn’t even know what a podcast was. I was in the middle of a great coaching session with one of my clients, in which he was having a lot of aha moments, so I asked him if we should record it.

He agreed, and when we were done, we played it back. It sounded really awesome, and he said Hey, you should start a podcast.

To which I replied, What’s a podcast?

Now, don’t get me wrong… I wasn’t born under a rock. I was familiar with the word, but I just didn’t know what one was, nor had I ever listened to one in my life.

So, after he informed me all about them, I took that information to heart, and two weeks later, I launched my first podcast. Seriously–two weeks. Was it good? I thought so. Could it have been better? Absolutely!

Looking back now, I’m amazed at how little I knew and was still able to make it happen. Of course, while I was certainly getting it out there, I was also doing many things wrong. I just didn’t know it.

Until…I happened to be signed up for one of those everything-but-the-kitchen-sink offers by an online marketer, and I found a course on podcasting in his bag of products.

Well, not really a course, but more of an introduction. And in it, I learned what a podcast COULD be. I had no idea you could make money at it! I had no idea there were professionals doing it as their full-time job. This sort of blew me away and got me excited at the same time. So, I set about to learn from the professionals.

My show was sporadic, with me posting a new episode about every seven to ten days. I had about 10 episodes under my belt, when I pulled the plug and decided to re-launch my podcast with my newfound wisdom.

By then, it was February 2015, and after a little more than a month of doing nothing but learn and prep for my NEW show, I was ready to take iTunes by storm. And I did. Only in one month!

I went from a sporadic, weekly podcast, to a daily show. Seven episodes a week, running 40 to 60 minutes in length–and not only did I land in the New and Noteworthy section in all three of my categories, I also ranked as high as number-four in my main category, Self-Help. I was right up there with Deepak Chopra, Brendon Burchard, and Gabrielle Bernstein.

Since then, my show has grown in audience and recognition. I have gone from desperately seeking new guests—I needed 260 per year—to now having guests clambering to be on my show.

And best of all–I’ve gotten paid for it. Well… let me take that back. I think the best part of all is, I’ve impacted people’s lives. I’ve received unexpected emails and messages from strangers telling me how my show shifted their day when they were down in the dumps, or how I helped them through a rough spot in their relationship or career.

And that is the impact you can have. The impact I want to help you achieve.

But, enough about me for now, you’ll hear more of my adventure as you read on. Let’s get to the agenda.

First off, we’ll cover a short overview of the world of podcasting. This will include a brief history, some of the recent changes to the business, and a look at the industry as a whole.

Then, we’ll jump into your show development. This is not to be confused with show design, where we talk about things like style and music–but it goes back even further than that. How do we even decide what we want to make the show about?

I know you may be scratching your head, going Michael, I already know what I want my show to be about, but bear with me… There’s more to a successful show than that.

After we cover development, we’ll get into the show design. We’ll cover your title, your artwork, your music and sound, your styling choices, and more. This is the fun stuff!

Once we have all of that dialed in, we’ll take a closer look at your equipment needs. Of course, this can vary dramatically, but we’ll look at it from the bare-bones point of view to the state-of-the-art one.

Then, the moment you’ve been waiting for–episode creation. We’ll look at your recording routine, editing style, episode postings, and even some outsourcing options you may want to consider.

Now that your episode is complete, what do you do next? In that chapter, we’ll cover the hosting platforms, explain what podcatchers are, and even take a look at the value and understanding of your statistics.

When you’ve got your recording and posting down pat, it’ll be time to look at your podcast launch. This is one area where rookies most often reveal themselves, and we’re going to make sure you come out looking like a professional.

I won’t leave you hanging there, though, for the next chapter will be all about your post-launch action steps. What do you do once you’re up and running? How do you make sure you’re getting maximum exposure? I’ve got you covered.

After you’ve fully settled into your podcasting rhythm, you’ll want to get into action on audience growth. In this chapter, we’ll reveal some of the great hacks the pros use and set you loose to put them in play.

Of course, the chapter many folks want to jump ahead to is all about monetization. You’ll learn seven ways to make money with a podcast, and you can choose which ones you want to employ. This is where a lot of podcast hosts start thinking about adding a second show, so just beware!

And finally, we’ve got a whole bonus chapter on insights and tips about podcasting as a business, and a tutorial and support section for deeper learning on software, equipment, and more.

I also want to take a moment and let you know what to do if you feel like you need more than what this book offers. I understand some people might want more hand-holding than others, and I have upgrade packages you may want to take advantage of that include more one-on-one mentoring with me, and even some done-with-you events, where we actually launch your podcast in anywhere from one to three days.

This won’t be for everybody, so I’ll be brief, but because you put your trust in me when you bought this book, I’m going to discount my live courses and programs by up to 25 percent of what you would find them priced on my website.

Thus, you can take advantage of my three-day Podcast Launch Retreat for just $7,500. I prefer to do these in-person, but I also offer them virtually from time-to-time. These are small group events, which include your $500 equipment value, and are normally priced at $9,997.

Similarly, many people want one-on-one attention where time is of premium value. If that is you, I offer private, VIP Launch Days— also priced at $9,997—but you would receive 25 percent off of this rate, as well. These VIP days can be done in-person or virtually, and because it will only be you, we can accommodate your schedule more easily.

Both of these offers include a two-hour pre-event prep call, during which we’ll cover some of the basics and assign you some homework to have done by the next time you show up. We will also have a 60-minute follow-up call to support your launch process.

If you’d like some other form of personal, one-on-one access, you can book a free, 30-minute Launch Breakthrough Session with me here: https://podquest.net/launch-call.

So, let’s get rolling.

And, once again, congratulations on embarking on this exciting and worthwhile adventure. Here’s to your abundant success!

CHAPTER ONE

AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORLD OF PODCASTING

A Brief History of Podcasting

Let’s take a quick look at the history of podcasting. Without geeking out too much on the details, let me just say that back in the late 1990s, audio-blogging was starting to be of interest to a lot of folks. So much so, that after BloggerCon in 2003, a gentleman by the name of Adam Curry started offering his blog readers an RSS-to-iPod script that could move MP3 files to iTunes.

One could say that it was that November when podcasting was officially born, and Adam Curry has gone on to become an icon in the industry—but it was in February of 2004 that podcasting got its name in an article in The Guardian.

If you want to totally geek out, you can find all of this information—and so much more—on Wikipedia. The reason I want to cover it here for you is so you understand this: it is still a relatively new medium!

They say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. What is the second-best time to plant a tree? Right now. This is no different than podcasting. Since the medium is still so young, you are getting in at a ripe time.

But, let me continue with a bit more of the history I think is important for you to know—or at least think about.

In October of 2004, detailed, how-to-podcast articles were popping up online, since it looked like this thing was going to be more than a hobbyist’s fad—like ham radio. A month later, Liberated Syndication (Libsyn) launched the first podcast service provider. For ease in this book, we’ll refer to it as a hosting platform, or simply platform.

In June of 2005, Apple added podcasts to its iTunes roster and started a directory of shows in their music store. Apple also started to promote the creation of podcasts using GarageBand and QuickTime Pro.

In the following month, the first People’s Choice Podcast Awards were held during Podcast Expo. Of course, a whole lot has changed since then, and the growth has been steady and strong.

Just a couple of things to note before we wrap up the history lesson. Your RSS feed is important to know about. RSS basically stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it is a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format.

But, what you need to know is it is through this feed that your shows get blasted out—syndicated—to podcast aggregators everywhere.

And finally, PODCAST was defined. It picked up the name as a cross between the then-popular iPod, and the word broadcast—even though it predates Apple offering them in aggregation. Based on that, it can be loosely translated as Portable On-Demand BroadCAST—portable can be interchanged with personal.

So, that’s your history of podcasts in a nutshell. If nothing else, it’ll give you something to talk about at cocktails parties when people ask you about your podcast.

Podcasting as an Industry

While the medium of podcasts really only began less than 20 years ago, it has had a slow-but-steady increase in popularity, and the industry continues to grow year after year. Many of the pioneers in this field are now generating a wealth of abundance from their efforts. Some are teaching it, some are capitalizing on sponsorships and other monetization methods you’ll learn about in this book, and many of them are even winning awards and recognition. You can join those ranks now and get in on a still-young and independent medium that is on the verge of exploding.

Over the course of the years since its inception, there have been articles that claim things like podcasting is a fad, or podcasting is dead, to podcasting is having a resurgence or a renaissance.

All of those articles were basically nonsense, written by people who barely knew the industry. Podcasting has not had meteoric growth at any phase, nor has it had massive dips where it looked like extinction was inevitable.

As I mentioned before – it has been steadily growing. I do believe we may now be on a precipice of a rapid-growth phase.

Why?

Let’s take two things into account. One: people are time-crunched more and more these days. As a society, we try to multitask wherever we can, and we don’t like to be bored or quiet very much. Of course, I’m not speaking for everyone, but society in general. It is this exact societal issue that is feeding the growth and interest in podcasts: because one can listen to their favorite material—be it entertainment or education—while they’re doing something else. Typically, listeners are working out at the gym, jogging, or driving. My housekeeper listens to podcasts while she’s cleaning my home. Podcasting allows us to multitask, and it feeds our need to avoid sitting in our own silence.

BUT… podcasting is still catching on. A great resource for podcast statistics is The Infinite Dial, annually published by Edison Research. You’ll be able to find it online, or you can check out our resources section to take a look at the growth. Podcasts are catching on so-much-so that Apple split up their long-standing iTunes app, which had previously included movies, books, tv, music, and podcasts. Now, each section has its own platform. Thus, Apple Podcasts was born.

Spotify and Pandora have jumped into the fray of offering podcasts as well as music, and both of them are very excited about the addition! Big businesses are taking up podcasting as an add-on to their services and a way to keep in touch with their customers and grow their audience.

Even well-known coaches, authors, and public figures–those who don’t really need another way to tout their authority–are starting podcasts. Look at Tony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, and many others.

They’re getting into it because of the massive value, and because—as the hockey great Wayne Gretzky would advocate–you skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it’s been.

One of the most appealing things about podcasting, at least in my book, is that it is still wide-open to the average person. Anyone can start up a show and compete alongside the big names, like NPR and other networks. As a matter of fact, that’s part of the reason so many millions of people are tuning in worldwide–they get to hear from real people, living in a real world, not overly-produced, agenda-driven material. Not that that type of content isn’t out there, but it’s the podcast messengers like you who make them so much more appealing.

As the industry has taken off, events have grown and spawned many new shows. Podcast Movement—probably the largest podcasting conference in the world, takes place every year. They recently added a second conference—Podcast Movement Evolutions—to go even deeper. Podfest takes place in Florida each year, as well as many other smaller conferences in the U.S. and abroad. An Academy of Podcasting has sprouted up, and there are Podcasting Academy Awards, as well as a bunch