When you’re getting started with video podcasting, having a checklist is a great idea. A checklist can help you understand all of the steps you’ll need to take, plan your time and budget, and make sure you don’t miss a thing. Once you’re done getting your podcast on air, you can use your podcasting checklist as a reference point for all of those regular steps you’ll take to keep showing up week after week.
In this article, we’re talking about:
- Why is it important to have a checklist when starting a new podcast?
- How much time does it take to complete this checklist?
- What are the top 3 “must do” items on the list?
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Why is it important to have a checklist?
You should always have a list to reference when you’re starting a new video podcast for the simple reason that you are likely to forget something. And it might be something important. It doesn’t really matter what format the list takes or how you use it, but having something visual that you can check in with as you go through the process is going to ensure that you’re successful.
We’re big fans of a printable PDF (and you can download our free video podcasting checklist) because it allows you to post it somewhere in your studio or office space so that you constantly have eyes on it. Even if you’re not actively checking the boxes off as you’re going through the tasks, just seeing all of the steps is going to give you the big picture of where you are and where you’re going. It’ll also help you be able to do things like plan out resources and budget and work collaboratively with team members.
How much time does it take to complete this checklist?
The amount of time it takes is really going to depend on you. Some items on your checklist may be things are one and done as you’re starting out, while others are recurring tasks that you’ll want to reference each time. The main thing that will cause you to lose time in the process is perfectionism.
While we’re big believers that it’s important to be professional and to create quality content, we also know that it’s really easy to get caught up in the minutia. As you’re working through your process, remember that podcasting doesn’t need to be perfect. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on equipment and hours of time recording and re-recording. What matters more than anything is the content that you’re creating. After all, if you spend thousands and never press that record button, you don’t have a podcast, do you?
Rather than worrying about getting to perfection, get to authenticity instead. Focus on your workflow and make sure you’re taking all of the steps to get your content out to the listeners and viewers who want to hear it.
What are the top 3 must-do items on the list?
When it comes to creating a video podcast, the most important items are those at the beginning of the checklist, namely:
- Choose your podcast name and description.
- Find a podcast host.
- Record a trailer episode.
There is a fourth must-do that we should add to this list and that’s submitting to the podcast directories (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc). These four must-do items will get you from no podcast to having a podcast. That being said, you’ll certainly want to do more than just these basics if you plan on having a successful, long term show. The rest of the items on our podcast checklist are going to be recurring tasks. There are also things like guest management (if you plan on having a co-host or guests) and promotion.
Here are few things to keep in mind when choosing your podcast’s name:
- Avoid brand names or anything copyrighted.
- Be sure to do a Google search to see if something similar already exists.
- Try not to be too cute. Remember that a lot of this helps with SEO. Direct and obvious is best.
Finally, the reason that we have a trailer episode on this short list is that many of the podcast hosts require a trailer (or a few first episodes) before sending your podcast through to the directories. Even if your trailer is as simple as a minute or two or you explaining what the show is going to be about, it’s a helpful tool to ensure that people listen, watch, and review your show.
Avoid the Pod Fade
Pod fade is when a podcast slowly “fades away” over time. A lot of this is because there are many steps to getting started and it can feel like a lot of work. Thankfully, platforms like Captivate make it easy and save podcasters a lot of time.
The best ways to avoid pod fade is to know what you’re getting into, understand the steps you need to take and the amount of time, and try not to be too much of a perfectionist about it.
On The Flow podcast, we do a live recording in front of our virtual “studio audience.” This helps keep us committed to showing up every week and also makes the process more fun. In addition, we use tools like Ecamm, Captivate, and Descript to automate a lot of our processes and simplify our checklist.
You can’t do everything, so focus on what matters most. Your content, your audience, and your time.
You’ve got this!
Get Into The Flow with Ecamm
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If you have any questions for us, please send them to flow@ecamm.com or join us live.
