Today we are breaking down our podcasting process. We are giving an overview of the process, plus the solo process, the interview process, and the tools we use. We also talk about how we decided on the style and type of podcast we were going to have.

When we met, we were both blogging about our goal of reaching 20-25k a month in recurring revenue. We have a free flow show where people think of the show as an honest transparent look into our businesses and journeys. We have a conversational podcast as we tell our story. We were actually introduced by a third party. We found out we had the same goals, and that both of us were interested in podcasting.

How We Determined Our Format

We loved having conversations about scaling businesses, and having a co-host makes it a lot easier to keep it conversational. Early on, we talked about how a daily show can increase rankings and downloads. That is why we decided on two episodes a week. As a side passion, we didn’t want it to become a burden.

We hit it off and we were both on the same page, but we still put together a brief document with contingencies for revenue share and leaving the show. We created our format for sharing goals and revenue numbers. We used to think of it as sort of mastermind style. Our second show a week was to be a deep dive, but it eventually became an occasional interview episode.

Interviews are great for cross promotion, plus it is almost like getting a free consultation. We both enjoy the interviews and get a lot out of them. We don’t have a go to process for our second weekly episode. Sometimes it is a deep dive, sometimes an interview or something else.

Consistency and Scheduling

We have a Monday and Thursday show. Consistent shows keep going, and listeners expect that. We make time for it by doing both episodes on Fridays at 9:00 am. Sometimes guest interviews will fall on a different day. We have similar calendar schedules and we protect the shows on our calendars.

Our Process and Tools

Monday episodes are updates. They cover our fails, goals, and plans. We also highlight a tool we like. We have a template that we share through Google docs. We list everything that we have done, plus ideas for future episodes. Our Monday shownotes are so meaty, because we put all of our information in the Google doc, then we cut and paste that into WordPress. This is where the mastermind format comes in because we talk about fails.

Once we have the notes we hop on Skype. Greg records with Adobe Audition with himself recorded into one track and Justin recorded into another. Then he exports the file and puts it into a dropbox folder for Podcasting Press. They take the file and edit it and send it back in an mp3 file format.

Then Greg adds it to iTunes, with metadata, logo art, and descriptions. He uses TextExpander to save time when adding the information. Then he drags the file from iTunes and uploads it to our hosting company, Libsyn.

Promotional Process

After adding a description and a release date, Justin uploads the show to our website using Smart Podcast Player. He copies and pastes the Monday show notes from the Google doc. Once it goes live, Justin uses Pretty Link to shorten and simplify the URL, plus it gives additional stats. Then he makes sure everything is linked properly, and uses buffer to send out Tweets about the show being live.

He also creates snippets and puts those in categories in Edgar. He also may submit the information to different communities, depending on the fit. We also use the PodBuzz tool. On the Thursday episodes, we email each other with our notes to prepare for the interview, and Podcast Motor creates the shownotes.

Equipment

We both use Heil PR-40 microphones. We both also use the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 recording audio interface. This is a device that plugs into the USB on our computer then we plug the microphone and headphones into it. This allows us to adjust audio settings on either track. Ecamm call recorder also allows us to record the tracks. You could also use the Pamela plugin to do this. Having a mic stand with a boom is also really convenient for moving the mic. We use the Heil Sound PL-2T Boom. We also use a pop filter with our microphones.

We also get a lot of input for our shows from the free facebook group, and the newsletter by Mark Santiago, and also from the Insiders Slack group.

We are excited about being close to episode 100 where we are going to be interviewed by Pat Flynn. If you have a question that you would like Pat to ask us send it to Hello@ZerotoScale.com. If your question is selected you will receive a copy of Pat’s new book, “Will It Fly?”.

Resources Mentioned:

Stay Connected:

  • If you’d like to take your entrepreneurial journey to a whole new level, join fellow “scalers” on the inside by joining the Zero to Scale Insiders program. For just $19/mo you get access to Justin and Greg and several other like-minded entrepreneurs who want to help you succeed in your journey!
  • Be sure to join our free Facebook group for continuous discussion and let us know your thoughts on today’s podcast.  
  • We’d love to get a 5 star rating on iTunes from you. We don’t plan on asking for this in the episodes themselves since most people are doing other things when they’re listening, but we’d love if you left one for us.🙂