Streamlined Podcaster: Save Time Podcasting with Systems and Automation

I got to record on the floor of an actual chocolate factory this summer for Start Local, the show I produce with Liam and Eric — and the gear I brought fit in a messenger bag instead of the giant backpack I used to haul. I walk through exactly what I used, what went wrong (my camera overheated and quit ten minutes in), and why I no longer think you need XLR mics and a pile of cables to get a good field recording. If you're recording outside your studio, the setup is simpler than it's ever been. Resources & Links DJI Mic — the Bluetooth lav mics I used for both hosts and our guest Hollyland — the other lav mics I recommend, especially the round ones Ecamm — what I used to record multitrack into the laptop CalDigit — the powered hub I should have brought instead of a bus-powered dongle Start Local — the local podcast I produce with Liam and Eric New Chattel Chocolate — our guest, and the factory floor we recorded on Do you record in the field? Tell me at streamlinedfeedback.com Save 25 hours a month without hiring a team: streamlined.fm/join Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!

Day 30, on International Podcast Day. There was a stumble in the middle, but what's a podcast without a couple of stumbles? I cooked this series up seven days into September, and it made me think hard about my podcast journey. Here I run back through the lessons: start sloppy, know and serve your audience, learn from others the way I learned from ShopTalk Show, don't forget your mission statement, and remember that gear isn't the barrier anymore. I'm recording this in a Portsmouth hotel room with a Hollyland Lark L2. Above everything else, podcasting is about authenticity. From October 1 to 7 I'll do a behind-the-scenes series on how this went, including the final numbers. Resources & Links Mentioned: ShopTalk Show, Hollyland Lark L2 Creator Camp in Portsmouth, NH Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI.Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!

Most podcast ad money goes to the biggest shows, and the big companies that bought networks aren't seeing the returns they wanted. So I think podcasting goes the way blogs and YouTube did: go niche and serve a specific audience, because a thousand super fans beat a million followers. If you niche down, you'll have a smaller show, and that's okay. I'm not saying a small show is better than a big one, but it's better than the pursuit of a big one, which for most of us isn't worth the effort. Stay small, help the people you help best, and make money through dynamic ads, your own products and services, or a sponsor who fits your audience really well. Resources & Links My main podcast, The Streamlined Solopreneur: streamlined.fm Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI.Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!

YouTube is going to keep being a big part of podcasting, and a lot of what Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the hosts have changed recently is a response to it. The most interesting part for me is discoverability. Other platforms are only dabbling in algorithmic recommendations, while YouTube is very good at serving up something it thinks you'll like, and we've never had that in podcasting. With YouTube now letting channels classify content as a show, I think podcasting becomes its own pillar of their strategy, and a real boon for podcasters who are struggling to get found. Resources & Links My main podcast, The Streamlined Solopreneur: streamlined.fm Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI.Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!

Dynamic ads are going to be a bigger part of podcasting, the same way they were for YouTube. I explain what they are, how you can mix programmatic ads with your own recorded spots, and why the technology could also enable dynamic content, like platform-specific calls to action, an idea I first heard from Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable. Full disclosure: I'm the evangelist for RSS.com, which hosts this show and has dynamic ads on its paid plans. I share my real numbers too: 770 downloads in the last 30 days, about 4,059 all time, and $7.08 in ad revenue this month. Not a lot, but it's money I made on episodes I was going to make anyway. Resources & Links Tom Webster, Sounds Profitable Send me feedback: streamlinedfeedback.com Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI.Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!