Prior to attending the We Are Podcast conference, I had been procrastinating on launching my own podcast for quite some time. I’d done a bunch of interviews over the years with a whole host of digital marketing influencers and recorded plenty of audio. I even love making beats (audio production), so the symbiosis was a match made in heaven. However, the catch was time due to running a growing digital marketing company.
This project was bottom of the priority list…
Thankfully, the conference rejuvenated the cause and thanks to Ronsley and his team, I feel motivated and a few missing pieces of the puzzle have been added.
The Podcast BC (Before Conference) Era
My two favourite podcasts are The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes and Startup by Gimlet Media. The open and honest two-way interview format from Lewis was right up my alley and the transparent storytelling nature of Startup also resonated well.
So, I decided to create a storytelling interview series about entrepreneurs and digital marketers.
This was so I could learn their teachings and apply them to my own business, from both an operational and tactical point of view, but also because I’ve always loved biographies. You can learn a lot from listening to someone who has tried and tested methods… or, in my case, grown a successful business or online presence for brands they’re working on.
Before the event: We’d come up with a list of pre-production, production and post-production tasks – a lot of writing and a lot of docs. We even have the script ready to go for the first episode. Woj just needs to add water… ahem, record more audio. Then we need to assemble all the bits. Simple, like furniture from Ikea, right?
The Podcast AD (After De-conference) Era
The greatest thing about the conference was being able to get up close and personal with folks who had been involved in podcasting for many years across the pre, production and post stages.
Hearing first-hand stories and experiences ,and observing from a new angle helped connect a few neurological pathways. You know, that click sound you get in your brain!
Wise words were shared by all speakers but the ones that stood out the most were:
- Jordan Harbinger (Art of Charm) – he told it like it was and shared some dos and don’ts. He is 500+ episodes in, after all.
- Omar Zenhom and Nicole Baldinu ($100 MBA Show) – I enjoyed seeing how their show was broken down, carefully planned and executed
- Darren Rowse (Problogger) – his story of procrastination and sharing examples of what worked on his site struck a chord
- Sean D’Souza (Psychotactics) – shocked the crowd with a tale of cliff-diving barnacle geese to emphasise the importance of storytelling. And I love understanding how the brain works, which is what his work helps us to understand.
- Nathan Chan (Foundr) – what an inspiring journey from magazine to podcast
- Karly Nimmo (Radcasters) – enjoyed the walkthrough of various audio equipment and recording techniques in her workshop
- Kate Toon (Recipe for SEO Success) – great tips on iTunes optimisation and getting your podcast greater visibility (she was kind enough to interview me for her show)
- The man > Ronsley Vaz (We Are Podcast) – conference organiser, heart of gold, making the world a better place and really knows his shit
After the event: Well I haven’t quite got to recording the additional audio for episode one but I’ve completed a few things including:
- We have a name: ‘Wojcast’!
- Branding – I hope you like the eighties, folks!
- A landing page to pre-announce the Wojcast podcast containing a video of my in-person interview with Lewis Howes (to be honest, I’m a little obsessed with the School of Greatness. I mean, I’ve only listened to all 400+ eps and the show helped me get through an extremely difficult time in my life).
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The 2017 Era
Still a lot to do. The battle with time will only be overcome by getting some help. I think I need to let go of the want/need/what-ever-ya-call-it to do the audio and need to get some help in putting it all together.
I’m curious to hear your advice on what I should do next and any feedback you may have on the process so far as I want to make this a collaborative journey. What should I be doing?
Plus, a little accountability will go a long way!
Author: Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley is the founder & chief day dreamer at AMPLIFY. He is an author, speaker & serial entrepreneur.
He has a Masters’ degree in Software Engineering and an MBA in Psychology and Leadership. He is known as the creator of We Are Podcast – the first Podcasting Conference in the Southern Hemisphere, and the host of The Bond Appetit Podcast and Should I Start a Podcast. He has an audience of over 3 million in 133 countries.