WEBVTT 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:06.339 Welcome to the Streamlines Podcaster, a podcast 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:08.779 that shows you how to put the right systems in 00:00:08.779 --> 00:00:12.279 place so you can stop spinning your wheels, focus 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:15.140 on making great content and see your show grow. 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:17.839 Because there's nothing worse than putting a 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:20.760 ton of effort into your show to see very few 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.519 benefits and even fewer downloads. My name is 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:27.100 Joe Casabona and I know you're strapped for time. 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:31.839 So let's get into it. walked into a Lego store 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:35.079 recently. And as I was looking at all the sets, 00:00:36.420 --> 00:00:39.460 a store clerk came up to me and said, can I help 00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:45.359 you find anything? I said, what sets do you have 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:50.240 for free? And the clerk said, sir, everything 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:55.100 here costs money. And I said, you don't understand. 00:00:56.280 --> 00:00:58.719 Lego is just a hobby for me. So I don't want 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:03.479 to spend any money on it. That sounds utterly 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:07.659 absurd, right? You have a hobby like Lego or 00:01:07.659 --> 00:01:11.400 golf or playing some instrument. You have to 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.099 invest money in it. You have to buy stuff for 00:01:15.099 --> 00:01:20.579 the hobby. But routinely when I talk to people 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:25.079 who have a podcast and they are unwilling to 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:30.599 invest in it. They say, well, my podcast is really 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:35.859 just a hobby. I hate to break it to you, but 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:42.040 if you want to actually enjoy this hobby and 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:45.140 make something of it, you're going to have to 00:01:45.140 --> 00:01:47.640 invest in it. If you want to have listeners, 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:52.689 you're going to have to invest in it. Now, if 00:01:52.689 --> 00:01:54.930 you just want to talk into a microphone and publish 00:01:54.930 --> 00:01:58.489 it to YouTube, that's fine. But I suspect that 00:01:58.489 --> 00:02:04.030 there's more to your podcast than you just talking 00:02:04.030 --> 00:02:10.310 for other people to hear it. Investing in your 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:15.770 hobby doesn't mean wasting money. It means that 00:02:15.770 --> 00:02:20.629 you value your time, the growth of your show, 00:02:20.990 --> 00:02:26.810 and the enjoyment of your show. You'll get better, 00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:31.949 faster, and you'll enjoy it more when you treat 00:02:31.949 --> 00:02:36.409 your podcast as something worth investing in. 00:02:37.590 --> 00:02:40.430 And that's what we're going to talk about today 00:02:40.430 --> 00:02:44.810 on The Streamlined Podcaster. Because my goal 00:02:44.810 --> 00:02:51.669 is to help you have a podcast That doesn't take 00:02:51.669 --> 00:02:56.169 away all of your time and that de facto means 00:02:56.169 --> 00:03:01.210 you're going to have to invest in it because 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:05.270 You can't just buy a microphone plug it into 00:03:05.270 --> 00:03:10.050 your computer and say you have a podcast and 00:03:10.050 --> 00:03:16.430 If you're going to Add music and edit it and 00:03:16.430 --> 00:03:18.990 book the guests and try to do everything yourself 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:22.539 It's not going to be fun unless you want to become 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:27.259 a podcast producer. But if you're saying, well, 00:03:27.259 --> 00:03:29.560 my podcast is just a hobby, so I don't need to 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:33.219 invest in it, you probably don't want to become 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:37.879 a podcast producer. So first, let's let's start 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:40.400 with the problem, right? The problem many creators 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:43.340 treat their podcasts as a side hobby that they 00:03:43.340 --> 00:03:48.060 shouldn't spend money on. Maybe you are a hobbyist 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:51.169 podcaster. Maybe you have a day job and then 00:03:51.169 --> 00:03:53.270 you have a passion in something else and that's 00:03:53.270 --> 00:03:57.530 what you've started your podcast in. But that 00:03:57.530 --> 00:04:01.169 means that you are probably even more time starved 00:04:01.169 --> 00:04:05.250 than people like me who use their podcast as 00:04:05.250 --> 00:04:08.990 a marketing tool for their business. That's not 00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:11.610 to say that the only reason I do this is marketing, 00:04:12.289 --> 00:04:17.230 but there is an inherent value and I can trace 00:04:17.230 --> 00:04:22.079 an ROI of this podcast back to my business. So 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:24.360 it's a little easier for me to spend money on 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.860 it. When I had my podcast called Late to the 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:31.279 Party, where I was watching The West Wing for 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:39.040 the first time in 2017, I invested in it, but 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:43.379 it wasn't necessarily worth it to me because 00:04:43.379 --> 00:04:45.779 really it made watching The West Wing a job and 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:51.670 I wanted to just enjoy the show. And I, I wasn't 00:04:51.670 --> 00:04:53.389 really serious about it. It was just kind of 00:04:53.389 --> 00:04:58.350 something fun. And I'm a podcast coach. So the 00:04:58.350 --> 00:05:00.949 idea of doing a rewatch podcast could be tied 00:05:00.949 --> 00:05:04.850 to my business, but instead I was left with more 00:05:04.850 --> 00:05:08.129 frustration, right? And so this is what happens 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:11.430 if you just treat your podcast as, oh, I'll just, 00:05:11.649 --> 00:05:14.230 this will just be a hobby of mine and I'm not 00:05:14.230 --> 00:05:16.319 going to invest in it. You're going to be frustrated 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:18.680 with the poor quality or the clunky workflows. 00:05:19.699 --> 00:05:24.899 You're going to burn out or pod fade because 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:28.199 you're trying to do everything yourself. Right. 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:32.019 And the show is not going to grow or improve 00:05:32.019 --> 00:05:34.920 because you're not spending your time in the 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:38.279 right spots. You know, drumming is a hobby of 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:40.819 mine and it really is a hobby. I'm not a show 00:05:40.819 --> 00:05:43.160 drummer. I don't play with other people. I have 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:46.240 an electronic set. Because I live in a close 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.620 neighborhood and have small children and having 00:05:48.620 --> 00:05:52.180 a full -on drum set is just not Acoustic like 00:05:52.180 --> 00:05:54.500 having a full acoustic drum set is just not in 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:57.220 the cards for me right now but I basically play 00:05:57.220 --> 00:06:00.360 it when I have time and I play it for fun and 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:04.100 I invest in it, you know, I buy new drums from 00:06:04.100 --> 00:06:07.660 time to time I Buy new sticks when I need to 00:06:07.660 --> 00:06:10.519 I spend time learning new songs, but it's not 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:17.259 something that I am Truly dedicated to So I you 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:18.680 know, I don't I used to take lessons, but I'm 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.360 not taking lessons it's just it's just something 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:25.699 that I do to you know, get a get some movement 00:06:25.699 --> 00:06:29.639 in and and just have some fun playing some songs 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:34.699 and So again, like if that's if your approach 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:38.040 to your podcast is just I want to talk about 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:41.379 stuff and put it on YouTube That's fine, but 00:06:41.379 --> 00:06:46.339 do not have any expectations for growth or for 00:06:46.339 --> 00:06:51.540 sponsors or for increasing the downloads or anything 00:06:51.540 --> 00:06:55.240 like that. Just put it out there. Just like I 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:57.199 have no expectation. No one's going to hear me 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:02.139 ever play the drums. Very likely. No one's going 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:06.600 to have me be a show drummer for sure. And if 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:08.399 that's your approach, then you can stop listening 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:15.689 right now. But most people I talk to want their 00:07:15.689 --> 00:07:22.670 show to grow. They want to eventually get to 00:07:22.670 --> 00:07:24.230 a point where they're getting some return on 00:07:24.230 --> 00:07:27.290 their investment, even if they are calling it 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:33.730 a hobby. And if you are in that camp, then you 00:07:33.730 --> 00:07:37.269 need to invest money in it. Just like with Lego. 00:07:38.389 --> 00:07:41.189 Sure, I can buy one set and build it and break 00:07:41.189 --> 00:07:42.990 it down and build it again. That's going to get 00:07:42.990 --> 00:07:47.790 boring. So I buy new sets from time to time with 00:07:47.790 --> 00:07:52.810 cigars. Can't smoke a cigar more than once. Once 00:07:52.810 --> 00:07:54.769 it's gone, it's gone. It's a hobby I have to 00:07:54.769 --> 00:07:57.310 invest in and I gladly do because I like it. 00:07:58.009 --> 00:08:03.050 So if your goal. Is to actually have a podcast 00:08:03.050 --> 00:08:06.689 that people listen to. You can call it a hobby 00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:10.629 still, but don't tell Don't tell me that because 00:08:10.629 --> 00:08:12.350 it's a hobby, you're not going to spend money 00:08:12.350 --> 00:08:15.029 on it. I want you to think about like how much 00:08:15.029 --> 00:08:17.449 easier and more enjoyable your podcast would 00:08:17.449 --> 00:08:19.230 be if you invested just a little bit of money 00:08:19.230 --> 00:08:25.870 on it. Hiring an editor. Or paying for a good 00:08:25.870 --> 00:08:27.670 recording tool, because this is the other thing, 00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:29.810 like people are like, what's the best free editing 00:08:29.810 --> 00:08:31.730 tool or what's the best free recording tool? 00:08:32.049 --> 00:08:35.669 What's the best free distribution tool? Best 00:08:35.669 --> 00:08:42.070 free. Is not a good combination The best free 00:08:42.070 --> 00:08:44.830 piece of pizza is the one that's on the floor 00:08:44.830 --> 00:08:46.990 that someone else paid for and now it's just 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:50.529 on the ground Are you gonna eat that slice of 00:08:50.529 --> 00:08:56.690 pizza? If you're starving sure But if you're 00:08:56.690 --> 00:09:01.049 looking for the best slice of pizza It's not 00:09:01.049 --> 00:09:04.330 gonna be the one with floor pepper on it It's 00:09:04.330 --> 00:09:06.940 gonna be one that you buy from a pizza joint 00:09:06.940 --> 00:09:13.679 that's freshly made. So I want you to think about 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:17.419 how much you're willing to invest. Where are 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:19.000 your pain points? I guess that's the first thing, 00:09:19.059 --> 00:09:24.379 right? Where are your pain points? Because then 00:09:24.379 --> 00:09:27.340 you can invest smartly because we don't want 00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:30.480 you spending all of your money. I don't walk 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.019 into the Lego store and buy every new set. I 00:09:33.019 --> 00:09:35.639 buy the ones that are interesting to me. So if 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:39.279 you are spending your time in editing, why is 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:44.559 that? Is it because you sound, you know, you're 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:46.259 using the built -in microphone and you sound 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:49.080 bad? Invest some money in a decent microphone. 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:52.480 Is it because you're spending a bunch of time 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:57.539 with your guests trying to line up audio or you're 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:02.179 using Zoom or Google Meet to record? And your 00:10:02.179 --> 00:10:04.379 guest sounds terrible and there's nothing you 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:08.000 can do about it. Or maybe the guest's dog started 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:09.840 barking while you were talking and there's nothing 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:11.480 you can do about it because you didn't get separate 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:15.980 tracks. Are you spending a bunch of time creating 00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:19.379 clips for social media? When you could be using 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:23.440 a tool like Riverside to get at least a starting 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:28.059 point for clips. So think about what your biggest 00:10:28.059 --> 00:10:31.110 pain point is and invest there first. When I 00:10:31.110 --> 00:10:34.149 first started my podcast, which is now called 00:10:34.149 --> 00:10:35.830 The Streamline Solopreneur, it was called How 00:10:35.830 --> 00:10:41.490 I Built It, I knew immediately, nearly immediately, 00:10:42.669 --> 00:10:46.110 that editing was too big of a pain point for 00:10:46.110 --> 00:10:52.029 me to want to do it. So I hired an editor and 00:10:52.029 --> 00:10:58.250 I told myself, if it takes me an hour to edit 00:10:58.250 --> 00:11:03.500 a half -hour podcast, And I pay the guy I paid 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:05.539 started at twenty five dollars. I have a new 00:11:05.539 --> 00:11:07.480 editor now. He charges a little more, not much 00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:09.899 more, to be honest with you, but he does a great 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:14.559 job. So if I if I pay twenty five dollars to 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:20.620 somebody to clean up and edit the podcast. Is 00:11:20.620 --> 00:11:22.980 that worth it to me? And absolutely it is, because 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:25.440 my hourly rate was way more than twenty five 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:28.919 dollars. And then I could spend time creating 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:32.940 better content. booking better guests, asking 00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:36.019 better questions, and even maybe getting a sponsor 00:11:36.019 --> 00:11:43.879 or thinking of other ways to monetize. So. You 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.580 know, the pain, the problem is that you have 00:11:47.580 --> 00:11:49.779 is that a lot of podcasters have the mindset 00:11:49.779 --> 00:11:52.639 that it's a hobby that they shouldn't spend money 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:58.320 on. But the dream. Is that you invest smartly 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:01.570 in your podcast? and then you make a better podcast 00:12:01.570 --> 00:12:04.090 that gets more downloads, that gets a better 00:12:04.090 --> 00:12:09.909 audience, the investment becomes the accelerant. 00:12:11.990 --> 00:12:16.129 So how do we fix this for you? Well, there are 00:12:16.129 --> 00:12:18.269 three places where you can invest. And again, 00:12:18.269 --> 00:12:20.629 I want you to think about what your biggest pain 00:12:20.629 --> 00:12:23.750 point is. You can invest in time -saving tools 00:12:23.750 --> 00:12:27.210 like Riverside, Descript. I like Riverside better. 00:12:27.990 --> 00:12:33.129 Zapier. Notion. Because when you use tools like 00:12:33.129 --> 00:12:38.289 that, you are saving hours. And you're saving 00:12:38.289 --> 00:12:43.049 a bunch of mental energy. Riverside's editing 00:12:43.049 --> 00:12:46.090 tools are actually pretty good. So if you're 00:12:46.090 --> 00:12:48.529 like, look, I can't afford an editor right now. 00:12:49.809 --> 00:12:55.289 Check out Riverside. And do the light edits yourself. 00:12:56.009 --> 00:12:59.090 and then save and then save and then spend that 00:12:59.090 --> 00:13:03.830 time you're saving, planning a better show so 00:13:03.830 --> 00:13:06.769 that you don't need to edit out as much stuff. 00:13:10.049 --> 00:13:12.909 You can also invest in education. So workshops, 00:13:13.210 --> 00:13:17.769 coaching, other podcasts or memberships, right? 00:13:18.970 --> 00:13:23.340 And doing that means you're learning more. You're 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:25.860 getting better at your craft and then maybe you 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:31.039 you move from hobbyist to pro you move from hobbyist 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:34.259 to someone who can actually make money with their 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:41.019 podcast and That's really You know, so it's time 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:44.299 -saving tools. It's education and then you can 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:46.480 invest in the enjoyment right buying gear is 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:50.789 fun Get the Elgato teleprompter the you know 00:13:50.789 --> 00:13:55.309 get a nice microphone get a soundboard But I 00:13:55.309 --> 00:13:57.690 would say invest in the time -saving tools in 00:13:57.690 --> 00:14:06.429 the education first So quick win what is a an 00:14:06.429 --> 00:14:11.009 investment that you can make today To make your 00:14:11.009 --> 00:14:14.889 podcast more enjoyable to make it better. Is 00:14:14.889 --> 00:14:21.029 it a decent microphone? Is it an editing tool? 00:14:22.350 --> 00:14:26.830 Is it Riverside? Think about that. And I encourage 00:14:26.830 --> 00:14:30.149 you to make an investment. You don't need to 00:14:30.149 --> 00:14:35.730 go pro to invest. Investing means intention. 00:14:36.750 --> 00:14:40.009 It means that you are committed to the thing 00:14:40.009 --> 00:14:44.509 that you're doing. When you say I'm not investing 00:14:44.509 --> 00:14:47.769 any money in my hobby, What you're saying is 00:14:47.769 --> 00:14:51.289 I don't care that much about this hobby. And 00:14:51.289 --> 00:14:54.710 that's fine. But don't complain that no one's 00:14:54.710 --> 00:14:56.669 listening or that your show is not growing and 00:14:56.669 --> 00:15:00.629 that you don't have sponsors. You need to invest 00:15:00.629 --> 00:15:03.409 to make it better. Because when you invest in 00:15:03.409 --> 00:15:05.909 your hobby, you're investing in yourself. And 00:15:05.909 --> 00:15:09.250 that's what really makes your show more sustainable. 00:15:10.970 --> 00:15:13.750 Let me know what you think about this. I'd love 00:15:13.750 --> 00:15:16.500 to hear your thoughts. You can send it over at 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:19.779 streamlinedfeedback .com. Thanks so much for 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:23.139 listening and until next time, I hope you find 00:15:23.139 --> 00:15:25.139 some space in your week.