Thread by @KyleTibbitts

Conventional wisdom says there are too many podcasts––don’t bother making another one. But at least half the value of hosting a podcast is building the muscle to consistently create.

A thread of podcast lessons learned 20K+ listeners, 15 guests and 365 days after launching one:

Having a podcast is primarily an excuse to schedule conversations with people you’d most want to chat with one-on-one anyway.

The audience is secondary to the conversation. The more you focus on having a great conversation the more likely an audience is to be interested in it.

Similar to picking a market for a startup, the most important thing to do is pick a differentiated theme for your podcast.

This is the “wedge” that will forge your initial audience. For example, the hook for #ParadoxPodcast is Silicon Valley folks exploring topics beyond tech.

The second most important thing is recruiting guests. Few people in the world are interesting to listen to solo. @joerogan’s podcast wouldn't work without guests.

You want "guest NPS" to be high so they feel good about the episode and share it with their audience. A few tips.

Make a short list of initial guests you can reach and schedule through your network to build momentum.

Then, don’t be afraid to leverage cold emails or DMs to book guests outside your immediate grasp. You might be surprised who will say yes. Great guests beget great guests.

Send an episode outline in advance with key topics and questions. It will put your guest at ease, allow them to prepare and create some structure around the conversation.

To make one, listen to a previous podcast (if available) and read through their latest writing or tweets.

Remove as much friction as possible from the scheduling process. Build in an extra 5-10 minutes to chat before you hit record.

Always give your guest the option to make edits. 90% of the time they won’t request any, but again, it puts them at ease and let’s them speak freely.

Pre-pandemic, I recorded all episodes in person; I assumed the dynamic would always be better. I was surprised that recording over Zoom can be nearly as good.

The upside of Zoom? More guests will commit because of the convenience. The downside? The audio quality isn’t as good.

Getting your "podcast stack" and production process dialed in is key to scaling up content.

If you’re editing everything yourself, the first few episodes will take quite a bit of time, but once you templatize your process, each new episode will become significantly easier.

Let’s talk equipment.

For Zoom interviews, I’ve tried several microphones but the best quality and value by far is the @AudioTechnicaUK AR2100 (thx @micsolana for the tip). They cost ~$100 and they sound as good or better than much more expensive mics.
amazon.com/gp/product/B00…

For in person interviews, I use the Zoom H6 portable recorder and @shure SM58-LC mics (same setup @tferriss uses). The quality is great, it’s easy to use and all-in will cost you around $600. I'd only recommend buying this if you plan to record in person.
amazon.com/gp/product/B00…

Now let’s talk software.

Once you’ve got your raw audio file, it’s time to edit. The best editing software that I’ve come across by far is @DescriptApp. It automatically converts your entire conversation into a Word doc-like script you can modify and then export in minutes.

I use GarageBand to mix and finish each episode (intro music, clips, introduction etc.). It’s easy enough to learn that someone who has never edited audio can get by (YouTube is your friend here).

Next, pick an RSS like @SoundCloud or @anchor to manage episodes and show notes.

Now that your audio is ready, let’s talk distribution.

Sharing your episode on social, Twitter in particular, is a no-brainer. A big mistake is not building out an email list on a simple website. Email is a powerful owned marketing channel that is independent and portable.

I strongly recommend creating two minute preview clips –– like this one featuring @balajis –– to share on social so potential listeners can get a taste of each convo before diving into the full episode. I use @headlinervideo to make these in a few minutes.

Most guests will share the episode on their channels without you asking, but don’t be afraid to ask. Your guest's audience will be most interested in hearing their latest insights, which helps expand your own. Bonus points: getting covered by awesome sites like @podcastnotes.

When you launch, make sure your podcast is on all major services (@Apple @Spotify @Google). You may want to record several episodes upfront. If a new listener enjoys an episode, they may want to go back and find more content. This is where the growth of your podcast can compound.

The 80/20 rule shows up everywhere and podcasting is no different. 20% of your episodes will likely drive 80% of your engagement.

The #ParadoxPodcast’s “break” was a two part episode with @jamesbeshara, who was a very early supporter. Turns out podcast hosts make great guests.

Let’s talk monetization.

The reality is most podcasts will never grow big enough where monetizing them directly with ads makes sense. However, you can indirectly “monetize” your podcast by viewing it as a serendipity machine that works to generate opportunities while you sleep.

Job offers. Lifelong friendships. Actionable insights. Investments. Mentorship. International messages.

Podcasts have a magical way of pulling unexpected opportunities into your orbit. And the “ROI” from these serendipitous online collisions can easily outpace selling ad slots.

Audio is a powerful format. There’s an intimacy and level of nuance to the medium that is unique––almost as if you’re on the couch with the host and the guest. Plus, audio’s creation cost is a mere fraction of the effort required to create equivalent written or video content.

Ultimately, a podcast is a vehicle for going on an adventure––one where you climb new learning curves, connect with new people and experience the joy of creating something for its own sake.

If you’ve considered doing one I’d encourage you to pull the trigger (my DMs are open).

A big thank you to the first wave of guests who have joined me on this fun journey the past year. I’ve learned a lot from each of you 🙏 @m2jr @justGLew @balajis @micsolana @garrytan @jmj @shl @KTmBoyle @kamalravikant @jamesbeshara @traestephens @JenniferFearing @MPDavidson