People always ask about microphones first and I get it, but honestly, that’s the wrong question. My buddy Trev recorded 40 episodes on a $60 ATR2100 in his Hyundai parked behind a supermarket because his apartment was basically a cardboard box and his show sounds just fine. Now I’m not saying the mic doesn’t matter at all – it does to a degree – but what matters way more than the mic is consistency. Pick a day – any day – and stick to it. Record every Tuesday for six months before you even dare to think about judging anything because let’s face it, the first 20 or so episodes are basically just you getting the hang of not stumbling over your own words every four seconds, and honestly, that’s a blessing because at that point nobody’s even listening to you yet.
The Niche Question – Don’t Put it Off
Don’t even think about asking yourself “business” or “health” for your niche. Pick something so specific that it makes you nervous. Trev does marketing for HVAC contractors – sounds like a snooze fest right?
And yet he’s getting emails from sponsors already because the 4000 people out there who actually care about that stuff have nowhere else to turn. The fact is a show that’s super focused on just one thing will make more money than some broad show with a smaller audience. Advertisers love it when you’ve got focus.
Now while you’re at it, write a one-sentence summary of what your show is all about. “Two accountants explore the costly tax mistakes that are hurting freelancers” tells someone on the street why they should subscribe – but “we talk business” doesn’t give them a clue.
The Workflow Trick that Lets You Keep Going
Batch record, two episodes at a time. You’ll thank me for this later. Editing is the bit that usually kills people off – it eats up half the evening – so either just lightly touch up the recordings (cut out the bits where you pause, but leave in the stumbles – they sound human, after all) or pay an editor about $20 per episode and keep your sanity.
And when writing titles for your episodes, don’t go for clever. Want people to find your episode on search? Write what it’s actually about. “How I Paid Off $30,000” is way more likely to pop up than “Money Talks Ep.12”. We also need to talk about the fact that video is where new shows get discovered now and a phone on a tripod is all you really need.
Don’t waste $200 on fancy intro music. Hold out for the people who quit after just nine episodes. I mean, honestly, they’re not worth the effort
