The Proffitt Podcast
Are you thinking about starting a podcast? Launching a YouTube channel? Repurposing your old blog content into something fresh? Hi, I'm Krystal - host of "The Proffitt Podcast." And I'm happy to say you've come to the right place!
Business owners and content creators dream of building a platform where they can connect deeply with their audience, and marketing feels easy. But I also know what it's like to feel confused and overwhelmed.
Join us weekly as we strip down those processes and remove all the overwhelm with new tips, simple strategies, and great conversations with creators like you. Tune in to hear how I help creators start, launch, and market their content confidently. The motto here is, "We all have to start somewhere."
The Proffitt Podcast
Podcasting 101: Mastering the Five Key Decisions for Success
Ready to hit that record button and start your podcast journey but feeling stuck on where to begin? Have no fear! This episode is packed to the brim with insights and decisions you need to make before you even consider buying a microphone. It's not about the technical stuff but the nitty-gritty of creating a podcast you'll be passionate about. Let's talk about why you're doing this, how to set goals for your podcast, identify your audience, and decide on format, content, and style.
Ever wondered how to select a captivating topic for your podcast and identify your ideal listener? We will guide you through the process of picking an umbrella topic, considering categories for submissions to Apple Podcasts, and crafting that catchy tagline to hook your audience.
Let's also delve into the concept of an 'ideal listener' with a real-life example and show how this can enrich your podcasting journey. And don't worry, we've got your content worries covered, too, as we discuss planning your first twenty episodes, staying creative, and avoiding podcast burnout.
Hold on to your headphones because we've got two live trainings coming up on October 24th and 26th filled with techniques on how to reach that first thousand downloads. All your burning podcasting questions will be answered as we revisit all the key decisions discussed in this episode. Register now at krystalproffitt.com/1000-downloads, and let's keep the conversation flowing!
Remember, podcasting isn't just about hitting record; it's about creating content you love and connecting with your listeners. Let's get started on your podcasting journey!
Click the "Send Krystal a Text Message" link above to send us your questions, comments, and feedback on the show! (Pssst...we'll do giveaways in upcoming episodes so make sure you leave your name & podcast title.)
Looking for a podcast community that supports you on your journey? Check out Podcasters Connect today.
What are the first decisions that you need to make before you start a podcast? I have been in several groups lately where people are just getting started in their online journey and they're trying to figure out, like, okay, I want to have a digital product, I know I want to have a podcast, but what does it look like to start? Do I just need to buy a microphone? Do I need to do this or I need to do that? Do I need a title first? Do I need to pick out my artwork? Do I need to get a headshot taken, like, where do I even begin? So, instead of diving into all of the things that I mean we could get so geeky and technical about equipment and recording software, but actually I want to share with you the first five decisions that you have to make before you even buy a microphone, because there's some of these things that will probably shock you, because I know that there's people listening. They're like wait Cross already have a podcast. Does this apply to me? Well, yes, if you have not made any of these decisions and you've been kind of flying by the seat of your pants, then, yes, this will absolutely apply to you, because what I have found is, some people don't make these decisions and you're the ones that are bumping up against pod fade, you're getting close to burnout or you're just confused on. Where do I need to go with my show next? What are the next steps? So this episode is kind of for everybody. It's for someone that's thinking about starting a podcast and not really sure what to do next, but it's also for those of you that have been podcasting for a while and something isn't sitting well with you and you can't quite figure out what it is or what you could change or what you could make better. So pay attention, because we're talking about the first five podcast decisions you need to make before you ever even buy a microphone. So let's get right to it. Welcome to the Profit Podcast, where we teach you how to start, launch and market your content with confidence. I'm your host, crystal Prophet, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging out with me today, because if you've been trying to figure out the world of content creation, this is the show that will help be your time saving shortcut. So let's get right to it, shall we? Okay, so we have a lot to cover today, so I'm just going to dive right into these decisions because I want to make sure that we have plenty of time to cover each one of them in detail, because, while these are just five decisions, they're pretty important ones, and they are ones, like I said.
Krystal Proffitt:This has nothing to do with microphone, with your budget, with what recording software you should use and so many of the other things that people typically get wrapped around the axle right Like if you've never heard that expression. It's like you're so concentrated on this one piece that you don't realize once you pick your mic and once you pick your recording software, you have to know what you're doing after that. Do you see what I'm saying? Like, this is why I tell people you can literally get started with just your phone, as long as you have this other stuff sorted out, because it gets easier to talk about what you want to talk about and who you want to talk to. And I'm already giving some of the things away that we're going to talk about today, but I just want to share with you that, yes, sound quality is great. You need to have audio that people can listen to, but it's not everything. Your microphone is only one piece of the puzzle and the content and the people that you are talking to are just as important. So I'm going to give you some tips in these decisions to help you make sure that you're creating something that you love.
Krystal Proffitt:It's why people come to me and they're like Crystal, how are you so enthusiastic? You love podcasting. Yes, I do, I do. I love it so much. It's literally what I talk about. I have such a meta show. I podcast about podcasting where I'm teaching podcasters. Right, it's super meta on meta, on meta. But I love it so much, and the reason why is because I am so clear on all of these decisions and I love really unpacking these things, because after talking to hundreds, if not thousands, of podcasters and content creators, the same things keep coming up. It's why I will say I'm your podcast therapist. Come sit in my chair lounge in my office and let's really dive into what's underneath the surface.
Krystal Proffitt:It's usually one of these five things that people need to unpack not the software, not the recording, not the equipment. It is really, really tied to these five things. So, number one, number one if we were to sit down, let's pretend it's me and you now Okay, we're in a coaching session and we're going to go through these five things. So when I ask a question, I want you to think about how this pertains to you, because you're getting a free coaching session, like, welcome to the show. We are here, but the first decision that you need to make is you need to know your why and set goals for your podcast. So what does that mean? This means, like any other like self-improvement type of thing is like what is your why? What is your purpose? Why are you doing this? What is your mission statement? That's really what I'm asking you to do. Why are you doing this? Because I'm going to coach you in a different way depending on your why. So if you come to me and you say, crystal, I want to start a podcast because I want to share a message, well, that I'm going to give you very specific like homework assignments that I would. If you were to come to me and say, crystal, I want to make a ton of money with my podcast, okay, well, we got to. You know, change like, shift the plan just slightly because you you're going to concentrate on things that are a little bit different than someone who wants to have a really large reach or wants to share their message to a very specific niche audience. So you have to know your why. What is your why? My why?
Krystal Proffitt:For when I started my very first podcast was one I love to talk. Can we, can we just call that out? It feels really silly, the little taboo to say I just love to talk. I really do. It is my best form of communication for me to get a message across. It's something that I've always really enjoyed when I can think back to little crystal, you know, in third and fourth grade, and the teacher's like who wants to read for class? And I'm like, boom, my hand is shooting up in the sky. Who wants to go to the front of the room and present Boom Me? I want to do it and it's never really been like oh, I'm the center of attention, look at me.
Krystal Proffitt:It was something about the rush of being in front of people and having that like out of body experience that a lot of people hate. I totally get it. Most people hate public speaking and speaking in front of crowds. I love it. It energizes me. Maybe that's because I'm an extrovert. Let's call it what it is. I am extroverted to my core and I know so many of you are introverted, so I want to call out all of these things so that you're not doing a comparison of like yeah, but that's you know, you make it seem so easy. Yeah, it is easier for me because I'm an extrovert, I don't have to work as hard at it and I love to talk.
Krystal Proffitt:So whenever I said, well, what can I do? I was blogging and I was not loving it. Let's just be really honest. I always like when I go on other people's podcasts, I say I was a very unsuccessful blogger and I kind of joke about it. It was not fun for me because it was hard. It was really freaking hard to sit there and write when I don't define myself as a super talented writer. So it was like a whole struggle and mindset thing. But whenever I was like, oh, I can just talk, I don't have to write, I can just talk. Are you kidding me? And then here's like funny behind the scenes. I know I've shared this before, but I was actually voice typing my blog post, y'all that's a podcast. I was voice typing into Google Docs my blog post and I was like wait a second, hang on. I'm literally just speaking these things out loud, and that's what was making it easier. And so that was kind of my aha moment of oh, I just need to start a podcast. So these are my whys. They're not groundbreaking.
Krystal Proffitt:I wasn't doing something totally altruistic, like I want to change the world. I was like, no, I wanted to create content and I realized, oh, talking is easier for me than writing. So that was my first why. Today it's completely shifted right. I want to help creators create with confidence. That is my why today.
Krystal Proffitt:And then when we talk about goals, my goals with this podcast is to have a very big reach. It's to be an authority in the podcast space and establish myself as someone that she's trusted, we can go to her. She's going to give us really helpful stuff without saying like, oh sure, I'll give you this, but then you got to go buy my $75,000 course and that's the only way you can get it. We're not about that around here. My goal is to help you really have practical tools and strategies so that you can build up that confidence, so that you can share your message with the world. Right, I'm just like a tiny piece in the puzzle to helping other people gain their confidence and I just totally believe in the ripple effect of podcasting and having your message help other people who also help other people who help other people. Do you see where I'm going with this? It's the ripple effect of sharing your message with the world. Fantastic, like.
Krystal Proffitt:This is the first place you have to start if you have not done this. So, like I said earlier, whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned podcaster and you've never thought about this before, I want you to think about it. So this is the therapy session now is what is your why and what are the goals with your show, and also, these change over time. So, if you are a seasoned podcaster, maybe you're in the second year of your podcast and you're like, yeah, things changed from whenever I first started this. I started this for X reason and now I'm doing it for a Y reason. Well, think about it. Do some journaling, do like write it down in a Google doc, like I don't care where you put this. This is for you, right? This is, this is your therapy session that we're in here and I want you to think about what is your why, what are your goals, and jot those down and see how it changes over time, because, like I said, mine has completely shifted and evolved from when I first started in 2018. And that's completely fine If yours does too, all right.
Krystal Proffitt:So that's decision number one you have to know your why and set goals. The second one this is probably the most complex and the one where people will absolutely get stuck. So hear me out, I don't want you to get stuck here. I want you to make some decisions and move on with your life. Okay, promise me that, like I hope you're shaking your head and nodding and saying, crystal, I promise. Say with me, crystal, I promise.
Krystal Proffitt:Because decision number two is you have to choose your podcast topic, your title and your tagline, because these are some of your biggest key decisions. Now, don't worry, because if you're like Crystal, I don't even know where to get started with that, or I want to change things. I have so many resources for you that I actually grabbed before I started recording this because I was like we've talked about so many of these things before. So I have a podcast and YouTube video for how to research and pick a podcast name and title. I also have podcast topic ideas for planning content and then how to find your podcast niche and topic. So don't worry, we're not going to get into the nitty gritty of all of these things today because I have all the resources. We've already talked about them here before, so I'm just going to link you to all of those podcast episodes, all of those previous YouTube videos, for you to go check them out.
Krystal Proffitt:But you do, you have to pick a podcast topic. What are you going to talk about? And I've been seeing more and more. There's a lot of people on YouTube where I'll see their comments and it says well, I just want to talk. I just want to talk to share my thoughts, to share my ideas. And it makes me think back to the beginning of my podcast. Remember, I told you I love to talk, but at the end of the day, my message was still very clear.
Krystal Proffitt:The topic that I chose were it was like talking about female entrepreneurship and what it was like to get started. It was called the rookie life. So we were all rookies. Keep it up, rookies. We all have to start somewhere. This is actually ooh. Did you know that? That was the original tagline of the show, speaking of taglines, but that was what I got started with and again, over time, it evolved, it changed and now we have what the show is today.
Krystal Proffitt:But I had to pick an initial topic. Now, if you're stuck on this and you're like well, crystal, I have like seven things that I want to talk about, and I want to talk about being a mom and I want to talk about being a gardener and then doing yoga and stuff People will tell me this all the time You're very as Marie Forleo calls it, multi-passionate. I love this word so much because we're all this way. We all are multifaceted. I love to go on walks. I love hanging out with the kids and what we love watching movies. We are a movie buff. Family Love watching movies. I could start a podcast about that. I could talk about journaling and creative writing. I could talk about cooking. I love baking. Like there's just so many different facets to who I am.
Krystal Proffitt:But what I've narrowed down on is I want to speak to content creators and podcasters specifically on creating content with confidence. Do you see how specific that is? It is very specific. I'm not talking to all creators. I'm talking to people that are looking for tools and strategies to help them create with confidence and be able to do it in a way that feels good for them, and so I want you to be that specific with your topic and if you have something where you're like I just cannot make this decision.
Krystal Proffitt:Okay, then zoom out a little bit and say what is the umbrella topic that connects all of this together? So I use the term umbrella topic in profit podcasting and what that means is what is the thing at the top of the food chain that connects all of your other topics underneath it? So if you wanted to talk about health and fitness, so I will tell people, go to Apple podcast and look at all the categories. Because that's what you're going to have to do. You're going to have to find a category for your show to fit under. So start there. If you just cannot decide which topic should I go, you know fit under like what should I do? Go to the categories and Apple podcast, scroll down and look at all the different ones, and then that will help you narrow down what your umbrella topic should be, because you can't choose other like there's not an other button or miscellaneous. You have to pick one of these categories in order to get listed in Apple podcast. So pick one. Pick one of those and let that be your deciding factor.
Krystal Proffitt:You can always change this. I changed mine I was under business entrepreneurship, I think in the beginning, and then business marketing. You can pick up to three and bus sprout, and then I changed it to education, how to, and that's where we are today. That's where the show lives, because it is educational. I'm always teaching, I'm sharing how to, and that's where we are. So, if you're stuck on your topic, go to Apple podcast, figure out which category you need to be in and again, you can always change it.
Krystal Proffitt:Now, when it comes to the title and the tagline, like I said, I'm not going to go into detail on this one because it's one that I mean. There's just there's no magic formula for it and I don't want you to get stuck on it, but I do have some resources to help you research and pick a podcast name and title. So go check out that episode, go watch that YouTube video and it will absolutely be helpful. And when it comes to your tagline, this is just something that isn't required, but I think that it's helpful to solidify more branding for who you want to be to your listeners, because, for me, I will have people tell. They quote me on social media, which I think is so fun.
Krystal Proffitt:I started guesting on more podcast and it was shout out to Kristin, she has to build your own fairy tale podcast, and she did a quotable on Instagram and it said keep it up. We all have to start somewhere. This is my tagline of the show and people will only know that because I say it over and I've said it thousands of times at this point. Y'all, it is crazy how many times I've said it. I'm usually saying it to myself because I need that coaching too, but that's the power of a tagline. If you were to hear that somewhere else, somebody would say oh, crystal says that on her podcast. That's where I've heard that before. So taglines are super powerful as well.
Krystal Proffitt:If you don't have one, like I said, it's not a requirement, but I do want you to consider what could you say in every single episode of your content. It doesn't just have to be your podcast. It could be your YouTube, your live streams. I do webinars and I always also do that. I will guest on other people's podcasts and I also say my tagline. So it's just another form of branding and getting your message out there. Okay, so are you still with me? Are we good here? Okay, we covered decision number one and decision number two. Now we're moving on to decision number three, which is deciding on your ideal listener. Who are you speaking to? Who is that perfect person that should listen to your podcast? And I want to give you an example. So, sonia, I don't know if you're listening Shout out to Sonia.
Krystal Proffitt:She is someone that I recently met. There was this incredible event for Podfest and Pod Houston here in the Houston area and I was on this panel like so much fun. So I cannot wait to do more panels and more events like that local here in Houston because it was fantastic to connect with podcasters in real life again and it just it made my night. It was so much fun. But Sonia was saying she had a question. We had a Q and A at the end for the panel. She raised her hand and she said I'm going to this event and it's for parents of high school students getting ready for college. So it was like college readiness, college prep type stuff. I'm totally into this right now because we have a high schooler. Officially he's a freshman, but officially these are things that are on my radar.
Krystal Proffitt:And she was saying you know, how do I get people to listen? Like, how do I capitalize on being at this event and having people subscribe to my show. Do I need a QR code? Do I need this through that? And so I love that she was thinking about the practical marketing topics. I like the you know, do I need this or I need that? Should I have, you know, business cards or whatever?
Krystal Proffitt:But at the end of the day, my advice to her was, when you're sitting there talking to these people, let them know how much you know what they're struggling with, because if you just say, oh yeah, I'm Sonia, I have a podcast, you should listen to it. That's not super convincing, right, it's not very convincing, because I'm like what is your podcast about? Like, what do you do? Of course, everybody's here for college readiness. But I told her, I said you know what you should do. Is you just say, yeah, you know? Is the PSAT like really confusing for you? Are you not sure when you should start applying for colleges or writing essays for your junior or senior, or are you just trying to understand the entire college admissions process? She was like, oh yeah, these are totally questions that they're into, and I thought it's because I know who her ideal listener is, based on her topic.
Krystal Proffitt:So again, this goes back to the topic that we were just talking about. You have to have something very specific, because I, immediately I'm here talking to you about Sonia's podcast. I'm letting you know that this is exactly what her show is about. This is who her ideal listener is. Because I am her ideal listener. I want to know these things. I would like when am I supposed to start doing this? Like, what things can my son do to prepare for admissions and you know, gpa stuff and what all the things that you need to get together? Like I don't know any. I've been out of high school forever. I don't know any of these things anymore. Everything has changed so much, but I know I need help with these things. So I am her ideal listener.
Krystal Proffitt:So, when it comes to finding the people that are right for your show, it's really hard to or it's not hard, it's actually easy to get stuck in this like marketing box, like I'm sure you've seen these market surveys where it's like, okay, your gender is this and your income is this, and you're married or single or divorced and you have this much education and you're this and you have blue eyes and blonde hair and all these like ICA things. Right, have you heard this? The ideal customer avatar? I think these are great exercises, but also it only gets you so far. You've got to know who your listener is Like. I know so many of this like and it doesn't apply to a hundred percent of my audience, right, I know that there is a sliding scale of how much of what I say relates to my audience, but there's a big portion of you. If I were to say something about Central Park, you're like oh, she's talking about friends, because I know that y'all watch friends. I know this because you've been with me since 2018, a lot of you and you've told me I love it. When you show your Central Park company, you're wearing a shirt, a shirt, a shirt, cup, or you wear your friend's T-shirt. I was like you, let me know these things because we are engaging. But if you are just getting started and you don't know these things about your audience, that's okay. It's fine to make some assumptions about who your audience is. They will tell you.
Krystal Proffitt:I remember Kathy. She's one of my students, so shout out, kathy. We're giving all the shout outs today, but, kathy, when she first started her podcast, it was called the Wife Cup. Did I get that wrong, kathy? It was something. It had the word wife in it and she was given the feedback.
Krystal Proffitt:Not everyone in your audience is a wife, like I'm a caregiver but I'm taking care of a sibling, I'm taking care of a parent. So, yes, I am a caregiver but I'm not necessarily in the wife role. And so once she figured that out about her listener, she went back and changed her title. She slightly tweaked her topic because that was so important to understanding who her ideal listener was. So today Kathy's podcast is called the caregiver cup, so that is the name of her show. It is very clear and I actually love this because it's very succinct. And, kathy, I love your picture of you, know you sipping on your coffee or your tea and it's just, it's very inviting and it's a beautiful place for people to go and get advice, get care, get resources and understand what it's like to be a caregiver.
Krystal Proffitt:If someone unexpectedly finds himself in that situation and they're looking for resources, I know to tell them. I know who Kathy's ideal listener is. We've talked, we've coached together, we've had many conversations so I can tell. If somebody is in that position and all of a sudden they're a caregiver, I'm going to say go listen to Kathy's podcast. So all of a sudden, I'm a marketer for her show because she is so clear on her topic, her title and her ideal listener. Can you see why these decisions are so important? It makes marketing so much easier, not just for you, the host, but for other people to be able to say oh, you wanna start a podcast? Go listen to Crystal's show. She has this incredible show where she shares this and that, like, it, makes things so much easier. So I do have some resources for understanding your listeners and how to really understand serving them better. So I'm gonna link to those in the show notes as well.
Krystal Proffitt:But we need to move on, because we still have two more decisions. Oh my gosh, we're blowing through these, I feel like, really fast and we're already so far into this. But understanding your ideal listener, deciding on who that is was number three. The fourth one how to plan your first 20 episodes. Now, this is something that I feel like I'm giving this away and I shouldn't. Okay, I'm gonna throw this out there. People listening that are students of mine from Profit Podcasting are like I cannot believe that she is giving this away.
Krystal Proffitt:Because of all the lessons, all the lessons I teach inside my program, this has to be the one that's prevented prevented the most podcast burnout or pod fade, whatever you wanna call it. And the reason why it's so freaking important is because you can have a running list of decent ideas. They don't even have to be great ideas, they're just decent ideas for your content and you're not left wondering what do I talk about next. So this is when I ask people, they're like, oh, I think I'm gonna quit my show, or maybe they stop their show because, oh, I will meet some ashamed podcasters. When they introduce themselves, it's like the kid that stole the candy and their tongue is blue. But they're trying to tell me, oh no, I didn't take any of that candy and they're guilty and they're shameful. And they like blurted out of their mouth when I say, oh, I'm a podcast coach. And they're like, oh well, I quit my podcast. No, I didn't really quit. We stopped like a few months ago, but I'm gonna get back to it and I really I'm just taking a break. It was a lot. And when I really dig into the details of why they stopped their podcast, it was because they just didn't know what to talk about next. And I'm like oh my gosh, I wanna scream. I'm like are you kidding me? This is my superpower of giving you brainstorming ideas and helping you plan lots of content.
Krystal Proffitt:I remember Brittany. So Brittany has been with us for a super long time. She has a podcast called Post for Success and I remember when she started this would have been in 2020. Actually, I think she started in 2019. And then in 2020 is when she rebranded it and I just remember we were talking about what she did for an entire year of her podcast. So she's a previous student and she sat down and she said, crystal was in the airport and I was traveling and I was listening to your lesson about planning your first 20 ideas. And I sat down, I did all the brainstorming exercises and then, all of a sudden, I had a year's worth of content in less than an hour and I was like that is incredible. So if you podcast once a week for a whole year, that's essentially 52 ideas. That's all you need for an entire year. And I hope everybody just kind of breathe, desire relief, because that's all you need for an entire year of a podcast is 52 ideas. And some of you were saying that's all. What do you mean, crystal? You're saying that's all. That's a lot. That is a lot of podcast ideas, but it's really not, because if you can come up with 20, that's why I'm not telling you to do 52. I'm just laying out this is what 12 months of podcasting, that would be 52. If you could do 20 ideas, especially if you're just getting started, that gets you through.
Krystal Proffitt:Probably the hardest parts of being a podcaster is the first three months. If you ask, I know there's many of you nodding right now saying, yep, it really is. Launching a podcast is not an easy feat and then, once you launch it, you realize, oh, I gotta keep creating this stuff. It wasn't about just putting it out there. I gotta stay consistent and keep putting more stuff out there. And I don't really know what I'm doing and I'm trying to get better at editing and I'm like do I put guest on the show? Do I do this? There's a lot of decisions, a lot of emotional things happening in the first three months of your podcast, which is why I don't want it to be.
Krystal Proffitt:What do I talk about next? I want you to have 20 ideas for exactly what you're gonna talk about on your show. Now do these have to be the final ones that you use? Absolutely not. No, no, no, no, no, no. The idea is to get the juices flowing where you're creatively like, oh you know what I could talk about this and I get asked about this a lot, and I know that I could even do blah, blah, blah, blah and people. You will be so surprised.
Krystal Proffitt:Once you sit down to start brainstorming 20 ideas, you like the ball starts rolling and it's almost like the floodgates come out and all of a sudden you will look down and say, oh my gosh, I have so many more ideas than I thought. Like this one can actually be broken up into three different episodes. It doesn't all have to be in one. So Planning your first twenty episodes are so important and if you're already into your podcast, your season podcaster, I want you to plan your next twenty episodes. This should be your focus. So if you were to sit down and do that, what would it look like? What it look like going back through your most popular episodes that you had in the last six months. Would it be digging through your emails and seeing what are those replies you've been getting back from people? What are those questions? If you have a facebook group, digging through the questions that you see come up over and over again Going on your instagram and seeing what are the things that are really resonating like. Go through your reals and see all people really love this thing.
Krystal Proffitt:I need to talk about it. It's a hot topic in the industry. Let's cover it on the podcast. What are four other ideas that I can spin off from that? I know that creating ideas it's a superpower of mine. I literally have a freebie called five hundred plus podcast. Ideas for any industry will link to that in the show notes to you, because if you're brand new to the community and you don't have that one, you need that one because that one alone.
Krystal Proffitt:I told you you need twenty ideas there, five hundred plus. There are so many ideas in that that you can dig through and find a few things. At the very least, you're gonna come up with some other ideas. You're gonna say I crystals ideas are terrible. I would do this instead. That's great, I don't care, I just want you to have your next twenty ideas. That is your assignment after today's episode is plan, your next twenty ideas. But that is decision number four that you need to make Before. Remember we haven't even bought a microphone. We haven't even decided on your equipment if you're just getting started. We're just planning, planning and deciding all of these things.
Krystal Proffitt:But this brings us to decision number five, and I love this one so much because, if you've been around here, you'll often hear me say there are no rules to podcasting. There's not. If somebody says that there are, please run the other direction. Okay, because there are no rules. There's some guidelines and there's some things that you should probably do that'll help you have a more successful. So you should be consistent, you should show up when you say you're gonna show up and you should keep creating valuable content for your audience. But outside of that, there's not really any rules, which makes decision number five both Really awesome and kind of crappy, and I'll explain why.
Krystal Proffitt:So decision number five is deciding on the critical components of formatting your podcast episodes. So what does this mean? This means you have your solo episodes or interviews, you have live streams or pre recorded content, or maybe you have repurposed or dedicated content for your podcast audience. Or what about your intro, your outro? How long we're episodes be? Are you gonna have music? Are you gonna have the format for every single episode or are you gonna change it up from time to time? This is what I mean by the format of your show. Like what is it going to be and will it change all the time? Will it be exactly 42 minutes and 50 seconds? Will it be exactly five minutes or less? Like what will the cadence of your show be? Is it every Tuesday and Thursday? Is it every other Wednesday? What does that look like?
Krystal Proffitt:So there are critical decisions that you have to make and this is another piece where, again, I love and hate this decision, because once you decide these things, they're not set in stone. They're not because there's no rules. Don't need to say it again. There are no rules in podcasting. So if you have literally for every single episode you've had 200 episodes up to this, like right now, today, and they've all been interviews if you decide tomorrow I'm gonna do a solo episode, go for it. Who's stopping you? You can absolutely do that.
Krystal Proffitt:But if you are just getting started and you don't know which way is up, like I don't know which way to go, to do solo, to do interview, to do both, should I do it from here, to do this? I don't care what you do. You have to decide you had. So that's why it's like this beautiful love hate relationship because you are the one that makes these decisions and guess what? You can change them at any time. This is so beautiful, like I have the biggest smile on my face right now because I love that.
Krystal Proffitt:Yes, you're deciding on these things, but you're also not making these decisions in perpetuity and you can never, ever, ever, change them. You're deciding on what you need right now. These are decisions that you need to make a decision. It's yes or no, it's up or down, it's left or right, but you gotta make a decision for every single episode, and I thought about this before. You know, I've my content calendar has gone through multiple iterations of, like you know, super simple, and today it's a lot more complex than it used to be, and I actually thought about having a drop down menu for every single one of these components.
Krystal Proffitt:Is this solo? Is this interview? How long is it? Is it repurposed? Doesn't have the same intro? Does have the outro? Like dynamic content? It's this link, that's this? Is that? I'm like, oh my gosh, that is first of all. I feel like that's Bunkers. I felt like I would be like okay, you're a little too neurotic here with the content calendar, because all you need to slow down a little bit, but these are decisions. I make these decisions every single time. It's just not a conscious decision now because I've been doing this for so long, but if you're brand new to this and you need that type of guidance right out in, like when you're doing your notes, you're planning your episodes, you're doing a bullet points, are doing a full blown script, whatever, right out right at the top, right today's gonna be solo, it's gonna be. You know, strictly for this podcast audience is gonna be audio only, no video, what so ever. It's gonna be twelve minutes and that's on the stop recording. At twelve minutes I have have to talk to that twelve minute mark and then that's it. I'm gonna turn it off.
Krystal Proffitt:These are the decisions of formatting an episode, but you have to make them. You have to make them and this is something that, again, I teach all of this inside my program profit, podcasting, and these are some of the lessons that people tell me that they're so helpful. Because Making these decisions well before you ever invest in your microphone equipment, you ever invest in streaming software, recording software, videos, like whatever other things you have to buy for your podcast. If you know these things, you're gonna feel so much more confident. You're gonna feel so much more prepared. You are going to feel like a freaking rock star behind the microphone, because you already made these decisions before you ever start recording.
Krystal Proffitt:So if you found today helpful, like all the decisions again, let me run through them again real fast. So, number one Know your why and set your goals. Number two choose your podcast topic, title and tagline. Number three decide on your ideal listener. Number four plan your first or next twenty episodes. And number five the critical components of formatting your podcast episodes.
Krystal Proffitt:If you found all of this helpful today that I really want you to join me in my upcoming free training. It is happening on October twenty fourth and October twenty six Twenty twenty three. So if you're listening to this in the future, likely it has passed and you can't join anymore. But I want you to go check it out, because I just created A brand new masterclass and it's called how to get your first or next one thousand downloads, because I've heard y'all Latin clear like you want the components of starting a podcast, but also you want to get those downloads. You want to make sure that what you're creating is having an impact and you're making a difference from the beginning. I want you to join us in this training so that you can learn the things that I've taught to Hundreds, if not thousands, of podcasters in all the capacities that I have been creating content since I started teaching all of this in twenty eighteen. I want you to have the solid foundation in the frameworks that we have been using to help us get this podcast to a top one point five percent show, and I want to show you how to get your first or next one thousand podcast downloads. So go to crystal profit dot com.
Krystal Proffitt:Forward slash. One thousand. The number one zero, zero, zero Dash downloads. One thousand dash downloads. And I have links to it in the show notes. But I want you to register again. It's October twenty fourth and October twenty six. We're gonna have two trainings, are gonna be afternoon training. So After you get off work, after you've done all the things, come hang out with us. These are going to be at five pm central and they're going to be so much fun, so much fun. I love a live training. I haven't done very many this year, so I'm showing up, I'm doing all the Q&A's. Afterwards I'm gonna help you answer your specific podcast questions. So, again, go to crystal profit dot com forward. Slash one thousand dash downloads and I will see you there and we will have so much fun. That's all I have for you today, so make sure you are subscribed or following the podcast, where ever you are listening, and, as always remember, keep it up. We all have to start somewhere.
