As I mentioned in a previous post, starting is the key to podcasting. You don’t have to produce a three hour crystal clear episode with all the bells and whistles. Indeed, it is probably better not so do.
If you look at Mike Duncan’s History of Rome he started off with a couple of 11 minute episodes. As he got into his stride, episodes became longer but he started small. That means, for this post, he started.
This is not an uncommon thing. If we think about it, and as I’ve mentioned in other posts and places, we are overly concerned with the tech, the mechanics and the process. Family and friends will be our first listeners until word gets about through the system. Word of mouth is the best discovery mechanism for podcasters so we need to start.
Starting small means we are not investing too much of our creative capital to the initial episodes. Maintaining our creative capital was the subject of a post here. The advantages of starting small are many.
Above all else, it means you have started. It allows you to get the tech right. If you make an error in the recording process, anything from the wrong settings to not hitting the record button, your re-do does not destroy your confidence. It is through this process you can develop your own checklists. I have some checklists here to help save you time but developing your own is an option. You can modify mine without any difficulty.
The drawbacks from starting small are not too many. You have short episodes. So what? You still have episodes! You publish monthly not weekly, so what? You have episodes.
I think you get the point, just start, small if necessary but start!
Takeaways
- Small is beautiful
- Small means you’ve started
- Small allows you to learn the tech
- Small is still beautiful