February 21, 2024
Mastering Nervousness: Conquering Podcast Jitters for Success
- The SandBox Podcast Show
Starting a New Channel from the ground up- My personal journey. Day 1
With so many things going on in my life right now I still wanted to make sure that I document the entire process of this journey. By taking a few moments I truly believe that I can help ease all the butterflies and emotions and maybe share with someone who is looking for a more realistic side of what it takes when you start an endeavor like this.
My very first step was to think of a what I wanted my channel to be about. To think of how I wanted to be with people in this ever so growing social media world. Who Am I and how will the world receive me on my own show.
To read more about my Podcast journal and how it is going you can simply click on this button below and follow my journey. I will be posting my own personal thoughts on each episode that we do. I will be sharing a more personal side of podcasting and am hoping that you continue with us on this new journey. I am hoping that my documenting the entire process that it helps others in their own podcast growth.
Choose your Podcast name wisely.
Once I figured out what my show was going to be about was the next big step- Choosing a name. This part is very important and one that needs a lot of time for one to come up with the right name. This is your branding; this will be you and of course needs to represent you. So, I like to create lists and slowly eliminate names that don’t appeal to me. After I have a set of five that do speak out to me, I believe is a major step that most people don’t think about. Whether it be your photography company or whatever company you will start this step is one that you don’t want to forget to do.
Check to see if there are others out there with that same brand name. Scour the internet, check both google and Bing and then run a domain name check to see if that website is available. A lot of the times many of us are so excited to just get going on a project without thinking of the business side.
We tend to say, “OMG I love that name!” and just to find out after we took that name and made a logo that you can’t create a custom domain name for SEO traffic, a Facebook or Instagram account and then most of all- A YouTube or a Spotify Channel.
Branding 101- Does it define you?
What is in a name? I take branding very seriously with whatever project I am involved in. When it comes to branding you have to think of it as your "GRAND ENTRANCE" to the world. It is like when they open that gate and you come blazing out in a blaze of glory.
How I came about choosing the name "THE SANDBOX PODCAST" took alot of ideas being thrown around. Of course the logo had to have a microphone in it. Some fellow colleagues of mine naturally gave their opinion of a more "classy" and "professional" tone but that just wasnt me- at all.
So I finally got the name down by thinking of it as a metaphor of everyone coming to the sandbox to play and have fun. I drew up some initial ideas for the logo. I used Canva of course for some of the design. I saw alot of happy characters playing in the sand happy and that was not screaming out to me....until... BOOM.
I saw this simple drawing of a stick figure kicking a bucket and I was SOLD. I took that, made it my own and added some more pizazz to it and it was done. My logo was born. I needed something LOUD and IN YOUR FACE and that was it. I slapped on some amazing hard rock music to the logo and prepped my media content drop. I share this story here to inspire people that you dont have to go with the normality of everyday life.
Dont compete with others, dont feel like you HAVE to be the same as them. You dont. Be yourself and that alone will define your success. Lead the pack by your creativity being your own and let the others follow suit. You may not be everyone's cup of tea but hey they dont have to drink it right?
That is a punch in the gut to go and create the logo, spread the word and all that jazz to have to go back to the board and rebrand. So, first thing after you pick names and share those with those closest to you always do your research.
Once you have verified some of the names that you are thinking of using are available then step back and think of the names again. Once you remove a few more of those and have your top 3 names shoot those over to a trusted friend or family member that can look at the logo. The more the merrier.
1. Do you like this name?
2. Do you think this name represents me?
3. Is there another name that you think is better for me?
Keep your Podcast apart from your other work.
If you have another company, say for example a photography company, try your very best to keep this separate. Don’t make your viewers think you are looking to promote your photography over the content of your podcast. It just gives that “let me plug” myself every five minutes.
Your podcast should showcase your guests if you have some coming in. Its ok to state what you do but over time people will already know what you do- they don’t have to be constantly reminded of it.
Treat this as a new project apart from anything you do in your profession. Just bring that new feeling to an exciting new project and not the new project to your current type of content.
Now you have your brand for your new Podcast what’s next?
As I stated above before anything is set up checking to see if those names are available is Priority #1. This surprises me when I see other videos or blogs out there because this is often not discussed or mentioned about. But to me I will stress this point. Ok so now you got your name- what’s next? Start thinking of what the logo will look like.
Most often people will have the channel name set but not a logo. What I advise is to download Canva and play around with some ideas/designs. If your podcast name is “Fishy Fishy tales” then naturally you want a log that has fish in it or something that has to deal with fish. Play with it till you find the right logo design and then send that idea to others to give you their feedback.
One thing that I didn’t mention earlier is to start building a tough skin because you are going to need it. You may think you have the best idea, the best channel and topics and the very best logo ever and then that one person tells you, its trash. Do not get hurt but continue to gather thoughts and opinions of others.
Accept that not everyone is going to like your plans or whatever, but this info is vital because if your close people don’t like what you are going to put out there then most of the time that is a simple gauge to use to determine if others will.
Once you have gotten over the hurt. Lol- Just being real. Then next review their thoughts/insight and take it to the drawing board one last time. Boom you are all set and ready.
Next Step- Build your foundation prior to your podcast launch.
1. Create your website to your style.
2. Create your social medias site – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
3. Set up your hosting- Spotify, apple tunes and YouTube.
4. Prep all your teasers and social media drops.
But do not make these profiles public yet. Build the foundations first. Your website should have your intro information, channel information and all the eye-popping graphics you can have ready to receive your viewer traffic. By taking your time in preparation to focus on the user experience is one of the best ways to 1st bring that Wow Factor and 2nd to make sure that they come back to your podcast. Also, it will allow people to know more about you and what the podcast will be about in upcoming episodes.
Keep your Podcast apart from your other work.
If you have another company, say for example a photography company, try your very best to keep this separate. Don’t make your viewers think you are looking to promote your photography over the content of your podcast. It just gives that “let me plug” myself every five minutes. Your podcast should showcase your guests if you have some coming in. Its ok to state what you do but over time people will already know what you do- they don’t have to be constantly reminded of it.
Treat this as a new project apart from anything you do in your profession. Just bring that new feeling to an exciting new project and not the new project to your current type of content.
To see how my first show went then just visit our channel here. I am hoping that you continue to come along my journey through this whole new PodCast world.
Launch your new Podcast!!
Now that you have completed all the necessary objectives that I mention previously now you are ready. Practice practice and practice some more. I am good at setting foundations, but I have always been a behind the scenes person. My photography company’s face is that of my wife. She does all the talking and I try to shine all the light on her.
But now I am in the spotlight and now I find myself with so many emotions going through me. I aint going to lie- its scary, its hard and you feel like you mess up a lot but one thing that keeps me motivated is that my Podcast is mine and no one’s else’s. I keep in mind to that its ok to fail but to make sure you fail forward.
Practice in front of the camera, go through all your edits, master your lighting, and always test your microphones. Audio can either be a wonderful addition or it can kill off your podcast. No one wants to chime in and listen to bad audio. It seems like they can work through some “bad video” takes but audio most people will run away from.
Above all have fun. Remember you are the face of your channel. I find being able to have a platform where I can speak what’s on my mind as being therapeutic. Although I am still petrified of being in the light, I am willing to work through all my fears for a chance to create a space where I can come to and release my thoughts, share my insights and learn and grow from others.
One thing you want to make sure is to create engaging posts, reply to all comments and bring a “community feel” to your channel. Invite others to come on or to comment. Welcome feedback and comments and just have fun.
The SandBox Podcast Blog
Come check out our blog that we have created just for podcasting. This blog will be covering things like starting up your podcast, how we feel during each of the shows. Since we are new to this we want to make sure we document everything that occurs from the beginning of this new adventure.
Our hopes is that someone may take something we learned is informative and gives a true raw perspective about podcasting. Enjoy and follow along as we will be uploading a new blog weekly.
