How Do You Launch a Podcast in Less Than 10 Days?

Podcasts can take anywhere from days to years to launch, depending on how quickly you move through the planning process. In my experience, you can reasonably expect to launch your podcast in about a month if you stay diligent to your timeline. I recently partnered with BetPrep to launch their new podcast, Givin’ Props, and it was the quickest podcast launch I’ve ever been a part of. Here’s a look at the key decisions made each day to get the podcast launched in under 10 days.

**Please note** While these key decisions and actions were made during the course of 9 days, the team at BetPrep had of course been thinking about starting a podcast for much longer. They had all necessary equipment and personnel ready to go, which made this timeline possible.

What do you need to decide on to launch your podcast in less than 10 days?

Day 1 (Thursday) – Intro Call and Proposal Sent to BetPrep

A week after my friend Cody Darwick from Full Slate introduced management from BetPrep, management and I were able to connect for a quick intro call. In the call, we discussed the background for the podcast, what needs to happen to get it launched, and what it would look like to work together. I sent the proposal with all the details shortly after the call. Getting rolling right away was crucial for getting this launched efficiently.

Day 2 (Friday) – Test Episode Recorded and Shared for Feedback

Management sent over a test episode of the podcast, recorded by Host Michael Salfino and BetPrep’s Player Prop Guru Brad Feinberg. We agreed to listen to the episode individually and share feedback over a call on Monday. Getting the test episode together so quickly put Michael and Brad in a great place heading into the first official recording.

Day 3 (Saturday) – Previous Work Shared of Podcast Artwork Designer

I shared some past podcast artwork with management created by my awesome artwork contact, Adam McGinnis. Management requested an intro to Adam that night and expressed his goal to get the podcast and first episode launched by Friday. Podcast artwork is such an important consideration, it was essential to get this kicked off ASAP.

Day 4 (Sunday) – Introduction Made to Podcast Artwork Designer and Artwork Briefed

I introduced management and Adam over email that morning and included the key priorities for the design, as well as the key requirements for Apple Podcasts approval. It’s important to stick to those artwork size requirements, which are:

• 3000 x 3000 pixels
• Max 72 dpi
• JPEG
• Under 500 kb

Day 5 (Monday) – Podcast Name Decided, Licensed Music Options Shared, and Intro to Libsyn

Management and team finalized the podcast name, Givin’ Props, after researching availability and getting feedback on fit. I sent over 5 tracks of licensed music options to choose from based on the vision management and team had in mind, and pulled them from my favorite provider, Jamendo. I also shared directions for management to get an account set up on my favorite third-party podcast host, Libsyn. Sites like Libsyn provide a space for the podcast to “live” and create the RSS Feed, so the podcast and episodes can be pushed out to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.

Day 6 (Tuesday) – Licensed Music Decided and Show Set up on Libsyn

Management let me know which music track to license and provided confirmation on their new Libsyn account. Management, Michael, Brad, and Adam also connected for a quick chat on the podcast artwork after Adam sent his proposal. There were several quick phone chats throughout this week between management and I as well, which was super helpful for making quick decisions and discussing next steps.

Day 7 (Wednesday) – Podcast Description Decided and 1st Round of Podcast Artwork

Management sent over the draft podcast description, I gave feedback and we finalized it, and we finalized the show settings in Libsyn. Adam sent over the 1st Round of podcast artwork for review. Seeing potential podcast artwork for the first time is always one of the most exciting parts of launching a podcast – it’s getting real!

Day 8 (Thursday) – Music Licensed and 1st Round of Podcast Artwork Feedback

Management secured the music license for use in the podcast. We then connected for a quick call to discuss artwork feedback (after he consulted with his team), after which he gave 1st Round feedback to Adam. His feedback was exactly what it needed to be – feedback from lots of people, distilled down to the few most important points. It’s super key to stay actionable here as opposed to overwhelming with information.

Day 9 (Friday) – 2nd & 3rd Round of Podcast Artwork, Pilot Episode Recorded & Edited, Published to Libsyn, Submitted to Apple Podcasts & Spotify

Podcast Launch Day! What a day. Adam sent over Round 2 of the artwork in the morning. Management gave feedback, and Adam took the feedback and sent over the final podcast artwork that afternoon. Meanwhile, Michael and Brad recorded the 1st podcast episode that morning and sent it over to me for editing. I edited the episode that afternoon, integrated the licensed music, published the episode to Libsyn (creating the RSS Feed), and submitted the podcast to Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Ta-da!!! The first podcast episode was available to listen on Libsyn almost instantly, Spotify within a couple hours, and Apple Podcasts a few days later (Apple Podcasts can take anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks to approve your podcast). As we got in a rhythm each week, I also shared Show Notes and audiograms to help market each episode. The best part – once you knock out all the key decisions we knocked out in the planning stage, it gets much easier to share a new podcast episode every week.

Make quick, smart decisions to launch your podcast in under 10 days

There you have it. You really can launch your podcast in less than 10 days. It all goes back to teamwork, clear communication, and quick decisions. Enormous credit goes to management, Michael, Brad, and the team at BetPrep for making this efficient launch possible, plus Adam and his crazy good, crazy speedy artwork skills for making it pop. Big thank you to Cody as well, who connected management and I in the first place. It was suuuuch a blast bringing this podcast idea to life so quickly, and I would do it on this timeline again in a heartbeat. You can listen to the final product on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you’d like to start your podcast or need help with podcast production, you can always reach me at . If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also appreciate my blog post on “What Should You Name Your Podcast?” and any of the 125+ episodes of the Wild Business Growth Podcast. Thank you for your time. Pod on.