**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 max@maxpodcasting.com. 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.

1. Podcasting is an incredible networking tool

Podcasting may be the best networking tool on the planet. Within the first few episodes I recorded, I started getting introduced to new potential podcast guests. When you’re interviewing someone new for every podcast episode, that’s potentially a new business contact every single week. You never know what that new contact might mean for you, your business, or someone else in your network. You also may be one degree closer to that contact who will change your life.

2. Interviewing is all about listening

You can prepare all you want for an upcoming podcast interview. Listening is the thing that’s going to make it a phenomenal interview. When your guest is speaking, truly listen to the words they say and the stories they tell. Active listening creates unshakable rapport between you and your guest, helps you determine when to probe and when to move the interview along, and sets you up for the perfect response to your guest.

3. Finding podcast guests is a constant effort

There are thousands of people who could make great guests for your podcast. In order to find them, you need to work for it – every week. Social media is the backbone, and allows you to connect with potential guests you previously would have never been able to get in touch with. Determine who would be the ideal guest for your podcast, then keep your eyes and ears open for anyone who could be a great fit. Voice messages on Instagram DMs, emails, and tweets are all fantastic ways to capture attention and pitch a potential podcast guest. Keep a list of potential guests on your Notes app or in Google Drive so you can stay organized.

4. Stay ahead of your podcast release schedule

Which of these adds more stress to your life:

• Trying to find a last-minute podcast guest every week
• Having podcast episodes recorded 4-6 weeks in advance of publishing

Once you get ahead – and stay ahead – of your schedule, your “podcasting happiness” significantly increases and “podcasting stress” is significantly reduced. Never go too many weeks in a row without reaching out to potential podcast guests.

5. The best way to prep for a podcast interview is listening to podcasts

You can learn more about a potential podcast guest by listening to them in one podcast episode than you can spending hours researching their site or social media pages. There’s truly not a better way to know someone and understand their background and personality than listening to them on other podcasts. If they’ve never been on a podcast, you can still do all the research online you want – and hey, you’re about to become the first podcaster to ever feature this person.

6. Your best podcast voice is your normal voice

If you listen to the first ~30 episodes of the Wild Business Growth Podcast, you’ll notice my voice is overly-forced, especially in the intros and outros. When you start a podcast, you have a natural tendency to want to share your podcast with the world, shout it from the rooftops, and in turn shout your “announcer voice” into the microphone. That’s the thing – the microphone already amplifies your voice. The best thing you can do is speak normally into the microphone, just as you talk every day in person. And yes, it took me ~30 episodes to talk like my normal self.

7. Don’t feel bad about sharing out your episode on social media

As a new podcaster, you’ll likely start to feel like you’re sharing out your podcast episodes too much on social media, and that your followers are getting annoyed by you. You have to think about it from your followers’ perspective: your posts and Stories are a tiiiiiiny fraction of a percentage of the posts they’re seeing that day. You should be proud of your episodes and your podcast. Every post or Story is another opportunity for someone to discover your podcast, and it could be just what they need in that moment.

8. Podcast editing takes a ton of time but is very necessary

If you heard the raw recordings of the Wild Business Growth Podcast, you would think I’m incapable of speaking in public. You would also be wondering why my mic is so much louder than the guest’s mic. And wondering where the music and transitions are. Podcast editing takes hours (multiple hours) every single week. It also has a funny effect on your sense of time while you’re editing, as every stop-and-start extends the editing time overall. But effective podcast editing makes the difference between a professional-sounding, high-quality podcast episode and one that makes your listeners question your commitment to podcasting.

9. You will hear from your podcast listeners far less frequently than you think

To this day, there are some episodes I release where I don’t hear a single ounce of feedback from listeners (other than my girlfriend and my parents, after I ask them their feedback). And that’s perfectly okay. That doesn’t mean your listeners didn’t like it, and that doesn’t mean they didn’t listen to it. Think about it: do you reach out to the podcast host every time you listen to their latest episode? Imagine how much time that would take. People are busy. And trust me, many more people are enjoying listening to each of your podcast episodes than those who reach out to you. Over time, you’ll find out about loyal listeners who you had no idea have been tuning in for years.

10. Podcasting is incredibly fun. Make sure it stays that way

There’s a period after I finish recording every single one of my podcast interviews that I can’t stop smiling. If that didn’t happen, I would not be podcasting. Podcasting can be one of the most fun things you’ll ever decide to do. Meeting people you never thought you’d meet, taking you to places you never thought you’d go, engaging with listeners you didn’t even know existed, seeing business results come to fruition. It’s an incredible medium, and you need to make sure you’re having fun throughout your podcasting journey. If you’re not having fun, it’s way too big a time and effort commitment to stomach. Figure out what you want to do yourself and what you want to outsource, pod on, and have fun.

Bonus: People love corny jokes

It’s part of my pre-interview checklist to tell the podcast guest, “I apologize in advance for any dad jokes. I can’t turn that off.” Every single guest has responded positively to that comment, often laughing and sometimes even saying, “I’m a dad myself” or “We are on the same wavelength.” No matter the theme or topic for your podcast, people like to laugh and people love jokes, especially corny jokes and dad jokes. So don’t worry about turning them off.

Episode 100 Special of the Wild Business Growth Podcast

I hope you found value, smiles, and eye rolls in the Top 10 things I learned in my first 100 podcast episodes. I’m truly grateful for everything that’s come out of the podcasting world, and I can’t wait for the next 100 episodes. Feel free to reach me any time with podcasting questions or anything else at max@maxpodcasting.com. And here’s the Episode 100 Special if you’d like to get Wild:

A few minutes into the episode, I felt like my whole world had changed – Wait, they are just normal guys. I had looked up to these guys as heroes, NBA superstars, people that were so successful you didn’t feel like you were on the same planet as them. But the way you could listen to them on a podcast, it literally felt like you were sitting there in the locker room with them. Or the plane. Or their hotel at the time. I had never experienced anything remotely close to what I was listening to right then.

Over time, I started listening to more and more podcasts. It started in the sports world, becoming a loyal listener to Road Trippin’, then my favorite Browns players Joe Thomas and Andrew Hawkins on The ThomaHawk Show, then the ridiculously entertaining Pardon My Take with Big Cat and PFT Commenter from Barstool. These shows are endlessly fun and remain some of my favorite podcasts today. But at a certain point, it hit me: if you could learn this much listening to sports podcasts, imagine how much you could learn listening to business podcasts.

Starting the Wild Business Growth Podcast

Later that year, I made a massive career change, leaving my corporate brand management job to join my family business, Hippo Direct. I had grown up with the family business – my dad started it the year I was born – and I always thought I may join at some point. At the same time, I was realizing the corporate world wasn’t the right fit for me, and I’d be much happier working in a more entrepreneurial setup, doing things I was more passionate about.

Once I joined, my dad and I had tons of great brainstorming sessions on new ways to market the business. We knew we had to do much more on the digital marketing and social media side. But the tactic we could not get out of our heads was podcasting. We didn’t know what it looked like yet, but we knew we needed to start a podcast.

In looking across our lines of business, including mailing lists and email lists, everything we offered as a company came back to one thing: helping you grow your business. So we thought, What if we put together a podcast where we interview entrepreneurs and marketers about how they grew their business.

The Wild Business Growth Podcast launched on August 3rd, 2018, and has since featured a new entrepreneur or innovator every single Wednesday morning. With over 100 fascinating guests, features in some of my favorite outlets, and listeners around the world, it’s opened more doors than I ever thought possible and truly changed my life.

From Podcast Host to Podcast Producer

In the early days of the Wild Business Growth Podcast, a couple things struck me:

1. Podcasting is a ton of fun
2. Podcasting takes a ton of time

I knew from Episode 1 podcasting was the right fit for me. I truly love hosting podcasts, the joy that comes from unlocking gems and insights from amazing guests you otherwise may not even be able to have a conversation with, on any medium. Being a podcast host is something I’ll always love doing.

But the podcast production side – that’s where the magic happens. Somehow, being a podcast producer has become even more rewarding than being a podcast host. There’s true beauty in taking a raw, choppy, first-take interview recording and turning it into a polished, professional-sounding final podcast episode, complete with high-quality licensed music and transitions.

I’ve been the podcast producer since Episode 1 of the Wild Business Growth Podcast. I realized how much time it takes to produce, and how valid a need it is to have your podcast polished and produced. In an industry that’s growing more and more every year, this makes for a huge opportunity to help out other aspiring podcasters by helping them save time while maintaining a high-quality podcast. Especially business owners, entrepreneurs, and storytellers – whose time should be completely focused on building their business.

What is MaxPodcasting?

I’m incredibly excited to launch MaxPodcasting. Producing podcasts is something I’ve already been doing every week for years. It started as a Podcast Service within Hippo Direct, with some amazing clients who still put out top-notch shows to this day. As the number of clients and podcasts kept growing, it became more and more clear this podcast service deserves its own business. It’s a natural transition into entrepreneurship, something I’ve been excited about for as long as I can remember (listen to any episode of the Wild Business Growth Podcast). And it could benefit Hippo Direct as well, giving the family business a chance to focus on the core offering and messaging of mailing lists and email lists (I’ll be helping).

MaxPodcasting is your place to save time with your high-quality podcast. If you’re interested in starting a podcast for your business or brand, and know it’s not in your best interest to spend all the time it takes to run a successful podcast, you’ve come to the right place. Feel free to reach out any time at max@maxpodcasting.com.

Thank you for reading.

-Max