Tough Girl Sarah Williams on getting started in podcasting
Sarah Williams steps into the Podcast Diva spotlight to talk about getting started in podcasting and what it’s done for her and her business after just a few months.
In 2013 Sarah quit her banking career of 8 years. Since then, she’s written two books, and travelled the world seeking adventures like climbing Kilimanjaro in Africa, working as a chalet host and cycling Death Road in Boliva. Sarah’s also set up Tough Girl Challenges and gives talks in local schools to encourage and motivate young girls to do more and be more.
As well as being host of the Tough Girl Podcast, interviewing inspirational women from around the world, Sarah’s a panellist for Bay TV in Liverpool, where she talks about women’s issues.
Sarah’s enthusiasm, insights and story provide practical advice, information and encouragement to anyone thinking of starting a podcast or simply seeking inspiration and motivation.
“I’m so proud of my first podcast, because actually it is something I’ve put together, something I’ve created. And it may not be perfect, it may not be the best recorded, it may not be the best edited… but all these little things I learned how to do myself”.
In episode 8 of Podcast Divas find out about:
How Sarah went from banking to podcasting
Amazing women role models who’ve overcome difficult sports and physical challenges
The 3 month learning curve
Why Sarah’s super proud of what she’s achieved
A key mistake it took 3 episodes to rectify
Whether to have an introductory first episode or get straight on with the show
Concerns about getting it all together
Making the linkages work
Putting your download numbers on your website
How to decide on 1 or 2 episodes a week
The importance of finding a balance
Knowing your audience
Turning listeners into guests
Becoming something you do
Imposter syndrome
Realising the networking potential of podcasting
What podcasting’s done for Sarah’s business
Podcasting and confidence
Podcasting as the missing link between being professional and getting personal
Starting out on a budget
Not getting distracted by equipment
Content v quality
Sarah’s podcast process
The warm up chat
Using different interviewing styles for to get the best out of guests with different levels of communication skills.
When you don’t want the ‘awesome’ word
How to automate tweets to promote shows and set up twitter queues
Future monetisation
Requesting sponsorship and finding the right partners
Why Sarah’s goal is 52 episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast
Sarah’s future life as a digital nomad
“It’s a way for me to build a deeper connection with my audience. They can really get to know me as a person and what I’m about.”
Podcast equipment and tools
The tools Sarah uses to produce and promote her show
Hardware – Macbook Pro and no microphone
Interviews – conducted through Skype and recorded on Call Recorder
Editing – with Audacity
Media host – is Libsyn
Episode artwork – using Canva
Promoting the show – mainly through Twitter using Social Oomph to schedule and automate tweets and Crowdfire for automatic direct message to new followers
“Having the best microphone doesn’t mean you’re going to produce the best podcast. Yes you’ve got to have the quality to be able to hear your guests, but it’s more about the content you’re producing”.
You can listen on iTunes, or straight from the Podcast Divas Website.