Things I’ve Learned From Producing A Podcast

On Jan. 1, 2018, my buddy Greg and I started a new podcast called Hooked On Geek. Every Monday morning since then, with the exception of June 4, a new Hooked On Geek episode came out. I had a great time doing it, but unfortunately, the time commitment was taking its toll on me, and this morning’s episode was my last one.

The reason for leaving the podcast? In a nutshell, I didn’t have the bandwidth to continue at the pace we were going. It was important for Greg to have new episodes weekly, and toward the past month, I was spending a lot of time being stressed out with that weekly deadline. Stressed out because editing takes up so much time, and stressed out because I was starting to feel like I couldn’t do all the things I wanted to do well. So something had to give, and I decided that it was the podcast.

So what have I learned in the past six months about recording and producing a podcast? A WHOLE FRAKKIN’ LOT.

1. The podcast will take up A LOT more time than you think it would. Have a rough idea about how much time and effort it’ll cost you? Quadruple that. In doing the podcast, I always wanted the audio to be top-notch. But that meant my perfectionist self spent a lot of what little free time I had obsessing over the sound and ways to make it better. If I did this professionally, I would have time to do that. But I cannot in real life, and I was headed toward a burnout fast. There were some weeks where I was giving up game nights to edit the podcast because that was the only free time I had.

2. Learn to ask for help. People are super friendly, and there’s a lot of knowledgeable people out there who have more experience than you do. Seek those people out. Or take them up on their offer to help you with the editing process. I did a Skype session with Patrick Hillier and learned about various programs he used for editing. He also answered a lot of my questions about podcasting. Thanks, Patrick!

3. Pay it forward. I’ve had some friends who have started podcasts since we created ours. Share what knowledge you have, such as what kind of gear you use or your production process, and offer suggestions when they ask for it.

4. Find your podcast voice. The podcast was an exercise for me to stretch my wings, to come out of my comfort zone. My entire career has been behind the computer as an editor, and this was an opportunity to do something new, something that put me out even more front and center. It taught me to assemble my thoughts during a recording and to convey those thoughts in a way that’s engaging, thoughtful and descriptive for our listeners, while maintaining the conversational style of our show.

5. Communicate, communicate, communicate. When Greg and I were first starting this venture, we saw the very public implosion of a popular podcast, and we both vowed to never let things get so bad that it would end our friendship. So when things were starting to take its toll on me personally, I stepped up and said something to Greg before things got worse. Your co-hosts and colleagues are owed that respect. If you start a podcast, communicate with your co-hosts what you’re capable of and discuss expectations and goals for the podcast.

In closing, thank you for supporting Hooked On Geek and for downloading our episodes, and an ever bigger thank you to all our amazing guests! And lastly, I wish Greg all the best should he decide to continue the show.