Here it is 2017. Congratulations you made it through another year. Some of you were going to start podcasting last year, some of you go back to 2015. Some of you, are going back even further. Today I want to give you some ideas and strategies to launching your first podcast. What Do You Need To Start Your Podcast An idea A microphone A media host A website (optional, but STRONGLY encouraged) Some artwork for iTunes A description To get into itunes you need one live episode. Take A Mulligan So here is a strategy that some people on accident, and you can do on purpose. I call it "The Mulligan." This comes from golf. When you hit a bad shot, you call that shot your mulligan, and you throw down your new ball and swing again. It is basically a do over. Some very popular podcasters like Hall of Fame Podcaster Mignon Fogherty, Lauria Petruci, even Adam Curry (who helped invent podcasting) didn't hit pay dirt till he was on his THIRD podcast. So start a podcast about anything, it doesn't. You could do a podcast about the weather in your city, just to go through the motions and learn the tech. Once you've got it down, cancel everything, delete all the files, and go back and do one for real. Take a mulligan on purpose. When I played in bands, often the best recordings were the one where the engineer told us he wasn't recording. There was no pressure we were just doing a sound check. With no pressure we often would come up with a great "take" and end the song and say "I wish we would've recorded that" (and luckily in some cases they did). If you start out with a show you don't care about you can get a show up and see it really doesn't take that much to record and publish a show. (Getting people to listen is really the hard part). What About The Expense? I graduated from the University of Akron with a Bachelor's Degree in Education specializing in Technical Education. Just the books for a semester are an estimated $450. The actual classes are $5473 semester (typically three months) if you're going full time (Source). When you sink $100-$300 into a podcast (FOR A LIFETIME), that is a small investment. Moving forward your will be spending $30 a month (typically). Cut out a few sodas and snicker's bars and you've got your money. Keep in mind, The money you are spending is an investment in you. But What If You Want To Actually Take a Real Swing? You've probably heard about S.M.A.R.T. Goals. This stands for Specific Measurable Actionable Realistic Time Bound So instead of "I want to start a podcast." You need to get more specific. I want to start a podcast about Raising Llamas . This is more specific, but I'd like a little more specifics and some time. I will Google other Llama podcasts to see what names might be available by January 15th. Michael Hyatt (one of my favorite Authors - I read Platform every January) has a "Best Year Ever" course and he throws in two more items. Exciting - You wouldn't set a goal that bores you. Relevant - I'm going to do a daily show, even though I have two jobs, a wife, and a set of twins. By adding these two, you are creating smarter goals. Why Should I Podcast? You have something to say: You're yelling at the dashboard in the car, or swearing outloud in the super market as you think, "ugh I could do this better.." Here are some more. You want to be seen as an expert You want to reach a global audience You want to build a community You want to sharpen your presentation skills You want to build your brand You want to promote your products You want to boost your speaking career You want to have fun with like minded people You want to make some additional income. But, But, But, But...... I'm not sure exactly what format. - - Your Podcast is a recipe - not a statue I hate my voice - This is normal as your are hearing your voice for the first time through your ears (only) with no vibrations from your skull. I'm not a nerd - Yet you attach files to emails, turn down the volume in the car, press record on the DVR