5 Tips For Launching a Podcast in 2020

You know my advice guys: launch fast & adust to consumer feedback. That has always been my & Michaels thing. Pull the trigger, launch, throw it out there, & adjust to what your consumers say & want. Even if you only have 2 consumers, listen to them, change & adjust, then you’ll see things grow.

Today I’m excited to have Julie Lauren on The Skinny Confidential. Julie is a podcaster, author, & writer. Her background includes working in the fashion industry ( Intermix & Oscar de la Renta ) followed by working with Petra Nemcova.

She started freelance writing, as well as her blog ( originally titled “from prosecco to plaid” ) in 2011, & still writes at julielauren.com. Her first book, “Oops!” came out in 2015 & it’s an insider’s guide to dating, sex, & relationships in your 20s, & she’s currently working on a novel.

Julie’s podcast “Hashtag No Filter” launched in January of 2018 & is all about real conversations with real people. No sugar coating & no BS. Her guests include comedians, reality stars, actors, entrepreneurs, & other inspiring & funny men & women. Julie believes in living an unfiltered life, as seen through her podcast, writing, & on her Instagram stories @byjulielauren. She also LOVES wine & Diet Coke. LOL.

I met Julie through Jule The Bee who messaged me on Instagram, & said I have to listen to her podcast because they were talking beauty hacks. So I tuned in & I was really impressed with the way Julie interviewed Jule. It inspired me to go get myself some baby washcloths – & let me tell you, if you don’t have baby washcloths, you’re missing out, so more on that here.

Anyway, the theme of this post is not baby washcloths, it’s podcasting.

Julie Lauren is on the blog to talk about how she stands out in the podcast space, making money, & equipment. ( If you’re interested in my & Michael’s favorite podcast equipment, scope this post. )

I’m impressed with anyone who executes in any ‘popular’ industry & makes themselves standout in a unique way. Julie’s tips are really valuable because they give anyone & everyone inspiration to launch their shit, stop just talking about it, & like I said above, EXECUTE.

With that, let’s talk to Julie about all things podcasting.

Hi guys! Julie Lauren here, host of the podcast Hashtag No Filter. I am so excited & honored to be writing an article for The Skinny Confidential. Thank you for having me, Lauryn!

I launched Hashtag No Filter back in January of 2018. I thought there were a lot of podcasts out then, but now…wow! I feel like a new podcast launches every day. And I actually think that’s pretty damn cool.

I’m often asked, “do you think the podcast market is too saturated?” It’s funny because I used to get asked “do you think the blogging industry is too saturated?” ( probably because I started a blog in 2011, which is getting close to a decade ago. Holy crap. ) & now it seems to be all about podcasting.

My answer is always a hard no. Without a shadow of a doubt, I firmly believe there’s room for all of us to succeed. Yes, there are a shit ton of podcasts out there, but so what? You can absolutely start a podcast now & stand out & be successful. So, if one of your goals now or in the new year is to launch a podcast, well, here I am, telling you to do it, & here are 5 tips to think about when doing so…

JULIE LAUREN’S TIPS FOR LAUNCHING A PODCAST:

♡ Have a general focus.

Your podcast will likely evolve over time, & that’s a great thing if it does. But when starting, it’s good to have a focus. You don’t necessarily have to stick with it all the time no matter what, but to have that focus in the back of your mind while recording episodes is great. It can be general, but it’s good to have a focal point you can always come back to.

♡ Be fucking passionate about that focus, & if you’re not, pause.

Like most things in life, passion is paramount. It will be hard to keep up with your podcast if you’re not passionate about it. Never do something just because the girl next to you is. Do something because you want to do it, not because you think you should be doing it. Be passionate about what you’re podcasting about ( see tip #1 ) & if you’re not, pause & change your direction.

♡ Don’t think about making money from it, at least not yet.

Do not, do not, do not go into it thinking about making money from the podcast. Yes, you very well can, but it can take a while. Unless you have a massive following to start with ( & even then, it can be tough because you need to have a certain number of podcasts under your belt before making money ), you are not going to make money from the start. Our very own Lauryn Evarts Bosstick mentioned not that long ago on Instagram that she didn’t see a dollar from her podcast until three years in! Be patient. Work hard. Stay humble. It’ll happen, but not overnight.

♡ Think about your audio quality.

This is a podcast, so how it sounds is of utmost importance. I’m not saying to invest a ton of money into equipment. In fact, you don’t really need to buy much of anything. You can record into your computer if you’re in a room with good acoustics, or you can spend a little money on a microphone for a crisper sound. People listening will want it to sound good & clear, so think about that when starting & while recording.

♡ Be consistent.

Consistency is key in the world of podcasting. This doesn’t mean you have to podcast daily or even weekly. However often you put an episode live is great; just keep it consistent. Every other Tuesday? Great. Every Friday? Wonderful. Whenever you feel like it? Mehhh. I mean it can be ok, but I’d urge you to not do that. Your listeners will start expecting episodes so putting them out on the same day of the week is so important. Keep those listeners happy!

And there you have it! I hope these tips help you. I absolutely love podcasting, & it is hard work. Just like anything good in life, it takes work & passion. I think if you want to start a podcast, don’t let anyone stop you; you absolutely should do it. And if you do, please send it to me so I can check it out & feel free to send any questions my way on Instagram @byjulielauren.

xoJulie

I hope you guys loved this post & be sure to check out Hashtag No Filter. Julie provides so much value & has incredible guests like our girls Ingrid ( ep. 34 ) & Jule The Bee ( ep. 32 ).

x, lauryn

+ if you’re interested in starting a podcast you have to check out our favorite equipment.

++ stalk this post for my favorite podcasts to start the day.

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