It’s Not That Easy: Thoughts from a First-Time Podcaster

Everyone has a podcast, it seems. After all, in this wonderful age of information and technology, you don’t have to know anything about radio or journalism. Anyone with a phone and a Zoom account can do it. So it’s really no wonder that everyone is.

I had mixed feelings about jumping into the podcasting game. First, it seemed trite. Because, again, EVERYONE is doing it. Everyone with a business or blog or random thought is launching a podcast. They’re recording in their kitchens or basements or closets. They’re getting sponsorships and making this their job.

My experience has been a bit different. For lots of reasons. But it’s been an amazing process both personally and professionally — and we haven’t even launched Episode Zero. (That’s coming Sept. 1, though, so stay tuned.)

Why I’m Podcasting

Let’s start with why I’m doing this in the first place. When my son was almost 2, I started my blog, Kiddos Cook. In recent months, it’s won some awards, and I’m pretty stoked to see people reading and enjoying what I’ve been writing.

I kept the blog up as a passion project … Then, I enlisted an amazing designer and friend name Heidi to help build a visual identity. Next, I continued to build the content, and as a writer, I saw an opportunity to tell new kinds of stories and introduce new voices to the blog.

My first interview for the blog was with Toria Frederick, whom I LOVED from the moment we started talking. She has a real passion for the same thing I do — working with kids in the kitchen. And her spin on it was inspiring. I wanted everyone to HEAR Toria. Not just read my blog post with her amazing info. And it donned on me: a podcast.

Don’t get me wrong: The written word is amazing. Literature, prose, content marketing. Whatever you’re writing, I think it’s worth investing in. But the truth is that lots of people would rather listen than read. And when I heard Toria talk, I knew people should HEAR her words, not just read them.

It’s Not That Easy, As It Turns Out

Well, sweet. I decided to do a podcast. Piece of cake, right? I’ve been listening to them for a decade or more. (That was the only consumer/media trend ever in my life that I was on the forefront on.) I know the formats and the full range of quality and content. I’m in Facebook groups where it seems EVERYONE has their own podcast. So why not me?

Let me tell you why: It’s freaking hard.

It’s hard to pick a podcast name. It’s hard to pick podcast art. It’s hard to book guests and prepare for interviews. It’s hard to figure out which microphone you need and where to plug it in. It’s hard to learn GarageBand or choose an editing app not preloaded on your Mac. It’s hard to plan a promotion strategy. It’s hard to choose the run of show and decide your tone.

Everyone says to JUST DO IT — PERFECTION IS THE ENEMY. And hey, yes, perfection is indeed the enemy of just putting something out there. But perfection is also what keeps us content creators working into the wee hours. And I will be perfectly honest and say that I listen to podcasts with low production value because I’ve discovered these people and I love their content. But I personally wanted to do more, and it stunted me. That desire for perfection stopped me from creating anything at all for a couple of years.

What I’m Learning from Podcasting

Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with a tremendous network, and those colleagues and friends led me to a wonderful woman named Megan who KNOWS podcasting and radio. She KNOWS which microphones to use and which platform to post to. Thank God for her. I’ll never come out of this experience knowing a lot about or having opinions on audio production. I’m hiring people who know more than I do for that. But holy moly, I’m learning so much. For example:

1. Writing for radio is not the same as for print. This is clearly a DUH kind of realization. But writing for podcasts/radio is a skill. And because of my willingness to dive into this project, I’m honing that skill.
2. Passion matters. The thing that is driving this project is my passion for getting kiddos into the kitchen, and it is supported by people who share that passion. People like Toria — who OBVIOUSLY had to be my guest for Episode 1. (Also? Her son, Julian, joins us, and I adore him too!)
3. People are kind and open. I’ve been so surprised by how willing people are to engage with me and have wonderful conversations about a topic near and dear to my heart. And my desire to do good work motivates me to produce a show that has integrity and heart and is of high quality.
4. Personal and professional can collide beautifully. For many years, my personal interests (parenting, cooking, yoga) were very distinct from my professional world of copywriting. But with the blog and podcast, my worlds are colliding in a beautiful way.
5. This is the perfect way to improve my interview skills. I interview people all the time. I ask questions. They answer. I write an article or blog post. Generally speaking, I ask good questions, I think. But I am flawed. Listening to your own audio, you realize why you are not the next Barbara Walters or Nina Totenberg or Oprah. OK, there are LOTS of reasons, but among them … I ask rambling questions sometimes. I ask multiple questions at one time. I get absorbed in the conversation and let the interviewee lead. To be fair, the last one, I think, is an asset, but Nina Totenberg stays FOCUSED, man. I … do not.
6. You never know the people you’ll reach. Recently, a client I’ve worked with at various times over the past few years sent me an email. He is not squarely in my target demo, but he periodically reads Kiddos Cook. And he recently wrote to me to say: “It is a great site! I have been in a rut with our dinner routine. We try to eat mostly whole foods but after a long day it is tough to get in the kitchen. You inspired me to get back at it!” We all want our passion projects to reach the masses, but honestly, if mine doesn’t, I’m OK because the people I do reach tell me the impact we’re having, and it’s amazing.

My Team Rocks

No man is an island. People need people. I get all that in spirit, but generally, I’m sort of a loner. Nonetheless, when it comes to creating good work, I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I want a team that can work together and fill those gaps. And if anything has taught me the value of teamwork, it’s this podcast.

A podcast guru and coach, a designer, a marketing/social media professional, an assistant who can keep everything organized. Without our team, this podcast doesn’t launch.

So far, I’ve talked to cooking/baking instructors, a cookbook author, a pediatric nutritionist and more, and I’m invested in telling their stories with grace and professionalism. Every person who gives me 50 minutes of their time to talk about teaching kids to cook inspires me to do good work.

Season 1 of the Kiddos in the Kitchen podcast launches Sept. 1. I don’t know what Season 2 holds. But I do know that I am proud of the work we’ve done so far, and I am so excited to start sharing these episodes. I also know that podcasting can require weeks or months of preparation and thought and creative energy. And I’m better for it.