Listen to “MIH016:My Biggest Podcasting Mistakes” on Spreaker.

I’ve been producing online radio shows and podcasts since 2005 and along the way, I’ve made quite a few mistakes.  I thought if I shared some of my failures with you that it might help you to feel more confident in producing your own show- if you haven’t begun already.

We all make mistakes, and life is about living and learning.  So here are a few of my podcasting mistakes:

Not deciding on a recording platform and sticking with it.

In the beginning, I started with Cool Edit Pro (now Audition which I use)- a snazzy little piece of expensive software my husband happened to have on our desktop. I learned the ropes with this but realized I needed something different for the interview piece.

So I started with free conference calling software, and eventually switched to a few services like Talk Shoe and Blog Talk Radio. Before long I had a string of several different feed URLs with different services, and no one really knew which feed to subscribe to in order to hear my podcast.

I learned quickly that the best solution for me was to house all of my audios in-house and connect it to my one beloved FeedBurner account.  This way I would never lose a subscriber again based on feed confusion. Although I said goodbye to Talk Shoe and BTR, I have nothing against them- and it’s a great way to begin podcasting.  Just know that it’s in your best interest to  “own” your feed in case you stop using their services.

Feedburner has always been my go-to solution for feed ownership.  If I switch services or blogs it doesn’t affect my Feedburner which remains the same even when I don’t!

Not briefing myself on how to use recording software before I conducted an important interview.

Wow- this one cost me and my interviewee time.  And you just can’t get your time back. In the process of switching over to a new Skype-recording software, I had very little time to properly brief myself on how to set the recording and save it to my desktop once the call was over.

The sad thing is- we had a great call and a wonderful interview chat!  And I lost it.  Right after I hung up with her I assumed I had saved my recording, and realized the file was nowhere to be found.  At some point, I had inadvertently clicked the huge red hang-up button thinking it was the record button right before we ever began the interview- and while my Skype was timing away just fine in the background, my recording software was doing absolutely nothing.

What happened in the end?  My interviewee was pretty understanding and was kind enough to agree to a second interview within the week, so I really lucked out on that one.  But it was a hard lesson for me, and one that I hope not to repeat again.

Lesson learned: figure out all the recording and calling kinks way before you get on a Skype call, and make sure you practice with a family member or friend ahead of time.

Being hesitant about asking for interviews.

This is one that cost me relationships I’ve been wanting to build early on but was too afraid to ask.  What I’ve found was that no matter my perceived notion of how many blog viewers I felt I needed to have in order to be “eligible” to ask for an interview, for the most part, everyone I’ve asked to interview (with the exception of one person) has given me a “yes”.

Surprisingly, I’ve also had opportunities to interview well-known industry leaders within my niche without ever having to ask for an interview.  This is due to some simple strategies I’ve set in place on my blog to ensure my readers know that guest bloggers and podcast interviewees are welcome.  I’ve set an open-gate policy in order to maximize opportunities to connect.

I admit- it’s still difficult to get out there sometimes and ask for the interview- especially if you feel pretty ‘small’ online compared to the guru you’re going after, but look at it this way: it’s always a win-win situation for both of you.  You get the interview, and they get the promotion- and even if your audience is not huge there is always the growing potential your podcast has as it gains listenership over the course of a year or more.  Additionally, if you’re doing it right you could garner enough attention via your other social media outlets to make their time worthwhile.

So, at least try.  Get out there and ask for the interview.  And what if you get a “no”?  99% of the time, you won’t.  The 1% “no” is only a small percentage of your time, so you can easily move on and ask someone else.

On another post, I will share how exactly to interview those stars in your niche.

So what do you think?  Would you like to begin interviewing people in your industry for your blog or podcast?

Remember, I’m only a message away.  Feel free to ask me questions and set up a 30 minute consult to see how I can be of help to you.