► Tell us about you and your podcast
My name is Alexander Laurin. I am the Podcaster's Coach and the Author of 'The Book on Podcasting'. I'm a Certified Professional Life Coach turned Podcaster's Coach. My podcast is about inspiration and motivation for the podcast community. My listeners are podcasters and aspiring podcasters.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
Podcast creation called out to me for many years. One podcast I heard in 2014 helped me end my depression. I podcast because I love it. It enhances my life in so many different ways. I listen to new podcasts frequently. I interview podcasters - so I always listen to them first.
After a podcast passion project ended, I decided to start a podcast for my business. My goal initially was business development. This was before becoming the Podcaster's Coach.
The podcast made me realize that I really disliked my business. In a way I thought that the podcast would get me excited about my business. It did not. I then decided to start focusing on the things that I loved the most, so in early 2017, I changed my business and became the Podcaster's Coach. I created a podcast right away and started my new venture.
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► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
In my first season I published 5 days a week. This was my strategy to get to know fellow podcasters. This season, I produce 2 episodes. My coaching business supports the podcast. I carve out Monday mornings to create and produce my 2 episodes.
Currently, I host on Spreaker and I pay $10 a month. I spend $20 a month on transcription. I was spending $20 a month on Ringr, but I am now transitioning back to Skype. I pay a yearly fee on my website hosting which is about $125.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I could honestly go on and on about this. I wrote a book on it. Podcasting is life changing and can fill your life up with meaning.
I sponsor my own podcast. Most of the time (not always), I will mention my service or website.
The podcast does promote me, but I do it for fun and to create new relationships. I make no money from the podcast itself, however I have been able to attract clients with it. It brings about an awareness of my coaching services.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
There are 2 parts. One, I write out and rehearse a monologue. I record it in one take in Audacity. I will interview a podcaster separately on Ringr or Skype, and take a portion of that episode and add it to the Monday show (monologue and comedy bit of an interview). The other part of the interview, I create a stand alone show that I publish on Friday. I create a quick intro and outro for each episode and include music. I make this simple. I hardly edit.
Many of my guests come from Facebook, but more and more I am finding people on LinkedIn. I simply reach out and ask.
When I interview, I listen to one of my guest's episodes up front. I get to know them a little this way. When I have them on Skype or Ringr, I have a 5 minute conversation with them so we can build rapport. I have a list of questions that I ask, but almost always go in the direction of the guest's answers. The list of questions are handy when I need to ground myself.
► How do you market your show?
I simply blast out my show on social media. I request that my guests do the same. I generally network to get the word out. I don't do anything special with promotion.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Wow, I have a ton of advice. LOL, it's in the book. OK, remember this is a long road. New podcasters get frustrated with statistics, but it really takes time to build an audience. Don't stress out about this. Just keep at it. Also, be ok with not being perfect. You won't start off being great at this, so embrace it. You will be vastly improved after 1 year - we all get better at this. Believe me, your podcast will improve over time.....and so will you.