How to Start a Podcast – The Enchanting Lawyer’s Guide to Launching a Podcast

I wrote an article on why lawyers should start a podcast right away back in April, and received some requests of a comprehensive podcasting guide for beginners. So, here we go. In this blog post, I will talk about everything I personally do to run a show, including reaching out to desired guests via email and the production procedures. But first, if you have not heard or subscribed to my Enchanting Lawyer Podcast, where I talk about how lawyers can use modern online technology to run a better business, please give it a try because I have some awesome guests.

I only launched my weekly podcast four months ago – that was when I released my first interview with James Altucher, but there were months of preparation before that. Let me walk you through the process. The screenshots below are exactly what I do in post-production so it would be self-explanatory.

Booking

I love attending workshops and conferences, especially those ones that are featuring the people I am interested in and that’s where I meet them in person. Thankfully, a lot of these people, like James Altucher, Peter Shankman, Mark Schaefer, etc., do share my notion of being nice to people and helping people out; therefore, most of the time, they are indeed willing to dedicate their time to contributing to my growth for free. Whether it’s in an email or in person, I tell them about the ways they inspire me, how I like the book or the blog post they wrote, especially how a small part of my business idea originated from a simple quote they had said. Remember, the guest is doing you a favor so let them decide when it’s at their earliest convenience, how they want to record the show, audio and/or video, and always promote their recent establishment. Also, being genuine and modest is always the key to making a good first impression.

Recording

First off, you will need a microphone. I use Rode Podcaster Booming Kit, including a mic stand and a 10′ USB cable.

I also have a Zoom H4N Handy Portable Digital Recorder as a back-up recording tool in case the computer file gets lost.

SuperTintin is a Skype video recorder that I use on my PC to record video and audio for my interviews. It’s about $30, very easy to use, and you get high quality, picture-in-picture videos to upload onto YouTube or Vimeo. For a 40-minute long interview, the video file is about 350 MB; the audio file is about 40 MB. When I am on my Mac, I use ecamm. They are both reliable and offer a short learning curve. Remember to upload your finished work onto Dropbox right after for protection.

Editing

Currently, I am using the most advanced and developed editing software that is out there, Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit Pro). The up side is that it does literally everything when it comes to audio recording and editing; the down side is that it’s quite pricey to a podcasting beginner who is just testing the waters. However, if you are serious about podcasting, it’s worth every penny. You can get a free Creative Cloud membership for 30 days to try out Audition. Please email me at jacob@enchantinglawyer.com if you know a simplified, free tool that does pretty much the same things. The podcasters and I would love to know!

I have also tried out a few free video editing software and ended up with the amateur-friendly Windows Live Movie Maker. For now, all I do is add a video logo in the beginning and at the end, name of the guest and his/her information, and some animation effect to transition from one sequence to the next. This is entirely optional since your main focus, as a podcaster, should be the voice. As you are just starting out, you may not want to make it too overwhelming for yourself. As for me, I would love to have a presence on YouTube and Vimeo as well, which is why I try to encourage the guest to make a video too.

Tagging

When your subscriber opens the audio version of your podcast interview, you would want it to be named, copyrighted, described, categorized, and looking pretty with your logo’s artwork. AudioShell is prefect for these purposes. It’s available for Windows and Mac. This picture shows everything you need to do to tag your MP3 file.

Libsyn

After the audio is edited, tagged, and saved on Dropbox, you can schedule it for publish on Libsyn, where you can upload, publish, schedule, and host your show. It’s affordable and super easy to use.

For the time being, my podcast series goes out onto iTunes and my blog ( (I recently started playing around with SoundCloud. I will update you on that.). As you can see, I normally schedule my new podcast show to go public on a Monday, and then two days later, I will publish a blog post on it with the guest’s information, the interview’s timeline, introduction, my behind-the-scenes thoughts, and a corresponding post on Facebook to advertise.

There, you have it! I encourage you to start experiencing the greatest way to build a connection with your audience, expand your networking circle, meet and have a conversation with the experts in your industry, and give yourself a platform to show off your incredible voice! Once you set it up, read my article on How to Get Your Podcast to the Top.

May the Podcast God be with you!

If you are like me, relatively new but passionate about podcasting, please let me know about your thoughts or any suggestions you have for my podcast! If you have questions regarding the specifics from any of the steps mentioned above, please email me at jacob@enchantinglawyer.com. I would love to have a chat with you!