Episode 111
Ideas for your first podcast episode
It’s happening. You’re finally launching a podcast.
You’ve been thinking about it, planning it, buying the gear, deciding not to do it, then deciding you want to do it, then getting scared, putting the gear back in the cupboard, then getting it back out, then realising you really just need to do it.
You know, all the normal emotions that fresh podcasters go through.
You get over the initial hurdle of committing to the process, but then you start thinking what that first episode needs to be like.
It needs to be amazing.
The kind of episode that someone will listen to and think, “This is possibly the greatest podcast in the history of the world. I’m hooked and I will now be a raving fan forever. I will give them my first born child as gratitude for how good this podcast episode is.”
Sure, that’s one way to attack your first episode, but maybe it’s not the smartest…
In this episode, I step through how I believe you should approach your first podcast episode.
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I'm answering a question here
Speaker:on the channel today that I
Speaker:got from a YouTube subscriber.
Speaker:Shout out to VictoriaDixon941 who
Speaker:asked, Do you have a video on what
Speaker:your first ever podcast should be?
Speaker:The first video has to be good
Speaker:enough to give the people a taste
Speaker:and want to come back for more.
Speaker:So what should you do?
Speaker:So this is a very common question,
Speaker:especially when I'm doing consults
Speaker:with people within the how to get
Speaker:started consult sessions that I do.
Speaker:Let's get into some ideas that I
Speaker:have around what you could do for
Speaker:your first ever podcast episode.
Speaker:The very first place to start
Speaker:is actually a trailer episode.
Speaker:And I've got a separate video where
Speaker:I break down the importance of the
Speaker:trailer episode, why it exists,
Speaker:why you really need to do one.
Speaker:And so I'd recommend that you actually go
Speaker:watch that one for the trailer episode.
Speaker:But not what we're talking about
Speaker:today is the actual first ever
Speaker:podcast episode that isn't a trailer.
Speaker:There are so many ways that you can
Speaker:take this first episode thing, but
Speaker:the most important thing I want you
Speaker:to remember is not to overthink it.
Speaker:When you're starting a new podcast,
Speaker:if you've never podcasted before and
Speaker:you don't potentially have a giant
Speaker:social following or a massive community
Speaker:online, what you have as your first
Speaker:episode isn't going to be the be all
Speaker:and end all of everything that you do.
Speaker:You're not going to be judged super
Speaker:harshly on this first episode.
Speaker:So that's the first thing I really
Speaker:want you to be aware of is if it's
Speaker:kind of holding you back a little
Speaker:bit because you're like, uh, I want
Speaker:my first episode to be really good.
Speaker:Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker:That's great.
Speaker:But one of the biggest Best things
Speaker:about starting a podcast and
Speaker:having a podcast generally is the
Speaker:growth that you achieve over time.
Speaker:So when you look at any show and you go
Speaker:back and you listen to their first ever
Speaker:episode, it's normally not that great
Speaker:because they're testing the waters.
Speaker:They don't really have their voice yet.
Speaker:They don't know what they're
Speaker:going to say that the show kind
Speaker:of evolves as they go along.
Speaker:It's one of the reasons
Speaker:why I love this medium.
Speaker:Don't overthink it.
Speaker:Don't go, oh man, it has to
Speaker:be just such a great episode.
Speaker:Try your best, but know that done is
Speaker:better than perfect in this space.
Speaker:We really want you to just get
Speaker:some stuff out there and then grow
Speaker:and evolve over time from there.
Speaker:In saying that, there's a few things
Speaker:that you can kind of set up to make sure
Speaker:that you're delivering the best content
Speaker:that you can with the experience that
Speaker:you have and the knowledge that you have.
Speaker:What I'd like you to look at
Speaker:first is what kind of podcast
Speaker:you're actually creating.
Speaker:So is it a show where it's
Speaker:entertainment focused?
Speaker:It's, you know, something
Speaker:that's supposed to be funny.
Speaker:Is it for a business community?
Speaker:Is it marketing for your?
Speaker:Actual services.
Speaker:Is it a branded podcast that
Speaker:has products associated with it?
Speaker:Is it artsy?
Speaker:Is it personal journals?
Speaker:Is it supposed to be
Speaker:authentic and real and raw?
Speaker:The kind of show that
Speaker:you're creating will change.
Speaker:dictate the kind of first
Speaker:episode that you have as well.
Speaker:So once you understand that, let's say
Speaker:it's a comedy podcast, you will want
Speaker:your first episode to be hilarious.
Speaker:Okay?
Speaker:Because that's, what's
Speaker:going to bring them back.
Speaker:It's gotta be something that's
Speaker:going to make them laugh.
Speaker:Or it's going to be with a particularly
Speaker:good guest, or you've established a good
Speaker:rapport with the co host that you have.
Speaker:I would make sure that you've
Speaker:recorded maybe five or six episodes
Speaker:before you even decide which episode
Speaker:is going to be your first one.
Speaker:Because in that process of editing,
Speaker:If you're doing the editing and
Speaker:things yourself, you will find out,
Speaker:you will establish what kind of the
Speaker:best episode is after you've done a
Speaker:little bit of post production on it.
Speaker:I wouldn't.
Speaker:nail down and go, I'm, this is
Speaker:definitely the first episode until
Speaker:I'm really sure of what else is
Speaker:happening, what else is going on.
Speaker:So establish the kind of genre, the kind
Speaker:of show that you're trying to do, and
Speaker:then make sure that that first episode
Speaker:makes it super clear what that show is.
Speaker:If your podcast is going to be a
Speaker:lot of sort of guests, so maybe
Speaker:it is interviews, then this is
Speaker:really key here to establish which
Speaker:guests should I run with first.
Speaker:And again, this is why I say
Speaker:definitely record a bunch before
Speaker:you decide what you actually want
Speaker:to solidify as your first episode.
Speaker:I wouldn't put your front runner.
Speaker:As your first episode, I wouldn't have
Speaker:your absolute best guest as episode
Speaker:number one, I would probably wait till
Speaker:episode 10 or so for your actual, like
Speaker:amazing, awesome, the best guests,
Speaker:the biggest guests that you could
Speaker:potentially get 10, maybe even 20
Speaker:episodes in that's when I'd start to
Speaker:pepper in some guests that are a little
Speaker:bit, maybe higher profile to begin with.
Speaker:You're trying to establish more of
Speaker:your niche, you're trying to get used
Speaker:to having conversations with people.
Speaker:So it's not going to be something
Speaker:where I would go, yep, put your awesome
Speaker:big guests right at the front of your
Speaker:podcast, because they're going to very
Speaker:quickly get overshadowed by all the
Speaker:other episodes that you have coming out.
Speaker:I have an episode on this channel
Speaker:and on the podcast where I talk about
Speaker:the actual launch plan and what I
Speaker:recommend that you do within that
Speaker:beginning phase of your podcast.
Speaker:In that big launch strategy that
Speaker:I recorded there, you'll note that
Speaker:I actually say that you should
Speaker:potentially try and release.
Speaker:Between three and five episodes in that
Speaker:first week of your podcast being live.
Speaker:And so with that in mind, whichever
Speaker:one you do first, doesn't really
Speaker:matter that much because it's a spread
Speaker:of really solid content over that
Speaker:initial week to get that listener.
Speaker:Ready for what's to come for you.
Speaker:So this is where you're building
Speaker:the connection with people where
Speaker:you're establishing what the show is
Speaker:and where you're feeling like they
Speaker:start to get a very clear idea as
Speaker:to what they're actually subscribing
Speaker:to, what they're signing up for.
Speaker:So that first episode in the grand scheme
Speaker:of things, Isn't as important as what
Speaker:you've got coming out over the next maybe
Speaker:five ten twenty episodes I do often like
Speaker:to have that first episode be something
Speaker:where it's just getting you used to being
Speaker:on camera And it's getting you used to
Speaker:feeling like you can Communicate with
Speaker:people in this way and so often I do
Speaker:recommend even if it is a guest based You
Speaker:Podcast where you're interviewing people.
Speaker:Your first couple of
Speaker:episodes aren't guests.
Speaker:It's just you solo establishing who
Speaker:you are and the rapport that you
Speaker:have with the actual listener, with
Speaker:the person that's watching you.
Speaker:This is where you can start to
Speaker:build a little bit of why would
Speaker:they bother listening to me?
Speaker:Why would they bother thinking that
Speaker:I'm a good person to be an interviewer?
Speaker:They've got to get to know you before
Speaker:they feel like they are interested
Speaker:enough relying on you to be a good host.
Speaker:To interview other people.
Speaker:So this is that kind of background.
Speaker:It's almost like dating in that
Speaker:first few episodes where you
Speaker:start to establish who you are
Speaker:and why they should listen to you.
Speaker:So these topics could be around your
Speaker:background, particular case studies
Speaker:or stories that you have sharing a
Speaker:little bit, not necessarily about
Speaker:your life, but some sort of hook.
Speaker:There always has to be a story involved.
Speaker:Because podcasting is
Speaker:a storytelling medium.
Speaker:It's just like songwriting.
Speaker:I mean, I was a songwriter and
Speaker:still am for over a decade.
Speaker:And that's the part, that's the
Speaker:part that people want to hear about.
Speaker:They want to hear where you came from.
Speaker:And why you are a person that they want
Speaker:to get to know, that they want to get
Speaker:to love and that they want to follow.
Speaker:And so make sure that you
Speaker:establish that within those first
Speaker:few episodes of your podcast.
Speaker:And if you are listening to this
Speaker:and you're like, well, I've already,
Speaker:I've already got a podcast and I'm
Speaker:20, 30, 40 episodes in, that's okay.
Speaker:Do it now.
Speaker:Do it now, go back, reintroduce yourself
Speaker:and let people know who you are.
Speaker:And I don't mean like airing
Speaker:all your dirty laundry.
Speaker:I mean, you don't know a heap
Speaker:about me personally here.
Speaker:Uh, that's not it, but it is about being
Speaker:able to speak in a way, to craft stories
Speaker:in a way, to engage with your audience
Speaker:in a way where they think you are.
Speaker:Feel like they get to know you.
Speaker:These are those little intricacies,
Speaker:your background, your branding, the
Speaker:colors that you wear, how your hair
Speaker:is, how you communicate your smile, how
Speaker:much energy you have in your videos.
Speaker:That stuff's the thing when you're
Speaker:listening and watching me right now.
Speaker:I'm quite animated and not everyone's
Speaker:going to love that, but people
Speaker:will, there'll be a person out there
Speaker:that's watching this right now.
Speaker:That's like, yay, you know, Brianna
Speaker:is a great, and that's cool.
Speaker:I'm talking to you.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So you have to think
Speaker:about that for yourself.
Speaker:How much of yourself are you willing
Speaker:to put on the screen to put in audio?
Speaker:How much are you going to
Speaker:relax into just showing you?
Speaker:That is something that I would
Speaker:recommend in those first few episodes.
Speaker:Hone that in, get people aware of
Speaker:who you are, what you can bring to
Speaker:the conversation, why they should
Speaker:follow you and establish that with
Speaker:some solo episodes, and then from
Speaker:there start to introduce guests.
Speaker:The kind of guests that you have
Speaker:and the kind of topics that you have
Speaker:will be totally dependent on the
Speaker:niche that you're in and the kind
Speaker:of podcast that you're creating.
Speaker:So I can't really give you advice on
Speaker:that without knowing more strategically
Speaker:who you are If it's something that
Speaker:you feel like you really want some
Speaker:help with, like nailing that down,
Speaker:doing a little bit of a content plan,
Speaker:talking about a strategy, Then you can
Speaker:absolutely book in a consult with me on
Speaker:the consult link that I'll put in the
Speaker:description below where we can just chat.
Speaker:I can get to know you.
Speaker:I can get a bit of a feel for who
Speaker:your show is for, who you are,
Speaker:what you're trying to do, what
Speaker:you're trying to sell, what it is.
Speaker:And then we start to think a bit more
Speaker:strategically about what these podcast
Speaker:episodes could be, who they're targeting,
Speaker:and how to spread that most effectively.
Speaker:I love doing those.
Speaker:I do these consults all the time.
Speaker:All the time.
Speaker:It's always a heap of fun.
Speaker:But VictoriaDixon9491,
Speaker:thank you for this question.
Speaker:What should I do for my first episode?
Speaker:My recap is, don't
Speaker:worry about it too much.
Speaker:Don't overthink it.
Speaker:But share your personality as much as
Speaker:you can, as much as you feel willing to.
Speaker:Show them who you are so that it feels
Speaker:like they're They can start to love
Speaker:you because once they like you, once
Speaker:they know you, once they trust you,
Speaker:then they will keep coming back for
Speaker:more because you've established your
Speaker:rapport and they feel like you're
Speaker:someone that they actually want
Speaker:to connect with on a deeper level.
Speaker:Think about your niche.
Speaker:Think about who the target is.
Speaker:Think about the kind of podcast you're
Speaker:wanting to create, build a slate of
Speaker:episodes up to 20 that you can pull
Speaker:your kind of good ones out and you're
Speaker:not so good ones out and spread
Speaker:them over that first 20 episodes.
Speaker:So you're hitting some goals and
Speaker:you're trying some things as well.
Speaker:That's my recommendation for
Speaker:you today for what you should
Speaker:do for your first episode.
Speaker:I hope you've enjoyed it.
Speaker:Have a good day.
