Rockin’ Libsyn Podcasts: The Postcard Academy

This series is all about Libsyn’s podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community!

Q & A with Sarah Mikutel from the Postcard Academy podcast

When did you start podcasting?

I’ve been listening to podcasts since before iTunes — I’m still amazed I figured that out — but I didn’t think I had the tech skills to create one myself.

Then, in 2016, I started producing a business podcast as one of my many marketing responsibilities for a startup.

I quickly learned what it takes to run a quality show — and that the tech was the least of my worries! I launched my own travel podcast, Postcard Academy, in October 2017.

Why did you start podcasting?

I’m an American expat usually based in London, and, despite working insane hours at a tech startup, I wanted to make the most of my time in Europe.

I love traveling, but had zero time to plan. I just wanted to get on the plane, sit back in my tiny seat, and listen to a podcast to learn what I should see and where I should eat when we touched down in Berlin or Istanbul or wherever.

To my surprise, I couldn’t find what I was looking for and so I combined my two passions – podcasts and travel – to create the Postcard Academy travel podcast.

What’s your show about?

As a female who’s traveled and moved to several countries on my own, I really wanted to challenge the cliche that women only travel when in crisis, like you see in so many films: Eat, Pray, Love. Under the Tuscan Sun. Wild.

Postcard Academy primarily features women who travel or live abroad because that’s the life they love. And so every week my guests share their insider food and culture tips on their adopted cities.

I love this because their stories introduce my listeners to hidden gems that really help them explore a city’s best.

What’s your podcasting set-up? Hardware, software, CMS, etc.

I record most shows remotely on my Macbook Air. I have a Blue Yeti mic and use my Bose noise-canceling headphones.

I use Skype and Ecamm to record my interviews and Descript to do most of my edits. I’m not sure why everyone isn’t using Descript because it’s absolutely amazing — you’re visually editing words along with waves and it makes things so much easier.

I finish editing and processing on Adobe Audition then upload to Libsyn. I turn most episodes into comprehensive travel resources that I post to my Squarespace site.

How have you promoted your podcast?

I post to social media — Instagram, Twitter, Facebook — but its no secret that organic reach on these platforms is pretty limited these days.

I see the most traction on Instagram. I’ve also experimented with Overcast ads, Facebook ads, and Spotify ads.

The Overcast ads performed the best by far and I also love the app, which I think provides the best listening experience for pod lovers.

The Spotify ad was a waste of money so maybe it’s too soon on that platform. Facebook, despite all its problems, can still drive a relevant audience to content, so I continue to use them. I also have a weekly newsletter.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

I struggled to find good resources to teach myself how to edit audio. Jason Levine has a very good video series on YouTube, which I recommend.

I’m also shopping around for a new mic. The Blue Yeti has mostly served me well, but I record from noisy cities like Rome and it picks up absolutely everything.

When you first start out, you worry about a lot of things, but then you have such incredible surprises. I’ve actually traveled with guests and listeners that I met through my show, which I did not expect. This is just one of many reasons podcasting is so worth it to me.

If you’re the type of traveler who loves to get off the beaten path, you must subscribe to the Postcard Academy podcast! For more travel stories and advice, sign up for Sarah’s newsletter. Do you have a podcast? Are you interested in interviewing Sarah about travel, living abroad, or living your best life? She’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with her.

Are you looking for a show or a voice that you cannot find? Why not do what Sarah did and start your own thing. If you need to get started podcasting, we’re happy to support you! We have a free monthly podcasting quickstart, check it out. If you’re ready to go, we have the perfect hosting plans for your upcoming podcast!

Rockin’ Libsyn Podcast: The Nourished Child

This series is all about Libsyn’s podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community!

Q & A with Jill Castle from The Nourished Child

When did you start podcasting?

I launched The Nourished Child in August, 2016, after I spent a couple months trying to learn about podcasting, from the tech side of things to the real commitment involved in hosting a show.

I wanted to make sure I would stick with it, and I needed to get a realistic view of everything involved.

Why did you start podcasting?

I knew there wasn’t a show devoted to nutrition for kids, or the feeding struggles that go along with raising them.

I did my research, and while I found episodes discussing child nutrition, there wasn’t a podcast out there exploring this topic.

I also thought a podcast would be a great medium for parents who are always on the go, and also seeking knowledge about a variety of topics.

As a blogger with a lot of content, I could imagine digging deeper into some of the topics I had written about, and having expert guests on the show to share insights.

It took me a while to find the show frequency and balance of solo and guest appearances, but I did.

My early days of weekly episodes just about did me in! I now release an episode every 2 weeks and alternate a solo show with an expert interview.

What’s the name of your show about and what is it about?

My show is called The Nourished Child. It’s a show about child nutrition, feeding kids, and dealing with the ups and downs of raising healthy ones, inside and out.

I talk food topics, feeding interactions, medical conditions like eating disorders and picky eating, sports nutrition, and age-specific behaviors around food, and serve it up with a side of insight about building self-love and self-esteem in our children.

What’s your podcasting set-up? Hardware, software, CMS, etc.

It’s pretty simple! I use a Blue Yeti mic with a pop filter. For guest interviews I use Zencastr or Skype with ECamm Call Recorder.

For solo episodes, I record directly into Audacity. I upload my audio, photos, show note outline with all the links, sponsors and ads to Dropbox.

I have a podcast editor (he joined me about 6 months ago) who then edits and uploads to Libsyn and my website.

How have you promoted your podcast?

Afterward, I email my guest their show link and encourage them to share with their audience and do a little social media push on my outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube).

Often (but not always), I boost an expert interview on Facebook to glean more attention.

About once a month, I include a synopsis of my latest shows in my weekly newsletter.

If a show relates to a blog post, I go back in and link the show to a blog post.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

In the beginning, I was worried about slow growth.

At one point, around the one-year mark, I thought I might stop, or at least be less committed to a schedule. I think my pride kept me going – I didn’t want to “fade.”

I gave myself another year and decided I would re-evaluate at that point. A few months later the show started to gain a bit of traction.

I had joined a parenting podcast network called Parents on Demand Network and as a member, they pushed my show out (as well as other member shows).

I think that helped, as well as the fact that podcasting had become more popular. With time, shows grow.

It’s kind of like kids. You don’t see it happening day to day, but over time, growth is inevitable and obvious!

As an entrepreneur, I also wanted to see a ROI for my efforts – not necessarily income – but growth and reach.

I now believe podcasting is a marathon – to stay in the game, you’ve got to fuel yourself (for me that means keep learning how to improve, do shows that I am excited about, and push myself to reach out to interesting guests) and let the reward be the actual process and interaction with others, rather than the numbers.

Got kids? Confused about how to keep them eating healthy? What in the world is a good balanced way of eating for children? You need to subscribe to The Nourished Child

The ADHD Diet for Kids – it’s a 6 week program for parents to learn how to confidently feed their child with ADHD and nourish him for better attention, behavior and growth (without wacky diets, power struggles or dramatic meltdowns). Y’all can learn more here

If you cannot find the podcast that addresses the need that you have, start one! We would love to support you. We have a free Podcasting Quickstart every first Wednesday of the month to take you through step by step.

If you’ve got your how to podcast covered, we’d love to host your podcast. We’ve got some fantastic podcast hosting plans!