The Beginner's Podcast Checklist — Go from booking a guest to hitting publish in 30 mins

Quick storytime. A while ago, I asked a Senior Product Manager at Spotify if she would be down for a podcast. At that time I had no experience, no podcast, no microphone, and no editing tools. She said she was interested. But she first wanted to hear my previous episodes. Obviously, she wanted to know if I was a good host, if I interrupted my guests, if I asked good questions, and overall if the conversation would be fun. This is where my mindset changed. I figured people wouldn't trust me if I have no previous experience to show for. So rather than trying to get amazing guests on the pod, I started focusing on building a good process to ensure consistency and a high-quality product. And maybe then, people might just be interested. Fast forward to last week. My buddy asked how did I manage to get so many influencers on the pod. And that made me realize how far I had come. My first episode was literally me rambling about why I always wanted to start a podcast. Then, the first two guest episodes were with my sisters (11 and 24 years old). The next couple of episodes were audio versions of my most popular blog posts. Finally, I started getting some friends on and then, other friends who happen to be influencers. A fun ride. So here's the thing. I thought why not help you start a podcast too. Grab this Notion doc and use it as a template for every podcast you record. Money: All proceeds from these sales will go to my 11-year old sister Shanaya so that she can buy whatever Unicorn stuff she wanna buy. I want to thank her for trusting in me and being my first guest. I want to thank her for setting an example - that anyone can build a podcast with amazing guests, all you gotta do is start small, maybe start by interviewing that little kid in the house.