Podcasting is hot right now. Six in 10 Americans are now familiar with the term podcasting. In fact, 40% of Americans ages 12 years old and above have listened to a podcast. And the growth of podcasting has steadily increased for people ages 25 to 54.

Are you looking to launch a podcast?

If you are thinking about how to launch a podcast but don’t know where to start, this blog article is for you. I talked to authors Jason Guigno and Corey Jeffreys about their new book, Bend, Break and Hack: Podcasting Without Permission, to get some tips on how they got started and their story can help you launch a podcast.

They started a podcast, TriangleCast, with little budget and little time. In fact, they found how to launch a podcast on the side while working full-time jobs.

I was interviewed by them recently on the TriangleCast podcast to discuss digital marketing and social selling. You can listen to part 1 and part 2 of that interview. I also had the chance to talk to Jason and Corey about their new book and their podcast. Here is my edited interview with them.

Q: Why is podcasting so popular today?

Jason Guigno: People are busier than ever. They have a lot of time when their hands and/or eyes are doing something else (driving, folding laundry or mowing the lawn). Podcasting allows people to do something entertaining or productive with the time that would otherwise be boring!

Corey Jeffreys: Podcasting is popular because it gives anyone a starting platform to express and voice their concerns and or topics in life. It’s like being able to speak without having any permissions. That idea of freedom is how the book title of our book really came about. You don’t need anyone to tell you how to speak or what to speak about. It is totally at your discretion. Another key point is that listeners aren’t stuck having to listen to the same show repeatedly, with so many varieties and niches, no one person could ever run out of podcast to listen too.

“Podcasting allows people to do something entertaining or productive with the time that would otherwise be boring!”

Jason Guigno

Q: What is the biggest piece of advice you give others on how to get started with a podcast?

Corey: As Nike’s slogan says, “Just Do It.” It’s not as hard as you think. Just like with any business, it takes time and discipline. The biggest piece of advice I could give is to know your audience and what your listeners are going to want to hear. Not saying that you can’t do this, but, it would be unwise of you to speak about only yourself. No one wants to hear that.

Jason: Record a couple of pilot episodes on your phone, and then listen to them. See if it is compelling, informative, or entertaining. Most importantly, you will learn if you truly enjoy it. 

“Podcasting is not as hard as your think. It takes time and discipline.”

Corey Jeffreys

Q: What 3 things do you need to be a successful podcaster?

Jason: You need intense interest in the subject you are discussing. The passion will show through. You also need to be entertaining to hold the listener’s attention.

Corey: You want to look for opportunities which are all around you. Podcasting would be one of them. Look for opportunities to solve problems. You should again know your audience and have an outlook on what the goal is that you’re trying to achieve.

“Look for opportunities to solve problems [with your podcast].”

Corey Jeffreys

Q: Why should others start a podcast?

Jason: If you have a unique perspective that can help others, you need to put it out there. Find the questions that people are constantly asking you in your life or profession, whatever makes you an expert or super fan, and see if you can build a larger conversation around it. This gives you a chance to share your expertise or passion with the world.

Corey: You should start a podcast if you have a story to tell or something of interest to talk about. Again, it is an unregulated platform, as of now, and you should take full advantage of podcasting.

“If you have a unique perspective that can help others, you need to put it out there.”

Jason Guigno

Q: What is one thing that people don’t know about you?

Corey: I use to be a grandma’s boy and always got everything I wanted. That was until she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a disease that causes memory loss. During that time, I had no one to depend on financially and was somewhat forced to learn about being an entrepreneur and starting my own business because the jobs I was working, just didn’t bring in enough income. I started my own website at coreyjeffeys.com were you can learn more about my story.

Jason: I’ve listened to the Hamilton soundtrack 15 times since I found it on Amazon Prime Music two months ago.

Q: What is one accomplishment you are most proud of?

Jason: My biggest accomplishment is being the sole provider of income for our household. It took a lot of work and compromise to set up a life where my wife can stay home with our two kids. I’m very proud of my family and that we can pull this off.

Corey: My biggest accomplishment is starting TriangleCast with Jason and recording more than 30 episodes. It shows that anyone can do it. We started from scratch, and bootstrapped our way through. With all the content we created, we will have more than enough content to always come back to and present to future listeners.

Q: How did you meet and come up with the idea to do a podcast and the title of your book? 

Corey [discussing the podcast]: Jason and I met a mutual co-worker’s birthday lunch. I heard Jason was a rock star salesman, and me, being an entrepreneur, I wanted to pick his brain. After getting to know him a little better, I asked him what it was that he wanted to do. He said podcasting. I asked why doesn’t he just do it. And from there we partnered up.

Jason [discussing the title of the book]: We wanted something that helped with the branding of the show, and giving some idea of the content. Hopefully, the reader gets the message that you don’t need someone else’s buy in or permission to start a podcast!

Q: What is your favorite chapter in the book?

Jason: I like the 1st and 3rd chapters the best. Both allow me to gush about how much I enjoy podcasting and interviews, and required very little research since I could speak from the heart.

Corey: The chapter: 10 episodes in before you quit. This chapter is very meaningful. In life, when things get tough you can’t just call it quits. Jason and I have learned so much through all of ups and downs that we’ve been through that we would have never learned had we called it quits early on.

Q: What is your secret to developing new skills and knowledge? 

Corey: Reading. Reading is very important if you want to grow and continue learning. If it wasn’t for reading I wouldn’t be in the position of understanding what it means to go after financial freedom. Where I come from, it is ok to accept just getting a job and just paying the bills. Reading allowed me to see that there is more to life than just that.

Jason: I wish I had a better answer, but my philosophy is to learn by doing. Try and fail and try again until it works or I get distracted by something better.

Q: Why don’t more people make the jump and start their own podcast? 

Jason: It’s terrifying to put yourself out there. Personally, I feel that there is a lot of negative social pressure that comes along with doing something different. Everyone wants to be part of a success story, but not everyone is onboard for the journey.

Corey: I can only provide an opinion, but I believe it’s because they cannot see the bigger picture. One podcast discussing a very important topic could change someone’s life. But because there are small fees involved, and other fearful tactics such no support from family members, it’s easier to just remain content.

Conclusion on how to launch a podcast

With the average listener subscribing to 6 podcasts, you may want to add TriangleCast to your list of podcast subscriptions.

And don’t forget to read Jason and Corey’s new book, Bend, Break and Hack: Podcasting Without Permission, where you can learn how to start a podcast and make sure your voice is heard. These two individuals are ones that can show you how to launch a podcast.