Positive Aging Thought Leader: Maria Leonard Olsen
Wondering how to start a podcast after 50? It’s easier than you think, and more rewarding than you might imagine.
How to Start a Podcast After 50 & Why I Started My Podcast
Starting a podcast is easier than you think. And the benefits of podcasting outweigh the time and effort it takes to create a good podcast. My podcast, Becoming Your Best Version, is a bit of a selfish endeavor because I get to plumb the wisdom of inspiring women and share their stories with others.
Podcasting can increase your visibility, starting with your website traffic. You can build a loyal audience by establishing a community around a topic of interest. You strengthen your brand.
Podcasting can bring in revenue. You can include advertisements, subscriptions, sponsorship and/or merchandise. Platforms like Spotify will insert ads with a click of a button.
I love the people I interact with in my podcasts. I interview inspiring women and ask them about their lives and work. My last question is always: What do you do to become your best version? In five years of podcasting, I have never received the same answer. I use these amazing women’s wisdom to uplevel my life.
Real Wisdom from Real Women
There is a low barrier to entry to podcasting. I simply use my laptop and its built in camera and microphone. One can, of course, buy more professional equipment or record in a studio. I record on Zoom and upload to Spotify. I create the cover art on Canva. All of these services are free, though I upgraded on Zoom to a version that does not limit my recording time because the free version limits users to 40 minutes at a time. I could use Riverside, which is free for Spotify users, but I have been too busy to implement that change. Riverside includes some helpful features like echo elimination.
The Tools I Use to Podcast (and Keep It Simple)
Spotify is the world’s largest streaming service, though Apple Podcasts boasts more podcast episode downloads. If you upload to Spotify, it will distribute your podcast to Apple Podcasts and other platforms. Spotify will insert ads into your podcast episodes, which is a monetization opportunity. It provides data to show your audience reach and generates year-end statistics posts that podcasters can use. There are other tools and tricks, but I have not yet taken advantage of all that Spotify has to offer.
A Low-Cost, Low-Stress Setup
When I started, I had to search for and solicit guests for my show. After a year or two, I stopped having to do that, since publicists, authors and others reach out to me now to be on my podcast. There are free services, like podcastguests.com and podmatch, that list available guests and their areas of expertise.
How I Find and Manage Podcast Guests
When a publicist or potential guest reaches out to be on the show, I have a standard email (saved in my documents folder, so I don’t have to re-draft it every time) that requests a bio, headshot, and available dates and times for recording the episode. I also ask potential guests to sign up for my mailing list, commit to posting about the episode after it is published, hit the like button on my TEDx Talk, and consider reviewing my book, 50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life.
I also state that participating in the podcast constitutes a release allowing me to use their image and recording, as well as to use the information from the podcast in the biennial eBook I publish about my podcast guests’ answer to my “what do you do to become your best version?” question.
My Guest Intake Process
I have had high school students as summer interns who have created graphics and social media posts for me to use to advertise my podcast, or helped create the content for my eBook based on my podcast. Sometimes they have drafted lists of questions to ask my guests. I find that my guests’ bios and websites usually are enough for me to ad lib interview questions, though.
Building Your Audience and Brand
To build your audience, be sure to post on social media about each episode. I also include a link to my podcast on my email signature.
Award Recognition Matters
Applying to be considered for podcast awards is valuable to build credibility and reach. I recently won awards from Women Podcaster Awards for Best Inspiration and Motivation Podcast and one from the 50 Over 50 Podcast Awards, which honors outstanding podcasters over the age of 50.
Why Podcasting After 50 Just Works
I limit my episodes to 30 minutes. That seems to be the attention span of today’s busy audiences. I do no editing, though I hope to learn how to do this one day!
Being a podcaster gives me additional credibility and exposes me to amazing people who want to be on my show. It is fun and does not take a great deal of time. You can complicate it with bells and whistles, like professional producers and more, but my simple podcast has served me well. I record episodes when I have free time and post a new episode every Friday.
Check out my podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And if you would like to be considered as a guest, reach out at www.MariaLeonardOlsen.com. Happy podcasting!
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About the Author:
Maria Leonard Olsen is an attorney, author, radio show and podcast host in the Washington, D.C., area. For more information about her work, see www.MariaLeonardOlsen.com and follow her on social media at @fiftyafter50. Her latest book, 50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life, which has served as a vehicle for helping thousands of women reinvigorate their lives, is offered for sale on this website.
