There is now a day for anything you can imagine: pet day, gardening day, chocolate day, pirate day, doughnut day, coffee day. And since there are only 365.25 days in a year, it is common to find multiple recognitions on any given day.
So, this morning I was on Twitter and noticed it was International Podcast Day. And since Twitter knows best and somehow only the important things in the world trend on Twitter, I knew this was something legit.
In all seriousness, given the fact that many people are talking about podcasts, I thought I would take a moment to share my podcasting experience.
The first season of Strike the Match ends in about two weeks, three episodes remain (#30, #31, #32). I launched this resource in March and have been very pleased with the feedback I’ve received. While most of my listeners are from the U. S., listeners from India, U.K., Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, and Malaysia round out the top nine locations.
Podcasting is a great way to extend your ministry to others. A simple Google search on the “how-tos” will reveal several excellent articles. Some people invest large amounts of money into podcasting, but it does not have to be expensive and complicated to be good. When I was podcasting from 2006-2010, I used a $15 microphone, Audacity (free recording/mixing software), and the annual charge for my host site and domain name. I now use a Blue Yeti microphone ($100 when I bought it), Garage Band (free), Blubrry Hosting site (different rates), and this WordPress site. I see these costs as an investment in the Kingdom.
You can put an enormous amount of time into a single episode, but such is not necessary. If you are busy, keep it simple; it is a more reproducible model.
I do all of my recording, editing, mixing, and posting. I can usually do this in about 2-3 hours. I want my episodes to be raw, conversational, and not well polished. I do very little editing. What you hear is what I usually hear when recording. When you are a one-man-band, simple is key. Complexity? Slick? Ain’t nobody got time for that! If someone can do the work for you, then go for it.
I want to encourage you to ask if the Lord would have you to begin a podcast. Give it some prayer and thought. Do some on-line searching and reading. Listen to a variety of examples to get a vision of the possible.
And of course, if you have not subscribed to Strike the Match, please do so and tell others! iTunes | Android | RSS
