Some of you are well-aware that the Zach on Leadership blog that you know and love is also available as a podcast. If that’s news to you, feel free to check out the podcast here. Don’t worry, I’m not writing this entire article as one big advertisement for my podcast. Instead, I’m going to tell you the story on how it came to be.

The history of podcasting

Back in the mid 2000’s I had a first-generation iPod Nano. It was black and it was awesome. I ripped all of my CD’s to my computer and synced it to my iPod. Also around then, this whole podcast thing started emerge. I remember my first podcast. It was a radio show that I used to listen to over the air. However, the antenna in my car was not the best, so my reception didn’t always pick it up clearly. Also, if I left work late, I hated missing part of the show.

The podcast was the solution to my problem. Every morning before I went into work, I had this ritual: I fired-up iTunes, downloaded the latest episode, then plugged in my Nano to sync it. Then I had my podcast ready to go as I commuted into work. Early podcasts were a lot like that. Many over-the-air radio shows ported their programs to the podcast format.

About the time I launched zachonleadership.com mid-2016, a different era of podcasting was well underway. It seemed like everyone on the planet was launching their own podcast. Most stuck to an interview-style format, but there were shows of all kinds and flavors.

Zach behind the times

It’s funny. Back in 2016, I felt like I was ten years too late to launch a blog. Blogging was totally hip in the early 2000’s, but by 2016, most influencers were doing podcasts and video. However, I wasn’t just trying to catch the latest media wave, I was trying to do something that fit me.

I like to write. Writing fits my personality. It fits my skills. I’m not claiming to be a world-class writer by any means, but compared to my public speaking skills, writing comes naturally to me. I’ve had to really work at being a competent speaker, whereas I’ve been a competent writer for my entire adult life.

Zach not podcasting

Friends and colleagues have encouraged me to launch a podcast for years and I’ve resisted. I’ve been a guest on three different podcasts since launching my blog. Those were fun, but the experience didn’t leave me wanting to spin up one of my own. All I could think of was the work and effort of finding and scheduling guests followed by tedious post-production and editing. I simply don’t have time for that.

The birth of the Zach on Leadership podcast

I get together every Friday morning with a small group of guys. We encourage and challenge each other on various aspects of life and work. We regularly share with each other what we are learning from books, podcasts, conferences, and experiences. On one such Friday, my friend, Adam Wallschlaeger, told me that he recently listened to a podcast that was basically just a guy reading his own blog articles.

That’s the moment it hit me. I can do that. Not only can I do that, but I should do that. Here’s why it resonated: I love audio books. I’ve written previously that audio books are the main way I read, and the only reason I can maintain a healthy reading habit. Yet, I force people to read my blog on their computer or phone screen. It’s not available in audio. I need to make my work more accessible.

Also, taking this approach totally removed the hassle-factor of interview-style podcasting. I could offer an audio-version of my blog every week with only about 15 minutes of additional work.

The technical setup

Once I decided to create a podcast, actually creating it was pretty easy. The show was live less than a week after my conversation with Adam. For those of you curious on how this works, I’ll go over my setup briefly.

1. The mic. For the first several episodes, I used the same headset that I use for conference calls. After getting some feedback from one of my listeners, I decided to upgrade my mic and that made a huge difference. I bought an Audio-Technica AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic Microphone for $79. This is the one and only investment I made in this podcast. Everything else was free.
2. Audio capture. I needed some software for audio capture and editing. I use the free and open source package, Audacity, and it does everything I need.
3. Podcast hosting. Zachonleadership.com is a WordPress site hosted on Bluehost. I already pay for that, so I simply drop my mp3 files in a folder on my site for no additional cost.
4. RSS management. Podcasts are published via the RSS specification. I could manage this by hand, but I found a free WordPress plugin that does it for me. It’s called Blubrry PowerPress. It generates the RSS feed, and links the podcast audio to my blog articles as the show notes.
5. Podcast listing. How do I get my podcast to show up in popular podcast directories? It was pretty easy, and also free. I applied to Apple, Google, and Spotify, and they all added my show to their directory within hours. I’ve attempted to get listed on iHeartRadio several times, but so far, they’ve ignored me.

Spreading ideas

I started this blog because I wanted a platform to share ideas and spread encouragement to aspiring leaders. Since the beginning, I’ve looked for ways to reach new audiences to create a broader impact. This podcast is just the latest iteration on that journey. It’s not an entirely new product, it’s just a new delivery medium. My aim is to make successful leadership accessible to as many as possible.

Your turn

Setting up the podcast was relatively easy. Spreading ideas and making them accessible is never-ending journey. As you look at your own leadership style, in what ways can you make your leadership more accessible to different types of people in different ways? Like me, you probably have a default style that makes you feel very comfortable. Like this podcast, perhaps there’s a small thing you can do to make your reach much more effective.

Finally, if you are enjoying Zach on Leadership, know that you are the most powerful means I have of extending my reach. Please share this with your colleagues.

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