How To Start A Poetry Podcast

Patricia from www.poetrypea.com: I started out through illness and ignorance.

I was very ill, and I needed something to do to distract me from being very ill, and I was already a hobby writer. So, I started writing and recording my haiku.

I thought haiku would be very easy to do because, let’s face it, we all know haiku is a three-line poem with 17 syllables, don’t we? And actually, it’s not, but you know, that’s what I thought at the time.

So, I started recording it, and my husband says, “Why don’t you podcast it?” Because I was podcasting for my business at the time, and I thought, “Okay, fine, we’ll try it.”

So, I fully expected to be talking to myself for a very long time and then stopped doing it, but I very quickly found people were talking to me, sending me emails, sending me their poems, giving me clues on how I could write better.

And so, it continued like this, and I started increasing the community by doing various bits and pieces like giving topics for people to write on, creating a journal, and now we’ve got other things like our YouTube channel, etc. So, we just got bigger and bigger all the time, and it’s been quite a surprise to me, I have to say.

So let’s imagine that we have a poet who wants to begin podcasting, but they’re not sure where to start. They’re like, “Oh my gosh, what kind of microphone do I get? What about the background noise? My microphone hears everything. What about the software? I’m just not going to do anything.” What would you recommend?

Okay, well, I’d say when you’re just thinking about podcasting, there are a lot of things you need to do before you even pick up the mic.

But if you have decided to pick up the mic and start a podcast, I would say to you, don’t worry about buying lots of equipment because most of us wander about with a nice phone of some description that we can record on for the time being.

We can get cheap or free podcast platforms. And there are some really good apps out there that you can use for recording and editing; I use Audacity, which I just adore, and it’s free.

So I would say you can pretty much do podcasting at the beginning for little or nothing.

In fact, then if you start getting interested in it, then you start putting together your kit, if you like, and it can get a bit pricey at that point. But when you do decide to go and do some podcasting, for goodness’ sake, don’t make the mistake that I made at the very beginning.

At the very least, put a donation button on your page because that’s going to help you with some of the costs. Or “Buy Me a Coffee,” which Poetry P does have. Put that on your podcast webpage because people are very kind, and they will give you a donation if you’re offering something of value.

Watch the full interview here: How To Launch A BELOVED Poetry Podcast (w/ Poetry Pea) — YouTube

What Equipment Do You Need To Start A Poetry Podcast?

Patricia from www.poetrypea.com

I had decided after some time to do a studio-quality podcast.

I went to Rode, and I’ve got one of their professional microphones. So I have that for my actual studio, which I’m not in at the moment.

If I’m out and about, I have my phone, and I have a nice Shure microphone which I can put onto my phone that makes a huge difference. Or I use a Zoom H5 for interviews when I’m out and about without any video.

Frankly, if I’m out and about, two pieces of kit is more than enough for me. But, as I said, once you start getting serious and start having those pieces of kit you want to wander about with, then you start needing a little bit of money.

These mics that Patricia’s mentioning, these are not cheap mics, okay?

For instance, this mic I’m using during this interview is the Shure MV7. This is a USB or XLR mic. It’s basically two steps below, like, when you look at radio DJs and things like that. A lot of them are using, what, the SM7B and things like that, which is a $400 microphone, you know? The other thing you need to be also considering about equipment is, once you get into the higher-level mics, most likely, you’re going to need an XLR cable.

And once you need an XLR cable, you’re going to need some sort of power source. So, you’re going to need what’s called a phantom power source. You can get things like a soundboard that allows you to mix audio and also provide power. A popular choice is a Rodecaster Pro.

If your audio is still very soft, another thing you want to look into is something called a Cloudlifter. I do not have a Cloudlifter, but basically, it just kind of lifts up your volume a little bit more.

Not all of these things are needed though!

Even just getting started investing in a $100 microphone is a massive upgrade to what your phone can do.

Honestly, that can carry you for a while. But audio, especially if you guys are considering doing a video podcast like what we do, is more important than video. People will tolerate poor video quality if the audio is good.

But if the video quality is excellent, 4K even, but your audio quality is poor, no one’s going to watch your video.

YouTube and video has made a real difference to the number of people coming to my podcast. But the audio is so important, it really is. And going back to Audacity, it also has functionality to make your voice sound much better and louder. So, I don’t use anything other than Audacity. It’s even sort of six, seven years old. It has everything I need to make sure that the quality is good.

I mean, I’m not a radio person, so, you know, maybe if I was trained as a radio broadcaster, I would do a better job. But people compliment the podcast on its audio quality, so I’m happy with what we’ve got, for sure.

Motivated to Market: Beyond the First Poetry Book--Guest Post by Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, M.Ed.

So. You’ve written another poetry book.

Maybe it’s your second, maybe it’s your 15th.

Either way, if you’re feeling that dip after it’s gone live, you aren’t imagining it. You know the one I’m talking about — the little letdown that maybe this publishing thing isn’t giving you the rush you once got from putting your collected works out to the public. I’ll put it here in the first paragraph: It’s okay to feel a little depressed after your book has been released, especially if it’s not your first book.

You aren’t alone.

BUT…you don’t need to be a victim of that feeling, either. And you don’t have to let it seep into your marketing efforts.

Here are some lessons I’ve learned and actions I’ve taken to keep myself motivated to market long after the thrill of publishing books ghosted me.

Remember your why.

This is critical not just in marketing, but in life. Take a moment and think about the bigger picture, the reasons behind embarking on any project. Now think about your book publishing.

Why do you keep at it?

Maybe you simply and inexplicably feel compelled to share your art with the world. Maybe you want to leave a legacy for your family. Maybe you are trying to make a name for yourself.

Or maybe you just love books.

Whatever the reason(s), write it down and put it somewhere visible. Read it more than once. Read it out loud. Write about it.

Whatever it takes, keep your underlying motivation front and center. You can’t market your books effectively without knowing your reasons for publishing.

Honor your accomplishments.

Just because you’re missing the publishing high doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give yourself a pat on the back, a little party celebrating your accomplishments.

It takes hard work and dedication to produce any collection, never mind more than one.

So take out those books, line them all up, light a candle, eat a big bowl of ice cream, and post a pic on Instagram. Or buy yourself an ugly holiday sweater on clearance. Or just hug yourself.

Remind yourself you deserve to be rewarded for your work and that not all rewards are royalties. What does this have to do with marketing? You can’t convince people to value your work if you aren’t valuing it yourself.

Plan and pace your marketing.

This goes for book one through book 21.

Start early by creating a strategy for marketing this new book. Then develop a realistic plan, one that won’t overwhelm or exhaust you. Hold yourself to it.

Do your pre-marketing, your build up, your launch. Build relationships and presence. Send out press releases, take part in readings, engage regularly on social media, get your books past and present into stores. Do it all on a schedule that fits your lifestyle and goals.

Avoid marketing helter-skelter, which is ineffective and will burn you out and kill your motivation.

And remember. If you don’t plan and pace your marketing, you might end up not marketing at all. Or even writing anything new.

*

I will leave off by saying I recognize not all writers have the desire to market, and staying motivated to do so can be harder than staying motivated to write in the first place.

This tendency can be exacerbated by the post-publishing letdown, especially for poetry, which admittedly can be a hard sell to a more general audience. Sound like you?

Rethink why you are so reticent to get your newest poetry book noticed. If you need support, reach out to the writing community. Connect with people who want to see you succeed. There might be more of them out there than you realized.

You’re hearing from one.

About the Author

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt hails from the Northern Virginia/D.C. metro area. Born in Billerica, Massachusetts and of Lebanese and Sicilian descent, she considers herself a writer by nature and by trade, having begun writing as soon as her mother helped teach her to read. A first-generation college graduate, she received her master’s in education with a writing concentration from Cambridge College. Her first published poem, “Remembering Thoreau,” appeared in ELF: Eclectic Literary Forum in the early 1990s. Since then, her work has appeared in publications such as Yankee, Frogpond, Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal, Panapoly, North of Oxford, The Southern Quill, Miracle Monocle, Big City Lit and dozens of other journals, anthologies, books and online media. Her poetry has been taught in secondary and post-secondary classrooms and workshops. As of 2023, she has had 12 books published and has received numerous awards and recognition for her poetry. She works full-time as a marketing writer and creative for a prominent technology corporation. Learn more at www.KatherineGotthardt.com.