Are you an avid listener to the Marketing Tips for Translators podcast? Or perhaps you have just listened to an episode here and there? Some of you have asked what is involved in making the podcast and perhaps some of you are wondering why I have an option for sponsorship and donations. I would like to take this opportunity to explain a bit what goes on behind the episodes you hear.

Before I started the podcast I needed to get the following equipment and artworks:

• Pamela recording software – $16
• Account on podcast hosting platform – $15/month
• Artwork for iTunes and Stitcher (the logo) – $15
• Recording microphone – $150
• Sound editing software – free
• Help with sound editing – $15-$20/episode
• Intro and outro sound files – $20
• Website hosting and domain – about $100
• Create information and introduction to podcast on iTunes and Stitcher – free

Now I was set to start recording podcast episodes.

Before recording an episode, I contact someone I would like to interview, or that I have been asked to interview. Luckily, 99% of everyone asked are happy and willing to do an interview. Then we start planning a time for the interview and I start preparing sample questions. The sample questions are approved or edited by the interviewee and we are ready to record.

For each recording I use my podcast microphone and ask the interviewee to use a headset and/or microphone if possible for the best sound quality. We do all recordings through Skype and a recording program called Pamela for Skype. For each half hour recording, I spend about 45 minutes with the interviewee during the call, to make sure everything is set up, explaining the procedure and chit-chatting to get comfortable.

After the recording I need to do a bit of sound editing. I try to minimize the minutiae in the editing but I always edit each episode some in a program called Audacity. I hire someone to do the basic editing such as equalizing, noise removal and normalizing. The sound editor also adds the intro and outro.

After the sound file is complete, I write the show notes, which are a short description of the content of each episode, information about the interviewee and links to resources mentioned in the podcast. Once this is written, I add keywords, and link the actual podcast episode to the page, plus schedule it for publishing.

Each episode requires about 2 hours of work before and after each recording. I usually record episodes in chunks. For example I recorded about 8 episodes in May and scheduled them for the whole summer.

A true pleasure

I truly enjoy recording and sharing the podcast. I love chatting with other translators, authors and marketing experts and sharing their knowledge, plus my own, with fellow translators and freelancers. It is a nice complement to my regular translation job and I love how it motivates both me and others in our businesses. I personally do not have much time to read just for pleasure anymore. When I am not working I am busy with my family, the reason why I chose to become a freelancer in the first place. However, I love learning and find that I have time to listen to podcasts and audiobooks when I work out, walk the dog, drive in the car, make dinner etc. I wanted to share my marketing knowledge and other professionals’ knowledge with our community and a podcast seemed like the best medium.

Thank you!

Thank you to all of you who have listened, commented and taken time to give me feedback. I am so glad you find it so useful. The best way to show your appreciation is to log in to iTunes or Stitcher and write one or two sentences as a review. That way even more people can discover the podcast, and iTunes and Stitcher understand that it is a valuable podcast to share with others and rank it higher. I read each and every review and your comments and reviews are what keeps me going. Thank you! I also try to improve and have hired a professional sound editor to improve some of the episodes that did not have a good, even sound from both parts.

If you are an avid supporter there is also another way to show your support. You can donate a few dollars by clicking on the donate button. The money goes to cover the monthly costs of the podcast and makes sure I can keep on providing podcast episodes for a long time. Thank you also to all of you who have already donated. It means the world to me that you find the podcast valuable.

For more information and help to create a marketing plan and get your year started right, check out the Quick Start Guide – 8 steps to a marketing plan for translators.

This podcast is a labor of love and brought to you free of charge. If you enjoy this series and would like to show your support, please consider making a small donation to ensure I can keep offering you great content in the future.