4 Tips For Starting a Podcast in the Caribbean

One of my favourite podcasts is a radio show recorded on Z100 and redistributed by iHeart Radio, the Elvis Duran Show. It’s a room of five to ten persons in New York, discussing their family, pop culture and taking calls from the public. It’s live, unscripted and not the typical podcast format. Each person has a unique perspective, which evolved into standalone podcasts such as Cereal Killers and The Brooklyn Boys. This segmentation of topics spurred my desire to create a space to discuss the Caribbean and the professional talent that exists across the globe.

It took three years of research online and meetings with veterans in the field, before launching Live from the Caribbean. This podcast is a labour of love, coming out of the LinkedIn Local Caribbean community. Everyone gave their time freely, from the producing of the episodes to the Intro and Outro vocals.

There were many times I thought it was ready to be published and I made premature announcements, however, there was a lot more work required and I naïve to this fact. If you’re thinking about starting your podcast, here is a list of mistakes, so you don’t have to make them;

No Man is an Island

When an idea simmers for too long, it feels like you’re missing out as the world jumps ahead of what you should have done. This feeling of fomo is a recipe for disaster, and it gives you the false sense of being a superhero. Even though the media focuses on the CEO of a successful company, history shows it cannot be achieved alone. Angel Investors demanded Kevin Systrom from Instagram find a cofounder before investing in Instagram because they knew the importance of sharing the burden. Podcasts have multiple elements and you have finite time. It would help if you found your tribe because it’s nearly impossible without it.

Artificial Intelligence is more affordable than you think

Artificial Intelligence is not the doomsday narrative adopted by Hollywood movies. Instead, it's the simplicity of automation. This leads to ensuring you have someone on your team that understands the importance of systems. I am lucky to have Microsoft 365 suite of products, which has been a time saver. It’s the difference between six emails trying to decide what day and time fit a schedule versus accessing an online site that syncs with my calendar. If you want your idea to become a business, you need to treat it like one from the beginning.

A Marketing Strategy is non-negotiable

Public Relations and Marketing seem apparent to someone with my background; however, passion clouds common sense. An idea turns into a child that you love, and you believe it’s the world’s responsibility to love it as much as you do. These are lies that the brain conjures because humans are irrational. Every successful company has a marketing strategy, and your podcast is no different. You do not need a budget to have a plan. I recently watched a Hollywood Reporter Roundtable video, and Scott Stuber from Netflix spoke about their decision to finance the Irishman. They viewed it as an essential partnership to have names like Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci associated with their brand. Although you do not have their budget, you have access to social media that will allow you to reach out at no cost.

Do not stop believing in yourself

Failure is part of the recipe that never makes the list of ingredients. I have made errors while recording with the wrong equipment and have produced unusable audio. I had countless meetings with persons who claim to want to join the team but have gone silent when it was time to work. I wasted money trying to find the right person to edit the show. These experiences will be an add-on to my degree from the University of Life. It’s part of learning, and you should not be discouraged by setbacks.

Everyone has great ideas, but it takes grit and consistency before they become a reality. I think the world needs Caribbean Content, and you may be the next wave of change in the podcasting space. Good luck!

Thank you to Leiska Evanson and the entire LinkedIn local Caribbean team, for giving their time to Live from the Caribbean. If you would like to be notified on the next episode, search for the name on Itunes, Google or Spotify.

Are you over Live Content? Then STOP reading this. If you're still here, check out the conversation I had with fellow podcast host, Rahul from Vancouver. We discussed the challenges we experienced as newly inducted Podcast Hosts. Add me on LinkedIn to receive a notification for the next Live broadcast.