1/7 7 Figure Podcast Blueprint

If you desire to have an industry-leading podcast, or maybe you just want to crush long form with the least amount of effort, podcasting is the way to go. And just some of the, just, I think the, the biggest thing I need to tell you to make you care about this masterclass is simply that my podcast has allowed me to make 7 figures in my business. Now if that doesn't make you pay attention, congratulations. I want to learn from you and please hit me up. But I want to break down as much as I can when it comes to having an industry-leading podcast. And you know, there's that book by Simon Sinek, it's called "Start with Why." And I want to start with why, but I love that like my friend Rory Vaden would say, Yes, you start with why, but oftentimes your why is a who. So why should you even start a podcast? Why should you even post long form? I believe the number one reason to do it is to build trust. The number one reason you should start a podcast or have a podcast or create long form content is to build trust on automation. Um, And in building trust, I think the underlying thing that you're actually doing is you are serving people. 'Cause trust isn't built from taking, trust is built from giving. And some other reasons why you should start a podcast is it's great for networking. What most people don't realize is the conversations that happen before and after a podcast filming, and then the relationship that gets built. Oh, how did this all happen? Because I had a podcast. So that's another great benefit of podcasting. And then another reason why you should start a podcast is to indoctrinate your client or your future client. I think sometimes indoctrination has a bad connotation, But all it means is to get your client or prospect thinking differently about the thing that you are really good at. When you can change the way somebody thinks about the thing they're struggling with, I actually believe there's no other form, no, no other higher form of influence. Think about it. As a parent, the way I train Ruby how to think is the most amount of influence I can actually instill in her. So I believe one of the biggest benefits of podcasting on why you should even do it is so you can indoctrinate. And I know this is entitled like Podcast Masterclass, but it really is, it's long form, you know, where it's not so, there's not so much visual, you know, assets and things like that, because you, this podcast and talking head video can kind of go hand in hand. Now let's talk about really quick what not to do. Here's what not to do with a podcast. Um, to start one and then quit, quit it. I mean, it's just 90% of podcasts don't get past episode 3. That's just a stat that is out there on the internet, but it's true. I, I actually, I would even say it's the same for YouTube. 90% of YouTube channels that start probably don't get past 3 uploads. Um, 1.8 million, 1.8 million podcasts quit before they're even started in, in 2023. That was a stat from 2023. So that's number one. That's, that's number one not to do. Yes. Congratulations, Omar. If you made it past 3, you are now in the 10% of all podcasters. Another thing that I want to encourage you not to do is to think of your podcast having to be a certain way or thinking that your podcast has to be a form of it has to be already out there. You know, I have, I have that a free video department community. I think there's like 1,100 people in there, which is really cool. I mean, I, I'm not, I, I should probably be a little bit more present in there, but people get that as a, as a bonus of signing up for the web class, you know? But some guy just DM'd me on school and he was like, "Hey Omar, I'm thinking about starting a podcast." Amazing. I love, I love when people think about doing something, but just know that like just thinking about something doesn't do the thing. Okay. But I just, okay. That's not what I said. That wasn't my response. But I knew when he was asking me, I know what he was, I know what he was projecting. So he said, "Hey Omar, I'm thinking about starting a podcast. I'm a graphic designer and I don't, I don't know a lot of designers out there that'll be willing to do interviews." Could I do a podcast all by myself? I said yes. So, but what did that communicate to me? That he believed that there's something in his mind that he believed that a podcast had to have a second person. He believed that it, it's almost like, you know, people who are looking to start creating content in any capacity are almost looking for permission to do it a certain way. And I would just say like the coolest thing about podcasting is you don't need anybody's permission. Like there is not a form or qualification. There's nothing, there's nothing needed in order to actually have a podcast or a YouTube channel other than a Gmail account, I guess you could say for a YouTube channel. But you know, there's no form for a Gmail account. But he, it's almost like he projected that his, his approach would be a less than than what he had in mind. But it's like, how do you know that, bro? You don't know that. So that's just what not to do, is to think to yourself that it has to be like something that's already out there. What not to do is to get all the equipment and think you're actually gonna start after you have all the equipment. Don't ever think to yourself that the most people that will consume your podcast is going to consume it today. The least amount of people that are going to consume your podcast is the people who consume it today. Does that make sense? People will discover your podcast forever and ever and ever. It's so funny. Drake, he is the most streamed rapper in the last 10 years. Every year he has outstreamed everybody else. Even in 2024, he outstreamed Kendrick Lamar. But because of media, we probably thought Kendrick Lamar took the reins. But it's like, no, dude, Drake's dominance is just at the top of eternity, right? But here, here's what's funny. They, they put year after year, ever since 2015, they put the amount of streams that Drake had, and it was It was always in the billions. But you know, something I noticed was it was like 2 billion in 2015, and then it was 3 billion in 2016, and then it was 4 billion, and then it's like last year, it was like 10 or 11 billion downloads. So even Drake's least amount of streams happened when he started. Does that make sense? Because, because, It's online. More and more people are jumping into the online consumption revolution, I guess we can call it. So I, I think there, there is a, you know, sometimes we believe that getting the right stuff to get started is going to replace the need to have great strategy. And that's just not the case. You can literally get started with a podcast using the, the microphone on your phone or a cheap wireless mic. It doesn't even have to be a mic like this that you've seen the shot. Just 'cause you see it. You know what's so funny about that? There was a comment, I forgot one of you guys DM'd me about it, but there was a comment on the Diary of the CEO's YouTube video that says, or one of the guys brought it up and he was like, you know, they brought up like, what's the founder or the guy who hosts it? His name's, Diary of a CEO. What's his name? Uh, Steven. Steven something. So Steven, the host of the Diary of a CEO, one time, uh, somebody asked him like, hey, what, what's the one thing that bugs you about your podcast? He was like, every time somebody knocks the table, like my guests, they'll knock the table cuz they talk with their hands and they hit the table and the mic is on the table. And they try to tell the guest before the show, hey, refrain from doing that because you can hear it in the microphone. And they've, they got hundreds of episodes with millions of views with guests knocking the table. And then guess what they just did like a few months ago? They removed the podcast mic and they went to boom mics. So like, you can't tell me that you need a mic like this to have, like literally one of the top podcasts in the world, legit, are using boom microphones, okay? So. Just wanted to hit that. Okay. Now let's move on to the next piece. What, what, what, what all, what is it all that you need to start a podcast? Like what is the minimum thing you need to start a podcast? You, you can't start a podcast without a name. Don't get so hung up on it. You can always change it. Like anything you, any, anytime you struggle with naming something and it's taking time from you taking action, you're under the, the mis— you're under the, I think it's a procrastination tactic that you can't change it later, right? Like you can always change the name of your podcast later if it becomes something else, if you get a better idea for it. You can change it. It's funny, right? Like, The Diary of the CEO, very long podcast title. And then people call it DOAC. Like, so like even the name they call it, they have changed it already, right? Like, because that's the way they use the abbreviation. Alex Hormozi, The Game with Alex Hormozi. He didn't always call it The Game. It used to be called Jim Launch Secrets, I believe, was his podcast name for years. I think 6 years it was called Jim Launch Secrets. So don't get so caught up, but you do need a name. You need to call your podcast something, okay? You need podcast artwork. The podcast artwork is a squared image, squared, not long this way or long this way, a squared image preferably one that's aesthetically pleasing, simple. When I say aesthetically pleasing, I mean simple, easy to read. I, you know, the power that I, or the influence I believe a podcast artwork has is when people plug in my podcast in their car and my face is just boom, like I'm in, like I'm looking at you in the car. So I'm always a fan of big faces, but Canva is a great resource to do it. Find a, an editor on Fiverr to create options for you. This is where you can have fun with it, right? You can do a brand branding photo shoot, pay, pay a photographer $200 for a series of photos, you know, if you and your element, you dressed up nice, whatever. Maybe it's a couple headshots and then have a podcast artwork. The, the next thing you need to have a podcast is a hosting site. A hosting site. This is, this site is going to allow you to distribute your podcast. When you upload an audio file, it'll go to multiple places like Spotify, like Apple. The what I use, I use Red Circle. I like it, but you got Buzzsprout, Spotify themself. Spotify themself is actually a hosting site. I would actually say this, I've never said this before actually. If I were to start today, I'd probably look into Spotify hosting, and I'll talk about that why in a second. But the biggest reason is just simply, um, they're doing video now, right? Um, and then the last thing you need to start a podcast is an audio file. That's it. You need an audio file. Hey, welcome to the department. My name's Omar Takori. I'm excited to post more episodes starting next week. There you go. You got a podcast. Upload that episode 1. Congratulations. But you can't have— you won't have a podcast without those 4 elements. And it really takes 10 minutes. Like, if you really wanted to, I probably can make a video like, I'm going to start a podcast in 5 minutes. Here we go. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Connect, connect the RSS feed. I don't want to get so technical on this because the technicalities can always be searched. I will hit some things, but but that's all you need to start a podcast. You know, somebody I love dearly as a friend and somebody I look up to is Chalene Johnson. Like, she's been a content creator, a digital marketer for over a decade, and she's been in the limelight even before that because she did like workout videos and stuff. But I remember her like in her paid community. So, so she has a podcast, two podcasts. She has the Build Your Tribe podcast and the Chalene Johnson Show. She recently took, went all in on YouTube within the last year and some, but before that it was a pure podcast. It was just like audio only. She grew it that way. And then when you pay, when you pay to be in her community, you get access to her conversations with her husband, which they do in their car on their phone. Like they just go in their car and then they have a conversation about something in regards to marriage. Like, it's funny 'cause like you would think like you have to do it a certain way. Like at the highest level, after somebody pays money, they get an iPhone video audio file to listen to. And I tell you right now, no one complains about our quality. Okay, so that's just an example that came to mind. But here, Here are the 3 things we're gonna get into, the 3 things to have a successful podcast. I'll just say 'em first and then we'll go into each one and then we'll get, and then we'll get, and then I'll, and then I'm gonna let you know on some of my predictions on big opportunities when it comes to podcasting. But the 3 things are starting with intention, committing to distribution, and make monetization easy. Intention, distribution, monetization. See what I did there, guys? See what I did there? Um, all right. Starting with intention, I would encourage you to have a podcast plan. A podcast plan, I believe, looks different for everybody, but a plan like, how are you going to accomplish this? So sometimes, I mean, I'm not a big, I'm not like, I don't think I'm Type A, so I don't always write everything down. I'm gonna let you know my podcast plan. My podcast plan was I'm going to do this until Jesus comes back. That was like at the top of my podcast plan, right? And then number 2 was, keep it simple. Like, that's what we're going to do. We're going to do high quality, but yet keep it simple. I have one of the most cleanest podcast setups, but yet every episode we upload gets a comment about the quality because less is more, honestly. It's so funny going into other studios when I'm on other people's podcasts. I'm just like, I shake my head because I'm just like, this is all so unnecessary, but it's okay. Like, it's all good. You don't know, right? A lot of times when I step into a podcast that I'm on and I look at the settings, I respectfully ask for my, for permission to adjust their settings. And a lot of the times their podcast gets upgraded with no extra gear just simply because they had me on. So it's just a nice way at, you know, I'm just a servant, you know? That's, that's what I'm here for. Okay, so a podcast plan. How often are you going to upload? Do you wanna upload one a week, two a month, one very long one a month? Maybe the, maybe the first Wednesday of every month you got a long episode and every other Wednesday after that, it's like a quick 7-minute, quick 10-minute, 5-minute flash tip. Like, this is what's cool about you're the creator. So you, you don't have to, you don't have to pigeonhole yourself into a certain way, right? But having the plan just keeps you on track and then it allows you to always be ahead. Like there are times where we caught up to ourself or it's like, yo, what's the podcast next week? I mean, I thought we had one like in the can. Like, no, we released it already. Oh, okay. Let me get back to you on that. So that happens from time to time. And you know, a lot of times I find that creativity comes best in constraints. I'm not saying procrastinate, but a lot of times that pushes me to come up with something that's fresh in my mind. And that's why even when we do these quick turnaround podcasts, they're powerful because I'm coming from a place of like, this is what's fresh on my mind. And so have a podcast plan. Determine the type of podcast you would like to have. The type of podcast. Now, what are some types of podcasts? Okay, first you have video podcasts and then you have audio podcasts. If you have a video podcast, can— do you automatically have an audio podcast? Yes. If you have an audio podcast, do you automatically have a video podcast? Not necessarily unless you turn on a camera. But I understand that turning on a camera for very, very, very long form or long periods of, long periods of time, like an hour or 90 minutes if you're going that long, technical nuances could come into play unless you're prepared for that, right? You know, is it a podcast with multiple people? Is it a podcast with multiple people? Is it you and somebody else? You can have a co-host. You could be the face of your podcast and then you can have somebody join your podcast with you who would just, who has great insight, who has a great way to like answer or ask questions about something you just said. I remember in tomorrow's podcast, I said, I want you to po— I literally say it, I want you to post 60 stories a month. Art's like, what if that's just so daunting? That sounds like a lot, Omar. Well, if you divide 60 by 30, that's 2 a day. Can you do that? Take out the weekends, 3 to 5 a day. Can you do that? He's like, okay, yeah, you can. So, but if he didn't say that, then it wouldn't have brought clarity. So I love having somebody else, even if you do have a solo podcast, Having somebody else, I have found it for me, the way I love creating, it's helpful. And I know, I know the audience appreciates that. Now you can totally do a podcast all by yourself. My friend that, you know, who, who was on my, who was on the podcast a couple weeks ago or a month ago, Jereshia Hawk, she has a solo podcast. She, she, she records her podcast on her phone in her Tesla. And she just comes with an outline, but that's her type of podcast. My friend Annabelle Engleton, she's a relationship coach and she has a solo podcast. Oftentimes, or not oftentimes, occasionally she will have a guest. So sometimes the guest doesn't have to be the norm. The guest could be the surprise or the bonus.

Right.

And so I don't know, I don't want to like hammer it too much, but like just determine like that, that, that type of podcast. And a lot of times that could change seasonally because most people come to me with their idea to have a start a podcast and I'm like, okay, do you have the funds to use a studio or buy your own gear and then have the time to edit the podcast? And then like, and then it just becomes this giant, no, I don't.

Cool.

Start with an audio podcast. That was like the one thing, I love you, Jeff, I just disagreed with him. You know, I was like, do, do you have to do a video podcast or an audio podcast? He's like, no doubt you have to do a video podcast. And I get his, I get his conviction around that because he leverages short-form content. So, but I would say no, like you don't have to, like you can literally just have an audio podcast. You know, so much people overlook uploading their calls. Like I'm looking at Jamil right now. Like I just wonder how many like client calls could be a podcast. Just exporting the Zoom audio, shooting a hook. In this podcast, I'm gonna show you how this client of mine went from $8,000 a month invested into the, whatever, the market, $18,000 a month in just 2 months. So here was her situation. I'm going to give you some context. Now let's jump into the conversation. Like it, like what I'm doing right now, I can export this audio and make it a podcast. So don't underestimate what a podcast can even be. I, I like Eileen Wilder, a girl I had on the podcast twice, brilliant mind. Her podcast is literally when a client shares their win, like how this client made $100K in a day. And then the client's like, yeah, so like, I just— I'm so excited and here's all I did. And it's like 7 minutes and the quality isn't even that great, but I want to hear what she did, you know? So, so that's the type of podcast, the type of podcast. And I will get to questions at the end. I know nobody's blasting them because maybe I'm hitting it thoroughly, but If you have questions, I'd love to do Q&A, of course. But kind of talking about how are you going to accomplish this podcast, I think that's just something you need to consider. And just know that like anything you do in regards to podcasting, because the number one reason is to build trust, just know that you're not paying to have a podcast, you're investing to have a podcast. Whether that is the equipment, whether that is the time you're taking to make it awesome, whether that is using a studio. Somebody asked the question in the community, hey, what are some tips on finding a studio? I think the biggest thing, it's, it's kind of like it's a relationship that you build because if somebody delivers locally, like delivers as in like you love the production quality, you love the turnaround time, maybe they include short-form content with it, like you build that relationship. I, I love, you know, Jeff, Jeff Fargo has, created a multiple 6-figure podcast and he has zero equipment. He just counts the cost. He has a relationship with the guy. He has no problem plugging him because it's been a little over a year now that he's been using them. But it's called Level 9 Studios in Las Vegas that he uses. And when I went, I was thoroughly impressed. I was like, the way this guy tapes up the cables, there is no cable in sight. You literally come in, you sit and go, and then he has the podcast done, edited the day after or whatever, you know? And awesome. There's another podcast studio here in town that literally $1,000 a month, they do 4 podcasts for you. No, no time limit. They upload it to YouTube, they put the thumbnail, they give you the short form. Like they do a lot for $1,000. I think that's amazing. Obviously they're trying to bank on the fact that you're probably not going to use it all the time, but you know, either way, they will do the 4. I'm not a fan of how it looks, but great, $1,000 to, you know, to get there until I get some momentum. Um, that podcast studio, uh, I have to circle back, um, because I forgot. It's newer. It's on Sunset and Spencer, across the street from where the planes take off and land. But, um, I will, I will let you know that, Sonia. Um, and so just consider if you self-produce it, you know, think about ways to minimize it. I, for a long time, just went directly into the camera with my microphone like I'm doing right now. This microphone's just plugged directly into the camera and then I had SD cards in there and then I hit record. But then I had to, you know, we went into Premiere and then we edited all that stuff. So if all that stuff, like you just have to think that through a little bit because if you can get all these obstacles out of the way, then you can just focus on creating. I love something that Chalene mentioned, and she told me, this is like over a year ago, anytime she's working on building out a system in her business, she's okay with putting things on pause. So as she built out her YouTube system, thumbnail designer, YouTube editor process, she didn't post on Instagram for like a month or two. And she was totally okay with that because she knew that this system would be worth having in place because of the overall, you know, vision. So just consider, consider how you are going to accomplish a podcast. All right. And when, if you're, if you're going to do a solo podcast, you know, some tips for those that are probably going to do a solo podcast. I believe you have two approaches.

Right?

One approach is you can have a conversational delivery. I think it requires a little bit of a, a gift and a skill, kind of both and in that regard, because the ability to act like you're having a conversation when you're the only person in a room, I think, you know, there's something to say about that. You, not everyone can do that, but if you can, I think that's amazing. My friend Annabelle Ingelton, she has a solo podcast and her episodes are about an hour long. How can she do this? I think she does this with two ingredients. How can a solo podcast go an hour long as a conversational podcast? Number one is the actual expertise. She actually knows what she's talking about. And then number two, she's in touch with her her community, her prospects. Like she's in touch with the problem that she's helping solve. I think those two things, a conversational solo podcast can crush. Now, I don't wanna make it have to be that 'cause you can also have a solo podcast that is structured. You know, by the way, like even Annabelle's conversational delivery has some sort of structure. She has her laptop. You could see she has her laptop sitting right next to her and she's going through the outline. So making sure that it stays on track and so that there's value. That's all it is, is like, it is insane. It's crazy. Like it is one of my biggest pet peeves. It almost loses me as a listener is when I click on a podcast with a certain title and it doesn't deliver on that title or it takes so long to jump into it or whatever, whatever, whatever, right? You know, no shade to Erwin and his son Aaron. I love them. And I had just got done reading "The 7 Frequencies of Communication." I'm a professor, I believe, just a natural teacher. But I remember the podcast they released that says "7 Frequencies of Communication," and I'm literally like, "Oh, let's go. I'm about to get some game." And I click on the podcast and it's the story of how they self-published the book. Had nothing to do with actually 7 frequencies of communication. I was like, this should have been how to self-publish your own book. That would've not made me disappointed 30 minutes later, right? So I say all that to say, just if you even have, it's almost like as a solo podcast, you actually almost don't have an option to just be random and shoot the shiz, as the kids say, right? I said shiz, okay? I'm a pastor, I'm not gonna profane. By the way, one of my favorite things on social media, on Instagram, is like influencers and entrepreneurs I follow that will be like, God's my everything, next story, you know, get, F this, F that. I'm like, I actually DM them, hey, hey, I just want to let you know I appreciate your content, but you lose all credibility when you do that. Have a great day. Anyway, solo podcast, just have some level of structure. Cool. Now somebody asked the question and I still think this, that we're all, we're underneath still starting with intention. Getting guests, getting guests. When it comes to getting, I just first want you, I hope you don't think to yourself that your guest has to be so known. Most people, even with a following that come on my podcast, don't have, they don't, my audience, people don't know about Myron. Like people don't know about Michael Zuber. People don't know like Cassandra Smith. And these podcasts have gotten hundreds and hundreds of thousands of views. Also to say, I actually do boast. I actually am, I will boast about this idea. People will come to Las Vegas and do like a podcast tour and they'll get on everybody's podcast that has a podcast in Vegas. You know whose podcast gets the most views when people do that? Can you guys guess? It's ya boy. Because I start with intention. Because I know what my audience needs. Because I know how YouTube works. Because people, just zero intention is not going to let you get there. And so, okay, getting guests. First, I think it's about leveraging your own relationships. The cool thing about having a podcast is you can actually, your ask goes a little bit further because you have a podcast. So even if you leverage a middleman, like, you know, if there's somebody, hey, "I know you know the owner of this, you know, could you let him know that I'd love to have him on my podcast?" Like, one of the things I was most blown away with was how down people were to even do a podcast with me when I first started. I shot 4 episodes before I started my podcast and neither of those 4 were the first, they weren't the first episode. 'Cause like the first episode I actually shot for the first episode with Amanda. But the 4, they were people that were in town, we were hanging out. I was like, you down? Like, can we shoot a podcast? I didn't even know what I was going to call the podcast. I just knew that they had something to offer. And I think collectively those 4 episodes that I shot, I think 2 of them didn't pass like, or just passed 1,000 views. But the other 2 that I shot prior to even launching, collectively those got 100,000 views. So like it, it, my approach has always been organic. I personally don't like interviewing somebody I don't actually know. I think one of the best people you can interview are people you genuinely know. And even if you have followed and admired somebody for a long time, that's another great reason why you, you know, for a great podcast because you have so much context on them. They might be surprised at how much context that, that was kind of like Chris, Doe's situation. He knew a little bit about me and like Think Media 'cause he kind of, you know, he's kind of cool with Sean and stuff. But like I knew so much about him. And so sometimes that happens. Now here's something I find doesn't work when it comes to trying to get guests. It's, hey, would love to have you on my podcast. Here's a Calendly link, book whenever you're available. I just never do it. I don't know if that's just because I'm weird with my time Or you're just asking me to do more work. I don't know. I don't know. Even though it's pretty simple, but I just see it that that is a strategy. Somebody be like, "Hey Omar, would love to have you on my podcast." My first thing is like, "How many episodes do you have?" They'll say, "20." Amazing. "Yeah, let me know. I only like doing them in person." "Oh dang. So, okay, well maybe you do it later." Cool. Seed planted. Sometimes a person has a really good, I find they build a great virtual audience and, and through audio. And so I'm like, okay, I could do it virtually, no big deal. But then they shoot me that Calendly link and then it's like ghost town. I don't know if that's just me though. Now I, this is a phrase I kind of like learned by having podcasts, uh, do really well with people that aren't really known. It's if you build your podcast on clout, eventually it will run out. Like you could only sustain that for so long. So can you have an industry giant? Can you have somebody that's like awesome, a billionaire or whatever? Yeah, but just know that that's not the, don't build it that way. Build it with the actual information that you want your audience to get. You know, that's how you, stay on track and show up consistently. I can't believe I'm still in number 1. It's okay. Another thing, as far as getting guests, just be an incredible interviewer. Get good at interviewing. How can you do that, Omar? Watch podcasts and, and don't just watch or listen to the podcast. See how the host of the podcast you enjoy does it. My person was David Shands, Social Proof Podcast. I just loved the way he He was curious. I love how open he was to asking questions that seemed pretty obvious, but he wasn't afraid to ask them. But be, yeah, just get better at interviewing because your ability to pull out from them, this is why you can waste an industry giant. I've gotten more views on nobodies. Like, oh yeah, there was a guy that, came on my podcast. It was an awkward situation. I'll just let you guys know. He wanted me on his podcast, so he came to the studio, shot a podcast. He's like, what's up? You want to shoot a podcast for yours? In my mind, I'm like, I don't even know you. Like, that was just odd. Anyway, it was fine. I think it was a good conversation. But, you know, his interview with Alex Hormozi has like 5,000 views, whereas Neil, my friend Neil, had an interview with Alex and processed that with me. and that video had, has almost 100,000 views. What's the difference? It, I believe it's in the, the, the, the content value, the actual content itself. Be, be specific with the thing you're drawing out from them. Just know that you can always have them back, even if, especially if they're not an industry giant. Like if they, if they are a well of information, then they're a well. So pick one thing one time, another thing another time. And then, you know, you can have, you can have somebody come multiple times. And yeah, so that's number 1, starting with intention. Number 2, committing to distribution. Committing to distribution. This is, when I say committing to distribution, I mean that, especially, I mean, this is, I mean, you guys are in Omar's inner circle. You guys, I want all of you guys to grow in the skill of packaging, of, of copywriting or communication, being persuasive, persuasive, understanding what people want and then leading with that, right? So when I say that, I think when I say committing to distribution, SEO is a part of distribution, search engine optimization. Like putting, making your title discoverable in some way, shape, or form. Sometimes it's the how-to, sometimes it's throwing in the word masterclass. Sometimes, you know, same approach as making YouTube videos, but you want, you don't want it to just be episode 13 with Omar El Takrori. Like that's, that's, that's not gonna help. Okay. So, um, committing to distribution short form. Now I understand that sometimes the relation, the, the conversation dynamic, it, you don't need 15 reels from every conversation or every podcast. Sometimes it's just 3, sometimes there's only 5, sometimes there's only 2. And, and that's totally fine. I don't ever want you to force it. Something I do personally is I love getting Reels back to me. And even though I don't post, I know I can either reshoot that as a talking head Reel, just more structured. So the content gives me more content and I could be more clear in my delivery by shooting another time, the direct to camera. But also emails, like one of my favorite things, 'cause everything we should be putting out Oh man, this is good. Everything we should be putting out should always just be one thing. Everything we should be putting out should always just be one thing. So the email that goes out, one idea, one tip, one thought, one insight, that's it. When, you know, committing to distribution. Yeah, I mean, this is what I mean. I just mean like, don't just have the long form. A lot of times your short form will bring more people to the long form. If the short form content you post is that good, if the email that you send out is that good, people, it will persuade somebody to be like, okay, I need to check out this episode. And here's where the, Here's where that can, that goes wrong. So if your strategy is post short form to get people to long form, here's where that goes wrong. When your short form piece of content isn't the one thing that your long form piece of content is about. It was just a, it was just a bite, you know, it was just a sound bite, which that's fine. But I, I just want you to consider that Dave Ramsey does this the best. His short form content, you can find the episode that's long form and it's all about just that one thing. So sometimes it'll be a micro tip, but yeah, so like today I posted a reel with Jerissa saying, I asked her how important is it for coaches to create content? She's like, it's a non-negotiable. Now hypothetically I could have added a ManyChat to that, but it wasn't like a coaching coaching thing. Like it wasn't like a coaching business thing, which is what our thing is. This thing is about. If you wanted to get to that point in the conversation, it was way deep in market when we got into marketing. But if there was a more holistic reel that said, you know, if this qualifies you to be a coach and start charging to help people, that would be a perfect reel to send people to the original thing. Committing to distribution. Just talking about it. Sometimes just simply talking about your podcast release on stories, talk about it. Like when we are excited about something, we need to share that excitement because if we're not excited about something and people don't feel that excitement, they won't care. You get people to care with your enthusiasm. Enthusiasm, sales and persuasion is a transfer of enthusiasm. So just get it, get excited, like get excited. I'm a fairly monotone guy. Like, I know it. I'm always the guy that says, man, I'm pumped. Omar, are you excited? Dude, so excited, man. That's like incredible. And it's like, you know, but I understand that as a communicator, I have to just, I have to turn it on. And so I just, I just want it. And if you're not all that excited, I would actually like for you to figure out why you're not that excited about the thing. If, 'cause if, if, if you put your heart and soul into something, which is what I do with the podcast, I really do. I put my heart and soul into that thing. If you don't do that, it's, it's hard to, it's just like selling a product you're not proud of, right? But make, get, create content that makes you proud that you created it. Wow. Create content that makes you proud at the fact you created it. Man, I wish if I had this when I was 5 years ago when I just got started. Oh my goodness. Like, yeah. Good. I forgot to mention, you know, a little bit ago about being a great interviewer. Sorry, I'm kind of backtracking. I was on a podcast and it was actually my friend, you know, like I flew into a city, my expense paid, went on his podcast because I figured his audience would bend, you know, it'd be cool to, you know, be exposed to his circle of people that he— that follows him. And he just zero preparation. I was actually like, I was actually taken aback during the conversation. I'm like, when are we going to talk about How churches can leverage social media and YouTube. When are we going to talk about marketing? When are we going to talk about the thing, the reason why you even have me here for? Like, why do you even have me here? Why are we talking about the election right now? I was literally like, I'm so confused. But, but that's just me. I mean, as somebody who is— I have such an audience-first mentality. I can feel when something isn't prepared. Something John Maxwell says, if you don't prepare, you're going to have to repair. And so prior preparation is huge. Okay, that was committing to distribution. Number 3, making monetization easy. Making monetization easy. How do you make monetizing your podcast easy? How do you make monetizing your long-form content easy? You do it by number one, including an ad read. An ad read could be a separate shot thing or a, a separately recorded thing, or you could just naturally deliver it. I don't think there's anything wrong. I actually, I would imagine, I mean, there's no way for me to track it cuz I don't use specific links for specific videos, but I imagine the, the, the times where we sell the Content to Cash Challenge in the conversation, I imagine it does better, but like, I just want you to know if you are putting out your own content, please let people know about something. Like, and you know, I always like to replace the word call to action with invitation. Hey, I just want to invite you if you're somebody who is XYZ, you know, ABC, to grab my whatever guide, take my whatever quiz. you know, like whatever the benefit the person would get from clicking that link, make sure you make that apparent. Pull out the pain, reveal the pain, tell 'em the process, and then capture that information, right? Um, make, making your, your podcast mon— making your podcast monetize easier is also just knowing that Every episode is an opportunity to build your email list. I think I did the podcast for 6 months before I had a challenge. I actually, I didn't have anything to sell other than affiliate links from the guests. But building an email list, somebody asked, you know, what's like, can you just make it plain? Like, how do I build an email list? I think the easiest way to build an email list is get a, use your Gmail account, create a Google Form, and then Google Form, what you do is you ask for the phone name, phone number, email, and then you can have your Google Form redirect after they submit. You can tell it to redirect to a page and whatever that page is, it could be a Google Doc, a Google Sheet. Like literally we don't need websites to do all this stuff. But I would say something I loved and I made multiple six figures with was Flowdesk. I, I grew my email list to 15,000 emails using Flowdesk. The, my only hedge on Flowdesk simply is, is they don't prioritize texting, or they're not prioritized. They don't include texting as a, you know, uh, as one of their main things. And that's fine. So when you, when you ask for a phone number, it doesn't really categorize it as a phone number. It's like a custom thing. You have to like make a custom cell, make it a phone number, but but you can do those like automated emails. So somebody opts in and then they can, you can, they can hear from you on email for the next month if you, you know, pre-decide what those emails go out for. I mentioned it, but another way that I've been able to monetize the podcast, and I haven't really put all those numbers together, is affiliate marketing. When I have a guest that has something to sell, I get a link from them. Like I get a customized link that they give me because for this podcast, As far as I know, the, the best performing ones were Myron, you know, between all the conversations I've had with Myron, I'm pretty sure it's, it's somewhere along the lines of like $10,000 to $15,000 of his books being sold, of people joining his challenge from my thing. When it comes to Rory Vaden, I've made about $5,000, I think $5,000 or $7,000 with Rory Vaden's conversation. Like, what are we talking about? Like, I just made a teacher's salary in the CCSD, Clark County School District, with 2 people on my podcast. That's affiliate marketing. If we're talking about making it easy. And I think in so many facets, you can come up, you can be creative with that. Something I love that Sean did oftentimes, if he knew he had an industry giant, he would actually, pre-plan a, he would pre-plan a, like a campaign around this person being on the podcast. So because, because his, because him knowing that he would make 50% of all sales, we could put all our energy in marketing and we don't have to fulfill. He's done this with Chalene Johnson. I think every year I've known Sean, he's done this with Chalene Johnson and every year it's been a couple hundred grand just affiliating a conversation or a piece of content. And then, you know, selling it on emails, like he leverages the email to do that. And obviously he believes in her product. So you want to make sure that's, you know, that the person has good stuff. I love, you know, an example of Brianda. I love that when she started, she got a law firm to just sponsor her podcast. Doesn't have to be, you know, a perfect alignment, but if it's local, like you have a local offer, a local podcast, a local offer, local sponsorship. Like I would imagine that, you know, people would love to be a part of that. It's kind of new. This is new territory. My friend Brian Davila has the Wealthy Investor Podcast, gets about 1,000 views every upload. And he signed like a $5K or $6K a month brand deal with hard money loans or some loan company. He has a, You know, it's about real estate investing, his podcast, but just really cool alignment. The loan company's not asking him to do anything that much different. Just mention us. Like, you know, so I just, you can leverage sponsors, but again, you could also sponsor your own podcast. And the way I do this is, you know, obviously making the links clickable in the description. Always put https:// or go to your website that you wanna link, copy it from the Google URL tab, and then paste that link. Don't ever put omarsgear.com. No, it needs to be https://omarsgear.com. Um, and I, I think the biggest thing is just like, if you could think about like how easy you can make somebody reach out to you, you know, I don't know, sometimes it could be just like, text me. Like if you're at that stage, heck, text me if you're struggling with this. If you're looking for this, just, just text me. In parentheses, this is my actual cell number. Like, I just, I imagine people will reach out, you know. We've been able to get people into the program from just having a work with Omar link. It's, and it's just a form. So it's just a form and that form is an assessment form or a qualifying form. It tells us how much a person is making a year, what their goals are with how much they're making a year and all that stuff. And then it helps when somebody gets on the phone. Yeah, I think the monetization thing comes easy when your podcast actually delivers, right? I can't make more people click your ad other than I can just help you become better at delivering the content that you set out to promise to deliver. And so those are the 3 things that I found that like really for anyone starting and wanting to crush the podcast, it's going to make it sustainable, consistent, and all those things. Just a lot to think about. A few things that I want to get through and then I'd love to take some Q&A. But how did my podcast blow up so— I would consider it blow up so fast. I know people that are on episode 300 on their podcast and they get no downloads and no views, right? I would attribute my podcast success to simply prioritizing YouTube being my platform focus. But in doing so, it sounds like it was a simple decision, but the, but the, to actually live up to that came with title and thumbnail psychology, came with introduction intentionality, and then came with actually delivering on the content itself. Right? So like I played the YouTube game, YouTube game with my podcast, therefore YouTube promoted my podcast. And so, uh, Art, I don't know what— I don't know why the— my laptop is like, it's like dying. Or can you just use your MagSafe thing? Um, I was in— it was in the weak charger. Dang. I had— I have a brick that has multiple USB ports. It was in the weak port, not the strong port. See, you're plugged in, but you're plugged into the weak source. But there's a greater source. No, I'm just kidding. Okay. Oh, you crazy. But YouTube was my platform focus and that's how I was able, I knew in my mind that I would focus on the experience of my podcast on YouTube. And although I do upload on, you know, Red Circle to get on the audio stuff, it was really cool that It was really cool to see that I had almost 100,000 downloads audibly because I believe the retention on audio is far more longer than on video. It just is. I usually finish a podcast that I'm listening to more than podcasts that I'm watching. However, I didn't not post the audio, but that I'm just letting you know, Omar, how the heck did you blow up that podcast so fast? I just prioritize the video viewing experience and I prioritize the platform of YouTube. And obviously there's so much content in the classroom on YouTube and stuff like that. But, and then another way my podcast has been successful is I focused on one thing. Every podcast, I just focused on one thing. Yeah, I don't care to have a generalized podcast, you know, but even if I have, you know, so next week, one of the episodes that's just been hanging in the hard drive, I did a conversation with this girl who, her name's Invest Diva. She's a digital marketer. She's an immigrant, but she's built a portfolio of stocks up, I think, $5 or $10 million, one of the two. And even as I'm interviewing her, she's like ahead of the gun and I'm like, slow down, sis. Like, literally on the thing, I'm like, okay, stop. Where do you even log in? Like, I'm literally, that's where I'm at because, you know, but I wanted it to be one thing. I wanted it to be investing in stocks for beginners. But that's all. And I actually, in my opinion, for me, it relieves the pressure to hit so many different things. So like, if you're interviewing somebody on their success, what's the, what's the one thing about their success that you want to hit? And this is why you can have people again multiple times. So I would actually, I personally would love to have maybe half of the guests I had last year, I would love to have again this year. We would just have a different conversation. Or different one thing, right? Yeah, so there's that. Now, just, I just wanted to share an opportunity I believe is happening on podcasting. And this is according to like Salt asked the question about like, what about Spotify? I believe Spotify Video is going to make the podcast consumption even go higher, right? So, um, the question might be, well, how do you upload video to Spotify? Um, sometimes it just takes a good old YouTube search, guys. I understand that you joined this program and sometimes you want me to answer the question and I'm here for it, but I didn't know. So I went on YouTube, And here's what I found. Here is what I found. Okay, so this is my Spotify. I can't— why is it grayed out? It's grayed out like I can't click it. Let's see, let me click this. All right, let's see. Would you know why this is the case, Art? Why is this happening? Let me stop share. Like my— there's a button there. Yeah, you probably won't show on your window. What is that? What is that, Jason? Your mic's off. Sorry, I said that there was a shade of window that's in front of it that you have to click OK, but you don't see it on your end. We see it. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But okay, yeah, let me go back then. All right, here we go. Here we go. Here we go. Look at that. Blind spots. So important. Okay, so, um, all right, so this is Spotify, which it was really cool that they, they did this rap thing. It was super entertaining. Um, so here at Spotify is, I, I don't post it on Spotify. I just wanna make this clear. I post on Red Circle and then Red Circle posts it on Spotify, right? but look at this button, host with us, which is cool. I don't do this, but then I, you know, the goal is to upload the video podcast now to Spotify being that they're going all in on video. They're even going in on short-form follower or short-form content, right? So if you go to episodes, that was the gray box. Check this out. Add video to your existing audio episodes. So I don't even have, I thought I had to like start from where I'm at now, but no, like Art's now going to upload every conversation onto this platform and we'll have 55 episodes on here. So that's cool. That's something I learned. So now there's an extra step that we didn't do up until this point. But I, that's just one of my predictions is those who make, you know, just make sure that you're capitalizing on this. I think somebody who's starting a podcast could solely focus on Spotify and do really well. My thing is I'm just a sucker for YouTube. I love YouTube. It's my favorite platform. And it's obviously like my number one strength in regards to platform skill, I guess you could call it. But yeah, so that's the Podcast Masterclass. Let's get into, we can go 20 or so minutes into Q&A. We'd love to answer any and all questions you guys may have. And what'd you think though? Put it in the chat. What'd you think? How was that podcast masterclass for 2025? I got you, Rashawn, gimme a second. I'm just gonna, I'm just, will Spotify distribute to other platforms? Montané asks, yes, they will. Is there a reason why I prefer Red Circle over Buzzsprout? I felt like Buzzsprout, I, I, as far as details they give you and stats they give you, I, I wasn't a huge fan. It's very easy, like the, the interface is easy on the eyes. I think Red Circle's a little bit more, you know, I mean it just, there's more to click and little things here and there, but The reason I went with the red circle, number one, that's what David Chans hosts his podcast on and he's grown it to hundreds of thousands a month listeners. So I, I figured it was able to hold it. It could handle growth is what I thought. I, I felt like everyone who had Buzzsprout for a season, they always outgrew it for whatever reason. So that would, that would be, that would be why I preferred red, red circle. Brianna says, um, it says host with us for you. New episode if you have an account. Um, where it says host with us, for you it says new, new episode if you have an account. Oh, okay. Yeah, if you have an account, that's good. Erica said, what equipment do you need to capture both audio quality? Uh, I mean, here's my simple answer, and yes, I do break it down in the classroom. Thanks Omar for putting that, but it's FX30 with the top handle. Plug-in mics, or if you want a more lean setup, just get some wireless lav mics, 2 lav mics, clip them on people's shirts and you're good to go. So it's kind of just like when, when it comes to that, that, that's a kind of a preference thing, you know? Um, do you want to clip on a mic or do you want to hold a microphone or have 'em have, find a stand? Like if you're out and about and you're creating, Erica, you wanna make sure that, you know, you're removing these obstacles. Sometimes I feel like, like having a microphone like this could be an obstacle if you're on the road. So consider a wireless mic. They usually come with two, like either DJI or Rode. I, I think sound quality, I think we just give it to Rode for sound quality.

Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, they're great. They're all great. But, um, and then does Red Circle post to YouTube as well? So Red, here's what's funny about Red Circle, does post to YouTube, but like they don't post videos to YouTube. They will post your audio. It's so funny 'cause people use this feature. They will post your audio as a YouTube video with your podcast artwork as the video. That's what they'll do, which is like very, obviously that's not gonna be helpful, but some people do it. I'm like blown away. Um, yes, yes, yes, great, great stuff. Rashawn, what's up? Sorry if I—

yo, yo, yo, yo, this, this was awesome, man. Um, I'm, I'm gonna publicly commit to getting my first podcast episode out this week, so Let's go. That's going to be my next week's win. I had a couple follow-up questions. So on YouTube, so there's a section where you can do podcasts.

Yep.

So if we're going to add this podcast to that YouTube from a branding perspective, should it be called something different or like stay in alignment with what the channel name is? Like how should we navigate that?

Really great. I'll first say I don't think it matters. Like my YouTube channel is called Omar El Takrori. My podcast is called The Department. I think Alex Stolz, who does the fly fishing, they have tutorial-based videos on their channel and then they have podcast videos on their channel. And I know their podcast has a name. So I don't think, I wouldn't think too much about that part.

Okay. That's good.

And then as far as like, yeah, and all the podcast is on YouTube is you determining a playlist is a podcast. So if you're uploading your first one, what it's gonna ask you for is it's going to, when you're in your YouTube Studio like this, it's gonna, uh, it's just gonna, you're gonna start a new podcast, you know? And if, if, if you already had a playlist where you have, you know, you already uploaded conversations, this is anybody. Some people upload conversations, but they don't make the playlist that they put it in an actual podcast. And what are you doing? I just wanna make sure people know, what are you doing by making sure that your video is categorized as a podcast? Number one, you are distinguishing your video versus, ooh, this is, I'm so excited about this, guys. I'm so sorry. Like Tiger Woods and Grant Horvat. Grant Horvat is a golf creator and Tiger Woods literally played with him. Okay, anyway, like when I'm on my TV, on my, when I'm on my TV, this is like on the left. It's literally, it's a tab. So that's what doing this will do. It'll categorize your podcast. And then when you're in a YouTube channel, here's Chris Doe's YouTube channel, you could see and look, they have, they've just made every, look at this, this is crazy. They made every playlist a podcast, which I would actually say might be a good idea because you're only giving it more opportunity for distribution. Um, so yeah, I say all that to say they, it looks like they categorize their uploads and because he delivers very, uh, you know, information-based more than visual-based content, it makes sense to do this. So yeah, that, that's why you wanna do it. That's all I wanted to say.

Sounds good.

So you said, um, so all you need to, to get started, one of the items was an audio file. Um, and I took that to mean like, is that the first episode?

Mm-hmm.

And so can you elaborate, like, so like actionable item, like everyone can like walk off the call and, and get like their first episode up. Like, is this like a 5-minute, um, conversation, like an intro? Like what would that look like?

Yeah, no, I, I love it. I, I think there's, it could either be your first actual episode, like you actually shoot, you maybe you shoot your video podcast and you, you shoot it. And then you, you take, you export the audio. Like once you've edited it to the way you want it, maybe you have a hook, maybe you trimmed off the ends or whatever, you would just export as an MP3 file. Or if, if that might be too techie for you, there are literally on the internet converters. Like you can convert your video file into an MP3. So like there's that. You can also, this might kill a little bit of the quality, but it might be easier. Just Google YouTube to MP3. You upload your, your video to YouTube and then you put it in the YouTube to MP3 thing and then you just download the MP3. So there's a million ways to do it. I would say if you're already, if you're yourself are editing the actual podcast itself, um, you could, you just export that MP3. Are you using a software to capture your video? Like, are you going to use your computer? Are you using like, I don't know, StreamYard or Riverside or something like that?

I plan to just hook up into the camera.

Okay. And I mean, that's, that's the best quality you'll get.

Yeah.

Because I was going to say, if you were to use something like Spotify, StreamYard or Riverside, which are web-based platforms, you could hypothetically record the audio only or something, you know? Like, I mean, just, but I, I think if your audio's dialed, bro, like, and you, CapCut, it doesn't matter. Every editing, video editing platform allows you to export, to include LumaFusion. Like LumaFusion's like a $20 app on my iPhone, but you can export just the audio from a video. So, so then you would take that Okay, so here's my homepage of Red Circle, right? If you're not here, let's see, create a new podcast and then you would do all these things and then what it'll do is it'll give you the checklist. Like I think because I've already connected it, but it's almost like these hosting platforms, what they do is they walk you through, okay, step 1, sign up for Apple Podcasts, boom, boom, boom, green check. Step 2, sign up for Google Play. Boom, boom, boom. You do those things and then you legit, you have the podcast and you just upload an audio file. That's why I say having one audio file because I don't think you can have a podcast even show up on Apple or Spotify if there isn't an actual episode. So that's why I say just have the one.

So historically podcast has been audio.

Yeah, and that's what's funny about— that's why when I make content around podcasting, like when I make podcasts around podcasts, they don't perform well. But I think it's because, yeah, there's a lot of defining because now it's going content creation is also podcasting. Now it's going talking head is also podcasting. Interviewing is also podcasting, but it's not the word itself. So like, I think that's why, you know, there's the— yes, 'cause initially podcasts were radio, right, things. Like they've been around before YouTube, before video, which is funny that it's the least utilized form of content creation out of everything. But I feel like it's one of the most powerful. Like next to YouTube, audio podcasting is pretty high up there.

Cool.

Thank you. Appreciate that.

Yeah. Yvonne.

Um, quick question. Like with my podcast, it's, is virtual and I normally have guests. Um, do you have any suggestions around the video quality of the guest? Because when I am trying to do my reels, um, my side looked better than theirs. I don't know if this is fixable or not. but just any thoughts or suggestions of how to make my short-form content better than it is when I'm extracting it from—

Yep.

The video.

Yeah. Um, okay. Remember when I shared the idea that when I get on other people's podcasts, I make it visually better because of, because of my know-how?

Right.

I do like ask them to adjust their settings, but I don't know what else to do.

Yeah, no, so my thing is in the same vein as that. It would just be letting them, you know, like it's either like a please do this or, you know, prior to the conversation, like a checklist almost. But I think one of those things on the checklist needs to be, have a light source, whether it's a window or an actual light. That, that, because what they're not gonna do is they're not gonna buy a camera. And even if they bought a camera, it wouldn't look good unless there was a light source. And so I, I think, um, they can get away with just using their, a window as, as their main light. 'Cause might, they might be in a, you know, like a dungeon and they have a lamp is light, was what's lighting them. So just that alone is going to help. Um, the second thing is audio and you know, I found that what something you can do if they don't have like a good audio, you know, I watch CNBC, you know, you know, How They Made It or Millennial Money on CNBC YouTube and a lot of the times they'll have like, these experts and they'll post 'em. They're like a Zoom call and they just have the Apple, you know, the, the plugin Apple headphone. This is if they don't, right? If they do not have a microphone, this might actually be the better option because both they can hear you and they're, and, but it would be, this is a, this is essentially a $20 USB mic. And I know it sounds crazy, but it sounds phenomenal. So that would just be my thing. It would just be asking for it, creating that expectation in advance. Hey, if you can make sure, people do it with me. I mean, they don't, obviously I know what I'm doing, but when I say yes to a podcast, they will have, hey, make sure your internet is good. Make sure you have some sort of light on your face and you have a good microphone. That's like really what they ask for. Um, so these are just a few things, light, microphone, or audio quality considering that. And then the next thing is if they are using their webcam on their laptop, like potentially stack books so it's at eye level, not shooting up at their face. Because if they're at a desk, chances are is that the, the, the webcam's just up at their face as opposed to them looking straight. Just changing that approach will level up the video, honestly. It'll create a better connection. But yeah, so I say all that to say that that's the visual side. Obviously, you know, if the audio experience is strong, then most people will put through mediocre video. And so yeah, that would just be my two cents on that. It would just be you can either bless them with that $20 mic if they don't have a mic. That's— this could all happen in the back and forth prior to. Something Jeff does is he does a call before the interview, like even a week out. Like that could be something you can consider. I know it might be more time, but what's worth having it all set up and dialed? You can pre-film. Here's something, you could pre-film like a, like a, one-shot take tutorial on what to do before the call. So there's that, you know, a lot of ideas. The, the, I think, I think what I'm, the thing I keep hammering is, is just you have to catch it early on as much as possible.

Yeah, no, that's helpful. I didn't, I have an email that I send, but I don't have the part about the light in there. Um, so I'll add that cuz most often it's always just the video, not necessarily audio. Audio, but thank you.

Sweet. Yeah, so just like, it makes sure you're in front of a window, or if you have a ring light or sorts, like, there's that too. If their audio is good, so how about like, rather than you like blessing them with that, let's just go, uh, desk light for video. Let's see. I just, I mean, I'm just trying to see like, they have to, they have to have it. Simple, simple, simple. Look at that. $17. Uh, $35. So yeah, I mean, that might be $20. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. This would, this would do wonders, I imagine. Like, just cuz, just cuz it, it just would. I mean, obviously I don't want to get, this is why I want to get techie. It, it's a never-ending talk, but if they have glasses and they're reflective, it might not be the best case scenario. Um, but yeah, just consider that. May— they might literally, they might have, they might have windows and they might have a decent light. If they're using their webcam, the webcam will actually auto white balance adjust even if the temperature of the light isn't the right temperature. So they're, they might, they're just better just having a light next to them on.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah. Um, Erica, what's up? What's up?

Hey Omar, so, um, I kind of feel like I have a stupid question, but this is like the biggest hang-up for me on why I won't start a podcast. I don't know, but I want to do a video podcast because I want to upload it to YouTube. I don't know what to use. That would capture audio and video at the same time that would make editing easier. So, and I want to use the boom mics. I don't know if I'm getting in front of my light. I don't know if I should be using the wireless Rode mics, but what's your take on that?

Yeah, okay. So here's what I love about those wireless mics. You can start tomorrow. And hypothetically these wireless mics, they record, you don't have to do this, but this, this is what these wireless mics do. Okay? They, number one, they plug into like, let's, okay, let me just, I want, wanna make this very clear. Like let's just say you're gonna start off with one angle. We're gonna start off with a basic wide angle for your podcast. I mean, for whatever it's worth, so you don't have to like jump the gun or whatever. You could either buy the FX30 with the actual, um, here, let me just, I think if I show you guys, it'd be easier. And I actually think I can just change to my, oh, I thought I, I thought I can connect to my phone. Why not? Let me see.

Can these, uh, can these Rode mics, can they connect via Bluetooth to the camera?

No, they, they, they connect with a cord.

Okay.

So like, yeah, it's a wireless transmission, but there's a, there's a, there's something you put on top of the camera that you plug into the camera, and now the camera video file literally has the audio on it.

Okay.

Yeah, but I mean, but, but then a nice backup that I love is I love that you can record on the device themself. Does that make sense? So like, so it, it's actually a backup if something fails. Like you'll always have that recording on the Mic Pack. But I, I feel like that's the least friction. 'Cause if you want to do like my travel podcast setup, which I do a breakdown on the travel podcast setup also in the curriculum, just type in travel podcast. I, that's the, the, when you see me with the handheld mics. So like you could, you can just go with, you know, an XLR cable plugged directly into the camera and then that's another way to do it. I just feel like I just, me knowing you, I don't, I don't feel like that's the, that's just too much for you. So making it simple with the, with the, with the wireless solution. Like I just want, I mean, sometimes I like doing stuff to prove a point. Because I guess it's my weird, maybe sometimes unhealthy nature. Um, but, uh, this, we shot this at a, at online to my audience. You guys, this is a $120 mic. Has brought opportunity. You know, we're in, we're in Myron Golden's program. Yeah. And there, and we shot it on iPhones, two iPhones. Presentation values.

It all aligned.

She, she, they, they have, can you speak more of that? Because it, because the packs only come with 2 mics. So I used a 3rd mic for my angle, but this is the Rode mic. When you just share what you value personally, how that— I imagine we wouldn't have been able to even make this happen if I actually like brought all of my mics, you know? So, um, so yeah, like I think don't, uh, underestimate the power of a wireless mic.

Okay. And then how do you, if I have 3 cameras, how do we, like, how is all that edited into one? Like, you know, right.

So the, there's, there's 2 ways you can either record each angle during the conversation and then in post, meaning when you're editing, you can use AI, which I believe, I believe we have a tutorial on that inside of the classroom where AI switches the podcast inside of the Adobe Premiere Pro. You're looking at like $70 a month to be able to do that. Somebody has to do that though, like, right? You have to take out the SD card from the cameras, each one, drag 'em onto a laptop or computer, and then have that happen. Or Yes, Brianna, it's a Premiere Pro and Autopod, or you buy switchers, but that means you need somebody with you to switch in real time. What's beautiful about the ATEM switchers is that when you're done with the conversation, the one file you need is done, right? So, you know, something, the way I approach tech and video gear and stuff is oftentimes, oftentimes if you want quality, you're gonna get lower convenience. If you want convenience, you're gonna lower quality. And when I say quality, I mean like sometimes, sometimes the, I mean the ATEM, you won't even know what podcasts actually are like created on the ATEM, like which, because the ATEM only does 1080. but it's fine. Like it works. I don't want, I don't want 4K versus 1080 to be the reason why you wouldn't like, you know, um, you know, do the thing here. Uh, like they shoot, this is my friend Neo. They shoot, they capture on ATEMs. It looks amazing. And then, and then they capture the audio separately. See, y'all see me getting better, but I wanna go ahead and share Yeah, so what you're— what I'm trying to help people understand. So, but it sounds like you should just use a podcast studio.

Yeah, that's what me and Sonia are gonna do for the first one. So you could capture the audio file on a completely separate file and then have 3 different cameras, and then the editor would sync it all up to where it's correct. Oh, it's that easy?

Mm-hmm.

Oh, okay.

Well, it, it's easier said than I guess done, but it, it is, it is that simple. I wouldn't say easy because you need an, you need a software that even has the ability to sync audio. You need to make sure that your cameras are recording scratch audio, meaning it's capturing something so it could, it can, it could sync to a sound. Sometimes people roll, they put their, their camera on mute. And then you have to visually align it with a lip, like with the way the lip opens and closes with an audio file. So like, yeah, but once you get the ball rolling and you get it going, it's like boom, it's like it's good to go, right? So, but yes, the FX30 doesn't necessarily need you to sync audio because you can plug in the mic directly into it if you're using a mic like this. But I'm telling you, if you guys are in Vegas, I have unapologetically, I was, Blown away with Level Nine Studios. Blown away. Tell him I sent you so he can give me a discount. No, I'm just kidding. He should create an affiliate for me, but anything else?

No, that's it. Thank you.

Yeah, these are real. I mean, these are real questions. This is why I think about like video podcasting in many ways, like maybe that's one reason why it worked really well with me up the get-go is 'cause I was able to start with all this like in place and it being dialed and high quality. A lot of that comes from the, obviously the experience, but it's a, if to tackle it in this way, it is simple to do it, but there is a, like, what is it? Like the entry, the barrier of entry sometimes could be a lot. And that's why people quit. So my thing, my job I feel like is always trying to find the possibility for you to do it in a way that won't make you quit, right? And so if somebody just took care of everything I just said, like, how would that sound? All you had to do is focus on the conversation. Like, that's amazing. Like, how nice was it to do our conversation? You didn't have to do anything other than sit down, have your notes, and then And then you got a 4K file. And so yeah, good stuff. Montané, what's up? We'll do Montané, then Lupe, and then we'll wrap up for the day.

Thank you for this masterclass, Omar. Happy New Year, TVD fam. Omar, my question is really simple, but it's elementary. But I just, I heard that if we name our file before we upload our YouTube video that with the, with keyword rich, with, I guess, rich keywords that it can get found quicker than if you just upload it as file, like whatever the number is. So I'm just trying to figure out how do I rename my file on, like if I download it with CapCut to my phone, I've tried it like. I've uploaded it, I've done what you said, like going on YouTube and uploading it, um, into like a file. And then when I download it, it's still saying the zero zero whatever.

So just trying to—

yeah. So, uh, first I, I wanna say that I don't believe that helps as much as most people think it does. Like nothing, like these little tricks and hacks don't, they won't replace great content, right? Like I think that's just number one. I, you know, I, you can upload something that's 000_101 hashtag or whatever, right? And if, if the, if the content itself, if the content itself is, um, you know, good, then it, it'll, it'll perform. Now, just to answer your question though, um, here is an audio file. That I got from my DJI. I actually recorded a sales call for someone yesterday. I just wanted you guys, I don't know, I need to do this in a way where it's very, what's the word, dignified for the guy that's going to join the program. So this guy I had a call with, I want to do it in a way where it's dignified, but he already was a buyer before he came in and I wanted to just share my discovery call with him that I did on Instagram. But anyway, If I wanted to rename this, I would just click this file, hit rename, and call it, uh, Discovery, Discovery Call, um, and close. That's it. Then now the, you could do this with video, you could do this with audio, and now, now this will, now this is the file name. So yeah, you could just change it inside of your like actual Finder or folders or whatever. Just change the file name, rename and stuff like that.

Thank you.

Sweet. Lupe.

Hi, good morning. Hey, um, so I have a friend who does podcasting and I was asking her this, actually yesterday, and I asked her, so like How do you do it? Like, what are you using? You know, like, because I know that I started in a class with her with Podbean. So that was originally how we got started a year ago. And she says she just has a webcam on her laptop and she just records and she does everything like that and uploads it to YouTube.

Beautiful. Great.

There's no like discard, there's no video auto, you know, you gotta like I'm just like, so simple, just like that.

Okay, you— okay, so my version for that for you is gonna be— okay, my version of that for you would be to use your phone as your webcam, right? Like, you— like, number one, have a good light. Number 2, use the good lens so you could plug into your phone. If you have a newer iPhone, you just plug in and then get a decent mic though. My thing is like, if it is a podcast, I would encourage you to like have at least a USB mic. And you know, there's literally the Samson Q2U is a $60 USB mic that sounds phenomenal. Okay, Samsung Q2U. But like, Shaleen literally shoots her podcasts with her iPhone and a USB mic.

Traditionally we use down there and I'm using it up here. If you've been searching for—

But my, my thing about your friend, you know, this is a hot take on my point of view, you know. You know, I helped a friend set up his webcam setup, his web class setup. And he voice memoed me on Monday or Sunday. He voice memoed me on Sunday. He's like, yo, Omar, we just got done with our web class yesterday. We sold the most tickets to our challenge than we've ever had since we have a new setup. I mean, since you've touched this setup, we sold the most. Thing. Now, maybe it's the new year. I'm sure that's part of it. Maybe it's whatever. Like, there's probably all these nuances, but here's something. It's kind of like an Omar bar I'm going to run with. When you look like money, there's a higher chance you can make more money. So my thing is there is a, there is a place for you to hit that makes it simple for you. But having quality videos communicates that you care. So from my point of view, like, unless your friend's content is just absolutely world-class, I think that's why it would maybe perform well, maybe 'cause she's consistent, sure. But if she's making money and she doesn't wanna invest in a basic setup, like I just, you know, just, you know, showed you, I would say kind of, I don't wanna say shame on her, but don't you care about the experience of your audience? I don't know, I mean, I do. And something that Peter Vogt, he was on my podcast a couple months ago, before he left my studio, he's seen my journey. He knew when I was in art for, Sean, and when I, when I was behind the scenes and I was just the quiet guy in the corner of the room doing my thing, he looked at me. He's like, Omar, never stop paying attention to the details. He's like, when I look at your stuff, you're— it looks like your, your attention to detail is out of this world. So that's your, that's your superpower. He like just looked me in the eye and said that. I was like, thanks, bro. I appreciate that. But I don't know. I mean, I feel like when you buy it, when you, when you invest in quality, you're also investing in other people's attention because that's what this all is. This is all The reason why you guys are here, you're not here to do anything else other than to get more attention on your stuff. And so that's, I mean, that's my 2 cents, but yeah, like Shaleen, that video I shared with you, it has 338,000 views because the quality is good enough. So that's my thing is like you can get your quality to good enough. The thing is with Shaleen is she prepares so much. With her podcast. She does research, she gets podcast clips from other podcasts, and she's literally doing all the work and then presenting it to you. And that's one of the best ways to grow on YouTube is condense the information for people so that they have more time in their life. Anytime people watch our content and you've expedited or you've given time back to them because you've taken— you've done the heavy lifting, The, the feeling, the psychological transaction that took place, I don't think could be replicated any other way. Anytime you can condense information. I know this is sidebar, but yeah, iPhone, USB mic, good light.

And do, do you suggest that, um, you have like a separate iPhone? Because I find myself distracted sometimes when I'm using it and I'm doing videos because I get all these dings.

Yeah. I mean, yeah. When I, when I'm traveling and I use my iPhone for the coach calls, sorry everybody, I put my phone on, on airplane mode.

Oh, so just put it on airplane mode.

Yeah. And then, I mean, if you wanted to, not, not a terrible idea though, like, you know, it's not a terrible idea for you to, um, it's not a terrible idea for you to buy a, a new or a different iPhone. It could be a little bit older even. And just use it as a webcam if that would make it easier for you. But if you're at that price point, my, my, my suggestion might potentially be that you can look into the Sony ZV-1 Mark II. It's like $800. You just use a USB cable, boom, plug it into the camera or your computer, and then it looks amazing. Sony ZV-1 Mark II. It's a point-and-shoot camera, so it's not heavy and bulky. It's just, Pink.

I think I just get freaked out with all the, like, don't insert this, insert that.

I'm here for you. Oh my God, do you plug your phone into a charger at night?

Yes.

There you go, congratulations, you're a content creator.

Oh man, okay.

And you're local, so I, I will pull up if, if you, if you actually buy the stuff and it lands, just It'll take me 5 minutes. Cool. Sophie, what's up?

This is a very basic question, but how do you— so I just got a MacBook for Christmas. Santa was nice. And so I bought the clip, but I don't understand how I hook up my phone to clip it so that it'll work on the iMac.

Did you buy the MagSafe clip? Yeah. So make— well, okay, you got a Mac, you got— okay, so you're saying you got a new MacBook, you got to make sure you're on the— I think you either plug, plug in physically.

Okay.

Because that way you're not using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or like whatever. But that clip—

Yeah, no, I know how to put the clip. The kids showed me how to do that. So I know how to put it on there and, but I just don't know how to make it so that it's not just the, the, the laptop, laptop camera in, in whatever software you're using.

And I would say test that you could test this right after this call on QuickTime. Go on QuickTime, right-click QuickTime logo on your, on your toolbar. Mm-hmm. And you're gonna put new video recording.

Okay.

New, new movie recording is what it says.

Okay.

And then right next to the record button, there's a dropdown arrow. It should sense your iPhone.

Okay.

Let me see if I could even, uh, do that real quick as we, as we land the plane. Uh, here's my desktop. Here I am. I'm going into QuickTime. I'm gonna say new movie recording.

Mm-hmm. Okay.

It's my FX30.

Mm-hmm.

And then if I go change, if I change this to, there's a, I wonder why it's not like showing my, maybe I didn't update my phone. That could be one reason. But if I plug in, I'm actually gonna try to see if I could plug in.

I'm gonna go grab my cord right while you do that.

Yep. All right. So I'm plugging in. Let's see it. Let's see if this works. Oh wait, wrong plug. I'm removing my, uh, and you guys can dip if you'd like. Hey, content workshop, I'm the worst. I need to do like, Soph, I need you to make sure I hit announcements at the beginning of calls. Um, I think in the next, the next week I'm gonna finalize the number and then I will start, I will start, um, sharing, uh, to my audience to come. Okay, there we go. Plugged in. Boom! So I got a white lens, you gotta make sure you got a white lens. Like, just— I just plugged in a USB cable like so, and look how— look how— look how good this looks. But it looks good because of my light. It like— and, and like, this camera is great, it does wonders, but that is how, uh, I'm doing it. That's how I do the calls.

So I'm gonna do QuickTime, it's what it's called, right?

Yeah, QuickTime. Okay, all right, beautiful. All right, cool, cool. All right, uh, thank you guys for being on. What, like, I'm, I'm grateful for you guys because in all honesty, I've spoken to other people's coaching programs and the retention on the calls aren't as good as this. The show-up rates on the calls aren't as good as this. And I just want to honor you for your willingness to learn, your desire to get better. And we're all just getting better because we want to serve better. So I just want to thank you for that. And I hope you guys have an incredible, blessed week. Any questions, please put in the school community. I know stuff like this, like when you teach, it reveals even more. So please, there's no question I believe I can't answer in this realm of things, right? So, uh, feel free to, to ask that. And I appreciate you guys. I hope you guys have a great start to your January. I'm breaking a 7-day fast tonight. I'm excited to eat food. And so, uh, turn up. It's gonna be a salad. All right. Bye. Bye, everybody.