Welcome to Excel Podcast 101! In this week’s episode we will cover everything you need to know to get started with your own Excel podcast. Facilitated by Rick Grantham, we have Oz du Soleil, Jordan Goldmeier and our special guest John Michaloudis (from MyExcelOnline) on the panel.

Let the learning begin!

1 – Why do a Podcast?

John explains that podcasts took off in 2009, because of lack of jobs during the recession. But until recently, out of 250,000 podcasts on Apple iTunes, there was just one out there on Excel: Chandoo.org Podcast.

Podcasts are a great way to market one’s business and learn Excel from guests. John particularly praised the Q&A format of Chandoo’s podcast. And his own podcast revolves around interviewing fellow Excel MVP’s to learn from their experience.

2 – Merits of the Medium

Many people trying to learn Excel would even criticize a 3-minute tutorial, while podcasts tend to be as much as an hour long. On top of that, it’s perplexing to think about teaching Excel without showing it.

Here John explained that the Excel podcasts are about listening to stories from experts, particularly on how they became so good at what they do. These can be listened to while driving. Moreover, various techniques or tools can be introduced over podcasts accompanied with links to corresponding video tutorials.

Oz added to this by suggesting that people should focus on laying the data and getting the process right. This is something that can only be learned by taking a step back. It’s about knowing what is possible rather than what they have.

3 – Podcast Technology and Process

The technology needed to get started with making your own Excel podcast is as follows:

1. Buy an online course (e.g. Podcasters’ Paradise by John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire) on making podcasts. It will guide you through every minute detail from equipment details to online publishing.
2. Arrange for a software which can record (and subsequently edit) an audio-only Skype call.
3. The final step involves uploading the final MP3 on a hosting server and putting the link over your website and on iTunes.

There are a few tips that John shared with everyone:

• Listen to a lot of podcasts.
• Think critically about your podcast format. One can follow a Q&A format, do interviews or just have yourself talking.
• Do not forget to make a great intro and outro with music. The online course listed above can help with this as well.
• It can take up to 3 months to learn everything.

4 – Receiving Feedback on Your Podcast

John stressed on the fact that one cannot make everyone happy. There will be people who will complain about the length of the podcast or not getting to see Excel. One has to know what they want to achieve out of such podcast and stick to that. And just have fun creating it.

What’s next?

And do not forget share this talk with your friends or colleagues who might be interested in starting their own podcasts. And write to us with your experiences and opinions in the comments section below.