This blog post is inspired by the new wave of “Build in the Open” movement, where I want to share my experience and data.

In 2023, I embarked on a new adventure: launching a podcast. The idea was simple yet exciting — bring friends and experts to discuss topics they’re passionate about, building my personal brand and promoting Screenly and Viktopia Studio along the way.

The result of this is my podcast Nerding out with Viktor.

Ground Rules

I chose video because it felt more dynamic and less saturated than traditional audio podcasts.

From the start, I set some clear rules for myself:

• Commitment: Give it a full year before deciding to continue or stop.
• Consistency: Release a new episode every two weeks without exception.

These guidelines stemmed from research indicating that 90% or so of all podcasts don’t make it past a year and that platforms like YouTube reward regular content releases.

The Power of YouTube

I viewed YouTube as the main platform for my podcast. Being the second largest search engine, it offered great potential for discovery.

Additionally, YouTube’s new Podcast feature, launched around the same time as my podcast, provided an extra boost for visibility.

Six-Month Check-In: The Ups and Downs

At the six-month mark, my podcast is a work in progress. I’ve hosted notable guests like Eben Upton and Mark Shuttleworth, yet my subscriber and viewer numbers remain modest. I believe that with continued consistency, the podcast will gain momentum over the next six months, creating a flywheel effect.

Current Statistics

YouTube

• Nearly 300 subscribers
• Around 5k views and 217 watch hours in the last 28 days
• Subscriber growth of about 50 per month

Spotify

• 504 plays in the last 30 days
• 37 followers
• Around 4,500 impressions in the last 30 days

Apple Podcast

• 23 followers
• (Not enough data for additional metrics)

Upgrading My Equipment

I started with a Logitech Brio 4k Webcam but faced limitations with 1080p recording on Riverside. I switched to using my iPhone 14 Pro, which delivers excellent 4k quality.

For audio, I began with an Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB microphone, eventually upgrading to a Shure MV7 on a suspension arm. I prefer AirPod Pros for headphones to avoid the hassle of wires.

Recording and Editing Process

I use Riverside.fm for recording. Despite its Chrome-only limitation, it’s reliable and records in 4k, making it worth the investment.

For editing, I rely on ScreenFlow. While Riverside offers basic editing tools, they’re limited and buggy for anything beyond short snippets. ScreenFlow, a tool I’ve used for screencasts over the years, provides the features I need without the complexity of professional editing software like Final Cut Pro X or Adobe Premiere Pro.

Once I’m done editing, I use MacWhisper to generate a transcript from the episode. I then use this transcript in ChatGPT to generate summaries based on a set of prompts that I’ve tweaked.

Navigating Distribution Challenges

Distributing audio podcasts is easy, but video podcast distribution is more complicated. While there’s an RSS standard for video podcasts, it’s not widely supported. YouTube and Spotify require manual uploads, with Spotify only accepting h264 encoded videos, adding another layer of complexity.

To meet Apple Podcasts’ requirements, I created my own Podcast RSS Generator, hosted on GitHub Action and Cloudflare’s R2, keeping my hosting costs below $10 in total.

Strategies for Building Awareness

Growing an audience has been the most challenging part. Here’s what has worked for me:

• Utilizing Riverside’s Excerpts: Riverside creates short, subtitled excerpts, perfect for social media. I post these on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and YouTube Shorts to drive traffic to the full episodes, scheduling them every other day.
• Optimizing Descriptions: Detailed descriptions with relevant keywords are crucial, especially for YouTube, which functions as a search engine.

Launching and growing a video podcast is a journey that requires dedication, consistency, and a fair amount of work to get going. Yet, I’m still optimistic that this has been a worthwhile investment.