Time is flying by so quickly these days, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to slow down anytime soon! It’s tough to take a pause in life with everything that’s going on. In the next phase of my life, I have made a conscious decision to actively seek out joy, appreciate the small things, and celebrate milestones. That’s why I’m excited to invite you to celebrate with me the successful launch of the High Class Podcast.
To mark the occasion, we’re going to dig into how I began this podcast, including the tools, planning, and strategies that went into it. Additionally, we’ll look at the current High Class Podcast statistics. This podcast episode is also for my cannabis industry peers and friends who have expressed interest in launching their own podcasts. Now, let’s get into it!
My Two Guiding Lights for Launching a Cannabis Podcast
When embarking on this adventure, I had two guiding principles. Firstly, the idea that “niche to get rich” was something I had read repeatedly, and luckily, I had found my niche. I wanted to teach and create content on a subject I knew inside and out. To determine my topic, I asked myself what I would confidently speak about if I had to give a 30-minute speech with no prep. The answer was clear: starting a cannabis business.
However, I also needed to visualize my target audience to confirm my decision. I realized that I was most comfortable speaking to newbies and people who had not been in the industry before. This helped me narrow down my first few episodes, starting with the basics of teaching cannabis business one-on-one.
My target audience and workflow bring me joy and comfort, which is crucial because my second guiding principle is consistency. Success requires consistency, and even if nothing else is done, consistently taking action will eventually lead to success. I needed to find a way to create content that was easily digestible on multiple social media platforms.
With those principles in mind, I sat down to write what I wanted to talk about and found that long-form content suited me best. It was easier for me to write multiple pages on a topic and then trim it down as needed. This realization was an “aha” moment for me.
Why did I choose to podcast?
Take it from me, be honest with yourself, and experiment to find out what you enjoy doing and what feels like a chore. If there is resistance, you won’t want to do it, so try different content formats. After writing and reviewing my work, I discovered my conversational writing style was easy to adapt into a script. I created videos for all social media platforms by cutting them into mini clips. I even invested in a YouTube coach, courses, and equipment.
However, after recording my first episode, I felt insecure and realized YouTube wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to commit to something that took time away from my kids or made me uncomfortable. In the shower, I questioned where I wanted my business to go and realized I should start a podcast. It was forgiving and had a low barrier to entry.
Despite my initial insecurity with my own voice, I’ve found joy in leading with content and helping others. Using it, I have been able to connect with our community and the podcasting community as well.
Tools that I used for podcasting
On March 1, 2023, I launched the High Class Podcast, which was a new experience for me. Without a previous data set, I gave myself the grace to have minimal to no expectations. Anything above zero was a win for me. For podcasting beginners, these are some essential tools:
Managing my expectation
Managing my own expectations is one of the tools I use to push myself forward and stay on the happier side of life. I plan my podcast as if it’s the thing that will launch me into the next phase of my life, something I’m proud of and excited to share. However, I also expect crickets.
Microphone
Moving onto the technical side of things, I use a Blue Yeti microphone that I purchased on Amazon. It’s a super simple device that just needs to be plugged in via USB port, but I had to use an adapter compatible with my Mac. However, I’ve had no issues getting it to work, and it has endured a beating from my kids. Depending on the color you pick, you can save some serious money. The black one costs $130 while the silver one is only $90, and with 53,005 five-star reviews, I highly recommend it.
Headphones
Moving onto my headphones, I have to say that they are on the cheaper end and I don’t love them, so I won’t be recommending them. The biggest challenge I face with them is that they don’t fit my ears entirely, and it can be uncomfortable. I plan on saving up for a better pair or buying them as a gift to myself when I reach 1500 downloads.
However, the reason I use headphones is to ensure the audio I’m recording sounds good. There’s nothing worse than doing an interview and not being able to use the audio due to poor quality. The headphones help me hear the audio quality in real-time
Softwares
Let’s talk about the software tools that I use for podcasting. To record solo episodes, I use Audacity. It’s old-school-looking software, but it’s super easy to use and doesn’t require an internet connection to work, which is great because it allows me to record anywhere without any interruptions.
For interviews, I needed software that could record both video and audio and have separate tracks for my voice and my guest’s voice to make it easier to edit out background noise. After doing some research, I found Zencastr and Riverside, but I decided to go with Zencastr because it gave me more ownership and control over my content. However, I’m not entirely thrilled with it yet, so I might give Riverside a try in the future. If you have any suggestions for recording platforms that you use for interviews, feel free to send me a DM.
Outsource it to an expert
Once my audio is recorded, I outsource my editing to an editor, even though I can edit my own show. The going rate is about $40 an hour to edit, but I wanted to be able to go back and forth and be as high maintenance as necessary to produce the product that would be to my liking. So paying the market rate for someone who was easy to communicate with seemed like a no-brainer for me.
I found my editor and my podcast manager, Juliana Barbati, and her team, through Facebook. They edit my show, create my show notes, assist me with my RSS feed, and facilitated my approval by Apple. Although you can do a lot of this yourself, I chose to outsource because consistency is crucial for me. I wanted to focus my energy on creating solo episodes, reaching out for interviews, building my website, and other similar tasks.
Also, show notes are very important, but the idea of doing them after recording the entire episode was overwhelming for me. So, I was looking for somebody that could help me SEO optimize my show notes and post them for me as well.
There are plenty of Facebook groups for podcasting, where you can post and get a ton of responses from people showing their work, rates, and more options to choose from.
Hire a virtual assistant
Number six on my list of resources for this podcast project is my virtual assistant. Her services cost me $250 per month, and her primary responsibility is to assist me in planning and scheduling my interviews in an orderly manner She has been a huge help and I am very grateful for her.
If you are looking for a virtual assistant for your project, I highly recommend checking out Facebook groups for virtual assistants. There is even a whole group dedicated to this! I have met so many interesting people from all over the world through this group, and it has been a great way to find the right person for the job.
Project Management Tool
The next resource that the author uses for their podcast is Trello, which they use to plan out their interviews. They haven’t used it yet for their solo episodes, but they plan to in the future. Trello is a tool that allows you to create a virtual whiteboard with sticky notes that can be moved around vertically and horizontally. The sticky notes can be commented on and assigned tasks, and it’s easy to rearrange them. Trello is a great tool for people who prefer visual planning and organizing.
Podcast analytics
Another tool I use for my podcast is Chartable. It’s a platform that shows you how your podcast is performing compared to others in your category. It provides your ranking and other data like integration and analytics.
However, I haven’t used it for analytics yet as I’m not sure how to use that information to my advantage. I plan to explore this in a future episode. It’s important to remember that podcast success is measured by downloads, not listens. I also use Podbean to host my podcast.
How to get more downloads on your Cannabis Podcast Launch
When I first started working with Juliana, she emphasized the importance of launching and getting people to listen to my podcast right away. According to her, If I could get 50 to 100 immediate listeners and reviews, it would signal interest in Apple’s algorithms. So, I set my goal from 100 to 200. I tend to aim high, believing that if I miss the mark, I’ll still make progress. To achieve this, I reached out to my family and friends and asked for their help. I sent them a save-the-date and text with shareable links, making it easy for them to participate and share.
The Power of Your Community
Rallying your community around you is essential because you only have one chance to make a first impression. My sisters were my rock stars, they have a vast network of friends, and they activated their friend lists, including college friends and school mom friends. When High Class launched, it quickly climbed the Apple Podcasts ranking, reaching 53 in the entrepreneurial category within the first 24 hours. This result was possible because of the support of my family, friends, and Instagram community.
This experience taught me the power of community, and that people are willing to help if you ask. Concentrated effort on a specific platform on a specific day can lead to tangible results. This lesson can be applied to different situations, like seeking permit support or launching a new brand. Don’t be shy or feel like you’re bothering people. Instead, ask for support and let people show up for you.
Overcoming my imposter syndrome was challenging, but it was worth it. I hope this encourages you to shoot for your dreams and ask for help when you need it. Remember, you are not alone, and your community is rooting for you.
Successful launch and download data
Let me tell you about the downloads for my podcast. But first, I want to share a story. On February 20th, I applied to Apple Podcasts and submitted my preview episode for approval. To my surprise, they approved me within 24 hours. I think in the cannabis industry, we’re used to facing rejection or denial, so getting approved quickly was a pleasant shock. With Apple’s approval, I could now choose my launch date. I picked March 1st, my daughter’s birthday, and the first day of Women’s History Month, which felt like good luck.
My launch strategy was to release all six episodes at once, following advice from a seasoned podcaster. I aimed to give listeners enough content to binge and grasp the show’s style and topics. Additionally, having multiple episodes available would make it easier to invite guests to the show. On launch day, my first six episodes received between 550 to 600 downloads, which exceeded my expectations.
However, what interested me the most was the data. The episode that received the most downloads was “Unlocking the Secrets to an RFP,” which provided tips and tricks for navigating the RFP process. I’m not sure if it was the content, style, or the fact that it was the first episode that appeared when clicking on my podcast, but it certainly resonated with listeners.
What to look forward for High Class Podcast
As I continue to build this project, I’m considering how to analyze and utilize data to guide the show. This includes determining important data sets and creating downloadable templates to support listeners interested in specific topics. I want to create content that resonates with everyone while being efficient with my time and effort. That’s why I decided to increase the number of episodes per week from one to two. One episode will feature an interview where the guest provides a lesson or how-to, while the other will be a short solo episode.
This change will help me understand the audience’s preferences and guide my efforts to provide resources for their entrepreneurial journey. I believe the data will show varying progress and challenges in different regions and among individuals, and I want to be smart about utilizing this knowledge. Creating more content and collecting more data is the only way to achieve this goal. Overall, I’m excited about this project and finding joy in podcasting!
Listen to the full episode here:
If you’re competing, or you’re thinking about competing for a license, but you don’t know where to start, I went ahead and cleaned up all of my application material, and updated a lot of it and you can get your own copy here: https://highsalwa.com/business-downloads. It is what I use to win licenses in multiple different markets. I have cultivation, production and retail that’s currently available and I’m looking forward to adding more to give you a head start.
