One of the first things we talk about with clients is their podcast launch. It can be as simple as you want, or as complex as you have time and resources for - we’ve seen it all! The things you MUST have are: a reason to podcast, an audio recording of your show, a show description, cover art, and a podcast host.  The audio recording is simply an edited recording of you and your guest, if you have one. A show description is a quick 100 or so word description of what your show is going to be about, and why people should listen. Cover art is the visual that is going to appear in podcast hosts - it should be 3000x3000 pixels, very easy to read, and reflective of your brand. The podcast host is the company you’ll be using to store your audio, that creates the RSS feed used by different podcast players like apple podcasts, i heart radio, player FM and so on.  But you might need a lot more: Show Structure Planning - this is a long discussion about what you want the goal of your show to be, and how you want it to be structured. An Audio Brand is also known as an intro, or bumper. It’s a pre-recorded section of you, or a voice actor giving a VERY brief intro to the show, usually over music. This will be added to every episode.  An Episode Runway - It is very, very wise to record at least a few weeks’ worth of episodes before you launch. A Trailer Episode - this is a very short episode that is basically an expansion on your show description.  Launch Team – an email list or segment of people who have committed to helping promote the show when it launches. You gather together a launch team, sometimes called a street team! Email Launch Campaign – Emails to your main email list announcing the upcoming podcast, and encouraging subscribing and sharing on the launch date.  Promotional Partners - these are other content creators, in your space who you have relationships with, who are willing and able to help you promote your new show. Often, they’ll also be the guests of your first couple of episodes! Social Media Sharing Campaign – images and text shares for different social media platforms that contain links to the show, and teaser content. These are for you to share yourself, and for your launch team. Swipe Kits - Swipe is pre-written content you create for your guests, launch team and promotional partners, so that all they have to do is copy, past and post to make sharing easy. You can include graphics, emails, coy for different social platforms - even videos.  So you see - there is a lot of flexibility here - and there isn’t a right or a wrong way to launch your podcast. The larger your audience, and the loftier your goals - the more elements you should include in your launch. If you’re newer in your business, or have hyper-specific goals for your show, you won’t need nearly this much! Your action step for this episode is to think about your own podcast launch, if you’re planning one. What would you like to include? What will make the best first impression for your audience? What do you have the time and resources to include? If you’d like a little help or support with a podcast launch, you can download the totally free Podcast Starter Kit, which you’ll find on the right sidebar.