Streamlined Podcaster: Save Time Podcasting with Systems and Automation

Joe Casabona, Solopreneur Systems Coach

You're a solo podcaster who loves your podcast, but it's so time consuming...and you don't have the budget to hire a team. So what do you do?

The whole process of producing a good show seems overwhelming: the ideas, research, recording, editing, publishing, and promoting. It's all too much. That's why you need good podcast systems — to keep everything organized so you can save time podcasting, without sacrificing quality.

Your host, Joe Casabona, has been podcasting for over 15 years, and has run half a dozen of his own podcasts over the years — sometimes as many as 4 at a time. He understands podcast workflow better than anyone.

And with the systems and podcast automation he's put in place, he's a solo podcaster who has time to focus on what really matters: creating great content for his audience.

If you're a solo podcaster who needs better podcast systems...so you can podcast without burnout, subscribe today.

Or visit https://streamlinedpodcaster.com

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S8 · E18
Yesterday · 7 min
Podcast Sponsorships During COVID [Day 18 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
When events got cancelled in 2020, companies were sitting on events, travel, and marketing budgets they didn't want to lose the following year. My pitch was straightforward: you were going to sponsor a conference, so sponsor digital content instead and keep the spend justified. It worked — ExpressVPN, Hover, and FreshBooks all came through around then, and renewals were easier than they'd ever been. I think of it in three stages: the Wild West, where I had a podcast and a smile and my network said yes; the COVID stretch, when brands had money and were testing whether podcasts worked; and everything after 2022, when the tests came back and the money concentrated at the top. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E17
Thursday · 7 min
How COVID Changed the Market [Day 17 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
Before 2020, the objection I heard constantly from would-be podcasters was "I don't have time." Then the pandemic hit and time was suddenly the one thing everybody had, and podcasting exploded. Most of those shows podfaded, but the demand spike changed the industry around them — hosting companies accelerated their roadmaps, and hardware makers started building for people recording at home instead of assuming everyone would buy a Shure SM7B. This is anecdotal, not a study; it's just what I watched happen from inside it. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E16
Wednesday · 5 min
If You Sounded Good, You Were Good [Day 16 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
The thing I keep landing on when I ask why my show did well is that I was stubborn about audio at a time when most shows weren't. Guests recorded their own side — I wrote instructions for QuickTime and for Windows, sent a Dropbox link so they didn't have to figure out hosting, and always kept a backup on my end. The story that proves how far I'd take it: I once interviewed Troy Dean with my headphone monitors off, and only afterward realized I'd recorded my entire side on the built-in Mac mic. There was no AI cleanup to fall back on, so I transcribed the whole conversation and re-read every one of my questions between his answers. Back then, sounding good was enough to be good. That is not true anymore, which is where the back half of this series is headed. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E15
Tuesday · 7 min
Forgetting My Mission [Day 15 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
The first real dip in my downloads was my own doing. I went from talking to a very specific developer niche, to business owners in that niche, to business owners generally — and the more I broadened, the more I sounded like everyone else. The clearest signal came from an episode I was sure would be huge: Peter Hollens, two million YouTube subscribers at the time, and it landed flat. His audience already knew his story, and mine weren't creators. I forgot who I was serving and left them behind with very little warning, and I don't think I ever fully recovered from it. If you take one thing from this series, take that. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E14
Monday · 6 min
Why How I Built It Worked [Day 14 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
For a long time I couldn't work out why How I Built It took off, and a few people insisted I was just riding NPR's coattails. The download graph said otherwise — coattails give you spikes that fall back, and what I had was slow, sustained growth. My best answer is three things: I was genuinely curious and asked good questions, I was stubborn about audio quality at a time when most shows weren't, and I actually acted on criticism. When a listener said she wouldn't listen without transcripts, I added them and paid to have the roughly fifty-episode back catalog done too. Downloads and site traffic both went up. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E13
Sunday · 7 min
How I Got My First Sponsors [Day 13 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
My first sponsor landed before episode one even dropped. Someone emailed asking to trade backlinks, I told them I don't do that but I did have a podcast coming — a hundred dollars for a show mention and a spot in the notes. That link from July 2016 still resolves, which makes it possibly the best ROI in podcast sponsorship history. LearnDash came next, then a much bigger deal with Pantheon, and the pitch that worked was simple: brands were paying tens of thousands to sponsor a weekend conference, so six months of a show with links that never expire was an easy comparison. None of it was a proven show. It was a proven network. Resources & Links The first episode, sponsor link still intact — streamlined.fm/001 Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E12
September 12 · 6 min
How I Chose My Guests [Day 12 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
My early guest list came straight out of my own orbit — Jason Coleman first, then Rebecca Gill, Brian Krogsgard, Corey Miller, Carrie Dils — and my first big guest, Chris Coyier, said yes far earlier than I had any right to expect. Someone eventually pointed out that my roster skewed heavily male, and while I hadn't done it on purpose, I hadn't been mindful about it either; I've kept it close to an even split ever since. The other thing I decided early and still hold to: a guest owes you their time and nothing else. No required social shares, no prep homework, no strong-arming. They're doing you a favor. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S7 · E12
September 11 · 11 min
Is Video a Dumpster Fire for Podcasting?
Eric Nuzum wrote a piece arguing that podcasting's pivot to video is going to end in a charred mess of garbage fire wreckage, and I think he's mostly right — though not for the reason most people assume. This is a reaction to that article and a follow-up to last week's "is video worth it" question: video isn't a magic wand, and adding it to solve your download problem instead of your audience's problem is exactly the rushed, mistargeted move he's warning about. I get into video's three jobs, why 90% of podcast consumption is still audio, and why serving your audience has to come first. Resources & Links "Podcasting's Pivot to Video Will End Up in a Charred Mess of Garbage Fire Wreckage" by Eric Nuzum — audioinsurgent.substack.com Sounds Profitable — where I expect we'll get real data on this after Podcast Movement Nielsen — the 90%-of-consumption-is-still-audio figure Join the newsletter for solo ops and conscientious AI tips: streamlined.fm/join Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E11
September 11 · 6 min
The Tools I Launched With in 2016 [Day 11 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
The 2016 stack, as best I remember it: Skype for the call with video on so I could read body language, Ecamm Call Recorder capturing the Skype audio, and QuickTime recording my side locally — with a guest notes page asking every guest to do the same. I edited in Audacity, later GarageBand, and my first mic was the Blue Yeti, which sounds bad mostly because people talk into the top of it instead of the front. I was going to host the files on my own site until my friend Jackie Delia talked me out of it, which is how I ended up on Libsyn. Were they the best tools? No. Were they the ones I had? Absolutely. Resources & Links Ecamm (affiliate link) — joec.pro/ecamm Also mentioned: Skype, QuickTime, Audacity, GarageBand, Blue Yeti, Libsyn Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E10
September 10 · 5 min
The Five Questions Behind How I Built It [Day 10 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
How I Built It was a short interview show — 30 minutes at most — built on the same five questions every time, ending with "do you have any trade secrets for us?" The predictability is what made it work for the first hundred-plus episodes, the way a procedural show gives you a format you can settle into. The question that mattered most was the one about failure, because in 2016 everyone was talking about their wins and almost nobody was talking about what went wrong. I'll admit past me used "I like to be surprised along with my guests" as an excuse to skip research, and I don't agree with him anymore. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E9
September 9 · 5 min
Log Your Ideas [Day 9 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
I bought the domain howibuilt.it on my honeymoon in Italy, purely because every site I saw there had a .it address and I wanted one. The idea arrived a few weeks later: I was relaunching my online courses, having great conversations with people about how they'd built their businesses, and realized I should be recording them. How I Built It launched in July 2016 — less sloppy, better researched, and aimed squarely at independent developers who wanted to start a business, which is to say, at me. People say good ideas come back to you. I don't believe that. Write them down and revisit them. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E8
September 8 · 4 min
Learn From Others [Day 8 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
Going on ShopTalk Show with Chris Coyier and Dave Rupert around 2013 changed how I made podcasts. They had a guest notes page explaining how to get the best possible recording, and they had guests record their side locally so the finished episode sounded like everyone was in the same room — years before Riverside, Zencastr, or SquadCast existed. That one appearance is a large part of why my next show sounded good enough to take off. Spend time in the space, take the good lessons, and apply them. Resources & Links ShopTalk Show — shoptalkshow.com Riverside (affiliate link) — joec.pro/riverside Ecamm (affiliate link) — joec.pro/ecamm Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E7
September 7 · 4 min
Serve an Audience [Day 7 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
The TIL Podcast failed because I wasn't serving anybody. The technical barriers are gone — you can record from your phone, and RSS.com has a free hosting tier (disclosure: I'm their evangelist, and the link below is an affiliate link) — which means serving a specific audience is now the whole job. Write a mission statement, pick someone real and specific, and talk to them. You don't need millions of downloads; you need people you serve well enough that they come back and bring others. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E6
September 6 · 3 min
Don't Be Afraid to Experiment [Day 6 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
After ending the TIL Podcast, I rebooted it as an interview show — I'd talk to friends about their professional lives, starting with Dr. Dan Ostermeier and my brother, who worked at Disney World. It lasted two episodes, because I had no mission for it beyond wanting to make podcasting work. This was before Serial and Lore pulled podcasting into the mainstream, and I still had no reason for the show to exist. Two failed experiments with the same show taught me more than a cautious success would have. Resources & Links Ecamm (affiliate link) — joec.pro/ecamm Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E5
September 5 · 3 min
Knowing When to Call It Quits [Day 5 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
We made it about six episodes before the TIL Podcast fell to podfade. There were too many of us, we all had full-time jobs, the moderation was loose, and we never carved out a niche that would have made the show worth continuing. When our schedules shifted, we called it — and I asked everyone whether I could keep the name, which nobody minded. Know when to stop, and don't let sunk cost make the decision for you. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S7 · E11
September 4 · 7 min
PocketCasts Support Video Now — Should You Care?
My podcast app of choice, Pocket Casts, supports video — and after some Reddit spelunking, it turns out it has for a long time. That sent me back to a question I keep circling: is video actually worth it for your show? I pull up the YouTube analytics for both of my podcasts, explain why a 74% jump in views hasn't moved the metric I actually care about, and lay out the two-question test I use to decide whether video earns its place in your process. Resources & Links Enjoy Pocket Casts on the big screen RSS.com — where I host this show, and where the video support comes from Got thoughts? Write in at streamlinedfeedback.com Get systems tips in your inbox: streamlined.fm/join Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E4
September 4 · 2 min
Checking In on Coin, 15 Years Later [Day 4 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
After three days of talking about the TIL Podcast, I dug through the archive to find the very first thing we covered on that show: Coin, a connected card that was supposed to replace every card in your wallet. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet killed the product, but the domain is still live — now pointed at beginner crypto guides. Whoever is running it started sloppy, did their research, and iterated, which was not the tie-in I planned when I started digging. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E3
September 3 · 1 min
Iterate and Learn From Your Mistakes [Day 3 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
Almost nothing in podcasting is permanent. Your format, your approach, and what you cover can all change, and my early show did get better as my friends and I kept adjusting. More importantly, what I learned making it is what let me launch several successful shows later. (For anyone who hasn't heard the term: TIL stands for "today I learned.") Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E2
September 2 · 2 min
Do Your Research [Day 2 30 Days of Podcast Notes]
The TIL Podcast was bad, and the reason was simple: we didn't do any research. We'd find a link, hit record, and share our vague opinions on a subject none of us knew well. Research is also what tells you which questions to ask which guests — something I was noticeably bad at as a moderator. Research is easier now than it's ever been, but my rule with AI is don't trust and verify: use it to surface primary sources, then check them yourself. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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S8 · E1
September 1 · 3 min
30 Days of Podcast Notes Day 1: Start Sloppy
September 30th is International Podcast Day, so I'm releasing one voice note a day in the run-up to it — a tip or a reflection from about 15 years in podcasting. I'm starting with the one that made this series possible: start sloppy. My first show, the TIL Podcast, had no format, no moderation, and no editing, and I still learned more from making it than I would have from planning it. You don't need to launch perfectly. You need to launch. Resources & Links Join my newsletter for solo business owners: streamlined.fm/join Podcast hosting by RSS.com (affiliate link): rss.com Disclosure: this episode description was generated with AI. Have feedback? Send a voice note to the show!
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