Why Podcasting is Good for Your Mental Health

Guest Post Author: Peter Brooker

Today I'm going to talk about the beauty of podcasting. First off I should say I have been podcasting for nearly ten years, most have started and failed. (Sound familiar?) My current podcast From Tailors With Love is coming up to it's 4th year anniversary and I've done over 200 episodes. 

To begin with it was a project I started with my co-author Matt Spaiser of Bond Suits. We wanted to launch a book based on the style of James Bond, but we didn't want to write and set it free on the internet like Bond floating away on a dirigible at the end of every movie in the 60s. 

We wanted to cultivate an audience for the book, even though we never told the audience that a book was being written. There were reasons for that. We were told that at least 3 other books on the same theme were being written by other people. And we knew one of them for certain was being written because the people we had interviewed had said they had already told their story. I won't give them the free publicity by naming names. If they wanted they should have started a podcast and interacted with the community of Bond fans and menswear enthusiasts. Matt and I dedicated 75 episodes on the style of James Bond and together we had entered into an engaged community and our book was bought by thousands. 

So starting a podcast can be for selfish reasons. Ours was. Sure we loved to talk all things Bond, we had to converse and talk anyway for the book, why not get some of it down on tape. 

Now the book is a year old, so why continue with a weekly podcast? Well I've moved from talking exclusively about the style of Bond. Come on, there's only 25 films and only so many suits you can talk about ad nauseum. And believe me we did. Now the podcast centres around other films, but still focusing on cinematic style. Sometimes I have tailors on the show like Sir Timothy Everest to talk about tailoring Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible or Henry Cavill in The Man From UNCLE. Sometimes costume designers like to come on and talk about their careers. I've seen a lot of films so I can often tap into their filmography and ask questions without having to do too much research. 

Still I enjoy the research. Learning about product placement in movies, the licensing, which actor is an asshole in the fitting room, all of that good stuff is gold to me. 

I also have a lot of friends from the Bond community that have had their personal wardrobe inspired by actors or films. It's good fun to share their inspirations and hear their critiques. 

Does the podcast make any money? Every now and then we have a sponsor but it's peanuts. Every now and then if I have a spare minute, and it's a brand I already have a relationship with, I'll ask if they want to collaborate in some way. But generally I don't have the time to actively source sponsorship. This is purely hobby. It's also quite cathartic for me because I do what I like to call, 'an around the block pre-amble'. 

This is where I walk my dog Roger but I have a wireless microphone attached to my jacket so I can walk and talk and record my thoughts as I walk around the block. This takes about ten minutes and doesn't always make for great listening, but it really helps me to externalise and flesh out my ideas, my concerns, all that stuff. I have a pair of wireless headphones in also so I don't look too crazy talking to myself. 

So what do I get out of it? I don't need to promote the book anymore, I don't need to make any money? And it does bite a chunk out of my week trying to find guests, watch films, research clothes, upload everything and spread it out over the internet. I tell you some days it's a full time gig. Some episodes I record, I edit for the podcast, I edit for the YouTube AND I transpose for the blog. Then I have to frame the conversation for social media. I have to pre-heat my audience and let them know what to expect, and then there is the monthly newsletter. 

Somedays I ask myself why am I promoting everyone elses sh*t for free? Some brands or designers I have on don't even re-share the content. And I'm left thinking, hey that was a lot of free exposure I gave you asshole, what not even worth a retweet in your stories there champ? 

But in truth, I might think that for a minute, then I move on. It's never a bad thing to have a connection in the trade even if they're not savvy on the ethics of sharing is caring. Plus my pre-amble is a nice release for me. I complain a lot and for 5-10 minutes I get to expunge all that. 

So why should you have a podcast and what should you talk about? 

I would say you should treat your podcast like owning a diary back in the day. You should task yourself with getting 5 minutes of thoughts down on tape every week at least. You can make it as personal or as matter of fact as you like. You know that phrase dance like no one is watching? Well talk like no one is listening. And believe me most podcasts out there have zero listenership. That's why statistically every podcast lasts around 7 episodes. People realise it's not worth the time or effort. 

You'll find it enjoyable believe me to talk about stuff that you enjoy, or grinds your gears or maybe you've got a take on something you've seen on twitter. Boy I could have done a whole hour on that security guard threw down BoxPark the other day. Here is a 57 year old out of shape dude that is trying to extract a group of hoodlums and deadbeats from a bar in Shoreditch. They thought he was a fat so and so, called every names, spat at the staff. Real nasty bunch of assholes. Anyway, they messed with the wrong guy. Julius clocked the mouthy one cold and he was spark out before he even hit the floor. His friends soon shut up trying to cause trouble. They were occupied putting their friend in the recovery position. That's where the footage ends, but I heard the guy came round. Turns out that security guard was a guy called Julius Francis and he used to be a heavy weight boxer that fought Tyson and one of the Klitchskos. I'll tell you the technique for throwing a sweet over hand right never leaves you. 

Anyway my point is, podcasting is great for your mental health. You learn to become a good story teller. You have to be creative when talking to yourself and telling a story. Being a good story teller is one of the best attributes a person can have. It's attractive and people will listen to you more readily if you can spin a good yarn. 

Believe it or not people contact me and tell me they like it when I pick up Roger's crap from the pavement and talk about it on the podcast. I hardly edit anything unless I'm putting in a jingle here or there so when Roger's got to go, it's all on tape. 

Where should I upload my podcast is there anywhere that does it for free? 

I've been with Libsyn for years. I pay 15 bucks a month but I expense that as a writer. I get about 200mb worth a month for my package. There are places that do it for free like BuzzSprout. But they don't keep the episodes on file. After 90 days it gets deleted. Which might actually work out OK if you just want to do a podcast like a diary format. 

What podcasting gear should I use? 

So if you just want to record yourself talking whilst walking your dog, then wireless RODE mics are the future. That's what I do. One plugs into your phone, the other attaches to your jacket or wherever and just hit record on your camera. I then airdrop the video file to my laptop, convert that video file to audio using Ecamm and upload that to the podcast server Libsyn. 

There might be an easier way. I've tried toiling with Dictaphone apps but none of them seem to work for me. Anyone got any better more efficient advice I'm all ears. 

Anyway, that's it from me. Please start a podcast, but don't try and monetise it. Don't scrutinise or obsess over the listener stats. Maybe stick to a theme and your audience will relate. If you're trying to be the next Joe Rogan or Bill Burr good luck with that.