Podcourse Review: The Best Podcast Course by Pete McPherson? [2020]

Podcourse Review

The overview and rankings

My podcasting story

But there was still so much that I knew I had to learn about podcasting. 

I didn't even really know that it was possible for normal people to make money directly from sponsors on a podcast (spoiler- it is, you can read more about how I did here). 

Anyhoo, that's enough about me...

What is Podcourse about?

Podcourse is a course that makes it REALLY STINKING EASY and QUICK to produce a solid podcast that’ll grow your online presence. 

I seriously wish this existed sooner as it would have saved me so much time and money (I genuinely would have saved money, I'll explain why later) and I could have started growing my podcast much sooner. 

If you have any doubts about starting a podcast such as...

• Why would anyone want to listen to "me"?
• It’s time-consuming
• It’s overwhelming
• I don’t really see the ROI
• I can’t afford fancy sound equipment

Then you 100% need to watch this 12-minute video by Pete (it's jokes), which explains more about what you'll get from Podcourse...

Starting to sound good, right?...

• Over 500 million active blogs (avg time people read these = 5-10 mins)
• Over 30 million YouTube channels (avg time people watch them = 2-5 mins)
• Only 1 million podcasts (avg time people listen to podcasts = 30 mins)

So you are probably starting to wonder...

Who is Pete McPherson?

Pete is one of the most honest and transparent online marketers that exists today. He's created his "dream job" (it's really an online business) through his podcast Do You Even Blog. 

Pete was an accountant "by trade" who tried over 50 blogs/ side hustle ideas over the years (they pretty much all failed). But through his trying (and failing) he learnt a ton about online business.

It wasn't until he lost his job in 2017 that he committed to taking an online business seriously and went all in.

The Do You Even Blog podcast launched in mid 2017 and he actually had a sponsor pay him before it even started... with no audience or email list (yes he'll even explain how he did this in Podcourse).

Fast forward to today (mid 2020) and he runs a 6-figure online business including his main membership program "Online Impact" helping small online entrepreneurs boost their revenue and make an impact!

He lives and breathes this stuff and shares all of his lessons, which really started from his podcast. 

How does Podcourse Work?

Podcourse walks you through how to launch, edit and scale a podcast. The course includes lifetime access to all of the following:

• The 91 HD video lessons
• The 60-page Podcourse workbook and accompanying templates and checklists
• The private Podcourse community 

Inside Podcourse

The videos are broken down into 13 step by step modules...

Onboarding and Module 1 - Welcome

• Breaking down the onboarding process into SHORT, SIMPLE STEPS 

Module 2 - Stuff you need (and stuff you don’t)

• A walk through exactly what hardware (mics, etc) and software (programs on your laptop) you need to get started.

Module 3 - Designing your show

• This is the step most newbie podcasters skip (I was one of them!) and it’s a vital one! Here you'll nail down the show format, intro, schedule, and write out a show “hook.”

Module 4 - Finding your voice

• You’ll learn practical tips for sounding good in a podcast format, and you’ll be sounding like a PRO in no time. 

Module 5 - Becoming a world-class host

• This module gives you the leg up on how to be a comfortable, confident interviewer and host.

Module 6 - Guest Management

• This module will save you headaches you didn’t even know you had coming! Pitching and scheduling guests can actually be tricky, so it’s a good thing you have this module 😉

Module 7 - Recording & Creating your show

• Now on to the main course, recording and creating content that people will actually want to listen to!

Module 8 - Creating show notes

• This module walks you through the different types of podcast show notes you can create, as well as practical tips for making this process consume way less time.

Module 9 - Launching your show

• Step-by-step guides to getting your show distributed on all the podcast players, apps, and directories, as well as how to market your launch!... I had actually missed off some of these

Module 10 - Monetization

• Huge value bombs! This module covers all the ways to make money from a podcast and specifically goes deeper on podcast sponsorships and listener-supported options (like Patreon)

Module 11 - Easy Efficient Editing

• You’ll learn the “must-haves” of editing audio, and it breaks things down into simple concepts and chunks that’ll make things easy.

Module 12 - Tool Walkthroughs

• Tutorials on ALL the different tools you might use for recording, interviewing, editing, and post-processing! Super up to date and useful for any podcaster.

Module 13 - BONUS: Growing your show

• So you’ve launched, now what? This module includes everything Pete learned about how to GROW your podcast audience, including SEO, guest podcasting, YouTube, audiograms, and more.

Check out the video I made below, which gives you a real inside look...

Podcourse cost to join

It costs $247 to join Podcourse or $135 over 2 months ($270 overall). 

This gives you unlimited lifetime access to the whole course, workbook and private Facebook group.

However, if you're like me you're probably wondering what are the... 

Podcourse monthly ongoing costs

There are literally ZERO ongoing monthly costs that you will "need" to successfully run your podcast.

What none?

You're smart enough to realise that many courses only teach you how to do something. They often recommend additional tools and resources you need to pay for.

You know things like:

• Mics
• Headphones
• Hosting
• Editing software
• Recording software
• Transcription software

The reason that I have given Podcourse such a high rating is not only because it is it super affordable compared to alternatives and provides so much value. But it also shows you how to do this like a pro without spending anything on a monthly basis. 

Pete genuinely shows you how to do all of that without spending another penny!

He doesn't recommend things that pays him the most commission, he recommends the BEST and MOST AFFORDABLE up to date tools. 

In fact, he saved me $108 a year by showing me an awesome new FREE unlimited hosting provider... if I had taken Podcourse before starting not only could I have learnt so much & saved a ton of time, but I actually would have saved money!

Who is Podcourse for?

There are two main groups of people that Podcourse is for...

1. People that want to make more money on the internet

• Want to sell more digital products?
• Get more affiliate marketing clicks and revenues?
• Maybe even get more (or better paying) freelance gigs/clients?

2. People that want to be an influencer (or at least grow their online influence!)

• Want love letters from your audience?
• Want other influencers and media to see your content (and share of course)?
• Do you want to feel that your platform/business is IMPORTANT?

Podcasting really is still in its infancy compared to other platforms and Podcourse can fast track your results.

Podcourse pros

Here are just some of the things that I personally really liked about Podcourse...

#1 No additional expenses

The biggest pro for me is that you can tell that Pete is 100% genuine in all his recommendations. I have tried many different types of tools out there and I have consistently gone back to the free ones I used initially. 

Pete recommends these, shows you how to use them and this will get your podcast sounding like a pro, without spending another penny.

It would be easy for him to tell you that you need an expensive hosting provider or tool to boost his affiliate commissions (like many people do) but Pete is not that guy!

(Side note- you prob will need to buy a mic if you haven't got one, but that is literally the only additional cost you need). 

#2 Unique topics covered

Can you find the best podcasting tools to use for podcasting in some free cheatsheet?

Yep.

Can you get tips on how to record and edit audio on YouTube?

Yep.

Can you Google ways to make money from a podcast?

Hell yeah!

But can you find tips on how to be your own person, find your own podcasting voice, and look after your guests?

Not really.

Pete has some seriously unique content that I haven't seen other podcasting "gurus" talk about. It is solely focused on helping you get an amazing podcast up and running without costing you a fortune or spending all your time on it.

#3 Step by step & workbook

You can print this workbook out and tick off the tasks and fill in the sections as you go. 

It makes it totally manageable and easy to work through at your own pace. 

#4 Up to date tools & info

Many podcasting gurus have recommended the same thing for years. 

However, there are constantly new ones coming out that are better and more affordable. The hosting that Pete recommends didn't even exist when I started my podcast but he has his finger on the pulse to let you know about them!

#5 Facebook group & support

Starting anything new can be daunting. 

You will 100% reach a stage where you will be tempted to throw in the towel, that's completely normal. 

But the Private Facebook group is for podcasters going through a very similar thing.

This support from Pete and other experienced podcasters will be so helpful at that stage.

Podcourse cons

There's really a couple of things I could think about that isn't ideal about Podcourse...

#1 It's new

New is great in the sense that you are getting the most current and up to date advice, tools and training. But here's the bad thing about new stuff:

• There are not dozens of success stories to share (yet)
• And there aren't hundreds of people inside the Facebook group for support

Equally the other way to look at it is:

• You get to be one of the best success stories (...great for promotion of your podcast)
• You get more attention and build a better community than a watered down one with thousands of people

#2 Not for pro podcasters

Podcourse is not made for people who are super experienced podcasters. 

Remember the focus is to UNcomplicate the process of starting and growing a successful podcast.

Saying that, I found loads of little nuggets of wisdom that helped me (but I'm defo no pro podcaster!) So if you have a podcast that is super successful already there's probably not much in Podcourse that you will learn. 

My opinion - Podcourse

You probably know you can find out everything you need online for free, just like most things in life. But it's so easy to take some bad advice or spend more money on tools you don't need.

Believe me, I've done that! 

I've used some tools that were totally unnecessary, slowed my process down and cost more because I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a course. 

Well, I wish Podcourse existed before I started as it is the exact thing I was looking for...

• Affordable
• Transparent
• Time saver

Even as someone with a podcast I learnt so many actionable tips that I can implement today such as...

• How to find a sponsor
• Ways to grow the reach
• Using better systems

Alternatives and my recommendation

There are tons of other podcast courses out there such as:

• Power Up Podcasting - Pat Flynn $799
• Podcasters Paradise - John Lee Dumas $97 a month
• Engineering School - Chris Curran $2,675 (way more techie focussed)

And there are free courses that exist such as Future Learn's "The Power of Podcasting for Storytelling" (more brief with 6 hours worth of work).

However nothing competes with the price tag and focus of starting and growing a successful podcast as Podcourse. 

It's important to be aware that it is only open at certain times of the year. I would recommend that you watch the Podcourse webinar for free below and see when the next opening dates are.