Sometimes the simplest ideas create the biggest impact. A voice notes podcast — literally you talking into your phone for a few minutes — can deepen relationships with your audience, build trust, and even drive sales.
I first started mine as a lead magnet, but realized the off-the-cuff episodes were connecting more than the polished ones. Turns out, your audience doesn’t always want perfect — they want real.
In this episode, I break down why these short, raw audio episodes work so well, how to record them without overthinking, and what you actually need to launch one today (hint: just your phone and five spare minutes).
Takeaways
- A voice notes podcast builds stronger audience connection because it feels personal and conversational.
- Keep episodes short (under 10 minutes) — like a quick message from a friend.
- Minimal gear needed: your phone + a small mic (DJI Mic or similar).
- Skip heavy editing — authenticity > polish.
- Use your existing feed or launch a new one with clear branding and a simple promise.
- Treat your trailer like a movie preview — tell listeners what to expect and why it matters.
- Use custom artwork or a naming cue (like “[Audio Note]”) if mixing with longer episodes.
Links
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About Streamlined Podcaster: This is the show for solo podcasters who love their podcast but hate how much time it takes. Each week, host Joe Casabona shares the systems, workflows, and podcast automation that let you run a great show without burning out.
Joe has been a solo podcaster for 15+ years and helps solopreneurs replace manual tasks with reliable systems so they can take time off worry-free. He knows firsthand what it takes to produce a quality show solo — and he's here to help you do the same.
Get Joe's favorite podcasting tools: https://streamlinedpodcaster.com/tools
Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Hey everybody, welcome to The Streamlined Podcaster,
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 a show that teaches you how to create a podcast
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 that's worth listening to so you are not spinning
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 your wheels. My name's Joe Casabona. I've been
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 podcasting for 13 years, and today I want to
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 talk to you about creating a voice memos podcast
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 or a voice notes podcast. Recently, my good friend,
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 Becky Pearson -Davidson went on Podcraft. and
00:00:27 --> 00:00:31 talked about how beneficial her podcast has been
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 to her. She says, she says this on LinkedIn.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 I'll link it in the show notes. The podcast takes
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 her 15 minutes a week and it's changing everything.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 She's made deeper connections with subscribers.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:46 She's nurtured leads to close more sales and
00:00:46 --> 00:00:51 she's created more quality human content in less
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 time. Shout out to Becky. She also gave me credit.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 for this. I know I'm not the first person to
00:00:58 --> 00:01:02 do voice notes podcasts but I feel like I did
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 bring it to our circle of friends. It was something
00:01:04 --> 00:01:08 that I tried doing as a private podcast at first
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 just like a lead magnet and I realized this content
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 was really good and I didn't want to just like
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 put it behind a paywall. I wanted to create maximum
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 impact so I made it its own feed and then eventually
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 I just started making it as part of my kind of
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 flagship show, Streamline Solopreneur. So now
00:01:28 --> 00:01:32 those voice memos episodes show up in the same
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 feed as my main podcast. They talk about pretty
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 much the same thing. But today I want to talk
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 to you about why you might want to do this and
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 how you could go about doing it. So why would
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 you want to do a voice notes podcast in the first
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 place? Well, my friend, Luria Petrucci, who just
00:01:48 --> 00:01:53 knows so much about creating great video, talks
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 about two different types of content, right?
00:01:55 --> 00:01:59 She talks about the thought leader content, which
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 is the type of content that requires a video
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 setup like the one I have. Great lighting, it's
00:02:05 --> 00:02:09 maybe scripted or semi -scripted, and you are
00:02:09 --> 00:02:13 imparting wisdom in a very structured way. But
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 then there's also the more relatable content,
00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 the seemingly casual, behind -the -scenes, imperfect
00:02:20 --> 00:02:25 content. And that's the stuff that nurtures and
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 builds relationship. Becky talks about it for
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 her voice memos podcast. Luria mentions that
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 you need to do both if you want to build relationships.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 And a voice notes or voice memos podcast is a
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 perfect way to do this. You are giving people
00:02:41 --> 00:02:48 raw, possibly unfiltered, definitely unpolished
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 thoughts. it feels like they're having more of
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 a conversation with you. A podcast is already
00:02:54 --> 00:02:59 a great way to build connections because it is,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 I've always said, a more intimate medium, right?
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 It is you in someone's headphones most likely,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:10 and they are listening to you talk. But a voice
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 notes podcast almost feels like a friend is calling
00:03:13 --> 00:03:17 you, and the connection is stronger. I've seen
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 it on my show, Becky has seen it on her show.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:25 There's a reason why these are becoming, I would
00:03:25 --> 00:03:29 say, more popular. But the other reason is that
00:03:29 --> 00:03:34 producing a podcast is hard. Especially now,
00:03:34 --> 00:03:38 if you are trying to integrate video with your
00:03:38 --> 00:03:44 podcast. And a voice memos podcast is decidedly
00:03:44 --> 00:03:49 easier. So... It feels like all upside, right?
00:03:49 --> 00:03:53 It's easier to produce. You don't need super
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 expensive equipment and you're forming a stronger
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 bond with your audience. You could be like Becky
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 and you're nurturing leads to close more sales.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:09 That sounds like a win win win. So let's talk
00:04:09 --> 00:04:14 about how to produce a voice memos podcast. First,
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 you need a topic. or a promise. This is true
00:04:18 --> 00:04:22 of every podcast, right? Your show needs to promise
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 something to your audience. What problem are
00:04:25 --> 00:04:29 you solving for them? What are you telling them
00:04:29 --> 00:04:33 you're going to deliver? For Becky, it's about
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 building memberships and communities. She's offering
00:04:35 --> 00:04:39 essentially like five minute tips on building
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 a community. Super consumable and amazing for
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 her audience. And then again, her audience is
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 saying, hey, what you're talking about is great.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:50 Can you do it for me? My voice memos podcast
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 gives you a behind the scenes look at what it's
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 like running a solo preneur business while also
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 being a super present father. There's a lot of
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 challenges there and I feel like there's not
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 a lot of content for parents. And my voice memos
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 deliver on that promise. Here's what I'm thinking
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 about. Here's what I'm struggling with. Here's
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 what it's like on a day where my kids are all
00:05:13 --> 00:05:18 sick and my wife's at work Very relatable content
00:05:18 --> 00:05:23 and honest to God Those episodes get way more
00:05:23 --> 00:05:29 feedback than my longer form episodes So what
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 is your promise? Can you deliver that promise
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 in 10 minutes or less? That's like that's not
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 a hard requirement, but that is something I think
00:05:37 --> 00:05:41 about because again We don't want this content
00:05:41 --> 00:05:45 to get too long. We don't necessarily want it
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 to drone on for a while. And if we're delivering
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 these voice memos, like imagine if somebody sent
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 you a 15 -minute voicemail. I don't even know
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 if you can do that, but you'd stop listening,
00:05:55 --> 00:05:59 right? So what is a promise that you can deliver
00:05:59 --> 00:06:05 in bite -sized content? Now, as far as gear goes,
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 Again, we want to make this as simple as possible.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:18 I strongly recommend the DJI mics. I've got one
00:06:18 --> 00:06:22 and I've got a pair. I find actually the pair
00:06:22 --> 00:06:26 sounds better than just the one I have. I'll
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 have an affiliate link in the show notes, but
00:06:28 --> 00:06:32 these things are super portable. They plug right
00:06:32 --> 00:06:37 into the bottom of your phone and the audio quality
00:06:37 --> 00:06:41 is a lot better than just the built -in microphone
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 but you know i mean the new new phones have really
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 good built -in microphones but i like to pace
00:06:46 --> 00:06:50 i like to walk and having you know having the
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 portable microphone allows me to have a consistent
00:06:53 --> 00:06:57 sound quality even if i'm walking or moving around
00:06:57 --> 00:07:03 so i would strongly recommend the dji mic Road
00:07:03 --> 00:07:07 has a similar one. There's a couple, right? There's
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 a receiver that plugs into the bottom of your
00:07:08 --> 00:07:13 phone. And then a phone. That's it. A phone and
00:07:13 --> 00:07:17 a microphone. That's all you need for this podcast.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 You could have an AI tool. I was using an AI
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 tool for a while. I have stopped doing that.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:26 Because I was using it to make the transcript
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 and summarize and create a full -on description.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:33 But I have found that With a five minute podcast,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 have a good title and have a one -liner about
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 what it's about. You don't want people to spend
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 more time reading about the episode than listening
00:07:40 --> 00:07:45 to the episode. So I think whatever summary you
00:07:45 --> 00:07:50 have of those five to ten minutes is fine. So
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 those are really the two things you need. And
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 then of course you need a voice recording app.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 If you have an iPhone, there's voice memos. If
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 you have Android, I think there is a suspect
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 that there's an equivalent. I also like whisper
00:08:03 --> 00:08:07 memos on the iPhone or their super whisper. We
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 want to keep it as simple as possible. I would
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 just use the voice recording app on your phone.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 Voice memos on your iPhone definitely automatically
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 transcribes now in newer versions of iOS. I'm
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 gonna go out on a limb and say the Android version
00:08:21 --> 00:08:25 also does that. You don't need the transcript
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 per se, but I do like releasing the transcript
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 of all of my episodes. So that's one less step
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 that I would need to do as well with the voice
00:08:34 --> 00:08:41 memos app. OK, so your phone, a DJI mic, a recording
00:08:41 --> 00:08:47 app. I like voice memos. The idea here also in
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 getting a decent mic and keeping it short is
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 we don't want to have to edit these episodes.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:58 Because editing turns it from raw, unfiltered,
00:08:58 --> 00:09:02 like a friend is leaving you a voicemail, to
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 thought leader stuff. Because now you are shaping
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 your message. And that is really important for
00:09:07 --> 00:09:12 full -length podcasts. Always edit your full
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 -length episodes. But for things like this where
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 the purpose is different, I don't think you should
00:09:18 --> 00:09:23 edit them. Hosting. I'm going to recommend RSS
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 .com. It is very affordable. I am the evangelist
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 for RSS .com, so full disclosure there. But I
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 also just think it's the best hosting for most
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 people. It's easy to use. It works very well
00:09:34 --> 00:09:40 from your phone. And it has a lot of really great
00:09:40 --> 00:09:45 features for podcasters. So RSS .com, big fan.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:51 I wouldn't be their evangelist if I wasn't. Also,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 You know there are like other like we I mean
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 we have RSS .com we have like dynamic ads now
00:09:57 --> 00:10:03 but the feature set is really focused on creating
00:10:03 --> 00:10:09 a really good podcast so I like RSS .com. Okay.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 Publishing your first episode. I think every
00:10:13 --> 00:10:17 podcast should have a trailer and so I would
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 recommend you do the trailer in the same format
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 that you're going to do the episodes. You can
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 maybe semi script this because I think the trailer
00:10:25 --> 00:10:29 should follow a story. Why are you doing this?
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 What's the show about? What are people going
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 to get from it? How can they listen? And again,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:40 you can keep that to one to two minutes. So if
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 you're launching a voice notes podcast separate,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 I still say have a trailer. If you're adding
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 it onto your main show. I would just preamble
00:10:49 --> 00:10:53 the first voice notes episode with what this
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 is and why it's different and let me know if
00:10:54 --> 00:10:58 you like it. So that's publishing the first episode.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 And then you need all the stuff that a normal
00:11:01 --> 00:11:05 podcast needs. You need a title, make the title
00:11:05 --> 00:11:09 clear, have a tagline for who it helps, what
00:11:09 --> 00:11:13 problem it's solving. Make some artwork. I think
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 if it's a voice notes podcast, your face should
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 be on it. It is you. people should get to know
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 you. And then you need a description. I think
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 podcast descriptions should read like movie synopses,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:30 synopses, where you agitate the problem or you
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 set up the promise and then you talk about how
00:11:33 --> 00:11:38 you're going to deliver on that promise. So that's
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 it. That's everything you need to start a voice
00:11:41 --> 00:11:46 notes podcast. I also one kind of like side tip
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 here is since I am releasing my voice notes podcast
00:11:49 --> 00:11:53 on my long form podcast feed, I like to append
00:11:53 --> 00:11:57 square brackets with I call them Joe's audio
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 notes. So I append audio note to the end of it.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 And I do have custom episode artwork that's called
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 Joe's audio notes for those episodes to help
00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 them stand out a little bit more in podcast players.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 Especially ones that support custom artwork,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:16 which I think most of them do now. Apple does.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:21 Spotify does. All the ones I do do. So that's
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 just kind of a side tip. If it's a strict like
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 voice notes only podcast, you don't really need
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 to do that. But if you're adding it to your long
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 form, I like to make them stand out a little
00:12:31 --> 00:12:36 bit so people know immediately the type of episode
00:12:36 --> 00:12:40 they're getting. But that's it for this episode
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 of Streamline Solopreneur. If you want to learn
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 more, if you want help launching a voice notes
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 podcast, I mean, you're listening to this show,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:49 so you probably don't need help. But if you do,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 I'll have a link in the description and you can
00:12:51 --> 00:12:56 head over to Casabona .org to get in touch. Thanks
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 so much for listening. And until next time, I
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 hope you find some space in your week.