What does it really take to start a podcast when the idea has been sitting with you for years? In this episode, we get an honest look at what happens when someone finally takes the leap, starts publishing, and learns fast by doing.
In this episode, I sit down with Brent Colbert, host of The First Responder Playbook, to talk about launching a podcast for police, fire, EMS, and first responder communities. Brent is a full-time police officer in the United States, and his show focuses on training, leadership, real stories, and the lessons first responders can use to grow in their work and life.
You’ll pick up practical lessons from Brent’s first two months as a podcast host, including how he booked his first guests, why PodMatch helped him get started, how he published close to 30 episodes in a short time, and what he learned from early technical issues with podcast hosting. We also talk about his production setup, including StreamYard, Cast Magic, REAP, Podbean, TubeBuddy, and the simple systems helping him create video clips, descriptions, timestamps, and YouTube content. Plus, you’ll hear how his YouTube channel grew faster than expected, why he is focused on watch hours and monetization, and what new podcasters can learn from starting before everything feels perfect.
Tune in for a real, grounded conversation about courage, consistency, guest booking, podcast tools, audience growth, and why Brent wishes he had started sooner.
Connect With Brent Colbert
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFirstResponderPlaybook
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Chapters
00:00 Opening Moment
00:19 Meet Brent Colbert
00:48 Brent Shares How New the Podcast Is
01:44 The Real Reason Brent Started The First Responder Playbook
03:39 Naming The First Responder Playbook
04:36 How Brent Got His First Guest
05:23 Finding PodMatch Through Reddit
06:07 How the Podcast Vision Is Coming Together
06:50 Brent’s Podcast Production Tools
08:35 Switching From Riverside to StreamYard
09:01 Moving to Podbean After Hosting Issues
09:58 Growing Fast on YouTube
10:38 Working Toward YouTube Monetization
11:22 Brent’s Simple Podcast Tool Stack
12:00 Why a Podcast Website Is Next
16:22 Using TubeBuddy for YouTube Tags and SEO
17:23 The Biggest Roadblock So Far
18:43 The Hard Lesson Brent Learned From Apple Podcast Issues
21:06 How Brent Finds Episode Ideas and Guests
22:13 Spontaneous Guest Booking vs Planned Topics
23:36 Listener Feedback and Handling Negative Comments
25:08 A Listener Message That Made the Work Feel Worth It
26:00 Fear, Doubt, and Starting Anyway
27:28 The Surprising Guests Brent Has Interviewed
28:11 The Advice Brent Would Give Himself on Day One
28:48 Brent’s Earlier Attempt at Podcasting
31:59 Why Guest Interviews Help With Consistency
32:10 Three Non-Negotiables for New Podcasters
34:23 Brent’s Future Podcast Plans
36:03 Growing Through Social Media and a Website
37:23 The Difference Between Evergreen and Timely Podcasts
40:06 Where to Find Brent and The First Responder Playbook
41:09 Final Thoughts
