If you follow us on socials, you may have seen our post about Instagram vs reality. We shared our podcast prep – smiling faces, tidy desks, good lighting. But what you don’t always see is everything that goes into getting there and honestly, it’s a bit more chaotic than it looks.

We’re gearing up for a podcast recording tomorrow, and prep day looked something like this: lighting rigs going up (and getting moved, and moved again), furniture dragged around the office to find the best angle, and enough trailing cables to make any HSQE officer wince. No Glowees were harmed in the making of this podcast – we promise.

Here’s the thing though – none of that chaos means you need everything figured out before you start. We see it a lot, people holding back from making content because they’re waiting for the right setup, the proper lighting, a quiet room, or a decent mic, when really some of the best content starts out messy, whether that’s a phone propped against a mug or a first recording that sounds nothing like the finished thing.

Perfection is a brilliant way to never actually start. The setup you see today didn’t exist on day one; it’s been built up gradually, recording by recording and mistake by mistake, and what matters far more than the kit is just getting stuck in and staying consistent, because that’s what people actually connect with.

As this photo shows, you don’t always see what happens in the background. Look at Lisa Lavis here, looking cool, calm and collected and as if there isn’t bright lights shining in her face. We are still learning new techniques and changing things up each time so that we can improve.

So if you’ve been putting off starting a podcast, filming that video, or posting that first bit of content because your setup isn’t quite there yet, take it from us that it doesn’t need to be. Start with what you’ve got, learn as you go, and let the polish catch up later.

Watch this space for the podcast episode itself – coming soon.