Podcasting is perhaps the hottest form of content creation on the market today.
Everywhere you look, thought leaders, businesses, and entrepreneurs are capturing the attention of countless leads every day with their own engaging podcasts. In fact, there are about 5 million active podcasts running right now, and more than 70 million audio episodes to explore.
It’s easy to see why podcasts have become so popular. Used correctly, they’re a phenomenal way to connect with your target audience – wherever they are. Around 73% of US consumers today say they’ve listened to at least 1 podcast in the last month, and 26% identify themselves as podcast fans.
People love podcasts because they’re convenient.
Unlike other forms of content, such as video and blogging, podcasts are easy to consume. People can listen to a podcast almost passively, when they’re doing anything from driving to work, to hanging out at home. Plus, podcasts give you an excellent opportunity to engage with your audience on a deeper level, sharing your unique tone of voice, and building your credibility.
Of course, while creating a podcast can be quite simple, it’s not without its challenges. Here are some top tips for making sure your podcast is a success.
1. Find the right niche (and topics) for your podcast
The first, and most important step in making sure your podcast is success, is ensuring you’re tailoring it to the correct niche. As more companies and business leaders continue to discover the benefits of podcasting, the marketplace is growing pretty cluttered.
This means there’s a good chance, no matter which industry you’re in, that there will be other podcasts out there covering similar topics. While you don’t have to focus on a completely “un-touched” niche, it is worth looking for ways to differentiate yourself.
Research the target audience you want to attract to your business or brand, and ask yourself what kind of shows and topics they’d be interested in. The best shows will speak your audience’s language, address the problems they face, and help them to achieve their specific goals. They’ll also give you an opportunity to talk about the things you’re most educated in, and passionate about.
2. Invest in the right tools
One of the things that makes podcasting such an appealing marketing and branding channel, is it requires very little initial investment. You don’t need to buy complex video equipment or hire actors. However, you still need some crucial pieces of technology.
A good-quality microphone with its own pop-filter is often the first purchase you’ll make for your podcast, as it will ensure you can capture your voice as clearly as possible. It’s also worth investing in a good set of headphones too, particularly if you’re going to be remotely recording with someone else.
Investing in the right software can be helpful too. For instance, audio editing tools will allow you to eliminate any fuzziness and noise in your recordings, so your listeners can hear you more clearly. You’ll also be able to use these tools to cut out any quiet spots in your audio stream which might lose your customer’s attention.
3. Develop a publishing and promotional schedule
Virtually all forms of content marketing work better when you follow a consistent schedule. If you’re producing a podcast series, your customers will expect to hear from you on a regular basis. They won’t check back every day to see whether you’ve uploaded a new episode if you only post sporadically. Make sure you have a schedule in mind for how often you’re going to record.
Creating a publishing schedule will also help you plan in advance how and when you’re going to promote your podcasts. For instance, you might create a few social media posts before a new episode goes live to improve your chances of engagement or send email messages to your subscribers to let them know when a new episode has aired.
Once you’ve planned out your publishing schedule, you can even get ahead of the game, by recording multiple episodes in advance, then using your podcast hosting software to automatically publish new content at the time when your audience is most likely to be engaged.
4. Make your podcast more visible (and searchable)
Simply producing a great podcast doesn’t guarantee you a huge listener base. You’ll need to make sure you’re boosting your chances of visibility with the right methods. Start by ensuring you’re publishing your podcasts on the right channels. Apple Podcasts is home to 38.7% of all podcast listeners today, so it’s worth making sure you can list your episodes there.
You can also consider sharing podcasts on a range of other platforms, from Spotify to Google Podcasts, and even on your own website. Once you know where to publish your podcast, take steps to make it more visible and searchable. Have your Podcast professionally transcribed to make it more accessible to a wider audience and improve your SEO results.
Transcription is also an excellent way to ensure your customers can scan through your podcast content for the information they need if they’re in a rush.
5. Engage your audience
Your audience is the most important asset you have, and the core factor that determines whether your podcast is a success or not. With this in mind, you should always be looking for ways to keep your followers entertained and engaged. Listeners love being a part of the content they listen to, so don’t be afraid to ask them questions, and encourage them to share their thoughts with you.
Take advantage of their willingness to participate by asking for their feedback. The more information they give you, the more you can tailor your podcast to their specific interests and needs. What’s more, if your customers engage with your podcast by leaving comments and positive reviews, this will improve your chances of rising up the rankings on platforms like Apple Podcasts.
If you can encourage your followers to leave you five-star reviews, this also enhances your credibility, and makes it more likely new customers will want to listen to you.
The Best Podcasting Tip: Hire a VA
Finally, we come to our last, but potentially most valuable podcasting tip. If you want to ensure your podcast is a roaring success – get help from a professional. A Podcast VA is an expert in making sure audio content thrives in today’s competitive world. They can help you with everything from connecting with guests and co-hosts, to creating reports and tracking analytics.
A podcast VA can provide you with the behind-the-scenes insights you need to turn your podcast into a smash hit faster than any other tip on this list. They can even assist with specialist tasks like preparing graphics for podcast episodes, transcribing your content, and editing your audio.
A podcast VA will ensure your audio content is the best possible quality it can be, and even ensure your schedule stays on track, by promoting, uploading, and publishing your content at the time best-suited to your target audience. Simply put, a podcast VA is the secret sauce that helps you to ensure you stay one step ahead of the competition.
Find out more about how a podcast VA can help you by contacting our team today.