Podcasting is having a moment. While any form of content creation can significantly improve your chances of capturing leads and engaging customers these days, podcasts are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to the standard blog or video strategy.
Around 73% of people in the US say they listen to podcasts, and 26% say they’re avid fans. What’s more, with more channels for podcasting popping up all the time, the demand for this compelling form of audio entertainment is growing. Podcasts are essentially the new radio, giving companies infinite chances to connect with their audience, wherever they are.
The good news for would-be content creators is that developing your own podcast isn’t as complicated as it seems. With a little creativity and the right tools, virtually anyone can start a successful podcast in no time. Here’s your step-by-step guide to getting started.
Step 1: Choose Your Theme/Topic
The first, and perhaps most important part of starting a podcast, is deciding what it’s going to be about. If you’re creating your podcast to promote your business, there’s a good chance you’re going to want to focus on something relevant to your products, services, or industry. For instance, a social media marketing company might start a podcast on the best tips for social media management.
The key to success when choosing a podcast theme or topic is finding something that’s relevant to your company and your audience, as well as something you’re passionate about. If you’re actually interested in a subject, you’ll find it much easier to come up with episodes on a consistent basis.
Try to choose a topic that’s broad enough to give you plenty of things to talk about, but narrow enough that you’re going to reach the attention of a specific audience. If you’re struggling to find a topic, it might be worth researching some of the popular channels already active in your industry.
Step 2: Do Your Research
Once you’ve thought of a topic or theme for your podcast, the next step is research. There are a few things you’ll need to check when doing your homework. Start by learning as much as you can about your target audience, their goals, pain points, and the questions they’ll be looking for answers to when listening to your episodes. Next, check out the competition.
If you have a specific topic or niche in mind, you can search for keywords on channels like Apple Podcasts to see what’s already available. Listen to a few episodes of top-rated shows and ask yourself what kind of tone of voice the presenter is using, how they structure their episodes, and what they do to engage their audience. It’s also worth thinking about the format of other podcasts.
Are most of the channels in your industry relying heavily on interview sessions with thought leaders, or educational monologues? Is there only one person presenting the show, or a team of people covering different topics?
Step 3: Add Your Branding to your Podcast
Next, it’s time to develop a brand for your podcast, or add elements of your existing company’s brand into the mix. Start by choosing a name for the channel. It might be something related to your company’s name, or it could revolve entirely around the theme you’re going to cover. The best podcast names generally include keywords that make them easier to search for.
Next, think about how you’re going to make your podcast more engaging, with insightful episode descriptions and titles, as well as podcast cover art for your episodes. Most channels like Apple and Google Podcasts will even allow you to create your own profile pages, where you can tell listeners a little more about your brand, your channel, and what you’re going to create.
Step 4: Gather the Right Equipment
One of the things that makes podcasting such a great way to engage your audience and develop your brand, is it’s extremely easy to get started. You don’t need nearly as many tools and resources to create a podcast as you would to produce your own video series, for instance.
However, there are a few essentials you’re still going to need to get started. First and foremost, you’ll want a fantastic microphone, capable of capturing high-quality audio from both you and your guests. While you can consider recording audio using the microphone on your phone or speaker, the chances are the results won’t sound particularly professional. Choose a high-quality mic instead, and consider adding a pop filter to reduce extra distortion.
Next, think about the software you’re going to manage your recordings. You’ll need at least a basic audio editing tool to help you remove extra distractions from your podcast, cut out dead air time, and add any intro or conclusion sections.
Step 5: Record Your First Episode
Recording the first episode of your podcast can be a little daunting, but it’s usually simpler than it seems. Set yourself up for success by making sure you’re sitting in a quiet room, with great acoustics and no distractions. Ideally, you’ll want a space that doesn’t suffer from too much echo, so rooms with hard floors and lots of windows might be a no-go.
If you’re worried about going off-topic, write a list of the things you want to cover in your episode before you get started. You don’t necessarily need to produce an entire script unless you want to. Even some basic bullet points will help keep you focused.
When you’re ready to record, make sure you test your microphone and ensure everything is working properly first. Finally, make sure you’ve adjusted all the settings on your recording equipment to produce a high-quality audio file, without compression.
Step 6: Edit the Audio
While most aspects of producing a podcast are relatively simple, editing your audio can be a little trickier if you don’t have any experience with audio software. If you’re concerned you don’t know where to get started, consider hiring a podcast VA for some extra help.
Editing your audio is one of the most important steps in making sure your podcast sounds professional. It allows you to adjust the volume of different sections, remove white noise, and eliminate dead air from your recordings. You can also use your editing tools to filter your audio, removing distracting frequencies, and equalize your file.
If you’re using an audio editing software for the first time, it might be a good idea to spend some time experimenting with all the features for a while before you start making changes to your episode. Many audio software providers will also offer courses, documentation, and videos to help you.
Step 7: Publish Your Episode
With your podcast now in pristine condition, you’re ready to publish. This means uploading your audio to a podcast hosting platform, so you can distribute it on all of the right channels, from Apple Podcasts, to Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
There are plenty of great hosting platforms out there, such as Podbean, Transistor, and Libsyn. The right option for you will generally depend on your budget and specific needs. However, in most cases, it’s best to look for a hosting service that makes it easy to create RSS feeds, embed your content onto your website, and submit it to the right podcast directories.
Many tools will allow you to publish your content directly to different sites, such as Deezer, Amazon Music, and YouTube. However, keep in mind, you’ll need to add specific information to your episode before it goes live, such as a description, title, category, and some artwork.
Step 8: Promote your Podcast
Once you have a published your podcast, you’ll need to promote it. In other words, this means finding ways to draw as many ears to your episodes as possible. You can boost your chances of being seen on podcast directories like Apple Podcasts by optimizing your episode description, and using some basic SEO. This will make it more likely you’ll be featured on the “New and Noteworthy” section.
You can also promote your podcasts by sharing links to them on your social media channels, embedding them into your website or blogs, and sending buttons or links in your emails. If you want an extra boost, you could consider getting influencers involved to help drive new people back to your channel. Speaking of which, once you have listeners, ask for their help with promotion too.
Getting your followers to rate your podcasts, leave comments on social media, and share your episodes with their friends and family will improve your listener count, and help to boost brand awareness. Keep an eye on your analytics to track exactly which episodes get the most attention, and drive the most value for your business. This will help you plan for the future.
Need Help Starting your Podcast?
With the 8 steps above, you should have everything you need to launch your own podcast. However, it’s worth noting that while podcasting is a little simpler than some other forms of content creation, it’s not without its challenges. Editing your audio, promoting your episodes, and even arranging interviews with thought leaders can consume a lot of your time.
If you want to make sure you’re creating a consistent podcast that generates real results for your business, it might be helpful to seek out some extra help. A podcast VA can help you with everything from researching topics to promoting your new podcast!
Contact me today to learn more about how we can help you launch a successful podcast.