Several years ago, I considered podcasting. However, I heard that it takes a lot of planning and that you really need to have 2 people or guests to be successful. With that in mind, I decided not to do one in the digital marketing field. There are several very good social media, content marketing, and digital marketing podcasters out there (Some are listed at the bottom). I’d rather share good content that I couldn’t have done better myself than attempt to dive into a saturated market.
What You Need to Get Started Podcasting
Let’s start with what you DON’T need:
- Fancy equipment – I started with an old USB headset that worked fine. I later migrated to my headphones. Now, I use my ear pods.
- A sound-proof room – I’ve been recording in my apartment in the evenings and a few times I’ve had to wait till my neighbor’s water stopped running and the kids outside went home. Using the ear pods help suppress background noise.
- Fancy recording and editing software – even though I can do editing, I don’t want to. But you can if you want to.
Now for what you do need:
- A Podcasting Platform: check out these.
- A Topic – Whether it’s a personal passion (like mine) or your business, you need to have a topic. Search on a podcast app for your topic and see who’s already out there.
- How often are they podcasting and when was their last episode? You’ll be surprised at how many folks start a podcast with good intentions and then stop for some reason.
- How long are their episodes? I’ve seen anywhere from 5-minute shows to 1 and 2-hour podcasts.
- Do they have reviews? This is important. Can you do better?
- How are you different?
- A Title – Here’s where you need to get creative. Search on the app for several variations of your intended title. Make sure someone else didn’t beat you to it. Also, use the Google Keyword Search Tool to find what people are searching for in your particular topic.
- Define Your Audience – Who are you targeting? Having target market personas for your marketing is just as important here, too.
- A Podcast Icon – This is your branding. Use it consistently when you share your podcast on social media.
- A Format
- Will it be just you sharing your expertise?
- Are you going to partner with one or more people?
- Will you have guests?
- How long will your podcasts be?
- Again, what makes you different?
- How often will you publish? Once you start, you need to commit to a schedule. Yes, it is a commitment!
- Editorial Calendar – I picked up an old-fashioned desk calendar where I can see the whole month in 2 pages and I can write episode titles or topics. Likewise, a simple spreadsheet will also work.
- Plan ahead and include things that will be trending on social media — check out my “What’s Trending” articles that I post at the end of each month.
- How often are you going to broadcast? I decided to do it daily — each evening. I follow podcasters who just do weekdays, weekly, even monthly. Furthermore, some don’t have a set schedule at all.
- Be consistent – whatever frequency you choose, be consistent. If you’re going to publish every Friday, then stick to it. Once you have subscribers, they’ll be looking for your podcast.
- Social Media – What’s nice about the podcast is that you can share it easily on social media and you can tell your listeners to follow you.
- Connect with Influencers – Search for and follow influencers in your topic’s field. Email them or message them on social media and invite them to listen to your podcast.
- Tag people mentioned in your podcasts – One of my podcast’s tweets got retweeted because I messaged on Facebook about an app that I plugged on the podcast.
Podcasting Tips
- Pick a time and day that works for you. Once you commit to doing this, you need to keep at it. Be consistent.
- Don’t expect it to take off immediately. Even if you have a large social media following like I do, it will take a while for it to catch on. But, keep at it. Don’t be discouraged when you don’t see your subscriber rate steadily increasing.
- Write up a script for each episode. It’s so easy to just read it. I’ve noticed with some of the podcasters I listen to, when they are winging it — without a script — it does sound unprofessional. I’ve also been re-purposing blog articles. I’ll embed the podcast in the blog once it’s published.
- Listen to other podcasters who are in your topic’s field or are popular.
- What’s their format?
- How many ads do they have?
- How do they end it?
- Create an intro. Use it every time. Again, be consistent.
- Create an exit call-to-action. Thank people for listening and invite them to go to the show notes, subscribe, or visit your website.
- Don’t over-sell. You’re doing this podcast to educate, entertain, or inform. Sales, hopefully, will naturally stem from your efforts.
- Add a link to your podcast from your website and social media. I added the URL to my Twitter and Instagram accounts, also. Make it easy for people to find you.
- Use relevant hashtags when you share on social media. Again, be consistent. I have a text file with links and hashtags that I just copy and paste to the networks.
- Do take into consideration ambient noise. Silence your mobile devices. The other night, my tablet notification reminding me to record the podcast went off in the middle of the podcast! Turn off fans and a/c units – you do get a background buzz.
- It’s OK to flub a little. I’ve had a few false starts, but if I flub a word, I’ll just keep going. People do know that you are human. If you do have time to rerecord, then by all means, do it.
- Watch for what’s trending on Twitter and share relevant podcast episodes.
Podcasting is fun and easy to do. Don’t overthink it. Moreover, it can eventually help you in marketing your business or making some extra income.
If you need help brainstorming, schedule a coaching call and I can guide you in your podcasting venture.
