A podcast is now an integral part of popular culture. In addition to being useful for content marketing, it offers a wide choice to the creator to experiment with different options. It’s not very difficult to get started with a podcast. There are just a few steps to keep in mind before starting a Podcast.
What Makes Podcasts Unique?
Starting a Podcast – A podcast is a unique way to create a connection with audiences. The audience is more likely to stay engaged and connected with the podcast if it offers a variety of long and unique content.
Professional use of a podcast is an interesting and simple form of media marketing. An audience can listen to them at their convenience, wherever they are and this includes while doing their regular work.
This makes a podcast a unique and different to other types of communication.
Steps Involved in Starting a Podcast
Before starting a podcast, one should have a clear concept about the steps which are involved in creating it. Some of the steps of creating a Podcast are:
· Planning
The initial stage of creating a podcast is to begin with better planning. Plan the Podcast properly, taking a reasonable amount of time to do so.
· Developing the Podcast Concept
A Podcast will differ in the way it sounds depending on the person who is making it. There’s a variety of podcast options for content, including about history, pop-culture, neuroscience and even fictional. You should choose the topic according to your own preferences and creativity.
It’s important to define the goals needed to achieve the results yo want. Some of the common goals are:
- To create something which leads to business
- Achieve audience and popularity
- To keep the audience interested
- Raise awareness of the important topic
- To prioritize the needs of the audience
Audience
The next thing is to pick the theme or topic of the podcast. It is vital to have a consistent theme as this stability of the Podcast attracts the audiences. It needs to be very creative about the chosen topic, the content should be informative and should be researched properly.
Name of the Podcast should be relevant to the theme of the show. It should be catchy and must have the correct name. Use of keywords in the title helps audiences to have an understanding of what the show is about. This also makes it easier for people to find your podcast.
Make sure the podcast is catchy and creative to make the show interesting for those who listen to it.
· Selection of the Podcast Format
It is vital to choose the most suitable podcast format before starting it. There should be adequate research about the content, so you’re confident people will listen. Then choose a format that will best fit the content of the podcast. Some examples of types of podcast format are:
- Interview show – These are probably the most popular types of shows for Podcasts; the show should have a regular host and different guests for each episode.
- Solo Show – These are hosted by one person who talks about their own topic of interest. The creator can work freely and use their creativity in each episode around what interests them.
- The Co-Hosted Show – This kind of show has two or more hosts to talk about a certain topic. It normally sounds like listening to a conversation between friends.
- The Educational Show – These sometimes have multiple hosts and feature specific lessons with knowledge and information about the particular topic.
- Podcast Based On True Story – This is a show which does storytelling around true stories like crime, science, spooky and even news from around the world.
- Podcast Theatre – These are for an audience who loves audiobooks and fiction stories. They usually feature a voice artist with storytelling skills. These formats are brilliant for fiction writers or someone who is into writing thriller short stories.
Podcasts
The duration of the podcast is important because it should be to the point and without waffle. Podcasts should be informative but not too lengthy. You should edit out any bits such as boring questions or rambling segments to make everything fit into your selected time. The podcast should be interesting and must engage the audience with its content.
You can be as flexible as you like with podcasts, doing it part-time or even as your full-time job. You can publish according to how it best suits you, but it’s important to develop a connection with the audience and to have consistency regarding the recording and publication of the Podcast.
· To Have Professional Equipment and Software
Starting a Podcast is very easy; it’s not much more than a simple process along with a little editing experience. The content is the most crucial part; you can even record it with your phone and headphones. It’s the content which attracts listeners and not the sound quality; if the show is excellent, people will still listen, even if the sound isn’t perfect.
If you want to create a podcast with good quality sound, you’ll need to buy a good microphone. The quality of the audio begins and ends with a microphone. The better the microphone, the sharper the sound, so you should choose one which meets the standard of quality you want.
The second most important thing is good software. Making edits and adjustments add to making the content more interesting. You’ll find that editing software is incredibly affordable.
· Recording Episodes
It’s crucial to record the content of the show correctly when starting a podcast. Right from the start, you should make it clear to the audience about the content of your show in the first episode.
For the best recording, you should write the outline of the show in detail, jotting down the main points of the content. This will make the recording much easier. In the case of working with a co-host, writing or better still, scripting the content, will help you to work with them more easily.
It’s very important to find a good place for the recording of the show. Any background sounds will create a bad impression on the audience and make it sound unprofessional. A room of any size can be used for podcast recording, so long as it’s free from interuption or outside noises. Having the proper space is more important than buying good quality headphones. If you’re able to record your work easily and accurately, it will help attract an audience.
Recording Room
For creating a better podcast, you should have decent recording equipment. The two types of microphone to consider are:- (1) USB Microphone and (2) XLR Microphone.
You can use either, depending on your preference but the USB is simpler for beginners.
Having some knowledge about microphone technique for recording Podcasts will help achieve better results. A few simple things that should be kept in mind while recording the podcasts are:
- The microphone should normally be around 2-4 inches from the mouth, but check the manufactuers instructions
- Sometimes a lower frequency can be achied by being, close-up to the mic
- Keep the mic from getting too close to your headphones to avoid feedback
- To get the best sound, before recording, test while speaking from different angles and distances
Even taking these steps will go a long way towards getting your podcast to sound professional. Any stammers or slip-ups, little silences or mistakes can be edited after recording.
· Uploading and Editing Episodes
After starting a podcast, any mistakes, pre-recorded ads, voiceovers, intros, etc can be edited to sound tighter. The right software helps to create good quality podcasts.
You need to create a good intro to improve the experience for the audiences. A strong intro gives more impact to the listeners. The podcast intro should create a good impression on the audience and encourage them to get engaged with the podcast.
You can even add some music to enhance the quality of the intro. It’s also a good idea to have theme music for the podcast. A good theme tune brands you with your listeners and this helps to build an audience.
Some basic things that should be kept in mind before editing the podcast are:
- It is a great advantage if the the recording is on different tracks so it’s easier to edit, adjust the volume and correct mistakes separately.
- The editing process removes any audio issues and helps to create a good quality podcast.
- Making a note of mistakes helps for better editing after recording
- Leave a short gap between the segments so it’s easier for listeners to follow.
Once the editing of the podcast is finished, save it in the right format and encode it, if it needs to be. This is a simple process with most editing software. Usually, most podcasters export their episodes as MP3 files as these formats are compatible with most apps. Making use of ID3 tracks are beneficial as they provide metadata such as title, track number etc, so the media player has the correct information about the episode.
· Focussing On the Artwork and the Categories
When you have excellent content, to complete the package professionally it’s important to have attractive artwork. It’s one of the first things which listeners see, so it should fit with the content of the show. The artwork is almost as important as the content itself. Some things to be kept in mind about the artwork are:
- All elements of the artwork should visually give a clear idea of what the podcast is about; it helps in appealing to more potential listeners
- Make sure the artwork is designed in such a way that it looks good on all platforms platforms where the podcast is available
- Keep it simple and to the point without including include too many words, otherwise it may lack appeal
- Try to avoid artwork which includes images of equipment like DVDs, CDs or microphones unless it’s what the content is about
- Consistency and high quality throughout is important to help develop strong branding for your podcast
The podcast should have an episode description within the metadata. Metadata is the information about the podcast such as the name, description, episode, content etc. A good description helps in creating interest with potential audiences.
It’s a good idea for the podcast to have a category and sub-category to help the audiences have a better understanding of it.
· Launching of the Podcast
After starting a podcast and having some recorded, ready to release, the next thing is to launch the podcast. There are two options to launch: with a grand launch or soft launch.
A grand launch is usually when a production house gets behind it with promotions for a big project. This way, the podcast can have a big launch if the creator has the production, an audience and influencers already in place. This type of launch helps in enhancing the interest of the audience. A soft launch is when the podcast is started without anyone knowing about it or listening. Once people get to know about it and start listening to the podcast, a big promotion can then be launched.
It’s essential to promote the podcast to tell potential listeners about it. Some marketing ideas are:
Social Media
- The first and easiest way of advertising is sharing the podcast with friends and family. If they enjoy it, then hopefully they will share it and recommend it to others.
- Social Media is now an integral part of everyday life, it’s important in connecting people around the country and from different parts of the world. Sharing and asking others to share your podcast on social media can help in creating a large audience base.
- Facebook is almost essential to many people these days. Find groups related to your topic and ask the group’s admin to post your podcast on their group. Some Facebook groups have many members and sharing with them helps to create a huge popularity and audience base.
- Answer any questions asked regarding your subject matter on sites like Reddit and Quora. Use your knowledge to answer the question confidently and in full, to help build your authority. These answers should be informative and help people, plus you can link to your podcast for more information. Be careful not to make it look spammy.
- Promotion of the podcast can also be done through blogs which are around the content of the show. Finding such blogs and reaching out the owner is a good first step for the promotion of the show.
Advantages
- Podcasts are readily available and can be easily downloaded from podcasting sites
- They act as an educational medium. Podcasts are very much informative. They are creative in addition to being informative and some of them are even based around true stories and real life experiences. This means the podcast enhances the knowledge of the listeners
- Podcasts are easy and very cheap to create. They are easy to listen to, which makes them unique