Podcasting is ideal for beginners who are looking to get involved with making something creative. It has now become a very popular part of our culture in both business and entertainment. A good podcast that has high quality content will help to create a loyal audience base.
In recent years, the popularity of podcasts has gradually increased with some of the shows becoming well-known around the world. One question that may arise, is why would the same audience listen to the new shows?
Well, for every potential listener, there’s a variety of shows to choose from. They decide on which ones appeal to them and how many shows they will listen to. It’s the content of the podcast that attracts listeners and if it’s high quality, they’ll keep coming back for more.
Podcasting
There’s a huge range and wide variety of podcast shows available to download. According to recent research, there are over 850,000 podcasts and 30 million podcast episodes available. Also, the number of listeners is increasing each year. The research shows that people often listen on the way to work while driving, or when working from home.
Most audiences listen to the Podcast on their Smartphone. The number of listeners who are more likely to listen on their Smartphones has increased by 157% since 2004.
Not all Podcasts are well-known, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth listening to. Nor does it mean that they should be produced regularly, only if there’s enough demand. If the content of the show is interesting and remains consistent, then the audience base will grow and become strong.
It all comes down to the hard work of the producers, who need to put in an incredible amount of planning and research. You’ll need to keep up to date with changes that occur, then improvise and adapt your ideas to these changes. It takes quite a bit of talent and good technical support for producing the concept of a good podcast.
Here’s some simple tips you should follow for successful Podcasting.
1. Planning For the Content of the Podcast
Every successful business has its pre-determined goals, which are usually described in its mission statement. These are necessary to help keep the focus on being successful. Each Podcast has a format and the content will reflect it in the same way. This is why your podcasts should be well planned so that listeners will know the type of content to expect and it will help to keep them interested.
A well planned podcast can make podcasting way easier. Some things you should plan:
- How many episodes to be published in a month
- What are the topics that need to be covered
- The order of the content
- When new episodes will be released
Just like a blog, podcasting needs to have a clear plan for each episode.
Make your plan before you even think about recording any shows. When you’re clear about show titles, how many episodes you want, or are able to publish each month, you’ll be well-equipped to get good results. Other things you might want to think about include, the schedule of the show, theme, topics, sub-topics, etc. Get everything you can think of covered before publishing the content.
Planning your podcast will also help you in feeling that the creation and recording of the content is a natural process.
2. Focussing On the Details
With some productions, it requires a team to work on them, but in the case of Podcasting, one person is usually enough. The audience will only appreciate the final product. For them, it seems natural to be able to listen to podcasts from the internet, but in reality, there’s a lot more to it.
Every show requires detailed research, information, booking of guests etc. For creating the content you’ll need to pull out facts and information and decide on particular questions for the guest (in the case of an interview show).
The most challenging part of making the show is the post-production period, where it takes time for processing the content of the story along with editing. The final product should stand out technically, with excellent content which will make it worth listening to. Also, the entire episode should be to the time planned and be consistant to keep the audience interested.
While creating the podcast, always pay close attention to look after every small detail of the content.
3. Branding the Podcast
The podcast is the brand, and branding starts with choosing a good name. The name should be clear and descriptive. It should be memorable and relate to the topic. Get creative and come up with a name that’s unique, direct, and descriptive, so it stands out. Do this before delivering the audience your fantastic content, otherwise it might not have an impact. You should include keywords in the show’s name to create more of an impact on the audience.
The next important thing is the logo. The brand should have a unique logo which the listeners will relate to and helps to create interest amongst them.
4. The Structure and Format of the Podcast
It’s important to decide whether your podcast will include video. If so, it will be known as a vodcast. The content of the podcast comes down to personal choice, therefore it depends on the unique angle you, as the podcaster want to take.
Your approach and structure of the show with things such as when it will be scheduled, how many episodes will be published each month and how you present the content, are crucial to its success. Be consistent and stay focused on the content, because it keeps the audience interested in the podcast.
With regard to the duration of the show, there’s no right or wrong length. You can always break it down into segments. Make each episode long enough so listeners feel they’re getting good information, but if it’s too long, they may lose interest. It’s up to you to decide on what would be too short or too long, but if you’re an expert in the topic, you’ll most likely have a view.
Always strive for consistency and have good quality content and you shouldn’t go wrong.
5. A Good Microphone for a Quality Recording
Investing in a good quality microphone will go a long way towards recording a podcast with a clear sound. Having the best possible recording equipment will make life easier by helping to save time and reduce difficulties while editing the podcast.
Recording is one of the most crucial parts of podcasting and a good quality microphone will make all the difference in the sound quality. The better the microphone, the sharper and clear the sound.
6. Keeping Calm While Recording the Show
Try not to fret when you come up against unforseen problems. Things like “no show” by guests, technical issues while recording the show, problems in production etc., will cause frustration, but it’s important to stay calm. Be as flexible as you can and you’ll be able to handle any problems which arise. Remember, that even the big experienced podcasters have faced all of these problems and more!
Sometimes, even the slightest thing going wrong while recording the podcast will cause a lot of irritation. Consider anticipating some of the things that could go wrong befor you start recording. Simple things such as turning off the air conditioning while recording will avoid background noise and the need to start over.
Whatever problems arise, the best advice is to stay calm and deal with them as they occur while recording the podcast. You’ll certainly learn from setbacks and perhaps, be able to avoid them in future.
7. Podcast Cover and Intro
The artwork for the podcast gives the first impression to the audiences. For this reason, you’re advised to spend a little on a professional graphic designer or artist.
A graphic designer will be able to create a style which matches the format of your podcast; make sure the cover is related to the content and that it doesn’t use too much text. Covers should create interest to the listeners.
Intros are just as crucial as covers. Make your intro impactful to create a good impression on the listener right from the start. Use the intro to draw listeners in and get them hooked, so they keep listening.
8. Promotion and Gathering of Data
If listeners don’t like what they hear, it’s the responsibility of the person producing the content. To avoid this, there are some things you can do.
Your Podcast requires planning and research for the content to achieve a good production. It’s important to promote the content on social platforms to create an interest amongst potential audiences. It doesn’t matter how good your content is, it will miss out on getting listeners if it isn’t appropriately promoted.
Even a show with poor or boring content will get many listeners if it receives a lot of promotion. The problem with promoting poor content is that you may get listeners to begin with, but it’s unlikely they’ll listen to future episodes.
One of the easiest ways to promote your podcast, is to upload it to the distribution site, adding a strategic description, including keywords. This will inform those searching for that type of content, about your podcast.
This is why it’s vital you plan a strategy for the promotion, telling people about your podcast and making it easily accessible will have a long-term benefit.
Your intention should be to make the content informative and it should be of a very high quality to help create a demand from your listeners. The graphics should also be on-point and straightforward to make it look attractive.
9. Growing the Interest of the Audiences
Plan your podcast to engage with an increasing audience so that you’re building a solid listener base. If the content is appealing and unique, there’s a much better chance you’ll create more interest and attract a bigger audience. Here’s a few ideas to help build a bigger audience:
- If you have a website, use it as a platform to focus on your podcasts. You can include a lot of information and promotional material about each show on the website
- It’s essential to build a good relationship with your audience by doing various things such as live chats, conducting a survey, making polls and even asking for feedback. Involving the audience will help you to understand more about their thoughts and opinions, so you can make changes on the broadcast accordingly.
- Your content should be simple and unique so that the audience can easily understand it. Encourage the listeners to subscribe for more podcasts. Allow them to give their ratings and reviews to boost interest and make your audience feel a part of it.
10. Following an Outline
Normally a podcast should have an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. A script or a list of the points being discussed should be jotted down. This will help you to stay on track and avoid going off-topic or rambling and losing the attention of your listeners.
If you do veer off-track during the recording, having an outline to refer to, will help you to get back on point. As the host, you should be confident enough to get back to the show as quickly as possible after making mistakes.
11. Use of Hardware and Software
A good production set-up can be costly when starting out, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t begin with cheaper options or even freeware. Starting with good quality recording equipment can be very expensive. Recording with a cheap basic microphone and a laptop with free software such as Audacity, should be sufficient. The sound might not be the best, but it’s great for a start-up. The hardware can be costly, but look at it as an investment because it’s an asset for any professional podcaster.
The software can also be costly, but most computers include simple programmes for editing and recording. This software is easy to use and doesn’t usually need plugins for extra production as some other programmes offer.
If you want very low budgeting to start-up, the in-built microphone on the laptop and apps in the computer are ideal.
12. Monetizing the Podcasts
Although blogs and podcasts are different to each other, they do have things in common. Like a blog, a podcast is all about the quality of the content and being able to monetize it. Monetizing isn’t possible without having quality and popular content. There are various methods of monetizing, which include:
- The first step in monetizing is to try to sell advertising during the show. This will require a good number of listeners and proof of the audience size. If you’re able to sell ads during the show, it’s a good way to achieve a profit. There is a risk that the audience may not want to hear ads while listening to the quality content. Some of the audience could lose their interest because of this kind of advertisement.
- Sponsorship of the can be a good option because it means you wouldn’t then need to run ads during the show. You just have sponsor credits which blend into the show, so don’t stand out in the same way as ads. Only take this approach, once the show is established and has a fair sized audience.
- Another approach for monetizing is to build a personal brand. The podcast is used as a medium to build up a personal brand. Hosting a podcast, or better, a vodcast, is a great way to share your personality with the audience. The audience gets to know the personality and thought process of the host. This allows you to develop your ideas to shine bright with an audience who feel they know you. The first step towards building a prosperous business in this way, is to promote as a personal brand.
Podcasting
Lastly, if you have the capability to create a Podcast, you should go for it. It’s important that you to learn from them as you go along. Don’t put yourself under too much pressure to create perfect, useful or popular content in the beginning. Good things do take time, and the podcast might fail to begin with. If that happens, don’t give up – learn from it and move on.
It is vital to create unique and interesting concepts. Try to have consistency in the content, focus on doing better work and a having a good script. It won’t be easy, but the challenges will make the job more enjoyable. Take time, give it your best shot and it will get easier.
These are some the things you should be kept in mind before Podcasting.