Since the COVID-19 global pandemic, people are finding new ways to connect and new at-home projects to start. More podcasts were started in the first few months of 2020 than in all of 2019 combined.
A recent report stated that 383,678 new podcast episodes premiered in the first half of 2020 alone. It’s understandable. Podcasts are a great way to reach more people and converse with like-minded members of the community.
If you’re looking to start a podcast, here are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.
Define Your Niche and Stick To It
Starting a podcast might sound like a fun way to make some side income. However, if you don’t know what your podcast is about, you’ll have a hard time getting anywhere with it. Figure out the overall concept of your show. Maybe it’s about personal development, technology, or marketing.
Once you’ve figured out your general topic, narrow it down. Ask yourself what makes your podcast different from all of the other ones out there. This could be a podcast about strategic ways to make the most of your Instagram account or the latest news in software development with a healthy dose of comedy.
Get as specific as you can, and then stick to it. People won’t return if they don’t know what to expect from the host.
Decide on a Format For Your Episodes
You’ll want to decide how your episodes will flow every single time. This step includes figuring out the length of your episodes, if there will be multiple segments, guest speakers, and even promoted segments.
Write out a few different ideas and see what you think you’d have fun doing, along with what is realistic. If you don’t think you’d be able to talk for a full hour or have enough guests agree to be on your show, that’s perfectly okay.
Stick to shorter fifteen increments where you share helpful nuggets of advice, tools your listeners can use, or news within your industry.
Choose Your Episodes With Your Audience in Mind
This step is critical because it involves the most important piece of the podcast planning puzzle: your audience. When picking your topics as you plan out your episodes, consider how your audience will retain this information.
For instance, if you’re an attorney, there might be a lot of technical jargon the average person may not understand. Some topics might seem a bit dry or above their heads.
As a podcast about law, you’ll want to ensure that you are keeping your audience engaged, making the content relatable, and conveying the information without getting too deep into difficult terminology.
Get The Right Equipment
A podcast only uses one of the five senses. All a follower can do is listen. Don’t slack on the quality of your podcast because you didn’t want to spend a little more on a microphone or set up a proper space within your home that blocks out excess noise. Make sure you purchase the right equipment before recording your first episode.
Create Content Consistently
The three C’s of a good podcast are to create content consistently. Consistency is key when growing a following because it builds trust, fosters reliability, and sets an expectation.
When planning out your episodes for your podcast, don’t worry about publishing every single week. This may not be realistic for your schedule.
Start out once a month or once every two weeks. You can gradually start to increase the number of episodes you release as you learn more about what it really takes to have your own podcast.
Start Uploading Using Anchor.fm, iTunes, and Stitcher
When you’re finally ready to set up your podcast channel, there are three places you’ll want to upload. First, start with Anchor.fm. This platform, which is owned by Spotify, will distribute your podcast to multiple different listening channels across the web.
Once your podcast channel is officially live and before you’ve posted any of your episodes, find your RSS feed in the settings. Then you’ll want to go directly to iTunes and Stitcher to manually add your RSS feed into your accounts. While Anchor.fm says they upload to these platforms, most of the time it requires a manual upload.
Don’t worry; it won’t be for every episode. That’s what the RSS feed is for. You’ll connect your feed from the main platform which will then stream to the others. Once those are set up, you’ll only have to upload your episode once and the rest will be done for you.
There are many steps when it comes to starting your own podcast. Planning everything out beforehand will save you time, energy, and could even make you more money. Don’t forget to enjoy the process because podcasts can be extremely fun, no matter if it’s for business or pleasure.
