Like talking? Like sharing stuff about something you genuinely admire? Why not start a podcast? Podcasts are a great way to engage and talk to people. In fact, more than 850,000 active podcasts are featuring over 30 million episodes with genres appreciated all over the world. Surprisingly, this industry is a lot more active than we think it is. While everyone cannot be the next Joe Rogan but, you certainly can get your fair share of popularity through a podcast if you stick to it.
Why Are Podcasts Unique?
Many people think aren’t podcasts just like the radio? Well, technically no. They are a much more advanced version of your standard radio – or a more digitized and facilitated version of your standard radio.
Podcasting allows people to listen to informative yet engaging content that allows people to gather the information they are looking for while saving time. With a podcast, you can build a genuine yet intrinsic connection with people who like listening to you.
When Do People Listen To Podcasts?
Unlike reading articles, podcasts can engage people while they are doing different things. Many people listen to podcasts while doing the following activities:
- Working out
- Driving
- Doing house chores
- Working at the office
Overall, we can say that podcasts are a great way to engage people who are quite busy (which most of them are; considering more than 65% of Americans work!)
Starting Your Own Podcast
If you are interested in starting your own podcast, now might be the right time. According to a recent survey, the internet has more than 600 million blogs and only 1.7 million podcasts. This means that you still have a chance to grow yourself as a successful influencer before the competition becomes tough as a pair of old boots!
How To Start Your Own Podcast?
You simply cannot just go online and start talking randomly to gain active listeners and downloaders. Just like any other social media channel, podcasts also require a fair share of planning and then implementing that plan to achieve promising results.
We will answer all your questions on how to start your own podcast in this article.
Phases To Start A Podcast
The 4 major phases of setting up your own podcast are:
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Planning phase
-
Preparation phase
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Recording phase
-
Launching phase
Now, each of the above-mentioned phases requires attention to detail alongside an ambitious yet achievable plan. Let’s discuss.
Planning Phase
The planning phase generally means establishing a concept around which your entire podcast will revolve. With more than 1.75 million podcasts out there, we can say that every other topic that you can think of has been covered. But this doesn’t mean that you should be discouraged from starting your own thing. Who knows you could end up better than all the other people covering the same topic as you are?
Think, think and just think!
While you are thinking, a few questions that you might want to ask yourself are:
- What will be my podcast about?
- Why am I starting this podcast?
- Who will be my target audience?
- What is the complexity of my podcast?
- What will I name this podcast?
Topic Of Podcast
Your podcast should be focused on a certain niche. The importance of focusing on a particular topic of interest is that you will be able to develop a strong fan base who would actually be interested in what you come up with on each episode. Just coming in generally and talking about yourself might bore people really easily. It is really not about you. People will stop showing any interest if you don’t offer them what they want to listen to.
Think of something you are genuinely interested in. While you are selecting the niche of your podcast, ask yourself some questions:
- Will I be able to make more than 30 episodes on this topic?
- Can I cover almost 20 to 30 minutes per episode?
- Are there people who would actually listen to my content with interest?
- Should I narrow down my idea from a generalized term to something more specific? For example, if you’re thinking of making a podcast about beauty, should it only be about makeup or it should cover everything from skincare to makeup and more.
Answer these questions to yourself and by the end of that, you will be clear on the topic and concept of your podcast.
Reason For Starting A Podcast
Obviously, the idea of starting a podcast has been there for quite a while in your head. If you are running your own business then starting a podcast might be taken as a marketing channel to engage customers and relevant leads. 91% of people have shown a great interest in a business that is able to personalize its product and get recognized as a brand because let’s face it, what you are doing – there are other people doing the same thing. So, we can say that entertaining your audience and keeping them updated will directly have a positive impact on your business and sales.
If podcasting is something you want to take up as a hobby, it is highly likely that you will be launching your podcast based on a topic you are genuinely interested in. Hobbyists usually free up some time during weekends or the holiday season. Even if you are not coming online regularly to talk to people, you can still attract a lot of people who would just turn on the podcast to listen to you speak.
Recognize Your Target Audience
Do you know who your target audience will be? Who will genuinely be interested in what you are talking about in your podcast? Unless you are 100% certain of the people you want to target, there is no way that you will be able to grow your podcast.
If you are running your own makeup brand then, making a podcast relevant to your business will allow you to grow your business and make sales. But having a makeup business and running a podcast on outdoor activities is not going to get you anywhere.
Since you will be new, it is highly unlikely that people will start listening to your podcast at once. However, just sharing it among your friends, family and social channel can actually help you start getting some audience. Be patient. It takes a while for people to start recognizing you but once you hit that, your online engagement platform starts self-marketing.
Complexity Of Podcast
Is your podcast completely business-oriented for older and more professional people or are you making it fun and enjoyable for younger kids, teens, and adults? You need to understand the tone of your podcast before you plan and launch your episodes. The major thing to consider here is that you cannot just target 12-year-olds if the tone of your podcast is professional, difficult, and just really REALLY sober! Think about that.
Naming The Podcast
While naming your podcast, be really really careful because this name will be recognized among people. Many people make a silly mistake by choosing a random name initially because they have no audience and later go on to regret their decision.
Think of something that describes you, your business, and the niche of your podcast. Consider this:
- Use a clever composition of syllables to generate a podcast name that will be attractive once displayed as a popular brand. However, such names do require their fair share of marketing. Don’t forget to add a description so people know what you will be talking about.
- Use a name that is descriptive so that your podcast speaks for itself. This is an easier way to get noticed in the community.
- Use the description of your podcast along with your name so that the people know who is running this podcast. In fact, people who use their name have a greater chance of getting noticed on different social channels as your real listeners might search for you.
Preparation Phase
The preparation phase will allow you to prepare yourself for the podcast. A few things you need to consider for the preparation phase are:
- What will be the format of my podcast?
- What kind of gear and equipment do I need to easily record my podcast?
Allow us to answer these questions for you.
Format Of A Podcast
The format of your podcast should speak volumes about your content and what you are trying to show your audience. You always have the options to spice things up by changing the format every now and then but, your regular format is what your audience will recognize you for.
Some general podcast formats are:
Other Formats Of Podcast
Some other formats that might interest you are:
- Debate
- Documentary
- Drama and documentary
- Infotainment
- Storytelling
Gear And Equipment
Having proper gear and equipment for your podcast is important to ensure that quality podcasts are being recorded. The three major things you must have at all costs are:
- High-quality microphone
- Laptop
- Fast-paced internet
Apart from this, you might need some recording and editing equipment.
Recording Equipment
- Adobe Audition
- Audacity
- Skype
- Anchor
- Ringr
There are pros and cons for all of them but once you do your research, it is possible to find software that meets all your needs. You can also add music to your podcast by choosing from an online directory with thousands of music choices.
Recording Phase
While you are recording your podcast, here are a few questions you might want to answer:
- How long should each episode be?
- Should the episodes be planned?
Length Of Episodes
The length of an episode depends on the content you have created. Do not hesitate to miss out on valuable information just because it’s getting ‘too long’. A general length of a podcast episode is 20 to 40 minutes.
Organizing Episodes
Also, while you are deciding the length of your podcast, preplan your episodes. Having a general guideline on how you will be proceeding with the podcasts will help you stay on top of everything and even enable you to do research prior to launching your episodes. Also, preplanning your episodes will allow you to keep your audience engaged with frequent tidbits and keep the episodes linked to each other. Writing a script will allow you to be fluent during the podcast and make fewer pauses.
Launching Phase
The launching phase of a podcast will involve you finalizing your podcast and making it available for the audience. For launching your podcast to the public, you will need a hosting account. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘media host.
Your media host will save your submission so that people searching for podcasts can come across yours to play it. Here are some media hosts that you would like to submit your podcast to:
- iTunes
- Podbean
- SoundCloud
- Blubrry
- Libsyn
- Spotify
- Google podcasts
- Transistor
