So you want to get into podcasting? By now, you’ve probably had a few friends launch their own podcasts and read a handful of articles on what it really takes to start a successful podcast. Our company has bought roughly a half a billion dollars’ worth of podcast ads over the last decade. We know a thing or two about what makes a podcast special.
Here’s what we’ve learned.
Find Value In Your Material
Make sure your content is valuable and that it brings something unique to your audience. Finding value starts with the initial steps of research and brainstorming ideas. These basic steps are crucial when it comes to sufficiently developing a successful show.
Once you’ve come up with a valuable content idea, be sure to give it your devoted personal attention as you further develop it. Consider the appropriate length as well: A podcast should be whatever length is applicable to capture your audience and still respect their time.
Showcase Your Personality
According to Podcast Insights, there are over 850,000 podcasts out there, and they’ve produced more than 30 million episodes, so aim to set yourself apart from the rest. Injecting personal creativity into your content is the connective tissue between your podcast and your listeners. Lean into your personality or the topic that you’re talking about so that it turns into something that people want to listen to. Audio is a uniquely personal way to reach your audience, so use this opportunity to connect with listeners while entertaining.
Have Patience, And Do It Right
Details matter in audio. Pay attention to the little things from start to finish. In this medium, you can tell your story as efficiently as possible. An establishing scene that might take you hours to film can take a matter of seconds to describe in a podcast. Take advantage of this, and use your time to focus on storytelling. Have patience, and let your show fully develop.
There’s a ton of competition out there for listeners’ attention, so pay attention to details like audio quality as well. If the audio quality of your podcast isn’t great, listeners will likely turn it off within the first couple of minutes and find something else.
Market Your Podcast
When creating a podcast, it’s important that you make it available via popular channels such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Some beginning podcasters simply put their podcasts on their websites and hope they get traction, but it helps to list it with the big players from the outset.
Then, use social media to help promote your podcast. Find similar content feeds, and try to piggyback on them. Use your own social media feeds to aggressively push what you’re doing in podcasting.
Solicit the help of other podcasters to help promote your show, too. It’s still a relatively small ecosystem, so most people are willing to help spread the word about good content. Reach out to them via social media, and ask for their guidance and help.
In addition, ask your listeners to rate your podcast and share their thoughts about how great it is. These comments and ratings can go a long way toward higher rankings with the big podcast outlets.
There’s still a common misconception that producing a podcast is easy. While the logistics might be easy, creating something that resonates with listeners can take a lot of time, research and intention. We’ve found that great podcast hosts provide valuable material, showcase their personalities, pay attention to the details and effectively market their shows.
