Creative people understand the natural urge of storytelling better than anybody else. It’s a universal truth — and not just among authors. Storytelling creates important relationships, and nothing connects with audiences more than podcasts. The most creative and widely used content platform of the twenty-first century really dates back to the days of oral storytelling, you guessed it right; podcasts! Technological advancements have only helped to make podcasts simpler to create, more accessible, and more addicting than ever before. Starting a podcast isn’t complicated, but if you’re still wondering how to start your own podcast, these steps will come in handy. But before that…
5 Reasons You Should Start Your Own Podcast
Perseverance
There has been a lot of discussion about how rapidly things change in the digital era. New trends arrive now and disappear tomorrow. Podcasts, earlier known as “audio blogging,” have been around in some form or another for over 40 years. Podcasting picked up steam in late 2004, owing to the iPod and increased availability to broadband internet.
The word “podcast” was chosen as The New Oxford American Dictionary’s “Word of the Year” in 2005, and the world’s demand for podcasts has been gradually increasing since then. It’s reasonable to say that the podcast is firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Steady Growth
Current podcast numbers are not deceptive. Numerous surveys attest to podcasts’ ongoing popularity; one 2017 poll predicts that 42 million Americans over the age of 12 listen to podcasts on a weekly basis.
People’s income from podcasting is also changing for the better. Podcast advertising income has more than quadrupled since 2015, reaching an estimated $220 million in 2017. That equates to an 85 percent increase.
Stronger Connections
Podcasting is an excellent method to provide personal content that can elevate your brand, establish trust, offer value, and foster deeper, more meaningful connections with both new and familiar audiences.
Listening to a podcast has an intimate quality to it that truly resonates. According to studies, podcast listeners are extremely loyal. In fact, 85 percent of them watch the entire program. Podcasting is a fantastic, underutilized complement to the visual material produced by photographers, designers, illustrators, and other artists.
Grow Your Audience
While podcasts were originally believed to be only for niche audiences, podcast blockbusters like Serial have dispelled this notion. Finding your folks and converting them into a fandom is easier than ever.
What’s the best part? At the end of each episode, you can send that audience back to your website, portfolio, social networks, and more to keep the interaction going.
Prioritize Convenience
Podcasts are popular in part because they are simple to consume. Podcasts allow you to contact your audience wherever you are in an increasingly mobile world—during a commute, while preparing dinner at home, at work, and more. According to statistics, the majority of people listen to podcasts on the move.
8 Strategies to Start Your Podcast
Now that you know why you should start it, you are ready to learn how to start your own podcast.
Planning
This is the first (often neglected) step in creating a podcast. You’ll want to spend some time here before proceeding. Take out a notebook or a whiteboard and start preparing your podcast like a pro.
Choose a Topic
You want your podcast to focus on a specific topic or specialty. Try to limit it down to something you can talk about for a long time (100+ episodes) but isn’t so wide that it won’t appeal to your target audience.
To limit things down, ask yourself the following questions:
-What am I passionate about?
-What is my area of expertise?
-Can my topic have a broader audience?
-Is my podcast topic interesting enough?
Pick a Co-host (Optional)
If you have a co-host, it might be considerably easier to get started with podcasting. You will automatically have a more engaging conversation if you both share your perspectives on a subject. It might also be beneficial to have someone keep you on track. You may also divide extra duties such as editing, marketing, and so on.
You’ll want to make sure that both of you are dedicated to it in the long run. It’s also a good idea to create a timetable from the start so you know when you’ll be recording each week. However, there are no rules in this place. If your co-host is unable to continue the podcast, you can do so without them.
Choose a Name
If you look at the top Apple Podcasts charts, you’ll see a wide range of names. Some are descriptive of the show’s content, while others are meaningless. Try choosing a generalized name instead of specific. This will allow you to grow later if you so want.
For example, if you start a podcast about FPS games and choose a name based on that and later you decide to expand your topic to role playing games or shooting games, the name you chose earlier won’t fit to these circumstances. This will ultimately restrict your idea of expanding the topic.
Show Format
- Length
A number of “experts” say that specific durations are ideal for podcasts. The difficulty is that that is complete nonsense. Because the typical driving duration is 28 minutes, you don’t need a 28-minute podcast. Or less than an hour since people can’t focus for more than that long.
There are 5-minute podcasts and 6-hour podcasts. It depends upon how much time it takes to cover your topic thoroughly. What I would avoid is making it longer than necessary since you strayed off-topic for 15 minutes.
- Style
Although interview programs are popular, you are not required to participate in one. You can alternate between solo (or co-hosted) shows and interview shows.
One significant advantage of doing interviews is that they greatly aid in the acquisition of new listeners – especially if you make it simple for your guest to contribute by providing pre-written templates and images.
- Episode Format
So, how does a certain episode sound?
As an example, consider the following:
-Teaser
-Intro music
-Welcome
-Ad spot
-Interview
-Call to action
-Outro Music
Use your imagination in this section.
Preparation
This includes the following steps:
-Creating cover art
-Making a good intro
-Choosing intro music.
-Getting technical equipment
-Planning out your guests
-Recording and editing
Launch
After you’ve finished recording, storing, labeling, and exporting your podcast, here are a couple of the finest locations to host it. Hosting allows your podcast to appear in podcast directories and applications. When calculating bandwidth requirements, consider how many podcasts you will be producing each month.
Some leading podcast hosting platforms are:
-BuzzSprout
-Spreaker
-Transistor
-PodBean
-Simplecast
-Captivate
-Castos
-Podcastics
Growing and Promoting Your Podcast
Before you debut your podcast, start generating momentum through your social platforms and professional networks. Create a landing page on your website, build a mailing list, update the description in your social network biographies, begin publishing teaser material and cover art, and utilize hashtags to create a dialogue.
You want your target audience to listen to, comment on, and share your podcast extensively. Create prizes for listeners who participate to encourage engagement and express your thanks. The prize might be a social media shout out, a little gift, or something relevant to the podcast topic.
You now have the complete grasp of the know-how to start your own podcast. Be consistent and determined, and it will come naturally to you.
Happy podcasting!
These steps on how to start your own podcast will go a long way. If you have a ready audience, though, learn how to turn it into your consumer.
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