Learn How to Make Your Podcast Fab, not Drab
A Podcast can Usher in a World of Opportunity
A podcast is a set of digital audio files that may also be accompanied by video. It is available on the internet for downloading. Over the last four years, podcasts have experienced explosive growth with a 120 percent increase. Ninety million Americans listen to a podcast every month, with Millennials being the largest group of consumers This increase is due in part to the widespread usage of smartphones and listening “on the go”. People listen to podcasts while working out, commuting on the train, waiting for a friend at a coffee shop or walking their dog. Podcasts have become the new talk radio on mobile devices. A podcast may be just the answer to reaching a world of new customers for your business.
Benefits of a Podcast
Before you jump into creating your first podcast, you may be interested in learning how it can benefit your business. Below are four reasons to consider creating a podcast.
1. Position Yourself as an Authority in Your Field
A podcast provides a format for sharing your expertise in your industry. Regular podcasts with accurate information or ideas help to establish you and your company as an authority. Customers like to work with a company that is on top of its industry, and with a podcast you can demonstrate just that. It turns your business into a trusted source.
2. Reach New Audiences
A podcast can help you to reach new audiences. It can help to build familiarity with a wide range of people. As long as you continue your audio series, your newfound audience is quite likely to keep listening.
Additionally, your listeners may recommend your podcast to others who may be interested in your topics, increasing your reach considerably. This can lead to increased traffic quickly.
3. Develop a Valuable Library of Content
Valuable content from a podcast can be readily turned into a blog or article. It also makes great social media posts and newsletter content.
4. Increase Brand Awareness
A podcast can promote your brand because your company information is usually included in the introduction. The familiarity and consistency of regular podcasts can turn your company’s brand into a household name. During the podcast, you can integrate information about your products and services as they relate to the topic. In this way, the podcast can serve as a type of advertisement for your business.
Create a Podcast in Seven Steps
After reading about the explosive growth of podcasts and the many benefits it offers, you may be thinking that one is in your company’s future. However, you also may be wondering how to get started. Below are seven high-level steps to help you get on your way.
1. Identify Your Podcast Concept
The first step is to determine the focus of your podcast. To help decide the focus of your podcast, you should determine the goal(s) you want to achieve. Some common podcast goals are:
- Develop a new source of leads,
- Become a thought leader in your industry,
- Increase brand visibility,
- Promote products and/or services
After you have determined your goal(s), then you should select a name for your podcast. Keyword research should be conducted before you select its name. It can be memorable, but it should also be relevant.
2. Determine Your Podcast Format
Now it is time to select the format for your podcast. First, you need to determine how many hosts and who they will be. You can choose a single host or co-hosts. Sometimes, co-hosts are more entertaining because they feed off each other’s comments. Second, decide if you will interview guests, provide educational content from your company or perhaps have your format includes both. When determining your podcast format, it is important to consider which type will resonate best with your audience. Third, you should determine the length of your podcast. Will it be a half-hour or even shorter? Will it be conducted weekly or even daily? Perhaps you may want to produce more in-depth podcasts that occur less frequently. However, ensure you have the proper resources to support the selected frequency.
Finally, you should develop a podcast schedule, like an editorial calendar. These topics should be provided to listeners in advance.
3. Select Your Podcast Equipment
It is not difficult to get your podcast up and running. You will need hardware and software to launch it.
The hardware can be as simple as your mobile phone and a pair of headphones. However, there are many other accessories available on Amazon that will upgrade the sound quality.
Also, you will need software for podcast recording and editing. Audacity is a free and open-source audio editor that is compatible with Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems. GarageBand is another free option, which is for Mac and iOS devices. Lastly, Anchor Make Your Own Podcast is a free recording, editing and hosting software for Android devices.
4. Prepare for Your First Podcast Recording
Before you host your first podcast, you should develop an outline. Consider the points you would like to cover along with corresponding questions. These will help you keep your podcast on track.
Next, select the location for your recording. If you are recording in a small space, be sure it has a lot of materials (i.e. furniture, carpeting) that can absorb the sound.
You should have a glass of water near you when you are recording. This will help you readily deal with dry throat issues.
When recording do not be concerned about any stammering, mistakes or periods of silence. In the next step, editing, you can take care of any of these issues before publishing it.
5. Edit Your Podcast
Just like video watchers, podcast listeners are more concerned about the content than the polish. Even though your podcast does not need to be perfect, some editing is still recommended.
Even if you are not technical, your software (i.e. GarageBand, Audacity) can make editing relatively easy. In the first round of editing, you should take out any extraneous noise, long pauses, etc. and then concentrate on the content during the second review.
Now is the time to add an introduction and perhaps even a royalty-free theme song to your podcast. There are many sources for inexpensive royalty-free music (i.e. Soundsnap, Audio Jungle).
After you finished editing, export your podcast into the proper file format for your hosting service.
6. Submit Your Podcast to Directories
You will want to submit your podcast to several different directories, such as Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts (iTunes) and/or Google Play Music. This is a critical step since this how most of your listeners will find your podcast.
As part of the submittal process, you should provide artwork. Your artwork can be creative, but it also must accurately convey the contents of your podcast. Also, it should be consistent with your company brand. Finally, limit the number of words in your artwork.
During submission, you will also provide a brief description of your podcast. Besides, filling out the required directory fields, you should submit a one-paragraph description. It should include keywords.
7. Introduce Your Podcast to the World
Now that your podcast is ready to be shared with the public, you should create a plan to advertise it. There are many ways to publicize it. As mentioned previously, you should share it on your social media channels. And, you can share it more than once over a few months to really help grow your audience of listeners. Second, it should be advertised on your website with a big bold call-to-action button. Next, it can be the topic of an email campaign, directing your current contacts to your podcast. Also, as mentioned previously, you can turn portions of the content into blogs or articles. These can then direct readers to the full podcast. Finally, post a link to your podcast on community forums, such as Reddit or Quora. You should not blatantly promote your podcast, but let it serve as a source of valuable information in a current thread on the site.
Time to Act
After reading this blog, we hope you are inspired to start your own podcast. However, if you need a little assistance, please feel free to contact us at 847-269-1422 or info@diamonddomarketing.com. We welcome the opportunity to help you grow your business with podcasting.
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