For the past few months I’ve been learning all I can about podcasting and what it takes to succeed. I’ll be launching one on November 14th and it’s not in the marketing space. More on that as we get closer.
Podcasting is perfect for those who want to connect with their audience but don’t like to do videos or FB lives. And people can tune in to you and your guests at anytime. (Every tried watching video while driving?)
The stats look good for those of us just jumping in to this game.
“Podcasting continues to steadily grow, as 44% of Americans 12+ now say they have ever listened to a podcast, up from 40% from last year. Podcasting’s in-car gains continue as well: a year ago, 18% of podcast listeners described the car as the place they most often listened to podcasts; this year, that number is 22%” according to a report published in March of 2018 by Edison Research, experts in all things audio for the past 20+ years.
Fast Company magazine’s April 2018 issue stated that there are “over 525,000 active shows and over 18.5 million episodes.”
Don’t let that last one scare you off. If less than half of the population have ever listened to a podcast or do so regularly, there is room for you and me.
If you want to geek out on stats for all things podcasts, Podcast Insights is your new BFF.
Google “I should start a podcast” and you’ll get hundreds of articles and videos from all manner of media, coaches, and people selling programs on how to start a podcast, encouraging people to start a podcast.
And maybe a podcast is the right marketing tool to add to your business.
Then again, maybe not.
The goal of a podcast is to engage, entertain and/or educate your audience so that it contributes to your brand exposure, positions you as an expert and maybe even makes you money. That’s not as easy as it sounds, and it’s certainly not something you want to do without preparation. And I’m going to let John Chilson of The Conveyor newsletter tell you why good podcasts fail.
Since I don’t want that for you, let me introduce Jacob Bozarth from Resonate Recording with the 10 steps to start a successful podcast. Resonate is one of the companies I respect for helpful, comprehensive content in their weekly emails and at their site. They offer different levels of podcast editing and dealing with all of the little time consuming things each episode requires.
How do you pick your hosting company and why do you want one? Hosting on your website is not good idea and I’m going to let the guys at ThePodcastHost tell you why.
Knowing that you now have to search for a podcast hosting company. Here is the best comparison of all of the major competitors including pricing. You will need a budget for podcasting but it’s possible to bootstrap it.
The other things you need are artwork, a good mic, a headset, and guests!
ConvertKit has compiled a “how-to” for getting podcast guests and Kira Hug, one of my copywriting mentors puts it all together on how to be an awesome podcast guest.
Podcast information overload anyone? Here’s my advice after reading wayyyyy too many comparisons, articles, reviews, and purchasing a couple of “podcast by the numbers” kind of programs; step away from Google or at least put a limit on the time you spend reading about podcasting. Equipment aside, this round-up covers most of what you need and the people I’ve included will fill in the gaps, (including the equipment part.) Choosing hosting can be a time suck but if you opt in for the free trials that many of the podcast hosting companies offer, you’ll see which feels right for you. You’ll get to see the dashboard, their website options if they offer one in the package, and get comfortable (or frustrated) with their customer service.
Here’s the advice my contact at Simplecast — the company I’ve chosen for hosting — shared with me, “And don’t worry about making sure everything is perfect when you launch. It’s impossible, so no need to put so much pressure on yourself. “
Duly noted and I’m passing it along to you with a few extra tips.
- Do enough research about the category you want to play in to know your competition so you can find that slight edge.
- Be interested when you interview and interesting when you do an episode alone.
- Plan your marketing well and ask others to promote your launch or certain episodes.
- Play the long game.
- Check your analytics so you can learn about your audience.
- Don’t make your show a pitch fest.
Have you got a podcast? I’d love to hear about or send me the rss link so I can have a listen. November 14th, launch day, is a Wednesday, the day I (mostly) get my newsletter out, so I’ll be sure to include you, my readers, in the launch.
Meanwhile, if you are starting down that path and have a question LMK, I’ll be happy to help.