In recent years, having a podcast has become an integral
part of running a complete marketing strategy. Everyone from individuals to
brands has started launching podcasts as an effective way to engage and grow
their audience. Starting a podcast might sound like a piece of cake, but in
truth, it's certainly not all sunshine and rainbows. It requires a particular
set of skills to become an excellent podcaster, such as confidence, openness,
creativity, all combined with a good sense of humor. You must also be prepared
for potential mistakes in the beginning because there will be some, and you
need to be ready for this. You see, it's not just about doing what others do,
it's about getting your voice heard.
Our quick five-step podcasting plan:
1 How-to: choose a topic and plan your show
2 Structure your episodes
3 Plan interviews
4 Improve your hosting skills
5 Upload your podcasts to the internet
1. Choosing the right topic
One of the most critical parts of starting a podcast show is
choosing the right topic. It should be
In the beginning, you may think that the whole thing takes
forever to structure and complete, and that's normal. You're just starting, you
might not have done it before, and even if you have, it's different. But as you
go, you will see that it gets easier, because you get better at it and you
gather experience.
Every podcast episode should be considered as a story. As
you know, storytellers have a pleasant voice; they know how to talk to their
audience since they've been doing it all their lives! When it comes down to
you, you are just about to learn who your best audience is and how to approach
it. If you choose to follow this advice, you will soon realise that people love
stories, so they'll stick around.
Speaking of it, any story follows a similar pattern:
Intro > midpoint
> resolution
If your topic is, say, how to build a successful sales
funnel, you should consider how you present it to the listeners. For instance,
you might want to introduce the topic to the people, then talk about some
common mistakes, and finally present the resolution (your ideas on how to
improve/finish something successfully). You wouldn't want to reveal the last
part first because you might lose your audience.
2. Frame the episodes: build a powerful intro/outro
Once you've created the essential elements of your podcast
show, it's time to move on to the next part - building the intro/outro to frame
the pilot episode (and future ones).
The podcast intro should be both exciting and valuable to
get the right type of listeners. For instance, if you want to run a digital
marketing podcast show, think about what topics you'd love to cover. It could
be anything - from how-to videos to talking about common mistakes and problems
people might have with digital advertising, etc. The intro has to be strong -
it's precisely when and where you make the first impression. That impression
needs to provoke a positive reaction.
The same goes for the outro. Its role is to make people come
back and listen to you again when you have something to say. Besides, if
somebody has made it through the episode, they are very likely to become loyal
to your podcast show.
3. Include interviews
Doing interviews is a powerful way to draw in more
listeners. When you're alone, it could feel like you're doing monologues,
whereas interviewing somebody makes it a lot more exciting. Especially if your
guest is a well-known person in your industry.
The most important thing here, though, is the way YOU do the
interview. If you don't ask the right questions or fail to provide value, you
might lose your listeners.
Imagine having somebody important in the room, and instead
of asking them how they got where they are today, you decide to ask them what
they had for breakfast.
Ask the right questions, think of problems people might
have, and try to bring more value, not empty words.
4. Practise hosting skills
Now comes the tricky part - recording the podcast. There's a
bunch of things you should consider, such as making your personality shine
through in your pilot recording. Since you've made it this far, you're a few
steps away from recording your first podcast ever, so think about the
following:
1. What type of host are you?
2. How does your voice sound on video/audio?
3. Are you organised enough to structure the episode and
follow it?
Don't neglect these questions - try to answer them as
honestly as possible to become the best podcast host you can be.
5. Upload the podcast
Before you upload it to the internet and share your thoughts
with the world, you'll need to create a few social media channels. This will
help you with the distribution. Many podcasters use podcast hosting services,
and you should try them as well. You can use them to store the episodes as they
provide an RSS feed you can submit to platforms, such as Spotify and iTunes.
This is especially valuable because they can put your
podcasts in their listings, helping you reach a
wider audience. From then on,
you can finally start growing your podcast show, get more attention, and become
a respected and influential podcaster in your industry.
Also, don't give in to all those internet trolls when
starting your podcast show. It's normal. People need more time to get to know
you better by listening to your voice more often. Of course, there will be
people who won't like you, your topics, etc; however, you should save your
energy for those who stick around.
Conclusion:
Building and maintaining a successful podcast show could be
tricky initially; however, when you put in the effort, you will soon see the
good results. Even the best podcasters in your industry were once just like
you. So, when you structure your first podcasts, try to be focused on the value
you provide. Not that the rest doesn't matter; however, if you act like a
clown, nobody will pay attention to your "expertise". On the other
hand, if you give people the answers they need and/or solutions to their
problems, they will look forward to listening to your shows.
About the author of this post:
 |
| Andriu Barreto |
Andriu is a full-stack digital marketer who is originally
from Venezuela. For the past 5 years, he has freelanced on everything from PPC
to copywriting to SEO. Now he writes his insights, guides, and tutorials on
Internet Marketing Bro.
Andriu's website
Follow Andrui on
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