If writing isn’t your forte, excellent news: Content material advertising and marketing isn’t restricted to written codecs.
Any sort of content material that your viewers can eat, study from, and revel in is truthful sport. And that features podcasts.
Podcasting is a well-liked and fast-growing medium – 79% of People aged 12 and up are aware of podcasting, and 62% have listened to a podcast no less than as soon as.
Podcasts exist for each subject below the solar: motion pictures, music, style, magnificence, information, tradition, gaming, true crime, cooking, psychological well being, books, advertising and marketing, the surroundings, fiction, self-help, schooling, finance, comedy – and extra.
Regardless of your trade or experience, you possibly can create a podcast about it.
And there’s a variety of room for newcomers: Solely about 4 million podcasts exist. Evaluate that to the variety of blogs – practically 600 million – and also you’ll see that the competitors is way much less stiff.
In different phrases, making a podcast is a great transfer for manufacturers seeking to differentiate and construct belief and authority with their audiences.
Let’s dive deeper into this nice content material sort, together with methods to begin a podcast.
What’s a podcast?
Likelihood is, in the event you’re studying this, you’ve listened to no less than one podcast up to now yr however wish to know extra about them.
To outline it as merely as attainable, a podcast is an audio program centered on a particular subject and break up into a number of episodes. Podcasts are pre-recorded, so listeners can obtain or stream episodes at any time by way of their most well-liked podcast channel, like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify.
Moreover, most podcasts characteristic individuals speaking – whether or not they’re individuals telling tales, specialists sharing information, or a number interviewing fascinating company.
Some podcasts are nothing greater than two individuals having a dialog in each episode. Some characteristic one individual speaking on to the listener. There are even scripted podcasts with a seamless story like a TV present – however solely dialogue and sound results convey the fictional plot.
Regardless of the format, podcasts are an audio expertise that connects creators immediately with listeners’ ears.
Why begin a podcast?
Anybody can create a podcast – anybody.
Whether or not your model is tiny or sprawling, the start-up prices are low and the gear wanted is minimal.
Plus, the continued and rising recognition of podcasts signifies that you’ll almost definitely have an viewers on the market who will probably be eager about what you produce.
For instance, 50% of People ages 12-34 take heed to podcasts month-to-month, and 43% of 35-54-year-olds.
All that mentioned, don’t overlook a very powerful cause to start out a podcast: a extra intimate connection along with your viewers.
Podcast content material means that you can communicate on to them and show your experience in a way more direct manner.
Usually, podcast listeners give extra time and a spotlight to a podcast than a written article. You will have their undivided consideration for half-hour, a stark distinction to the 90 seconds they could spend scanning a weblog publish.
This makes podcasts extra intimate than written content material and will construct belief and model consciousness sooner. Plus, a podcast is a unbelievable demonstration of E-E-A-T, which provides to your credibility in each the eyes of searchers and search engines like google.
Lastly, in the event you publish your podcast episodes in your web site with useful present notes or transcriptions, these episodes can rank in search engines like google for queries your viewers is trying to find.
Backside line: Podcasts are nice in your model and nice for search engine optimization.
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7 finest practices for beginning a podcast
Fascinated by beginning a podcast? Begin right here.
1. Begin small, then make investments
The second after you determine to start out a podcast, do not run out and instantly purchase costly gear.
As a substitute, begin small. Use your smartphone and an affordable microphone to file your first episodes. Take a look at how your podcast is obtained and decide whether or not you possibly can develop it.
If the reply is sure, you possibly can slowly put money into higher recording gear (like a sensible microphone that may hone in in your voice and filter out background noise, a headset, and audio modifying software program), artistic assist (like a sound mixer or editor), and fancy graphics for canopy artwork.
2. Select a subject and format
One of many first duties for making a podcast is to decide on a subject and format.
Matter : What is going to your podcast be about? What is going to you cowl?
: What is going to your podcast be about? What is going to you cowl? Format: How will your podcast be introduced? One host? Two or three? Will you inform tales? Do interviews? Share information?
One of the simplest ways to uncover your foremost subject and format? Analysis.
Viewers analysis
What do they wish to hear from you? What are they eager about?
What issues or ache factors have they got that you may tackle in your podcast?
Matter analysis
Discover a broad overarching subject that ties into your experience and overlaps with your enterprise.
Should you publish different content material, like blogs, take into account selecting the identical subject space in your podcast. This offers your podcast cohesion and ties it to your different content material.
You possibly can even repurpose weblog content material for podcast episodes, and vice versa, in the event that they’re thematically and topically linked.
Competitor analysis
Do your opponents have podcasts? What podcasts exist on the market in your subject?
Take a look at what the competitors is doing, how they format episodes, and what data they share. How are you going to differentiate?
3. Define or script episodes
Earlier than you leap into recording, you want a tough thought of what you will cowl in every episode and the way you will do it.
Begin by brainstorming matters for no less than your first 10 episodes. This gives you an thought of the mileage you will get out of your podcast subject/theme and assist you to maintain every episode cohesive and related.
(Should you wrestle to give you podcast episode matters after the primary 10, that may be an indication that it’s good to broaden your theme or tweak it.)
Then, after your first few episode matters are set, you possibly can write a short define of speaking factors for episode one. You do not have to script each phrase you say (until that helps you!), however you need to give your self a roadmap so you aren’t getting misplaced whereas recording.
Keep in mind, every episode ought to have a foremost subject and a aim hooked up. It’s worthwhile to give listeners a cause to stick with you. Simply speaking randomly for 20 minutes will not present any worth.
4. Push by way of preliminary discomfort – simply press file
Along with your first episode outlined or scripted, you possibly can press file.
Should you’ve by no means podcasted earlier than, you might have just a few false begins earlier than you get right into a groove. It might really feel unusual or unnatural.
The most effective factor to do is push by way of and simply get your recording achieved. Over time, you will get extra snug. Do not surrender simply because issues did not go completely the primary time you tried. You’ll get higher at this the extra you do it!
5. Embrace an intro and outro
Nearly all professional-sounding podcasts embrace a brief introduction, the place listeners might hear a snippet of music and the host welcoming them to the podcast and introducing the episode subject.
Then, to present listeners a satisfying sense of completion, embrace an outro (a.ok.a., conclusion) that mirrors the intro however as a substitute indicators off and units up expectations for the subsequent episode.
These two bookends assist your podcast sound extra polished and arranged, which listeners take pleasure in.
6. Optimize
Optimizing your podcast provides it the most effective likelihood of being discovered by listeners. There are just a few key areas to deal with for optimization:
Podcast title : Hold it quick, candy, and related to your model and chosen theme.
: Hold it quick, candy, and related to your model and chosen theme. Podcast class : Select the class that most closely fits the content material of your podcast.
: Select the class that most closely fits the content material of your podcast. Podcast description : This description is what potential listeners will learn to find what your podcast is about and whether or not they wish to pay attention. Hold this user-focused and ensure to incorporate related key phrases.
: This description is what potential listeners will learn to find what your podcast is about and whether or not they wish to pay attention. Hold this user-focused and ensure to incorporate related key phrases. Podcast cowl artwork: Hold it easy, clear, and attention-grabbing. Do not attempt to cram an excessive amount of textual content in your cowl artwork. Should you can, put money into a graphic designer to create this for you. If you do not have the means for that proper now, attempt utilizing templates on Canva.
7. Select a podcast internet hosting platform
Lastly, when it is time to submit your podcast to platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, know that it’s good to have a separate host in your audio information first.
Your podcast internet hosting service shops your podcast episodes and generates an RSS feed, which is what you will undergo podcast platforms.
You will solely have to do that as soon as, because the RSS feed ought to replace mechanically if you add new episodes to your host service.
Internet hosting companies to take a look at embrace Podbean, Buzzsprout, or Transistor.
5 nice podcast examples
Now that you simply perceive the fundamental steps to beginning a podcast, it is time to get some inspiration.
Listed here are some wonderful examples of manufacturers, creatives, journalists, and businesspeople doing this medium justice.
Branded podcast: Inside Dealer Joe’s
Dealer Joe’s is a grocery chain identified for its distinctive merchandise and seasonal objects.
On its podcast, hosts go inside shops and behind the scenes to provide the scoop on cult merchandise and the way the corporate works.
Recommendation podcast: Not One other Anxiousness Present
Host Kelli Walker is a registered nurse, licensed well being and wellness coach, and former agoraphobe.
This anxiety-focused podcast provides steering, suggestions, and sources for working by way of the dysfunction from Kelli and a myriad of specialists.
Fictional podcast: Limetown
This fictional podcast tells the story of the unusual disappearance of over 300 individuals from a small Tennessee city.It performs out such as you’re listening to an actual investigative podcast, which makes it much more immersive. This podcast was so common it was changed into a TV present.
Finance podcast: Cash Woman
The Cash Woman podcast is hosted by a private finance and enterprise knowledgeable, Laura D. Adams, who breaks down advanced monetary and small enterprise matters for listeners, making them enjoyable and simple.
Investigative podcast: Within the Darkish
This award-winning podcast options in-depth investigative journalism on true crime tales gone awry. Every season focuses on one case and dives into each element. Because it occurs, the second season was instrumental in serving to free a person from jail.
Word: True crime podcasts have exploded in recognition since “Serial” was launched in 2014. The most effective of them are nice examples of storytelling and are price a look for inspiration.
Prepared to start out your podcast?
If by now you are excited to start out your podcast, that is an ideal signal.
The most effective factor you are able to do is dive in with enthusiasm as a result of that zeal will present up in your finish product.
Any individual, model, or creator can begin a podcast.
Simply bear in mind to start out small, analysis and plan your subject based mostly on what your viewers would love to listen to, roughly define what you will say in every episode, and take the time to optimize.
Joyful podcasting!
