The last decade witnessed many changes in media consumption that it became hard to keep up. You probably heard about the latest form of media, known as podcasts, which are now one of the fastest-growing industries. Podcasts are for those who are always looking for new ways to tell their stories, express themselves, or share their ideas. Even though it takes time, effort, and money, hosting a podcast can be very rewarding. If you’re looking to start your own podcast, here are some things you should know.
What Is A Podcast?
If you’re new in the world of podcasts, you need to first understand what it is before creating your own. Podcasting is a type of audio blogging in which each episode is equivalent to a single blog post revolving around a specific topic. The name was coined in 2004 by Ben Hammersley in which he combined the words iPod (referring to the media player) and broadcast. Podcast episodes are automatically downloaded in smartphones, podcast apps, or systems, following a subscription-based business model using web syndication.
Why Should You Start Your Own?
If you’re still on the fence about starting your own podcast, the first and most convincing reason why you should start your own is their growing popularity, with statistics showing that more than 51% of adults in the US listen to them. This is due to how it’s easy to digest media and is considered a content channel that is less crowded than traditional blogging. Another reason you should start one is that they’re very easy to create and maintain. You’ll get to learn many new skills from it like coming up with content, marketing, and recording and editing audio files. To bring it home for you, there’s also a possibility of being able to monetize your podcast!
Lessons For Podcast Beginners
Many podcast beginners get tempted with having a mixture of topics for their podcasts, but it’s important that you have a specific niche or theme. Identifying your specific niche or theme will give your podcast a clear direction and help you design and market it to a certain target audience. It helps to choose a topic that you’re both knowledgeable and passionate about to be able to commit to it for a long time as well as deliver it confidently while enjoying the process of researching new content.
To choose the right theme or niche, you need to first set your goals for this podcast and what you want to come out of it. Is it a way to build authority for your business, freelance job, or your job as a marketing manager? Or is it more of a hobby in your free time to share personal experiences or knowledge about a certain topic? After you answer these questions, start making sure that the theme you have in mind is in demand by using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner. Don’t forget to also check the competition on various podcasting platforms.
Even though the appropriate equipment could be a bit expensive, you need to invest in high-quality podcast equipment to produce the best possible audio content. If you have quality content but don’t use the right equipment to deliver it, it would be just a wasted effort. People wouldn’t want to strain to hear what you have to say since after all, podcasts are a type of entertainment. That’s why you need to invest in proper equipment and choose the right hosting platform. When you start researching, you’ll find many podcasters vouch for the Buzzsprout hosting platform since it has great features and decent prices. Just as stated in the beginning, podcasts are now one of the fastest-growing industries and you can save yourself time and effort by learning from experienced creators. You can know which equipment and platforms are the best options by checking reviews made by other podcasters who tried it all.
If you’re going to spring out on any piece of equipment, it should be the microphone since it’s the main piece that will ensure high-quality audio. Stay away from built-in microphones or earphone mics because they have poor audio quality. You’ll also need a decent pair of headphones to listen back to your recordings and fix any errors. You can also go the extra mile and get an audio mixer that controls and enhances the quality of the sound output. Most importantly, you’ll need good recording and editing software to perfect your audio files.
If you want your podcast to reach as many people as possible, you need to factor in the element of SEO while recording your podcasts. Many podcasters don’t realize that iTunes and Google Podcasts are considered search engines, which means SEO rules apply to them as well. Try to put some high-ranking keywords in the titles and descriptions of your episodes to get an SEO advantage while still making it flow naturally. Don’t forget to promote your podcast as well on various social media platforms using these same keywords.
One of the main elements of a successful podcast is generating great content for every episode to keep people coming back. The key to doing that is pre-planning each of your episodes with a list of ideas with your target audience in mind, then you’ll need to organize and categorize them to create a cohesive content plan. Preparing them this way will help you to create an episode script to keep in front of you to avoid drifting off-topic. Once you know what you’ll talk about in each episode, turn on your mic for a practice recording before you go live to make sure the episode has a smooth flow and the audio is working fine.
There you have it, these are the most useful lessons you should know if you’re a podcast beginner to avoid learning them the hard way. The key to succeeding in the podcasting world is to be consistent in bringing top-notch content and audio quality. It also shows when the person is passionate and invested in what they’re talking about, which attracts more people. The most important thing is to be yourself and show your personality through your words so people don’t feel like they are listening to a robot.
