When I started podcasting, I had no clue what I was doing. But that’s never stopped me from doing anything, and it shouldn’t stop you either.
I’m no stranger to doing something new, different, and what I’m not good at (yet). If you know my story, you know I started my blog without a computer and zero web-development knowledge. How crazy is that?
Still, daring to do these things is amazing mainly because I get to leave signposts, like this message, to help you.
So, let’s get started! If you want to start a podcast, relaunch your podcast or upgrade your skillset so that you can serve your community and clients better, then this message is for you! Because in this blog, I’m going to tell you how to start a sustainable podcast, that grows with an engaged community and adds hassle-free profits to your biz.
WHY THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR PODCAST
People are streaming media more and more now, making options like listening to podcasts more attractive for customers, brands, and small businesses. But what is a podcast?
A podcast is a digital audio file, or in some cases, a video file made available on the internet for listening or downloading. Podcasts are convenient because you can play them anywhere and listen to them on the go. Listeners can subscribe to stay connected to the shows they enjoy and to receive automatic updates whenever there is new content.
All in all, for users, podcasts are an easy way to stay informed and for creators, a powerful way to keep your audience engaged.
Now, you may be thinking why start if so many are already doing it? And my response is this. The world needs your podcast because you have something special that’s totally unique to you and people need to hear that.
PICKING THE BEST PODCAST NAME
Your podcast needs a name. Choose a name that is simple but distinct, and aligns with your overall subject matter. Because your podcast title sets expectations for your show, you have to name it appropriately. Once you come up with a show name or a few, do these two things.
- Check to see if your name is in use on podcast platforms, like Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Also, see if the name is trademarked at www.uspto.gov/trademark.
- Run possible show names by your audience or inner circle for feedback. Ask them specifically what they think your podcast is about using the show name only.
| What Your Name Should Be | What Your Name Should Not Be |
| Descriptive + Catchy | Long + Hard to remember |
| Simple + Distinct | Undesirable + Out of touch with your brand |
| Named appropriately for its content | Totally unrelated to your topics + Content |
CREATING YOUR COVER ART
Your podcast needs cover art. Cover art is artwork that represents a media form, which in this case is your podcast.
Let’s follow Apple’s cover art requirements, including size, resolution, file type, and color. We’re using Apple as a standard because they are the largest podcast platform.
Follow these guidelines, or possibly face having your podcast rejected.
- Minimum: 1400 x 1400 pixels
- Maximum: 3000 x 3000 pixels
- 72 dpi
- JPEG or PNG format
- RGB colorspace
- Avoid putting images in the bottom fifth portion of your artwork, so play indicators do not hide it.
CHOOSING A CATEGORY FOR YOUR PODCAST
Podcast categories help to organize your show on podcast platforms, which allows people to find you based on their interests. To best serve your efforts and your audience, choose a category that accurately reflects your content.
Apple Podcast’s current category list includes:
- Arts
- Business
- Comedy
- Education
- Fiction
- Government
- History
- Health
- Fitness
- Kids + Family
- Leisure
- Music
- News
- Religion + Spirituality
- Science
- Society + Culture
- Sports
- Technology
- True Crime
- TV + Film.
Be advised some of these categories have subcategories, so please review Apple Podcast’s category list here. Also, categories may vary on other platforms.
WHAT IS YOUR PODCAST ABOUT?
Content is information and communication. It includes visual, audio, and text publications. So, what kind of content do you want to share? Better yet, what type of content do you want to be known for?
The key to creating engaging and shareable content is usefulness.
- Your content either needs to invoke emotion, like joy, or be relevant to something your audience is dealing with or facing.
- Your content needs to solve problems and not just any problems. It should regularly address your audience’s pain points.
Once you have a general idea of your main content themes and your audience’s needs, choose between three to five main topics to cover on your podcast. Use your main topics to target your ideal listener. Become their personal subject matter expert and problem solver.
Here are several niche content ideas, use them to help you pick your content themes.
| Organization | Non-toxic Living | True-crime Storytelling |
| Startup | Beauty + Skincare | Gaming |
| Money Coaching | Lifestyle | Travel |
| Virtual Assistants | Education | Travel Photography |
| Entrepreneurs | Health + Wellness | Pregnancy |
| Career + Work | Blended families | Business Coaching |
THE TECH STUFF MADE EASY
Let’s talk about RSS Feeds and distribution on a very basic level. Podcasts require RSS Feeds, which stands for rich site summary or really simple syndication. Your RSS Feed houses your podcast episodes, keeps them in order, and pushes this information to different podcast platforms.
To set up your podcast, you’ll either need to create an RSS Feed or use a third-party service to host your podcast. Third-party hosts include Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud, Anchor.FM, and so many more. Apple suggests using a secure podcast feed with an SSL certificate, so please do this.
When choosing a third-party podcasting host, here are four more things to consider:
- Do they offer hosting service redirection or a 301 Redirect? A 301 Redirect allows you to move your podcast from one location to another without disrupting your show and keeping your subscribers.
- Is there an upload or bandwidth limit? Upload and bandwidth limits matter because it impacts how much content you can upload and your show’s availability.
- Do they allow you to preschedule your content? The goal is to work smarter and not harder, so the more work you can pre-plan and schedule, the better off you are.
- What type of podcast analytics do they offer? You need this data to measure your growth and as a selling point to monetize your podcast. We’ll talk about this more below!
Your RSS Feed is like your home address, it’s where your podcast lives, like a podcast address. To get people to your podcast you have to give out your address and you do this through distribution. With distribution, you provide your RSS Feed to popular podcast platforms and they automatically feed your content on their sites.
Submit your podcast on whatever platforms you want it to be available. At a minimum, upload your RSS Feed for distribution to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify with at least one episode. Again, you are required to have at least one episode published.
| iTunes Submitting Podcast to iTunes | Stitcher Submitting Podcast to Stitcher |
| Google Play Publish Podcast to Google Play | TuneIn Submitting Podcast to TuneIn |
| Spotify Submitting Podcast to Spotify | iHeartRadio Submitting Podcast to iHeartRadio |
Some podcast hosts, like Anchor.FM, cover distribution for you – so check to see what your podcast host offers.
RECORDING YOUR TOTALLY AWESOME, AMAZING SHOW
Deciding what equipment you need to start podcasting depends on the type of podcast you plan to create. So, before you go out and buy anything, pick a podcast style to use for your show.
SEVEN PODCAST SHOW STYLES
| Podcast Show Style | Podcast Show Style Defined |
| Solo-style podcasts | One person is the host in a monologue style show. |
| Conversational/Co-hosted | Two or more people talk together. |
| Panel-style podcasts | It includes a host and panel of rotating guests. |
| Interview-style podcasts | Host interviews with different guests regularly. |
| Storytelling (Fiction or Nonfiction) | This can involve one or more hosts, guests, or voice over artists retelling a true or fiction story. |
| Hybrid | This is a CYO (create your own) style of podcast. |
| Repurposed | This is where you repurpose some of your other content into a podcast. I do this with live streams. |
SOLO SHOWS
For solo shows, at a bare minimum, you can start recording on your phone using a voice recording app or your computer with an inexpensive microphone and podcast recording box.
HOSTED SHOWS WITH REMOTE GUEST(S)
If your show involves multiple hosts or guests, record remotely on your cell phone using a call recording app, through podcast host Anchor.FM, or on a computer with Zencastr. Just ask your guest to use headphones. Always use headphones when you’re recording pushes sound from your computer to avoid echo and reverb issues.
By the way, you can use the headphones that came with your phone for solo and remote interviews.
If you are interviewing a guest or hosting a panel, here a few more things you’ll need to prepare:
- Obtain guests/panelists bio, photo, and signed photo-release
- Prepare your guest by talking beforehand and sharing interview questions in advance
- Email an invite with the date and time, along with any instructions essential to the interview
- Email your guest after the meeting to thank them, provide links for the live podcast and to encourage them to share it
- Establish expectations: is there any off-limits content? Language expectations?
RECORDING YOUR FIRST EPISODE(S)
As mentioned, you need at least one episode to submit for distribution on the major podcast platforms. Here are three things you should have for your first episode and every episode that follows:
- Name your central theme
- Tell your audience what they will gain from the episode
- Provide three to five supporting points for your central theme
LAUNCH WITH MULTIPLE EPISODES
To really give your audience a chance to fall in love with your content, pre-record between three to five episodes to launch with so they can binge listen to you!
EPISODE LENGTHS
Common episode lengths are as follows. Choose what’s best for you and your audience.
- Less than 15 minutes
- 15 to 30 minutes
- 30 minutes to 1 hour
- More than an hour
CREATING AN AWESOME LISTENING EXPERIENCE
The editing process is where you work to create a great listening experience for your audience. You can either outsource the editing work or do it yourself with Audacity, Adobe Audition, GarageBand, Anchor.FM or some other tool.
If you decide to edit yourself, don’t freak out. There are tons of resources online that can help guide you through basic editing techniques. If not, you can easily hire someone to help you — first, figure out upfront what you can spend and what your editing standard is.
Whatever you decide, use the table below to help develop an editing standard for yourself or the person you hire.
| Adding Elements | During this process, you’ll add your intro, ads, segment changes, outro. |
| Removing Disruptions | Remove filler words, noises that disrupt your message, long pauses, ramblings, stumbles, and words that are inaudible or don’t make sense. |
| Leveling Your Audio | Use a process to make sure all of your show’s segments and clips are at the same volume. Also, watch your overall loudness and don’t let it exceed -6 dB LKFS. To be more technical, per Apple, ‘Audio signals are pre-conditioned in such a way that the overall loudness remains around -16 dB LKFS, with a +/- 1 dB tolerance and that the true-peak value doesn’t exceed -1 dB FS.’ Source: Podcast Levels Best Practices |
GROWING AND MONETIZING YOUR PODCAST
To grow your podcast, you only need to start and to be you. From there, check your comments, feedback, and downloads to see how your audience engages with your topics. Once you see what your listeners like, concentrate your focus around those things and then go the extra mile. Give them information that others aren’t.
Monetizing your podcast is like monetizing anything else. If you offer a connection that is valuable to your audience, it will eventually lead to an increase in your profits, either through a direct sale or word of mouth referral. And for those that aren’t starting your podcast to make money, consider this. Even if you don’t plan to make money from your podcast, you should at least plan to break even with your expenses. So, here are four ways to do that!
- Use calls to action that drive profits. Each of your podcast episodes should use a call to action, and that call to action should drive gains that you’ll either see immediately or in the long term.
- Products and Services. Use your podcast to share a product or service you offer specific to the episode’s theme. Be sure to add this as a call to action in your episode description, related blog, or episode notes.
- Affiliate Marketing. Do you have any products you love? I’m sure you do. Check to see if those companies have affiliate programs and sign up. From there, create a website or add a page on your existing website that includes your affiliate links. Then, tell your audience about it.
- Advertising and Sponsorships. Podcast downloads are primarily used to measure the success of a podcast. As your audience grows and your exposure increases, leverage the platform you’ve created with advertising and sponsorships. Average advertising rates are between $25 to $50 per 1000 downloads in a 30 to 60 day period.
YAY! ISSA WRAP-UP
I told you why podcasts are relevant to you and your brand. Now’s here’s a quick recap of what you’ll need to start, relaunch, or set up a client’s podcast:
- A Podcast Name – distinct, catchy, and authentic to your topics.
- Cover Art – follow Apple’s standard.
- A Podcast Category + Content – your category should support your main content themes and your content should support your expertise.
- An RSS Feed + Distribution – you can either create your own or use a third-party service. Remember to record and upload at least one episode to get started.
- Basic Equipment + Recording– you can start simple with a mic and recording box for under $100.
- Easy Editing – Whether you decide to outsource editing or do it yourself, you need a standard to follow to ensure you consistently create the best listening experience.
- Growing + Monetizing Your Podcast – Serve your audience and you will grow. Also, you don’t have to compromise your core values to grow or monetize your mission — pay attention to your listener’s needs but always remain true to yourself.
If you’re super serious about setting up your podcast, then I have something just for you. I’ve created The Ultimate Podcast Checklist + Quick Start Guide, with everything I wish I would have known upfront.
Here are a few things I provide in the Ultimate Podcast Quick Start Guide:
- Keys to identifying your target audience
- Finding topics that matter to your listeners
- Basics for writing SEO-friendly copy
- How to outline your episodes
- Email sequence templates for guest interviews
- What to publish with each episode
- And more stress-free ways to monetize your podcast
Basically, I’ve included virtually everything you’ll need to start, increase brand awareness, establish yourself as an expert, reach your target audience, and generate leads for your biz.
The Ultimate Podcast Checklist and Quick Start Guide is a digital PDF file. All digital orders will be fulfilled in 24hours and sent to the email address associated with the order.
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