How to Start a Successful Podcast

The world of podcasting has exploded over the last few years, with over 750,000 shows and 30 million episodes as of June 2019. This is because some podcasters are growing a massive following and it is easier than ever to get started. Podcasting showcases you as an authority amongst your listeners while creating a deeper relationship with your audience. It is a fantastic marketing tool to increase your brand awareness while creating a ton of valuable content.

I launched Target Market Insights in August 2017 and have released just over 100 episodes. Through almost two years of podcasting, I’ve utilized various tools, strategies, and resources to optimize the show. As we celebrate 100 episodes, I wanted to share some of the steps to create and sustain a successful podcast.

Steps to Starting a “Successful” Podcast

1. Set Your Goal: Understanding why you want to launch a podcast is the first critical step. Are you looking to create another income stream? Are you looking to build your brand? Find new clients? Once you are clear on what you hope to accomplish you can determine the structure, resources, and budget necessary to produce a podcast consistently.

2. Pick a Topic: Your topic should be one that you are passionate about and can easily discuss. More importantly, it should help deliver on your goal. Do some research on the topic and the other podcasts delivering similar content. Make a list of the top ten podcasts in the space and use it as a benchmark.

Find a way to stand out AND add value. I didn’t want to just launch another podcast on real estate investing. I wanted to blend marketing and real estate. And starting out I wanted to share the local market research and insights others were using to find the best areas to invest. I have been able to expand the show to highlight marketing and branding tips but starting out specific gave us a unique angle to connect with others. If you want your show to stand out, find a specific topic that gets you excited, keeps you committed and provides value to others.

3. Pick a Clear, Memorable Name: Make it short, interesting, direct, and memorable. Listeners should know what the show is about from the title and sub-headline alone. Make sure you clearly communicate this but add personality that matches the tone of the show. If it’s a straight information-based show, clear titles are good. If it’s fun and light-hearted that should come across in the title too. Write out 20 options for show titles and get it down to the top 3-5. Start polling people, especially those who would be interested in the topic. Ask them what they would expect the show to be about and if they would be intrigued enough to listen based on the title alone. If you can work in a strong keyword in your title, it will help you rank higher for searches.

4. Choose Your Format: Will you be interviewing experts in the field of your choosing? Or, will you be the expert and go solo? Will your show be educational, or fun? How long will your show be? How often will you publish new episodes? Will your show be audio or video or both?

When considering your format, you should have your target audience in mind. What type of content does your audience need and want? And, how much time do they have to listen?

5. Get the Hardware: Your equipment can be simple or complex depending on your audio engineering skills. I won’t bore you with all that I’ve learned about mixers and double-enders, but if you plan to record with guests, I will give you a few options.

A great mic is critical in delivering a crisp, clear product. I use the AudioTechnica AR-2100 and love it. I purchased more expensive mics and have been disappointed with the quality. I bought special headphones when I started, but now I just use my regular headphones. You can get pop filters as well to help reduce pops and background noise.

6. Get the Software: If interviewing others you will need an interface that records multiple parties. Skype and Zoom are the most popular, but I would not recommend Skype. Quality is poor and it’s a hassle for any guest who does not have a Skype account. Zoom is easy to use and the preferred option by most podcasters and works well for recording video. Other options are Cast, Zencastr, Ringr and Cleanfeed. In addition, you may need audio editing tools like Audacity or Adobe Premiere if you plan to self-edit.

Just like a blog, podcasts need a server where the files will live. You can host on platforms like WordPress, but it can hinder the speed of your download. Instead, use a dedicated podcast host like Libsyn, which sends an RSS feed to connect you to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Sticher and more. When seeking a host, look into the data and analytics that will be provided as well.

I use Cast or Zoom to record and Libsyn to host. I outsource the edit and have used editors from Fiverr and WeEditPodcasts.com

7. Design Your Podcast: First impressions are everything! Invest in professional artwork for your podcast using a service like Fiverr or Upwork. In addition, a professional intro and outro will put that final touch on your podcast. The edit of the show is important if you want to produce a professional product. There are many services, like MakeMyIntro, that you can use that are not that expensive, but worth the money.

Develop an overview that details the flow of the show, the questions you will ask or segments you will feature. Create a tracking document to monitor topics already covered and planned for the future. If you use guests, setup a scheduling calendar for guests to book time slots with Calendly or ScheduleOnce.

8. Prepare for Launch: Once you’ve recorded a few episodes, it’s time to launch. You’ll want to have at least 3-5 episodes recorded so you can launch with a few and have the next new episode ready to go. Once you are ready to launch, tell everyone you know, but hone in on your target audience for the show. Figure their social media groups and other clusters of fans to make sure they know about the show. You want to build an engaged audience prior to actually launching the show.

9. Promote, Promote, Promote: Promoting a podcast is different than promoting a book or anything else for that matter. Here are three tips that won't let you down: focus on the value listeners will receive, utilize video and audio for promotions, and become a podcast guest. Remember that list of 10 podcasters? That’s an excellent place to start.

Bonus Tip: Getting Reviews and Subscribers: Getting reviews on iTunes is not an easy task, so start with asking your friends and family and any business associates within your industry to leave you a review. Push to get as many as you can within the first few weeks to optimize reach. You can also incorporate a giveaway or promotion to drive up reviews, but the biggest thing you can do is to simply ask people to write a review for you.

Resources Mentioned:

Mic: AudioTechnica AR-2100

Recording Options: Zoom, Cast, Zencastr, Ringr, Cleanfeed

Editing: Audacity, Adobe Premiere

Hosting: Libsyn

Creative Outsourcing: Fiverr, Upwork, MakeMyIntro, WeEditPodcasts

Scheduling: Calendly, ScheduleOnce