Did you know that 1 in three Americans listened to a podcast at some point in time?
Podcasts have increasingly become one of the most popular ways to reach out to your audience. There are a lot of people who prefer to listen to them than to read a blog.
So if you’re a long-time blogger, you should consider adding a podcast to your blog as this will allow you to get your message across to a much bigger audience. Also, it would bring a much bigger audience to your website.
In addition to the traffic that a podcast would bring to your website, it allows you to connect with your audience on a much deeper and a more personal level. That’s because hearing someone speak is much more personal than just reading the words written by them on a screen.
Launching your own podcast allows you to gain the trust of your audience and establish authority in your niche.
So if you’ve been considering starting your own podcast, you will find these simple and effective tips for launching one very useful. So let’s get started!
- Planning
The very first thing to do is to plan your podcast. This means deciding how many episodes you would like to publish per month, the topics that you want to cover, what do you want to talk about in each episode and when will you be releasing the episodes. Write down everything in your calendar so that there’s no cause for confusion. You should have a good idea of what you want to accomplish with each episode of the podcast. Plan your content and focus on creating and recording great content – within the set time frame.
- Buy a High Quality Microphone
Buy a top-rated microphone, not one of those cheap ones that you see in the market. This is important because you will be doing most of your work with the microphone and it can make all the difference to the quality of your podcast. Make sure that you have high-quality recording equipment – it doesn’t have to be too expensive, just something that will save you time and money in the long run.
- Sign Up With a Dedicated Podcasting Web Host
If your podcast turns out to be a great success and a lot of people start streaming it, it is important that your podcast file host should be able to handle the large bandwidth. Don’t use your website’s server to load your audio files, instead, use a dedicated podcasting web host such as Blubrry or LibSyn for the purpose. These services do charge a small fee for a monthly subscription, but they are well worth it.
- Familiarize Yourself With the Basics of Audio Editing
It is important that you should know how to edit your audio files. You can get the audio editing done by a professional on an online freelancing service, but it would be better to do it yourself. You can download a free audio editing tool for this such as Audacity. Or you can buy either Acoustica or Sound Forge Pro. Using these tools you can edit, enhance and compress your audio files and make sure that what gets streamed online is of the highest quality.
- Get a Cover Image for the Podcast Prepared by a Professional
Your podcast will need an artistically designed cover image to go with it. You can always hire a professional graphic designer on sites such as Upwork.com or Elance.com for this. Just give them clear cut instructions as the cover image will represent your personal brand.
- Write an Outline for the Podcast
Make sure to write down an outline for the podcast, so that you know exactly what to say at what time during each episode. A podcast is very similar to a blog post as it has an introduction, body, and a conclusion. Just write down a list of what you want to talk about. If you go off-track at any stage, refer to the outline and get back to the topic.
- Make the Podcast Engaging
The podcast should connect with your audience on a personal level. It should move them, and inspire them. It should make them trust you and relate to what you’re saying. Talk about the challenges you have faced and how you have overcome them and motivate your audience to do the same. Don’t be self-conscious during the podcast. Be yourself and enjoy the whole process.
Finally…
Use the podcast to promote your blog. Mention your blog once or twice during the podcast. This way you will be able to get more traffic for your blog as well. And include a call-to-action at the end. This may mean asking your listeners to subscribe to the podcast and to leave a review if they like it, or even if they don’t like it! Hope this blog post has motivated you enough to launch your own podcast!
