It’s summertime! The sun is shining, and so should you! If you start a podcast now you could be brighter than the Texas sun by the end of the season! With more people unwinding for break this is the perfect time to start your podcast. With this season, people have more time, so take advantage of it to get them hooked on your new creation. No need to worry about boredom now! Their time can be filled listening and you have a fun new project. So make sure to tell your neighbors to tune into your podcast on their twenty-hour road trip to Florida this summer. It’s a WIN for everybody!
Now I know what you might be thinking. Where do I start? Well fear not! The Work Innovators Network (WIN) has plenty of knowledge to share on what it takes to start a podcast. Behold, here is our step-by-step guide to starting a successful podcast.
Identify Your Goal
What do you hope to get out of this podcast? Are you wanting to build a name for yourself as a social media influencer? Are you a business trying to expand your sphere of influence by building a more personal connection with consumers? (See our blog: 10 Ways a Podcast Can Be Vital To The Growth Of Your Business) Are you just a person who has a lot to say and genuinely wishes to help people by sharing your wisdom and experiences? Regardless of what your reason might be, it’s important that you know WHY you’re starting your podcast so you know how to measure your success. Success for a podcast is measured in different ways depending on your specific goal. For people who are mainly looking for exposure, success may be measured by number of podcast downloads. For businesses focused on winning over potential clients, success might be measured by the number of people that reach out to the podcast via social media. Maybe for you, it’s both of these things, but ultimately, knowing the reason you are starting your podcast will give you the direction you need to be successful.
Planning is a must
Identifying the goal of your podcast is a great start, but so much more goes into designing a podcast that fits you or your business. You have to determine the style and the feel you want your podcast to have. This means you’re going to have to make a lot of important decisions BEFORE you start putting your podcast together.
First, you’ll need to select a topic. It’s imperative that your podcast is centered around a particular area of expertise. You want your topic to be specific enough so that you can speak about it in a unique way and appeal to a target audience, but broad enough for you to be able to discuss it for many episodes.
Second, you must determine what style you want your podcast to be. According to the book Make Noise, by iconic podcast creator Eric Nuzum there are two main types of podcast styles/formats that serve as a great start into the world of podcasting: People chatting and people telling stories. Under the people chatting podcast category we have rant podcasts (ex. Podcast Marketing Made Easy) and Q&A podcasts (ex. Time Feriss Show, Lewisville big move). The types of podcasts under the storytelling category include seasonal narrative (ex. Dr. Death, Serial), episodic narrative (ex. 99% invisible, Revisionist History, Embedded), and multiple narratives (This American Life, Snap Judgement, The Moth). Interview/panel podcasts can fall under this category as well (ex. Political Gabfest, Little Gold Me). There’s a world of possibilities when it comes to determining which style you want your podcast to be, so explore them! Once you’ve picked the style, you’ll have a much clearer idea of how you want your podcast to be moving forward.
Third, you must decide whether or not you want a co-host. While having a co-host on your podcast makes it easier to split the work and have a more naturally flowing conversation on your show, it can also be challenging working with someone else and their schedules. If you do decide to have a co-host, make sure that both of you are committed to the show long-term and have a set schedule from the beginning. If you’d rather go solo that’s fine too! You can always have guests on to make your podcast more entertaining or to bring different perspectives.
Next, you must choose the title for your podcast. Now I know I said that your topic shouldn’t be too broad, but the name of your podcast should be broader than your actual topic (See Podcast Insight’s How To Start A Podcast: A Complete Step-By-Step Tutorial). If your title is too restricting, then you won’t have much room to expand your topic in your episodes, so choose carefully, and try to be creative. Have some fun with it! Get started and buy a domain name for your podcast.
Determine your episode formats. How long do you want each episode to be? You get to decide! As Eric Nuzum, creator of hit podcasts TED Radio Hour and Invisibilia puts it in his book Make Noise, A Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling, your episodes should be as long as they need to be, and no longer.” That may mean five minutes or it may mean 2 hours depending on the content, the podcast’s style, and how often you upload. The point is to make sure that the flow is authentic and that your episodes don’t run long because of time wasted discussing things that aren’t relevant to the episode. You also get to decide how you want the content of each episode to be formatted. For example, each of your episodes could be ordered: intro, music, welcome, ad, story, guest, call to action (leave us a review), outro. Whatever you decide works, just be sure to have a set episode format to stay organized and make your planning easier.
Make your cover art. The image you choose for your podcast cover is the first thing people will notice as they’re browsing through their directories in search of a good podcast to listen to. Your cover is what will set your podcast apart so that your show can be easily recognized. For more information about designing cover art check out this article, tips to create podcast artwork on Buzzsprout to help you get started. Below are some examples of cover art from some of the podcasts that come to record here at WIN.
Hook your audience with a stellar intro
The brilliant Daniel Larson shares an essential piece of advice in his book Podcasting Made Simple: “The first element of designing your own podcast is creating a captivating introduction that sells something you are able, and excited, to deliver on”. A professional intro not only gets your audience excited to hear what you have to say, but it can distinguish your brand in a way that forms a positive association between you and your content. Most podcasts have intros and even outros complete with music, and both can create your podcast into a memorable show with a clear identity. Introductions, however, allow you to provide a deeper insight into what your podcast is really about. The ideal introduction is short and sweet, offering just enough information about the aim of your podcast and its benefits without boring your audience to sleep barely two minutes in. You also want your intro music to be lively and catchy enough to where your listeners find themselves humming it long after they’ve finished listening to your podcast episode. Think of the jingles big name brands use to advertise their products. Like with goldfish, it’s the snack that smiles back! Who could forget goldfish with that jingle? You want to be unforgettable too, so start looking for soundtracks and choose the perfect one for your podcast. Some great places to start searching for affordable royalty free music are Audiojungle, PremiumBeat, Pond 5, BenSound, Music Radio Creative, and FreeMusicArchive.
Start reaching out
Now that you’re ready to dive into your actual podcast, you need to consider your networking options. If you’re doing an interview podcast or just wanting to have lots of guests, you need to identify the people you want to work with, contact them, and invite them to make an appearance on your show. It’s important that you plan these collaborations accordingly so that you’re able to run your podcast according to schedule. Services like Acuity Scheduling can help with the ease of planning and remote options like Iris and Riverside.fm can be used if you and your guest or co-host aren’t physically together when recording. Of course, if you use WIN for your podcast production, we’re perfectly set up for that type of interview, so you don’t have to do it on your own.
Know what you want to say
Preparing before each episode is key. Writing a script or outline can be a great way to stay on track or remember key points, but you should never read it word for word. Podcasts should have a natural, conversational flow to them and because of this sometimes it’s better not to have a script, but to write out a bulleted list instead. If you are confident in your subject and can maintain a clear dialogue throughout your podcast episodes, then you know you’re ready. Remember, don’t be nervous. Breathe! You’ve got this!
Recording & Editing
It’s time to record! Ensuring that you have regular access to a microphone with top notch audio quality is imperative to making the recording process of your podcast smooth and simple. It’s also important that you find a place to record with no distractions or background noise that could disrupt your podcast. If your podcast also uses video, you’re going to need to make sure you’ve purchased a prime camera and have a nice background to ensure the best video quality. Once you’ve finished recording, it’s time for a review. You’ll need to go through the episode you just recorded and edit the tracks to make sure that any mistakes are cut and that the audio is perfectly clear for your listeners (noise reduction filters are available in most audio editing software). For video podcasters, the editing of graphics will be needed as well. The editing part of podcasting can at times be time-consuming and tedious, so it’s important that you understand the software you are using for your edits. While recording from the comfort of your own home might seem more convenient, it may not be the most professional location for you to host guests that want to appear on your podcast. Luckily, you have another option! Podcast studios can take off a lot of the stress by providing you with the services your podcast needs to be successful. Normally you have to buy your own microphone and/or camera, purchase a headset, learn how to use the recording and editing software, check the sound quality for each of your episodes, make your own intros, and edit your graphics along with your audio. It can get pretty complicated! Fortunately for you, the Work Innovators Network (WIN) has you covered. Here at WIN located in Lewisville, Texas we have podcast studios fully equipped with high-grade microphones, cameras, and acoustic panels to enhance sound quality. But wait… there’s more! Not only can you record all your episodes in our studios, but we will take care of all the editing for all those episodes. We’ll even help you put together your podcast intro! All you have to do is show up, record, and leave the rest to us! (For more information about WIN’s podcast studios, see Additional Details at the bottom of the page).
Upload
Congratulations! The hardest part is over, now all you have to do is decide where you’re going to upload your episodes. The top podcast directories are Itunes/Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and TuneIn. Libsyn is also a great option for hosting your podcasts, as it can be set up to distribute to all the major podcasting services automatically. These platforms all have their own requirements for podcast submission that you should research, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try uploading to all of them. You can also embed episodes on your podcast website. The more exposure, the better!
Sell yourself
Now that your podcast is up and running, it’s time for you to do what many people like to call “self-promo”. Promote your podcast! This is a very crucial step if you want to expand your audience reach. There are many different ways you can make your podcast marketable. One option is to make a website for your podcast to give your listeners an opportunity to learn more about you straight from the source. Another is to build a social media platform for your podcast on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, and more! Lastly, you can post teasers on these social media accounts to further advertise your podcast and get your listeners excited about releasing episodes. These are great options for podcasters looking to grow their influence and it can even attract the attention of potential sponsors! All that’s left is to spread the word about your podcast, so do it! You can even ask the guests you have on your show to share the podcast on their own social media platforms. Tell your neighbor, tell your dog, tell your neighbor’s dog! Before you know it, you could be Spotify’s most played podcast in 2021!
Additional details
The Work Innovators Network (WIN) includes a quality podcast studio complete with top-of-the-line equipment for various forms of podcasting, whether it’s exclusively audio or a combination of audio and video.
Click Work Innovators Media to learn more about our podcasting rooms and other WIN products. To speak to a member of our team about your great idea for a podcast, call us at 972-777-2080 We look forward to helping you create a podcast that takes your business to the next level.
