Podcasts are considered the next big thing in the marketing frontier, evolving and growing confident alongside visual content. In the last few years, podcasts have gained intense popularity, and the search engine algorithms are also favoring them.
Moreover, with a huge shift to the smartphone platform, it has been easier to download and listen to podcasts on the go. Podcasts are now hugely changing the market scenario. We all know content is king. Hence, businesses have started establishing blogs where they regularly post podcast and audio content.
Businesses ensure that they are high quality, relevant, engaging, and at par with written content. Experts state that while blogs or articles promote thinking, podcasts inspire interesting conversations and interactions.
Starting a podcast is not that complex. For this, you may not have any technical knowledge neither have enough money to invest. However, the key element is motivation and hard work. The goal is the same – expanding audience and growing the business with efficient audio content marketing. Below we have mentioned a step-by-step guideline to help you start your podcast.
1. Planning the Podcast
Discover the best motive behind doing your podcast. Build authority by providing equally engaging and entertaining content to the audiences and the listeners. Your goal is to keep them occupied with your content. Hence, choose a topic that will ideally suit your requirements.
Prepare your content from the marketing perspective but focus on your passion and creativity. You can work both as a freelancer and full-time.
2. Choose a Topic
Discover your niche and select the right topic to go ahead with your podcast. Read and expand on your topic for gathering more potential listeners. Keep it broad yet simple, so the listeners find interest in it.
3. Pick a Co-Host
It is much easy to execute a podcast if you have a co-host alongside you. Your conversation becomes naturally interesting.
You can both share your viewpoints, split your tasks between editing, structuring, promoting, and more. You should ensure that you are committed to the longest term.
4. Decide a Show Format
- Length – Many experts will give you random advice about the length of the content. Sometimes you cannot produce a 28-minute podcast since it is the average time to drive. Long content, those over an hour are a huge risk and keep in my mind listener patience. So, do whatever suits you the best. Try to avoid long content.
- Style – While interview podcasts are popular among all, you can go for solo shows too.
- Episode Format – You can begin with a teaser, welcome episode, and continue likewise. You can get creative to make a difference. 10-15 episodes can engage your target audience better.
- Decide on a Name – The name of your podcast should be clear. It can be innovative but not too complex.
5. Podcasting Gear
- Microphones -You can do anything with the microphone that is designed for recording. Choose high-quality ones. You can select between a USB or analog mic. The USB mic will convert analog sound to digital after plugging it directly into the computer. The recording is started without any hassle. However, sound quality is most likely to be low when compared to the analog ones.
- Recorder – Buy the portable XLR recorder to capture multiple channels on the microphone. You can adjust sound levels while organizing audio files automatically. However, this equipment is expensive.
- Audio editing software– A Digital Audio Workstation is needed, also known as DAW. They help with editing and re-recording the audio sounds. As a beginner, you need not invest a lot of money in purchasing the software. Software like Audacity, Adobe Audition, Alitu: The Podcast Maker, etc.
6. The art of talking
This is a difficult and challenging thing to conquer. While you start podcasting, you have to learn the art of speaking and talking fluently on the microphone. You have to think from the listener’s persona.
You can put in as many details as you like. You can talk in a conversational tone, but it should come to you naturally. Most importantly, your talk should be clear and audible. The audience should feel like you are directly speaking to them. This way, you can build audience loyalty over time.
7. Choosing music and art
Your podcast needs to be embedded with good music. Royalty-free pieces of music are available on the web that you can utilize. You can acquire subscriptions where you can get free music. Choosing the right cover art is also essential.
The art should represent the content inside the podcast. The image will also help you list your podcast in several directories like iTunes, Stitcher, etc. Take care of the podcast size. Otherwise, the artwork will fail to make an appearance.
Conclusion
I know you are excited to deliver your first podcast for the audience. Never forget to get it reviewed by a few people at first. Also, ensure that you have a few episodes ready at hand before you submit the first podcast.
The audiences will have a lot to desire once your content starts producing. They will look up to something interesting and noteworthy for the next episode. So, always record two or three episodes before airing one.
