Podcast has emerged as one of the most popular content marketing formats in the world.
So here’s how to make the best of it
Go for a topic you’re deeply interested in
Before you start with a single episode it’s a great idea to sit down and pay some thought to the reasons behind why you’re starting a podcast. Niche selection is important.
Figure out that something about which you can talk about effortlessly. Something through which your passion oozes.
See if you can fill the time say 30 minutes talking about that particular subject. Can you keep it interesting. If not think of another subject. And keep at it until you find something that you can work with for a long duration.
Search popular podcast directories for that particular topic to see if its a crowded niche with a lot of podcast hosts on it.
Brand Your Podcast
Once the hardest part’s over, the niche selection is what remains.
The name is the first step towards the long journey to creating a brand people remember. You could go creative with the name selection or be descriptive. Whatever be the choice, name makes an impression. Don’t ever forget that.
The benefits of a descriptive name are that the odds of your podcast appearing higher on search results go up. So including a keyword isn’t a shabby idea at all.
The final step is the need of a logo. Since a podcast involves time investment unlike no other content, these are the things that invite attention. It shows next to your iTunes listing as well. Make it attention-grabbing.
Format and Structure
Valuable content is the best chance you’ve got to get attention. It’s effective.
Audio only versions of podcasts are better since they’re delivering great content without being bulky.
The structure of the show refers to the frequency of the content. Will you be doing an episode once every week. Or will you post just once a month. Whatever be the schedule you choose to go with adhere to it consistently.
Next choose how long the show is going to be. If it’s over 30 minutes break it down to segments so that people aren’t bored. Each segment should offer a unique angle at the episode.
Plan Your Content
Next it’s time to plan your podcast. Good content is the king be it podcasts or anything else for that matter.
The topics you choose, the conversation flow, personality should ooze through and that’s what determines how successful you’re going to be with your efforts.
How?
Have a list of topic show ideas. Note down ideas for upcoming shows and write down ideas in a little notepad as soon as you get one. Talk about interesting and relevant things on the show.
Some podcasts break each episode into segments. If your niche is somehow tied to current events, it may be a good idea to cover news topics as part of your show. Perhaps a guest interview is a main component in your format. Plan for each of these segments and keep in mind the timing and flow of each.
Use a few starter sentences written down for the start of the episode. That gives you a strong start to follow through.
Use bullets
The set of tools you require
For your podcast you require a set of tools to record voice correctly and deliver a fully furnished product at the end.
mic
A good quality mic captures your voice with great fidelity and is one of the few tools necessary for a great podcast.
Among the number of mics available Blue Yeti is decidedly one of the best. The filters are great which means There’s quite less noise.
ScreenFlow — With ScreenFlow you get to record and edit your screencasts. Packs powerful editing features.
Blip.tv — There are multiple podcast hosts that allow submission to podcasting directories. If not, you can use Blip.tv. With it, you can submit podcast to several directories and also to iTunes.
The reporting tools are all excellent.
Skype Call Recorder — This feature lets you record a skype call. This is only useful if you want to host a recorded SKype call as a podcast.
Grow Your Audience
Finally, you can grow your audience with podcasting by releasing it to the world and sharing your creation with everyone.
If you create engaging content the world is your oyster. But content alone takes a lot of time to be discovered by its audience. That’s where marketing comes in.
Consider having a website around your podcast. Something that’s clean looking and professional. The design of the site should support the ultimate aim of podcasting.
WordPress is easy to set up and pliable to build a lot of things around.
No growth comes without a targeted engaged community. You should grow a community around your podcast. Encourage your participants to ask questions and be part of the live chat. Ask feedback, conduct polls and so on.
A podcast runs on advertisements. That’s what brings in real money.
Without it you run the risk of putting off your audience. Too much advertisements too are off putting.
Finally, focus on building a personal brand in and around your podcast.
Any form of content marketing holds the potential to upswing your brand.
It’s a platform where you let your soul speak and let your ideas shine and capture a new audience’s heart and soul.