So, you want to make a podcast that people like. Choosing to create something is an accomplishment in its own right— not naturally resulting in subscribers.
If you want people to tune into your show each week, you must make it worthwhile.
But how?
People use many strategies to build an audience and improve their shows. We will explore them in the paragraphs that are to come.
Pro tip? They all center around one thing: quality. Make good stuff for long enough, and people will eventually appreciate it.
That’s the cliff notes version, anyway. For more, read on!
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How Do You Start a Podcast?
Let’s brainstorm if you are interested in starting a podcast but don’t know how.
Below, we have included a checklist that you can use to get the ideas flowing and start working on your first recording.
Come Up with a Concept
All podcasts are predicated on an idea. However, what many people don’t actively think about is that successful podcasts often have a secondary concept that is employed to make them more unique.
For example, everyone knows that true crime podcasts are enormously popular. But have you ever stopped to think how many variations there are?
Serial invented the mold for the “average person investigating a crime” concept. Although the host was herself an established and much-celebrated reporter, crime was not her beat.
So, as she stumbled through the investigation, we could relate more to her journey as fellow armchair detectives.
The podcast Criminal examines true crime from a social justice perspective. My Favorite Murder looks at crime through a more comedic, layperson lens.
Why is this important? Because there are TONS of podcasts out there. If you can’t give yours a unique selling point, it will get lost in the noise.
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Select a Format
Some podcasts are highly loose in their format. This is particularly true of interview podcasts, where the host and the guest will chat for long periods and see where the conversation goes.
Other podcasts will stick more rigidly to specific beats. They will employ segments to provide their audience with a more predictable experience.
Most podcasts take a blended approach, allowing for spontaneity while ensuring the format is recognizable enough for returning listeners.
Decide Who is Going to Help
Do you want a cohost? Recording a show with someone you are familiar with can create a warm feeling that permeates the show. Having a friendly cohost organically sets the tone for future episodes.
There are risks. It will be harder to coordinate regular recordings when you are accountable to someone else’s schedule.
You may also run the risk of making the show overly personalized. You don’t want it to be so full of insider references that it is inaccessible to people in your intended audience.
Then there is the classic risk: Creative differences. If you and your cohost can’t make things work, your show might fall apart through no fault of your own.
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Familiarize Yourself with What is Out There
You want your podcast to be unique but must fit comfortably within an existing genre.
Most people aren’t going to reinvent the wheel successfully. Instead, you want to find a place within an existing niche.
If you are interested in True Crime, listen to all the top contenders and find out what twist you will employ to create a fresh twist on a tired genre.
The same applies to any other topic. Most podcast listeners have heard a TON of shows. You need to prove why yours is a worthwhile entry into the canon.
Make a Logo
The bottom line is you need one. It may sound premature— why spend money when you don’t know if it will be a success?
But who will download a podcast that doesn’t even have a cover photo? You can have a logo made for cheap on Fiverr or Etsy.
You can even use an AI program to generate it for free. Make it simple but compelling.
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Start
Ultimately, there is only so much prep work you can do. Once you’ve checked all of those preliminary boxes, it’s time to get out there and start recording.
You won’t have it perfect right out the gate. That’s ok. So many podcasts spend weeks — even months discovering their voice and optimizing their format.
The sooner you begin, the faster you can build your audience and perfect your formula.
Perfecting Your Formula
Now that we’ve discussed how to start with a podcast, let’s follow up with the next logical step: Improving.
You want to make your show better. You want to grow your audience. How do you do it? Read on to find out.
Ensure a Basic Level of Quality
As a podcast listener, you’ve probably noticed that many recordings aren’t studio-grade. You don’t have to make your audio quality comparable to a Taylor Swift record.
You should make sure the audio is crisp and uncluttered with weird imperfections. Fortunately, this is more accessible than ever.
You can purchase a basic set of podcasting equipment for under $200— assuming you already have a computer or high-quality tablet.
You can borrow free equipment at your local library if you have nothing.
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Edit Effectively
Most podcasts are cut to avoid awkward pauses and keep things moving nicely. When a podcaster is skilled at editing, you may not notice these cuts as a listener.
Editing is primarily a pacing tool. Use it sparingly to ensure your podcast is compelling, but don’t be afraid to leave in some pauses and stammerings.
These imperfections are the human element of conversation that has helped lead to podcasting’s massive success.
People like the intimate nature of the conversation. Please give it to them but in a slightly polished package.
Elevate Your Content
Ideally, you want to ensure that your podcast offers the highest quality of information.
If you are running a finance podcast, look at similar programs. See how they cover specific topics and create a better, more usable version of what they did.
It sounds like plagiarism, but it isn’t.
In blogging, this approach is called the “skyscraper technique.” It doesn’t mean you copy what is successful.
It means you recognize the existing standard and then produce something better. More engaging, more thorough, and more valuable.
When you enter the world of online content creation, you’ll hear a million things about data and algorithms, all of which are true and important.
However, quality is still king. If you make good stuff for long enough, someone will eventually notice.
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Make Regular Uploads
Here’s the thing about your audience— no matter how much they like your content, they probably aren’t going to break their necks trying to get to it. Maybe your core fans will get into trouble by checking in regularly for updates.
Most listeners will not. The majority of people will check their podcast feeds only at select times.
They’ll move on if your podcast isn’t up there when they expected it to be.
Regular uploads make it easy for people to follow your activity.
Remember that any sales-type situation aims to make things as easy as possible for the potential buyer.
That’s ultimately what you’re doing here. Your podcast may feel like art to you, but from a marketing perspective, it’s just like any other product. If customers find it difficult to access, they’ll move on to something more manageable.
Choose Strategic Times to Upload
This is particularly valuable if you use social media and other content strategies to boost your podcast visibility.
People are only online at select times during the day (it may not look that way when you go out into the world, but it’s the truth).
If your podcast gets uploaded when most of your audience is offline, they may not see it. Your social media analytics lets you determine when your audience is most active.
Optimize the Length of Your Podcast
Studies have found that 45 minutes or so is the ideal length for a podcast. That’s enough time to go in-depth on a topic without boring your audience. However, as you probably know, very few podcasts come in that length.
Some are shorter. Some are significantly longer.
You must pick the right length based on your topic and how your listeners use your podcast. For example, are people using it to liven up their commute to work?
If so, a length of about an hour will keep most people occupied to and from their place of employment.
On the other hand, if you provide people with actionable little insights they can use to enhance their day — a mindfulness or fitness podcast, say — you might want to keep things shorter.
At fifteen minutes, your listeners can listen to your podcast as they prepare for the day and use those insights as they navigate the world.
Consistency, once again, will be critical. People might get turned off if they are used to 30-minute recordings and suddenly are presented with a three-hour interview.
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Include a CTA
Bad news: Most people aren’t actively thinking about ways they can help you out. Your listeners will probably be more than happy to boost your podcast — when the thought crosses their mind. The problem? It probably won’t, naturally.
Include a call to action at the end of every podcast you upload. A simple “Like, subscribe, and share with your friends” will suffice.
If you enjoy this post, please like, subscribe, and share it with your friends.
See what we did there?
Use Social Media
It’s pretty simple: social media is where all the people are. If you want to find an audience, that’s an excellent place to look.
Using popular social media platforms is a great way to promote content, but it can also effectively engage with your fans.
That’s important— especially if you hope to monetize your show eventually.
Pay Attention to the Stats
Analytics will be a great way to understand better how people interact with your podcast. Social media analytics will demonstrate how effectively you are promoting your materials.
Analytic tools more specific to your show may indicate how many downloads you get, who your demographic is, how much of the show they listen to, and so on.
That said, don’t discount the value of good old-fashioned surveys. The best data will come directly from your customers themselves.
That’s why Amazon and other big brands frequently send out user surveys. They know the best way to get feedback is to ask for it directly.
Send out occasional audience surveys to learn more about how they interact with your show.
This will also be an excellent way to build up your email list to quickly let people know when you have relevant updates or new content.
Make sure you appeal to a diverse range of listeners for opinions. The more voices you have, the better your show will be.
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Conclusion
The internet is a prominent place. It’s easy to feel like you are screaming into a void during the early stages of any digital content creation effort.
Unfortunately, that’s just how it works. We always hear about viral moments, to the point where we think anything short of that level of success is an outright failure.
In reality, many people successfully build an audience and promote content online.
They never reach influencer status, but they manage to get their stuff out to thousands of people— and sometimes even earn a living at it.
Generally, it takes about a year to hit that level of success with online publishing. Don’t be discouraged if your audience consists of ten people for the first few months.
That’s normal. Keep working hard, and your show will eventually end up in the right hands.
