The podcasting market is at the moment booming: it’s estimated that 177 million individuals within the US have listened to podcasts as of 2022.
As the recognition of podcasts continues to develop, it’s turning into an avenue for manufacturers and content material creators to cement themselves as consultants of their niches whereas reaching their buyer base.
The excellent news? Whether or not for the sake of selling or just as a side-project, podcasting has a decrease barrier to entry as in comparison with different channels.
On this information, we’ll clarify the best way to begin a podcast from scratch, suggestions for selling a brand new podcast and the best way to monetize it.
What’s a podcast?
A podcast is a type of audio content material that options a number of audio system speaking a few specific subject. There are literally thousands of podcast reveals throughout completely different matters. You’ll find one about something you may consider: from film talks to gardening to advertising and marketing—like our Social Creatures Podcast the place we chat with among the most inspiring and distinctive companies on social media.
Why it’s best to begin a podcast
Edison Analysis not too long ago discovered that the widespread reputation of podcasts has constantly grown over the previous few years with the share of individuals acquainted with podcasts within the US estimated to succeed in 79% in 2022. Your viewers is probably going listening and that’s a possibility you may’t afford to overlook.
Most content material creators wish to attain a wider viewers and set up themselves as consultants. Beginning a podcast can convey you these benefits and way more.
A podcast is a extra intimate type of content material than different mediums. It permits hosts, particularly manufacturers and entrepreneurs, to ship efficient model storytelling. By showcasing voices and actual individuals, podcasts can create a private expertise and humanize the model. This fosters deeper emotions of engagement and loyalty amongst listeners as in comparison with different content material codecs, which seem mass-produced.
When finished proper, podcasting can even keep an edge over the competitors by staying related to your customers or viewers. Continually producing content material round present tendencies in your area of interest and interviewing consultants, helps your model will get established as a thought chief.
Beginning a podcast can even convey you one other stream of earnings and construct your community as a creator or model. Right here’s all the pieces a newbie must know to start out a podcast.
The best way to begin a podcast in 6 steps
1. Analysis a podcasting subject or area of interest
Firstly, you’ll have to outline a audience and analysis rivals in your area of interest.
Who’s your podcast for? Having a transparent concept of your very best listener will assist you to create related and helpful content material. Establish primary details about your audience like demographics, age, occupation, pursuits, hobbies and ache factors.
Listed here are some further statistics from Edison Analysis to provide you an concept of who listens to podcasts usually:
- 47% of month-to-month US podcast listeners are aged between 12-34
- A majority of podcast listeners are energetic on Fb.
Use this details about your audience to create a method from content material to promotion.
After you have your subject and area of interest in thoughts, do a little analysis on different related podcasts. By understanding your rivals, you may determine how one can place your podcast in a approach that units you aside.
With a lot competitors, it’s nearly not possible for generic podcast ideas to achieve traction. Ideally, your podcast subject ought to be particular sufficient to attract in a sure kind of particular person however broad sufficient which you can create a number of episodes round it.
For instance, what sounds extra compelling: a horror film podcast or a podcast that explores the cheesiest B-movie monsters of the Eighties and 90s?
Transcend enterprise, politics or movie. Get particular. Do your analysis on what’s lacking out there. Then make a remark of what you’re fascinated about speaking about, what aligns along with your model and the abilities and experience it’s a must to supply. Join all these and also you’ll uncover your area of interest.
2. Plan your podcast particulars and posting frequency
Earlier than we get into the nitty-gritty of the best way to podcast, right here are some things you’ll have to plan.
Title your podcast and add episode titles
Should you’re working as a part of a longtime model, you get pleasure from identify recognition in terms of your podcast.
And for those who don’t, you’ll have to provide you with one thing that’s memorable and distinct from different pods in your area of interest. You possibly can provide you with a descriptive identify and use key phrases your audience is trying to find across the subject. For instance, if a content material creator names their present ‘The Content material Creator Podcast,’ it’s very clear who that podcast is for and what it’s about. If you wish to be extra memorable, you may provide you with a witty or catchy identify.
Listed here are some examples of non-marketing podcasts with distinctive names that pique the curiosity of potential listeners:
- “Invisibilia”
- “Brown Riot”
- “What It Means”
- “Hidden Mind”
Similar to selecting a podcast identify, selecting episode titles can be necessary. It ought to be descriptive sufficient for individuals to know what to anticipate and provides them a cause to click on. The theme of your podcast and the particular topic of the episode are good sources of inspiration.
Additionally, keep in mind after I talked about together with key phrases? It’s necessary to maintain related key phrases in thoughts. Search rankings on podcast directories are primarily based on podcast identify, supplier identify and episode titles. So use the key phrases related to your subject and that your viewers is more likely to seek for.
Determine in your episode size
There isn’t any such factor as an ‘very best size’ in terms of podcast episodes. Episode lengths range from present to point out. The half-hour mark appears to be a contented medium for many pods, though some run barely shorter (and a few considerably longer). Nonetheless, in a survey, 32% mentioned they “really feel postpone by longer episodes of an hour or extra.” So, it’s higher to start out with episodes that err on the shorter facet and construct from there.
One other good rule of thumb is to tailor your episode size in accordance with publishing frequency. Should you publish every day, preserve it brief. If it’s a weekly podcast, keep inside the 50-minute mark. Should you publish much less continuously, an hour per episode gained’t appear too lengthy to your viewers.
Observe that your viewers most likely listens to a ton of different podcasts (Edison Analysis discovered that US podcast listeners hearken to a median of 5 reveals per week). Having a shorter present means they’ll simply squeeze you into their schedules.
Format your episodes: script or not?
Most podcasts will not be scripted. Just some extremely produced reveals are scripted word-by-word. Apart from, scripting takes quite a lot of time and the conversational nature of the podcast would possibly get misplaced.
Nonetheless, a little bit little bit of group goes a protracted technique to preserve you from straying too far off-topic. You possibly can have bullet factors and particular scripts written out for extra formal factors, similar to introductions and pre-recorded segments.
Sharing primary notes and having a top level view of segments is approach higher than going right into a present completely chilly.
Create episode descriptions, notes and transcripts
Presentation is a big a part of podcasting.
Placing collectively episode descriptions might help your potential listener know if a present is related to them or not. Equally, having notes and timestamps is helpful for individuals who wish to skim your episode and don’t have time to hearken to the entire broadcast.
Episode descriptions additionally play a task in making your podcast discoverable in search. That is necessary as a result of 73% of podcast listeners uncover new reveals by looking out the web. Embrace the best key phrases in your podcast and episode descriptions (however keep away from key phrase stuffing). Right here’s a terrific instance from The Branding Lab by Yvonne Ivanescu:
Bullet factors, timestamps and transcripts might be notably useful for first-time listeners. Make use of podcasting software program that has transcription options to simply seize each phrase.
Outline your podcast aesthetic
A lot of determining the best way to begin a podcast boils right down to your branding technique. And having cowl artwork and different creatives that carry the essence of your podcast is part of this. It ought to visually describe your model whereas capturing your viewers’s pursuits. For instance, the podcast cowl artwork examples beneath use colour and graphics to convey their model identification with the theme of their podcast.
You possibly can create cowl artwork your self utilizing a instrument like Canva. Or work with an expert designer who might help you encapsulate your model into the best emblem.
Ideally, your podcast cowl artwork ought to be 1400 x 1400 pixels, in JPEG format and below 700 kb in measurement. Choosing bigger codecs could cause points down the road.
3. Construct your podcast presence
To construct your podcast presence, step one is to publish your pod via a internet hosting platform. Then, construct your social presence on the best channels to succeed in your viewers.
Choose a podcasting platform and create an RSS feed
You’ll want a podcast internet hosting platform to retailer audio information on-line for distribution. You’ll then use this internet hosting web site to ship content material to a podcast listing like Spotify, the place your viewers will be capable of discover your podcast.
When deciding on a podcast-specific internet hosting web site, take into account elements like storage and bandwidth limits, analytics reporting and ease of use. Some choices embody:
After deciding on a podcast internet hosting platform, you’ll have to create an RSS feed to publish your podcast.
An RSS feed is a medium to hold your audio information as podcasts and make it publicly obtainable on the web. It comprises all of your podcast information and the URL can be utilized to distribute it on channels like Spotify and Apple. Right here’s what a typical RSS feed seems like:
To create an RSS feed, add your podcast audio information to the dashboard of the internet hosting platform together with an outline. You’ll then get entry to the RSS feed URL. You possibly can proceed so as to add new podcast content material once they’re prepared. Some platforms could have barely completely different steps, however that is what you’ll have to do usually.
One other technique to make your podcast accessible is by creating an internet site. Web site constructing platforms like Squarespace and WordPress have instruments or plugins to create an RSS feed.
You possibly can then submit your RSS feed URL to distributors to succeed in extra listeners. Extra on this within the subsequent part.
4. Select the best podcasting gear and software program
Buy podcasting gear
Regardless of fashionable perception, beginning a podcast doesn’t should be an enormous money-sink by way of gear.
In concept, you might put collectively a top quality present with little greater than a smartphone. The naked minimal gear wanted for a professionally recorded podcast is a microphone and a headset. Use a professional-level microphone proper from the start to make sure constant tone and quantity.
- Microphones: Purchase a USB mic just like the AKG Lyra or an XLR microphone just like the Shure SM collection. You may get a great microphone within the value vary of $70 to $200.
- USB audio interface: This can be a machine that converts your analog audio indicators (i.e. your voice) right into a digital sign to your laptop. The Focusrite Scarlett or Zoom LiveTrak are good choices. A USB audio interface prices anyplace between $100 to $200.
- Headphones: High quality, snug headsets are vital for all podcasters. The Sennheiser PC 7 or the Logitech H390 USB Headset are good choices. You may get a USB headset for below $70.
Some further podcasting gear to contemplate:
- Microphone stand
- Sound-proofing supplies
- Pop filter
- Cables
This gear is a cheap start line for a small podcasting workforce. Avoiding difficult gear at first will allow you to concentrate on an important a part of podcasting: creation. Keep in mind, as you develop, you may all the time put money into extra gear and improve.
Get podcast recording and manufacturing software program
We advocate utilizing audio recording software program to report a podcast. There are many free and paid choices obtainable out there. Some recording options embody:
Skype and Zoom are one of the best choices in case you are recording from a number of sources.
Other than this, you’ll additionally want a minimum of one software program to edit episodes through the manufacturing stage. Listed here are three of the highest enhancing software program to contemplate:
- Alitu: This can be a net software that automates audio cleanup and provides music or different results.
- Riverside: A beginner-friendly, easy-to-use software program that comes with superior enhancing instruments.
- Logic Professional X: A complicated enhancing software program that permits complete management over audio high quality, music manufacturing and different sound results.
Moreover, there are platforms like Anchor which let you report and edit your episodes immediately from a smartphone.
5. Recording a podcast episode
Begin with a top level view for the episode
Creating a top level view will assist you to map out what you’re going to say. You don’t should go as far as to create a script. Right here’s a pattern define you should use:
- Episode intro: 30 to 60 seconds
- Map out matters you’ll cowl: about 4 minutes every
- Add speaking factors for every subject
- Closing remarks: 2 minutes
- Closing music: 30 seconds
If you begin recording, you would possibly make a mistake: an interruption within the background otherwise you mispronounce a phrase. Regardless of the case, it’s finest to report the entire episode with out stopping. You may make edits later.
Should you do interviews or have co-hosts, it’s finest to report everybody on a person monitor. You possibly can go about this through the use of Skype or Zoom to report the podcast. An alternative choice is to make use of a double-ender name recording instrument, which lets you create studio-quality recordings with a number of hosts remotely, unbiased of web high quality. This function is offered on some podcasting software program like Riverside.
Edit your podcast to suit the define you had in thoughts
After efficiently recording your podcast, you’re now within the manufacturing stage. That is the place you edit out errors, sew collectively audio clips and add in music.
Should you’re a newbie in podcasting, you may be questioning how a lot enhancing you ought to be doing. We advise going for minimal edits to maintain your course of easy and sustainable. Right here’s the Minimal Efficient Podcast Enhancing Strategy (MEE) launched by the Podcast Host:
- Step 1: Report all the pieces with out stopping
- Step 2: Topping and Tailing: Lower out segments of audio on the very starting and really finish of the recording
- Step 3: Amplify audio to -2 dB peak amplitude. This step might be automated for those who use sure enhancing software program like Alitu
- Step 4: Export and publish
If you wish to take enhancing one step additional, listed below are a number of processes you may comply with:
- Eradicating durations of lifeless air
- Canceling out background noise
- Including in sound results and background music
- Decreasing echo or mic bleed
Keep in mind to strike a steadiness between respecting the listener’s time and the define you had in thoughts in terms of enhancing.
6. Promote your podcast
Let’s say you place a brand new episode on-line. Now what?
For starters, make it possible for your viewers is aware of about it. The idea right here is easy: combine your podcast with the remainder of your content material technique by selling it constantly.
If in case you have a devoted e mail record, begin there. Have an energetic weblog? Repurpose episodes into weblog posts and embed the episode inside them. Right here’s an instance from the Shopify weblog, which makes the episode simply accessible to web site guests and drives site visitors to their podcast.
Social media is the right place to provide listeners a style of what your newest episode is about. A method is to announce new episodes by sharing snippets of your favourite moments:
https://www.fb.com/CoachRickSchwartz/movies/396424498966071/
Moreover, discover communities on social media the place your podcast area of interest is hyper-relevant and discuss your podcast.
One other technique to get extra listeners is to succeed in out to introduce your present to influencers or outstanding individuals in your area of interest, who would profit from listening to your present. In the event that they like your podcast, they may counsel it to their viewers.
Listed here are some extra concepts to advertise your podcast on social media:
- Announce new episodes with an authentic meme
- Share teasers of your upcoming episodes
- Run Fb advertisements in your podcast web site
Questioning which social media platforms will work finest for podcasts? Right here’s what a survey report by Edison Analysis says about social platform reputation amongst podcast listeners: a majority of listeners use Fb (68%) and Instagram (64%), whereas 45% of listeners use TikTok.
The best way to arrange a podcast
When you end recording your podcast and create an RSS feed, it’s time to publish them on distributing platforms. Right here’s how one can get your podcast episodes on Spotify and Apple podcasts.
The best way to begin a podcast on Spotify
Spotify has a straightforward setup course of for podcasts. Right here’s what you want to do:
- Log in to Spotify for Podcasters along with your Spotify account, or create an account.
- Click on Get Began.
- <type=”font-weight: 400;”>Paste in your podcast’s RSS feed URL.
- You’ll obtain a verification e mail from Spotify. Enter the 8-digit code from that e mail within the kind.
- Fill in further particulars similar to class, language and countrynclud
- Evaluation the information and click on Submit
- After efficiently submitting, you’ll obtain the Spotify URL for the podcast. It might take a number of hours for it to point out within the app.
You could have to comply with some further steps to authorize Spotify as an extra distribution platform. Take a look at the record of their aggregator companions right here.
The best way to begin a podcast on Apple
Organising your podcast on Apple is a extra guide course of as in comparison with Spotify. You’ll want an energetic Apple ID. Should you don’t have an present one, create a brand new Apple ID. Be sure it’s absolutely activated and is enabled for two-factor authentication. Then, listed below are the steps you may comply with to add your podcasts:
- Join an Apple Podcast Join Account and identify your account. You should use a person identify or the corporate identify.
- Click on the Add (+) button.
- Select Add a present with an RSS feed.
- Enter the RSS feed URL.
- Select permissions. You could have the choice to limit consumer entry. This implies solely customers you select will see the podcast.
- Below availability and rights, select availability and set content material rights.
- Set present launch date. You possibly can select to launch it instantly or set a customized date and time.
- Add your contact info.
- Click on Save.
- Click on Submit for Evaluation.
It could possibly take Apple 5-8 days to manually overview your submission. When it’s prepared, you’ll get the Apple URL to your podcast.
Just a few days after approval, individuals can start looking out and discovering your podcast within the Apple Podcasts app.
The best way to make cash with a podcast
Podcast platforms don’t immediately pay creators like YouTube or TikTok. In case you are seeking to generate earnings out of your podcast content material, it’ll want to come back from both your viewers (direct monetization) or third-party firms who pay you to advertise their manufacturers.
Let’s check out these monetization fashions intimately:
Sponsorships
In response to a report, 60% of podcast listeners looked for a product after listening to about it in a podcast. Many manufacturers perceive this scope of podcasts and accomplice with podcasts for sponsorship advertisements.
Sometimes, a sponsorship advert is added originally of the present (“pre-roll” advert) or on the very finish (“post-roll” advert).
You are able to do a paid partnership with an organization and promote their services or products on certainly one of your podcast episodes. Podcasters take 15-60 seconds out of their script to market the model. It’s finest to strategy manufacturers which are in the identical area of interest as your podcast or are related to your viewers, fairly than going for a random sponsor.
Discover podcast sponsors by becoming a member of a podcast community like Midroll or pitch on to manufacturers.
Affiliate sponsorships
By being an affiliate, you earn a proportion of every sale made by certainly one of your listeners because of your podcast. Often, sponsors gives you a promo code or a particular URL to trace purchasers out of your present.
The affiliate mannequin is finest for podcasts which have an engaged viewers or one who will take into account your buying recommendation.
Memberships
You possibly can immediately monetize your podcast by asking your listeners to pay you. With a membership mannequin, ask your viewers for donations to maintain the content material coming, or to subscribe to get entry to premium content material.
Including a Stripe donation kind in your web site or making a paid membership tier utilizing Patreon or Purchase Me a Espresso are methods you may ask for donations.
Podcasts with a great base of listeners and vital engagement can even promote branded merchandise. The Mind Sweet Podcast does a tremendous job of providing cute stickers and different merch that their listeners love.
Promoting networks
A podcast promoting community acts basically as an agent to your podcast. Promoting networks have connections with manufacturers and might help you land alternatives it’s possible you’ll not have in any other case come throughout by yourself. Some networks allow you to attain out to advertisers immediately when you’ve joined, whereas different premium networks can pitch to advertisers in your behalf.
Some examples of podcast promoting networks embody AdvertiseCast, PodcastOne and Megaphone. Take into account that it’s possible you’ll want to satisfy sure necessities to hitch an promoting community, such at the least subscriber rely.
Amplify your model’s voice
There’s clearly loads that goes into getting your podcast off the bottom, however it may be enjoyable and rewarding.
The success of your podcast will rely in your content material and the way you put it up for sale. Be sure that social media is the cornerstone of your promotional technique. Talking of which, try our finest instances to put up on social media to make sure that your newest content material will get the attain it deserves.
The best way to begin a podcast: continuously requested questions
Is it free to start out a podcast?
Sure, it’s attainable to start out a podcast without spending a dime. You may get your podcast began with zero prices when you have a smartphone and laptop. Additionally make use of free podcasting software program.
How does a newbie begin a podcast?
First, determine on the subject of your podcast. What are you able to discuss with authenticity? Is there a distinct segment you’re enthusiastic about and may present recent views on? Figuring out all these can set you on the best path to beginning a podcast as a newbie.
How a lot does it price to start out a podcast?
Relying on the software program and gear you utilize, you can begin a podcast for below $200.
How a lot cash do podcasts make?
In response to AdvertiseCast, a podcast with 1000 downloads per episode could make a median of $18 per episode. Probably the most profitable podcasts earn hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in income.
How lengthy ought to podcasts be?
There isn’t any onerous and quick rule for podcast size. Wherever between 10 to half-hour is an efficient alternative for brand spanking new podcasts. New listeners usually tend to check out your podcast if it has brief episodes.
What gear do I would like for a podcast?
A pc, microphone, a pair of headphones and podcast enhancing software program are some must-have gear for podcasters.
