I plan to start my podcasting again. Why? Well, it’s part of my grand master plan of world domination. But seriously, podcasting is a powerful and inexpensive way to grow your business and position yourself as an industry expert.
Podcasts are incredibly informative, convenient to consume, and entertaining—perfect for the modern audience.
There are numerous podcasts out there in my genre. Friends of mine and people I know all have podcasts and rack up similar numbers. For example, Frank Kern has over 600, Russell Brunson 550, Ryan Deiss 200, Amy Porterfield 500, and the list goes on.
That’s one of my main goals right now. The statistics speak for themselves. When I look comparatively at other podcasts in my industry, I always look at the numbers. I check the number of episodes and how often people release them. Is it once a week? Twice or more than that? Then, I look at the length of the podcasts. Are they short, 10-minute podcasts or longer, 30-minute episodes?
Once I have the numbers, I can make a better plan and reach my goal of 250 to 300 podcasts. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to create a new podcast every day. However, once I decide to implement this, I will make it a priority to record and post them on a regular schedule.
After deciding on the frequency and length of my podcasts, the next step is to focus on the content. Creating quality content with actionable items is the number one strategy to become a successful podcaster.
It’s important to offer interesting content from day one. What does my target audience want to hear? I will research fresh, trending, and popular topics by visiting relevant online groups and forums and even listening to other podcasts within my niche. I may even ask my audience using my email list and social media pages.
It’s fairly easy to come up with content for my particular market. I can talk about traffic generation, event promotion, seminars, webinars, and a lot more. Regardless of the topic, I want to emphasize the importance of having the right mindset. I want to give people the knowledge they need to go forward with whatever topic I’m talking about on my podcast.
Branding is another essential element when it comes to podcasting. The overall look and feel of a podcast will ultimately affect the audience’s perception of the show.
Looking at other people’s podcast images, I see lots of appealing ones as well as less eye-catching images. You need to make sure your podcast brand is well-presented by creating an image that truly reflects what your show is all about. For example, in my Marketing University podcast, I have a picture along with my brand logo in my podcast image.
A picture says a thousand words.
Next, it’s important to learn the technical aspects of doing a podcast. I personally use Lisbyn for managing and hosting my podcast, as it has been one of the most reliable podcasting hosting platforms for over a decade now.
After that, you need to create a section on your website where you list your podcast episodes to make it easy for people to discover your show. Additionally, you should decide which podcast player to use for your site. Upon comparing around five different audio players, I’ve discovered that SoundCloud has the best player around. It’s simple to use and easy on the eye.
So, I have my content, a podcast image, an exclusive podcast page on my website, and a podcast player. All I need to do now is get people to subscribe. But how do they find my podcast if they aren’t on my site? The solution is podcast subscription services.
We all know the most popular ones: iTunes, Spotify, Google, and SoundCloud. Go ahead and submit to as many as you can to get as much coverage as possible and reach a wider audience. You can then send an announcement email to your list telling people about your all-new podcast.
But that’s not enough! You should diligently share information about your podcast everywhere on your website, blog, and social media pages.
Getting people to subscribe to your podcast is only half the battle; you also need engagement with your target audience.
As I said earlier, it’s essential to provide quality content that will pique the interest of your listeners. Talk about topics that you’re deeply knowledgeable about, and speak in an engaging, conversational style to build a strong connection with your listeners. Make sure to provide actionable content to help your listeners know what steps to take next.
When you produce compelling episodes, you’ll be able to nurture a loyal fan base who will tune into your podcasts week after week.
Your listeners will help you succeed by leaving glowing five-star reviews and sharing your podcast with friends. Podcast subscription platforms want new people coming in and commenting on your episodes. That’s how they know that your podcast is doing well. How do you improve your engagement and make people comment on your podcasts? Now, this is where it gets creative and fun.
One of my ideas is to offer giveaways every week or as I hit certain milestones. For example, I’ll give something away when I hit 5,000 podcast downloads. Then, I’ll do another giveaway at 10,000 downloads. I’ll offer a huge prize at every benchmark to stir conversations and boost interest.
To be eligible for the prize, people actually have to leave a comment, effectively increasing audience engagement. The giveaway can be anything: one of your products, a popular new gadget, or even cash. You just have to explain that whoever comments during a certain period will be eligible to win the prize. You can randomly choose a winner of your liking at the end of the giveaway event.
Finally, it’s time to advertise my podcast. Besides emailing my list and getting my podcast on different subscription services, I’ve decided to experiment a bit with using Facebook to attract more subscribers. Many people have successfully done this advertising method to promote their podcasts. What I actually want is not only to advertise my podcast but also to build my list.
Here’s my idea. Place ads on Facebook that say, “Hey, subscribe to the Marketing University podcast with Armand Morin, and learn all about 2022 digital marketing strategies that actually work!” So, I’ll get people to click on it. Then, they will be redirected to a page where I have a video encouraging them to click any of the buttons on the right side of the page for varying podcast subscription services.
When they click on one of the subscription buttons, a small window pops up asking them to provide their name and email address. That way, I capture their valuable contact details and then send them to their chosen subscription service. I can later use that list to notify them about new episodes and send other offers.
I think I’ve covered most of the basics of the podcast game and how to succeed in the industry. If you’ve been thinking about launching your own podcast, get going! It’s easier than you think.
Now get out there and start podcasting
